Doctor Who (1996)

The original Doctor Who ran for 26 seasons.  When it ended in 1989, a lot of people were disappointed.  In 1996, hope arrived in the form of a TV movie/backdoor pilot that aired on Fox, brought to us by Universal Television, BBC Worldwide and the Fox Network.  It starts with Sylvester McCoy as The Doctor, transporting the remains of his mortal enemy, The Master, back to their home planet for interment.  He crash lands on Earth and is promptly shot.

Rather than die, he regenerates.  He is the same person with the same memories, but has a different appearance.  He’s now played by Paul McGann.  Over the course of the movie, The Doctor has to stop The Master from destroying Earth.  Both The Doctor and The Master have help.  Of course, since this was supposed to be the start of a new TV series, we can assume that The Doctor saves the day.

When the movie first aired, I remember liking it.  I think this may have been because it was the first new material in such a long time.  My only access to the show was the reruns on PBS.  Here was something I could actually watch new.  I was even a little disappointed that nothing ever came of it.  When I saw that I could rent the movie through Netflix, I decided to give it a second look.

I don’t think that this would have been a worthy successor to the original series.  It had a different feel and was probably made to appeal to both American and British audiences.  Judging by the fact that it wasn’t picked up, it probably failed on both counts.  I suspect that a good deal of that had to do with too many hands in the pot.  You had three production companies, each making their own demands and trying to serve two audiences.  When a new show was eventually produced, it was produced solely by the BBC.

The movie also seems a bit light on the story, probably because it was meant to bring Americans up to speed.  Yes, some of us had seen the show, but not everyone watches PBS.  This was well before Netflix or Redbox.  It would have cost you a fortune to get all those VHS tapes from Blockbuster.  They had to get across a lot of information in short order, like Time Lords having two hearts and 13 lives.  The movie ultimately got pulled in too many directions.

I suppose every franchise has one or two entries that fans would sooner forget.  Star Trek fans make fun of the odd-numbered movies.  I heard that James Cameron wasn’t fond of some of the Terminator sequels.  (He considers Genesys to be a direct true sequel to Terminator 2.)  Highlander II: The Quickening is disavowed by some fans.  This may be the weak link in the Doctor Who universe.  (I don’t recall it being mentioned much in the new series, but that may have more to do with rights and clearances.)

Ultimately, it worked out well.  Christopher Eccleston took over the role in 2005.  Several other actors have taken over the role since then.  The show has been going strong since then and we have a Christmas Special to look forward to each year.  It would be interesting to see what happens in another 50 years.

IMDb page

Snickers Marathon Long Lasting Energy Bar

Note:  This review was originally posted to my Epinuons account.

I got one of these bars on a whim. I know it’s supposed to be for those that are athletic, but I was getting tired of the candy bars. After all, I do walk a lot and that has to count for something. I don’t get these bars that often, mostly because of the cost. They usually go for somewhere in the neighborhood of $2, making them too expensive for a snack.

I’ve found that the wrapper is difficult to get off. For some reason, the wrapper sticks to bar. I’ve never had any trouble with the material staying on the bar, but I do have to peel it off slowly. I could see someone trying to open one of these after working out for a while and simply not wanting to be bothered.

It’s also tough to eat. It tastes good, but it’s very dense. It’s difficult to chew. It’s not extremely hard, but it’s not like gum, either. I think if I had a lot of dental work other than fillings, I’d worry about something popping out.

As for the taste, it doesn’t do much for me. I found both of the flavors available to me to be very similar. I think this is one of those things like Gatorade that change once you’ve been exercising for a while. The most exercise I do is walking, which hardly causes me to break a sweat.

It’s almost like eating some sort of processed and condensed Snickers bar. It actually looks and tastes like a Snickers bar that’s been distorted and messed around with. At least I didn’t see any hydrogenated oils. I really think it was meant for someone who exercises a lot.

I haven’t seen these available recently, but I haven’t been looking. It’s something that I’ll see and think about, but not really buy. It’s just not the kind of thing I want to snack on. I guess I’m going to have to keep looking for a healthier candy bar.

Snickers Chocolate Bars

Note:  This Review was originally posted to my Epinions account.


I came across a few candy bar reviews and remembered all of the good times I had had with all of those candy bars. I usually got 3 Musketeers, but I also liked Milky Way and Butterfinger. I think I ate enough of these in high school and college to fill several vending machines. One of my favorites was Snickers.

It’s been a while since I had a Snickers bar. There had come a point where candy bars weren’t quite as satisfying as they once were. It wasn’t so much that I didn’t like sugar as I had just moved on to other sugar-laden things, like jelly beans. When I was recently in the checkout aisle at the grocery store, there I was looking at one longingly. I remembered the chocolate, the caramel, the peanuts… Why not? It’s not like I have enough cavities.

I guess once you get past the ingredients, there’s not much to say. Notice how many candy reviews are short and consist of nutritional information. There are two reasons for this. One is that candy bars are mostly a matter of taste. The other is that they’re not health food. It should be mentioned that they contain sugar and other things your dentist and/or doctor wouldn’t want you to eat.

Snickers is one of the more satisfying candy bars out there. Maybe it’s the peanuts. Maybe it’s the caramel. I could also be imagining things. Sugar does that to you sometimes, especially when combined with hunger. However, among my friends that like candy bars, I don’t think I know anyone that doesn’t like one. Sure, we all have our preferences, but most people like Snickers on some level.

I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that it just has a nice consistency to it. When you bite into it, you’re getting a fair amount of resistance and I think that I respond well to it. I’m thinking that I’ve got a substantial piece of candy in my mouth and I’m not going to be hungry for a while.

As I said, it’s not to be a replacement for ‘real’ food. Among candy bars, Snickers definitely ranks up there in the top five. It’s also commonly available. Pretty much any vending machine or convenience store should have one. I’d look to pay maybe 50?-75? for a regular bar. Anything more than $1 is overpriced.

Skor Bars By Hershey's

Note:  This review was originally posted to m Epinions account.

I generally don’t like crunchy stuff.  This is why I’ve never been a big fan of toffee.  Every few years, I get a Skor bar because I forget just how hard toffee is.  I’m not even sure who carries it.  The last time I saw one was in an Office Max, which is a bit overpriced on candy to begin with.  (I’d imagine you can get it whoever you get candy, although Chuckles has shown me that this isn’t always true.)

For those that don’t know what toffee is, imagine frozen caramel.  (Every time I see Skor, I mistakenly think it’s filled with caramel.)  It has a similar flavor, but is extremely hard.  For those that have never seen a Skor, imagine a small bar of toffee covered in chocolate.  They’re thin and on the small side.  Despite the size, it’s pretty rare that I can get through one of these without my teeth hurting a little.

