Links of the Day

Final Fantasy on the Wii - The video game that launched the most popular RPG franchise in history has now hit the Wii in its original form when first released in 1990. For the price of $5 you can now enjoy a piece of video game history in the battle of good and evil. I recently checked my original cartridge of this game and amazingly enough the battery still functioned and had the save from the last time I played the game nearly 20 years ago.

Gourmet Magazine Ceases - As a sign of the coming death of print, the 70 year old magazine will cease production by the end of the year. The final issue is expected to be the November issue. This and three other titles are being shut down resulting in loss jobs for 180 people.

Model of New Media - As the above showed, old style media may be dying but in its place is "new media" which allows for niche programming that can be directed at a passionate few rather than the masses with only vague interest. The ultimate and really first example of this is the TWIT network started in 2005 by Leo Laporte which is now has a revenue of $1.5 million a year. For mass media standards that is paltry, but for a small business owner with seven employees and hundreds of thousands of viewers that is the very definition of success. I know it’s something I would love to achieve with my small network of blogs. Any case, click the link above to view a video presentation from Leo as he discusses his career and the successful network of podcasts that he started.

The Golden Age of Video - Fantastic mash-up that uses scenes and lines from movies and TV to create a pretty slick music video.


Reward Program Costs Breakdown - Click the link for a chart that brings down just what a colossal waste of your money reward programs are. It you pay a fee for it, you are wasting your money. If you make purchasing decisions with an award program in mind you are really wasting your money. What the chart essentially tells you is feel free to take advantage but arm yourself with the program limitations and do not allow those programs to influence your decisions.

Links of the Day

Letterman Thwarts Blackmailer - The problem with blackmailing is it assumes the target isn't going to call your bluff...but at the end of the day they have no choice as blackmailers don't just go away when they get what they want. So the net result is your damned if you do, damned if you don't so you might as well reveal all and nail someone for breaking the law along the way which is exactly what David Letterman did with his confession on his Thursday show and grand jury testimony. My only thought is why Dave would settle for ok looking co-worker tale when there is probably a good number of Hollywood scarlet who would have happily thrown themselves at his feet.

Watch CBS News Videos Online

POV of Avalanche and Rescue - I don't know much about skiing but apparently this skier in the below video made a few errors that resulted in him being buried and then rescued from an avalanche and all in just 9 minutes. The footage is dramatic, a touch scary and reminds you to just be careful because Mother Nature can easily kick your rear.

Avalanche Skier POV Helmet Cam Burial & Rescue in Haines, Alaska from Chappy on Vimeo.

Mythbusters New Season - At the link is an article that talks about some of the new myths that will be explored in the new season of Mythbusters that finally starts next Wednesday. Some of the ideas come from Twitter, YouTube and more. Can't wait.

Final Fantasy XIII Trailer (In English) - The trailer for the upcoming game now has English voices that allows you to understand what is said but still leaves me completely in the dark on what the game is about. Safe to say its good guys versus bad guys for the fate of the world.


Lego Indiana Jones 2 - Maybe it’s just me, but this trailer for the sequel to the first Lego Indiana Jones game seems more like a remake. Still looks fun but it seems if you already own the first one, buying the second may not be necessary.

Links of the Day

JL: Crisis on Two Earths Preview - A look at the next animated movie from DC that is the Justice League vs. the evil Justice League (Crime Syndicate). Overall, shows lots of potential.

Movie Trailers - Movies Blog

Saturn Officially Dead - Despite best efforts to keep it going with a potential deal with Penske Automotive Group, Saturn is going to cease as a brand by end of 2010 as part of GM's reorganization. There are 350 dealers that likely will have to close their door and no telling how many jobs will be lost.

PS3 Slim Laptop - From modder extraordinaire Ben Heckendorn comes his latest creation. The device is essentially the PS3 slim jammed into a Dell laptop chassis and the result is pretty cool.


California Valets Breaking the Law - An interesting report from an LA station that shows the lengths valet companies go to get their overpriced buck for parking cars. The main point is if the companies are doing this in LA, chances are they are doing it elsewhere so its behavior to be aware of, especially if you valet a lot. Personally, a sign of a restaurant probably not worth going to (high price, small portions, and crap service) is ones that have valets.

