Reviews and More

When studying a foreign language, you need to have the right dictionary in order to make significant progress in terms of building your vocabulary and increasing your translation skills. I started studying Japanese about five years ago, and one of the first tools I set about to purchase was a good dictionary.

At the time, most of my friends and classmates were using electronic dictionaries because they are compact and quick. But those dictionaries are practically useless for beginners who can’t read kanji. After doing a ton of research, I finally decided to buy Kodansha’s Furigana Japanese Dictionary, and I haven’t looked back since!

The Kodansha dictionary was a great choice for several reasons. First of all, it stays away from romaji, yet is still suitable for beginners because of the “furigana”, or kana characters, written above every kanji in the book. This not only helps with pronunciation, but also helps build vocabulary because you can learn new kanji characters even if you haven’t formally studied them yet.

A second reason that this dictionary is head and shoulders above the rest is that it gives numerous sample sentences for nearly every entry. This obviously makes it much easier for you to get a good sense of how to use new words and phrases properly in different contexts.

And finally, I like the size of the Kodansha dictionary. It’s not too big or bulky, and is fairly comprehensive for its size. Yes, there have been plenty of words — both English and Japanese — that I wasn’t able to find in this dictionary, but for the most part, it has suited my needs rather well.

When I purchased this dictionary five years ago, it set me back $60. At the time, I thought that was rather expensive, but I bit the bullet because I was sure I would get a lot of use out of it. I was right, so I can’t complain. Now, however, I see that Amazon.com is selling the same book for just $33.60 plus shipping. That’s a great deal, so I suggest you jump on it now!

I’ve lost so much data over the years due to viruses, trojans, and malware inadvertently picked up from the Internet that I wouldn’t dream of surfing without a good antivirus program in place. I’ve been using Norton for awhile now, and am quite happy with its performance. It doesn’t get in my way when I’m online and it does an excellent job of alerting me to potential hazards.

Recently, I’ve been getting a popup window telling me that my current Norton subscription is due to run out soon. In fact, I think it’s only a matter of days now before I have to renew. Instead of going to the store for my purchase, I am looking for a website that offers a Norton Antivirus download. That way, I can get the latest version in a matter of minutes without even having to leave my home.

I checked out http://www.antivirusdownload.com/, and I think it looks pretty good. I particularly like the fact that the site has Norton Help & Support Forums that I can browse through to troubleshoot any download, installation, or usage problems that may arise. I’ve found that it’s often a lot easier and faster to get help from these kinds of forums than from the tech support phone lines that the software manufacturers provide.

Anyway, I have to take care of updating my Norton Antivirus software pretty soon. I hope you’re running current antivirus software too, but if not, check out antivirusdownload.com for an update.

I got to this week’s episode of 24 a bit late, so I apologize for the delay in the recap/review. Let’s get right down to business.

Jack/Graem: We left off last week with Jack beginning to torture his brother Graem. Graem was bound to a chair with a plastic bag over his head. Jack was demanding to know where their father was, but Graem insisted he didn’t have any idea. Of course, no mere mortal can hold out against Jack Bauer’s mad torture skillz, so Graem spills what he knows soon enough. He gives Jack the address of Darren McCarthy’s office (that’s the guy who is trying to get replacement trigger devices for Fayed) and they soon head off.

After calling for CTU backup, Jack and Graem go inside the building. Who should they find in there but Philip Bauer (played by a very tall James Cromwell), their father! This leads to all kinds of lame remarks about the dysfunctional family they have, blah, blah, blah. Philip supposedly has a rogue security team trying to track down McCarthy, but Jack’s mad that neither his dad nor brother called in the authorities as soon as they knew the nukes were missing.

After bickering for a bit, Graem seamlessly shifts into the evil Bluetooth Group mastermind that we know him as and orders his henchmen (they’re working for him, not his father) to take Jack and Philip away. Everyone heads outside and they discover that the CTU agents who were supposed to be backing up Jack are now dead. Philip is aghast at what Graem has done, but Jack doesn’t seem very surprised.

Karen/Tom Lennox/President Palmer: Karen and Tom have significant philosophical differences about how to handle the country’s security situation. Karen is against the detention centers and other extreme measures that Tom is pushing through, while Tom thinks that Karen is far too soft to be advising the President about national security.

Tom wants Karen out of the picture so he can move forward with his agenda, so he has one of his assistants (I forgot the character’s name, but he’s played by Chad Lowe) come up with blackmail material. Tom confronts Karen with the “dirt” (it had something to do with Bill previously having several suspected terrorists in custody — including Fayed — months before and then just letting them go) and demands her resignation. She complies almost immediately.

When handing in her resignation to the President, Karen asks to be transferred back to CTU Los Angeles to continue helping in some capacity there. Palmer agrees.

