Last night I got home to find that I could download the New Xbox Experience, Microsoft's new dasbhoard program for the 360. One of the prominent new features is the ability to create avatars. They are similar to miis, but actually much more customizable. Here is mine:

I also tried out the integrated Netflix streaming and I really dug it. While you can't browse the Netflix catalog and add new titles like you can from the Media Center app, I really dug the way you flip through the titles in your Instant Queue and the fact that you can stop and resume watching the movie at a later time. I'm really happy with the NXE so far and am looking forward to what Microsoft has in store with it.

A Cat Rides A Roomba and Achewood Again Predicts The Future

That's pretty awesome. If you have no idea what I'm talking about, start here.

So Twitter is the latest victim of the Popularity Contest Syndrome. This is a common ailment of many social media sites. Actually, I think it's just a part of the human condition. It really bothers me though. Half the tweets I read now are about twitter grades, twitter rankings, how popular the person is, or them trying to get new followers. It's like the blogs about blogging and the digg posts about how to get more diggs. It's stupid. It's ruining a once great web service. It's kind of like what happened to StumbleUpon and countless other sites where in order to still use them you have to wade through tons of marketing crap and spam messages. I've been blocking users like crazy but even folks I enjoy following still occasionally get bit by the popularity bug.

The bottom line is this: It's turning the internet into a bunch of Amway salesmen. You have some friends you used to talk to about everything and suddenly they only want to talk about one thing and it's annoying as hell. Is that what you really want? Wow, you're the most popular person on Twitter or MySpace or whatever but no one wants to talk to you. Just like the most successful person at Amway. Just my two cents here.

Assembler. Enjoy. The last level (18) is a bitch.

So something I forgot to mention when I wrote my review of Zack & Miri Make a Porno is that it also continued the streak of having someone in the theater be a jerk. This time it was a woman who thought it necessary to talk back to the screen, repeating jokes and guessing what would happen next. I gave her the stare, then the shush, but to no avail. She was immune to my powers. I was enjoying the movie too much to make more of a scene so I just let it be. But this is why I hadn't seen a movie in the theater since The Dark Knight and don't plan to head back anytime soon.

I don't know when it started. I'd been going to the movies for years and years and never really had any problems. Maybe it started in Moberly, Missouri. The infamous Panic Room altercation. It was my first real incident of nearly wounding a man in a movie theater. That was the first time I was actively aware of people talking in a theater. Perhaps I lost my magical zoning out abilities that day. Perhaps it happens with age. I'm not sure.

So my proposal is this: I will come back to the movie theater in the name of science. With funding from some kind organization, I will find the source of this menace. I will find out the reason for this vile behavior. Is it genetic? Is it learned over the years? Is it society's fault for letting it continue? Clipboard in hand, the next time someone talks in a theater I will not shush them, I will ask them a series of questions to figure out just what the hell is going on.

Seriously though, I am very curious as to why these people do what they do. I was taught at a very young age that silence is golden. My first real memory of the movies was when my dad took me to see Return of the Jedi on opening night when I was three. In particular, I remember being very frightened during the scene where they are powering up the Death Star to blow up Endor. I was very distraught because that meant they were going to blow up the Ewoks. I could care less about Han and Leia, but I was in love with those furry guys. I remember yelling out something like "No! They'll blow it up!" or something like that. My dad quietly told me that it was not okay to talk during the movie. I obliged and continue to do so to this day. End of story. So what is their story? I'd really like to know.

Obama Win Causes Obsessive Supporters To Realize How Empty Their Lives Are

Batman to Sue Warner Bros. - ComicMix news

Batman, the small subdistrict of Ankara, Turkey announced on Wednesday their attention to sue Warner Bros. for its Batman movie franchise. According to the story at India?s Top News, Batman mayor Huseyin Kalkan feels permission should have been obtained prior to filming. The very first filmed Batman was the 1943 serial with the first full-length feature being the 1966 movie with the television cast. More recently, The Dark Knight amassed $992,764,009 in global box office receipts according to Box Office Mojo.

Mind = Blown

It's still very early but you can just keep refreshing this:

I have no idea who these guys are but this is the best music video ever made.

Oh yeah, go vote.

This is the range of emotions I will feel when Obama is elected President.

It's not even 2PM over here, it's going to be such a long day.

I was busy on Halloween so I didn't get to see this until Saturday. It was as funny as I expected. Given the title, it's not for everybody. If you're a fan of Kevin's previous films or Judd Apatow's recent work, you'll probably enjoy this. The entire cast really shines. I would have to say that Craig Robinson stole the show for me and Jason Mewes was really funny in his first non-Jay role for Kevin.

