Luke Judge

Text messages – we have unlimited texting…….

Movie Theater popcorn – don’t go to movies much anymore. BIG RIPOFF

Free Credit Reports that cost money – been there, done that……$14/mo to “monitor”….no thanks..

Brand name pain killers – I use store brand Ibuprofen, and generic RXs.

Wine in restaurants – Don’t go to restaurants much, and when I do I don’t drink, unless it’s a beer or a margarita at a mexican restaurant. Olive Garden is generous with their wine…….but I can buy a bottle and take it home much cheaper!!!

College Textbooks – Chegg.com. we have saved close to $1,000 by renting college textbooks. The books are in great condition, and they plant a tree for every book you rent. Plus they send you everything you need in order to return the books, on Chegg’s dime……

Super Gasoline – I go to BP, but get the “regular”…….have to pay for gas, have to get to work…..

Hotel mini bars – NOPE, I take my own……

Hotel in-room movies – again, I don’t go to too many hotels……and when I am at a hotel, I very rarely watch tv……

So there ya go……..

But to me, Insurance is THE BIGGEST ripoff out there……you HAVE to have it, by law you are required to have it on your car, and you have to have it on your home, if you own. BUT make a claim, and suddenly you are high risk and they will cancel you…….

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I’m surely not the only one who remembers the bitter aftertaste of January, 2009, when Christopher Nolan’s bleak, brilliant the Dark Knight was snubbed an Oscar nomination. one of the most popular and critically lauded films of the year, all but ignored on nomination morning, there was something of an open revolt online: How could the Academy screw this one up?

(More at Techland: The 10 most Best Sci-Fi Films of the Decade)

Shortly after the 2009 awards, the Academy attempted to quell the unrest: they expanded the best picture category to include 10 nominees, in theory allowing voters to avoid skipping over as many prominent works. those new rules took effect last winter, with 10 nominees. Now, one year later, Christopher Nolan – the man whose snub started it all – finally appears to be getting his due.

Inception — the mind bending dream thriller that had me fawning back last summer — was a prominent name mentioned in Tuesday morning’s Oscar nominations. Alongside the likes of the Facebook film the Social Network (which Techland also loved) and nerdy best actor nominee Jesse Eisenberg, it might even be safe to say that there will be a healthy geek/fanboy contingent at the 2011 awards.

Yes, Inception came up big in eight different categories Tuesday morning: Best picture, screenplay (I’ll be writing more in the lead up to the Oscars about what Nolan’s script gives away about the film’s much-debated ending) music, art design, cinematography, sound editing, sound mixing and visual effects.

Given how reluctant the Academy usually is to reward summer blockbusters, or to honor sci-fi (remember that Star Wars lost people), Inception’s turnout Tuesday seems like something a coup. what do you think: Deserved? Overkill? A public apology to the Dark Knight contingent.

More at Techland: 10 Mac Store Apps to Get You Started

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