I go online to purchase a new album, but am skeptical if it’s any good. Thus, I read a review on a corporate website, and then read another by an independent blogger. Both reviews offer good arguments for their opinions, but differ completely in rating the product. So who do I trust?

Reviews and editorial content will eternally be debated over their opinions, but should the source that it originates from be more the target of debate? With the availability of blogs and user review sites over the past several years, the playing field has shifted dramatically. I’ve tried to analyze the pros and cons of corporate versus independent reviews, and I believe it’s pretty even now.

It’s easy to be skeptical of corporate reviews, if you know the money involved behind the scenes. For example, do you think an MSNBC editor would be able to publish a review ripping the inadequatecy of Windows? Not a chance, since the site is partially owned by Microsoft, it would get edited out.

Advertising and sponsorship revenue plays a huge part in how corporations review. For example, if Rolling Stone hypothetically published an editorial claiming Guess Jeans are made in sweatshops, I doubt you’d be seeing that two page spread of Paris Hilton modeling the latest cut of Guess denim again there. Corporations cannot bite the hand that puts their gold fillings in place.

On the other hand, most bloggers or user reviews are not being paid for their editorial content. This aspect allows their honesty to be more raw and less edited. Most do it because they want to either showcase their writing in hopes of more opportunities, or they simply enjoy voicing their opinion in this open forum. I’ve found a lot of user reviews are just an outlet after that user finds the product deceptive in its advertising (what a surprise!).

Additionally with a blog type review, the ability for many people to add their opinion or debate certain points within the critique allows greater room for accuracy. Granted, a hundred hard-core fans could be the ones posting comments, but normally objectors are the ones to chime in. Such democratic consensus surely has to have corporate reviewers looking towards such a format in the future.

I’d imagine the primary advantage of a paid reviewer though is professionalism based on previous credentials, although blogs have gained a tremendous amount of ground on them. Celebrity reviewers that everyone knows (like Roger Ebert) create a name recognition that the bloggers and user reviewers aren’t able to match on a national level. But by no means does that make an independent review any less credible.

I think in the end, reviews come down to trust. If you follow a blogger’s other reviews and continuously agree with what they say, they become just as credible as a newspaper reviewer you’ve read for years. For now, I will continue reading both corporate and independent reviews, because I like having the perspective in my research. I implore you to do the same.

I had a daily tearaway calendar a few years back for Murphy’s Law. Each day had a clever yet pessimistic quote on it. One day, I decided to cut out a quote and it’s been taped onto my cubicle wall ever since. The paper is now curled and yellowed, yet it still prominently reads:

Steiner’s Observation: Consistency is the last refuge of the unimaginative.

The reason I brought this up today was for the first time since I started keeping a journal again, I failed to log an entry two days in a row. Of course, in real life, unless it cost me a paycheck (which it didn’t), it doesn’t matter. But there is something to be said about the commitment to an endeavor. However, at what cost does the commitment become a routine that overtakes your inner need for variety?

I often debate with my father about how he has, for the most part, had the same daily routine of work, exercise, and leisure for nearly 20 years. He holds this consistency very high, and while I can respect that, there are many things in life which he has not explored. Most times, he claims he just doesn’t have enough interest to branch out, which I understand. But for myself, I want to keep expanding my interests.

In constructing a website to sell of all of my creative endeavors, I’ve been pulled in many different directions to finish everything, which can take my already distracted focus off of certain commitments. But I want to continue this blog adventure I’ve started… it is liberating to be able to write every day with a purpose. Thus, my point: don’t be consistent to the point of routine, but do it enough that no one questions your dedication to the craft.

USA Today reported that, at his appearance this weekend at the Star Wars Celebration III convention, director George Lucas officially announced that he has…

“given the green light to two Star Wars television series. First up will be a 3-D animated half-hour series based on his popular Clone Wars cartoon shorts. The second and most ambitious project will involve a live-action series. He wants it to be similar to the serialized The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles TV series he executive-produced in 1992. Lucas plans to film the entire first season all at once, with shooting to begin in about a year. Lucas says he will set up the show, but then plans to step back and move on to other projects.”

While most of the Star Wars TV endeavors based on the Original Trilogy were not commercial successes, the Clone Wars mini-episodes from Cartoon Network have proved otherwise. While the animation is more streamlined and caricatured that what you would expect for Star Wars, the writing and action sequences was done in a way to make it entertaining to adults and children alike.

