So the nominees for 2010 Oscars were released a few days ago.  Avatar got nominated for a shit load of awards, and I’m sure this year they movie will dominate the Oscars.  Here are my thoughts on the nominees, and there are a few spoilers, as well.

Avatar:  Look, I agree that this movie was visually stunning.  The 3D and CGI really placed you in this alien planet.  But the story was long, generic and predictable.  The characters might as well have been wearing ‘good guy’ ‘bad guy’ shirts on.  And you could tell how the movie was going to end 15 minutes into the film.  So, can Avatar still be best picture?  I dunno.  The film really looked great, but it’s like of like a super hot Miss USA contestant winning the title, even though she has been hooking on the side  – giving her award just kind of makes a mockery of the competition.

Precious:  This movie made me think I could be a screen writer.  Just take a minority, place them in an awful situation that involves minority problems like lack of education, drugs and throw in a little incest for good measure.  Sure, Monique played a crack head well…but then again, a crack head isn’t a very complex character, is it?  Who knows, she may have just been on crack during filming.  And the girl who played Precious was really just playing a fat black girl…again, not too much of a stretch.

District 9:  I like how District 9 took a new approach to the alien genre.  I also liked the gritty, documentary feel of the movie.  The alien costumes were at times a bit low res, but overall this was a pretty good movie.

Inglorious Basterds:  A decent movie, but not best picture material.  Also, I’m skeptical that a movie that shows jews killing Nazi’s and Hitler is in the running for best picture.  Talk about a home field advantage.

The Blind Side:  Not surprisingly this movie was a pretty sappy sports movie, and I’m surprised it got nominated for best picture.  I enjoyed watching it, but really the storyline was really just a recycled generous-white-person-helps-minority tale.  Still, this was one of the few movies nominated for best picture that really leaves you with a good feeling at the end.go

Up in the Air:  This movie was kind of over hyped way before it was in wide release.  When I finally saw it, it was somewhat of a let down.  Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t hard to sit through at all.  But the idea of a guy who travels a lot…not very unique to me.  Neither is the idea of a guy with no wife?  And they say Clooney is a good actor in this movie, but really he’s kind of too good looking for this part.  In reality, if Clooney was in this role he’d be banging girls left and right, and he’d have to settle down with the ones he got preggers.

Up:  This movie actually wasn’t bad.  It was a lot more serious than other Pixar movies, and surprisingly this worked out well with CGI.  The whole balloon thing was not very realistic…but whatever, it’s a cartoon so you kind of have to forgive that.

It seems pretty clear that Avatar is gonna take away a ton of awards, including best picture.  That’s too bad, because I’d rank it behind Basterds, Up in the Air, District 9 and Up.

I also think Bruno should have been nominated for something.  Really, when you look at these actors half of them are playing characters pretty close to their actual persona.  Clooney is a guy who travels a lot and bangs random chicks he meets at hotels?  Not a big stretch.  Monique is playing a fat black lady…is that really deserving of an Oscar?

But Bruno played a gay guy, even though Cohen is straight in real life.  Plus, he did this all in one-take scenarios where his acting was critical to keeping the bits alive.

Well, the Oscars are in a month.  Check it out.

After months, if not years of hype, Apple finally announced their tablet.  And it has an awful, awful name:  iPad.  Look, I’m a marketing major and the first thing we learned is never give your product a name that sounds like a feminine hygiene product, unless it is actually a feminine hygiene product.  It’s just asking for bad news.  In fact, iTampon is already the #2 tending topic on Twitter, ahead of Apple, Steve Jobs and iPad.

Despite the horrible name, there’s a lot to like about the iPad.

1.  Price:  I think the $499 base price was far below what anyone predicted.  Sure, no one will actually buy that version – you really want the $830 version with 3G and 64 GB of memory, but the $499 base price was astounding.