If you have any sort of dental problem where you can’t handle hard food, stay away from Skor.  It really is very hard toffee.  Generally, I’d prefer a Twix.  The cookie isn’t as hard and it does actually have caramel.  Then again, candy and candy bars tend to be subject to personal preferences.  Some people like hard candy while others don’t.

I don’t recall exactly when I first had a Skor, but I remember Skor candy bars being around for a while.  I think it’s been available in the Miami area at least as long as I’ve been around.  I’m sure there are enough people around that like it that it’s not going anywhere.

The price is usually consistent with other candy bars.  (The price-to-size ratio is another reason I go for other candy bars.)  Chocolate and toffee is pretty simple, but I’d check the ingredient list anyway.  I’m going to skip the nutritional information, only because it’s so easy to find online and on the package.  Overall, I have to give it 2 stars.

Harry and the Hendersons (1987)

As a child, well before everyone had a decent camera in their phone, I thought it impossible that a creature like Bigfoot could go unnoticed.  You’d think with humanity constantly encroaching on every corner of the planet, someone would have found a Bigfoot community or something.  All we have are a few fuzzy photographs and vague molds of footprints of what people claim are the hairy cryptoid.  Yes, new species are discovered all the time, but nothing as big as this.  Thus, it comes as a surprise when the Henderson family hits one with their car.  Twice.

The father, George, gets out and assumes that the creature is dead.  The only thing to do is take Bigfoot home and see what their options are.  No easy task, considering how big Bigfoot is.  George Henderson is played by John Lithgow.  Lithgow is a tall guy at 6' 4".  Bigfoot is taller.  Bigfoot is played by Kevin Peter Hall, who stood 7' 2½".  This makes it hard to lift him onto the car, to say nothing of where they’ll put him when they get home.

When Bigfoot wakes up, he goes through the house and destroys a good portion of it.  He also tries to bury George’s hunting trophies in the back yard.  It takes a while for the Hendersons to realize that Bigfoot isn’t that dangerous.  They decide to let him stay, even calling him Harry.  They eventually realize that Harry has to go back; he has no place in a major city.  Dr. Wallace Wrightwood is willing to help once he realizes that Harry does exist.  Jacques Lafleur, however, is hot on Harry’s trail and will stop at nothing to get his prize.

The movie is generally safe for older children.  Harry goes from being frightened and defensive to sweet and friendly pretty early on, so any really scary scenes will be in the beginning of the film.  Much of the humor is slapstick, though.  Harry is every bit as clumsy as you’d expect, which is understandable.  He’s out of his element.  George teaches Harry to sit.  When Harry does sit, it’s often with destructive consequences, like destroying a table or putting a hole in the floor.

There’s also the moral dilemma.  George sees dollar signs, but the rest of the family sees him as a living creature.  George eventually comes around, realizing the he’s not even sure who to turn Harry over to.  Is it fair to make money off of a living creature, especially knowing that they’d be poked and prodded?  The alternative is to keep him trapped in a house that’s too small for him and hope they can find food for him.  It doesn’t help that neighbors would likely not understand.

Interestingly, they did make this into a TV sitcom.  I never saw it, but I do vaguely recall hearing about it.  I actually ran for 72 episodes over three seasons.  I’m assuming that the show would have used a plot similar to ALF, in that Harry would have been confined to the house.  I might check that out if it ever comes on Netflix.  One thought crossed my mind while watching the movie, though:  What would have happened if Syfy had gotten their hands on the script?


IMDb page

Hoyle Casino Series for Mac, Windows

Note:  This review was originally posted to my Epinions account.

I found out about this game from a friend. He was playing Texas Hold ‘Em and I was complaining that he folded too easily. I decided to give it a try. Each player can make their own profile. There’s a face maker you can use to make a picture that resembles you or you can use one of several pictures that the computer already has. The face maker also has the ability to randomly generate faces, but these tend to be bizarre. Since I wasn’t planning on using my friend’s computer forever, I just used one of the faces the computer had.

The computer set me up with $5,000 in credit so that I could play any of the games in the casino. (Hoyle Casino 2004 is more than just Texas Hold ‘Em, but I’ll get to that later.) I was able to try the Texas Hold ‘Em and show him how I played it. I ended up losing a little money, but as I said, I wasn’t playing for keeps so it didn’t really matter. It’s not like it was real money anyway.

I tried a few of the other games and decided to get this game for myself. I didn’t really bother with the face maker. It was way too complicated and I didn’t like any of the random faces. I found a face that sort of kind of looked similar to me and used that. For a while, I stuck to roulette and Texas Hold ‘Em because those were the two games that I was most familiar with. I occasionally tried the slots, but didn’t do to well. I went back to Texas Hold ‘Em. Eventually, I decided to try some of the other games. There are a lot of different forms of poker in Hoyle Casino 2004 as well as a lot of different slot machines and other games. There’s keno, craps, black jack, Baccarat, and many other games that I hadn’t heard of before. It even has horse racing.

Most people that I know that have a game like this seem to stick to one or two games. (My friend and I aren’t exceptions.) If you’re get bored easily, but don’t really want to bother learning the rules to a new game, Hoyle Casino 2004 has a tutorial for each game. What you take away from this depends on how easily you learn. The instructions may not always be clear, especially for a game you’ve never even heard of before. Keno and craps were totally alien to me and thus difficult to really understand. I know how to bet and everything, but I still don’t understand how craps really works.

If you get bored of just playing poker game after poker game and want more of a challenge, you can play tournaments. Most of the poker games have tournaments that last several rounds. You and several competitors play 14 hands. The three best move on to play 28 hands. From there, two advance to play as many hands as are necessary for there to be one person left. If you think that the poker tournaments are too long, then you’re in luck. You do have the option to save the tournament whenever a dialogue box comes up. Just leave the game and it’s automatically saved. Most of the other games have tournaments. Roulette is set up with one round and isn’t really as satisfying or challenging as the Texas Hold ‘Em tournament is.

If and when you do decide to leave, you get shown an advertisement for other games. It’s brief, but annoying. I find it to be kind of cheap. I think it’s a lot better to integrate the ads into the game so that they’re not as noticeable.

Ultimately, I find myself usually going back to Roulette or Texas Hold ‘Em. This isn’t to say that the program is bad. I think it could be enjoyable for just about anyone who likes to play, but doesn’t like having to constantly drop money on gambling.

I’d give this four stars.

Monopoly Board Game

Note:  This review was originally posted to my Epinins account.

There was a catchphrase or slogan I heard once:  Easy to learn, difficult to master.  Monopoly definitely fits that bill.

It's a relatively easy game to learn.  You have a square board with a variety of properties as well as Free Parking, Jail, Go to Jail, Go and the Chance and Community Chest spaces.  You also have two dice and several game pieces to represent the players.  You go around the board by rolling the dice.

