Amazon.com is selling Up (Single Disc Widescreen) version for $9.49 shipped. This is a $5 price drop from the classic price this movie has been retailing for. For those that haven't seen the movie yet it is a fantastically clever Pixar film about a grumpy old man who lines his house with balloons while taking off on adventure. Often with children's films I always find it important to figure out what age it is geared towards. I would say there are some advanced concepts later in the film - as to say this film does have notable villain. I would equate it to the first Toy Story movie in terms of its target age range. While I personally enjoyed the film, especially the redemptive themes, after viewing I decided the ending had concepts I would not want my toddlers viewing until I was able to explain or talk about the movie with them.

Amazon.com is selling Deadwood: The Complete Series for $74.99. This series stars Ian McShane and Timothy Olyphant. I'll admit I tried to get into this series, but ultimately I couldn't get into it. This show has a loyal fan base, but the thing that turned me off on the show was the forced profanity. The show just sounds as if they added words like c***suckers every few sentences just to remind us it was an HBO show and they could say whatever they wanted. I don't not if I have ever found more annoying character in all of my TV viewing then a woman in this series who acts like a cowboy-tomboy and uses c***suckers literally every other word.

If you disagree with my thoughts of the show I'd love to hear your opinion. Again this show had loyal followers. It's rated at 4 and a half stars out of 5 on Amazon.com. So my opinion is in the minority. More specifically it's a great deal at this price point.

If you live by a Costco, but don't have a membership now is a great time to become a member. Costco is offering over $50 worth of freebies and coupons for new sign ups. You get the coupon by typing coupon code smartsave at checkout with a $50 Gold Card or smartsaveEX for a $100 Executive membership (which pays you 2% back on your annual purchases).

If you have never been a member of Costco it's a bulk warehouse store it's known for great prices and having the best return policy of any business. I will admit I have returned several items that were over a year old at Costco before, well used, and without receipt. Each of these cases the product didn't live up to its warranty and Costco took them back without complaint. Costco is also known for their product quality and for paying their employees fairly. If you have been a member of Sam's Club or other warehouse stores you'll find some similarities because they have all copied the original Price Club-Costco model, and in my humble opinion fail to equal them in return policy, product quality, and produce.

Amazon.com is selling the show Six Feet Under: The Complete Series for $67.99. Before Sopranos really staked its ground, Six Feet Under was the HBO show everyone was talking about. It features a great cast of Peter Krause, Michael C. Hall, and Michael St. Patrick.

The show itself is about a family run funeral home - that is also their actual home. The show immediately starts with the dad who has built the funeral home from the ground up - dying. Leaving it to his three children and wife to fill the void. This sets the central theme of the show - dealing with death. It's without a doubt a dark show. Each episode begins with a death (usually gruesome). The person who dies usually ties into the story line. The other underlying theme of this show is sexual issues. It deals with some issues that most shows don't touch on. You have a brother and sister who at times who seem too close, homosexual partners and coming out of the closet, a teenager becoming sexually aware, affairs, and even sexual disfunction. While there is tons of depth to this show, and many considered the shows finale the gold standard of how a finale and show should conclude, death and sexual issues are central themes to the show and if those are topics you have no interest in - avoid spending your money on this series.

However, if you like dark subject matters, this show very well could interest you.

LeapFrog's Fridge Farm Magnetic Animal Set is currently on sale through Amazon.com for $10.00. Our Children actually have this fridge farm and it's a great little toy. It is designed to encourage children to put two pieces together to make a farm animal. When they get it right our kids will often break out in dance when the toy sings a little jingle in celebration. When you get it wrong like for example pairing a Duck front with a Cow back the fridge farm starts to joke around with the child explaining "how silly a Duck-Cow is" or whatever odd animal pairing they make. This is by far one of our kiddos favorite toys. The lowest price we could find for this item from another seller was $14.85 as of this posting.

The Best Live TV Streams Article Cheat Sheet:
Justin.TV:  
Pro's lots of feeds, can usually find what you want at any time.
Con's: Feed quality suffers, ad laden, spam laden, vulgar chat rooms.

Ustream.TV:
Pro's: Justin.TV without as much spam and the chatrooms seem more civil.
Con's: Suffers from many of the same issues as Justin.TV as they basically run the same code. They are slightly better though, but usually are packed with international feeds.

TVU Player:
Pro's: High quality dedicated player.
Con's: They keep the links to their feeds up, even when they are down.

Veetle.com (our pick):
Pro's: Only allow high quality feeds on their site, they have a dedicated and high quality player.
Con's: Limited selection due to their screening process.


    The new era of the internet growth is streaming TV. While there are many services which now offer individual shows, movies, and sporting events on demand, a smaller grouping of websites offer live streaming TV. Now the only major American network to really put big money behind this concept is ESPN with their ESPN 360 network. However they exclude far to many households and ISPs to be rated as the best content provider on the internet. If you're one of the lucky American's that has access to their feed, take advantage of it.


