Archive for October, 2012

Ouija Boards – Making Contact With The ‘Other Side’

Ouija boards have been around for generations.

Some people say that the spirit boards are just harmless fun, something kids can use to scare each other.  After all, they ARE sold in Toys “R” Us stores amongst other places.

Other people claim that Ouija boards can open a portal and be used to speak with deceased relatives and other spirits.

And still other people are fearful of the boards, claiming that they should be destroyed immediately.  Opening a portal and attempting to communicate with the other side can have tremendous consequences in this world and the next.

But does it really work?  Can you actually speak with spirits through something like a Ouija board?

A Ouija board is simply an ordinary board with the words “yes” and “no,” drawings of the sun and the moon, the alphabet, the numbers zero through nine, and the word “good bye.”  Some versions also include “hello,” but that isn’t as common.  The people participating in the spirit board sit around the board and place a finger on a device known as a planchette.  Planchettes can be a variety of items from a plastic or wooden game piece to a shot glass or even a coin.  While everybody is touching the planchette, the spirit on the other side is supposed to move the planchette around the Ouija board in response to questions asked out loud.

A 1991 TV commercial for the Ouija board.

The biggest question is, is somebody in the group intentionally moving the planchette and acting as the “spirit”? Read more…

Movie Review – Paranormal Activity (2007/09)

It’s not uncommon to hear mysterious creaks and groans in a house at night.

Homes often “settle” at night, making odd noises as the structure cools and slightly shrinks in size.  Generally the older the home, then the more likely it is to make noises.  This can be further compounded with squeaky floors and stairways.  If a person were to climb out of bed and walk around the house in the middle of the night, those sounds may inadvertently echo throughout the entire home.

But what if those mysterious noises have something else to them?  What if you hear scratching sounds on the walls or disembodied footsteps walking down the hallway?  What if lights would suddenly turn themselves on and off, or things of that nature?

And here’s the kicker.  Would you have the guts to videotape yourself sleeping at night and seeing if there’s anything, anything at all, making those strange sounds?

That’s basically the premise of 2007′s hit supernatural thriller, Paranormal Activity.  (NOTE — Although the movie was made back in 2007, it was NOT released nationwide until the fall of 2009.)

Paranormal Activity is a low-budget horror film that uses the “found footage” genre made famous by films such as The Blair Witch Project and more recent films such as Apollo 18, Chronicle and Project X.  We see places and locations as they were seen through the eyes of the characters.  There’s no evidence of a film crew making a full-length movie.  The main actors are unknowns in Hollywood, making the reality-style film that much more effective on the audience.

Paranormal Activity (2007) – (c) Paramount Pictures

Paranormal Activity is set in San Diego, California in the fall of 2006.  We meet Katie and Micah, a semi-wealthy boyfriend and girlfriend that live alone in a moderate house.  Micah works at home as a day trader, and Katie is a full-time student at a local college.  The two of them enjoy a quiet lifestyle until things literally start going bump in the night. Read more…

Book Review – Chuck Pfarrer’s “SEAL Target Geronimo – The Inside Story of the Mission to Kill Osama bin Laden”

On May 2, 2011, Osama bin Laden, the world’s most wanted bad guy and leader of the al-Qaeda terrorist group that attacked us on September 11, 2001 (among other times as well), was shot and killed by U.S. commandos during a daring nighttime raid.

Almost immediately after the raid and killing of Osama bin Laden was publicized, the public wanted to know more.  Who participated in the raid?  How did they find OBL after all of his years on the run?  Did OBL and his colleagues put up a fight?

Some of the details quickly emerged when politicians began talking.

We quickly learned that it was the elite SEAL Team Six that carried out the raid.  OBL was hiding in a compound in Abbottabad, a town in northern Pakistan.  One of his couriers lead the CIA right to his hideout.  As far as the raid itself, details were still conflicting.  Depending on where you got your news, Osama and his fellow men, A) put up a deadly, 45-minute gunfight, B) Osama surrendered but was executed by the SEALs, or C) the SEALs were deadly efficient and killed OBL and all of the enemy fighters within seconds, keeping their gunfire trained on the combatants and not women and children.