PSP Go Games Cost More - If you need another reason to not by a PSP Go, here is another. It turns out that buying the exact same game for the PSP costs more than it does on the iPhone and often with crippled features like online and multi-player options being removed. The net result is until Sony decides to price competitively and does something transferring UMD owned titles to the Go; there is no solid reason to pay the high price of the Go.

$1 Million Batmobile Replica - For those with too much money, here is a 700 horsepower Batmobile built over a 1973 Lincoln Continental that is loaded with gadgets including a plasma TV, rearview cameras and more.

Links of the Day

A Nightmare on Elm Street Teaser Trailer - Via MB.com, comes the new teaser trailer and poster of the remake that is coming out next April. It looks like they are keep many of the iconic images and ideas from the first movie but of course adding their own.

A Nightmare on Elm Street Teaser from Bay Films/Michael Bay Dot Com on Vimeo.

PSP Go Review - Gizmodo reviews the new handheld device that is coming out in a few days. Based on what I have seen and read, the device simply isn't worth the $250 purchase price. The display and design is solid, the main problem is it costs more for the same graphics capabilities and limitations of the original PSP but now you have to re-purchase your existing UMD games (via download) if you want to play them on the new device. The net result is you new to the PSP, it might be worth it but you already own a PSP, the cost of upgrading goes well beyond the initial $250 hardware cost.

New Final Fantasy 13 Trailer - Japanese only (and no subtitles) but it does give you an idea of the look of the game as it shows about a minute of cinematic mixed with game play elements. The game is out in Japan this Christmas, no dates for the rest of the world.


A Christmas Carol Trailer - Click the link for various size HD versions of the trailer for the new CGI animated movie from Robert Zemeckis. IT starts Jim Carrey, who plays Scrooge and his ghosts.

Primeval Renewed - The successful sci-fi show from the UK about time travel and dinosaurs has been renewed thanks to an agreement between the cash strapped ITV and BBC. ITV cancelled the show when it decided it couldn't afford to make it but apparently its numbers in the US and elsewhere convinced the BBC that it could use the property for their own channels (much like they do with the Doctor Who and Torchwood). The renewal however is all roses. It’s only for 13 episodes that will be split into two seasons and probably will not start airing until 2011.

Terminator's Halcyon Holdings Bankrupt - Despite a brief resurgence of Terminator with the recent movie and now cancelled TV show, the rights holder to the property is bankrupt (betting the higher ups "bonuses" account for most of the cause of debt). The net result is however the company lands (extinct or continues) Terminator as a movie or TV series is probably done for at least a decade (and then will probably be rebooted).

Links of the Day

Streetfighter, MegaMan Style - The amusing image to the left is the cast of Streetfighter restyled to mimic the design of 8-bit MegaMan. If only they could create a game that used those designs.

GM's 60 Day Return Caveats - GM, in a bid to increase sales, has started a 60 day money back guarantee only it has a few holes in it. One takes advantage of buyer's remorse by not allowing you to return the vehicle until after 30 days of ownership. A second issue is only the cost of the vehicle + sales tax. Any add-ons, aftermarket equipment, title and registration fees have to be eaten by you so that’s hundreds of dollars hit two essentially borrow a car for two months. The biggest problem though is you can't return the vehicle if it the cost of repairs exceeds $200, a value determined by the dealer. Considering something as simple a cart hitting the side door can exceed that value, this pretty much makes the deal void. Long story short, this return policy has no value and should not play a part whatsoever in your purchase decision.

Masters of the Universe Movie Lives...Sorta - The option for the He-Man movie lapsed at Warner Bros so Columbia has stepped in to take on the potential franchise. The projects will start from scrap, tossing attached director John Stevenson, producer Joel Silver and writer Justin Marks. Basically what little ground was made is back to square one so a movie, if ever made, is years away.

Outfoxed - Click the link for story of Fox lying about their manufactured rally at the capital for Glenn Beck's 9/12 hate fest event and also watch Outfoxed from a few years ago that documents how and why Faux News operates the way it does.

Protect Insurance Companies PSA - Hilarious video that has a bunch of stars participate in a "PSA" asking for the public to protect insurance companies, CEO's and their billion dollar profits that Obama is trying to take away. After all, as the GOP keeps telling us, corporate America must be protected at all costs.

