Friday, September 30, 2005
Porn has veto power?
Thursday, September 29, 2005
September Rewind: Gay marriage landslide victory in MA!
In the brand new "Rewind" segment, we spotlight the landslide victory for gay marriage in MA: http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2005-09-14-gay-marriage_x.htm
Sunday, September 25, 2005
Words of Wisdom!
"I had an internal debate with myself (the only debate you should ever have - you always win)"
From an unlikely source:
http://www.videohelp.com/dvdrecorders.php?DVDnameid=770&Search=Search&list=1#comments
From an unlikely source:
http://www.videohelp.com/dvdrecorders.php?DVDnameid=770&Search=Search&list=1#comments
The weekly Sneazy Top Three!
We have some retro-changes in this week's edition of the weekly Sneazy Top Three, featuring DJ-Sneazy:
Stone Roses debut album - with the lovely "I wanna be a dork" song (ok, adored, not dork)
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - the album with the JAMCesque "Love Burns"
Nine Inch Nails latest album, "With teeth^a"
Just outside the Top 3 we have:
Dave Matthews Band, "Stand up"
Just outside the Top 3 we have:
DVD Recorder update
The DVD recorder story will be updated next week with more links and findings. Stay tuned por favor :-) Suggestions and recommendations are always welcome.
Blank DVD price drops all over (Sunday paper deals)
By perusing the Sunday paper I have found the following deals on blank write-once DVDs:
TDK: 25pk DVD +R/-R $8 @ Circuit City
Sony 25pk DVD +R/-R $9 @ Target
Fuji: 100pk DVD +R/-R $35 @ Best Buy
Fuji: 30pk tri-color $8.94 (choice of +R and -R) @ Staples
100pk colorful slim jewel cases Fuji $8.84 @ Staples
150 (3x 50pk) Office Depot brand DVD+R $38 (buy 1 get 2 free) @ Office Depot
25pk 16x +R/-R Memorex $10 @ OfficeMax
50pk 16x +R/-R Memorex $20 @ OfficeMax
3pk Memorex DVD+R DL w/jewel $10 @ OfficeMax
10pk Memorex DVD-RW w/jewel $10 @ OfficeMax
Sunday, September 18, 2005
Print your photos almost anywhere in the country!
Walgreens allows you to upload your pictures online, and then print them to any Walgreens store in the country - in just one hour! This is a nice way to send pictures to your friends, families, business associates from the comforts of your own home or office! And it costs just 19c per 4x6 picture. I believe the first 10 pictures are free for new customers.
Walgreens Photo
Now who wants to pick up my lovely pictures at their neighborhood Walgreens? :-)
Walgreens Photo
Now who wants to pick up my lovely pictures at their neighborhood Walgreens? :-)
10% off eBay coupon!
I have found a coupon for 10% off eBay! (up to $25 of savings). Woohoo! You do have to pay with GayPal (errrr PayPal), and the discount does not apply to S&H. Shop! Shop! Shop! Shop! Shop! Shop! Shop! Shop! Shop! Shop! Shop! Shop! Shop! Shop! Shop! Shop! Shop! Shop! Shop! Shop! Shop! Shop! Shop! Shop!
Friday, September 16, 2005
Battlestar Galactica Season 1 DVD - Sept 20!
At the risk of sounding like a broken record, we are just 4 days away from the release of the Battlestar Galactica Season 1 DVD set! http://www.battlestargalacticadvd.com/.
DVD contents - unfortunately not super detailed list.
Good price: $42 @ Amazon with free shipping and no sales tax (in most states)
DVD contents - unfortunately not super detailed list.
Good price: $42 @ Amazon with free shipping and no sales tax (in most states)
The O'Sneazy Factor recommends Vedge!
After careful deliberation, the thirty (30) voices in my head agreed to officially recommend
this product. The only caveat being 458mg of Sodium per serving! Ouch!
this product. The only caveat being 458mg of Sodium per serving! Ouch!
Thursday, September 15, 2005
Buying a DVD Recorder on a Budget! - revision #3
A useful Sneazy blog post (for a change) will be posted here on buying a DVD recorder on a budget (under $250). This article will grow organically as I collect more information and resources. This is currently revision #3
Two reviews
These two comparative reviews are the most interesting I have found so far. As always, take them with a grain of salt.
The first review is a five page story at Sound & Vision magazine comparing three of the newest releases by Panasonic, Philips and Pioneer (the 3Ps). Very compact yet very informative article. Well done! All three recorders look good - assuming their restrictions are not hard requirements on your part.
The second review is at CNET comparing six budget units from Philips, Pioneer, Panasonic, RCA and LiteOn Also note the four additional stories on this page under "More Resources".
O'Sneazy Commentary
Fact: More multi-format players are becoming available.
