General Musings Archives - Page 11 of 96

Have You Used the “Near Me” Feature on the iPhone App Store App?

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Maybe I need to get out more, or maybe I need to go to some more exciting places, but the other day I started to become fascinated with the “Near Me” feature on the App Store app on my iPhone. Supposedly it shows what some of the most popular apps are around you that people are downloading, and for them most part the people around me are really concerned about the news or how to get from here to there, although it also seems like my neighborhood has a lot of radio legend, Steve Dahl, fans, as his app is displayed prominently among the choices.

I’ve tried it a couple of times at places I’ve been, and usually it’s been a similar result – local news apps, travel times, train schedules, but oddly enough, never seeming to be anything fun. I think I might need to head to some fun parts of the area and see what comes up, but for now I wonder: Have you used the “Near Me” feature on the iPhone App Store app, and what the heck, I’m curious of any wacky ones that might show up near you.

That’s it for this one! I’m Andy!! L8R!!!

Do You Zipper Your Clothes Before Putting Them in the Laundry?

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When I was a young lad and my mom was showing me how to do laundry, there were many tips and tricks she instilled in me that I still perform to this day. Fine, I will admit that when it comes to emptying my pockets I’m not always the most diligent which has led to one or two washings of the few Washington’s and Lincoln’s, as well as the occasional pen and the loss of those annoying collar “stays” that somehow get sucked into the bowels of the dryer. I’m also not one to always “shake” out my clothes after the washer portion as opposed to just putting a giant ball of wet clothes in the dryer, as the “shaking” out leads to a quicker drying time and the less likelihood of hidden “wet” spots in the clothes when the dryer stops, and, I admit it, I’ve done my share of mixing lights and darks (took me a few minutes one day to realize why my yellow towel turned slightly pink, even though there was a dark, red towel in the mix), but the one tip I still try to keep up with to this day is zipping up all zippers before putting the clothes in the laundry. As I asked my mom why the one day, she simply said that it eliminates the chances of the zipper snagging your other clothes, thereby maybe tearing them, or leaving you with that snagged thread that can ruin your clothes should you now try to “break” it by being lazy and pulling on it, instead of taking the couple of minutes to get some scissors.

Do I zipper the clothes all of the time? No, but I do wonder: Do you zipper your clothes before putting them in the laundry?

That’s it for this one! I’m Andy!! L8R!!!

Will the Comcast/Time Warner Merger Result in Better Customer Service?

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The website Funny or Die has done it again, putting out a short of how most of us figure Comcast really feels about us, the customer. Yes, there is a merger coming between Comcast and Time Warner which results in a company where competition really isn’t an issue. Much like there wasn’t a choice in phone companies, and there really isn’t that much of a difference now even with all of the “breakup of the telephone monopoly” from way back when, we are at the mercy of the major players when it comes to cable TV or internet service. Really, what are you going to do? Sure, you can go for the digital antenna and still get broadcast TV, sort of if you aren’t that close to your city, and a company called Aereo, who had an interesting way of trying to bring broadcast TV to people who wanted to get rid of their cable TV, now finds itself heading to the Supreme Court to protect their business model, but when all is said and done, until the next technology breakthrough comes along, we are tied to the giants with the infrastructure, and political contributions.

Funny or Die probably gets it right in the video below, and really, why should Comcast, or Time Warner for that matter, care about us that much. We need them, they have us by the balls, and they really, probably don’t give much of a F&%k. I know the answer is probably moot, but I would like to hope it gets better. I wonder: Will the Comcast/Time Warner merger result in better customer service?

That’s it for this one! I’m Andy!! L8R!!!

Comcast Doesn’t Give a F*CK from Tarik Ellinger

Have You Watched Jimmy Fallon Since He Took Over for Jay Leno?

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Now that the Olympics have been over for a while, and the hubbub of his replacing Jay Leno is dying down, the Jimmy Fallon publicity machine now really needs to work it. The latest bit – thanks to some prodding from Rahm Emmanuel, Mayor of Chicago, was a dip in 32 degree Lake Michigan for the annual Polar Plunge, a fundraiser for Chicago Special Olympics. Happily for most, but probably not for some, they both survived, with Jimmy wearing a nice suit for his dip in the lake. The story made the Drudge Report, hit all of the news wires, and if Jimmy Kimmel thought picking up the Mayor of Toronto at the airport would get him tons of publicity, sadly Russia invading the Ukraine and an event that involved what was probably a lot of shrinkage pretty much assured a win for Fallon in this round.

