Comedy Show Review: The flight of the conchords in their 'Business Time'

Flight of the Conchords - Business Time

I have just found out that the newest most hilarious way to spend my laughter is to buy a ticket on board the "Flight of the Conchords" and kick up my legs and let the stomach relax. Because soon enough the stomach will be bouncing and jiggling in all sort of funny directions. Sometimes trying to get over the torture of the funny, tickling yet delivered with the straigtest possible face comedy imaginable. "Aahhh Yeah... Baabyyy... Aahaaa...", as Jemaine would say while giving a hot chick the massage of her lifetime. And I presume it would be a wednesday and that is the night we all make 'Loveah'. What undeniable logic that is? Who could disagree that wednesday is the best day of the week to get laid, especially after marriage since there is really (and I mean really) nothing interesting on the television and your morale is on the verge of getting over this weeks hill that you need the little (2 minute?) push.

And then what better use to put your 'Business socks' to than as the best attire for enticing your lady love. "Leave her wanting more", he means to say in his sexed up voice while Bret strums on the guitar with heightened excitement, "leave her wanting more and she will remember you". Again, the logic is infallible. And conserves energy to get through the rest of the week, don't it? And after all, it is all about reading the signs right. When she says, "I have to get up in the morning and I have work to do", you need the clarity of Casanova to know that she means business, RIGHT NOW.

"Then she goes and sorts out the recycling, which is not part of the foreplay but is very important", means she wants me baby aah. Wants me in only my business socks and she wants my business sock with me in them, right about NOW. And to show her that you are all turned on by her, remove your jeans with your shoes on. And the stumble that slowly transforms into a sexy snaky dance will really get her woozy, on a wednesday night with work the next day. What else could work? And two minutes in heaven is definitely doubly better than one minute in heaven and then she goes, "Is that it", the work is done and done well, coz "Yeeeaaahhhhh, that's it bayhbeee... Yeahhhhhh"

Signing off for now in my socks, and you know when I am down to my socks, what time it is... 'Its business... It's business time... Business time for my business... my business... It's my business time... (3 INTENSE minutes later) ZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.... Business hours are over...

Click here to search for all Flight of the Conchord videos on youtube
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PS: And now imagine the hitchhikers guide to the galaxy sung by the flight of the conchords. Now, that would really be something to remember and pretty difficult to forget aah.

Technorati Tags: Flight of the conchords

One hot cuppa Comic Con 2009 coming up (only for hardcore dreamers???)

Where are you going to find EA (Electronic Arts), 20th Century Fox, Warner Brothers and Google on a single platform? Comic Con. Wish I could be there. I am sure it is going to be a great event with this being the thick of the recession and all. What new movies are coming out? What about the games that are going to tilt the cats on the fence to pick up their piggy bank and break it? Anything that is going to be any exciting is going to be showcased. If they don't, then they may just lose out on the best opportunity this time of the year. I am an avid follower of IMDB for reviews of new movies and of GameSpot for the reviews of upcoming games and both these sites are going crazy about the Comic Con event. I am new to this and took a couple of days to warm up to the idea of a common platform for movies, games and so much else.

There is going to be so much going on that merely thinking about it makes me weak in my knees. Sneak Peeks of new TV series like Human Target, V and the Vampire Diaries. Talks on character development that would interest authors and game developers alike. A session by Howard Simpson of Abba Studios on how to tell stories and make storyboards work. A pre-production and screenwriting film school session. An informative session by DC Comics on what they look for in artists and how anyone can start working with DC.