It was just a matter of time before somebody came forward and publicized a book about SEAL Team Six’s raid and the killing of Osama bin Laden.  Chuck Pfarrer, a novelist and retired Navy SEAL, was one of the first to tell the world about Operation Neptune Spear, the mission that finally ended the life of Osama bin Laden.

Chuck Pfarrer’s SEAL Target Geronimo – The Inside Story of the Mission to Kill Osama bin Laden takes a look at Operation Neptune Spear and the actual raid that took place at bin Laden’s compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan.  Or, at least that’s what the book attempts to do.

SEAL Target Geronimo is more of a quick history lesson regarding the elite Navy SEALs and some of their recent missions in the Middle East.

The book begins with an outside perspective of the raid in Abbottabad.  We see how one of the people living in the city experienced the unusual helicopter activity followed by a few explosions.  Like everybody else in the city, this particular person had no idea what was taking place not far from his residence.

Pfarrer’s book then takes a step back and goes into some history about the Navy SEAL program and how only the best of the best are allowed to join SEAL Team Six.  The information presented here is basic at best.  Check out Richard Marcinko’s Rouge Warrior if you want *real* information about the formation of SEAL Team Six.  Marcinko is the guy who actually built the program.

After discussing SEAL Team Six, Pfarrer takes us through the pirate hijacking of the Maersk Alabama off the coast of Somalia in 2009 (made famous again in the 2013 film Captain Phillips).  The actual act of piracy is glossed over here.  Pfarrer instead focuses on the SEAL snipers on the USS Bainbridge as they continually tracked and had their sights set on the pirates.  The book describes this act in a long, drawn out drama until the soldiers are finally given the order to shoot.  They do so and SEAL Target Geronimo quickly jumps to a new topic. Read more…

Forever Comfy (butt pillow) – A Marketing Review

The hours slowly tick by as you sit at your writing desk and personally write nearly a dozen thank you letters.

Last week you received excellent customer service when the car repair company down the street rotated your tires, and you felt the need to thank them with a nice letter.  That’s just how you were raised.  Companies that don’t provide good customer service also receive a hand-written letter, although those notes are filled with vulgarity, personal insults, and even the occasional threat to carry out an act of violence.

You finish writing your last letter and seal the envelope with a large glob of saliva from your tongue.  Yuck.  The glue on the envelope tastes a little old this time.

Once the envelopes are sealed, you lean back in your chair and stretch.  Muscle aches and pains send off a series of alarms up and down your spine.  Every part of your back and neck aches from the tailbone to the skull.  How can I be so sore? you ask yourself.  I was only sitting here for five hours.  Am I sore because the chair lacks a proper cushion?

Forever Comfy TV commercial

Just then, one of those as-seen-on-TV commercials flashes on the screen.  You’re prepared to sit back and laugh at it like you normally do, but there’s something different about this commercial.  There’s a product called Forever Comfy, and it looks like it may solve your back problem.

Forever Comfy website — www.GetForeverComfy.com

Let’s take a closer look at the TV commercial for the Forever Comfy butt pillow, errr, cushion, and see how it’s being sold to the general public.

Forever Comfy TV commercial – This hard chair is a real pain in my a$$!

First we see a woman going through paperwork while sitting at what we presume to be her dining room table.  The table and chairs look fancy enough, but as we see, apparently the woman is quite uncomfortable.  Can it be that sitting in that hard chair is giving her back problems?  Or is it that she probably needs to hit the gym and tone the ol’ gluteus maximus, you know, giving her a natural cushion to support her body? Read more…

Energy Drinks and the Deaths of Young Adults

Recently, Monster Beverage Corps, the famous energy drinks loaded with caffeine, came under fire when it was revealed that the Food and Drug Administration is investigating five deaths that may be associated with the energy drink.

The news article also points out that a fourteen-year-old girl died several days after drinking two large cans of Monster Energy within a 24-hour period.  The spike in caffeine supposedly triggered a fatal cardio event that claimed the life of the young teenager.  As it states in the NBC News article, her parents are suing Monster Beverage Corps “. . . for failing to warn about the product’s dangers.”

Depending on which news article you read, it sounds like the girl and/or her family knew about the teenager’s pre-existing heart condition.  As we all know, those of us with heart conditions need to be especially careful when it comes to the consumption of things such as caffeine and alcohol.  An excessive consumption of caffeine can easily trigger heart palpitations, and depending on your specific condition, this could lead to cardiac arrest followed quickly by death.