But, will it result in people watching?

As great as all of the publicity is for Jimmy Fallon, and there’s a good change you’ll see coverage of it on your local news, especially if you are watching an NBC station, I don’t think it will make more people watch The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon. In fact, and I know I haven’t, but I wonder: Have you watched Jimmy Fallon since he took over for Jay Leno?

That’s it for this one! I’m Andy!! L8R!!!

Did You Watch All of the Academy Awards?

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With another Oscar season over, and some of the complainers spouting how it was the night for Hollywood to say “Look how important we are!”, it was also a night of consistently one of the most watched television events. A lot of people watch their TV’s wondering who some of the nominees are, many have never heard of the films that are either nominated, or win for that matter, yet, for some reason, every year, we gather around our televisions, and this year we might have gathered around our handheld devices because ABC was streaming the Academy Awards to their app, as long as you actually subscribe to a specific cable provider, which I find bassakward because really, don’t you want as many eyes as possible watching so you can shove commercials down people’s eyeballs?

As it is, though, we watch. We get sucked into the red carpet, we wake up the next morning wondering who won, and then don’t really care, and the marketing blitz hits for those “non-mainstream” movies that win big, as now it’s a movie you “must” see because the people that rate Hollywood found it important.

Some years I make it all the way through the telecast, commenting like many of you, and some years I fall asleep. I can’t remember, though, any year I’ve never actually just skipped watching the Oscars altogether. As I type this the jury is still out if I will keep my eyes open this year, but I wonder: Did you watch all of the Academy Awards?

That’s it for this one! I’m Andy!! L8R!!!

Have You Been in the Front Row at Your Favorite Concert?

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Posting all of my concert photos on Flickr got me to thinking how lucky I was, for at least three songs at a time, to be in the front row at concerts. Having seen quite a few shows, it was generally pretty cool to be up there, right at the foot of the stage, as the lights would go down and the band or singer would come out. The crowd would go crazy with the mosh-pit type shows being the craziest as body-surfers would generally find their way over the barrier, sometimes kick you in the head, and be escorted back into the crowd, although even some of the the “calmer” shows still had their version of crazy fan.

I do remember a time, though, when we actually scored front-row tickets, back in those days when you didn’t have to rely on scalpers, and it was for AC/DC, where I impressingly remember the security dude telling all of us in the first four or five rows that we could jump up and down all we wanted, that we could generally have a great time, but if we even looked like we were going to rush the stage that they would take us out. Sure enough, a few rows back, someone made that move, and I’ll just say that the security dude wasn’t lying.

Having been lucky to have the best “seat” in the house for many shows, for about three songs at a time, today I wonder: Have you been in the front row at your favorite concert?

That’s it for this one! I’m Andy!! L8R!!!

Have you postponed a project to start it on the first of the month?

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It’s the first day of March. It’s also the first day of meteorological Spring. It’s also the first post I’ve done in over four months. I’ve been toying with when to restart Entertainment Ave! after a hiatus, and the end of winter, especially this winter, seems like a good time to give it a shot.

And so, as I’ve done many times before, I’m starting a project on the first of a month. I’ve started many a weight-loss goal on the first of a month. I’ve started many a budget on the first of a month. So, why not an Entertainment Ave! restart on the first of a month?

This will be, as they say, a work in progress. Some of you who have been here before will probably notice a new layout, one that I’ll be tweaking as things continue. Also, the Daily Plight is now called “Andy Wonders,” as I’ve decided to drop the “Dude on the Right” moniker, and I’ll be honest, right now I’m not sure if it will be a daily feature or not.

Reviews will start back up in a bit, I’m still going to try to update all of the archives of reviews, but one project almost complete is getting my archive of concert photos on Flickr. You can find them at Flickr on in my concert series.

And so, here it is, Spring. And here it is, my first wonder, “Have you postponed a project to start it on the first of a month?”