Here are some others that caught my eye from the detailed itinerary:

TheOneRing.net: The Hobbit— With Middle-earth returning to the big screen in December 2011, TheOneRing.net will take you behind the scenes of the latest news, announcements, and rumors pertaining to the Peter Jackson and Guillermo del Toro production of The Hobbit.
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Science Fiction That Will Change Your Life— The staff of io9.com, Eisner Award–winning author Douglas Wolk (Reading Comics), and others talk about science fiction from the last year that does more than blow things up. It might also blow your mind. What science fiction should you be reading and watching if you want your brain to grow so big it pops out of the top of your skull and starts throbbing and shooting lasers?
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Comic Book Law School 101: Let's Get It Started— The popular Comic Book Law School series, which provides a basic foundation for understanding copyright and trademark law through an interactive lecture.
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Secret Origins of Comic-Con — How did it all begin? Those who were there in 1969 (most of them teenagers at the time!) have the behind-the-scenes story of the very first meetings, the first mini-con, and the first Golden State Comic-Con at the U.S. Grant in 1970.
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The State of MMOs: A Discussion with the Developers— Join Henrik Strandberg (Turbine), John Smedley (Sony Online Entertainment), Dave Brevik (Gazillion), Min Kim (Nexon America), and Leo Olebe (BioWare / EA) for a panel discussion and Q&A moderated by George Chronis (DFC Intelligence) about the current state of the massively multiplayer online games market.
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Archie Comics: Archie Marries Veronica— It's the wedding of the century, but that is just the start, with plenty of surprise announcements about the future of Archie Comics, including the latest news about Archie on television and in feature films! Panelists include legendary The Dark Knight movie producer and Archie writer Michael Uslan, new Archie Comics CEO Jon Goldwater, iVerse CEO Michael Murphy, IDW Publishing COO Greg Goldstein, Archie Comics president/director of circulation Fred Mausser, and Archie Comics vice president/managing editor Mike Pellerito.
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World of Warcraft: Epic Loot— Get your game on outside of Azeroth! Join a panel of Blizzard Entertainment decision makers along with their proud licensed partners for an all-out discussion/unveiling of World of Warcraft–inspired product awesomeness.
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Hasbro: G.I. Joe— The Hasbro design and marketing teams—Aaron Archer and Michelino Paolino (Hasbro Design), and Jeff Labovitz (Hasbro Marketing), discuss the upcoming release of the G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra movie, the new toy line hitting shelves, the new video game, and much more!
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DC: Superman: Two Worlds— Torn between New Krypton and Earth, the Man of Steel has only just begun his latest adventure. You've seen the stories: a new planet of Kryptonians; scores of super-powered beings. The people behind Superman's future are here to face the most trying times in his life. Meet the talented folks behind Superman as they give you a glimpse of what is in store for our favorite Super-family.
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Crime: Usual and Unusual— The heart of crime fiction is a crime committed against people or institutions—but the range of subgenres is diverse and fascinating. Panelists: Max Allan Collins (The Goliath Bone), Jeffrey J. Mariotte (Cold Black Hearts), Alexander Irvine (Buyout), Gregg Hurwitz (Trust No One), Thomas Greanias (The Atlantis Revelation), and Kat Richardson (Vanished) cover traditional mysteries, espionage, paranormal mystery, and more.
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Avatars, Icons, and Antiheroes— The new hero is the anti-hero: twisted fairy tale icons, magicians turned hitmen, and avatars of both Good and Evil are cold-blooded killers and worse in the pages of these writers' imaginations. Moderator Diana Gill (executive editor of Eos Books) leads a discussion on this phenomenon with Kevin J. Anderson (Enemies & Allies), Brom (The Child Thief), Richard Kadrey (Sandman Slim), Vicki Pettersson (City of Souls), S. J. Day (Eve of Chaos), and Holly Black (Ironside).
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Assassin's Creed II: Video Games and Hollywood Converge— Yannis Mallat (CEO, Ubisoft Montreal), Pierre Raymond (president & head of operations, HYBRIDE Technologies, a VFX studio involved on 300, Sin City), and key team members discuss the convergence between Hollywood and video games, featuring the fastest-selling new franchise in video game history: Assassin's Creed.
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A Darker Shade of Ink: Crime and Noir in Comics— Crime comics are back with a bang! Darwyn Cooke (Parker: The Hunter), Greg Rucka (Gotham Central), and Steve Lieber (Whiteout) join moderator/noted mystery and comics writer Max Allan Collins (The Road to Perdition) to talk about the new incarnations of crime and noir in comics.
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Animation on a Shoestring— Learn the down and dirty tricks on how to create your own animation studio on a low budget, from the author of Animation on a Shoestring. Find out how to assemble the equipment you will need, how to build or buy equipment, and what software to use to edit and composite your project. Featuring Larry Loc,  animation educator.
