In a rush to finish the book by October, I recently freed more time for writing by reducing my RDA of the Internet. Cold turkey is never a pretty approach to addiction treatment, and my habit verged on the severe. Sensitive to the likelihood of a relapse, consumption levels were stepped down down in a very methodical way. And the shock treatment helped.

But that’s all behind me. Now each time the web browser opens a loud voice says “No Internet for you today! You go write book now.” Yes, it is my own voice. Even the bad Chinese buffet manager accent.

I yell back that I need a break, the voice replies, “You go now!” No matter the argument, the voice always has the last word. I really hate that guy sometimes.

When the day is done, indulgences rule. Here’s a few sites for off the clock infotainment.

The Superficial A great source for the celebrities and sleaze. The front page is safe for work, but there may be links to materials unsafe in business settings.

Rate my Bunny How does your rabbit rank? Upload the picture and find out. Should be safe for work unless the moderators fell asleep at the wheel.

NNDB A massive, ever growing aggregator that tracks a select list of individuals the site owners consider significant. While much of the information is known and available in other formats, the site exposes relationships between those individuals that are easy to overlook. Fun for conspiracy buffs and packrats alike. Safe for work.

Review is coming soon….must continue writing…check back later….

Happy 4th of July! A movie review for the weekends blockbuster will appear Tuesday.

Sales of movie tickets are down this year and Hollywood is taking their ball home in a snit. Message to Hollywood � if Passion of the Christ was removed from consideration ticket sales were also down in 2004. This chasm that was box office profit, that shrinks by the weekend, isn’t exactly news.

Several theories might explain the two year decline. First, DVD’s arrive mere months after theatrical release. One expert makes the point that it’s not that people are seeing less movies, it’s that they are seeing them in different ways. That’s true in part, as DVD sales are steady. To many it’s a lot nicer watching in the privacy of their home, no lines, no commercials, cheaper food all of which dovetails into the second issue – the sorry state movie theater experience.

A four hundred and fifty pound woman testing out the recline feature of the seats against your knees while slobbering into a wheelbarrow of popcorn, and slapping her son all the way through the flick can only lead to great tragedy. Inconsiderate cellphone man? Why he’s next to me. Behind, a pack of teenagers kick my seat. Despite the obvious annoyances, I believe a third theory is the most likely culprit, that quality is down and consumers don’t perceive the benefit of the big screen.

As a hard core theater goer I do not say this lightly, but this season offers the smallest number of flicks I consider must see in years. This is the biggest reason the frequency of reviews dropped on the site. I still see a lot of movies; it’s difficult saying nice things about many of them. So I skip the review.

An endless stream of sequels, prequels, reverse engineered television series, half baked horror shows, and reality styled flicks have soured my taste buds. Yes, there’s commercials and steep concession prices, but neither bother me. Really, the commercials beforehand are no problem at all, I just show up 12 minutes after the film �starts�. I’ve yet to miss the final trailer before the flick. And food? What I can’t smuggle into the multiplex in my jacket and jeans, I eat later. I actually don’t mind the woman and her child yapping. However, I do mind when the film is weak.

A final theory for Hollywood. People who pay full price for movies have friends, email and telephones. Weak box office sales because of poor word of mouth and low quality eventually means weaker DVD sales.

America knows what it wants — less crap! Stop making crappy 70’s television shows into crappy movies. Except Wonder Woman. That one will be a smash.