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We have home parties alot.....
I had a cheap 400 watter that did the trick using Froggy's Swamp Juice, but it eventually died. No doubt from using too thick of fog juice. BUT, I absolutely swear by Froggy's. If your machine can't run it, get a better machine because Froggy's does an amazing job filling the area with fog.
Anyhow, this 1200 watter pushing Froggy's Backwood Bay juice cut at 2-3 parts juice to 1 part distilled water is really something else. I hit the button once and the entire party area is filled - about 900 square feet. I have to turn off the smoke detectors or it sets them off. If I hit the button 2 or 3 times within 30 minutes, you honestly cannot see 10 feet in front of you.
I tend to hold the button down until it cycles off. Wait about 15 minutes and do it again, but note that the machine is ready again in about 5. Then maybe once or twice more over the next couple of hours I cycle it again. Then I unplug the machine and just let the fog hang in the air and eventually dissipate after maybe 4 hours from that first hit.
Put the right fog juice in THIS machine and it is the bomb! Fills the room with fog that has great hang time and, cutting it with distilled water, it really is cost effective over the cheaper stuff. The right machine and the right juice, cut down = 5 stars all the way!
Bad things (sorta):
1. Had to move the fogger about 20 feet from the action as the fog shoots out really far with FORCE.
2. Must turn off the breaker and unplug the smoke detectors. They will surely trip.
3. Placement is a bit difficult given the size and weight of the machine, but especially the 20+ foot stream of forceful fog juice that comes shooting out the machine.
Lastly, I don't care about a timer. Since I only need to hit the button 2 or 3 times total over a 4 hour period, a timer isn't warranted.
UPDATE AUGUST 2013: HAD ONE DIE WITHIN A MONTH. HAD TO DO A RETURN. REPLACEMENT ONE GOING STRONG MONTHS LATER. | 1 | neutral | [
"We have home parties alot....",
".",
"I had a cheap 400 watter that did the trick using Froggy's Swamp Juice, but it eventually died.",
"No doubt from using too thick of fog juice.",
"BUT, I absolutely swear by Froggy's.",
"If your machine can't run it, get a better machine because Froggy's does an amazing job filling the area with fog.",
"Anyhow, this 1200 watter pushing Froggy's Backwood Bay juice cut at 2-3 parts juice to 1 part distilled water is really something else.",
"I hit the button once and the entire party area is filled - about 900 square feet.",
"I have to turn off the smoke detectors or it sets them off.",
"If I hit the button 2 or 3 times within 30 minutes, you honestly cannot see 10 feet in front of you.",
"I tend to hold the button down until it cycles off.",
"Wait about 15 minutes and do it again, but note that the machine is ready again in about 5.",
"Then maybe once or twice more over the next couple of hours I cycle it again.",
"Then I unplug the machine and just let the fog hang in the air and eventually dissipate after maybe 4 hours from that first hit.",
"Put the right fog juice in THIS machine and it is the bomb!",
"Fills the room with fog that has great hang time and, cutting it with distilled water, it really is cost effective over the cheaper stuff.",
"The right machine and the right juice, cut down = 5 stars all the way!",
"Bad things (sorta):\n1.",
"Had to move the fogger about 20 feet from the action as the fog shoots out really far with FORCE.",
"2.",
"Must turn off the breaker and unplug the smoke detectors.",
"They will surely trip.",
"3.",
"Placement is a bit difficult given the size and weight of the machine, but especially the 20+ foot stream of forceful fog juice that comes shooting out the machine.",
"Lastly, I don't care about a timer.",
"Since I only need to hit the button 2 or 3 times total over a 4 hour period, a timer isn't warranted.",
"UPDATE AUGUST 2013: HAD ONE DIE WITHIN A MONTH.",
"HAD TO DO A RETURN.",
"REPLACEMENT ONE GOING STRONG MONTHS LATER."
] |
I like the idea of these but my 2 year-old son didn't understand how they work on as all little kids do he touched the pads, got paint on his hands and it does NOT wash off with baby wipes and even 1 soap and water use. It took most of the day for the color to come off his hands. Having taught school for 7 years i wasn't that upset I knew it would wear off eventually but I can't imagine it comes out of cloth very easily if it doesn't wash off of hands. So I would definitely recommend using a smock with these. My son liked them but didn't understand how to make the paint come out. Perhaps with more use he'll get the hang of it. Maybe more appropriate for a 4 or 5 year old. i bought these because my son loves to finger paint but was hoping for something less messy and easier to clean up. This would NOT meet that criteria. They do work exactly as described and I think for an older child they would be great. | 1 | neutral | [
"I like the idea of these but my 2 year-old son didn't understand how they work on as all little kids do he touched the pads, got paint on his hands and it does NOT wash off with baby wipes and even 1 soap and water use.",
"It took most of the day for the color to come off his hands.",
"Having taught school for 7 years i wasn't that upset I knew it would wear off eventually but I can't imagine it comes out of cloth very easily if it doesn't wash off of hands.",
"So I would definitely recommend using a smock with these.",
"My son liked them but didn't understand how to make the paint come out.",
"Perhaps with more use he'll get the hang of it.",
"Maybe more appropriate for a 4 or 5 year old.",
"i bought these because my son loves to finger paint but was hoping for something less messy and easier to clean up.",
"This would NOT meet that criteria.",
"They do work exactly as described and I think for an older child they would be great."
] |
I've been using this for several years, after losing most of my lawn to crabgrass about 5 years ago. I had to tear everything up and reseed. The following spring I started using the crabgrass preventer. I haven't had a problem since. A few daisies will pop up from time to time, buy I just pull them by hand & no big deal. As to price, Lowes almost always beats Amazon. in 2016 Amazon selling for 25.66 (free shipping with Prime or large orders.) Got it at Lowes for 19.95 and about 1/4 gallon of gas. | 1 | neutral | [
"I've been using this for several years, after losing most of my lawn to crabgrass about 5 years ago.",
"I had to tear everything up and reseed.",
"The following spring I started using the crabgrass preventer.",
"I haven't had a problem since.",
"A few daisies will pop up from time to time, buy I just pull them by hand & no big deal.",
"As to price, Lowes almost always beats Amazon.",
"in 2016 Amazon selling for 25.",
"66 (free shipping with Prime or large orders.",
") Got it at Lowes for 19.",
"95 and about 1/4 gallon of gas."
] |
I've been playing the game once the game's price went down. I've heard fairly good things about it, and it is fairly good, with a few exceptions. The graphics and sounds are spectacular compared to Max Payne, its friendly rival. The disarm cut-scenes are also incredibly good to watch. The storyline does not resemble Max Payne in its darkness quality, but rather it is story of justice in the vein of Die Hard movies, with some goofy humor involved.
Now to the bad parts...
This game is incredibly hard, and I mean, very, very hard. The flood of enemies against you are numerous, and they occur whenever you are close to fighting a boss -- sometimes. Second, the enemies in a gunfight are particularly cheesy. For example, the enemy can fire directly at you with a pistol, but you can't hit him when you are directly in front of them. Furthermore, the controls are awkward, unlike Max Payne. They are not intuitive. Lastly, the camera in the game is usually always stuck, so you get blindsided very often.
Overall, it's worth buying it cheap, but do not get into the Max Payne frame of mind. | 1 | neutral | [
"I've been playing the game once the game's price went down.",
"I've heard fairly good things about it, and it is fairly good, with a few exceptions.",
"The graphics and sounds are spectacular compared to Max Payne, its friendly rival.",
"The disarm cut-scenes are also incredibly good to watch.",
"The storyline does not resemble Max Payne in its darkness quality, but rather it is story of justice in the vein of Die Hard movies, with some goofy humor involved.",
"Now to the bad parts...",
"This game is incredibly hard, and I mean, very, very hard.",
"The flood of enemies against you are numerous, and they occur whenever you are close to fighting a boss -- sometimes.",
"Second, the enemies in a gunfight are particularly cheesy.",
"For example, the enemy can fire directly at you with a pistol, but you can't hit him when you are directly in front of them.",
"Furthermore, the controls are awkward, unlike Max Payne.",
"They are not intuitive.",
"Lastly, the camera in the game is usually always stuck, so you get blindsided very often.",
"Overall, it's worth buying it cheap, but do not get into the Max Payne frame of mind."
] |
Magazine obtains ex
The woman Karen McDougal confirmed in the story published online Friday that she wrote the account but said she was constrained in what else she could say publicly about Trump because she 'd signed a confidentiality agreement.
The affair ended in part after McDougal started feeling guilty about it and after Trump made an offensive comment about her mother's age as well as a vulgar remark about the anatomy of black men the magazine reported.
The story said McDougal was paid $150 000 during the 2016 presidential campaign for the rights to her story of an affair with any "then-married man" by the supermarket tabloid National Enquirer which never ran it.
Just before Election Day The Wall Street Journal reported that the tabloid whose publisher David Pecker is a longtime friend of Trump's had paid for McDougal 's story but wasn't printing it a tabloid industry practice known as "catch and kill."
The company has approached McDougal about extending her contract barring her from talking about Trump in recent months as the behind-the-scenes negotiations to keep porn star Stormy Daniels' allegation of a Trump affair have been made public the magazine reported.
American Media has said it didn't find McDougal 's account of an affair with Trump credible and paid her to write fitness columns. In a statement to The New Yorker the company denied that having exclusive rights to McDougal 's story left it with any influence over the president saying that contention "while flattering is laughable."
The White House said Trump denies having an affair with McDougal . The alleged affair occurred not long after Trump married his third wife Melania who had recently given birth to a son the magazine reported.
The same Los Angeles lawyer who represented Clifford in that transaction also represented McDougal in her negotiations with American Media the magazine said.
McDougal told The New Yorker she regretted signing legal documents that constrained what she could say. "Every girl who speaks is paving the way for another " she told the magazine. | 1 | neutral | [
"Magazine obtains ex\nThe woman Karen McDougal confirmed in the story published online Friday that she wrote the account but said she was constrained in what else she could say publicly about Trump because she 'd signed a confidentiality agreement.",
"The affair ended in part after McDougal started feeling guilty about it and after Trump made an offensive comment about her mother's age as well as a vulgar remark about the anatomy of black men the magazine reported.",
"The story said McDougal was paid $150 000 during the 2016 presidential campaign for the rights to her story of an affair with any \"then-married man\" by the supermarket tabloid National Enquirer which never ran it.",
"Just before Election Day The Wall Street Journal reported that the tabloid whose publisher David Pecker is a longtime friend of Trump's had paid for McDougal 's story but wasn't printing it a tabloid industry practice known as \"catch and kill.",
"\"\nThe company has approached McDougal about extending her contract barring her from talking about Trump in recent months as the behind-the-scenes negotiations to keep porn star Stormy Daniels' allegation of a Trump affair have been made public the magazine reported.",
"American Media has said it didn't find McDougal 's account of an affair with Trump credible and paid her to write fitness columns.",
"In a statement to The New Yorker the company denied that having exclusive rights to McDougal 's story left it with any influence over the president saying that contention \"while flattering is laughable.",
"\"\nThe White House said Trump denies having an affair with McDougal.",
"The alleged affair occurred not long after Trump married his third wife Melania who had recently given birth to a son the magazine reported.",
"The same Los Angeles lawyer who represented Clifford in that transaction also represented McDougal in her negotiations with American Media the magazine said.",
"McDougal told The New Yorker she regretted signing legal documents that constrained what she could say.",
"\"Every girl who speaks is paving the way for another \" she told the magazine."
] |
I found this story enjoyable for a lot of reasons. The main character, Ray, is such a moody werewolf that I found him highly amusing. He had a tendency to snap at everyone, including his mate, because he couldn't act on his feelings for his mate. This mate, Cal, was also entertaining because he's sort of a hyper fairy (with wings!) that gives off glitter and how awesome is that?! I liked the chemistry between Ray and Cal. How Ray denied their relationship because he thought Cal wouldn't be faithful and understand what a 'mate' was even though all Cal wanted was to be happy, which is very important to a fairy, and Ray makes him happy. They bickered and bantered and are complete opposites but their interactions were so fun.
Unfortunately, besides the characters, the story is a bit lacking in a lot of areas. For one, Ray had a habit of bringing up, or meeting, random people (Lex, Steve, etc.), and then not explaining who they were, which left me extremely confused and wanting to know what and how these strange people fit into the story. Also, the 'mystery' was a bit weak. I pretty much knew who the killer was from the beginning. More than anything, though, I grew annoyed with how Ray would bring up the first and only time Cal went to his house and then the author included the whole scene about that encounter, which is rather long, towards the end of the story. That dampened my enjoyment because I pretty much already knew what happened during that time and repeating it was really unnecessary, IMO.
All in all, I liked the story. The fact Ray was a werewolf denying himself a life with his mate gave the story a bit of twist that I really enjoyed since they kept circling around each other. I loved it when they finally got together even if I didn't exactly enjoy the other aspects of the story. Still an enjoyable read. | 1 | neutral | [
"I found this story enjoyable for a lot of reasons.",
"The main character, Ray, is such a moody werewolf that I found him highly amusing.",
"He had a tendency to snap at everyone, including his mate, because he couldn't act on his feelings for his mate.",
"This mate, Cal, was also entertaining because he's sort of a hyper fairy (with wings!",
") that gives off glitter and how awesome is that?!",
"I liked the chemistry between Ray and Cal.",
"How Ray denied their relationship because he thought Cal wouldn't be faithful and understand what a 'mate' was even though all Cal wanted was to be happy, which is very important to a fairy, and Ray makes him happy.",
"They bickered and bantered and are complete opposites but their interactions were so fun.",
"Unfortunately, besides the characters, the story is a bit lacking in a lot of areas.",
"For one, Ray had a habit of bringing up, or meeting, random people (Lex, Steve, etc.",
"), and then not explaining who they were, which left me extremely confused and wanting to know what and how these strange people fit into the story.",
"Also, the 'mystery' was a bit weak.",
"I pretty much knew who the killer was from the beginning.",
"More than anything, though, I grew annoyed with how Ray would bring up the first and only time Cal went to his house and then the author included the whole scene about that encounter, which is rather long, towards the end of the story.",
"That dampened my enjoyment because I pretty much already knew what happened during that time and repeating it was really unnecessary, IMO.",
"All in all, I liked the story.",
"The fact Ray was a werewolf denying himself a life with his mate gave the story a bit of twist that I really enjoyed since they kept circling around each other.",
"I loved it when they finally got together even if I didn't exactly enjoy the other aspects of the story.",
"Still an enjoyable read."
] |
I purchased this vacuum cleaner in December to replace an old Kirby upright. I chose a canister because I have all hardwood floors and one area rug. The WindTunnel Canister does a very good job of cleaning the cat hair (3 cats) off the rug and the floor tool works nicely on the wood floors. I only wish the floor tool was a bit wider. The attachments are conveniently located on top of the cleaner and they work well. I use them to clean walls and my furniture.
The only thing about this cleaner that I don't like is the retractable cord. It doesn't retract very well. Sometimes if I have the cord pulled all the way out and I line it up in a straight line it will retract when I press the pedal. Most of the time I just get frustrated and throw it all in the closet with the cord piled on top.
The power pedal and cord retract pedal are identical so I put a dab of white paint on the power pedal so that I could tell the difference. It doesn't make much difference if I accidentally press the retract pedal though since it doesn't work so well.
Update November 2007
I wish I had bought another vacuum. This one vacuums very well--good suction. However, it is cheaply made. I have been waiting for over a month for a floor nozzle replacement from Hoover. The plastic piece that attaches the wand to the floor nozzle broke.
The reatractable cord doesn't work at all and neither does the bag check indicator. | 1 | neutral | [
"I purchased this vacuum cleaner in December to replace an old Kirby upright.",
"I chose a canister because I have all hardwood floors and one area rug.",
"The WindTunnel Canister does a very good job of cleaning the cat hair (3 cats) off the rug and the floor tool works nicely on the wood floors.",
"I only wish the floor tool was a bit wider.",
"The attachments are conveniently located on top of the cleaner and they work well.",
"I use them to clean walls and my furniture.",
"The only thing about this cleaner that I don't like is the retractable cord.",
"It doesn't retract very well.",
"Sometimes if I have the cord pulled all the way out and I line it up in a straight line it will retract when I press the pedal.",
"Most of the time I just get frustrated and throw it all in the closet with the cord piled on top.",
"The power pedal and cord retract pedal are identical so I put a dab of white paint on the power pedal so that I could tell the difference.",
"It doesn't make much difference if I accidentally press the retract pedal though since it doesn't work so well.",
"Update November 2007\nI wish I had bought another vacuum.",
"This one vacuums very well--good suction.",
"However, it is cheaply made.",
"I have been waiting for over a month for a floor nozzle replacement from Hoover.",
"The plastic piece that attaches the wand to the floor nozzle broke.",
"The reatractable cord doesn't work at all and neither does the bag check indicator."
] |
I read the first 4 books and devoured the first three but began to get confused on the 4th book because about a hundred pages in characters started to just disappear and it focused heavily on just a few... strangely they were not all the prime characters either. It was not until I got to the end that I read that it began as a 'normal' book but when it got way too long he decided to split it.... but get this he did not split it chronologically and take everyone to a certain point before cutting off. Instead he split the book laterally and took half the characters on and left half behind unmentioned. Now if this sounds confusing you got it right it was. So I bought Dance with Dragons and felt totally confused as events that I had read about (like the death of a major character) were in the future.... so you are reading about them as though they were alive knowing they had already died. It 'did my head in'! He introduces a number of significant new characters and I could not work out who they were or where they came from. Events happen with no explanation. People appear to have died only to pop up 500 pages later. Honestly it was a mess. I desperately wanted to finish this book and may eventually go back to it because apparently towards the end of the book it all comes back together. The trouble is this is over 1000 pages and tbh I don't know if I have the stamina to plough all the way to the end. He is such an amazing storyteller I get absolutely no pleasure in trashing him but in this case he got it radically wrong. | 1 | neutral | [
"I read the first 4 books and devoured the first three but began to get confused on the 4th book because about a hundred pages in characters started to just disappear and it focused heavily on just a few...",
"strangely they were not all the prime characters either.",
"It was not until I got to the end that I read that it began as a 'normal' book but when it got way too long he decided to split it....",
"but get this he did not split it chronologically and take everyone to a certain point before cutting off.",
"Instead he split the book laterally and took half the characters on and left half behind unmentioned.",
"Now if this sounds confusing you got it right it was.",
"So I bought Dance with Dragons and felt totally confused as events that I had read about (like the death of a major character) were in the future....",
"so you are reading about them as though they were alive knowing they had already died.",
"It 'did my head in'!",
"He introduces a number of significant new characters and I could not work out who they were or where they came from.",
"Events happen with no explanation.",
"People appear to have died only to pop up 500 pages later.",
"Honestly it was a mess.",
"I desperately wanted to finish this book and may eventually go back to it because apparently towards the end of the book it all comes back together.",
"The trouble is this is over 1000 pages and tbh I don't know if I have the stamina to plough all the way to the end.",
"He is such an amazing storyteller I get absolutely no pleasure in trashing him but in this case he got it radically wrong."
] |
Pussy Riot's Nadya Tolokonnikova on protesting Russia's Putin
LONDON â Petr Pavlensky Oleg Kulik and Nadya Tolokonnikova are artists and activists who protest what they see as Russian President Vladimir Putin's increasingly repressive rule. But marching with signs and chants is not their style.
In past years Pavlensky has sewn his mouth shut rolled naked in barbed wire and nailed his scrotum to cobblestones in Moscow's Red Square. Kulik has roamed around nude on all fours growling like a dog.
His radical denunciations of the state previously landed him in jail. Besides suturing his mouth in 2012 to protest Pussy Riot's imprisonment he set fire to the entrance to Russia's federal security service in 2015. A few days after Pavlensky spoke to USA TODAY he was arrested in Paris for setting fire to another bank an act of destruction he considers performance art.
Russian artist Petr Pavlensky speaks to journalists as he sits in a cage in court room in Moscow Russia March 31 2016. The artist is known for his political art performances including nailing his scrotum to the paving stones of the Red Square. (Photo: Ivan Sekretarev AP)
"The most awful thing is that people in Russia are cooperating with the power " Pavlensky said referring to his belief that many Russians have rallied around Putin and overlook social problems ranging from income inequality to domestic abuse. Russia also faces accusations of U.S. and European election meddling and international condemnation for seizing Ukraine's Crimea.
"No one in the mainstream is talking about our human rights problem " he said. | 1 | neutral | [
"Pussy Riot's Nadya Tolokonnikova on protesting Russia's Putin\nLONDON â Petr Pavlensky Oleg Kulik and Nadya Tolokonnikova are artists and activists who protest what they see as Russian President Vladimir Putin's increasingly repressive rule.",
"But marching with signs and chants is not their style.",
"In past years Pavlensky has sewn his mouth shut rolled naked in barbed wire and nailed his scrotum to cobblestones in Moscow's Red Square.",
"Kulik has roamed around nude on all fours growling like a dog.",
"His radical denunciations of the state previously landed him in jail.",
"Besides suturing his mouth in 2012 to protest Pussy Riot's imprisonment he set fire to the entrance to Russia's federal security service in 2015.",
"A few days after Pavlensky spoke to USA TODAY he was arrested in Paris for setting fire to another bank an act of destruction he considers performance art.",
"Russian artist Petr Pavlensky speaks to journalists as he sits in a cage in court room in Moscow Russia March 31 2016.",
"The artist is known for his political art performances including nailing his scrotum to the paving stones of the Red Square.",
"(Photo: Ivan Sekretarev AP)\n\"The most awful thing is that people in Russia are cooperating with the power \" Pavlensky said referring to his belief that many Russians have rallied around Putin and overlook social problems ranging from income inequality to domestic abuse.",
"Russia also faces accusations of U.",
"S. and European election meddling and international condemnation for seizing Ukraine's Crimea.",
"\"No one in the mainstream is talking about our human rights problem \" he said."
] |
I purchased the new Jennifer Hudson CD, and am not feeling it. Maybe it
will grow on me, but right now it seems like Clive Davis used the same
formula he employed on Fantasia's debut a few years ago. There are a FEW
nice songs, but I expected so much more. The BEST song on 'Jennifer Hudson' is titled 'Stand Up', which is only available on CDs sold @ Target. 'Spotlight' is nice, and I skip over the songs featuring T-Pain & Ludacris....CRAP!! The song with Fantasia....nice idea, but I heard it all before! 'And I'm Telling You...' is great, but WHY is it on this CD ??? 'Leaving Tonight' by Ne-Yo & Jennifer would've been a better choice (I remastered the CD and included it....HA!). All n all, 'Jennifer Hudson' sounds like producer driven crap that floods urban & pop radio for the most part, while there are tracks that aren't well suited to Hudson's voice. Personally, I think this CD was a bad attempt to reach every possible demographic. Bad move Jennifer...next time, insist on recording a CD with more 'focus'!! Too bad today's legitimate artists (like Ms. Hudson) aren't allowed to show integrity on CDs while obvious attempts at getting 'hits' takes center stage. Oh well, let's see how the upcoming Re-Release of 'Jennifer Hudson' fares....you KNOW Arista is gonna add some extra tracks next time for more loot! Seriously...;~)
In closing, this could've been in the same league of CLASSIC debuts by Whitney, Mariah and Toni, but this effort isn't even close! | 1 | neutral | [
"I purchased the new Jennifer Hudson CD, and am not feeling it.",
"Maybe it\nwill grow on me, but right now it seems like Clive Davis used the same\nformula he employed on Fantasia's debut a few years ago.",
"There are a FEW\nnice songs, but I expected so much more.",
"The BEST song on 'Jennifer Hudson' is titled 'Stand Up', which is only available on CDs sold @ Target.",
"'Spotlight' is nice, and I skip over the songs featuring T-Pain & Ludacris....",
"CRAP!!",
"The song with Fantasia....",
"nice idea, but I heard it all before!",
"'And I'm Telling You...",
"' is great, but WHY is it on this CD???",
"'Leaving Tonight' by Ne-Yo & Jennifer would've been a better choice (I remastered the CD and included it....",
"HA!",
").",
"All n all, 'Jennifer Hudson' sounds like producer driven crap that floods urban & pop radio for the most part, while there are tracks that aren't well suited to Hudson's voice.",
"Personally, I think this CD was a bad attempt to reach every possible demographic.",
"Bad move Jennifer...",
"next time, insist on recording a CD with more 'focus'!!",
"Too bad today's legitimate artists (like Ms.",
"Hudson) aren't allowed to show integrity on CDs while obvious attempts at getting 'hits' takes center stage.",
"Oh well, let's see how the upcoming Re-Release of 'Jennifer Hudson' fares....",
"you KNOW Arista is gonna add some extra tracks next time for more loot!",
"Seriously...",
";~)\nIn closing, this could've been in the same league of CLASSIC debuts by Whitney, Mariah and Toni, but this effort isn't even close!"
] |
The assembly looks easy even with no step-by-step instructions, however this is more than a twist and tighten rod lamp. Two of the bars intersect each other making one of the rods look bent since it's blocked by the other. It feels about strange thatthe pole are not perfectly aligned. Even the wiring seemed extra difficult. The wire gets caught up at the top lip and takes some prying to get it down, thankfully my fingers are slender but I can image a guy with large hands will need to use some pliers.
The other issue I had was one of the glass pieces was broken, these should have been packed in thick bubble wrap. So I'm very disappointed in that.
I may dissemble the lamp and try again after I read the other reviewers comments, hopefully it will make this nice style lamp look how it does in the picture. Not sure what I'll do with the broken glass part, it really ruins the look.
On the plus side:
40 watt halogen bulbs are included. I already bought some prior to getting this delivered so it's nice I have extras.
The brightness from the little blubs are perfect, plus the dimmer makes for some great mood lighting.
Even with the nightmare assembly it is very stable. | 1 | neutral | [
"The assembly looks easy even with no step-by-step instructions, however this is more than a twist and tighten rod lamp.",
"Two of the bars intersect each other making one of the rods look bent since it's blocked by the other.",
"It feels about strange thatthe pole are not perfectly aligned.",
"Even the wiring seemed extra difficult.",
"The wire gets caught up at the top lip and takes some prying to get it down, thankfully my fingers are slender but I can image a guy with large hands will need to use some pliers.",
"The other issue I had was one of the glass pieces was broken, these should have been packed in thick bubble wrap.",
"So I'm very disappointed in that.",
"I may dissemble the lamp and try again after I read the other reviewers comments, hopefully it will make this nice style lamp look how it does in the picture.",
"Not sure what I'll do with the broken glass part, it really ruins the look.",
"On the plus side:\n40 watt halogen bulbs are included.",
"I already bought some prior to getting this delivered so it's nice I have extras.",
"The brightness from the little blubs are perfect, plus the dimmer makes for some great mood lighting.",
"Even with the nightmare assembly it is very stable."
] |
This trampoline was really cheap by comparison so I'm not going to hold it to a high standard. A great thing about it is how quiet it is compared to my old one due to it using nylon/elastic bands around the frame instead of springs. This alone gives it at least three stars in my view. Assembly wasn't too bad either.
My main problem with it is the size. It is advertised as being 38 inches and that is simply not the case. The interior dimension of the surface on which you would jump is 31 1/2 inches in diameter. Even the exterior dimension is less than 38 inches (not that it matters. Who the heck really cares about the outer size when shopping for one of these? Lame.
Because it is so small I would hardly recommend it, but for the price if you are careful to remain centered then it is passable. | 1 | neutral | [
"This trampoline was really cheap by comparison so I'm not going to hold it to a high standard.",
"A great thing about it is how quiet it is compared to my old one due to it using nylon/elastic bands around the frame instead of springs.",
"This alone gives it at least three stars in my view.",
"Assembly wasn't too bad either.",
"My main problem with it is the size.",
"It is advertised as being 38 inches and that is simply not the case.",
"The interior dimension of the surface on which you would jump is 31 1/2 inches in diameter.",
"Even the exterior dimension is less than 38 inches (not that it matters.",
"Who the heck really cares about the outer size when shopping for one of these?",
"Lame.",
"Because it is so small I would hardly recommend it, but for the price if you are careful to remain centered then it is passable."
] |
So... you are a plain little guy wandering around 'collecting' friends- that's what this game is. It is a an ownership simulator.
RPGs have become merely some substitute for shopping in real life. Here you try to 'collect' friends, in other games you collect magical weapons... and in life you buy MP3s and phones. I miss when you got allies or weapons to do something fun, interesting, or engrossing to the intellect. At least in some games, ie. Suikoden, the allies are actually useful. Here, the allies become a GOAL of the game (and the sole one since the story is dumb), and are not a TOOL to advance a story line.
Other than some cute little moments and dialogue, there's not much story. I'm tired of this little caucasoid boy with a lost daddy, then meets a cute, big-eyed girl, but he's so absurdly hard-headed that he can't just say "hey, I think you're hip, let's date" so he fights to reveal his destiny...what?...with all due respect, only pre-pubescents who never read can think that is an original story. Who writes this drivel! Seriously, video game designers must hire the most inept writers in existence. (Man, can you imagine a video game written by someone like Pynchon, Gibson, Nabokov, anyone not illiterate?).
So, bottom line... not much fun. There are so many games that are at least more diverse in the items you collect or have more places to explore. It may be less expensive than some, but it just is not interesting. | 1 | neutral | [
"So...",
"you are a plain little guy wandering around 'collecting' friends- that's what this game is.",
"It is a an ownership simulator.",
"RPGs have become merely some substitute for shopping in real life.",
"Here you try to 'collect' friends, in other games you collect magical weapons...",
"and in life you buy MP3s and phones.",
"I miss when you got allies or weapons to do something fun, interesting, or engrossing to the intellect.",
"At least in some games, ie.",
"Suikoden, the allies are actually useful.",
"Here, the allies become a GOAL of the game (and the sole one since the story is dumb), and are not a TOOL to advance a story line.",
"Other than some cute little moments and dialogue, there's not much story.",
"I'm tired of this little caucasoid boy with a lost daddy, then meets a cute, big-eyed girl, but he's so absurdly hard-headed that he can't just say \"hey, I think you're hip, let's date\" so he fights to reveal his destiny...",
"what?...",
"with all due respect, only pre-pubescents who never read can think that is an original story.",
"Who writes this drivel!",
"Seriously, video game designers must hire the most inept writers in existence.",
"(Man, can you imagine a video game written by someone like Pynchon, Gibson, Nabokov, anyone not illiterate?",
").",
"So, bottom line...",
"not much fun.",
"There are so many games that are at least more diverse in the items you collect or have more places to explore.",
"It may be less expensive than some, but it just is not interesting."
] |
I literally could not get this contraption to work until I threw it at the floor and that somehow magically fixed it. I kid you not. Thanks to my handy-woman skills, I now attempted to punch the corners on some paper. Very exciting. But it still didn't really work. It was a mess. Smashing up and crooked-punching corners all over the place. Until I figured out that you have to insert the paper at just the right angle and basically the only way to do this is to pick it up and look at the underside ( where you can actually see if the paper is properly lined up - why this feature is not on TOP I do not know). So, you insert paper, awkwardly pick up the punch to look at paper alignment and try to maintain alignment while placing punch back on table where you must apply your full body weight in order to punch one little piece of paper. If all the stars align, you get a decently nice corner punch design. | 1 | neutral | [
"I literally could not get this contraption to work until I threw it at the floor and that somehow magically fixed it.",
"I kid you not.",
"Thanks to my handy-woman skills, I now attempted to punch the corners on some paper.",
"Very exciting.",
"But it still didn't really work.",
"It was a mess.",
"Smashing up and crooked-punching corners all over the place.",
"Until I figured out that you have to insert the paper at just the right angle and basically the only way to do this is to pick it up and look at the underside ( where you can actually see if the paper is properly lined up - why this feature is not on TOP I do not know).",
"So, you insert paper, awkwardly pick up the punch to look at paper alignment and try to maintain alignment while placing punch back on table where you must apply your full body weight in order to punch one little piece of paper.",
"If all the stars align, you get a decently nice corner punch design."
] |
I'm not even sure that I was kept safe while reading this book. What do I mean? I've read some very dark books in the past, but this one is quite different than any I've read before.
There is sex on the very first page of this book! Holy erotica, Batman! Sex. On. The. First. Page. But not just any sex...rape. Consensual rape! What an oxymoron! I have to admit that I had no idea what I was getting myself into with this book. It is not for the faint heart. I'm convinced there has to be a training or workout of some sort that is required prior to reading this book....maybe a baptism or spiritual anointing. Book those therapy appointments in advance, if you plan on tackling this one. This book contains harsh physical and emotional abuse, rape, and human suffering as I've never read in any book before. I have never had such a difficult time getting through a book before due to the content, but I had to keep reading, hoping for a HEA at the end. Did I get one? Well, that is in the eye of the reader. I'm really not so sure that I got my HEA, but at the same time, maybe I did? I just can't tell. I can't wrap my mind (which is now warped, I'm sure) around it.
Let me start with what I liked about this book. I really liked that the story was told in Rachel's point of view. It really read like it was her personal journal in the beginning. That allowed me to feel everything she was feeling...and I'm not sure that was a good thing. It's wonderful that an author can do that, but believe me when I say, I didn't want to feel what this heroine was feeling! Oh EM GEE!! I loved all the twists around Zachary, the hero....and there were many twists and connections made where he was concerned. The relationship that developed between Rachel and Zachary was strange. We've all heard of Stockholm syndrome...where the victim falls in love with his or her abuser. Well, this relationship was instant Stockholm at it's peak! I did enjoy the shift of power from Zachary to Rachel in one scene....and Rachel enjoyed it, too. Zachary was such a contradiction. I mean, he is only one of Rachel's many abusers, yet he is also her savior. He is her *spoiler*, but submissive at the same time. Yes, I think Zachary is a closet sub.
There is a lot of angst in this book, and I love a book filled with twists and angst. The abuse scenes were so well written, I had to check my mirror to see if I was covered in red welts and bruises. I was sick to my stomach while reading a few scenes. I actually did throw up a little in my mouth. I'm telling you, I felt everything! Just when I thought the worst was over....BAM!! The abuse kicked up 10 notches...on a scale of 1 to 10!
Now, with all that said, there were a few things I didn't like about the book. I really didn't like the progression of the relationship between Zachary and Rachel. It was rushed and forced. Perhaps if this was a novel instead of a novella, the author would have carried this out a bit more to my liking. What I liked about Rachel in the beginning of the story - her strength - very quickly vanished when 18% into the book. Can you say weak and naive? I mean, the girl had just been brutally abused, for Pete's sake! She was so forgiving and excusing of Zachary's behavior...WTH?! Why wasn't she angry?! I was furious! Rachel is certifiable in my eyes. I also felt that one of the scenes was out of sequence, and the story seemed a bit far fetched at times toward the ending. I actually made a note to myself at the end of the book. That's it?! That's all there is?! I had to double check that I wasn't missing anything...I wasn't.
Hmmm...how to rate this one...I just don't know. The plot is good, though seemingly out of sequence in only one area. The angst kept me glued to the pages. The descriptions were very good, as I was able to feel everything Rachel felt, and I really liked her...at first. I didn't like the rushed relationship and the fact that it seemed to skip parts of the relationship...not to mention that Zachary and Rachel never kissed once in the entire book, but they love each other? Rachel is one screwed up chicka, and this is one mind screwing book. So, I reminded myself that I rate books based on the feeling the book gave me while reading it and not on content. This book gave me conflicting feelings. I liked it, I felt it...but it was missing something for me. So, I give this book 3 stars and hope that the next installment (another novella) is a little lighter on the dark (for my own sanity) and with better story progression. *Note: When I mentioned that I had purchased the first two books in the series, the author did tell me that Keep Me Safe was the most raw of the three in the trilogy. | 1 | neutral | [
"I'm not even sure that I was kept safe while reading this book.",
"What do I mean?",
"I've read some very dark books in the past, but this one is quite different than any I've read before.",
"There is sex on the very first page of this book!",
"Holy erotica, Batman!",
"Sex.",
"On.",
"The.",
"First.",
"Page.",
"But not just any sex...",
"rape.",
"Consensual rape!",
"What an oxymoron!",
"I have to admit that I had no idea what I was getting myself into with this book.",
"It is not for the faint heart.",
"I'm convinced there has to be a training or workout of some sort that is required prior to reading this book....",
"maybe a baptism or spiritual anointing.",
"Book those therapy appointments in advance, if you plan on tackling this one.",
"This book contains harsh physical and emotional abuse, rape, and human suffering as I've never read in any book before.",
"I have never had such a difficult time getting through a book before due to the content, but I had to keep reading, hoping for a HEA at the end.",
"Did I get one?",
"Well, that is in the eye of the reader.",
"I'm really not so sure that I got my HEA, but at the same time, maybe I did?",
"I just can't tell.",
"I can't wrap my mind (which is now warped, I'm sure) around it.",
"Let me start with what I liked about this book.",
"I really liked that the story was told in Rachel's point of view.",
"It really read like it was her personal journal in the beginning.",
"That allowed me to feel everything she was feeling...",
"and I'm not sure that was a good thing.",
"It's wonderful that an author can do that, but believe me when I say, I didn't want to feel what this heroine was feeling!",
"Oh EM GEE!!",
"I loved all the twists around Zachary, the hero....",
"and there were many twists and connections made where he was concerned.",
"The relationship that developed between Rachel and Zachary was strange.",
"We've all heard of Stockholm syndrome...",
"where the victim falls in love with his or her abuser.",
"Well, this relationship was instant Stockholm at it's peak!",
"I did enjoy the shift of power from Zachary to Rachel in one scene....",
"and Rachel enjoyed it, too.",
"Zachary was such a contradiction.",
"I mean, he is only one of Rachel's many abusers, yet he is also her savior.",
"He is her *spoiler*, but submissive at the same time.",
"Yes, I think Zachary is a closet sub.",
"There is a lot of angst in this book, and I love a book filled with twists and angst.",
"The abuse scenes were so well written, I had to check my mirror to see if I was covered in red welts and bruises.",
"I was sick to my stomach while reading a few scenes.",
"I actually did throw up a little in my mouth.",
"I'm telling you, I felt everything!",
"Just when I thought the worst was over....",
"BAM!!",
"The abuse kicked up 10 notches...",
"on a scale of 1 to 10!",
"Now, with all that said, there were a few things I didn't like about the book.",
"I really didn't like the progression of the relationship between Zachary and Rachel.",
"It was rushed and forced.",
"Perhaps if this was a novel instead of a novella, the author would have carried this out a bit more to my liking.",
"What I liked about Rachel in the beginning of the story - her strength - very quickly vanished when 18% into the book.",
"Can you say weak and naive?",
"I mean, the girl had just been brutally abused, for Pete's sake!",
"She was so forgiving and excusing of Zachary's behavior...",
"WTH?!",
"Why wasn't she angry?!",
"I was furious!",
"Rachel is certifiable in my eyes.",
"I also felt that one of the scenes was out of sequence, and the story seemed a bit far fetched at times toward the ending.",
"I actually made a note to myself at the end of the book.",
"That's it?!",
"That's all there is?!",
"I had to double check that I wasn't missing anything...",
"I wasn't.",
"Hmmm...",
"how to rate this one...",
"I just don't know.",
"The plot is good, though seemingly out of sequence in only one area.",
"The angst kept me glued to the pages.",
"The descriptions were very good, as I was able to feel everything Rachel felt, and I really liked her...",
"at first.",
"I didn't like the rushed relationship and the fact that it seemed to skip parts of the relationship...",
"not to mention that Zachary and Rachel never kissed once in the entire book, but they love each other?",
"Rachel is one screwed up chicka, and this is one mind screwing book.",
"So, I reminded myself that I rate books based on the feeling the book gave me while reading it and not on content.",
"This book gave me conflicting feelings.",
"I liked it, I felt it...",
"but it was missing something for me.",
"So, I give this book 3 stars and hope that the next installment (another novella) is a little lighter on the dark (for my own sanity) and with better story progression.",
"*Note: When I mentioned that I had purchased the first two books in the series, the author did tell me that Keep Me Safe was the most raw of the three in the trilogy."
