Sep 29 2011

Netflix or Qwikster? I Choose Both

Category: Uncategorized — podrey @ 1:16 pm

Netflix is spinning off its DVD-by-mail service into a new company called Qwikster. Everyone is upset because the prices have been raised, and the ease of use may decrease because it will be two companies instead of one. The split hasn’t fully happened yet, but prices have already gone up and people are leaving in droves.

I’m not leaving, but i will be minimizing my plan. I actually used my Netflix data as a test scenario for work, and then i wrote a blog post about it for my company’s blog.

Conclusion: Keep the web streaming ($8) and 1-DVD-at-a-time mail service ($8). That reduces my current monthly expense by 30%.

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Aug 23 2011

The Help, The Movie

Category: Uncategorized — podrey @ 8:58 am

My book club read The Help last year. It was one of our favorites. I loved it. After i read it i told Lance i might want to name a daughter Mae Mobley. It is now in theaters.

The basic story is this – set in the early 60′s in Jackson, Mississippi, a rich white girl, nickname Skeeter, fresh out of Ole Miss, decides she wants to write about the help. She sees and recognizes the plight of black maids in the area, and collects their stories to publish. Anonymously. It is very controversial for the time, and Skeeter collects the stories of the maids of her friends, who often do not have very nice things to say.

The movie was very well done, in my opinion. Very close to the book. Things were left out, as they always are when books are made into movies. Aibileen didn’t seem old enough to have been a nanny to 17 children. But it was quite good. Lots, lots, of laughs. The Terrible Awful was pricelessly done. If you have not read the book (or won’t), i highly recommend it.

I didn’t cry at all, which surprised me b/c people i had talked to told me they bawled. Perhaps it was because i knew the story, though, and knew what would happen at the end.

The most interesting thing to me, though, was to try to perceive how this movie might be perceived by black women. I have heard and read a fair amount about how this movie is controversial. There are a fair number of  negative reactions. I wanted to understand it.

Despite reading some of the critical stuff on the internets, i’m still not sure i understand. At first, i wondered if it would be the dialect portrayed. In the book, the perspectives of the black women is written in a ‘voice’ that is… not correct. For instance, Aibileen is always telling Mae Mobley, “You is smart, you is kind, you is important.” I’ve also come to see that some people view it as quite presumptuous or insulting that a white author would write a book in which a white woman saves the day by helping the poor black maids to have a voice. Thirdly, i have read that the backdrop of the actual civil rights movement was pushed too much to the background.

I am only a white woman. But i can’t quite see how this book or movie are offensive. Starting a conversation about race seems like a good thing. Let’s talk about white privilege, or about the things that have changed since the time period of The Help, or about the things that have not changed.

Do white people like this movie more than black people? In the Raleigh area at least, this movie is selling out. Our theater was about 80% white. I have also wondered if this movie is more popular in the south. What do you think?

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Oct 05 2010

The Facebook Effect, by David Kirkpatrick

Category: Uncategorized — podrey @ 8:11 am

Network effect: the effect that one user of a good or service has on the value of that product to other people; when network effect is present, the value of a product or service increases as more people use it.

Facebook clearly has a very strong network effect working within it – imagine Facebook if you were the only user.  But when everyone you know is on it, it becomes useful and fun and you want to be on Facebook too.

The Facebook Effect is nonfiction, and it isn’t the Ben Mezrich thriller, but it’s every bit as gripping.  I can’t put this book down.

Kirkpatrick had many meetings with the founders and employees of Facebook to get all the detailed information about how the company started and the struggles they have faced.  It takes us through the many phases of the company.  For example, when it first launched in February 2004, only Harvard graduates and alumni could sign up.  Email addresses were validated by checking that the ended in @harvard.edu.  Facebook quickly took over the campus.  The company started adding other colleges and eventually high schools in a methodical fashion, before opening it up to everyone in the fall of 2006.

There was internal personnel strife as well.  One of the co-founders drifted away that first fateful year, working on other things, while the rest of them were focusing mainly on the new company.  That led to some unfortunate events and bad feelings, and ultimately to a lawsuit.  Lance and i went to see the social network Sunday night, and i think it mostly gets the story right, though of course some things are dramatized and some are presented out of order.

I realize now how powerful this social networking tool can be.  In the prologue for this book, it was related that in early 2008, a man named Oscar Morales decided to create a Facebook group protesting FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia).  In just a few days his group had thousands of members, and one month later, Facebook had been the medium through which dozens of countries and 2 million people participated in an organized protest against FARC.  You can read a partial excerpt here.  The full story is pretty moving.

