Wednesday, January 04, 2006
These Are A Few Of My 2005 Favorite Things
article by Don Rose
Maybe, in the holiday rush, you forgot to get a gift for the most important person in your life -- you. Or maybe you want to get something good because your "friends" gave you gifts you can't really treasure -- like the William Hung "She Bangs" Singing iDoll, with Adjustable Offkeyness. Or maybe the best gift is something from the Three Great F categories: Fun, Fulfilling, or Free. Whatever the reason, no matter the season, here are Dr. Don's 2005 Favorite Things.
...Photo Crazed. They turn your photos into high-end Pop Artwork. Take regular ole pix, and transform them into AndyWarholesque or Lichtensteinian creations, without having to shell out millions of dollars and wait forever for a busy, famous artist to make it for you! I like it. Heck, isn't the expanding of Pop Art techniques to cover all people, pets and things the ultimate democratization of that art form, its ideal evolution? If Warhol's works of the 60's/70's showed how anything and anyone in pop culture can become the subject of art, Photo Crazed completes the vision -- and proves that (here in the OhOh decade) anycat, anymom and anypop can be pop art as well. Great service. See www.photocrazed.com .
..."Eye for an Eye", excellent show hosted by Kato Kaelin that makes you think between the laughs. Imagine a wacky kinda Peoples Court where winners get revenge in lieu of money. Or two parties must battle it out in creative (sometimes crazy) ways to decide who wins a case, when the judge deems this a better way to resolve a dispute (example: a courtroom battle between a man and his ex over custody of an engagement ring segues into them dueling as human pinatas). I could explain further, but better you check out this totally awesome show yourself, on WB channel 5 in LA, back to back shows 2pm to 3pm.
..."Eight Characters of Comedy". Book by acting coach Scott Sedita is a Hollywood “How-To” guide with an intriguing premise: 8 character archetypes exist for every situation comedy, which can help actors and writers find who their characters really are, and form a firm foundation on which to build. It's also fun to look at your favorite shows and figure out which characters map onto which archetypes. Ideal for those wanting to break into sitcoms, meaning 90 percent of Los Angeles, and 100 percent of Studio City. But seriously, it's funny. And fun. See www.sitcomacting.com .
..."The Dick Cavett Show" DVD boxsets. Ray Charles, John Lennon and Yoko Ono, and Rock Icons are the subjects of 3 multi-DVD packages released in 2005 from the vaults of "The Dick Cavett Show" (assuming anyone even uses vaults anymore, except maybe Vault Disney -- although "video dungeon" doesn't really cut it either). TDCS was one of the great TV talkers of the 60s-70s; what other guy could talk to Woody one minute, then have the Stones or Bowie bowing the next? Wonderful collections... guaranteed regifting-proof. Take a trip back to when music actually had melody. (If you asked "what's that", just move along.)
...Napster. Their latest software works well, even on dialup connections (minimal buffering time), features a very intuitive interface, plus discounts when you buy in bulk, and no buck-a-song if you go "all you can eat" (9.95/month for basic). Plus, do the math: if you normally buy a CD a month anyway, at 9.95 or more a pop, imagine if that CD came with a million other songs for free; great deal. If you prefer a tune or two at a time, iTunes may be a better bang for your buck. But if you really hunger for music, Napster lets you feast on great music for minimal sheckels. More info at www.napster.com .
..."I Love LA". Speaking of great music, this Randy Newman tune still holds up. I defy you to listen and not feel in a better mood afterwards. Note: having a big nasty redhead at your side adds to the effect.
...Louise's Trattoria. One of the reasons I love LA. Great pasta dishes, and more -- on Pico, Montana, and other locations. Also amazing: their focaccia bread. Note: having a big nasty redhead at your side adds to the effect. More on Louise's at www.louises.com .
...StealthSurfer II. Thumb-sized storage drive lets you surf the Web with anonymity from any computer; enables 100-percent secure and encrypted wireless Web browsing, so you can peruse your porn in peace. SS2's privacy features keep surfers safe from identity theft, phishing and pharming spam attacks (and phreaks named Phred). Ideal for anyone who uses their laptop wirelessly in a public hotspot. The tiny USB 2.0 drive plugs into the USB port of your computer. Available in memory configurations of 128-megabytes to one-gigabyte, $99 up, SS2 is pre-loaded with privacy protection tools: Firefox (browser alternative to Internet Explorer); Anonymizer Anonymous Surfing (safeguards a user's identity and Internet activities); RoboForm (one-click form-fill and user ID/password management); and Thunderbird (portable email). See www.stealthsurfer.com .
..."FREE 411". Call 800-FREE411, get numbers at no charge; they even connect you (yes, FREE) if you stay on the line, saving time and money at the same time. Wow. A deal this good may not last, so jump on it. Their website enables number searching too: www.free411.com .
..."TELL ME". Free service, 800-555TELL. Many free voice-activated features, like Driving Directions: tell it start and end locations, it says turn by turn directions. Other favorite free services from their Main Menu include Time (for any time zone), Blackjack (against a dealer who sounds a lot like Sean Connery), and News. Did I mention it is all free?
Note that, for the record, I am not getting paid to say nice things about any of these favorite things, I just like them -- and besides, letting a company pay your mortgage and Lexus lease and throw wild parties for you with newly single Jessica Simpson in your new hot tub is not considered "payment", right? Good. My congressman said the same thing. Happy new gear!
--------------
Don Rose is Editor In Chief of “The Rose Review”, an online magazine available at www.therosereview.com . He also serves as writer and editor for “New News Network”, at trrnnn.blogspot.com . He may be reached at ddrose@aol.com .
