With everyone going into digital cameras, that has changed the whole paradigm of how people take and display pictures. But some change isn't bad. Take picture frames. Before you'd have to either buy a frame that can fit the picture, or vice versa. And then you're locked into having the one picture. If you're wanting to change the picture, you have to go to all the trouble of switching them out. And that's still for only one picture. Nowadays with digital photo frames it's as easy as loading the pictures onto a memory card. Or is it? You want a digital photo frame that can offer the best display of your photos. Digital Frames Direct can offer you reviews of the frames out there, and help you select the best one for your pictures. It isn't a good deal if it doesn't offer you the best benefit, but they are glad to offer both.

We got back from Louisville last night. Trip report to come. Meanwhile, here's Doc Nebula's account our their portion of the trip. And if my calculations are correct, starting next Tuesday you can hear part of another portion, as Kathy and I were part of the recording of the 100th (and maybe 101st) episode of PodCulture. Thanks to Christina for inspiring the title of this post, and many thanks to Doc, Tammy, the kids, Brad, Christina, Randy, Tabitha, and Nate Clark as the Beaver for the weekend fun (sorry you got last billing, Nate, but you got the coveted punchline spot in return). Meanwhile, check out Laura Gjovaag's two part account of their trip for hubby Eric's tryout on Jeopardy! and try out of Soup Plantation.

Does copyright and trademark talk make your head hurt? Make you want to run screaming from the room? Does it make you believe ignorance is bliss, and rather not know? Here's some help: a Superman copyright FAQ that sounds better and clearer than the explanation I gave the other day.

I am down in Louisville, trying out wireless internet for the first time. My last laptop didn't have it the last time I tried it. But this one does. We got here about a half hour ago, and in addition to the wireless internet tubes, I went down for a long dreamed of soak in the hot tub and to relax in the pool a little bit.
This is almost as cool as meeting my friends shortly, and some more later tonight.

With my posts last night about the court ruling in favor of the Siegel heirs, I was taking great pains to make sure I got the spelling right. I thought I erred, and even originally made a joke about getting it wrong in the second post, referring to the first post. But I did get it right. But I messed up Joe Shuster's name (just corrected) I'm not the New York Times, and it's no comfort they made a similar error. I knew this was something Mark Evanier pointed out in the past, about misspelling either or both of their names. In fact, he just posted about it again.

When you think of it, spending 8 hours on sleep is a long time, and you should see about getting the best and most comfortable bed to get your sleep. At Bed in a Box you can choose from adjustable beds, memory foam mattresses, custom mattresses for RVs, yachts, or big and tall people; and more.

Many people have problems with acne and they try different treatments to try to solve the problem. Usually it's advice from friends or family, and it's hit or miss as far as effectiveness. But with this site about acne treatments they rank each treatment on safety, ingredient quality, side effects, acne fighting power, customer feedback, and overall value. Plus they can tell you where you can get the best deal on each treatment.

Brian Cronin does a write up on the Siegel ruling over at Comic Book Resources. Also, he offers to answer questions and maybe do a FAQ in the future here. Reading over the article, while I was fuzzy on some of the concepts, I pretty much got the copyright concepts in my original post right. Copyright law still not Zathras' skill.

One good vacation idea is to take a cruise. Usually everything is included in the price, and you get to go to such interesting places. While the Alaska cruise specials sound enticing, as I have relatives that live in that area and know about all the beautiful natural scenery that you can take in (and no, it isn't North Pole cold up there all the time, there are some reasonable temperatures in the summer months) one of the cruises that caught my eye on their site is the one they're getting ready for the 5th anniversary of the release of Return of the King motion picture that's arranged with TheOneRing.net where you can go to New Zealand and Australia and see where the Lord of the Rings movies were filmed.

And the cry goes out far across the land: Siegel heirs get copyright on Superman from Action Comics #1. Warren Ellis, Colleen Doran, Mark Evanier, Newsarama, and the New York Times have all proclaimed the news. Frankly, I'm not sure what it means for the Siegels, and who gets what and what it all means is to be determined. Also, copyright law make Zathras' head hurt. But it has to do with the US changing copyright from (I think) 29 years and renew for same to one period of time that is a couple of years shorter than the two previous ones. To rectify that gap, they offer the opportunity for any claims to copyright to be filed to keep certain copyrights from falling between the cracks, or unjustly held. The Siegel heirs filed within that time. Unfortunately, Joe Shuster passed away before that and he had no direct heirs who could file, which is why only the Siegels are the ones involved. I do not know, I don't want to add to the noise, just think of this of us talking in the breakroom and I'm trying to answer your questions the best I can, so if you read something anywhere else both within and outside of these internet tubes, I would defer to what they said. Mr. Evanier recommends reading the first link I used to get an understanding of what's going on, and I'd recommend the New York Times article.

The Academy of Music Performance is a private lesson studio and school of music specializing in the Violin and Viola. Since their founding in 2000, they've maintained a roster of 50 students, ranging from a very young age to college age and beyond. That's all well and good, you say, but even if I did want to learn to play violin, when would I have time to go to school? What if the school came to you? Mrs. Bridgette Seidel offers virtual lessons in the privacy of your own home via interactive DVDs. The site has more information and you can watch a sample lesson, and can answer any other questions you have about learning the violin.

