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Rube Goldberg and Honda

In discussing SuperBowl commercials of years past, someone mentioned the Honda Cog ad. I'd never seen it, so I found it on the net (that's what the previous link is).

It is a nifty video, but it's ultimately just a Rube Goldberg machine that's short enough to show in an ad. Still, pretty nifty stuff.

Video Game Workout

The much-lauded Wii seems to be a fine piece of equipment. I haven't had the opportunity to use one yet, sadly, but I'm hoping to get one of my own sometime in the next yearish. They seem like a lot of fun, and some people have even put them to good use as an exercise regimen.

For those of my readers in the dark, the Wii is the new gaming console by Nintendo. The cool, revolutionary thing about the Wii is that it uses a motion sensor bar to allow users to play games with full body motion. Technically speaking, the games don't *require* full body motion, since they only sense controller movement. Rather, I suppose it's more accurate to say the game allows for full body motion play.

WiiNintendo has a story by a reader who started a workout regimen using his Wii. In 6 weeks, he lost 9 pounds by playing Wii Sports (the included Wii game) for half an hour a day. I must say that I'm pretty darn impressed. I don't think I can lose nine pounds in six weeks of running for 90 minutes a week, so it's sweet that 210 minutes a week of video games resulted in such a nice loss.

Since I don't own a Wii, I obviously can't begin a fitness regimen with one. However, I do own a gamecube, and I own one game that allows for full body motion: Mario DDR. It's Nintendo's version of the game parlor hit Dance Dance Revolution. I spent 45 minutes or so playing tonight, and I definitely got a workout. Even better, it didn't feel like 45 minutes; in typical fashion, I got into the game playing aspects, and the time passed by quickly.

I definitely think Mario DDR would be good to incorporate into my regular routine. Right now, I'm playing decently well on normal mode. Instead of trying to hit time/weight/whatever guidelines, I think I'm just going to aim for beating it. Honestly, with my love of video games, that's a goal I can get behind.

Small Year

as seen in a Grey's Anatomy transcript (I'm trying to catch up, and reading is easier than downloading episodes). Scene: two people eating dinner.

WAITER: Should I send the small year over?

Obviously, spelling and culture knowledge are overrated.

Side note: no posts for the next week -- I volunteered to be a counselor at a JH week for my church camp ^^

Family Feud

Like many children, I watched a large amount of TV as a child. In the summers, my time in front of the magical glowing box was a respite from the heat and physical activity (I've changed a lot since then, obviously). I watched Price is Right, Saved By the Bell, Full House, and lots of other sitcoms. I also watched one of the dumbest game shows ever, but it never ceased to amaze me: Family Feud.

In college, one of my roommates actually watched Family Feud on a daily basis (right around lunch break too -- so much for me trying not to watch). Again, I was amazed by the dumb answers, strange questions, and odd behaviours in that show.

Imagine my bliss when today, while reading Dooce, I found a link for The Worst Family Feud Answers. The answers people seem to come up with are absolutely brilliant.

Annoying and strange

In some perverse twist of something, I've got the damn Walmart theme song stuck in my head ("here we are . . . something something . . . smiling over"). I hate that commercial.

I write reviews

over at Undisclosed Location Reviews. I totally forgot to mention it before, but I do. Happy contributor :-)

Anyway, I've got three up right now, and I'm sure I'll keep them coming. If you're on the lookout for more entertainment choices (mostly, food, drinks, movies, TV, music, and books), this would be a good place to scout out some new ideas. There's a fairly diverse crowd that (sometimes) posts over there, but it's developing into something nice and fairly fun.

ABC's Miracle Workers

I'm not a big TV person, but I'll channel surf when the occasion warrants.  Tonight, my mom was called into work in the middle of a movie, so I flipped on ABC and pleasantly caught part of  Miracle Workers.  I had hoped to watch the show, but years of not watching TV means that I have a poor memory for remembering to watch specific shows. 

Miracle Workers was, I must say, excellent.  If you like Extreme Makeover Home Edition, then you'll love Miracle Workers.  I actually cried through a good chunk of the show (greater than half, I'd say).

The show I caught featured two patients: a 4 year old with scoliosis/bent spine, and a young woman with Tourette's Syndrome.  The middle part of the show reviewed their conditions and how their lives are impacted.  Then, they spoke with doctors, learned about the surgery, and decided to go for it.  The last part of the show was surgery and recovery.

Not surprisingly, the two both recovered just fine.  I didn't even know someone could recover from having Tourette's, but the young woman did (I also learned that Tourette's develops in childhood and not necessarily immediately after birth).

I suppose the show was a bit trite.  I don't imagine them showcasing any miracle worker failures there, but I know as well as anyone that surgery is not always successful (and I have at least one unsuccessful surgery under my belt, but my consequences were not as drastic as theirs could be).

The Good: I cried a lot, which was cathartic.  It was wonderful to see that some people with serious problems can get help. 

The Bad:  I cried a lot, so it's not good for those who don't like a good heartstring tug.  It tends to be kind of sappy, especially with the parent testimonials about their children (but that might have just been the episode I saw).

Overall: I'd watch it again if I managed to catch it, but it's not something I'd TIVO (if I even owned one of those things).

Rating: 7.5/10

TV is Crack

When I was a freshman in high school, I swore off TV cold turkey. I used to be a hard-core addict. I taped my soap (General Hospital) to watch after school, and I spent hours a day catching up with Zach Morris, the Tanner family, and whatever else happened to be on.

When I was in the Netherlands, I started watching a little TV; I called it my "social experiment." Still, I didn't watch much.

Senior year of college, my roommates got me hooked on Gilmore Girls, and I don't think I'll ever forgive them. I like the show, but I'm kind of a rabid fan.

Now, my mom watches desperate housewives, and I am so wrapped up in the whole Carlos/Gabbie plotline. It's utter craziness, and I want to know what happens.

Of course, Desperate Housewives wasn't on tonight. Instead of doing something productive, I watched an hour of Extreme Makeover and sobbed my eyes out. Way to go, Leah.

Found in the play program

Theater is life,

film is art,

television is furniture.

Daytime TV

I really hate watching TV, but the damn thing drew me in during breakfast. I hate having a living room where the central focus is the TV (actually, two TVs . . . I need to take my ghetto old one to good will).

Anyway, I was watching some "Ambush Makeover" show during breakfast with my roommate. The commercials were totally not any I've ever seen before.

Apparently, the market for daytime TV viewers is continuing education, suing people, getting bank loans, and crappy talk shows. No wonder movies were invented; who can watch this drivel every day?

But, seriously, if I ever want to become a massage therapist, pharmacy tech, computer specialist, medical transcriptionist, or any other ist, I just have to flip on the morning TV and jot down the phone numbers. Glad to know I have somewhere to go when I'm really stuck with those career choices.