April Fool's Day at The Office

During last night's episode of The Office, there were several spoof "The More You Know" public service announcements that were very funny. Check them out here.

Remember, eat saltines responsibly.

iTMS TV Show Season Passes

According to TUAW.com, you are now able to buy iTunes Music Store season passes for television shows like Desperate Housewives, Ghost Hunters and Lost. In other words, pay one price, get all of the season episodes you can download to computer and iPod.

I agree with one person who commented, "A season is what, usually 22 episodes? So you would save about 10 bucks using a season pass over buying every show. If they do this with Battlestar Galactica next season (in fraking OCTOBER) , I would probably do it."

First, I'd need to buy one of the new iPods that can allow you to view video. I'm just waiting to see if some of the rumors I'm hearing about the "true" video iPod come true. Watching BSG on a boring plane flight would be so cool and watching on an iPod would be so much more convenient than using a laptop. Early birthday gift hint folks!

By the way, if you are puzzled about that word, "frak," it is spelled correctly and is a swear word used by the Battlestar Galactica fleet members. No, it is not a replacement for another certain F word that Lenny Bruce used to extoll on.

Battlestar Galactica Comic Book

SciFi's Battlestar Galactica fans like myself can rejoice. While we wait for season 2.5 to be released on DVD in September and season 3 to start in October, there will be a comic book version to help us bide the time.

Dynamite Entertainment will release a Battlestar Galactica series starting in May. In an interview, the main writer behind the series, Greg Pak, said the comic book events will occur during the middle of season 2 of Battlestar Galactica, before Battlestar Pegasus joins up with the fleet.

It has been a long time since I stepped into a comic book store (no one I know here in Pennsylvania plays Magic: The Gathering) but for Battlestar Galactica, oh yes.

The season 2.5 finale episode was so incredible; it's going to be a long wait until October.

Background music: Ode To Joy

Hollywood Has Lost Originality

A new James Bond film, bringing Dallas and Welcome Back Kotter to the big screen. Does anyone need further proof that Hollywood is running out of original ideas for movies?

Sure, I'll go see Casino Royale in November but I'm sure the typical James Bond movie formula will be followed. The movie will start with some sort of action sequence in which our villain does a nasty deed and we later see Bond evading capture or death in a different mission and possibly falling into a love seat with some beautiful woman. The credits will play with some silly Bond related song. Then we'll have Bond show up at the office, flirt with Moneypenny and show off his knowledge of whatever M wants to chat about regarding his new mission. Bond will then search for clues, meet beautiful women, get captured, escape two or three times, blow up cars and kill bad guys and then blow up the HQ of Evil Dude with the help of the British Royal Marines, U.S. 101st Airborne and end the movie floating on a boat in the middle of nowhere with some fair maiden.

Does Dallas or Welcome Back Kotter really need to move from TV series to movie screen? Can anyone really replace the original cast?

There is also talk of a Magnum, PI movie...without Tom Selleck. The saving grace I suppose is that there's a rumor that George Clooney or Vince Vaughn might play the role of Thomas Magnum. If Clooney were to do the role and Donald Bellesario was attached to the flick, I'd be mildly interested. I'd rather, however, see the original cast and Magnum's grown-up daughter (probably have some sort of plot with Magnum and friends rescuing his daughter from kidnappers). Then again, the series ended with Magnum re-enlisting in the Navy and walking away from the camera holding his daughter's hand.

But, come on Hollywood! Get original again! Did we really need a three hour kinda, sorta remake of King Kong?

The Best Ensemble TV Shows

TVSquad.com had a list of what a writer considered to be the best ensemble cast TV shows. Here are my picks:

1. Hill Street Blues - I've been watching the first season on DVD. Amazing how the show still holds up today, compared to Friends. Easily one of the five best TV series ever in America.

2. ER - The early years with Anthony Edwards, George Clooney, Juliana Margolies, Noah Wylie, etc.

3. The Sopranos - Paulie would have a fit if they weren't.

4. The Wire - Brilliant HBO series that has very deep stories and sometimes you really need to keep track of the characters but the whole thing just clicks.

