Advice on LCD Monitors

Okay I need some advice here. I've been thinking of replacing my old CRT monitor with a new LCD one, but I'm kind of torn on what type of monitor to get. Should I just get a regular 19" LCD monitor, (some of these, especially the Acer, BenQ, or LG ones, are very cheap) or should I get one of the cheaper widescreen 20" ones? (again LG and BenQ ones are quite cheap at around $350) I'm not a super connoisseur or anything, so I don't really mind the cheaper models with somewhat worse display quality. In any case, any of the new LCDs will be better quality than my current monitor. What do you (the few people who read this blog) think is a better deal?

Valley of the Wolves

A while ago Majik Sznak posted about the Turkish movie "Valley of the Wolves" on his blog. It looks like someone has reviewed it here. And - I'm pretty sure this is naughty - there are clips from the movie on the website. From the looks of them, it seems the review's quite right: it's really badly acted, especially from Gary Busey and Billy Zane. Busey gives some really badly delivered lines, and Billy Zane, well, you can never tell if he's trying or not.

Warhammer 40k Cityscapes

Wow, I found this German site where someone has gone through a lot of effort to build ruined cityscapes for Warhammer 40k. The game boards are very nice looking, like this one, or this one.

Forgeworld

Forgeworld is an UK company that produces Warhammer 40k "spinoff" miniatures that Games Workshop doesn't make itself. Their miniatures are ludicrously detailed and gorgeous to look at, but are also ludicrously expensive. Check out some of these:

A Tau Orca Dropship: Notice all the troops and battlesuits sitting in the back.

A Tyranid Malanthrope

A Tyranid Trygon

A Tyranid Heirophant

A human super-heavy tank

A human inquisitor and his toilet paper dispenser :)

My WH40k Page

If you look to the right, I've put up a link to my Warhammer 40k website. It's still under construction, but it already has some interesting material on the miniatures I have.

Wizkids' Pirates

Well, this looks like an interesting card/board game. You play it using cardboard pirate ships that can loose masts after they are hit. They even have a "how to play" section in flash animation that's bound to please pirate fans. :)

Looks like it could be an interesting game to play, but too bad I'm spending all my gaming money on WH40k now... :(

Solo: The Movie

This is great. It's a trailer for Star Wars set in modern times.

Mismatched TV Crossovers

On a forum I visit regularly, I saw this interesting fun exercise being done by people. Basically, they come up with a scenario where two totally different TV shows (different in everything - genre, atmosphere, outlook on life, etc.) have a crossover.

One of the examples is the following:

Four Vietnam veterans, framed for a bank robbery and hunted by the military and law enforcement, try to help innocents as a group of good vigilantes-for-hire. Through an old Vietnam buddy of theirs, they hear of a small town where a sheriff keeps a sort of strange, tyrannical control over the citizens. And bad (not to mention strange) things happen to those who get in his way. Our do-gooders decide to go to the town and rid the good people of that sheriff. So "Hannibal" Smith, B.A. Barrachus, Templeton Peck, and "Howling Mad" Murdock pack into their van and drive to Trinity, South Carolina...

(in case you didn't know, this is a crossover between the A-Team and American Gothic.)

So, if anyone still reads this blog, what idea can you come up with? :)

The real Da Vinci Code

Here is a documentary on the current theories about the holy grail hosted by Tony Robinson. (yes Baldrick) It's interesting, although I think it went too deep into the whole "Church suppressing proto-feminist gnostic teachings" bit.

The Gathering

This is a great commercial, (apparently Chilean) with a lot of movie villains doing, uh, holiday things.

Free Novel

Speaking of John Derbyshire, one of his novels is now published on his website for free. I've read through the first dozen chapters, and it looks pretty good. A boy's life growing up in 1960's China, the Red Guard, father becoming a poster, coups, anal rape, decapitation, and that's all just in the first dozen chapters!

Film with Bruce Lee

This is an interesting article by John Derbyshire where he tells the story of how he got an uncredited part in a Bruce Lee movie. With very interesting descriptions of Hong Kong in the early 70's.

History Spork

This is awesome. It's basically a MST3000 type take on historical inaccuracies in movies.

John Kenneth Galbraith

This is a good obituary of John Kenneth Galbraith, with a summary of his life's works. Needless to say, I disagree somewhat with the author's anti-statist economics leanings, but the last line of the obit about Galbraith versus the modern American Left is very well worth pondering.

Forest in Winter

Wow.... wow.... this is great. :) Just click on "Forest In Winter." It's.... well you just have to see for yourself.

Lovecraft for President

This is an interesting article about conditions that could have lead up to H.P. Lovecraft becoming American president. Personally, I think the author is a little too harsh on old Howard Phillips. (He after all just followed many ideas that were "scientific" and "trendy" in his time. He was also strange but not particularly psychotic.) But it's an interesting read nonetheless, and with a funny bit at the very end. :)

Lego Constructions

Wow, here's a gallery full of very impressive vehicles built from LEGO. What amazes me is that there's so much accurate detail on the models that are built. You can easily distinguish what type of tank, aircraft, etc. that they are.

Geek Toy

This could be an amazing present for any geek. In fact, I wonder why I haven't seen anything like this before. Too expensive though.

Winston Churchill

For those of you who know me, you may know that one of my favourite statesmen ever is Winston Churchill. Here's a story that's interesting and reminded me of a quote about him:

"Churchill is the very type of a corrupt journalist. There is not a worse prostitute in politics. He himself has written that it's unimaginable what can be done in war with the help of lies. He's an utterly amoral repulsive creature. I'm convinced that he has his place of refuge ready beyond the Atlantic. He obviously won't seek sanctuary in Canada. In Canada he'd be beaten up. He'll go to his friends the Yankees. As soon as this damnable winter is over, we'll remedy all that."

- Adolf Hitler

Demographics

This is an interesting analysis of the current low birthrates around the world and their possible future political consequences. Really interesting if you look at which countries have high birthrates, and which ones don't.