Links of the Day

Rachel Nichols as Scarlett Poster - Honestly only posting about it cause have a crush on the lovely Rachel Nichols and she looks outstanding in this poster for the upcoming G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra movie.

Franken Officially Wins Minnesota Senate Seat - After probably millions in legal bills and 8 months of waiting, Democrat Al Franken is now officially the Senator from Minnesota after the state Supreme Court ruled in his favor and the Republican governor signed the certificate of election. Starting tonight, Republicans will use the "filibuster proof" majority as proof that socialism, communism, and end times are coming.

Best Nude Scenes in Games - Rather strange looking versions of human nudity in video games. Sure some like it, I just find it bizarre especially a naked dude doing cartwheels.

Video Game - E3 2009 - X-Play

Alvin and the Chipmunks 2 Trailer - Yep a new movie is coming, "The Squeakquel" that re-introduces the Chipettes to the next generation of fans.

Movie Trailers - Movies Blog

Billy Mays Tribute - From G4's Attack of the Show, a small tribute to the late great pitchman Billy Mays.

Video Games - E3 2009 - Attack of the Show

Pirate Bay Dead? - The Pirate Bay has been sold for $7.7 million to a gaming company and plans to become a legit P2P service by introducing a decentralized way of not hosting torrent files. Long story short, the Pirate Bay as we know it will probably cease to exist by the end of August as the company tries to turn it into a money making enterprise which you can't do without first making moves to appease the RIAA and MPAA.

Watchman's Maximum Movie Mode - If didn't have a reason to get a Blu-ray player before you might now as the snippet of footage at the link above from an extra feature of Watchmen: Director's Cut shows information rich possibilities. I live commentaries and behind the scenes stuff (which it isn't just an butt kissing fest of the stars).

Links of the Day

Billy May, Pitchman, Dead at 50 - Sunday morning, famed pitchman and co-star of Discovery Channel's Pitchmen, was found dead by his wife. The autopsy report indicates he died due to heart failure, not a head injury as many news stories inferred. I watch his show and he seemed like a cool guy and pretty anyone that has stayed up late knows the face and loud happy voice. Condolences to his family. Image from here.

Oscar Rule Changes - Next year’s telecast of the Oscar's could have as high as 10 best movie nominees and zero best song due to rule changes. The song changes essentially requires the songs to be judged based on how they are used as a part of the movie rather then added as Oscar bait for the end credits. Considering how songs have been replaced with orchestration or older (cheaper) songs, it means that the possibilities are high that no one will get nominated.

Fall 2009 Premiere Dates - Click the link for a day by day breakdown for the premiere dates of the new fall season on the five major networks starting with the CW on September 8th.

Supreme Court rules in Favor of White Firefighters - In a surprise to no one, the Supreme Court rules 5-4 that white Connecticut firefighters were unfairly denied promotions. The promotions when it discovered that no minorities had passed the required exams. The Court said that it could not be proven that discrimination had occurred (nor was a case made on how the test was unfair to minorities). This is a rare recent case where I agree with the court. Tests shouldn't be re-written just to increase the odds of a certain group passing. While they should be written to be as neutral as possible, all should meet the same requirements.

Starcraft II Hands-On - It is starting to appear that Blizzard just might get the game out this year as Joystiq describes a hands-on session with the game and provides video. Probably the part I like best is a "spectator mode" that allows players to watch online matches and view stats, something that is difficult to do in the first game.

Michael Jackson, Farrah Fawcett, and Ed McMahon Dead

Michael Jackson Dead at 50
The legendary musician died Thursday night due to a cardiac arrest. The "King of Pop" had a career that most would only dream of having with 13 top 10 hits, multiple albums, the greatest selling album of all time with Thriller and more. He has been inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice as a solo artist and member of the Jackson 5. His later years were not marked by the quality of his work but by bizarre behavior. I always like him for his music and that is how I will remember him.


Farrah Fawcett Dead at 62
It seems these things come in threes. First Ed McMahon, then Farrah and shortly after Michael Jackson. It was supposed to be the day to remember her life but that has since been over shadowed by the King of Pop. In a way that is typical has her entire life was often in the shadow of other things whether Charlie’s Angels or her personal life. She wanted to become famous and on that she succeeded.

Ed McMahon Dead at 86
Ed was the perfect sidekick to the legendary Johnny Carson for thirty years bringing humor to generations in late night and helping influence late night television. This generation may remember him as a pitchman, but I would rather just remember him as one part of the greatest duo in television history.

