Out of Pocket

For the next week and a half I will be out of pocket. That means I won't be able to add any new posts until August. In the meantime I have added a few new videos to view and some new games to keep you occupied until my return.

Here is a list of some of the topics I will be tackling upon my return:

• Easy Money
• Wii Like to Play
• XM vs. Sirius
• Cell Phone Towers in Disguise
• Animaniacs
• What Makes a Good Home Theater Projector

Thanks for reading. See you next month.

T

Pengapop

Clowning Around

3 Foot Ninja

Check Out These New Videos

Big Bad Bubba's Doublewide Burger

If you want to see something that will curb your appetite, just click on the video below.

You won't be going home hungry after eating one of these, guaranteed.

T

Click on the MASH button to add this video to your site.

Director Spotlight: Bryan Singer

Bryan Singer has been directing movies since 1988 and has not looked back since. He started out with a movie called "Lion's Den" starring Ethan Hawke and co-directed by John Ottman. It didn't get much notice, but it was a start. He followed it up with "Public Access" in 1993.

It wasn't until 1995 that Mr. Singer had his big breakthrough with "The Usual Suspects". It was a critical and commercial success and went on to win two Academy Awards. One for Best Supporting Actor: Kevin Spacey. The other for Best Original Screenplay.

He then went on to make Apt Pupil in 1998, based on the novel by Stephen King. He used Ian McKellen as the neighbor to a teenage boy who suspects him of being a Nazi war criminal. The two would go on to collaborate on further films in the near future.

It would only be two years later, in 2000, when X-Men was released. It became one of the highest grossing films of the year. It also changed the way super hero movies were made. They were no longer goofy send ups of the mostly serious comic books they were based on. Mr. Singer made them believable despite their extraordinary powers. The film also introduced everyone to Hugh Jackman, starring as Wolverine, who became the breakout star of the film.

The success of X-Men led to the immediate production of X-Men 2; also known as X2. This film quickly out-performed the first movie at the box office and is widely regarded as the best super hero film made to date. It brought together all of the original players and introduced a few new mutants. The most exciting scene, by far, was the opening in which Night Crawler breached the security at the White House and attempted to assassinate the President. This movie had great action, excellent acting, a terrific story and set up a third film perfectly.

With the anticipation of the third X-Men film at a fever pitch, Mr. Singer decided to jump ship and direct the new Superman movie, "Superman Returns", instead. The genius of this movie was that Mr. Singer decided to "forget" about Superman 3 and 4. He deemed them to be unworthy of the Superman legacy, thus he started where Superman 2 left off. While many consider "Superman Returns" to be a failure, some maintain that it was an excellent film. If you watch it expecting to see an all out action super hero movie, then you will be disappointed. It was more than that. It was about the struggle of a man out of place, trying to find where he belongs. He has conceded, though, to make the next installment more action and less romance.

His next film will be "Valkyrie", also known as "Rubicon", starring Tom Cruise. It is based on actual events about a plot to assassinate Hitler by soldiers in the German Army. It is already riddled with scandal due to Tom Cruise's religious affiliation with Scientology. The German government is refusing to give them access to some of the key sites needed to film because they have labeled Scientology a cult. This may cause delays, but the end result will most likely be one of the best films of 2008.

Also on track for 2009 are "You Want Me to Kill Him?", "The Mayor of Castro Street" and "Superman: Man of Steel". Looks like Mr. Singer will be extremely busy for the next few years.

In addition to his directing credits, Mr. Singer has written numerous films, directed some television and produced both t.v. and film. He is one of the most prolific directors of our time and has only begun to scratch the surface of his creativity. We should all be excited about what his future holds.

T

Click here for a more detailed history of Bryan Singer's film career: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001741/

I Screamed For Ice Cream

Well, the ice cream eating contest was held yesterday at Bruster's and it was tough. I had practiced a couple of times and knew I could eat a half gallon in 10 minutes. I felt I was ready.

The rules were changed a little bit to the most ice cream in ten minutes, rather than the fastest half gallon. They would give you the flavor of your choice 1 quart at a time. Once you finished your quart, stand up and they would give you another.

Russell finished his first quart just seconds before me. The crowd went wild. Then I stood up and they burst out again. People began chanting our names. Russell and I had each other locked in our view while we were shoveling the ice cream into our mouths. Then I reached the bottom of my second quart. A half gallon down in about 6 minutes. When I stood up for my third quart, the crowd exploded into cheers. People I didn't even know were rooting me on. Then Russell stood up for his third quart. Again the cheering.

Then I hit my wall. I thought, "No more ice cream or I'll puke right here". I looked across at Russell and he had his spoon sticking out of his ice cream and was staring at it shaking his head "no". He had hit his wall, too. The time keeper called out three minutes left and I thought, Just a little bit more". My fans started chanting my name. Russell's fans did the same for him. We both picked up our spoons and started digging in again. This time, with a little less enthusiasm.

When the time keeper called the 10 second countdown, people started yelling "Big scoops!". I stuck my spoon deep into the container and pulled out huge spoonfuls. Then it was over. Time for the weigh in. They weighed Russell's first then mine. They re-weighed them. In the end, Russell won out by 4 ounces. He and his fans jumped in excitement.

I got up from the table and felt like my belly was about to explode. I thanked everyone for their support. We had a good laugh. Then I walked behind the drive through coffee shop next door and laid on the ground. I looked to my left and there was Russell. We both lost a couple of spoonfuls of our ice cream back there. The weird thing is, it was still cold. I congratulated him, then my wife drove me home, but not before stopping to lose a more of my ice cream. This time, though, it was a lot. When I was done, I felt a lot better, but still like crap. As a matter of fact, I didn't feel 100% until this morning when I woke up.