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Drawn to Life: 20 Golden Years of Disney Master Classes— Join legendary Disney Animation producer Don Hahn, famed Disney animator Glen Keane, creator of Aladdin's Genie Eric Goldberg, director/teacher/animator Tom Sito, and Masked Avenger Studios owner and sculptor Ruben Procopio for a discussion of the life and influence of Disney mentor, trainer, and artist Walt Stanchfield.
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Capcom 2009 Lineup— Capcom's premiere producers present sneak peeks at the most anticipated games of the year. Featuring Jun Takeuchi (Lost Planet 2), Morgan Gray (Dark Void), Daryl Allison (Spyborgs), Motohide Eshiro (Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth), and Masachika Kawata (Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles) and moderated by Capcom-Unity.com's Seth Killian. See exclusive gameplay footage and behind-the-scenes making-of features, followed by a Q&A session!
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Evolution of Fantasy— Harry Potter, His Dark Materials, Twilight—the great mega-selling series of recent years have all ended. What will the next one look like? Or is it already here? How is fantasy evolving? Panelists Jacqueline Carey (Naamah's Kiss), Lynn Flewelling (Shadows Return), Patrick Rothfuss (The Name Of The Wind), Thomas Sniegoski (The Fallen), Greg Van Eekhout (Norse Code), and Cindy Pon (Silver Phoenix : Beyond the Kingdom of Xia) answer questions posed by moderator Lev Grossman (The Magicians).
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Marvel: Breaking into the House of Ideas— Are you a writer or artist? Ever dream of working for Marvel? Do you find yourself thinking "I could do that...if I knew how!" Well, here's your chance! Join C. B. Cebulski, Marvel's talent liaison, and panelists writer Jeph Loeb (Ultimatum), Marvel editor Charlie Beckerman, artist Mike Choi (X-Force), colorist Christina Strain (Runaways), and more to find out the answers on how to get your foot in the door at every level in the creative process and how to make your job Marvel!
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Professional Writing— Ideas are a dime a dozen. Executing those ideas (instead of assassinating them) is what separates pro from wannabe. But only you know what steps you need to take to get there, so if you show up for this talk, bring questions to ask J. Michael Straczynski, who has created a massively successful cross-platform writing career in movies, television, comics, and print.
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Cartoon Network: Chowder! The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack! Adventure Time with Finn and Jake!— This panel celebrates three of the best comedies from Cartoon Network Studios. First up is a sweet treat with Chowder, including special guests C. H. Greenblatt (creator) and Tara Strong (voice of Truffles). Then set sail with The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack and creator Thurop Van Orman (voice of Flapjack) and Steve Little (writer, voice of fan favorite Dr. Barber). Finally, hold onto your seats for a sneak peek of the new series Adventure Time with Finn and Jake with creator Pendelton Ward. It's algebraic!
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The Halo Franchise: What's Next— Frank O'Connor (franchise development director for Halo) will be joined by a number of special guests to discuss how Halo is evolving into a robust entertainment franchise and what's coming in the future.
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Showtime: Dexter— Calling all Dexter fans! If you're a Dexter fanatic and can't wait for the new season, you don't want to miss this killer panel! Moderator Ralph Garman (KROQ Entertainment Reporter) presides over a revealing interview and Q&A session with the stars and executive producers of Dexter. Plus, get an exclusive first look at clips from the new season! Featured panelists include series star/executive producer Michael C. Hall (Dexter), Julie Benz (Rita), Jennifer Carpenter (Deb), and executive producers John Goldwyn, Sara Colleton, Clyde Phillips, and Melissa Rosenberg. The new season premieres September 27 at 9:00 PM EST/PST only on Showtime!
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Writing for the Computer Gaming Industry— Great storytelling forms the foundation for immersive games that emotionally draw players into a gaming universe.
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Unlocking Arkham: Forensic Psychiatry and Batman's Rogues' Gallery— Arkham Asylum holds some of Gotham City's most disturbed criminals. But do they truly belong there? From the vantage point of a forensic psychiatrist utilizing real-world psychiatric diagnostic criteria, panelists explore the mental disorders of the Dark Knight's Rogues' Gallery, with in-depth analyses of The Joker, Two-Face, Riddler, The Ventriloquist, Mad Hatter, and Mr. Zsasz, among others. Learn as three psychiatrists explain the meaning of such terms as "psychotic," "not guilty by reason of insanity," and "psychopathy." Bring your questions, and join the fun as experts unlock Arkham Asylum and possibly set free some of its "inmates"! Panelists include H. Eric Bender, M.D., University of California, Los Angeles; Praveen Kambam, M.D., University Hospitals/Case Medical Center, Cleveland, Ohio; and Vasilis K. Pozios, M.D., University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.
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Technorati Tags: comic con, games, movies, comics