] |
The opening speech by Lelaina (Winona Ryder) at the beginning sets an accurate mood for the rest of the film: optimism tinged with confusion and a lack of direction. In reality, the young adults in this film depict only a small slice of their generation, those who "aren't interested in the counterculture that they [our parents] invented as if we did not see them disembowel their revolution for a pair of running shoes." I may be a few years behind the generation portrayed in the film, but I'm not entirely without empathy for the restless plight of this group of slackers. Even so, the speech is a horrible oversimplification of the generation gap of the time, and the film is more easily digested if the core group of characters is seen as only one slice of a very large generation.
There is a lot of similarity between Reality Bites and films like <a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Garden-State/dp/B00005JNC2/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Garden State</a> and <a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Harold-and-Maude/dp/6305882592/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Harold and Maude</a>, sharing the same ennui and restlessness that seems insatiable and overwhelming. The striking difference, though, is Reality Bites' strong sense of friendship and community as a means of overcoming this ennui. I felt that if any of these characters were left entirely to himself, he would commit suicide, and the core group of friends is what saved them all.
Unfortunately, their friendships are not enough to keep them from slipping into a dangerous selfishness and narcissism: Lelaina refuses for a while to find a paying job, and only seems to be attracted to Troy (Ethan Hawke) because of the emotions he conjures up in her; Troy, even after saying that she is the only woman he could commit to, says, "You can't navigate me, I might do mean things, and I might hurt you and I might run away without your permission"; Vickie (Janeane Garofalo) is addicted to sex but hates the thought of a lasting relationship; and Sammy (Steve Zahn) is full of wounded pride. Michael (Ben Stiller) is intellectually shallow, but he seems to be the only person with any emotional maturity, and he easily sees through Troy's snobby attitude.
ENDING SPOILERS: The film ends with a romance between Lelaina and Troy that seems destined to end badly if Troy doesn't wise up and accept the criticism that's been levelled at him. There's a part of me that cheered for him, but a larger part that wanted to smack him in the face until he wised up and applied for grad school. The problem with these kids is that they are immature, and have no ideal of maturity to attain to. Their parents (of the rebellious 60s generation) rejected their own parents' ideas of maturity, and so their own children have very little left to work with. Reality Bites is more of a romantic tragedy than a romantic comedy, even though it seems to turn out well in the end. I really wanted the characters to find something better to build their lives on, but when the credits rolled I was afraid they would just keep repeating their mistakes for the rest of their lives.
For what it's worth, the acting and directing are quite good, though not great. I got a kick out of seeing so many big-name actors at a younger age. Ben Stiller's direction is good, and not as manic as what he later did in <a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Zoolander/dp/B00003CXPJ/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Zoolander</a>. Unfortunately there aren't any special features except production notes and a forgettable trailer. | 1 | neutral | [
"The opening speech by Lelaina (Winona Ryder) at the beginning sets an accurate mood for the rest of the film: optimism tinged with confusion and a lack of direction.",
"In reality, the young adults in this film depict only a small slice of their generation, those who \"aren't interested in the counterculture that they [our parents] invented as if we did not see them disembowel their revolution for a pair of running shoes.",
"\" I may be a few years behind the generation portrayed in the film, but I'm not entirely without empathy for the restless plight of this group of slackers.",
"Even so, the speech is a horrible oversimplification of the generation gap of the time, and the film is more easily digested if the core group of characters is seen as only one slice of a very large generation.",
"There is a lot of similarity between Reality Bites and films like <a data-hook=\"product-link-linked\" class=\"a-link-normal\" href=\"/Garden-State/dp/B00005JNC2/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?",
"ie=UTF8\">Garden State</a> and <a data-hook=\"product-link-linked\" class=\"a-link-normal\" href=\"/Harold-and-Maude/dp/6305882592/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?",
"ie=UTF8\">Harold and Maude</a>, sharing the same ennui and restlessness that seems insatiable and overwhelming.",
"The striking difference, though, is Reality Bites' strong sense of friendship and community as a means of overcoming this ennui.",
"I felt that if any of these characters were left entirely to himself, he would commit suicide, and the core group of friends is what saved them all.",
"Unfortunately, their friendships are not enough to keep them from slipping into a dangerous selfishness and narcissism: Lelaina refuses for a while to find a paying job, and only seems to be attracted to Troy (Ethan Hawke) because of the emotions he conjures up in her; Troy, even after saying that she is the only woman he could commit to, says, \"You can't navigate me, I might do mean things, and I might hurt you and I might run away without your permission\"; Vickie (Janeane Garofalo) is addicted to sex but hates the thought of a lasting relationship; and Sammy (Steve Zahn) is full of wounded pride.",
"Michael (Ben Stiller) is intellectually shallow, but he seems to be the only person with any emotional maturity, and he easily sees through Troy's snobby attitude.",
"ENDING SPOILERS: The film ends with a romance between Lelaina and Troy that seems destined to end badly if Troy doesn't wise up and accept the criticism that's been levelled at him.",
"There's a part of me that cheered for him, but a larger part that wanted to smack him in the face until he wised up and applied for grad school.",
"The problem with these kids is that they are immature, and have no ideal of maturity to attain to.",
"Their parents (of the rebellious 60s generation) rejected their own parents' ideas of maturity, and so their own children have very little left to work with.",
"Reality Bites is more of a romantic tragedy than a romantic comedy, even though it seems to turn out well in the end.",
"I really wanted the characters to find something better to build their lives on, but when the credits rolled I was afraid they would just keep repeating their mistakes for the rest of their lives.",
"For what it's worth, the acting and directing are quite good, though not great.",
"I got a kick out of seeing so many big-name actors at a younger age.",
"Ben Stiller's direction is good, and not as manic as what he later did in <a data-hook=\"product-link-linked\" class=\"a-link-normal\" href=\"/Zoolander/dp/B00003CXPJ/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?",
"ie=UTF8\">Zoolander</a>.",
"Unfortunately there aren't any special features except production notes and a forgettable trailer."
] |
This is a classic old game with a decent story. The graphics are dated, but the game has held-up well...even by today's standards. It runs fine on my Windows XP Home SP3 computer. The game crashed a few times for me, but as long as you save frequently, you'll be okay.
POSITIVES
* story
* voice acting and dialogue
* ability to use many objects in the game world
* RPG style for some conversations
* green/red target so you can tell who is a friend/enemy
* realistic environment with cats, rats, birds, etc.
* menu structure is well done
NEGATIVES
* too much running around
* the graphics are a bit stiff and square (but that was standard when this game was made)
* too much lock picking, too many key codes
* too many locked panels/keypads/vents/doors
* enemies bounce around during fights
* the screen bounces around when some enemies hit you
* often, direct hits to the head won't kill an enemy
Some control panels, vents, and doors blend into walls; and this makes it hard to tell they exist.
Sometimes during a mission, the game loads another section of the mission. The load is quick, but sometimes you can't tell what direction you're facing (i.e., forward, or backward toward the prior section).
The environment of some missions look very similar (like inside the ship during the naval shipyard mission). This increases the likelihood that you'll get lost or run around in circles. There is some signage in the game, but it's also missing signs that would normally exist in real life (and that makes it difficult to know where to go next).
The environment is fairly open, so you can roam around, go into many different rooms, etc. However, this means there are lots of pig trails. It can be difficult to tell where you need to go next to accomplish an objective. There is a compass in the game, but it only shows direction (not direction to the next primary objective).
Sometimes characters get in front of you, and they won't move out of the way; in an open area, that's okay; but in close quarters, it becomes a problem (you have to backup until you get to an area that you can get around the character).
OTHER
If you get stuck, then use a walkthrough. If you find parts of the game annoying, then use the cheats (especially for lock picking). Avoid the "killpawns" cheat, because it may remove a good guy (and if you need to talk to that person to complete an objective, then you will get stuck---can't advance to the next mission).
There is a visual walkthrough by Mike Mangold; sometimes it was helpful, but I found that it takes you through a lot of pig trails; so if you're not interested in every nook and cranny in the game, and if you don't need to pick-up every object, then skip ahead in the walkthrough to the real mission objective.
I observed that all scenes either take place at night or indoors. That probably made it easier for graphics (don't have to display too much detail, especially for the landscape).
I enjoyed playing the game, but I did use cheats frequently. Because of the negatives mentioned above, the game was tedious/annoying at times. I'm not sure if I will play this game again; if I do, then it will definitely be with cheats.
Visit my Amazon wish lists to see my 4-star and 5-star PC games:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/registry/wishlist/BEYS4KHZTP24/
http://www.amazon.com/gp/registry/wishlist/35VC2S12P5A8R/ | 1 | neutral | [
"This is a classic old game with a decent story.",
"The graphics are dated, but the game has held-up well...",
"even by today's standards.",
"It runs fine on my Windows XP Home SP3 computer.",
"The game crashed a few times for me, but as long as you save frequently, you'll be okay.",
"POSITIVES\n\n* story\n* voice acting and dialogue\n* ability to use many objects in the game world\n* RPG style for some conversations\n* green/red target so you can tell who is a friend/enemy\n* realistic environment with cats, rats, birds, etc.",
"* menu structure is well done\n\nNEGATIVES\n\n* too much running around\n* the graphics are a bit stiff and square (but that was standard when this game was made)\n* too much lock picking, too many key codes\n* too many locked panels/keypads/vents/doors\n* enemies bounce around during fights\n* the screen bounces around when some enemies hit you\n* often, direct hits to the head won't kill an enemy\n\nSome control panels, vents, and doors blend into walls; and this makes it hard to tell they exist.",
"Sometimes during a mission, the game loads another section of the mission.",
"The load is quick, but sometimes you can't tell what direction you're facing (i.",
"e., forward, or backward toward the prior section).",
"The environment of some missions look very similar (like inside the ship during the naval shipyard mission).",
"This increases the likelihood that you'll get lost or run around in circles.",
"There is some signage in the game, but it's also missing signs that would normally exist in real life (and that makes it difficult to know where to go next).",
"The environment is fairly open, so you can roam around, go into many different rooms, etc.",
"However, this means there are lots of pig trails.",
"It can be difficult to tell where you need to go next to accomplish an objective.",
"There is a compass in the game, but it only shows direction (not direction to the next primary objective).",
"Sometimes characters get in front of you, and they won't move out of the way; in an open area, that's okay; but in close quarters, it becomes a problem (you have to backup until you get to an area that you can get around the character).",
"OTHER\n\nIf you get stuck, then use a walkthrough.",
"If you find parts of the game annoying, then use the cheats (especially for lock picking).",
"Avoid the \"killpawns\" cheat, because it may remove a good guy (and if you need to talk to that person to complete an objective, then you will get stuck---can't advance to the next mission).",
"There is a visual walkthrough by Mike Mangold; sometimes it was helpful, but I found that it takes you through a lot of pig trails; so if you're not interested in every nook and cranny in the game, and if you don't need to pick-up every object, then skip ahead in the walkthrough to the real mission objective.",
"I observed that all scenes either take place at night or indoors.",
"That probably made it easier for graphics (don't have to display too much detail, especially for the landscape).",
"I enjoyed playing the game, but I did use cheats frequently.",
"Because of the negatives mentioned above, the game was tedious/annoying at times.",
"I'm not sure if I will play this game again; if I do, then it will definitely be with cheats.",
"Visit my Amazon wish lists to see my 4-star and 5-star PC games:\nhttp://www.",
"amazon.",
"com/gp/registry/wishlist/BEYS4KHZTP24/\nhttp://www.",
"amazon.",
"com/gp/registry/wishlist/35VC2S12P5A8R/"
] |
The Good Stuff: My cats love this litter box. When I'm cleaning it they pace around me like a child waiting for their teddy bear to come out of the wash. When I had one cat the bin needed to be emptied once a week. Now with 2 it's more like every 3 days. I line the bin with a little trash bag and it works great. No need to buy the expensive receptacles. Every so often I'll have to use the special litter scoop that comes with it to scrape some "left over" off the rake. It does make a noise but it's not that loud. I recommend leaving it in a closet or laundry room. Guests always ask why my boiler room is making noise. The noise doesn't bother my cats, they actually come running to watch it work. It is, however, the only litter box they've ever known.
The Catch: I bought the box in April and had no problems until late October when I realized the box was getting very full. The censors had stopped working. I called their customer service, who's pre-recorded message makes you think you've called the wrong number (they start talking about tools), and spoke with some friendly but not 100% knowledgeable people. They gave me all kinds of instructions on how to fix it myself like dusting off the censors, "re-setting" the box by clicking the switches 10 times each, etc. All of these things I tried as they are in the instructions but I humored them. Finally they gave me instructions on how to get a new box so now I'm in the process of mailing the wire that powers the rake, the battery compartment cover, my receipt, and $10 so I can get a new one. I'm not too happy that I had to destroy my box with no guarantee they will send me a new one but I understand why they make you do it.
The Moral of the Story: Nothing makes a cat happier than a clean littler box and now that it's broken I simply can't keep it clean enough for them (in their opinions). I'm going to get the replacement and use it until it breaks too but I think I'm going to look into the toilet training kit. | 1 | neutral | [
"The Good Stuff: My cats love this litter box.",
"When I'm cleaning it they pace around me like a child waiting for their teddy bear to come out of the wash.",
"When I had one cat the bin needed to be emptied once a week.",
"Now with 2 it's more like every 3 days.",
"I line the bin with a little trash bag and it works great.",
"No need to buy the expensive receptacles.",
"Every so often I'll have to use the special litter scoop that comes with it to scrape some \"left over\" off the rake.",
"It does make a noise but it's not that loud.",
"I recommend leaving it in a closet or laundry room.",
"Guests always ask why my boiler room is making noise.",
"The noise doesn't bother my cats, they actually come running to watch it work.",
"It is, however, the only litter box they've ever known.",
"The Catch: I bought the box in April and had no problems until late October when I realized the box was getting very full.",
"The censors had stopped working.",
"I called their customer service, who's pre-recorded message makes you think you've called the wrong number (they start talking about tools), and spoke with some friendly but not 100% knowledgeable people.",
"They gave me all kinds of instructions on how to fix it myself like dusting off the censors, \"re-setting\" the box by clicking the switches 10 times each, etc.",
"All of these things I tried as they are in the instructions but I humored them.",
"Finally they gave me instructions on how to get a new box so now I'm in the process of mailing the wire that powers the rake, the battery compartment cover, my receipt, and $10 so I can get a new one.",
"I'm not too happy that I had to destroy my box with no guarantee they will send me a new one but I understand why they make you do it.",
"The Moral of the Story: Nothing makes a cat happier than a clean littler box and now that it's broken I simply can't keep it clean enough for them (in their opinions).",
"I'm going to get the replacement and use it until it breaks too but I think I'm going to look into the toilet training kit."
] |
I was so looking forward to this game but it turned out to be a weak copy of the Playstation 2 "Ace Combat 04" game. The graphics and sound are not nearly as good, the planes are not as much fun to fly and overall it just pales in comparison to AC4. That's not to say the graphics aren't good, but relatively speaking they are somewhat lacking.
This game involves flying combat missions to attack air and ground targets. You begin by leaving an airbase and crossing a map of the region to get to your intended mission. However before you can actually fly the assigned mission, you must complete several "mini-missions" that might involve a dogfight with one or two aircraft and an attack on some ground targets. And in many cases, you will have to fight these EXACT SAME battles over and over each time you pass through an area. This becomes very repetitive very fast, and thus very tiresome. The "mini-mission" feature ruins what might have been an otherwise great game.
If you've never played the Ace Combat games, you may enjoy this game, but be prepared for some repetitive game play. If by chance you have both an X-box and a PS2, I highly recommend you buy Ace Combat 04 and skip this one. | 1 | neutral | [
"I was so looking forward to this game but it turned out to be a weak copy of the Playstation 2 \"Ace Combat 04\" game.",
"The graphics and sound are not nearly as good, the planes are not as much fun to fly and overall it just pales in comparison to AC4.",
"That's not to say the graphics aren't good, but relatively speaking they are somewhat lacking.",
"This game involves flying combat missions to attack air and ground targets.",
"You begin by leaving an airbase and crossing a map of the region to get to your intended mission.",
"However before you can actually fly the assigned mission, you must complete several \"mini-missions\" that might involve a dogfight with one or two aircraft and an attack on some ground targets.",
"And in many cases, you will have to fight these EXACT SAME battles over and over each time you pass through an area.",
"This becomes very repetitive very fast, and thus very tiresome.",
"The \"mini-mission\" feature ruins what might have been an otherwise great game.",
"If you've never played the Ace Combat games, you may enjoy this game, but be prepared for some repetitive game play.",
"If by chance you have both an X-box and a PS2, I highly recommend you buy Ace Combat 04 and skip this one."
] |
GRRM is going down the same road as Robert Jordan did with the Wheel of Time series. He started off strong, with excellent pacing, compelling characters, and a clear idea of where he wanted to go.
But then...something happened. Either he lost the thread, or he decided that he was making too much money and that he needed to drag things out, or a little of both. Because whereas the first three books were some of the finest modern fiction ever written, these last two...aren't.
Next to nothing substantial happens. There is precisely one "major" development towards the end. There are rumors of other, interesting things happening "off camera", but GRRM used up too much space describing food to relate those.
There'd be plenty of cliffhangers too, if I still actually cared enough about the story to fret about them, and if I didn't realize it'll be at least another 5 years before there's any resolution.
Taken on it's own merits, it's not a bad book. Not great, but not terrible either. But taken as part of the series that started with AGoT, ACoK, and ASoS, it's simply proof that GRRM fell with AFfC, and hasn't gotten back up again.
And now he's talking about how he might need 8 books instead of 7 to finish it? At the current rate, he'll need 10 or 12. At the current glacial pacing, it'll take at least 2 and probably 3 more books before the dragons come west, and another 4 or 5 before the Others actually attack. | 1 | neutral | [
"GRRM is going down the same road as Robert Jordan did with the Wheel of Time series.",
"He started off strong, with excellent pacing, compelling characters, and a clear idea of where he wanted to go.",
"But then...",
"something happened.",
"Either he lost the thread, or he decided that he was making too much money and that he needed to drag things out, or a little of both.",
"Because whereas the first three books were some of the finest modern fiction ever written, these last two...",
"aren't.",
"Next to nothing substantial happens.",
"There is precisely one \"major\" development towards the end.",
"There are rumors of other, interesting things happening \"off camera\", but GRRM used up too much space describing food to relate those.",
"There'd be plenty of cliffhangers too, if I still actually cared enough about the story to fret about them, and if I didn't realize it'll be at least another 5 years before there's any resolution.",
"Taken on it's own merits, it's not a bad book.",
"Not great, but not terrible either.",
"But taken as part of the series that started with AGoT, ACoK, and ASoS, it's simply proof that GRRM fell with AFfC, and hasn't gotten back up again.",
"And now he's talking about how he might need 8 books instead of 7 to finish it?",
"At the current rate, he'll need 10 or 12.",
"At the current glacial pacing, it'll take at least 2 and probably 3 more books before the dragons come west, and another 4 or 5 before the Others actually attack."
] |
KOTOR 2 really isn't as bad as you'd think. They've simply improved upon some things from the first KOTOR. Some things, such as the graphics, seemed to work alot smoother. Also some of the character's individual stories were rather interesting.
Now for the cons to this game. Good game, but it leaves you hanging. From what I understand, the game was rushed out for a holiday release and due to that fact, it lacks alot of explanations for the storyline. The first KOTOR was very in-depth and told you why Revan became the way he had. KOTOR 2, on the other hand, just lets you hang at the end. Another problem was that at certain points, the game seemed to act like it was overloaded and all your graphics would slow to nothing. That seemed to happen quite alot during combat. Also having the game freeze totally (and needing a restart) wasn't all that uncommon.
While it's not a great game, the game will keep you interesting for about 30hrs at least. I recommend it if you can find it on sale, but don't go blow $40 on it. $20 is alot better really. If you want to take a chance without wasting much, borrow it or rent it. | 1 | neutral | [
"KOTOR 2 really isn't as bad as you'd think.",
"They've simply improved upon some things from the first KOTOR.",
"Some things, such as the graphics, seemed to work alot smoother.",
"Also some of the character's individual stories were rather interesting.",
"Now for the cons to this game.",
"Good game, but it leaves you hanging.",
"From what I understand, the game was rushed out for a holiday release and due to that fact, it lacks alot of explanations for the storyline.",
"The first KOTOR was very in-depth and told you why Revan became the way he had.",
"KOTOR 2, on the other hand, just lets you hang at the end.",
"Another problem was that at certain points, the game seemed to act like it was overloaded and all your graphics would slow to nothing.",
"That seemed to happen quite alot during combat.",
"Also having the game freeze totally (and needing a restart) wasn't all that uncommon.",
"While it's not a great game, the game will keep you interesting for about 30hrs at least.",
"I recommend it if you can find it on sale, but don't go blow $40 on it.",
"$20 is alot better really.",
"If you want to take a chance without wasting much, borrow it or rent it."
] |
This is by far my least favorite Rancid album. It has some really good songs but a whole lot of bad ones that belong on pop radio. I'm sure many 12 year old punkers and posers loved this one. However, Rancid still remains a great band. They are true to music and are of great influence to many. Without Tim, there would be no Hellcat. Without Hellcat, there'd be no Distillers or Horrorpops in our Cd players or on the radio. If you are just getting into Rancid, this is a great album, Enjoy. But when your ready, try 'Let's Go'. Now that's a great Rancid album. | 1 | neutral | [
"This is by far my least favorite Rancid album.",
"It has some really good songs but a whole lot of bad ones that belong on pop radio.",
"I'm sure many 12 year old punkers and posers loved this one.",
"However, Rancid still remains a great band.",
"They are true to music and are of great influence to many.",
"Without Tim, there would be no Hellcat.",
"Without Hellcat, there'd be no Distillers or Horrorpops in our Cd players or on the radio.",
"If you are just getting into Rancid, this is a great album, Enjoy.",
"But when your ready, try 'Let's Go'.",
"Now that's a great Rancid album."
] |
This is overkill if you just have a few papers to staple. As a teacher I staple a lot, and this product is worth the extra size, loudness and cost.
Did a run of 16 sheets of printer paper, 100 sets. One jamb. Twice it appeared to staple but did not.
You cannot control the placement of the staple as accurately as you can with a manual stapler.
It has a staple remover on the top, but it falls off often during use. When doing the long run of stapling I just took it off.
Suction cups really only work on a really smooth surface. Fine on my laminate desktop, did not stick to a varnished wood surface. | 1 | neutral | [
"This is overkill if you just have a few papers to staple.",
"As a teacher I staple a lot, and this product is worth the extra size, loudness and cost.",
"Did a run of 16 sheets of printer paper, 100 sets.",
"One jamb.",
"Twice it appeared to staple but did not.",
"You cannot control the placement of the staple as accurately as you can with a manual stapler.",
"It has a staple remover on the top, but it falls off often during use.",
"When doing the long run of stapling I just took it off.",
"Suction cups really only work on a really smooth surface.",
"Fine on my laminate desktop, did not stick to a varnished wood surface."
] |
I adore ginger, and have recently become obsessed with ginger flavored teas. I ordered this one because of the high reviews off Amazon. I'm one box (out of 6) in, so I thought I should leave a review!
I had a bit of a mixed reaction to this. I loved the spicy notes in this tea. However, the tea itself did not have a strong ginger flavor, as I expected. It tasted faintly like ginger, but I got more of the spice/kick than flavor. (To give you an idea, compared to a commercial ginger ale like Canadian Dry, ginger ale has a stronger ginger flavor but not as much spiciness.) I personally wish the tea had more flavor, but I did like the spiciness!
Another note: the tea contains stevia, which worried me a little as I don't like sweetening my teas at all (I don't really like sweet beverages). Luckily, I could barely detect the sweetness. This might be a negative for some, but for those of you who were worried that this would be overly sweet, it really isn't at all! | 1 | neutral | [
"I adore ginger, and have recently become obsessed with ginger flavored teas.",
"I ordered this one because of the high reviews off Amazon.",
"I'm one box (out of 6) in, so I thought I should leave a review!",
"I had a bit of a mixed reaction to this.",
"I loved the spicy notes in this tea.",
"However, the tea itself did not have a strong ginger flavor, as I expected.",
"It tasted faintly like ginger, but I got more of the spice/kick than flavor.",
"(To give you an idea, compared to a commercial ginger ale like Canadian Dry, ginger ale has a stronger ginger flavor but not as much spiciness.",
") I personally wish the tea had more flavor, but I did like the spiciness!",
"Another note: the tea contains stevia, which worried me a little as I don't like sweetening my teas at all (I don't really like sweet beverages).",
"Luckily, I could barely detect the sweetness.",
"This might be a negative for some, but for those of you who were worried that this would be overly sweet, it really isn't at all!"
] |
This review is for the Titanic Collector's Edition. If you're a long time TITANIC fan and wondering whether or not to buy this exclusive, my advice is -- don't unless the price is around $50 or less. I got mine with Swagbucks coupons; had I paid $70 for it, I would have been disappointed. The exclusives are a 28 page full-color book with pictures in it (no text), a handful of reprint postcards of the costume designer's sketches for the main characters, a little bag full of reprint articles / memorabilia about the TITANIC's sinking, and the 3D Blu Ray/Blu Ray/Digital combo pack. And of course the box, which is pretty cool -- it has bumps for rivets, raised text, etc.
The extras in the set are cool, but not worth an extra $40-$50 dollars.
TITANIC and its ported over extras: in a word? AMAZING. This looks INCREDIBLE in HD. It includes "The Final Word with James Cameron," which for any historical / TITANIC freak is a must-have, since it's about an hour and a half think-tank discussion on how TITANIC wound up in so many pieces on the ocean floor. The new documentary about the film, its troubling early days, the media blitz, and its long-term success is also a lot of fun. Not all the extras are ported over from the 3 Disk Collector's Edition from a few years ago, though, so you may want to hang onto that set if you like HBO's special. But the trailers and extra features look terrific in HD.
I haven't yet watched the entire film on Blu Ray, but was blown away with how good it looks (I checked out the "Jack, I'm flying scene!" among others); the restoration was impeccable, colors have been made more vibrant, and the detail on some scenes is simply jaw-dropping. The sound is wonderful as well, but some users are reporting a "popping" sound right after the Paramount logo fades and the movie begins.
Overall, this is a must-have movie on Blu Ray... but it's not a must-have set. Save your money and pick up the standard edition disks instead. | 1 | neutral | [
"This review is for the Titanic Collector's Edition.",
"If you're a long time TITANIC fan and wondering whether or not to buy this exclusive, my advice is -- don't unless the price is around $50 or less.",
"I got mine with Swagbucks coupons; had I paid $70 for it, I would have been disappointed.",
"The exclusives are a 28 page full-color book with pictures in it (no text), a handful of reprint postcards of the costume designer's sketches for the main characters, a little bag full of reprint articles / memorabilia about the TITANIC's sinking, and the 3D Blu Ray/Blu Ray/Digital combo pack.",
"And of course the box, which is pretty cool -- it has bumps for rivets, raised text, etc.",
"The extras in the set are cool, but not worth an extra $40-$50 dollars.",
"TITANIC and its ported over extras: in a word?",
"AMAZING.",
"This looks INCREDIBLE in HD.",
"It includes \"The Final Word with James Cameron,\" which for any historical / TITANIC freak is a must-have, since it's about an hour and a half think-tank discussion on how TITANIC wound up in so many pieces on the ocean floor.",
"The new documentary about the film, its troubling early days, the media blitz, and its long-term success is also a lot of fun.",
"Not all the extras are ported over from the 3 Disk Collector's Edition from a few years ago, though, so you may want to hang onto that set if you like HBO's special.",
"But the trailers and extra features look terrific in HD.",
"I haven't yet watched the entire film on Blu Ray, but was blown away with how good it looks (I checked out the \"Jack, I'm flying scene!",
"\" among others); the restoration was impeccable, colors have been made more vibrant, and the detail on some scenes is simply jaw-dropping.",
"The sound is wonderful as well, but some users are reporting a \"popping\" sound right after the Paramount logo fades and the movie begins.",
"Overall, this is a must-have movie on Blu Ray...",
"but it's not a must-have set.",
"Save your money and pick up the standard edition disks instead."
] |
This Bluetooth speaker is great when it works but when it doesn't, prepare for headaches. Below is my guide on how to re-connect your T325 when it does fail.
Overview
=========
The T325 easily connected to my non-smartphone (Samsung Alias 2). I also bought a 2nd one for my father who is using a non-smartphone.
When it works, the instant auto-connection is great. It has also been helpful for my non-techie father. The audio is relatively clear and I've had no complaints from the people I call. (But note that audio quality isn't good when calling another person who is also using a T325).
The battery life is decent. The charger only connects to your cigarette lighter so you can't charge it at home. When charging from your car, it isn't very safe to have the coiled cord dangle in front of your face from your sunvisor so you'll need to charge it while it's resting on your dashboard or elsewhere.
The Problems
=============
Some reviewers did not have the problem of losing the connection with the phone. Unfortunately, I have had the problem with 4 units (2 units for myself and 2 for my father).
On average, the connection does not reliably work after 2 weeks. We have exchanged the units and the results are the same. After making one call, the next call cannot be made without shutting the T325 off and then turning it on again. Another recent problem is that even after powering the T325 off and on again, it could not find my phone.
You can imagine how dangerous this can be if you try and fix this while driving. The connection problems are a distraction and defeat the purpose of having a hands-free device.
On a separate note, I have heard that the T325 will not work properly if left overnight in a car during freezing weather. When it reaches room temperatures again it will work normally... that is if you don't have the connection problems.
The Tedious Fix
================
I've found the following to keep my T325 working. Every 2 weeks (or sooner) reset it to its factory settings, erase the T325 profile from the phone, and then pair them again. To reset to factory settings:
1. Erase the T325 profile from your phone's Bluetooth menu.
2. While the T325 is off, press and HOLD a volume button and the small button with the microphone icon (the one used for Bing) then while those buttons are held down, slide the power switch to the ON position. You will get an audio confirmation that the factory settings are restored. It will then be in pairing mode.
3. Put your phone on discovery mode to pair with the T325.
All of this will take roughly 5 minutes. If you find this too annoying or time consuming, then you may want to try another Bluetooth speaker.
Still Interested?
=================
Be sure to keep your complete packaging in case you want to exchange it. Amazon is very nice about this. They will send you a replacement unit before receiving yours back. But please be sure that your T325 actually shipped from Amazon. If you buy it from a 3rd party on Amazon, then you can expect the exchange/refund policy will not be as generous. As for repairing this with Motorola's warranty, you will need to pay for shipping to Motorola.
Rating
======
I've given this 3 stars because I couldn't find a suitable replacement. I would love to replace it with something more reliable. But I like the auto-connect feature. So I can live with the 5 minutes of resetting it to factory settings and pairing it again with my phone every 2 weeks. | 1 | neutral | [
"This Bluetooth speaker is great when it works but when it doesn't, prepare for headaches.",
"Below is my guide on how to re-connect your T325 when it does fail.",
"Overview\n=========\nThe T325 easily connected to my non-smartphone (Samsung Alias 2).",
"I also bought a 2nd one for my father who is using a non-smartphone.",
"When it works, the instant auto-connection is great.",
"It has also been helpful for my non-techie father.",
"The audio is relatively clear and I've had no complaints from the people I call.",
"(But note that audio quality isn't good when calling another person who is also using a T325).",
"The battery life is decent.",
"The charger only connects to your cigarette lighter so you can't charge it at home.",
"When charging from your car, it isn't very safe to have the coiled cord dangle in front of your face from your sunvisor so you'll need to charge it while it's resting on your dashboard or elsewhere.",
"The Problems\n=============\nSome reviewers did not have the problem of losing the connection with the phone.",
"Unfortunately, I have had the problem with 4 units (2 units for myself and 2 for my father).",
"On average, the connection does not reliably work after 2 weeks.",
"We have exchanged the units and the results are the same.",
"After making one call, the next call cannot be made without shutting the T325 off and then turning it on again.",
"Another recent problem is that even after powering the T325 off and on again, it could not find my phone.",
"You can imagine how dangerous this can be if you try and fix this while driving.",
"The connection problems are a distraction and defeat the purpose of having a hands-free device.",
"On a separate note, I have heard that the T325 will not work properly if left overnight in a car during freezing weather.",
"When it reaches room temperatures again it will work normally...",
"that is if you don't have the connection problems.",
"The Tedious Fix\n================\nI've found the following to keep my T325 working.",
"Every 2 weeks (or sooner) reset it to its factory settings, erase the T325 profile from the phone, and then pair them again.",
"To reset to factory settings:\n\n1.",
"Erase the T325 profile from your phone's Bluetooth menu.",
"2.",
"While the T325 is off, press and HOLD a volume button and the small button with the microphone icon (the one used for Bing) then while those buttons are held down, slide the power switch to the ON position.",
"You will get an audio confirmation that the factory settings are restored.",
"It will then be in pairing mode.",
"3.",
"Put your phone on discovery mode to pair with the T325.",
"All of this will take roughly 5 minutes.",
"If you find this too annoying or time consuming, then you may want to try another Bluetooth speaker.",
"Still Interested?",
"=================\nBe sure to keep your complete packaging in case you want to exchange it.",
"Amazon is very nice about this.",
"They will send you a replacement unit before receiving yours back.",
"But please be sure that your T325 actually shipped from Amazon.",
"If you buy it from a 3rd party on Amazon, then you can expect the exchange/refund policy will not be as generous.",
"As for repairing this with Motorola's warranty, you will need to pay for shipping to Motorola.",
"Rating\n======\nI've given this 3 stars because I couldn't find a suitable replacement.",
"I would love to replace it with something more reliable.",
"But I like the auto-connect feature.",
"So I can live with the 5 minutes of resetting it to factory settings and pairing it again with my phone every 2 weeks."
] |
Again, instead of allowing his characters to carry on conversations or the visual components of his art to speak, Scorcese, master of the voice over, violates a cardinal rule of cinema and allows the audience to forget the dream of the film by constant interruptions by a narrator. Now a narrator provides a useful function in written fiction, but only disturbs the delicate fabric of film. Why is it necessary for the narrator to point out what we are seeing? "Newland felt this and Newland felt that". This is superfluous at best as Mr. Lewis' visage and gestures, his mannerisms all convey the necessary information. Why can't Scorcese allow his movies to speak for themselves? Can you imagine "Lawrence of Arabia" or "Citizen Kane" with voiceovers? In the latter masterpiece Welles' has characters in the film speak their voice overs which is what one wishes this director would do. Imagine the first scene of "The Godfather" with voice overs. "At that time it was customary for Mafia Dons to throw the most lavish weddings imaginable for their daughters in hopes that. . ." Absurd. | 1 | neutral | [
"Again, instead of allowing his characters to carry on conversations or the visual components of his art to speak, Scorcese, master of the voice over, violates a cardinal rule of cinema and allows the audience to forget the dream of the film by constant interruptions by a narrator.",
"Now a narrator provides a useful function in written fiction, but only disturbs the delicate fabric of film.",
"Why is it necessary for the narrator to point out what we are seeing?",
"\"Newland felt this and Newland felt that\".",
"This is superfluous at best as Mr.",
"Lewis' visage and gestures, his mannerisms all convey the necessary information.",
"Why can't Scorcese allow his movies to speak for themselves?",
"Can you imagine \"Lawrence of Arabia\" or \"Citizen Kane\" with voiceovers?",
"In the latter masterpiece Welles' has characters in the film speak their voice overs which is what one wishes this director would do.",
"Imagine the first scene of \"The Godfather\" with voice overs.",
"\"At that time it was customary for Mafia Dons to throw the most lavish weddings imaginable for their daughters in hopes that.",
".",
".",
"\" Absurd."
] |
I started the whole GTA thing with San Andreas, so anything compared to that is going to get a lower overall score. What can I say? GTA:SA is just the pinnacle of PS2 playing as far as I'm concerned.
That said, I have to give this game all five stars for just a rockin' good time. We bought it a couple of months ago, and it was just a barrel of fun going through the missions. It's a bit easier than GTA:SA, but it's just hilarious and the 80s music rocks! The cars are cooler, too. And you have more opportunity to steal and drive motorcycles. My gf and I just play this (and the other) for hours, switching off based on who's better at different types of missions.
Game's only $20 now, so you may as well get it. :) | 1 | neutral | [
"I started the whole GTA thing with San Andreas, so anything compared to that is going to get a lower overall score.",
"What can I say?",
"GTA:SA is just the pinnacle of PS2 playing as far as I'm concerned.",
"That said, I have to give this game all five stars for just a rockin' good time.",
"We bought it a couple of months ago, and it was just a barrel of fun going through the missions.",
"It's a bit easier than GTA:SA, but it's just hilarious and the 80s music rocks!",
"The cars are cooler, too.",
"And you have more opportunity to steal and drive motorcycles.",
"My gf and I just play this (and the other) for hours, switching off based on who's better at different types of missions.",
"Game's only $20 now, so you may as well get it.",
":)"
] |
Many people give these headphones pretty good reviews, which is why I bought them five months ago. Initially, I liked them. With time and use, the luster has worn off. I continue to regard them as a fairly good value for the money, but they are in no way good or excellent headphones. After three months, I bought a pair of HD555's to replace them on my sound system. I continued to use them on my iMac but am now planning to replace them altogether with HD428's on that system.
At best, these headphones are suitable only for occasional use as lightweight phones on a mobile device like an iPod. Over the past five months, I have come to these conclusions about the 202's:
1. Comfort. While the 202's are more comfortable for me than ear buds, for instance, they cannot approach the comfort of a well-designed set of phones like the 555's. The ear cushions are not as snug and seem ill-fitting and somewhat harder than I would like. The headband requires constant adjusting, and the action is poor. Extended use of the phones is not very comfortable.
2. Construction. These are flimsy plastic headphones. Over time, I have found that they tend to pull apart rather easily, so I am constantly trying to piece them back together. Simple things like the cord routing are poor--I am constantly stepping on the cord and snagging it.
3. Sound field. The 202's have a somewhat constrained sound field compared to the 555's, which are much more expansive.
4. Response. Although the frequency response looks good on paper, in practice the sound from these phones is just not as rich with either the resonance or harmonics of better headphones.
5. Downmixing. For headphone use, my receiver downmixes eight channels into two. This comes through as distorted sound on the 202's. The 555's, in contrast, have no difficulty with downmixing. | 1 | neutral | [
"Many people give these headphones pretty good reviews, which is why I bought them five months ago.",
"Initially, I liked them.",
"With time and use, the luster has worn off.",
"I continue to regard them as a fairly good value for the money, but they are in no way good or excellent headphones.",
"After three months, I bought a pair of HD555's to replace them on my sound system.",
"I continued to use them on my iMac but am now planning to replace them altogether with HD428's on that system.",
"At best, these headphones are suitable only for occasional use as lightweight phones on a mobile device like an iPod.",
"Over the past five months, I have come to these conclusions about the 202's:\n\n1.",
"Comfort.",
"While the 202's are more comfortable for me than ear buds, for instance, they cannot approach the comfort of a well-designed set of phones like the 555's.",
"The ear cushions are not as snug and seem ill-fitting and somewhat harder than I would like.",
"The headband requires constant adjusting, and the action is poor.",
"Extended use of the phones is not very comfortable.",
"2.",
"Construction.",
"These are flimsy plastic headphones.",
"Over time, I have found that they tend to pull apart rather easily, so I am constantly trying to piece them back together.",
"Simple things like the cord routing are poor--I am constantly stepping on the cord and snagging it.",
"3.",
"Sound field.",
"The 202's have a somewhat constrained sound field compared to the 555's, which are much more expansive.",
"4.",
"Response.",
"Although the frequency response looks good on paper, in practice the sound from these phones is just not as rich with either the resonance or harmonics of better headphones.",
"5.",
"Downmixing.",
"For headphone use, my receiver downmixes eight channels into two.",
"This comes through as distorted sound on the 202's.",
"The 555's, in contrast, have no difficulty with downmixing."