Protect Insurance Companies PSA from Will Ferrell

Links of the Day

Microsoft Courier Leaked - A prototype version of a new potential tablet from Microsoft has been leaked that takes the tablet concept and put it on booklet form. As the video at the link shows, the concept is very cool. However, it is Microsoft and while they are somewhat in the hardware business (with XBox and Zune), a full fledged computer ala Apple is not really their thing. Besides, do you remember Surface from last year? Yeah neither do I because it was another prototype product that wasn't released. Still, it does show the potential of the tablet format if a company can get the UI details worked out.

Wii Price Drop Starts Sunday - Through various retails sources, it has been determined that starting Sunday, the Wii will drop to $199.99. The price drop should be noticeable in Sunday paper advertisements and likely Nintendo's very much delayed and forced response to now more competitively prices Playstation 3 and XBox 360. It’s too early to know for sure but it’s looking like for the first time in three years, this Christmas will not go Nintendo's way.

Time Lapse BattleCat Painting - A slick video of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe's BattleCat getting painted.


Jay Leno Tanking - To no surprise to anyone that isn't collecting Social Security, The Jay Leno Show is shedding viewers at a substantial rate. The premiere episode had a huge drawing of 18 million, the next day dropped to 12 and now a week later with new season of programs competing against it, the show is now at 5.67 million. That number isn’t bad but if consider the show isn't even two weeks old that number is only going to go in one direction. I think before the dust settles the show will have around 2.5 million viewers, pretty much the ratings he had at 11:30pm. If the goal is making money with a cheap show, then NBC is satisfied. If the goal is to get out of the rut of last place the network has been in since "Must See TV" disappeared about five years ago, then this is bad news. Money talks but one profitable hour does not make for a successful network.

South Carolina's Sorry State - In a form of irony that only politics can generate, the state in the most desperate need of healthcare reform (and more) is the state whose representatives (and really its citizens) are most against any reform. In a sign of how a little hate building can cause people to choose to go against their own self interests, it turns out the really crap state needs some serious help. The state has the highest rate of teen pregnancy, low birth weight infants (indicating the mom isn't getting enough nourishment for the baby), and infant mortality in the country. It’s the fifth highest for obesity, highest for stroke death rate, and second highest for oral cancer and the third worst life expectancy. Long story short, the state’s health record is a complete embarrassment but its representatives are saying all is well because keeping corporate America happy is more important.

Links of the Day

2009 Emmy Award Winners - Last night was one of the better Emmy Award Ceremony in recent years thanks to the excellent hosting by Neil Patrick Harris. The highlight was the Dr. Horrible skit. Overall the winner's themselves were mostly predictable and forgettable but congratulations to all.


Best Buy $130 Scam - As the picture shows, Best Buy is offering its Geek Squad (a group of poorly trained sales people) as an option for hooking up a new Playstation 3 for the "low" price of $129.00. Frankly, if you consider paying for that "service" you should not be buying the PS3 much less playing video games at all as they will be far outside your comprehension levels. Better yet, pay a local kid $5 and they will hook it for you.

2009 Chevy Malibu vs. 1959 Bel Air - A pretty convincing demonstration of how far car safety has gone in 40 years as the two cars collide at 40mph in a driver side collision that totals both but in the Malibu the driver would likely survive while in the Bel Air he would have been crushed.


Ultimate Star Wars Collection - Take huge fan, lots of money and great display cases and you get the gallery an awesomely displayed Star Wars collection that any fan would drool to have. I have an excessive amount of comic and Transformers related stuff that I would love to be able to display like that but money and space prevents it.

Cash 4 Gold Threatens Jail - The clearly corrupt company of con artists that pay less for gold then even pawn shops is threatening jail time to for those that refuse to remove negative comments about the company. Any time a company threatens free speech in an attempt to white wash a bad reputation, it is a clear sign that you should never do business with them.

Hack the Wii - From G4, a quick guide on how to hack the Wii so can play emulated games and more for free.

