There is a place where the sidewalk ends…
December 21, 2010 1 Comment
Dear Jeebus Yoda Claus,
I know it’s only a couple days until Christmas, but I wanted to make sure you knew what to get me. I’ve been a very good boy all year long. What I want, out of the entire world is…
July 19, 2010 Leave a comment
This is an exciting week. Not only because it’s the one year anniversary for this blog…but also that it coincides with the biggest geek fest in the world: SAN DIEGO COMIC CONVENTION INTERNATIONAL!
Again, I am going into this unsure if I have a pass or not (though I have many leads working on it). This time my partner-in-Con will be Brandon, as a kinda farewell gift before he moves to the Philippines.
Here are the top 5 things I’m looking forward to this year:
1) Random acts of celebrity sightings. I only care about celebrities when they’re relevant to my life. Which is why I only care about them at Comic-Con. Last year I had people randomly walk past me (cast of The Big Bang Theory) and within visual sight (Olivia Munn). Really, there are only three people I really want to meet. Summer Glau, Kristen Bell, and Olivia Munn. I haven’t heard if Kristen Bell is going to be there, Summer Glau has a panel for her new NBC show, and Olivia Munn is usually around the G4 booth. Other than that, I’ll be okay with surprise run-ins while walking the floor.
2) Actually going to panels. The lines get long quick, so I’ll really have to be on point for this. I really want Brandon to go to the Tron panel. There’s a bunch of panels for TV shows (The Big Bang Theory), video games (Halo: Reach), and movies (Thor) I’d like to catch. There’s nothing like being in a room full of fellow fans getting excited about every little piece of spoiler information you have the privilege to receive.
3) Nerds Gone Wild! In cosplay. I’m excited to see who dresses as what. Who puts that extra effort. Who should have put less effort. Who should have came as something else. This is probably the best part of the convention.
4) Friday is Star Wars Day! Nuff’ said.
5) Sunday is the day for those looking for deals. All the big companies dump all their excess freebies. Booths are usually looking to unload all their stuff at reduced prices. Temptation is a big thing. A shrinking bank account is bigger. I look to find a healthy medium which allows me enough money to drive back home.
We’re still trying to compile our ideal Comic-Con schedule. There are also plenty of non-Comic-Con-related activities going on this well too. So I’m pretty sure no one is getting any sleep.
Last year I wanted to blog after each day. I won’t promise that this year seeing how that was an utter failure. But if I can, I will do my best. Check back!
But if you can’t go this year, G4 is going to have live coverage. It’ll be like you’re there without all the sweaty nerds!
June 28, 2010 Leave a comment
Now, this is the kind of pet I can get into! Enjoy.
June 28, 2010 1 Comment
San Diego Padres player Ryan Webb wears a "Star Wars" Yoda doll on his back before the Sunday, June 27, 2010 game in Miami against the Florida Marlins. (AP/ Photo/J Pat Carter)
If there’s one reason for me to be a Padres fan, this is one of them. Even one of my favorite sports team has some nerds on them!
Honestly, I wasn’t expecting much for the Padres this year. New owner. New GM. Payroll at an all-time low. Talks of trading our best ONLY offensive player and our closer. Everyone picking us to be in the basement of the NL West. Yes, it was another year of low expectations for the San Diego Padres.
But I’ll be the first to admit and say the team has really surprised me so far. 75 games into the season we’re:
June 23, 2010 Leave a comment
This was by far, my favorite trailer from E3. Their first one was already pretty awesome. The second one doesn’t disappoint.
I know the game play won’t look like this, but if a trailer’s job is to get people excited about a game: SOLD! And I don’t even play MMOs (massively multiplayer online game).
Even if you don’t play video games, just enjoy the visual awesomeness.
P.S.: I wonder when Luke is going to learn how to do the Jedi hadoken. I hope Yoda wrote down the code for that somewhere.
June 22, 2010 1 Comment
Of course someone had to do a psychological analysis of Darth Vader. Someone is always 1) that bored 2) that obsessed. But the the analysis is interesting (at least to me). I mean, you have to have some problems if your idea of punishment for your daughter not telling you a secret is to blow up her home planet or for your son not following your same path is to cut off his hand. I wouldn’t want to be Cader’s therapist.