However, despite being a modest fan of Star Wars (meaning I don’t dress up in costumes or attend conferences), I’ll be honest and say I’m not initially crazy about the idea of a live action TV show for Star Wars. Now, before all of you Star Wars-aholics strike me down with all of your anger, please allow me to explain.

First and foremost, going from Film to TV is usually a recipe for disaster. Remember, there were TV shows made of: Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Dirty Dancing, Clueless, and Stargate (Yes, I know that show has lasted a while, but it’s only because of MacGyver fans.) The only recent Film to TV success I can think of is Buffy the Vampire Slayer. But with Buffy, the movie was really bad, while the TV show got a better actress (Sarah Michelle Gellar). The only all-time Film to TV success is M*A*S*H. But 2 out of 50 isn’t good odds.

Second, with TV budgets not necessarily being the same as the movies, I worry the special effects necessary to maintain a multi-episode show will have to be compromised. Come on, let’s face it, one of the reasons so many live action sci-fi TV shows cannot compare to the movies are because the effects are sub-par. I give a lot of credit to channels like Sci-Fi for producing original programming, but one of the reasons they come out somewhat cheesy is the lack of budget.

Lastly, if there are to be any characters that carry over from the movies, I doubt they’ll be able to secure the same actors to play them, thus convoluting the original impressions you know so well from the movies. Think of George Clooney or Val Kilmer taking over in the Batman movies after Michael Keaton left, or better yet think of Sammy Hagar taking over vocals for Van Halen after David Lee Roth left. Yes, I know, those are different genres, but I think you get the point.

All in all, Episode III is sure to please, and fans can speculate the future later. Hypothetically, Lucas could put out an Emmy award winning series for all we know. So let’s hope that his sorcerer’s ways have the clairvoyance to avoid the pitfalls of cheesy sci-fi TV.

I did not know today, April 22, was Earth Day until I tore off the page on my calendar. Unfortunately, I wasn’t suddenly inspired to go outside and try to save the planet. I mean, I hadn’t even finished my first cup of coffee yet.

I was not even born when Earth Day was started back in 1970. I would imagine that much of my generation (born 1975 and after) could not see the impact that Earth Day initially had, other than getting an extra blue trash can in the 80’s next to the garage that you threw empty soda and beer cans in every week.

Thus, as a young adult, I have tried to do a better job at recycling all that I throw away, be it cardboard, plastics or aluminum. It should come as no surprise that our technology is the next big thing that is building up as an environmental hazard. See this article today on MSN. It makes me wonder what became of all of the old tape drives and computer equipment I tossed out years ago. I guess I’ll try to find a better alternative for the next generation when it becomes obsolete.

Back to my point though, I think the greater amount of Americans fall into the category of apathetic towards “saving the planet”… that they’re too wrapped up in work, nurturing their children, maintaining their homes and their sanity amongst it all. On the other end of the spectrum, you have the people who had Earth Day circled in red marker on their calendar… that are doing something special today to expand on their environmental beliefs. And I give the ‘Boba Fett nod of respect’ to them.

But for all those stuck in the apathy category, I implore you to fall somewhere in between those two examples— that everyone should not try to be a 24-7 environmentalist, but rather do the little things every week that could help clean up your property or your community and, as a collective result, the planet.

I think the truer meaning of Earth Day is not that today is the day you go all out to make the planet a cleaner place, but it’s a reminder that you should be doing a little bit every week.

If you walk a pit bull around on a leash, even if it is trained to kill, it’s assumed the canine should go where you lead it since you are its master. But that’s no guarantee it cannot turn on you, sink its teeth into your flesh, and make you regret ever putting that vicious animal in such an open situation.

But this is the way I feel most days about honesty. As a writer, I try to hold myself to a pledge of being honest about how I feel when I put words to a page. If the subject is something I don’t want to talk about, then I will not mention it, rather than lie or distort the truth. But it’s been a staple of my life to embrace a mediocrity in truth, rather than fame in lies.

Nevertheless, no matter how many times I’ve been burned by my own honesty, I continue to work hard towards the creative goals I have set for myself. But in this day and age, I wonder if it is worth it anymore. Has our collective American culture deemed honesty a facade? An illusion that people try to represent but really only use as a mask for their greed for money and power?