Video Game - E3 2009 - Attack of the Show

Links of the Day

Superman Films Tabled - Despite going through the expense of creating re-organizing DC Comics into DC Entertainment to take advantage of their properties for movies, WB has indicated that they are not going to make a Superman film anytime soon. I can't say I am surprised as they just can't seem to get their shit together even after Marvel showed them how for the last 10 years. What hasn't been explained to me is how this re-org will help matters as WB's biggest problem continues to be way to many executives involved in the process, all vying for that claim to fame.

Next DC Animated Film Announced - While the live action department continues to revel in its incompetence, the animated division continues to do its job masterfully. The next film is Justice League: Crisis on Two Earth aka Justice League versus the Crime Syndicate (i.e. evil JL from another universe). Since the action sequences in animated movies are only improving with each film, this one might be the best yet.

Blockbuster Death Watch - The once great video rental chain is trying to survive by closing around 800 stores by the end of next year. Their complete inability to adapt combined with it its history of rip off pricing is what allowed Netflix and others enter the market and grab their market share. If they had focused on creating happy customers, maybe millions wouldn't have jumped ship at the first change for better waters. Good riddance to bad rubbish.

Tooth Provides Cure to Blindness - In a bit of surgical hocus pocus (and a lot of procedures) a blind woman was given sight with the aid of one of her own teeth. Click the link for a description of the complicated process but basically her own body parts were used to create an eye lens so she could see.

PSP Go Unboxing - A detailed look from box to operation of the new handheld device from Sony. Basically it is the PSP, only smaller with built in memory that tosses the UMD drive. Its best for those that like the downloading their video game content and not carrying cartridges around. I haven't played by regular PSP in years and yet I have a feeling I will get this despite not needing it.

Links of the day

Volcano Shaped Mall - It turns out that malls don't have to be ugly square shaped buildings that blight the landscape but something more creative and aesthetically pleasing. Click the link for a gallery of images for the Volcano Buono Mall in Italy whose design was inspired by the nearby Mt. Vesuvius.

Judge Rejects Merrill Settlement - Federal Judge Rakoff voice a $33 million settlement between Bank of America and Securities and Exchange Commission over the disclosure of bonuses to shareholders while at the same time it was asking for bailout money. “The S.E.C. gets to claim that it is exposing wrongdoing on the part of the Bank of America in a high-profile merger,” he wrote, and “the Bank’s management gets to claim that they have been coerced into an onerous settlement by overzealous regulators.” I couldn't agree more. All the BoA execs care about is protecting their personal fortunes (and to hell with everyone else's) and the department is just focused on political points rather than justice. Good call.

Mythbusters Return October 7th - Took long enough but finally new episodes of one of my most favorite shows on TV starts. The new season will test multiple myths. For example will a fired bullet vs. a dropped bullet, which will hit first (I would think momentum would give the fired bullet the lead but at terminal velocity both would fall at the same rate after). Does a muddy car get better mileage then clean one? (I guess aerodynamics question, I am going with no). What is the strength of duct tape? Also will a car explode when going over a cliff and hitting the ground like see in the movies all the time? (I am betting no). Overall, sounds like lots of boom and entertainment.

Wii Price Drop September 27th? - A leaked Toy R Us add suggests that the Wii could get a price cut to $200. Preliminarily it appears to be a Toys R Us only sale but considering the price drop on the PS3 and Xbox combined with the Wii's diminishing sales it seems likely to be a permanent price in the near future.

New Rules: Democrats Need to Grow a Pair - Bill Maher tore Obama and the Democrats a new one for their continued wussiness (he uses harsher words). Like me, he is a bit sick and tired of the Democrats constantly caving to Republican pressure and listening to the vocal minority. They are in the majority, with the majority often supporting their agenda (in this case 70% for healthcare reform), yet they constantly act like the underdogs that have to cave to every little thing the Republicans want. For once, they need to grow a spine, some balls, and tell the GOP were to shove it and quick pretending that they want to work together. They do not want to. Thanks to the Bush era, "compromise" is a four letter word so there is no point in continuing the one sided debate and inevitable ends with a GOP victory (in this case defined as a gutted and useless healthcare bill).

