Shaving on the Cheap!

Tired of the high cost of double and triple blade disposal razors, cans of gooey shave cream, try shaving the old fashioned way!



All men typically shave their face on a regular basis. I happen to shave almost everyday. I am currently 46 and have been shaving since I was 20ish (ya I started late). Still, that's 26 years of shaving.

Now I am probably like a lot of people out there, I had used either a double blade, or triple blade cartridge or disposal razor almost my entire life with Edge shaving cream.

I'm sure that we all know the cost of these types of blades and cartridges, they are terribly expensive and most really don't give a great shave.

Well, this past Christmas I was given a Parker double edge butterfly safety razor, along with a badger shaving brush, a ten pack of blades and a bar of Williams shaving soap.

Okay, I had never used this type of system before, and it is kinda of a process to start with.

First of all, take a shower first, it helps prepare your beard for shaving. While you are showering, soak the bar of Williams shaving soap in hot water. When you get out of the shower, soak your face and the badger brush in very hot water. Take the brush, swirl it in the bar of shaving soap, then apply it to your face. Very important, then swirl the brush directly on your face in a circular motion. This action will start to create a meringue like foam on your face. Once you get there, brush it on in a paint brush like motion.

Now you are ready to shave. Be careful, this is a double edge razor it is very sharp. I find it is best to move the razor along your face at about a 30 degree angle. The first few time I cut my face. Note that it could take a couple of passes, here and there.

After shaving I apply some Nivea post shave balm, to help prevent burn.

I know it sound like a process, but its kinda of fun. Also after doing it a couple of weeks it becomes routine.

Now here it comes, get ready :)

There is the starting cost of buying the razor $25-35 and the badger brush on average $13-40

Then there is the ongoing cost. razor blades $1.97 for 10. $.97 for the Williams shaving soap and then the most expensive (for me) Nivea post shave balm $6.99 for 3.3 fl oz.

I change blades once a week that is 0.19 per week.

A bar of shaving soap last about ten weeks, that is $0.10 per week.

A bottle of Nivea post shave balm last about 25 weeks, that is $0.28

that is a total of $.57 per week or $0.8 per shave! compare that to disposal systems.

I have to admit there are more expensive products out there. However, you can buy blades from Amazon extremely cheap. Williams shaving soap is not the best shaving soap out there, and I probably will be trying some other product. Still how can you beat this price. Sure there is a startup cost involved, but think of it as an investment over time.

So I recommend this type of shaving very strongly, it is really going to save a lot of money down the road.

Thor

This is my review of the movie Thor, released by Paramount Pictures and Marvel Entertainment. It is written by Ashley Miller, Zack Stentz and Don Payne and directed by Kenneth Branagh. It is rated PG-13.

Thor is based on the Marvel Comic of the same name. It is the story of the Norse God Thor, set in the modern age. The comic and movie both, blends mythology with superhero action.

The comic has been continually released by Marvel comics for nearly fifty years. Thor's first appearance was in Journey into Mystery #83 (Aug 1962). That issue was written by Stan Lee (who makes a cameo appearance in the film), penciled by Jack Kirby and Inked by Joe Sinnott.

The high points of the comic has been the Lee and Kirby run, a long storyline in the 80s by Walt Simonson and recently a storyline by J. Michael Straczynski, who gets a story credit for the film.



I just want to note that I saw the 2D version of the film (my rant about 3D versions for another time).

The film, pretty much mirrors the characters of the comic, with some slight changes and updating. However I think that the character of Loki, Thor's brother is handled slightly better in the film and given better motivation for his actions.

The modest summary of the plot is Thor finds himself banished to earth, and must save the girl, and his father, and become a better Norse god for doing so :) I HATE SPOILERS, so I won't do it (ever).

With that being said, lets get this out of the way, right now, Thor is an action movie. No highbrow message to be found here, this film is all about special effects, explosions and popcorn. Does that necessarily make this a bad film. No, it's actually a pretty good film. I enjoyed it from beginning to end, and found it to be very entertaining. The special effect are living large in this one, as the entire realm of Asgard is created, as well as a planet populated with frost giants and the super cool Destroyer.

All I can say about the cast is they do an adequate job. There are no stunning performance here. Although the cast includes Anthony Hopkins, Natalie Portman and that guy from Good Will Hunting. They have all done better jobs in better movies. I think the stand out and underplayed performance in this film is Tom Hiddleston who plays Loki. As for Chris Hemsworth, I believe that he did a much better job in his ten minutes of screen time in Star Trek.

Is this film for everyone? No. Many will find the fantasy aspect, too much, or plot line too little. I don't think many of my married friends will be bringing their wives to this one either.

