"Ali" -- what an incredibly disappointing movie. Nearly three hours of tedium punctuated by the occasional overlong fight scene. And speaking of overlong, what was with that endless run through the streets of Africa? Talk about a filmmaker indulging himself. There were many scenes like that, shots of Ali doing the same thing over and over again or just looking dour--for minutes at a time! As an avid kickboxer, I really wanted to enjoy "Ali," to learn something about one of boxing's most colorful and controversial characters. The only time that happened was during Will Smith's handful of scenes with Jon Voight, who did an incredible turn as Howard Cosell. But this movie is an hour longer than it needs to be and not nearly as illuminating as it could have been.

Had the chance to speak at the Detroit Palm User Group meeting last week--my third appearance in as many years. What a fun and lively group! What really amazed and impressed me was that out of the 40 or so people in attendance, half were women. I bet you wouldn't find numbers like that in any other UG, which are traditionally male-geek affairs. Much credit obviously goes to Tracy Dreslinski, the group's tech-savvy leader.