San Diego Comic-Con Day 3

Third full day has drawn to a close; here are the links and news of note.

Iron Man 2 Footage Description - Nice description of footage shown at the con including scene between Iron Man and Nick Fury, quick glimpse of Black Widow action and Stark vs. Congress.
Smallville Season 9 Spoilers - Hints of (hopefully) final season of the show. Theme is "Clark's darkest hour", begins the Superman (red-blue blur), Clark Kent, Lois Lane triangle, Chloe steps up, explanation of why Clark can't fly, and more.
48 Hours with Olivia Munn - Five videos that show the lovely Attack of the Show host doing her thing at Comic-con. Her humor is rock solid but also neat just to see some of the behind scenes part of her show and the con in general.
Lost Panel - Description from the panel as Lost begins its final season this fall. Not details revealed but a promise that mythology and plot points would be answered. Also click here for a video of the cast talking about the Jack-Kate-Sawyer triangle.
Bones Interview - Brief video that talks about the Booth-Bones romance for the upcoming season.
Family Guy Panel - Clip from Empire Strikes Back episode was screened, planned plots include Brian hitting a dog while driving drunk, Peter cheating on Lois with cardboard cutout of Kathy Ireland, and Meg going to prison. Also the unaired "abortion" episode will be released in the next DVD volume.
Dollhouse Panel - Not much revealed, Echo will become more self aware and Whedonverse alumni Alexis Denisof and Summer Glau will appear in the show next season.
DCU Panel - Geoff Johns will write The Flash ongoing after Rebirth finishes and Sterling Gates will write Kid Flash. The new JLA line-up will include Mon-El (replacing Superman), Dick Grayson (replacing Bruce Wayne's Batman), Donna Troy (replacing Wonder Woman), Hal Jordan and few more not named. Ted Tornado miniseries is under discussion. Hitman will be collected in TPB form.
Marvel's Dark Reign Panel - Discussion of the various Dark Reign The List one shots but no specifics. There is a probably Green Goblin versus Spider-Man fight coming. Punisher vs. The Hood in Punisher #10.
Futurama Panel - Still no deal with the original actors. Season more or less leaves off where the "Into the Wild Green Yonder" DVD movie ended but will be a "literal rebirth for the series." Other episodes will be a future version of Twitter controlled by evil Mom, Amy and Bender get together, how Dr. Zoidberg was hired by the professor, and maybe the secret origin of Scruffy the janitor.
Pixar/Disney Panel - Opened with Toy Story 2 in 3D clip. The Pixar movies, when converted to 3D, will not include new scenes or alterations. For Disney, Beauty and the Beast is getting the 3D treatment with the use of new software to give volume and depth.
Blackest Night Panel - Discussion of DC's summer crossover series. Aquaman as a Black Lantern (BL) returns in Blackest Night 3 and BL Firestorm returns in #3. BL Terra has a chat with Beast Boy, Sinestro vs. Carol Ferris, Booster Gold vs. Ted Kord (Blue Beetle), Orange Lantern Larfleeze's name is lard + sleaze, and 40s heroes will return as Black Lanterns.
Avengers Movie Line-Up - Producer Kevin Feige discussed at least some members of the Avengers went the movie starts filming in the next year or two. The expectation is Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, Nick Fury, and Black Widow. Zak Penn is currently outlining the script so could grown beyond that.

San Diego Comic Con Day 2

Second full day of the San Diego Comic Con brings more news from various movie and comic book projects. Let the link fest begin.

Chuck Season Three poster - Just thought the image was cool as it reflects the posters of the 80's such as the Cannonball Run films.
Tron Legacy Test Footage - Click the link for QuickTime video and download of test footage with a Light Cycle chase that looks very cool. It’s a realistic look that keeps the feel from the first movie that is pretty sweet to see.
Batman 3 Production Next Year - Gary Oldman (Commissioner Gordon) let slip that production for Batman 3 could begin next year. Later he backtracked and said the sequel still might be 2-3 years away.
Jonah Hex poster - Click the link for teaser poster for the upcoming film based on the DC comics character. Megan Fox looks amazing but her waist is creepy tiny.
Kick-Ass Interviews - Video interview with writer, director, and actors from the upcoming movie Kick-Ass which is based on Mark Millar's comic mini-series.
Star Wars Panel - Star Wars in Concert live concert planned this fall. The London concert will serve as a blueprint for the events. Clone Wars: Republic Heroes video game that bridges seasons one and two of the Clone Wars cartoon series. New downloadable level for The Force Unleashed in the works set on Tatoonine and feature Jabba's palace and familiar characters. Another pack, called Ultimate Sith Edition will have a new Hoth level. Season One home video set for Clone Wars will be out in November. Season two begins sometime in the Fall and it will be darker story.
Avatar Footage - A detailed description of the 25 minutes of footage showing from the upcoming 3-D alien centric flick from James Cameron.
Stargate Universe Trailer - New trailer for the upcoming SyFy series that will air starting in October. It comes across as a more vicious version of the Stargate series as the plot is group trying to survive a trip across the universe and reach Earth.

