Reviews by maxumer

maxumer says "Spore is an extremely creative computer game" about EA Games - Spore

maxumer — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 14:43:31 GMT

According to my son Shelly, a 7.5 year old computer game aficionado, playing Spore involves going through the various staged of evolution: cell, creature, tribal, civilization and space.

After the player chooses a planet and a diet (carnivore, herbivore or omnivore) the game begins with an animation representing the Big Bang after which you become a single cell organism. The cell starts eating as much as it can and slowly develops body parts which players get to design themselves.

After a while the cell gets a brain and becomes a creature. Made by the team that invented the ever popular Sims series, Spore offers endless creative opportunities as players get to place the arms and legs where they want, add wings, extra eyes and numerous mutations.

As they wonder through the universe they can ally and impress or fight and kill other creatures and eventually evolve into a tribe and on to the other stages (Shelly enjoys the tribal stage so much that it inspired his tribal man Halloween costume......

maxumer says "Leatherman Blast multi tool is always there when i need it" about Leatherman Blast Multi-Tool

maxumer — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 13:31:14 GMT

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maxumer says "Richard price writes realistic dialogue better than anyone" about Lush Life

maxumer — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 13:23:09 GMT

Even though it is clear who did it after the first chapter and you know for sure a third of the way in, you still cannot put Lush Life down. And when you put it down you wish it went on forever.

The story is about events in contemporary Lower East Side Manhattan and Price's depiction of the area and its characters is so realistic and detailed that the reader feels like is walking between the tenements....

maxumer says "Bright Shiny Morning is the Ultimate LA book" about James Frey - Bright Shiny Morning

maxumer — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 13:21:07 GMT

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maxumer says "so does my iphone 3G finally make me cool?" about Apple - iPhone 3G

maxumer — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 22:16:10 GMT

I think I have mellowed significantly. Otherwise I cannot explain how come in the past couple of weeks I have done two things I swore I would never do: I went to a sporting event (a baseball game) and I bought an Apple product - the new iPhone 3G. Yes, I have finally surrendered to the politics of cool; resistance was futile - I have been assimilated.

Before i get to the actual product - the iPhone 3G - I would like to say that I am what Apple calls "a PC" or as I prefer to describe it - an anti-Apple person. I think that besides their actual products (they often do the work really well) everything about this company is wrong. Not only do they promote evil corporate behavior such as proprietary software, they do so under the false pretense of being a laid back friendly company. And even though as I said before they make fairly good products, they consciously chose their marketing message to be as vain as possible - what matters is exterior appearance and who is 'cool'.

Now I was never a......

maxumer says "Driving an Aston Martin is a divine experience" about Aston Martin Vantage - 2008

maxumer — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 23:36:29 GMT

I went to visit my plastic surgeon cousin over the weekend. He lives in Long Island and he invited us to spend the 4th by the beautiful pool they just finished building. After we finished drying up he called me over to the garage area and said he wanted to show me something. As the garage door was rolling up he was telling me that his 13 year old son was recently encouraging him to get a "green" car. And so he did. When the garage door was up a beautiful brand new British racing green Aston Martin Vantage convertible was arrogantly parked in there.

At this point I would like to declare myself not a car enthusiast. I only drive about 4000 miles a year and my car actually is a boring "green" Prius.

Forget what I just said. The minute I saw the Aston Martin I couldn't stop ooohing and ahhhing and wowing and begging for a spin. Apparently an Aston Martin can turn a semi-intellectually-oriented, semi-environmentally-friendly man into a gas guzzling auto freak. I quickly changed my bathing suit......

maxumer says "Gelaskins make your computer look unique." about GelaSkins Protective Skin for PC and Mac Laptops

maxumer — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 12:22:49 GMT

Gelaskins are plastic skins you can stick to the back of your laptop and let you personalize your computer. They are easy to use low tack covers that easily slip onto the front of your computer and within a few minutes you lose that generic Apple or Dell appearance and become the most special person in Starbucks.

I bought three different Gelaskins for the three laptops in my house (and got an extra one for free so I guess now I need to buy another laptop). The choices available at the website are many and varied if a little eclectic. I wish the variety of designs was a bit more populist and less 'trendy'. They fit very well on both the fifteen inch PC and Macbook Pro (though the Apple demographic is more likely to use them since they care so much about appearance). They protect the computer from scratches when traveling and they make everyone around you oooh and ahhh.