5. The Mary Tyler Moore Show.

6. WKRP In Cincinnati

7. Newsradio - Phil Hartman is sorely missed. Easily one of the greatest comedians to grace the screen. So funny. I'll never forget the poker game episode.

8. Seinfeld.

9. Friends - Hard to say about this show because there was only really four ensemble members, compared to Hill Street Blues or The Wire.

10. Monty Python's Flying Circus - Probably cheating a little bit because you could then probably include the original "Not ready for primetime" troupe from the first several years of Saturday Night Live.

I would list MASH but really, the focus of the show was Hawkeye Pierce, played by Alan Alda. The same goes for Deadwood, focus for that show was on Al Swearengen and Seth Bullock.

My Cinderella

The NCAA Basketball Championship tourney tips off today at Noon. Oh yeah, there was the silly play-in game yesterday but I already have Villanova beating whoever that was...Monmouth State?

Back in 1999 I thought one team in particular would go all the way from the bottom of the pack as the Cinderella team. And the did get to the final eight. Gonzaga is probably not so much of a cinderella team this year because they've made it into the tourney several times now and they are a really strong team this year. Thus, my pick to win it all is Gonzaga.

Stewart Mandel of Sports Illustrated has this list of how a true Cinderella team should be defined. The only one I'd have to agree with is the first one. Think about Austin Peay a couple years back when they came out of the blue and beat the heavily favored University of Illinois Fighting Illini, only to lose in the next game.

1. First and foremost, a Cinderella should be able to pass the basic fan litmus test, which is not having the slightest idea where the school is located.

2. A team cannot be considered a Cinderella if it's reached the Elite Eight (No. 12 Kent State, No. 14 Xavier) or Sweet 16 (No. 5 Nevada, No. 11 Wisconsin-Milwaukee) within the past few years.

3. A team cannot be considered a Cinderella if it comes from a conference that's produced a recent Final Four team (No. 11 San Diego State and No. 13 Air Force of the Mountain West, Utah's conference).

4. A team cannot be considered a Cinderella if it was seeded in the upper half of the bracket just last year (No. 13 Pacific).

5. Finally, it goes without saying that no team from the Missouri Valley (No. 7 Wichita State, No. 10 Northern Iowa, No. 11 Southern Illinois and No. 13 Bradley) can be considered a Cinderella, seeing as the league was rated higher than the Pac-10 this season. (This, of course, does not apply to Nantz and Packer, who apparently consider anyone outside of the big-six to be in Division III).

Sadly though, given the powerhouses in men's collegiate basketball, I wonder if the idea of a Cinderella team winning the tourney is endangered.

Port Management For Sale

DP World said they are seeking buyers for the rights to manage six U.S. ports. Haliburton anyone?

Charles Schumer, D-New York said this:

'It now seems clear that this deal has finally been scuttled, and it is good news for keeping our country secure,' Schumer said in a statement. 'This announcement, once it is fulfilled, is exactly what we've been asking for. We will keep a watchful eye and our legislation at the ready until this deal is finally done.'

So what about the other ports managed by companies from other countries? There are a number of other ports managed by a different UAE company. I guess going after one company is good enough. Pat yourself on the back Mr. Schumer.

I hope the company that buys DPWorld's management rights is Haliburton. I want to see the stink that raises, even though it shouldn't. Haliburton is an American company and is best capable of such a job.

The Xbox 360 Is Back

I received my Xbox 360 back from Microsoft yesterday. That part is great. And so is the fact that after 30 minutes of game time, there were no lock-ups. The part that has me miffed though is the fact that Microsoft chose to send me a refurbished unit, rather than repair mine. The reason, as stated in the letter included in the body-box, was to allow me to get back to gaming right away.

As Clint Eastwood's Dirty Harry once said, "Mighty White of you."

I received a brand new Xbox 360 as a Christmas and birthday gift and I get a used unit in return? Hardly seems right. I'd rather have my game console, not someone else's that looks a little worn out (the serial number info on the back was faded).

I'm sure the reason for not sending me a new console was because of the continued shortage of units for sale. More units are getting out into the world but that is happening slowly.

In other gaming news, Sony announced yesterday that the Playstation 3 system, originally slated for a March release, has been pushed back to November 2006. I doubt I'll get one right away. I'm busy doing the bleeding edge thing with the Xbox 360.

