1. What’s a film you consider overrated, and what’s a related or similar film you consider underrated?
Overrated:
1. Avatar - (2009) from James Cameron - the movie is very pretty visual experience, the sci-fi somewhat passable but the message is so anti-corporate. Big corporations exist to pummel and pillage. Sad. You know if corporations did not exist we would not have many of the wonders we take for granted today... cars, cell phones, computers, department stores, canned food, etc. Corporations make these and many other things. Corporations employ people. There is nothing wrong with corporations.
2. Blair Witch Project (1999) - There was a ton of media buzz singing praises for this film, which is essentially some idiots getting lost in a forest for a couple of nights and recording it all with a hand held camera. Today this movie is just too long, too shakey to sit through. If I want shaky crappy video I can watch shorter, crappy films of the same ilk or worst on YouTube.
3. Alien (1979) - It's a good movie, but I found it to be boringly long. I mean after the darn thing pops out of the poor guy's chest, you know everyone will eventually buy the farm except Ripley who survives to live on in the better Aliens 2 movie... more action.
Underrated:
Hillary's America by Dinesh D'Souza (2016) - A scary documentary on what could have happened to our country had Crooked Hillary won the presidential election. I love this movie as well as D'Souza's 2012 movie 2016: Obama's America. As most know D'Souza is an immigrant from India who has written a number of books from the conservative point of view.
2. What’s overrated about the area in which you live, and what’s underrated about it?
Honolulu - Overrated:
RAIL - Politicians are spending way too much tax money to build this elevated rail that they say will solve transportation problems. But we have all known for the longest time that rail is a development vehicle to enhance the pocketbooks of developers, well connected construction contractors and union labor.
In the meantime the legislature and the city council are scrambling to find ways to take more and more of our tax dollars to pay for this thing which currently costs $10 billion to build with estimates going higher to at least $13 billion. The project is billions of dollars short.
This has been a pain for more than 20 years. Rail should have never been built. This should have never become a priority for the City & County of Honolulu. Rail is the biggest and most expensive mistake ever unleashed upon the taxpayers in Hawaii... and you too, if you are a tourist.
Honolulu / Hawaii - Underrated: Can't think of much that is underrated in Honolulu or in Hawaii. An article titled "11 Amazing Underrated Places in Hawaii" singles out the Halona Blowhole on Oahu, Iao Valley State Park (when it is not flooded), and Ahalanui Hot Pond on the island of Hawaii.
3. Whose talent or skill is overrated, and whose is underrated?
Can't help but zeroing on Presidents 44 and 45 for this one.
Overrated: Former President Barack Obama. Not much to say except I am happy his term is over.
Underrated: President Donald Trump - He's doing a good job so far to "Make America Great Again".
4. What item in the supermarket is overrated, and what’s underrated?
Overrated: Organic foods. Why pay more money for this stuff when regular food of the same stuff costs less? When we eat the food the body breaks it down to whatever it needs with the rest being expelled at #2. It's all the same at the trailing end.
Runner up to overrated: Bans on plastic bags. Ugh! I love plastic bags. They are so versatile.
Underrated: Parking. Every good retail store including supermarkets have plentiful free parking. We take this for granted, but I am always thankful that my favorite supermarket has lots of free parking so that when you buy stuff you can load and drive it home in your vehicle.
5. What’s utterly terrific except for one or two things?
Macintosh Computers and iOS devices: What's terrific about them? Mainly the operating systems are very well thought out. I have been a Mac user since 1988 and have lived through many incarnations of Mac OS. All have been mostly great. While I don't use iOS much these days, it is still a very good operating system.
The app ecosystem on Apple devices are good too. Most apps that I use are well thought out and function as intended.
That said, there are a couple of things I don't like about Apple products.
1. Built in batteries that cannot be replaced. This is leads to forced obsolescence which I hate. How many of you own iPods, iPhones and other, older iOS devices that are just sitting in drawers because their built in, non-replaceable batteries do not hold a charge beyond a few minutes? This totally defeats the portability purpose of these devices, when in many cases they work perfectly fine while connected to a power source!
That is one reason when I finally got a cell phone, I opted for an Android device that has a replaceable battery.
2. Un-replaceable batteries have also crept into Macintosh computers. This mantra has also crept into non-Apple devices too like Chromebooks. Sad.
When I buy something that is so expensive ($100 or more in my book), I expect that thing to last a long time. Ten years has always been my golden yardstick for expensive items. Has to last. Sadly these days way too many devices are just designed to become obsolete in 3 to 4 years and you have to throw it away. That is a crime considering the amount of money you have to pay for them.
Ugh!
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