Fun-with-Reviewing

I've enjoyed writing reviews, mostly for books (some of which are on my book blog), and I can say that the old adage is true:

It is easier to write a pan than a rave.

Gads, it's hard to find creative ways to say something shines...is wonderful...is transcendent. [Insert cliche here]

But ah...nothing equals a good, bad review!

Just stumbled on a great one, for the animated oeuvre that is Gnomeo and Juliet. Here is a delightful snippet:

The worst sin comes at the top of the second act with the introduction of a madcap flamingo character. In the midst of a loud, desultory story the last thing we need is an extra dose of wacky, changing an annoying movie into something almost impossible to stomach.

Wow. Harsh.

Gotta love it!

Lori

Game Night Fun

Okay, I'll admit, I'm a game fan. I've clocked some hours in roleplaying games, Civilization...I played Civilization when it was, gasp, a board game!

I was terribly depressed after going into a gaming store in the late 90s, asking if they had any bookcase games...The young guy in the store looked bewildered. "Bookcase game? What's that?"

Ah well. I enjoyed the marathon gaming sessions as a 20-something, and now that I'm a mumble-mumble-something, I enjoy my evenings of drinking wine and playing games with friends.

Which brings me to the new game in my repertoire, ZapIt's GameWave.

Before we go any further, as I've mentioned before (here, here, here and here), I'm into the whole phenomenon of word-of-mouth marketing...I get samples of products, and chat about them -- with full disclosure of course.

Well, I received a GameWave unit through BzzAgent.com and to be completely honest, I'm thrilled with it! I like my games competitive, but without rancor, and that is exactly what we get with this unit.

I've had a couple of game evenings with friends so far, and they were definitely successful. Luckily, the most successful game so far is the one that comes free with the unit, "4 Degrees", a trivia game. What really works is that all of the games are played by everyone all at once, as everyone has a remote that works independently. It's a very neat concept, and all of the games are familiar ones, with mutations that take this everyone-at-the-same time idea to a new level.

Tips
If you do some looking around on the site (GameWave), and you're interested in purchasing one of these units, here are some things I've discovered:

• The unit comes with 4 remotes, and most of the games can only accommodate 4 remotes. No need to upgrade with the extra 2 remotes until they have more games that can use them.
• Other BzzAgents have had problems with the unit and its interaction with plasma TVs. But, they've also reported very good customer service -- so check before you buy, to see if it is (still) a problem.
• The Bejeweled clone game, "Gemz" is cool, but definitely needs a larger TV if you want to play with opponents. I won't even bring it out when people come over...my TV is too small!
• If you are interested, let me know, 'cause I can toss a coupon your way. Email me at loricat at gmail dot com.

Enough of the product-praise. I think my regular readers understand that I wouldn't give a good review of anything if it were shite...I've panned books and products in my time.

Back to your regularly scheduled absurdities...

Lori

Back to the Productivity Search

As my loyal readers know, I'm not only about the absurdities. I've been doing my own search through the various apps for my own productivity package (here and here, if you're interested). I read all the various GTD blogs out there, because they're interesting, and full of ideas.

And all of this was fine and good when I kept my office online as an independent project person. Now I'm working for the government, and can't add anything to my computer, can't get to many of my fave Web2.0 sites, and I've only got Outlook now. What's a girl to do?

I need to start search for Outlook GTD tips, and think text & paper. So I'm always checking the GTD feeds.

And here's yet another great productivity blog that I've only just discovered -- Productivity 501 (doesn't hurt that he's also running a contest!). The name of the blog appeals to the intellectual in me, who would always like to think that I'm functioning beyond the first year, undergrad level. The author, Mark, is a business consultant, with a tech background.

My first browse this morning has netted me a very useful article -- on creating passwords. I've never taken passwords too terribly seriously over the years, but now, working for the government, I must. So here are some great tips! With this advice coming from a techie, I'll be applying some of these principles, as I change my multiple work passwords on a regular basis.

In another article, he's got a great argument for credit cards -- they protect you more against fraud:

"With checks and debit cards, you have to get your money back if it was taken by fraud. With a credit card, the credit card company acts as a buffer. The money doesn’t come out of your account until you pay the bill."

Overall, Productivity 501 has some very good ideas on the subject of productivity... plus a few more topics that strike the writer's fancy -- like his updates on Free Academic Podcasts. The entries on productivity are not, for the most part, which software to use, or tips on using Outlook/Gmail/fill-in-the-blank-program, there are blogs enough on those more technological tips. These are more personal, more personnel, and more about your whole life than just about what you do on the computer, which is a pleasant addition to the whole GTD roster.

All that said, I do have a problem with the site's accessibility. He does have a search box, and the bottom of each entry does have links to 'possibly related' entries, but browsing around I really felt the lack of tags, or some other kind of sidebar thematic linking. I found myself wanting to tag lots of the entries "tools" -- because he seems to share a bit of an obssession with me, finding the right tool for the job (that's my one beef with Metro in the kitchen, he's always using the wrong utensils!).

I continue the search for my own system!

Lori