State of the Union

While Obama is telling his tales on the State of the Union speech, I decided
to write a blog update. I am really not that interested in politics at the
moment. For some reason it is all blah to me. It seems like the Dems can't
get their act together on anything and the Reps really don't offer any
alternatives. Us vs. them is the credo of the year and it looks like common
sense just doesn't count anymore. So, I am tuning out
Obamas speech or the following rebuttal that will follow.

So, it has been a couple of weeks since I came back from Germany and it is
still freaking cold here. Last weekend it was in the low 40s and one thought
spring was here. Not so fast, back in the teens today. Yippieh!!!!

Last week I had a chance to go the
Detroit Auto show. I haven't been to an
auto show in ages, so I figured it
should be fun. And it was. Since
I went after work, it wasn't very
crowded with no waiting to sit in
the cars. From the German side I
still like the Audis, I sat in a A5, S4,
and TTS. All very nice, with the S4 probably my favorite.
On the American side I was
hoping to get a closer look at the
Chevy Volt, but there only had
one on display with no chance
to get close or take a seat.
Too bad. Ford had probably
the most interactive display and
Chrysler/Fiat took top honors
in visual presentation.
They also had a special display
for electric cars, but they all
had a funky design mostly suitable
for running around the city only. That's why I like the idea of the Volt.
It is not the ultimate car, but it will move the electric car into
a new direction. Fun times.

It was also time for my annual trip to the Bollywood theater.
I went with some friends to see this Indian movie
'3 Idiots'. It's basically a comedy about 3 friends
in college. Besides the obvious jokes about the
life in engineering school, love story, and the
customary singing and dancing, the movie also
stroke a more serious tone at times, with one of
the main character questioning the educational
system, or showing the pressure students can
be exposed to. Overall, I thought it was a well made movie, with good
acting and a good storyline. My main complaint with Bollywood movies
is the length. With 3 hours running, including intermission, it is just
toooo long. You could easily move the story along at a better pace and
keep the running time under 2 hours. I give it 3 stars.

And, last but not least. Apple
announced the launch of the
IPAD today. It looks like a blown
up IPod touch. I don't know.
Unless they come up with some
surprises on the software,
I can not see myself buying one.
Maybe in a year or so,
when they added a camera and an OS that can run more than
one app at a time. Sorry Apple, I don't see much innovation here,
but I will check it out when it shows up in the stores. :)