Snakes & Arrows (Limited Edition MVI DVD)

I gave up on Rush several albums ago, in the early 90s. I do not blame Rush, however, I blame myself. But after several years and several albums passed by, I rediscovered a long lost friend while playing a video game. A song on the game soundtrack just happened to be a Rush song I had not heard before!

A little research and a trip to the used CD store later, I filled in the few albums I had missed since I stopped paying attention in the early 90s.

Rush was once-upon-a-time one of my all time favorite bands. But, and true Rush fans will attest to this, they have a habit of almost completely reinventing themselves every four albums or so. I get it. I'm a musician, too, and I understand the need and desire for new and fresh and challenge. I just found it difficult to keep up with their musical meanderings.

The late 90s Rush was like an old friend you haven't seen in awhile. Although the passion was always there, back was the ferocity and aggression I missed from the EARLY days. Neil Peart's strenuous liner notes noted new and harder influences and it was apparent in the music.

Over the next few years, I became reacquainted with my old friend. So I got a little excited when I heard they were (finally!) releasing a new full length CD. And then I got VERY excited when I realized they were releasing the same, but in a feature-packed deluxe DVD- audio version. I waited and waited while my pre-order from Amazon was repeatedly delayed and eventually arrived.

After all that, was it worth?

Yes. I'm not overwhelmed, but I haven't been by a new Rush album since the mid-80s. They take time to get used to, like dipping your tootsies in the pool or sipping your soup. What has always impressed me most about the group is how much sound is being created by only three guys. Rush is a smorgasbord of sound and rhythm, and sometimes a little much to take in all at once. The music can be hard, and not like a rock, but more like a trigonometry test. They ain't your daddy's pop band.

But a few things are obvious. The sound quality is killer. The PCM 96k 24 bit stereo channel is clean, clear, brilliant, and amazing. The disc also includes the ubiquitous 5.1 mix for that more contemporary sound. Whether or not you are a Rush fan, if you appreciate good music, there's no denying that an evening with this disc on a quality sound system is time well spent.

The video portion is fine - nothing great, no surprises. It offers a nice and LONG glimpse at the behind-the-scenes thing. Rush fanatics will revel in it's inclusion, those not so fanatical will likely not find it worth bothering with. The members of Rush, virtuoso percussionist and lyricist Neil Peart especially, apparently have no problems with discussing their work, and do so unabashedly.

One of the nicest surprises is the inclusion of high quality MP3 versions of all the songs. This is great not only for the convenience, but I can imagine the guys in the band saying, "These guys buying the DVD version are going to have trouble ripping the songs, not like a CD. Hey! Let's GIVE 'EM some MP3s!" Gotta love that.

I'm not the type of person to discuss every song on the album and I won't do so now. I will sum up by saying that SNAKES & ARROWS isn't that much of a departure from the modern Rush. It does have some of the best songs I've heard from them in awhile, and it's very quickly growing on me. It's a meld of old and new Rush, same great taste, less calories.

Living Colour: On Stage at World Cafe Live

I’ve been a Living Colour fan for a long time, well before they hit anything near mainstream and then shortly disappeared from the pop culture radar. I’ve even managed to see them live, which if you knew anything about me personally, is a testament to how much I like them.

So I was pretty hyped to hear that one of my more favorite bands was FINALLY coming out with a live concert DVD. Hyped, but hesitant. After all, it’s been twenty-something years or so since I first discovered Living Colour. I’ve watched with increasing trepidation over the years as my musical icons age not-so-well. Oh, Jimmy Paige… what did you do to yourself!

I should not have been concerned. These.guys.ROCK. Vocalist and showman extraordinaire Corey Glover is amazing. I would seriously consider giving up a not-too-unimportant portion of my anatomy to be able to sing like him. Guitarist guru Vernon Reid shreds like he was born to it, with a surrealistic mix of finesse and raunch that few can match. Drummer Wil Calhoun is as solid as ever; laying a flawless foundation that simultaneously supports and enhances the other musicians’ brilliant performances. And of course, bassist Doug Wimbush is up to his usual wizardry.