New Comic Book Urban Legends column. This week's topic: inspirations.
New installment of FreakAngels. Still better than some of the Ellis stuff I was paying for.
And the last trailer for Grand Theft Auto IV trailer before it's release on April 29th:

New York is one of the most expensive places in the country to live. What you need is a real estate agent that can help you make the best choice for New York real estate. One company is Prudential real estate professional Douglas Elliman, who has 60 offices serving 350 communities in New York, Long Island, and the Hamptons. Whether you need a place in the Big Apple or want to peruse the gorgeous North Fork real estate properties, Elliman's company can offer the continuity of exploring all property options to find what you're looking for from one centralized location.

When I heard HD DVD was dead as a format, and I was able to get a player and discs real cheap (King Kong included w/player add-on to XBox 360, a system I planned to get anyway, and 5 HD DVDs sent as a rebate) I thought that with a dead format, there'd be clearance sales and people selling off their discs and I could get some good deals. But I've been reading that Best Buy is simply eliminating their HD DVD sections and sending their old discs back to the company. I don't know if other stores are following suit, but it was difficult finding Justice League: New Frontier when it came out last week. It looks like any further additions will need to be made online and not through the stores. Hopefully this won't dry up the supply and cause prices to go up.

One of the goals I have is to get better health insurance for both of us. It might be a problem, as I'm what you might call self-employed and it seems that any kind of viable health insurance involves traditional employment. One way might be to see what the wife's job offers, and another is to go through Peoples Health Insurance, LLC; a licensed insurance agency, not simply a referral service. Their rate quote system is easy and painless, and offers you many plans and coverage to choose from, whether you're looking for Illinois dental insurance plans or health plans in another state, like I am. They can help in selecting a quality health plan that is reasonably priced but still offers protection for you and your family.

Not much going on today. We relaxed around the house, read and watched TV. I started getting things ready for our short trip this weekend by starting the packing and putting some of the drinks we're taking in the fridge to be ready for the cooler. I'll be doing some laundry to get some things ready tomorrow. I'm hoping to get an early start, but something may delay us, we'll have to see.

No, air tools aren't what you use to fix you air guitar. e-tools has the equipment you need to get the job done, whether it's power tools, or tools you connect to an air compressor for power (my dad has some of these, they're pretty cool and give you the power you need, especially when you have a tight lug nut that won't come off) And they even have a toll-free number to call for assistance.

When people hear of the comedian Gallagher, they respond in one of two ways: either wondering if he's still out there, and remarks of a nature of Barry Manilow. You know, more fun to add to the voice of people putting him down and stuff. I'm not trying to offer a defense, just commenting on people who parrot things without knowledge of what they're talking about, which ironically leads to a higher consensus that wouldn't have been reached if based on an informed opinion. Anyway, Gallagher has tried to make an effort. In 1999, he and a bunch of other entertainers put on a show for the Spanish speaking audience that involved a month's learning of the language, stereotypes and disappointment at the turnout that would make you think The Producers was a documentary. Ken Levine has the details.

When we helped my brother-in-law to move to his new apartment, he was able to move with our help and the help of friends and other relatives. It got me to thinking about if we moved to our own place. One big hassle to going to the different companies offering moving services to find out how much it would cost, and to find them to start with. With MovingOrbit.com they can help you by being a nexus between you and those companies. They help you get quotes for moving truck rental from the information you input, such as date, size of truck, etc. Also, they provide practical advice such as asking friends about companies they've had experience with so you can make a decision, as well as advice to protect yourself and get the best deal.

I had read on Tony Isabella's board that one of the posters was going to be on Jeopardy! last night. Contestants on game shows can say they're going to be on, but can't reveal any information as to the outcome. I remember reading that Ken Jennings couldn't even tell his employers about flying out for subsequent shows until the episodes in question were shown. Anyway, Kathy and I watched Dave Sikula compete and he won last night's game with $15,000! Good luck on the upcoming shows, Dave. And thanks to fellow Tony boarder Keller for his post inspiring this one.

Next time you're planning a Budapest holiday, instead of booking a hotel why not try an apartment? They have everything that you'd expect in a 3-5 star hotel in Budapest. And like the other hotel price search sites, you can enter in your dates, and they show what's available with details, photos, maps and virtual tours. You can secure your desired location with a 25% deposit on your credit card, and have a nicer, homier accomodiations at the lowest price. Save money and be more comfortable and happy with where you're staying.

I finally hear from my friend Mark Gibson after a while, and it's about something going on in my state I didn't know about. Apparently, since March 13th, Indiana booksellers are required to register with the Secretary of State if they plan to sell sexually explicit materials. The American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression (ABFFE) is blasting it and planning to fight it. I would hope a law like this would be fought, and I'm ashamed I wasn't aware of this before.

There are many supplements out there and many reasons that people take them, such as to burn fat, build muscle, or just find products for their general well being. Whatever the reason Supplements.net is your vitamin, nutritional, and weight loss superstore. If you're in the market for a weight loss product such as Fastin supplement, they can help you out. They have product reviews of the different supplements for sale, a toll free number to call if you prefer to order by phone, same day shipping (and they even ship to APO/FPO addresses), and they offer free shipping on orders over $99.