Transformers: Dark of the Moon…

Transformers: Dark of the Moon rocks! The previous two films were good, although the second didn’t even prompt a review from me. 🙂

The first few minutes did not bode well. I dislike those child-friendly stupid little robots. Think Ewoks and Jar Jar Binks. Maybe that lowered my expectations sufficiently to make me enjoy the rest of the film.

It certainly felt like Michael Bay had been watching Battle: Los Angeles and Skyline while this was being made. As you would expect from a Michael Bay film the destruction was of epic proportions. Sometimes this descends into disaster porn, but it felt a little more personal in this film. Maybe I’m talking rubbish and it was just the mood I was in that made me feel that.

Anyway, it’s full of awesome robots doing superhero posturing. I love the way they transform and move. Very cool. Shia LaBeouf is obviously part robot because he manages to survive some situations that would mangle a block of steel. On top of the crazy action there are some genuinely funny bits.

At the end of the film a large proportion of the crowd started to clap, which I’ve not heard in a while. I’m a bit to old and jaded for that, but I did enjoy it.

Like all these Hollywood action blockbusters, you need to go in with your suspension of disbelief primed, but if you do you will have a good time. 🙂

Cheers

Tim…

New vs Existing Customers: Introductory Offers…

My car insurance renewal quote came through the post the other day. First thing I did was get insurance quotes from some comparison websites to see if my renewal price was reasonable. As it turned out it was in the same ballpark as the better quotes, so I figured I would accept the renewal. Before I did, I decided to get an online quote from the same company for a new policy. Low an behold, it was a little over £100 cheaper to take out a new policy rather than to renew the existing one.

I phoned customer services and asked what the discrepancy was and I was told it was an offer for new policies only. I promptly cancelled my renewal and took out a new policy with the same company and saved myself over £100.

I understand that companies do this because most customers are apathetic and will accept being ripped off for an easy life, but it stinks. Wouldn’t it be nice if companies valued your custom and gave existing customers their best deals, rather than saving them to entice new people, only to rip them off the new year. Don’t even get me started on the high-street banks…

Cheers

Tim…

 

Security: It’s always the silly things that get you…

I had to laugh when I read this story about Amazon Web Services. It’s posted with an attention grabbing title that implies this is an Amazon problem, but it is squarely down to user error/oversight.

Luckily I’ve not fallen into this trap yet, but I have done equally silly things in the past. That reminds me, I must go to a Pete Finnigan session next time we are at the same conference… 🙂

Cheers

Tim…

Green Lantern…

I’ve said it before and I’ll no doubt say it again, but the mark of a good superhero film is you should be watching it thinking, “I wish I was <insert superhero name here>!”.

As a fat 41 year old man, that is exactly what I was thinking whilst watching Green Lantern. If Iron Man is a 9.5/10, then this is somewhere around the 8.5/10 region in my opinion. Similar to Thor I guess.

Parts of it reminded me of Spawn. I found myself thinking, if this character had watched the Spawn movie he could manifest some better weapons and defenses. 🙂

If they do a sequel, it would be cool if they focus on some of the other Lanterns.

Cheers

Tim…

PS.

ORACLE-BASE.com: Ten year anniversary (again)…

I’ve been having a 10 year anniversary of internet publishing for the best part of a year now.

I started publishing scripts and articles on the internet some time early in 2000, so really my 10 year anniversary was some time last year. I can’t remember the exact date though.

The first time my site appears on the Way Back Machine is June 2001 under the name tshcomputing.com. Since this is the first recording I can find of the site, I guess it means it was off the search engine radar before then, so this could be considered the official start of the site (as seen by the world), making this my 10 year anniversary right about now.

Later that year I changed the name of the site, so the first listing of oracle-base.com on the Way Back Machine is in October 2001. I guess I have another 10th anniversary around the corner. 🙂

I started this blog in June 2005, so it’s only my 6th anniversary of blogging. That’ll be another 10th anniversary in a few years time then. 🙂

I think I’ll stick with 2000 as being the start of it all because I’m getting old and it’s easy to remember. How times flies when you’re geeking out…

Cheers

Tim…