Reviews by joebednarz

joebednarz says "Glad I had free tickets" about Mamma Mia! (2008 movie)

joebednarz — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 12:43:02 GMT

Mamma Mia! looked fun from the previews. First, we didn't know it was going to be a musical. Second, we didn't really want it to be a musical!

Meryl Streep was good as the lead actress, but as lead vocal, not quite doing it for me. Neither was Pierce Brosnan -- he may look good ladies, but his vocal talents are strictly amateurish. Every time he started singing, I cringed. He sounded so strained, like he wanted to do a good job, but couldn't quite get there.

My wife and I are fans of musicals; we are children of the 80's, so ABBA is certainly a favorite; and comedies are great fun... but this messed up mix of the three just doesn't work for me.

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joebednarz says "One-for-one miles is good, APR something to be desired" about Citi - AAdvantage Platinum Mastercard

joebednarz — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 19:56:04 GMT

The CitiAdvantage card is a nice one to have. I fly American Airlines a lot and the miles add up quickly especially when you use the card to buy your airline tickets.

Redemption is always easy.

My only complaint is that there is a yearly fee often associated with this card unless you have stellar credit. Mine is in the low 700's so I'm not sure what the "magic" level is for them to change how much they charge, but I keep on them to try and get the fee eliminated. Each time (which is something I think you need to do with EVERY credit card you own) I call, I ask them to reduce my APR... they have three times already.
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joebednarz says "Solid performer -- middle of the pack laptop" about Dell Latitude D830 Laptop

joebednarz — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 13:44:16 GMT

This laptop is one that was provided for me at work. It does the job well and although it isn't the fastest or lightest around, it works well and is easy work on. I have the Centrino powered machine, which I know the Core Duo version is much faster, but I don't have any complaints about speed and power.

The battery life is execellent as I often get 4 hours of usage from one charge!

Screen is nice size, and the resolution can be "cranked up" to 1680x1050!

There are plenty of ports on this laptop including a IEEE 1394 (firewire) and four USB connections, but only a PCMCIA slot (single height).

Mine included a DVD writer, which I'm not sure if it is standard with this model, but I know most new laptops include one anyway.

If you need a decent performing laptop for a fair price, I think you can't go wrong with Dell's Latitude lineup, and particularly, the D830 is a good deal.
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joebednarz says "Everything but the kitchen sink... wait, just found it" about HTC - TyTynII Cell Phone

joebednarz — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 19:03:52 GMT

Awesome phone! This phone is also known as the AT&T Tilt. It performs great and does just about everything you can imagine. GPS, Bluetooth, wi-fi, web browse, video, 3Mega pixel camera, etc, etc, etc... really.

The only thing I would say negative about it is that the battery life is rather poor when you have Exchange Push set up... because it is "always" checking your office exchange server. You can ease the effects by changing how often the phone checks email, but then notification of emails are delayed and then you lose the benefit of having a smart phone to receive your emails, etc.

If you rely on your phone or need a bunch of info on hand every where you go, try this phone... I purchased a 4GB microSD chip to go with it and I save all kinds of documents and files on it that I need and can transfer to other locations. BTW, the phone supports up to 32GB (yes 32!) microSD chips when they become available.
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joebednarz says "Great car -- could be lighter to make it faster" about Pontiac G6 - 2007

joebednarz — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 18:52:59 GMT

I drive all the time and this car is a pleasure. Mileage is decent. Feature set is good. I'd recommend getting the V6 for the added power as this is a heavy car for the size. But... because of the weight, it rides like a much larger car....

joebednarz says "I can see why presidents like this bed" about Stearns and Foster Mattress

joebednarz — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 18:42:06 GMT

We got rid of (yes, "got rid of") our Tempurpedic mattress when we moved because it was beginning to sag in the middle -- after only 3 years of use!

Anyway, when we looked for another mattress, the people at Mattress Firm suggested a S&F. It has been great sleeping on this mattress. We got a king pillow top and it is perfect... firm where it needs to be, soft where you want it. My wife and I have gotten some GREAT sleep on the S&F. Highly recommend it to anyone.

They say all the presidents sleep on Stearns and Foster beds... I can see why....