Link of the Day

Sarah Palin Hypocrisy - At this point it shouldn't be a surprise when Sarah Palin is once again caught talking out her ass in an attempt to get attention. As she continues the "death panel" meme, it turns out that she declared April 16, 2008 to be "Health Decisions Day" in Alaska. The goal for that day? To talk with health care providers about "advanced directives" i.e. the exact same thing the health care bill was going to provide counseling for. Even worse though is she is fighting hard to stop any healthcare reform even though 33% of Alaskans were not insured last year and the private insurance system the GOP is foaming at the mouth to defend is making it worse there with insurance rates going up 74% from 2000 to 2007 while wages only went up 13%. The really sad likely fact is that those same 33% that are not insured and 100% that are paying way more for less would all vote for again if given the chance.

Tron Reboot - Three amusing videos in the Tron environment. Mostly silly but I found them entertaining and pretty good effects and sounds that is faithful to the 1980s movie.

"I Will Not Read Your F$@#$ Script" - An entertaining read from A History of Violence screenwriter Josh Olson on why he has a policy of not reading people's scripts. The overall gist is that for him it is a lose-lose situation and I don't really blame him. When he does find time to read it, if he doesn't like it then a friend will think he is a douche for being honest. If he refuses to read it, then his friend will he think he is a douche for not providing his expertise. Since either way he will be a douche, he might as will go with the choice that will cause the least amount of grief.

Superman/Batman: Public Enemies clip - A clip from the upcoming movie. It is based on the six part comic book story from five years ago that was a great over the top read that launched the Superman/Batman comic book series that is currently on issue #63 I believe. The gist is President Lex Luthor declares Superman and Batman enemies of the United States by "causing" an extinction event sized meteor to hit the Earth. As a result all the heroes and villains of the DC Universe go hunting for them. Now Supes and Bats much destroy the meteor while avoiding arrest at the hands of their friends or death from their enemies.

9/11 8th Anniversary

Another year has passed but my feeling for this day hasn't changed from last year.

There are a lot of memories that go with 9/11/2001. The one that I choose to remember most isn't the horrible images of violence and destruction, but a gesture of support with the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace. Based on an article in The Telegraph there was actually much more but sadly I wasn't able to find the full performance from that day so the touching and tragic minute long snippet below will have to suffice.

Special Comment: "You Lie"

At first I didn't think that South Carolina Representative Joe Wilson's "You lie" outburst during the Presidential Address on Healthcare reform deserved a Special Comment from Keith Olbermann. That is until I heard it and he pointed out the many many lies the Bush Administration told for eight years and yet none ever yelled "You lie" during his addresses even though they were deserved.

The idiocy around this debate continues to confound me. Eight years of lies, two wars, thousands dead, but reforming healthcare is the thing that gets the "base" and "god fearing" folks most wound up? How? Why? I would love to explain to me out of all the issues to get heated about why has this one become the issue to gather around? Where were you a year ago? Two years ago? Eight years ago? How do you function with a moral compass that moves according to whatever your "conservative" talking heads tell you to believe? Do you have no mind of your own? Do you have no sense of even your own personal history and compare your "beliefs" from the past with your "beliefs" of the present and not noticed the inconsistencies? I just don't get it, I really don't.

Apple iTunes, iPod Announcements

Yesterday Apple held "It's Only Rock and Roll" Event to announce the refresh of its iPod line, iTunes 9 and iPhone 3.1 OS release. Just as important, it marked the return of Steve Jobs as the head of the company as he walked onstage to a standing ovation. The event itself didn't really announce anything remarkable, just overall improvements to the line of iPods and programs.

iTunes 9
- Available now
- Improved store navigation
- iTunes LP that includes lyrics, liner notes, video, photos and more
- iTunes Extra, basically DVD extras via iTunes. Exactly what isn't clear.
- Genius Mixes, instead of a finite playlist, it essentially creates a personal radio station with your music.
- App Management, finally able to control the layout of your iPhone icons via iTunes
- Home Sharing, now up to five local computers can share songs, videos and apps
- Sharing, can send iTunes gifts, add to wish list and publish about them to Twitter and Facebook

iPhone/iTouch OS 3.1.1
- Available now, free for iPhone, $4.95 for iTouch
- Support for iTunes 9 features
- Bug fixes