I hope that we all realize that because he’s a science fiction character, he’s supposed to be fucked in the head. Darth Vader’s characteristics is more to drive story and interest, instead of following some sort of psychological profile built as a reaction to real human interaction.
I hope we all know that. Right?!
http://movies.yahoo.com/feature/buzz-log-darth-vaders-diagnosis.html
His enemies and underlings are painfully aware that Darth Vader is highly irritable and prone to bursts of anger. But until now, we don’t think anybody knew that the Dark Lord of the Sith may have suffered from borderline personality disorder.
According to a popular blog over at CNN, French researchers have concluded that Mr. Vader (aka Anakin Skywalker) has, at various times, exhibited six of the nine criteria for borderline personality disorder. To be diagnosed with BPD, you need only showcase five of the behaviors.
Just what are these traits? Well, there are the unstable moods that Vader suffers. One minute he’s happy because he sliced Obi-Wan Kenobi in half. The next, he’s all huffy that his subordinates let the Millennium Falcon escape. And when Vader ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy.
June 21, 2010 Leave a comment
If you don’t know, E3 is the Electronic Entertainment Expo. It’s an annual computer and video game trade show held at the LA Convention Center where companies show off their newest game titles and creations. It’s kinda like a Comic Con, except it’s only for folks involved in the industry (video game designers, producers, media, etc.).
I was pretty much glued to G4 last week watching E3 coverage. A lot of really good stuff came out of it, so much so that I just wasn’t able to grab my jaw off the ground and write about it.
But let’s hear from the people who were actually there.
I’m definitely looking forward to Rock Band 3 and the chance to have new instruments and even more people play together. I’ll give it to the creators, they’re really trying to keep people interested in the series.
But I don’t agree with “Too Many Sequels”. While I like seeing new and innovative games come out, I also like seeing where people can take already-established titles. It’s easy to get lazy and make a sequel stale. But I think with some upcoming games, the sequels can bring more innovation freshness than some new games. As long as there’s evolution.
Oh, and I might even consider getting a DS next year. 3-D? Are you forreal?!
http://videogames.yahoo.com/events/plugged-in/e3-2010-top-showstoppers-and-disappointments/1402833
by Ben Silverman and Mike Smith
It might be ‘game over’ for E3 2010, but gamers have plenty to look forward to. We saw a new Xbox 360 design from Microsoft, an impressive motion-control system from Sony, an absolute barnstormer of a show from Nintendo, and enough new games to keep us busy for years.
But while we were wowed by a few surprising announcements, several high-profile products were strangely MIA. Here are the top 5 surprises — and top 5 bummers — of the biggest video game spectacle of the year.
Think Sony is the king of 3D? So did we — until we got some face time with Nintendo’s newly unveiled 3DS handheld, the talk of E3.
Like everyone else, we were a bit skeptical of the company’s ability to cram a legit 3D experience into a handheld device without requiring special glasses or a pricey new TV.
Then we got our hands on the unit, and lo and behold, it’s a minor miracle. A simple slider lets users determine the intensity of the 3D effect; flick it to “full,” and the image suddenly gains depth, essentially rivaling the fancier 3D tech found in other devices but at a fraction of the cost. And it works incredibly well: from gunning down enemies in popular Nintendo space shooter Starfox to watching ‘How to Train Your Dragon,’ the handheld’s hi-res screen handles 3D effortlessly. It is, in a word, awesome.
Nintendo has yet to announce pricing (it’s due out in March 2011), but regardless of the specifics, the 3DS looks poised to bring 3D gaming to your life without obliterating your bank account.
The once-mighty music game genre has been limping along in the past year or so, but make no mistake: Rock Band 3 is on the case, and this time, it’s playing for real.