If you land on property that's unowned, you can buy it.  If someone else owns it, you have to pay rent.  (The amount of rent depends on several factors, which I'll get to later.)  If you run out of money, you can mortgage your properties.  If you run out of property to mortgage, you lose.  If you run out of opponents, you win.

If you land on one of the Chance or Community Chest spaces, you take a card that tells you what to do.  You might get money or lose money.  You might have to go to Jail or you might get a Get out of Jail Free card.  They can add another random element to the game.

There are variations.  For instance, you can deal out all of the property at the start.  Free Parking can simply be a space where you do nothing or a space where you can get money.  (Some people use a set amount while others put any tax money in the center and use that as a pot.)  When you pass Go, you usually get $200.  Some people let you collect twice as much if you actually land on Go.

I would say that 90% of the game is random, as the dice are the sole determinant of how you move.  You don't get to chose direction.  You can't pass.  You just do what the dice tell you to do.  Thus, you have no real control over which property you land on.

For this reason, I've found the game to be very frustrating.  As I mentioned before, rent is controlled by several factors.  Properties are divided into groups.  You have railroads, utilities and 8 color groups.  Rent on the railroads goes up the more you own.  The rent on utilities goes up if you own both.  Rent on any given color group doubles if you own the entire set.

Also, if you own an entire color group, you can put improvements on the properties.  This is why Boardwalk and Park Place have become somewhat well known.  If someone has both properties and has done the maximum improvements, they can charge $2000 in rent to someone that lands on boardwalk.  (If I recall, that is.  I haven't played in a while.)

I've found that it's very easy to spiral downwards because you can't charge rent on a mortgaged property.  Without any property to charge rent on, your only income will be passing Go and hopefully getting some income through Chance and Community Chest.  If all of your property is mortgaged, it becomes a matter of time before you land on something that takes you out of the game.  Conversely, if you own an entire side of the board or two, you'll just keep collecting money,

One of the reasons I've come to not like the game is that there's no real strategy.  Sure, there are things you can do that will help you a little.  For instance, don't sell or trade any properties to anyone unless you have to.  Especially don't give up any property that would give them a complete set of anything.  Also, if you wind up in Jail and the side of the board following Jail is owned by someone other than you, stay in Jail as long as possible.  There's no good reason to want to leave Jail unless you roll a twelve.  Other than that, it all comes down to a roll of the dice. 

The Beauty Inside/Byuti insaideu (2015)

Woo-jin has a distinct problem:  Every time he wakes up, he has a new body.  He could be young or old.  He could be a man or a woman.  He’s usually Korean, but he could be of any race or ethnicity.  He doesn’t have any control over what he’ll look like when he wakes up.  It starts on his 18th birthday, at which point his mother withdraws him from school.

Woo-jin is pretty much withdrawn in all other respects, as well.  He has a job designing furniture, which he can do without going out.  He has the help of a childhood friend, who accepts Woo-jin‘s condition.  Each night, Woo-jin goes home.  When he wakes up the next morning, he goes through a wide assortment of clothing to find something that fits.  He has a Brannock device to help with shoe size and another device for glasses, if he needs them.  He manages to get through each day just fine.

Then, he meets Yi-soo.  He falls in love with her, but can’t bring himself to ask her out.  It’s hard enough when you have the same body.  How would he explain to her that he’ll be a different person the next day?  He decides to at least try, hoping to stay awake the rest of his life.  That goes as well as you might expect.  She pushes him away at first, but comes to accept him for who he is.  She doesn’t seem to mind the different bodies.  Her biggest problem is knowing what he looks like.

This is where I thought the movie didn’t live up to its potential.  Woo-Jin does nothing to explore the new bodies that he has.  There’s no commentary on what it might be like to be a woman for the day, other than his friend awkwardly hitting on him.  Yi-soo doesn’t seem to have a problem with her boyfriend being a woman.  The main issue is that her coworkers think she’s kind of easy because she appears to have a new boyfriend every day.  This is really the only source of stress for her. If it was hard for him to approach her, it’s impossible for her to tell her friends and family.  There are a few scenes where Woo-jin goes home with someone, before he starts dating Yi-soo.  Even with this, his only imperative is leave before the woman wakes up.

There’s no mention of how or why Woo-jin gets different bodies.  We don’t actually see it happen, but Yi-soo does get to witness it once.  It also happens on a train and no one seems to notice, so we’re left to assume that it’s painless and inconspicuous.  The only constant is that there seem to be no permanent consequences.  He gets a tattoo that seems to disappear from subsequent bodies.  However, there’s no mention of him having broken bones or anything serious.  He never has missing limbs.  He never has any sort of medical or psychological condition.  The only thing he has to deal with is varying eye sight and shoe sizes.

He does record many of his new faces, mostly for himself.  I suppose it would have been possible for him to set up a camera to record a transformation or have his friend do it, at least so that he might have proof, but this is never brought up.  It’s not even mentioned in the context of not wanting to be tested by doctors.  For that matter, it’s never mentioned what he does for identification.  He drives, but I’m not sure what he did for a license.  He moves to the Czech Republic, but there’s no mention of what he does for his travel papers.  (It’s possible that he drives without a license or has some way of creating a new one for each face.  As for the passport, it’s also possible that he entered the country illegally.)

In many respects, the movie could have done more, even if it was only a little more.  The movie focuses primarily on the romance and associated difficulties between Woo-jin and Yi-soo.  Part of the issue for me might be that the movie is Korean.  I’m sure that there are cultural differences I’m not picking up on.  I spent a lot of the movie wondering if the changing bodies were supposed to be an analogy for something or if they were just supposed to be a unique obstacle for Woo-jin to have to deal with.  Is it supposed to be some sort of commentary on how people change in a relationship?  Is it supposed to show how difficult it is for men to approach women?  Or is it just supposed to make it harder for Woo-Jin to approach Yi-soo?

The movie is based on an American Web series that I seem to have missed.  I think that someone saw this and simply tried to get a feature-length film out of it.  It’s not a bad movie by any means.  It was just over two hours and didn’t drag at all.  It does make you wonder how you would handle having different bodies all the time.  Woo-jin seems to handle it well.  Ironically, Woo-jin makes custom furniture which he can never use, himself.



IMDb page

Fujifilm FinePix F10 6.3 MP Digital Camera - Silver

Note:  This review was originally posted to my Epinions account.

I remember a year or so ago wanting to get a better camera. I had the Fuji A205, which was pretty good, but not great. The A205 was 2 MP, which was good, but not excellent. I was looking at cameras like the A340 and the A345. Then, my mother got me the F10.

The F10 is a 6 MP camera, meaning that it records six million bits of information. Many people think that this refers to the quality of the picture, which is true to an extent. (The truth is that it refers to the size of the largest picture you can make without losing quality.) Fuji cameras have what they call a Super CCD, meaning that it’s larger than the average CCD and is capable of recording more.