Thor is one of many Marvel Entertainment movies that have been released, including the upcoming Captain America which are leading up to next years Avenger's movie. Like the other films this one also includes post credit scene with Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury.

If you love comics or action movies I think that you will be highly entertained by Thor. If the typical summer movie season is not your thing then pass it by.

Irredeemable

Mark Waid's Irredeemable published by Boom Comics is the story of a Superhero who decides to become a villain.

Imagine Superman one day deciding that the rest of the world is beneath him and he starts punishing the populous for making so many demands on him, while they never understood the sacrifices he has made. This punishment is doled out in extremely violent ways across the globe. Also who needs friends, so lets start killing off everyone on my superteam as well.

Mark Waid is one of my favorite writers, he did one of the most amazing runs on The Flash years ago and created the "speed force". He is known for being a fanboy writer and has extensive knowledge on comics. He uses it well in this new series, utilizing many archetype characters that seem very familiar but fresh at the same time.

The main villain "The Plutonian" reminds us of Superman of course, but a superman gone wrong. Some people would say this is Superman if he was bad, that over simplifying the story. You see Superman could never go wrong, many writers have built up a back story, a history a moral upbringing that would not allow it. However The Plutonian we find as we read on, did not have the happy childhood Superman had, and therefore the seeds are planted.

The art work is done very nicely and I really appreciate the flashback scenes which pay homage to Curt Swan.

I would not say Irredeemable is a really great comic, I mean it's really good, and I look forward to reading each issue. However, it seems like ground covered before, not the whole premise, but the dark violent tale.....so 80s. I had hoped seeing the trend in comic in the past few years that grim and gritty was done and over.

Can I recommend this........not to everyone, I mean it seems that if your going to go down that grim and gritty path, do you always have to have some type of rape scene. See I am a big fan of Garth Ennis, so I have read violent books, but in this case, sometimes the violence is done I think for violence sake. I think it should be done to move the plot along, character development or sometimes just outrageous humor. In this case it seems forced.

However, that being said, I find myself finishing one issue and picking up the next.....because I still want to see whats going to happen next. The first trade is out, it's selling on Amazon for 9.99 so what the hell, might as well give it a whirl.

Google Celebrating Will Einser's 94th Birthday

Today I noticed that google has posted an image celebrating Will Einer's 94th Birthday.

that is geeky cool !

Hiew's Boardgame Blog: Die Macher full game

Hiew's Boardgame Blog: Die Macher full game: "Finally, I got to play Die Macher again. This was the third time for me, but the first time playing the full game with 7 elections. I played..."

All Star Superman

As you can tell from previous posts in this Blog, I am a Superman fan, big time. My first introduction to this character was when I was a child watching episodes of The Adventures of Superman.

Then shortly after I was introduced to the Superman Comics, but not the Superman comics which were being published at the that time.

When I was younger I would go to the local barber shop to have my hair cut by Ernie the barber and he had a large collection of older comics, I think that they were his sons from his younger days. Most of these books were from the silver age of comics from the 60s.

The 60s was probably the greatest age of Superman, where the mythology was at its highest, with different colored Kryptonites, a whole array of Superman family members, the legion and so on.

But over the decades especially after the the first Crisis and the introduction of the "Byrne" era the character has grown stall and tired and the really great stories have been few and far between.

It is only recently in the past five years or so, that the newer writers have embraced the past of the Man of Tomorrow and started creating some really great Superman tales......which call back to a more innocent day and are in fact "fun".

But no writer has touched on this as best as Grant Morrison in his twelve issue mini series All Star Superman.

This series is an out of continuity story which tells a tale of a dying Superman, who must face his greatest challenges in his last days just before the end. The series seems so fresh yet so traditional at the same time. We have lots of nods of the head and homages to the great silver age of Superman, and we touch base with modern mythology of Superman as well.

Of course one of the greatest challenge we have in the story is the great Superman villan Lex Luthor who finally is sitting on death row, and who although is facing death is unrepentant for his crime and feels justified in his hatred of the Man of Steel. He is the reflection of Superman goodness with equal portions of evil.

Also in the tale are old familiar faces such as Lois Lane, Jimmy Olsen and the whole planet gang and also new friends from DNA P.R.O.J.E.C.T. ( a nod to Cadmus Project from the Kirby days).

Also included in this Superman tale are Superman Robots, Bizarro, Atlas, Sampson a Doomsday of sort, Superman One Million, the tyrant Sun and the Death of Pa Kent.

This is one of the best Superman tales ever told if not the greatest. It moves forward and back at the same time and we are taken along for the ride.

The book also includes artwork from often Morrison collaborator Frank Quitely. His version of Clark Kent is amazing, and for the first time you can understand how he gets away with the secret identity. It not just a pair of glasses, but a complete change in body language and posture. So complete is the disguise that even when Clark reveals his "Secret Identity" to Lois she does not believe him.(No one believes that Clark can be Superman).