As great as it is to finally see these guys in the comfort of my own home on a quality DVD, all is not well. First and most importantly, the show is too short. Clocking in at just under an hour, my craving was barely sated before it was all over. Predictably, the crowd is lame. It was just a little bit disconcerting to watch the guys’ faces as they rocked their hearts out before a less-than-enthusiastic crowd. As much as I was enjoying the performance, I achingly longed for a more appropriate crowd. (Being a performing musician myself, I know full well how the crowd’s reaction can make or break a show.) Admittedly, the crowd finally comes alive for the encore performance of Cult of Personality. Imagine that. And perhaps this is more of a nit than an actual complaint, but Doug Wimbush sings one song! Mr. Wimbush does a fine job, and in any other setting my reaction would have been significantly less subdued. But… DUDE! You have freakin’ COREY GLOVER in the band! ‘nuff said.

The song choice is adequate if not totally exciting. The usual crowd pleasers are there, but considering this ground breaking group has five full length albums and an EP or two floating around out there, do we really need to hear Glamour Boys again?

All in all, and especially considering the lack of concert footage available, this disc has easily garnered a place among my favorites. If you call yourself a fan, there’s no question you need this disc. If you’re among the curious, I encourage you to check it out. If you like what you see and hear, do yourself a favor and pick up a copy of Time’s Up, the band’s seminal musical creation, IMHO.

Blazing Angels: Squadrons of WWII

For Nintendo Wii

I’ll get right to the point: this is a fun game.

I’ve flown everything from an F-15 on my old Commodore 64 to a TIE Defender through interstellar space. I’ve been in dogfights against the Red Baron, Japanese Kamikaze, and Darth Vader. I like flying. I’m no connoisseur, but I enjoy a little violence in three-dimensional space on occasion.

Blazing Angels: Squadrons of WWII for Nintendo Wii, quite frankly, is MY kind of game. It’s challenging, but not too hard. I’m not ashamed to admit I need to restart from a checkpoint every once in awhile. Although most of the time it’s because I tend to fly too low and crash into things. Buildings. Ship masts. The Eiffel Tower. That kind of thing.

There is a nice selection of planes, and plenty of unlockable extras. In addition to the standard Campaign mode, you can jump into immediate action in the Arcade mode, or fly with a buddy in the sweet multi-player mode. A better non-network multiplayer flying experience does not come easily to mind.

Like seemingly all Wii games, the controls take some getting used to. One peek at the game manual and I was instantly overwhelmed with the myriad control options. I left the default, Arcade Nunchuck Sensitive, and hoped for the best. I found the controls very intuitive, just like holding your hand out the window of a moving car and “flying” your extended digits. Using the default control options, the Wii remote becomes almost superfluous, being used only for optional controls. All the good stuff is in the ‘chuck.

True flight enthusiasts and sim heads might not be too pleased. Part of what I like about the game is it’s inattention to realism in the appropriate spots. For the most part, you have unlimited ammunition, including bombs and rockets. You need not be concerned about running out of fuel. Take offs and landings are sparse, and (thankfully) easy. Just remember to put the landing gear down!

I believe the game is trying to be original with a weird target-centered camera view option. I find the thing annoying, and don’t quite see the point. It’s much more useful when approaching a stationary bombing target than tracking a rogue enemy ace, but I prefer to find my foes the old fashioned way.

While this game may lack the more realistic and exciting aspects of say, Secret Weapons of the Luftwaffe, it also lacks the frustration that too much realism can bring to a game. In my opinion, it’s an even trade. Right now I’m having a really good time flying around knocking Jerries out of the sky without giving a thought to my round count, fuel gauge, or whether or not my wings are going to rip off because I’m in too steep a dive.

Roomba 4100 (Red)

It takes about 45 minutes to do what I could accomplish with an upright vacuum in 15, but it does it every day, and it does it without my help. It dares to go where no vacuum has gone before (under the bed and other furniture). Plus, it's a robot and it's really cute.

