Gary Sassaman on why the Die Hard sequels aren't as good as the original, and why the new one isn't as likely to be as good, either. As for me, it's the title. I guess being in the US they wanted to go with Live Free or Die Hard, but I like the Die Hard 4.0 title other countries are using.

Note: The following post is sponsored.
One benefit of being a student is having the free time to travel. However, there is a drawback in that there is little money to be had as a student, and have to watch every penny. Hemisphere Educational Travel understands this by offering affordable educational student travel to everyone, and their staff of former educators can orgainize and customize the best student tours out there. They can also tailor to special needs, with Handicapped, dietary needs, and bilingual guides. They offer US and international tours, and tailored tours such as theatre in Chicago (having been there to see Spamalot and looking over the tour they offer I can tell you this is one not to be missed)

Another podcast I came across was Podculture, which I enjoy because they like the same things I like, and the hosts (Glenn, Christina and Brad) are from the Louisville area, same as some friends of mine. They talk about going to Book and Music Exchange a lot, and when I get to missing Louisville I like to listen to them.
They put up a new episode on Sunday nights. What they do is record a couple of hours, split it into two parts and release each part a week. However, they just finished an exception: with their 50th episode, it's actually a 3 parter. So if you're looking for all sorts of geeky goodness, give Podculture a try.

Note: The following post is sponsored.
Buying a home is difficult and more expensive without a mortgage broker to assist you in the home loan process. This site has mortgage lenders available at your fingertips to help you make your dreams come true. There's almost 500 mortgage brokers in Indiana alone. There's sure to be one that can help you in your locality.

Peter David with the latest update on the Gordon Lee case. It's racking up the bills, so there's a call to help the CBLDF, who's offering a cool First Amendment t-shirt if you contribute $30 or more. And in case you're wondering why I'm not as critical about the CBLDF's request for money as I was for the Democrats it's because I easily found links to plead the CBLDF's case to you without having to be hit up for any money, the fact that anyone knows that fighting legal cases costs money, and I believe in their cause.

Note: The following post is sponsored.
They say the biggest fear known to man is public speaking. But I believe there is a bigger fear that companies have, of hiring a speaker that will bore their audience, or at the very least won't inspire or motivate their audience. International Speakers Bureau provides keynote speakers from all facets of celebrity and renown in their field. You can have sports speakers, business leaders, celebrities, what have you, ISB has all sorts of speakers that are compatible with your needs. In addition to companies and businesses, ISB offer speakers for universities and schools, and can tailor to your goals and budget.

Mike Sterling is trying to drum up support for the Swamp Thing TV series to be released on DVD. He talks about "coming across the same episode every time he tried to watch it" syndrome that he dealt with. Why this isn't shown on TV or out on DVD is a good question, unless as Mike says it isn't that good. I mean, Universal owns Sci-Fi and Chiller channels so it must stink on ice or must be a rights issue that's preventing it's being viewed.

Note: The following post is sponsored.
Buildium property management software is perfect for property owners to streamline their operations by cutting down on their time-consuming tasks and improve their bottom line. They offer a landlord edition, a property manager edition, and an association edition. They even offer a free 15 day trial of their property management software on their site. There's no software to install, just an internet connection. They offer free and automatic backups and updates for the software. They respond to requests in hours, not days. There's a low monthly fee based on the number of units you own, with no hidden fees.

I just enjoyed Wil Wheaton's new installment of Radio Free Burrito that he just composed on the fly. He played some lounge music and Casey Kasem's infamous outtake I told you about before. Might look into this lounge music thang...

Note: The following post is sponsored.
For a lot of drug and alcohol addicts, Drug Rehabiliation is the biggest thing in their lives. Also, realizing they have a problem is the important step, but almost as important is decided how to cure their addiction. "Because some aspects of drug rehab and alcohol rehab can be distinctly uncomfortable, Cliffside Malibu Drug Rehabiliation Center makes a special effort to make everything else as comfortable as possible. Residents are not being punished for their addictions, and are treated with the respect and luxury that they deserve. Cliffside Malibu offers each patient an individualized clinical program that includes individual therapy, cognitive-behavioral groups, process groups, and a family program." They tailor their treatment to the individual, offering necessary detox and a 3 day family treatment for family members if needed. But it isn't a total country club rehab, the applicant must show some personal responsibility and be able to perform a reasonable level of self-care over themselves and their living space as well as a willingness and motivation to live in a drug treatment facility and pursue a sober life.
If you or a loved one needs help, please either visit the Drug Rehabiliation website, or call 800-501-1988 24 hours a day.