Game review: Plants vs. Zombies (Gamespot score: 8.5)

Super cute and super super addictive, plants vs. zombies (Read Gamespot Review) is a game where the antagonists have a most nefarious design, to eat my brains (Aaarrgggghhhh!). In a parallel universe around a beautifully colored cartoon house, hoards of zombies have launched an all out attack on the frontyard, backyard and the brightly tiled roof. Their demand is very simple. They want the brains of the person in the house, and that happens to be me. And I am not going to give my brain up without a fight. Like Will Smith so well portrayed in "I am legend" and Milla Jovovich in "Resident evil", its hard work to save your brains from these supposedly brain dead zombies. Why do they need my brain again? Anyway, technicalities aside, a zombie that just sits around is not much fun. Give him a whiff of the delicacy of his dreams, a raw fresh brain, and he can become so interesting. Interesting enough to kill a whole weekend clicking the mouse buttons like crazy. I might just get Carpal Tunnel Syndrome if this game goes one for another day.

So, there are these zombies attacking my house from all directions. They start during the day, but then grow in courage and desperation to reach their meal (that's shivering in my head). They then decide to attack the backyard for a weakness. And when the fort holds under my brain's able (and selfish) leadership, they launch an attack of an unprecedented scale on my roof. How did they get up there when the frontyard and the backyard are safe? Bungee zombies would you believe? And as if fighting crazy zombies handing from bungees is not enough, there is a dancing zombie with four accompanying dancers around him who looks too much like Michael Jackson in thriller. Then there is the huge zombie with a dwarf zombie on his back who is launched behind enemy (me) lines. Then there is a joker zombie, a pole vaulting zombie, one with a ladder, a miner zombie, a flying zombie and the list is almost endless. At a point of time you might even wish to simply be dead rather than have to face these persistent undead who love having their heads roll. And when one puts a bucket on his head he becomes much more difficult to kill. After all, there are no gunpowder based weapons to blow these walking cadavers sky high. This is a game that is environmentally conscious and allows only euro IV compliant power to stop the imminent lightheaded feeling.

So to fight this menace, the stash of weapons under my hood is...... Plants. That's right. You have fight off hoards of brain hungry zombies with the green thumb. No nuclear weapons, no M16, no grenades. Hell, there are no guns and knifes. You will fight off these waves with cute looking colorful plants. But that is just the disguise of Clark Kent and there is superman's underwear in the jeans just under that button fly . Sunflowers and sunshrooms will fuel the war machine. Fuel to buy pea shooters (the basic infantry if you will), the zombie eaters (heavy infantry), the potato bombs (sappers), chemical mushrooms that can fume the wide eyed fanatics, from an amazing arsenal of zombie fighting tools from nature. There is even an atomic plant that leaves a barren crater while exploding and sending all the zombies on screen to their death (or second deaths). But alas, the atomic plant works only in the night and is expensive. For the middle game when the hoards are at the maximum, the star plant is good as it fires in five directions. Even the wall is a good defense, but can fall under the persistent hunger of the enemy.

