Who Am I This Time?

Kurt Vonnegut passed away tonight.  I've read much of Vonnegut's work, but not all.  My favorite short story of his is "Who am I this time?" about an introverted actor in community theatre and a "travelling" phone operator who do a production and fall in love.  I believe it is published in "Welcome to the Monkey House" which is a collecton of short stories that's an excellent Vonnegut primer.

It was made into a 1982 short film which appeared on PBS if my memory serves correctly.  Christopher Walken and Susan Sarandon starred in it.  Don't view the video.  Read the short story.  It's wonderful.

It's sad when a writer dies but know that his work will live on forever. 

Black Snake Moan

When did Christina Ricci grow up?  More than my thumb was up after watching Black Snake Moan over the weekend.  Fundamentally, this is a very good movie.  When Craig Brewer's first movie came out, Hustle and Flow, it wasn't something that I would normally see.  I'm not a rap fan.  Never have been, never will.  But Hustle and Flow was not about rap but about Terrence Howard's character using it to realize his dream.

So when I saw the trailer for Black Snake Moan, I immediately knew I had to see it in a theatre and plop down my $11 (can you believe it's up to $11 now?) to see it.  And I wasn't disappointed.  This movie is a great example of trusting a filmmaker to make a non studio film and not screwing up a good story.

This is no Lord of the Rings but a small film that I will watch whenever I see it on the tube.  Christina Ricci gives a raw, sexually aggressive performance, Samuel L. Jackson is his superb self, and even Justin Timberlake does a credible job.  Keep making films, Craig Brewer, and I will gladly pay to see them.

Review: HP LaserJet 1020

So the old HP Laserjet 1000 bit the dust.  It was eating paper up.  When I bought this four years ago, I got it for under $100 which was a great deal for a LaserJet printer.  This was the lowest level LaserJet you could buy.

I called HP to see if we could find a local repair shop but they said the only options were to buy a new one or "upgrade".  I called a local shop and they said to junk it.  Funny, but the replacement LaserJet cartridges can cost upwards of $50 to $60.  It's cheaper to buy a new one than to repair an old one.

Since I don't need speed, I took a look at the Brother HL2070-N which was available for $99.99 after rebate.  But I decided to stick with HP and found the HP LaserJet 1020 for $129 after an "automatic" $50 rebate at Staples.  I've had decent luck with HP products and the the marginal cost was such that I decided to stick with them.  Plus, I hate the hassle of sending in rebate coupons.

Setup was easy and this LaserJet prints at 2400 dpi which is a noticeable improvement over the 600 dpi LJ 1000.  The footprint is nice and small.  I get a little suspicious when I'm forced to use the CD to install the printer drivers but I understand that they have to make this easy for most consumers.  This does use the 12A HP cartridge which can be pricey.  So far so good.