The Tale Of The Slow SUV In The Snow

Middle March, Early Spring Junk Weather.

This past weekend was warm and enticingly Spring-like but Mother Nature was in a cruel mood and decided to put Winter back in the mix. Overnight, we received about a quarter inch of snow, if that much. It must have warmed up because it was icy, slushy, snowy this morning. While the roads weren't terrible, there were patches of ice to be concerned about.

As I was driving up North Atherton Street to get to work, I saw a metallic brown Honda Pilot SUV driving more slowly than a car in a funeral procession, holding up many cars behind it. Most people buy SUVs with the assumption that it will do better than other vehicles on roads during adverse conditions. So here's a nice SUV (if I were to buy an SUV, the Honda Pilot would be my choice. Probably red or blue...) holding up traffic as the driver negotiated the roads, which were not all that bad. Ugh!

Most of the SUV drivers I've seen on dangerous roads usually fly down the road thinking they are invincible superhero types. I've often seen those Superman or Superwoman wannabes with their SUVs in the ditch at the side of the road.

Now I'm safely at work. I'm sure the Pilot owner was late.

Hayes Departs South Park

I read that Isaac Hayes quit South Park "citing the show's 'inappropriate ridicule' of religion." Matt Stone, co-creator of South Park, said Hayes,

...was upset the show had recently lampooned the Church of Scientology, of which Hayes is an outspoken follower.

"In ten years and over 150 episodes of 'South Park,' Isaac never had a problem with the show making fun of Christians, Muslim, Mormons or Jews," Stone said in a statement issued by the Comedy Central network.

"He got a sudden case of religious sensitivity when it was his religion featured on the show."

He added: "Of course we will release Isaac from his contract, and we wish him well."

South Park started out as a short animated film which took a satirical look at the Christmas holiday and Santa versus Jesus.

Sopranos Return, Finally!

No spoilers here but let's just say The Sopranos season opener was worth the wait the hype. I don't think HBO has to worry about ABC and Desperate Housewives. The goings-on on Wisteria Lane pale by comparisons to the deep story lines on The Sopranos. Not only that, the dark humor is far more effective.

I have to brush up on the cast because I haven't watched the show since Tony ran off, letting Johnny Sack get busted by the FBI in 2004.

There is one shocking scene (whew!) in this week's episode to remind you that this is clearly not for children. I don't care if you do let the kids see South Park.

The Simpsons, Live!

There is a live-action version of the opening credits for the animated Matt Groening television series, The Simpsons, floating around the internet.

According to TVSquad.com,

...the video is part of a...marketing campaign by UK broadcasting network, Sky. The network and its ad agency created the dead-on, live-action video as part of an on-air promotion for The Simpsons. They even had the blessings of Simpsons producers and creator Matt Groening. The ad gurus thought it was so cool that they decided to launch it on the internet and just let word-of-mouth go to work for them. Obviously, they were successful. The video is huge right now...

Youtube.com has it but the video quality isn't that good. Instead, go here to view the video in one of two different formats.

Barry Bonds? Steroids? Noooooooo Waaaaaaay!

Sports Illustrated has a photo gallery of Bonds' expanding physique.

If we can absolutely prove Bonds' drug use, his name should be stricken from the home run record. He doesn't deserve to break Aaron's record.

Then again, how do we know Aaron didn't use steroids? Just throwing the question out there.

Another thought. Bud Selig, baseball commissioner said it would be impossible to remove steroid users from the history books. Well, uh, if we focus on Bonds where's the difficulty? If Pete Rose can be punished for gambling, Bonds should be punished for drug use. The commissioner should be asking the umpire for some new balls.

So, Who Likes Cube Farms?

CNN.com has a story in which Robert Probst, the person who invented the Cubicle, thought it was a bad idea.

After years of prototyping and studying how people work, and vowing to improve on the open-bullpen office that dominated much of the 20th century, Propst designed a system he thought would increase productivity (hence the name Action Office). The young designer, who also worked on projects as varied as heart pumps and tree harvesters, theorized that productivity would rise if people could see more of their work spread out in front of them, not just stacked in an in-box.

