http://www.viewpoints.com/aboutme/vytas Thu, 24 Apr 2008 23:01:19 GMT Reviews by vytas http://www.viewpoints.com/His-Girl-Friday-1940-review-28852 This is one of my favorite classic movies. Definitely in my top ten. The chemistry is great between Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell with dialogue that moves a mile a minute. They most certainly don't write scripts like this anymore. Although it was released in 1940, His Girl Friday it has stood the test of time. In fact I had the opportunity to watch it again last night and would gladly do it again - it's that good. From the crooked politicians to the reporters that will do anything to get the scoop and then twist the story to their own ends, this movie will have you laughing and chuckling while you reach for the remote to replay some snippet of dialogue that just wizzed by. Look for it in your TV listings as it pops up every so often, or rent it from your favorite video... Thu, 24 Apr 2008 23:01:19 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/His-Girl-Friday-1940-review-28852 vytas 5 http://www.viewpoints.com/Sunshine--133762-review-c2132 I was looking to try out the new iTunes movie rental feature and stumbled across this movie - Sunshine. I have to say that I had never heard of it and the central idea for the plot (that was contained in the description of the rental) seemed that it would require a bit of a stretch to accept (reigniting the sun via a detonation of a bomb near its surface). But the reviews on iTunes seemed pretty positive and some of the comments even alluded to the film being a tip of the hat to 2001: A Space Odyssey. Being a sci-fi movie fan I decided to hit the rental button and take my chances. — — I was pleasantly surprised by the well crafted visuals of the movie. On that front, it far exceeded my expectations. The story was, for the most part, straight forward though it definitely had undercurrents of crew members on the verge of losing their sanity as their several year trip to the sun wore on. At times, the undercurrent was subtle, and at others it was hallucinogenic. Sunshine... Fri, 22 Feb 2008 22:29:10 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Sunshine--133762-review-c2132 vytas 3 http://www.viewpoints.com/Rodrigo-y-Gabriella-review-a2ad7 ... Fri, 22 Feb 2008 22:02:27 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Rodrigo-y-Gabriella-review-a2ad7 vytas 4 http://www.viewpoints.com/Sweet-Baby-Rays-Original-Barbecue-Sauce-review-e7f60 ... Mon, 21 Jan 2008 21:14:10 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Sweet-Baby-Rays-Original-Barbecue-Sauce-review-e7f60 vytas 5 http://www.viewpoints.com/Sushi-House-La-Grange-IL-review-560d1 If I could afford it, sushi would be on my radar every week, and Sushi House would have the lion's share of my business. — — Located just west of La Grange Road in the heart of the town of La Grange, Sushi House has never disappointed. Every time my family has been hit with a craving for sushi (who knew a six year old could start salivating at the mention of salmon maki rolls), we've headed to the Sushi House. — — On our last outing, I came across Spider rolls which contained soft shell crab that was incredibly delicious. I'm also a big fan of hamachi sushi - who knew raw fish could be so flavorful. My kids love the maki rolls (with salmon being their prefered choice). My wife and I also enjoy some of the more spicy rolls. — — Tip: if your kids are gung ho about using chop sticks but aren't very adept at using them, ask the staff for a little plastic adapter that you attach near the end of the chop sticks (essentially converting the chopsticks... Mon, 21 Jan 2008 20:08:53 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Sushi-House-La-Grange-IL-review-560d1 vytas 4 http://www.viewpoints.com/Live-Free-or-Die-Hard--27761-review-4aeb1 Live Free or Die Hard failed to deliver the goods. Although there where a few good action sequences, overall the movie quickly devolved into plot line that stretched the bounds of credibility - even for a John McClane... Mon, 21 Jan 2008 17:37:18 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Live-Free-or-Die-Hard--27761-review-4aeb1 vytas 2 http://www.viewpoints.com/Kamehachi-Old-Town-Chicago-IL-review-35e23 ... Fri, 18 Jan 2008 23:01:53 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Kamehachi-Old-Town-Chicago-IL-review-35e23 vytas 4 http://www.viewpoints.com/Niki-de-Saint-Phalle-review-10f11 This is what art should be - fun, engaging for all ages and put a smile on your face. This is exactly what the sculpture show named Niki in the Garden does and my kids couldn't get enough of it. There are over 30 sparkling, colorful sculptures displayed among the flora of the conservatory (no not a