I think I’m finally going to be okay.

Maybe.

One thing I can say about AOL is that they’ve really been on the ball with updating AIM for Windows Mobile. The newest release, v1.1.15.1, offers increased performance and support of Windows Mobile 6.1.

While I can attest to the increased performance, I cannot confirm full functionality with WM6.1, as I do not have it.

Along with the general improvements with each update, the one thing I’ve been waiting for has been ever so slightly improved. I speak, of course, about power consumption.

I ran my own little benchmarking test for power consumption. The only differences in the tests were the phone status (normal or standby) and the status of AIM (not running or running), and the results are as follows. Click to view the results »

I have to break format for my review of The Boy In the Striped Pajamas, as I do not have access to a computer with internet until later this week, so please excuse the lack of a poster and trailer.

The movie, based on the novel “The Boy In the Striped Pyjamas” by John Boyne, tells the story of Bruno (Asa Butterfield, Son of Rambow), the eight-year-old son of a Nazi commander. When Bruno’s father (David Thewlis, Harry Potter) is promoted to head a “farm” (Auschwitz, though it’s never directly identified), Bruno befriends a Jewish boy named Shmuel (Jack Scanlon), a prisoner of the work camp. While his father carries out his duties, Bruno’s sister Gretel (Amber Beattie, Empathy) becomes further influenced by Nazi propaganda, and his mother (Vera Farminga, The Departed) works to shelter Bruno from his father’s true position and responsibility in Hitler’s Germany.

This movie was one of the best films I’ve seen all year. As a pure drama, no stone was left unturned as Bruno’s curiosity an innocence were explored. David Thewlis gave an incredible performance as a Nazi commander trying to do what he believed was best for his family and his country. Vera Farminga was stunning as the maternal figure, faced with protecting her son from the extremist force of Nazi propaganda, even as her daughter becomes a poster child of Nazi support. Not enough can be said of Asa Butterfield and Jack Scanlon. Both children did an outstanding job of just being children, oblivious of the danger they faced by being friends.

If you’re in the mood for a drama, and a movie involving the holocaust does not make you uncomfortable, then I highly recommend seeing The Boy In the Striped Pajamas.

NOTE: The original title is The Boy In the Striped Pyjamas for people not in the US.

Pushing Daisies

It has been confirmed by Brian Fuller via Kristin Dos Santos that death has become Pushing Daisies.

Via E!Online:

According to Fuller, the facts are these: “It’s very likely that Pushing Daisies will end after episode 13, which as you know, is a cliffhanger. But we are talking to DC Comics about doing comic books that will wrap up our storylines, and I already have a pitch for a [big-screen] movie ready to go.”

ABC intends to air the remaining Daisies episodes that have been shot, either in the current Wednesday at 8 p.m. timeslot or in another spot.

Damn you, ABC!

One of the most aggravating things someone like me can endure is the constant demise of the English language, brought about by the introduction and acceptance of modern slang by mainstream culture. Every time I turn on the TV or watch a movie, I’m reminded that writers pander to the masses, and the masses are slang-slinging idiots.

I can accept slang as part of every day life, in moderation, but somehow it became gauche to speak properly. Now slang has run rampant and become the predominant element of communication. Well, excuse me for my sentence structure and proper use of words actually found in a dictionary. Continue reading »

I finally got around to upgrading to WordPress 2.7 (beta 3) so I could make sure Tango Smileys Extended would be compatible.

WELL, IT IS!!!

Users of TSE can feel comfortable in upgrading to WordPress 2.7 without fear of TSE breaking. I’ve had a few issues with some of the other plugins I use, but TSE has been behaving as it should.

Information on TSE can be found here or you can download it here if you don’t already have it.