When Mark Gibson wrote about the new Harry Potter theme park coming in 2009 to Florida, he joked about having to get another job to pay for going. It brought me back to a class I took back in high school called Survival Living where we were instructed on handling different things on our own. One thing I remember the teacher saying was that where there's a will, there's a way. She gave going on a trip to Florida as an example. She cited different things one could do if they wanted to go, such as bringing your own food, etc.
I'm a veteran of going to Florida and have learned some things along the way. What I'd like to do is pass along some of that information to help out. To anyone going to Florida I would recommend the book "The Unnofficial Guide to Walt Disney World" by Bob Sehlinger. There's a new edition out every year that comes out around the end of the previous year. In addition to travelling tips, they offer suggestions of what rides to hit in Disney and Universal. They also offer different options as to how you will approach your trip so that you can achieve what you want from it.

Note: The following post is sponsored.
When I told my wife that I was going to write about this bedroom furniture site, she got excited. When she saw the bedroom furniture homepage, she started frantically pointing and telling me to click everywhere, like this Verona Panel Bed Set, and this Verona Armoire. And we're not needing any bedroom furniture right now, imagine what someone in the market will react. There's everything you need for bedroom furniture, such as nightstands, bed frames, benches, mattress and box springs, vanites, and more. So whether you're in the mood to window shop (and they welcome Mac users, as well, or use Linux or an operating system other than Windows) or need to buy some quality bedroom furniture, this is the place.

Mike Norton inspired me to create this post. It's good to hear what people are up to, which makes me mad that some peoples' pig-headedness is preventing some good friends of mine from doing that.
Yesterday I completed my comic book order. What I usually do is go through Previews and select my purchases, then pull up my previous month's order and usually change the order number and issue number, add and subtract some things, and I'm good to go. There were some high ticket items that caught my eye this month (such as Ultimate Sandman vol. 2 and Anime Catwoman statue) that the price concerned me. Fortunately, I have a good discount from my local comic shop (hi, Rembert!) and he suggested putting back a certain amount from each check to cover it. Since they aren't coming out until October and January, respectively, it isn't that much to save back and already started to do that.
I've been doing a better job of keeping on budget this time out. There are certain monthly bills that I budget half out of each pay period to cover them, but the problem has been that certain things come up that cause me to dip into that fund, leaving me to cover the whole amount of half the bills plus half of the others in the next check. This time, that fund has stayed intact until yesterday when I had to go to the store to pick up some things. Kroger (hi, D/H/B/whatever your name is this week) had some sweet coupons in the paper the other day (such as Red Baron pizza, Colgate toothpaste, and Fritos for 99 cents, among others) and wanted to get some French bread for french toast today (hi, Tammy!) I only spent less than $10, so it's easily replaced. Hardly necessities, but things to make life a little better.
I've been going crazy trying to find good posts to write about for PayPerPost, but it has more to do with me than with the opportunities they offer. I check during the day and as good opportunities come up, snatch them up and write about them. I've been making some good bills from it that should start coming in next month. A requirement is that I have a regular post between the sponsored posts. The good thing is I'm posting here a lot more than I used to, but the bad thing is that I feel the posts aren't that substantial. I know it's just me, but I want to offer more to you who come here to read what I have to say. I just checked and last month I posted 14 out of 31 days, and in June before signing up I posted 2 out of 5 days. I will strive to offer you more content when you come here, and make sure the sponsored posts are clearly labelled. Also, I've stockpiled a couple of posts to help fill in the gap. And after midnight last night, I went on and got my 3 post limit over with for today so I can rest and enjoy the rest of the day.
So that's it for me, how'z'about you?

When I upgraded to a faster connection last year, one of the first things I did was search out podcasts, especially for Heroes. Two of the podcasts I enjoy for the show are The 9th and The 10th Wonder (in case you're wondering, I dunno what my status is as a correspondent. I have forwarded Heroes news to them as a ready-to-go posting, but they didn't do anything with it) Kathy's especially hooked on the podcasts, and anxiously awaits each one. The 10th Wonder is taking June off during hiatus, but their site and podcasts are worth checking out if you haven't done so already.

Note: The following post is sponsored.
There are numerous DVD software products out there, it's hard to find a reliable source of information. DVD Burning Software Reviews offers third party reviews of what's out there, allowing you to make an informed decision from what's out there. Whoever said "a poor craftsman blames his tools" never did anything with computers. There's a lot more at stake in this technological age.

Ken Levine responds to a meme about TV Theme Songs by writing a post about missing them and how the networks are missing out by excluding them. I remarked years ago about a local radio station's transitional format for a couple of weeks was TV theme songs and being in goober heaven. Levine was writing more about lyrical theme songs than instrumentals. I was wondering why The Avengers weren't on his list of the best.