I highly recommend this book.  Our world is still figuring out how social network effects are changing the way we do things, and Facebook will have an effect on that.  I know the children of today and my future kids will be like, “how did you survive without the internet?”

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Jul 12 2010

The Twilight Saga: Eclipse

Category: Uncategorized — podrey @ 7:12 pm

I went to the movies this weekend.

Actually, i drove four hours to go to the movies.  I went to Asheville to visit Nathan and Heather for a brief stay, pretty much for the sole purpose of seeing Eclipse with them.  More accurately, with Heather.  She and i have bonded over a mutual crush on Jacob Black, and this isn’t the first time we’ve finagled a way to see one of the Twilight movies together.

And it was fun.  There are two more movies in this series (Breaking Dawn is going to become two movies; it’s just too big of a book for only one), and i hope to be able to see both of them with Heather.  It may be difficult, since she and Nathan are planning to move to Alaska this year.  But i have a feeling there may be a trip to Alaska next year that coincides with the release of Breaking Dawn The Movie Part 1.  And then i can say i flew out of the continental US in order to see the shirtless hunk that is Taylor Lautner.

All of these movies should be seen with other Twilight fans.  The giggles and squeals can best be appreciated if you have someone else giggling and squealing along with you.

We went to the Saturday afternoon show, and the theater was not full.  There were seven of us; five true fans and two hangers-on who sat on the end together and mocked the movie, having their own fun.

It has been a year and a half at least since i read the books, and i had forgotten many of the details.  So i had fun re-experiencing the story.  The movie did an excellent job playing up the love triangle.  It was by far the best of the movies, so far.  Kristen Stewart even had a few moments of actual acting.

All-in-all, it was fun watching this story come to life.  I’ll be eagerly awaiting the final movies, particularly because i loved the last book the most.

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Nov 19 2009

This One is for Heather

Category: Uncategorized — podrey @ 3:26 pm

Earlier this summer, my sister-in-law, Heather, and i had a bonding moment.  It was over a trailer for New Moon, which comes out at midnight tonight.  We watched the trailer together several times, both of us swooning over Jacob Black, Bella’s friend and confidante (who also happens to be a werewolf).

Jacob had a minor part in the first book/movie, but the second part of the story is all about him.  Edward, the vampire Bella is in love with, isn’t even present in most of New Moon.  While i was reading the books, i really fell for Jacob.  Most others seem to be Edward-crazy, but i’ll take the warm-blooded Jacob Black please.

A few weeks ago, Lance got me a gift for my new computer.  And I just know Heather will love it!  As it happens, she and Nathan are coming to visit us this weekend, specifically so we can go see New Moon together!! Isn’t that awesome?  So, in honor of her visit, and in honor of the movie’s opening, voila:

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Nov 16 2009

Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed

Category: Uncategorized — podrey @ 9:27 pm

I first heard about this movie from my brother Nathan in our ongoing dialog.  I immediately put it at the top of my Netflix queue.  I’ll say up front that Nathan described it as “interesting” but he also said he didn’t think Ben Stein was completely fair.

The movie starts with a conspiracy theory.  The thing i hate about conspiracy theories is that if you say “that’s bogus” then you can easily be dismissed as just another person who doesn’t know what’s “really” going on.  Or worse, as someone who is helping perpetuate the conspiracy.  In this conspiracy, scientists are getting fired from jobs for coming out in favor of intelligent design.  Ben Stein seeks to be the hero who uncovers this vast conspiracy in the scientific world.

The concept of Irreducible Complexity is the core of Intelligent Design (ID) theory.  This is the idea that there are things that exist in nature that could not have evolved from a lesser life form.  If this can be proved, or failed to be disproved, ID proponents conclude that these life forms must have been designed by someone or something.  However, be aware that many peer-reviewed articles have debunked the theory of irreducible complexity.  Peer review is not given any face time in the movie, yet peer review is the backbone of the scientific community.  No articles supporting ID have been published in any peer-reviewed scientific journal.  Is it really a surprise that scientists are questioned when they come to conclusions that are not scientific?

After expanding on the conspiracy theory, the movie finally gets to irreducible complexity mid-way through the movie, focusing on the cellular level.  But it seems to offer, unsurprisingly, an unscientific look.  “We think these things are irreducibly complex” which i translate as we don’t understand how things could have evolved to this point.  “Therefore a designer must be present,” meaning we’ll insert God a designer as the cause for all the things we don’t understand.