I haven’t been able to compare pixel by pixel, but the Fuji does seem to get much better pictures. I’ve been able to make big enlargements with 20 by 30 being around the largest I could get. Having seen enlargements from other cameras, it’s not that bad.

You do have to use the screen to compose shots, which will drain the battery and will also leave you with more blurry pictures since you’ll have more trouble bracing the camera. (I really don’t like the trend in point-and-shoot cameras for that reason.) The size of the screen is good. You can look at it and generally tell which ones are good and which ones aren’t. I don’t usually know which will be best until I get to my computer, though, so I’m still in the habit of taking several shots.

Even though Fuji is good with macro shots, I’ve had trouble taking them with the F10. If I’m photographing something close to the camera, I can usually get it in under six shots. Sometimes, it will take me several dozen shots and I still may not get the shot.

Shooting in dark areas has proven hit or miss. When I tried to use the camera to take pictures of fireworks, I went through a few hundred shots and only got two or three that looked decent. However, I’ve also taken pictures in total darkness to see how the flash worked and I was able to get decent shots. I also took some pictures of bamboo in low light that came out well with the natural light mode. (It even worked better than with a flash.)

I found that focusing can take a while in dark areas. It has a green light that comes on and may take several seconds to actually take the shot. In daylight, I didn’t find any real shutter lag, even when using the flash. When I use continuous shooting, I can take usually one or two shots per second.

The 3 times zoom is pretty standard. (Don’t even pay attention to digital zoom, as it doesn’t really matter.) There have been cases where I’ve needed a wider angle or where more telephoto would have been nice, but that’s why I got a digital SLR. For a small pocket-sized camera, it does well.

The F10 uses a proprietary battery and is thus much smaller. I wasn’t sold on the lithium ion batteries before I got the F10, mostly because I didn’t want to make an investment in a proprietary battery. I will say that they do last a lot longer. I can go a few hundred shots per charge and it doesn’t go away overnight, like the AA batteries used to. Due to the smaller size, I was able to take the F10 to my cousin’s wedding and keep in in my pocket.

The one down side is that it uses this convoluted system of wires and adapters to charge the battery, which you also have to use to download pictures. I ended up getting a memory card reader installed in my computer and separate charger for the battery because I kept losing stuff. This was the one area that I felt Fuji dropped the ball.

You also have to use xD media cards with the F10. The newer Fuji cameras use both xD and SD, which is good. I am somewhat afraid that xD will go away, but I’m not particularly impressed with the new line of Fuji, so it might not even matter if I ever have to replace this camera. I used to use a camera that used Smart Media and now have a Nikon D50, so I already had to change formats twice.

6.3 mega pixels do well enough for 4x6 photos. If you have one or can find one on clearance somewhere and can handle the few disadvantages I’ve mentioned, then by all means go for it. The F10 is still a great camera. However, if you’re coming in from another brand like Nikon or Canon and already have the memory cards, the F40 or the A900 might be better choices.

In case you’re wondering why I haven’t mentioned the video mode, it’s because cameras like this aren’t really meant for video. In the year or two that I’ve had this camera, I’ve rarely used it. I don’t think I’ve even used it outside of my house. Yes, it uses sound, but you’re going to get better quality out of a video camera. Unless you’re using it for YouTube, don’t bother. As for menus, it’s like driving. You just have to get used to them. 

Fuji Website

Freecell

It’s odd that Epinions would have Freecell available for review. It’s not like you really have much of a choice in acquiring this product. Either you get it or you don’t. Freecell usually comes with the more recent versions of Windows. (Older versions have the generic solitaire.) A lot of people either don’t know that Freecell is there or don’t really play the game that much.

For those that have never seen Freecell, some of the solitaire rules apply, but others don’t. For instance, all 52 cards are dealt out in eight columns. The first four columns have seven cards each and the remaining four have six each. Above the eight columns are eight spaces. The four on the left are your free cells, which is where the game gets its name. On the right are the four spaces where all of the cards are supposed to eventually end up. (I’ll go into greater detail later.)

The 52 cards are laid out randomly. The rules for moving them are like the solitaire you may be used to. If you want to move a card, you start with the bottom card. It can be moved to any card that’s one higher and of the opposite color. (Jack is like eleven, the queen is equivalent to twelve and the king is played as thirteen.) The two of hearts can either be moved to the three of clubs or the three of spades. The ten of spades can be put on either the jack of hearts or the jack of diamonds. If a column is empty, you can put any card there. If you need to get at a card, you can use the free cells to hold cards. (Each cell can hold only one at a time.) If you have an alternating series, you can move any part of the series that you have space for. That’s where the free cells come in. To move a series like that, you are theoretically moving one card at a time to the free cells and back down again or to free columns. You’re limited by the number of cells and columns you have available. I’d suggest keeping as many free cells open as possible. (If you’re good, you can find ways around this, but you’re still going to need either free cells or empty columns.)

Like the solitaire you may have played as a kid, the object of the game is to get all of the cards to those four spaces on the top right that I mentioned before. You start with the ace of each suit. There’s one space for each suit; the order doesn’t matter. Once an ace is placed in one of these spaces, you move on to the two of the same suit. (The aces are always automatically moved up once they become available. The rest of the cards are moved up once they serve no other purpose.) You can move the two up as soon as the ace is there, although it’s not always a good idea to move cards up as soon as they become available. Once all of the cards are in these four columns, you win. When the game is over, you can be dealt either a random hand or you can choose one by number.

It sounds easy, but it’s not. They say it’s possible to win every hand dealt to you, but it’s more than likely that you’ll lose, and that’s done when there are no possible moves left. There’s no actual scoring, so you either win or you lose. It will take you a while to get the feel of the game. You’ll find that there are certain strategies that work and some that don’t. I’ve found it’s best that you keep at least two of the free cells open at all times and try to keep at least one column open if possible. Also, don’t move a card just for the sake of moving a card. Make sure you know what you’re doing.

The game is very easy to learn and play on the computer. (I don’t know that I’d have the patience to do this with a real deck of cards. Moving the cards would be too difficult.) A big advantage of playing on the computer is that it keeps stats. After 641 games, I’ve one 55% of them. My longest winning streak was 9 games and the longest losing streak was 7. There’s no way to keep separate stats for different people except to clear the stats. (You’d have to write down your stats before someone else clears them.)

This is a great game only because of its simplicity. If you’re looking for a way to waste just a few minutes, play Freecell. You may find that you’ll be wasting several hours.

Bepuzzled Murder Most Artful Jigsaw Murder Mystery with Story R. D. Zimmerman

Note:  This review was originally posted to my Epinions account.