Fact: The industry attempts to downplay the media format Babel, but in reality, it is an interoperability MESS. Things are not peachy for the various formats and modes, but not bad either.
As it stands right, we have these types of media:
Non-recordable (DVD-Video)
Write Once (DVD-R, DVD+R)
Rewriteable (DVD-RW, DVD+RW, DVD-RAM)
We also have two types of Recording modes:
Video (produces a DVD format like store-bought DVDs): DVD-Video
VR recording (format created for recording TV shows, allows editing of the disk in the DVD recorder, but not compatible with all DVD players/recorders)
Media Format Wars
Dash format includes DVD-R and DVD-RW, supported by Pioneer et al
Plus format, includes DVD+R and DVD+RW, supported by Philips et al
DVD-RAM supported by Panasonic et al
Shockingly Sony, the queen of proprietory media, supports both -R and +R. [No DVD-MemoryStick format ;-) ].
As you might expect, confusion arises as you mix and match from the above categories, as things are not interchangeable and interoperable.
So what do you do as a buyer?
Step 1: Figure out what you want to record on DVDs
Step 2: Compare the various DVD recorders with respect to your needs identified in Step #1, keeping in mind the cost of media
Step 3: Buy!
Step 1 is actually more important than the features of individual recorders. Identify the main uses you have for the DVD recorders. Some typical uses:
Record old VHS tapes to DVD
Record DV/camcorder movies to DVD
Record favorite movies and TV shows to DVD for future viewing
Record TV shows/movies but not interested in keeping copies after you watch the shows
Watch live TV shows/movies with time-shifting (start watching halfway in the show and fast-forward the commercials, similar to using a TiVo)
Record music CDs on CD-Rs and CD-RWs from the commercial-free cable/satelite music channels
You also have to ask yourself questions like these:
Do you want to edit (eg remove commercials) the shows before archiving them on DVD?
Do you want to edit the shows on the DVD recorder?
Do you want to edit the shows on your PC or Mac?
The ideal device would have a hard disk and a DVD recorder in one, utilizing high-speed transfer between the two so it avoids further compression and finishes much faster. Unfortunately, as of right now, these models (the reliable ones) cost upwards of $400. So for a budget of $200, the choice is single-disk DVD recorders.
So let's talk some models
After spending millions of nanoseconds on this topic, the O'Sneazy Factor is ready to name some names that are worthy of your consideration - depending on your individual DVD recording needs.
The envelope please...
Listed in random order:
Toshiba DR4
Panasonic ES-10 (ES-20 just announced)
Pioneer DVR-233s, 225s
Samsung R120
Sony GX300 and GX315
Philips DVR 615 (Magnavox DVR660/17 may be a clone)
The ones from the not-so-big brands, with higher risk of problems and more iffy reliability, but decidedly much lower prices:
LiteOn 5005
ilo 05 @ walmart - similar to the Cyberhome 1600
Links, resources, discussion forums
Great resource site: Videohelp.com
AV discussion forum, with "DVD Recorder" sub-forum: http://www.avsforum.com/
An opinionated site: http://www.digitalfaq.com/
Yet another site: http://www.dvdrecorderworld.com/
Two reviews
These two comparative reviews are the most interesting I have found so far. As always, take them with a grain of salt.
The first review is a five page story at Sound & Vision magazine comparing three of the newest releases by Panasonic, Philips and Pioneer (the 3Ps). Very compact yet very informative article. Well done! All three recorders look good - assuming their restrictions are not hard requirements on your part.
The second review is at CNET comparing six budget units from Philips, Pioneer, Panasonic, RCA and LiteOn Also note the four additional stories on this page under "More Resources".
O'Sneazy Commentary
Fact: More multi-format players are becoming available.
Fact: The industry attempts to downplay the media format Babel, but in reality, it is an interoperability MESS. Things are not peachy for the various formats and modes, but not bad either.
As it stands right, we have these types of media:
We also have two types of Recording modes:
Media Format Wars
Shockingly Sony, the queen of proprietory media, supports both -R and +R. [No DVD-MemoryStick format ;-) ].
As you might expect, confusion arises as you mix and match from the above categories, as things are not interchangeable and interoperable.
So what do you do as a buyer?
Step 1 is actually more important than the features of individual recorders. Identify the main uses you have for the DVD recorders. Some typical uses:
You also have to ask yourself questions like these:
The ideal device would have a hard disk and a DVD recorder in one, utilizing high-speed transfer between the two so it avoids further compression and finishes much faster. Unfortunately, as of right now, these models (the reliable ones) cost upwards of $400. So for a budget of $200, the choice is single-disk DVD recorders.
So let's talk some models
After spending millions of nanoseconds on this topic, the O'Sneazy Factor is ready to name some names that are worthy of your consideration - depending on your individual DVD recording needs.
