Erich Stauffer

Category: Pop Culture

  • Top 10 Animated Comedies of 2011

    Here is a list of the top 10 animated comedy movies of 2011:

    • Megamind
    • Tangled

    Megamind

    Megamind (voiced by Will Ferrell) is a comedy movie for children ages 7 and older about an evil maniac who finally defeats his long-time nemesis Metro Man (voiced by Brad Pitt) and then merrily goes about laying ruin to Metro City, reveling in the fact that he can now have anything he wants. But then, Megamind’s glee quickly turns to dissatisfaction as he realizes that the battle was half the fun and everything now comes too easy. Enter the nerdy Hal (voiced by Jonah Hill) into Tighten, a new hero for Megamind to battle. What Megamind doesn’t count on is that Tighten may not turn out to be as good as he’s meant to be. Nor does he anticipate falling in love with his old rival’s girl Roxanne Ritchi (voiced by Tina Fey). In the end, Megamind finds he must rethink his assumptions about good, bad, and what makes him happy.

    Tangled

    Disney’s Tangled is a music-filled adventure full of romance and comedy for kids and children ages 6 and older. The movie focuses on Rapunzel, a girl with long magical hair who’s lived her entire life imprisoned in a tower by her mother. Naturally optimistic and acquiescent, Rapunzel (voiced by Mandy Moore) rarely complains about her circumstances, but for her 18th birthday she longs to leave the tower to see the floating lights that appear every year on her birthday. Her mother (voiced by Donna Murphy) refuses her request, but when thief Flynn Ryder (voiced by Zachary Levi) climbs the tower to escape his pursuers, Rapunzel eventually decides to trust the young man and convinces him to help her escape to see the floating lights. Tangled is a masterful blend of comedy, adventure, passion, and drama combined with a fantastic music and the type of animation we’ve come to expect from Disney. The 3D effects add to the experience but most likely won’t really be missed in other formats where they are missing.

  • Top 10 Comedy Movies of 2009

    In alphabetical order, the top 10 comedies released in 2009:

    • Bruno
    • Extract
    • Funny People
    • I Love You, Man
    • Julie & Julia
    • The Fantastic Mr. Fox
    • The Hangover
    • The Informant
    • The Proposal
    • Zombieland
    Bruno – Universal Studios
    Extract – Miramax Films
    Funny People – Universal Studios
    I Love You, Man – Paramount Home Video
    Julie & Julia – Sony Pictures
    The Fantastic Mr. Fox – 20th Century Fox
    The Hangover – Warner Home Video
    The Informant – Warner Home Video
    The Proposal – Touchstone Home Entertainment
    Zombieland – Sony Pictures

  • Top 10 Comedy Movies of 2010

    In alphabetical order, the top 10 comedies released in 2010:

    • Date Night
    • Death at a Funeral
    • Diary of a Wimpy Kid
    • Easy A
    • Get Him to the Greek
    • Grown Ups
    • Hot Tub Time Machine
    • Kick-Ass
    • Scott Pilgrim vs the World
    • The Other Guys
    Date Night – 20th Century Fox
    Death at a Funeral – Sony
    Diary of a Wimpy Kid – 20th Century Fox
    Easy A – Sony Pictures
    Get Him to the Greeks – Universal Studios
    Grown Ups – Columbia Pictures
    Hot Tub Time Machine – MGM
    Kick Ass – Lionsgate
    Scott Pilgrim vs The World – Universal Studios
    The Other Guys – Sony Pictures

  • Most Popular Christian Bands from the 90’s

    These may not be the most popular, but these are the ones I listened to the most. What are your favorite Christian bands, songs, or albums from the 90’s?

