Crank Review

Mix some Max Payne, Man on Fire, and Trainspotting and you've got yourself Crank, the most adrenaline packed sundae of boobs, guns, and bad acting I have ever seen in my life. Not saying that it's a bad thing, the erratic dialogue and constant havoc makes it feel like a well-executed Grand Theft Auto sequel that you can't control. 7.3/10.

Jessica Alba Likes The Wii, Too

Who needs any other reason to buy one? Hell, even with just Wii Sports, I love playing the damn thing. Read more here.

Babel Review

When I first saw a couple of Alejandro González Iñárritu's movies (BMW Film's Powderkeg, Amores Perros), I was rather impressed with this keen eye to capture passive emotion and even considered him one of the many buzzworthy directors of the late 20th century. The more and more stuff I see from him, though, the more and more reluctant I am to deem him as so. Sure, he has a cool name and can paint a pretty picture, but he keeps recycling the same actors and not developing any of the characters. 7.0/10.

Gilroy Garlic Festival Review

Thought I'd take some time out and check out the Annual Gilroy Garlic Festival today. To sum it all up: the traffic was unbelievably bad, the event was small as hell, and the food wasn't anything near mind-blowing. Complete letdown. 4.3/10.

Kozyndan: The Ultimate Definitive Duo

I could tell you a million times how much I love Kozy and Dan, but their work is so amazing I can't even put it into words. Check out their photostream to see them work or their website to grab some cool art!

Quentin and Claude: Evolution T-Shirts

"The Quentin and Claude label is an evolving story, with each line serving as a new chapter in an extraordinary and eclectic collect. It's a celebration of fantastical motifs and patterns of the past." Hell yes, this is hot. Get me one now for $89.

KFC Cuts Off Beaks, Includes Intestines, Brains

According to one of my favorite sites, the Consumerist, a reader found some brains (others say intestines) in his chicken the other night. I guess my cravings will have to be postponed for another year or two.

Create A Hypermediated Work Environment

Step One: Add childhood memory toys. It drives creativity from when you were young, dry of all college propaganda about how the mature world "should" work.

Step Two: Write down a list of the professional toys you need. Keep in mind that the more toys you have, the more productive you will be. This includes a 30" screen, a recording studio set, or a $300 leather chair.

Step Three: Start a blog. Write about anything: photography, food, computers - blogs help stimulate your prefrontal cortex and organize your thoughts.

Apple Macbook Review

Photo courtesy of Justine's photoblog. Today, I'm going to give a quick lowdown on the already extremely popular college choice laptop, the Apple Macbook 13". Features are robust: built-in iSight, latest wireless technology, and Front Row & Apple Remote are especially cool.

Ease of use? It's nearly flawless. The computer comes free of bundled software, which is something I must say should be a requirement for all computers in the future. The design and screen is reminiscent of the DS Lite, with a glossy finish on the outside and a matte inside. Portability, hell yes - it's light enough to carry anywhere, and small enough to fit into most backpacks without any trouble. The best part is how well everything integrates together, iChat, iTunes, Safari, and even Microsoft Office (which you need to buy BTW). Also, if you are uncomfortable using the Apple key to copy and paste things, you can always manually set them to use the CTRL key in System Preferences.

The touchpad seems to be annoying at times, especially when it comes to scrolling requiring the "two-finger" touch which confuses itself as a right click, so I've found everything works so much better with an external mouse. Also, the edge of the laptop is surprisingly crisp, so it might bug those who rest their wrists on it.

Other than that, battery life is superb, it looks way better than Vista, and simply put, it's one of the most beautiful technologies you can own for less than a grand today. 9.2/10.

Sunset Boulevard of Twice the Cool

The Outer Sunset neighborhood of San Francisco exists a 1949 Modernist gem, of a house and its sleek, separate addition, in a garden that is enormous by this city’s standards. Its double-height living room, and the new cor-ten steel addition by Aidlin Darling Design; the two lots are joined by a glass bridge. Awesome? Hell yes!

Miranda IM Chat Client

Okay, so the learning curve was not as easy as I thought it'd be. Three and 1/2 hours later though, I am liking this proggie much more than that ghetto DeadAIM I've been using for years now. It's less intrusive, uses less memory, and completely customizable in every aspect. One gripe, AIM avatar support is kaput right now - which is very limited since I don't know a single soul who uses any other chat client. Download it here!