With two new guitar peripherals — one of which is a legit, six-string Squier Stratocaster that can be plugged into both your game console and your Marshall half-stack — developer Harmonix is hoping to give game geeks a real-world education. Not only can gamers learn how to play real guitar by plucking through the game’s ‘Pro mode’, but actual musicians can plug in and play through any of the game’s tracks alongside their plastic-peripheral-playing gamer friends. Bringing gamers and musicians together at last? Music to our ears.
May 17, 2010 Leave a comment
I must admit the sins of all sins: I have never read a Harry Potter book or watched the movies. It’s not anything against the franchise, I just never got into it. But having many friends obsessed with it, I’ll trust their judgment.
I also think this says something about the quality over quantity of the films. Some of those 007 films were just crap. All of the Harry Potter films have at least a 75% approval rating at Rotten Tomatoes. Never underestimate the power of a good movie.
Ironically speaking, I’m just glad that my favorite movie franchise is still up there, even with very crappy prequels. Nothing beats a very loyal fan base.
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by Mike Avila, Life’s Little Mysteries Contributor · May 13, 2010
The most successful movie franchise of all time is the “Harry Potter” series, which recently edged out another famous Brit: James Bond.
According to Box Office Mojo, the first six adaptations of J.K. Rowling’s beloved books have earned a staggering $5.4 billion worldwide, not adjusted for inflation.
The 22 films considered part of the official Bond canon (the 1967 spoof “Casino Royale” and the 1983 out-of-continuity “Never Say Never Again” don’t count) have earned an estimated $5 billion globally. But even if the earnings of those two films were included, it still wouldn’t be enough to put 007 on top.
May 17, 2010 3 Comments
During my blogging hiatus, some big nerd news came out. After a lengthy search, Paramount Pictures named actor Chris Evans for the role of Steve Rogers aka Captain America for the upcoming film, Captain America: The First Avenger.
If you remember, I did an entry about who was being considered for the role and my personal pick, Jason Lewis, won out on my poll. But looking at the rumor mills, he wasn’t even in the running. Too bad. Channing Tatum was supposedly one of the finalists and I would have thrown a brick at someone if he got it. A more established actor, John Kransinski from NBC’s The Office, was supposedly in the running and while I love him as an actor, I could never see him as Captain America. All I can imagine is him doing that funny smirk he always does while the Red Skull tries to kill him. And I guess Ryan Phillippe really wanted to do it. I would’ve been okay with that, if only to make his son proud of him.
From reading other blogs, message boards, twitters, facebooks, and other nerd outlets, many seemed to be skeptical about Evans as Capt. The main issue seems to be how he played Johnny Storm in the previous Fantastic Four movies:
I don’t like actors playing multiple characters in the same fictional universe as well. But, seeing as I’ve completely disowned those Fantastic Four movies because of their awfulness, his portrayal of Johnny Storm doesn’t exist…at least in my mind. But…then again, if he wasn’t able to pull off the first role, how can I entrust him with an even bigger role?
Overall, I’m very skeptical. But he’s Captain America now, for better or worse. I hope he can prove us nerds wrong. If he doesn’t…we’ll be calling for the ‘Death of Captain America‘ movie sooner than later.
What do you think?
February 17, 2010 1 Comment
Yesterday, my friend Vic sent me these Star Wars quizzes. Honestly, my knowledge is a bit rusty. I’ll watch the films when they randomly show on Spike and it’s been years since I read the books (yes, I used to read the books). I like to think that life has occupied more of my time these days and I’m not as obsessed as I was when I was a teenager (no really, I swear!).
But like a true fan of…anything really, the passion and knowledge never leave you. So if you feel bold enough, here are three quizzes I took yesterday. Have fun!
Oh, and I joked about how this would a part of the placement test for my future wife. I was only half kidding…guess that’s why I’m still single!
Can you name these Star Wars Planets and Moons?
http://www.sporcle.com/games/starwarsplanets.php
My score: 12 / 12
Can you name these characters from the ‘Star Wars’ movies?
http://www.sporcle.com/games/starwars_characters.php
My score: 30 /32
Can you name the things shown below from the Star Wars movies?
http://www.sporcle.com/games/starwarsstuff.php
My score: 20/20
On that note, my family got me this from Christmas:
I have no idea why…
