Epinions Recent Reviews for cynicalone

What was life like before Tivo? Sorry, I forgot.

Sat, 2 Nov 2002 04:44:35 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author cynicalone - I may have been late to the revolution. But now that I'm here, there's no turning back. That's right... despite being a gadget freak of sorts, I'm a late adopter. I didn't buy a CD player 'til 88, and it wasn't until 2000 that I bought a DVD player,...

Sid Meier's Civilization for Macintosh: Civilization III for Mac: Buddy, can you spare a month?

Sat, 31 Aug 2002 13:22:25 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author cynicalone - Earlier this month -- or maybe it was last month, I've lost all track of time -- the latest incarnation of "Civilization" was released for the Mac. If gamers, rather than savvy marketing folks gave games their names, Civilization 3 would be...

The Magic Castle: Odds are that YOU will never get to see the Magic Castle

Sat, 31 Aug 2002 12:36:47 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author cynicalone - "You WHAT?" my date squawked, "I've lived here ten years and I've never gotten to go there!"

While the squawking and uncontained jealousy should have been clues that the evening wasn't going to be as pleasant as I'd hoped, the...

Stronghold for Windows: Stronghold: Another big time suck, but an entertaining one

Fri, 30 Aug 2002 20:10:03 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author cynicalone - I've always been fascinated -- to the point of obsession, now and then -- with simulation games. Not flight simulators, but multi-dimensional simulation/strategy games that include elements of economics, diplomacy, military strategy, technological...

Stop just driving by -- give Louise's Trattoria a try

Thu, 29 Aug 2002 03:49:14 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author cynicalone - Many a restaurant reviewer has undoubtledly asked him or herself what makes a good restaurant. And no, I don't mean "great" restaurant. Because that's easy. Greats are the ones you are talking about until next week. The ones you send others to. The...

L.A.'s Twin Dragon: I've found my "regular" Chinese haunt

Mon, 26 Aug 2002 21:44:57 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author cynicalone - I wish there was some architectural criterion that would give away a restaurant's quality. No, not something specific like "all the places with doric columns are just fantastic!" More like, "Gee, that's a nice building. The restaurant inside it will...

Katsu-Ya: Studio City's best sushi -- for now

Mon, 26 Aug 2002 05:19:59 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author cynicalone - One thing I've learned since moving to L.A. is that the geographic divides are every bit as forceful as... well, I was going to say the Maginot Line, but that's a bad example. The Berlin Wall in its heyday -- that's a better example. L.A. folks simply...

Hungry? If you don't have a Jewish Grandmother handy, stop by Art's Deli.

Tue, 20 Aug 2002 04:15:35 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author cynicalone - Long before I knew about the famous (and famously overpriced) delis of New York City, I was a big fan of Art's. I've been visiting this top-notch Studio City deli for more than 20 years, and I can't recommend it highly enough.

Located at...

Clinique assimilation complete: 3rd in a series

Mon, 19 Aug 2002 14:18:04 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author cynicalone - Post Shave Healer isn't technically part of the Men's 3-Step system (which, of course, is different than the two-step system of dancing... but y'all knew that, right?). However, when I made my daring visit to the men's fragrance/skin care counter, the...

You will be assimilated, part deux

Sat, 17 Aug 2002 16:28:03 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author cynicalone - Do not even bother reading this review if you've not read part one, the review immediately before this one. Go back now.

OK, if you've made it to this point you have read of the pain and humiliation (imagined as it may be) of my visit to the...

You will be assimilated.

Sat, 17 Aug 2002 05:35:53 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author cynicalone - Guys have it easy, right? We don't have the whole period thing or the whole pregnancy thing. We're not the ones that have to be responsible and maintain self-control in highly charged sexual situations. And, most of all, we don't have to buy all those...

Clancy sends a young Jack Ryan to hunt the Red Rabbit

Fri, 16 Aug 2002 05:24:17 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author cynicalone - Finally, finally... Tom Clancy realized that there's nothing more that he can do with Jack Ryan as President of the United States. So, for his latest thriller, Red Rabbit, Clancy goes back to Ryan's early days, setting the story between Patriot...

A G-Man's Journal: A Legendary Career Inside the Fbi--From the Kennedy Assassination to the Oklahoma City Bombing: Is this author a hero, or is he just playing one in his book?

Sat, 10 Aug 2002 15:47:05 GMT

rating: 3/5 by: Epinions Author cynicalone - A G-Man's Journal by former Special Agent Buck Revell, takes the reader through Mr. Revell's colorful career, from the 60s to the 90s, with the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Having read a great deal about the Bureau over the past few...