There are more than 50 colorful levels, each long enough to build the tension but short enough to enjoy without really getting serious. After all its only dead guys who are losing their heads. We are allowed to keep ours in this game. Phew. With each level starting fingers twitch to start with a sunflower, but then the different strategies take shape. Should the corn lobber be built first or the cabbage lobber. Will a defensive approach be good or is offense the best defense. Zombies have a simple life so to say. All they have to do is walk in their trademark zombie and eat anything in their path. But I have to stop them from getting near my head. Lob a few cabbages, fire a few peas, strategically place a few garlic pods to make them change lanes.

The feeling is of really being in a war (with your legs up on the center table). Its exciting, its visually appealing, its fun. And thankfully its short enough to have ended in a weekend. Otherwise I would not have gone to office today. Pretty intelligent and insane in the same breath. And it is real value for money. A game where killing zombies is rated universal so that the kids can play it, is always welcome. And the bonus missions are going to keep me kicking the zombie butts for another weekend I think. So, for now, adios from the zombie killer (oxymoron?)

P.S. I think I heard a zombie whisper outside my window. Going to check it now. If I don't return, you know what to do. You don't? Hmm... You should spread the word and get all the peas you can.

Game preview: Splosion Man (Xbox 360)

Think of the funniest evil laugh you can, now put a few explosions in between the non-stop laughter. Somewhat like getting the hiccups when you are laughing. But exploding 'pops' instead of 'hics'. That is roughly what the soundtrack of Splosion Man (Read Gamespot preview) sounds like. Of course there is the background music and the other ambient sound effects. But the prominent foreground continuous laughter and mini explosions (as many as three strung together at one time) are the fun thing.

Now add an orange creature to the screen. Orange not as the fruit, but orange as a fiery man who is ready to explode, quite literally. He (or she if you please) is the protagonist. A ball of flaming lava in human form with amazing expressions to go with his (or her) persona. The product of an experiment gone wrong, with only one aim in life, revenge, the Splosion Man is nothing like your average hero. Quite the villain actually. His only motive is to find the scientists who caused his change from a mere human to a serial exploder and well, 'explode them' to tiny bits. And there is no dearth of the creative ways in which you can effect this. You can explode near the scientist and blast him to pieces, or explode near a wall that falls on him and crushes him to pieces, or explode while running to push the sliding floor to crush the dude against the opposite wall, well, you get the idea. The idea is for orange man to find white coats and turn them blood red.

Sounds like a gory game. In concept, it is. But the visuals and the sound effects and the gameplay is nothing like that. Its actually a lot of fun in an cutely evil kinda way. Platforming is such an old concept that getting it to be interesting is quite a challenge. In recent times, there is 'Trine' (Read Gamespot Review) and 'Splosion man' that promise to be interesting and visually appealing.

The game is pretty simple. Get from one level to the next by solving simple platforming puzzles and getting rid of all scientists on that level. At your disposal is the basic direction keys to run around and the super special talent of exploding yourself to give yourself some extra momentum. You can use this exploding momentum while on the ground or against a wall or even mid air. But beware, you can only explode yourself three times in a row. Though once you are back on the ground or sliding down a wall you will recharge pretty quickly. So, now string your masochistic urges and time them to explode yourself across seemingly impossible gaps. or climb very tall structures. Pow, pow, pow, and with every pow you will go a little black. The graphics are very detailed and pretty amazing.

Though I have not played this myself yet and I cannot buy the Xbox 360 just for just this game, I am keeping an eye out if a PC port ever comes out. If the developers are reading this, count me in for a port. Bwahahah 'pow' hahaha 'pow' hahahaha 'pow... pow... pow'.
Technorati Tags: Splosion man, Xbox 360

Software review: Windows 7 Release Candidate

It is that time again when Microsoft goes out to all those who use their operating system to convince them to upgrade to the next version for some x, y, z, benefits. When they succeed they have a windows 95 windows 98 (SE) and an XP (SP2). When they fail, which is more often, they have a windows Vista. Vista failed and there is no two ways about it.