The movie takes a turn at this point, and implies a belief in evolution will lead to Naziism.  Stein visits the site of an old concentration camp, and flashes horrific images from WWII.  It is completely emotional, fear-based and not at all focused on fact.  The acts committed in the concentration camps were absolutely atrocious, no doubt about it, and i don’t want to minimize that at all.  But it is complete propaganda to insinuate that the ideas behind evolution will lead to such atrocities.

The final big moment of interest was an interview with Richard Dawkins.  The interview was absurd.  In one question Stein asked Dawkins to give a percent likelihood that ID was incorrect.  Dawkins didn’t want to, saying he had no exact number he could give, but he could only give his opinion.  Stein pressed him, and Dawkins said 99.9%, again saying that was just his opinion.  Stein immediately turned around and said “Why 99?  Why not 49% or 44%?”  Dawkins immediately clarifies “you were the one who asked for a number, i didn’t want to give one,” yet the way it was edited makes Dawkins look defensive.  In the end, Stein took this and concluded that even Richard Dawkins thought ID might be possible.

In the concluding segment, Stein equates his attempts to bring down the walls between evolution and ID with tearing down the Berlin Wall.  I mean – Really?  The Berlin Wall?

I agree with Nathan, the movie was interesting.  At least in the sense that it made me want to read more and try to understand more.  I am not a scientist; i have to lean on those who know more and are doing research and are actually working in this field.  I guess i expected more from Ben Stein – more science, less propaganda.  But, i suppose i’m just perpetuating the conspiracy.

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Jul 21 2009

Movies

Category: Uncategorized — podrey @ 7:42 am

Some movies and TV shows we’ve seen this year, and my brief thoughts about them.

Food, Inc. Fascinating and disturbing.  Everyone should watch this.  The notion that a fast food hamburger is cheaper to buy than fresh produce is pretty bizarre when you think about it, but we the taxpayers are subsidizing this huge food industry which is what allows there to be cheap food.  Cheap food is good, but there needs to be more attention paid to food safety.

Away We Go A young couple travels to various cities visiting old family and friends, attempting to make a decision about where to move and have their first child.  Maya Rudolph and John Krisinski are wonderful in this, and the characters they meet are unforgettable.  It is a search for “home”.

Sunshine Cleaning A quirky, dark film.  A former maid service employee forms her own company, cleaning up the scenes of homicides and suicides.  The story explores darker human emotions such as insecurity and grief and how you can overcome them.

He’s Just Not That Into You A story about the search for love and how you sometimes find it.  Cute, but not particularly memorable.

30 Rock Enjoyable, though not deep.

Saved! An amusing portrayal of life at a Christian high school.  A teen decides to save her gay boyfriend by having sex with him, and becomes disillusioned when she finds herself pregnant and begins questioning the Christian ideals.

Guns, Germs and Steel A discovery channel mini series that asks why do we have wealth and plenty and “cargo” here while other societies are stuck in the third world?

Star Trek I grew up as something of a Trekkie, and i loved this story of the young Kirk and Spock, and am looking forward to how this series will continue.

AdventureLand Working at an amusement park is not all fun and games.  But wherever there are teenagers, petty rivalries and true love are bound to spark.

Observe and Report Seth Rogen plays a mall cop with some bi-polar tendencies.  The film is pretty dark and bizarre and revolves around the cop’s attempts to stop a flasher.  Can’t say i really liked this movie.

Earth Released on Earth Day, this film showed how different species migrate and care for their young.  We had seen a lot of the footage before, from other Discovery Channel TV documentaries.  It’s important for us to know how we are affecting the animal world.

Breaking Bad A Showtime TV series about a high school chemistry teacher in dire straights (a teenage son with a disability, a wife newly pregnant, diagnosed with severe lung cancer, needing treatment that insurance will not cover) who needs a lot of cash and turns to producing crystal meth.  Very engaging.

Yes Man An entertaining comedy about exploring your horizons.  The scene where he saves the guy from jumping off a building seriously made my cry.

Thin A documentary following girls in a rehab center for anorexia and bulemia.  Tragic.  Many of the girls have a background involving a severe incident such as rape or sexual abuse.  You just wish you could make them believe they are beautiful.  Self-hatred is so powerful.

Fargo An older movie i had never seen.  Excellent.

Pan’s Labrinth Billed as a fantasy for adults, i found it weird and dark and freaky.

Milk The story of Harvey Milk, and gay rights.  Harvey became California’s first openly gay elected official before being assassinated.

Jane Austen Book Club I think i would have connected more with this movie if i had read all of Jane’s Austen’s books.  It was still intresting to watch and compare to my own book club.

Kalifornia An interesting thriller.  Brad Pitt plays an excellent bad guy.