music conservatory - it's a massive green house) and in the adjoining gardens at the back of the conservatory. These are the work of French artist Niki de Saint Phalle. The sculptures are whimsical, colorful and more often than not just calling out to be touched (and in some instances climbed or sat upon). The artist used various glass materials in the surface of her creations, from mosaic glass and mirrors to marbles and art glass making her sculptures both a visual and tactile feast. This is one show that is a must for all ages. Make sure to bring a camera! — — The show runs until October 31st at the Garfield Park Conservatory in the heart of Chicago's west side. — ... Wed, 10 Oct 2007 12:19:05 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Niki-de-Saint-Phalle-review-10f11 vytas 5 http://www.viewpoints.com/Apple-iMac-24-Desktop-Computer--112873-review-4d8d2 The family computer (a six year old Dell desktop) refused to boot. Microsoft Windows XP decided to take a permanent holiday. My family was starting to grumble about the lack of a computer in our home. What was I to do? — — A year ago I started using a Apple MacBook Pro at work and had bid Microsoft Windows adieu. This seemed like the perfect moment to switch over to a Mac at home. I considered the Apple Mac Mini since I did have the screen, keyboard and mouse from the Dell, but evaluating what hardware (processor, video card, web cam, speakers, hard drive, RAM, etc.) you got with the iMac, I decided that it was actually a better deal to go with the iMac instead of the Mac Mini. In addition, the iMac is an all-in-one computer (screen, speakers, web cam, CPU, power supply, DVD drive, USB and Firewire ports all contained in the screen's housing) which made it more attractive than all of the cables associated with regular desktop computers (Mac Mini included in that... Tue, 09 Oct 2007 14:35:43 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Apple-iMac-24-Desktop-Computer--112873-review-4d8d2 vytas 5 http://www.viewpoints.com/Panasonic-Multimedia-Projector-PT-AX100U-EC-review-84a9 I have been following digital projectors for more than a decade. From office use projectors to home cinema projectors. Until recently, projectors were prohibitively expensive and of relatively low resolution. Their projected images lacked color fidelity and left a lot to be desired in the home theater arena. That was until recently when a crop of projectors started offering lower prices, better performance and HD resolution. — — The Panasonic PT-AX100U is the third interation of the most popular HD home theater projector line ever produced. Panasonic really hit its stride with the PT-AE700U and then went on to get raves with the release of the PT-AE900U. — — What really sets Panasonic PT-AX100U projector apart from others is its film like quality - there are no pixels to be seen. This is inspite of the fact that it uses 3 LCDs to generate the image - Panasonic has outdone itself in finding a way to mitigate the screen door effect that has plagued LCD... Fri, 28 Sep 2007 16:34:43 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Panasonic-Multimedia-Projector-PT-AX100U-EC-review-84a9 vytas 5 http://www.viewpoints.com/March-of-the-Penguins-2005-review-1053 This movie had my kids (ages 5,7 & 9) rivited to the screen. It is not every day that one sees an awe inspiring movie that fundamentally changes your understanding of how a particular species survives in a remote corner of our planet. This is what The March of the Penguins is all about. — — Everyone knows that the Antarctic is one of the most inhospitable places on earth. But after viewing this movie, one can only wonder at how the penguin species has managed to not only survive, but to grow. It makes our lives look like a cake walk. — — The cinematography is breathtaking. I can't imagine the challenges that the filmmakers faced documenting the life of the penguins in one of the most inhospitable places on earth. — — The March of the Penguins is a must see for everyone - both big and small - to appreciate one more corner of the planet we call our home. This movie opens up a whole new world. — — Morgan Freeman narrates the english... Wed, 19 Sep 2007 14:32:47 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/March-of-the-Penguins-2005-review-1053 vytas 4 http://www.viewpoints.com/Spire-Fuse-review-bb77 If you're a commuter who moves on public transit and uses foot power to move in urban or natural environments, you'll appreciate the thoughfully designed Spire Fuse backpack. Especially if carrying a laptop around is part of your daily commute. — — The Spire Fuse is a comfortable backpack that includes a removable “boot” (a special padded snug sleeve for your laptop). I have to say that I have