Roomba won't replace your standard upright, and you'll probably still pull out the broom for a quick sweep now and then. But if you're used to spending an hour every weekend on your hardwood or tile floors and low-pile rugs only to find them filthy again by mid-week, Roomba will make those in-between touchups a lot more managable and therefore a lot more likely to get done. Get it started in one room and you're free to go dust, do dishes, use the computer, or even leave the house while Roomba whirrs around and picks up debris not just in the centers of rooms but along wall edges and in places you can't (or, let's be honest, don't really try very hard to) reach. A short time later, return to find the floor clean and all you have to do is empty the dust bin. Roomba even sings cheerily to let you know the job is done!

If it sounds too good to be true, it usually is... so here are the "down and dirty" facts as I've discovered so far.

Prep work: Using Roomba requires a reasonable amount of advance preperation, but this in itself encourages you to keep the house clutter free "so Roomba can reach." Obviously, pick up anything small that you wouldn't normally run a vacuum over. Cords should be up off the floor or pressed flat against a wall so that Roomba isn't crossing over them or in danger of getting snagged. It's helpful to collect stray furniture into more condensed configurations, such as pushing a coffee table against the couch to create larger open spaces surrounded by walls rather than an area dotted with smaller obstacles, however this is recommended for most efficient performance and is not necessary for Roomba to operate. Especially not if you're running Roomba every day. You might for example want to pull out dining chairs so that Roomba can clean under the table without too much bumping around, but this could be done maybe every second or third day when a mess becomes noticable.

Area rugs should be tested on an individual basis. Small rugs with fringe are best set aside for the duration of Roomba's venture. Other rugs seem fine as long as they lay flat. Roomba tends to roll over the corners of the rug and a lightweight material might bunch beneth the wheels, causing Roomba to turn away or become trapped.

Obstacles: Roomba employs deliberate obstacle-avoidance manuevers when it encounters a barrier which involve either turning 180 degrees and heading back the way it came, attempting to swing around a corner and continue onward, or moving forward a bit and searching for an exit further ahead. Using a combination of these methods, Roomba will circle completely around chair legs or standing lamps and even sweep under desks or nightstands as part of it's standard cleaning cycle. Roomba's cliff-sensing feature has worked flawlessly in my home so far and the little guy has has yet to take a tumble down the stairs.

Roomba really can go just about anywhere, and thus gets itself into some pretty interesting spots. My recommendation is it's better to be safe than sorry when it comes to defining obstacles or potential hazards (or just things you'd prefer to avoid sucking up). This goes back to room preperation. Assume that Roomba can and WILL travel everywhere, and clear the path accordingly. Should anything prove problematic, Roomba is amazingly adept at freeing itself via a variety of methods that it employs one after another until it has knocked itself loose. Failing this, Roomba will eventually shut off to avoid burning out the motor and emit a sad cry for help that will tug at your heartstrings and have you running to the rescue. So far I have seen Roomba get partially on top of various items, wedge itself under the TV stand, and take a mad dash across a minefield of tangled wires and Roomba rarely needed my intervention to free itself. Ironically, the worst episode was when Roomba ran over the cord from its own charger, which I'd carelessly left sitting out after I'd unplugged the unit earlier. It did indeed manage to try to eat the ONE THING I hadn't removed from it's path...

Roomba does not deal well with rug fringe. The instruction manual says that fringe may be tucked under, however this does not prove useful in all circumstances. Better to pick up small rugs if this is an option, and perhaps block access to rooms with larger fringed rugs if you plan to run Roomba while you're away.

Pickup: I'd rate Roomba's pickup to be fairly high on hardwood and tile, slightly diminished (but still certainly acceptable) on medium- and low-pile rugs or carpet. The main issue isn't Roomba's capacity to suck, but whether certain areas are covered at all. Though it does not do quite so thorough a job as I might with a standard vacuum, again I point out that Rooma is meant to maintain the house between regular cleanings. If it misses a spot one day, chances are it will be back the next. I'm pleased to find that it picks up well enough to keep the place looking like it's been freshly swept and vacuumed for the whole week instead of looking that way for only a day or so otherwise. I do still plan to perform "normal" cleaning on the weekends to keep things from piling up where Roomba can't reach (such as in corners), but at this rate, I wouldn't be surprised to find that I really don't need to do that more than every other week or even less often now.

