Remember how we told you the last few weeks about our cool, new iPhone App? It's still available and it's still free so, if you haven't already, click your way over to the App store and get it today.
In the meantime, it's another week and we've got another round of suggestions, testimonials and tips from the gang in the OnMilwaukee.com Editorial Office.
Here are a few of our favorite things this week:
"Avatar" at the IMAX -- Seeing "Avatar" in a regular theater and seeing it on a massive IMAX screen are two different experiences. It took me a couple of minutes to adjust to the six-story-tall screen -- in fact, a couple of times I had to shut my eyes for a couple of seconds to avoid visual overload -- but once I adjusted, I was completely enveloped in the experience, especially the flying and forrest scenes. "Avatar" shows at the IMAX through May 2. Go to mpm.edu/imax for more info. -- Molly Snyder Edler
Make it @ Home app -- Grocery shopping can be a daunting task for anyone planning meals and shopping for a family. Until recently, my grocery lists have been scribbled on scrap paper all willy nilly. Nothing was in any sort of order and I'd spend way too much time scanning my list and crossing items off in each section of the store. But I wanted order and finally I've got it. I downloaded the Make it @ Home app for my iPhone, which lets you easily create grocery lists from a pre-made database of food and other items as well as add your own custom foods to the database for future use. Everything is separated into its appropriate section -- produce, baking, spices, breakfast items -- and it honestly makes my shopping excursions a heck of a lot more efficient. Technically, it's made by Walmart, but it's not like you have to use it at a Walmart. And if you don't like it, download a different one. There are tons to choose from. -- Julie Lawrence
Following Dave Hill on Twitter -- I'm not sure if he's a comedian, a musician or both. I just know that Dave Hill is a damn funny dude. Check out his tweets @mrdavehill and you'll see pearls like "I'm starting a movement today -- in my pants" and "Watching "Sober Houst." Heidi Fleiss just tested positive for being a skank." And, "Now everyone on "Sober House" is just hanging out in the jacuzzi while smoking just like normal people do." -- Drew Olson
Vince Guaraldi -- "Peanuts Portraits: The Classic Character Themes" (Fantasy Records) -- Everyone knows jazz pianist Guaraldi's music written for the animated "Peanuts" shows. For some, they are the soundtrack of an American youth. Here, Guaraldi's musical characters sketches are compiled for the first time. To his nine works are added two written by Guaraldi, but recorded much later by New Age pianist George Winston. The opener, "Linus & Lucy," is the famous one. The rollicking one you think of when you think about "Peanuts" music. But others may be less familiar. "Sally's Blues" is classic jazz with an expressive saxophone solo and walking bass line and "Blue Charlie Brown (Version #2)" is a funky, guitar-fueled soul jazz number. Recorded in 1972 and '4, "Peppermint Patty," "Charlie's Blues (variation)" and "Joe Cool" have electric piano and is of its time. Of course, there are also tunes linked to Snoopy, Schroeder and Woodstock here. And liner notes that delve deep into the psyches of these familiar cartoon friends. What a trip down memory lane. -- Bobby Tanzilo
Office2 HD for the iPad -- After about a day with the new iPad, I realized that this revolutionary tablet was missing one huge piece of functionality: it can't create or edit Google Docs, effectively cutting business users off from the "cloud." It's because of a petty spat between Apple and Google that is only hurting consumers, and perhaps someday, it will be resolved. In the meantime, enter Office2 HD, a $7.99 App that bridges the gap, more or less. Its interface isn't as slick as a native Apple product (though it's as least as pretty as anything Google creates), and set up isn't incredibly intuitive. But mostly, it works. You can create and edit and sync your Google Docs, and you can also work with Word, Excel and MobileMe iDisk files. The version that was available (until April 20) occasionally corrupted some of my Google Docs files, which is bad. But the developer told me the bug was because Google changed a parameter, and they released an update that has yet to break anything for me. Again, this isn't a perfect solution, since to steal a line from Apple, the iPad should just work. But until it does, a mere $8 turns the iPad into a viable business tool. For me, it's money well spent. -- Andy Tarnoff
Paprika on french fries -- This will come as a shock to few who know me, but I love paprika. The scent of it reminds me of amazing aromas bursting out from my great-grandmother's kitchen and, now that I can cook, I find myself using this red powder regularly -- and on any number of dishes. Sprinkled into grilled cheese? You bet. A dash on top of a frozen pizza? Delicious! But recently, I ordered a basket of fries from one of my regular haunts and discovered the extra zest came from good old paprika. Why it took me this long to put two and two together is beyond me but once again, paprika, you've rocked my gypsy soul. -- Andrew Wagner