] |
While Jonathan Franzen obviously has a talent for character development and drama, I was initally put off by what felt like a pretentious writing style. I've seen other reviewers here state that this was part of the story. I'm not sure I agree with that. But if that was his intent - to show the dysfunction of an average, midwestern family vis-a-vis a snobby, psuedo-intellectual narration, then he succeeded on that point.
I ended up putting this book down for a time because it was too depressing, negative and seemingly self-important. However, when I picked it up again - prepared for the tone - I had a much greater appreciation for it. Parts were brilliant (the father's mental breakdown on the cruise is one of the best scenes I've ever read) and Franzen is unquestionably an insightful writer. But in the end, it didn't go anywhere. We were left with the same dysfunctional characters who didn't appear to have grown, changed or developed over the course of the story. Perhaps that was the point, but does a reader really want to invest time and energy into static, unlikable characters? This novel struck me as one that had great potential but never fully delivered. It's still worth a read, for the pure family dysfunction aspect alone, but ultimately it left me craving something more palatable. | 1 | neutral | [
"While Jonathan Franzen obviously has a talent for character development and drama, I was initally put off by what felt like a pretentious writing style.",
"I've seen other reviewers here state that this was part of the story.",
"I'm not sure I agree with that.",
"But if that was his intent - to show the dysfunction of an average, midwestern family vis-a-vis a snobby, psuedo-intellectual narration, then he succeeded on that point.",
"I ended up putting this book down for a time because it was too depressing, negative and seemingly self-important.",
"However, when I picked it up again - prepared for the tone - I had a much greater appreciation for it.",
"Parts were brilliant (the father's mental breakdown on the cruise is one of the best scenes I've ever read) and Franzen is unquestionably an insightful writer.",
"But in the end, it didn't go anywhere.",
"We were left with the same dysfunctional characters who didn't appear to have grown, changed or developed over the course of the story.",
"Perhaps that was the point, but does a reader really want to invest time and energy into static, unlikable characters?",
"This novel struck me as one that had great potential but never fully delivered.",
"It's still worth a read, for the pure family dysfunction aspect alone, but ultimately it left me craving something more palatable."
] |
Just to clarify -- an SD memory card is a great thing to have for your Wii. The Wii comes equipped with a small hard drive, but if you're saving game data and/or downloading a lot of virtual console games (like me) you're eventually going to run out of room--and that's where these cards come in handy. It virtually gives you unlimited space since you can just buy more cards whenever you fill one up.
That having been said, I see little reason to buy this particular memory card. Why? As far as I can tell this card is identical to Sandisk's other 2 GB cards with one exception--it's white with the word "Wii" printed on it. It's also more expensive than a typical 2 GB card. I suppose if you really want the color of your memory card to match the system you may as well spend the extra money on it, but if not why not save yourself some cash and just order a normal SD card? They're easy to find--they're used in cameras and MP3 players, among other things--and you can find one on sale without looking too hard.
I definitely recommend an SD memory card for your Wii, but there are better alternatives than this particular product. | 1 | neutral | [
"Just to clarify -- an SD memory card is a great thing to have for your Wii.",
"The Wii comes equipped with a small hard drive, but if you're saving game data and/or downloading a lot of virtual console games (like me) you're eventually going to run out of room--and that's where these cards come in handy.",
"It virtually gives you unlimited space since you can just buy more cards whenever you fill one up.",
"That having been said, I see little reason to buy this particular memory card.",
"Why?",
"As far as I can tell this card is identical to Sandisk's other 2 GB cards with one exception--it's white with the word \"Wii\" printed on it.",
"It's also more expensive than a typical 2 GB card.",
"I suppose if you really want the color of your memory card to match the system you may as well spend the extra money on it, but if not why not save yourself some cash and just order a normal SD card?",
"They're easy to find--they're used in cameras and MP3 players, among other things--and you can find one on sale without looking too hard.",
"I definitely recommend an SD memory card for your Wii, but there are better alternatives than this particular product."
] |
I've never paid 20 bucks for a can opener before but it's worth it. It's compact and stylish. It opens cans with a minimum of effort. Cans can be resealed with a rubber band. You won't get cut on the rim of the can. What more could you want from a can opener?
EDIT
Downgrading my rating to 3 stars. I really liked this product at first but after having it for a couple years, it stopped working well. The blade got dull and it became virtually impossible to cut through the can lids. I would think that for $20 it would last longer. I replaced it with an OXO can opener that is a bit bulkier but works in the exact same fashion and I like it a lot, not to mention it was cheaper. | 1 | neutral | [
"I've never paid 20 bucks for a can opener before but it's worth it.",
"It's compact and stylish.",
"It opens cans with a minimum of effort.",
"Cans can be resealed with a rubber band.",
"You won't get cut on the rim of the can.",
"What more could you want from a can opener?",
"EDIT\n\nDowngrading my rating to 3 stars.",
"I really liked this product at first but after having it for a couple years, it stopped working well.",
"The blade got dull and it became virtually impossible to cut through the can lids.",
"I would think that for $20 it would last longer.",
"I replaced it with an OXO can opener that is a bit bulkier but works in the exact same fashion and I like it a lot, not to mention it was cheaper."
] |
DO NOT GET ME WRONG, this is a terrific product, and well thought out.... almost.
See the video quality of it is terrific. It records from an HDMI output on an Xbox 360. My tv currently doesn't have HDMI, so I used a "HDMI to DVI Converter", and got a "360 Cable to Audio adapter" for my headset. It was a decent bit of effort, but I worked around it. That's my fault because my tv's old, not the product!
FYI this is not able to output in Component as I had hoped.
My issue is the all famous PC-Free mode!
I was all excited to get home and just tap the record button, and make a video for our you tube channel. I don't want to use a Desktop, because it's on the other side of the room, and a laptop is too much of a hassle especially when you can just get a 16gb class 10 SD card to record in PC-Free mode.... Right?? WRONG.
THERE IS NO COMMENTARY ABILITY IN PC-FREE MODE. The website, nor amazon speaks of this. You can hook up your "beaches" (Or whatever your headset is) to the input, but it overrides the actual game play sound. So I guess you can choose from Game play sound or Commentary. Never both.
So basically I just wasted money on a SD card. They simply could have told us, but hey that would be bad for business. If you're going PC mode, get the product, it's a great value. If not, and you want to have commentary, out of luck here folks! | 1 | neutral | [
"DO NOT GET ME WRONG, this is a terrific product, and well thought out....",
"almost.",
"See the video quality of it is terrific.",
"It records from an HDMI output on an Xbox 360.",
"My tv currently doesn't have HDMI, so I used a \"HDMI to DVI Converter\", and got a \"360 Cable to Audio adapter\" for my headset.",
"It was a decent bit of effort, but I worked around it.",
"That's my fault because my tv's old, not the product!",
"FYI this is not able to output in Component as I had hoped.",
"My issue is the all famous PC-Free mode!",
"I was all excited to get home and just tap the record button, and make a video for our you tube channel.",
"I don't want to use a Desktop, because it's on the other side of the room, and a laptop is too much of a hassle especially when you can just get a 16gb class 10 SD card to record in PC-Free mode....",
"Right??",
"WRONG.",
"THERE IS NO COMMENTARY ABILITY IN PC-FREE MODE.",
"The website, nor amazon speaks of this.",
"You can hook up your \"beaches\" (Or whatever your headset is) to the input, but it overrides the actual game play sound.",
"So I guess you can choose from Game play sound or Commentary.",
"Never both.",
"So basically I just wasted money on a SD card.",
"They simply could have told us, but hey that would be bad for business.",
"If you're going PC mode, get the product, it's a great value.",
"If not, and you want to have commentary, out of luck here folks!"
] |
Not a bad book, not a great book. I guessed the ending early on. The author uses the first 300 pages (of 400) to set up the main premise, and by the time you're 50 pages from the ending you're wondering if he'll ever get around to it. Tedious pacing, with the first 100 pages describing the first 24 hours of the event alone! Innumberable cups of tea drunk, cigarettes smoked, car trips taken. Ponderous. Then... the breakthrough. Or is it?
Somehow every character is (more or less) kind and considerate, except two or three, who are villains. Actions, decisions and rationales explained minutely.
Not a great read.
Funnily enough, suspiciously similar to one famous murder mystery that went before it, eerily similar to one famous murder mystery that came after it (which I can't name without giving everything away). | 1 | neutral | [
"Not a bad book, not a great book.",
"I guessed the ending early on.",
"The author uses the first 300 pages (of 400) to set up the main premise, and by the time you're 50 pages from the ending you're wondering if he'll ever get around to it.",
"Tedious pacing, with the first 100 pages describing the first 24 hours of the event alone!",
"Innumberable cups of tea drunk, cigarettes smoked, car trips taken.",
"Ponderous.",
"Then...",
"the breakthrough.",
"Or is it?",
"Somehow every character is (more or less) kind and considerate, except two or three, who are villains.",
"Actions, decisions and rationales explained minutely.",
"Not a great read.",
"Funnily enough, suspiciously similar to one famous murder mystery that went before it, eerily similar to one famous murder mystery that came after it (which I can't name without giving everything away)."
] |
Everything Steely Dan ever released deserves to be heard at least once. Most will only listen to this one a couple of times. Sure it has a few great tracks, Hey Nineteen is excellent, Time Out Of Mind and Babylon Sisters are pretty good. But all in all, this CD is too slick for its own good.
The production sounds incredible, but once one realizes that there is no depth to most of the tunes. It gets kind of annoying.
The saving grace of Gaucho is (in my opinion) the lyrics. Once again, Becker and Fagen have proven that they are two of the smartest and funniest songwriters of the century.
If you are new to Steely Dan, DO NOT buy this album. Buy Aja, Pretzel Logic, and... well any of them. | 1 | neutral | [
"Everything Steely Dan ever released deserves to be heard at least once.",
"Most will only listen to this one a couple of times.",
"Sure it has a few great tracks, Hey Nineteen is excellent, Time Out Of Mind and Babylon Sisters are pretty good.",
"But all in all, this CD is too slick for its own good.",
"The production sounds incredible, but once one realizes that there is no depth to most of the tunes.",
"It gets kind of annoying.",
"The saving grace of Gaucho is (in my opinion) the lyrics.",
"Once again, Becker and Fagen have proven that they are two of the smartest and funniest songwriters of the century.",
"If you are new to Steely Dan, DO NOT buy this album.",
"Buy Aja, Pretzel Logic, and...",
"well any of them."
] |
Who has time in this day and age to try to figure things out for themselves? I'd much rather have someone just tell me where to go and what to do so I can be done with it and move onto the next game.
Ok, so all sarcasm aside, I really hated to give an Atlus game 3 stars being that I am a devout fan for many, many years and owner of all of their titles from the original Playstation going forward. Etrian Odyssey had so much potential. I love the idea of an open-ended RPG that doesn't guide you through every step. I love the map-making! I love that you can make your own party right down to every last detail. I even love grinding out the levels to get that next skill point you need for that awesome new skill that will make your FOE shudder in fear!
But.. I don't love that this game puts me to sleep. You go through level after level after level in this "underground forest" and all you see is the same 3-4 monsters, over and over and over. Once you go through several levels, you'll be rewarded with a new monster or 3, but seeing as how long it takes to traverse the depths of the dungeon, you will be seeing those same familiar monster faces for way too long before any new ones come along. I know, it seems minor, right? Well top that with absolutely ZERO variation in the environments, just the same green scape for hours upon hours upon hours, and you may as well just be staring at the wall (or the back of your eyelids) while you hold down the buttons to auto attack.
Yes, the game has that thrill of impending doom pretty much mastered and I greatly enjoyed that aspect of it as well as all the different levels of customization, but even though these aspects are fantastic, the repetitiveness of the scenery and monsters you face just bores me to tears. I don't need flashy graphics, and this game is anything BUT flashy (they are nice graphics in their own way, but by no means are they pushing any envelopes here) but I need something to make me want to keep playing. For a couple weeks, that drive was fueled by leveling up my characters and learning new skills and the desire to explore new places and discover new monsters. Then, when I realized how infrequently new monsters come along and that the scenery NEVER changes, I seriously could not keep my eyes open for more than 15 minutes of playing this game once my little one was in bed for the night.
If you can forgive its total lack of variety, there is much to enjoy in the gameplay. I've heard the sequel is better in this respect and I'll be trying that out promptly on Christmas Day as it sits beneath my tree right now. | 1 | neutral | [
"Who has time in this day and age to try to figure things out for themselves?",
"I'd much rather have someone just tell me where to go and what to do so I can be done with it and move onto the next game.",
"Ok, so all sarcasm aside, I really hated to give an Atlus game 3 stars being that I am a devout fan for many, many years and owner of all of their titles from the original Playstation going forward.",
"Etrian Odyssey had so much potential.",
"I love the idea of an open-ended RPG that doesn't guide you through every step.",
"I love the map-making!",
"I love that you can make your own party right down to every last detail.",
"I even love grinding out the levels to get that next skill point you need for that awesome new skill that will make your FOE shudder in fear!",
"But..",
"I don't love that this game puts me to sleep.",
"You go through level after level after level in this \"underground forest\" and all you see is the same 3-4 monsters, over and over and over.",
"Once you go through several levels, you'll be rewarded with a new monster or 3, but seeing as how long it takes to traverse the depths of the dungeon, you will be seeing those same familiar monster faces for way too long before any new ones come along.",
"I know, it seems minor, right?",
"Well top that with absolutely ZERO variation in the environments, just the same green scape for hours upon hours upon hours, and you may as well just be staring at the wall (or the back of your eyelids) while you hold down the buttons to auto attack.",
"Yes, the game has that thrill of impending doom pretty much mastered and I greatly enjoyed that aspect of it as well as all the different levels of customization, but even though these aspects are fantastic, the repetitiveness of the scenery and monsters you face just bores me to tears.",
"I don't need flashy graphics, and this game is anything BUT flashy (they are nice graphics in their own way, but by no means are they pushing any envelopes here) but I need something to make me want to keep playing.",
"For a couple weeks, that drive was fueled by leveling up my characters and learning new skills and the desire to explore new places and discover new monsters.",
"Then, when I realized how infrequently new monsters come along and that the scenery NEVER changes, I seriously could not keep my eyes open for more than 15 minutes of playing this game once my little one was in bed for the night.",
"If you can forgive its total lack of variety, there is much to enjoy in the gameplay.",
"I've heard the sequel is better in this respect and I'll be trying that out promptly on Christmas Day as it sits beneath my tree right now."
] |
Perhaps I should have stuck with my memories. Today I got this small, "special edition" set of Mr Sketch Scented Markers, the same kind as my misspent youth. My sister and I had a small bucketful of them, and we inhaled the scents of those markers whenever we drew or colored, or just made reminder notes on our hands. Our parents tried forever to get us to stop that habit, and I knew I turned into my mother when I called out my daughter for using her scented markers to write on her hand.
These are the same thing, in a small movie-themed box. Like the old ones, some of the scents are immediately recognizable, like root beer and 'blue squishy,' as my daughter immediately announced. I found the pink one smells exactly like a watermelon Jolly Rancher candy, and was immediately declared my favorite. But like the old markers, there are some scents which didn't my my nose dance (in spirit, anyway). I found the Nacho Cheese to be the right color on paper, but the scent to be all wrong. Obviously, your mileage will vary, depending on how many Mr. Sketch markets you've sniffed in your time.
This is a great (really great) gift for anyone aged 7 and up, including many crazy adults like myself, who still collect office supplies, and has many dozens of markers, "just to play with!" (I polled some of the people I know, and love of office supplies is fairly common, but a solely feminine habit. Interesting...) | 1 | neutral | [
"Perhaps I should have stuck with my memories.",
"Today I got this small, \"special edition\" set of Mr Sketch Scented Markers, the same kind as my misspent youth.",
"My sister and I had a small bucketful of them, and we inhaled the scents of those markers whenever we drew or colored, or just made reminder notes on our hands.",
"Our parents tried forever to get us to stop that habit, and I knew I turned into my mother when I called out my daughter for using her scented markers to write on her hand.",
"These are the same thing, in a small movie-themed box.",
"Like the old ones, some of the scents are immediately recognizable, like root beer and 'blue squishy,' as my daughter immediately announced.",
"I found the pink one smells exactly like a watermelon Jolly Rancher candy, and was immediately declared my favorite.",
"But like the old markers, there are some scents which didn't my my nose dance (in spirit, anyway).",
"I found the Nacho Cheese to be the right color on paper, but the scent to be all wrong.",
"Obviously, your mileage will vary, depending on how many Mr.",
"Sketch markets you've sniffed in your time.",
"This is a great (really great) gift for anyone aged 7 and up, including many crazy adults like myself, who still collect office supplies, and has many dozens of markers, \"just to play with!",
"\" (I polled some of the people I know, and love of office supplies is fairly common, but a solely feminine habit.",
"Interesting...",
")"
] |
I'm a fan of the series, but I had never really bought a Harvest Moon game, only rented. But when I decided to buy, tough luck, I buyed the wrong one. Its boring, growing crops and caring for animals is pointless. You don't really need ANY money at all to survive, you can't upgrade you home, no festivals. It the very worst.
The only two good things about this game are the graphics, and your baby. Your baby can become a lot of things. It grows up to be a man, and can choose quite a lot of careers, and you can influence him on that. The problem is that it takes ALOT of time (30 Years), and you only need about a minute a day to influence him, the rest is TOTAL BOREDOM.
I found myselft waking up, taking to my kid, and sleeping back in until next day and so on.
Its a very bad Harvest Moon, if you like Harvest Moon games, buy another Harvest Moon not this. If you don't like Harvest Moon games, you're going to like it less with this game. | 1 | neutral | [
"I'm a fan of the series, but I had never really bought a Harvest Moon game, only rented.",
"But when I decided to buy, tough luck, I buyed the wrong one.",
"Its boring, growing crops and caring for animals is pointless.",
"You don't really need ANY money at all to survive, you can't upgrade you home, no festivals.",
"It the very worst.",
"The only two good things about this game are the graphics, and your baby.",
"Your baby can become a lot of things.",
"It grows up to be a man, and can choose quite a lot of careers, and you can influence him on that.",
"The problem is that it takes ALOT of time (30 Years), and you only need about a minute a day to influence him, the rest is TOTAL BOREDOM.",
"I found myselft waking up, taking to my kid, and sleeping back in until next day and so on.",
"Its a very bad Harvest Moon, if you like Harvest Moon games, buy another Harvest Moon not this.",
"If you don't like Harvest Moon games, you're going to like it less with this game."
] |
Fatal Frame 2 is a slick and atmosphere-laden game full of great graphics and spooky sounds. Sadly, it gets all of these great attributes by copying them from the highly effective first game, and not by adding anything new itself. Impressive games have often been followed by equally impressive sequels, so why did I find this one less effective than it could have been?
Well, to start with, the haunted mansion of the first game was foreboding and terrifying, a deathtrap that oozed menace from every corner. Collapsed masonry and rotten furnishings gave a realistic air of paranormal inhabitance. The second game uses an entire deserted village as its location, but a lot of it is quite drab and empty, and the sense of claustophobia is drastically diluted when you go outside, as you are meandering through streets and open areas instead of confined corridors and annexes. The other reason I felt less afraid was that the ghosts just didn't cause the goosebumps I got in the first game, which featured apparitions of people who suffered traumatic deaths like the girl with the broken back, or the woman with her eyes ripped out, as well as totally evil prescences like the man with the unnaturally long arms. The ghosts in FF2 often just look like real people, sometimes attacking you with sabres or flaming torches like any other survival horror enemies, so you don't feel the chill of having to battle a tortured soul who is crying in pain. In fact one set of ghosts in the sequel is a bunch of children who surround you and play "tag" with you...hmmm, I'm getting nostalgic for the first game just writing this. There are plenty of hidden and vanishing ghosts to test your reflexes on, so at least that provides the same level of fun. Sadly, the control system is also still the same, and it's still awful. Mio and Mayu are devishly hard to control because every camera angle change means you lose the direction you are going in and bump into everything (which led to much screaming from me when trying to run towards some of the valuable "miss 'em and they're gone" ghosts). But luckily the Options screen does give you the choice between this and the Resident Evil-style of movement, so if you can't make this one work, you can switch to that one, which is a definite plus. But, once again the "run" mode is nothing more than a dainty trot which looks far too twee coming from characters who are supposedly fighting for their lives.
Actually, the two sisters are far less engaging characters than Miku in the first game, who looked and acted a bit feistier, and had some really horrific events to contend with. Although the plot in the sequel does gradually reveal some interesting twists and fateful turns of events for our heroines, the atmosphere never gets as dark as it could due to the fact that this pair are drawn like two big eyed, cute-faced girlies with doll-like expressions that barely change, so they did not get my sympathy or interest, and were just too drippy, especially Mayu, who spends 90% of the game as your computer controlled partner and just gets in the way all the time.
So, even though a sequel that simply refines it's predecessor can result in a better game, that hasn't happened here in my opinion. For anyone that is a newcomer, and likes the sound of this type of game, go and get the first one immediately. The whole camera sytem and the power ups that can be earned for it, the ghost attacks and the horrific explanation behind the unfiolding events work perfectly and effectively in that one, producing an all-round classic game. This one is a simple retread with two lead characters instead of one, and a re-hashed but less gripping plot. Plus, the explanation of why taking pictures of ghosts will actually defeat them is mostly just glossed over here, whereas in the first game, Miku had a personal connection to the mysterious camera, which made its supernatural abilities a bit clearer.
I'll balance this rather negative list with a few pros; namely that the game seems a fair bit longer than the first, with more chapters and more places to go. And at some points along the way (just a few), the ghost encounters prove exceptionally difficult. The battles are still fun, though. Plenty of tactical planning is needed, as well as nerves of steel because once again, the most effective photos can only be taken the moment before a ghost moves in for the kill. But in conclusion, I have to say that although the whole package is well delivered, and probably above average for a "survival-chiller" game, this time I just don't feel the hairs on my neck standing up. | 1 | neutral | [
"Fatal Frame 2 is a slick and atmosphere-laden game full of great graphics and spooky sounds.",
"Sadly, it gets all of these great attributes by copying them from the highly effective first game, and not by adding anything new itself.",
"Impressive games have often been followed by equally impressive sequels, so why did I find this one less effective than it could have been?",
"Well, to start with, the haunted mansion of the first game was foreboding and terrifying, a deathtrap that oozed menace from every corner.",
"Collapsed masonry and rotten furnishings gave a realistic air of paranormal inhabitance.",
"The second game uses an entire deserted village as its location, but a lot of it is quite drab and empty, and the sense of claustophobia is drastically diluted when you go outside, as you are meandering through streets and open areas instead of confined corridors and annexes.",
"The other reason I felt less afraid was that the ghosts just didn't cause the goosebumps I got in the first game, which featured apparitions of people who suffered traumatic deaths like the girl with the broken back, or the woman with her eyes ripped out, as well as totally evil prescences like the man with the unnaturally long arms.",
"The ghosts in FF2 often just look like real people, sometimes attacking you with sabres or flaming torches like any other survival horror enemies, so you don't feel the chill of having to battle a tortured soul who is crying in pain.",
"In fact one set of ghosts in the sequel is a bunch of children who surround you and play \"tag\" with you...",
"hmmm, I'm getting nostalgic for the first game just writing this.",
"There are plenty of hidden and vanishing ghosts to test your reflexes on, so at least that provides the same level of fun.",
"Sadly, the control system is also still the same, and it's still awful.",
"Mio and Mayu are devishly hard to control because every camera angle change means you lose the direction you are going in and bump into everything (which led to much screaming from me when trying to run towards some of the valuable \"miss 'em and they're gone\" ghosts).",
"But luckily the Options screen does give you the choice between this and the Resident Evil-style of movement, so if you can't make this one work, you can switch to that one, which is a definite plus.",
"But, once again the \"run\" mode is nothing more than a dainty trot which looks far too twee coming from characters who are supposedly fighting for their lives.",
"Actually, the two sisters are far less engaging characters than Miku in the first game, who looked and acted a bit feistier, and had some really horrific events to contend with.",
"Although the plot in the sequel does gradually reveal some interesting twists and fateful turns of events for our heroines, the atmosphere never gets as dark as it could due to the fact that this pair are drawn like two big eyed, cute-faced girlies with doll-like expressions that barely change, so they did not get my sympathy or interest, and were just too drippy, especially Mayu, who spends 90% of the game as your computer controlled partner and just gets in the way all the time.",
"So, even though a sequel that simply refines it's predecessor can result in a better game, that hasn't happened here in my opinion.",
"For anyone that is a newcomer, and likes the sound of this type of game, go and get the first one immediately.",
"The whole camera sytem and the power ups that can be earned for it, the ghost attacks and the horrific explanation behind the unfiolding events work perfectly and effectively in that one, producing an all-round classic game.",
"This one is a simple retread with two lead characters instead of one, and a re-hashed but less gripping plot.",
"Plus, the explanation of why taking pictures of ghosts will actually defeat them is mostly just glossed over here, whereas in the first game, Miku had a personal connection to the mysterious camera, which made its supernatural abilities a bit clearer.",
"I'll balance this rather negative list with a few pros; namely that the game seems a fair bit longer than the first, with more chapters and more places to go.",
"And at some points along the way (just a few), the ghost encounters prove exceptionally difficult.",
"The battles are still fun, though.",
"Plenty of tactical planning is needed, as well as nerves of steel because once again, the most effective photos can only be taken the moment before a ghost moves in for the kill.",
"But in conclusion, I have to say that although the whole package is well delivered, and probably above average for a \"survival-chiller\" game, this time I just don't feel the hairs on my neck standing up."
] |
Western games, it's one of the genres we rarely see in video games, and it's one of my personal favorites. Anyway, when I finally got my 360, about 5 months after it came out, GUN was #1 on my rental list, because I wasn't sure about it. The game was practically no where to be found in Blockbuster or Hollywood Video. So I ended up buying it. GUN was a great game...before I beat it the following day.
Basically, you play as Montana hunter Colton White who he and his father Ned hut game, until one day the steam boat they were traveling was ambushed by renegades. Before Ned was killed in the attack, he told Colt that "He ain't his father", and then threw him off the boat. Now Colt is on a quest for vengeful justice. That's basically the whole story in a nut shell. And now Pros & Cons
-THE GOOD-Free roaming old west: good graphics: horse back riding and combat: loads of different, interesting side missions: realistic western age weapons: perfect voice overs: "QUICKDRAW"-a feature that allows you to slow down time and accurately take out multiple enemies at once: virtually no learning curve: save anywhere
-THE BAD-Enemies can almost kill you in a couple shots: Just how unoriginal and stereotypical is this story?: The graphics look good, only from a last-gen perspective: A bit short: overly gory and messy for a game of this genre: boss battles are basically the same, shoot them full of lead until they die
-THE UGLY-Worst free-roaming game ever, the area is like a small, free roaming path: What? No classic western Standoffs like in Red Dead Revolver? Music is cheap: A casual gamer can beat this game 100% in about 3 to 4 days: Story is seriously derived: Why is that my pistols have infinite ammo, but my rifle, sharp shooter, shotgun, and bow do not? Absolutely, positively no multiplayer what so ever
I really wish I rented this game when I had the chance. Now I'm just playing it to unlock the achievements, then after that, trade it or sell it. If you have a PS2/PS3, Xbox, or a 360 that can play Xbox games, try out Red Dead Revolver. I found that game a lot more satisfying than GUN (plus it has mulitplayer, Standoffs, and a cooler name for the slow-motion feature, Dead Eye). GUN is a definite rent.
NOTE TO PARENTS: This game is seriously not for children, it's more bloody than a SAW film, there are many sexual references, some gambling is involved, and the characters curse and swear constantly. | 1 | neutral | [
"Western games, it's one of the genres we rarely see in video games, and it's one of my personal favorites.",
"Anyway, when I finally got my 360, about 5 months after it came out, GUN was #1 on my rental list, because I wasn't sure about it.",
"The game was practically no where to be found in Blockbuster or Hollywood Video.",
"So I ended up buying it.",
"GUN was a great game...",
"before I beat it the following day.",
"Basically, you play as Montana hunter Colton White who he and his father Ned hut game, until one day the steam boat they were traveling was ambushed by renegades.",
"Before Ned was killed in the attack, he told Colt that \"He ain't his father\", and then threw him off the boat.",
"Now Colt is on a quest for vengeful justice.",
"That's basically the whole story in a nut shell.",
"And now Pros & Cons\n\n-THE GOOD-Free roaming old west: good graphics: horse back riding and combat: loads of different, interesting side missions: realistic western age weapons: perfect voice overs: \"QUICKDRAW\"-a feature that allows you to slow down time and accurately take out multiple enemies at once: virtually no learning curve: save anywhere\n\n-THE BAD-Enemies can almost kill you in a couple shots: Just how unoriginal and stereotypical is this story?",
": The graphics look good, only from a last-gen perspective: A bit short: overly gory and messy for a game of this genre: boss battles are basically the same, shoot them full of lead until they die\n\n-THE UGLY-Worst free-roaming game ever, the area is like a small, free roaming path: What?",
"No classic western Standoffs like in Red Dead Revolver?",
"Music is cheap: A casual gamer can beat this game 100% in about 3 to 4 days: Story is seriously derived: Why is that my pistols have infinite ammo, but my rifle, sharp shooter, shotgun, and bow do not?",
"Absolutely, positively no multiplayer what so ever\n\nI really wish I rented this game when I had the chance.",
"Now I'm just playing it to unlock the achievements, then after that, trade it or sell it.",
"If you have a PS2/PS3, Xbox, or a 360 that can play Xbox games, try out Red Dead Revolver.",
"I found that game a lot more satisfying than GUN (plus it has mulitplayer, Standoffs, and a cooler name for the slow-motion feature, Dead Eye).",
"GUN is a definite rent.",
"NOTE TO PARENTS: This game is seriously not for children, it's more bloody than a SAW film, there are many sexual references, some gambling is involved, and the characters curse and swear constantly."
] |
The *Civilization* series comes a long way since 1991. I'm proud to say I discovered it at the beginning, and I shamed to say the one *Civ* title I did not play was *Alpha Centauri*. I caught everything else on release, and like many longtime fans, I deal with the ebb and flow of sequel quality.
The latest entry might not be considered the greatest by some, but *Civilization IV* evolves the series more significantly than any other entry I played. From interface to game mechanics, it ain't your older brother's *Civilization*. I like it, but there's a famous Gary Larson cartoon with God pulling the Earth out of an oven and thinking "Something tells me this thing is only half-baked". I also think Sid Meier's *Civilization IV* needs to spend more time in the oven.
---A Look at Civilizations Past---
*Civilization II* is probably still regarded as the best in the series: having the most units, technologies, improvements, wonders, and ease of modification. For example, players could terraform terrain or build advanced farms-something none of the other titles permit. The game even included a graphics program so you could draw your own units, and I generally find the modding features the most user-friendly of the lot.
Activision's spin-off series *Call to Power* isn't as beloved, but it certainly raised the time bar by adding entire future ages, complete with new units, wonders, and improvements. It also greatly expanded the tactical and strategic warfare aspects: such as adding watch towers and sonar buoys, stealth units, and propaganda units. It also streamlined the terrain management (no engineers or workers).
*Civ III*, for it's part, streamlined the whole show-a sort of Civ-Lite. With so many features removed and an increased dependency on menus and charts, it could have been a disaster on the scale of *Masters of Orion 3*. Fortunately, *Civ III* imported the Cultural Borders concept first seen in *Alpha Centauri*. It also imported the Strategic Resource concept, which I think was used in *CtP* (though previous games used resources on a more limited scale). And it boasted the best animations and sprites of any turned-based empire building game I knew of. Overall, *Civ III* became a decent tide-me-over `till the next big entry.
---At Last, The 2005 Show---
Here it is. With *Civ IV*, Firaxis and 2k Games kept the core turn-based, city based, tech-tree gameplay. But just about everything else has been turned on its head.
Beginning with graphics. Surely everybody has heard by now the series finally made the big leap to 3D rendering. The terrain tiles remain 2D sprites, but the developers modeled all units and buildings, and many of the improvements and resources. The camera can zoom down to individual buildings and animals, it can pull back to reveal an entire 3D globe, or somewhere the player prefers in between. Players can also view the map head on, or at 45 degrees angles left or right; no full rotation. The game even uses particle effects for smoke, wonder construction, and fireworks displays.
Speaking of displays, the maps sparkle with detail. Zoom in on an American Infantry garrison and hear the Marine Corp Hymn playing in the background. Pass over a lumber mill and hear buzzing saws. Watch tiny 3D pigs root in a pen-or an F16 circle a city in a real-time Fighter Engagement Zone mission. That lumber mills and pig-pens can be built-along with farms, windmills, quarries, rigs, plantations and even small towns-livens up the civil aspects of Civ IV. No more generic mines for any resource!
The new Terrain Improvements also combine with the resource systems to grant each city a unique identity. The proximity of resources, more than in previous titles, compels cities to specialize production without severely penalizing them for doing something different. Indeed, each tile has at least two different improvements to choose: for example, players can Farm grassland tiles for food, or build over grasslands with Small Towns for commerce. With the right technology or wonder, these improvements can even eek out a bit of production. And grasslands hosting a herd of cows can be developed with a Pasture Improvement instead of farming--once the appropriate technology has been discovered, of course.
Of course the technologies revamped as well. The game still uses a pretty simple tree and the same simple system of generating research points to unlock tech. Now players can skip technologies indefinitely, thanks to a new "either-or" system of perquisites. In other words, more than one technology can unlock most future tech, and the player need choose only one. Thus, you can skip entire blocks of machine technology to focus on an agrarian society, for example.
Technology uncovers religion, another hyped featured. Ultimately, religion in *Civ IV* might seem like window dressing; no religion victory condition exists and the religions all have the same effects. Of course, those effects include increased Culture and Commerce for each city converted to the player's state religion. And foreign cities converted to the player's religion are supposed to provide intelligence about their garrisons... Thus religion becomes another strategic element as civs flood the world with their Missionary units.
I could witness all night long to the Civ choir. A lot stuff has changed-mostly to reduce micromanagement and "less fun" elements. A new health element affects worker productivity and happiness, but doesn't require any additional management. Pollution no longer affects tiles, it just makes city dwellers sick and angry (radiation poisoning and global warming still affect terrain, however). Cities also no longer riot, and unhappy citizens merely slow production instead of grinding it to a halt. Corruption effectively no longer exists, and cities built far from the capitol suffer production penalties much less extreme than in *Civ III*.
---The Apprentice Civ---
I wish I could say the game as a whole doesn't suffer, but damn if the bugs aren't extreme. If you have heard this game was rushed out the door in time for the holidays, then consider your hearing sound.
I found out just how rushed when I discovered that the disc marked "Play" was the install disc, and the disc marked "Install" was the play disc! And while a lot of new units exist, I found some noticeable, even anachronistic gaps: the MLRS rocket unit no longer exists, so the player's modern battle tanks and helicopter gunships fight alongside World War I era artillery to the end of the game.
And for all of the hype about modding, I found the tools lacking. For example, there is a "worldbuilder" tool which permits only limited modification of an existing map (read: "I cannot add new civs nor change victory conditions, leaders, barbarian scale, event seeds, or the time scale). No map editor shell exists either-if I want to mod a map, I have to load or start a game! Experienced modders should have no problem manipulating the code, provided they can find them: the installation scatters files all over my hard drive, and I still haven't found any core files other than a basic .cfg. In many respects, *Civ IV's* mod tools are the least user friendly to noobs of the entire series.
The big giveaway, of course, is the massive memory leaks, video corruptions, and game crashes-even with the latest patch. My PC runs an AMD FX-51 64 bit 2.2 ghz processor, a 128 MB ATI 9800 Pro video card, and a gig of PC2700 ECC RAM. The wonder videos tend to stutter. On the larger maps, as the civilizations spread and advance, the desktop crashes become more and more frequent: of late I cannot play more than about five turns on my current map before the program encounters a problem and needs to shut down. Just to spice things up, I also got a few Blue Screens of Death.