In the end, yeah, this is a raunchy comedy but like Kevin's other movies there is a little something more going on. It's a sweet love story as well. As always, the soundtrack is top notch. I was especially impressed with Kevin's selection of tracks from 1998 to accompany Zack and Miri's ten year reunion. Setting the movie in Pittsburgh was a great choice and provides a different look than the rest of Kevin's films, which are primarily set in New Jersey.

While I'm bummed I didn't get the chance to make my onscreen debut as an extra in this movie I have to give props to a few of my friends who did. My friends Josh and Gavin can be seen quite well in the background of the main reunion scene. That's all I'll say because I don't want to spoil it. I don't know what else to say about this movie because many will think my opinion is biased. I'll just say again that it was funny and sweet and I'll definitely be seeing it again.

Vote for my Mom.... no seriously, help strategically vote for my Mom. Please vote for her and pass it on if you feel so inclined. I've also lost around 25 pounds and could stand to lose 20 or so more. So, yeah... read and heed please. kthanx

Hello everyone,

Most of you know that I'm a contestant on Atlanta's version of the Biggest Loser contest. Well, we've been at it for six weeks now and we have six more to go. I'm still safe and have lost nearly 20 lbs! I'm asking you to vote for Cheryl this week so that she can possibly avoid elimination from the game (link below). This is a strategic move on my part and I would greatly appreciate your vote for Cheryl. You can vote once today and once tomorrow by 10am (eastern time).

Thank you for your support during this process. It's been a great adventure for me and I'm getting healthier and stronger each day. I went to the doctor on Tuesday and my blood pressure is also down along with my weight.

If I end up in the bottom two after next weigh-in and require your vote, you'll be hearing from me. Until then, thanks for all of your support. It is greatly appreciated!

http://www.11alive.com/life/contests/atlantas_biggest_loser/

My best friends Phil and Janelle had a baby girl, Audrey Diana, on Tuesday afternoon. She weighs 9 lbs 6 oz, so she's pretty big. I haven't gotten to hold her yet because they kept her in the nursery overnight and yesterday I wasn't feeling well. Hopefully today. I am officially "Uncle Brendo." Phil and Janelle even gave me a shirt to wear in the waiting room. Huge congrats to them and a hearty welcome to little Audrey.

MTV MUSIC - I Want My MTV

It's the rallying cry of a generation. I mean, how many times have you heard someone ask that question? The last time I was at my mom's house I was perusing our old VHS tapes and I came across an 8 hour tape of MTV videos my brother had recorded. Apparently there was some music video by Live that he really loved that he had seen once and then never saw again so he would just tape MTV at night in order to find it.

For the young folks, MTV used to play large blocks of music videos. In fact, in the late and wee hours, that is pretty much all they played. Crazy concept, huh? Well MTV apparently is finally listening to their original core audience and has launched a new site that features an insane amount of music videos, both new and old. You can even embed them:

Neat.

So someone sent me this and I'm totally sucked in. Just when I finished my Rookie Challenge on The Bigs and thought I was free.

If you're not a video game geek like me and have several hours to kill, I also strongly recommend Kevin Smith's new Q&A DVD, which is really funny and is over five hours long.

Since Guns N' Roses Chinese Democracy is actually being released, is there a chance that we may actually see Duke Nukem Forever released someday?

LAist: Elliot Smith and the Big Nothing

Five years ago today, on October 21, 2003, Elliott Smith died. The intentions behind his death still not been confirmed, but some time that day, Elliott met the Big Nothing.

I am still saddened to see that the facts surrounding Elliot's death are still sketchy. That has to be rough for his family. In honor of his memory, I've been listening to his posthumous release, New Moon, which gives a good retrospective of his work. Here's to you, Eliot.

Another great one from the guy who brought us "Take On Me - The Literal Version." This time we get "Head Over Heels." Man, 80's music videos were pretty crazy.

Look who came to visit Halloween Haunt last night. I was telling my friends I would have paid $100 easy to drive Ecto1. Thanks to Anthony for taking the picture.

So I kind of forgot about the poll. Needless to say, The Dark Knight won in a landslide as the best Batman movie. I was quite surprised to see that the original 1966 Batman had so many fans and ashamed to see that Batman & Robin actually got votes.

So now it's time for our annual summer movie poll. I know some smart guy is going to write in "none" and that's cool. I started off strong with my summer movie watching but then didn't see anything after The Dark Knight. So I still haven't seen Pineapple Express or Tropic Thunder, both of which I really, really want to see. But, as most of you know, my hatred of movie theaters these days runs a little deeper than that desire. I did go see Burn After Reading this weekend with Phil and Janelle and I thought it was fantastic.