This series was originally published in twelve single issues and then two Hardcovers, then two trades and now an Absolute edition.

This is not just a great Superman Comic it is a great Comic.

Seek it out......

The Scarf is finished

Finally after all this time the Scarf is finished and looks pretty good. I had a lot of help from my friends Anna and Brandi. So here is a picture of the scarf with my puppy Oliver.

Progress on the Scarf

I'm a little more than half way done with the Doctor Who Scarf.

Doctor Who Scarf

I am such a big geek that I learned how to knit only to make a Doctor Who Scarf for myself.

So far I've progressed so far about 24% of the scarf.

Nosferatu, a slient classic thats really creepy!

Silent films are pretty much just a forgotten format nowadays. Really with a generation which won't even consider watching a black and white film what chance does a film without sound have.

This is a real shame, there are many great films from the silent era which everyone should enjoy, one being Nosferatu. Nosferatu is a very loose adaption of Bram Stoker's Dracula directed by the silent film great F.W. Murnau.

I first saw this film in the third grade, thats right the third grade. It was Halloween and my teacher wanted to celebrate with a scary film. So we watched it on an 8mm projector with no music. I think she thought well it's a silent movie, How scary could it be? DAMN SCARY!

This film feature the creepiest vampire every film and then uses stark light and shadows to create a disturbing mood throughout. Most adults would think this film scary as a third grader it freaked me out. Really I had nightmares for weeks after-words.

However I never forgot this film and neither will you. Its easy to find a copy of the film its no longer copyrighted and.... oh there is a copy right here on this post.

So I highly recommend, and hope you enjoy.

High Fructose Corn Syrup not so sweet for you diet!

How I learned to stop worrying and love Hulu..........and Netflix

Two Months ago I canceled cable. Why is probably obvious, the cost and the fact that although having over 100 channels there was still nothing to watch (ever).

However, today that does not mean the end of televison viewing. There are several internet options available.

One of the best options is Hulu.com. Hulu is a free internet site which allows to you watch network television shows. Right now Hulu has shows from NBC, ABC, FOX, FX & A&E as well as many classic television shows.

Typically Hulu will post new episodes of shows from these networks a couple of days after they air and keeping them accessible for about three weeks with about five available at any one time.

The drawback to this system is commercials. Yes commercials at the typical break. Typically one 30 to 60 second spot per break, compare this the numerous commercial filling the breaktime on aired television is about ten minutes.

Most recently Hulu has also provided a desktop program allowing access to the site through a software interface rather than a browser. This program is also available for Linux as well as Windows and Mac.

Other services is subscriptions which will send you emails when new episodes of your favorite shows are posted.

Oh did I mention its free ? (maybe I did).

My second best online televison option is Netflix "Watch Me Now"

The Watch Me Now feature is available to anyone who has a Netflix account. Netflix is a great rental site for Dvds.....but they also have available the Watch Me Now feature which alows you to watch alot of content through a web browser. There are many movies and televisions shows available. The accessibility of this system is easy to use and navigate. One down side is the cost, you have to have at least a basic subscription at $9.99, another is that it cannot be used on a Linux computer Windows & Mac only.

A third system is CBS online, although they have many episodes available the site is horrible to navigate through....

In addition is Crackle.com which is an online site which allows to access a very limited number of movies through your browser.

With all of these options available it makes getting rid of Cable really easy.

For The Love of Japanese Films

In 1954 two films were released in Japan that would have everlasting effects on the cinema, world wide and American pop culture. Although coming from the same shore each film's director had drastically different styles and careers but they both shared a lifetime friendship.

4 Reasons Why Grass-Fed Beef Is Better

4 Reasons Why Grass-Fed Beef Is Better: "The benefits of grass fed beef are numerous, when compared to conventional beef cattle raising.

"

Night Gallery

The Night Gallery was a television series which aired on NBC between 71-73. This was a anthology series by Twilight Zone Creator Rod Serling. It was a kinda mixed bag, but had many fine episodes. One of the best was an episode directed by a young Steven Spielberg.

This series is available to watch on Hulu, but unfortunately the Pilot is not online, but the show is fun and you should give it a try.

REC vs Quarantine

Last year,the movie Quarantine was released in theaters. This was another in the recent trend of documentary style fiction movies (i.e. Cloverfield). However this was also a remake of the Spanish language film REC.

A comparison of these films demonstrates very interesting observations about remakes of foreign films into English.

First off its obvious that something in the original films sparked an interest in making an English language version. However it amazes me that they are never truly simple remakes and that there are always changes to the films sometimes just esthetics's but many times it is changes in plot lines as well.