Marvel Animation Panel - Fantastic Four: World's Greatest Heroes joins Nicktoon this fall with 26 episodes starting October 2nd. Iron Man Armored Adventures doing well with Nicktoons rating record. Planet Hulk is the next planned direct to DVD film from Marvel.
Cup O' Joe Panel - Covers the Marvel Universe. Where DC mostly just drops useless hints (thus the lack of links to their panels) at future plans, Marvel uses these panels to start interest on various projects. Bob Gale will start writing Amazing Spider-Man online edition starting in November. New 7 issue Deathlok mini from Charlie Heston, also November. Red Hulk will be joined by Red She-Hulk soon. December 2009 brings World War Hulks and death of a major Hulk related character. The reboot of the Ultimate line starts in January. Dark Reign is expected to go through the end of the year. Marvelman rights now officially owned by Marvel and have plans for the character.
X-Men Panel - Magneto returns with Nation X storyline in September. Wolverine vs. Skaar (son of Hulk) in Wolverine Origins. X-Force, New Mutants, X-Men Legacy crossover will be Necrosha starting in October that somehow brings back 16 million mutants (about the number that died at Genosha during a massive Sentinal attack).
Joe Quesada Interview - from io9.com, an interview with the Marvel Editor in Chief as he discusses his role, tells the angry fan boys to "suck it up", and more.

San Diego Comic-Con Day 1

The first full day of the San Diego Comic-con has ended and while nothing earth shattering has been revealed there is some news of note.

Tron Sequel Official Names, Gallery - As the image shows, Tron 2 has officially been named Tron Legacy. Also click the link to see some fantastic production art for the movie that reveals a darker, more realistic look that still retains the look and feel of the first movie.
Day One Gallery - Images of costumes, booth babes, shops and more from the comic-con.
Disney 3D Panel - Robert Zemeckis showed off images from his upcoming CGI movie "A Christmas Carol" that uses more advanced motion capture and techniques for capturing eye movement and better skin reaction. Did note that while loves 3D animated, IF he did a Roger Rabbit sequel those characters would remain 2D (I think the rights cost at this point would make a sequel impossible). Tim Burton showed off Alice in Wonderland art and new teaser trailer. This was followed by Tron Legacy with some story ideas revealed.
Avatar Tease Coming - Leave it to James Cameron to introduce a new movie in a complicated way. Instead of showing off Avatar with a new trailer released to the web, the plan is to have free showing of 15 minutes of footage sometime next month at participating IMAX theatres (list not yet determined). Click the link for some details on the evolution of the film and technology being used.
Castlevania Gets a Director - James Wan (Saw movies) has been hired to helm the Castlevania adaption for producer Paul W.S. Anderson. "I'll be working on the script with a writer to give it a new spin, different to the previous versions," said Wan. "This will have my stamp on it which Konami is very excited about." Consider what crap the Saw series is my interest in this film just zeroed out as I expect it will be "re-imagined" into crap.
Kiss Ass Panel - Covers the comic book turned movie. Several clips are shown, one that introduces Big Daddy (Nicolas Cage) and Hit-Girl (Chloe Moretz) as he shoots her to show the physics of a bullet. Another shows off a very violent sequence as Hit-Girl lives up to her name. Really not much it seems except for clips and that movie will be out in the first quarter of next year.
Marvel Mondo Panel - New miniseries with X-Men Noir: Mark of Cain, Captain America/Black Panther, and Black Widow: Deadly Origin. After Dark Reign wraps up, crossover "events" will take at least a 12 month break in the Marvel U.
Superman Panel - 2010 crossover event is called Codename: Patriot which General Lane (who is out to destroy all Kryptonians) will play a part in. Captain Atom will be part of the Supes books (he was last seen dying as Monarch in Countdown to Final Crisis). New World's Finest miniseries in works that team up characters from "new" Batman cast with "new" Superman cast.
Justice Society Panel - New title, JSA All Stars from Bill Willingham and Matt Sturges which basically breaks off the younger members into a new team. Click the link for more but really nothing major revealed.