Roomba is especially suited for cleaning the miniscule daily amounts of dust and pet hair that, left to their own devices, accumulate into little "tumbleweeds" that float EVERYWHERE over hardwood and tile floors. I honestly never realized that a thin coating of filth was responsible for making our floors look dull even after surface dirt had been removed. Well, they DID look dull--now they shine all the time! I didn't know they had it in them! That in itself would make Roomba valuable to me even if that all it did. But it's not: your typical crumb-type dirt, litter, and little bits of whatever-that-is are in the bag, er, the bagless bin, too. Roomba does a GREAT job of cleaning around the baseboards under the kitchen cabinets, where food particulates inevitably end up after being brushed off the countertop. The dust bin has been completely full every time I room Roomba, even when the floor looked clean to begin with. It even vacuumed under the bench in the coat closet and went under the bed...

Provided Roomba runs it over, it'll probably be sucked up. Thus, the worst pickup is near the transition areas, such as a move from hardwood to area rug. Roomba tends to miss debris around the edge of a rug because it's little rollers are half-on and half-off rather than level. Unlike someone running a vacuum or sweeping manually, Roomba can't pick up the rug to get that little line of debris caught along the edge (not yet, anyway!). Also, on occasion Roomba gets momentarily caught while trying to make a surface-type transition and leaves a short trail of Roomba excrete (dust bunnies) behind it when it does manage to wiggle itself free. Most of the time it sucks this up again on the return pass.

Maintenance: I've emptied Roomba's dirt bin after every use and so far it has always been full, but not grossly overflowing to the point of eminent disaster. Some reviewers on Amazon mentioned that they had to empty the cup several times per room, but they must be expecting Roomba to pick up after their "special needs" preschooler's class birthday party because my floor is certainly far from spotless and the capacity has worked fine for me. But emptying the bin can be messy. I haven't yet managed to remove and dump the contents without creating another little pile of dust on the floor. Which I then sic Roomba on afterwards, so that's no big deal.

The instruction manual recommends a detail cleaning of Roomba's innards after every 3-5 uses. I did this after three and was amazed at how well Roomba had continued to function despite it's poor underside being absolutely bound up with hair around every roller, and packed with fur and dust in every crevice. The filter was caked with filth. I will remember to check the state of the filter and rollers more often now that I realize how quickly mess can accumulate there. The actual cleaning process went smoothly. Roomba comes apart easily and snaps back together the same. I didn't even have to refer to the instructions to do this. The tool iRobot provides to clean the rollers also worked well.

Accessories: Roomba Red is the bare bones model, which includes the unit itself, standard wall charger, one virtual wall, and a cleaning tool. Any and all additional accessories can be ordered separetely. Perhaps the two most useful--the remote, which allows you to steer Roomba, and the self-docking charger, which allows Roomba to plug itself in when it's done cleaning--can be purchased for $20 and $60 respectively and will still save you money over the step-up package. The next cheapest bundle includes the remote, self-docking charger, and another vitual wall. IMO, the virtual wall is moot. You can accomplish the same thing with a REAL barrier, even if it's just a paper bag you stand up in the doorway (it doesn't take much of a bump for Roomba to turn around).

Observations: Left unattended, Roomba will spend a disproportianate amount of time in alcoves, entryways, and narrow passages as it ricochets between the walls. It's really good at finding it's way INTO these areas, not so good at getting out. When it actually does find the exit after randomly bouncing around for five minutes, it often pivots and heads right back into the same space on the next pass only to spend another five minutes cleaning this "new" area. As indicated in the manual, it may be a good idea to confine Roomba to larger spaces through use of the virual wall (or a real blockade of some kind) or place it in the specific areas you want cleaned most heavily before setting it free.

It hardly seems fair to write a (mostly) glowing review after only having Roomba for less than a week. For now, I am enthusiastic and impressed. Rest assured that I will update as I see fit!

World of Fingerstyle Jazz Guitar with Martin Taylor

World of Fingerstyle Jazz Guitar is definitely NOT for beginners or even intermediate players. A solid understanding of chord spellings and a relatively good ear is necessary before checking out this DVD.