The envelope please...
Listed in random order:
The ones from the not-so-big brands, with higher risk of problems and more iffy reliability, but decidedly much lower prices:
Links, resources, discussion forums
Great resource site: Videohelp.com
AV discussion forum, with "DVD Recorder" sub-forum: http://www.avsforum.com/
An opinionated site: http://www.digitalfaq.com/
Yet another site: http://www.dvdrecorderworld.com/
One week after!
One week after and as you may have noticed the wisdom level of the posts here has fallen off quite a bit - by about 25% ;-)
Wednesday, September 14, 2005
Today's post...
Page Intentionally Left Blank
Tuesday, September 13, 2005
Gay TV: 2005-2006 TV Season!
GLAAD analyzes the 2005-06 season from a gay and lesbian point of view. And when I say analyze, I really mean analyze as they disect it by network, type of role (leading, supporting, recurring), and things like that. As of this moment, there are at least three LBGTQII tv channels at various levels of deploying, LogoTV (CBS/MTV/Viacom), hereTV, and Q.
Shaq saves the ...Gay
This will probably get Shaq a GLAAD award nomination: http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=ap-heat-shaq-policeassist&prov=ap&type=lgns
Katrina and the Christian Coalition!
Instead of spending millions (if not billions) of dollars to prevent a handful of gay/lesbian people from having equal rights in marriage, the Christian Coalition could have easily donated all that money to the Katrina Relief effort. Wouldn't that be the ...Christian thing to do? You know, the love, compassion stuff they selectively preach :-)
Monday, September 12, 2005
Little Britain - a pictorial introduction!
This is a very very funny *and very inappropriate* comedy from two british lads. Currently airing on BBC America every Friday night (three times). You MUST watch it! MUST MUST MUST!
Here are some pictures:
The beautiful lady on the right with the umbrella is Emily.
The butch lad on the left with the red outfit is Dafydd, the only gay in the village.
Here are some pictures:
The beautiful lady on the right with the umbrella is Emily.
The butch lad on the left with the red outfit is Dafydd, the only gay in the village.
eBay ideas?
What other junk lying around do you think are good candidates for eBay sale? I'm trying to get rid of junks on eBay and looking for suggestions ^(__)^
Food Diary: Monday
Like NetFlix? You will love PeerFlix!
Currently in beta testing, PeerFlix allows you to trade your DVDs with everyone else in the country. This is an interesting alternative to renting or buying DVDs, especially if you like to churn DVDs.
Sunday, September 11, 2005
Battlestar DVD coming soon Sept 20!
At the risk of turning this into a SciFi blog, here is a webpage promoting the new BSG Season 1 DVD. It has some more details on each disk but not sure if all the bonus features of the mini-series DVD are included here (other than the commentary).
http://www.battlestargalacticadvd.com/
http://www.battlestargalacticadvd.com/
Official Coffee of this Blog
The O'Sneazy Factor would like to formally and officially announce that Peet's Coffee is the official Coffee of this blog ;-)
http://www.peets.com/
Sunday Paper deals!
This will be appended as more deals are discovered:
Two Quiznos coupons!
Food diary: Sunday
Saturday, September 10, 2005
I want my SciFi TV!
SciFi fans this is for you!
What we currently have:
Original First Airings
Battlestar Galactica on the Scifi channel. Two more episodes left, then 10 more episodes in mid-January
Stargate Atlantis: same schedule as above
Stargate SG-1: same schedule as above
Fall season Network TV original shows
Lost:Season 2
NEW: Threshold on CBS
NEW: Surface on NBC
NEW: Invasion on ABC
NEW: Night Stalker @ ABC
NEW: Supernatural @ WB
Syndication and reruns
Farscape: First weekend of October on WGN and local channels. First syndication run.
Star Trek Enterprise: the cancelled crappy one: Starting from episode 1 on local syndication
Star Trek Vogayer: should start first syndication run on SpikeTV in October
Star Trek Next Generation and Deep Space Nine: continues to rotate on SpikeTV
Firefly: first reruns including 3 unaired episodes on the SciFi channel
Andromeda: argghh, syndication and SciFi
Babylon 5: shockingly nowhere but super expensive DVDs :-(
http://www.watchfarscape.com/forums/showthread.php?t=35170
What we currently have:
Original First Airings
Fall season Network TV original shows
Syndication and reruns
http://www.watchfarscape.com/forums/showthread.php?t=35170
The Meaning of Life - an essay
We are often caught up in the effemeral trivialities and redundant redundancies of every day life and we forget about the big picture.
=== To Be Continued ===
=== To Be Continued ===
The camera that shocked the world!