I think I'm recovering from another movie glut. I haven't even watched many flicks on Netflix. I've been playing a lot of Xbox and watching various TV shows. For no reason at all I watched the entire first season of Veronica Mars again in the span of a week. Even though I knew what happened, it was still just as addicting the second time around. So go ahead and vote in the poll. I'm kind of curious as to what the result will be.

Ringo Starr: Don't send me any more fan mail - Yahoo! News

The fan fatigue led the former Beatles drummer to post a sometimes angry sounding short video clip on his Web site telling fans that any mail sent to him after Oct. 20 will not be read or answered. British television stations broadcast the video on Tuesday.

"It's going to be tossed," he says on the video. "I'm warning you with peace and love, I have too much to do. So no more fan mail. Thank you, thank you. And no objects to be signed. Nothing. Anyway, peace and love, peace and love."

Okay, I don't think Ringo owes anybody anything and he has a right to not have to sign autographs and answer fan mail. I can't imagine what that must be like, especially since the guy has (sort of, heh) been in the spotlight for over 40 years. But man, have some tact. Do what Stephen King did. Instead of making a dick sounding video addressing the people who have supported you over the years, hire a freaking secretary or assistant to read your mail and answer it. There are plenty of people looking for a job right now, I'm sure you can find someone.

About those lynch mobs on the campaign trail. - Boing Boing

This is why I'll be happy when it's all over.

I love every single Tim Burton movie except for Planet of the Apes. Sorry, I just can't go that far. Yes, there are some cool actors and performances in the movie, but overall it didn't really make sense and it just wasn't "Tim Buron-y" enough for my tastes. I've been a fan ever since I saw Pee-Wee's Big Adventure up on the big screen when I was five. While the man is pretty much responsible for my fear of clowns because of that movie, I think I can forgive him.

So the reason why I bring up Tim Burton is because he has some amazing projects on deck. There's his full length remake of Frankenweenie coming up as well as Alice In Wonderland, which he is currently shooting. I mean, Tim Burton meets Lewis Caroll, does it get any better than that? Not to mention Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter and recently announced Helena Bonham Carter and Anne Hathaway as the Red and White Queens. Expect some more Burton regulars (Paul Reubens, please!) to round out the cast.

Then there's the big rumored project that has my mind exploding. The rumor mill is saying that Tim Burton might direct a fourth Pirates of the Caribbean movie. Before you dismiss the idea of another Pirates movie, I would argue that with the proper casting and script, the franchise could really be revived. Depp is already signed on and Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightly are out. The other big buzz being pushed around today is that Sacha Baron Cohen and Russell Brand are being considered for the role of Jack Sparrow's brother. I thought Cohen was fantastic in Sweeney Todd and Brand is practically a living embodiment of Jack Sparrow.

I think it's way early to know for certain what's going on with the new Pirates movie but it seems like Burton has definitely renewed his relationship with Disney so it would all make sense. Both Burton and Depp have a full slate of projects right now so either way it probably won't happen for a couple years. If and when it does, I'm definitely in.

McCain Criticized for Slur - He says he'll keep using term for ex-captors in Vietnam - SFGate.com - 18FEB00

""I hate the gooks," McCain said yesterday in response to a question from reporters aboard his campaign bus. "I will hate them as long as I live."

"I was referring to my prison guards," McCain said, "and I will continue to refer to them in language that might offend some people because of the beating and torture of my friends."

The word "gook" was first used in 1899 by American soldiers fighting Filipino insurgents. During the Korean War, the term was aimed at Koreans and Chinese. It was directed at the Vietnamese when Americans were fighting in Vietnam. It is now used as a slur toward any Asian or Pacific Islander.

"If Sen. McCain had been captured by Nigerians, could he call those people `niggers' and think he wasn't going to offend everyone who is black?" Akoi asked. "We can all feel for what he went through, but if that's his level of sensitivity, I'm very disappointed."

"I will call right now, my interrogator that tortured me, a gook," McCain said. "(I can't believe that) anybody doesn't believe these interrogators and prison guards were cruel and sadistic people who deserve the worst appellations possible."

McCain said he does not consider the comment an epithet.

"Gook," he said, "is the kindest appellation I can give.""

Considering the company that I keep here in Iraq does not leave me immune to using such phrases as "Sand N****er." After all, a number of them have been detained because they in fact were caught constructing or placing IEDs or worse. That said, it's entirely unprofessional and unbecoming of a Soldier.

I wonder if John McCain has changed his mind since then.

Oh yes.