Links of the Day

Jon Stewart: Most Trusted Newscaster in America - According to a Poll from Time, the comedian has earned the title from Walter Cronkite by a wide margin. He received 44% of the vote, followed by Brian Williams (29%), Charlie Gibson (19%), and Katie Couric (7%). I think the title is deserved as he seems to know what he is talking about while the other three have just proven they know how to read off a teleprompter or index cards but really don't have anything but a surface knowledge of what they are talking about easily allowing those they are interviewing the run over them due to lack of any meaningful (i.e. not obvious) follow-up questions.

Serenity Model - Click the link for a gallery of a 19" replica of the Serenity spaceship for Firefly complete with lighting effects, Inara' Shuttle and more. No clue on the cost but apparently limited to 500 production run so I expect it to be expensive.

Back to the Future 1 and 2 Comparison - Video that shows that attention to detail that went into re-creating the end of the first movie in the second movie due to the original girlfriend was replaced by Elizabeth Shue. I get the feeling the non-Shue sequences were the scenes edited back in but anywhere she popped up at to be re-created (this is before digital replacement after all) and often the line up matches identically.

Metroid Prime Trilogy Trailer - "New" game for the Wii that releases the three Metroid games in one package with the first to tweaked for the Wii controllers and able to support widescreen TVs.

Mark Buehrle Perfect Game - I am not much of a fan of baseball, finding the whole affair incredibly boring but you don't have to be a fan to appreciate a perfect game from the Chicago White Sox pitcher. It is only the 18th perfect game in Major League Baseball history which considering the thousands of games played a year (162 per team) shows just how difficult just a feat is.

Apollo 11 40th Anniversary

Today is the 40th anniversary of Apollo 11 landing on the moon and Neil Armstrong became the first man to walk on the moon followed by Buzz Aldrin. Below are a bunch of links I found that at least interested me about this moment in history.



JFK Rice University Speech - "We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard"
We Choose the Moon - Virtual real time re-creation of the Apollo 11 mission
Apollo 11 Summary - Video edit of the mission
La Voyage Dans la Lune - Why the moon?
Walter Cronkite and Apollo 11 - The legendary anchorman's call and memory of the event
Remembering Apollo 1 - Death of three astronauts
"Spider" - End of one of my favorite episodes from HBO's "From the Earth to the Moon" series.
Restored NASA Footage - Digitally remastered footage from the moon.
Apollo Mission Artifacts - Suits and objects from the Apollo missions.
AtlantisSaturn - Documentaries and dramatizations of the space program on YouTube
Profile on Michael Collins - The third "forgotten" astronaut of Apollo11
Mythbusters on Moon Landing - Discussion how Mythbusters proved various moon landing conspiracy theories being false


"We didn't go there to conquer it, claim it or simply beat the Russians to it. Sure we wanted to find out what the moon was made of, to satisfy questions of science that have plagued us since the dawn of man. But more then anything else, we went to the Moon to see if we could make the journey. Because if we can do that, if we can voyage from the Earth to the Moon, then there's hope for all of us. Because we can do anything."
- "From The Earth To the Moon"

Walter Cronkite Dead at 92

The legendary anchorman for CBS has died today at the age of 92. His measured delivery gave him the undisputed title of "the most trusted man in America" in part due to his coverage of the Nuremberg trials, many presidential elections, JFK's assassination, the moon landings and much more.

"Walter was always more than just an anchor. He was someone we could trust to guide us through the most important issues of the day; a voice of certainty in an uncertain world," President Obama said in a statement Friday.

"He was family. He invited us to believe in him, and he never let us down. This country has lost an icon and a dear friend, and he will be truly missed."

When people think of how the press used to be trusted to provide the facts and nothing but the facts with clear separate analysis from an informed position, Walter Cronkite was often the face most people saw and many wanted to emulate. In a day were the news is all about eyeballs with little concern for facts or measured reporting, men of integrity is a rare breed.

