Posted by Barron • Creativity • Film and Video • Music • Personal • I Like it! • Comments • Permalink

I love The Cars. Benjamin Orr’s vocals were always so good.

Posted by Barron • Creativity • Film and Video • Living • Japan • Personal • I Like it! • Review • Comments • Permalink

We finally went to the theater to see the new Studio Ghibli film, “Ponyo” and it was wonderful! It’s so fun to see a new release from Hayao Miyazaki because you are sure to see quality artwork and a great story, set to a terrific musical score. Ponyo has all of these elements, but the artwork was what truly stood out for me. You could see so much detail in even the most basic areas of the scene. For instance, the colored-pencil shading was made up of so many different colors as opposed to many other animated films or cartoons, you’d just see a flat grey. Near the beginning of the movie, Sosuke is running down the hill from his house to the water, and the grass alongside the path was amazing. I really can’t wait to get this movie on disc so I can pause different scenes just to check out the quality of the artwork.

The English voice-acting was pretty good, and it was cool that they used all the Japanese names for the characters. And it was pretty neat to see a Ghibli movie set in Japan again. I like the movies that are set in other places, but the Japanese ones seem the best to me. Totoro and Spirited Away are examples. I guess it’s because I think Japan is such a neat place, and it just seems natural for a Miyazaki movie. To me, it’s a little strange to hear Kiki or Porco Rosso speaking in Japanese while the setting is in a Western country. (Yes, I prefer to have Japanese audio/English subtitles) Ponyo has a lot of really Japanese elements to it, like the mother’s micro-car, the Kindergarten, and even the mother cracking open a big beer! (looked like a Sapporo to me).

Another thing I love about Ghibli movies is that you find yourself expected to take these fantastic and unexpected things as being normal. For instance, this strange fish with a human face and hair is seen as just a goldfish to everyone. And the towering waves that were chasing a car were so crazy, but the mother just remarked casually something like “what’s with the waves today?”. That kind of thing really opens up your mind and you think that anything is possible in that world.

I’m not sure how much longer Ponyo will be in theaters here in the U.S., but if you haven’t seen it yet, you should!

Posted by Barron • Creativity • Film and Video • Personal • I Like it! • Comments • Permalink

Open-wheel race cars sound so awesome. This commercial really makes me want to go see a race. The only one I have been to was the Long Beach Grand Prix back in the early 90’s, but it was so cool.

Found at Wired’s Autopia.

Posted by Barron • Digital • Android • Personal • I Like it! • Comments • Permalink

Problem: My Android phone’s screen dims after a set period of time. I am able to keep the phone from sleeping when it’s plugged into the charger, but still, after a set amount of time, the dimming happens. This is an annoyance when I have the GPS on in the car. If I want to undim the screen, I need to tap on the screen which will move the map (and disable the My Location centering). Or, I can tap on one of the zoom buttons, but then I have to click on the other zoom button.

Solution: KeepScreen Lite. What this app does is keep your screen from dimming when certain apps are running. It’s just what I needed!

After you install KeepScreen Lite, open it and select Applications.

Just click on the apps (max. of 2 at this time) that you want to link to KeepScreen Lite. I selected Google Maps and My Tracks (sometimes I like to see the live GPS stats like speed, distance, elevation, etc.). After saving the settings, click on Start/Stop Service. This toggle persists even if you turn off your phone.

When you are using an app that is linked to the KeepScreen Lite service, you will see a little desklamp icon in the status bar to show you that it is active. It works great. Highly recommended.

To get this app, just head to the Market on your Android phone and search for KeepScreen Lite or go to the app page at Androlib.com and point your camera at the QR code using Barcode Scanner.

Posted by Barron • Creativity • Film and Video • Personal • I Like it! • Comments • Permalink

Amazing video of… well the universe as captured by the Hubble telescope.

[via Chris]

Posted by Barron • Creativity • Music • Digital • Video Games • Personal • I Like it! • Comments • Permalink

We’ve been playing DDR Hottest Party 2 on the Wii for a few weeks now and loving it. There are some really cool songs in it, but this one is my favorite by far. It’s been going through my head since last night. (Hit the HQ button to listen in higher quality)

(Don’t stop till we leave the ground)

Now that we’ve come this far

We’ve got a place here where we can leave our fears behind

Far away

We’ve got a secret place where we can leave our fears behind

Posted by Barron • Creativity • Film and Video • Music • Living • Japan • Personal • I Like it! • Comments • Permalink

One of my favorite bands has a new single and video. I like it.

Posted by Barron • Digital • Android • Personal • I Like it! • Review • Comments • Permalink

One of the apps that I have had on my G1 for the longest time is Locale by two forty four a.m.. It’s a really nice utility that lets you customize your phone based on certain dynamic situations. It’s really easy to do.

First you add a new Situation and give it a name, then you add at least one Condition. You can see the list of Conditions in the screenshot above. Then you select what Settings you’d like to have changed when that Condition is met. All of the Situations I have set up are based on time, but you could specify something to happen based on Location. For instance, when the phone is 100’ or more from your home address (using the phone’s GPS to pinpoint your location), you could have it turn off your wi-fi to save battery. Or when the battery drops below 20%, you could set the screen brightness to 10%.

Like I said, all of mine are simply time-based. The Situation named “Quiet Time” has the Condition of 11PM - 7AM, and the Setting is to turn the Ring Volume down to it’s lowest audible setting. The other Situations I created just change the wallpaper at certain times throughout the day. It’s very basic, but it adds a bit of fun customization to the phone.

As with most Android apps, just go to the Android Market on your phone and search for Locale, or you can visit the Twofortyfouram website for more information.

Posted by Barron • Living • Food • Personal • I Like it! • Comments • Permalink

Over the years, I’ve watched a lot of cooking shows. I’ve seen Julia Child and Martin Yan on PBS, then on Food Network I’ve watched Mario Batalli, Emeril Lagasse, and Ming Tsai (PBS as well). But my favorite TV chef has always been Jacques Pépin. I haven’t seen him lately, but now that we are watching more PBS I happened to catch his show ”More Fast Food My Way”. Just as the name suggests, the dishes he prepares are quick and easy, but look so delicious. There’s something about the simplicity of the recipes that give the food a classic, time-tested quality about it. And Pepin is the master of cooking technique so he is just amazing to watch. Everything he does seems effortless. This is a quote from his book ”Jacques Pepin’s Complete Techniques” (on Amazon.com)

“People often tell me that what surprises them most is watching me cook and talk at the same time. This is because my hands are trained to the point where I do not have to think about the processes I use as I make a recipe-it’s automatic. Instead of fighting the mechanics of cooking. I can concentrate on thinking about the combination of ingredients, about taste, and about texture. You may be very creative and imaginative in the kitchen, but you cannot take advantage of those qualities if you don’t know the basics. A solid background must precede inventiveness.”

Pépin also has a charming, gentle way of speaking, and he also interjects a lot of understated humor into his instructions. You can’t help but to like him. It’s amazing that with the proliferation of Food Network and the hyped-up chefs they promote, the quiet master Jacques Pépin completely pwns them all.

Official Jacques Pépin Portal

More Fast Food My Way - Complete episodes
Interview at powells.com