CTU: The CTU gang, including Bill, Chloe, Morris, Milo, and Nadia didn’t get much done this episode. It seems like the only thing that happened is Nadia’s clearance got dropped down a few levels because she’s a Muslim. Milo doesn’t agree with that decision, so he signs into Nadia’s computer with his name and clearance code. It seems like something bad’s going to happen there.

Walid/Sandra Palmer: Walid manages to gain the trust of some of the other detainees. He steals a cell phone that one of the men had and enables to FBI agents (with Chloe’s help) run a trace on the numbers dialed. It turns out the men aren’t involved with Fayed and likely know nothing. However, when the group of detainees discovers that Walid took the phone, they beat him to a bloody pulp for being a traitor.

My reaction: I hate to say this, but I wasn’t very interested in this ep at all. I can appreciate that the writers want to develop the characters and the Bauer family dynamic a bit more, but that’s not what 24 is all about. The show works because of the almost nonstop action and the urgency that goes along with racing against a deadline. When the writers shift away from that, it gets boring.

Moreover, I still have no idea what the whole Walid/Sandra Palmer storyline is supposed to be about. Is that going somewhere anytime soon? Because at this point I barely even watch when they’re on the screen. As much as I love Regina King (I used to watch 227, I kid you not), I don’t see why there suddenly needs to be a Palmer sister this year.

I’m not interested in the CTU scenes either. They’ve only produced one solid lead on their own thus far (the Philip Bauer connection), yet they’re always busy at their computers. What the heck are they doing? And why aren’t they showing more of Chloe? She’s getting second billing behind Kiefer this year, so it seems like she should be getting a lot more screentime. As for Milo: I can’t see him as anything other than the toe-sucking (eww!) boyfriend from Six Feet Under, so it’s hard to take him seriously in his boss-man role.

I’ve heard that Ricky Schroeder is going to be joining the cast sometime this season. I can’t wait; it’s time for an injection of new blood.

Come on, 24! It’s time to let Jack loose and pick up the action in these episodes!!!

In recent years, I’ve heard some fantastic stories about couples that have met through online dating sites. A lot of these connections develop into serious relationships and some have even resulted in marriage! If you’re still looking for THE ONE, maybe you should take your search online. There are many websites that offer free online dating these days, including eromance.com.

eromance.com is a completely free site that allows members to create profiles, upload photos, search through other profiles, and contact other users. Unlike lesser sites, eromance.com strives to cover the broader topic of romance in general instead of just dating. So you’ll also find discussion forums, advice articles, fun quizzes, romantic poetry, and even free e-cards. I’ve never heard of another online dating site that offers this much content — all for free. This looks like a great site: easy to navigate with a quick sign-up process (no credit card necessary), so check it out!

I just got done watching Prison Break 2×15, called “The Message”. This episode basically has the same structure that each of the Season Two episodes have followed since the cons went their separate ways. Michael and Linc get most of the screen time, and then we also get a peek at what one or two of the other cons are currently doing. Last week it was T-Bag and C-Note. This week we turn to Sucre and Haywire. Anyway, here’s what happened.

Michael/Linc/Kellerman: They managed to escape from the motel by grabbing a FOX News cameraman as a hostage before driving off into the Montana night. They then come up with a plan to help them on their quest to clear their names. Michael and Linc get on camera and basically tell the entire story of the fake murder of Terrence Steadman and the ensuing cover-up by The Company. Of course, it all sounds so ludicrous that no one will believe them (plus, Kim has his people create a story about a “storage container full of Arabs” that will take over the front page).

In this video message, Michael and Linc try to throw a lot of red herrings out there since Kellerman has told them exactly how the tape will be analyzed. So they look fidgety and appear to be lying, and Michael even taps out some nonsense Morse code message with his hand. He also manages to work in a sincere-sounding apology to Dr. Tancredi, and Agent Mahone, who’s watching it all, figures out in about TWO SECONDS FLAT what Michael’s real message is. Oy.

Oh, yeah — at the end, Kellerman gets a call from the President herself. She encourages him to bring Michael and Linc in, and promises that she’s going to work to make things right between her and Kellerman from now on.

Sucre: He spent the episode traveling through the Mexican countryside in an attempt to make it to Ixtapa to meet Maricruz. He meets a kind old man along the way, but repays the man’s kindness by stealing his car. The police pick Sucre up and bring him back to the old man, who for some reason vouches for Sucre and says he loaned him the car. The old man then gives Sucre money to help him get to Ixtapa.

Haywire: He’s still in Wisconsin and still scrounging through dumpsters for food. He also still has that dog with him, and has apparently named the dog Larry. He is trying to build a raft so he can go to Holland (?), so that’s how he spends most of his days.