Jigsaw puzzles tend to run along the same basic concept.  You have an image split up in to tiny pieces.  There are a lot of different images out there and the puzzles vary in size from 10 pieces up to the thousands.  You don’t see a lot of innovation.  Yes, they had 3-D puzzles, which I bought and tried.  But I’ve never seen a jigsaw puzzle and thought, “Wow!  Now that’s a lot more interesting than your average puzzle!”

Many years ago, someone got me the Murder Most Artful jigsaw puzzle.  You’re given a story and a puzzle.  First, you read the story about an art forger found dead near a painting.  When you’re done, you put the puzzle together to see the painting that he was working on.  You have to use the story and the painting to figure out who did it.  Once you’ve figured it out or given up, you can read the solution on the last page.  (The solution is printed backwards, so you’ll need a mirror.)

I did the puzzle many years ago.  Even then, it wasn’t overly difficult to figure out.  The puzzle is 500  pieces, which wasn’t that difficult for me to put together.  When I did put it together, I don’t remember it taking me that long to figure out who did it.  (In case you want to do the puzzle, I won’t ruin it for you.)

Since putting the puzzle together is the first step in figuring out who did it, you don’t get a preview image of the puzzle.  This wasn’t really an issue.  I’ve done puzzles without a preview.  I was able to finish the puzzle before figuring it out.  However, I have to admit that you don’t really need the entire puzzle to get it.  In fact, it’s entirely possible that you’ll figure it out before the puzzle is finished.

Since the puzzle was so easy for me, I never really checked to see if the puzzle was part of a series.  Now that I’m dong the review, I did look.  It was hard to find stuff because of the name, but I was able to find at least one other puzzle that had an Alfred Hitchcock theme.

I don’t know that I’d recommend it, but I don’t think I’d recommend against getting it.  For someone that’s used to 1000+ pieces, this will by no means be a challenge for you.   The only thing it will provide is a little distraction.  I don’t do jigsaw puzzles much any more, but I don’t know if I’d get the other puzzle if I was.  I just wish Epinions had an ‘indifferent’ button for the recommendation.

Zootopia (2016)

Judy Hopps lives in a world of anthropomorphic animals.  She likes to think that she can be whatever she wants.   If predator and prey can live side by side, then surely anything is possible.  She wants to be a police officer, which is something no rabbit has ever done.  (This despite Mayor Lionheart’s diversity agenda.)  So, she sets off to the police academy and does it.

She graduates top of her class only to be assigned to parking enforcement.  Not satisfied with being the token bunny, she offers to solve the case of a missing otter.  Before Captain Bogo can fire her, the wife of the missing otter thanks Judy with the assistant mayor not far behind.  The captain gives her 48 hours to solve the case.  If not, she resigns.

I remember hearing how the movie was an analogy to our own world   We like to think of ourselves as being evolved.  We have art and electricity and language.  We can use tools.  We’ve even been to the moon, even if it was for the briefest of visits.  What makes us different from the rest of the animal kingdom?  We claim we can get along, but that doesn’t always mean we do get along.

Many of these issues come up in the movie.  Zootopia seems to be a great city on the surface.  There are trains that can accommodate animals of all sizes.  There are different districts for different ecosystems, but animals have physical mobility.  They can go anywhere they want.  Things are different once you get to know the animals.  The assistant mayor is a sheep that the mayor pushes around.  Judy enlists the help of Nick Wilde, a red fox who doesn’t see the point in being anything other than a hustler.  Yes, it’s possible, in theory, to be whatever you want, but real life will beat you into submission.

The movie is able to walk a fine line, though.  Judy is enthusiastic, but not to the point of being annoying.  Nick is jaded, but not to the point of being a downer.  They make a perfect odd couple.  They work together and even might consider themselves friends, despite opposing viewpoints.  Some of the points the movie makes are pretty blunt.  (Judy points out that it’s only acceptable to call another rabbit cute if you’re a fellow rabbit.)  Some of it is more subtle.  Judy is told by the assistant mayor that prey have to stick together.

We need Judy to be enthusiastic.  We need her to hit the brick wall with full force.  Early in the movie, Judy defends a sheep against a fox that stole the sheep’s tickets from a fair.  Judy gets some scratches, but she also gets the tickets back.  On the other hand, she does need Nick to pull her back a little bit.  He brings her to a DMV office run by sloths.  (The scene was less annoying than it could have been.)  Judy’s energy is evenly matched by the sloths’ lethargy, which is something Nick is all too happy to make evident.

The movie was entertaining without being preachy.  It was on a level that most children would understand and that parents could enjoy and even use as reference when children are exposed to similar situations.  Judy is given fox repellant by her parents because, well, you know…foxes.  Even after Judy has known Nick for a while, she still reaches for the repellant.  I’d say that overall, the movie is safe for children.  There are a few potentially scary scenes.  However, you are probably going to have a conversation afterwards.

IMDb page

Eye-Fi Explore 2 GB Wireless SD Card

Note:  This review was originally posted to my Epinions account.

When I signed up for Flickr, I thought it was great I could put my stuff on a map. Then, I realized that I had to know where the picture was taken. In most cases, I know roughly where the picture is. I can at least get it to within a block or two. I wanted more, though.

I began looking at the Nikon D200 because it has the ability to place GPS coordinates in the file’s data, assuming you had the appropriate accessories. The thing was that I didn’t want to shell out $999.99 (plus tax) for the camera and then have to shell out a few more hundred dollars for the accessories. When I heard that Eye-Fi was coming out with a GPS-enabled card, I bought it instantly. I should have done my homework first.

First off, it’s not really GPS. The card uses waypoints to triangulate its position. This is basically any accessible network that the camera can pick up. (It’s supposed to have a range of 90 feet.) The card then saves the data to the file. When you get home, Eye-Fi’s server is supposed to be able to take the data and place the picture to within 20 meters of the exact location. This is important for several reasons.

First, if there are no waypoints, there’s no geotagging. From what I understand, some cities are better than others. If you’re going through an area where you’re never short of waypoints, then all of your pictures will be accurately tagged. If you’re in the middle of the Everglades and there’s no civilization for several miles, your out of luck.

Even in Miami, I’ve had mixed results. When I take a picture at my house, the pictures are put right in front of my house. (This may be because I have a wireless network.) If I leave my house and walk around my neighborhood, the results are less accurate. I’ve taken pictures of street signs (yes, the kind that show what street your on) and had them marked several streets off.

Another thing (and this is an advantage for all Eye-Fi cards) is that you can automatically upload to several file-sharing sites like RitzPix.com and Flickr. When you set up the card, you are given the choice of which site you want to upload to. You have to select one and only one. You can upload to RitzPix.com or Flickr, but not both at the same time. All selections are made though Eye-Fi’s Web site, including entering your username and password for the site you want to upload to.