---The End of History---
I guess all good things come to an end. Firaxis seems to have learned a lot about the series since it first dawned in 1991. The lessons show in *Civ IV*: collating many of the best ideas in the series and mixing them up with new features. Unfortunately, it also features a tremendous number of bugs and missing elements, and *Civ IV* frankly needs some tremendous patches to cope. Regrettably, I cannot recommend this title as it stands. Wait for patches and for an expansion set, or at least wait for the price to drop and stick to playing the smaller maps. | 1 | neutral | [
"The *Civilization* series comes a long way since 1991.",
"I'm proud to say I discovered it at the beginning, and I shamed to say the one *Civ* title I did not play was *Alpha Centauri*.",
"I caught everything else on release, and like many longtime fans, I deal with the ebb and flow of sequel quality.",
"The latest entry might not be considered the greatest by some, but *Civilization IV* evolves the series more significantly than any other entry I played.",
"From interface to game mechanics, it ain't your older brother's *Civilization*.",
"I like it, but there's a famous Gary Larson cartoon with God pulling the Earth out of an oven and thinking \"Something tells me this thing is only half-baked\".",
"I also think Sid Meier's *Civilization IV* needs to spend more time in the oven.",
"---A Look at Civilizations Past---\n\n*Civilization II* is probably still regarded as the best in the series: having the most units, technologies, improvements, wonders, and ease of modification.",
"For example, players could terraform terrain or build advanced farms-something none of the other titles permit.",
"The game even included a graphics program so you could draw your own units, and I generally find the modding features the most user-friendly of the lot.",
"Activision's spin-off series *Call to Power* isn't as beloved, but it certainly raised the time bar by adding entire future ages, complete with new units, wonders, and improvements.",
"It also greatly expanded the tactical and strategic warfare aspects: such as adding watch towers and sonar buoys, stealth units, and propaganda units.",
"It also streamlined the terrain management (no engineers or workers).",
"*Civ III*, for it's part, streamlined the whole show-a sort of Civ-Lite.",
"With so many features removed and an increased dependency on menus and charts, it could have been a disaster on the scale of *Masters of Orion 3*.",
"Fortunately, *Civ III* imported the Cultural Borders concept first seen in *Alpha Centauri*.",
"It also imported the Strategic Resource concept, which I think was used in *CtP* (though previous games used resources on a more limited scale).",
"And it boasted the best animations and sprites of any turned-based empire building game I knew of.",
"Overall, *Civ III* became a decent tide-me-over `till the next big entry.",
"---At Last, The 2005 Show---\n\nHere it is.",
"With *Civ IV*, Firaxis and 2k Games kept the core turn-based, city based, tech-tree gameplay.",
"But just about everything else has been turned on its head.",
"Beginning with graphics.",
"Surely everybody has heard by now the series finally made the big leap to 3D rendering.",
"The terrain tiles remain 2D sprites, but the developers modeled all units and buildings, and many of the improvements and resources.",
"The camera can zoom down to individual buildings and animals, it can pull back to reveal an entire 3D globe, or somewhere the player prefers in between.",
"Players can also view the map head on, or at 45 degrees angles left or right; no full rotation.",
"The game even uses particle effects for smoke, wonder construction, and fireworks displays.",
"Speaking of displays, the maps sparkle with detail.",
"Zoom in on an American Infantry garrison and hear the Marine Corp Hymn playing in the background.",
"Pass over a lumber mill and hear buzzing saws.",
"Watch tiny 3D pigs root in a pen-or an F16 circle a city in a real-time Fighter Engagement Zone mission.",
"That lumber mills and pig-pens can be built-along with farms, windmills, quarries, rigs, plantations and even small towns-livens up the civil aspects of Civ IV.",
"No more generic mines for any resource!",
"The new Terrain Improvements also combine with the resource systems to grant each city a unique identity.",
"The proximity of resources, more than in previous titles, compels cities to specialize production without severely penalizing them for doing something different.",
"Indeed, each tile has at least two different improvements to choose: for example, players can Farm grassland tiles for food, or build over grasslands with Small Towns for commerce.",
"With the right technology or wonder, these improvements can even eek out a bit of production.",
"And grasslands hosting a herd of cows can be developed with a Pasture Improvement instead of farming--once the appropriate technology has been discovered, of course.",
"Of course the technologies revamped as well.",
"The game still uses a pretty simple tree and the same simple system of generating research points to unlock tech.",
"Now players can skip technologies indefinitely, thanks to a new \"either-or\" system of perquisites.",
"In other words, more than one technology can unlock most future tech, and the player need choose only one.",
"Thus, you can skip entire blocks of machine technology to focus on an agrarian society, for example.",
"Technology uncovers religion, another hyped featured.",
"Ultimately, religion in *Civ IV* might seem like window dressing; no religion victory condition exists and the religions all have the same effects.",
"Of course, those effects include increased Culture and Commerce for each city converted to the player's state religion.",
"And foreign cities converted to the player's religion are supposed to provide intelligence about their garrisons...",
"Thus religion becomes another strategic element as civs flood the world with their Missionary units.",
"I could witness all night long to the Civ choir.",
"A lot stuff has changed-mostly to reduce micromanagement and \"less fun\" elements.",
"A new health element affects worker productivity and happiness, but doesn't require any additional management.",
"Pollution no longer affects tiles, it just makes city dwellers sick and angry (radiation poisoning and global warming still affect terrain, however).",
"Cities also no longer riot, and unhappy citizens merely slow production instead of grinding it to a halt.",
"Corruption effectively no longer exists, and cities built far from the capitol suffer production penalties much less extreme than in *Civ III*.",
"---The Apprentice Civ---\n\nI wish I could say the game as a whole doesn't suffer, but damn if the bugs aren't extreme.",
"If you have heard this game was rushed out the door in time for the holidays, then consider your hearing sound.",
"I found out just how rushed when I discovered that the disc marked \"Play\" was the install disc, and the disc marked \"Install\" was the play disc!",
"And while a lot of new units exist, I found some noticeable, even anachronistic gaps: the MLRS rocket unit no longer exists, so the player's modern battle tanks and helicopter gunships fight alongside World War I era artillery to the end of the game.",
"And for all of the hype about modding, I found the tools lacking.",
"For example, there is a \"worldbuilder\" tool which permits only limited modification of an existing map (read: \"I cannot add new civs nor change victory conditions, leaders, barbarian scale, event seeds, or the time scale).",
"No map editor shell exists either-if I want to mod a map, I have to load or start a game!",
"Experienced modders should have no problem manipulating the code, provided they can find them: the installation scatters files all over my hard drive, and I still haven't found any core files other than a basic.",
"cfg.",
"In many respects, *Civ IV's* mod tools are the least user friendly to noobs of the entire series.",
"The big giveaway, of course, is the massive memory leaks, video corruptions, and game crashes-even with the latest patch.",
"My PC runs an AMD FX-51 64 bit 2.",
"2 ghz processor, a 128 MB ATI 9800 Pro video card, and a gig of PC2700 ECC RAM.",
"The wonder videos tend to stutter.",
"On the larger maps, as the civilizations spread and advance, the desktop crashes become more and more frequent: of late I cannot play more than about five turns on my current map before the program encounters a problem and needs to shut down.",
"Just to spice things up, I also got a few Blue Screens of Death.",
"---The End of History---\n\nI guess all good things come to an end.",
"Firaxis seems to have learned a lot about the series since it first dawned in 1991.",
"The lessons show in *Civ IV*: collating many of the best ideas in the series and mixing them up with new features.",
"Unfortunately, it also features a tremendous number of bugs and missing elements, and *Civ IV* frankly needs some tremendous patches to cope.",
"Regrettably, I cannot recommend this title as it stands.",
"Wait for patches and for an expansion set, or at least wait for the price to drop and stick to playing the smaller maps."
] |
First ... I have four Delta machines in my shop and they are the best. This particular Delta Dust Collector is made to be used with one machine at a time. It is easily portable as long as you have a long extension cord of the proper gauge and a standard collector hose to reach ( 4" hose and there is a chart for extension cords in the direction booklet). It works very well for one machine with plenty of suction. It can be used the way it arrives with 120 volt or it can be converted to 240 volt by an electrician. A portable, one machine collector will likely be used at 120 volt.
This is a small collector with small bags ( it stands 56" high). It has a one micron upper collection bag which is very good, and a plastic bag on the bottom. The first time that I attached the bottom bag it took myself and my wife to get it onto the ring. We could have used one more hand. It was a bit easier after the bag was partially full of saw dust. The catches on the frame seem to have no good purpose and ripped the top of the plastic bag a little each time. In order to keep the lower bag from leaking air and dust, the plastic must be rolled over the fastening ring which is very impractical. It's then hard to attach the ring clasp. In other words it is not a convenient bag to empty when it gets full. I suppose a person could just use garbage bags and rip them off each time they get full.
I have a large dust collector which handles 3-5 machines depending on the machine and I am very familiar with the working of a collector. I had high hopes for this unit to be used for a machine that I don't have connected to my system. I'm sure it will pull and filter the dust very well, but I'm not sure I want to ever empty it. There is also a direction in the booklet about putting the upper bag flexible ring on the lower bag as well. I could find no such ring and if I would have, this would mean taking even more of the collector apart to empty the bag.
Make sure that when you assemble this unit that you read very carefully and make sure the blower housing supports are facing the right direction. It is not in the written direction so just be aware it can be put on backwards. The reason that I say read carefully is that the photos in the booklet are black parts against black parts and are impossible to see. The holes for one of the connections was not in the right place. With enough bending and pushing I got it to fit.
So much of this unit is really well designed and the construction good with the primary problem being the direction booklet, the bag removal and the some of the fit. It has a powerful motor, a very good top bag and excellent mobility. I'm not sure that I would order it again, but many would find it just fine for limited use. | 1 | neutral | [
"First...",
"I have four Delta machines in my shop and they are the best.",
"This particular Delta Dust Collector is made to be used with one machine at a time.",
"It is easily portable as long as you have a long extension cord of the proper gauge and a standard collector hose to reach ( 4\" hose and there is a chart for extension cords in the direction booklet).",
"It works very well for one machine with plenty of suction.",
"It can be used the way it arrives with 120 volt or it can be converted to 240 volt by an electrician.",
"A portable, one machine collector will likely be used at 120 volt.",
"This is a small collector with small bags ( it stands 56\" high).",
"It has a one micron upper collection bag which is very good, and a plastic bag on the bottom.",
"The first time that I attached the bottom bag it took myself and my wife to get it onto the ring.",
"We could have used one more hand.",
"It was a bit easier after the bag was partially full of saw dust.",
"The catches on the frame seem to have no good purpose and ripped the top of the plastic bag a little each time.",
"In order to keep the lower bag from leaking air and dust, the plastic must be rolled over the fastening ring which is very impractical.",
"It's then hard to attach the ring clasp.",
"In other words it is not a convenient bag to empty when it gets full.",
"I suppose a person could just use garbage bags and rip them off each time they get full.",
"I have a large dust collector which handles 3-5 machines depending on the machine and I am very familiar with the working of a collector.",
"I had high hopes for this unit to be used for a machine that I don't have connected to my system.",
"I'm sure it will pull and filter the dust very well, but I'm not sure I want to ever empty it.",
"There is also a direction in the booklet about putting the upper bag flexible ring on the lower bag as well.",
"I could find no such ring and if I would have, this would mean taking even more of the collector apart to empty the bag.",
"Make sure that when you assemble this unit that you read very carefully and make sure the blower housing supports are facing the right direction.",
"It is not in the written direction so just be aware it can be put on backwards.",
"The reason that I say read carefully is that the photos in the booklet are black parts against black parts and are impossible to see.",
"The holes for one of the connections was not in the right place.",
"With enough bending and pushing I got it to fit.",
"So much of this unit is really well designed and the construction good with the primary problem being the direction booklet, the bag removal and the some of the fit.",
"It has a powerful motor, a very good top bag and excellent mobility.",
"I'm not sure that I would order it again, but many would find it just fine for limited use."
] |
This was a very quick and annoying read. Wait, let me explain. The writing itself was good. The story line great. The character, Charlie, is absolutely annoying. He is one of those socially awkward people who don't know when to shut up and keep talking about the same thing over and over and over and over you get the point. Even though Charlie is annoying its only a 15 page read so you don't have to commit to him that long.
Some of the reviews I read on Amazon contributed the annoying part as overkill on the authors part but if you have never truly known anyone like this than you just couldn't understand. I strongly believe that you shouldn't hate the author or give a bad review just because you do not like the character. I thought Vincent did a wonderful job on capturing this type of character in Charlie. I laughed a lot at Charlie's social issues and failure to pick up on clues that people just didn't want to talk to him.
The ending was interesting and the entire tale reminded me a lot like the Twilight Zone series from the 60s or Goosebumps from the 90s but with a modern twist. You don't realize it until the end and that may just be me because I am not used to these kinds of reads but it makes you stop to process what just happened. I love that!
Like I said this was a quick and entertaining read, you will get annoyed by Charlie but that makes it just so much more fun to read. I recommend this to anyone who likes short stories and were entertained by the twilight series. After all its a free book! | 1 | neutral | [
"This was a very quick and annoying read.",
"Wait, let me explain.",
"The writing itself was good.",
"The story line great.",
"The character, Charlie, is absolutely annoying.",
"He is one of those socially awkward people who don't know when to shut up and keep talking about the same thing over and over and over and over you get the point.",
"Even though Charlie is annoying its only a 15 page read so you don't have to commit to him that long.",
"Some of the reviews I read on Amazon contributed the annoying part as overkill on the authors part but if you have never truly known anyone like this than you just couldn't understand.",
"I strongly believe that you shouldn't hate the author or give a bad review just because you do not like the character.",
"I thought Vincent did a wonderful job on capturing this type of character in Charlie.",
"I laughed a lot at Charlie's social issues and failure to pick up on clues that people just didn't want to talk to him.",
"The ending was interesting and the entire tale reminded me a lot like the Twilight Zone series from the 60s or Goosebumps from the 90s but with a modern twist.",
"You don't realize it until the end and that may just be me because I am not used to these kinds of reads but it makes you stop to process what just happened.",
"I love that!",
"Like I said this was a quick and entertaining read, you will get annoyed by Charlie but that makes it just so much more fun to read.",
"I recommend this to anyone who likes short stories and were entertained by the twilight series.",
"After all its a free book!"
] |
OK you're reading the right review. I haul chickens for a living. I've had these gloves for about 3 weeks now...
If you have a job where there will be a lot of friction on the palm, I advise against these. The reason is, the palm has all the tiny thread showing and it did not take much friction to fray those completely away. Now the extra padded protection is coming off and one of the fingers has opened up showing the waterproofing layer/ thin rubber...
This is my only issue, and its huge. They were great before the thread started to slowly disintegrate. Now they are becoming junk gloves. For $30, I expected better. | 1 | neutral | [
"OK you're reading the right review.",
"I haul chickens for a living.",
"I've had these gloves for about 3 weeks now...",
"If you have a job where there will be a lot of friction on the palm, I advise against these.",
"The reason is, the palm has all the tiny thread showing and it did not take much friction to fray those completely away.",
"Now the extra padded protection is coming off and one of the fingers has opened up showing the waterproofing layer/ thin rubber...",
"This is my only issue, and its huge.",
"They were great before the thread started to slowly disintegrate.",
"Now they are becoming junk gloves.",
"For $30, I expected better."
] |
In "Prey" Michael Crichton treats us to another book cooked up from his trademark recipe for a thriller -- an array of scientific and technical facts stacked up to dizzying heights and arranged in always surprising combinations, sympathetic characters trying to save their own necks, and the world, from man-made catastrophe, and lots of running and screaming.
In "Jurassic Park", Crichton asked what happens when genetic engineers, paleontologists, and theme park designers get together to talk about money making ventures. Here, the villainous technologies are genetic engieering, computer science, and nanotechnology. He brings all these elements together in "Prey" to give us a great piece of mind candy. Though not great literature, and not even "Jurassic Park", "Prey" is still entertaining page turner.
There are a couple of problems with the book. First of all, it's just not as thrilling to read a story about someone being chased across a parking lot by a big gray cloud of nanoparticles as it is to read about someone running from a T. Rex through a jungle.
The science is also a problem. Crichton's science is ultimately wrong in most of his books, but his rapid-fire use of a huge number of facts can often make a believer out of almost anyone. The illusion wears a little thin in "Prey", though. "How did the nanoparticles learn to do that?" "Well, they're controlled by a neural net, of course." "Oh yeah. Well, how could they learn so quickly?" "They're programmed to evolve much faster than natural organisms." "Oh yeah." Of course, I'm exaggerating, but the level of scientific discourse is far too handwaving to satisfy "Jurassic Park" fans.
So, it's an OK read, and it would (will?) make another great movie. Buy it if you just have to have everything that Crichton writes. Buy it if you just want something to pass the time. But don't buy it if you're looking another ground breaker like "Jurassic Park." | 1 | neutral | [
"In \"Prey\" Michael Crichton treats us to another book cooked up from his trademark recipe for a thriller -- an array of scientific and technical facts stacked up to dizzying heights and arranged in always surprising combinations, sympathetic characters trying to save their own necks, and the world, from man-made catastrophe, and lots of running and screaming.",
"In \"Jurassic Park\", Crichton asked what happens when genetic engineers, paleontologists, and theme park designers get together to talk about money making ventures.",
"Here, the villainous technologies are genetic engieering, computer science, and nanotechnology.",
"He brings all these elements together in \"Prey\" to give us a great piece of mind candy.",
"Though not great literature, and not even \"Jurassic Park\", \"Prey\" is still entertaining page turner.",
"There are a couple of problems with the book.",
"First of all, it's just not as thrilling to read a story about someone being chased across a parking lot by a big gray cloud of nanoparticles as it is to read about someone running from a T.",
"Rex through a jungle.",
"The science is also a problem.",
"Crichton's science is ultimately wrong in most of his books, but his rapid-fire use of a huge number of facts can often make a believer out of almost anyone.",
"The illusion wears a little thin in \"Prey\", though.",
"\"How did the nanoparticles learn to do that?",
"\" \"Well, they're controlled by a neural net, of course.",
"\" \"Oh yeah.",
"Well, how could they learn so quickly?",
"\" \"They're programmed to evolve much faster than natural organisms.",
"\" \"Oh yeah.",
"\" Of course, I'm exaggerating, but the level of scientific discourse is far too handwaving to satisfy \"Jurassic Park\" fans.",
"So, it's an OK read, and it would (will?",
") make another great movie.",
"Buy it if you just have to have everything that Crichton writes.",
"Buy it if you just want something to pass the time.",
"But don't buy it if you're looking another ground breaker like \"Jurassic Park.",
"\""
] |
**Word of Warning for Parents** - Don't let Conker's cute little noggin fool you, this game is for mature audiences only. Kids need not apply with Conker. There is violence, crazy amounts of profanity, sexual references and violence. If you're under the age of 17, might want to stick with something else!
A drunk fowl mouthed squirrel with problems urinating in public. What's not to like right for XBOX gamers? Well. The stardom this crazy squirrel had with his introduction on the N64 turned some heads for sure. Nintendo lost out to Rare by them going to Microsoft, or did they?
The money Microsoft spent to acquire Rareware seemed like a smart move 3 years ago. Or is it? RememberGrabbed by the Ghoulies? Most heard of it, but it was certainly not one of Rare's memorable games and considering it was their first game on the XBOX, people were ready for Conker. Conker has been delayed countless times and it was certainly a hotly anticipated title. I was expecting the delay to do some marvelous things for the franchise and I wanted Rare to redeem themselves. I personally expected this to be the best XBOX game ever as I am a big Conker junkie as I still played Bad Fur Day on the N64. Suffice to say, I was a bit disappointed when I found out the single player is a remake of "Bad Fur Day" from the N64 with XBOX graphics. While newbies to Conker will love this game, you might want to consider passing it buy if you've played Bad Fur Day.
As stated above, the adventure aspect of the game is a virutal remake of Bad Fur Day with better graphics. Certainly points up for gamers who have not experienced it on the dead N64, but what about the people who have? I played this game already and many others have too. Sure the luscious sweeet graphics are amazing and it's certainly one of the better looking XBOX titles I've seen, but I was wanting more, so I guess that's where the multiplayer comes into play. But back to Bad Fur Day. How about some new levels? Or a new adventure all together? Mind you, I like remakes too, but I didn't wait 3 years to play Conker's Bad Fur day all over again. If you never played the game before, expect naughty language, sexual innuendos, and some of the funniest moments in video game history. This is still one of the funniest games ever produced. Just don't let the cuddly looking characters fool you, this is for mature audiences only.
The multiplayer offers the game a little more replay value, but I personally have not played it enough to give it my honest opinion. If you don't have XBOX Live, you can still play the multiplayer solo or with a friend. The game takes control of the other characters and refers to them as dumbots. I've played a few levels, it's basically every man (well squirrel or Teddy) for himself. The objectives are not very clear, and it's clearly more fun playing on live than with the computer controlled teammates and opponents. I can say with confidence the multiplayer is not a Halo killer, but I know some people are diggin the action when they go online. The game supports 16 simultaneous players at once if you go online.
Rare disappoints me. I didn't want to play Bad Fur Day again. Sure, it's a great title, but it's nearly 5 + years old now and I wanted to play something new. But like I said, if you haven't played it, you're going to love it. But those of you that have played it before might want to look at something else to buy. Conker is a great game, but it's remade. Good for some, bad for many. | 1 | neutral | [
"**Word of Warning for Parents** - Don't let Conker's cute little noggin fool you, this game is for mature audiences only.",
"Kids need not apply with Conker.",
"There is violence, crazy amounts of profanity, sexual references and violence.",
"If you're under the age of 17, might want to stick with something else!",
"A drunk fowl mouthed squirrel with problems urinating in public.",
"What's not to like right for XBOX gamers?",
"Well.",
"The stardom this crazy squirrel had with his introduction on the N64 turned some heads for sure.",
"Nintendo lost out to Rare by them going to Microsoft, or did they?",
"The money Microsoft spent to acquire Rareware seemed like a smart move 3 years ago.",
"Or is it?",
"RememberGrabbed by the Ghoulies?",
"Most heard of it, but it was certainly not one of Rare's memorable games and considering it was their first game on the XBOX, people were ready for Conker.",
"Conker has been delayed countless times and it was certainly a hotly anticipated title.",
"I was expecting the delay to do some marvelous things for the franchise and I wanted Rare to redeem themselves.",
"I personally expected this to be the best XBOX game ever as I am a big Conker junkie as I still played Bad Fur Day on the N64.",
"Suffice to say, I was a bit disappointed when I found out the single player is a remake of \"Bad Fur Day\" from the N64 with XBOX graphics.",
"While newbies to Conker will love this game, you might want to consider passing it buy if you've played Bad Fur Day.",
"As stated above, the adventure aspect of the game is a virutal remake of Bad Fur Day with better graphics.",
"Certainly points up for gamers who have not experienced it on the dead N64, but what about the people who have?",
"I played this game already and many others have too.",
"Sure the luscious sweeet graphics are amazing and it's certainly one of the better looking XBOX titles I've seen, but I was wanting more, so I guess that's where the multiplayer comes into play.",
"But back to Bad Fur Day.",
"How about some new levels?",
"Or a new adventure all together?",
"Mind you, I like remakes too, but I didn't wait 3 years to play Conker's Bad Fur day all over again.",
"If you never played the game before, expect naughty language, sexual innuendos, and some of the funniest moments in video game history.",
"This is still one of the funniest games ever produced.",
"Just don't let the cuddly looking characters fool you, this is for mature audiences only.",
"The multiplayer offers the game a little more replay value, but I personally have not played it enough to give it my honest opinion.",
"If you don't have XBOX Live, you can still play the multiplayer solo or with a friend.",
"The game takes control of the other characters and refers to them as dumbots.",
"I've played a few levels, it's basically every man (well squirrel or Teddy) for himself.",
"The objectives are not very clear, and it's clearly more fun playing on live than with the computer controlled teammates and opponents.",
"I can say with confidence the multiplayer is not a Halo killer, but I know some people are diggin the action when they go online.",
"The game supports 16 simultaneous players at once if you go online.",
"Rare disappoints me.",
"I didn't want to play Bad Fur Day again.",
"Sure, it's a great title, but it's nearly 5 + years old now and I wanted to play something new.",
"But like I said, if you haven't played it, you're going to love it.",
"But those of you that have played it before might want to look at something else to buy.",
"Conker is a great game, but it's remade.",
"Good for some, bad for many."
] |
This is a hidden information game. Each player is a ninja clan attempting to either assassinate or guard certain targets. At the start of each round 3-4 targets are placed in the center of the play area with rewards underneath each one for guarding or assassinating them. Each player in secret chooses two contracts, either to assassinate or guard 2 of those targets. Then there is a drafting phase where players select the cards they will play that round. Then the play phase when players will play these cards face down on the different targets.
There are some nuances to this that give players the ability to bluff. All characters whether they are guardians, assassins, or characters that do special abilities or change the value of the contracts are played face down. There are also events that happen immediately, weapons that must be played on the guardian or assassin side (but there are still some weapons that only WORK for one side so placing it on the other can still be a way for a player to bluff), and many of the special abilities can do things like remove or reveal other cards.
The resolution of each round is simple, the side with the most power wins and players who chose that contract get a pay out. This is another place where decisions can be made, the valuable contracts may be selected by multiple players and you have to split the reward so choosing a less valuable contract may mean a larger reward if you were the only one who picked it.
The ideas here are neat and it all works really well. Hidden information games for me, though, are all about how much you can play with the system. Here I don't feel like there is a lot I can do. Players have a contract and their most valuable cards are going to, more often than not, just be played to secure they achieve their contracts. Not many cards are going to be played in an attempt to trick or bluff other players. In the end it just becomes kind of a game about playing the right cards at the right time to win the contracts but that kind of takes some of the wind out of the sails, I want hidden information games to have good hidden information mechanics.
Also, I have to point out that the cards are hideous. The art is ugly, and not just in a "style that I don't like" kind of way, it's just bad. The text on the cards is just as bad and very difficult to read. The actual effect text is done in a different, easy to read, font and just the actual names of the cards are in the hard to read flourishes so this is a minor thing but it still increases the ugly factor of the game. | 1 | neutral | [
"This is a hidden information game.",
"Each player is a ninja clan attempting to either assassinate or guard certain targets.",
"At the start of each round 3-4 targets are placed in the center of the play area with rewards underneath each one for guarding or assassinating them.",
"Each player in secret chooses two contracts, either to assassinate or guard 2 of those targets.",
"Then there is a drafting phase where players select the cards they will play that round.",
"Then the play phase when players will play these cards face down on the different targets.",
"There are some nuances to this that give players the ability to bluff.",
"All characters whether they are guardians, assassins, or characters that do special abilities or change the value of the contracts are played face down.",
"There are also events that happen immediately, weapons that must be played on the guardian or assassin side (but there are still some weapons that only WORK for one side so placing it on the other can still be a way for a player to bluff), and many of the special abilities can do things like remove or reveal other cards.",
"The resolution of each round is simple, the side with the most power wins and players who chose that contract get a pay out.",
"This is another place where decisions can be made, the valuable contracts may be selected by multiple players and you have to split the reward so choosing a less valuable contract may mean a larger reward if you were the only one who picked it.",
"The ideas here are neat and it all works really well.",
"Hidden information games for me, though, are all about how much you can play with the system.",
"Here I don't feel like there is a lot I can do.",
"Players have a contract and their most valuable cards are going to, more often than not, just be played to secure they achieve their contracts.",
"Not many cards are going to be played in an attempt to trick or bluff other players.",
"In the end it just becomes kind of a game about playing the right cards at the right time to win the contracts but that kind of takes some of the wind out of the sails, I want hidden information games to have good hidden information mechanics.",
"Also, I have to point out that the cards are hideous.",
"The art is ugly, and not just in a \"style that I don't like\" kind of way, it's just bad.",
"The text on the cards is just as bad and very difficult to read.",
"The actual effect text is done in a different, easy to read, font and just the actual names of the cards are in the hard to read flourishes so this is a minor thing but it still increases the ugly factor of the game."
] |
Happy Women Blues was my first exposure to the authentic and classic musicianship of Lucinda Williams. What I first suspected was a recording from perhaps the nineteen-fifties, was in fact produced during 1980. Happy Women Blues is a trip back in time to campfire sessions, small town gatherings and country fairs. This collection of folk, country and hillbilly music is heavy on slide and pedal steel guitar, fiddle and viola. Perhaps a disappointment to some, the CD is light on modern recording techniques and post-production work. All the compositions resemble first-takes - warts and all. There are ample doses of tape hiss and distortion (wow and flutter). Happy Woman Blues may not be pristine, but it is sincere - it shows the beginnings of an exceptional talent with a keen ability to approach popular music from a traditional perspective. If I had heard these songs performed live at the corner bar by Lucinda and her band, I would have raved-on for weeks. For those who thought that `Passionate Kisses' was a bit overproduced or too commercial, Happy Woman Blues may be your cup of tea. And if there's an ounce of pretension on this recording, I'll buy you a copy. Promise. | 1 | neutral | [
"Happy Women Blues was my first exposure to the authentic and classic musicianship of Lucinda Williams.",
"What I first suspected was a recording from perhaps the nineteen-fifties, was in fact produced during 1980.",
"Happy Women Blues is a trip back in time to campfire sessions, small town gatherings and country fairs.",
"This collection of folk, country and hillbilly music is heavy on slide and pedal steel guitar, fiddle and viola.",
"Perhaps a disappointment to some, the CD is light on modern recording techniques and post-production work.",
"All the compositions resemble first-takes - warts and all.",
"There are ample doses of tape hiss and distortion (wow and flutter).",
"Happy Woman Blues may not be pristine, but it is sincere - it shows the beginnings of an exceptional talent with a keen ability to approach popular music from a traditional perspective.",
"If I had heard these songs performed live at the corner bar by Lucinda and her band, I would have raved-on for weeks.",
"For those who thought that `Passionate Kisses' was a bit overproduced or too commercial, Happy Woman Blues may be your cup of tea.",
"And if there's an ounce of pretension on this recording, I'll buy you a copy.",
"Promise."
] |
When purchasing this Kitty-Kap (patented), you are receiving ONE (1) cap. Others have mentioned it and I will post pictures.
This is a good cap for the larger 5.5 ounce cans and I have not tried it for the smaller cans but it should work. I paid nearly $6.00 for the top but I thought I was getting two of them. I hope the seller will make it clearer that the buyer is receiving only one.
The plastic is thick and durable and the design with the ridges to "fit every can" seem to be reasonable. I did want to make note that there was a sticker inside the lid that states "Intended for Pets only, keep out of the reach of children" ???? What about covering a can of human food ... is that a problem?
Why? Does it have something to do with lead content in the plastic? If so, please state this. Why the warning or clarification sticker - make this clear in the description.
The product seems nice but I am giving it three stars for the Amazon presentation, the outlandish price and the warning sticker.
Keeping them honest. | 1 | neutral | [
"When purchasing this Kitty-Kap (patented), you are receiving ONE (1) cap.",
"Others have mentioned it and I will post pictures.",
"This is a good cap for the larger 5.",
"5 ounce cans and I have not tried it for the smaller cans but it should work.",
"I paid nearly $6.",
"00 for the top but I thought I was getting two of them.",
"I hope the seller will make it clearer that the buyer is receiving only one.",
"The plastic is thick and durable and the design with the ridges to \"fit every can\" seem to be reasonable.",
"I did want to make note that there was a sticker inside the lid that states \"Intended for Pets only, keep out of the reach of children\"????",
"What about covering a can of human food...",
"is that a problem?",
"Why?",
"Does it have something to do with lead content in the plastic?",
"If so, please state this.",
"Why the warning or clarification sticker - make this clear in the description.",
"The product seems nice but I am giving it three stars for the Amazon presentation, the outlandish price and the warning sticker.",
"Keeping them honest."
] |
I enjoyed the book to an extent. I love the idea of the love letters and how they were actually read aloud. I love how the hero slowly came to fall in love, it wasn't quick and obvious. I also enjoyed finally being able to read a book where the heroine isn't totally against loving him or she is fighting it to the point it's annoying...but they slowly became friends and lovers. The chemistry was a good build up. I even liked the snobbish girl Purdence. So all in all, a good read. I didn't regret it. Of course this is no where near as good as "Again The Magic" & "Devil In Winter". | 1 | neutral | [
"I enjoyed the book to an extent.",
"I love the idea of the love letters and how they were actually read aloud.",
"I love how the hero slowly came to fall in love, it wasn't quick and obvious.",
"I also enjoyed finally being able to read a book where the heroine isn't totally against loving him or she is fighting it to the point it's annoying...",
"but they slowly became friends and lovers.",
"The chemistry was a good build up.",
"I even liked the snobbish girl Purdence.",
"So all in all, a good read.",
"I didn't regret it.",
"Of course this is no where near as good as \"Again The Magic\" & \"Devil In Winter\"."
] |
Truthfully, Yoshi Touch and Go is a game that shows potential, but there are a few things that keep it from being great. It's a unique game, I'll say that much; and it definitely came out on the right system; however, I can't help but admit that this is just another game to show off the Nintendo DS's power. There's gameplay, but no story.
First and foremost, Yoshi Touch and Go was first designed as a tech demo for the Nintendo DS. It's now been spanned into a larger game. For those of you who remember Yoshi's Island, on the SNES (or GBA) this is quite a nostalgic moment for you.
Graphically, Touch and Go doesn't really look much better than Yoshi's Island. Some of it actually looks worse. It's rather colorful, but the characters don't look as crisp as they did in Yoshi's Island. Ideally enough, for the DS this is lacking in the graphics department.
The gameplay is a high point for this game, though. Never have I seen a DS game that requires you to use the touch screen the way this does. In fact, all your actions come from the touch screen. If you can't get across a gap, you'll have to use the stylus to make a bridge cloud. Sometimes you'll have to make a bridge to bypass enemies. If you screw up when making a bridge you can just as easily blow into the MIC of your DS and it vanishes.
There's more to using the touch screen. Tapping on Yoshi makes him jump, and sometimes tapping on enemies will make him throw an egg at them.
As with Yoshi's Island, you're goal is to protect Baby Mario. There are challenges to this, and sometimes it makes the gameplay rather frustrating. You'll have to draw clouds and jump on them to reach him, since most of the gameplay takes place on the touch screen, and sometimes that's easier said than done. You'll have to draw clouds based on where you THINK Mario is going to be. Looks can be deceiving, and a lot of the gameplay, I found, came from trying to memorize where he was going to be in the stages.
The game is rather short, and since there's no storyline, the only thing you can do is play for the love of getting a high score. I don't know about you, but those days of getting the high score and gloating to your friends are over. Where are the secrets? Sadly, this game is devoid of any.
Multiplayer is also availible, but to be truthful, that's not a very large thing in this game. It's nice to play against friends and make them squeal (and it only takes one game pack to do it), but it just becomes boring after a while, and it isn't nearly as impressive as the one player game.
Yoshi Touch and Go is by far one of the better DS titles. I just wish there was more to it. More secrets, more levels and most of all, I wish it had some sort of storyline to it. It's just another game to show what the DS can do, and while that's fine and dandy, DS owners have been waiting for a decent title since it's launch in November!
Not a bad game. If you're looking to see what the DS can really do, pick this up. Otherwise, you might as well wait a little longer for a more decent title. | 1 | neutral | [
"Truthfully, Yoshi Touch and Go is a game that shows potential, but there are a few things that keep it from being great.",
"It's a unique game, I'll say that much; and it definitely came out on the right system; however, I can't help but admit that this is just another game to show off the Nintendo DS's power.",
"There's gameplay, but no story.",
"First and foremost, Yoshi Touch and Go was first designed as a tech demo for the Nintendo DS.",
"It's now been spanned into a larger game.",
"For those of you who remember Yoshi's Island, on the SNES (or GBA) this is quite a nostalgic moment for you.",
"Graphically, Touch and Go doesn't really look much better than Yoshi's Island.",
"Some of it actually looks worse.",
"It's rather colorful, but the characters don't look as crisp as they did in Yoshi's Island.",
"Ideally enough, for the DS this is lacking in the graphics department.",
"The gameplay is a high point for this game, though.",
"Never have I seen a DS game that requires you to use the touch screen the way this does.",
"In fact, all your actions come from the touch screen.",
"If you can't get across a gap, you'll have to use the stylus to make a bridge cloud.",
"Sometimes you'll have to make a bridge to bypass enemies.",
"If you screw up when making a bridge you can just as easily blow into the MIC of your DS and it vanishes.",
"There's more to using the touch screen.",
"Tapping on Yoshi makes him jump, and sometimes tapping on enemies will make him throw an egg at them.",
"As with Yoshi's Island, you're goal is to protect Baby Mario.",
"There are challenges to this, and sometimes it makes the gameplay rather frustrating.",
"You'll have to draw clouds and jump on them to reach him, since most of the gameplay takes place on the touch screen, and sometimes that's easier said than done.",
"You'll have to draw clouds based on where you THINK Mario is going to be.",
"Looks can be deceiving, and a lot of the gameplay, I found, came from trying to memorize where he was going to be in the stages.",
"The game is rather short, and since there's no storyline, the only thing you can do is play for the love of getting a high score.",
"I don't know about you, but those days of getting the high score and gloating to your friends are over.",
"Where are the secrets?",
"Sadly, this game is devoid of any.",
"Multiplayer is also availible, but to be truthful, that's not a very large thing in this game.",
"It's nice to play against friends and make them squeal (and it only takes one game pack to do it), but it just becomes boring after a while, and it isn't nearly as impressive as the one player game.",
"Yoshi Touch and Go is by far one of the better DS titles.",
"I just wish there was more to it.",
"More secrets, more levels and most of all, I wish it had some sort of storyline to it.",
"It's just another game to show what the DS can do, and while that's fine and dandy, DS owners have been waiting for a decent title since it's launch in November!",
"Not a bad game.",
"If you're looking to see what the DS can really do, pick this up.",
"Otherwise, you might as well wait a little longer for a more decent title."
] |
I'm taking a different approach here. I just caught the last 2/3rds of this movie on AMC, and it motivated me to search the net for other people's thoughts on it, and as usual, I ended up here. I first saw this movie when it was originally released, so it had been a while, but the one thing that has stuck with me is the memory of not liking it very much. So after catching the last part of it on AMC, I brought it up on Netflix and watched it through so I could give it a new honest review. What I had remembered still rang true.
I love John Carpenter movies, so it was with disheartening that this one fell flat. This movie is like an instance when all of the wrong things come together at once. All of the wrong actors were chosen and the budget appears to have been really low. Christopher Reeve does his best to carry this movie along, but even he should not have been cast for this particular role. Mark Hamil is the creepiest priest ever and Kirstie Alley is as horrible and unconvincing as she is in just about every role she plays. The woman who plays the priest's wife is better suited for a comedy role. Watch the scene when they're gathered together like angry villagers with torches and you'll see what I mean. The school custodian was made to be the stereotypical closet mumbling drunk as with every movie that has one.
I believe it's the little things, the attention to detail that can make or break a movie which is another problem with this. This was filmed as if it was a Lifetime movie, and everyone knows how terrible those are. For instance, when the entire town blacks out, it shows half of them lying comfortably with their heads resting on one outstretched arm. When the fellow in the truck that drives back into the "hot" area at the beginning swerves to miss a truck and blacks out, one shot shows him passed out, then another shot shows the truck clearly empty, then before he crashes, he's there again. The children's acting is just ok, but even that is almost forgivable. Even though the children are supposed to be emotionless and clone like,for the life of me I don't understand why in the world would they all have the same haircut. Why were only 10 children conceived when the town is full of women? Why does the one stillborn missing child look like a leftover alien prop from the X files?
This film falls into what I consider John Carpenter's dark days, where he was either under budgeted or was lost in his film direction like "In The Mouth of Madness", which is may be his worst film ever. The best part of the whole movie for me is Carpenter's cameo at the gas station pay phone around the eight minute mark. | 1 | neutral | [
"I'm taking a different approach here.",
"I just caught the last 2/3rds of this movie on AMC, and it motivated me to search the net for other people's thoughts on it, and as usual, I ended up here.",
"I first saw this movie when it was originally released, so it had been a while, but the one thing that has stuck with me is the memory of not liking it very much.",
"So after catching the last part of it on AMC, I brought it up on Netflix and watched it through so I could give it a new honest review.",
"What I had remembered still rang true.",
"I love John Carpenter movies, so it was with disheartening that this one fell flat.",
"This movie is like an instance when all of the wrong things come together at once.",
"All of the wrong actors were chosen and the budget appears to have been really low.",
"Christopher Reeve does his best to carry this movie along, but even he should not have been cast for this particular role.",
"Mark Hamil is the creepiest priest ever and Kirstie Alley is as horrible and unconvincing as she is in just about every role she plays.",
"The woman who plays the priest's wife is better suited for a comedy role.",
"Watch the scene when they're gathered together like angry villagers with torches and you'll see what I mean.",
"The school custodian was made to be the stereotypical closet mumbling drunk as with every movie that has one.",
"I believe it's the little things, the attention to detail that can make or break a movie which is another problem with this.",
"This was filmed as if it was a Lifetime movie, and everyone knows how terrible those are.",
"For instance, when the entire town blacks out, it shows half of them lying comfortably with their heads resting on one outstretched arm.",
"When the fellow in the truck that drives back into the \"hot\" area at the beginning swerves to miss a truck and blacks out, one shot shows him passed out, then another shot shows the truck clearly empty, then before he crashes, he's there again.",
"The children's acting is just ok, but even that is almost forgivable.",
"Even though the children are supposed to be emotionless and clone like,for the life of me I don't understand why in the world would they all have the same haircut.",
"Why were only 10 children conceived when the town is full of women?",
"Why does the one stillborn missing child look like a leftover alien prop from the X files?",
"This film falls into what I consider John Carpenter's dark days, where he was either under budgeted or was lost in his film direction like \"In The Mouth of Madness\", which is may be his worst film ever.",
"The best part of the whole movie for me is Carpenter's cameo at the gas station pay phone around the eight minute mark."
] |
NFL Commissioner Slams Trump After Kaepernick Comments
On Friday night speaking at a rally for Sen. Luther Strange (R-AL) in Alabama President Donald Trump made very strong comments about NFL free agent Colin Kaepernick and other players who have protested the National Anthem saying that he thought that people who protested the anthem should be fired. Trump said that he wished that NFL owners would tell protestors to "get that son of a b--ch off the field right now" and that he believed that players who protest the anthem and disrespect the flag should be fired.
Trump wishes NFL owners would tell anthem protesters "get that son of a bitch off the field right now" pic.twitter.com/gq4EH3lNoY — Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) September 23 2017
On Saturday NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell issued a statement saying that comments like the ones Trump made were "divisive" and showed an "unfortunate lack of respect for the NFL our great game and all of our players." Goodell cited NFL players' recent response to Hurricane Harvey as an example of how the NFL can be an "overwhelming force for good."
