The strip: News and notes for guys

FLOWER FINESSE

Guys are more likely to think "beer" than "flowers" when they hear of www.savedbythebud.com. That's a reason the Web site even exists. With Valentine's Day approaching, the webmasters at this irreverent guys-and-flowers site felt it time to address the issue that many men feel uncomfortable buying flowers. A new section for 2010, "You Need Professional Help," is a how-to guide for the florally challenged, offering easy-to-follow tips on how to work effectively with florists. The site speaks to men in terms they can understand, calling florists "the Navy SEALs and Army Delta Force of flora." Among the many strategic tips is why it matters to have the florist deliver. The answer: "Because delivery is powerful. It's dramatic and mysterious. Plus, when she receives flowers at work, there's an audience on hand." Maintained by the Netherlands Flower Bulb Information Center, the site welcomes all genders and marital statuses but focuses on single men as they have proven to be "the most c utterly and unabashedly clueless about flowers."

SCREEN SCENE

NOW SHOWING: "From Paris With Love"

Pierre Morel's revenge thriller Taken--which cast Liam Neeson as the ultimate overprotective papa--proved a surprise box-office hit last year and now the director unleashes another Paris-set action adventure, this one starring John Travolta and Jonathan Rhys-Meyers as a pair of international cops on the trail of a terrorist cell. Here's hoping it'll help us forget about Travolta's last film, the horrendous Old Dogs ...

-- McClatchy Newspapers

POP PICKS

LISTEN: The Soft Pack -- "The Soft Pack" (CD)

The Soft Pack's sound begins to delve into uncharted territory with "Pull Out" -- a track that cheekily supports the secession of California. The driving guitar line is ripped right out of the surf-rock playbook. Followed by "More or Less," a straight jangle-pop number, and the sinister-sounding tale of lost surfers in "Tides of Time," The Soft Pack maintains their '77-punk influences and miwlessly, with a bit of sunshine and saltwater. -- Saxon Baird

READ: "45," by Andi Ewington (COMIC)

"45" isn't so much an Original Graphic Novel as it is an essay on fatherhood, journalism and the medium of comics in the new century. The format of the comic book is as visually alluring as the story's premise is intriguingly simple. "45" is the equal of "Watchmen" or Frank Miller's estimable "The Dark Knight Returns," since it offers both a reformatting of expectations around the comics medium, and a credible and deep wrestling with the notion of the superhero. Buy it Feb. 10. -- Shathley Q

PLAY: "Dragon Age: Origins" (Xbox 360, Playstation 3, PC)

I've put over 100 hours into playing this, having fought, talked, and quested my way through two complete games. I'm addicted to all the choices that it offers and the serious consequences attached to them. It's full of minor faults, but I overlook them for a game that gets the big things right. This is my favorite application of a morality system in any game that I've played; I can make decisions based upon what I think is right and wrong for my characters rather than what I think would best "game" the system. -- Rick Dakan

-- PopMatters.com

TECH TALK

From computershopper.com, here are five free and useful programs for audio and video:

Audacity: Excellent audio stereo recording and editing program.

CDBurnerXP: Simple and powerful disc burner, will do Blu-Ray discs.

Handbrake: converts non-encrypted DVDs to mobile player formats.

VLC Media Player: My favorite all-purpose audio and video player.

WinAmp: A classic media player is back with new features.