I can’t speak for anyone else though. As much as I see dishonesty in so many walks of life, I try to avoid being tempted by it, even if it pays off better than being honest. To a fault, I will keep my words as truthful as I can, no matter what the consequences. I hope you can too. Peace.

You could suggest it should worry me which news headline I found interesting today. But I confess that the Sixers making the playoffs was more exciting on a personal level than a new pope being elected. Does that make me a bad person?

You could chalk this up as yet another American mentality with little regard for world news. But I try my best to be honest, even if it is self depreciating from a global standpoint. Ultimately however, since I do not belong to their church or their immediate geography, electing a new pope has no bearing to me. Meanwhile, I grew up 20 minutes from Philadelphia, and have been following the Sixers for many years and am generally happy to see them back in the NBA Playoffs.

This is not to say that I don’t think the pope can do many great humanitarian things around the world in his tenure (and I hope that he does), but he will not be doing anything that directly impacts my way of life. Meanwhile, the Sixers will be providing me with the entertainment of at least 4 games (and maybe more) of playoff basketball. I don’t consider this to necessarily be the path to a higher intellectualism, but then that’s just the way it has to be.

Nevertheless, I wish good luck to both the pope and the Sixers, because no matter where your priorities are, you should let other people be happy about what interests them most. Peace.

You’d have thought we were running on Quark Xpress upgrade time, since it took us so long. But at last, there are some painting samples online at Magic Junk.

http://www.magicjunk.com/paintings.htm

It’s just the beginning of course. The rest of the paint portfolio will go up as soon as we have the chance to photograph them and build the subsequent webpages. But now that the weather is getting nicer, we can venture into the Unsung Fu Warehouse without having to jump up and down every 2 minutes to stay warm.

And as if things couldn’t be more productive, Magic Junk t-shirts and Acryliture: Deluxe are both moving along nicely in production, and should be launching in the next few weeks. Be sure to check back.

Until then, remember to keep your brain sharp by getting into lots of highly intellectual arguments with your significant other over cleaning dishes, dirty laundry, and leaving the toilet seat in a set position. Peace.

I often find myself looking back in the past, and subsequently wishing I could send a hand via time-traveling DeLorean to my 18 year old self to smack him in the back of the head. As in “Why didn’t you do this?” or “What the hell were you thinking by choosing that?” But it’s part of the learning process in life, and that’s the way it goes. I don’t sulk over it, I just shake my head and smirk as I tend to do.

When I really think about things, I do regret wanting my 4 years in college to move fast. Had I the chance to go back, I would have savored it much more. I guess back then, I could never realize what the work world would hold… or rather, the absolute lack of substance that awaited me upon graduation. But when you’re a 20 year old kid, you don’t realize these things yet, because only experience holds the truth.

Thus, if anyone out there reading this is still in college, I implore you to take time to enjoy the atmosphere, the wealth of people, the ability to absorb things, and the variety of each day. Because honestly, I tried going back to grad school a few years back, and the experience wasn’t the same after I’d been in the work world. Maybe it was because I was still holding down a 9-to-5, but who knows? I don’t have the luxury to say otherwise. However, I did buy tickets for tonight’s Mega Millions, so I’ll keep my fingers crossed.

Nevertheless, the moral of the story is: enjoy wherever you’re at to the best of your ability, because you never know when it could get a whole lot worse… but always keep an eye out at trying to make things better. Have a good weekend. Peace.

The following message is being brought to you by the theory of automatic writing:

The truth was pins puncturing the surface of sleeves
and skin cried for mercy but no one came
and no one wept as weasels get away with more treats from your freezer
and fried morsels from your crispy idea bin
but being human is the way your teachers told you to act
whenever the action becomes too much to handle
and penguins with gloves on their heads are flipping remote controls
that set off alarms and steal your diamonds
and didn’t your mother remind you that it’s not right
to hide the truth from your little brother
and to bring the trash cans up front
because your father needs to throw away another artist
that should have been a doctor but didn’t apply himself
for the sake of making money and long hours away from home
and what he loves and he is left longing for something
that closely resembles the truth but should never try
because it only ends up puncturing the skin.

This is the end of this broadcast. Please stand by for your regular bloggramming.

Our existence is surrounded with opportunities to make life altering decisions. If we choose to make a huge purchase, pursue a new career, or partake in a different way of living— they are all sitting right in front of us, just waiting to be chosen. Often, most people are afraid of the consequences of rapid change, the shock of having to adjust, or that a new endeavor might fail.

