The latest and greatest Kindle from Amazon is now only $139?!?!? That’s right, the #1 selling e-reader just got better and is blowing the IPAD out of the water in terms of sales.

The latest incarnation has the following specifications:

Display Amazon’s 6″ diagonal electronic paper display, optimized with proprietary waveform and font technology, 600 x 800 pixel resolution at 167 ppi, 16-level gray scale.

Size (in inches) 7.5″ x 4.8″ x 0.335″ (190 mm x 123 mm x 8.5 mm).

Weight 8.5 ounces (241 grams).

System Requirements None, because it’s wireless and doesn’t require a computer.

Storage 4GB internal (approximately 3GB available for user content).

Battery Life A single charge lasts for up to a month with wireless off. Keep wireless always on and it lasts for up to 3 weeks. Battery life will vary based on wireless usage, such as shopping the Kindle Store and downloading content.

Charge Time Fully charges in approximately 4.5 hours via the included U.S. power adapter. Also supports charging from your computer via the included USB 2.0 cable.

Wi-Fi Connectivity Supports public and private Wi-Fi networks or hotspots that use the 802.11b or 802.11g standard; does not connect to enterprise or peer-to-peer Wi-Fi networks.

USB Port USB 2.0 (micro-B connector) for connection to the Kindle U.S. power adapter or optionally to connect to a PC or Macintosh computer.
Audio 3.5 mm stereo audio jack, rear-mounted stereo speakers.

Content Formats Supported Kindle (AZW), TXT, PDF, Audible (Audible Enhanced (AA, AAX)), MP3, unprotected MOBI, PRC natively; HTML, DOC, JPEG, GIF, PNG, BMP through conversion.

Included Accessories U.S. power adapter (supports 110V-240V), USB 2.0 cable, rechargeable battery.

Documentation Quick Start Guide (included in box) [PDF]; Kindle User’s Guide (pre-installed on device) [PDF]. Additional information in multiple languages available online.

Warranty and Service 1-year limited warranty and service included. Optional 2-year Extended Warranty available for U.S. customers sold separately. Use of Kindle is subject to the Kindle License Agreement and Terms of Use.

Click here to purchase the new Amazon Kindle for $139 dirt cheap.

From what I read about Jade Dagger Ninja, the movie was made in Taiwan and is not necessarily part of the “Hong Kong Martial Arts” cannon, but most people won’t care and don’t care. I saw this dubbed version of kung fu film it featured a lot of great moments, mixed with standard sword play and what appeared to be long fist style kung fu, but I couldn’t really make it all out. I’ll explain long fist style a bit more in another post, but for now, I’ll continue to review the film, as best possible.

From what I can tell, a group of dignitaries are invited to a wedding for a “Lord” in feudal era China (Location is unconfirmed). Among the guests are a group that wants to get their hands on what is known as the “Purple Jade Badger” which is a relic that is contained at the Lord’s manner. ANyone that can grab the badger will get a potion that will transform the average kung fu artist to a master swordsman.

There is a subplot, a master named Shao Feng is looking for the man that killed his wife and he has revenge on the mind. As the wedding process starts to commence or rather the preparations are being made, the movie goes down some weird paths that will leave the average viewer baffled. There are consistent attempts at one liners and much more, and the editing is terrible, but that’s what you come to expect from films like this one, don’t you?

The fun begins in the third act when this film goes from standard kung fu fare, to an emo fare of dialogue with one man citing the best lines from The Get Up Kids “Four Minute Mile” or anything from The Cure.

If the emo dialogue wasn’t enough the film takes a turn for the macabre with very bad special effects, and strange happenings. The atmosphere at one point resembled something out of the Hammer House of Horror Studio with red blinking lights under dense fog machine smoke and scary voices and even a monster to fight off at the end.

The music is key in this film, and is one of the reasons why I love Hong Kong cinema. (I forgot this one is supposedly made in Taiwan, but the music is still rad). The dub isn’t terrible, but it’s not exactly a great one. The picture quality is nothing more than a vhs transfer, but what do you expect?