Personally it seems odd that Trump would chose to discuss anthem protests at a time when there are dozens of far more pressing issues facing the country. There are so many more important things to discuss yet Trump went for...that? It's just very strange. He 's not campaigning for president any longer. | 1 | neutral | [
"NFL Commissioner Slams Trump After Kaepernick Comments\nOn Friday night speaking at a rally for Sen.",
"Luther Strange (R-AL) in Alabama President Donald Trump made very strong comments about NFL free agent Colin Kaepernick and other players who have protested the National Anthem saying that he thought that people who protested the anthem should be fired.",
"Trump said that he wished that NFL owners would tell protestors to \"get that son of a b--ch off the field right now\" and that he believed that players who protest the anthem and disrespect the flag should be fired.",
"Trump wishes NFL owners would tell anthem protesters \"get that son of a bitch off the field right now\" pic.",
"twitter.",
"com/gq4EH3lNoY — Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) September 23 2017\nOn Saturday NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell issued a statement saying that comments like the ones Trump made were \"divisive\" and showed an \"unfortunate lack of respect for the NFL our great game and all of our players.",
"\" Goodell cited NFL players' recent response to Hurricane Harvey as an example of how the NFL can be an \"overwhelming force for good.",
"\"\nPersonally it seems odd that Trump would chose to discuss anthem protests at a time when there are dozens of far more pressing issues facing the country.",
"There are so many more important things to discuss yet Trump went for...",
"that?",
"It's just very strange.",
"He 's not campaigning for president any longer."
] |
I wish I could give this 3 1/2 stars, but since I can't I rounded down. First off, this a really nice set. The colors are gorgeous, and the comforter is the perfect thickness. I have a full sized bed and ordered the full/queen size, and unlike others I did not have an issue with anything being way too large for my bed, although I have a very thick matress and matress topper. However, I'm knocking two stars off for the quality of the sheets. I wasn't excepting amazing quality, but the sheets that came with this set were not up to par for the price of the set. The set I got came with white sheets. They were very thin, and you could see the pattern of my matress topper and through them. I've bought Amazon Basics sheets before (and loved them! I still have several sets) and expected them to be the same, but they are not. They are a different material than the separately sold Amazon Basics sheets. At first these sheets were nice, soft, and somewhat silky. They held up perfectly after the first few washings (according to the wash instructions!), but after only 2 months of use they started pilling (I feel like it's really important to note that out of the 8 weeks they were on my bed, I probably only slept in them for a total of 6 weeks!) Also, if you have any imperfections on your feet (patches of dead skin) the sheets will catch on your skin, which is annoying. The bottom line is, the set is nice, but do yourself a favor and buy some different sheets. It might be fine is this set is for a guest bedroom, but not if the bed is being slept in at least semi regularly. | 1 | neutral | [
"I wish I could give this 3 1/2 stars, but since I can't I rounded down.",
"First off, this a really nice set.",
"The colors are gorgeous, and the comforter is the perfect thickness.",
"I have a full sized bed and ordered the full/queen size, and unlike others I did not have an issue with anything being way too large for my bed, although I have a very thick matress and matress topper.",
"However, I'm knocking two stars off for the quality of the sheets.",
"I wasn't excepting amazing quality, but the sheets that came with this set were not up to par for the price of the set.",
"The set I got came with white sheets.",
"They were very thin, and you could see the pattern of my matress topper and through them.",
"I've bought Amazon Basics sheets before (and loved them!",
"I still have several sets) and expected them to be the same, but they are not.",
"They are a different material than the separately sold Amazon Basics sheets.",
"At first these sheets were nice, soft, and somewhat silky.",
"They held up perfectly after the first few washings (according to the wash instructions!",
"), but after only 2 months of use they started pilling (I feel like it's really important to note that out of the 8 weeks they were on my bed, I probably only slept in them for a total of 6 weeks!",
") Also, if you have any imperfections on your feet (patches of dead skin) the sheets will catch on your skin, which is annoying.",
"The bottom line is, the set is nice, but do yourself a favor and buy some different sheets.",
"It might be fine is this set is for a guest bedroom, but not if the bed is being slept in at least semi regularly."
] |
HIGH FALLS is a LONG instrumental with TOO MUCH KEYBOARD and not enough DICKEY BETTS who's playing quietly like he's in church. In fact, DICKIE PLAYS THE WHOLE ALBUM LIKE HE'S ON THORAZINE. Any of us BROTHERS Fanatics are well familiar with WIN, LOSE OR DRAW and CAN'T LOSE WHAT YOU NEVER HAD. Two good songs available on their Greatest Hits. The question is, is there ANYTHING ELSE HERE WORTH HEARING? That's debatable. SWEET MAMA is about a FIVE on a 1-10 scale. LOUISIANA LOU AND THREE CARD MONTY JOHN would be about a SIX but it'll need time to grow on you. JUST ANOTHER LOVE SONG pretty much speaks for itself. BORING. I'd give it about a FIVE. Ditto for NEVERTHELESS. So what we have here is a PRETTY BORING ALBUM with only TWO DECENT SONGS. I'd get the GREATEST HITS CD and CALL IT A DRAW. Hey, somebody WAKE UP DICKIE and let's get out of here. | 1 | neutral | [
"HIGH FALLS is a LONG instrumental with TOO MUCH KEYBOARD and not enough DICKEY BETTS who's playing quietly like he's in church.",
"In fact, DICKIE PLAYS THE WHOLE ALBUM LIKE HE'S ON THORAZINE.",
"Any of us BROTHERS Fanatics are well familiar with WIN, LOSE OR DRAW and CAN'T LOSE WHAT YOU NEVER HAD.",
"Two good songs available on their Greatest Hits.",
"The question is, is there ANYTHING ELSE HERE WORTH HEARING?",
"That's debatable.",
"SWEET MAMA is about a FIVE on a 1-10 scale.",
"LOUISIANA LOU AND THREE CARD MONTY JOHN would be about a SIX but it'll need time to grow on you.",
"JUST ANOTHER LOVE SONG pretty much speaks for itself.",
"BORING.",
"I'd give it about a FIVE.",
"Ditto for NEVERTHELESS.",
"So what we have here is a PRETTY BORING ALBUM with only TWO DECENT SONGS.",
"I'd get the GREATEST HITS CD and CALL IT A DRAW.",
"Hey, somebody WAKE UP DICKIE and let's get out of here."
] |
New Zealand prime minister announces she's pregnant
Jacinda Ardern 37 took office in October. Speculation swirled around whether she would start a family soon when she took over the leadership of her then opposition Labour Party last year.
Ardern took to Twitter to announce that she and her partner Clarke Gayford were expecting a child and that Gayford would become a stay-at-home dad.
In this image made from a video New Zealand's Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern right with her partner Clarke Gayford speaks to journalists in front of home in Auckland New Zealand Friday Jan. 19 2018. Ardern announced on Friday that she is expecting her first child in June. (TVNZ via AP)
After the six weeks she will resume all her prime ministerial duties.
"Clarke and I are privileged to be in the position where Clarke can stay home to be our primary care-giver. Knowing that so many parents juggle the care of their new babies we consider ourselves to be very lucky " she said.
"Clarke and I have always been clear we wanted to be parents but had been told we would need help for that to happen. That's made this news a fantastic surprise " she added.
The couple discovered she was pregnant on Oct. 13 — two weeks before she was sworn in as national leader.
Within a day of Ardern becoming Labour Party leader seven weeks before the election she was twice asked by television hosts about her plans for children. One host Mark Richardson questioned whether it was acceptable for the country's leader to take maternity leave while in office and said most employers would want to know the maternity plans of their workers.
FILE - In this Aug. 16 2017 file photo New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern visits Addington School in Christchurch New Zealand. Ardern announced on Friday Jan. 19 2018 that she expecting her first child in June. (AP Photo/Mark Baker File)
Her answers seemed to resonate with many people some of whom pointed out that under New Zealand law workplace discrimination on the basis of pregnancy is illegal. Ardern said she was surprised her comments were picked up abroad. | 1 | neutral | [
"New Zealand prime minister announces she's pregnant\nJacinda Ardern 37 took office in October.",
"Speculation swirled around whether she would start a family soon when she took over the leadership of her then opposition Labour Party last year.",
"Ardern took to Twitter to announce that she and her partner Clarke Gayford were expecting a child and that Gayford would become a stay-at-home dad.",
"In this image made from a video New Zealand's Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern right with her partner Clarke Gayford speaks to journalists in front of home in Auckland New Zealand Friday Jan.",
"19 2018.",
"Ardern announced on Friday that she is expecting her first child in June.",
"(TVNZ via AP)\nAfter the six weeks she will resume all her prime ministerial duties.",
"\"Clarke and I are privileged to be in the position where Clarke can stay home to be our primary care-giver.",
"Knowing that so many parents juggle the care of their new babies we consider ourselves to be very lucky \" she said.",
"\"Clarke and I have always been clear we wanted to be parents but had been told we would need help for that to happen.",
"That's made this news a fantastic surprise \" she added.",
"The couple discovered she was pregnant on Oct.",
"13 — two weeks before she was sworn in as national leader.",
"Within a day of Ardern becoming Labour Party leader seven weeks before the election she was twice asked by television hosts about her plans for children.",
"One host Mark Richardson questioned whether it was acceptable for the country's leader to take maternity leave while in office and said most employers would want to know the maternity plans of their workers.",
"FILE - In this Aug.",
"16 2017 file photo New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern visits Addington School in Christchurch New Zealand.",
"Ardern announced on Friday Jan.",
"19 2018 that she expecting her first child in June.",
"(AP Photo/Mark Baker File)\nHer answers seemed to resonate with many people some of whom pointed out that under New Zealand law workplace discrimination on the basis of pregnancy is illegal.",
"Ardern said she was surprised her comments were picked up abroad."
] |
Kevin Spacey and Annette Bening both give great performances in this dark comedy-drama. The director, Sam Mendes, comes straight from Broadway, and you can tell. The movie feels like a play. It starts out with Spacey narrating, giving us a tour of his town á la "Our Town". The direction has its good and bad points. The acting is terrific, but the movie feels claustrophobic. Perhaps you are supposed to feel trapped on that stage of suburbia, but that conflicts with some of the aerial cinematography that would suggest otherwise. In any case, this is the story of a failed marriage and a father who tries to become close with his insecure daughter who ends up dating a creepy guy, so perhaps this might not be your best choice for a family outing. However, this movie is favored to win several Golden Globe awards, including Best Actor (Spacey) and Best Picture. Three stars. Josh Bob says check this out...on video. | 1 | neutral | [
"Kevin Spacey and Annette Bening both give great performances in this dark comedy-drama.",
"The director, Sam Mendes, comes straight from Broadway, and you can tell.",
"The movie feels like a play.",
"It starts out with Spacey narrating, giving us a tour of his town á la \"Our Town\".",
"The direction has its good and bad points.",
"The acting is terrific, but the movie feels claustrophobic.",
"Perhaps you are supposed to feel trapped on that stage of suburbia, but that conflicts with some of the aerial cinematography that would suggest otherwise.",
"In any case, this is the story of a failed marriage and a father who tries to become close with his insecure daughter who ends up dating a creepy guy, so perhaps this might not be your best choice for a family outing.",
"However, this movie is favored to win several Golden Globe awards, including Best Actor (Spacey) and Best Picture.",
"Three stars.",
"Josh Bob says check this out...",
"on video."
] |
The Native Union Play Video Memo Pad is designed to take the place of Dry Erase Boards in your house and eliminate the use of post-it-notes stuck as reminders on your refrigerator. It features a 2.4" color screen and lets you tape messages up to three minutes long. You can leave more than one message - up to four hours of messages. The memo pad has a camera but you don't need a computer to use it (it runs on 3 AAA batteries). It has a built in microphone and speaker and a light flashes when there are new messages (messages are recorded with the time and date). It has a magnetized back so you can stick it on your refrigerator or other metallic surface; it also comes with a magnetic wall-tape pad so you can mount it on non-magnetic surfaces if you want to.
What I like about The Native Union Play Video Memo Pad:
It is very easy to set up and use. The not needing to use a computer to set it up is a huge plus - you just put in the batteries and you're good to go. It is small so it doesn't take up a lot of room on the refrigerator - having it magnetized is a big help (you can also slip it into your pocketbook or pocket if you need to use it while you are out). I use it the most when rearranging my freezer to see what is in it. When I did so in the past, I made a list of whatever was in the freezer so I knew what I had; I also made a list of what I needed to buy. Now I use the Play to do both. This is so much more convenient since I don`t have to continually stop what I am doing to write down what I have or need. I also use this when going through the stuff I have stored in my basement. This is especially handy since I don't always have a place to put paper and pen (and my basement can be a bit too dirty to put down a piece of paper) and it makes taking inventory so much easier.
What I don't like about The Native Union Play Video Memo Pad:
It doesn't work as well as it could. While there are only three buttons (play, record, and delete), you have to press those buttons multiple times to get the device to do something. You have to press the Play button each time you want to hear a message - if there are multiple messages you have to hit the play button to listen to each message (you can't play them in a continuous string), and the machine doesn't tell you how many messages there are to be played back. It can be a bit confusing when you go to record a message, you have to push the record button several times. I could do without the camera - it doesn't take very flattering pictures. The sound is very tinny - family members have had to ask me in person what I said on the recording! And it is loud (I don't see an option to adjust the sound) - I can't imagine taking the device with me to go grocery shopping (unless I want to annoy everyone around me!).
Bottom-line:
The Native Union Play Video Memo Pad is a cute little gadget but has a few too many flaws for my liking. | 1 | neutral | [
"The Native Union Play Video Memo Pad is designed to take the place of Dry Erase Boards in your house and eliminate the use of post-it-notes stuck as reminders on your refrigerator.",
"It features a 2.",
"4\" color screen and lets you tape messages up to three minutes long.",
"You can leave more than one message - up to four hours of messages.",
"The memo pad has a camera but you don't need a computer to use it (it runs on 3 AAA batteries).",
"It has a built in microphone and speaker and a light flashes when there are new messages (messages are recorded with the time and date).",
"It has a magnetized back so you can stick it on your refrigerator or other metallic surface; it also comes with a magnetic wall-tape pad so you can mount it on non-magnetic surfaces if you want to.",
"What I like about The Native Union Play Video Memo Pad:\n\nIt is very easy to set up and use.",
"The not needing to use a computer to set it up is a huge plus - you just put in the batteries and you're good to go.",
"It is small so it doesn't take up a lot of room on the refrigerator - having it magnetized is a big help (you can also slip it into your pocketbook or pocket if you need to use it while you are out).",
"I use it the most when rearranging my freezer to see what is in it.",
"When I did so in the past, I made a list of whatever was in the freezer so I knew what I had; I also made a list of what I needed to buy.",
"Now I use the Play to do both.",
"This is so much more convenient since I don`t have to continually stop what I am doing to write down what I have or need.",
"I also use this when going through the stuff I have stored in my basement.",
"This is especially handy since I don't always have a place to put paper and pen (and my basement can be a bit too dirty to put down a piece of paper) and it makes taking inventory so much easier.",
"What I don't like about The Native Union Play Video Memo Pad:\n\nIt doesn't work as well as it could.",
"While there are only three buttons (play, record, and delete), you have to press those buttons multiple times to get the device to do something.",
"You have to press the Play button each time you want to hear a message - if there are multiple messages you have to hit the play button to listen to each message (you can't play them in a continuous string), and the machine doesn't tell you how many messages there are to be played back.",
"It can be a bit confusing when you go to record a message, you have to push the record button several times.",
"I could do without the camera - it doesn't take very flattering pictures.",
"The sound is very tinny - family members have had to ask me in person what I said on the recording!",
"And it is loud (I don't see an option to adjust the sound) - I can't imagine taking the device with me to go grocery shopping (unless I want to annoy everyone around me!",
").",
"Bottom-line:\n\nThe Native Union Play Video Memo Pad is a cute little gadget but has a few too many flaws for my liking."
] |
This coffee maker is great in that it fits easily onto small kitchen counters and it does indeed have a permanent filter. Permanent filters are a nice plus--you don't have to go running around to several different stores to find the right size filter for your make of coffee maker. It cleans very quickly with soap and water or in a dishwasher, too.
The thermos mug is also very well constructed for such an inexpensive model. It also fits neatly into a car beverage holder--another plus!
However, maybe I got a lemon when I picked this out, because the coffee it made was never once hot on all the occasions I ever used it--merely warm. When I'm first starting my day I really like my cup of coffee hot. This goes double in the coldest months when it counts to have a nice hot start to your day.
Overall, either I bought a lemon just by bad luck or this coffee maker should be better constructed so as to make a truly hot cup of coffee! It's a great coffee maker for people on a budget; and it's great also for people who prefer warm coffee without having to wait for the coffee to cool down. But for me personally I was somewhat disappointed. | 1 | neutral | [
"This coffee maker is great in that it fits easily onto small kitchen counters and it does indeed have a permanent filter.",
"Permanent filters are a nice plus--you don't have to go running around to several different stores to find the right size filter for your make of coffee maker.",
"It cleans very quickly with soap and water or in a dishwasher, too.",
"The thermos mug is also very well constructed for such an inexpensive model.",
"It also fits neatly into a car beverage holder--another plus!",
"However, maybe I got a lemon when I picked this out, because the coffee it made was never once hot on all the occasions I ever used it--merely warm.",
"When I'm first starting my day I really like my cup of coffee hot.",
"This goes double in the coldest months when it counts to have a nice hot start to your day.",
"Overall, either I bought a lemon just by bad luck or this coffee maker should be better constructed so as to make a truly hot cup of coffee!",
"It's a great coffee maker for people on a budget; and it's great also for people who prefer warm coffee without having to wait for the coffee to cool down.",
"But for me personally I was somewhat disappointed."
] |
Meh. I used it in place of salt in grits with an egg on top, thinking it would be the salt and add bacon flavor too. Neither happened. It's so low sodium that the dish was begging for more salt (and I am not a high-salt user), and I didn't notice any bacon flavor. Maybe if I mixed this half and half with salt, and then added bacon - oh wait, isn't that what this was supposed to do? Maybe I will try it again on something else, but so far, not impressed. Update. I used it on popcorn. It had an off flavor and was probably the least appealing bowl of popcorn I ever ate. Never trust anything that tries to be something else. This is a vegetarian invention trying to be bacon. | 1 | neutral | [
"Meh.",
"I used it in place of salt in grits with an egg on top, thinking it would be the salt and add bacon flavor too.",
"Neither happened.",
"It's so low sodium that the dish was begging for more salt (and I am not a high-salt user), and I didn't notice any bacon flavor.",
"Maybe if I mixed this half and half with salt, and then added bacon - oh wait, isn't that what this was supposed to do?",
"Maybe I will try it again on something else, but so far, not impressed.",
"Update.",
"I used it on popcorn.",
"It had an off flavor and was probably the least appealing bowl of popcorn I ever ate.",
"Never trust anything that tries to be something else.",
"This is a vegetarian invention trying to be bacon."
] |
Bought three at once. The color is a little more brown that the Amazon photo, but that's okay for where I intend to use it. The material is thin, but that is okay for a summer shirt with long sleeves. Not bad camo pattern. Problems: (1) the wrist is very tight and keeps the sleeves from breathing in warm weather. I will have to chop these off to wear it in heat. (2) The shirt is very much too small for what Americans would consider to be XL. I think it would be a snug Medium. I wish I had not bought these shirts, but will work with what I got. The price is not too bad, but . . . | 1 | neutral | [
"Bought three at once.",
"The color is a little more brown that the Amazon photo, but that's okay for where I intend to use it.",
"The material is thin, but that is okay for a summer shirt with long sleeves.",
"Not bad camo pattern.",
"Problems: (1) the wrist is very tight and keeps the sleeves from breathing in warm weather.",
"I will have to chop these off to wear it in heat.",
"(2) The shirt is very much too small for what Americans would consider to be XL.",
"I think it would be a snug Medium.",
"I wish I had not bought these shirts, but will work with what I got.",
"The price is not too bad, but.",
".",
"."
] |
When I started trying to get into this game I just kept going back to Dungeons and Dragons many. . .many years ago. I never got that game. . . and I really don't get this one either. Perhaps if I was more familiar with the TV show, it would make more sense. I think if you're into fantasy games. . . then this one might appeal to you. Otherwise, you might be as lost as I am. Also, I don't see that there are enough pieces for six players. I think you're better off with two. . . and no more than four. | 1 | neutral | [
"When I started trying to get into this game I just kept going back to Dungeons and Dragons many.",
".",
".",
"many years ago.",
"I never got that game.",
".",
".",
"and I really don't get this one either.",
"Perhaps if I was more familiar with the TV show, it would make more sense.",
"I think if you're into fantasy games.",
".",
".",
"then this one might appeal to you.",
"Otherwise, you might be as lost as I am.",
"Also, I don't see that there are enough pieces for six players.",
"I think you're better off with two.",
".",
".",
"and no more than four."
] |
This book is unlike any other I've read. It certainly stirred quite an array of emotion in me. Divorce is such a touchy subject. I had to put aside how I feel about divorce and ex-husbands in general to really soak the story in. Where Lisa reached out Todd, her ex-husband to help in times of difficulty, I imagined doing quite the opposite.
I had to look at it like this: So many of the books that we read are about amazing people who do amazing things. We read about great loves in faraway lands and we want so desperately to believe in that unending love we really buy into it. So why not buy into a couple divorcing even thought they clearly were still desperately in love with each other. Once I was able to move past that it was ok.
The story was a little choppy by nature, as would be restarting a 20 year marriage. I imagine it would be a lot like trying to start an old lawn mower the first time in the spring.
Momma found herself blushing a bit while reading some of the "intimate" scenes in the book, so if you like the sexy romance angle of things, Jill James delivers.
It is a quick read, the jury is still out on whether I would continue reading the series, but I'm not completely opposed to the idea.
What does Momma Think?
Momma gives Divorce Interrupted by Jill James 2 cookies and a glass of milk! | 1 | neutral | [
"This book is unlike any other I've read.",
"It certainly stirred quite an array of emotion in me.",
"Divorce is such a touchy subject.",
"I had to put aside how I feel about divorce and ex-husbands in general to really soak the story in.",
"Where Lisa reached out Todd, her ex-husband to help in times of difficulty, I imagined doing quite the opposite.",
"I had to look at it like this: So many of the books that we read are about amazing people who do amazing things.",
"We read about great loves in faraway lands and we want so desperately to believe in that unending love we really buy into it.",
"So why not buy into a couple divorcing even thought they clearly were still desperately in love with each other.",
"Once I was able to move past that it was ok.",
"The story was a little choppy by nature, as would be restarting a 20 year marriage.",
"I imagine it would be a lot like trying to start an old lawn mower the first time in the spring.",
"Momma found herself blushing a bit while reading some of the \"intimate\" scenes in the book, so if you like the sexy romance angle of things, Jill James delivers.",
"It is a quick read, the jury is still out on whether I would continue reading the series, but I'm not completely opposed to the idea.",
"What does Momma Think?",
"Momma gives Divorce Interrupted by Jill James 2 cookies and a glass of milk!"
] |
This kit isn't fantastic by the standards of the newest HGUC kits, but it's still good.
Pros. It looks pretty good. The colors are near perfect, and it has that classic One Year War look to it.
The accessories are decent. It comes with a cool heat saber (you'll need to paint it) a Vulcan gun hand (which I find rather goofy, a really decent shield (which holds the sword), two different heat rods (one curved, one straight), and if I recall correctly a different (in my opinion better) version of the Zaku machine gun.
It's pretty sturdy for an older kit.
Cons.
The articulation is awful. Close to 90 degrees of articulation on the arms, and not much else. The legs have a decent bend, but the skirt armor blocks the legs from moving much. There is no waist articulation at all.
The heat rod isn't as poseable as you'd think.
The look of the kit is very retro, which some people don't like (I don't mind it).
Overall the kit is good, but has some glaring issues. I would recommend the Gouf Custom over this kit as while its articulation isn't up to par either, the Gouf Custom has better accessories and looks a lot better (In my opinion at least).
If you want a classic style Gouf with good articulation you might consider paying the extra money for the 2.0 master grade. It's much better in terms of articulation. | 1 | neutral | [
"This kit isn't fantastic by the standards of the newest HGUC kits, but it's still good.",
"Pros.",
"It looks pretty good.",
"The colors are near perfect, and it has that classic One Year War look to it.",
"The accessories are decent.",
"It comes with a cool heat saber (you'll need to paint it) a Vulcan gun hand (which I find rather goofy, a really decent shield (which holds the sword), two different heat rods (one curved, one straight), and if I recall correctly a different (in my opinion better) version of the Zaku machine gun.",
"It's pretty sturdy for an older kit.",
"Cons.",
"The articulation is awful.",
"Close to 90 degrees of articulation on the arms, and not much else.",
"The legs have a decent bend, but the skirt armor blocks the legs from moving much.",
"There is no waist articulation at all.",
"The heat rod isn't as poseable as you'd think.",
"The look of the kit is very retro, which some people don't like (I don't mind it).",
"Overall the kit is good, but has some glaring issues.",
"I would recommend the Gouf Custom over this kit as while its articulation isn't up to par either, the Gouf Custom has better accessories and looks a lot better (In my opinion at least).",
"If you want a classic style Gouf with good articulation you might consider paying the extra money for the 2.",
"0 master grade.",
"It's much better in terms of articulation."
] |
The best thing about this mystery is its protagonist, an American female computer programmer, whose lifestyle is about as uncharacteristic of a stock English country house cast as one can imagine. She is not worried much about how she looks, and her standard of cuisine is nonexistent. Anne Lambert's a nerd. And maybe that's the joke. Her appearance at an aristocrat's weekend party has to be contrived. The premise is barely credible: she is living in a London flat when she hears a disturbance on a neighbor's door. She meets the apparently drunken caller briefly. He is Jimmy Soames, who is found drowned in the Thames a few days later, and he may have been the one who left a note in her mailbox warning her of her neighbor. This neighbor, Dr. John Davidson, a psychiatrist, begins to stalk her. The dead man was Honorable James Soames, Davidson's patient, and they have known each other since the boy was at boarding school near the home of his Honorable parents. Within days Anne is the victim of a hit and run accident, and the car is identified as belonging to James Soames' brother Daniel, also a drunk. All of this would be fairly ho-hum except for Anne's coworker Nick who calls her "dudette." He's a wannabee Californian. They make a good duo for what seems to be a series. I also liked her visit to Leeds Castle, an actual landmark in Kent, where she is at the mercy of the people she mistrusts, and rightly so.
<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Time-Out-Kent-and-Sussex-Time-Out-Kent-Sussex/dp/1846702399/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Time Out Kent and Sussex (Time Out Kent & Sussex)</a> | 1 | neutral | [
"The best thing about this mystery is its protagonist, an American female computer programmer, whose lifestyle is about as uncharacteristic of a stock English country house cast as one can imagine.",
"She is not worried much about how she looks, and her standard of cuisine is nonexistent.",
"Anne Lambert's a nerd.",
"And maybe that's the joke.",
"Her appearance at an aristocrat's weekend party has to be contrived.",
"The premise is barely credible: she is living in a London flat when she hears a disturbance on a neighbor's door.",
"She meets the apparently drunken caller briefly.",
"He is Jimmy Soames, who is found drowned in the Thames a few days later, and he may have been the one who left a note in her mailbox warning her of her neighbor.",
"This neighbor, Dr.",
"John Davidson, a psychiatrist, begins to stalk her.",
"The dead man was Honorable James Soames, Davidson's patient, and they have known each other since the boy was at boarding school near the home of his Honorable parents.",
"Within days Anne is the victim of a hit and run accident, and the car is identified as belonging to James Soames' brother Daniel, also a drunk.",
"All of this would be fairly ho-hum except for Anne's coworker Nick who calls her \"dudette.",
"\" He's a wannabee Californian.",
"They make a good duo for what seems to be a series.",
"I also liked her visit to Leeds Castle, an actual landmark in Kent, where she is at the mercy of the people she mistrusts, and rightly so.",
"<a data-hook=\"product-link-linked\" class=\"a-link-normal\" href=\"/Time-Out-Kent-and-Sussex-Time-Out-Kent-Sussex/dp/1846702399/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?",
"ie=UTF8\">Time Out Kent and Sussex (Time Out Kent & Sussex)</a>"
] |
Oh, I do not like this CD. I do not like it here or there. I do not like it in the dentist's chair. ;D What's not to like? The songs are adequately catchy, and the performance is adequately executed. Each and every song on this CD is a bona-fide hit. The topics are just racey enough to excite the broadest base of fans while not offending anyone. In fact, the one thing about this album which I do appreciate is the deft manner in which the Liberace of Pop introduces thinly veiled references that titilate, yet, because they are so saccharin and delivered in an aggreeably singsong voice, no one is the wiser: transvestite fantasies (CANDLE IN THE WIND), prostitution (SWEET PAINTED LADY), and a lesbian-lolita (ALL THE GIRLS LOVE ALICE). The upbeat tunes are MOR replacements for rock 'n roll. They have a nice beat and are easy to dance to -- worthy of an 85 on American Bandstand. ;D Namely, YOUR SISTER CAN'T TWIST and SATURDAY NIGHT'S ALRIGHT FOR FIGHTING. YSCT is a weaker CROCODILE ROCK which features a nod to the Beach Boys. Since when are the Beach Boys considered great rock 'n roll? SNAF[U] ;D is an example of the posing characteristic of this album. Does anyone actually think that, on any given Saturday Night, if Elton John were to meet a STREET FIGHTIN' MAN, it would be Mr John who walks away? ;D If you are interested in popular music the likes of Rod Stewart or Billy Joel, this CD will interest you. | 1 | neutral | [
"Oh, I do not like this CD.",
"I do not like it here or there.",
"I do not like it in the dentist's chair.",
";D What's not to like?",
"The songs are adequately catchy, and the performance is adequately executed.",
"Each and every song on this CD is a bona-fide hit.",
"The topics are just racey enough to excite the broadest base of fans while not offending anyone.",
"In fact, the one thing about this album which I do appreciate is the deft manner in which the Liberace of Pop introduces thinly veiled references that titilate, yet, because they are so saccharin and delivered in an aggreeably singsong voice, no one is the wiser: transvestite fantasies (CANDLE IN THE WIND), prostitution (SWEET PAINTED LADY), and a lesbian-lolita (ALL THE GIRLS LOVE ALICE).",
"The upbeat tunes are MOR replacements for rock 'n roll.",
"They have a nice beat and are easy to dance to -- worthy of an 85 on American Bandstand.",
";D Namely, YOUR SISTER CAN'T TWIST and SATURDAY NIGHT'S ALRIGHT FOR FIGHTING.",
"YSCT is a weaker CROCODILE ROCK which features a nod to the Beach Boys.",
"Since when are the Beach Boys considered great rock 'n roll?",
"SNAF[U] ;D is an example of the posing characteristic of this album.",
"Does anyone actually think that, on any given Saturday Night, if Elton John were to meet a STREET FIGHTIN' MAN, it would be Mr John who walks away?",
";D If you are interested in popular music the likes of Rod Stewart or Billy Joel, this CD will interest you."
] |
Firstly, the facts: "Why Do Fools Fall In Love" was NOT Diana Ross' first venture as a producer, despite what a few un-informed reviewers have written. The diva had produced the "Brown Baby/Save the Children" tracks on her "Touch Me In The Morning" album, and this was only 3 years into her solo career. No one complained then, I suspected.
"Why Do Fools Fall In Love" is a light hearted, fun album. The music itself has a clean, acoustic sound to it and it's not that bad. The title track, a brassy, breezy number, was an instant Top Ten hit on both the US and UK pop charts. I still occasionally hear this on the radio, proof that Diana's version has stood the test of time.
The most outstanding track on the album has to be the awesome rock/funky tones of "Mirror Mirror", which is probably one of the strongest songs that the lady has ever produced - it sure has tons of attitude.
I love "Sweet Nothings", with its catchy sax solo and Diana's playful, sassy vocal performance.
People ridicule "Work That Body", but it was a huge Top 5 UK pop hit that cashed in on the wave of aerobic songs that abounded at that time. Do people laugh at "Let's Get Physical" by Olivia Newton John?
The rest of the album borders on the schmaltzy but overall, Diana did a good job. Ok - it's not the strongest album of her career (neither were a few of her misses with Motown), but it's certainly not the worst. You'll have to make up your own minds. | 1 | neutral | [
"Firstly, the facts: \"Why Do Fools Fall In Love\" was NOT Diana Ross' first venture as a producer, despite what a few un-informed reviewers have written.",
"The diva had produced the \"Brown Baby/Save the Children\" tracks on her \"Touch Me In The Morning\" album, and this was only 3 years into her solo career.",
"No one complained then, I suspected.",
"\"Why Do Fools Fall In Love\" is a light hearted, fun album.",
"The music itself has a clean, acoustic sound to it and it's not that bad.",
"The title track, a brassy, breezy number, was an instant Top Ten hit on both the US and UK pop charts.",
"I still occasionally hear this on the radio, proof that Diana's version has stood the test of time.",
"The most outstanding track on the album has to be the awesome rock/funky tones of \"Mirror Mirror\", which is probably one of the strongest songs that the lady has ever produced - it sure has tons of attitude.",
"I love \"Sweet Nothings\", with its catchy sax solo and Diana's playful, sassy vocal performance.",
"People ridicule \"Work That Body\", but it was a huge Top 5 UK pop hit that cashed in on the wave of aerobic songs that abounded at that time.",
"Do people laugh at \"Let's Get Physical\" by Olivia Newton John?",
"The rest of the album borders on the schmaltzy but overall, Diana did a good job.",
"Ok - it's not the strongest album of her career (neither were a few of her misses with Motown), but it's certainly not the worst.",
"You'll have to make up your own minds."
] |
UPDATE: So this was an awesome idea while it lasted. I bought this on June 4th and left a review after a few days of use. Its now June 29th and I'm already frustrated. It no longer auto-connects to my phone when I get in my car. My phone detects it because I have my phone set to activate my Safe-Driving App when it detects the bluetooth. But the bluetooth doesnt even connect anymore. It just blinks. I have to press the button and it tells me "auto pairing mode"....but then I still have to go into my phones settings and reconnect it every. single. time for the past week. Half the time it works and some times my phone says "unable to connect". Then when it does connect it will only connect Audio and no longer connects my Calls. Like, literally my phone refuses for me to turn on the calls function. At one point I even was getting a low battery sound when it stays plugged in through the cigarette lighter adapter the whole time anyway? Pretty frustrated now.... ORIGINAL REVIEW: This an awesome product for the price!! The customer service was quick and helpful also. I originally couldnt figure out where the "magnet" was, so I emailed customer service. They emailed me RIGHT BACK and I finally realized it was my error of not being able to tell that the back piece does peel away from the unit (see pictures). *Like most people said in other reviews the "tape" for mounting didnt hold up worth diddly. After first use I came back and it was on the floor. I used my own. I bought pieces of velcro actually and cut it out to match the shape and mounted it that way. So far so good. *People state they can hear me just fine with phone calls even though I have it placed about knee level in my car. My boyfriend at one point initially told me to stop yelling, lol. I can hear everyone clear as well. *Having a BT/AUX that would cut off when I got out of the car was a picky feature that I needed because my aux port is not in a convenient spot in my car. (Previous one I had I would have to dig into the storage under my radio and hold it for 5 seconds to turn it on & off.) This one I was able to plug into the assigned cigarette lighter that turns off when the car does. It quickly pairs back up with my phone (or my bf's) as soon as the car is turned back on. *Only downfall we hv had is my bf paired it to his phone as well and sometimes when I am leaving in the morning it will pick up his phone in the house instead of mine which is right there in the car, lol. *Other minor downfall is sometimes it will only connect for calls and not audio. But easy fix, I just go in and change it on my phone. Overall I am a happy camper!!! | 1 | neutral | [
"UPDATE: So this was an awesome idea while it lasted.",
"I bought this on June 4th and left a review after a few days of use.",
"Its now June 29th and I'm already frustrated.",
"It no longer auto-connects to my phone when I get in my car.",
"My phone detects it because I have my phone set to activate my Safe-Driving App when it detects the bluetooth.",
"But the bluetooth doesnt even connect anymore.",
"It just blinks.",
"I have to press the button and it tells me \"auto pairing mode\"....",
"but then I still have to go into my phones settings and reconnect it every.",
"single.",
"time for the past week.",
"Half the time it works and some times my phone says \"unable to connect\".",
"Then when it does connect it will only connect Audio and no longer connects my Calls.",
"Like, literally my phone refuses for me to turn on the calls function.",
"At one point I even was getting a low battery sound when it stays plugged in through the cigarette lighter adapter the whole time anyway?",
"Pretty frustrated now....",
"ORIGINAL REVIEW: This an awesome product for the price!!",
"The customer service was quick and helpful also.",
"I originally couldnt figure out where the \"magnet\" was, so I emailed customer service.",
"They emailed me RIGHT BACK and I finally realized it was my error of not being able to tell that the back piece does peel away from the unit (see pictures).",
"*Like most people said in other reviews the \"tape\" for mounting didnt hold up worth diddly.",
"After first use I came back and it was on the floor.",
"I used my own.",
"I bought pieces of velcro actually and cut it out to match the shape and mounted it that way.",
"So far so good.",
"*People state they can hear me just fine with phone calls even though I have it placed about knee level in my car.",
"My boyfriend at one point initially told me to stop yelling, lol.",
"I can hear everyone clear as well.",
"*Having a BT/AUX that would cut off when I got out of the car was a picky feature that I needed because my aux port is not in a convenient spot in my car.",
"(Previous one I had I would have to dig into the storage under my radio and hold it for 5 seconds to turn it on & off.",
") This one I was able to plug into the assigned cigarette lighter that turns off when the car does.",
"It quickly pairs back up with my phone (or my bf's) as soon as the car is turned back on.",
"*Only downfall we hv had is my bf paired it to his phone as well and sometimes when I am leaving in the morning it will pick up his phone in the house instead of mine which is right there in the car, lol.",
"*Other minor downfall is sometimes it will only connect for calls and not audio.",
"But easy fix, I just go in and change it on my phone.",
"Overall I am a happy camper!!!"
] |
I wish I could give this player a great rating but, in fact, I have very little I can go on for the rating except that mine was defective straight out of the package. Thus, I can't go on about sound quality or other features. It felt sturdy. The controls seemed easy to operate. It just didn't play. The CD would cycle but that was the extent of its performance. I had no trouble getting through to Sony on the phone (always a plus)and after a brief discussion they agreed that it was a malfunctioning unit. I have several Sony items and this is the first time I've gotten a lemon. Based on prior experience, I won't hesitate to buy Sony again but this time I am going to select a different Walkman CD player (the next "grade" up.) | 1 | neutral | [
"I wish I could give this player a great rating but, in fact, I have very little I can go on for the rating except that mine was defective straight out of the package.",
"Thus, I can't go on about sound quality or other features.",
"It felt sturdy.",
"The controls seemed easy to operate.",
"It just didn't play.",
"The CD would cycle but that was the extent of its performance.",
"I had no trouble getting through to Sony on the phone (always a plus)and after a brief discussion they agreed that it was a malfunctioning unit.",
"I have several Sony items and this is the first time I've gotten a lemon.",
"Based on prior experience, I won't hesitate to buy Sony again but this time I am going to select a different Walkman CD player (the next \"grade\" up.",
")"
] |
As with most platformers, story is not a heavily concerned thought. The same pertains to Jak and Daxter, as a simple story drives this game along. The main plot of the game rests on Daxter, Jak's brother, who was transformed into a small, orange muskrat by a substance called "dark eco." Feeling very guilty over Daxter's transformation, he puts him on his shoulder and goes out into the world to find a cure. I must commend Naughty Dog for character choice though. How often do you get to control a spiky-haired elf and a small, orange rodent. Though there are very few twists and major plot turns in the game, Jak and Daxter continues the primary focus that platformers are shallow story games. Just like the Mario games, everyone knows that a platform game's strongest category is gameplay.