I initially chose RitzPix.com because I wanted to be more selective about which ones I uploaded to Flickr. When I selected the ones I wanted to upload to Flickr and actually tried to upload them, I realized that there was no geotagging at all. I tried several different things and even asked around to see if anyone else had had this problem. I eventually thought that you have to upload to Flickr through Eye-Fi’s site. I found this odd, considering that the information was already in the metadata. (I have a program to check.) I’ve tried a picture or two since, only to find that it works. (Maybe it’s a software update. I don’t know.)

Of the ones that I do have posted, I’ve noticed that a lot of the locations aren’t that accurate. When I take pictures around where I work, there’s no geotagging at all. I’ve also taken pictures elsewhere and either found it not to work or start working around the fifteenth or twentieth picture. Even then, I’ve had pictures that were way off. Also, if you're taking stuff at a large location, like a park or a university, you may find the geotagging at one central location rather than the actual individual locations.

Other reviews I’ve seen online share similar results. This hasn’t been an issue so far because I usually know where the pictures are taken. However, I got the card for those times when I’m not so sure. I wanted the card to be able to place the picture for me. If I’m in a city I don’t know, I can’t place them as easily.

As I mentioned, you have to install some software. This is so that the camera knows that the card is yours and that it should download stuff to your computer should you have a wireless network and/or high-speed Internet. (Once again, this means entering a password and name, this time for the wireless network that you may or may not have.) It will also tell you how to adjust your power settings to better allow your camera to transmit pictures if it does find a wireless waypoint.

You can only transmit back to your house through public access points such as ones found at McDonalds. I’ve never had this actually work yet, probably because my D50 is too old. (There weren’t even any instructions on how to adjust my power settings. I had to figure this out later.) I also made the mistake of reformatting my card, then realizing that the software was on the card. This isn’t a big deal since you only need the software to set up the card. I can download the software from Eye-Fi’s site for free if I ever reformat or replace my computer.

Does it work? At first, I had to actually put the memory card into my computer’s internal USB reader to get them to automatically upload. (Yes, I can just copy them at this point, but then they wouldn’t be retagged on Flickr.) I eventually figured out how to get it to work. I’ve also had cases where I’ve been taking pictures around the house and part of one picture will load onto my computer. Again, this has to do with power settings. You have to be able to get the camera to supply enough constant power to the card for it to transmit everything.

You have the option of not uploading to your computer via waypoints at all, which may or may not be a good idea. You get free access to the waypoints for only one year. It‘s probably better to break the habit early, though. You also have the option of not uploading to any file-sharing site at all, but you have to make these decisions over the Web. This means that if you don’t want to transmit certain pictures, you either have to stop what your doing and log on to the Web or switch to another SD card that isn’t an Eye-Fi card. This can be difficult for people that travel a lot or are on vacation.

Sometimes, I forget that I have the Eye-Fi card in there. What I’ve been doing if there’s one or two pictures I don’t want to upload is to simply upload all the pictures and remove the ones I don’t want. If you upload all of your pictures before you can get home, though, you may have a lot of removing to do at once and it is possible that people will have seen them already.

So far as I know, the card only comes in the 2GB size. This is fine, considering that the D50 can’t take SDHC cards. Yes, this is a firmware problem, but I’m not expecting any updates any time soon. It also only comes in SD. If you use compact flash, you can use an adapter. If you use a Memory Stick or xD, you’re just out of luck.

Overall, it’s kind of easy for me to feel like I got taken for $130. After all, I wanted accurate GPS coordinates all of the time and I got something that promised 70% coverage in populated areas to within 20 meters. (And it didn’t even deliver on that.) I’m going to hold on to it because it does work most of the time and when it does work, it makes it a little easier to actually place a picture on a map.

The thing that drives me nuts is that I started out not knowing how to do a lot of things or thinking that I couldn’t do only to find out that I could. There are also a lot of things that I know I can do (like launch the software) but keep forgetting how to do or not being able to do occasionally. It’s enough to drive me crazy.

Knowing what I know now, I think I would have been better off putting the $130 towards a D200 or D300. At least I can warn others about it and put the money from this review towards a new body. If you know that you live in an area with accurate and reliable coverage, the money is worth it, especially if you’re already considering an Eye-Fi card. (I seem to recall the basic model being $99.)

On a side note, I’ve heard that the new Nikon D90 is supposed to work well with this card, even going so far as to have special menus. I can’t give any specifics since I haven’t actually seen any. You’d have to check the Nikon and Eye-Fi Web sites if you want to know more.

(Note: I just found out, after doing a search, that this card is apparently no longer supported.)

Eyefi web site

Coby CV320 Headband Headphones

Note:  This review was originally posted to my Epinions account.


A few months ago, I found myself looking for a new pair of headphones. Actually, I had been looking for a while, but it wasn’t until then that I had enough extra money to really consider buying one. Even then, I didn’t have much. I was thinking about spending about $20, but I saw two sets in a music store that were $10 each.

All I wanted was a set of headphones that would cover my ears. I didn’t need anything that was priced at $100 or more. I decided to go for the CV-320. At $10, I figured that I could afford to buy the other ten-dollar set or maybe even spring for a twenty-dollar set if I felt like it.

The set hasn’t broken (irreparably) yet. I’m still debating whether or not to replace them. The first major problem I had was adjusting the width of the headphones. They’re uncomfortable unless they’re fully expanded, and even then, they occasionally apply pressure to the top of my head. It’s not so bad if you’re willing to play around with it, but I can see a lot of people getting frustrated with it.

The sound quality is comparable to any other headphones that go for $20 or less. It’s not the best thing that I’ve ever heard, but it gets the job done without a lot of distortion or extra noise. In that sense, it was worth the money and I’ve gotten at least a few months out of it. That’s not to say that the unit is without problem or incident.

Each ear has separate volume control, which I can’t quite figure out. I usually keep each one at the maximum and adjust the iPod’s volume control as needed. I once took the headphones and iPod out to use once only to find that the volume had completely fallen off in one ear. At first, I thought that the headphones had broken already. (This is usually the problem that I have with headphones that indicates that they’re going in the garbage.) It turned out that the volume on that ear had been turned off.

Also, the cushion on one ear came off. It took a little work to get it back on. I suppose that I’m lucky that I got it back on. I don’t think I would have been able to use the headphones without the cushion.

I suppose that this is what I get for being too cheap to go for the $20 model. Sure, most headphones break, especially when you’re spending under $50. However, I can’t see spending that much money on a pair of headphones, especially considering that I don’t really need the best quality.

These headphones get three and a half stars, but I’m going to round up in this case. I wouldn’t recommend them if you’re in the recording industry, but if you’re listening to a portable CD or MP3 player, you’ll find them adequate.

