This review is way overdue, mainly because I waited so long before acquiring the coveted Harmony remote, the industry standard for unversal remotes. I didn't want to buy it myself due to the somewhat lofty pricetag, but I really wanted one nonetheless, so it wasn't until several years of pleading and my 31st birthday that "Harmony" finally made its way into our home.
To say it is great would be a grand understatement. A more precise description would be, "the single catalyst that caused me to reorganize a lot of our life at home and work." That may seem like too lofty a claim for any single device, yet I can point to empirical data as proof.
Yes, I replaced the five remotes it usually took to operate our entertainment center with this single, completely programmable, easy-to-setup and use device making the juggling act just to watch TV a thing of the past. With one press of a programmed button, my projector turns on and switches to the right setting, the A/V receiver does the same, and the DVD player turns on and begins playing the disc in the position last used. What followed was a surprise to me and Rachel. Now that we didn't have remotes scattered around and Harmony had secured a prominent home laying directly in front of my center surround speaker on the mantle, it seemed only appropriate to tidy up the rest of the family room. Bookshelves were straightened up and CD cases will soon be gone, considering each and every one now has a permanent home in another recent gift, a 400-disc Sony CD Jukebox. I ordered a third DVD album that will hold another 100 two-disc DVDs which will easily clear the rest of the stand-alone DVD cases into the attic where they belong.
The whirlwind of tidiness didn't stop with the family room. Rachel went on a normal trip to the commisary and returned to find that I had completely re-arranged our bedroom, cleaning it in the process. The re-arranged bedroom finally gave me the space to buy and put in place a cheap bookshelf for my grad work materials. Now that my books aren't lying all over the place, I have room on my ad hoc desk (a Lifetime plastic folding table) for the printer, laptop, speakers, electronic components, and a mouse! Even my office was effected. In the last week, I have successfully cleaned off, thrown away, and filed most of the mess that was on my desk - a feat that my co-workers would verify is way beyond my typical M.O.
What's next you may ask? Well, I can't be for sure, but I've had my eyes on several boxes in our garage for quite some time. It seems they may be happier in the attic and I'm sure the kids bedroom could use a quick glance by an efficiency expert.
Truly, this device has changed my life. Here's to Logitech, and their Harmony line of remotes. What is really bugging me though, is this: If this is the outcome from getting the entry-level model, what would happen were I to someday gain the top-of-the-line, all-color touchscreen, RF Harmony remote. I might discover a cheaper and safer way to travel to space and back. Perhaps I'll be given the secret to maintaining sock pair integrity (it's a technical term) through the laundry cycle. Or maybe I'll just be able to control all of my devices from anywhere in the house. Regardless, I recommend the Logitech Harmony 550 to anyone who is interested (at the very least) in finding the motivation to clean their bedroom.
God Bless!
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Friday, August 8, 2008
The Dark Knight
I waited too long to see this film - and not just a few weeks. This is the presentation the public deserved in 1989. Yes, Tim Burton's Batman was an instant hit with terrific one-liners ("You ever dance with the devil in the pale moon light?" or "I'm Batman") and amazing visualization, however it did not deliver in the same way The Dark Knight delivered.
First off, I recommend anyone willing to review or critique this film start by disregarding the political undertones (thank you, Morgan Freeman) and realize the sheer gravity of the overall plot. There was a weightyness that pervaded every moment, constantly burdening me with a wierd sense of guilt - like there was something I did that brought about this devilry in Gotham! As citizens and principle characters got "off-ed" throughout the film I felt somewhat responsible. This is the true irony of the film in my mind and the thing that makes it unique to the very end.
(spoiler alert - do not continue if you have not seen the film and wish to do so)
In the end, the villain is no villain and the hero is no hero. Batman suffers from the guilt that his existence brought about the madness and I felt like I had to flee with him. As the plot unveiled its evil face, I knew, as did Batman, that it needed to get messy before it got better. I knew that some honest citizens would have to be killed. I knew that some who should have never seen the light of day would really need to survive. It's a twisted ploy by the writers and I almost feel sick that I had a part in it.
Perhaps, though, that is an indication of a truly amazing work of cinemetography. Suppose you left a movie and felt absolutely nothing from it - no joy, no sadness, no humor, no guilt - why did you go, then, in the first place? Certainly it wasn't to spend $20 on a baby-sitter, $15 on tickets, and $11 on some refreshments! No, you went because deep down inside you wanted to be moved - either because you wanted to be first, or because you wanted to be moved how everyone else was moved. If you spend all that money and have no desire for the inevitable emotional response, then I would recommend you spend your money a little more wisely! This movie will move you, whether you like it or not. The color will leave your face at times and breathless, you'll sit there wondering, "why do I really want to see this life ended?" If you don't want to be moved - don't see The Dark Knight or any other movie for that matter.
I guess that's it - that's all I'm feeling right now. I could go on about the special effects or the cast selection or Batman's new deep voice, but in the end, those things are superficial issues that we use to avoid discussing the real matters at hand. I strongly recommend this movie for anyone wishing to dissolve the previous Batman establishment from your memory (that is, those movies prior to Batman Begins yet following the Adam West Batman) and anyone else that wants to know where Christian Bale's line of the Caped Crusader leads.
First off, I recommend anyone willing to review or critique this film start by disregarding the political undertones (thank you, Morgan Freeman) and realize the sheer gravity of the overall plot. There was a weightyness that pervaded every moment, constantly burdening me with a wierd sense of guilt - like there was something I did that brought about this devilry in Gotham! As citizens and principle characters got "off-ed" throughout the film I felt somewhat responsible. This is the true irony of the film in my mind and the thing that makes it unique to the very end.
(spoiler alert - do not continue if you have not seen the film and wish to do so)
In the end, the villain is no villain and the hero is no hero. Batman suffers from the guilt that his existence brought about the madness and I felt like I had to flee with him. As the plot unveiled its evil face, I knew, as did Batman, that it needed to get messy before it got better. I knew that some honest citizens would have to be killed. I knew that some who should have never seen the light of day would really need to survive. It's a twisted ploy by the writers and I almost feel sick that I had a part in it.
Perhaps, though, that is an indication of a truly amazing work of cinemetography. Suppose you left a movie and felt absolutely nothing from it - no joy, no sadness, no humor, no guilt - why did you go, then, in the first place? Certainly it wasn't to spend $20 on a baby-sitter, $15 on tickets, and $11 on some refreshments! No, you went because deep down inside you wanted to be moved - either because you wanted to be first, or because you wanted to be moved how everyone else was moved. If you spend all that money and have no desire for the inevitable emotional response, then I would recommend you spend your money a little more wisely! This movie will move you, whether you like it or not. The color will leave your face at times and breathless, you'll sit there wondering, "why do I really want to see this life ended?" If you don't want to be moved - don't see The Dark Knight or any other movie for that matter.
I guess that's it - that's all I'm feeling right now. I could go on about the special effects or the cast selection or Batman's new deep voice, but in the end, those things are superficial issues that we use to avoid discussing the real matters at hand. I strongly recommend this movie for anyone wishing to dissolve the previous Batman establishment from your memory (that is, those movies prior to Batman Begins yet following the Adam West Batman) and anyone else that wants to know where Christian Bale's line of the Caped Crusader leads.
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