That’s it for this one! I’m Andy!! L8R!!!

Thanksgiving – Time for a Break or To Move On?

It’s Thanksgiving time as I’m writing this, and I have a lot to be thankful for, and as much as a time it is for giving thanks, it’s also a time for reflecting for me, especially about this place, Entertainment Ave!, which has been a part of my life in one form or another since about 1988, some 25 years ago.

This odyssey began as a little article in a college newspaper, Technology News, with my buddy and me looking to make some extra beer money. It was there that The Unknown Reviewers were born (Here’s a link to one of our first articles, found on Page 3), with me, The Dude on the Right, and him, The Dude on the Left, with bags on our heads and a PC with a hard drive topping out at 40Meg I think (Yup, you could fit a whopping 10 songs if they actually had digital downloads back then, but I digress), where we would wake up on a Friday morning with foggy heads and write about bands visiting our college bar the night before. As college years moved on some of the personas may have changed, but the bags remained the same, and The Dudes carried on.

Re-taking the reigns of The Unknown Reviewers in my never-ending college days, after being in an advisory role for a while, eventually The Dudes became digital, posting our reviews on our college website, and then, back in 1996, after finally ending college fun and pretending to grow up, Entertainment Ave! was born, with cheesy graphics, a cast of characters who mostly just wanted to have a goofy character, and the concert reviews grew from college bands to national acts, movie reviews were added, and through the years we’ve had an advice column, dabbled in animated movie reviews, held weekly podcasts, personal blogs, Daily Plights, and just some general commentary about the world.

I’ve always had big dreams for Entertainment Ave!, and although a lame excuse in the world of entrepreneurship, I generally let my day job and sometimes life in general, get in the way of trying to take this place to the next level, and over the past few months, with some other major changes taking place in my life, I’ve begun to wonder if this part of my life has also run its course. For over two years now I’ve been trying to get all of the pages updated to the newer format, a task I didn’t realize was so huge until I realized that, through the years, I’ve amassed over 750 various reviews and articles, and converting them has proven a much more daunting task then originally thought. I’ve also had a goal to get all of my concert photos updated to go along with the concert reviews, as well as get them posted for all of the world to see on my flickr site, and although a little easier than the page conversion, I haven’t gotten to the individual editing of them, either. Ugh!

“So, Dude, what are you trying to say. I’m getting tired of reading. Get to the point, already!”

I guess what I’m trying to say is that for a while I’m going to be putting this part of my life, Entertainment Ave!, on hiatus, as I ponder its future. There might be a post every now and then, but for the most part I’m going to see if some kind of inspiration comes to re-envisioning the site, its goals, and if it can be a part of my life for the next 25 years. I might try to finish getting the old reviews converted, finish up with the concert photos, play around with some site re-designing, but as a one-man show, and a site this large, it’s been a tough task keeping up with the changes in technology, the changes in how people get their content (I never did get the Facebook nor Twitter connections fully integrated as I envisioned, nor the “Second Life” virtual site, and even though I’ve designed an iPhone app or two, this site has never gotten its own app much to my own disappointment). For the time being I’ll be leaving everything posted, because hey, someone might want to read about an AC/DC concert from 1991, or see if they should rent “Dude, Where’s My Car?”, but don’t count too much on finding out what I think about the latest Christmas movies, read about a bad film coming out on Blu-ray, or a plight about if Cher really did make the gayest video, ever, for her song “Take It Like a Man.”

If this does end up being my last post for this site, I would like to thank all of you for your support through the years, any comments you may have tossed my way, and the chance to share my entertainment world, and sometimes thoughts about life, with you. It’s been a lovely ride for over 25 years, and maybe its not over yet, but in any case it’s a time to re-assess, re-evaluate, and see if some reconditioning can bring a new chapter to the Entertainment Ave! life.

Maybe for the last time…

That’s it for this one! I’m Andrew Labis, I mean, The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!