The main style of gameplay in this game revolves around collecting items, and a % completed meter will remain in check as you collect these items. Just like Super Mario 64's Stars and Banjo-Kazooie's Jiggies, Jak and Daxter must collect power cells. Power cells will be awarded by completing certain tasks in the game, or finding them in hidden locations. Another very collected item in the game is the Precursor Orb. These orbs are all over the place in each level and serve as the money oriented object in this game. Collecting enough of them will allow you to trade them in to other characters for Power Cells. Power Cells and Precursor Orbs are just a few of the items you will need to collect in order to raise your % completed percentage.
While the game does have its entertaining gameplay moments, there are some that are rather boring. Most of the time you will be running around scrounging for Orbs to turn in for Power cells. Sometimes on more interesting parts, you will be asked by other characters to do errands for them, and will reward you on your outcome. Other events include collecting a certain number of scout flies, climbing tall structures, shooting a certain number of foes with fire balls, and oddly catching a fixed amount of fish in a short time. Levels are very large and creatively designed. Usually when getting on a large perch you can even see other levels in the distance. Also, what makes the game even more inviting is that there are no major load times, whatsoever.
I felt that the graphical nature of the game shined very brightly. Naughty Dog has really taken advantage of the Playstation 2's graphical processing, and it really shows throughout the game. As noted before, the horizon stretches out seemingly forever and there are no annoying pop-ups. The frame rate is a bit wild at time in certain areas, but it is nothing that really takes away from the gameplay. From the lava filled volcano, to the blizzard covered mountains, to just the average jungle town, every aspect of the game is colorful and true to the platform style gameplay. Character designs won't disappoint either. The fluent movements of Jak and Daxter are all portrayed excellently despite their few moves. The enemies look fine as well, and play their role in different levels throughout the game. Now while the Playstation 2 is usually criticized for its lack of texture processing, this game really proves them wrong. The high resolution presents colors and obstacles with practically no pixelation whatsoever. The cinema scenes correlate with the moving story of the game, and the facial animations go well with the comic oriented dialog. I believe that this game will set the primary standard for future PS2 platforms.
The sound/musical aspect of the game is one of the more disappointing features of the game. The character acting basically revolves around the comic relief of Daxter. While at times he is funny, most of his jokes are pretty lame. They are still light hearted though and make him an enjoyable aspect to the game. Jak the hero is mute throughout the whole game, and most of the other characters rarely have anything interesting to say. The music of the game isn't anything special either. Most of the time you will generally not even notice it. All in all, though while it isn't anything unique, most of the tunes go well with the atmosphere.
All in all, Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy is definitely the best platform game on the PS2 right now, next to Jak II ,the sequel. This game, while not very original, brings a unique and interesting platform experience. It is a shame that the replay value of the game has nothing to offer once you complete it. However, the single player experience is the reason that you even play platform games, and while the game isn't incredibly challenging, it does have its moments. If you want to know what happened before Jak II, or enjoy platforms in general, then look no further. | 1 | neutral | [
"As with most platformers, story is not a heavily concerned thought.",
"The same pertains to Jak and Daxter, as a simple story drives this game along.",
"The main plot of the game rests on Daxter, Jak's brother, who was transformed into a small, orange muskrat by a substance called \"dark eco.",
"\" Feeling very guilty over Daxter's transformation, he puts him on his shoulder and goes out into the world to find a cure.",
"I must commend Naughty Dog for character choice though.",
"How often do you get to control a spiky-haired elf and a small, orange rodent.",
"Though there are very few twists and major plot turns in the game, Jak and Daxter continues the primary focus that platformers are shallow story games.",
"Just like the Mario games, everyone knows that a platform game's strongest category is gameplay.",
"The main style of gameplay in this game revolves around collecting items, and a % completed meter will remain in check as you collect these items.",
"Just like Super Mario 64's Stars and Banjo-Kazooie's Jiggies, Jak and Daxter must collect power cells.",
"Power cells will be awarded by completing certain tasks in the game, or finding them in hidden locations.",
"Another very collected item in the game is the Precursor Orb.",
"These orbs are all over the place in each level and serve as the money oriented object in this game.",
"Collecting enough of them will allow you to trade them in to other characters for Power Cells.",
"Power Cells and Precursor Orbs are just a few of the items you will need to collect in order to raise your % completed percentage.",
"While the game does have its entertaining gameplay moments, there are some that are rather boring.",
"Most of the time you will be running around scrounging for Orbs to turn in for Power cells.",
"Sometimes on more interesting parts, you will be asked by other characters to do errands for them, and will reward you on your outcome.",
"Other events include collecting a certain number of scout flies, climbing tall structures, shooting a certain number of foes with fire balls, and oddly catching a fixed amount of fish in a short time.",
"Levels are very large and creatively designed.",
"Usually when getting on a large perch you can even see other levels in the distance.",
"Also, what makes the game even more inviting is that there are no major load times, whatsoever.",
"I felt that the graphical nature of the game shined very brightly.",
"Naughty Dog has really taken advantage of the Playstation 2's graphical processing, and it really shows throughout the game.",
"As noted before, the horizon stretches out seemingly forever and there are no annoying pop-ups.",
"The frame rate is a bit wild at time in certain areas, but it is nothing that really takes away from the gameplay.",
"From the lava filled volcano, to the blizzard covered mountains, to just the average jungle town, every aspect of the game is colorful and true to the platform style gameplay.",
"Character designs won't disappoint either.",
"The fluent movements of Jak and Daxter are all portrayed excellently despite their few moves.",
"The enemies look fine as well, and play their role in different levels throughout the game.",
"Now while the Playstation 2 is usually criticized for its lack of texture processing, this game really proves them wrong.",
"The high resolution presents colors and obstacles with practically no pixelation whatsoever.",
"The cinema scenes correlate with the moving story of the game, and the facial animations go well with the comic oriented dialog.",
"I believe that this game will set the primary standard for future PS2 platforms.",
"The sound/musical aspect of the game is one of the more disappointing features of the game.",
"The character acting basically revolves around the comic relief of Daxter.",
"While at times he is funny, most of his jokes are pretty lame.",
"They are still light hearted though and make him an enjoyable aspect to the game.",
"Jak the hero is mute throughout the whole game, and most of the other characters rarely have anything interesting to say.",
"The music of the game isn't anything special either.",
"Most of the time you will generally not even notice it.",
"All in all, though while it isn't anything unique, most of the tunes go well with the atmosphere.",
"All in all, Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy is definitely the best platform game on the PS2 right now, next to Jak II ,the sequel.",
"This game, while not very original, brings a unique and interesting platform experience.",
"It is a shame that the replay value of the game has nothing to offer once you complete it.",
"However, the single player experience is the reason that you even play platform games, and while the game isn't incredibly challenging, it does have its moments.",
"If you want to know what happened before Jak II, or enjoy platforms in general, then look no further."
] |
I give this album 5 stars for its recording, which is certainly one of the best sounding KISS albums ever released. Clean and tight, the whole album is a mini-studio masterpiece, and worthy of any remastering that can be done to it. But it doesn't really need it, it's a superb sounding album.
I give it 3 stars for its material though.
If the preceding album Hotter Than Hell(1974) had sounded like Dressed To Kill, you would have a benchmark of a great KISS album that all others could be compared to. There's 10 songs on Hotter Than Hell, and there are 10 songs that are great, let down by engineering and recording. There aren't as many to choose from on Dressed To Kill, but it does sound great regardless.
I'm not all that brushed up on Kiss History to know. I know enough that by 1976, people listed as KISS members weren't always on that album, but if there was a problem before this, maybe it shows up on Dressed To Kill. One thing that's very noticeable is that Simmons and Frehley take a backseat to Paul Stanley on this album, and I think it remained that way until the original group became defunct. I say this because I don't hear Simmons and Frehley coming up with as great material as they did on the first two albums, and Stanley supplies some good, but filler material in this absence. And they never were the same.
Despite Simmons 'sleazy tongue-in-cheek side', what he had provided KISS on their first two albums were some of their best riffs, and to my ears, he's the better singer of the Stanley & Simmons partnership. What he lacks lyrically, and what his persona provided as possible subject matter, is truly made up for with some of the meanest, and riff heavy material KISS has had. On Dressed To Kill, 'Two Timer', and 'Ladies In Waiting' are Simmons writing by the numbers, and this is where he heads for the next few years of KISS's rise. He comes up with some great tracks later on in their catalogue (Destroyer through Unmasked), but the majority tend to be Simmons working at 50%.
With Frehley is a similar situation. On the first and second albums, he wrote KISS 'standards', like 'Cold Gin' and 'Parasite'. By 1976, he seems to disappear almost entirely from writing for KISS at all, only to come back in 1977 with 'Shock Me' (singing his own songs for the first time), and in 1978 with 'Rocket Ride', and the must have 1978 solo album he did. But when it comes to Dressed To Kill, 'Getaway' is probably one of Frehley's most obscure songs. Sung by Peter Criss, it's probably Frehley's least known KISS track, his most ''unsuccessful'' (whatever that means), but it sounds like he put his all into the guitar solo. It sounds different than every other solo on this album. It's not a bad song by any means, and surrounded by better material it wouldn't sound as 'filler' as it sounds on DTK compared to his earlier material. Both Simmons and Frehley are a bit of a let down on this album, apart from 'She' (by Simmons and Coronel) which gets 5 stars, and is worth the purchase of this album, along with the 'classic' 'Rock and Roll All Nite' of course.
Another highlight is 'Rock Bottom' by Frehley and Stanley. Frehley's acoustic intro is much like what he would do on his own solo album with 'Fractured Mirror', and you have to wonder if whatever happened between 1975 and 1976, maybe indicated Frehley should have gone solo much earlier than 1978, because he had a lot going for him talent-wise. Stanley's contribution is one of the best songs on the album, and would sit just as well on the first two albums.
But then you get his other material, which just isn't as strong. 'Love Her All I Can' and 'Rock Bottom' are his two strongest songs on here, but the other material used to fill up the album just don't measure up to those two, and it's exactly where you need a Simmons or Frehley song equal to Staney's best to make something as good as Hotter Than Hell. Whatever happened I don't know, maybe they were just tired from slogging it out on the road. But whatever happened, it shows up on this album, and Stanley's dominance of the KISS writing chores begins to surface here. And Frehley's disappearance only to emerge about 10x times better than his band, and Simmons colouring by numbers, with the occasional 'Calling Dr. Love', 'Sweet Pain', or 'Christine Sixteen' making an appearance.
Buy it for 'She', Ace Frehley's guitar solos, and the songs mentioned in this review. And the sheer recording excellence of this album, which I dare say might be their best sounding album. | 1 | neutral | [
"I give this album 5 stars for its recording, which is certainly one of the best sounding KISS albums ever released.",
"Clean and tight, the whole album is a mini-studio masterpiece, and worthy of any remastering that can be done to it.",
"But it doesn't really need it, it's a superb sounding album.",
"I give it 3 stars for its material though.",
"If the preceding album Hotter Than Hell(1974) had sounded like Dressed To Kill, you would have a benchmark of a great KISS album that all others could be compared to.",
"There's 10 songs on Hotter Than Hell, and there are 10 songs that are great, let down by engineering and recording.",
"There aren't as many to choose from on Dressed To Kill, but it does sound great regardless.",
"I'm not all that brushed up on Kiss History to know.",
"I know enough that by 1976, people listed as KISS members weren't always on that album, but if there was a problem before this, maybe it shows up on Dressed To Kill.",
"One thing that's very noticeable is that Simmons and Frehley take a backseat to Paul Stanley on this album, and I think it remained that way until the original group became defunct.",
"I say this because I don't hear Simmons and Frehley coming up with as great material as they did on the first two albums, and Stanley supplies some good, but filler material in this absence.",
"And they never were the same.",
"Despite Simmons 'sleazy tongue-in-cheek side', what he had provided KISS on their first two albums were some of their best riffs, and to my ears, he's the better singer of the Stanley & Simmons partnership.",
"What he lacks lyrically, and what his persona provided as possible subject matter, is truly made up for with some of the meanest, and riff heavy material KISS has had.",
"On Dressed To Kill, 'Two Timer', and 'Ladies In Waiting' are Simmons writing by the numbers, and this is where he heads for the next few years of KISS's rise.",
"He comes up with some great tracks later on in their catalogue (Destroyer through Unmasked), but the majority tend to be Simmons working at 50%.",
"With Frehley is a similar situation.",
"On the first and second albums, he wrote KISS 'standards', like 'Cold Gin' and 'Parasite'.",
"By 1976, he seems to disappear almost entirely from writing for KISS at all, only to come back in 1977 with 'Shock Me' (singing his own songs for the first time), and in 1978 with 'Rocket Ride', and the must have 1978 solo album he did.",
"But when it comes to Dressed To Kill, 'Getaway' is probably one of Frehley's most obscure songs.",
"Sung by Peter Criss, it's probably Frehley's least known KISS track, his most ''unsuccessful'' (whatever that means), but it sounds like he put his all into the guitar solo.",
"It sounds different than every other solo on this album.",
"It's not a bad song by any means, and surrounded by better material it wouldn't sound as 'filler' as it sounds on DTK compared to his earlier material.",
"Both Simmons and Frehley are a bit of a let down on this album, apart from 'She' (by Simmons and Coronel) which gets 5 stars, and is worth the purchase of this album, along with the 'classic' 'Rock and Roll All Nite' of course.",
"Another highlight is 'Rock Bottom' by Frehley and Stanley.",
"Frehley's acoustic intro is much like what he would do on his own solo album with 'Fractured Mirror', and you have to wonder if whatever happened between 1975 and 1976, maybe indicated Frehley should have gone solo much earlier than 1978, because he had a lot going for him talent-wise.",
"Stanley's contribution is one of the best songs on the album, and would sit just as well on the first two albums.",
"But then you get his other material, which just isn't as strong.",
"'Love Her All I Can' and 'Rock Bottom' are his two strongest songs on here, but the other material used to fill up the album just don't measure up to those two, and it's exactly where you need a Simmons or Frehley song equal to Staney's best to make something as good as Hotter Than Hell.",
"Whatever happened I don't know, maybe they were just tired from slogging it out on the road.",
"But whatever happened, it shows up on this album, and Stanley's dominance of the KISS writing chores begins to surface here.",
"And Frehley's disappearance only to emerge about 10x times better than his band, and Simmons colouring by numbers, with the occasional 'Calling Dr.",
"Love', 'Sweet Pain', or 'Christine Sixteen' making an appearance.",
"Buy it for 'She', Ace Frehley's guitar solos, and the songs mentioned in this review.",
"And the sheer recording excellence of this album, which I dare say might be their best sounding album."
] |
This is a great sci-fi horror flick, make no mistake. And having it in 3D must make a lot of 3D enthusiasts very excited. My problem with this Blu-ray is that they've made this 4:3 film 16:9 by zooming in, thereby cutting off information from the top and the bottom of the picture. For about 70% of the movie, it seems correct, but the underwater scenes were definitely framed for 4:3 viewing - many times swimmers have their heads cut off or you can't see what they're doing on the bottom of the picture. Also, since all crossfades and fade outs involved second-generation print material, those scene look REALLY soft when enlarged for widescreen. On a large monitor (60" in my case), it's really annoying. The picture keeps going from pristine sharp to DVD-quality fuzzy from one shot to the next. I could accurately predict when a fade was coming by the quality of the picture.
Maybe they needed the 16:9 ratio to make the 3D work correctly (I don't have a 3D TV, so I profess ignorance of the technology), but they lost a lot of quality in doing so. So is this the definitive version of the film? No way. The definitive version has not been released yet. | 1 | neutral | [
"This is a great sci-fi horror flick, make no mistake.",
"And having it in 3D must make a lot of 3D enthusiasts very excited.",
"My problem with this Blu-ray is that they've made this 4:3 film 16:9 by zooming in, thereby cutting off information from the top and the bottom of the picture.",
"For about 70% of the movie, it seems correct, but the underwater scenes were definitely framed for 4:3 viewing - many times swimmers have their heads cut off or you can't see what they're doing on the bottom of the picture.",
"Also, since all crossfades and fade outs involved second-generation print material, those scene look REALLY soft when enlarged for widescreen.",
"On a large monitor (60\" in my case), it's really annoying.",
"The picture keeps going from pristine sharp to DVD-quality fuzzy from one shot to the next.",
"I could accurately predict when a fade was coming by the quality of the picture.",
"Maybe they needed the 16:9 ratio to make the 3D work correctly (I don't have a 3D TV, so I profess ignorance of the technology), but they lost a lot of quality in doing so.",
"So is this the definitive version of the film?",
"No way.",
"The definitive version has not been released yet."
] |
The construction of this Mag-Lite Solitaire is really quite good. It's very sturdy and I've had one run over by my truck and had a 150 pound (68kg) Television drop on another without much visible damage (scratches).
I have received this as a gift and as a corporate tchotchke as well as having bought one and they do come in handy. The problem is that it runs through batteries pretty quickly if you use this for anything more than looking for your keys on the ground or the deadbolt on your door when you forgot to leave on the porch light. The lens cap tends to turn itself on in your pocket or bag... draining away the power. I haven't ever used it as a keychain device as I don't like a lot of bulk.
I haven't ever experienced the reported problem with the end cap loosening. The best task I've found for this light is to hang it on the keyring holder in my laptop bag. It's simply not well suited to a pocket or to a keychain, and I believe that was its intended purpose.
I found the light, itself, to be fairly bright at full power, but with a more robust LED, it would probably be a better unit. It does have a better light distance than an LED would produce, though. All-in-all, a bit of a miss, but I'm a flashlight hound, so I still like it. If you are looking for a good keyring light, get a smaller LED with an on/off switch. This would probably make a good light for a purse or in a glove compartment. I would recommend pairing it with a Lithium Battery (Technuity L92BP4 Battery, Lithium Aaa Photo Battery for example) - especially if storing in car or bag for long periods. Make sure you tighten the lenscap well so it doesn't accidentally turn on. | 1 | neutral | [
"The construction of this Mag-Lite Solitaire is really quite good.",
"It's very sturdy and I've had one run over by my truck and had a 150 pound (68kg) Television drop on another without much visible damage (scratches).",
"I have received this as a gift and as a corporate tchotchke as well as having bought one and they do come in handy.",
"The problem is that it runs through batteries pretty quickly if you use this for anything more than looking for your keys on the ground or the deadbolt on your door when you forgot to leave on the porch light.",
"The lens cap tends to turn itself on in your pocket or bag...",
"draining away the power.",
"I haven't ever used it as a keychain device as I don't like a lot of bulk.",
"I haven't ever experienced the reported problem with the end cap loosening.",
"The best task I've found for this light is to hang it on the keyring holder in my laptop bag.",
"It's simply not well suited to a pocket or to a keychain, and I believe that was its intended purpose.",
"I found the light, itself, to be fairly bright at full power, but with a more robust LED, it would probably be a better unit.",
"It does have a better light distance than an LED would produce, though.",
"All-in-all, a bit of a miss, but I'm a flashlight hound, so I still like it.",
"If you are looking for a good keyring light, get a smaller LED with an on/off switch.",
"This would probably make a good light for a purse or in a glove compartment.",
"I would recommend pairing it with a Lithium Battery (Technuity L92BP4 Battery, Lithium Aaa Photo Battery for example) - especially if storing in car or bag for long periods.",
"Make sure you tighten the lenscap well so it doesn't accidentally turn on."
] |
Bystanders were horrified. But my son has autism and I was desperate.
year - old autistic son overcome his intense fear of indoor spaces might not have been right or even safe . Doctors didn ’ t recommend it . The people who witnessed it were appalled understandably . I don ’ t suggest this for others . I could have been more patient with conventional methods but I wasn ’ t . I am not certified in restraining children though doctors say anyone attempting what I did should be . They would also recommend a much slower approach . I am writing this because I hope to educate people about the burden families face when their autistic children have tantrums in public spaces so next time you witness such a struggle you don ’ t immediately resort to blaming the parents . I ’ m also reaching out to fellow parents in pain to remind them to cast off shame because I believe nothing is more important than getting your autistic children out into the world . It was a desperate time . Nothing else had worked for Zack — flashcards photos play therapy . gradual exposure to feared indoor spaces . That is how very much against his will I ended up physically dragging Zack into Verizon Center ( now Capital One Arena ) one day 10 years ago to see his favorite character Elmo perform as part of a “ Sesame Street Live !” show . There is nothing anyone could have said that would have convinced me my son was anything other than precious and worthy of the extreme measures I intended to take to save him from a life entrapped by autistic phobias . My mind - set that day : If I can get him through this without either of us getting physically hurt his fear of this place will be behind him for good . He will reset his association with this arena and it will no longer be frightening . I believe this deeply but getting him over the hurdle is terrifying . [‘ I have this thing called autism ’: A boy ’ s eloquent message to his fourth - grade classmates ] We enter Verizon Center and the moment the exterior door closes behind us Zack reels back and plunges toward it trying frantically to get back outside . At 50 pounds his furious strength is a troubling match for mine . He is a thoroughbred of resistance . My usually buoyant child is slamming his fists and clawing at the metal door ’ s push bar . I quickly seize him by the shoulders and pry his fingers from the bar as he jerks his head back in a sudden motion . His skull smashes into my chin and I taste the metallic taint of my own blood . I give up trying to pry his fingers away wrap both arms tightly around his torso and yank him back fiercely . We both tumble to the floor . Zack momentarily escapes my grip and scrambles back toward the door but I leap on top of him pinning his entire body flat to the ground . We are still in the vestibule . This was a mistake too ambitious I think to myself . Everything is happening too quickly . Breathlessly I pivot myself to secure Zack ’ s entire body between my thighs as I clamp down tightly and interlock my feet to prevent him from breaking free . Zack is shrieking at an alarmingly high pitch but I keep heaving and dragging us both inch by dreadful inch closer to the show ’ s main entrance area which we are separated from by a red curtain . I can hear voices around us . Your kid obviously doesn ’ t want to go to the show !” An icy shock sprints down my back and I reflexively arch and look around wildly . Someone has just thrown their soda at me . No I ’ m not giving up . Suddenly I feel an imaginary cloak descend and slowly envelop me . These are the moments I ’ ve been dreading but also building toward and I don this invisible armor now impervious to ridicule because I don ’ t care what anyone thinks . My singular focus is getting Zack where he needs to be : inside the main area looking at Elmo . The show has already begun inside and I know Elmo is on the stage . Okay get in his head now talk back to his thoughts . “ Zack you are doing it ! I know you ’ re afraid but all you have to do is stay here you ’ re already doing it you ’ ve already won . Just stay and watch sit and watch that ’ s it . You ’ re doing it . You did it !” A simple and repetitive mantra to penetrate the panic and break through the force field . In a now recovered and controlled voice I loudly announce “ My son has autism and he ’ s terrified . I ’ m working with him to get his fears under control .” A manager strides toward us summoned to calm the explosive scene . “ Miss I ’ m afraid this is too disruptive to the other patrons to let this continue you ’ ll have to leave .” No response . “ Miss you are creating a public disturbance and I need to escort you and your child out of the auditorium right now .” “ No ” I respond calmly without looking up . “ I ’ m not going anywhere . I ’ m a paying customer too and I have a right to be here and so does my autistic son .” Suddenly from the far reaches of my mind the legal jargon jettisons to the surface . What was that ADA language about the right of disabled people to access public facilities ? That they have a right not be discriminated against because of their disability a right to reasonable accommodations to access public venues . My son is not legally required to enter the auditorium quietly . He ’ s allowed to enter on his own disabled terms . I am his reasonable accommodation . Zack will ride in on me . Okay one more push forward with Zack squeezed between my legs and that curtain that separates the hallway where we are and the seated auditorium is within arm ’ s reach . Once the curtain is pulled back he will see all the children in their seats and he will see Elmo on the stage . But I am on the floor and I can ’ t reach the curtain . I quickly gesture with my hand to the woman guarding the entrance to please pull back that curtain so my son can finally see inside and glimpse the purpose behind the long bitter altercation . I need her to act quickly . She tries a few times to reach my son with chirpy words that fall on deaf ears . “ LADY he ’ s got AUTISM please just pull back the curtain !” I hiss . She wordlessly pulls back the plush red velvet in a single swoop to reveal a bright - red singing caricature on a large stage clearly visible even from our long distance . I quickly point Zack in his direction and exclaim “ There ’ s ELMO ! Look Zack it ’ s Elmo !” Zack ’ s eyes catch hold of Elmo and suddenly he ’ s too stunned to scream or speak his hysteria abruptly interrupted by the sight of a familiar friend . Transfixed by the furry creature Zack sits still and stares intently . I quickly move to slide him further along the floor closer to the cushioned seats . The rigidness in Zack ’ s body gives way as he relaxes a literal crossover to the other side . Zack is as smooth and malleable as liquid as he sits upright almost unaware of his own physical existence and wholly locked in on Elmo . I calmly walk him to his seat . The past and future are of no consequence ; for him there is only the present . As I gaze around the auditorium Zack is indistinguishable from his peers . In these precious moments I can savor the reality that Zack has succeeded in the greatest challenge of his life — overriding his intense phobia of indoor spaces — long enough to access something beloved . It took 36 minutes and 45 seconds . And yes it was worth it . [‘ I ’ m more awesomer ’: How kids with facial differences are reacting to the movie ‘ Wonder ’] It was the first in a series of exposures to crowded public places for Zack and me . His transition at the Verizon Center allowed him to enjoy the Elmo show and also return repeatedly to that auditorium without fear because he replaced his previous negative association with a positive one . For Zack the gradual exposure approach was not effective . What worked for him was a single traumatic episode in which he could grasp the purpose of the exposure and feel good about it . I spoke with his doctor afterward and he confirmed that by refusing to allow Zack to escape the place he feared I broke the pattern of negative reinforcement and allowed him to “ reset the record .” I also learned that as a last resort in a controlled way and only after years of therapy a licensed behavioral clinician might have physically restrained Zack to force him to confront his fears had he not responded to more gradual methods . In the past when I ’ d retreated home with him during a tantrum I was unintentionally reinforcing his phobia . But the doctor made it clear to me he would not recommend this method for any child unless all other methods had been exhausted and the child was able to handle it without causing harm to himself or others . For us the Elmo success paved the way for outings to other indoor places he feared — Disney World movie theaters airplanes the Baltimore Aquarium . Each exposure required less time for him to acclimate . We found that while Zack was initially confused and frightened he always adjusted . Over time he became less fearful of all indoor places . He also gained self - esteem once he realized he was conquering his fears and accessing more of the world . And in possibly his biggest win his overall demeanor became as calm and predictable as his perception of life itself . Ellenby is a lawyer writer and mother based in Montgomery County . This piece was adapted from her upcoming book “ Autism Uncensored : Pulling Back the Curtain ” which details her struggles and triumphs with her son ’ s autism . Read more : Lucas was just named 2018 Gerber baby . For children with autism haircuts can be traumatic . Here ’ s how one barber changed that . ‘ I ’ m finally a weather girl ’: Woman with Down syndrome fulfills a lifelong dream | 1 | neutral | [
"Bystanders were horrified.",
"But my son has autism and I was desperate.",
"year - old autistic son overcome his intense fear of indoor spaces might not have been right or even safe.",
"Doctors didn ’ t recommend it.",
"The people who witnessed it were appalled understandably.",
"I don ’ t suggest this for others.",
"I could have been more patient with conventional methods but I wasn ’ t.",
"I am not certified in restraining children though doctors say anyone attempting what I did should be.",
"They would also recommend a much slower approach.",
"I am writing this because I hope to educate people about the burden families face when their autistic children have tantrums in public spaces so next time you witness such a struggle you don ’ t immediately resort to blaming the parents.",
"I ’ m also reaching out to fellow parents in pain to remind them to cast off shame because I believe nothing is more important than getting your autistic children out into the world.",
"It was a desperate time.",
"Nothing else had worked for Zack — flashcards photos play therapy.",
"gradual exposure to feared indoor spaces.",
"That is how very much against his will I ended up physically dragging Zack into Verizon Center ( now Capital One Arena ) one day 10 years ago to see his favorite character Elmo perform as part of a “ Sesame Street Live!",
"” show.",
"There is nothing anyone could have said that would have convinced me my son was anything other than precious and worthy of the extreme measures I intended to take to save him from a life entrapped by autistic phobias.",
"My mind - set that day : If I can get him through this without either of us getting physically hurt his fear of this place will be behind him for good.",
"He will reset his association with this arena and it will no longer be frightening.",
"I believe this deeply but getting him over the hurdle is terrifying.",
"[‘ I have this thing called autism ’: A boy ’ s eloquent message to his fourth - grade classmates ] We enter Verizon Center and the moment the exterior door closes behind us Zack reels back and plunges toward it trying frantically to get back outside.",
"At 50 pounds his furious strength is a troubling match for mine.",
"He is a thoroughbred of resistance.",
"My usually buoyant child is slamming his fists and clawing at the metal door ’ s push bar.",
"I quickly seize him by the shoulders and pry his fingers from the bar as he jerks his head back in a sudden motion.",
"His skull smashes into my chin and I taste the metallic taint of my own blood.",
"I give up trying to pry his fingers away wrap both arms tightly around his torso and yank him back fiercely.",
"We both tumble to the floor.",
"Zack momentarily escapes my grip and scrambles back toward the door but I leap on top of him pinning his entire body flat to the ground.",
"We are still in the vestibule.",
"This was a mistake too ambitious I think to myself.",
"Everything is happening too quickly.",
"Breathlessly I pivot myself to secure Zack ’ s entire body between my thighs as I clamp down tightly and interlock my feet to prevent him from breaking free.",
"Zack is shrieking at an alarmingly high pitch but I keep heaving and dragging us both inch by dreadful inch closer to the show ’ s main entrance area which we are separated from by a red curtain.",
"I can hear voices around us.",
"Your kid obviously doesn ’ t want to go to the show!",
"” An icy shock sprints down my back and I reflexively arch and look around wildly.",
"Someone has just thrown their soda at me.",
"No I ’ m not giving up.",
"Suddenly I feel an imaginary cloak descend and slowly envelop me.",
"These are the moments I ’ ve been dreading but also building toward and I don this invisible armor now impervious to ridicule because I don ’ t care what anyone thinks.",
"My singular focus is getting Zack where he needs to be : inside the main area looking at Elmo.",
"The show has already begun inside and I know Elmo is on the stage.",
"Okay get in his head now talk back to his thoughts.",
"“ Zack you are doing it!",
"I know you ’ re afraid but all you have to do is stay here you ’ re already doing it you ’ ve already won.",
"Just stay and watch sit and watch that ’ s it.",
"You ’ re doing it.",
"You did it!",
"” A simple and repetitive mantra to penetrate the panic and break through the force field.",
"In a now recovered and controlled voice I loudly announce “ My son has autism and he ’ s terrified.",
"I ’ m working with him to get his fears under control.",
"” A manager strides toward us summoned to calm the explosive scene.",
"“ Miss I ’ m afraid this is too disruptive to the other patrons to let this continue you ’ ll have to leave.",
"” No response.",
"“ Miss you are creating a public disturbance and I need to escort you and your child out of the auditorium right now.",
"” “ No ” I respond calmly without looking up.",
"“ I ’ m not going anywhere.",
"I ’ m a paying customer too and I have a right to be here and so does my autistic son.",
"” Suddenly from the far reaches of my mind the legal jargon jettisons to the surface.",
"What was that ADA language about the right of disabled people to access public facilities?",
"That they have a right not be discriminated against because of their disability a right to reasonable accommodations to access public venues.",
"My son is not legally required to enter the auditorium quietly.",
"He ’ s allowed to enter on his own disabled terms.",
"I am his reasonable accommodation.",
"Zack will ride in on me.",
"Okay one more push forward with Zack squeezed between my legs and that curtain that separates the hallway where we are and the seated auditorium is within arm ’ s reach.",
"Once the curtain is pulled back he will see all the children in their seats and he will see Elmo on the stage.",
"But I am on the floor and I can ’ t reach the curtain.",
"I quickly gesture with my hand to the woman guarding the entrance to please pull back that curtain so my son can finally see inside and glimpse the purpose behind the long bitter altercation.",
"I need her to act quickly.",
"She tries a few times to reach my son with chirpy words that fall on deaf ears.",
"“ LADY he ’ s got AUTISM please just pull back the curtain!",
"” I hiss.",
"She wordlessly pulls back the plush red velvet in a single swoop to reveal a bright - red singing caricature on a large stage clearly visible even from our long distance.",
"I quickly point Zack in his direction and exclaim “ There ’ s ELMO!",
"Look Zack it ’ s Elmo!",
"” Zack ’ s eyes catch hold of Elmo and suddenly he ’ s too stunned to scream or speak his hysteria abruptly interrupted by the sight of a familiar friend.",
"Transfixed by the furry creature Zack sits still and stares intently.",
"I quickly move to slide him further along the floor closer to the cushioned seats.",
"The rigidness in Zack ’ s body gives way as he relaxes a literal crossover to the other side.",
"Zack is as smooth and malleable as liquid as he sits upright almost unaware of his own physical existence and wholly locked in on Elmo.",
"I calmly walk him to his seat.",
"The past and future are of no consequence ; for him there is only the present.",
"As I gaze around the auditorium Zack is indistinguishable from his peers.",
"In these precious moments I can savor the reality that Zack has succeeded in the greatest challenge of his life — overriding his intense phobia of indoor spaces — long enough to access something beloved.",
"It took 36 minutes and 45 seconds.",
"And yes it was worth it.",
"[‘ I ’ m more awesomer ’: How kids with facial differences are reacting to the movie ‘ Wonder ’] It was the first in a series of exposures to crowded public places for Zack and me.",
"His transition at the Verizon Center allowed him to enjoy the Elmo show and also return repeatedly to that auditorium without fear because he replaced his previous negative association with a positive one.",
"For Zack the gradual exposure approach was not effective.",
"What worked for him was a single traumatic episode in which he could grasp the purpose of the exposure and feel good about it.",
"I spoke with his doctor afterward and he confirmed that by refusing to allow Zack to escape the place he feared I broke the pattern of negative reinforcement and allowed him to “ reset the record.",
"” I also learned that as a last resort in a controlled way and only after years of therapy a licensed behavioral clinician might have physically restrained Zack to force him to confront his fears had he not responded to more gradual methods.",
"In the past when I ’ d retreated home with him during a tantrum I was unintentionally reinforcing his phobia.",
"But the doctor made it clear to me he would not recommend this method for any child unless all other methods had been exhausted and the child was able to handle it without causing harm to himself or others.",
"For us the Elmo success paved the way for outings to other indoor places he feared — Disney World movie theaters airplanes the Baltimore Aquarium.",
"Each exposure required less time for him to acclimate.",
"We found that while Zack was initially confused and frightened he always adjusted.",
"Over time he became less fearful of all indoor places.",
"He also gained self - esteem once he realized he was conquering his fears and accessing more of the world.",
"And in possibly his biggest win his overall demeanor became as calm and predictable as his perception of life itself.",
"Ellenby is a lawyer writer and mother based in Montgomery County.",
"This piece was adapted from her upcoming book “ Autism Uncensored : Pulling Back the Curtain ” which details her struggles and triumphs with her son ’ s autism.",
"Read more : Lucas was just named 2018 Gerber baby.",
"For children with autism haircuts can be traumatic.",
"Here ’ s how one barber changed that.",
"‘ I ’ m finally a weather girl ’: Woman with Down syndrome fulfills a lifelong dream"
] |
John Fogerty's first incarnation of his alter-ego ache to record the songs that influenced him, "Blue Ridge Mountain Rangers" was a surprising hit in 1972/73. Creedence Clearwater had broke up, and John recorded that LP on his own, C/W R/B Gospel songs that he loved and glory be! a couple of top 50 hits,"Jambalaya" and "Hearts of Stone".
Now, Blue Ridge Mt. Rangers redux. The songs on this CD has the feeling that JF really liked and listened to mid 70's contempory singer/songwriters John Prine's "Paradise", John Denver (!)"Back Home Again". Who knew?
This collection of apparently his newer/older fave songs is bunches of fun.
1) Paradise the John Prine song sounds fine the vocals are near the CCR growl
2) Never Ending Song Delaney and Bonnie had a Top 10 hit with this laid back so-called motel shot John's version is almost exact from the background yelps of the girls. Nice tribute to D/B!! But, still D/B's version better..
3)Garden Party Rick Nelson's version is the Classic Don Henley (Eagles) assists on vocals sounds like karoke makes Rick's version sound even more important
4) Just as Long as You Love Me A Buck Owens song that John sings as easy as taking a tiger by the tail
5) Back Home Again John Denver had a previous life as a folk singer/w/ '60s friends No one would dispute his talent for writing a fine melody/lyric John F. found it with this version
6) I'll be There a Ray Price rave-up this song could have been standard on the First Rangers LP great fun
7) Change in the Weather A CCR bonus cut maybe not but still a perfect song fitted to "Bayou Country" maybe the best cut on the CD
8) Moody River Pat Boone would NEVER be considered an influence.. or maybe John liked Pat's 1961 #1 hit about the dark river death that took his baby's life. This song with it's bumping bass line and the disquiet pain led to John's vocal ability to tell a story
9) Heavens Just a Sin Away John's gospel voice pure and sweet.
10) Fallin' Fallin' Fallin" Rockabilly as good as it gets
11) Haunted House A fun version of Gene Simmons 1961 hit
12) When Will I be Loved Not maybe can compete with the Everly Bros. Linda Ronstadt had a hit w/this (ugh) others tried mostly awful
this version with Bruce Springsteen on accompaning vocals id the prize of the CD.
This should be released as a single on Country/Adult Comtempory radio A great hit awaits
John Fogerty still records like it is an LP 12 songs 40 mins get the best | 1 | neutral | [
"John Fogerty's first incarnation of his alter-ego ache to record the songs that influenced him, \"Blue Ridge Mountain Rangers\" was a surprising hit in 1972/73.",
"Creedence Clearwater had broke up, and John recorded that LP on his own, C/W R/B Gospel songs that he loved and glory be!",
"a couple of top 50 hits,\"Jambalaya\" and \"Hearts of Stone\".",
"Now, Blue Ridge Mt.",
"Rangers redux.",
"The songs on this CD has the feeling that JF really liked and listened to mid 70's contempory singer/songwriters John Prine's \"Paradise\", John Denver (!",
")\"Back Home Again\".",
"Who knew?",
"This collection of apparently his newer/older fave songs is bunches of fun.",
"1) Paradise the John Prine song sounds fine the vocals are near the CCR growl\n2) Never Ending Song Delaney and Bonnie had a Top 10 hit with this laid back so-called motel shot John's version is almost exact from the background yelps of the girls.",
"Nice tribute to D/B!!",
"But, still D/B's version better..",
"3)Garden Party Rick Nelson's version is the Classic Don Henley (Eagles) assists on vocals sounds like karoke makes Rick's version sound even more important\n4) Just as Long as You Love Me A Buck Owens song that John sings as easy as taking a tiger by the tail\n5) Back Home Again John Denver had a previous life as a folk singer/w/ '60s friends No one would dispute his talent for writing a fine melody/lyric John F.",
"found it with this version\n6) I'll be There a Ray Price rave-up this song could have been standard on the First Rangers LP great fun\n7) Change in the Weather A CCR bonus cut maybe not but still a perfect song fitted to \"Bayou Country\" maybe the best cut on the CD\n8) Moody River Pat Boone would NEVER be considered an influence..",
"or maybe John liked Pat's 1961 #1 hit about the dark river death that took his baby's life.",
"This song with it's bumping bass line and the disquiet pain led to John's vocal ability to tell a story\n9) Heavens Just a Sin Away John's gospel voice pure and sweet.",
"10) Fallin' Fallin' Fallin\" Rockabilly as good as it gets\n11) Haunted House A fun version of Gene Simmons 1961 hit\n12) When Will I be Loved Not maybe can compete with the Everly Bros.",
"Linda Ronstadt had a hit w/this (ugh) others tried mostly awful\n this version with Bruce Springsteen on accompaning vocals id the prize of the CD.",
"This should be released as a single on Country/Adult Comtempory radio A great hit awaits\n\nJohn Fogerty still records like it is an LP 12 songs 40 mins get the best"
] |
I bought this to replace my broken Blueant Q2 with high hopes it would be better, or at least just as good. While this is a good BT which connects quick, is loud, and others can hear me fine...even over my work truck which is a Mack Granite dump truck, it's not good when paired the with my GS3. It announces Caller ID name from contacts which is a *must* and battery life seems to just as good or better then the Blueant but it KILLS the battery on my phone. For some reason, I guess because of A2DP, keeps my phone awake through Bluetooth Share. There is no way to disable BT share without killing the caller ID feature. My GS3 loses approx. 5-7% an hour in batt life with no use and cpu continuously runs in intervals...about 1/2 the time total when paired with the commandone. Using the Blueant, I'd lose 2% an hour. All in all, I get maybe 10 to 11 hours out of my phone with the command one while before I was getting 18-20 with moderate use using the blueant. Moto was no help in this matter and neither was thier sparce forums. Other than those gripes, this BT is perfect.