2.  Looks:  Sure, it looks like a big iPhone, but the iPhone looks good.  The iPad has a 9.7” screen, but is still only 0.5” thin – that’s not bad at all.  Early impressions of the build quality of the device were mostly positive, and I’d have to agree that the iPad is a very slick-looking device.

3.  Support for iPhone/iPod Touch Apps:  The iPad can run all current iPhone apps.  Since these apps are currently designed for a smaller screen, the iPad stretches them out to fit the larger 9.7” screen.  That’s not perfect, but it does give the iPad a pretty large application base to start off with.

With that said, there are quite a few problems I have with the iPad.

1.  No multitasking:  I don’t understand Apple’s aversion to multitasking on its portable devices, but this is a big negative.  The inability for the iPad to run two apps at the same time really limits the device’s usefulness.  As Steve Jobs pointed out, netbooks are really just cheap computers – sure, that’s true, but even cheap computers can run two apps at the same time.

2.  No Flash:  This is another feature that Apple has continually failed to support.  A ton of websites, not to mention Hulu, use Flash – so why doesn’t the iPad support it?

3.  GPS:  Jobs demoed the lovely Google Maps functionality on the iPad, but the lack of GPS really diminishes the value of Google Maps, not to mention half of the apps I currently rely on heavily.

4.  Codec support:  I like laptops because I can download a bunch of movies without worrying about the format, and then just play them with VLC player.  The iPhone can’t do this, and apparently neither will the iPad.  This means a lot of file converting – a tedious process.

Overall, the iPad was pretty disappointing.  Unlike the iPhone, the iPad doesn’t really break new ground.  More importantly, it’s hard to see how the iPad would fit into my life.  Sure, it seems great on planes and when I’m taking a deuce, but $500 is a lot to pay for a device that covers those two scenarios.

I recently bought a netbook for around $500, and frankly this device does everything that the iPad can do, and more.  Plus, it has more storage, Windows 7, and I don’t have to worry about converting files.

My guess is that the iPad will be a popular item, but I don’t think I’ll get one when it comes out.  While the device is less expensive than expected, it’s just too expensive for what it delivers.

The post-Christmas Woot! Offs are the best.  You get deals on all the xmas goodness that didn’t sell.  Check it out nooooow.

Remember US Airways flight 1549, the flight that hit a flock of geese and crashed into the Hudson?  The recovered body of the flight is now up for auction here.  You don’t get the wings, engines or tail, but you do get a slightly damaged fuselage.

This amazing time lapse video of the recovery of flight 1549 also popped up on the web today.  It shows the amazing effort it took to raise the plane from freezing water, while large chunks of ice floated down the Hudson.  The process appears to take several days, and was successful thanks to a large barge-mounted crane and an ice-clearing tugboat.

Exclusive unseen video footage of the Miracle on the Hudson, flight 1549 New York City from David Martin on Vimeo.

I was at Costco today, and saw this astounding bottle of Johnnie Walker Blue Label for a cool $20K.  That’s not a misprint – it’s a $20 thousand bottle of scotch.

Apparently this bottle is from a limited edition Blue Label 1805 bottling that celebrated the 200th anniversary of Johnnie Walker.  Only 200 bottles of the special edition blend were created, and according to Wikipedia, none of the bottles were intended to be sold at retail.  Instead, the company presented the bottles to individuals deemed to have made the most significant contribution to modern life.

The estimated retail value of the 1805 Limited Edition is $30K per bottle, which makes Costco’s price a pretty good deal, actually.

Interestingly, you can get your hands on a glass of the 1805 Limited Edition at La Mer in Hawaii’s Halekulani resort.  Apparently, the restaurant is offering the scotch for $325 for a 1 1/2 ounce pour.

What’s good about frying?  Well, it evenly coats your food in golden brown, crispy goodness.  What’s bad about frying?  While the inside of your food is getting cooked, it’s also absorbing oil, so essentially whatever you’re eating becomes a golden brown oil sponge.

T-Fal’s ActiFry strives to deliver the best of both worlds, promising all the goodness of frying with only a touch of oil.