yet to worry about the safety of my laptop (currently an Apple Macbook Pro) - I also used it with a Dell Lattitude 610) since I started using the Spire Fuse. The one thing to note here is that you make sure you get the correctly sized boot whan you order the Spire Fuse. — — The shoulder straps are padded and include a sternum strap. I find the sternum strap keeps the backpack snug on your back and relieves any back pull on the shoulder straps thereby distributing the weight evenly on your upper body. The rear of the Spire Fuse is also padded ensuring that... Fri, 31 Aug 2007 14:12:03 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Spire-Fuse-review-bb77 vytas 4 http://www.viewpoints.com/Oppo-Digital-DV-981HD-DVD-Player-review-cf3d Looking to make your DVD collection shine on your new HDTV or HD projector? — Then look no further than the Oppo DV-981HD 1080p High Definition Up-Converting Universal DVD Player with HDMI. — — What does that long product name mean? — It means that the Oppo DV-981HD DVD player takes the 720x480 pixel interlaced video encoded on DVD discs (which is of lower quality than what your HD TV is capable of displaying) and upconverts it to your selected resolution of 480p, 720p, 1080i or 1080p. Perhaps most importantly, it upconverts using the industry leading DCDi by Faroudja video processing technology. Faroudja is the company that provides image processing technology to high end systems (that cost in the thousands) and to digital movie theaters. Essentially, you are getting a high end video processor for a fraction of the price. — — For more information on the upconverting features of the DV-981HD see: —... Wed, 18 Jul 2007 15:43:35 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Oppo-Digital-DV-981HD-DVD-Player-review-cf3d vytas 5 http://www.viewpoints.com/goodexperience-com-review-615d Every so often you come across a web page where you rest your mouse and stop to think. — That's the type of site goodexperience.com is. — To start off on a lighter note, visit the This is Broken area. You'll find a wide range of amusing photos of bad usability (I think most readers will be amused by the postings). — Another intriguing piece is the Uncle Mark Gift Guide & Almanac. A weird name perhaps, but quite an intersting no nonsense perusal of a number of items that the author presents as good solid choices in the consumer jungle. In addition, he includes some odd topics such as How to Give a Best Man Speech and How to Run a Meeting. In fact he dispenses some very practical advice. — One other site that it links to is gootodo.com, which is a to do list management site with some pretty unique and easy to use features (perhaps it will be the subject of another review). — If you have any interest in usability questions or developing a good experience for... Wed, 06 Jun 2007 21:43:46 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/goodexperience-com-review-615d vytas 4 http://www.viewpoints.com/Speakeasy-net-review-8980 In 2004 I ditched my phone line and have never looked back. — Ever since VOIP became an option, I've been using the service. I started out with Vonage, but after a couple of years, I decided to switch my VOIP to my internet service provider - Speakeasy.net (I already had DSL service through them). — What is VOIP? — VOIP - Voice Over Internet Protocol - is having your regular telephone service delivered through your internet connection. You get a small device that you hook-up to your internet connection and plug your regular phone into. Once the service is up and running, you dial and receive calls just like you would with any POTS line (Plain Old Telephone Service). The only difference that I've noticed is that the sound quality is better. One thing that most old style telephone companies won't tell you is that they have been using VOIP to route your long distance calls for some time. — Speakeasy.net also claims that they use their own network to ensure the... Thu, 31 May 2007 18:12:30 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Speakeasy-net-review-8980 vytas 4 http://www.viewpoints.com/Elgato-eyeTV-Hybrid-review-4f2b As the HD TV wave hits the nation and analog TV is slowly reaching the end of its line, I was interested in getting exposed to HD without spending gobs of money. Enter the Elgato eyeTV Hybrid. — What is the Elgato eyeTV Hybrid? Quite simply it's a small USB dongle that is able to pull in over the air HD - High Definition television - (also know as ATSC) broadcasts as well as regular analog TV from the air and over cable (though NOT HD cable signals). In other words any free source of TV signals can be viewed on your Mac. It also comes packaged with eyeTV software that manages the viewing and recording of TV programming - essentially