Walter Cronkite
1916-2009
Just days away from Apollo 11's 40th Anniversary of man walking on the moon, here is "Uncle Walter's" reflections on the event.

Links of the Day

Michael Jackson 1984 Pepsi Commercial Disaster - It is assumed that this incident, never before seen but often talked, is what began Michael Jackson's pill addiction that led to his death. Pills that probably helped with the extreme behavior he ended up becoming more famous for. Tragic how often it takes one little thing can start off such a domino effect.


2009 Emmy Nominations Announced - The yearly back pat for television has announced its list of potential winners. Overall few surprises with lots of safe and expected choices (Damages, House, Tony Shaloub, etc). About the only ones I was pleased and surprised to see was How I Met Your Mother and Family Guy up for Outstanding Comedy Series. As expected, Battlestar Galactica by virtue of being sci-fi was left out in the cold. If not for Neil Patrick Harris hosting the event I probably wouldn’t even bother to watch as the usual suspects are likely to win.

Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow - Further proof that the actress remains one of the most gorgeous woman in the world sporting a red headed look that is simply stunning. The role is based on the Marvel Comics character of an ex Russian agent that works with Iron Man.

Futurama Getting New Voices - Comedy Central ordered a new season of Futurama and apparently the cast is being replaced. It appears the cast pulled a Simpsons/Friends of joining together to get more money but Comedy Central, notorious for being cheap, wouldn't pay for and the production company of the show (FOX) isn't either. The result is the announcement that the whole lot is being replaced. It is about time that studios played hardball with actors. Sure they are important but no more important than the writers, storyboards artists, animators, etc that get a fraction of the actors pay for much more work. Essentially for every hour an actor tends to whine about how "hard" they work, there is a whole fleet of people who probably put in 10x the work for 10x less the pay. Personally I am sick of the whining and indifference shown the fleet of people required to get any show off the ground in which the actors are really just a small subset of the whole.

Maddows vs. Buchanan on Sotomayor - Sadly I am forced to agree with Pat Buchanan in this argument on the Rachel Maddows Show about probably future Supreme Court Justice Sotomayor. While conveyed poorly, Buchanan's point is that the best should be chosen for the Court with race and sex not even taking into consideration. Maddows basically said it should because the history of the court isn't fair and isn't a good day in America that a Latino woman (rather than just an American woman) was chosen for the court. If the goal is to be fair in all things that means all choices should ignore race and sex and it’s pretty clear that Sotomeyer isn't the best and was only chosen because of race and sex.

Apollo 11 40th Anniversary Begins

Today is the 40th Anniversary of the launch of Apollo 11 as it made its historic trip from the Earth to the Moon and Neil Armstrong became the first man to walk on the Moon.

JFK's We Choose the Moon Speech (transcript) kicked off the space program into high gear with his speech at Rice University. The most famous lines, "We choose to go to the moon. We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard..." actually comes at about the halfway point (8:40 in) as the video below shows. Decades later the words still inspire.


Below is the video of the launch of Apollo 11 into space. Today, WeChooseTheMoon.com virtually re-created the launch and is "tracking" 11 as it travels to the moon.


Relating to the moonwalk, NASA released today restored videos of Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin as they walked on the Sea of Tranquility. The videos were digitally restored and cleaned up to provide the best look yet of that historic moment. The restored videos can be found here.

Probably the best dramatizations of the mission to reach the Moon is the HBO miniseries "From the Earth to the Moon" that is worth watching if you get the chance. My favorite episode, being a geek I guess, is "Spider". It tracks the challenges in creating the Lunar Excursion Module (LEM) that allowed the astronauts to land on the moon, specifically with LEM 5 aka The Eagle, as in "The Eagle has landed." Below is the end of that episode.


The lesson of the moon shot is simple. American's are capable of pretty much anything when the nation unites as one to achieve a singular goal. The result isn't just a moment of history but the knowledge, technology, and industry that results. Maybe it’s time we repeat history but do it for a new agenda be it for a cure to cancer or HIV, eliminate oil as primary source of energy or even further exploration of space. Rather than trying to find a new boogeyman to fear and destroy let us focus this nation on creating something wonderful that will benefit generations to come.

