Product Reviews
Interested in the latest product reviews? Curious about a new gadget or software package? Or maybe you’re interested in traveling advice and aren’t sure if a destination is worth it or not. Let me share with you the odd collection of experiences that I continue to gather to help you decide if something is worth the money or not.
50/50: Movie Review
The movie “50/50″ is a surprisingly touching movie starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt as the young cancer patient and Seth Rogen as the incompetent but ultimately caring friend. It’s based on the true life story from Rogen’s past (he was in both cases the friend, not the cancer patient) which helps give the story a true to life feel. Indeed, the honest and unflinching perspective taken by the producers of the movie to the topic of cancer – from the effects it has on the patient’s relatives to the gross after...
read moreDrive: Movie Review
Ryan Gosling’s latest movie, “Drive”, is a traditional criminal-with-a-heart-of-gold caught in some trouble and tries to escape by clearing his name. The plot line has lots of dead ends that lead nowhere (the entire plot line around Gosling’s character’s driving abilities evaporates like water in the desert sun) but regardless, the movie keeps your attention by what it doesn’t do more than what it does. What it doesn’t do is dialogue. There’s very little talking. Its the “don’t say,...
read moreHugh Jackman’s One Man Show
Sue, Anusha and I went to see Hugh Jackman in his “One Man Show” on tuesday along with probably most of the woman over 50 years of age in Toronto. If you get a chance, “have a go”. It’s fun. It really is. But more interesting than the show is to listen and watch someone who has, admittedly by way of many fortunate bounces and turns, been able to drive his own destiny and continues to push it in directions that he chooses. The show itself is mostly Hugh singing with a supporting cast of orchestra and...
read moreThe Hazelton Hotel: A bug report
Sue and I recently indulged ourselves with a stay at the Hazelton Hotel. The hotel is very visually attractive and includes all of the high end features that you’d expect from a luxury hotel. However, in trying to differentiate itself, it committed a number of faults that lead to unnecessary nuisances. Here’s a short list of actions that should have been obvious but weren’t: Taking a bath To take a bath is usually a three step process: Insert plug. Pour water. Take bath. I got stopped in my tracks by step number 1. ...
read moreGasland: Movie Review
I’m not going to do a review of the movie “Gasland”. I’m just going to tell you to watch it. You’ll cry. You really will. And then you’ll wonder what year the documentary was made in. Maybe the dirty 1960s when we had no idea what we were doing. Then you’ll realize that this is happening today. Then you’ll cry again. You really will. The oil and gas industry is massive. We depend on it for a lot of our energy. But clearly what we are doing is insane. Just insane. A part of you will...
read moreTripleHead2Go: Review
I can't say it's an ideal setup but if you're thinking about using an MBP as your main system and want a professional display configuration, consider going with Divvy + TripleHead2Go. It seems to be a decent combination for the mac.
read moreSource Code: Movie Review
Source Code - recently released starring Jake Gyllenhaal as Colter Stephens, a US army captain locked in a military version of ground hog day – is a real winner. The premise of the movie is not original; man is locked in a cycle of repeating moments – in this case 8 minutes prior to a train blowing up – and is given the task of trying to identify the bomber. Over and over again, Colter moves closer to identifying the bomber’s identity while at the same time slowly piecing together his own personal...
read moreSmuggler’s Notch
Every year, sue and I have been going skiing with the group from DC events. Every year we have gone on their Jay Peak trip. This year we figured we would change it up and go to Smugglers Notch for a change. We always enjoy the trip and thought it might be fun to try another resort. Here are my thoughts comparing the two. First, what I like about Smuggs. The resort is very family friendly. You can see that everywhere. If I had a family, this would make sense for me. The slopes are a good variety, in great condition and not too busy. Getting...
read moreTrue Grit: movie review
True Grit, the latest Cohen brothers movie, is a simple story told simply. The plot couldn’t be any simpler: young daughter (Steinfeld) of a slain father out to hunt down his murderer hires grizzly US Marshall (Bridges) because he has true “grit”. Mix in a proud but naive Texas Ranger (Damon) hunting for the same man but different reasons and the plot couldn’t write itself any faster. Of course the plot isn’t the attraction here. Nor is the “grit” really. if you want true grit, you’ll go see...
read moreAbout Me
I'm a professional engineer working in the software industry based currently out of Toronto, Canada. If I'm not writing code, you might find me on the hockey rink or reading the NY Times over coffee.
I have recently started to plan a trip around the world with my wife, Susana, putting my software development career on hold while I grow and learn in other ways beyond the keyboard. 