Both films are about a two person television crew following firefighters on call for the evening. Both versions are about that call leading to an apartment building which a woman is acting strangely, resulting in some type of infection spreading through the tenants, making them crazed killers.

However the approaches to these films are very different. REC is more brightly, starkly light throughout, and the camera work appears of less quality leading to the belief that this is a real life event. The scenes in Quarantine are much more darkly lite and the picture quality is sharper and clearer. Therefore it is only the camera movements that evenly slightly leads you to believe this is real life.

Also the major plot point of the infection is handled very differently in both films. In REC there is never any clear cause or identification of the virus throughout the entire film. I think this leads to a more suspenseful film. There is also one scene which one victim which was obviously dead suddenly disappears, making this more of a Zombie film.

In Quarantine the virus is identified by the resident Vet as some kind of Super Rabis, I found this to be very silly plot device, and unnecessary.

Also is was odd there was much more swearing in Quarantine than in REC, as though the writers of this version thought it helped in character development for some reason.

As you can read, I feel that REC is the much superior film, and that Quarantine is a poor substitute for an English language version. Its a shame that there are so many people adverse to subtitled films, because there are so many great ones out there. Especially for horror films this seem to be the only outlet for anything of any quality.

Using Linux.........A Year Later!

A little over a year ago, I had decided that I needed a new computer, and that I was going to build it (with lots of help from friends). At this same time I made the gigantic decision to change my operating system also. At this time I had chosen Ubuntu 7.10 Gutsy Gibbon.

I had made this decision based on my utter hatred for all things Microsoft and my frustration with the high cost of software overall. Ubuntu is a Linux distribution and the operation system is open source (meaning free). I had been assured by other people that at this point this particular operating system was pretty user friendly. And by user friendly I mean, someone who knows a bit about computers and has lots of patients to learn.

Well I built this computer, and had problems from the start. First of all the Raid card which was installed to allow for additional hard drives would not be recognize by the system. The dual monitor system which I really enjoyed on my Windows system would not work! And the TV card would not operate and I could never get the network printer up and running either. However, I still wanted this system, and I felt I could learn to live with the inconveniences over time. I kept the system and used it as my daily operating system. It was not easy, I soon missed many of the “Windows” application that I had used over the course of many years and it seemed many of the neat software applications and web applications were made for Windows only. Also there was my complete lack of knowledge of the system which meant many mistakes over and over and over.

It always seemed to me that everything that seemed so easy to do on Windows was much more difficult on Ubuntu (Linux). I could not run my work programs either which meant not working at home and staying late at the office many nights.

It also seemed that my lack of knowledge always lead me to crashing the system or completely messing it up and then I had to reinstall the whole thing. And reinstall and reinstall......... I became and expert at installing the operating system.

….But slowly I began to learn. Actually finding the answers to my questions and problems was really easy, a quick Google search and typically there it was. Of course it meant learning to input these answers into the Terminal (direct command input in text format), which I am really still learning. I began to understand that the Terminal was actually easier than the graphical environment for doing many things and pretty powerful (this had lead me to reinstall my system many times).

I also began to learn about the software repository, a way to easily access hundreds of free programs to do almost any task you can think of. Also I had to learn to install software using the source code and debian files. A little difficult at first but then the answers are always out there (more readily than answers to Windows problems).

I started to like the system very much, and when the next release 8.04 came out I gave it a try and was disappointed. I found that it was a little more difficult to configure and there was a couple of problems that I could not fix..... and the dual monitor and the raid card still did not work......so I went back to 7.10 and was pretty happy with it, much happier than with Windows. I occasionally had problems which would required a reinstall, however the benefits outweighed this inconvenience.

Now the very latest release 8.10 Intrepid Ibex had been made available, so I gave it a whirl...........and right from boot up, the Raid was working and the Dual monitor system, and the network printer practically configured itself, it also saw the network and many of the other little bugs had been worked out. And since using I started using the system I have also learned how to remotely access my work computer so that I can work at home. This latest version seems to be very user friendly, almost to the point of recommending it to people who have some computer knowledge but not a whole lot.

I guess the point of this post is that I have switched from Windows to Linux and I am happy with the change. So it might be time for you to try the switch and get that Windows monkey off your back. I did and am glad of it.

Shepard Smith.........Again

I found this post recently. It seem that Shepard Smith, might just be the only "Fair and Balanced" person on Fox News.

Shepard Smith, Honest Guy?

I did not post anything about the Obama win, lots of other people did that. I did however wanted to note my latest observations about Fox Anchor Shepard Smith. I have seen two interviews by the guy in recent weeks that seems to me make him possibly the only honest guy over at fox. What do you think?

Cheney Endorses McCain

Less than four days from the Election and Dick Cheney endorses John McCain for President. Who's next Satan!