Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

We saw Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix last night, and it totally lived up to the hype. I had just a few minor gripes (why did they establish that Ron, Hermione, et al couldn’t see the thestrals and then not play that up for humor when they were flying on them?), but I think it’s my favorite of the movies to date. They mostly cut out the right things to cut to let the story move forward, though I’d maybe have liked a few scenes to be a bit longer. Another minute with Sirius wouldn’t have hurt, nor would have explaining a little more clearly why they all get mad at Cho. Rowling’s strength is not in writing action, and I found the ending battle to be more exciting on film than in the book. Like the cemetery scene at the end of Goblet of Fire, the end could have been scarier and sadder, but it worked. I especially liked the way the Order of the Phoenix and the Death Eaters flew around and flicked spells at each other, and then how the Voldemort vs. Dumbledore battle looked like they were conducting an orchestra with their wands. It was no Yoda vs. Darth Tyranus fight, but the following internal conflict between Harry and Voldemort was great. They’re lucky Daniel Radcliffe grew up to be a good actor.

A Recipe for OpenID-Enabling Your Site

A Recipe for OpenID-Enabling Your Site

I have no use for Plaxo, but it's neat to see them using OpenID, as they've been untrustworthy in the past and OpenID means you don't have to give them a password.

Playlist: Sync different

Playlist: Sync different

Solution to a problem of trying to sync TV seasons to your iPhone when there are more than a few unwatched episodes.

the Laugh-Out-Loud Cats - a photoset on Flickr

the Laugh-Out-Loud Cats - a photoset on Flickr

IGN: Geoff Johns Interview: Round Two

IGN: Geoff Johns Interview: Round Two

On Green Lantern and Justice Society.

Open Library

Open Library

SCI FI Announces More Battlestar Galactica "Mini-sodes"

SCI FI Announces More Battlestar Galactica “Mini-sodes”

Shorts will be aired and will be on the scifi.com website and will precede the two-hour special in the fall.

Happy iCal Day

Happy iCal Day

Leaflets: iPhone apps that grow on you.

Leaflets: iPhone apps that grow on you.

The outbreak of iPhone apps is interesting. It'll show you real web pages, so you wouldn't think that mobile versions would be needed, yet many of them just strip out the crap on the normal webpages.

Bags and Boards: Lindelof: Ultimate Wolverine vs. Hulk scripts almost done

Bags and Boards: Lindelof: Ultimate Wolverine vs. Hulk scripts almost done

"They have scripts all the way through issue four and I’m about to turn in issue five in about a week."