Star Trek

Amy, Elizabeth and I went to go see Star Trek on opening night. The new Star Trek movie is easily the best Trek movie. I rate it even higher than Wrath of Kahn. 

Wolverine

I took David and Jake to see Wolverine tonight. I have to hand it to the movie studio, they did this one right. Wolverine just jumped to the top of my favorite comic book movies. The only disappointing part was sticking around to see the special scene at the end of the credits to have the theater close the curtains and stop the movie mid-scene. Other than that, we all loved it.

Apple vs. Windows

OK, I'm a Mac guy. I admit it, years of supporting windows has only helped cement my position. Recently I picked up a MacBook Pro. Over the last week, there have been a lot of posts on Digg regarding the recent Microsoft commercials that attack Apple on price. The anti-Apple crowd crows about the "Apple Tax", and the Mac fanboys refer to the "ease of use" and "superior hardware designs". The anti-Apple crowd always try to list systems in the under $999 range to really show off the price difference. The Mac fanboys poke holes in their cheap systems. Here's my take on this argument. There is an "Apple Tax", but it's not $1,000 like most people would make you believe. On the other hand, it probably is around $500. I've detailed two systems below, and highlighted what I believe to be the winner in each category.

Brand	Apple	Dell
Model	MacBook Pro 15"	Studio 17
Price	$1,999.00	$1,868.00
Processor	2.4 Ghz Core 2 Duo 1066mhz FSB	2.6 Ghz Core 2 Duo 800mhz FSB
RAM	2GB Ram	3GB Ram
Hard Drive	250GB 5400rpm HD	250GB 5400rpm HD
Optical Drive	8x DL DVD±RW/CD-RW	6x Blueray
Video Card	Nvidia GeForce 9400M GT	256MB ATI Radeon HD 3650
Screen	15" LED backlit 1440x900	17" LED 1920x1200
Ports	2 USB 2.0	4 USB 2.0
	10/100/1000Base-T Ethernet	10/100/1000Base-T Ethernet
	Firewire 800	Firewire 400
	Mini Display Port	HDMI & VGA
	Audio in	Microphone
	Audio Out	2x Audio Out
	Express Card 34	Express Card Slot
	802.11n	802.11 agn
Battery	5 Hour Battery	8 Hour Battery
Height x Width x Depth	.95" x 14.35" x 9.82"	1.18" x 15.46" x 11.36"
Weight	5.5 Lbs	7.87 Lbs
Bluetooth	Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR	Bluetooth 2.0
Webcam	Apple iSight	2 Megapixel Webcam
Keyboard	Backlit Keyboard	Backlit Keyboard
Extras	Multitouch Trackpad	8-in-1 Media Card Reader
Software	iLife	Photoshop Elements + Premier Elements
	OSX	Windows Vista Ultimate

OK, first the Dell PC is cheaper than the Mac, winner Dell by $131. 

3GB RAM vs 2GB, winner Dell. 

Blueray DVD vs DVD, winner Dell.

17" Monitor vs 15.4" monitor, winner Dell. Mac fanboys always post about Apple using a high resolution display. I'll pause right here and point out that the display is the same resolution as Apple's MacBook Pro 17.

4 USB ports vs. 2, winner Dell.

HDMI and VGA ports vs. DisplayPort which requires an adapter to connect to non-Apple displays, winner Dell.

8 Hour battery vs. 5 Hour, winner Dell. That being said, the Studio 17 averages 2.5 hours compared to my MacBooks actual 4 hours.

Firewire 800 vs. 400, winner Apple.

Weight and Bluetooth also go to Apple.

I didn't choose a winner in the processor category because although the dell is faster, it runs the RAM on a slower front side bus so I called this one a draw.

I also called a draw on the graphics cards as they are each 256MB cards.

I didn't grade size as the Studio 17 has a bigger display. I did give Apple the nod on the weight however because the Studio 17 is 1.2 lbs heavier than the 17" MacBook Pro.

I couldn't find specs on the iSight so I left it as a draw.

Although I really like the multi-touch trackpad, it would be nice to have the card reader so I left that a draw as well.

I didn't count iWeb or Garageband when adding software to the PC, but I don't know anyone personally who uses Garageband, and I really hate to say this, but iWeb is not a good piece of software. It's easy, but inflexible. As for iDVD, the Dell comes with Windows Movie Maker and DVD authoring software.

As indicated by the yellow, the Dell has more features that beat the Mac and is $131 cheaper, so we have to add the $131 to the "Apple Tax". I would point out however, that I had to perform a lot of upgrades to equip the $649 Studio 17 similar to the Mac. Some features such as the Blueray drive are not available on the Mac. The Blueray drive requires the faster processor which added $350 to the base price, so I'll add that to the "Apple Tax". I also upgraded the battery which adds another $40 to the "Apple Tax" which leaves me at a total "Apple Tax" of $521. 

The Apple advantage:

The Mac will run OSX, Windows (with additional purchase.), or Linux. So far, it's not affected by malware and viruses, and the iLife suite is easier to use than the Adobe Elements collection. OSX is easier to use than Vista, and if you decided you didn't like it you can simply install Windows.

Bottom line, I think there is an "Apple Tax", but it's less than the anti-Apple people say, and the Mac user experience is worth every penny.

Try to remember....