Links of the Day

Olivia Munn, Playboy Cover Girl - The gorgeous and hilarious Olivia Munn is on the cover of Playboy. Amazingly enough she managed to do that by not being an A-list star nor appearing nude in the magazine (sadly) as she refused to do that.

Pixar Grants Girl's Dying Wish - A girl on her deathbed wanted to see Pixar's Up before dying but unable to get to the theatre to do so. When informed of her plight, the company flew an employee to her bed with a DVD copy of the movie for her to watch (but she couldn't as too much pain so had to go with descriptions instead). Seven hours later she died.

Georgia Theatre Burns - A 19th century theatre near the University of Georgia campus has essentially burned to the ground. The theatre, actually a bit of a dump, was the center of the Athens music scene that gave rise to REM, B-52s and the Indigo Girls. The assumption is they will rebuild but I wouldn't be surprised if they didn't bother unless one of those bands stepped in to pay for it.

Starcraft Battle Report III - A new battle report that shows off the game play elements of the upcoming sequel to Starcraft.


God of War III Gameplay Footage - Thirteen minutes of God of War III for the PS3 that will be released next year. This game might just be enough to get me to finally get a PS3.

Video Games - E3 2009 - G4 Web Exclusive

Links of the Day - iPhone Edition

iPhone OS 3.0 Review - The new iPhone software update is now available for the masses. The result is an overall tweak to the performance that most will probably not notice (like me) but power users will (such as copy and paste and search). Click the link that breaks down the new features such as Spotlight search, stereo Bluetooth, auto fill, landscape keyboard and other tweaks.

Engadget iPhone 3GS Review - A software upgrade isn't the only thing in the works as the third generation iPhone is now available. The new 3GS has some new features that might make it worth signing over your soul for two more years with crappy AT&T service and unreliability. Overall the phone is a good purchase with greater speed and lots of bells and whistles that the regular 3G doesn't have like better camera, video recording, compass (great if use maps a lot), better smudge proof coating on glass, voice control. If you’re getting an iPhone for the first time, go ahead and pay the extra $100 for a 3GS, if you’re thinking of upgrading, well that is harder decision to make.

Gizmodo 3GS Review - Difference website, same product. A bit more glowing review to help in your decision.

AT&T Relaxes iPhone 3GS Subsidy Plans - Thanks to customer outcry (and a chance to sign people up for two more years), the company is offering early iPhone 3G buyers who bought that phone in the summer last year a chance to get the 3GS at $199 (16GB) or $299 (32GB), assuming you qualify (using whatever criteria AT&T feels like). Otherwise it’s either wait until the contract expires or pay $100 or more (again depending). For now I am going to take a wait and see approach.

Zicam Recall: Causes Loss of Sense of Smell - The FDA has finally caught up to what the internet and I knew several years ago, that Zicam is dangerous. From personal experience I can tell you that using Zicam caused me to lose my sense of smell for a day and online reports at the time confirmed that the state could be permanent for some users. Long story short, if anyone you know uses the stuff, make sure they throw it out ASAP and never buy it again. Remember, there is no cure for the common cold.

Links of the Day

Captain America Reborn - Probably to the surprise to anyone that reads comics, Steve Rogers as Captain America will return starting this summer. The character was killed in March of 2007 as part of a plot from his arch enemy the Red Skull. How he returns is the main question but so is what happens to his replacement, Bucky Barnes and Rogers' girlfriend Sharon Carter who fired the fatal bullets when while hypnotized by a Skull co-conspirator. I guess this is Marvel's response to DC's Blackest Night that sees the dead rise to destroy the DCUniverse and the Green Lantern Corps. If interested, a five page preview of Reborn is here and an interview with its editor Tom Brevoort is here.

Top 10 Game Trailers from E3 - Click the link to find all the trailers for the games that were teased at last week’s video game conference. My favorite was Metroid: The Other M.

Fox Fall Start Released - The network has released when it plans on debuting the new seasons of its new and returning shows starting on September 16th with Glee and on through to September 29 with Think You Can Dance. Click the link to find out when your favorites return.

Wanted 2 - It has been confirmed by Wanted director Timur Bekmambetov that Wanted 2 will start pre-production in July. The expectation is to start filming by end of the year. Despite Angelina Jolie's character taking a bullet in the head, she is expected to return along with James McAvoy.