I love ice cream, but I won't be eating any for a while and I sure won't enter again next year. Then again, never say never, right?

T

Blue-Ray vs HD DVD

Is the time coming soon when we will all have to make a choice between Blue-Ray or HD DVD? If so, which one will be the better choice?

These two questions are probably the biggest questions you will have to ask yourself when it comes to your home entertainment systems in the near future. Both formats have a lot to offer. They can hold much more data than the standard DVD. They offer an even better quality in sound and picture as well.

So what is the best route? Well, the Blue-Ray discs can hold more data than HD DVD but the systems are more expensive at retail (at least for the time being) and the discs cost more to produce. Blue-Ray has jumped a major obstacle recently: Blockbuster has announced that it will only carry Blue-Ray movies in its stores. All stores that currently carry HD DVD will continue to carry them but all other locations will start carrying Blue-Ray. Does this mean HD DVD is dead in the water? Not by a long shot.

Toshiba is the major backer behind HD DVD and they are a HUGE company. In addition to Toshiba, NEC and Sanyo are also behind it. The major studios currently offering movies on HD DVD are Buena Vista Home Entertainment, New Line Cinema, Paramount Pictures, The Walt Disney Company, Universal Studios and Warner Bros. This is nothing to laugh about. HD DVD has a lot of power behind it.

Blue-Ray is backed mainly by Sony and has at least thirteen other major companies in line with it including Apple, Dell, Hewlett Packard. LG, Panasonic, Samsung and Sharp. The major studios include 20th Century Fox, Buena Vista Home Entertainment, Electronic Arts, MGM Studios, Paramount Pictures, Sony Pictures Entertainment, The Walt Disney Company, Vivendi Universal Games and Warner Bros. In addition to stand alone players, you can also play Blue-Ray movies on PS3 systems which typically cost less than the players.

As you can see, some of the studios are backing both systems for now. There are even a few electronics companies putting a hand in both camps, such as LG who has recently come out with a system that can play both HD DVD and Blue Ray. This is probably not going to be the norm for the industry, though. As said in the movie "Highlander", there can be only one.

Check out our online poll in the sidebar and let us know which one will you pick.

T

I Sceam for Ice Cream

A few days ago, I was out driving and I came across something that got me very excited. Bruster's, a local ice cream store in Flowood, MS, had a sign advertising an ice cream eating contest. I am not a heavy eater by any means. In fact, most people assume I eat very little. However, the opposite is true when it comes to ice cream.

I rarely get a brain freeze. When I get a bowl of ice cream it consists of four to five generous scoops. I love ice cream. It is the number one desert in my book.

I wasn't able to get much detail from the employee at the store, so I went to their website, http://www.brusters.com/, and sent an email to the management for details. The store manager, Joe Savage (nsprop2@bellsouth.net), responded quickly and gave me the scoop.

It will be held July 15, 2007 at the Flowood, MS location. Any customer can enter the contest. It is $5.00 for a half gallon of the flavor of your choice (nearly half the regular price). The contest will start between 3-4 pm. The customer to finish their half gallon first wins. "Wins what?" you ask. A year supply of ice cream from Bruster's.

I am definitely going to enter and I would like as many people as possible to come out and try their best to beat me or cheer me on. I am even willing to impart some of my strategy on you.

In my research I have discovered some ways to prevent or quickly disperse brain freeze.

After each bite, push your tongue up to the roof of your mouth. This will help generate heat. Hold your cupped hands in front of your mouth and breathe into them. Tip your head to the side and hold it there for a few seconds. These methods may or may not help you, but it is worth a try. Click on http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brain_freeze to get the whole story on the brain freeze phenomenon.

I am looking forward to seeing lots of people at the big event. Even when you don't win, you'll still have gotten a half gallon of delicious ice cream for half the regular price. Isn't that reward enough?

T

Search for the Perfect Job

At some point in our lives we all take a step out of our comfort zone and begin searching for the perfect job. This may be your choice or you may be forced to look. Whatever the reason, you are out there in a very vulnerable state. You want, desperately, to make the right decision.

There are a number of avenues to explore when putting yourself out there. You can blindly mail out resumes to every company you have ever dreamed of working for (not usually the best approach). You can walk in unannounced and ask to fill out an application (okay if you are looking for part time job, not a career). You may use the tried and true method of scanning the help wanted ads in your local paper. Many people are even placing video resumes on the internet. My favorite approach has been the online job search sites.

In my life I have had twelve different jobs. Some of them were when I was young (I am not counting mowing lawns and washing cars as a kid). Some of them I have held for numerous years. In the past few years I found myself looking for the next step in my career. I have searched through nearly all of the methods discussed earlier and found the job search sites to be the most effective. This definitely took some adjustment time, though.

My three favorites are Monster, Career Builder and Hot Jobs. When I first began searching these sites I found a number of "great" opportunities. I can work from home and earn $5000 a month part time? WOW! I can join the fastest growing company in the fortune 500? Incredible! You want me to be an Account Executive? Unbelievable! Earn $1500 a week take orders over the internet? I can do that!

These were the majority of "offers" I found in my search. Some are so well done, I even fell for a couple of them myself. After a little time, though, I began to recognize the scam offers from the real ones. I utilized the tools on these sites to polish my resume and then applied to the positions that interested me . As a result, I got a number of interviews as well as job offers. As a matter of fact, I still work for one of those companies today. I also do contract work for another.

You may be one of the lucky few and find a great job in no time flat. The rest of us have to remember to be patient and use all available tools in our search. Just don't get caught up in the lure of easy money. They nearly never work out. Most people who have a good income work hard to achieve it. Keep that in mind and you should find the perfect job for you.

T