For fans of the genre, Jade Dagger Ninja is breezy and standard kung fu flick that will fit in any kung fu and martial arts fan’s collection with ease. It’s not going to amaze everyone and some casual fans will get bored, but I liked it, and recommend it.

The latest and greatest film from “Undeclared” alumn, Jay Baruchel features a geeky idiot that gets hooked up with what the film refers to as a “10”. He of course is a 5, and that’s a tough one to understand, considering he’s in a movie, but for the sake of argument, you and everyone else will suspend belief for the sake of movies right?

I hate romantic comedies, but the better half enjoys them, so I take a bullet each and every time I have to sit through a non-believable film. Yes, I know, movies aren’t necessarily real, but come on, the geek wins every time?

I’m a geek, and you know how many times my love life worked out? Once.

Failed attempts? 7 or so. If my life was a television show, then I’d have 1 episode with 7 quick shots and that’s that.

Now, She’s Out of My League is your standard romantic comedy and there are some funny moments, but overall it’s cliché and non-climactic. There are some great back and forth arguments and the idea that a 5 can’t go with a 10 is just ludicrous. Furthermore, I hate this whole ranking system that is placed in the film, and maybe that’s the whole point of the movie, but I’ve seen this plot flow through better stars and acting, and dare I say, it’s terrible.

Ok, it’s not nearly as bad as some of the other films that are in the genre, but it’s not exactly a great one. I don’t recommend this one, but if you must buy or rent, “She’s Out of My League” it’s available here for purchase, but not for me…I’ll go watch Undeclared again…far better story and plot…then again, what the hell do I know? I’m just writing to an audience of 1.

I barely had a girlfriend, and no hope for a brighter future. I had a bright future….

Ten years later I’m sitting at my house, no major employment, listening to KROQ and still full of angst…what happened to me?

I had so much going for me, and now? I’m just an idiot with no friends, and no life to speak of….man…10 years ruined me.

Columbine: Whose Fault Is It?
by Marilyn Manson

It is sad to think that the first few people on earth needed no books, movies, games or music to inspire cold-blooded murder. The day that Cain bashed his brother Abel’s brains in, the only motivation he needed was his own human disposition to violence. Whether you interpret the Bible as literature or as the final word of whatever God may be, Christianity has given us an image of death and sexuality that we have based our culture around. A half-naked dead man hangs in most homes and around our necks, and we have just taken that for granted all our lives. Is it a symbol of hope or hopelessness? The world’s most famous murder-suicide was also the birth of the death icon — the blueprint for celebrity. Unfortunately, for all of their inspiring morality, nowhere in the Gospels is intelligence praised as a virtue.

MARILYN MANSON
(May 28, 1999)

After a few months, I finally landed a job, taking photos for the web at a snowboarding company. It was the best job at first, then a new owner came in and the whole thing got turned inside out and it was a hell of a job for many months before they showed up one day and let me go.

The first few months were glorious, and after nearly 1 year of being unemployed and barely scraping by right now, I’ve been able to think about my career. This original thought stream nearly got me fired from my job a few years ago, but I’ve managed to lose my job anyway, and since I’ve got nothing to lose, I’m going to move forward.

If you plan on working at a small business, or simply find yourself in a job and not a career, maybe consider a few things first.

1. You’ll Be Left Alone A Lot - For whatever reasons, no matter what job I end up in, I have to sit in a room alone. This is fun at first, you get to do a lot of things to help out the company, until they stop giving you things to do. Once they stop giving you things to do, and they stop inputting things for you to accomplish, boredom sits in. I saw bored at one job for 2 years, and nothing happened. I collected a paycheck, got raises, and sat there, bored.

Why didn’t I quit? I needed to pay for my rent, college, and other stuff. I’m not going to throw away an option to make money for a “chance” at another. I’ve seen many, many people try and fail, and I’ve even tried it once, and failed so bad that it left me unemployed for 9 months.

If boredom doesn’t bug you, stay at a small company, but beware, it doesn’t last forever.

