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Archive for May, 2009
Delicious Library fuels collector’s OCD
May 14th
Delicious Library is a collector's dream. The software lets you keep track of all the stuff (records, cd's, books, etc) that you own in a fun, easy-to-use interface.
Everyone likes to collect something. Whether it be CD’s, vinyl, DVD’s, books, baseball cards, Pokémon cards, or stamps, the need to collect seems ingrained in the human psyche. For those of us who have it a little stronger than most, Delicious Company has recently released a piece of software that will do nothing but fuel that desire.
Delicious Library 2 is a library management utility which lets users keep track of everything they own, but it’s best suited for managing collections of media. The program’s effortless interface lets you scan in items using your Mac’s built in webcam as a barcode reader, but also has a way to manually add things for those of you who are without the iSight. The software connects to a database with thousands of items containing information like cover art, artists, producers, resale value, and much much more.
SU’s drinking fountain situation makes ‘banning the bottle’ unlikely
May 5th
The "Ban the Bottle" campaign is putting up signs advertising "Free H2O" above campus drinking fountains. Photo by Angelo Carosio
Water is delicious. You just can’t beat the feeling of a nice ice-cold glass of water at any time of day. The problem with water, however, is that even small amounts of minerals or impurities and small differences in temperature make a huge difference to the taste of the water. Regardless of whether or not unfiltered tap water is a healthy drinking option, it usually tastes a little bit funky and is warmer than you want it to be.
The Ban the Bottle Campaign has been putting up signs above campus drinking fountains encouraging students to drink the “Free H2O” that they offer. The only problem is that most campus drinking fountains are way below par in the taste and ease-of-use department.
‘Star Trek’ is the perfect prequel
May 3rd
The new Enterprise crew. Image courtesy Paramount Pictures
Prequels are one of the trickiest sorts of movies to pull off correctly. When you’re working with characters that people have known and loved for years and years, it’s very hard to get everything right. For every “Batman Begins” there are 10 that just don’t get it right: Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace, X Men Origins: Wolverine and Star Trek: Enterprise come to mind as prequels that landed way below the hype and expectation created for them and only served to disappoint loyal fans of their respective series.
J.J. Abrams adaptation of the original Star Trek crew blasts away any low expectations viewers might have about its integrity. The cast, script, special effects, and story are all top-notch, successfully bringing the aging (and before this, deteriorating) franchise into the 21st century. If you consider yourself any kind of a fan of Star Trek, Star Wars, or sci-fi in general, see this movie. Hell, even if you just like a good summer popcorn action flick and haven’t seen a Star Trek episode in your entire life, this movie is still for you. The positive reviews are all over the place: Star Trek will disspoint no one.
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