Breaking the Girls

MPAA Rated – Not Rated
It’s 1:27 Long
A Review by:
– The Dude on the Right

Breaking the Girls Movie Stats & Links
Starring:	Agnes Bruckner, Madeline Zima, Shawn Ashmore
MPAA Rated:	Not rated.
Released By:	IFC Films
Release Date:	November 19, 2013
Kiddie Movie:	For the love of God, put them to bed.
Date Movie:	For the love of God, put her to bed, also.
Gratuitous Sex:	There’s some girl-on-girl, and girl-on-guy stuff, but it’s pretty lame.
Gratuitous Violence:	It’s a murder-mystery movie, so there is some.
Action:	Nah.
Laughs:	The acting.
Memorable Scene:	The bad, being drunk acting.
Memorable Quote:	None.
Directed By:	Jamie Babbit

I really hate writing reviews that bash a movie, and will generally try to find something nice to say, but there are times a movie, in my book, is just bad. “Breaking the Girls” is that movie.

In terms of story we get Sara (Agnes Bruckner). She’s a law student struggling with some money and has to bartend to get by. There’s a weird love-connection between her and Eric (Shawn Ashmore), who’s girlfriend isn’t to thrilled by their gazes at each other. When Sara steals a few bucks at her job, and gets turned in by the girlfriend, her life implodes as she loses her job and gets kicked out of law school. Lucky for her she met Alex (Madeline Zima), who has a lot of money and is freaky. So, yup, Sara and Alex get it on, but not before Sara meets Nina, Alex’s mother-in-law who used to be her lover, and so, with both girls having sworn enemies (or do they?), they make a pact to kill each other’s enemies.

Of course, Alex being the nutty one, carries out the dastardly deed, and then Sara has second thoughts. And of course, of course, we find out Alex isn’t too happy about this, and so she starts to threaten Sara that she better stand up to her end of the bargain, or else. And of course, of course, of course, there is the supposedly interesting plot twist, where things are not as we see, as Eric, who of course, of course, of course, of course, has now firmly planted his relationship with Sara, but then does some investigating and finds out a few things.

Sadly the movie comes across as “I know, let’s have this weak story that has been done before, and mix it with some girl-on-girl action, which has also been done before, and it will be great!” movie. I mean, here’s Sara, the law student, working in a bar, and meets Alex, playing the worstly acted drunk person I have seen in years. Sara goes home with Alex, Alex breaks this crystal vase and Sara doesn’t really think anything of it, and then, I know, “Let’s go to a party!” Sure, it’s all part of Sara’s master plan, but the acting is so bad that I almost was laughing at everyone as the movie went along.

The guy in me wants to try to recommend this movie to other guys on the premise of “If you want some hot girl-on-girl action in a dorky murder-mystery, go ahead and buy/rent ‘Breaking the Girls,’” but sadly even the girl-on-girl action was kind of lame.

Bad acting, a not-really-exciting story, and even some lame girl-on-girl stuff does not make this dude a happy man. And so, I’m not even sure about the ½ star, but I’ll give “Breaking the Girls” ½ star out of 5, if only for the humor at how badly acted the scene of Alex being drunk was.

That’s it for this one! I’m The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!

Are You a Speakerphone Person?

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Let me come right out and say that I’m not a speakerphone kind of guy. I don’t like using them, I don’t like being on the receiving end where the other person is on a speakerphone, and I guess this may translate poorly into the future when video phone calls might end up being a norm (which will suck even worse). Sure, I know in the car we are all supposed to be hands-free, which is supposedly better for safety (don’t even get me started on this rant), and I do my best to use my car’s speakerphone, but in the end I always find the calls disjointed, they never seem to be that clear, and the other day, when I was in an office, someone in a cubicle was on a speakerphone and it was just annoying as the speakerphone person always seem to think they need to talk a little louder, thereby annoying those around them, while the person on the other end probably forgets they are on the other side of the speakerphone, thereby their side of the conversation is being broadcast to the rest of this dude’s office.

Me, I prefer the old handset to the ear kind of thing, although the old days were a little easier when you could cradle the handset between your ear and your shoulder thus giving you handsfree-ness that still sounded great. With phones so small and thin this process has become increasingly difficult until we evolve as a species with our heads at 90 degree angles, or the phones implanted into our ears, so until then I guess we have to live with a crooked neck, or the speakerphone.

Remember if you are on the other side of a speakerphone call that you don’t know who might be listening, and I plight: Are you a speakerphone person?

That’s it for this plight! I’m The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!