2. They’ll Never Trust You Forever - As a tech worker, I’ve worked at companies that trusted me for a few months, then stopped. No matter what I warned, no matter what I said, the owners/managers eventually stopped listening to me. One major position I had, I warned the company that they would not have a sustainable online presence without utilizing social media, and without spending money on advertising in the long run as well as creating many “web 2.0″ options to move forward. They didn’t listen to me, and nearly bankrupted themselves, and I got laid off in the process. No matter how much information I gave them, no matter how many times I warned them, it didn’t matter, they laid me off and my other idiot coworkers, and that was that.

No remorse.

3. No Insurance - I’ve never had health insurance from a job. I’ve worked at only 1 major corporation, and the rest were private small businesses. None of them offered me health insurance. One company did offer dental, but other than that, nothing. I once had to get private insurance and have minor surgery on my foot, and paid it all out of pocket. I brought this up to one of the owners of one of the companies I worked for and they thought it was stupid. They later offered health insurance, with a catch, they suspended the program and no longer offered it a few months later. There’s nothing worse than being given benefits only to have them taken away within a few months.

4. They Don’t Care About You - No matter how often they tell you that they won’t fire you, they won’t downsize you, and that you’re their friends or that they had a hard time with the decision, they still don’t care about you. It’s true. The Briggs was right when they crooned, “They don’t care about us”, because they don’t. As a tech worker I’ve been laid off for asinine reasons, outsourcing and most recently because I WAS RIGHT ABOUT the future. When the day comes to get laid off, 90% of companies won’t give you severance or anything like that. Most companies won’t even offer you a scale down in salary, they just give you the boot and let you worry about your own life. In 99% of my cases, my former bosses have never helped me after the lay off, and always gave me a speech about how they were sorry and that they didn’t want to do it, and blah blah blah. Well, they’re the ones thriving, so screw them!

5. Burning Bridges - They tell you not to burn bridges. Everyone tells me that, but I’ve burned many bridges and I’ve seen friends that didn’t burn bridges. Both my friends and I have NO difference in the job search market. I’ve noticed that it makes NO DIFFERENCE between burning bridges and not. Had I kept my bridge “unburned” I’d still be unemployed and sitting at home, rather than working. I had a close friend that tried everything to not burn the bridges and he is now serving burgers, and he has a degree in the same thing I have. So that’s the end of that.

6. Luxuries - There are none. I worked for many companies and each one of them didn’t care how hot it got in the rooms I worked in. At one place, they refused to give us heat, they refused to give us cold, and when they made mediocre attempts at helping us, they failed and left us in an original state. I even worked at one company where they threw it in my face for complaining!

I’m not going to say ALL small companies are like this, but out of 10 companies I’ve worked at, each one didn’t care about any comforts. It was like pulling teeth to even get a new computer, and for many years, I was working and writing from a lap top with NO additional compensation.

7. Unerpaid, Underpaid - I’ve never been paid what I’m worth. At the height of my tech career, I was promised to get paid well in a couple of years, but first, I had to commit for a long term. At one company, I even signed a 2 year contract and promised not to leave or ask for a raise or anything. Well, the contract wasn’t up and they laid me off and I got stuck with a no-compete clause. The last company I worked for not only gave me a raise with the strings of staying at the company for the long term, and I obliged. They also told me many times in private and public meetings, that they wouldn’t fire my coworkers nor lay me off.

They did just that, and they left me without recourse.

Getting paid well is NOT in the cards for tech work or any work at the majority of small businesses. It just isn’t possible, and it is my fault for accepting the terms to begin with. I remember working at one place for several years and NEVER getting a raise. I asked for a raise and was laid off a week later. At other jobs, I even told the owners that I’d work for 1/2 of my salary, and they didn’t oblige, they laid me off instead.

There’s more things I could discuss, but I won’t go into details here. At this point, I’ve applied to 348 different positions in the last 8 months or so. I’ve managed to get the same questions in interviews, NONE OF THEM talk about my managerial experience, my tech work or anything like that, they’ve all inquired about my 3 years working at a video store.