Note: The following post is sponsored.
@list.org is a comprehensive Web directory for businesses to submit their companies free of charge and provide consumers to find them locally or nationwide. Whether it's amusement park directory or a fast food directory, @list.org is the way to go.

One podcast I just discovered that I like (I've listened to two episodes today, as a matter of fact) is Star Wars Action News with Marjorie and Arnie. It deals with collecting Star Wars merchandise. Episode 95 mainly deals with a toy run they did in the St. Louis area, which shows there's slim pickin's everywhere, and everybody wants the McQuarrie figures. I picked up the Luke, Stormtrooper and Boba Fett from eBay, and looking for a Chewbacca. Also, I will be getting the C3PO and R2-D2 two pack next month.
But anyway, if you like hearing about collecting (I just heard the section about getting the Taco Bell toys in '97), this is the podcast to go with.

Note: The following post is sponsored.
Packet 8 Internet Phone Service offers Voice over internet protocol (VoIP) offers complete and affordable small business phone system to small and medium sized businesses, with features such as Virtual Attendant where you can tie in all sorts of phone numbers under a single primary phone number, overhead paging at different locations with no recurring monthly charges, unlimited calls to the US and Canada for as low as $49.99 a month plus activation and equipment cost, and much more. And it's not just businesses, they can help individuals as well.

Comicmix.com points to an article about the history and future developments of the comic strip Funky Winkerbean WARNING: both articles contain spoilers, proceed at your own risk. And here's the Shortpacked! strip satirizing "Funky".

Note: The following post is sponsored.
I just read an interesting article about the 2005 Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year award winners, which were selected from 23 companies including Ethan Willis and Randy Garn of Prosper, Inc. What impressed me about this article is that while the people and companies profiled are as varied as they are successful, they each have something in common. Reading this article reminded me of the adage "some people will look at something and think 'Why?' Others will look at the same thing and think 'Why not?'" The people profiled didn't want to just do the same old thing: they had a vision. These people did not stop when the market, circumstances or some people said no. They had faith in their vision, proceeded, and reaped the rewards as a result. These visionaries proved that it is true: that if you invent a better mousetrap, the world will beat a path to your door.

John Ostrander writes a column about extrapolating the future in fiction. He starts with his original Suicide Squad proposal back in the 80's that was thought of as daring when accepted by DC and old news by the time it saw print. I remember reading the "Secret Origins" story when Irangate was hitting the papers, with the characters and Reagan questioning their actions in setting up this covert government action.

Note: The following post is sponsored.
Carguygarage.com is the place to go for your garage organization needs. Their goal is to make the garage another room of the house. They have garage organizers for sale and this one caught my eye. It can hold everything I've got and would be very good for organizing, but at $4000, it might be a while before I got one.

Yahoo News has an article about backover deaths, or children killed while vehicles are being backed out of the driveway. Although there's only a small number, it's enough to devastate families. Hopefully everyone with children will read this and take steps to make sure this doesn't happen to them. I think even if the automobile manufacturers take the steps called for, this will still happen.

Note: The following post is sponsored.
We've all been there: we find something online that catches our eye and make a purchase. We go through the online checkout and then at the end you see a box for a coupon or promotional code. You've never heard of one from that company but you're no dummy you want to save money or get a good deal where you can, so you start Googling around. Alas, the only codes you find are long expired. You eventually get tired of the chase and select "process your order" and feel like a chump. Was there a code out there that you didn't know about? Was there a way to save some money?

With this site, looking for coupon codes is a thing of the past. They keep track of all the deals online you have to enter a code for, and even have a section for the so-called ">"Black Friday" sales. They keep track of all the codes, even the ones you may not know about. For instance, you might see the $5 off a $35 purchase at PetCareRx when you're surfing around. But did you know there's a code out there for $5 off a $5 purchase? It expires the end of this month, so you'd better hurry. And there's 14 other coupon codes from the same company I haven't even discussed yet.
But if you're not shopping for pet supplies, not to worry. They have several coupon codes that they list alphabetically, from Amazon to Zappos.com with all points in between. They also keep them updated, so you don't have to worry about using an expired code. So next time you're searching for a code, stop here first. It'll save you some time and you won't feel like an idiot when you're shopping online, lamenting what you might have lost on deals.

Ken Levine on how Hollywood's desire to keep the costs down collides with it's desire to make a buck in special effects. It's funny and worth a look.
And if you're not reading Mark Evanier's blog, you should, as there's some juicy showbiz nuggets buried in the postings. Not only that, but there's political insights that make me say "what he said", well reasoned and thought out.