Reviews and More

In the past couple of weeks, I’ve started playing my Nintendo DS a lot more than my PSP. I forgot how simple and fun the games for DS are. They’re really for the whole family, and now that I’ve got a young son, I am definitely more attuned to family-friendly products. I saw Mario Kart DS at the store the other day, remember how much fun I had playing it on Super Nintendo many years ago, and decided to buy this latest version. Here’s what I think of it.

The basic premise of Mario Kart hasn’t changed over the years. You get to choose from one of eight Mario-related characters, including Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, Yoshi, and Donkey Kong, and then race around different tracks in go carts. This would be fun enough as a driving game, but that’s not all there is to Mario Kart. The best part of the game (in my opinion) is the way you can collect “items” while you’re racing. The items can then be used to attack your opponents to give yourself a bit of an advantage. For example, you can throw turtle shells at the carts in front of you to knock them over or you can drop a banana peel behind you to cause carts to spin out.

There are three different cart sizes to choose from (50cc, 100cc, and 150cc) and approximately 32 (?) different tracks to race on. Some of these are available right from the beginning, but others have to be “unlocked” by winning races. As you move up from the smaller carts to the bigger ones, your opponents become faster and more aggressive, so winning becomes increasingly difficult.

Unlike other driving games, controlling the cart in Mario Kart DS is easy enough that anyone (including my 4-year-old) can pick it up and start playing within minutes. Even so, there are advanced techniques that will take more time to master and thus give you something to shoot for.

Other features of the game include head-to-head as well as online play, and various “missions” that you can go on while in single player mode. I haven’t tried any of these extras yet because I’m still having a blast with regular gameplay.

Overall, I think Mario Kart DS is an awesome game for people of all ages and skill levels. I give it 9.0 stars out of 10 and highly recommend that you buy it!

I will never forget my first hand of blackjack in a “real” casino. I had just turned 18 a few months before, and a good friend of mine took me to a gaming establishment on an Indian reservation in Minnesota. I sat down at a $5 table, and then my friend walked me through the process of how to cash my money in for chips.

I placed one in the betting circle, watched how other players used hand signals to indicate whether they wanted to hit or stand, and made my play when it was my turn. I won, and couldn’t believe that I now had two $5 chips in front of me instead of just one. The whole thing took less than a minute — and I was hooked!

Ever since that time, I’ve been playing blackjack both at home and at the casino. I take gambling seriously and like to stay in practice even if I don’t have plans for a live gaming session anytime soon. I’m one of those people who enjoys playing hundreds of hands at home just for the sake of testing out a new card-counting system or keeping sharp with basic strategy.

Because I practice so much, I’ve been thinking about investing in one of those home game packages that will give my rec room a more casino-like feel. Right now I just have a felt blackjack table layout and a dealing shoe, but I have ALWAYS wanted a real blackjack table to practice at. I saw a beautiful one on the ExecutiveGamingMonthly.com site and would love to own it someday. Maybe I’ll start setting aside some of my winnings towards the purchase!

Until then, I’ll just have to keep muddling along with my felt layout and a notebook to record unusual hands and outcomes!

Thanks to March Madness and other programming, there hadn’t been a new CSI episode in more than a month. Fortunately that changed last night as viewers were treated to “Empty Eyes”, which was episode number 7×18. I was a bit surprised to see a parental advisory disclaimer at the start and wondered what exactly was in store for us. Here’s what happened on the show.

The entire team is called upon to process a grisly crime scene were multiple murders were committed. The location was a house formerly occupied by six Vegas showgirls, all of whom were found bound and gagged, with their throats slit. Well, that was the reason for the parental advisory: they showed the horrible gashes and all the blood. Yuck.

Sara is in one of the rooms looking for evidence when she hears a noise under the bed. She goes to look and it turns out that one of the dancers is still alive — but barely. Sara immediately tries to find out what happened, but the girl can only give fragmentary answers that make no sense at the time.

Most of the episode deals with evidence collection rather than tracking down possible suspects because the team can’t find any leads to work with. Finally, they get a break when a man is attacked outside a bar in the same neighborhood as the victims’ house. The new victim has his throat cut in a similar (but non-fatal) fashion and a nearby knife turns out to be the same used on the previous victims.

But while Sara is processing the latest victim, she notices that his fingerprints are similar to the ones found all over the original crime scene: they were calloused and didn’t have distinct ridges. It’s then that she realizes this man is the killer. Brass gets a confession out of the guy, and that’s that.

My Reaction: I thought “Empty Eyes” started out well enough. It’s been a long time since CSI dealt with a mass murder scene like this, so it was good to see a different type of case come along. But the lack of suspects and suspect interviews ultimately made the show boring to watch. It wasn’t any fun not being able to make guesses as to who committed the crime, so I started losing interest towards the end.