24 Stop Motion Films - Click the link for a bunch of Lego recreations of movie scenes. Some use actually sounds and music from the movies and other don't (probably for copyright fears). Regardless the result is a lot of work and some entertainment for our amusement.

Apple's WWDC 2009

The keynote address for Apple's Worldwide Developer's Conference for 2009 was held today. Usually Apple uses this as the means to promote its new line-up of hardware and software and they didn't disappoint. They have announced a new OS X upgrade called Snow Leopard, update to their line of MacBooks, and the new iPhone 3G S. The video of the keynote is here.

iPhone 3G S
- Third generation iPhone, launches June 19th.
- Price: 16GB $199, 32GB $299 | iPhone 3G (no S) 8gb $99
- Faster processor, 3 megapixel camera, auto focus, auto white balance, 30fps VGA video with audio recording.
- Includes voice control for basic functions like playing songs, making a phone call, etc, built-in digital compass so maps can orient to your direction
- Comparison chart here, Apple's guided tour here.

iPhone 3G 3.0 Software
- Software will be out June 17th.
- Includes cut and paste, landscape mode for keyboard, improved Safari, Autofill forms, and other tweaks.
- MMS support if supported by carrier.
- New Spotlight that allows search of content on the iPhone.
- iTunes now allows downloads of movies to the device.
- Tethering capability native to the OS, if supported by carrier (most will probably charge extra to use).
- Find iPhone feature - use MobileMe account to find iPhone or cause it to make a noise to look for it (if say lost in the house). Also can remote wipe data.

Macbooks
- updated 15'' ($1699 - $2299) and 17'' ($2499), new 13'' line ($1199 or $1499)
- unibody design, built in battery with longer life and SD card slot.
- Macbook Air also tweaked with new price range of $1499 or $1799.

Snow Leopard
- Update to OS X that builds on previous Leopard update.
- Price: $29 single or $49 for family pack.
- Tweaks existing features such as better icon previews, improved Finder, faster installs that recovers space after, dock clutter reduction called Expose, and more.
- Added Exchange 2007 support for Mail.
- Change to 64bit architecture (which will be a problem for older software).

Links of the Day

Colbert Report in Iraq - Stephen Colbert is reporting to Iraq for a week of shows that start airing tonight. To kick off the event, he got a military style haircut to show solidarity with the troops. Below is a brief cameo he made for a high school graduation commencement speech from their principle that shows off the new style.


E3 Press Conferences - The video game celebration is over but fortunately Gamespot has including all three press conferences in their entirely from Microsoft, Nintendo, and Sony for our enjoyment.

Conan's Super Mario Set - Amusing response from Conan O'Brien at the observation that the background of his set looked like it was inspired by Super Mario Bros.


Oprah Plus Health Equals Bad Advice - In a rather gutsy move, Newsweek actually took a chance and attacked Oprah Winifrey regarding her guests their advice about health care. Oprah's has made a career of trying to sell people simple solutions to complicated problems, not necessary in anyone's best interest. For example, The Secret, which basically says good things, will happen if you wish for it long enough while glossing over that if was the case then bad things must happen for the same reason. Or Suzanne Somers phobia of old age that includes a crap load of plastic surgery and endless supply of shots and pills (about 80 a day). All this sold to her willing audience who go out and blindly follow it (being on her show is a guaranteed burst to the bottom line). Her claim is her audience researches her advice, as if that absolves her of not bothering to do more then give lip service to the opposing viewpoint. The end result is Oprah uses her reputation to sell nonsense and clearly doesn't care. Take her shows advice at your own risk should be the spoken warning.

Links of the Day

David Carradine Dead at 72 - "Kung Fu" actor David Carradine died today in his Bangkok hotel from a possible suicide. The details are not known. The actor rose to fame playing a Buddhist monk in Kung Fu and later for his role in the Kill Bill movies. Condolences to his family. His life in pictures here.

1 vs. 100 May Change Video Games - Microsoft is getting ready to release a new game that is going to very closely follow its TV counterpart with scheduled "show times", seasons, and specific times of play. Only difference is thousands will be able to play during those times either as the 1 or the 100 in a competition for XBox Live freebies as questions is generated on the spot with a real host voicing the virtual host to make it more authentic. The goal is to create a primetime lineup of games for subscribers. The concept as a whole is pretty intriguing and if it works could result in a whole new spectrum of gaming.