   There are other services which allow users to provide the feeds... Justin.TV is an example of this, but the video quality often suffers as a result of its openness. Justin.TV also has spam feeds and advertising issues - along with feeds that pretend to be one thing, only to end up being another. The popular TVU player is a blend, however they keep the channels listed even when the feed is down which can get annoying. Ustream.tv is a decent feed but suffers from many of the same problems as Justin.tv and it seems to be dominated by international feeds.


   Personally my overall favorite is Veetle.com. They seem to have a screening process that demands high quality feeds. I've yet to see a bad feed on the network. Their player itself is in my opinion both the most simple, and highest quality available. The only problem with Veetle is the lack of abundant feeds, but I think this is due to them being picky on what they put up, so when you do see an interesting feed the quality won't let you down.


But don't take my word for it. Check out vettle here: http://www.veetle.com/

     It is easy to look back at your own childhood and remember how children's programing was better back then and usually this is the case. Word World is an exception to the rule however. The concept of the show is both simple and brilliant, everything in Word World is created by letters coming together to build words. So when you see a pig in Word World, it's not the simple drawn pig you would come to expect but a pig drawn within the letters that spell pig.

   Another part of the shows greatness is by building their show around this concept they are provided more creative freedom and less obvert educational moments. Unlike a Dora, Blues Clues, or Super Why which have awkward pauses where they try and interact with the viewer (often with children's silence on the other end), Word World keeps a fluid story line. Plots usually revolve around a minor crisis in Word World where the characters have to figure out what word they need to build to solve the problem.

   The first season of Word World seemed to revolve around 7 characters: Ant, Pig, Dog, Sheep, Bear, Frog, and Duck, but you can tell the creators have made a conscious decision to include a greater array of characters in the second season. This was a wise move, as the design of the characters themselves is an educational instrument. You are not simply adding another character when putting a shark, a monkey, a crab, or an elephant on the show, but you are introducing children to the actual spelling of those words.

   There are a few ways to enjoy Word World. The free option is to check out your local PBS stations listings for the show here. Secondly the show does have some of its episodes available here at Amazon.com. Third if you are adamant about your children not watching any TV at all, their toys can accomplish many of the educational delights the show itself provides and can be purchased here from Amazon.com.

While I have been hyping up Flash Forward, Glee has been the smash hit of the early fall season... and it has little to do with the actual merits of the show. A long long time ago, an ABC executive noticed the passionate following of the show Survivor. The story goes he came up with the concept of a TV drama based loosely on the Survivor concept. After many writes and rewrites... ABC hit one out of the park with Lost.

Now Glee is no Lost. Far from it. But what Glee is, is an American Idol drama series. High schoolers trying to make it into the big time, a theoretical all odds against them type of show... However this is just one of the many problems of Glee... You see Glee also has another market to consider besides just its TV audience - the coveted ITunes and Amazon MP3 market. So the story line is busy telling you there needs to be vocal growth and that these bad news bears just don't have what it takes to win the Glee Club Nationals... yet on the other hand everything they are signing is album quality [and after each show airs... the songs are on Amazon MP3, downloadable for about a buck].

The underlying feeling of this show, is it's trying to do too much: Comedy, Musical, Drama, Feel Good TV,  A top seller on ITunes and Amazon MP3, etc, etc, etc.

The demands of a lengthy TV season (26 episodes) essentially makes it implausible for the show to do it all well - heck the drop in quality after the first two episodes has been severe. They'll focus on the music however, because they have discovered a gold mine (well over a million downloads in their first 5 weeks on Itunes alone), and continually suffer in all other aspects vital in great television shows. This show will be around for the long haul, and have a massive audience... but I won't be one of them. My wife on the other hand.....

If you would like to see an example of characters pretending they are behind and need to practice, just before they belt out something better then 90% of the stuff MTV plays on the regular... enjoy:

Overview
    We all develop certain brand loyalties. Yes we still will buy generic here and there, but sometimes a company makes a product so superior to the competition that time and time again we choose them over alternative brands. Lamaze when it comes to toys for our children is a brand my wife and I feel that way about. First Lamaze toys are made in America (an unfortunate rarity these days). This is significant for parents and caretakers who are trying to avoid products from countries that don't have the regulations to assure product safety. In the last 2 years there has been an explosion of toy recalls. Lamaze however maintains its pristine reputation while other companies fall by the wayside.


    Another thing to like about Lamaze toys is that they seem to do a great job growing up with your children. At birth you can hook on a Lamaze toy to a baby car seat bar, or a bouncer, swing, playmat, etc. Why you'll prefer these over other clipable toys is the quality of the clips they use. Each of their dolls and stuffed animals have clips that can withstand much more for then its piers. So instead of your baby removing the toys from whatever item you clip them on at 6-12 months, and possibly losing them in the process... 2 year olds will still struggle to unclip these toys when you want them attached somewhere.

