Information Overload

Terminator 2: Judgment Day (Skynet Edition)

The Terminator 2: Judgment Day (Skynet Edition) Blu-ray is excellent! (Do not waste your money on the the first Blu-ray release of T2.) The film itself is still one of the greatest sci-fi flicks of all time. It still holds up nearly two decades since its debut on the big screen. The Skynet Editon takes full advantage of Blu-ray delivering awesome picture, sound (read: DTS-HD Master Audio 6.1!), and even some cute Internet features. The Blu-ray pretends to boot Skynet, which uses your network info to lookup public details like your general geo location and ISP. It was amusing that Skynet identified Comcast as being a DSL provider, which might have something to do with the PS3's lousy network performance relative to the 360, Apple TV, and even DVR...

The Skynet Edition includes three cuts of the movie: the original theatrical release, the 1993 special edition, and an extended special edition. The last version concludes with the alternate "happy" ending, which thankfully wound up on the cutting room floor. Perhaps it's why a code, 82997 (hint: it's a date), needs to be entered to access the extended special edition. Thanks to Blu-ray, we can enjoy James Cameron's director's cut of T2, with a presentation quality that's actually higher than what was available at the cinema back in 1991. Here's hoping the Blu-ray release of the Alien Quadrilogy gets the same level of treatment. Aliens is another James Cameron sci-fi flick that also holds its own more than two decades later.

Happy Independence Day!

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." — Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776

Summer of Social Good

This blog is participating in the Summer of Social Good, a social experiment by the folks over at Mashable. The online fundraiser for four non-profits (read: tax deduction!) listed in the box below will culminate with the first Social Good Conference in NYC on August 28th next month.

One suggestion for next year is to allow donors to choose the individual charity they wish to support rather than dividing contributions equally among them. For example, it was nice to be able to focus on a cause last year during Subaru's "Share the Love" campaign.

Lakers Acquire Artest

The Lakers are either loco, or they have just improved the odds that they'll be playing for another championship next year. Acquiring Ron Artest seems like the NBA equivalent of signing Terrell Owens, albeit Artest is currently a better player in his sport, IMHO. David Aldridge points out that—assuming Phil Jackson doesn't retire—the coach has experience dealing with volatile players such as Dennis Rodman. Forget L.A. versus Boston. David Stern, marketers, and this Kings fan will be rooting for a rematch between Kobe and Shaq (and LeBron) based on the latest post-season developments!

California Keeps Affiliate Program Members In Business

Governor Schwarzenegger terminated California SBX3 17 yesterday, which lead online retailer Overstock.com to reinstate their affiliate program in California today. (He has yet to solve our state's budget woes, however.) This blog is an Amazon.com affiliate, which means that it receives a small sales commission whenever someone makes a purchase on Amazon via a referral link on this site. Inspired by New York, legislators in California were attempting to force out-of-state online retailers to collect state sales tax from their California customers by claiming that the online retailers have a physical presence in the state due to their local affiliates.

It's a clever workaround to what is effectively a federal tax regulation that excuses out-of-state merchants from collecting state and local taxes if they do not have an offline operation where they're doing business. If the law had passed, affiliate members would have been sacrificed because most online retailers value their sales tax-free advantage. Based on the governor's decision, one hopes the "millions of dollars in revenue" created by Overstock, plus the income tax and other ancillary revenue from affiliates in the state outweighs the sales tax revenue that would have been collected from the online retailers. It seems like New York should already have enough data for a case study.

Firefox 3.5

Firefox 3.5 is fast, but not hella fast like Safari 4. Apple's web browser significantly outpaces the fox on Mac, and Windows. Safari scores perfectly on the Acid3 test, and is generous enough to support H.264 video. Firefox does support third-party Add-ons. Mozilla's own Firebug, and the Web Developer toolbar are quite useful. Of course, Safari 4 has built-in developer tools of its own...

Bolt

Awesome! Ed Catmull and John Lasseter infused some Pixar DNA into Bolt, a film which may mark the triumphant return of Walt Disney Animation Studios after a dark period under Michael Eisner... Bolt is a somewhat naive canine who embarks on a cross country mission to find his "person" (voiced by Miley Cyrus, the performer with a cool name). Along the way, he encounters a streetwise feline, a fanatical hamster, and a variety of pigeons who fit regional stereotypes to comedic effect. The movie is custom tailored for someone who used to have a hamster, dog, and disdain for cats. It's an experience that every kid should have!

Valkyrie

Valkyrie is director Bryan Singer's dramatization of Claus von Stauffenberg's failed military coup against Adolf Hitler during World War II. It involved perhaps one of the most famous assassination attempts on Hitler's life. Tom Cruise plays Colonel Stauffenberg sans German accent, which was probably a wise decision given Hollywood's lousy track record of fake accents. The film itself comes off like a really good HBO production. It might be worth revisiting sometime to get color commentary from a WWII history buff who will be sure to point out any historical inaccuracies.

Pre-order Windows 7

In a minor mea culpa, Microsoft is offering upgrades to Windows 7 Home Premium for $50 through July 11th, or until supplies last. Windows 7 Professional, and Windows 7 Ultimate upgrades are also available at a reduced price. Vista users who are stuck with a PC should benefit from upgrading to Windows 7 based on initial reports.

Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World

Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World is a long combo title for a lengthy movie that flows more easily than Transformers 2; granted, it's 12 minutes shorter than the robot action flick. Russell Crowe plays a gladiator-like, British war ship captain obsessed with destroying a French frigate of superior class during the Napoleonic Wars. Director Peter Weir's sea saga successfully recreates a captivating atmosphere of what global sailing voyages must have been like during that historic time period. It's surprising that Hollywood has yet to harvest a sequel from the acclaimed Patrick O'Brian book series.