Wendell's Modest Review Of The Universe

Brush With The Rich and Famous…And Others

Administrator — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 10:31:07 +0000

I saw Kobe Bryant at a Sharper Image store today. I was with my wife who was checking out the massage chairs when there was minor commotion at the front door.

Apparently Kobe had come into the store with a couple of his kids to browse a bit and only upon exiting did he get noticed by one of the salesgirls. Actually, I had walked right by him myself without noticing who he was. I was really absorbed by the imitiation singing Elvis Head. At least I assumed it was an imitation…

Kobe smiled at the salegirl when she asked if he would sign an autograph. He said that he didn’t sign stuff when he was with his kids. He was very pleasant about it though and the salesgirl was cool with it too. Later she told us how she was really madly in love with Allen Iverson and if he came into the store she would pee all over the floor.

My wife thought that was an interesting way to show her adoration and the salesgirl assured us she wasn’t a stalker or anything like that.

Lovely…

Video Dopes…Kinda…Not!

Administrator — Thu, 07 Jun 2007 06:37:12 +0000

I think these guys are kinda like the real life Beavis and Butthead.

http://www.smosh.com/

A lot of their jokes are so lame and sophomoric they just make me crack up, sad to say. :P.

I do admire their prolific video endeavors, though.

Check Out More Real Estate Stats in Orange County

Administrator — Thu, 19 Apr 2007 21:48:44 +0000

Here’s another site with some interesting stats for the Orange County California market. All the rage now because of the real estate bubble.

http://www.ochomereview.com

Orange County Tax Records

Administrator — Tue, 02 Jan 2007 22:23:33 +0000

If you live in Orange County California, here’s a way to snoop around to see what your neighbor pays in property taxes:

http://www.ttc.ocgov.com/tcweb/search_page.asp

Blood Diamond Is Bloody Good

Administrator — Thu, 21 Dec 2006 00:32:04 +0000

Diamond smuggling, terrorism, idealistic journalism, failed loyalties, greed, gore. What more can you ask for?

Actually, I found this to be a very entertaining and suspenseful drama with some of the best non-car chase scenes in recent memory.

Leonardo DiCaprio stars as Danny Archer, a South African mercenary turned diamond smuggler with a hint of Indiana Jones persona — hot on the trail of a rare diamond that was found by captured prisoner Solomon Vandy, played impeccably by Djimon Hounsou.

Meanwhile, Jennifer Connelly portrays the seasoned yet idealistic journalist Maddy Bowen who is looking to topple the corrupt diamond industry by publishing the truth behind the mining of diamonds, how many diamonds arrive in America through horrific South African brutality.

Highly recommended viewing, although some scenes are extremely graphic and too strong for young children.

Stars Leonardo DiCaprio - getting better all the time as a actor, Djimon Hounsou - fantastic actor although I wish I knew how to correctly pronounce his name, and the always *gorgeous* Jennifer Connelly. Huzzah!

Mortgage Calculators

Administrator — Mon, 11 Dec 2006 22:21:45 +0000

Here’s a good site for doing mortgage calculations.

http://www.mortgage-investments.com/

I especially like their Investment Spreadsheet, in case you’re considering getting into the real estate rental game.

Borat — Where The Bore’s At

Administrator — Sun, 05 Nov 2006 02:39:17 +0000

I saw this movie the other day amid all the rave reviews. People were comparing the Borat character — played by B-team comedian Sacha Cohen — to that of Forest Gump. I think he’s a little more like the Johnny Knoxville character in the Jackass movies. They’re both plain stupid and only borderline funny. At least Johnny Knoxville is a real person and not a made up persona. At least I think Knoxville is a real person…

The basic premise of the movie is that of Kazakstani reporter Borat doing a road trip across America and asking everyday people to help him learn about the American culture. Borat of course eventually leads the situation to something gross and/or outrageously racist. Wow. Shock humor from “The Foreign Guy.” So smart and original! Andy Kaufman did the foreign guy bit better and without being so disgusting.

About the only funny scene — albeit outrageously gross — is a hotel fight between Borat and his manager. This happens about halfway through the movie so be sure to eat all your popcorn first. You’ll be able to upchuck quite easily after the scene.

Save your money and wait for the video.

Future Value Calculator For Investment Calculations

Administrator — Fri, 22 Sep 2006 21:32:33 +0000

A nice little online java calculator for figuring out the size of your nest egg 20 years from now…

http://www.moneytoys.com/future-value-calculator.php

Philips Lumalive Light Emitting Textile Clothing

Administrator — Mon, 18 Sep 2006 21:30:40 +0000

Pretty trippy Lumalive technology from Philips. I’m waiting for the full screen cloth monitor that you can roll up and keep in your backpack.

Zillow

Administrator — Thu, 09 Mar 2006 05:32:36 +0000

I tried the http://www.zillow.com site today. It’s the one that shows you home prices along with a lot of other niceties like property tax, square footage, comps.

Great for finding out how much your friends and neighbors have tied up in their homes, who to hit up for a loan, who’s been lying about how much they paid for their house, how much they sold it for, etc.