Maybe, in the holiday rush, you forgot to get a gift for the most important person in your life -- you. Or maybe you want to get something good because your "friends" gave you gifts you can't really treasure -- like the William Hung "She Bangs" Singing iDoll, with Adjustable Offkeyness. Or maybe the best gift is something from the Three Great F categories: Fun, Fulfilling, or Free. Whatever the reason, no matter the season, here are Dr. Don's 2005 Favorite Things.
...Photo Crazed. They turn your photos into high-end Pop Artwork. Take regular ole pix, and transform them into AndyWarholesque or Lichtensteinian creations, without having to shell out millions of dollars and wait forever for a busy, famous artist to make it for you! I like it. Heck, isn't the expanding of Pop Art techniques to cover all people, pets and things the ultimate democratization of that art form, its ideal evolution? If Warhol's works of the 60's/70's showed how anything and anyone in pop culture can become the subject of art, Photo Crazed completes the vision -- and proves that (here in the OhOh decade) anycat, anymom and anypop can be pop art as well. Great service. See www.photocrazed.com .
..."Eye for an Eye", excellent show hosted by Kato Kaelin that makes you think between the laughs. Imagine a wacky kinda Peoples Court where winners get revenge in lieu of money. Or two parties must battle it out in creative (sometimes crazy) ways to decide who wins a case, when the judge deems this a better way to resolve a dispute (example: a courtroom battle between a man and his ex over custody of an engagement ring segues into them dueling as human pinatas). I could explain further, but better you check out this totally awesome show yourself, on WB channel 5 in LA, back to back shows 2pm to 3pm.
..."Eight Characters of Comedy". Book by acting coach Scott Sedita is a Hollywood “How-To” guide with an intriguing premise: 8 character archetypes exist for every situation comedy, which can help actors and writers find who their characters really are, and form a firm foundation on which to build. It's also fun to look at your favorite shows and figure out which characters map onto which archetypes. Ideal for those wanting to break into sitcoms, meaning 90 percent of Los Angeles, and 100 percent of Studio City. But seriously, it's funny. And fun. See www.sitcomacting.com .
..."The Dick Cavett Show" DVD boxsets. Ray Charles, John Lennon and Yoko Ono, and Rock Icons are the subjects of 3 multi-DVD packages released in 2005 from the vaults of "The Dick Cavett Show" (assuming anyone even uses vaults anymore, except maybe Vault Disney -- although "video dungeon" doesn't really cut it either). TDCS was one of the great TV talkers of the 60s-70s; what other guy could talk to Woody one minute, then have the Stones or Bowie bowing the next? Wonderful collections... guaranteed regifting-proof. Take a trip back to when music actually had melody. (If you asked "what's that", just move along.)
...Napster. Their latest software works well, even on dialup connections (minimal buffering time), features a very intuitive interface, plus discounts when you buy in bulk, and no buck-a-song if you go "all you can eat" (9.95/month for basic). Plus, do the math: if you normally buy a CD a month anyway, at 9.95 or more a pop, imagine if that CD came with a million other songs for free; great deal. If you prefer a tune or two at a time, iTunes may be a better bang for your buck. But if you really hunger for music, Napster lets you feast on great music for minimal sheckels. More info at www.napster.com .
..."I Love LA". Speaking of great music, this Randy Newman tune still holds up. I defy you to listen and not feel in a better mood afterwards. Note: having a big nasty redhead at your side adds to the effect.
...Louise's Trattoria. One of the reasons I love LA. Great pasta dishes, and more -- on Pico, Montana, and other locations. Also amazing: their focaccia bread. Note: having a big nasty redhead at your side adds to the effect. More on Louise's at www.louises.com .
...StealthSurfer II. Thumb-sized storage drive lets you surf the Web with anonymity from any computer; enables 100-percent secure and encrypted wireless Web browsing, so you can peruse your porn in peace. SS2's privacy features keep surfers safe from identity theft, phishing and pharming spam attacks (and phreaks named Phred). Ideal for anyone who uses their laptop wirelessly in a public hotspot. The tiny USB 2.0 drive plugs into the USB port of your computer. Available in memory configurations of 128-megabytes to one-gigabyte, $99 up, SS2 is pre-loaded with privacy protection tools: Firefox (browser alternative to Internet Explorer); Anonymizer Anonymous Surfing (safeguards a user's identity and Internet activities); RoboForm (one-click form-fill and user ID/password management); and Thunderbird (portable email). See www.stealthsurfer.com .
..."FREE 411". Call 800-FREE411, get numbers at no charge; they even connect you (yes, FREE) if you stay on the line, saving time and money at the same time. Wow. A deal this good may not last, so jump on it. Their website enables number searching too: www.free411.com .
..."TELL ME". Free service, 800-555TELL. Many free voice-activated features, like Driving Directions: tell it start and end locations, it says turn by turn directions. Other favorite free services from their Main Menu include Time (for any time zone), Blackjack (against a dealer who sounds a lot like Sean Connery), and News. Did I mention it is all free?
Note that, for the record, I am not getting paid to say nice things about any of these favorite things, I just like them -- and besides, letting a company pay your mortgage and Lexus lease and throw wild parties for you with newly single Jessica Simpson in your new hot tub is not considered "payment", right? Good. My congressman said the same thing. Happy new gear!
--------------
Don Rose is Editor In Chief of “The Rose Review”, an online magazine available at www.therosereview.com . He also serves as writer and editor for “New News Network”, at trrnnn.blogspot.com . He may be reached at ddrose@aol.com .