Links of the Day

Apollo 11 Re-creation - July 16th is the 40 anniversary of the Apollo 11 launch with the 20th being the first time a man walked on the moon. As part of that the JFK Presidential Library and Museum is re-creating the entire Apollo 11 mission from pre-launch to touchdown and the return in real-time (I think). It even includes a Twitter account that chronicles the events as if really happening. Click the link above to check it out.

Four Hydration Myths Busted - Hot summer and at the link is four myths debunked about staying hydrated. Drinking 8 glasses of water is not a cure all to avoid dehydration, drinking caffeinated beverages is about as effected as drinking water (but of course less healthy), feeling thirsty is "not too late" but just a sign that you’re thirsty and that tap water is enough for most exercising but to restore some minerals watered-down fruit juice is just as effected as a sports drink.

What Happened to All Those Toxic Assets? - With TARP and other bailouts, you would think most banks would be doing all right. The video explains why banks continue to hold off lending money and what will probably be done with toxic assets and how that is a sign that a bank is emerging from its financial troubles.


Dark Fantasy III - Third video in a series that pits Final Fantasy characters against Dead or Alive characters. In the below video FF7's Tifa fights DoA's Hitomi in a church on fire.

Links of the Day

Most Expensive Game in History - One of 26 gold copies of the 1990 Nintendo World Championships sold for $17,500. The previous record $2500. The cartridges were given out to the winners and runners up of the Championship that traveled the country pitting players against each other in scores by playing Super Mario Bros, Rad Race and Tetris.

Google Announces OS - The company has announced they are releasing Google Chrome OS later this year that will be lightweight and open-source PC OS to compete with Microsoft. The OS is essentially designed as an extension of the Chrome web browser so by default it will become the OS with most applications running from the web rather than on the desktop. Considering Google's moves into cloud computing with various office programs and email, the move seems designed to accelerate the movement. The move sounds good but have to determine how you use your computer as most programs and hardware would not be supported. If you just a web surfer this could be a boom but if do more than that (music, movies, bittorrent, video games, etc) then this doesn't seem ideal.

MacGruber: The Movie? - Movie studios must seriously be scraping the bottom of the barrel when giving a choice of doing MacGyver The Movie or a silly SNL sketch that is based on it they choose the sketch that would supposedly star Ryan Phillippe and Val Kilmer. I am hoping this is just a bad joke.

Round of Sarah Palin Lies - From Andrew Sullivan is a long list of lies and exaggerations from the GOP's great savior. Most of them are actually rather petty and stupid in the "why bother to lie about this?" variety. The problem is that if this woman is willing to lie about stupid little things that are easily verifiable, what will she not lie about?

Sesame Street Slayer Sing-Along - Amusing smash up of Sesame Street with Slayer a hard rock band that essentially sounds like noise to me.

The Michael Jackson Memorial

Michael Jackson Funeral - Today was the day fans were able to say goodbye to the King of Pop in a star studded funeral that was a celebration (with a touch of exploitation) of his career with many covering his various songs. The link above takes you to part 1 of a 15 part segment of the whole thing. Or click here for the "Top 10" highlights.

The World Mourns the Passing of Jackson - The reaction to Jackson's death isn't limited to just the United States as fan worldwide watched the tribute to the King of Pop. Sometimes the measure of a person is the impact they have on others. What does it mean when the world mourns your death? Few have that honor and while his history is often full of strange behavior, his music will ultimately be his legacy.

The Nation Mourns - For those that couldn't be at the memorial in California, they decided to settle for home ground memorials. The gathered at theatres, at Neverland ranch, the Apollo Theatre or just with friends and family.

The Michael Jackson Collection - Back in April, apparently an auction was held to sell many items owned by Jackson in an effort to raise money. The result is multiple catalogs that show many beautiful items that he collected over the years. My favorite sections is the arcade and toys (session five). Worth a look.

Jackson vs. Beatles and Others - A link to how the King of Pop matches up to other megastars of the music industry, Elvis, The Beatles, Madonna and Frank Sinatra. Overall much to be proud of as he has the Grammy wins, most number of nominations, not quite on top with number ones and the bestselling album with Thriller.

Links of the Day

Brian K Vaughn Leaves Lost for Olivia Munn - It’s a good joke as apparently Vaughn is a fan of the lovely Munn. She posted he left Lost (true) speculating it’s to work on his comic adaptations to movies (probably true) and joking its really to be her best friend. His official response was "I can confirm that I left Lost to become best friends with Olivia Munn.” As a fan of The Munn, there are a few sacrifices I would make to, but I would require more than friendship.