The new system included plenty of work surfaces and display shelves; partitions were a part of it, intended to provide privacy and places to pin up works in process. The Action Office even included varying desk levels to enable employees to work part of the time standing up, thereby encouraging blood flow and staving off exhaustion.

But inventions seldom obey the creator's intent. "The Action Office wasn't conceived to cram a lot of people into little space," says Joe Schwartz, Herman Miller's former marketing chief, who helped launch the system in 1968. "It was driven that way by economics."

Businesses saw the cubicle as a way to cheaply build offices and cram people into those big rooms.

The upshot: A company could recover its costs quicker if it purchased cubes. When clients told Herman Miller of that unexpected benefit, it became a new selling point for the Action Office. After only two years on the market, sales soared. Competitors took notice.

That's when Propst's original vision began to fade. "They kept shrinking the Action Office until it became a cubicle," says Schwartz, now 80. As Steelcase, Knoll, and Haworth brought their versions to market, they figured out that what businesses wanted wasn't to give employees a holistic experience. The customers wanted a cheap way to pack workers in.

Propst's workstations were designed to be flexible, but in practice they were seldom altered or moved at all. Lined up in identical rows, they became the dystopian world that three academics described as "bright satanic offices" in a 1998 book, Workplaces of the Future.

Designer Douglas Ball, for instance, remembers the first installation of cubicles he created for a Canadian company in 1972. "I thought I'd be excited, but I came out depressed," says Ball, now 70. "It was Dilbertville. I'd failed to visualize what it would look like when there were so many of them."

My entire career, until I started work here in the College of Arts and Architecture at Penn State, has been spent in cubicles. Probably the most extreme use of cubicles I've ever seen was during my tenure at Gateway Computers in North Sioux City, South Dakota. There was one huge office just packed to the gills with a "cube farm." It was insane to see that many people packed into one room.

In the movie, Office Space, the hero used a drill to dismantle his cubicle. I just love that scene. If you haven't seen thise movie and you are an office place veteran, you owe it to yourself to see this silly movie.

My office may be in a computer network server room but it has four real walls and a door.

Office place nirvana.

The Mysteries of Airfare Pricing

I received the usual junk mail from Expedia.com about upcoming special airfare rates and there was this list:

From State College (SCE) to:
Atlanta (ATL) - $336.00
Boston (BOS) - $354.00
Denver (DEN) - $424.00
Atlantic City (ACY) - $680.00

My guess as to why flying to Atlantic City, which probably isn't more than 40 minutes by air, is so expensive may be because it's a direct flight. Or, they might do something inane like make you fly to Harrisburg, Pittsburgh or Philadelphia then hop on a connecting flight to Atlantic City. Which wouldn't surprise me.

I'm using frequent flyer miles for my next trip to St. Louis. Can't fly out of State College, need to drive to Pittsburgh, there's only two possible flights and they go to Atlanta, GA first before connecting to St. Louis.

When will airline companies get more consumer-friendly?

White Tea

Wen-Yi sent me some Ten Ren white tea to help keep me healthy. I've never had white tea before. Imagine green tea without the "grassy" taste but with all the healthy benefits. After an initial taste that told me this was really good stuff, I added a little bit of lemon juice and really love it.

On the other hand, I tried sugar-free Red Bull this morning. I don't drink coffee and I've sworn off regular soda because of all the sugar so maybe this would be the kick I need some mornings. Nada. The taste is one that is truly acquired. I'd much rather drink Coca Cola's Vault Zero or sugar-free Mountain Dew MDX. I really like the taste of Vault Zero. There's even a website devoted to Vault fans called Vaultkicks.org.

Obviously, I should, and will, choose white tea over soda.

Get BSG Free

You can get a free episode of Battlestar Galactica from the iTunes Music Store when you purchase the March 6 issue of TV Guide. The episode can be viewed either on your computer or iPod (the one that shows video).

I am normally not a huge science fiction fan but BSG is fantastic and, in the words of one reader at The Unofficial Apple Weblog, makes "Star Trek look like Sesame Street."

Another reader hit the nail on the head with this comment about the show:

Battlestar Galactica is one of the best shows on television. If you're staying away from it, because you are old enough to remember the campy 70's version, or because sci-fi is for kids, you are missing out! It's one of the best written shows I've seen since The West Wing!

