Quick Picks

I think if I'm going to continue blogging, it'll need to be short and sweet with the posting. At least till my life eases up on the pressure a bit later this year. Till then, here's a few things grazing the surface... - Not many TV shows can grab my interest anymore, as the major networks don't usually offer much and anything interesting gets canceled too soon to bother with (I'm looking at you FOX). However, when HBO or A&E launches a series, I take note. This time it's A&E, and the show is The Beast (A&E synopsis: The Beast, starring Patrick Swayze and Travis Fimmel, centers on an unorthodox but effective FBI veteran, Charles Barker (Swayze), who takes on a rookie partner, Ellis Dove (Fimmel). Barker trains Dove in a hard-edged, psychologically driven approach towards undercover work, where a moment's hesitation can lead to death). I just caught the pilot, and its a show that delivers. Here's hoping Swayze's health allows him to keep doing the show. - With iTunes now going DRM free, I'll actually buy some music there now. I recently bought albums by Bryan Adams, Kanye West, and Miranda Lambert (how's that for eclectic tast?) I normally hate rap, but Kanye West's 808 & Heartbreaks album isn't all bad, with a couple good tracks. However, the surprise was country singer Miranda Lambert who delivers a really good album and writes her own songs. She's more Gretchen Wilson than Taylor Swift, so that's a plus right there, and she can rock or do a EmmyLou Harris cover with equal talent. One of the very few country singers today worth a listen. - Speaking of country, I recently heard on the radio a classic song - "I Told You So", only thing was it certainly wasn't Randy Travis singing it. It was Carrie Underwood doing a cover of it. Suddenly I felt old. What I grew up listening to was now being remade for the bubblegum country/pop generation. At least she picked a good song for a change, but I'd have rather heard Randy back on the radio singing it. - If you're a Firefox 3 user, available plug-ins can really add to it. The #1 essential is AdBlock Plus. With that enabled, you never have to see an advertisement on a webpage again. I don't like surfing without it anymore.  And if you're a blogger, ScribeFire is a must that makes for easy blogging right while you surf.  How'd I not know about this sooner? I just found it, and it works great. It's in your browser so you don't have to launch another program, and better yet, it's free. - I've been impressed with the online video service Vimeo.com. It's a step up from YouTube, as they will give you 720P HD video. It's pretty strict in that they only want originally created content, so you won't see music videos or news clips there, but some of it's quite interesting. Here's a well put together vid of snow in Seattle shot with a Canon 5D MK II (sweet camera if you got an extra 3 grand)...[click through to Vimeo's site for the HD] A Walk Around Seattle in the Snow from Luke Humphrey on Vimeo.