Source: http://xkcd.com/528/
But windows 7 is different. I like this new version of windows. Maybe it is just so long since I have seen a decent release from the Redmond factory or maybe because they have really changed a few basic things that point in the right direction. Let me talk about a few of the things that I have liked in Windows 7, some were there in Vista but overshadowed by flaws of the core system, and some are spanking new to Win7.
Taskbar cum statusbar cum quick launch bar
WOW... This should have been done a long long time ago. Apple did this ages ago so now Microsoft has done something similar while keeping the lines of originality still visible. Who would have thought that once Apple had created the dock, there could be ever another way of doing the same thing in a reasonably acceptable manner without looking like a copy. Enter the Windows 7 taskbar. Awesome improvement from all the past releases of windows. And this will be the best and the most used feature that will make the life of users easier.

Where is the RUN command?
It's gone and gone for good. Well, it was missing since Vista, but not too many people would have thought of Vista as a good OS just because the RUN link was out. By the way, it is not a good thing that the RUN command it out, but it has now been made more subtle and hidden without losing any of its function. Moreover it is now combined with the desktop search and application launcher. So, simply press the windows key on your keyboard and the cursor is already blinking in the launcher bar. Now start typing any part of the file, application, folder, even control panel actions (like 'change screen saver') and a quick list of possible options appear in real time. You can use the keyboard to select the right one and hit enter. Does this mean that the dependence on the mouse is going to reduce. Not likely because the majority of the user is still trying to click on the start icon then all programs and then spend time navigating to the required launcher, but that is what Microsoft trained us to do since all those years ago. The regular user is going to dislike the restructured start panel, but will grow to like it. Give it 2 years from now and we won't know why we even put up with the way XP expected us to do stuff.

Snap windows right left and center
Nice new innovation where you can drag a window to the right edge of the screen and it will snap into a window covering the right half of the screen. Go to the left edge and it will snap to cover the left half of the screen. Go to the top edge and the window will maximize. Good for comparing documents by quickly making them occupy non overlapping areas of the screen. And with the growing use of wide screens, this makes a lot of sense. I am not sure is maximizing would be used enough though as it is still a simple double click on the windows title bar. This looks partly like the Mac's expose feature but only limited to the right and left edges of the screen. What if I want to compare three or four or more documents? I think this snap option was not thought through. But this is the best step forward without alienating the mouse using non-techies and still getting something useful on the screen. So kudos for that. But maybe they could have had some way of using the corners of the screen too. Then maybe with a key modifier like ctrl or alt there could have been more options. Ctrl and click on the title bar to arrange all windows in a grid. alt click on any restore the windows sizes and locations. I am not the UI expert but I really believe that this option has more potential and has been under utilized as of now.

Gadget / Widgets on the desktop
Yes, I have been waiting for this since the day I laid eyes upon the slick yahoo widgets. I tried the yahoo offering but its a system hog. Then I saw the google desktop bar. Again somewhat of a system hog. Now it is in the rightful place. A widget is nothing but an extension of the system tray and should be part of the operating system. Where XP was the best base system from Microsoft to then load up a large nuber of third party softwares, Win7 seems like it has imbibed the ones that people are using and has reduced the redundant features like the UAC. (Thank god for common sense coming around finally)

General navigation
General navigation to say the change desktop background option from the control panel or the device manager is a little more cumbersome now. Maybe it is merely because I am used to the XP navigation routes. Start->Control Panel->Display settings->background was easy. Not that a third person using the system for the first time would agree but we have done it so often for so long we don't even have to think about it. Windows 7 is going to test that faith in old ways. But there is an easier way than relearning navigations. Simply click on start and type 'change background' and it works. We are going to have to think in simpler ways rather than remembering complicated navigation routes, we have to now remember only the name of the destination. After you fiddle around with the new way of navigation you will wonder why this was not done earlier? Beats me, but better late than never, right?

System performance
The system performance is way above what we have come to expect from Vista. And comparable to XP. This is going to be the biggest reason why I would even think of a switch from XP to Win7. Simply because this is a recession and I cannot, repeat CANNOT, afford to buy any more hardware. So an OS that is going to improve some aspects of my online life without making me spend extra bucks on upgrading hardware to fall within the minimum system requirements bracket, is surely welcome.