Martin Taylor basically introduces a singular approach to solo performance using the different chord tones as melody, bass, and accompaniment. The rest of the DVD simply reinforces this one concept. Mr. Taylor demonstrates his approach with five standards, and then shows a few variations of those standards. If you don’t have an understanding of chord spellings, (what’s the 3rd? 7th?!?) then you WILL be completely lost, and this video will be of little use.

If nothing else, this video serves as an excellent example of some very fine playing with an introduction to some basic solo jazz techniques. This DVD is great for some motivation, or just fast-forward through the repetitive instruction and check out the excellent PDF file for some more explicit information.

Logitech Harmony 880 Advanced Universal Remote

It's a remote control that you program with your computer. Does anything else really matter?

The Harmony 880, and it's sibling upgrade the Harmony 890, are the ultimate solution to the dozen-remotes-to-do-one-damn-thing dillema prevelant in so many of today's homes. That is, if you're tech-savvy enough to use it. It basically does nothing out of the box, so if you're the type who wants things to work without having to fiddle, you're probably not looking for the Harmony 880. Go buy one of those $15 "universal" remotes they sell at Walmart and suffer the consequences, bitch! Err, conversely, if you're the type who likes to be able to adjust the functionality of every single button, alter the timing of command sequences, and program your own macros... well, then! Welcome to paradise!

Via a relatively simple online interface, users can upload information to the remote at will. First you'll want to set up the remote to work with all of your components. No problem! The online database includes hundreds, if not thousands, of pre-programmed command sets you can browse. Tape deck is 15 years old, you say? Chances are, unless it's a Panasonix from Aldis, it'll be there. What about your brand new DVR box that was just released within the past year--more recently than the 880 itself? You haven't stumped the thing yet, since new products are continually added to the online database. As for the Kenwald you bought at the dollar store, you can use the IR panel on the base of the 880 to "learn" new commands off the original remote. Meaning the possibilities are endless.

And that's just the beginning! Assuming there are others in the household who are not as nerdy as the individual doing the programming, the 880 comes to the rescue by allowing macros. A macro to "Watch TV", one to "Play Xbox," or "Watch DVD"--anything you can imagine, really. Once the online application has been told which components make up your system, it's smart enough to know basically what will need to happen for any standard macro event. For the first time only, it will walk the user through a series of questions to find out which TV inputs to use, whether anything else needs to be turned on or off, which component should control the volume, etc. Thus, the "Watch DVD" button will perform a simple "Turn on TV, turn on DVD player, turn on stereo, get everything set to the proper inputs, start DVD" sequence with very little extra programming required. You do NOT need to be a rocket scientist to get the 880 to do what you need it to do! (Although you should probably at least have a high school diploma or GED, if not for figuring out your Harmony 880, then just for the self-satisfaction and sense of personal fulfillment an education will provide). However, the macro events are HIGHLY customizable: The touch of a single button can be made to switch channels, screen resolutions, adjust your volume, then wait 10 seconds and execute the "play" command on the DVD player so you don't even have to be bothered to navigate the opening menu if that's what you want. It can do everything but make the popcorn. On second thought, if you had a remote to control the microwave, you could teach the 880 to do that, too!

Customization goes far beyond macros to even allow the user to upload .jpgs for the screen saver, change how bright the backlit display shines, and more. Each device can have several "pages" (display screens) full of learned commands that are assigned customizable titles. No more struggling to remember which non-standard functions are mapped to which pre-fab buttons; you can use a word descriptive of the actual command! Plus, it's just fun to play with all the features via the online interface. It looks very technical. You can imagine that you're doing something productive and worthwhile with your life for a change.

Once it's been set up, the Harmony 880 makes a complicated A/V system simple for anyone--even guests--to operate. Wouldn't it be fun to have someone ask, "Hey, how do I work your TV?" and then you respond, "Duh, push the WATCH TV button!" (Note: not responsible for any physical violence that may ensue). The 880 is helpful, too! If something doesn't work like it was supposed to, there is a "HELP" button that will ask the user step-by-step what went wrong: Is the TV on? Is the TV set to VIDEO 1? Is the DVD player on? Etc. If the answer is "no" at any point along the way, it will correct that problem and ask if you still need help.