Tivo for your Mac. You can record, pause live TV, skip commercials in recorded programs or delayed live TV. Your Apple Remote will work seamlessly with eyeTV. — I mention in the cons above that the USB unit's width blocks adjacent ports (at least on the Apple MacBook Pro). Elgato doesn't leave you frustrated - they also include a short... Wed, 23 May 2007 21:12:48 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Elgato-eyeTV-Hybrid-review-4f2b vytas 5 http://www.viewpoints.com/Quartino-Ristorante-Chicago-IL-review-6fcc Quartino is a great spot for a casual lunch with a bunch of friends. — I had lunch with four others, we were quickly seated without a reservation (though we did arrive at 11:30 before the lunch rush). The atmosphere is casual with a market feel. The waiter informed us that the food will be brought out as it is made so sharing the dishes was a good idea. — The first dish to arrive was the Chianti salad (not to be confused with the wine). It had some slices of cold beef covered in a bean and pepper vinaigrette alongside a tuft of arugula greens. It was tasty and I would order it again. — Next up was the pizza Margherita made in the famously thin crust Neapolitan way. The pizza was slightly over cooked but eminently edible. — The third dish was a cheese fondue with green apples, crusty bread, potatoes, various vegetables and paper thin dried beef medallions (bresaola). The bread and beef tasted the best with the melted cheese, while the potatoes were a bit... Fri, 11 May 2007 18:37:37 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Quartino-Ristorante-Chicago-IL-review-6fcc vytas 4 http://www.viewpoints.com/Sony-Ericsson-T610-Cell-Phone-review-1b40 The Sony Ericsson T610 has been a faithful friend for almost four years now. That's the longest serving cellphone I've ever had - and it's still going strong. — The size is slightly wider than a Mars chocolate bar, but the thickness and length are about the same. It has all the features one would expect on a cellphone these days. The camera is one of the weak points - to put it simply - it's crappy. The photos are very fuzzy and of low resolution. At best you need strong daylight to make anything out. But that is not the primary function of the camera - the call quality is decent (I use T Mobile primarily in the Chicagoland area),though I can't say that I've ever been completely satisfied with the sound quality on any cellphone on any network. Perhaps the most annoying "feature" is the hold button - it's the call answer button that changes function to hold once a call is answered. More often than not, I end up putting the call on hold just by answering the call! — Battery... Thu, 10 May 2007 18:15:13 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Sony-Ericsson-T610-Cell-Phone-review-1b40 vytas 4 http://www.viewpoints.com/Logitech-Harmony-659-LCD-Remote-Control-review-48b9 I was living in AV remote control hell for a long time. Remote controls (TV, receiver, DVD player, VCR, CD player, digital music player, etc.) littered my living room. My wife went as far as drawing diagrams and writing up instructions for which remotes to use when and in what sequence so that babysitters or visitors could enjoy our AV equipment. — It was annoying and frustrating. Quite often you would see "universal" remotes being sold by Radio Shack or other vendors that required hours of your time to set-up and all they would do was merge some of the functions of each remote into one unit that then became even more difficult to guess at what you wanted to control with which button. — Well, then I happened upon the Harmony 659 remote control. It has buttons like "Watch a movie", "Listen to Music" and "Watch TV". It looked like it was too good to be true - but in fact it does what you expect it to do and it does it well. — To set up the remote, you hook it up to... Tue, 01 May 2007 22:30:29 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Logitech-Harmony-659-LCD-Remote-Control-review-48b9 vytas 5 http://www.viewpoints.com/General-Mills-Milkn-Cereal-Bars-Assorted-Flavors-review-bbf0 I know some people who live by these Honey Nut Milk'n Cereal bars. They eat them every day with gusto. So I tried one. Can't say I was impressed. Can't say I would eat one again. Can't say I would even remotely recommend them to anyone. I guess it's a matter for your palette to decide. — Any other fruit or granola bar is a far better choice than these General Mills Milk'n Cereal Bars. — Thumbs down for this one. The only reason it got above one star is supposedly there is some nutritional value to the bar. — ... Tue, 01 May 2007 16:49:33 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/General-Mills-Milkn-Cereal-Bars-Assorted-Flavors-review-bbf0 vytas 2