Spies Like Us (1985)

The Defense Intelligence Agency has a problem.  They’ve been sending their best spies in to Soviet-controlled Asia, yet all of them are killed before reaching their target.  The DIA’s solution is to send in two of their worst spies as decoys.  Hopefully, this will throw off the enemy long enough for the actual spies to complete their mission.  This is where Dan Aykroyd and Chevy Chase come in.  They play Austin Millbarge and Emmett Fitz-Hume, respectively.

Millbarge is a code breaker that’s stuck in a basement and will probably never be promoted.  Fitz-Hume is a legacy employee and will probably never be promoted.   Both want to take the foreign service exam, although for different reasons.  Millbarge is smart and driven enough that he might pass, but Fitz-Hume gets both of them kicked out for cheating.  The DIA realizes that they have their decoys.

Millbarge and Fitz-Hume are told just enough that they could believe that they’d be useful.  They’re rushed through basic training.  They’re given just enough details that they know where to go, but not enough to let them complete their given mission.  That much doesn’t even become apparent until they’re in the thick of things.  Hopefully, the Soviets will see the two of them bumbling around and capture them.

This was one of those movies that I sort of remembered watching at some point in the past.  There’s a good reason for this.  The movie was released in 1985 and is dated.  The Soviet Union has since dissolved.   Many of the computers look like something out of a history book.  Even the image of a spy is like something out of the 80s.  It’s a very goofy movie, as you might expect from Aykroyd and Chase.  There’s one scene where Millbarge and Fitz-Hume are talking to a group of doctors, posing as doctors themselves.  Everyone greets each other as doctor. It’s a minute of people just saying, “Doctor,” to each other.

I’ve always wondered what actual spies/operatives even would think of movies like this.  I know it’s supposed to be a comedy.  Accuracy often takes a back seat to comedy.  In that regard, you’re probably going to get some laughs out of the movie.  I’m not sure what those younger than me would think of the movie.  This is something I could see someone my age watching with their kids where the parents laugh and the kids don’t quite get it.  This movie was definitely a product of its time.

IMDb page

CyberHome CH-DVD 500 DVD Player

Note:  This review was originally posted to my Epinions account.


I actually got this DVD player as a gift. My brothers and I wanted to get our parents a DVD player, so we went to Best Buy. There were expensive models and there were inexpensive ones. After some debate, we realized that our parents probably weren’t going to be in need of all sorts of bells and whistles. We eventually landed on this DVD player. It looked pretty good. It can not only play DVDs, but it can handle audio CDs and play MP3 and JPEG files burned to a CD. We figured that this would be enough. (It turns out we were right, so don’t expect some dramatic turn for the worse.)

The DVD player works well. It seems to be more tolerant of scratches on the DVD surface than my computer is. (My computer is a Dell Dimension 2400.) Fast forward and rewind work pretty well; If I recall, you can go up to 16x in fast forward. I don’t know what it is for rewind. (I usually use my computer for playing DVDs.) The remote is easy to use to navigate through the menus. Any problems are usually due to difficulties with the actual DVD.

The only problem I had was with the UHF disc. I was trying to play one of the features, but it kept freezing in the same spot. I had to turn the DVD player off in the back and turn it back on. This was much easier than having to unplug the unit. This is the only time I’ve had it happen and again, I thing the problem was with the DVD; I couldn’t get the same feature to work on my computer, either.

We’ve actually used it to play MP3 files and look at JPEG files a few times. The menu for accessing files is nothing special. You get simple text to move up and down for MP3 files; you press play to make the song play. With pictures, it was a little harder. We only had to use it once when my brother brought home some digital pictures for us to look at. The pictures were scattered throughout several directories, which made it difficult to find them. There were some directories that didn’t have any pictures and the pictures were also duplicated in several directories. So far as I know, there’s no way to simply see all of the pictures on a DVD. I found that it was much easier to view the pictures on the computer.

As for CDs, you’re going to be limited by your speakers. Depending on what kind of TV you have, you might want to consider a separate CD player. (If you already have one, don’t plan on getting rid of it.) Playing the CDs is easy; the DVD player basically works like any CD player.

The only thing I feel compelled to call a warning is about the cables. Like many other similar electronics, it has one of those cables that end in three color-coded heads on each side. (Two are for audio and one is for video.) You’re supposed to match the colors on the cable to the colors in the receivers for both the DVD player and the TV. Unfortunately, the colors don’t match up correctly, so that I ended up plugging one of the audio heads into the video plug. Whenever someone else tries to plug it in, we end up with mixed signals again and I have to correct it. (We have to unplug the DVD player so infrequently that no one seems to remember.)

This is a great DVD player for someone who’s just starting or doesn’t really want anything complicated. It’s inexpensive, so it won’t set you back too much if you decide to upgrade later. This DVD player is what allowed my parents to eventually sign up for NetFlix. It’s not great, but it pretty good. I give it four stars.

Finding Nemo (2003)

Note:  This review was originally posted to my Epinions account.

Marlin and Coral, two clownfish, are going to be parents. They have several hundred baby clownfish on the way and Marlin wants to name half Marlin Jr. and the other half Coral Jr. They’ve just moved into a great neighborhood and have great neighbors. Unfortunately, a big fish comes along and eats Coral and all but one of the eggs. Marlin names the one remaining fish Nemo, which is what Coral had wanted.

The next scene is Marlin getting Nemo ready for school. Marlin is understandably protective of Nemo. Nemo is his only child and has a lame fin, too. (Marlin tells Nemo that it’s his ‘lucky’ fin.) It’s a tense moment for Marlin having to let go, but Nemo’s excited. He can’t wait to get out and see things. The trouble is that Nemo’s going to a part of the ocean that Marlin considers dangerous. Marlin arrives just in time to see Nemo heading out towards a boat.

This is where the action begins. Nemo, in an act of defiance, goes all the way out to the boat to show everyone that he can do it. On the way back, he gets captured by a diver. Everyone else manages to get to safety, but Marlin has lost his son. He has to go and find him. Along the way, he meets a blue fish named Dory. (Yes, she’s a natural blue.) Dory’s a little forgetful. She thinks it runs in the family, but she can’t really remember that far back. Either way, Marlin and Dory have a long journey ahead of them. They find the dentist’s mask. Since Dory can read, they know where to go. Figuring out how to get there is a different story. They are able to ask directions and don’t waste too much time getting to where they have to go.

Nemo wakes up to find himself in a tank at a dentist’s office. (The dentist is also the diver that captured him.) He meets the dentist’s other fish, which were all bought. To make matters worse, Nemo isn’t staying for very long. Nemo is to be presented to the dentist’s niece as a birthday present at the end of the week. The girl has a reputation as a fish killer. The dentist props up a picture of the girl for the fish to see and in it, there’s the fish she got as last year’s gift – floating in the bag she got it in! Now, the pressure’s really on to get out. An angelfish by the name of Gil is the established leader of the fish tank. The others inhabiting the tank are Bloat, Peach, Bubbles, Deb, and Jacques. They all have to work to get Nemo out. (Hopefully, they can get out, too, but Nemo’s the one with the deadline.) Gil has a trick or two up his sleve, but getting out won’t be easy.

