Year: 2004

Disney’s Toy Story 3 ?!

Disney is planning to make Toy Story 3 on its own as a theatrical feature after its deal with Pixar ends next year, Disney Studio Chairman Dick Cook said.

Cook did not rule out the possibility that the sequel might go directly to home video, but said, “My hunch is big screen.” He added: “I think it deserves it. These are two of the most beloved characters in the last generation. Buzz and Woody are fantastic characters, and I think that is something that would fit on the big screen nicely.”

Well, it’s true Toy Story 3 deserves to be big screen, and Buzz and Woody are great characters, but I just feel that without Pixar behind the wheel, this will be a miserable failure.

First of all, Disney suck big time in sequels. No Disney sequel has been even a fraction as good as the original.
Secondly, this is a Pixar creation, no one can do it better. They made a great first one and followed it with a great sequel.
Finally, I don’t think Disney’s 3D animations are anywhere as good as Pixars.

I think it’s a shame Disney are going to screw up something as great as Toy Story.

10 Commandments of Coffee Brewing

  1. Store unused coffee in an airtight container in a cool dry place.
  2. Always use the correct grind for the particular brewing method you have chosen.
  3. Always use freshly drawn cold water.
  4. Never guess amounts.
  5. Make sure the coffee brewer and server are clean, thoroughly rinsed and hot.
  6. For best results, always brew to the full capacity of your coffee maker.
  7. To prevent bitterness, remove the grounds from the brew as soon as the brewing process is completed. For the same reason, never re-use grounds.
  8. Serve coffee immediately after brewing.
  9. Never reheat cooled coffee or allow it to sit on a heat source.
  10. An air pot, such as a thermos or any other kind of vacuum container with a glass or stainless steel interior, will keep freshly brewed coffee warm for a long time.

[More Details: Click Here]

Eastern Standard Tribe Review

I finished reading Eastern Standard Tribe last night, and what a read that was.

As I said before, I didn’t really know what to expect before I started reading it, but the first pages gave me some high expectations, and well the book exceeded those expectations.

It’s a really fun read, and I love the way Cory portrays the future and makes it so close, so true and so believable.
I actually share the same vision he has and expect much of the same things to happen.

Also, now that I’m done with the book, the whole idea of a tribe choosing a certain time zone to live in instead of their time zone is really cool and makes a lot of sense.

Cory’s writing style is so catching and indulging. He keeps you inside of the story all throughout the book and paints the world it’s happening in around you.
This is really one of the best books I’ve read lately.

If you’re into futuristic fiction, this is a must.

How to increase your blog readership

Top 5 Ways to improve your blog:

  1. Provide something unique
  2. Provide something valuable
  3. Be first
  4. Do your research
  5. Learn to write very well

Top 5 Ways to attract attention to it:

  1. Use other media to pull people to your blog
  2. Write, at least sometimes, about ‘hot’ topics
  3. Make a great first impression
  4. Learn by studying who’s reading what, and what works
  5. Get outside more

[More from: How to save the world]

Increasing anti-US sentiment in the Arab World

Vice Admiral Lowell E. Jacoby, U.S. Navy talks about the increasing anti-US sentiment in the Arab World:

… Support for the war on terrorism is low, ranging from 56% in Kuwait to 2% among Jordanians and Palestinians. Support for America has dropped in most of the Muslim world. Favorable ratings in Morocco declined from 77% in 2000 to 27% in spring of last year and in Jordan from 25% in 2002 to only 1% in May 2003. The percentage of Saudi’s expressing confidence in the United States dropped from 63% in May of 2000 to 11% in October 2003. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and Washington’s perceived pro-Israeli bias, was cited in some polls as a leading reason for anti-US sentiment. These conditions and increasing anti-US sentiment provide sustenance for radical political Islam at the expense of moderate elements… — Vice Admiral Lowell E. Jacoby, U.S. Navy

[via Je Blog, L’Oeil de la Certitude]

Google Food

I never knew that Google served free lunch and dinner for their employees. And not any dinner too according to Ernie who just had dinner there a few days ago.

… Google serves lunch and dinner to their employees, all at no cost. The food is pretty posh: stuffed pork loin, grilled polenta, beverages in cans that were designed by industrial art students. House music is played while waiting in line. It’s kinda like being at Hometown buffet, except everyone is good looking and rich.

Now, that’s really cool.
I wish I worked in a place like that.
Good Technology and Good food, what more could a tech freak ask for ? lol

New living room on the way

For quite a while, my wife and I have been looking around for a good new living room.

And after checking out every cool furniture store in Tunis more than once, we finally narrowed it down to a couple of options.

Anyway, yesterday we went to the furniture fair taking place in the Kram Fair to see if there’s anything exceptional that we haven’t seen before. We looked around, found some nice stuff, but nothing too special.

In the end, we passed by the stand one of our options had setup and we saw the living room we had liked in the store.
We thought quickly, chose it for good, talked to the guy at the stand, chose the colours we wanted, agreed on the price, and ordered it.

Because of the high demand generated by the fair, it’s due to be ready in a couple of months.
I just can’t wait till it’s done and in our home for us to enjoy and feel comfy in.

Worldwide McDonald’s Boycott

New York City Police Have A ‘Big Mac Attack’ As Florida U.S. Senate Candidate Andy Martin Launches Worldwide McDonald’s Boycott.

New York City Police were called by McDonald’s Corporation Tuesday, as Florida U.S. Senate candidate Andy Martin launched a worldwide boycott to show solidarity with Palestinians who are being discriminated against by McDonald’s in Israel. Martin held a news conference to ask diners to avoid eating at McDonald’s restaurant to “help fight racism in Israel.”

“We heard sirens in the distance, and suddenly two police cars filled with officers showed up and parked in the middle of the street,” said Martin.” People who knew nothing about the boycott suddenly wondered what was going on…”

“Our boycott was/is peaceful. In fact McDonald’s knew the boycott was peaceful, because we had warned them in advance. McDonald’s was apparently afraid of an outbreak of violence because of their racist policies in Israel. McDonald’s employees also tried to threaten and intimidate me. I was not fazed.”

Related Links:
– Yahoo! News
– Electronic Intifada

[via Je Blog]

Tunisia Delays Arab Summit

Tunisia has delayed the Arab Summit that was due to start tomorrow morning in the capital Tunis.

The reasons of the delay are the big differences between Arab countries on the issues of reform, both for the Arab League as well as the Arab countries themselves, and the issue of peace in the Middle East.

Egypt is now trying to organize a summit in Cairo after 10 days, but Tunisia is holding on to its right to host the summit.

I totally agree with the Tunisian decision. This summit is about change; it