It's more of a character driven drama, than a sci-fi show. It has more in common with Law and Order or ER, than Star Trek. Star Trek was a space opera. Law and Order is a Drama in a police setting. ER is a Drama in a hospital setting. Battlestar is just another Drama, but on a military space vessel, about real people dealing with survival.

It's got great actors like Edward James Olmos, and Mary McDonnel, and an amazingly talented young supporting cast.

I concur. It is set to be recorded automatically for me every Friday night on the SciFi Channel at 10pm.

Speaking of which, I need to ensure my DVR is set to record The Sopranos when it returns March 12, this Sunday, at 9pm. Welcome back Tony, nice to see ya!

Theatre Or DVD, That Is The Question

During the Oscars ceremony last night, the president of the Academy of Arts and Sciences went out on stage to talk about why the movie theatre is a better venue for watching a movie than at home on the DVD player.

Sure, that may be true at some top tier theatres across the country but don't tell me that if you haven't watched a movie in either of the two Carmike Cinemas here in State College, PA. The seats are worn out and uncomfortable, the heat is jacked-up, the floors are messy, the screens have tears and are very worn out as well as too small and the sound systems stink.

Then there's the people who are in the theatre. Some don't turn their cell phones off, talk during the movie or kick the back of my seat. Getting out of your seat to go to the bathroom can be a chore if the entire row is filled.

Additionally, tickets and concessions are overpriced and the popcorn is stale.

After seeing all three Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter movies, my biggest complaint is the lack of an intermission. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King was close to four hours long, which really tested the patience of my bladder. Maybe I should show my discontent with this by bringing a big cup, filling it up during the movie and leave it at the manager's desk with a note thanking him for making us endure a four hour movie without intermission.

You don't have to spend a lot of money to set up your own home theatre. The reward is ability to have an intermission, watching with your friends, great sound, good climate control, healthy and fresh concessions. Best of all, if you have a family, things are cheaper. Not only that, if you have a nice widescreen TV, the video quality can be better.

Here's another plus for a home theatre most people don't think about. If you are hard of hearing or deaf, the DVD usually has closed-captioning. I've only seen one movie, ever, at a theatre, offer closed captioning for the deaf or hard of hearing and that was only at the 2pm showing.

The idea of a simultaneous theatrical and DVD release of a movie is a good one. I don't think theatre sales will suffer because for some movies, like Dances With Wolves or the Lord of the Rings trilogy, viewing on the big screen is best. Scary Movie 3 can be relegated to the DVD rental or viewing via one of the premium cable movie channels unless you want to just get out of the house.

SOURCE

The Problem With Headlines

CNN.com offered this as a headline for a top news story today:

Croat Serb leader commits suicide

This is another one I found at Newsvine.com:

Former Serb Rebel Leader Commits Suicide

While the second headline is a little bit more accurate both show the problem of headlines for news stories. Because of lettering constraints (usually in the traditional print medium), headlines may not be able to tell the proper story. Maybe the headline should have read as, "Convicted Balkan War Criminal Commits Suicide."

Incidentally, it was Foxnews.com that offered the best history of that scumbag's man's role in the horrible war in the Balkans.

Airport Security. It Works

When I recently flew to St. Louis, I made sure not to take my Swiss Army Knife and nail clippers, even though the Transportation Safty Administration has said such items can be packed in checked-in luggage. I just wanted to play it safe and would be unhappy if my Swiss Army Knife was confiscated.

I read the following news story and have lots of questions:

A 30-year-old Madisonville man was arrested at Louis Armstrong International Airport after security screeners found five knives, 44 rounds of ammunition and 8 grams of crystal methamphetamine in his baggage.
Screeners on Concourse B said they found the knives, bullets for a 9 mm and drugs in the lining of a bag belonging to Louis Bayhi III, along with several lighters, a can of lighter fluid and a "glass smoking device."
Jefferson Parish sheriff's deputies said Bayhi was taken into custody Friday night and questioned but did not make any statement.
Deputies booked him at the East Bank Lockup in Metairie with possession of methamphetamine.

So many questions. Did he think he would honestly get the stuff through customs? Where was the pistol? All this just to celebrate Mardi Gras?

Oy!