YouTube Killer: Stage 6

I ain't messin' around either. My homies at DivX have been brewing a high definition streamer that's finally gonna get outta beta. Not only have they already established a massive international user base, but their interface is just straight up sick! Check em out!

Sevas Wheels Make Things Look Fast

Here's just a sample of a Lexus IS 250 with the Sevas R77 wheels. To me it's the only one that looks borderline decent compared to their other luxury car mods, but feel free to check them out here.

The Tango Hotel: Taipei Xin Yi

We all know Taiwan’s a bit noisy, humid and sometimes overbearing, but I've heard their hotels are just damn awesome. A friend of mine spent a few nights in the newly opened Tango Hotel and it turned out to be one of the best-valued luxury boutiques he’d ever stayed in. In addition to the huge rooms (42 square meters), a 42″ Pioneer Plasma, and a sunken jacuzzi tub (with another flat screen), everything was tricked out with a remote control; to say that Asians love their electronics would be a gross understatement. What’s really remarkable though is the price, which falls between $120 and $200 per night per room depending on size. You can’t seem to get in anywhere in NYC decent for even three times that. Graduation trip anyone?

Lizzy Showcases International Fashion

Amazingly Armzalige Accessories is the theme here. Check out more of her work on her photostream.

The New Old Tokyo: Modern Retro

The 12 million person metropolis of Tokyo has gone all quiet and traditional. Even with all the technology, Julia Chaplin of the NY Times noticed Tokyo's nightlife has shifted towards embracing tradition and finding respite from an always-on connected lifestyle. People are enjoying quiet conversations with one another at secretive spots all over the country; a quality of company in a more homely atmosphere than the more common western-style nightclubs and bars.

Paprika Review

Movies that mix dream with reality often have a tendency to confuse, mesmerize, and psychedelically arouse the audience's vision from the popular unexpected means of mixing familiar icons with ambiguity and violence. A similar formula can be seen here. Paprika not only succeeds in trampling that piece of crap Ghost In The Shell 2: Innocence movie deep down into the depths of hell (where the movie should stay), it produces plenty of playful themes and beautifully drawn art. 8.3/10.

Tegan and Sara Brings Pure Delight

Born September 19, 1980, identical twins are Canadian singer-songwriters are Tegan and Sara bring forward a sweet sound that anyone can fall in love with.

Tegan and Sara - Are You Ten Years Ago (MP3)

Nintendo Wii Accessories

Nintendo brings fitness and machine gun gameplay to the living room. You can think of it as really cool or really lamez0r.

Apple To Redesign iMac Keyboards

For those of you who enjoy the Macbook keyboards, the same low-profile design is coming for all you external keyboard users. I just wish they made the Macbook Pro keyboard external as well... I love those soft keys!

Emilie Xiamen Sleeps More Than I Do

It's rather hard to identify a true "need" to maintain homeostasis these long summer nights, especially given the amount of crapola I've decided to take upon (and decided I could handle). However, I've been finding a lack of sleep to be rather annoying. Which brings me to true jealousy for sleepyheads worldwide, or in this case, a girl from Shanghai.

Nacho Libre Review

It's hard to hate a movie that does so well with wrestling masks and Jack Black posing as a Mexican. "Underneath the man is his nucleus." I straight up busted out laughing, which is rare for me. My recommendation is to watch it in short 2 minute segments or else you'll end up disappointing yourself. Yes, it's just that type of movie. 7.7/10.

The Departed Review

I never thought Scorsese could top Goodfellas, but after seeing this exhilarating remake of Infernal Affairs, I am convinced Scorsese is a genius. The movie left me at the edge of my seat until the very end, never withering once. A definite keeper and one of my favorite movies this year. 9.7/10.

Letters From Iwo Jima Review

A superb Eastwood-style reenactment of the events on the island of Iwo Jima, with cinematography on key as always. The movie truly proves war to be the worst alternative to solving any sort of diplomatic problem - as it brings out the best and the worst in people. 8.7/10.

Dwell Magazine

Other than being essential for the modernist movement, for every person who loves interior design, and for the consistent subjective beauty, it proves that not everything is lost in a world of chaos and indignation - that we still have the ability to create pretty things with a stroke of a pencil. Get a subscription.