Confronted with such decisions myself, I try to squash my fears and work hard towards things I want and that inspire me to be a more productive and creative person. Sometimes projects don’t work out exactly the way I plan, and regrets can loom above.

But I try to remind myself that you always have to come back to appreciating effort— that trying is what matters. On the flip side, you could live an ultra-safe life, and never venture out of your comfort zone. Ultimately, this becomes a life altering decision as well, because you have chosen to remain the same… which, when the end comes, will fill you with more regret than having tried and failed dozens of times.

I’ve made lots of huge mistakes in my life, and I imagine I will make many more before the Big Sky comes crashing down on me. But no matter what, I know the biggest mistake would be to not embrace change. Keep evolving, people. Peace.

I’ve had an iPod since November 2002, and it’s been amazing to me how they’ve multiplied in the time since. Back when I got it, I rarely saw other people with them… at the time, I suppose it was still too advanced for general consumption. There wasn’t even an iTunes Music Store yet.

But times change, and like cell phones or PDA’s before them, I now see the iPod in the hands of people everywhere when I walk the streets of Manhattan, or on the train. But like their technogadget predecessors, new users often are missing some unwritten rules of public iPod usage. So, here’s a few tips:

1. You leave your iPod sitting on your work desk, in your cubicle, or in your car. While this may be what you used to do with your old Walkman, you have to remember you paid 5x as much for this. RULE: If the white case was personified, it would say “Steal Me!” Now that every thief in the country knows how much an iPod is worth and there’s no way to trace your iPod, be sure to keep it concealed as much as possible.

2. You keep your iPod concealed, but your white earphones are a dead giveaway that you have one. RULE: Ditch the factory issued phones, and pick up a black or color pair that could go with another music device. In addition, most other earphones sound a lot better anyway.

3. Just because the in-ear phones are IN your ears does not mean people around you cannot hear your music. RULE: Turn it down when you’re in close quarters with others in public, like a train vestibule, elevator, or waiting in line in a store or restaurant.

4. You have your music playing, but you’re spinning the iPod wheel through some alternate selections. By default, the iPod is set to make a clicking noise while you browse, which again is heard by all around you. RULE: Remember to set the Clicker to ‘Off’ or ‘Headphones’.

5. Your iPod crashes or the battery dies. But the place you bought it from tells you that you’re not under warranty. RULE: If you’re still able to do so, make sure to get the Apple Insurance for your iPod before an accident happens. It may seem like a waste at $60, but trust me— this is a godsend if it breaks down.

If anyone else has some tips for new users, please add them. Until then, happy listening.

One of the reasons I’ve always loved Monopoly was that it was based on Atlantic City, a town in which I spent a fair amount of time as a child growing up in New Jersey. However, after reading Newsday yesterday, I learned that the Grim Reaper is building a hotel on Boardwalk. So maybe I’ll keep my visits to once or twice a year now.

Naturally, I can’t imagine that AC’s high death rate will scare too many people away. After all, people seek thrills to add something to their routine existence. The lavish landscapes of casinos makes the fantasy of wealth accessible to the middle and lower class. Winning a jackpot feels more authentic when you’re surrounded by mirrors, flashing lights and ringing bells. You’re not going to get that effect sitting at home in your slippers.

As far as the article is concerned, it’s a no-brainer that overeating and smoking are some of the major hazards, but the thing the article does not elaborate on is the effects and stresses of gambling. While there’s always winners at casinos, odds are you’re walking away a loser. But does this loss affect more than your wallet? Is it possible that disappointment hurts you physiologically? Let me know what you think.

Yeah yeah, I know the web is a composite of servers everywhere. But of course, since nothing in this life (or the next one for you reincarnated blokes out there) happens without cash flow, it got me thinking— who really owns the web? And I mean own in the sense that if a corporation withdrew all of their green paper influence from the web, how much would it affect everyone else?

In a sugar sweet world, we’d all like to say we’re online for the sake of aesthetics, or because we want to communicate with the world. But in truth, we’re still consumers in this realm just like in the real world… news, music, video, fashion, porn, and of course art. It used to be that geeks and hackers ran the web, but consumerism has forced them to the underground. Ads and product links fuel the web’s existence now. But who has the most control?