The movie’s rated G and 100 minutes in length. Despite the rating, you might want to consider before you take young children. As I mentioned, Coral and most of the eggs are eaten. You don’t actually see this happen, but you’ll probably have to explain why they’re gone. Marlin also faces some troubles on his way to find Nemo, including a shark that’s out to get him. (The shark is part of an AA-type support group for sharks who don’t want to eat fish.) I don’t know that it will necessarily scare or upset a child, but it’s something to consider.

It should be an enjoyable movie for children and the adults that take them. I’m an adult and enjoyed it on my own. (I rented it from Netflix.) My brother has also seen it and enjoyed the animation. (He has an interest in art and CG.) The animation alone will make watching this movie enjoyable. The DVD that I got from Netflix had a behind-the-scenes feature that you should watch. It shows how the movie was made and what went into the animation.

The only thing that I didn’t like about the DVD was that in order to see the deleted scenes, you had to go through the audio commentary. I didn’t see any way to watch them separately. One of the great things about DVD is the ability to add such features. I still liked it. I have to give this movie five stars.

IMDb page

Men in Black II (2002)

Note:  This review was originally posted to my Epinions account.

Sequels are difficult.  If a movie is successful, there’s pressure to do another one in hopes of making more money.  When the first Men in Black did well, a second MIB was released.  In this installment, we have Agents J (Will Smith) and K (Tommy Lee Jones) returning.  For those that didn’t see the first, K had ‘retired’ by having J erase his memories.  K is now Kevin Brown, a Postal worker.  J has gone through a few partners since the end of the last movie.

J has been successful in helping the MIB to defend Earth against aliens and the like.  One day, though, Serleena shows up.  She’s looking for The Light of Zartha.  She finds someone that may know something.  When information isn’t forthcoming, she kills him in front of a hidden witness, Laura Vasquez.  Serleena eventually takes over MIB headquarters looking for answers.  The problem is that only K knows exactly what and where The Light is.  J has to restore K’s memories and fast.

Once done, K reveals that The Light isn’t even supposed to be on Earth.  The Zarthaians came to Earth hoping that the MIB would protect The Light, but it was too dangerous and they refused.  Serleena isn’t willing to accept this.  She’s intent on getting The Light.  If you’ve seen the coming attractions for Men in Black 3, you can assume that J and K save the day.

I’ll admit that Men in Black II does fall into some of the traps common to sequels.  It did seem to rely heavily on characters from the previous movies.  Frank the Pug has an expanded role in this movie, delivering a few funny lines.  Instead of K being the senior officer bringing J into the organization, J is the one telling K what’s what and hoping that he accepts it.

There are new characters, but there is a sense of familiarity.  It was a big action movie with comedic elements.  You have an alien demanding something that the MIB are at a loss to find.  I didn’t mind.  There was enough original material that it seemed new, overall.  Also, you have Rosario Dawson as Laura.  I can’t say I can complain about that.

Men in Black and Men in Black 2 should be watched in order.  You could probably watch this movie first, but you may miss a few things.  It will also ruin certain elements of the first movie that will be ruined if you watch this one first.  They were meant to be watched in order.  (Men in Black 3 doesn’t seem to rely as heavily on these two movies, although I would still recommend watching in order.)  If you liked the first movie, I’d recommend watching this one.

IMDb page

Junior Mints

Note:  This review was originally posted to my Epinions account.

I’ve had this pressing question on my mind for a while now. If there’s such a thing as Junior Mints, shouldn’t there be a candy called Senior Mints? Or how about just Mints? I hadn’t even thought of it until I saw a review for Junior Mints a while ago and decided to write my own review.

For those that haven’t had them before, they’re basically small, roundish candies with mint in the inside and a chocolate coating. They’re the same taste and basic consistency as a Peppermint Patty, but the size and shape of a peanut M&M. You can get three or four per bite, depending on how quickly you want to eat them.

I’m not too big on mint-based candies, mostly because the mint is usually so overpowering, as is the case with Junior Mints. If it was Chocolate with a hint of mint, it wouldn’t be so bad. Instead, the mint is so overpowering that you get mint with a hint of chocolate. I got bored with it pretty quickly. I wouldn’t say no to a free box, but I haven’t actually bought one for myself in a long time.

Another problem that I had was that the Junior Mints would often melt or become fused to each other and the box. This makes them nearly impossible to get out without tearing the box apart. It’s not even a matter of getting the last one out. There were times when I’d open a box and I’d have to peel the box off to get this one huge mess of half-melted Junior Mints. Of course, I’d want to eat it. (I didn’t want to waste my 50 cents.) It wasn’t pretty.

Overall, it’s a two-star candy. Chocolate and mint don’t go well together when the mint is that strong. I’ve had other candies, like Three Musketeers and Hershey Bars that have had a little mint and those have worked fine. Not Junior Mints. There were so many other candy bars that I remember enjoying.

Hershey's Milk Chocolate Bar

There are a few big names in candy that everyone knows. Jelly Belly is famous among jelly bean brands. M&M’s are known as the small round chocolate candies. Among candy bars, Hershey’s Milk Chocolate Bar is well known enough that most people would associate Hershey’s with the thin bar.

For those that haven’t seen one up close, it’s a bar that’s maybe six inches by three inches and made of solid milk chocolate. In the traditional variety, there are no nuts, no caramel, no rice, no nothing. Just one bar that can be split up into twelve smaller pieces aligned in a four-by-three grid. They used to come wrapped in foil with a paper wrapper on the outside. Now, I think they use a plastic wrapper.

Back when I used to eat candy bars, I would occasionally get one of these. I’d break off a row or a column to eat. Sometimes, I’d eat one at a time. Usually, I’d just eat the entire thing right out of the wrapper. The only thing I noticed was that my teeth would feel funny. I can’t quite explain it. It wasn’t quite a soreness, but it would always happen with Hershey’s Bars and no other candy. I’ve never heard of anyone else having this problem, but I’ve never really asked anyone.

It might have to do with the fact that the Hershey’s bars are more sugar than most other chocolates. If I eat a bar that’s more cocoa, I don’t get the same problem. I think that’s what’s going to differentiate the Hershey bar from other bars. Hershey’s has more of a mass-produced feel to it. True, most people like chocolate anyway. It’s more like eating a McDonald’s hamburger versus eating one at a better restaurant. McDonald’s still tastes pretty good and is more affordable, but wouldn’t you rather have something from Appleby’s or Chili’s?

If I ever go back to eating candy bars, I may look into buying one of these. It’s been a while, but I remember liking them despite the one drawback. Maybe I’ll just have to eat one piece at a time.