Apple: A complaint

Just purchased the following:

iMac 21"

Airport Extreme

the complaints:

1. iMac seems to have a well-complained about blue-tooth related "wake from sleep" problem.

2. Apple "support" site is so jammed or slow that you can't even post about it.

3. the very cool looking sync feature in "Address Book" with yahoo is currently busted. why is all this stuff allowed to be broken all the time? documentation from either Apple or Yahoo is out of date...10.6.5 must plain be just too new

4. Apple still doesn't seem to have a solution for the tremendous "roving sync" problems many of us have...multiple locations, multiple computers. I can't buy anything while on vacation due to this, for starters. iTunes still doesn't have a way to share libraries accross user id's on machines, either. As iTunes gets more central to our lives, Apple needs to address this stuff or we'll have to exit the Apple ecosystem.

...as for AirPort extreme:

5. no web interface for setup...but, to be fair, the Airport Utility is quite good.

6. no support for DynDNS!!! What??? If I had known this, I would not have bought the thing. This router is replacing (my last ever!) Cisco/Linksys WRT54G variant...it had problems at a deep level with certain WiFi hosts...causing it to crash the WiFi side of the network about every 4 days like clockwork--requiring a re-boot of the router. I hope Apple adds DynDNS at minimum to the Airport line, very convenient, with a firmware update.

Other than that...beautiful, speedy hardware that is simply incredible. I wish I could junk every last one of my windows machines and laptops!!!

That is all.

The Singing Detective

So, I just watched the original "The Singing Detective" BBC mini-series (1986) and then a few weeks later, the Hollywood version starring Robert Downey Jr and Mel Gibson (2003). The original is quite long, 6 hours, but has much better visuals styles and the multiple plots are all given enough room to develop. Michael Gambon is amazing in the lead.

The Hollywood version suffers from the short run-time (standard feature, ~90 min) and what appears to be an incredible low budget. The important make-up effect for the lead looks ridiculous. Also, the development of the plots is cut so short as to make no sense...none of the events in any of the plots really end up being meaningful. This is despite some amazing acting by Robert Downey Jr, Robin Wright Penn, and Mel Gibson. Mel Gibson has the small role of the psychiatrist...he was also a producer. He really delivers a great, different, non-typical performance...Mel is quite and actor when he wants to be.

The only thing this back-to-back viewing has accomplished is that the original BBC version of everything is really probably the only one to bother with. 2nd: I'm interested in completeing the rest of the Dennis Potter trilogy...the BBC version of Pennies from Heaven and Lipstick on the Collar. The latter sounds best...hopefully it is on Netflix.

whither Mint?

so...what is the f'n deal with mint.com? they contstantly seem to have outtages and banks and accounts that worked at one point, suddenly stop working. the site was JUST on the verge of being useful...but the wheels seem to have come of this week. First, SallieMae stopped working...and last night it was down totally, and today it can't update anything. Useless!!! Must I return to the accursed non-web Quicken??? Meh.

Avatar

So...finally watched Avatar by the James Cameron. Surprisingly good! I actually wished I had seen it in in 3D in a theater. It is basically "Titantic" + "Aliens" with CG. Amazing acting by the CG cast...not irritating at all. Story had the pace to carry the length...and the images were amazing.

Zombieland

Watched "Zombieland" over the weekend. Not a bad movie, but not a particularly good one, either. Acting was overall quite good. Shot well in a workman-like style. The problem was not story, either. Where it broke down for me was tone...it never seemed to get on track either with the comedy or the suspense or horror. Everywhere "Shaun of the Dead" works, this one fails. Too bad...they had something going there with the concept. Better luck next time!

"Gabriel Over the White House" (1933)

Just finished up this bizarre movie called "Gabriel Over the White House" (1933). It is a pre WWII, pre-FDR movie about the angel Gabriel possessing the idiot President of the US played by Walter Huston. This heavenly possession results in the POTUS going nuts and becoming a popular dictator, who dismisses Congress and creates public works projects programs and pays off a group of unemployed that look like the "Bonus Army" of historical fact. He then threatens all the rest of the powers of the world with war/destruction over repayment of WWI (Great War if you prefer) debts--while repudiating the various Naval Treaties that limited the Battleship Race of the period. Which works...and makes him even more popular at home in the USA! He then signs a treaty for repayment and some sort of utopian arms control package. He then dies, without explanation! This movie was frightening in it's seeming promotion of anti-Democratic, un-Constitutional actions as a solution to the depression. I guess one could say that FDR's actual administration was a milder version of this? Read "FDR's Folly" if you don't believe me. This movie actually seemed to be advocating fascism...and was pulled from release after a little-known politician, Chancellor Hitler, pulled similar shennanigans in Jan 1933. The Great Depression and the 30s and 40s in general were a bizarre period.

Look Back in Anger (1959)

"Look Back In Anger" (1959)...british movie staring richard burton, claire bloom, and mary ure. great cast. good acting. but, why is this play and movie so well liked/reviewed? it's 2 hours long, and is basically the story of a total jerk guy, richard burton's Porter, who is a total dick for the entire duration. he is not pathetic in the end because he is such a total cock.

this play & movie were the origin (mentioned in review) of the "angry young man" meme.

i say: meh!

you wanna see richard burton and mary ure? watch them with clint eastwood in an awesome movie: "Where Eagles Dare" (1968)

I just finished watching Mad Men season 3. It is still a great show...interesting period design and topics, great writing and acting. Season 3 really makes me want to watch season 4...but makes me wish that season 4 will be the last. The standard dramatic arc of "intro to character and conflict" leading to "horrible trials and conflict for the heroes" has no lead at the end of season 3 to the beginnings of a "lessons learned and life and hope spring anew". Let's face it...this is the classic arc...we've just been thru the sort of "Empire Strikes Back" portion after the original delight of "Star Wars" and now we just have our "Return of the Jedi". Let's hope there's no prequels or "yubb-chubb" songs.

I would allow for 1 feature length re-visit to the Mad Men...would love to see where they all land in 1974 or so...write it and shoot it, my people!