Gizmodo has a good review on the ActiFry here.  Overall the concept of the ActiFry seems like a good idea; the device has a heating element that cooks your food, and a stirrer that keeps your food moving around for even cooking.  All you need is a teaspoon of oil, and the stirrer will ensure that you get a nice golden brown.

In Gizmodo’s tests, the ActiFry worked surprisingly well.  Sure, it wasn’t always as good as a deep fryer or oven, but the results were pretty decent.

The only big problem I see here is the price:  $300.  That’s a bit much for a kitchen accessory, and that’s coming from someone with a $100 automatic martini mixer (thanks TJFKAK).

I’d get this thing for around $29.99, not $300.  But overall, I do like the idea of frying with very little oil, and I hope this technique catches on quickly.

Look, I appreciate the need for vigilante justice when someone, say, rapes your daughter.  However, I don’t think violence is appropriate with something so trivial as whaling.  Sure, sure, whales are precious.  But the Japanese are just catching whales for…ahem…scientific purposes – I don’t see anything wrong with that.

But Sea Shepherd does.  This group of vigilante hippies has a fleet of boats that attack whaling vessels by doing things like throwing bottles of acid on their decks, ramming or scuttling whaling ships, shooting lasers at ships, or tangling rudders.

This October, Sea Shepherd unveiled a fancy new $2.5 million vessel called the Ady Gil.  Made of carbon fiber, this trimaran could go up to 50 knots, and according to Sea Shepherd’s website, the vessel would be used to “physically block the harpoon ships from illegally slaughtering whales.”

Now I don’t know what brilliant Sea Shepherder thought that a carbon fiber vessel could block a thousand ton whaling ship, but it turned out to be a bad idea.  As you can see in the video below, the most recent attempt by the Ady Gil to attack a whaling vessel ended in, well, a broken nose.  After getting in the way of a Japanese whaling ship, the note of the Ady Gil was snapped off, and the ship later sunk.  All crewmen were rescued, however.

Frankly, it was nice to see the nose of the Ady Gil shattered while dirty hippies scampered around on its deck.  These eco-terrorists are really no better than, well, regular terrorists, except their world trade center involves keeping innocent Japanese from doing their job.

I attended my first CES this past weekend, and it was very impressive.  The most astounding aspect of CES was its size -  the conference filled up the Las Vegas convention center that has over a million square feet of exhibition space.

The hottest items at CES were probably iPhone accessories like cases, bags, speakers, headphones, etc.  Sure, that’s not that exciting, but it was surprising what an impact the iPhone has had on the consumer electronics community.

There were a ton of eBook readers, as well.  Frankly, I don’t really get why these things are so popular, but I’m not a big reader.  Big guys like Samsung and Sony showed off their eBooks, but there were a surprising number of smaller and OEM eBook manufacturers as well.

For the most part, most of the eBook readers seemed pretty similar.  Some had more than one screen, and some were larger or more connected than others, but overall you get the same eInk screen and perhaps a custom interface.

I get how heavy readers would appreciate an eBook, but really I don’t think they will become a mainstream product anytime soon.  However, for those of you that are interested in an eBook, I’m betting that eBooks will be available online for free very soon thanks to pirates.  It’s just too easy to copy a book digitally.

Tablets and other unusual notebook form factors were also popular at CES.  There were some really cool designs like the Kojinsha (Onkyo) that has two screens that can be expanded or hidden depending on how much desktop space you need.  And some of the tablets like MSI’s dual screen concept PC were cool.

But to date, keyboard-less PCs have been a tough sell.  I don’t think the full slate form factor will ever catch on big time – it’s just too hard to input text quickly.  However, tablets with screens that rotate to reveal or hide a keyboard seem pretty valuable.

Perhaps the biggest hit of CES was Parrot’s AR Drone quadricopter.  Now, this device really has very little practical use, but it was pretty cool to watch.  The AR Drone is actually controlled by an iPhone or iPod Touch, and it seemed like the Drone was very responsive.  It can also be outfitted with a camera, for taking air-based videos.