10 Things Gas Stations Won't Tell You - A nice little heads-up on how gas stations work. In short shopping around is pointless, gas stations don't like high gas prices either, additives are required by law so buying for a brand name (Techron, Ultimate, etc) is pointless as no real difference, don't get a gas card, and more.

Day One Trailer - One of NBC's new show appears to be a War of the World spectacle with a destructive invasion and a handpicked group of resistance fighters.

Day One Trailer
by muppetman21

Donkey Kong Easter Egg - It took 26 years but someone finally the Easter egg in the Atari 800 port of Donkey Kong. It’s a simple Easter egg of coder's Landon M. Dyer's initials. Sure it’s no Konami code but these things start somewhere.

Links of the Day

HBO's First Look at Harry Potter 6 - Essentially an 11 minute commercial for the upcoming film with the cast and others talking about how great the movie will be and working on it with a little bit of behind the scenes footage and scenes.



Warners Bros Buy Midway Games - One of the first companies of the video game era has ended. Midway is famed for such franchises as Pac-Man, Space Invaders, Rampage, Mortal Kombat and more was run in the ground by executives more focused on protecting their bonuses then running the company with competence. Now WB owns it for a fire sale price of $33 million. What they plan to do with their new property remains unknown but I expect movie announcements soon.

Mega Man Atari 2600 Demo - If you have an Atari 2600 emulator installed on your machine, you can play a Mega Man demo created Atari 2600 style back in 2007 for "I Am 8-bit" show. It is very authentic looking with its 80s era graphics and sound while retaining that Mega Man style.


15 Sci-Fi Sequels That Don't Suck - Just what the title says with movies such as X2, Back to the Future 2, Empire Strikes Back and more. Overall, little for me to disagree with on that list (but what in the world is Daleks, not the Doctor Who version).

Links of the Day

Millions Vie for Thousands of Jackson Tickets - 1.6 million fans registered to get around 8,750 pairs of tickets to Michael Jackson's memorial service that I believe is this Tuesday. This number included probably duplicates and programs designed to have some people registered many times. The memorial will be held at Staples Center arena.

Shatner Calls Munn A Whore - This is a good example why a fan of Olivia Munn. William Shatner is a bit of a dick and this interview as he promotes his new comic book series shows why Munn is so good to watch. What could have been a very strange and maybe angry moment was turned into an amusing moment with her skillful "anything goes" attitude. Most people would have deservedly been outraged; she just saw a moment to go for humor.

Video Game - E3 2009 - Attack of the Show

Twittbadges.com - If you’re like me and find TwitterCounter's limited options annoying, try this website which provides a plain badge to display your number of followers with control over the size of the box, the color, what is displayed and a little bit more.

TMNT: Turtles in Time Comparison - A video that shows the improvements made to the classic arcade game Turtles in Time which will soon be released for the XBox 360.


XBox 360 Laptop version 5 - Ben Heckendorn, video geek extraordinaire, has created another video system mod that creates a portable XBox 360 using a gutted Gateway 1775W laptop with 17 inch screen along with more bells and whistles.

Sarah Palin Resigns as Alaskan Governor

Sarah Palin, ex-Vice Presidential candidate, has resigned as Governor of Alaska as of June 25th. She decided to not re-run for Governor citing the bad press she gets, being "forced" to take stimulus dollars, and the various ethics violations she has been experiencing. Since not re-running she did not want to experience "lame-duck" status and resigned.

Let’s face it. Politicians do not give up title or power easily. Even when caught with their hands in the cookies in the jar they fight to retain it, sometimes successfully, sometimes not. Here though she seems to have just thrown in the towel. Nor do they give it up just because of the fear of lame duck status. It’s something that almost all politicians go through and many seem to thrive in.

If someone else, be it Democrat and Republican has quit citing her reasons everyone would assume something seriously wrong is coming on the horizon. That here is something they are trying to get ahead of for whatever reason. However, this is Sarah Palin so this could be part of a rather broad and bizarre plan that only she knows (who is really a series of low expectations, not exactly confidence inducing or very Presidential).

The assumption is this is the first salvo of a Presidential run. Quitting doesn't seem like a very good start, especially giving weak excuses that come down to "people are mean to me!" If she can't handle bad press, false accusations, and occasional forced compromises, how is she going to handle the real pressures of the White House especially when the attacks are constant and on multiple fronts?