Of course, I leave that to you to ponder. Even with 2 cups of coffee and that ringing in my brain like Daffy just got his bill blown off by a Fudd shotgun, I’m not awake enough to drop names. Or maybe I just don’t want to. Nobody is paying me to do so. Peace.

The morning’s thoughts have made me interested in getting a question on the next national census— “If given the chance, would you rather meet God or your favorite celebrity of all-time in their prime?” You might think this is an obvious answer, but maybe it isn’t.

Of course, I pondered such a premise myself. It would certainly verify a lot of theological quandaries to meet God, but then what would you talk about with him/her/it? Since God would already know what you’re thinking, that wouldn’t allow for much conversation. To boot, would God answer all of your burning questions (like “Who shot JFK?” or “Who ate the last slice of cold pizza?”) or would he just give you impossible riddles to solve? Of course, this all is based on the assumption God would even show up.

Equally, to meet the Beatles after the 1965 Shea Stadium concert would be a trip, or Albert Einstein when he came up with E=mc2, or Michelangelo after he finished painting the Sistine Chapel ceiling. But when you take away all of the cameras and glitz and make-up, celebrities aren’t that different from the rest of us. We admire them for their talents, because they can do things we cannot like sing, dance, act, draw, paint and write. But other than that, big deal.

The media and history books give famous people an aura of invincibility, just as the Bible gives one to God… thus making my choice difficult. So perhaps instead of answering the question, I’d just ask for the equivalent cash prize. Why? Because when it’s over, you can say you met someone of cultural worth, but it’s not going to help you in your everyday life.

I read today that Madison Square Garden is suing the MTA for agreeing to sell the railyards on the West Side to the Jets for a new stadium. You have to hand it to Cablevision, they’re stopping at nothing to try and keep their monopoly in the city…

To which, while I’m psyched to see an indoor football game in the city, I can understand why they’re suing. You have to imagine that if your bread and butter venue is the only place of this size in the city, then you’ll going to lose some serious business to the new stadium. Any rock concert would easily go for the bigger venue, because you know it’s all about ticket sales. Of course, seeing Radiohead there would be a total braingasm. Yes, I just made that word up.

But such is the way of life, Cablevision. It reminds me of these 60 year olds at my former job who used to be paste-up artists and were forced to learn how to learn Quark and PageMaker. It wasn’t that paste-up didn’t work anymore, it was just obsolete next to desktop publishing. And sadly, that will be what happens to MSG as well… it will be honored more for its history than its utilitarianism. But at least Cablevision sees that, and they’re fighting to keep that from happening. I doubt they’ll win, but the effort’s honorable.

Okay, so maybe it’s a stereotype that Maine is the lobster capital of the States… but nevertheless, good news came to us late yesterday.

The first batch of Acryliture: Bite Size has been sent to an alternative arts venue in Maine for use in their Art-O-Mat machine. Now, you’d know this is a most stellar deal if you saw the machine. Check it out here. “Ready to blast off into space… Space Monkey!” *smack noise* (That’s a Fight Club reference for any confused souls out there.)

Anyway, we’re also happy that major production has begun for a limited run of 12 on Acryliture:Deluxe and should be launching any day now… depending of course, if we can resist the song of the After-Work-Lull Sirens.

For anyone who has ever rode on the Metro-North (or similarly designed railroad), they’ve probably run across the Bar Car. For those that haven’t, the Bar Car is a segment of the train in which the standard row seats have been removed in place of a huge metal bar that spans the entire middle of the segment and two uncomfortable circles of seats. The problem with the Bar Car is never once have I seen a bartender in them, and even worse is that they send these cars out into the field IN THE MORNING TIME! Come on now, even the hardest of core drinkers resist at 8am… and those that don’t certainly aren’t sitting on a train headed for NYC.

My stop is the second pickup in the morning, and with a bar car as the first car, it meant all of the usual riders from both front cars were packed into the 2nd car because no one wants to sit in the Bar Car. So instead of getting a nice aisle seat like I do every morning, I was forced to sit in a middle of a 3-seater. The burly guy to my left kept bumping his elbow into me as he was noodling with an Excel document on his laptop, while the guy to my right was trying to take up extra leg room as he was reading a miniature Bible. I suppose I could have stood, but that 30 minutes in the morning is part of my sleep regiment, so it’s necessary to sit. Okay, I’m done venting. Memo to Metro-North— stop using the Bar Cars!