Reviews

A long time ago I discovered TweetLens on Boris Mann's site. I was looking for a web based Twitter client that allowed me to synchronize my reading between computers. Tweetlens offered this and was pretty slick.

Tweetlens has a long list of features that I love, but recently something happened on the site, and I started having problems logging in and getting content. It was unavailable for a while, and when I could login, it seemed a lot slower for some reason. The creator of TweetLens has also moved on to other projects and put the source code up on GitHub. I took a peak at the code, but it didn't think it was in a state where I could figure out how to install it on my own domain.

I started to look for something new.

I quickly discovered Brizzly on TechCrunch. I've been using Brizzly for Twitter reading for about a week now, and although I miss a couple features from Tweetlens, I don't think I will be going back.

First off, @Brizzly just looks a lot nicer and more polished. I may not be able to mark items as read, but the site tells me when there are more tweets to download, then after I retrieve them they are highlighted in yellow.

Brizzly allows me to quickly and easily switch between multiple accounts.

I can create groups of tweeps. Handy for getting common topics together. What I also discovered is that you can add people you don't follow to a group. There are some people I like checking in on once in a while, but they tweet too much to follow them. I have a group for people just like this.

When scrolling down through the tweet list, they have a never ending scroll feature that is just awesome. When you reach the end, the page requests the next set of tweets and displays them inline. I don't have to click a link to refresh the list.

Their DM's are more like IM's which is cool too. Url's are auto expanded for you, twit pics and youtube video's are displayed inline, you can save draft tweets, you can mute people, and more. Read their help page for a better list of features. Also, Brizzly uses OAuth for authentication, so you never have to give them your password.

Downside is that they are still in Beta, and you need an invitation code. Mine arrived a couple days after requesting it. They also seem receptive to suggestions and bug reports which is nice.

Overall my switch to Brizzly has been a good one.

When we moved last, one of the things we did after moving in was get a locksmith in to change all the locks. The main reason I wanted this done was I wanted a keyless deadbolt.

We picked out the Schlage Plymouth model in the satin nickel finish.

This thing is simply brilliant.

No worrying about locking ourselves out of the house, or getting locked out by the kids. When walking down for swimming lessons or to get groceries, there is one less thing to carry. No need to copy keys for guests, dog walker, house cleaners, family members, neighbours, etc. Simply program in a new code. When Sox goes for a run, or takes Yoshi for a walk, she can just go and I don't need to leave a door unlocked for her.

It is easy to use, and the keys light up so you can see in the dark. The only fault I know of is that they key is hard to use in the deadbolt (you have to get a couple things lined up properly).

I love it and highly recommend it to anyone. I just noticed that Schlage even has their own twitter account.

This past Saturday I had a movie night at home. Sox was having a sleepout in the back yard with Sprout so I had the house to myself (mostly)

I broke out a DVD that I got for myself at Xmas. The movie was Daredevil.

I hadn't held out any hope for the movie and was actually expecting it to be pretty lame. Shockingly I enjoyed it. I don't know the comic storyline, but the movie plot was pretty good. They introduced the characters well enough for me to get who they were and what they did.

Ben Affleck actually did a good job in this role. I don't see him as an action movie star, so I was anticipating a train wreck. Jennifer Garner played Elektra well, though the character didn't get enough screen time. Colin Farrell played Bullseye really well. A very psychotic dude with lots of little idiosynchracies.

I was time well spent.

I rented the movie Miami Vice yesterday. What a waste of money. The only good thing about that movie was the soundtrack. And even some of the songs on the soundtrack were as mangled as the movie itself.

The plot was as horrible as Colin Farrell's moustache.

I saw the Tragically Hip last night at Memorial Centre It was a great show. I had heard a while before the show that they were going to play a bunch of older songs, and they did not dissapoint. They played some of their new ones too, including a couple new ones I don't think I had heard before.

I had a great time at the show, and enjoyed their stage presence. Gord Downie is a freak on stage. That is all I need to say about that.

They played a lot of my favorites yet I kept wanting more. Thankfully they ended their encore with Locked in the Trunk of a Car, the song I was wanting to hear for a while.

Standing there in the arena, 38 Years Old brought me back in time. I reminisced about University days and contemplated the sequence of twists and turns that brought me to this point in my life. I love that the power of music can take me to another point in my life.

At the end of the show I was glad I went. We had floor seats, and in memorial arena that meant we were pretty damn close to the stage. It was a fun night that left me a little tired for work today, but it was definitely worth it.