iPod Nano 5th Gen
- Available online, in stores as they get shipments
- 8GB: $149, 16GB: $179
- Video Camera, can shoot live video at 640 x 480 resolutions in H.264 but does not shoot still pictures
- Larger 2.2'' display, 9 colors (with red and yellow as Apple Store exclusives)
- Other features: Nike+ integration, voiceover, voice memo support, FM tuner with live pause, iTunes tagging (to note music from radio that might be worth buying), and 24 hours of battery life (or five hours for video playback).
- Hands-on video
- Video examples, click the link to see the various visual effects the nano offers in action

iPod Touch
- Less refresh, more price drop, new size model, available now
- 8GB: $199, 32GB: $299, 64GB: $399
- Oddly enough no camera, reasons why include lack of space internally, provide a feature for nano while giving people a reason to get an iPhone instead of an iTouch, and pricing point may not have been achieved.
- Hands-On video

iPod Shuffle
- More colors, new size, retired the older version, available now
- 2GB: $59, 4GB: $79
- Comes in pink, green, blue, silver, and black
- Also available 4GB special edition for $99 through Apple Store in heavier stainless steel.
iPod Classic
- No change, just increase in size to 160GB (from 120GB) for the same price of $249.

Links of the Day

DC Absorbed in DC Entertainment - In an attempt to counter the recent acquisition of Marvel by Disney, Warner Bros has announced the formation of DC Entertainment with Diane Nelson as the President. DC Comics president Paul Levitz was demoted to writer and consultant position until they likely quietly show in the door in a year or so. The goal is to make WB more effective in taking advantage of DC Comics properties for movie and the like. What hasn't been asked is why is a new group even needed? Unless this will eliminate the "too many cooks in the kitchen" syndrome that has plagued WB's attempts in the past, it seems like a lot of expensive noise for nothing. Time will tell what this will have on DC Comics as the new president's claim to fame is involvement with the Harry Potter films (but not the books) likely giving her the delusion that she knows everything she needs to about the publishing business. Considering the WB's heavy handedness in the past (preventing JLU from using Batman's rogues gallery because of another cartoon series, preventing use of the Joker because of the movie, etc) out of fear that their consumer base is deeply retarded, I suspect that DC Comics is about to undergo a substantial shift in what they publish.

Choosing HDTV Size Formula - At the link is a video from the New York Times that poorly demonstrates a common sense formula for figuring out what size HDTV to buy as bigger is not always better anymore. In general its (viewing distance in inches) divided by 2. So if 5 feet away then 5 feet X 12 inches = 60 inches / 2 = 30 inch TV. Apparently the NYTimes didn't have it in the budget to visually demonstrate this with actual TVs however so maybe grab a tape measure and hit up a local Best Buys and create your demonstration to verify.

Amusing Video Making from of the Indoctrination Moms - The other day Obama game a straight forward speech that came down to stay in school, set goals and then work to achieve them. This of course has been called indoctrination by the shock jocks whose financial means is guaranteed only when their idiots are quaking in fear. The below video demonstrates just how silly they really sound. And yes this is fake and not from CNN.


GOP Boos, One Yells During Obama's Speech - Normally a speech to Congress is a solemn affair were the body shows its respect the President. The stand at attention and show their agreement with claps, ovations or bowing out of both. Yet this time the GOP decided to boo during parts and in one case South Carolina Representative Joe Wilson yelled "lie" (about the bill not covering immigrants, something they can't even prove). It wasn't even a few years ago the GOP said that respect for the position must be held and that even disagreeing with the President was treasonous. Now they seem to show nothing but contempt and all because they are no longer the ones in charge. Gee such moral consistency.


Bush Tax Cuts Cost More Than Healthcare Bill Will - As always, the GOP is the party of inconsistency. For six years they controlled the budget but instead sent it to new heights. Once they lost control, suddenly they become concerned about the budget. A new study shows what common sense should have told them which is Bush's tax cuts for the rich cost more than the Healthcare bill will. Overall, it is estimated that from 2001-2010, his cuts cost the country $2.48 billion in revenue. Most of those savings benefitting the top 5% in the country. Remember, the GOP goals are never about god and country; they are about the rich and powerful.

Links of the Day

Gina Carano, Movie Star? - The martial artist may get a chance at movie stardom thanks to Steven Soderbergh who may cast in his next movie "Knockout". I am mostly interested as just found the woman absolutely gorgeous when saw her on American Gladiators.