Is Monster at fault for failing to warn people about the dangers of consuming excessive amounts of caffeine?  That’s a debate for another time.

The problem here is that today’s teenagers and young adults are addicted to stimulants such as caffeine in the first place.  The energy drinks loaded with caffeine are very popular and trendy, and many of their TV commercials are misleading.

Take 5-hour Energy for example.

5-hour Energy TV commercial

If you were to take this commercial literally, you’d believe that the average person is drinking a bottle (a bottle = 2oz energy “shot”) of the 5-hour Energy at least once or twice a day.  The company’s website recommends drinking only HALF a bottle of 5-hour Energy for a “moderate” boost of energy, or the full bottle (remember, it’s only two ounces of liquid) for “maximum” energy.  The website warns against exceeding consumption of more than two bottles of 5-hour Energy on a daily basis.

So the question is, just how much caffeine is in a single bottle of the regular version of 5-hour Energy? Read more…

Defining A Halloween Movie

Halloween is right around the corner.

The fall weather has finally arrived, leaves are changing colors and falling from the trees, and there’s a crisp chill in that classic, “harvest” air.  Add in the general spookiness involved with Halloween and there you go.

I love Halloween.  It’s probably my favorite holiday during the year.  From the fall weather to the creepy (and usually funny) Halloween decorations to the numerous haunted houses and ghost tours, Halloween is a lot of fun.

When it comes to Halloween as a whole, it seems like the holiday is fairly well defined.  There’s a general consensus with the way that most people decorate their homes and go out in costume, whether it’s for trick-or-treating or attending a Halloween party.

What’s interesting is trying to define a “Halloween” movie.

Here’s the setting:  You and your significant other (or a group of friends) are home alone one night in late October.  The mood is right for watching a movie.  What do you select to watch as a “Halloween” movie?

The problem is that Halloween movies can be classified in a variety of ways, from a slasher or suspense film to a paranormal or zombie film.  A Halloween movie doesn’t necessarily have to include the actual holiday as part of its plot or setting.

Here are a few examples of genres and movies that could all classify as “Halloween” movies. Read more…

Olde Brooklyn Lantern (electric lantern) – A Marketing Review

It’s a Tuesday evening.

You and the family are sitting around the TV, watching yet another presidential debate.  Fluffy, the pet cat, is busy napping on your lap.  A thunderstorm is been approaching and you’ve been hearing the thunder becoming progressively louder for the past half hour.

FLASH!

BOOM!

A powerful lightning strike blows the power transformer outside of your home.  The crack-boom of the lightning and thunder spooks the cat, launching poor Fluffy off your lap and leaving behind a twin trail of red scratch marks on your thigh.  The house plunges into total darkness, silencing the talking heads on TV.

The only sound is a persistent beeping from the battery backup system in the office.  The children are too shocked to begin complaining.  You decide to feel your way into the kitchen and grab a flashlight.  You gingerly step around the furniture and make your way into the hallway.  The kitchen is about twenty paces away.  It won’t be a problem getting there, you tell yourself while keeping a hand on the wall.  Now where’s that damn——-

A terrifying screech fills the hallway.  Sorry, Fluffy.  Not all of us can see in the dark like you can.  The cat gives you a low growl as you finally reach the kitchen.  Pulling open a drawer, you feel around for a flashlight.

Rats!  The batteries are dead!  How are you going to comfort the family while sitting out this power outage?

What’s this?

Olde Brooklyn Lantern website — www.OldeBrooklynLantern.com

The Olde Brooklyn Lantern?  Could this electric lantern actually provide enough light?

Let’s take a look at the Olde Brooklyn Lantern TV commercial and see how it’s being sold to us, the general public.

Olde Brooklyn Lantern TV commercial

Is it just me, or did something not seem right with the Olde Brooklyn Lantern TV commercial.  I have this nagging feeling that parts of the commercial are one big lie.  Let’s take a closer look and see if this is just a big scam.

Olde Brooklyn Lantern TV commercial — Oh no!  Where’d the power go?

How many times has this happened to you?

