Radio on the TV

I turn on our crappy old TV today that no longer gets over-the-air channels, only to find that we now get a radio station. The audio is real bad and sounds like it's coming out of an old-school gameboy inside a tin can, but it's aggravating.

We really need that HDTV right about now.

So I tried to watch "Alien vs. Predator 2—Requiem" and I have to say, it was way too dark. I'm not talking about "Twin Peaks," "Vertigo," or even "John & Kate plus Eight" dark, the screen was just way to dim to see anything but my distorted reflection in the curved glass of our TV. I honestly don't remember much of what the trailer shows (note that the posted video is in French, but Alien comes across in any language), but it looks action-packed. My guess is that the original AvP is still better though.

Converter

Say hello to our state-of-the-art Lasonic Digital-to-Analog converter box. We got this thing off Amazon for something like $45. If you compare the image above, to the advertising image below you may note that the genuine article is miniscule (compare to the chap-stick). The image below, which is conviently without context makes it look like a small dvd player with an average sized remote control.

In reality, the remote control is roughly the size of a Q-Tip with buttons that make you feel like you need a pair of tweezers to use. The crazy thing is that this little guy is supposed to replace your regular TV remote (which now only changes useless analog channels). That is if you manage not to lose it beneath your left-over taquito.

The Road Warrior

Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior is an unrivaled post-apocaplyptic/dystopian movie from the early 1980s. Film critic Robert Firsching provides a wonderfully succinct plot summary:

After a road battle with psychotic villain Wez (Vernon Wells), [Mad] Max meets up with the odd Gyro Captain (Bruce Spence), who takes him to the camp of a sympathetic group led by Pappagallo (Mike Preston). As Pappagallo's people are camped at a refinery, Max plans to take their oil -- more precious than gold in this world -- but eventually joins them to fight a band of marauders led by the evil Humungus (Kjell Nilsson).

All you really need to know is that the battle between Mad Max and Hummungus--shirtless, wearing some sort of hockey mask and clad in leather underwear--entails epic car chases, high speed collisions, and giant explosions. In a word: breathtaking.

The chase scenes feature vehicles that appear to be muscle car/tractor hybrids, which have been retrofitted with guns and arrow-launchers (yup), and are adorned with bits of pig iron. These Road Warrior-esque vehicles look like they have been sitting on blocks in someone's post-apocalyptic front yard for quite a while, and in this way, remind me of my childhood in Albuquerque, NM.

I think I would've really enjoyed watching this movie if I didn't have to watch it on our dull and flickering TV set, which is a total piece of shit.

the Technology Corner

Let me introduce you to our "Technology Corner," the veritable brain of our apartment. We've got a receiver, an xbox, a wireless router, and our 27 inches and 70 lbs of JVC engineering. As you can see, I've got Halo 3 going on the screen and it's so dark that it's nearly impossible to make out anything in the shadows that isn't raining down fiery bursts of bullets on you. Even then, you're basically forced into a "spray and pray" strategy that never actually works.

Our HDTV could be named after you!

So what happens when get enough money to actually buy a new television? Well, we're not going to forget all of you! No, we'll immortalize your name on a laser etched plaque that will be proudly display alongside the new television. That's right, when you donate via paypal there will be a field to enter your name as it will go down in history.

But wait, it doesn't start there! The person with the largest donation will not only get their name on the plaque, but will have the new television named in their honor! Just try to beat that!

Keep an eye on the right-hand sidebar to see the different tiers of recognition and we'll update every day to let you know our progress toward our goal. So help us out and get your name on our wall!

Donate anonymously via this secure paypal link! We will only see the name you elect to have etched onto the plaque and the amount you donate.

noooooooooooo!

the dudes

Let us introduce ourselves: We are a pair of handsome, dashing young men that any girl would be lucky to date…at least that's what our mothers tell us. We're actually both grad students in the Boston metro area with impressive student loans and an apartment that's furnished half Ikea, half found-object. To say we work hard is an understatement, but when we do have free time we're either barbecuing, having 'internet parties,' or watching a movie. And I have to say, watching a movies on our busted tv set is just a little bit sad. They say size doesn't matter, but when the girls start chuckling what are we supposed to think?

Hello World!

So here we are, the year 2009, somewhere past the cusp of the "digital revolution." We've got the internets pulsing through the air, phones that blast the "Knight Rider" theme with every call, computers that make HAL 9000 look like watch calculator, and analog televisions going the way of the Coelacanth. That's right, the coelacanth. That prehistoric fish that should be extinct, but just keeps on going somehow.

Well, my roommate and I have one of these fossils in our possession. Not a coelacanth actually, but at the heart of our beloved "technology corner" is a dinosaur 27-inch tube television that's probably older, bulkier, and heavier than my 12 year-old brother. The screen reflects a lot, the picture is way too dark (even with 'Brightness' at max), one side has a reddish cast, it doesn't have enough inputs, and it's analog.

Our quest is to replace (with your help) our old, crappy, television with an awesome HDTV. You can follow our journey here on this blog.

Stay tuned…