    • Eli
    • Sixpence None the Richer
    • Starflyer 59
    • Petra
    • Juliana Theory
    • Danielson
    • Joy Electric
    • Dogwood
    • POD
    • Slick Shoes
    • Charlie Peacock
    • Steve Taylor
    • Chris Rice
    • Stavesacre
    • Dakota Motor Company
    • Sonic Flood
    • Delirious
    • Rich Mullins
    • Burlap to Cashmere
    • Big Tent Revival
    • Five Iron Frenzy
    • Pedro the Lion
    • Black Eyed Sceva
    • Out of Eden
    • Satellite Soul
    • Seven Day Jesus
    • Poor Old Lu
    • Audio Adrenaline
    • DC Talk
    • Plankeye
    • PFR (Pray for Rain)
    • The Prayer Chain
    • Supertones
    • MxPx
    • Michael W. Smith
    • Johnny Q. Public
    • Steven Curtis Chapman
    • Third Day
    • Smalltown Poets
    • Pax217
    • All Star United
    • The Waiting
    • Switchfoot
    • Bleach
    • Caedmon’s Call
    • Geoff Moore and The Distance
    • Skillet
    • Jars of Clay
    • Plumb
    • Amy Grant

    After posting this to the 90s Christian Music Recovery Group on Facebook, I’ve added these to the list:

    • ZAO
    • Living Sacrifice
    • Guardian
    • Tourniquet
    • Michael Sweet
    • Stryper
    • Bride
    • Tonex
    • LA Symph
    • Tunnel Rats
    • Dear Ephesus
    • Project 86
    • The Insyderz
    • Buck
    • The W’s
    • White Cross
    • Disciple
    • Clash of Symbols
    • Dime Store Prophets
    • Value Pac
    • Ghoti Hook
    • Strongarm
    • Richard Smallwood
    • Mortification
    • Squad Five O
    • Johnny Respect
    • The Choir
    • Adam Again
    • The 77s
    • Daniel Amos

  • Purple is the New Black

    In art class they will teach you to never use black as black rarely occurs in nature. Instead, when a dark hue is needed, purple is used. Even in web design, a dark gray is used instead of black as black itself is harsh and unprofessional.

    What is Black?

    If black is never ‘black’ then what is black? Black is brown, gray, and purple. It’s dark and contrasting. It’s bold, but much the same way any solid color is when used appropriately. But how often are solid colors found in nature? Almost all colors are mixed and changing, just like the definition of ‘black’.

    Today I saw two men wearing purple shirts. One man was my elder and the other my younger. I didn’t like either application of the color and wondered if my age or my micro-generation was somehow biased against it as it reminded me of purple silk shirts from the early 90’s – but those days are over. Aren’t they? Or is purple the new black?

  • 80′s Toy The Original Roller Racer Flying Turtle

    I have been searching for the name of this triangle-shaped, red seated toy that has a handlebar underneath that you move back and forth to go forward with, but because it existed prior to the Internet, I haven’t been able to find it – until now*.

    I was searching for things like, “80s racer red sit toy handbars”, “red sit scooter”, and “red triangle scooter”, but I couldn’t find anything. I knew it was red and sort of a triangular shape. It had handlebars that were attached to the front but curved around to the sides and you put your feet up on the front part of the handlebars while holding the grips that were off to the side. To make it go, you just had to wiggle the handlebar back and forth. I never owned one, but remember seeing the commercials on TV growing up. I later found out they were made by the Mason Corporation and named Roller Racers or Flying Turtles. I’ve also heard them referred to as The Rabbit.

    The Original Roller Racer

    It’s called a “Roller Racer” and Amazon defines it as a scooter. I suppose it is, but it’s not like any other stand-up scooter. You sit very close to the ground and instead of using your feet to push you forward, you have to move the handle bars back and forth, kind of like a snake.

    One Amazon commenter said it was good for preschool children with disabilities because even, “Kids with splints or whose legs are too short can ride with their feet on the T-bar connecting the handlebars and, again, enjoy a great ride.”

    According to Wikipedia, the Roller Racer was originally sold by WHAM-O brand name, but is now sold by the Mason Corporation and is available on Amazon.

    EDIT: I’ve recently setup a whole new website for these ride-on toy scooters with one post dedicated to Roller Racers and Flying Turtles.

    (more…)

  • Why Are We So Obsessed With Lists?