Awesome.

I got a degree, worked for 7+ years in tech, only to be remembered as a video store clerk, and nothing more.

Independent film doesn’t usually get the publicity it deserves, and the majority of audiences don’t rush out to find the latest and greatest from the independent film circuit. I am fortunate enough to be one of the idiots that is constantly looking for indie film and trying to review many movies that no one sees. Humble Pie is one of those films, and it’s actually better than a lot of other movies that I’ve seen.

What’s the problem? Why didn’t anyone see it?

This is simply because it stars no MAJOR actors, unless you count one of the Baldwin brothers, and just doesn’t hit hard with the story. That’s right, the story is smart but slow and doesn’t have the explosions or CGI that other movies have.

Humble Pie is interesting. It is about a fat teenager that works a dead end job where everyone is an “Assistant Manager”. His life is mundane and he discovers acting, so he moves forward to learn how to act. The story then progresses to a secondary story, which becomes the focus of the film, where he gets involved with a group of teens that want to rob his store. Along the way it gets foiled, he becomes the center of a statutory rape case, and ruins his life…for a short time.

I won’t give away the rest of the film, but Humble Pie is one quality flick. Sure, it’s not going to make 100 million dollars, although I wish the writers and directors the best, but it’s heavy. The movie is a slow burning, easily forgotten film, but that’s not to say it’s bad. It lacks a bit of comedic timing, but maybe it wasn’t meant to be funny.

This film is the anthem for the loser, the downtrodden, the normal, the outcast, the blogger, it’s a film about me and you…well not everyone, but it’s a swan song to the geeks/nerds that aren’t completely obsessed with pop culture, and I for one, loved it. Check out Humble Pie on dvd here, and considering watching a fine movie. You can get Humble Pie for a penny, that’s really low folks.

For the site, check out these sick recent skateboarding videos to help you pass the time.

Matt Field Feelin’ Magical from Rasa Libre on Vimeo.

Matt Field’s full video part from Rasa Libre’s, Essence of Freedom.

Mike Mo in HD!

Vans China Team Chengdu Trip – July 10-14, 2010 from Vans China on Vimeo.

Look, it’s Vans skateboarding in China…looks like communism allows big U.S. skate companies thrive there.

Eastbound and Down – Part 1 from RVCA on Vimeo.

Look, it’s RVCA on the east coast; skateboarding it up.

Hopefully this will help you pass the time. I have a skateboarding website that I do as well as this blog, but I’ll be bridging content from there to here as time goes on. So this is an exclusive…enjoy.

Since the beginning of cinema, movie directors have been trying to fit the “dream” sequence into film. Many have tried, and many have failed, and some might argue that “Audition” did it quite well, but no one has done it with quite fan fare like Christopher Nolan and his latest film Inception.

The film stars a “fatter” Leonardo DiCaprio than his glory days and none other than Joseph Gordon-Levitt (in a non “indie” film, odd), and together they play thieves that steal people’s identity through dreams.

Yep.

The premise of the film is that they’re stealing identities through dreams.

Sounds a little like the plot of Batman Forever! (a little!)

The film has a lot of special-effects, and it doesn’t look 100% artificial. You “KNOW” it’s fake, but at times you start to really believe that the whole thing is real. Christopher Nolan’s style shines through and a lot of the time you are waiting for Batman and Christian Bale to show up, because this movie fits in with the same notions that were put forth by Batman R.I.P. by Grant Morrison.

People that complain about “talking heads” will hate this film. This movie has a lot of closely spoken dialogue that fuels the plot and the rest of the film. If you don’t hear it, you’ll completely miss the reasoning and plot development of the characters.

Part of the reason that Inception Sucks is that DiCaprio is once again trying to play that “Shutter Island” role with his insecure, haunted, vulnerable character. He’s NOT that good, yet he is trying his hardest to convince you (and I) that he’s not just getting fat, but he’s getting really good at the craft of acting. He does it quite well, and he seems genuine at times in his mannerisms, processes, but come on, he’s phoning it in!

