Thursday, July 1, 2004

The Great Top Cat Hunt

The search is still on for films or tapes of original episodes of the 1961 TV series, Top Cat. As explained here, the program is soon to be released on DVD but we're trying to find copies of the original end credits so that they can be restored or re-created. If you have copies that weren't taped off TV, please get in touch with me. Even if the video quality is poor, it could still help. How do you know if your copy has the original end credits? Well, if it's 16mm film, it probably does. If it's on tape and the ending has the sponsor plugs, it probably does. If Paul Frees is not listed among the voice actors, it definitely does. And even if Frees is listed, it might still be the original end credits, so write and tell me what you have. A lot of folks are helping but there are still many episodes to be located.

• Posted at 11:04 PM · LINK

Cola Nuts

I can't stand diet sodas. Actually, I have two objections to them. One is that I don't trust artificial sweeteners. I suspect they aren't good for anyone but I know from past experiences that NutraSweet (at least) is not good for me. This works out okay because my other objection is that I think they taste terrible and fear for the sensory faculties of those who say they can't tell any difference.

Recently, the Coke and Pepsi folks introduced versions of their beverages that contain about half the sugar, making up the difference with the artificial stuff. A weblog posting I came across claimed that Coke C2 and Pepsi Edge were both pretty good and that they contained Sucralose, not Aspartame (aka NutraSweet). When I spotted individual bottles on sale at a market the other day, I decided to give them a try. This was more out of curiosity than out of an expectation that one could possibly become my beverage of choice. The whole idea of Sucralose troubles me a bit but I have no history with it, and figured one swig wouldn't hurt.

It turned out I was misinformed. Coke C2 uses Aspartame, not Sucralose...but I took a taste anyway and decided I wasn't missing anything. To me, it was just as undrinkable as Diet Coke with as much unpleasant aftertaste. The Pepsi Edge, sweetened with Sucralose, wasn't bad but it lacked the little sweet rush I enjoy in regular Pepsi, so I can't see any reason to drink it. They pretty much took away the one thing that ever made a cola preferable to a glass of water, and I'm glad I didn't spring for a six-pack.

While I was composing the above, the phone rang and I took time out to chat with a friend and I read him what I'd written so far. He said he'd tried both of them and he had an easier way of describing their respective tastes: "The Coke C2 tastes like monkey urine while the Pepsi Edge tastes like rhino pee." I don't know how he knows this. I don't want to know how he knows this. But I have the feeling he's right.

• Posted at 6:57 PM · LINK

News from Vegas

The other day, I posted a message here stating that I'd been told that the Rio Hotel in Vegas had gotten rid of its "Bevertainers." A Bevertainer is a cocktail waitress who puts down the tray every ten or fifteen minutes and performs a musical number on a little platform situated in or around the slot machines. I heard they were gone from someone who'd been to the Rio but I didn't post it until I saw it mentioned in the widely-circulated newsletter sent out by a site called Vegas Resources. They said the program had been "terminated"...so I figured it was safe to say here that it was.

I just now received an e-mail from the "Director Public Relations and Business Alliances" for Harrah's Southern Nevada informing me that this is false and that as a result of my "recklessness," their office has been "inundated" with inquiries from other media asking them to comment, and that I have upset the employees in question, etc. She demands that I remove the item (which I have just done) and that I post a retraction (which this is) and threatens to take action unless I don't...which I would have done without the threat simply because I want the information posted here to be accurate. I apologize to any employees who were discomfited or discomforted by the item.

• Posted at 5:10 PM · LINK

Browsing Browsers

I've been playing with Mozilla Firefox, which is a new and free browser from some of the folks who once brought you the old Netscape browser. So far, it seems faster and easier to use than Microsoft Internet Explorer, though like all competitors, it lacks the universal interchange of I.E. If you're running Windows, you pretty much have to have Microsoft's browser on your computer and a lot of programs (Microsoft and otherwise) interface with it...but for just surfing about and reading websites, Firefox seems to have it beat...and unlike I.E., it does a fine job of blocking unwanted pop-ups.

The makers of Firefox also have a free e-mail program called Thunderbird with which I'm just beginning to tinker. I'll report back once I have an opinion of it.

• Posted at 11:07 AM · LINK

Another View...

Over on the Washington Post site, I just found this review of Fahrenheit 9/11 by Richard Cohen. Just to give you an idea of how conflicted I am about this movie, I found myself agreeing with most of this negative review...but I still enjoyed the picture. I think I'll sleep on this...

• Posted at 1:48 AM · LINK

Fahrenheit 9/11

Okay, I'm back from seeing the Michael Moore movie. I've posted my immediate thoughts in an essay over in the section we call NOTES from me.

• Posted at 1:37 AM · LINK

July 2, 2004 • Current • June 30, 2004