Review of the Russell T. Davies’ TV series Torchwood
Because it followed the Doctor Who series my hopes were high that this would be an exciting alternative while waiting for the next Doctor Who installment. Just as the Tardis is bigger on the inside than it appears on the outside, so is the disappointment I feel inside greater than what my mind could possible contain. Torchwood might as well burn - I wouldn't miss it. I'd be thankful for not having endured the filth of the series and the agony of the let down.
Torchwood is less about science fiction and more about liberal drama. All of the actors pursue sexual relationships with each other and the highest sense of accomplishment and purpose for living is to not be alone. Sure, Gwen comes on the scene as a compassionate heart who wants to help everyone but that is soon replaced with a character who is empty and seeking physical contact to fill that emptiness. I don't even want to admit to having watched some of the eipsodes. I'm sorry, episodes like "Day One" and "Countrycide" were just too raunchy and grotesque and should have been a clear indication the rest of the episodes weren't worth watching.
I'm a sucker and wanted to give it one last chance so I started watching the "Children of Earth" season 3 miniseries. <rant>I can deal with time travel, regeneration from the dead, crazy inventions, but what is REALLY unbelievable is the gun fights in day 2. Torchwood explodes, Gwen and Ianto crawl from the wreckage and each manage to evade a well placed sniper who is watching for survivors. First of all, the sniper wouldn't use a laser sight for a distance shot thus revealing his position and allowing the characters to notice the marker and realize, 'Oh, look, a light dot, someone is pointing a gun at me, Duck!" Second, a few minutes later Gwen manages to shoot the front AND back tires out of an oncoming vehicle from a free hand position over 50 yards away. Really, I thought this was SCIENCE FICTION not FANTASY!</rant>
Don't waste your time with Torchwood. If Doctor Who gets as raunchy and grotesque I might shed a tear.
Review of iPassPort Wireless Micro Keyboard and Touchpad
Background
My home theater PC was in desperate need of a new wireless input device. The conventional wireless keyboard and mouse was exceptionally cumbersome and finding a flat surface for the mouse defeated the purpose of sitting comfortably on the couch. Several companies sell specialty wireless keyboards that include a touchpad or trackball but I wasn't willing to pay almost $100 for the luxury of my home theater PC.
Solution
The iPazzPort Wireless Micro Keyboard and Touchpad came to my attention from a Hack A Day posting. It fit my two requirements for the home theater PC. It could provide easy mouse input with occasional keyboard input and it was small. Oh, and it was almost half the cost of a specialty wireless keyboard/touchpad device.
Where to Buy
In my excitement, the first choice was to purchase from the USB Geek store listed in the Hack A Day article. However, after a few minutes of looking around I came across the EFO store which appeared to sell the same exact unit for $20 cheaper. The EFO site didn't instill confidence in me but I went against my better judgment and ended up saving $20. My purchase date was 11/29/09 and I was extremely surprised to see it in my mailbox shipped all the way from China in under 10 days (via USPS).
Review of the iPazzPort
I like it! The EFO store page contains links at the bottom of the page to accurate reviews that cover the basics. This review focuses on some of the things the other reviews leave out.
- Battery life - My iPazzPort has only been recharged twice over the last two months of usage. On average it is used for 5 minutes each day and is seldom switched off. Pretty good in my opinion.
- Wake up - The device changes to low power mode after about 3 minutes of usage. The only way to wake it up and regain usage is to press one of the buttons about 3 times quickly or power cycle the device. This appears to be by design but I find it is too short of a sleep delay. This isn't so great.
- The buttons - Most QWERTY cell phones are a pleasure to type with compare to the iPazzPort. Typing in simple web addresses or search requests is about the extent of the typing you'll want to do with this. The buttons are uncomfortable to press because of their size and contour. If they were more raised and required less pressure to press it could be comparable to most cell phones.
Bottom Line
As a wireless touchpad the iPazzPort is a great device for the money even if the keyboard is cumbersome to use. Despite my hesitation, buying from EFO was was OK.
A Stargate Enthusiast’s Review of Stargate Universe
As of this articles writing Stargate Universe episode 5 "Justice" just aired. This post about Stargate Universe can be summarized in this thought; instead of being something to someone Stargate Universe is on the path of being nothing to everyone.
Exploring the unknown, meeting new species, discovering new technology, and portraying how it all impacts our society is what science fiction is all about. Those of you are trekkies, wasn't this the same reason why Star Trek is so fascinating? The original Stargate movie and Stargate SG-1 story line provided the same sense of science fiction as Star Trek. Instead of considering the future Stargate dealt with the present and provided exciting story lines that had an interesting tie in to human history. The episodes were (except for some of the very early season 1 episodes) were modest and didn't contain gratuitous nudity, sex, or profanity. The SG-1 team was civil with each other and the unique personalities of Richard Dean Anderson, Amanda Tapping, Michael Shanks, and Christopher Judge were a source of positive character development and wry comic humor. Unrestrained equines could not remove me from posting about the enjoyment the original SG-1 team provided. Not even if you used a swiss army knife *grin*.
It pains me to give Stargate Universe bad press because I liked Stargate SG-1 so much. If I only "liked" Stargate Universe just a little I might focus on it's virtues. Sadly my feelings towards Stargate Universe can't be stretched enough to say it is likable.
Stargate Universe isn't science fiction - it's a drama... dare I say, a soap opera? It is a struggle to find the virtues in Stargate Universe (SGU) that I found in SG-1. The characters are bitter and aggressive with each other, there is only a minimal sense of exploration, and there is too much gratuitous sexuality. I don't want to see overtly sensual over tones in my science fiction unless it directly applies to a specific situation. Don't characters have private lives anymore? Other genres exist for these types of interpersonal "explorations". I admit, given the storyline these types of issues arise but there is way too much focus on it and instead of focusing on the science fiction of what could be there is more emphasis on the drama with a science fiction storyline.
Oh cry.
Review of SilenX LX-4600 Luxurae Fanless Power Supply
This posting is my personal review of a SilenX LX-4600 Luxurae Fanless Power Supply. I purchased two units for different applications. One unit is for my home theater pc and the second was an industrial application in a dusty environment.
I purchased the power supplies from Directron.com for about $55 each. The order shipped promptly and the units arrived in good condition. My first disappointment came when I opened the box. As advertised the unit had a heat sink where there is normally an exhaust fan. However, attached to the outside of the housing was a small fan to circulate air inside the housing. The documentation was lacking and no where on the Directron site did it mention a fan. Also on the housing was a circulate nob that had no marking or documentation. Lastly, the power supplies came set to 230 volts and not 115 volts!
The first unit worked perfectly and apart from my disappointments I was mildly impressed. The second unit didn't work so well. It was DOA (dead on arrival) and to make matters worse it fried the hard drive!
Upon re-examination of the site where I purchased the units I found three alarming concerns.
- Directron will pre-test the unit for an extra $5 per unit.
- After Googling to find other vendors of SilenX power supplies only Directron and Axiontech were listed.
- The SilenxUSA.com website sells the same LX-4600 unit for over $230!? Why can Directron and Axiontech sell the unit for under $60?
I realize some times parts are DOA and the fact that the DOA unit damaged a hard drive can't be avoided. My primary concern is the site had misleading images and no description of the internal fan. It remains to be seen how the DOA unit is resolved by the manufacturer/reseller.