My new telephone I

When I signed up for phone service at my current location, it was Southwestern Bell and the basic plan (yup, that's what I went for) was supposed to be a little less than $11 plus $0.75 for not being listed on the white pages. I added the DSL a couple years later, which is supposed to be $25 (yup, again, I have the cheapest plan). Nowadays it's AT&T and the phone bill? It rings up to $53 month! First, they raised my DSL to $28 without telling me, but really? I am paying $25 for my home phone every month? That's 3x what I pay for my cell phone, that's ridiculous.

So screw them, I got myself an Ooma. I got in the RadioShack deal: $159 + tax no shipping, and ushered my home into the voice over IP world, sweet.

I was careful to steer away from the Ooma Telo, which in itself isn't bad but charges an almost $4 monthly fee to cover tax and regulatory costs. I got myself the Ooma Core system instead, which includes the Ooma Hub and the Ooma Scout.

Right off the bet, the packaging is attractively designed. A matte black box.



The package reminds me of unboxing Apple products, only that Apple tend to use foams rather than clear plastics.





The unit itself is gray and white which somewhat looks eerily like my ancient Panasonic answering machine my brother got from Target.



But enough about looks... when it comes to phone services, we care about quality and we care about reliability, right?

Kick-Ass (2010)

Spoiler ahead




So often I go into a acclaimed movie with high expectations and come out disappointed. Kick-Ass (2010) is an exception; (it was a DVD but) I finished it feeling even more excited about it. I like super heroes and I like unconventional, I like plausible and I like a (sometimes cheesy yet) happy endings. This film has it all.

I have never read the comic book (wasn't it an adaptation?) But it is really the story that got me. If it was the done and redone framed cop turned vigilante kind of deal, it would have been a yawner. But add to that an unlikely aspiring super hero teenager whose only ability is to be "invisible in front of girls", and lots of facebook twittering, you miraculously got a refreshingly entertaining action packed movie that can keep you guessing where the story would lead you.

I really like the fact that almost everything was kept within the realm of reality - Big Daddy using drug money to fund his operation (explained with the Bruce Wayne reference), Kick-Ass's damaged nerve endings gave him a fighting chance against the bad guys, etc. so much so the audience would be willing to overlook the climax fight sequence and the jet pack. After all, it isn't a super hero movie, though I am not sure what it is.

It does inevitably remind me of The Watchman (2007), another dark story that involves super heroes. Comparatively speaking, Kick-Ass, perhaps benefiting from a more singular plot, is just that much more innovative, relateable and engaging.

There wasn't any outstanding performance. Still a really good movie.