Gelaskins are manufatured by "The Exchange" and fit both 13.3 and 14.1-Inch PC and Mac Laptops

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maxumer says "The Eton radio is very useful with lots of features." about Eton FR350 AM/FM/SW Radio

maxumer — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 11:31:55 GMT

The Eton FR 405 Weather Alert Radio has batteries, a crank handle dynamo, a power connection and a cel phone charger. This means you can never run out of ways to listen to your favourite tsunami information. It has a siren, a flashlight that flashes red or continous white light, and a big red American Red Cross button presumably for emergency broadcasts.
The weather function dial has seven presets that allow you to hear continous reports for your region. Its covered in a bouncy white rubber and feels solid and durable. The sound quality is as good as any other small radio. Its in my bathroom playing NPR every day!...

maxumer says "The TV show was much better" about Sex and The City - The Movie

maxumer — Fri, 30 May 2008 19:34:47 GMT

Before I review the movie I have to admit that although I think Sex and the City was a brilliantly written TV show that had great performances, I never really liked the premise. Week after week, under the false pretense of empowering women, the show presented women as panicky squeaky creatures who only care about shoes and men. 4 years later the movie isn't presenting a much different take on the female gender. Women come to NYC for two 'L's announces narrator Carrie Bradshaw: "Labels and Love".

Although it is most likely that mainly fans of the TV show will go see the movie, it begins with a Charlie's Angels like presentation of the four leading characters. Unfortunately this long overture is almost embarrassing to watch. Not only is it badly written and ill performed, but whether you are a man or a woman, there is something sad about complete and utter vanity when people are in there forties. Patricia Field's wardrobe choices, that looked cool and sexy on the 30 something year old characters......

maxumer says "I wish i got the Xootr earlier" about Xootr Scooter

maxumer — Thu, 29 May 2008 20:10:52 GMT

I got the Xootr MG so that I can go scooting with my 7 year old son (he has a Razor). I didn't realize it will immediately become my vehicle of choice for traveling around town. We walked out of the store and got on our scooters for an inaugural 80 block ride (we live in Manhattan) and since that moment I can't wait for the next scoot.

One of the great things about the Xootr is that both kids and adults can use it. Every morning my son now scoots to school and instead of dragging his scooter back I just readjust the handle bar height, get on it and reach my next destination within minutes.

The Xootr has large wheels compared to other scooters, so it travels fast and the ride is not as disturbed by the cracks in the pavement. It is light yet sturdy so as the rider feels very secure. It is also easy to maneuver - on my first run, I managed to ride it for 45 blocks up Fifth Avenue through Sunday afternoon pedestrian traffic.

The board of the Xootr scooter is wide and comfortable so between......

maxumer says "Fun Fun Fun" about LEGO Racers Outdoor Challenger 8675

maxumer — Thu, 29 May 2008 18:24:33 GMT

I got the LEGO Racers Outdoor Challenger remote control car for my son's 7 year old birthday and the minute we finished building it and turned it on we all went WHOA!!! This is one mean Lego machine! It has a very powerful engine and can cross almost any kind of outdoor terraine. It is durable and flexible and goes really fast and even has 3 gears. You can also switch the direction in which it drives.
The kit was easy to build (about 30 minutes). The only downside is the battery. It takes 4 hours to charge it and then it doesn't last for very long before in needs to be recharged again. When i went on lego.com to look for spare batterie there weren't any for sale. Oh, and its also a bit pricey for a toy but if you look on ebay you can find decent deals....

maxumer says "action heroes can be old and cool" about Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

maxumer — Thu, 29 May 2008 17:08:05 GMT

The nicest thing about the new Indiana Jones is that instead of pathetically pretending that Harrison Ford is a young agile actor, his old age becomes part of the plot and is even the subject of a few jokes along the script. It is a bit unusual to see an action movie love affair between seniors but it would have been embarrassing if Ford was pretending to be young.

Other than that Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is a classic Indie movie with all the falls and skeletons and arrows and insane jungle chase scenes one expects. The performances are great especially by Ford himself and the baddie which is played by the ever changing Cate Blanchette. The visual and special effects are what you can expect from the great masters of the trade: Steven Spielberg and George Lucas' ILM.

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maxumer says "the view is great " about W Chicago Lakeshore - Chicago, IL

maxumer — Thu, 29 May 2008 15:30:14 GMT

I guess I am getting a little old otherwise I can't explain why the constant dance music in the lobby, restaurant and elevators of the W annoys me. The hotel is great and if you are jet lagged enough to be up at 5 am and watch the sun rise over Lake Michigan you are in for a real treat but the vibe is just a bit too much sometime for a weary business traveler. Also, everyone looks so glam and gorgeous that you feel you have to constantly tuck your tummy in while in the public areas.

The service level is pretty good especially since it is provided by very nice looking young people that actually sound interested in you when you call with requests.

The bathroom was clean and well stocked but the window from the bathroom into the room itself was a bit strange. I was there by myself but if you are not i think it can be a bit strange to spend time on the toilet with only a wooden screen separating you from the rest of your party....