Don’t get me wrong, there were some great scenes in last night’s show. For example, I really liked the way Warrick went back to his old neighborhood to personally tell that woman that her granddaughter was one of the victims. I also thought it was nice that the writers mentioned Greg’s civil lawsuit again — I always give extra points for continuity. But overall, the pacing of the episode was uneven and I have to say I didn’t like it very much.

Another original episode will air next week, so I hope CSI comes back with something better.

As a freelance writer, I know how important it is to back up my data frequently and to store it in a safe place. In addition to the numerous articles I write, I also have to record and back up any financial transactions related to my writing gigs, as well as maintain copies of other relevant documents and receipts.

Of course keeping these electronic records in my home doesn’t ensure that they are 100 percent safe. They could be destroyed by fire or flood, or someone else might accidentally delete them without my knowledge. That’s why I think storing important business files online is a better solution.

I heard of a website called DataDepositBox.com that offers precisely what I’m looking for. At DataDepositBox.com, I can get online data backup, secure and reliable storage, and full-time access to everything. Furthermore, the cost of this service is VERY affordable (just $2/GB, which is all I would really need) and it’s easy to get started. Oh, and long-term contracts? Forget it! DataDepositBox.com is strictly pay-as-you-go, so I can opt out at any time.

This sounds like a great service, and would be even more important for small business owners who have to keep more detailed records than I do. Be sure to check out DataDepositBox.com today to see if it’s a good fit for your needs.

A few years ago my family took a trip to the Grand Canyon for our summer vacation. While it wasn’t exactly a spur of the moment thing, we didn’t plan it as carefully as we should have and, as a result, had a lot of trouble finding decent hotels to stay at. The good ones were all booked, so we were stuck having to pay $85+ for motels that should have cost half that price.

It was an awful experience, so if we ever go back to that area again, I’m going to make sure we reserve rooms at the best Arizona hotels first. I’ve heard that the travel section of the Azcentral.com website is a great resource for finding hotels and planning trips. I just visited the site and liked what I saw, so I’ve bookmarked it for future reference.

Let’s hope our next trip to the Grand Canyon is a lot better than our first one!

I’ve heard a couple of rumors that two of the TV shows that I watch regularly, The New Adventures of Old Christine and How I Met Your Mother might both get cancelled after the current season! I haven’t been able to verify these rumors one way or the other. The HIMYM rumor came to my attention via a post on TV Squad and I saw a petition to save the show right here.

I don’t have any leads at all on Christine, so if you’ve seen recent a blog post or petition about the possible cancellation, please let me know.

Thanks to some major corporate accounting scandals that brought down companies like Enron, there have been several new laws enacted over the last few years that affect electronic record keeping and public disclosure. Chief among those laws is the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, commonly referred to as SOX.

It’s critical to the sustained success of all large corporations to ensure Sarbanes Oxley compliance , but until recently, that task was easier said than done. Now, however, Q4 Web Systems has developed a software solution that handles all corporate disclosure in accordance with SOX. The Q4 solution is a fully automated, cost-effective means of helping organizations achieve and maintain SOX compliance while minimizing their exposure and risk.

I viewed a demo of this product on the Q4 website, and have to say that I was impressed with its capabilites and ease of use. Apparently, creating trackable records for electronic documents is as simple as writing an email, and Q4 customers maintain complete control over all aspects of their corporate websites at all times. This allows for real-time disclosure and transparency, which of course is a must for public companies these days.

If you’re interested in finding out more about the Sarbanes-Oxley compliance software from Q4 Web Systems, please visit their homepage to view their demo or to contact a customer service representative.

I used to watch ER back when it was part of NBC’s “Must-See TV” lineup on Thursday nights. I stopped watching back in Season 4 (or thereabouts), but couldn’t remember what made me stop. At any rate, I’ve of course heard bits and pieces of news about the show over the years, most of it having to do with the various comings and goings of the different cast members. For example, I heard that Eriq La Salle left, then I heard that Anthony Edwards’s character was killed off (at his request), and finally that Noah Wyle left.

I’ve always meant to go back and watch Season 8 to see what happened to Dr. Mark Greene, but couldn’t bring myself to watch all 22 eps. So finally, I decided to just watch the final eight installments of the season, thinking that those would be enough to bring me up to speed with what was going on with Dr. Greene.

As soon as I turned ER on again, I was hooked. I loved seeing all the familiar faces (Dr. Weaver, Dr. Lewis, Carter, Dr. Greene, Jerry, Dr. Romano, the nurses) along with plenty of new ones. The writing was excellent and the episodes were compelling. Then, I suddenly remembered why I stopped watching ER: it’s not because the show went downhill after so many years on the air. It’s because I can’t stand all the blood and gore! ER totally makes me feel so fragile and mortal, and I end up worrying about the various ailments and accidents that might befall me on any given day. No thanks.

