http://zachmcfarlen.com/blog The Online Acreage of Zach McFarlen Fri, 08 Jan 2010 20:02:04 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en [contact-form 4 "MOME 747 Project A Survey"] http://zachmcfarlen.com/blog/?p=79 A while back, I wrote about one way to upgrade your home/hobby poker game - by stepping up from plastic poker chips to composite or clay chips. There happens to be another easy (and less expensive) way to bring the casino feel into your home game - upgrade to a ... http://zachmcfarlen.com/blog/?p=102 I have a confession to make. I’ve never seen Sleepless in Seattle. I’ve never watched You’ve Got Mail. But I bet I can guess what happens in both films: a man and woman meet, develop an attraction, are kept apart by some variable of conflict, and ultimately overcome this trial ... http://zachmcfarlen.com/blog/?p=100 Half-way through July, we moviegoers find ourselves in the thick of the Summer movie season, which officially kicked off back in early May. With the recent releases of Transformers 2, Bruno, and Harry Potter 16, deciding which movie to see may not be a simple task. Let me do it ... http://zachmcfarlen.com/blog/?p=97 This week, Michael Mann adds to his directorial filmography with Public Enemies, the John Dillinger biopic starring Johnny Depp, Christian Bale, and a handful of supporting players you’ll probably recognize. While the film is getting mixed reviews, I feel this is mostly a result of misplaced expectations and comparisons to ... http://zachmcfarlen.com/blog/?p=95 Being in graduate school, I have a fair share of “required” reading on my plate at any given time. My pleasure reading, then, usually takes the form of some combination of Wired magazine, various film blogs, and ESPN.com. I enjoy following several regular columnists on ESPN, including Bill Simmons, aka ... http://zachmcfarlen.com/blog/?p=93 If you have children, you have undoubtedly experienced the joy of seeing at least one Disney / Pixar film since the pair first released Toy Story into theaters 14 years ago. The Disney / Pixar partnership has enjoyed unprecedented movie-making success both critically and financially; their films have received more ... http://zachmcfarlen.com/blog/?p=91 It’s May and thankfully that means the beginning of the Summer movie season. Perhaps no span of weeks and months is as dry at the cinema as those months between Oscar season and early May. And between such limited appeal at the box office and the current economic climate, it’s ... http://zachmcfarlen.com/blog/?p=89 Getting shaved with a straight razor by your personal barber is an experience imbued with masculinity and often reserved for mobsters in movies. While I’m no crime lord, my wife recently arranged for me to have a traditional shave at The Art of Shaving. After all, even though I work ... http://zachmcfarlen.com/blog/?p=87 If you have visited a coffee shop or college campus in the last 5 years, chances are pretty good you have seen a messenger bag, even if you didn’t know it. As its name implies, the messenger bag was traditionally used in the carrying of messages, letters, and mail by ... http://zachmcfarlen.com/blog/?p=85