Pros: light weight
good batt life (command one)
Caller ID name announce/ voice commands/ voice prompts.
Fast charging
Speaker is loud and others hear me fine
Cons: Kills phone battery while connected
Ear cushion has raised edge around it causing ear to hurt after awhile
Doesn't make breakfast | 1 | neutral | [
"I bought this to replace my broken Blueant Q2 with high hopes it would be better, or at least just as good.",
"While this is a good BT which connects quick, is loud, and others can hear me fine...",
"even over my work truck which is a Mack Granite dump truck, it's not good when paired the with my GS3.",
"It announces Caller ID name from contacts which is a *must* and battery life seems to just as good or better then the Blueant but it KILLS the battery on my phone.",
"For some reason, I guess because of A2DP, keeps my phone awake through Bluetooth Share.",
"There is no way to disable BT share without killing the caller ID feature.",
"My GS3 loses approx.",
"5-7% an hour in batt life with no use and cpu continuously runs in intervals...",
"about 1/2 the time total when paired with the commandone.",
"Using the Blueant, I'd lose 2% an hour.",
"All in all, I get maybe 10 to 11 hours out of my phone with the command one while before I was getting 18-20 with moderate use using the blueant.",
"Moto was no help in this matter and neither was thier sparce forums.",
"Other than those gripes, this BT is perfect.",
"Pros: light weight\n good batt life (command one)\n Caller ID name announce/ voice commands/ voice prompts.",
"Fast charging\n Speaker is loud and others hear me fine\n\nCons: Kills phone battery while connected\n Ear cushion has raised edge around it causing ear to hurt after awhile\n Doesn't make breakfast"
] |
I used the previous (7th) edition and got an "A" in my online Anatomy and Physiology class. From what I could tell, there was no difference between the cheaper 7th edition and the ridiculously priced 8th edition except for the picture on the cover!
I gave the book three stars because it was unclear and lacked details in so many areas that it left me confused. I had to clarify a lot of issues by looking them up online.
I resold my book after I was finished with it for the same amount of money I paid for it so all it cost me was the initial shipping fee.
FYI - I quit buying books at my campus bookstore after the first semester and have saved over $1000.00 so far, just by buying used, previous editions.
The latest ploy these unscrupulous bookstores use is to package up a bunch of useless items with the necessary textbook and sell the "bundle" at an outrageous price. It is criminal.
I always ask the instructors before hand what other materials are required and if I can use the previous edition. 99 percent of the time they tell me the ONLY thing I need is the textbook and the previous edition is OK. Occasionally a professor will insist on the current edition and I still save a ton of money buying it used on Amazon.com. When I am finished, I re-sell them and usually get all my money back!
We need to get the word out about the college bookstore textbook scams! It is an OUTRAGE! | 1 | neutral | [
"I used the previous (7th) edition and got an \"A\" in my online Anatomy and Physiology class.",
"From what I could tell, there was no difference between the cheaper 7th edition and the ridiculously priced 8th edition except for the picture on the cover!",
"I gave the book three stars because it was unclear and lacked details in so many areas that it left me confused.",
"I had to clarify a lot of issues by looking them up online.",
"I resold my book after I was finished with it for the same amount of money I paid for it so all it cost me was the initial shipping fee.",
"FYI - I quit buying books at my campus bookstore after the first semester and have saved over $1000.",
"00 so far, just by buying used, previous editions.",
"The latest ploy these unscrupulous bookstores use is to package up a bunch of useless items with the necessary textbook and sell the \"bundle\" at an outrageous price.",
"It is criminal.",
"I always ask the instructors before hand what other materials are required and if I can use the previous edition.",
"99 percent of the time they tell me the ONLY thing I need is the textbook and the previous edition is OK.",
"Occasionally a professor will insist on the current edition and I still save a ton of money buying it used on Amazon.",
"com.",
"When I am finished, I re-sell them and usually get all my money back!",
"We need to get the word out about the college bookstore textbook scams!",
"It is an OUTRAGE!"
] |
I actually purchased this to cover an outdoor fire pit that sits on legs, and is about 50" tall. The cover fit pretty well. However, when pulling it down and adjusting it, my finger went through the material right by the elastic at the bottom of the cover. I was able to repair it with some gorilla tape, and that worked well. This is a replacement for the same Char-Broil cover I put on a few years ago. That original cover seemed to be a little wider, but this worked okay. The old one, I should note, lasted about 3 years before our bright sun and winter cold finally made the top brittle. All in all, this is worth the money. I would buy another. If you are looking for something really heavy duty, this might not be what you want. If you want to keep the dirt and rain off your fire pit or smoker, then this will work. | 1 | neutral | [
"I actually purchased this to cover an outdoor fire pit that sits on legs, and is about 50\" tall.",
"The cover fit pretty well.",
"However, when pulling it down and adjusting it, my finger went through the material right by the elastic at the bottom of the cover.",
"I was able to repair it with some gorilla tape, and that worked well.",
"This is a replacement for the same Char-Broil cover I put on a few years ago.",
"That original cover seemed to be a little wider, but this worked okay.",
"The old one, I should note, lasted about 3 years before our bright sun and winter cold finally made the top brittle.",
"All in all, this is worth the money.",
"I would buy another.",
"If you are looking for something really heavy duty, this might not be what you want.",
"If you want to keep the dirt and rain off your fire pit or smoker, then this will work."
] |
For anyone who doesn't know - this game weaves in and out of the movie. You play as either Ghost or Niobi on missions that run parallel to the latest Matrix movie.
The movie sequences were probably the best part of the game. The cutscenes were shot while the movie was shot, so the look is very authentic. The story, much more complex than the first Matrix, is explained a little by the game.
The driving sequences were difficult, and more frustrating than challenging. The hovercraft gameplay was infinitely more frustrating.
The graphics are pretty good. Most of the levels looked pretty good (the hovercraft and sewer levels looked absolutely terrible). The graphics are about as good as your typical 3rd person shooter. The characters looked a little boxy, and Niobi and Ghost look a little awkward when fighting.
The controls are a bit counter-intuitive: with black as the firing button, and the right thumbstick bringing bringing up first person zoom. You cannot control the camera angle. Sniping is damn near impossible. The kung-fu fighting is not as good as a genuine fighting game (Tekken, DOA, etc), but it's not so bad as to really take much from the game.
The focus element of this game is, perhaps as expected, the most fun. The characters can focus, slowing down time so you can do cool stuff (run along walls, jump long distances, dodge bullets, etc). There are a lot of cool things to do in focus mode, and it makes the game worth playing.
This game will keep you busy for a lttle while. The bullet-time makes it worth playing and the cutscenes keep it interesting. If you're not a Matrix fan, definately try this before you buy. But be forewarned - this game is difficult to master. | 1 | neutral | [
"For anyone who doesn't know - this game weaves in and out of the movie.",
"You play as either Ghost or Niobi on missions that run parallel to the latest Matrix movie.",
"The movie sequences were probably the best part of the game.",
"The cutscenes were shot while the movie was shot, so the look is very authentic.",
"The story, much more complex than the first Matrix, is explained a little by the game.",
"The driving sequences were difficult, and more frustrating than challenging.",
"The hovercraft gameplay was infinitely more frustrating.",
"The graphics are pretty good.",
"Most of the levels looked pretty good (the hovercraft and sewer levels looked absolutely terrible).",
"The graphics are about as good as your typical 3rd person shooter.",
"The characters looked a little boxy, and Niobi and Ghost look a little awkward when fighting.",
"The controls are a bit counter-intuitive: with black as the firing button, and the right thumbstick bringing bringing up first person zoom.",
"You cannot control the camera angle.",
"Sniping is damn near impossible.",
"The kung-fu fighting is not as good as a genuine fighting game (Tekken, DOA, etc), but it's not so bad as to really take much from the game.",
"The focus element of this game is, perhaps as expected, the most fun.",
"The characters can focus, slowing down time so you can do cool stuff (run along walls, jump long distances, dodge bullets, etc).",
"There are a lot of cool things to do in focus mode, and it makes the game worth playing.",
"This game will keep you busy for a lttle while.",
"The bullet-time makes it worth playing and the cutscenes keep it interesting.",
"If you're not a Matrix fan, definately try this before you buy.",
"But be forewarned - this game is difficult to master."
] |
Why it's hard for Trump to 'rip up' the Iran deal
President Donald Trump may have a hard time "ripping up" the "disastrous" Iran nuclear deal as he promised to do while campaigning.
Trump is expected to announce his decision to "decertify" the deal on Friday according to various media reports. This move would essentially leave the deal in place but make it a congressional decision whether to reimpose nuclear sanctions.
It would also theoretically allow Trump to distance himself from a deal brokered under President Barack Obama.
Trump faces opposition to this decision on a number of fronts â within his own administration inside a Republican controlled Congress and from other world powers.
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and top national security aides have reportedly pressured Trump to recertify the Iran deal. Passed in 2015 the agreement must be recertified by the president every 90 days as required by Congress.
Mattis has publicly broken with the president telling Congress earlier this month he believes it is in the US national security interest to remain a party to the agreement. His testimony reveals why it might be tricky for Trump to leave the deal â there is no evidence that Iran has violated it. And breaking from an agreement that Iran hasn't violated could hurt US credibility on the world stage at a time when world powers are trying to prevent North Korea from launching a nuclear strike.
It seems that by punting the decision to Congress Trump may be saving the deal â even though every Republican in Congress opposed it at the time.
Congressional Republicans have been trying to find ways to save the deal without Trump Reuters reports "including pushing for tougher inspections changing the law requiring Trump to certify Tehran's compliance and setting new sanctions over Iran's non-nuclear activities." | 1 | neutral | [
"Why it's hard for Trump to 'rip up' the Iran deal\nPresident Donald Trump may have a hard time \"ripping up\" the \"disastrous\" Iran nuclear deal as he promised to do while campaigning.",
"Trump is expected to announce his decision to \"decertify\" the deal on Friday according to various media reports.",
"This move would essentially leave the deal in place but make it a congressional decision whether to reimpose nuclear sanctions.",
"It would also theoretically allow Trump to distance himself from a deal brokered under President Barack Obama.",
"Trump faces opposition to this decision on a number of fronts â within his own administration inside a Republican controlled Congress and from other world powers.",
"Secretary of State Rex Tillerson Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and top national security aides have reportedly pressured Trump to recertify the Iran deal.",
"Passed in 2015 the agreement must be recertified by the president every 90 days as required by Congress.",
"Mattis has publicly broken with the president telling Congress earlier this month he believes it is in the US national security interest to remain a party to the agreement.",
"His testimony reveals why it might be tricky for Trump to leave the deal â there is no evidence that Iran has violated it.",
"And breaking from an agreement that Iran hasn't violated could hurt US credibility on the world stage at a time when world powers are trying to prevent North Korea from launching a nuclear strike.",
"It seems that by punting the decision to Congress Trump may be saving the deal â even though every Republican in Congress opposed it at the time.",
"Congressional Republicans have been trying to find ways to save the deal without Trump Reuters reports \"including pushing for tougher inspections changing the law requiring Trump to certify Tehran's compliance and setting new sanctions over Iran's non-nuclear activities.",
"\""
] |
Jane Austen this is NOT.
If you figure the characters are really modern people set in an historical context with party clothes, then yes it is an okay read.
It is written well enough and complex enough for a romance novel. I say romance novel because there is very little of historical interest in it. Plunk it down in any other setting and you get the average romance novel. He's playing around. She's a "career woman" with pluck... check. Both are good looking... check. Got a villain... check. The obligatory green dress and shopping trip... check. Sex scenes... check. Guy gets girl despite social obstacles... check. And wonder of wonders... she's really an heiress... or special... or whatever. Yep... covers the bases.
Quick read. Nothing offensive. Nothing outstanding. Just okay. | 1 | neutral | [
"Jane Austen this is NOT.",
"If you figure the characters are really modern people set in an historical context with party clothes, then yes it is an okay read.",
"It is written well enough and complex enough for a romance novel.",
"I say romance novel because there is very little of historical interest in it.",
"Plunk it down in any other setting and you get the average romance novel.",
"He's playing around.",
"She's a \"career woman\" with pluck...",
"check.",
"Both are good looking...",
"check.",
"Got a villain...",
"check.",
"The obligatory green dress and shopping trip...",
"check.",
"Sex scenes...",
"check.",
"Guy gets girl despite social obstacles...",
"check.",
"And wonder of wonders...",
"she's really an heiress...",
"or special...",
"or whatever.",
"Yep...",
"covers the bases.",
"Quick read.",
"Nothing offensive.",
"Nothing outstanding.",
"Just okay."
] |
As a consummate cyclist of Chicago, Boston and New York, I have experienced the dangers of urban riding for nearly fifteen years. Not being seen or heard leads to many hazardous, and sometimes life threatening, situations. The Air Zound horn will announce your presence to any driver of any vehicle, including eighteen wheelers and Brinks armored cars, within a city block. However, at 115 decibels, riders run the risk of being ticketed by the police. But more importantly, unleashing the Air Zound horn can inspire road rage. Clearly, this is not for alerting pedestrians or drivers of vehicles in non-emergency situations.
The Air Zound horn achieves its intended purpose. Be aware, however, you could seriously upset drivers, residents, and police in the vicinity. This potential danger leads to one of my main arguments against the design. Delta chose not to employ consumable gas cartridges, presumably to save the user money. However, I doubt this horn could be frequently implemented without the rider getting arrested or assaulted. Hence, it should be seen and used as an emergency tool powered by a compact CO2 cartridge. At the same time, it would be nice to have the entire mechanism on the handlebars with a trigger within reach of the rider's thumb or index finger. The current arrangement utilizes a water bottle-like air reservoir connected via a hose to a horn mounted on the handlebars. This is less than ideal as the rider must either use an entire water bottle cage or strap it to the frame. Also, the rider must take one hand off of the handlebar grip to squeeze the trigger, which is unsuitable for emergency situations.
In summary, the Air Zound horn is an incredibly loud bicycle horn for unique situations. If you can tolerate the size and exposure to animosity from police and civilians alike, use it with care.
Pros
Really, really loud
No batteries or consumable items such as CO2
Lightweight
Cons
Bulky
Trigger far from grips/shifter
Potential ticketing / animosity | 1 | neutral | [
"As a consummate cyclist of Chicago, Boston and New York, I have experienced the dangers of urban riding for nearly fifteen years.",
"Not being seen or heard leads to many hazardous, and sometimes life threatening, situations.",
"The Air Zound horn will announce your presence to any driver of any vehicle, including eighteen wheelers and Brinks armored cars, within a city block.",
"However, at 115 decibels, riders run the risk of being ticketed by the police.",
"But more importantly, unleashing the Air Zound horn can inspire road rage.",
"Clearly, this is not for alerting pedestrians or drivers of vehicles in non-emergency situations.",
"The Air Zound horn achieves its intended purpose.",
"Be aware, however, you could seriously upset drivers, residents, and police in the vicinity.",
"This potential danger leads to one of my main arguments against the design.",
"Delta chose not to employ consumable gas cartridges, presumably to save the user money.",
"However, I doubt this horn could be frequently implemented without the rider getting arrested or assaulted.",
"Hence, it should be seen and used as an emergency tool powered by a compact CO2 cartridge.",
"At the same time, it would be nice to have the entire mechanism on the handlebars with a trigger within reach of the rider's thumb or index finger.",
"The current arrangement utilizes a water bottle-like air reservoir connected via a hose to a horn mounted on the handlebars.",
"This is less than ideal as the rider must either use an entire water bottle cage or strap it to the frame.",
"Also, the rider must take one hand off of the handlebar grip to squeeze the trigger, which is unsuitable for emergency situations.",
"In summary, the Air Zound horn is an incredibly loud bicycle horn for unique situations.",
"If you can tolerate the size and exposure to animosity from police and civilians alike, use it with care.",
"Pros\n\nReally, really loud\n\nNo batteries or consumable items such as CO2\n\nLightweight\n\nCons\n\nBulky\n\nTrigger far from grips/shifter\n\nPotential ticketing / animosity"
] |
From Michigan State to Karolyi Ranch: The fallout from the Larry Nassar scandal
Numerous people have been fired or forced out of jobs in the wake of the scandal involving once-renowned gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar who was sentenced Wednesday to decades in prison for molesting some of the sport's top athletes and others. The latest was Michigan State University President Lou Anna Simon who resigned hours after Nassar 's sentencing. She acknowledged being "the focus of this anger" but has denied any cover-up by the university which employed Nassar . He also worked for USA Gymnastics the sport's national governing body.
— John Geddert: The owner of the Michigan club was suspended by USA Gymnastics and announced his retirement. He was U.S. women's coach at the 2012 Olympics. Nassar pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting seven people three of whom were girls at Twistars but more than 150 women and girls came forward at his sentencing hearing to describe molestations. Geddert said he had "zero knowledge" of Nassar 's crimes.
— USA Gymnastics said earlier this month that the ranch outside Huntsville Texas would no longer serve as the national training center where a number of gymnasts said Nassar abused them.
Sally Jenkins: SA Gymnastics allowed Larry Nassar to prey upon innocent victims. Congress must investigate. »
'We have the power now': The statements from the women who confronted Larry Nassar » | 1 | neutral | [
"From Michigan State to Karolyi Ranch: The fallout from the Larry Nassar scandal\nNumerous people have been fired or forced out of jobs in the wake of the scandal involving once-renowned gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar who was sentenced Wednesday to decades in prison for molesting some of the sport's top athletes and others.",
"The latest was Michigan State University President Lou Anna Simon who resigned hours after Nassar 's sentencing.",
"She acknowledged being \"the focus of this anger\" but has denied any cover-up by the university which employed Nassar.",
"He also worked for USA Gymnastics the sport's national governing body.",
"— John Geddert: The owner of the Michigan club was suspended by USA Gymnastics and announced his retirement.",
"He was U.",
"S. women's coach at the 2012 Olympics.",
"Nassar pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting seven people three of whom were girls at Twistars but more than 150 women and girls came forward at his sentencing hearing to describe molestations.",
"Geddert said he had \"zero knowledge\" of Nassar 's crimes.",
"— USA Gymnastics said earlier this month that the ranch outside Huntsville Texas would no longer serve as the national training center where a number of gymnasts said Nassar abused them.",
"Sally Jenkins: SA Gymnastics allowed Larry Nassar to prey upon innocent victims.",
"Congress must investigate.",
"»\n'We have the power now': The statements from the women who confronted Larry Nassar »"
] |
I love animation but haven't done it in years - and NEVER on a computer. It thought this would be a lot of fun to play around with. And over the last several months it has been a blast - but I'm just playing.
This has a bit of a learning curve that will be daunting for children who attempt this on their own - I would suggest having an adult learn it first then work with the kids to get the basics down before turning them loose on it.
For adults - this is a lot of fun to play with, the bone feature is nice for making movements more simple. I love the premade parts (like eyes and mouths) for speeding up the process. But this version has severe limitations for someone looking to make anything long or deeply involved. I'm told that the length limits and track limits are different for the non-debut version but I don't have that version so I can't speak to it.
If you are looking to make something more complex or intend to do something more professional, I would spend the money for a more complete or less limited software. If you are just looking to play around or make little youtube videos this is perfect (and it will even upload directly to youtube for you) | 1 | neutral | [
"I love animation but haven't done it in years - and NEVER on a computer.",
"It thought this would be a lot of fun to play around with.",
"And over the last several months it has been a blast - but I'm just playing.",
"This has a bit of a learning curve that will be daunting for children who attempt this on their own - I would suggest having an adult learn it first then work with the kids to get the basics down before turning them loose on it.",
"For adults - this is a lot of fun to play with, the bone feature is nice for making movements more simple.",
"I love the premade parts (like eyes and mouths) for speeding up the process.",
"But this version has severe limitations for someone looking to make anything long or deeply involved.",
"I'm told that the length limits and track limits are different for the non-debut version but I don't have that version so I can't speak to it.",
"If you are looking to make something more complex or intend to do something more professional, I would spend the money for a more complete or less limited software.",
"If you are just looking to play around or make little youtube videos this is perfect (and it will even upload directly to youtube for you)"
] |
I ordered this bluetooth because i couldn't find my plantronics. I was looking for one that you can listen to your music as well. This Q2 blueant is an awesome piece, but after just a few weeks of use the trademarks started to fall off. first I noticed that there was a sticky substance on my piece, after inspecting it thoroughly, the Q2 logo, fell off, it's just like a piece of rubber glued poorly on the back of the earpiece, now it looks more like a Q1, oh well. Later on, like about 2 weeks, the covering at the tip of the bluetooth started to slide off, the same poorly glued covering, and the black tiny piece of foam or whatever material naturally fell off exposing the mic. I would have given this a 5 star because of its performance and design, but the quality of its product is a little off.
UPDATE: Oct. 29, 2013
My bluetooth is broken in two, no force, it was just on my shirt pocket and when I pulled it out, it's like it disintegrated and little pieces fell off. Well at least it lasted more than a year. I hope Blueant can make a better quality bluetooth... my other bluetooth I was using it for more than 2 yrs and it was still fine, much sturdier, just lost it. This product is great except for its quality sucks! | 1 | neutral | [
"I ordered this bluetooth because i couldn't find my plantronics.",
"I was looking for one that you can listen to your music as well.",
"This Q2 blueant is an awesome piece, but after just a few weeks of use the trademarks started to fall off.",
"first I noticed that there was a sticky substance on my piece, after inspecting it thoroughly, the Q2 logo, fell off, it's just like a piece of rubber glued poorly on the back of the earpiece, now it looks more like a Q1, oh well.",
"Later on, like about 2 weeks, the covering at the tip of the bluetooth started to slide off, the same poorly glued covering, and the black tiny piece of foam or whatever material naturally fell off exposing the mic.",
"I would have given this a 5 star because of its performance and design, but the quality of its product is a little off.",
"UPDATE: Oct.",
"29, 2013\nMy bluetooth is broken in two, no force, it was just on my shirt pocket and when I pulled it out, it's like it disintegrated and little pieces fell off.",
"Well at least it lasted more than a year.",
"I hope Blueant can make a better quality bluetooth...",
"my other bluetooth I was using it for more than 2 yrs and it was still fine, much sturdier, just lost it.",
"This product is great except for its quality sucks!"
] |
Niger president seeks more power in referendum
Over a span of several months 71-year-old President Mamadou Tandja has imposed rule by decree cracked down on opponents and the press and dismantled parliament and the constitutional court which oppose his plan and together represented the last real checks on his rule.
On Tuesday a controversial referendum could remove the last obstacle in Tandja's way -- the constitution -- replacing it with a new one that does away with term-limits and simultaneously gives him greatly boosted powers and an unprecedented three-year extension of his rule.
"He took the oath of office swearing on the Quran to protect our nation's democratic institutions " opposition leader Mahamadou Issoufou said. "But instead he is destroying them."
Opponents say Tandja is clinging to power so his family clan and entourage can benefit from an influx of wealth from large-scale projects that are under way. Tandja denies it and says he is only obeying the will of his people who he feels want him to finish projects to develop one of the poorest nations in the world.
"The people see the future and they are asking their president to continue to serve so he completes this work " Tandja told The Associated Press in an interview Friday at his residence a complex of low-rise sand-brown buildings surrounded by palm trees. "But the constitution does not permit me to stay ... that's why the people demand a new one. We need to find a way."
"It's an existential problem for many African heads of state " said Mahamane Ousmane who led parliament until Tandja dissolved it in May because lawmakers opposed the referendum. "They can't imagine a normal life outside the palace. They say 'Will I be in exile? Will I be in prison? What will I do?'"
Ousmane defeated Tandja in a 1993 poll and served as president until he was toppled in a 1996 coup. Today he lives in a modest home on a dirt road in the sleepy capital.
Tandja however told The AP he was "afraid of nothing."
Any influence foreign donors may have has been undermined by several huge new projects that have buoyed Tandja and are unlikely to grind to a halt. Among them: a US$5 billion (euro3.5 billion) deal with China to build an oil refinery and extract new crude from the desert a US$1.7 billion (euro1.2 billion) accord with French nuclear giant Areva to build the world's second biggest uranium mine and a hydroelectric dam financed with US$50 million (euro35 million) from the Islamic Development Bank.
Tandja claims his actions are legal but opponents say he could only rule by decree if Niger was under threat and parliament was in place to safeguard against abuse. Tandja dissolved the constitutional court -- the only body that could judge such disputes -- after it ruled the referendum illegal. He then replaced it with another court whose members he appointed.
The proposed new constitution would give him authority to name one third of a new 60-seat senate and the power to jail journalists who are deemed security threats without warning.
A roadside florist Hama Alhassane hasn't seen the draft constitution and doesn't know how it differs from the current one. But "whatever Tandja wants I will do " the 23-year-old said. "Because he is the state and we must do what the state demands."
State media only carry pro-referendum messages. A private TV station that broadcast a statement critical of Tandja was temporarily shut down.
Tandja vowed to respect the outcome telling The AP: "If they say no I will go." | 1 | neutral | [
"Niger president seeks more power in referendum\nOver a span of several months 71-year-old President Mamadou Tandja has imposed rule by decree cracked down on opponents and the press and dismantled parliament and the constitutional court which oppose his plan and together represented the last real checks on his rule.",
"On Tuesday a controversial referendum could remove the last obstacle in Tandja's way -- the constitution -- replacing it with a new one that does away with term-limits and simultaneously gives him greatly boosted powers and an unprecedented three-year extension of his rule.",
"\"He took the oath of office swearing on the Quran to protect our nation's democratic institutions \" opposition leader Mahamadou Issoufou said.",
"\"But instead he is destroying them.",
"\"\n Opponents say Tandja is clinging to power so his family clan and entourage can benefit from an influx of wealth from large-scale projects that are under way.",
"Tandja denies it and says he is only obeying the will of his people who he feels want him to finish projects to develop one of the poorest nations in the world.",
"\"The people see the future and they are asking their president to continue to serve so he completes this work \" Tandja told The Associated Press in an interview Friday at his residence a complex of low-rise sand-brown buildings surrounded by palm trees.",
"\"But the constitution does not permit me to stay...",
"that's why the people demand a new one.",
"We need to find a way.",
"\"\n \"It's an existential problem for many African heads of state \" said Mahamane Ousmane who led parliament until Tandja dissolved it in May because lawmakers opposed the referendum.",
"\"They can't imagine a normal life outside the palace.",
"They say 'Will I be in exile?",
"Will I be in prison?",
"What will I do?",
"'\"\n Ousmane defeated Tandja in a 1993 poll and served as president until he was toppled in a 1996 coup.",
"Today he lives in a modest home on a dirt road in the sleepy capital.",
"Tandja however told The AP he was \"afraid of nothing.",
"\"\n Any influence foreign donors may have has been undermined by several huge new projects that have buoyed Tandja and are unlikely to grind to a halt.",
"Among them: a US$5 billion (euro3.",
"5 billion) deal with China to build an oil refinery and extract new crude from the desert a US$1.",
"7 billion (euro1.",
"2 billion) accord with French nuclear giant Areva to build the world's second biggest uranium mine and a hydroelectric dam financed with US$50 million (euro35 million) from the Islamic Development Bank.",
"Tandja claims his actions are legal but opponents say he could only rule by decree if Niger was under threat and parliament was in place to safeguard against abuse.",
"Tandja dissolved the constitutional court -- the only body that could judge such disputes -- after it ruled the referendum illegal.",
"He then replaced it with another court whose members he appointed.",
"The proposed new constitution would give him authority to name one third of a new 60-seat senate and the power to jail journalists who are deemed security threats without warning.",
"A roadside florist Hama Alhassane hasn't seen the draft constitution and doesn't know how it differs from the current one.",
"But \"whatever Tandja wants I will do \" the 23-year-old said.",
"\"Because he is the state and we must do what the state demands.",
"\"\n State media only carry pro-referendum messages.",
"A private TV station that broadcast a statement critical of Tandja was temporarily shut down.",
"Tandja vowed to respect the outcome telling The AP: \"If they say no I will go.",
"\""
] |
This is a fun book that I really enjoyed. The only reason that I am not giving it 5 stars is because I bought the book with the impression that it was a clean romance. Admittedly there is no clothing removal or petting, the kissing scenes are WAY too graphic for a "clean" read. The story is fun though. I loved the entire Goldilocks and the Three bears thing. His impish teasing and her honesty. His getting roped into going fishing with the juvenile delinquent responsible for getting him and Honey together is a great little twist. I really liked the story. It was a great read, I loved the characters (except the fiance of course!) and the whole story complete with some unexpected depth into the characters. Just didn't want to be that involved with their kissing thank you. | 1 | neutral | [
"This is a fun book that I really enjoyed.",
"The only reason that I am not giving it 5 stars is because I bought the book with the impression that it was a clean romance.",
"Admittedly there is no clothing removal or petting, the kissing scenes are WAY too graphic for a \"clean\" read.",
"The story is fun though.",
"I loved the entire Goldilocks and the Three bears thing.",
"His impish teasing and her honesty.",
"His getting roped into going fishing with the juvenile delinquent responsible for getting him and Honey together is a great little twist.",
"I really liked the story.",
"It was a great read, I loved the characters (except the fiance of course!",
") and the whole story complete with some unexpected depth into the characters.",
"Just didn't want to be that involved with their kissing thank you."
] |
I never thought I would actually buy a Def Leppard album! Def leppard has always been to me the perfect exemple of band with no talent what so ever that reaches the top for some unknow reason. Then a couple of weeks ago I heard Pour some sugar on the radio and the song wouldn't go out of my head! So I had to buy a greatest hits to check if my impressions about the band were still valid.
And I have to admit that now I understand why DL made it to the top, they really have great refrains and melodies! Classic Heavy rocks or ballads, fun and straight to the point.
But I still believe that the music is very basic and far from being original, the sound of the HYSTERIA period is too late 80's for me and I still think that Joe Elliot is not a great singer...fine that's all.
But besides their great tunes what I really appreciate about Def Leppard is the sincerity behind the simplicity and the hard work they must have put on each album especially after Rick Allen's accident, and just for that DL deserves all gratitudes!
I am not saying that VAULT will turn me into the biggest Leppard fan but it sure gives me the will to listen to more of their work. | 1 | neutral | [
"I never thought I would actually buy a Def Leppard album!",
"Def leppard has always been to me the perfect exemple of band with no talent what so ever that reaches the top for some unknow reason.",
"Then a couple of weeks ago I heard Pour some sugar on the radio and the song wouldn't go out of my head!",
"So I had to buy a greatest hits to check if my impressions about the band were still valid.",
"And I have to admit that now I understand why DL made it to the top, they really have great refrains and melodies!",
"Classic Heavy rocks or ballads, fun and straight to the point.",
"But I still believe that the music is very basic and far from being original, the sound of the HYSTERIA period is too late 80's for me and I still think that Joe Elliot is not a great singer...",
"fine that's all.",
"But besides their great tunes what I really appreciate about Def Leppard is the sincerity behind the simplicity and the hard work they must have put on each album especially after Rick Allen's accident, and just for that DL deserves all gratitudes!",
"I am not saying that VAULT will turn me into the biggest Leppard fan but it sure gives me the will to listen to more of their work."
] |
<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/The-Demon-s-Possession-Shadow-Quest-Book-1-Paranormal-Romance/dp/B004X6R8Y8/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">The Demon's Possession (Shadow Quest Book 1): Paranormal Romance</a>
The Demon's Possession (Shadow Quest #1) by Kiersten Fay (Goodreads Author)
Debra Johnson's review Jun 27, 2017
bookshelves: 3-other-authors
New Adult Sci-fi/Paranormal Romance/Suspense
First the negatives.
Slow moving from about a quarter of the way in up to the end. Things definitely could have moved faster throughout the book. There is a lot of repetition and various types of errors. None of the errors got in the way of the flow of the story. The repetition and speed of action does. So much so, I would find myself nodding off or skipping over paragraphs.
Now the positives.
A great storyline. The good parts are REALLY good. The main characters and the secondary characters are all very interesting. The world build is intriguing.
I liked the story, but I didn't love it. However, it does have me wondering what happens in the next book.
Truthfully, I don't understand all the 5 star reviews. Maybe they have a better copy that has all the repetition and slow parts edited out. For me it is a solid 3 stars.
June 27, 2017 Finished Reading
June 24, 2017 Started Reading | 1 | neutral | [
"<a data-hook=\"product-link-linked\" class=\"a-link-normal\" href=\"/The-Demon-s-Possession-Shadow-Quest-Book-1-Paranormal-Romance/dp/B004X6R8Y8/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?",
"ie=UTF8\">The Demon's Possession (Shadow Quest Book 1): Paranormal Romance</a>\nThe Demon's Possession (Shadow Quest #1) by Kiersten Fay (Goodreads Author)\nDebra Johnson's review Jun 27, 2017\nbookshelves: 3-other-authors\nNew Adult Sci-fi/Paranormal Romance/Suspense\nFirst the negatives.",
"Slow moving from about a quarter of the way in up to the end.",
"Things definitely could have moved faster throughout the book.",
"There is a lot of repetition and various types of errors.",
"None of the errors got in the way of the flow of the story.",
"The repetition and speed of action does.",
"So much so, I would find myself nodding off or skipping over paragraphs.",
"Now the positives.",
"A great storyline.",
"The good parts are REALLY good.",
"The main characters and the secondary characters are all very interesting.",
"The world build is intriguing.",
"I liked the story, but I didn't love it.",
"However, it does have me wondering what happens in the next book.",
"Truthfully, I don't understand all the 5 star reviews.",
"Maybe they have a better copy that has all the repetition and slow parts edited out.",
"For me it is a solid 3 stars.",
"June 27, 2017 Finished Reading\nJune 24, 2017 Started Reading"
] |
Immigration and business schools: The Trump effect
UNLIKE many of Americaâs prominent business executives Donald Trump gained his acumen on the streets of New York rather than in an MBA classroom (though he did attend an undergraduate programme at Wharton). But two recent surveys suggest that Mr Trump is having an effect on Americaâs business schools nonetheless.
The Trump administration plans to tighten the rules around H-1B visasâwhich are awarded to foreigners looking to work in the United Statesâfollowing up on a campaign pledge to support âAmerica firstâ. This financial year 65 000 such visas will handed out (plus 20 000 specifically for people who hold a Master's degree). But last year more than 230 000 people applied and quotas were filled within days.
The MBACSEAâs findings support those of an earlier survey carried out by the Graduate Management Admissions Council (GMAC) the body which administers the GMAT test. GMAC asked applicants to business schools whether the outcome of the presidential election had swayed their decision to pursue a graduate business degree at an American business school. Overall 37% said Mr Trump's election made them less likely to apply; more than half of applicants with a GMAT score higher than 700 said they had been dissuaded.
The findings are bad news for American employers and business school alike. The MBA is a global phenomenon; students can now choose between high-quality schools on nearly every continent. And anything that dissuades foreigners will affect the quality of the education. The benefits of diverse classrooms are well established: students learn business practices from different perspectives and become more rounded candidates simply by spending time with a varied cohort. Many schools will be hoping that the Trump effect is short-lived. | 1 | neutral | [
"Immigration and business schools: The Trump effect\nUNLIKE many of Americaâs prominent business executives Donald Trump gained his acumen on the streets of New York rather than in an MBA classroom (though he did attend an undergraduate programme at Wharton).",
"But two recent surveys suggest that Mr Trump is having an effect on Americaâs business schools nonetheless.",
"The Trump administration plans to tighten the rules around H-1B visasâwhich are awarded to foreigners looking to work in the United Statesâfollowing up on a campaign pledge to support âAmerica firstâ.",
"This financial year 65 000 such visas will handed out (plus 20 000 specifically for people who hold a Master's degree).",
"But last year more than 230 000 people applied and quotas were filled within days.",
"The MBACSEAâs findings support those of an earlier survey carried out by the Graduate Management Admissions Council (GMAC) the body which administers the GMAT test.",
"GMAC asked applicants to business schools whether the outcome of the presidential election had swayed their decision to pursue a graduate business degree at an American business school.",
"Overall 37% said Mr Trump's election made them less likely to apply; more than half of applicants with a GMAT score higher than 700 said they had been dissuaded.",
"The findings are bad news for American employers and business school alike.",
"The MBA is a global phenomenon; students can now choose between high-quality schools on nearly every continent.",
"And anything that dissuades foreigners will affect the quality of the education.",
"The benefits of diverse classrooms are well established: students learn business practices from different perspectives and become more rounded candidates simply by spending time with a varied cohort.",
"Many schools will be hoping that the Trump effect is short-lived."
] |
Sorry to have to bring the rating down a little, but, well, here's my two cents. I love Fords. I'm somewhat of a Ford guy. I own a '91 Ranger pickup, and am saving up to buy an old Mustang. (Don't get me wrong though, I love Chevys too. I have a '63 Impala SS.) So when I saw this game in the ten buck bin at [my local electronics store], with a big pretty Mustang on the front, I said, "How can I go wrong?" and got it instantly.
Well, it's probably worth the $10, but not much more (if anything). Here are some pro's and con's:
CON'S:
- Car selection is limited
- Race tracks are kinda redundant
- Ditto for music
- Graphics aren't that great
Let me elaborate on the car selection comment. I think that there weren't enough Fords to be had here. If I designed the game, I would make it so every model/year would be available, and you could also customize it with colors, engines, etc (you can't do that on the game).
PRO'S:
- MUSTANGS MUSTANGS MUSTANGS!