Katrina donations
You can quickly and very easily make Katrina donations at many places. Two very fast and easy ways to donate without filling any forms:
Amazon 1-click donation. Just enter the amount, click and you are done!
Donation through PayPal using your current balance or credit/debit or bank transfer or even an eCheck.
Every penny counts! Even super stingy moi has donated!
Every penny counts! Even super stingy moi has donated!
The weekly Sneazy Top 3
In this week's Sneazy Top 3 we have:
Starsailor "Silence is easy"
Audioslave, latest album
White Stripes, latest album
Food Dairy of the Liquid variety
Friday, September 09, 2005
Food Diary is back! (temporarily)
The Food Diary is back - temporarily - to document the temporary Liquid/Soft diet.
Why a Liquid/Soft diet? That's another post which I haven't posted yet :-)
Friday
1 bottle of Vedge Veggie juice blend. Just 130 calories but 40% sodium, and it's made from fresh veggies! Yikes!
12oz Trader Joe Strawberry Smoothie
8oz 2% fat milk
8oz chocolate soy milk
1 large KFC mashed potato
1 gallon of H20
Thursday
8oz 2% fat milk
8oz chocolate soy milk
12oz Trader Joe Strawberry Smoothie
11oz Tropicana Smoothie (wild berries or something like that)
one serving of plain yogurt
one fruity Trader Joe yogurt (individual size)
1 large deli mashed potato
1 gallon of H20
That's all! Is it 1000 calories even? :-)
Why a Liquid/Soft diet? That's another post which I haven't posted yet :-)
Friday
Thursday
That's all! Is it 1000 calories even? :-)
Little Britain time change!
Effective this week, BBC America has changed the time of the excellent comedy "Little Britain". It will now broadcast three times on Friday, starting at 7:20pm, 11:20pm and 2:20am. Some of the cable on-screen guides were not updated with this. As always, check local listings.
Monday, September 05, 2005
Gas prices by ZipCode!
A very helpful tool given the sharp increases in gas prices: http://www.gasbuddy.com/.
Sunday, September 04, 2005
Book of the week: The Hookup Handbook
Ultimate goal of marriage
The ultimate goal of marriage is.... DIVORCE. Citing Census statistics on his show on the Discovery Health Channel, Dr Drew pointed out that 43% of first marriages end up in divorce within 15 years. That is an interesting number. About 75% of those re-marry - about half of them re-marry within three years.
Friday, September 02, 2005
Great Video resource site!
Confused about DVD recorders?
Here is a quick and easy tutorial: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=catalog.jsp&A=getpage&Q=Product_Resources/introdvd.jsp
And some details on the various DVD media formats: http://www.digitalfaq.com/media/dvdformats.htm
And some details on the various DVD media formats: http://www.digitalfaq.com/media/dvdformats.htm
Thursday, September 01, 2005
Do you like coupons?
Katrina Relief Donations!
Any amount no matter how small helps! You can make donations of an amount of your chosing at Amazon.com (Red Cross) and PayPal.com (United Way)!
Even the smallest amount helps! Do it now! Even stingy moi donated!
Even the smallest amount helps! Do it now! Even stingy moi donated!
Great Day for Marriage Equality!
The California State Senate, in a historic vote Thursday, approved a bill legalizing same-sex marriages under state law. It is the first time a state legislative body in the United States has voluntarily voted to approve same-sex marriage. Vermont and Massachusetts issued marriage licenses to gays and lesbians only after court rulings.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2005/09/01/MNsamesex01.DTL
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2005/09/01/MNsamesex01.DTL
Fashion News: Mervyn's!
Highly comparable to Nordstrom and Noiman Markass, Mervy's offers a variety of fashions for those who don't like to spend too much money on clothes *_*
The Factor was invited for an exclusive perusal at a local Mervy's store ;-) The things that caught our eye during our visit:
Bargain golf shirts on double clearance at $6 - $8! w000h000!
$15 jeans under the Mervyn's house brand (forgot its name)
Natural Issue jeans at $50 (!)
Almost all Dockers khakis now offer an extra OnDemand waist-level Inch (they call it "Individual Fit").
Two non-ugly CSRs
pseudo-designer brands continue to be prominently featured, such as Chaps, axcess by clairborne, and Arrow ;-)
15% entire purchase when you open a Mervyn's credit card
The Factor was invited for an exclusive perusal at a local Mervy's store ;-) The things that caught our eye during our visit:
Great FAR @ Amazon!
Jasc PaintShop Pro Studio is FAR ($20 MIR) @ Amazon. You have to buy $5+ more to get free S&H. This bundle includes the standard Album software but it is not as powerful as the standalone Paintshop Pro. Nonetheless, at the FAR price of $0 it is am amazing bargain :-)
ps> FAR --> Free After Rebate
ps> FAR --> Free After Rebate