One moment you’re cooking dinner on the stove (or cleaning the aquarium, sitting on the can, painting the walls in the basement, etc.), and all of a sudden the power is out.  It’s gone.  It didn’t bother to leave a note.  There’s no telling when the power is going to return. Read more…

Book Review – Tom Clancy’s “The Hunt for Red October”

Back in 1984, Tom Clancy rocked the world with his political and military thriller detailing the defection of a Soviet submarine to the United States of America.

Of course, this wasn’t just an ordinary submarine and an easy cruise across the Atlantic Ocean.  The Russian submarine happens to be the Red October, the newest, largest and most technological advanced submarine in the world.  It’s a submarine so advanced that most sonarmen cannot track the submarine.  It’s a virtual ghost ship that carries a nuclear payload large enough to obliterate an entire country or group of countries.

The Hunt for Red October begins with the sailing of the Red October out of a Soviet submarine base.  All seems well as Captain Marco Ramius, a seasoned submariner and a legend in the Soviet navy, cruises out to open water and then dives the ship.  But Captain Ramius has a different set of mission orders in mind, something that will send almost the entire Soviet navy chasing him across the Atlantic Ocean.

On the first day of the cruise, Captain Ramius meets with Political Officer Ivan Putin in the captain’s private room.  Ramius quickly overpowers and kills Putin, staging the political officer’s death as a tragic accident.  The ship’s doctor buys the captain’s explanation and Putin’s death is treated as an accident.  Captain Ramius then reveals his alternate set of mission orders and proceeds to take the Red October onto a new course —- right to the east coast of the United States.  They engage the ship’s “caterpillar” engine, a very quiet drive system that uses water to propel the ship similar to an airplane’s jet engine, and sail away on their new course.

Meanwhile, Jack Ryan, an upper-level analyst for the CIA, flies from London to Washington DC with an urgent set of photos acquired by British Intelligence.  He meets with Admiral James Greer and they inspect the photos.  A spy in the USSR took some pictures of the new Red October submarine when she was still being constructed, and the ship has some massive doors on the bow and stern of the vehicle.  The big question is, what are those doors?

Jack Ryan takes the photos to Skip Tyler, a former submarine commander who lost his leg in an automobile accident/  Tyler theorizes that the doors are for a new type of propulsion system.  It’s a new type of propulsion system so quiet that it’s doubtful that the American and British sonar systems could hear the submarine.  This is the “caterpillar” drive system that Captain Ramius is currently using in the northern Atlantic Ocean. Read more…

2013 Nissan Altima and Cadillac XTS TV Commercials

Lately I’ve been seeing the TV commercials for the 2013 editions of the Nissan Altima and the Cadillac XTS.

Both companies make fine automobiles.  No problems there.  It’s just that each of the TV commercials advertise new features that seem to be, well, useless.

Let’s start with the commercial for the 2013 Nissan Altima.

2013 Nissan Altima – Easy Fill Tire Alert feature

So let me get this straight.  Apparently adding air into a car’s tire is so complicated that you need a sensor along with the beeping of the car’s horn to tell you that there is enough air in the tire?

Really?

First of all, having the car beep its horn each time you fill one of the four tires is going to get old fast.  In addition to looking like a fool, you’re going to annoy everybody else at the gas station (or wherever you get air for your tires).

Second, are you really going to rely on a sensor to tell you that the tire is properly inflated?

The answer, folks, is incredibly simple:  TIRE-PRESSURE GAUGE.

The amount of air recommended for the tire is normally mentioned on the tire itself.  The car’s owners manual may mention a recommended tire pressure setting, but you really need to check on the actual tire to see what pressure setting works best.  My brother’s car had two different brands of tires between the front and rear tires, and each brand had different recommended tire pressure settings.  Sure, most car tires will recommend about the same settings, but you always need to check on the tire itself and make sure it’s properly inflated.

Speaking of sensors and the Nissan family of cars, my parents still have their Nissan Pathfinder SUV (I forgot which year they own).  One of the tires has a faulty low-pressure sensor.  Whenever they reach highway speeds and the tires warm, the alarm trips and the car thinks that one of the tires has a problem.  I’ve been with them and checked the tires’ pressure at a rest stop.  Sure enough, all four tires always read the correct pressure settings before and after cruising on the highways. Read more…