Driver Availability
Since Windows 7 uses the same drivers as Vista, it is going to be real easy to find relevant drivers for any hardware that is not more than 5 to 6 years older. Anything older than that is going to have to have some workarounds. But the video card I brought last year with DX 10 enabled will come of great use.

Programs and Games and Applcations
For 32 bit windows 7, its going to be fairly easy. Anything that runs on Vista will run on Win7. Almost 60% of all applications and games that run on XP will work on Win7. But the 64 bit version will still take a couple more years to gain enough applications that can leverage the advance. Till then I have to use only 3GB of the 4GB that I have installed on my latest rig.

Conclusion
Basically Windows 7 has nothing radically new that you could not get in XP with a few (mostly free) third party add ons. But it is coming together and from Microsoft that is expected to cater to the largest base of users and appeasing everybody with just one OS, it is a great step in the right direction. No more slow systems means progress. Lets get it to do things faster, better and reach there NOW. Windows 7 is to Vista what Windows XP was to Windows ME. I sometimes wonder if all this is not a strategic move being planned by some Ivy league thinkers at Redmond. The UI is way behind the 'velvety walk in the cloud feeling' of a Mac and fairly ahead of the 'we get stuff done and don't care about looking good' of a Linux. The steps are in the right direction but the steps are very small, considering a faulty release in Vista and a long drawn release cycle from the last good XP. But having made a blunder with Vista I agree that it is a brave move to retrace their steps and it would take time before building enough momentum again. Maybe Win7 SP2?

But we expect more from Redmond. This age and era is going to be unforgiving to any laggards. Win7 proves that Microsoft is still keen to be in the race, not resting on its laurels. But they need to do more. After all, when you lead the pack you have unreasonably inhuman expectations rested on your shoulders. So Redmond, stomach in, chest out, shoulders back, smile and take bigger strides now.

Technorati Tags: Windows 7

Movie review: The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas (2008) and Defiance (2008)

I don't know why, but I have a soft corner for movies from the world war II era, especially the ones which portray human faith and strength in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds. Something like everyday life itself. And that is why I liked 'The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas' (2008) [IMDB rating: 7.8] and that is why I liked Defiance (2008) [IMDB rating: 7.3]. And my suggestion is that if you are planning to watch either movie, then watch them together. Start with 'The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas' followed by 'Definace'. Trust me, if I could do it all over again, I would watch it back to back. Simply because both movies share the same space, but look at it from completely different viewpoints. And neither are the viewpoints you have come to expect from WWII movies.

So, get a large stack of tissues and a large helping of popcorn at hand before switching off the lights. Because once you have pressed play, you will not want to move till the second movie is over. You will have so much darkness in your blood at the end of the first movie, that if you don't watch the second one right afterwards, the movie is going to keep rolling under your tongue. After all, not many movies make you ask the question 'Why this?' and not many can make you think up of alternate stories that you would have liked better. That is the one thing about tragedies that I don't like. (Oops... did I give something away?)

Once the first movie is over and the second begins you are going to be at the lowest point of the roller coaster. But thats okay, in a couple of hours, you will be back on flat land. But watch the second one with a pinch of salt as it is based on a true story. True stories have a weird way of being stranger than fiction and far less predictable. So, keep it that way and don't read up on it untill you have seen the credits.

But once you are through both the movies, you will feel satisfied. Satisfied that there still are a few stories around that don't need computer graphics and really hot shot names to sell. They sell themselves because of the one thing that drives us all to the movies. The story. These stories will touch your soul, maybe not as deeply as they touched mine, but then I am the sensitive kinds who cries at movies. I like the feeling of letting go, the pride swell up in my eyes when someone looks the enemy straight in the eye, the sorrow eat into my heart when someone dies, the dull thud of sinking heartbeats when the search goes in vain and the giggly excitement when the saviour charges in from the other side. There is certainly no other way to see movies, especially the ones with stories that move you. Really move you. And these two movies do that honestly, no pretences. They will shake you, dribble you, make you fear for the people walking across your screen and rejoice when a glimmer of hope passes by. So, settle down, surround yourself with soft pillows, kick out the shoes, get a thick blanket and a soft toy if you are that type and hit play.