Usdin.net!

Firefox that is…..

I made the switch from Internet Explorer to Mozilla Firefox as my web browser of choice, and I’m not lookin’ back. There are a bunch of things I like about Firefox:

- Tabbed browsing (no more multiple windows of IE in the taskbar!)
- Built in popup blocker
- Built in Google toolbar
- Blocks sites form installing stuff by themselves
- Bookmarks file in HTML format.

That last one is a pretty nifty thing actually - the bookmarks being in one file. I’m able to upload it to our website and anywhere I’m at I can hit my bookmarks. You want to see what my latest bookmarks are? Just hit this link. I have things sectioned off and have a toolbar of the sections running across my screen. Looks like this. Keeps everything neat and I can hit any of my bookmarks from the top of the screen instead of having to drill down through a menu. You could do it in IE but it wasn’t as easy. Then I keep everything else at the top of the screen - address bar, google toolbar search. I’m maximizing my screen real estate.

The vast majority of sites are absolutely flawless in Firefox. Might as well, the tabbed browsing alone makes it worth it.

–*Rob

PS - new pics of Melissa coming soon, I have a whole bunch…

I just stumbled on this article by Ira Glass of “This American Life.”

Even though it was written 7 months ago - seeing as the FCC’s witchhunt continues with fines up to a half million dollars per infraction now - it’s more relevant then ever. You’d never think of Ira Glass - such a calm understated guy who does such an insightful radio show - to think of himself in the same league as Howard Stern.

–*Rob

So the movie version of Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy is coming out May 6. If you haven’t seen the trailer - see it here. Go. Watch it before reading any more of this, then come back. I’ll wait….

…..ok. Looks great, right? Sure - you don’t get to see any of the actual movie. Then there’s the movie poster (look on the downloads page) - which shows Arthur and Marvin in a buddy-picture type pose. Something doesn’t seem right. I’m not even sure I like the way they’ve interpreted Marvin at all. A short, cute little robot.

But I think I know what’s going on here. I was looking through Previews - a magazine dedicated to what comic book products/toys are coming out to stores in the next few months. I saw….PLUSH Hitchhikers’ toys and some action figures. Then I saw a name next to them.

The name?

Disney.

Yes - that’s right, Touchstone Pictures is owned by DISNEY. That explains it. Marketed as a buddy picture, cute robot, oh there you go.

I really hope it doesn’t suck.

–*Rob

I finally got around to posting the pictures from Christmas 2004 on our site.

–*Rob

According to this story Star Trek: Enterprise has been cancelled as of the end of this - its fourth season.

I know not a lot of people I know who liked the older Star Treks watched the show. The show had its ups and downs, and despite its somewhat off-kilter pre-Federation stories it managed finally during this season to get back down to the nitty gritty of what Trek fans really want - stories about the things that have always been a part of Trek history.

Once they jettisoned the Xindi plotline we’ve seen some really great stories about Vulcans, Klingons, Andorians, Tellurites and Romulans. The stories have - as Trek always does - mirrored things happening in our own history. The Vulcan story in particular was a great allegory for the rise of George W. Bush, terrorism, and the taking of fundamental rights from people. It was well-written and it’s too bad so few Trek fans abandoned Trek so long ago, because this last season has been just so great.

They’re touting now the founding of the Federation being shown through the end of the series - so while this show wasn’t the greatest Trek, I think it will leave on a high note - setting the stage for the rest of the Trek story we already know. That will be its legacy, and that’s ultimately a good thing.

–*Rob

Addendum - if you want to see some interesting classic Trek - check out two fanfilm sites that are really kickass. The first is a fanfilm site that actually uses the original series characters with new actors cast in the roles - once you get past the initial shock of seeing other people play Kirk, Spock, et al… you’ll see that the stories are really good. They use modern special effects, but only to recreate the original “look and feel” of the old series. You can see their episodes at New Voyages. The second fanfilm uses their own characters and is set in the “Classic” Trek timeline. With an Andorian on the bridge, and some other interesting characters - it’s definitely worth a viewing. It’s the adventures of the Starship Exeter. Both have high production values - these are not just some fans running around playing pretend. They are high quality films with unmatched attention to detail. I hope you check them out and enjoy them.

Ok, you already know I love podcasts. I haven’t listened to regular radio in over a month at this point, and I haven’t missed it save for a few times during the big snow. I do switch on NJ 101.5 for the traffic reports - but I know EXACTLY when they are so I usually only have to sit through about a minute of their talk.

Anyway - I just wanted to throw out a few more podcasts for those who are paying attention, and if you’re not listening to podcasts - well why the hell not? You can even download the MP3s and burn them to a CD for mere pennies and get some cool and unusual programming. Anyway - here are some other finds:

The Dawn and Drew Show - husband and wife talk show - it’s often crude or stupid but always funny. Sexual humor abounds.

The Radio Adventures of Dr. Floyd - a radio serial reminiscent of old time radio but with a 21st century theme. Safe for the whole family, funny and entertaining. Download all the old episodes, in addition to the new one each week.

Evil Genius Chronicles - A podcast by an average guy - a mix of music and talk. Pretty much all the music is by independent artists or bands he’s gotten permission to play (he recently got permission from Jill Sobule and Camper Van Beethoven).

The DragonPage Radio Show - A show about Sci-Fi/Fantasy - pretty cool - has interviews, and they talk about all topics in the Sci-Fi Fantasy world.

So look, I’m tellin ya - get on the wave of podcasting. Go to iPodder.org and get a podcatcher, add the feeds from the web pages and let it get the files automatically. You can put the files in your MP3 player on a CD, or just listen on your PC. Great stuff out there.

–*Rob