A couple of teenagers approach him and ask him to buy them beer. He complies, and while talking to the girl later on, notices that she has bruises on her wrist. She says it’s from her alcoholic father. This strikes a chord in Haywire since he grew up in the same situation, so he follows the girl home. When her father starts to go after her, Haywire pops up and starts beating the guy down. We don’t see how that situation ends, but it can’t be good.

My reaction: The Michael/Sara interaction was the best part of this episode. I think those two are great together and really want things to work out for them. It was nice that they got to reconnect for a moment, even if it was just over the phone.

I thought the rest of the episode was pretty boring. Why do we have to follow Sucre on his journey to see Maricruz? Just get him there already! Who cares what happens to him along the way. He’s not one of the main characters in my book, so we don’t need so many details about him. Same with Haywire. I can understand that the writers felt we were due for an update on him, but in all honesty, I haven’t missed him in the, what, three months, since he was last on air.

And for God’s sake, can Michael come up with a SINGLE plan or message that Mahone can’t interpret immediately???? At the beginning of the season, it was fun and interesting to see that Michael finally had a foil, someone who could match him intellectually. But the way Mahone is able to solve all these puzzles and riddles so quickly is taking on eye-rolling proportions.

As for Michael: yeah, he’s a genius and all, but does that automatically mean he knows what’s in the AA “Big Book”?? How the hell would he have that information about Safe Haven, the Doctor’s Commitment, and all that? I appreciate cleverness as much as the next person, and fully believed in Michael’s foresight when he had TIME TO PLAN everything before going to jail, but now he’s just winging it and is still able to come up with stuff like this?? I love ya, Scofield, but this is getting to be too much!

Whenever I’m considering purchasing a product or service from the Internet, I can usually tell whether I’m dealing with a reputable company or not just from the website. For example, I was looking for car insurance policies online and I went to a site called ASDA Financial Services.

I was impressed by this particular site for several reasons. First, it is easy to navigate. I was able to find exactly what I was looking for quickly and easily. Second, it was easy to get a quote. ASDA lists the minimum criteria that they look for before they issue their insurance policies, so I could see right away whether I even had a chance of being approved. And third, their contact information is prominently displayed. I would never want to buy anything from a company that tries to keep this info hidden from its customers.

Overall, ASDA looks like an excellent place to get insurance from. They are affiliated with Wal-Mart, which is a name I know and trust, so I wouldn’t have any qualms about purchasing ASDA insurance if I lived in the UK.

I just finished listening to the Librivox recording of The Awakening by Kate Chopin. The Awakening is one of those novels that most everyone has to read in high school, and I was no exception. I believe I studied it in my sophomore year American Lit class, but I didn’t remember any of the details (except the ending).

The novel’s protagonist is a young woman named Edna Pontellier who, over the course of a year, comes to despise social conventions and the limitations placed on her personal freedom. She can’t bear to think of herself solely as a “wife” and a “mother”; rather, she wants to do as she pleases even if her actions set the rumor mill in motion.

Edna’s “awakening” occurs after spending the summer in the company of a young man named Robert Lebrun. Robert’s mother rents out cottages on Grand Isle to vacationing upper class families, and he has been a fixture on the scene ever since he was a child. Robert has a reputation for attaching himself to a married woman each summer and following her around like a puppy dog. He doesn’t really develop strong feelings for these women — until Edna comes along. The two soon fall in love, but obviously can’t act on their passion since Edna is still married to Leónce.

Robert decides it would be better to go to Mexico than have to face Edna every day, so he leaves without giving her much notice. His departure affects Edna more than she thought it would, and she slowly stops caring about what’s going on around her. She doesn’t receive visitors, doesn’t want to go out, doesn’t take care of her children, and even decides to move out of her husband’s home. Eventually, she will have an affair with another young man, Alcée Arobin, before Robert returns to the scene.

After some initial awkwardness Robert and Edna finally declare their love for each other, and Robert says he wishes he could marry Edna. However, he knows that can never happen, so when Edna gets called away to the bedside of a friend in labor, he leaves a note for Edna and disappears.

When Edna finds the note, she is shocked and saddened. Rather than force herself to continue on in her roles of wife and mother, she decides to end everything. She goes to the ocean, and keeps swimming until she can’t move anymore.

I have to say that I really enjoyed this Librivox recording of The Awakening. The 39 chapters of Chopin’s book were divided into eight sections, and eight different women read one section each. Most of the readers were absolutely fantastic, which made listening to this book a delightful experience.

I know I’ve been a bit hard on Librivox recordings in the past, but I fully recommend The Awakening. This is one that I’m going to keep for my personal collection!