- Gives you an idea of how the car handles/drives in real life
- Basically a simple racing game
- Preview some upcoming Ford concepts
- With my budget, it's probably the closest I'll ever come to driving a Ford GT
- Has the official Ford license
Anyway, if you're interested in this game, my advice is to rent it and see what you think. It's not bad, but it's not really great, either. It can hold my interest for a little while, but eventually I'll turn on something else. But that's just me. You might be different. | 1 | neutral | [
"Sorry to have to bring the rating down a little, but, well, here's my two cents.",
"I love Fords.",
"I'm somewhat of a Ford guy.",
"I own a '91 Ranger pickup, and am saving up to buy an old Mustang.",
"(Don't get me wrong though, I love Chevys too.",
"I have a '63 Impala SS.",
") So when I saw this game in the ten buck bin at [my local electronics store], with a big pretty Mustang on the front, I said, \"How can I go wrong?",
"\" and got it instantly.",
"Well, it's probably worth the $10, but not much more (if anything).",
"Here are some pro's and con's:\n\nCON'S:\n\n- Car selection is limited\n\n- Race tracks are kinda redundant\n\n- Ditto for music\n\n- Graphics aren't that great\n\nLet me elaborate on the car selection comment.",
"I think that there weren't enough Fords to be had here.",
"If I designed the game, I would make it so every model/year would be available, and you could also customize it with colors, engines, etc (you can't do that on the game).",
"PRO'S:\n\n- MUSTANGS MUSTANGS MUSTANGS!",
"- Gives you an idea of how the car handles/drives in real life\n\n- Basically a simple racing game\n\n- Preview some upcoming Ford concepts\n\n- With my budget, it's probably the closest I'll ever come to driving a Ford GT\n\n- Has the official Ford license\n\nAnyway, if you're interested in this game, my advice is to rent it and see what you think.",
"It's not bad, but it's not really great, either.",
"It can hold my interest for a little while, but eventually I'll turn on something else.",
"But that's just me.",
"You might be different."
] |
I don't understand the other reviews here. "My kids scraped the ink off and ate it," "My baby got bored with these."
These aren't baby rattles. They're percussion instruments. They're good percussion instruments that kids can play with, sure. But I'm in a band and was looking for shakers to use at shows. I also teach music to elementary-school aged children, and they're great for some interactive group lessons for young kids.
But they're not a toy for infants and toddlers. Nor do they claim to be.
I typically use a nicer shaker for recording, but these are easy to throw into a bag, brightly colored so you won't have to dig around for them, and they sound fine.
One of the other reviews complained that they're "sharp" sounding and slow, but it just depends on how you hold them. | 1 | neutral | [
"I don't understand the other reviews here.",
"\"My kids scraped the ink off and ate it,\" \"My baby got bored with these.",
"\"\n\nThese aren't baby rattles.",
"They're percussion instruments.",
"They're good percussion instruments that kids can play with, sure.",
"But I'm in a band and was looking for shakers to use at shows.",
"I also teach music to elementary-school aged children, and they're great for some interactive group lessons for young kids.",
"But they're not a toy for infants and toddlers.",
"Nor do they claim to be.",
"I typically use a nicer shaker for recording, but these are easy to throw into a bag, brightly colored so you won't have to dig around for them, and they sound fine.",
"One of the other reviews complained that they're \"sharp\" sounding and slow, but it just depends on how you hold them."
] |
All the momentum that Ice & Fire had at the end of A Clash of Kings has now been sapped from the story. The characters are getting spread so far and thin that I am starting to lose interest. The plot has likewise become too large and thin. I was looking forward to this book moving the serious forward, but few questions are addressed, almost none are resolved, and more are given. Everything is pretty much the same as it was at the end of A Clash of Kings, with few major plot developments. When you figure that A Feast for Crows and A Dance With Dragons are essentially one book, its hard to believe that so little could get accomplished in over 1500 pages. The characters are already developed, and they development little more. No one is moving anywhere, to fight or do anything. Out of three thousand pages, there are perhaps a half dozen major developments, and even those are somewhat minor in the big picture. Basically GRRM's last 1500 pages in this series equate to approximately half a novel worth of plot and character development. The other 1100 pages or so is just the characters acting in their continually cliche manners(cliche mostly in that we have read hundreds of pages about them, and they are already plenty well-developed)while going from point A to point B. | 1 | neutral | [
"All the momentum that Ice & Fire had at the end of A Clash of Kings has now been sapped from the story.",
"The characters are getting spread so far and thin that I am starting to lose interest.",
"The plot has likewise become too large and thin.",
"I was looking forward to this book moving the serious forward, but few questions are addressed, almost none are resolved, and more are given.",
"Everything is pretty much the same as it was at the end of A Clash of Kings, with few major plot developments.",
"When you figure that A Feast for Crows and A Dance With Dragons are essentially one book, its hard to believe that so little could get accomplished in over 1500 pages.",
"The characters are already developed, and they development little more.",
"No one is moving anywhere, to fight or do anything.",
"Out of three thousand pages, there are perhaps a half dozen major developments, and even those are somewhat minor in the big picture.",
"Basically GRRM's last 1500 pages in this series equate to approximately half a novel worth of plot and character development.",
"The other 1100 pages or so is just the characters acting in their continually cliche manners(cliche mostly in that we have read hundreds of pages about them, and they are already plenty well-developed)while going from point A to point B."
] |
Breath Of Fire 3 is a traditional RPG with a combination of 3D and 2D graphics. The characters are what one would expect from a BOF game. The battle layout is well done for the most part, even though the loading time for some commands is just horrible. The Masters system is a cool idea, as you can shape your characters into any class you want by apprenticing them to the right master. The feature that keeps BOF 3 from reaching classic status is the story. It starts out interesting, but about halfway through the game it seems to lose it's purpose. Another annoying aspect is the desert area near the end of the game. The directions they give you are vague and confusing. Worst of all however, is after all the long hours you put into playing the game, the ending is short and stale. If you are a seasoned RPG fan and have played through all of the other RPGs for Playstation, BOF 3 will keep you busy until the next big hit arrives. If you hate puzzles and long loading times however, Breath Of Fire 3 may not be your game. | 1 | neutral | [
"Breath Of Fire 3 is a traditional RPG with a combination of 3D and 2D graphics.",
"The characters are what one would expect from a BOF game.",
"The battle layout is well done for the most part, even though the loading time for some commands is just horrible.",
"The Masters system is a cool idea, as you can shape your characters into any class you want by apprenticing them to the right master.",
"The feature that keeps BOF 3 from reaching classic status is the story.",
"It starts out interesting, but about halfway through the game it seems to lose it's purpose.",
"Another annoying aspect is the desert area near the end of the game.",
"The directions they give you are vague and confusing.",
"Worst of all however, is after all the long hours you put into playing the game, the ending is short and stale.",
"If you are a seasoned RPG fan and have played through all of the other RPGs for Playstation, BOF 3 will keep you busy until the next big hit arrives.",
"If you hate puzzles and long loading times however, Breath Of Fire 3 may not be your game."
] |
Yes, ladies and gentlemen, yet another bigger, more expensive edition of Highlander is on DVD. Highlander: That ridiculous over-the-top blending of sword and sorcerer fantasy and science fiction with a modern day action film that featured Christopher Lambert and rub-your-doubting-eyes-all-you-want-it's-really-Connery, Sean Connery. Connery is only a supporting player in the film, but the fun he seems to be having is not only utterly infectious it also injects the film with the needed charisma and energy it needs to make the goofy thing worth watching.
Highlander makes little logical sense, but tries to pretend it does with various conflicting explanations that never cover plot holes or explain why competitors would be so helpful and friendly with one another if they knew they might have to face each other in a duel to the death.... But never mind logic.. this is action packed pick out the continuity errors-fun isn't it?
UCLA student Gregory Widen (who went on to write and direct Prophecy and was one of the writers of Backdraft) wrote Highlander, as his senior thesis and attempted to create a fantastical legend about a chosen group of immortals who walk the earth for centuries, preparing for duel to the death sword battles with each other. Mostly set in 1986, it offers the impressive spectacle of swashbuckling sword fights taking place in parking garages, modern streets and rooftops all cut like music videos. There's a couple of flashbacks to merry old England and the Scottish Highlands that are done quite well (yes, that's the same castle used here that's used in Monty Python and the Holy Grail).
My favorite sequence is still the wild ride Kurgan (Clancy Brown) takes Roxane Hart on toward the end of the film. Crazed, evil Clancy is immortal and enjoys terrorizing mortals, driving fast, and causing mayhem. He grabs the film's ingnue and takes her on a wild ride right over poor Mr. Toad that is a pure visceral shot of cinematic adrenalin.
What keeps Highlander enjoyable and explains it's popular loyal cult following is it's matter of fact, somehow this makes sense, don't try to figure out, we're not completely serious tone. It winds up being a very silly, violent, action packed ride. It's not outwardly campy and tongue-in-cheek (except when Brown or Connery are on screen). It's directed and edited like a music video which wasn't the case with every other movie back when this was made by Rusell Mulcahy (who had directed many music videos). The normally dull and wooden Lambert comes across much better than say a heavily accented Chuck Norris, Van Damme type action hero usually does, simply because the film doesn't linger on him a moment longer than it has to. Just when the film starts sagging big time, Sean Connery arrives on the scene playing the kind of high energy Errol Flynn you've always wanted him to play. Things get down-right cartoonish with the proper introduction of an over-the-top bad attitude, bad guy Kurgan (Brown). Suddenly the film feels like a WWF extravaganza with swords instead of folding chairs. And so it goes.
Yes, Highlander is a guilty pleasure film. It's fun, if you let it be. It's got exciting visuals. The sequels are awful, the t.v. series better than you'd think, but the first movie
is well... the One.
Highlander also features three mediocre Queen Songs that are so incongruent and wrong for the film... they fit perfectly.
IMAGE AND SOUND
Highlander was originally thrown onto the marketplace in a Republic DVD release that was one of the worst DVDs ever released. A restored director's cut version was later produced which added about ten minutes of footage to the film, and then came an improved re-mastered version. Previous (to 2002) Anchor Bay releases have been discontinued. This new edition features an Anamorphic widescreen presentation which is superior to former editions. The film was not made on a huge budget and has a slightly softer focus than the crisp images newer films have, but there were all these filters and smoke and various lighting effects going on and then effects were added via computer 1980's style. You won't find much artifacting and the black levels are stronger, but details in the shadows are still lost and some of the darker scenes look pretty muddy.
The audio is where Anchor Bay has gone crazy making a new DD EX mix AND a six-channel DTS mix. Lots of use of the various channels during action sequences. For all the noise and flash the dialogue remains clear and easy to hear. When the film isn't being bombastic and over the top, it's way too quiet and the sudden jumps might be annoying and sound very shrill to the uninitiated. More sensitive viewers will want to have the remote nearby to monitor the volume control. To those knowing it's a cheesy, campy film, this loud re-mix is perfect for the film.
Extra Features:
Well the extras for the ...IMMORTAL package consist of the metal slipcase, a 24 page booklet of production notes and an additional disc that has three Queen songs (Princes of the Universe, One Year of Love and Friends will be Friends). Oh you also get three Queen videos and a couple of mediocre still galleries as well.
If you're a Highlander film fanatic AND a big fan of Queen, it might be worth getting this special collectors package. Otherwise the other Highlander DVD will satisfy you just fine.
Incidentally the interesting Queen version of New York, New York (form the film) remains the only known unreleased Queen song. It is not on the bonus C.D. of this package.<P | 1 | neutral | [
"Yes, ladies and gentlemen, yet another bigger, more expensive edition of Highlander is on DVD.",
"Highlander: That ridiculous over-the-top blending of sword and sorcerer fantasy and science fiction with a modern day action film that featured Christopher Lambert and rub-your-doubting-eyes-all-you-want-it's-really-Connery, Sean Connery.",
"Connery is only a supporting player in the film, but the fun he seems to be having is not only utterly infectious it also injects the film with the needed charisma and energy it needs to make the goofy thing worth watching.",
"Highlander makes little logical sense, but tries to pretend it does with various conflicting explanations that never cover plot holes or explain why competitors would be so helpful and friendly with one another if they knew they might have to face each other in a duel to the death....",
"But never mind logic..",
"this is action packed pick out the continuity errors-fun isn't it?",
"UCLA student Gregory Widen (who went on to write and direct Prophecy and was one of the writers of Backdraft) wrote Highlander, as his senior thesis and attempted to create a fantastical legend about a chosen group of immortals who walk the earth for centuries, preparing for duel to the death sword battles with each other.",
"Mostly set in 1986, it offers the impressive spectacle of swashbuckling sword fights taking place in parking garages, modern streets and rooftops all cut like music videos.",
"There's a couple of flashbacks to merry old England and the Scottish Highlands that are done quite well (yes, that's the same castle used here that's used in Monty Python and the Holy Grail).",
"My favorite sequence is still the wild ride Kurgan (Clancy Brown) takes Roxane Hart on toward the end of the film.",
"Crazed, evil Clancy is immortal and enjoys terrorizing mortals, driving fast, and causing mayhem.",
"He grabs the film's ingnue and takes her on a wild ride right over poor Mr.",
"Toad that is a pure visceral shot of cinematic adrenalin.",
"What keeps Highlander enjoyable and explains it's popular loyal cult following is it's matter of fact, somehow this makes sense, don't try to figure out, we're not completely serious tone.",
"It winds up being a very silly, violent, action packed ride.",
"It's not outwardly campy and tongue-in-cheek (except when Brown or Connery are on screen).",
"It's directed and edited like a music video which wasn't the case with every other movie back when this was made by Rusell Mulcahy (who had directed many music videos).",
"The normally dull and wooden Lambert comes across much better than say a heavily accented Chuck Norris, Van Damme type action hero usually does, simply because the film doesn't linger on him a moment longer than it has to.",
"Just when the film starts sagging big time, Sean Connery arrives on the scene playing the kind of high energy Errol Flynn you've always wanted him to play.",
"Things get down-right cartoonish with the proper introduction of an over-the-top bad attitude, bad guy Kurgan (Brown).",
"Suddenly the film feels like a WWF extravaganza with swords instead of folding chairs.",
"And so it goes.",
"Yes, Highlander is a guilty pleasure film.",
"It's fun, if you let it be.",
"It's got exciting visuals.",
"The sequels are awful, the t.",
"v. series better than you'd think, but the first movie\nis well...",
"the One.",
"Highlander also features three mediocre Queen Songs that are so incongruent and wrong for the film...",
"they fit perfectly.",
"IMAGE AND SOUND\nHighlander was originally thrown onto the marketplace in a Republic DVD release that was one of the worst DVDs ever released.",
"A restored director's cut version was later produced which added about ten minutes of footage to the film, and then came an improved re-mastered version.",
"Previous (to 2002) Anchor Bay releases have been discontinued.",
"This new edition features an Anamorphic widescreen presentation which is superior to former editions.",
"The film was not made on a huge budget and has a slightly softer focus than the crisp images newer films have, but there were all these filters and smoke and various lighting effects going on and then effects were added via computer 1980's style.",
"You won't find much artifacting and the black levels are stronger, but details in the shadows are still lost and some of the darker scenes look pretty muddy.",
"The audio is where Anchor Bay has gone crazy making a new DD EX mix AND a six-channel DTS mix.",
"Lots of use of the various channels during action sequences.",
"For all the noise and flash the dialogue remains clear and easy to hear.",
"When the film isn't being bombastic and over the top, it's way too quiet and the sudden jumps might be annoying and sound very shrill to the uninitiated.",
"More sensitive viewers will want to have the remote nearby to monitor the volume control.",
"To those knowing it's a cheesy, campy film, this loud re-mix is perfect for the film.",
"Extra Features:\nWell the extras for the...",
"IMMORTAL package consist of the metal slipcase, a 24 page booklet of production notes and an additional disc that has three Queen songs (Princes of the Universe, One Year of Love and Friends will be Friends).",
"Oh you also get three Queen videos and a couple of mediocre still galleries as well.",
"If you're a Highlander film fanatic AND a big fan of Queen, it might be worth getting this special collectors package.",
"Otherwise the other Highlander DVD will satisfy you just fine.",
"Incidentally the interesting Queen version of New York, New York (form the film) remains the only known unreleased Queen song.",
"It is not on the bonus C.",
"D. of this package.",
"<P"
] |
Most of the reason for my recent interest in Cyndi Lauper's 1984 debut album "She's So Unusual" was due to the participation of two musicians on this album - Eric Bazilian and Rob Hyman. Two years later, Bazilian and Hyman would go on to start their own band, "The Hooters". However on "She's So Unusual" the duo would an integral part of Lauper's supporting band. Hyman would also co-write Lauper's #1 single from the album, "Time After Time". Bazilian even uses his trademark "hooter" on several tracks. This debut effort by Lauper was probably her most commercially successful album. However, when I "peel the onion" with this effort, I fail to see where this was a great album. This may be a good album, but it isn't a great one. Yes there are some good material on this album, but there is also a lot of so-so and disappointing material. This may explain why subsequent album sales never approached this debut album.
For the most part, outside songwriters are going to contribute the songwriting for this album. Cyndi did co-write four of the songs - but on each of those songs, Lauper collaborates with an outside songwriter. As for the good songs and the not so good songs on this album, both the Lauper written songs and the outside written songs fall on both sides of the fence. So in other-words, the good songs are a mix of Lauper and non-Lauper material.
I think much of the springboard for this album was due to the debut single, "Girls Just Want to Have Fun". This is the song that launched Lauper's career. Surprisingly, while this was became an anthem for the female generation, this song was written by a male - Robert Hazard. From a musicianship and songwriting standpoint, this isn't a great song. However, this is a song that was tailor-made for Lauper's bubbly personality - and tailor-made for MTV. It also is a catchy song, and the result was a #2 single on the charts.
The follow-up to "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" is a different story. "Time After Time" is the song co-written by Lauper and Rob Hyman. While Lauper demonstrated her bubbly personality on "Girls Just Want to Have Fun", she shows a serious side on "Time After Time". This is a powerful ballad - and this is one of the instances where Lauper does show a lot of promise. Lauper's vocals are right on the money here. On many of her other slower songs, Lauper's voice seems forced and synthetic. Not the case here - she shows great vocal ranges. This song also featured some terrific background vocals - the result is that Cyndi Lauper was rewarded with a #1 single on the charts.
The third single was "She Bop". This also is a song co-written by Cyndi Lauper. On this song, Cyndi goes back to an up tempo song - but there almost is a darker overtone to this song. The lyrics to this song aren't anything special, but I happen to think from an instrumentation standpoint, this song is pretty good. While this is definitely a synth-pop song, the instruments that are going to shine on this song are the the Bass Guitar and the percussion/drums. Like "Time After Time", Lauper shows good vocal range - not doing anything forced or synthetic. This song went to #3 on the charts
When Cyndi's fourth single, "All Through the Night" came out - she had now emerged as a pop superstar. While I don't think this song is as good as "Time After Time" or "She Bop", this song isn't bad. This song was written by Jules Shear. The mantra-like chorus combined with some intricate keyboards make give this song a feel for those insomniacs that can't sleep. I've heard this song played on late night talk radio shows around commercial breaks. This song went to #5 on the charts.
There was a fifth single released - "Money Changes Everything". While there is some good instrumentation, I felt this was an overrated. I didn't care for Lauper's vocals at all on this song - in fact at times it made it hard to make out the words. This song was written by Tom Gray and basically is a narrative sung by Lauper. The title of the song describes the song - how money changes people. To me, this song never really caught on with me. This song didn't chart in the Top 10 either.
As for the other songs, the one strong song is "When You Were Mine". This was a song that was written by Prince. Considering Prince was at the height of his popularity in 1984, I was surprised this wasn't released as a single. Although I don't think Lauper's vocals are great on this track, she is helped out by some outstanding background vocals. The other songs really didn't impress me. "Witness" and "I'll Kiss You", while they have their moments - they aren't going to make me do handstands. The final track is actually a segue between two songs "He's So Unusual" and "Yeah Yeah". "He's So Unusual" is a 1929 song. Lauper sings it in a Shirley Temple style and I found that it got on my nerves. That song is about 1 minute long, but then segues into "Yeah Yeah". "Yeah Yeah" has a "party-like" theme to it - and it is a better song. It was actually co-written by Hollies member Michael Rickfors.
The remastered edition of "She's So Unusual" includes three live cuts of "Money Changes Everything", "She Bop", and "All Through the Night". The liner notes include all of the lyrics, songwriting credits, and musician credits (although I would have liked to have seen musicians credited on a song by song basis). Overall, I think this album got a lot of hype. While it does have its moments, I wouldn't classify it as an all-time great. Still, it may be worth checking out. | 1 | neutral | [
"Most of the reason for my recent interest in Cyndi Lauper's 1984 debut album \"She's So Unusual\" was due to the participation of two musicians on this album - Eric Bazilian and Rob Hyman.",
"Two years later, Bazilian and Hyman would go on to start their own band, \"The Hooters\".",
"However on \"She's So Unusual\" the duo would an integral part of Lauper's supporting band.",
"Hyman would also co-write Lauper's #1 single from the album, \"Time After Time\".",
"Bazilian even uses his trademark \"hooter\" on several tracks.",
"This debut effort by Lauper was probably her most commercially successful album.",
"However, when I \"peel the onion\" with this effort, I fail to see where this was a great album.",
"This may be a good album, but it isn't a great one.",
"Yes there are some good material on this album, but there is also a lot of so-so and disappointing material.",
"This may explain why subsequent album sales never approached this debut album.",
"For the most part, outside songwriters are going to contribute the songwriting for this album.",
"Cyndi did co-write four of the songs - but on each of those songs, Lauper collaborates with an outside songwriter.",
"As for the good songs and the not so good songs on this album, both the Lauper written songs and the outside written songs fall on both sides of the fence.",
"So in other-words, the good songs are a mix of Lauper and non-Lauper material.",
"I think much of the springboard for this album was due to the debut single, \"Girls Just Want to Have Fun\".",
"This is the song that launched Lauper's career.",
"Surprisingly, while this was became an anthem for the female generation, this song was written by a male - Robert Hazard.",
"From a musicianship and songwriting standpoint, this isn't a great song.",
"However, this is a song that was tailor-made for Lauper's bubbly personality - and tailor-made for MTV.",
"It also is a catchy song, and the result was a #2 single on the charts.",
"The follow-up to \"Girls Just Want to Have Fun\" is a different story.",
"\"Time After Time\" is the song co-written by Lauper and Rob Hyman.",
"While Lauper demonstrated her bubbly personality on \"Girls Just Want to Have Fun\", she shows a serious side on \"Time After Time\".",
"This is a powerful ballad - and this is one of the instances where Lauper does show a lot of promise.",
"Lauper's vocals are right on the money here.",
"On many of her other slower songs, Lauper's voice seems forced and synthetic.",
"Not the case here - she shows great vocal ranges.",
"This song also featured some terrific background vocals - the result is that Cyndi Lauper was rewarded with a #1 single on the charts.",
"The third single was \"She Bop\".",
"This also is a song co-written by Cyndi Lauper.",
"On this song, Cyndi goes back to an up tempo song - but there almost is a darker overtone to this song.",
"The lyrics to this song aren't anything special, but I happen to think from an instrumentation standpoint, this song is pretty good.",
"While this is definitely a synth-pop song, the instruments that are going to shine on this song are the the Bass Guitar and the percussion/drums.",
"Like \"Time After Time\", Lauper shows good vocal range - not doing anything forced or synthetic.",
"This song went to #3 on the charts\n\nWhen Cyndi's fourth single, \"All Through the Night\" came out - she had now emerged as a pop superstar.",
"While I don't think this song is as good as \"Time After Time\" or \"She Bop\", this song isn't bad.",
"This song was written by Jules Shear.",
"The mantra-like chorus combined with some intricate keyboards make give this song a feel for those insomniacs that can't sleep.",
"I've heard this song played on late night talk radio shows around commercial breaks.",
"This song went to #5 on the charts.",
"There was a fifth single released - \"Money Changes Everything\".",
"While there is some good instrumentation, I felt this was an overrated.",
"I didn't care for Lauper's vocals at all on this song - in fact at times it made it hard to make out the words.",
"This song was written by Tom Gray and basically is a narrative sung by Lauper.",
"The title of the song describes the song - how money changes people.",
"To me, this song never really caught on with me.",
"This song didn't chart in the Top 10 either.",
"As for the other songs, the one strong song is \"When You Were Mine\".",
"This was a song that was written by Prince.",
"Considering Prince was at the height of his popularity in 1984, I was surprised this wasn't released as a single.",
"Although I don't think Lauper's vocals are great on this track, she is helped out by some outstanding background vocals.",
"The other songs really didn't impress me.",
"\"Witness\" and \"I'll Kiss You\", while they have their moments - they aren't going to make me do handstands.",
"The final track is actually a segue between two songs \"He's So Unusual\" and \"Yeah Yeah\".",
"\"He's So Unusual\" is a 1929 song.",
"Lauper sings it in a Shirley Temple style and I found that it got on my nerves.",
"That song is about 1 minute long, but then segues into \"Yeah Yeah\".",
"\"Yeah Yeah\" has a \"party-like\" theme to it - and it is a better song.",
"It was actually co-written by Hollies member Michael Rickfors.",
"The remastered edition of \"She's So Unusual\" includes three live cuts of \"Money Changes Everything\", \"She Bop\", and \"All Through the Night\".",
"The liner notes include all of the lyrics, songwriting credits, and musician credits (although I would have liked to have seen musicians credited on a song by song basis).",
"Overall, I think this album got a lot of hype.",
"While it does have its moments, I wouldn't classify it as an all-time great.",
"Still, it may be worth checking out."
] |
The only thing that's USB 3.0 is the charging connector onto which your GN3 sits. The data sync and charging is still USB 2.0 since it only has a USB 2.0 connect on the back of the device and a very short 5" USB 2.0 cable. When I plugged my GN3 into it the display warned that the charging time would be faster if I used the OEM charger instead (paraphrased). I now use the OEM 5.3v, 2A charger with a USB 2.0 cable and keep the USB 3.0 cable in my laptop's case until it's needed for data transfers and/or charging..
IF it was fully USB 3.0 capable as stated in the advert (charging speed and super speed data transfer) I'd give it 5 stars. But, sadly, the advert was misleading.
Pros: USB 3.0 connector, charges phone and extra battery simultaneously, inexpensive, removable charger assembly insert to allow some thin case protectors to fit, has a LED power indicator, nice place to store the GN3.
Cons: misleading advert, says USB 3.0 but it's clearly capable of only USB 2.0 for charging and for data sync because the USB cable is only for micro USB 2.0, cable too short for pratical use other than with a laptop or with an extension cable, | 1 | neutral | [
"The only thing that's USB 3.",
"0 is the charging connector onto which your GN3 sits.",
"The data sync and charging is still USB 2.",
"0 since it only has a USB 2.",
"0 connect on the back of the device and a very short 5\" USB 2.",
"0 cable.",
"When I plugged my GN3 into it the display warned that the charging time would be faster if I used the OEM charger instead (paraphrased).",
"I now use the OEM 5.",
"3v, 2A charger with a USB 2.",
"0 cable and keep the USB 3.",
"0 cable in my laptop's case until it's needed for data transfers and/or charging..",
"IF it was fully USB 3.",
"0 capable as stated in the advert (charging speed and super speed data transfer) I'd give it 5 stars.",
"But, sadly, the advert was misleading.",
"Pros: USB 3.",
"0 connector, charges phone and extra battery simultaneously, inexpensive, removable charger assembly insert to allow some thin case protectors to fit, has a LED power indicator, nice place to store the GN3.",
"Cons: misleading advert, says USB 3.",
"0 but it's clearly capable of only USB 2.",
"0 for charging and for data sync because the USB cable is only for micro USB 2.",
"0, cable too short for pratical use other than with a laptop or with an extension cable,"
] |
Jon Gruden must solve two big problems for the Raiders to harbor playoff hopes
Jon Gruden has a career record of 95-81 (.540) with nine playoff appearances and one Super Bowl victory in 11 seasons as a coach. (Kirby Lee/USA TODAY Sports)
Jon Gruden was welcomed back for a second stint as Oakland Raiders coach on Tuesday now he âll be tasked with getting them back to the postseason. Based on his starting point however an immediate return to the playoffs is unlikely in 2018.
[Brewer: Jon Gruden is âa big effinâ dealâ to the Raiders but perhaps even bigger for all coaches]
So where can Gruden make up ground and quickly improve this roster? The wide receivers â once thought to be a strength of this team â may need a makeover.
Amari Cooper produced even fewer yards per route run than Crabtree (1.5) and was ranked 60th out of 78 qualified receivers for his on-field performance. Both need to be better in 2018. If not Gruden is going to have to find Carr a top target to throw to.
Gruden has even more work cut out for him on the defensive side of the ball. Oakland allowed 2.1 points per drive last season the fourth-most in the league with a 101.8 passer rating against the third-worst in football in 2017. To put that in perspective opposing quarterbacks performed as well as Carson Wentz â an MVP candidate before his season-ending injury in Week 14 â against the Raiders while the league average was closer to that of Andy Dalton (86.6). | 1 | neutral | [
"Jon Gruden must solve two big problems for the Raiders to harbor playoff hopes\nJon Gruden has a career record of 95-81 (.",
"540) with nine playoff appearances and one Super Bowl victory in 11 seasons as a coach.",
"(Kirby Lee/USA TODAY Sports)\n Jon Gruden was welcomed back for a second stint as Oakland Raiders coach on Tuesday now he âll be tasked with getting them back to the postseason.",
"Based on his starting point however an immediate return to the playoffs is unlikely in 2018.",
"[Brewer: Jon Gruden is âa big effinâ dealâ to the Raiders but perhaps even bigger for all coaches]\nSo where can Gruden make up ground and quickly improve this roster?",
"The wide receivers â once thought to be a strength of this team â may need a makeover.",
"Amari Cooper produced even fewer yards per route run than Crabtree (1.",
"5) and was ranked 60th out of 78 qualified receivers for his on-field performance.",
"Both need to be better in 2018.",
"If not Gruden is going to have to find Carr a top target to throw to.",
"Gruden has even more work cut out for him on the defensive side of the ball.",
"Oakland allowed 2.",
"1 points per drive last season the fourth-most in the league with a 101.",
"8 passer rating against the third-worst in football in 2017.",
"To put that in perspective opposing quarterbacks performed as well as Carson Wentz â an MVP candidate before his season-ending injury in Week 14 â against the Raiders while the league average was closer to that of Andy Dalton (86.",
"6)."
] |
Okay, I'm making a pop cultural reference with my heading...paraphrasing Comic Book Guy off of The Simpsons cartoon series. It should also be noted I haven't listened to most of Dylan's albums...basically I've heard his first seven albums and Blood On The Tracks. In my opinion this album is easily his worst (I think I have the unremastered version of this cd, but that wouldn't really solve the problems that I have with this cd).
So, what's my problem with this album? Dylan is not at his sharpest, lyrically speaking, on this album. In my opinion, the songwriting is at a low level here, with the lyrics being self-conscious, wordy and opaque. He gets silly sometimes, but it can still be engaging though. Where he is not engaging is by being excessively wordy...pointlessly so. Whilst this album does have more than its fair share of shaggy dog stories, they are very demanding of your attention...i.e. it is the musical equivalent of being buttonholed by an accountant who chews your ear off...about the fascinating history of paperclips or some such. You're stuck, and they're just so insistent that you can't zone out, so to speak.
Oddly, I put a dot next to many songs on this album, which indicates that they are to some extent interesting or ok to listen to. A tick means that they I really like the song. However, all those dots don't seem to carry much weight with me when I score it...unlike an album such as Blood On The Tracks, which also has overly long shaggy dog stories...but that has the advantage of the rest of the album being good chill out music.
Anyway, my pick as the best song on this album...getting two dots next to it:
My back pages - a familiar sounding song...not sure if it reminds me of Hattie Carroll by Dylan, or something more recent, like a Kenny Rogers song. Has a catchy and whimsical chorus and the stringed instrument sounds like a ukulele. The lyrics are self-consciously confusing though.
Next best songs, in track order:
All I really wanna do - interesting lyrical style, features accoustic guitar and harmonica. The song sounds glitchy sometimes and I've got a note about the singing being sort of bad on this. Dylan demonstrates one of his signature moves in this song...he makes himself laugh.
Spanish Harlem incident - guitar is the only instrument used on this song.
I shall be free no. 10 - the lyrics are whimsically kitsch...wouldn't say that they are his best lyrics, and they seem self-consciously bad too boot. Not sure, but maybe Muhammad Ali had said something about Dylan, because Dylan seems to be engaging in some sort of dialogue with Ali here...and Dylan seems to be kidding himself too. Would have to say that Ali could have written better lyrics than some of the songs on this album. This song is also of its time...a time when Americans feared the atomic mushroom cloud that the USSR could plant in cities all over America. Dylan plays harmonica in this song. Note to self - who is Barry Goldwater, who Dylan references in this song?
To Ramona - delicate accoustic guitar and harmonica featured. The vocal melody sounds familiar...not sure if Dylan is pilfering from others in this song, or if others have pilfered from Dylan subsequently.
Motorpsycho nitemare - has an interesting narrative to it (the opposite to this are his shaggy dog stories, which is where he fails to execute lyrically) but again his writing is not at its best here...he gets a bit silly sometimes. There are some more pop cultural references in this song which place it in time.
I don't believe you - a catchy song which is more 'sing-a-long-able' than his more self-conscious songs. Dylan plays harmonica. Song is about an odd woman.
It ain't me babe - has harmonica.
The rest, but not the worst:
Black crow blues - the piano and the harmonica are the only instruments played on this track.
The worst of Dylan...interminable shaggy dog stories:
Chimes of freedom - has harmonica. Dylan sings this in a way which requires your attention, making it demanding of you, without being rewarding. Buttonholing accountant song!
Ballad in plain d - his most annoying song, perhaps...ever, or maybe just on this album. He makes it 8 and 1/2 minutes long...just to prolong the torture! The song is a word picture about his lover and her sister. He plays the guitar in an annoying and distracted way, hitting bung notes. And his vocals have an annoying sing-song style to them. An interminable shaggy dog story. If speed metal merchants Slayer played these last two songs in my review, they'd be annoying...in a different way...it's just that at least they'd have the good grace to be over quickly!
That's all the songs on the album. Maybe giving this 3/5 stars is too generous on my part. Dylan albums that I recommend the highest are:
The freewheelin' Bob Dylan -accoustic folk of an engaging kind. "Masters of war" is a masterpiece. I don't say that a lot about Dylan songs. Not a huge folk fan.
The times they are a changin'- brings another mood to the table with this album...quite bleak, but it's nice to wallow in this gloominess. Title track a masterpiece.
Blood on the tracks - another change in mood. Apart from two annoying overlong and annoying shaggy dog stories, the album is quite mellow and easy on the ear.
Blonde on blonde - has electric guitar on this. | 1 | neutral | [
"Okay, I'm making a pop cultural reference with my heading...",
"paraphrasing Comic Book Guy off of The Simpsons cartoon series.",
"It should also be noted I haven't listened to most of Dylan's albums...",
"basically I've heard his first seven albums and Blood On The Tracks.",
"In my opinion this album is easily his worst (I think I have the unremastered version of this cd, but that wouldn't really solve the problems that I have with this cd).",
"So, what's my problem with this album?",
"Dylan is not at his sharpest, lyrically speaking, on this album.",
"In my opinion, the songwriting is at a low level here, with the lyrics being self-conscious, wordy and opaque.",
"He gets silly sometimes, but it can still be engaging though.",
"Where he is not engaging is by being excessively wordy...",
"pointlessly so.",
"Whilst this album does have more than its fair share of shaggy dog stories, they are very demanding of your attention...",
"i.",
"e. it is the musical equivalent of being buttonholed by an accountant who chews your ear off...",
"about the fascinating history of paperclips or some such.",
"You're stuck, and they're just so insistent that you can't zone out, so to speak.",
"Oddly, I put a dot next to many songs on this album, which indicates that they are to some extent interesting or ok to listen to.",
"A tick means that they I really like the song.",
"However, all those dots don't seem to carry much weight with me when I score it...",
"unlike an album such as Blood On The Tracks, which also has overly long shaggy dog stories...",
"but that has the advantage of the rest of the album being good chill out music.",
"Anyway, my pick as the best song on this album...",
"getting two dots next to it:\n\nMy back pages - a familiar sounding song...",
"not sure if it reminds me of Hattie Carroll by Dylan, or something more recent, like a Kenny Rogers song.",
"Has a catchy and whimsical chorus and the stringed instrument sounds like a ukulele.",
"The lyrics are self-consciously confusing though.",
"Next best songs, in track order:\n\nAll I really wanna do - interesting lyrical style, features accoustic guitar and harmonica.",
"The song sounds glitchy sometimes and I've got a note about the singing being sort of bad on this.",
"Dylan demonstrates one of his signature moves in this song...",
"he makes himself laugh.",
"Spanish Harlem incident - guitar is the only instrument used on this song.",
"I shall be free no.",
"10 - the lyrics are whimsically kitsch...",
"wouldn't say that they are his best lyrics, and they seem self-consciously bad too boot.",
"Not sure, but maybe Muhammad Ali had said something about Dylan, because Dylan seems to be engaging in some sort of dialogue with Ali here...",
"and Dylan seems to be kidding himself too.",
"Would have to say that Ali could have written better lyrics than some of the songs on this album.",
"This song is also of its time...",
"a time when Americans feared the atomic mushroom cloud that the USSR could plant in cities all over America.",
"Dylan plays harmonica in this song.",
"Note to self - who is Barry Goldwater, who Dylan references in this song?",
"To Ramona - delicate accoustic guitar and harmonica featured.",
"The vocal melody sounds familiar...",
"not sure if Dylan is pilfering from others in this song, or if others have pilfered from Dylan subsequently.",
"Motorpsycho nitemare - has an interesting narrative to it (the opposite to this are his shaggy dog stories, which is where he fails to execute lyrically) but again his writing is not at its best here...",
"he gets a bit silly sometimes.",
"There are some more pop cultural references in this song which place it in time.",
"I don't believe you - a catchy song which is more 'sing-a-long-able' than his more self-conscious songs.",
"Dylan plays harmonica.",
"Song is about an odd woman.",
"It ain't me babe - has harmonica.",
"The rest, but not the worst:\n\nBlack crow blues - the piano and the harmonica are the only instruments played on this track.",
"The worst of Dylan...",
"interminable shaggy dog stories:\n\nChimes of freedom - has harmonica.",
"Dylan sings this in a way which requires your attention, making it demanding of you, without being rewarding.",
"Buttonholing accountant song!",
"Ballad in plain d - his most annoying song, perhaps...",
"ever, or maybe just on this album.",
"He makes it 8 and 1/2 minutes long...",
"just to prolong the torture!",
"The song is a word picture about his lover and her sister.",
"He plays the guitar in an annoying and distracted way, hitting bung notes.",
"And his vocals have an annoying sing-song style to them.",
"An interminable shaggy dog story.",
"If speed metal merchants Slayer played these last two songs in my review, they'd be annoying...",
"in a different way...",
"it's just that at least they'd have the good grace to be over quickly!",
"That's all the songs on the album.",
"Maybe giving this 3/5 stars is too generous on my part.",
"Dylan albums that I recommend the highest are:\n\nThe freewheelin' Bob Dylan -accoustic folk of an engaging kind.",
"\"Masters of war\" is a masterpiece.",
"I don't say that a lot about Dylan songs.",
"Not a huge folk fan.",
"The times they are a changin'- brings another mood to the table with this album...",
"quite bleak, but it's nice to wallow in this gloominess.",
"Title track a masterpiece.",
"Blood on the tracks - another change in mood.",
"Apart from two annoying overlong and annoying shaggy dog stories, the album is quite mellow and easy on the ear.",
"Blonde on blonde - has electric guitar on this."
] |
The cap is too small for the average person. My head began to hurt after 30 minutes in the pool. My hair did not stay dry either. That was the purpose of the cap for me. I swim for exercise not speed.
It does slide easily on and off and did not snag hair.....so if you have a small head and do not care about keeping your hair dry.........this will work for you. | 1 | neutral | [
"The cap is too small for the average person.",
"My head began to hurt after 30 minutes in the pool.",
"My hair did not stay dry either.",
"That was the purpose of the cap for me.",
"I swim for exercise not speed.",
"It does slide easily on and off and did not snag hair....",
".",
"so if you have a small head and do not care about keeping your hair dry....",
"....",
".",
"this will work for you."
] |
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