HighEndBuzz

Group Masturbation, The Circle Jerk...otherwise know as The Oscars

I used to think I was one of the few people that went to movies to be entertained.  I don't need to be inspired, politically moved or socially motivated; I need to be entertained.  Hollywood has a case of the blues due to the fact that people aren't going to movies anymore and they just can't figure it out.  Now contrary to popular belief, the Hollywood crowd aren't really the sharpest knives in the drawer.  They only "play" doctors, lawyers and secret agents.  They are simply overpaid actors.

I know the Oscars were several weeks ago, but I've been taking the time to reflect on the industry and would have to say that it's a circle-jerk.  Case in point: Capote, with its critical acclaim only grossed $27.9 Million.  Syriana (which I really liked) only did just over $50 Million and Crash (also liked that one) did $54 Million.  Contrast these movies with King Kong $217 Million, the latest Harry Potter $290 Million and real "critical stinkers" like Cheaper by the Dozen 2 at $82 Million, you have to start to wonder what the measure of success is in the move making business.  It is still a business isn't it?

Brokeback Mountain was in my opinion a terrible movie, but had such a "Star Wars" like cult following in the gay community (meaning people see it multiple times) I would say that it was a huge success at $82.1 Million.  Hollywood is doing what we would call the classic circle-jerk.  They give themselves these pointless awards in a public forum for films nobody watched and call it success.

And they wonder why we stop going to the movies...ENTERTAIN US!  We know you're all politically liberal, want to protect the environment, support gay marriage and want to stop racism among other things.  Now how about making some entertainment.  We went to your movies when you were making the likes of: Caddyshack, Fletch, Conan (only the first one), Gladiator, Star Wars, The Patriot, Sixteen Candles, American Pie, Porkys, When Harry Met Sally, Titanic, Lord of the Rings, Austin Powers, etc. etc. 

Why do you insist on boring us with pictures nobody will ever watch and then insult us by getting dressed up and awarding yourself for the junk you just made?

...you just don't get it, do you? (Dr. Evil)

Nokia 9300

I've been using the Nokia 9300 for about 2 months now...I'm disappointed.  On the surface, it's a great phone.  Once you start using it, the real experience isn't what it should be.  The battery life is really short.  They claim it has a great battery life and 120hr standby...LIES!

The antenna is poor to say the least.  Even my crappy Razr has a better range.  The phone is constantly trying to pick up a signal when I know one exists.  On a positive note, the "pc" functionality of the Nokia is superb, email works great.  Pairing with my bluetooth headset is another story.  Some days it works automatically, some days it doesn't. 

I gave this phone a great review after I played with it in the Nokia Experience center...I was wrong.

I need a new phone that meets the needs of a business traveler that talks about 2000 minutes, needs email and great voice quality (that means no "blackberry" phones).  ANY IDEAS?

SIP Security

Now that I'm back 100% from vacation and a bit of a cold, I thought I would catch up with some of my writing.  I attended a VOIP symposium in Minneapolis a couple of weeks ago put on by NetSuds, an IT networking organization founded by Matt Noah that was really huge in the 90's but had a bit of a drop in attendance since the bubble burst.

One of the presentations during the day was by a security guru from BorderWare talking about the dangers of VOIP, the IP PBX and perils of SKYPE.  I'm always amazed how security guys get so wrapped around the axle when some of these issues come up.  I'm not denying the "danger" in some of these unprotected technologies and appreciate some of the efforts like those at BorderWare to come up with security measures, but when you hear it from them you'd think the Soviets are preparing for a First-Strike.

BorderWare has come out with SIPassure (tm), their new SIP firewall that allows them to secure IP communications including VOIP, Video, IM and any other presence based applications.  From what I understand, it's at a pretty good price point (around $4k) and would typically be bundled by solution providers implementing IP services.

I like their story, although they could do without the unnecessary hand-wringing...we get it, we need security...  They've got a nice little product and a very good price point.  This is a company and product to watch.

Research In Motion and NTP Sign Definitive Settlement Agreement to End Litigation

We can all take a breath now, It's over...
Here's the press release:

Waterloo, ON - Research In Motion Limited (RIM) (NASDAQ:RIMM; TSX: RIM) and NTP, Inc. (NTP) today announced that they have signed a definitive licensing and settlement agreement. All terms of the agreement have been finalized and the litigation against RIM has been dismissed by a court order this afternoon. The agreement eliminates the need for any further court proceedings or decisions relating to damages or injunctive relief.