While I believe that Inception sucks, and Nolan’s finest hour will be proven in the sequel to the Dark Knight, this film is going to lose a lot of the audience, and while it’s halfway decent, it just hits the mark.

Well, clearly I’m just generalizing, simply because I haven’t been to France nor do I plan on going there in the immediate future. Sure, the French offer a lot of things to the rest of the World, none of which revolve around soccer. Their meltdown at the World Cup this year was less than stellar, but that’s ok. Their films and porno is top notch, and makes me only want to….right coffee….nevermind.

The French Make the Best Coffee, or better yet, FRENCH PRESS is the best tasting coffee in the world. How would I know? You might be asking yourself.

Well, it started 5 years ago when my wife (then just my fiancee, another French word) started working at Starbucks. I tried every one of their coffees (Starbucks employees get 1 pound of whole bean coffee a week) and noticed that each one tasted differently. Sure, you can argue with me that they are all similar or they are all the same, but you’d be wrong.

In recent years I discovered a small device called the French Coffee Press. This device helps me in a couple of ways.

1. Less Coffee For Less People – I am only one person. I can’t drink a pot of coffee, so a lot of it would be wasted if I keep making pots of coffee. I work from home, and not only is it tempting to keep drinking coffee all day, and making coffee in the coffee maker doesn’t really allow me to limit the cups. Note** Yes, I could just make a few cups, but it’s just easier to make a whole pot, I guess it’s the “cubicle world” lifestyle I hearken on; you know, you drink the coffee, you make a full pot for everyone else…I don’t know.

2. Better Taste – Taste is everything. Many people will argue with me about that, especially since most coffee is sour, bitter, and requires a lot of doctoring, and is not really a drink for taste However, I’m a taste guy. If I don’t like the taste, I won’t drink it. French press brings out the taste of coffee, making similar tasting coffees start to flourish and showcase the prowess of the roast. This is especially true with finer coffee like the limited edition “Casi Cielo” from Starbucks.

So I’m now drinking better coffee, well, better tasting coffee and am only making a couple of cups instead of a whole pot.

I highly recommend that everyone test out French Press style coffee. You won’t find it in stores.

What’s the difference between drip and press?

Drip coffee utilized coffee beans that are ground to a small granule. You then put the granules in your coffee maker and streams of hot water are dumped on it. A mesh filter is best here, and tastes better, but most people use paper filters and that hinders the flavor. (in my opinion) Every professional coffee location utilizes this method when you purchase “black coffee” or just “regular coffee”. The home usually uses a coffee maker (with drip method) or instant coffee for the mass market.

French Coffee Press utilizes a more coarse ground coffee. You put in a small amount into your press then add hot water, then wait 4 minutes and push down on the device. It tastes great, and you’ll never go back again.

What Coffee Press Device is right for you?

I’m not sure.

I utilize the Bodum brand Coffee Press and it works just fine. It requires more cleaning than the coffee maker, but it’s worth it.

It doesn’t cost a whole lot. Your average Bodum Coffee Press is only at around $15 – $20 depending on how many ounces.

Compare that to a high quality coffee maker. I have a Kitchenaid Coffee Maker (red) and it cost $50. A French Press is quite less, and requires hot water, so I guess the cost of a tea kettle might factor in, but it will still be less than $50 – $100 for a high quality coffee maker.

Coffee Snobs

I fully understand that there are coffee snobs out there that will immediately jump to say that I’m wrong. Not only am I wrong, I am explaining things wrong. I’m not an expert, I am just explaining my personal experience. I’ve tried instant coffee (but I hate it), I’ve tried the coffee maker (which isn’t terrible) and now French Press Coffee. My favorite is French Press, and it keeps the quality of the roasts nice.

For more information on coffee, and other crap, look no further than your local search engine.

So, once again, the French showcase an excellent quality brew. Did they invent it? I don’t know, and was too lazy to really search and write about the history of the pressing of coffee granules. Now, back to movies and music reviews, right? Right?

Click here to look at Coffee presses and more crap.