bogolode.org
Musings and Ruminations
Charlie Wilson’s War
Just finished Charlie Wilson’s War. It is a very well made movie that does a very good job of describing the how and why of Charlie Wilson and his involvement in Afghanistan. Definitely worth a watch. If nothing else, you’ll learn a bit about the history and the political gamesmanship that went on, and maybe a bit about how and why some things happened.
Beta Testing
Been beta testing Skitch, Evernote, and Delicious Library 2 lately.
Short review is: they’re all good and worth a look.
Long versions:
- Skitch is a fairly effective tool. It is a screenshot utility offering editing and automated uploading to a variety of services. I think the user interface is a bit busy, but it provides basic image editing right then and there. For the basic task of taking a screenshot, uploading to a remote server, and providing an URL to link to, it is excellent. I’ll probably buy it when it goes non-beta.
- Evernote is an interesting take on an information manager (think Yojimbo or DevonThink). The major feature is an online interface to store information in, with a desktop client to interface and sync with. The online tools are well done. The desktop client is a bit raw, but more than serviceable. Its utility is directly tied to how you deal with information. If, like me, you generally do not archive large amounts of data, the value of Evernote is limited. If you save lots of data and need methods to organize it, Evernote might be a good option. Probably not something I’m interested in paying for, but worth keeping an eye on.
- Delicious Library 2 is a dvd/book/game database manager. I’ve long been a user of DVDpedia, but Delicious Library 2 represents a big leap forward from the first version of Delicious Library. As such, I’m mightily tempted by it. In addition to the database features and the technical improvements in Delicious Library 2, new features such as the ability to export the database and others finally bring it to a rough parity with DVDpedia. I’m unlikely to change my tool of choice at this time, but Delicious Library 2 teases and tantalizes with the attractive interfaces. Worth a good hard look, and is definitely a compelling product. Only my prior investment in another tool prevents me from buying Delicious Library 2 at this time.
Steak ‘n Shake
Went to Steak ‘n Shake about two weeks ago. People had recommended the shakes and figured I’d try the food and such. The food was pretty damned crappy. The shake was damned good. Not going back for food but might for shakes.
Sweeney Todd
Ok. Sweeney Todd was pretty unimpressive. Gave up on watching it about halfway into the movie. The basic plot is fine, Tim Burton’s visual style is awesome, but the actors cannot sing well enough. And for a musical, that is pretty damning.
I feel about Sweeney Todd much the same as I do about Chicago. I think there is much to like in the critical appraisal of the visual style and all of those details. But as an enjoyable movie for me to watch, neither measure up.
Lest I be accused of hating musicals, I do like musicals in general. I love many of the classic ones, like the Wizard of Oz, Singing in the Rain, and Mary Poppins. I also love Moulin Rouge immensely, and would argue that its use of popular songs is part of its greatness because the songs are perfectly selected for the moments. The feature each of those share is a witty plot, catchy songs, physical gags, and above all, good voices singing the songs.
So, final appraisal of Sweeney Todd is… meh. Could be a lot worse, but I have no real interest in seeing it again.