Avengers Assemble Logos - Marvel has solidified its plans for the movies that will introduce the major characters for the Avengers Assemble plans that will culminate in The Avengers film in 2012. Marvel is basically taking its unified universe concept that drives comics to the movie screen.

Harry Potter 6 TV Spots - Click the link and scroll down a little bit to find 7 TV spots for Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince that is coming out in July. The film is looking good.

Dick Cheney Admits No Iraq Ties to 9/11 - Cheney spent many years using the lie that Saddamn helped fund the 9/11 attacks as a means to sell the Iraq war to his right wing followers and other cowards. Now, he finally admits it is not true. It is just a shame that it took 4000+ American lives and trillion dollars to tell the truth to those that should have known better to begin with. This is why power should always, without exception, be questioned. Blind loyalty helps no one.

Links of the Day - E3 Edition

E3 has entered its second day so figured I would post links to the new information that has come out. I mostly skipped the XBox 360 stuff due in part to laziness and also just zero interest in their games.

PSP Go Officially Announced
Sony revealed the game industries work kept secret of a new system that is about the size of an iPhone when closed. It will rely on downloadable content, from games, music, videos, and TV to provide the entertainment. The price will be $250 and available in North America on October 1st. Tech Specs, Hands-On


God of War III Dated - The PS3 exclusive game is now scheduled to be released in March 2010 and is looking pretty darn sweep.

Final Fantasy XIV Announced - Essentially a sequel to FF11, it is a new MMORPG that will be a Playstation 3 exclusive. No details beyond that but click the link to view the teaser trailer.

Final Fantasy VII on PSN - Speaking of, Final Fantasy VII, the classic RPG from the Playstation era is now available for download from the Playstation network for $9.99. With a size of 1.32GB it might take a little while to download.

Nintendo Keynote - Click the link for a live blog of the keynote that introduced plans for Metroid: The Other M, New Super Mario Bros Wii (4 players at once), Super Mario Galaxy (90% new levels, 10% from first game with new goals), Mario and Luigi 3, Golden Sun DS and more.

Links of the Day

How Regular Movies Become IMAX Films - An interesting article from Gizmodo that gives an overview on how a film is converted to the oversized 70mm standard used for IMAX projection.

Last Titanic Survivor Died - Millvina Dean died Sunday at the age of 97. She was the last living survivor of the Titanic was an infant when the ship hit an iceberg on April 14th, 1912.

BBC Streaming TV in America? - Gizmodo is reporting that Google may offer a way for American's to watch BBC programming without the filter of BBC America which doesn't really show their best programming. No specific details announced but cross your fingers that it happens.

Batman: Arkam Asylum Dated - The North America release of the game has been set for August 25th and August 28th in Europe. Also, the PS3 exclusive content that allows you to play as the Joker will be free. For additional screenshots, click here.

Links of the Day - Mostly MTV Awards

GI Joe Clip - From the MTV Movie Awards, a scene from the movie that shows the Eiffel Tower under attack.

Movie Trailers - Movies Blog

Harry Potter 6 Clip - A scene from the movie, introduced by the cast, that shows the first time Harry uses the memory pot (Pensieve) to explore the history of Tom Riddle aka Voldemort.

Movie Trailers - Movies Blog

Eminem Freaks Over Bruno - It is unclear how much was planned and how much wasn't, but one thing is clear - Eminem was not a willing participant as "Bruno" lands head down, ass in the face of the rapper in a kind of sitting 69. The result was he and his entourage left the awards. Trust me, Eminem wasn't a willing participant as he is homophobic and doesn't really have a sense of humor. Which is good for Bruno as it was his reaction that made this an instant classic.


PSP Go Confirmed - The next version of the PSP has been confirmed, complete with "interview" with the lovely Veronica Belmont (always willing to sell geek cred to a product). The new device, release date and price unknown, will be UMD-less, have 3.8 inch screen, 43% lighter, 16GB flash memory, Bluetooth, memory stick micro slot, Playstation Network support and more. Full details should be released Tuesday at Sony's E3 press conference.

GM Filing for Bankruptcy - Well the inevitable has occurred, the company has no choice but to file for bankruptcy as efforts to cut costs have failed, especially since sales have not turned around. The result is the government will become a 60% stake stockholder in the company due to a $30 billion bailout. The exact ripple effect is unknown as it is highly likely that as jobs are cut, plants are closed, production slashed, and so forth their suppliers and business partners will also cut jobs or close completely. The end result is hundreds of thousands of jobs could be lost probably completely reversing the small recovery the economy was taking.