Another problem is NONE of the major news services were invited to this rather significant piece of news. Politicians love the power of the camera. The footage and discussions on the major networks are from reporters and video shot by local TV stations. CNN, Fox, ABC, NBC, etc were not informed of her resignation preventing a live broadcast of her speech. This prevented a massive audience from seeing her full speech and hear her perspective of events, something most politicians love to occur and make every effort to help facilitate (which is why usually these things occur for the noon or six o'clock news cycle). Instead this was done as under the radar as possible for someone in the spotlight as much as she is.

Even now her own spokesperson is blaming the press and saying people are trying to bring her down. See above about inability to handle attacks so how handle pressures of White House. Also though what attacks could she be referring to? The previous year? Really? She got it light compared to most and why now? Or to put it another way, what straw broke the camel’s back? Letterman? I don't think so. Makes you wonder though.

One last theory is money. She is beautiful and she is charming. People have said she could make a ton of money as a pundit or on television in some capacity and the money would be very good, more then she would make as a Senator or President with about the same amount of fame. Most talking heads are not required to know anything a given subject, just read a teleprompter and ask questions provided by your producer. Fox would probably happily give Palin an hour on their network five nights a week for instance.

In the end if this is the start of a Presidential campaign then as someone who would never vote for her, I give her and her advisors a hearty thank you for such an awful start.

Links of the Day

Abercrombie & Fitch Sued for Discrimination - In a sign that maybe more attention should be paid to hiring intelligent people over those fitting the "image" the company is looking for, Abercrombie is being sued for firing a women with a prosthetic arm. Apparently a store manager hired her and relaxed the dress policy for her. Corporate apparently sent someone to verify she followed company policy, which she technically wasn't so forced her to remove the cardigan she wears. Seeing the prosthetic arm, they forced her to work in the backroom (rather than just make an exception). Now she is seeking 25000 pounds ($41k) in damages. If this occurred in the states the damages being requested would be measured in millions. Either way, a few people deserve the bonehead award for not choosing the simple solution.

Neil Patrick Harris Hosts Emmy Awards - After hosting the TV Land Awards and Tony Awards to much acclaim (at least from the few that saw it and critics), the actor has signed on to host next year's Emmy Awards. As a fan who finds him hilarious on How I Met Your Mother, I find this very good news as he is the consummate host - funny when he is supposed to be and a guide when he isn't. Nor does it hurt that he is actually a fan of television and doesn't look down on it like many of these hosts of these awards shows seem to do.

Buffy vs. Edward Mashup - Amusing video that does a good job of showing the difference between Buffy and the first Twilight movie. One has a strong female protagonist and complicated story with a vampire (Buffy), the other has a weak willed women and wimp of a dude as the main thrust of the story. It’s a shame the current generation looks at Twilight as an example of anything other than bad storytelling and character creation.


Tron 2 Script Review - Click the link for a review from a diehard Tron fan of one of the drafts for the sequel to the movie that is supposedly going to be made. That rumor has been around for a while but nice to know a script actually exists. The short of it is it’s similar to the first movie (good guy must stop bad guy executive) with a bigger budget.

Links of the Day

13-story Building Tips Over - A new apartment building (empty) in Shanghai, China tipped completely over, killing one. The cause is being blamed on nearby flood prevention walls for the Dianpu River. I just think the images are cool.

Vanity Fair's "It Came from Wasilla" - A look at Sarah Palin and her failure as a Vice Presidential candidate through the prism of her past behavior. The short of it is she has proven to be very ambitious, extremely petty, lazy, vain, and only effective when someone else does the heavy lifting (and usually gets fired shortly thereafter). She has a knack for creating new friends and making enemies of old friends. Basically she is gorgeous but she glides along by personality alone.

John Hodgman Correspondents' Dinner Speech - Hilarious speech from a few weeks ago where he calls Obama the first nerd President. Worth watching with many funny moments and a game President.


Dumbest Moments in Business in 2009 (so far) - Click the link for a slideshow that summarizes the various acts of stupidity and poor planning that effected business so far this year.

The Onion: Taco Bell's Green Menu - Amusing skit from The Onion introducing Taco Bell's 100% unnatural menu that includes no ingredients from nature including the beef.

Taco Bell's New Green Menu Takes No Ingredients From Nature

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.