The Movie:

Serendipity plays a large role in scientific discovery.  From Archimedesgetting into a bath and discovering the principle that bears his name toAlexander Fleming's noticing that a speck of mold on an old culture platekilled Staphylococcus bacteria many scientific advances have been the resultof accidents.  In Accidental Inventions, a DVD that feels likeit was intended for use in schools, 10 inventions that were stumbled uponby accident are discussed and explained.

This disc retells some interesting stories of discovery.  There'sthe tale of how Teflon was accidentally synthesized in a lab and then usedin making the first atomic bombs before it was ever utilized on the insideof a pan, how a melted chocolate bar near a piece of radar equipment ledto the first microwave ovens, and how it was discovered that Supergluecould ...Read the entire review

In 10 Words or Less
Pretty pictures on your TV...the non-moving kind

Reviewer's Bias*
Loves: Art, my big-ass TV
Likes: Museums
Dislikes: Black bars on my TV
Hates: Bad, "low-budget" design

The Show
I'd love to hang some beautiful classic art on my walls, but as I am not a millionaire, I have to settle for the nice watercolor print up in my living room. I can supplement the print though, with "Ambient Art," a DVD presentation of classic art. Much like those digital frames that flip your pictures for you, this disc turns your TV into a digital museum, flipping through some very well-known (and some more obscure) works of art by some very well-known impressionist painters, including Cezanne, Degas, Gauguin, Manet...Read the entire review

In 10 Words or Less
A video Valium

Reviewer's Bias*
Loves: My big-ass TV
Likes: A pretty landscape
Dislikes: Being bored, being calm
Hates: Bad, "low-budget" design

The Show
For my wife's first birthday after we were married, I bought her a noise generator, to help her sleep at night. Once we got a dog, she inherited the machine, to help her relax when we weren't home. Now, our daughter uses it to calm down. It's one of the reasons why I'm a big believer in the value of white noise.

This disc is the DVD version of the white noise machine, using quiet, reflective scenes or graphics, in combinatio...Read the entire review

In 10 Words or Less
Fire on your TV...without an insurance claim

Reviewer's Bias*
Loves: My big-ass TV
Likes: White-noise machines, a nice fire
Dislikes: Being bored, being calm
Hates: Bad, "low-budget" design

The Show
Once in every man's life, there comes a time when he wants to see things burn on TV. When you reach that time, here is the DVD to turn to. Nine scenes of fire, all backed by a trio of songs or just the natural sound of things burning. Everyone seems to enjoy watching the yule log burn at Christmas-time, so why not experience that joy 365 days a year?

The answer: because it's boring.

...Read the entire review

]]> DVD Video http://www.dvdtalk.comwww.dvdtalk.com/reviews/review/23712 Sat, 09 Sep 2006 05:13:08 UTC Recommended

In 10 Words or Less
Watch fish on your TV...yup

Reviewer's Bias*
Loves: My big-ass TV
Likes: Fish
Dislikes: Taking care of fish
Hates: Bad "low-budget" design

The Show
A while back, I reviewed a DVD called Naked Fish, which was a big disappointment, as it failed to be the virtual fish tank it was promoted as. Instead of converting your television into a tank, it just presented a Cousteau-style video of fish. So I was leery about wasting my time in approaching "Ambient Water." Once popping the disc in my DVD player and hitting play though, I found my fears were unfounded, as Vat19 did a nice job in bringing fish to my living room.

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