As soon as I heard about the basic premise of Sofia Coppola’s Lost in Translation, I knew I had to see the film. It stars Bill Murray as an aging movie star named Bob Harris who is in Tokyo to shoot a commercial for Suntory Whiskey. While at the hotel bar, he meets a fellow American named Charlotte (played by Scarlett Johansson). Charlotte is a newlywed who already realizes that she simply doesn’t fit into her husband’s life. Charlotte and Bob keep running into each other, and they eventually develop a friendship.

That’s the gist of the film, as there’s no real storyline to speak of. Instead we get seemingly random scenes of Bob and Charlotte as they wander around Tokyo and experience some of the Japanese culture. Of course there are karaoke bars, sushi restaurants, and game centers, and they get exposed to a fair amount of drugs and alcohol along the way.

The reason I loved this movie is that I completely understood it. I know the Japan that Coppola described, and could relate to nearly everything. There’s something about being in a foreign country with a culture as unique as Japan’s that drives you into situations that you’d ordinarily never experience. As an American, you’re naturally drawn to other Americans — perhaps even those whom you wouldn’t even look twice at back home. But in a foreign country, you automatically connect on a basic level. I got the connection between Bob and Charlotte. It rang true to me, so the whole movie just worked.

I give Lost in Translation 9 stars out of 10. It’s not for everybody, but those who have lived abroad will certainly appreciate it.

In the corporate world, signing a contract usually marks the beginning of a long, complex relationship between two or more entities. Most organizations enter into these contracts in good faith and have every intention of abiding by the terms set forth in the document. However, sometimes problems do arise, so in order to fully protect their interests, these organizations must constantly monitor the performance of all pertinent parties to ensure compliance throughout the entire lifecycle of the contract.

Unfortunately, few firms have the financial or human resources necessary to carry out proper contract management, which is where companies like Selectica come into play. Selectica is an innovator in providing contract management solutions to industry giants such as Time Warner, Ace Hardware, Cummins, and more.

What can Selectica offer your business? You’ll be able to aggregate all your contracts in one place, thereby allowing you to share information and coordinate tasks quickly and efficiently. Selectica’s Contract Performance Management (CPM) solutions also allow you to: analyze the current state of your contracts by providing real-time snapshots of what’s happening; administer various aspects of your contracts, including payments, deliveries, and other transactions; and automate the entire process to guarantee adherence to all terms from beginning to end.

If this sounds like a service that can benefit your organization in some way, then I encourage you to visit Selectica.com for more information or to schedule a demo.

I can’t believe that it has been 15 years since A Few Good Men was first released in theaters! It doesn’t seem that long ago at all. I think I’ve mentioned before that I don’t have a very large DVD collection of my own because there aren’t many movies that I would want to watch again and again. A Few Good Men happens to be one that I never get tired of — and I’ve seen it at least 10 times now.

The script is by Aaron Sorkin, who is one of my favorite screenwriters. I enjoyed one of his other films, The American President, and his TV series The West Wing. Sorkin’s work is usually filled with a compelling plot and great dialog, which are qualities that I really value. So it really should come as no surprise that I like A Few Good Men so much.

The movie opens with a hazing incident in the Marine barracks at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Unfortunately, the victim of the action, a Pfc. William T. Santiago, died as a direct result of what happened to him. Two Marines, Lance Cpl. Harold W. Dawson and Pfc. Louden Downey, were arrested for the so-called “Code Red” and are charged with murder. The military court appoints Lt. Daniel Kaffee (played by Tom Cruise) to be their advocate.

Kaffee is soon joined on the case by Lt. Cdr JoAnne Galloway (Demi Moore), who thinks that someone is trying to get the whole incident swept under the rug. Why else would a murder case be given to an inexperienced lawyer with a history for getting his clients to go for plea bargains? Lt. Sam Weinberg (Kevin Pollak) also joins the defense team to provide support in gathering evidence and developing the trial strategy.

As the film progresses, we follow Kaffee’s team as they investigate what might have really happened on the night in question. They interview the commanding officers at Gitmo — Col. Nathan R. Jessup (Jack Nicholson), Lt. Col. Matthew Markinson (J.T. Walsh), and Lt. Jonathan Kendrick (Kiefer Sutherland) — and discover that the Code Red might actually have been an order from the very top.

From there, we get some very intense courtroom scenes, including Nicholson’s now famous “You can’t handle the truth” speech.

I’ve read some critcisms of A Few Good Men, and most of these point out that Sorkin dulls the effect of the ending by having the Cruise character tell everyone exactly what’s going to happen in court. While I can see why people would feel this way, I don’t agree. The first time I saw that scene, I was on the edge of my seat even though I did know what was coming. As a matter of fact, I’ve found that the ending is still very dramatic after repeat viewings, so I think this particular critcism is unwarranted.

No, A Few Good Men is not a perfect movie, and there are some rather boring scenes along the way that feel a bit out of place in the film. But on the whole, it’s a very engrossing and entertaining story. I give it 8.5 stars out of 10.