I saw this comic on digg the other day. It reminded me of my time in Germany.

http://img9.imageshack.us/img9/4361/holocaustcartoon.jpg

The summer between my Junior and Senior year, I went to Germany as an exchange student. There were a number of influential moments that summer that helped define who I am today. One of the most eye opening experiences was visiting a concentration camp. When we arrived at the concentration camp, we walked past the buildings and out onto one of the most beautiful parks I’ve ever seen. The grass looked like it was from a golf course, and there were winding trails through dozens of gently sloping hills.

I remember telling my host father that I was more interested in going inside to learn more about the history of the place. He insisted that we take a walk first. As we walked through the park, we came around the backside of on of the hills. On the backside of the hill was a wall with a plaque. The plaque read, “Here lies 10,000 dead.” I realized at that moment, that this was the most shocking way to realize the tragedy of what happened during the war. Each one of these magnificent looking hillsides was in fact a mass grave.

I thought I’d share my experience along with the comic strip with you. Thank you Wiley for reminding us why we remember.

Sick Family

Well, the weekend came and went. We didn't do much as everyone is fighting off the flu. Elizabeth went to see Jive on Friday and Saturday, and Amy took the kids to go see the Hannah Montana movie on Saturday.

Happy Easter

I've never been a big fan, but Happy Easter everyone.

Spring Cleaning

With David's help, I finally got most of the clutter cleaned up in the garage. I can almost park a car in it. Tomorrow, we will work on the yard.

The Trouble With Money

In case you've been hiding under a rock lately, American International Group or AIG, has fallen on some hard times. Last September the government acquired a nearly 80% stake in the company with an $85 Billion (Yes, that's a B as in billion) bailout. How does this financial giant spend its money? By paying out $165 Million in bonuses. 

The official story is that the bonuses were promised out prior to the bailout and that AIG is contractually obligated to cover the bonuses.

Here's the problem I have with that. What company in their right mind offers employees a bonus for nearly tanking the company? No wonder they needed to be bailed out. I understand that if the employees met their personal goals that they should be given their bonuses accordingly. However, why did the management set the goals so low that bonuses could be paid out and the company could still go under? If you have any business dealings with AIG, I implore you to switch over to a new company. There's one certain way to make the bleeding stop, and that's to let the company die.

Who watched the Watchmen?

I first read The Watchmen back in the 80's and loved it. I couldn't believe that a comic book could seem so real and plausible. Everything in the novel seemed so gritty and real compared to the "regular" comics I was reading at the time. Rorschach made Wolverine seem tame. These guys seemed to be what the heroes would actually be like if they were real. The Watchmen changed the way I read comics. It opened my eyes to the world of "grown up" comics. To say that I've wanted to see this movie made for the past 20 some odd years is no exaggeration. After the first Batman movie (The one with Michael Keaton.) I thought that surely someone (I was hoping Tim Burton) would do the same thing for The Watchmen. Amy and I went to see it tonight. I had read the reviews, and was expecting to be disappointed. Honestly, I thought they did a great job. The movie is very faithful to the intent of the source material. Just about the only thing I would have changed was the thirty year old woman sitting behind us who giggled every time Dr. Manhattan showed of his man parts. Be warned, there's spoilers ahead, but here's what I liked most about the film:

1. The Effects - The special effects are awesome. There was a lot of attention to detail in this movie, and it shows.
2. The Ending - I never really liked the whole giant squid thing, and never understood why Dr. Manhattan, who had just re-discovered the joy of humanity would simply leave. The new ending tidied things up nicely.
3. The Soundtrack - They did a great job on this one. I'll have to pick up a copy on iTunes.
4. Casting - With the exception of Ozymandias, whom I felt appeared a little frail and effeminate, I felt that the cast did a superb part portraying their characters. The comedian looked like he should Rorschach looked and sounded like he should. Dan and Laurie looked the parts. I feel that you would have been very hard pressed to cast this movie any better. I probably would have chosen Captain Awesome for the part of Ozy, but in the action scenes the current actor was very believable.
5. The Sex - Not so much the sex, but the fact that they didn't feel the need to dumb down the adult nature of the story. Although, I do have to confess a new appreciation for Malin Ackerman. I'll even forgive her for being Canadian. :)

That being said, there were a few things I missed:

1. The Secondary Characters - The graphic novel did a great job introducing a slew of background characters who, although they did nothing to enhance the actual story line, did provide a sense of humanity to the deaths in the novel.
2. The Addictions - Laurie seemed to be a bit more flawed and real when she was struggling with her nicotine addiction. Also, it made the excuse for turning on the flame throwers in the Owl Ship a little more plausible. By taking away the nicotine addiction, it just makes her seem careless, or stupid.
3. The Tropical Forest in the Snow - I liked the forest in Karnak. It really showed the type of excess Ozymandias reveled in. I also liked the way he killed his assistants by callously opening the windows to let them freeze.

Despite the fact that I loved the movie, I hope there aren't a lot of parents who bring the kids to see this because, "It looks like it's a comic book."

Waxing Cheese

I'm spending the day in Rexburg Idaho waxing cheese for the US Cheese Championship.  It's cold here at 29 degrees and the wind is blowing in from the east. We're expecting snow showers today and tomorrow, so we'll see how the weather holds up.
http://www.uschampioncheese.org/

Swimming

I took Elizabeth swimming today. We had a blast. The pool was much warmer than the other day when David and I went.

First Post

Welcome to the Henning-Family blog. We will try to keep you informed of current family events and the occasional interesting find from the web.