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Apr 10 2009

Strange Days on Planet Earth

Category: Uncategorized — podrey @ 9:45 am

Lance & I are in the middle of watching a fascinating new series from National Geographic called Strange Days on Planet Earth.  Edward Norton (whom i absolutely love from Rounders, American History X & Fight Club) is the host/narrator.  He is excellent, and i love that he is doing this series.

This series is about strange events happening all around the globe and how they are connected.  A lot of the conclusions are related to how humans have interfered with the natural world, and how/if we can fix these things.  Below is one example of the issues they discuss.

Problem: Trees are dying in Yellowstone National Park.  In particular, Aspen trees.  No new trees have grown since the 1930s, and the old ones are slowly dying off.  Also in Yellowstone, there is increased soil erosion on riverbanks, and the beaver and songbird populations are way down and still decreasing.

Solution: Reintroduce wolves into the park.

I know, WTF?  Wolves?  What do wolves have to do with trees and birds and soil erosion?

The clue was that the only significant event in the 1930s in Yellowstone was the death of the last wolf.  And here’s how the progression goes.

  1. Wolves kill and eat Elk.
  2. Elk carcasses sustain life for scavengers & certain types of insects.
  3. Songbirds eat those insects, and their population grows.
  4. The Elk population is under control, so they don’t eat all the riverbank plants and Aspen trees.
  5. As a result, the Aspens are recovering.
  6. The river plants are also recovering, and soil erosion is decreasing because the plant roots hold it in place.
  7. The beaver population is making a comeback because they needed the river plants in order to make their lodges.

This chain of events blew my mind!  How you get from Aspen trees to wolves is just amazing.  And that is how this entire series is presented.  Here’s a strange mystery happening in the natural world.  What could have caused it?  How is it related to other things that are happening?  It’s fascinating.

If you like science and nature shows, give this one a try.

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Jan 26 2009

A Few Movies

Category: Uncategorized — podrey @ 8:00 am

I am not motivated to write individual posts for each of these movies, but wanted to pass along recommendations for the good ones i’ve seen recently.

The Wrestler – Very good.  Not your typical movie.  I commented to Lance that the story arc in some ways is the inverse of a normal story arc.  It’s been nominated for some Oscars.  Highly recommended.

Bigger, Stronger, Faster – a documentary about the use of steroids.  It was extremely well-done, and makes many thought-provoking points.  It changed my attitude, if not my overall opinion.

Slumdog Millionaire – I thought this was a very good movie.  All sorts of Golden Globes, nominated for many Oscars.  I’m not sophisticated enough to understand all the hype, but i did thoroughly enjoy it.

Notorious – A portrayal of the life and times of Biggie Smalls, or the Notorious B.I.G.  The lead actor did a great job, i thought.  Personally, while i know some of his music, all i knew about Biggie’s life was that it ended too young.  So i learned a lot about the Biggie-Tupac fued.  Well done.

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Dec 30 2008

Twilight the Movie

Category: Uncategorized — podrey @ 7:19 am

I’m definitely on the Twilight bandwagon, and ever since the Twilight movie came out, i’ve been wanting to see it.  I thought i might get a chance to take my 12-year old cousin during the christmas break, since she told me at Thanksgiving that she wanted to see it.  The group that ended up going was: me, my mom, my aunt, the 12 year old cousin, and a 19 year old male cousin.  None of them had read the book.  My mom may even have had a preexisting bias against the series, because she heard it described as Harry Potter for girls, and she is not a fan of Harry Potter.

My reactions and comments – Bella was cast perfectly.  I wasn’t impressed with Edward until he smiled for the first time.  Dr. Cullen was a hot hot hottie.  I really enjoyed the interpretations of the rest of the Cullens as well; Alice was particularly well-done.  I liked that the movie really downplayed the petty dramas with the students at the school.  I loved that they really fleshed out the development of the relationship between Edward and Bella.  I loved the baseball scene and the introduction of James, Victoria and Laurent.  Overall, i just really enjoyed the movie.  I sensed there might be some awkwardness in a few situations for viewers who hadn’t read the book, but none of the others mentioned it.

Everyone else’s reaction – they loved it!  They liked that it had no curse words and that the characters can’t do anything other than kiss a little.  My mom and my aunt were both asking about the series, how many books there were, the name of the next book.  We may have some converts.

One thing that struck me during this movie is how extremely well-suited these books are to the big screen.  There were quite a few things about New Moon and Eclipse that i didn’t care for, but i can see those two books being made into quite excellent movies.  It may be, for me, one of the rare cases where i like the movies better than the books.

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