My Hearth: Free HD Fireplace Video

I decided to goof around and record one of these. If you're interested in HD fireplace videos, otherwise known as the Yule Log around the holiday times, go ahead and have a watch. This was also filmed on one of the coldest days of the year, where I live. I'm not sure exactly what timber I used. It looks like maple, but it was a bit damp from being snowed on and didn't burn as well as I'd hoped.

Twinkies Are Back ... Sort Of

A lot of people thought the new decade would be a Twinkieless one. A world where the little sponge cake snack didn't exist on store shelves. Personally, I didn't care too much. But I did think it wouldn't be long before their competitors emerged. And today, while hitting up the local Macs, I ran into one.

So I want to introduce you to Audrey's Patisserie Mini Cakes. These familiar looking snacks don't just look the part; they taste the part. Well, actually they're a lot better! It's a little bit fluffier, and the cream is richer. Now I don't know how long the company has actually been making these cakes, but I doubt I would have ever seen them had Hostess handled its business better.

The only major difference between these and Twinkies is that I wouldn't mind having another one of these!

The Worst Book to Film Adaptations

Before I do this, I just want to say that it makes me want to rip my hair out every time I read these lists. Why, you ask? It's because you can tell that most people compiling them barely read. Most are filled with children's book adaptations and Twilight. And you know what? The Twilight films, while they suck, are actually better than their source material.

Book Review: Cloud Atlas

Admittedly, I had never heard of this until I saw a story about the film, on the news. This is probably going to go down as David Mitchell's magnum opus. And rightfully so, it's very creative for a book that has commercial appeal. I don't want to tackle the various motifs and plot, per se. I think that spoilers are immanent if you dissect someone's work like that. But I do want to talk about what I liked and didn't like from a more literary viewpoint.

First off is the complexity. The only reason I'm addressing this first is because it's been touted as a main selling point. To anyone who's taken on authors like Gaddis, Joyce, Wallace, Pynchon, etc, the plot will read fairly streamlined in comparison. However, I don't think it was ever Mitchell's intention to be too mysterious, ambiguous, and base his plot on underlining, complex mathematical themes. It's definitely accessible to anyone. Also, I think the complexity hype has more to do with the average reader experiencing some substance for the first time in their lives. And in that regard, it has more creativity and meaning than 99 percent of what you'd typically find on the New York Times' best seller list.

Game Review: Nights Into Dreams HD

I can still remember the very first time I saw Nights. It was a summer afternoon outing with my mother and sister. We entered the local Media Play, which was an electronics chain back in the 90s. Most of you are too young or too old to remember its short lifespan, but lo and behold, there was the most magical thing my 13 year old eyes had seen: Nights into Dreams.

And when I picked up that controller, I just flew, soaring through dreamscapes on the wind of imagination. It literally changed me after a couple of minutes with it. Needless to say, we owned a Sega Saturn from that day onward.