   Durability and design are the last two major selling points for my wife and I. Lamaze toys feature hidden mirrors, squeaky buttoms, crinklely areas, pullable elastic, vibrant colors, unique shapes, and more. Also the fabric used seems to withstand stain better then cheaper products.

• What we like

1. Made in America
2. Self life for the toys themselves (lasting through multiple developmental stages)
3. Durability - these toys can take a beating
   
4. Design - hidden mirrors, squeaky buttoms, crinklely areas, pullable elastic, vibrant colors, unique shapes, etc
5. Strong and big clips, one of those features you don't know what you're missing until you get it.
6. Price - usually made in America also means it has a high markup, but Lamaze offers a great product for a reasonable price.

• What can be improved

1.  We wish they had a larger book collection. Their books might be their best products, but there are only a limited number of titles.
2. They have started to make a few of their toys sans their fantastic clips. Usually you find such examples few and far between, but I have seen a couple out there without their premium clips.
3. We would like a larger catalog of toys you can build with.
   

• Our 10 Favorites
  

• The Final Verdict 

Great American made products, at a fantastic price. We think this one is a no brainer.

•  Our Overall Score 93/100 
  

For more reviews and information about Lamaze products click here

Helen Wall is the author of this article. If you want to listen to more about how to improve your mind, visit www.audiobooksbonanza.com and click on the Self Help category for a wide range of titles from top publishers.

For more details on this product visit Amazon.com by clicking here.

It's a common question asked of science fiction fans - "Why do you read that stuff?" I've always found the best answer is to pick a great title and tell your friend to try reading it.

Of course, the right book depends a great deal on your friend's personality. Take a roommate I had in college. She wanted to figure out what it was about science fiction that held my attention so, and asked me to let her borrow "Stranger in a Strange Land".

I gave her "Starbridge" by A.C. Crispin. Why?

This was a very quiet girl. Innocent. She changed her clothes in the bathroom because she didn't want anyone to see her getting dressed. Can you imagine her reading "Stranger in a Strange Land"?

"Starbridge" worked perfectly. She was shocked, utterly and completely shocked that there could be sex in science fiction. I didn't want to scare her completely off, fun as it might have been, by exposing her to anything more intense than the mild scene in "Starbridge".

And yes, I laughed.

Of course, "Stranger in a Strange Land" is not something I would hand to most people for their first exposure to science fiction. Heinlein may be one of the great authors, but some of his works aren't for the unprepared.

One of the first things to think about is whether to recommend a book that is more science fiction or more fantasy. The two get so intertwined, and which is really better can depend on what your friend is most likely to enjoy.

The first thing to do is go through your own collection. Knowing your friend, which is the most appropriate to hand over? There's probably something.

If nothing comes to mind right away, I recommend starting out by thinking of some of the more popular authors. "Ender's Game Gift Edition (Ender Quartet)" by Orson Scott Card may be a good choice. Same for "Nightfall" by Isaac Asimov.

The thing to consider is what kind of books, movies or television shows your friend likes already. Science fiction novels can have aspects of any other kind of fiction. The friend who loves historical novels may enjoy alternative histories. The romance reader may be more likely to enjoy the fantasy side of science fiction. The technology buff may enjoy hard science fiction.

Make your selection based on what you think your friend would like, unless you want to try to shock them. Many people are surprised to find out that science fiction novels aren't all ray guns, bug eyed monsters and rockets that can make U-turns.

Stephanie Fosters shares her thoughts at www.sciencefictionado.com/ about her favorite science fiction.

For more details on these books, find reviews of them by clicking here to visit Amazon.com

Our Review
What we like about the viliv S5 Promotion Series S5 Premium 3GP Netbook

• Ultra-portable, one of the few handheld netbooks on the market.
• Incredible balance between battery life and power (speed)
  
• Runs Windows XP
  
• 720p HighDef video playback
  
• Runs extremely quietly
  
• Easy to customize and accessorize.
  
• Incredible 200-hour standby time.
• Product has Wifi, Bluetooth, and GPS receiver.
  

What can be improved with the viliv S5 Promotion Series S5 Premium 3GP Netbook

• You'll pay a top of the line price for top of the line innovation.
• Not as Linux and Mac friendly as some netbooks available.

The Final Verdict on the viliv S5 Promotion Series S5 Premium 3GP Netbook
    When looking at this device, you are looking at the future of netbooks. The market is headed in this direction within the next 2-3 years. That being said there are netbooks which we currently have come to expect as the standard for cheaper. You are paying the extra amount for nano-size, innovation, and power. If you want the best of the best and to have something top of the line, this is something to consider. But don't take our word for it, feel free to check out even more reviews by clicking here to visit Amazon.com.

Our overall score: 87/100


Technical details

• 1.33GHZ Intel Processor
• DDR2 533MHz 1GB
• 32GB Solid State Drive
• Windows XP Home edition, 7 Hours Battery Life
• 4.8-inch WXVGA (1024X600) Touch screen