The best Italian restaurant in L.A. you've never heard of

Thu, 8 Aug 2002 16:47:56 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author cynicalone - Tucked in a rather unassuming space below a West Hollywood office building, Madeo is one of the area's hidden treasures. The key word here is "hidden." Unlike the many trendy Italian eateries in L.A., this one doesn't have the fancy storefront, red,...

JetBlue Airways: JetBlue: An airline that gets it.

Sun, 4 Aug 2002 03:18:50 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author cynicalone - I don't like Southwest Airlines. I admit it. Please don't hurt me.

I know that there is much to like about Southwest. First, the flight attendants are generally younger and better looking than, say, United, where all the longer flights are...

Hertz: Hertz: ALMOST NeverLost, and other issues

Wed, 17 Apr 2002 11:09:37 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author cynicalone - Although I have an excellent internal compass (and an innate ability to remember from which direction the sun rises and sets), I often need a little extra help with driving directions. So I've made Hertz my rental car company of choice, because it's the...

James Patterson, you greedy bastard!

Sun, 10 Mar 2002 13:25:43 GMT

rating: 2/5 by: Epinions Author cynicalone - MEMORANDUM TO: James Patterson

FROM: A disappointed reader

SUBJECT: 2nd Chance

Mr. Patterson, I have just completed 2nd Chance, your latest "novel." You will certainly recall how I chided you for, upon publication...

Fairfield Inn and Suites by Marriott Boca Raton: Fairfield Inn & Suites Boca Raton: Hello, front desk? Hello?

Wed, 6 Mar 2002 12:18:36 GMT

rating: 3/5 by: Epinions Author cynicalone - I've come to expect so little from most hotels, that I am genuinely surprised when they disappoint. It takes a lot of work to do that, and yet some places obviously put in that extra effort. But I have to respect that. It's effort, after all, and you...

US Airways: Forget seatbelts... US Airways should offer gags

Mon, 4 Mar 2002 22:50:18 GMT

rating: 3/5 by: Epinions Author cynicalone - I know way too much about airlines. And not the "I'm sitting next to the galley and hear the flight attendants talking about their latest rendezvous" kind of too much. I mean I actually know a lot about it. Part of that is because I fly a lot. Part...

Dennis Lehane, you are my hero

Mon, 4 Mar 2002 19:31:04 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author cynicalone - Just when I thought I had enough authors in my "regular reading" list, Dennis Lehane is recommended to me. It took a couple months 'til I got around to buying the first book in this series -- also his first book -- A Drink Before the War...

InFocus LP 335V DLP Projector: Two-year-old digital projector still outshines the competition

Mon, 18 Feb 2002 18:10:05 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author cynicalone - If you're in the market for a digital projector, and you will use it away from your office, I highly recommend the InFocus LP335 "Dragonfly." It's not the newest projector out there, and it's not longer the smallest. But the price has come down...

Uniden EXI7926: Feature-packed 2-line 900mHz cordless phone

Fri, 15 Feb 2002 14:32:42 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author cynicalone - Talk talk talk. That's me, in a nutshell. Not to say I'm ALL talk, but I certainly do my share of it -- especially on the phone. So phone equipment is important to me. And while this isn't the NEWEST phone out there -- the 2.4's take that honor --...

Hart's War: Not much heart, not much war.

Wed, 13 Feb 2002 19:00:06 GMT

rating: 3/5 by: Epinions Author cynicalone - The entertainment industry fascinates me, especially the marketing and publicity end of it. So I pay a little extra attention to movie and TV marketing campaigns. This extra attention paid to the voluminous TV buy for Hart's War has me utterly...

How to Make a Living As a Travel Writer: What?! It's possible to make actual money writing travel reviews?

Sun, 10 Feb 2002 23:16:45 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author cynicalone - Imagine my confusion when I saw How to Make a Living As A Travel Writer staring back at me from the shelves at Border's. For the last year, I assumed that no self-respecting publication would pay more than a few cents a month for witty, original...

Nikon's F100 is a powerful, versatile professional SLR -- can you handle it?

Fri, 8 Feb 2002 12:49:41 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author cynicalone - I finally made the leap and bought a Nikon F100. As cameras go, this was phenomenally expensive -- over $1,000. Just writing that many zeros to the right of a comma hurts. But then, thankfully, I remember what it feels like to use this Nikon, and my...