... which brings up the few negatives about the 880. The way the macros work, the remote needs to make assumptions about the state of various components in order to execute the proper sequence of commands. It bases the assumptions on it's memory of previous commands. Thus, if you use the 880 to turn on the TV, but use another remote turn it off, the 880 won't know about it. Later when you hit "Watch DVD" on the 880, it will assume the TV is already on and won't include that step in the macro. This issue, although annoying, is easily resolved either through the HELP feature or by using the 880 exclusively to control the system. Or, if things get out of whack, you can manually set the components to match whatever state the 880 believes is correct; for example, turn everything off manually or with other remotes and then point the 880 away (to avoid sending futher signals to the components) while you hit it's giant all-inclusive OFF switch. Now it "thinks" it's turned everything off, so all is well again. It's just a remote, quit confusing the poor thing! Jeez!

Another negative about the Harmony 880 is that it can only do IR signals, not UHF, so line-of-sight must be obtained to control your components. The 890 solved this issue, but unfortunately, was not available right away and thus users who spent mega-bucks to purchase the 880 are screwed. This is inconvenient but probably not a deal-breaker for most potential buyers.

With the highly luminous LCD screen and backlit buttons, you'd think the Harmony 880 would be a battery hog, but it comes with it's own recharagable battery and charging station. The remote actually lasts for quite some time between charges--at least a week, or long enough for this user to forget how long it's been since she last set it on the cradle. Also, the remote will "sleep" until it senses movement, conserving power. And prompting veteran users to shake it awake each time they pick it up, which is amusing from the perspective that "outsiders" would believe you are either threatening it or have some kind of magic powers that cause it to obey. Once the motion sensor is activated, the 880 comes to life and instills awe in anyone who looks upon it.

Overall, the Harmony 880 is awesome. A true replacement option for ALL of your remotes, even the ones with special functionality that other univerals, including other "learning" models, could only replicate poorly at best. Plus, it looks cool and is impressive as hell. Isn't that just as important? Admit it! Admit that you want to be the envy of all your friends!

Reinvigorating a Genre: Half-Life 2 (for Xbox)

The first person shooter genre hasn't thrilled me since the original Quake. Each "new" version was a slightly slicker substitute for the original Doom. That is, until Half-Life came along.

Half-Life was the most fun I had playing a computer game since the early days of DOS games migrating to Windows. It had such a unique premise, and rarely seemed repetitive or cumbersome, or overly frustrating, like virtually every other shooter on the market. After wiping the sweat off my brow and taking several minutes to calm down after my victory over the original Half-Life, I began a search for something else, something new, something equally as enthralling and invigorating as what I had just experienced.

Little came along to fill the capacious void until I spied Half-Life 2 on the shelf of one of the local mega marts.

(Fast forward a week or so while I bought the game on eBay and anxiously waited for the thing to arrive!)

Not since Wing Commander IV (Luke freaking Skywalker versus the Kilrathi!) or Tetris during my college years has a game gotten under my skin so deeply or so completely. I spent more time in front of the TV with a controller in my hand the next week or so than I have at any time in the previous fifteen years. I dreamed Half-Life 2. I positively JONESED for Half-Life 2.

The pro's are numerous. It is NOT repetitive. You get to do many different things besides the cliche "run and shoot". Nor is it necessary to spend frustrating hours sneaking around in the shadows, holding the control stick at the most acute angle possible to get past the bad guys. The weapons are fun. What you can do with one particular weapon is exceptionally fun. (Who doesn't dream about bisecting a room full of zombie critters with a single shot?)The game is challenging, but not daunting. It is clever, scary, immensely interesting, and just darn fun!

The only negative I can come up with is that the final quarter of the game is it's weakest. It starts strong, grows to be one of the best times I've had playing a game, but then just falls off at the end. The end of the game is not at all bad, it just pales in comparison to the rest of the game.

Half-Life 2 comes in at number 3 of my all time favorite non-Zelda non-Mario games. If you're into first-person shooters at all, or have ever considered trying one, I vehemently urge you to RUN not walk and find a copy today!