    At one time in your life you’ve probably made a to-do list.  I still use them, but in the form of emailing myself.  But lists have expanded their scope lately as technology, as in the form of me using my email as a notebook proves, enables us to expand our love of making and using lists.

    Lists of Lists

    If you’ve ever shopped on Amazon.com, you may have noticed a book cover on the sidebar, with the heading, “Listmania.” This means that someone has included that book on a list of their favorites, and they posted that list to share with other Amazon customers. If you’ve ever used Apple’s iTunes you know that you can create playlists of songs and share them with other people. These are both examples of companies harnessing the power of people to help cross-promote products. Another term for this is crowdsourcing. Social bookmarking sites like Delicious, Reddit, or Digg rely on users to submit content, which are essentially lists of things people have found on the web.  Then other people come behind them and use them, vote up or down, or share more links.  People like making lists so much that they have even created books of lists of books to read, called ‘reading lists‘, but one site has gone as far as to make lists of reading lists. Yes, you heard right. People are obsessed with lists.

    Top 10 Lists

    Late Night with David Letterman probably has the most popular top 10 list, but there are many more examples and in different ranges from people obsessed with the top 500 albums of all time to the top 10 Twitter trends of 2010. Watch the following video made by Google on the top news stories of 2010:

  • We Climb to Rest

    Skylines, rooflines, and
    antennas replacing crosses
    Television the new religion,
    Reception the new bosses

    In the morning we rise and fly,
    Leaving our home to give our best
    We tune the dial and tweak our lives
    The sun, it sets. We climb to rest

  • Apocalypse Survival Guide

    Public power and water service may be out of service. Food distribution systems may be down. Communications networks may be out. Your vehicle may not work or you may not be able to get fuel. You may also see a disruption in your source of income or the value of your currency. The following are some tips to help you think through these scenarios in case they ever become a reality.

    No Power, No Water

    You can’t survive more than three days without water so make this a priority. If you don’t or can’t buy a water filtration system now, six t-shirts and a drop of bleach per gallon will filter and disinfect your water. This means you’ll need to keep bleach on hand, though.

    For light at night, candles will only last so long. Know that pencil lead (graphite) and peanuts both burn bright and slow once lit. Be aware not to carbon monoxide poison yourself by burning wood or kerosene. Keep fumes ventilated. If you don’t have a fireplace, use your dryer vent.

    No More Food

    You can stock up on canned goods and ammo, but both will run out. Get a garden’s worth of seeds, a bow, and some arrows that can be reused or made. Also learn what native plants you can safely eat. The white pulp inside cattail stems tastes kind of like a radish and is safe and plentiful along ditches and pond banks. Dandelion leaves and flowers are edible, but the stems are poisonous. White pine needles can also be ate, but taste better boiled, which releases the tanic acid.

    No Phones or Internet

    As you would in a fire escape plan, pick a location to meet and/or exchange messages with loved ones in the event of a disaster. Ideally they would be located at a waypoint between two areas. Depending on the type of disaster, radio equipment may work as long as there is power, but plan ahead on what type of radio you’ll use. To protect equipment from an electromagnetic pulse (EMP), store it and its power source in a metal box.

    No Transportation

    An EMP can disable the electronics in your car, but even if it doesn’t there could be other reasons why fuel may be unavailable. The fastest way to move may be by horse, followed by bicycle. If you can’t afford a horse or aren’t lucky enough to find a public horse, acquire a bike. A wagon (then and now) is a bonus.

    No Income

    If your job has not become useless, defunct, or out of business, you may still find that currency has collapsed. In this case, bartering goods will be in effect. It will be good to have a Depression-era mindset and not throw anything away. Keep in mind that bartering is more than stuff and services you provide (like courier service on your bike) can be used in trade as well.

    How Likely is Any of This to Happen?

    NASA has said that the sun may send an EMP in early 2013. A nuclear blast in the upper atmosphere by a rogue nation would have the same effect. But its not just EMPs. If Yellowstone blows it could disrupt power and transportation in America for months. Be good stewards with the time you have now to prepare for the future.