Anyway, I was right about eight episodes being enough to bring me up to speed with Dr. Greene. 8×15 starts out with Mark in NY to receive another diagnosis from a specialist who informs him that his inoperable brain tumor is indeed back. From there, we see Mark first try various therapies and treatments, and then finally accept his fate. He decides that he doesn’t want to spend his limited time hooked up to machines and whatnot; he’d rather have two good months of real living instead of four months of agony.

So he goes to Hawaii with his daughter, and is later joined by Alex (his wife) and his other daughter. He shows Rachel where he grew up, teaches her to surf, and tries to give her some advice before he dies.

We first receive news of Mark’s actual death in episode 8×20, called “The Letter”, when Carter reads a faxed letter from Hawaii. My initial reaction was, “WTH? Dr. Greene dies off screen??? What kind of departure is that?” But then the next episode, called “The Beach,” showed what happens to Mark after he leaves the ER for the last time and tells Carter that he needs to set the tone now, and that’s when we see all the Hawaii stuff.

Let me tell you, those episodes were very well done, and I thought the writers actually did Anthony Edwards/Mark Greene some justice. It seems a little silly to say this, but it was incredibly sad to watch that great TV character slowly die. Even after not watching the show on a regular basis in more than a decade, I was still hugely affected by the stories I saw.

Man, I tell ya, if I could take the blood and guts, I’d definitely start renting more of these ER DVDs!

If you haven’t done your taxes yet, then it’s time to get on the ball. There are only a few weeks left until April 17, which means you’ve got to gather all your documents and receipts, find the appropriate IRS forms, fill the forms out properly, and then mail everything before that filing deadline. That sounds like a lot of work, so you might want to consider using online tax filing software instead of the traditional paper-based methods in order to expedite the entire process.

One online tax filing site that I recommend checking out is eSmartTax.com. eSmartTax has some of the lowest electronic filing rates I’ve seen, and there are absolutely no hidden costs associated with their services. The prices they advertise on the very first page of the site are the prices that you pay, period. So when they say you can file a 1040EZ for $7.95, then that’s what it’ll cost you. Moreover, that price includes free resubmission (if necessary) and free printouts all the way until October 15, which are two benefits that very few other tax filing services offer.

And if you run your own business or are a payroll manager for a larger company, you might want to check out eSmart Payroll (a self-service online payroll filing site) or Simple Payroll (a full-service payroll software site). Both of these sites are operated by C&S Technologies, which is the company behind eSmartTax, so you can count on getting great service there as well.

April 17 is approaching quickly: it’s time to tackle your taxes right now!

One of my four-year-old son’s recent movie selections was the 2006 Disney-Pixar production Cars. This movie featured the voice talents of Owen Wilson (infinitely more tolerable when I don’t have to see his face on screen), Paul Newman, Bonnie Hunt, and Larry the Cable Guy among others.

In this movie, all of the characters are cars. It’s a cute gimmick for kids, and my son was definitely transfixed by the rich visualizations throughout the film. The story revolves around a speedy, hot-shot race car named Lightning McQueen (Wilson) who has a chance of becoming the first rookie to win the coveted Piston Cup championship. The regular series ended in a tie, so there will be one final race in California to decide the winner. If Lightning wins, he’ll get the major sponsorships, the money, and the fan adoration that he covets.

On the way to California, Lightning gets separated from his Mack hauler and gets a speeding ticket in the small town of Radiator Springs. When Lightning tries to run after getting a parking boot put on, he tears up the road, gets caught, and then is sentenced to repair the road before he can leave again. During his five days in the town, he gets to know its inhabitants, including Mater (Larry the Cable Guy), Sally (Hunt), and Doc (Newman) — who turns out to be the legendary Hudson Hornet, a successful racer in his own day.

Lightning’s short stay in Radiator Springs is enough to teach him many lessons about what true friendship is all about. The rest of the movie deals with this theme, and the race becomes a secondary plot line that’s all but forgotten until the final 15 (or so) minutes.

My Reaction: As an adult, I thought the animation looked incredible. The cars were beautiful, and I loved how their personalities really came out. There was a lot of detail, too, including a goatee on the hippie VW bus. These things just added to the whole experience and really enhanced my enjoyment of the film. Of course I thought the storyline was wholly predictable, but it’s a kids movie, so there was really only one way it could go.

My son didn’t understand the whole friendship theme, and I think he was a little disappointed that there wasn’t much racing action in the movie. But he did like the cars themselves and sat still for at least half of the film before asking to take a break from it.

Overall, I give Cars 7.0 stars out of 10. It’s definitely a family film, but I think your kids have to be older than 5 to enjoy it.