marchdecember

The new Gillette Fusion is going head to head with the old skool Mach 3... on my face that is. Coming soon, the results of our scientific test of the new Fusion.

Meanwhile, more photos after the break.

After a weeks worth of shaving, I can attest that the Gillette Fusion is the closest, smoothest shave ever! And even I'm surprised!

When I purchased the Gillette Fusion, I was prepared to announce what I already assumed. Of course, going into a product review with preconcieved notions is a big no-no. But since when does that matter to me?

The idea behind the Fusion is that five blades is for some reason better than three blades. Ever since the Schick Quattro was released, Gillette has been running a distant second in the number of blades squeezed into a disposable cartridge. Gillette has fixed that by spacing the blades closer together, allowing them to fit FIVE BLADES on one side of the razor. And get this, just because five isn't enough, and because they don't want Schick to be able to come out with a six-blade razor, they've got ANOTHER blade on the back side.

So does it work better? Well, initially I couldn't tell the difference. In fact, I found myself preferring the Mach 3 to the Fusion, at least in the handle department. The Fusion handle is larger, and more ergonomic, so it doesn't allow for the kind of diverse twisting and twirling needed for my challenging face.

Click to enlarge

But after a while, I got used to the Fusion. The Mach 3 seemed downright flimsy. Actually, it WAS flimsy. I don't know if it's just because it has a couple years of use and abuse, but I noticed the cartridge wobbled slightly on the Mach 3.

Where the Fusion really shines is the WIFE test. Using new cartridges on each, I randomly shaved one side of my face with the Fusion, and the other with the Mach 3. Surprisingly, my wife picked the Fusion side every time. She could even tell when I shaved BOTH sides with the Fusion.

And the Fusion really is less irritating. I hate to say it, but the Gillette Fusion really IS a better razor.

But... it's not THAT much better.

On a price/performance basis, I'm not sure I can really recommend the Fusion. If you are need of a new razor, you might as well get one. But if you recently got a Mach 3 or Quattro, you're not going to notice a considerable difference shaving with the Fusion. It's just not worth the money. Only buy it if you need it, or you like to waste money on the latest thing. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

Michael: Wow. This movie was seriously boring. I know, it's supposed to be really good or something. But forty minutes in, Jennifer and I stopped the DVD because we had no idea what was going on. I'm sure if we'd kept going we would have found it really moving or intellectual or blah blah blah. But seriously, I don't have time to waste on stupidity. I was very disappointed.

Rainy: Michael doesn't know what he's talking about! This was an excellent movie! There was just enough action to make things interesting, but not too much that I couldn't follow it. Also, there are several dogs, and at least one cat. I was very disappointed when Michael stopped the DVD. Apparently *I* have no say in what movies we watch. I must say that I very much enjoyed Natalie Portman's performance.

Michael: What do you mean you enjoyed her performance. You spent the majority of her screen time attacking the television.

Rainy: That's the mark of a good performance!

Michael: Whatever. I give it 1 out of 5 stars.

Rainy: I give it 3 out of 5 stars, because it was good, but frankly there weren't enough cats.

So I decided to install Opera 9, because curiosity got the best of me, you know? And I did, and it said it was updating Microsoft Office. I thought that was strange. Sure enough, it updated it all right. It wiped the thing clear off the hard drive. THANK YOU Opera! I guess I forgot how much I hate you. Thanks for reminding me! YIPPEE!

Now I'll have to find my Office CD, but more importantly I have to find the cord to plug the CD-ROM into my tiny laptop, and then I have to find the CD-ROM player too. Thank you so much. It's been great.

Does anyone know if I can install off a CD-ROM over a network? That might make things easier.

The new Wal-Mart in Covington, Washington is tailored for Northwest shoppers. Using traditional materials like wood and brick, the store immediately has a more upscale feel than your traditional Wal-Mart, and shoppers are even blessed with natural light streaming through the large skylights on the roof. Is this an attempt by Wal-Mart to target the more affluent who are flocking to Covington and Maple Valley? If so, it's not working. Despite the upscale look and feel, this Wal-Mart has the same disgusting customers found at all Wal-Marts.

Once you've parked your car, you'll immediately notice shopping carts haphazardly placed all over the parking lot. For some reason Wal-Mart customers seem unable or unwilling to put their carts away.

Sadly, despite being the best looking Wal-Mart I have ever seen in my life, their clientele remains as pear-shaped as ever. The Covington Wal-Mart contains, instead of a McDonalds, a Subway. Eat Fresh! Jennifer and I decided to dive in and try some food there. Well, she did. I decided better of it when the person making her sandwich said "We don't got Swiss cheese no more." Then drool came out of her mouth and she said "Duh!" Well, maybe I'm exaggerating a little, but only a little.

The store is amazingly well laid out, and it's a great place to buy stuff cheap. Just plug your nose first.

(Originally published July 30, 2005)

I love it when a new soda is released. It almost never matters what it is... I'll try it. So yesterday I stumbled on the new Diet Pepsi Jazz Caramel Cream. I'm pretty sure this is being marketed to women, but so what? Anyway, I must say it's really good stuff. It's very sweet. It tastes more like a cream soda than anything. In fact, I can't actually taste any Diet Pepsi in there. Try it!

What would happen if you were invited to dinner with Jesus? That's the question a recent movie asks. Based on a novel by David Gregory (not the David Gregory who called Imus drunk), The Perfect Stranger features Pamela Brumley as Nikki, a grouchy lawyer who doesn't get along with her family, has lost her connection to God, and wears the kind of makeup usually reserved for whores and pastor's wives.

Pamela gets an invitation to dinner at a fancy restaurant. Thinking it's a setup by her husband, she arrives only to find that her dinner date is none other than a man claiming to be Jesus Christ. And like all accurate portrayals of Jesus Christ, this one is played by a blond Caucasian.

For the next hour, Nikki and "The Stranger" sit at the table eating, drinking wine, and conversing about God, Christ, and how they relate to our real lives. I don't mean that the dinner lasts for an hour. I mean that the scene lasts for an hour. It's like the Battle of Helm's Deep without all the fighting, killing, and homo-erotic banter between Legolas and Gimli. Although both movies do end with a guy standing in a shining white robe.

The Perfect Stranger is typical Christian fare... in other words, poorly written, acted, and directed. This film has better than average (relatively speaking) production values, and a mildly intriguing plot (for the first fifteen minutes or so.) It's that hour long dinner that sends the movie into a preachy, boring tailspin from which it can't recover. If you're already a Christian, perhaps listening to Jesus talk for an hour makes for an informative, if not entertaining, experience. But until Christian filmmakers start insisting on acting, directing, and production values that are at least on par with late night Cinemax, they're going to have a hard time convincing any casual viewers to pay attention.