Overall, the show was incredible – I can’t believe this is the first time I’ve attended.  For those of you who haven’t attended, it’s easy to get free admission if you work for a company that has anything to do with tech…and I mean anything.  Otherwise, you can pick up a badge on Craigslist the day of the show.

Here are a few more pics:

Holograms

Robot seals that act like cute seal babies

Floor cleaning robot

Lexus that looks like the batmobile

Super thin computer from LG

Tiny phone

Watch phone

And of course hot booth girls.  Notice the guy shamelessly taking a photo from behind.

As I previously posted, Stern sidekick Artie Lange was mysteriously hospitalized over the Christmas break after missing the last week of work on the Stern show.  Today, the New York Post is reporting that Lange’s hospitalization is due to self inflicted stab wounds in an apparent suicide attempt.

The Post’s information comes from a ‘law enforcement source’ that said Lange sustained three deep plunges, and six ‘hesitation wounds.’  Lange was reportedly discovered by his mother who had come over to drop off food.

Artie’s hospitalization came after rumors that he had quit the Stern show.  However, Stern this week confirmed that Artie does still have a job, although he didn’t have any idea if there was a timeframe for Artie’s return.

Joma is running a special deal of day today offering a Gucci Wallet for $129  Check it out

Personally I think this is a pretty good deal most likely the wallet retails for 150 or so.

After a long hiatus from blogging, I’ve decided to talk a little about the joys of shopping for a blender.  My current black and decker blender has been with me for the past three years and I’ve used it to death.  Lately I noticed that when I run the blade for extended periods of time I start to smell a burning plastic type of smell.  Combining this new sign of death with the the loose nuts and bolts sound when I move the blender around, I’ve decided I need to get a new blender!  When shopping for blenders there is so many models to choose from: Immersion, heavy duty, multi-purpose or small and cheap.  I’m personally looking for something heavy duty but something less than jamba juice quality.  I’ve a seen a few videos of youtube featuring an ultra heavy duty blender called Blendtec which rivals Vitamix (the blender of choice for Jamba Juice)

Check out these demo videos

Ultimately although those videos are awesome displays of power, I’ll probably get the Oster 4093 Classic Beehive Blender since its supposed to be pretty good despite being cheap.

Today was the Stern show’s first day back from the Christmas break, and again the cliffhanger this year was Artie Lange.  Artie was forced to take the last week off by Sirius XM management, and on Saturday he was hospitalized for undisclosed reasons.  There were also reports that Artie had quit the show for good, and Jim Breuer would be taking his spot.

Stern didn’t give any details about Artie’s hospitalization, saying that Artie had decided to keep the reasons surrounding the issue private.  However, Stern did quash any rumors about Artie leaving the show and Breuer taking over.  According to Stern, Artie still has a job, although there was no indication of when Artie will return.

That’s interesting news, but there are still a ton of questions that are still left unanswered.  It would be a bit premature for Stern to replace Artie at this point, although I wonder how long Artie will be allowed to remain MIA before he is replaced.  Stern is notorious for his inability to fire staff members, however, so it’s unlikely that Stern will force Artie off the show.

Things seem to be quickly spiraling out of control for Stern sidekick, Artie Lange.  During the Christmas break, there was a report from Mark’s Friggin that Artie had quit the Stern show for good.  Jim Breuer also mentioned that Artie had quit the show, and there’s speculation that Breuer will take Artie’s spot on the Stern show when it returns to the air on Monday.

If that wasn’t enough, there was news today that Artie was hospitalized for undisclosed reasons.  Of course this will lead to speculation that Artie has OD’ed but really at this point there’s very little information available.

It does appear, however, that Artie has hit bottom, again.  I don’t expect him to return to the Stern show – actually I’m kind of surprised the survived the Christmas break.  Either way, Artie’s shtick is getting boring, and the Stern show is better off without him.