A Bookless School Library - As a potential sign of the future, a private school in the Boston area is eliminating its library and the books it contained and replacing it with a virtual solution. Cushing Academy is replacing its physical inventory of books with computers, monitors and digitals readers so that students can use the internet and services such as Amazon to get hold of the reading material they need. Its sounds good on paper but as a practical solution for millions of students, not so much sense most will not be able to get hold of the tech needed to take advantage of such a setup. On a whole though I do see most people moving to an entire digital only solution for all their entertainment where instead of bookshelves and racks of CDs, DVDs, games and books, everything will be contained on hard drives. It’s something I would like to move to, the only problem being I already have so much physical stuff (games, statues, books, comics, toys, etc) with no clue on how to unload it.

Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep Trailer - The next installment of the Kingdom Hearts series is in the works and apparently going to be released on the PSP in Japan sometime next year. There currently is no US release date but that is likely to change.


Neil Gaiman's Library - While I wouldn't mind going all digital, if money wasn't an object then going in the opposite direction would definitely be up my alley with a personal library. Click the link for a gallery of images that shows off the writer's huge collection of books.

Attentionoob YouTube Channel - Click the link for a series of amusing videos (in German with English subtitles). Below is 10 things you shouldn't do at a grocery store (but looks like fun to do).

Links of the Day

Family Guy's Where's My Emmy - Click the link to view six videos that takes the classic Stewie "Where's My Money" gag and changes it to the Emmy's with lines unique to each show that Family Guy is competing against for Best Comedy at the Emmy Awards this season. My favorite is "Weeds" simply because Stewie doesn't think the show is worth it (why it’s a "comedy" category is beyond me). Also agree with the video, 30 Rock is a lock for the category.

Dangers of the GOP Pandering - An interesting statement from Dan Savage about the box that the GOP is putting itself in when trying to satisfy their religious base (see next post for how compassion isn't part of their morality set). The short hand of it is the GOP is fanning the flames of hate that essentially is demanding someone kill the President. Not directly but when you manufacture and sell the lies that Obama wants to kill your grandma, kill kids, kill your lifestyle (i.e. guns), and so forth, it is not a short leap for many of the crazies in the base to decide that offense is the best defense. The sad thing is Fox and the others would absolutely love it if Obama died simply because it would goose their ratings and the bottom line, not political ideology, is really all they care about.

GOPers Show Down Wheel Chair Bound Woman - Continuing example of how horrible the "discussion" is going on in these Town Hall meetings that are essentially about selling fear and hate that is the core of the GOP party. In this case a woman is concerned that she will lose her home due to mounting medical bills that her health insurance company isn't covering. The rest basically tried to shout her down. The video itself is worth watching as it points out that once again the GOP has successfully taken a difficult issue and devolved into "us" vs. "them" bullshit that only allows the extreme opinions to win or lose rather than trying to find the common ground (tort reform being a prime example). It seems these fools just don't get it, the GOP does not want reform, and they simply want to protect the health insurance company’s billion dollar profits. The American people are not a priority and never will be.

Can there be any room for a centrist at a health care reform town hall meeting

Spider-Woman Motion Comic - Click the link to get a free sample of the first issue of Spider-Woman motion comic that is available via iTunes. It basically take the 2D art work of a comic book and somehow gives it some basic movement with actors reading the various lines and thoughts of the characters. The effort is not as bad as I thought. The comic is being treated like a TV show with a "season pass" costing $8.99 or individual episodes costing $1.99.

Links of the Day

Cash 4 Gold Sues to Silence Critics - Rather than provide a reasoned and realistic response to what appears to be very shady business practices (better off pawning your gold rather than sending to them), the company has decided to sue any and all critics in an effort to silence any negative press. This suing binge includes the Consumerist, two ex-workers, and ComplaintsBoard.com. What does this mean for you? Simple - don't do business with them, ever. Any company that sues to silence critics usually is not up to anything good and is trying to prevent anyone from learning how they do business, something that wouldn't be necessary if they were above board. Click the link for all the details but post on that and other web posts, Cash 4 Gold should be avoided.

2009 TV Season Premiere Dates - Click the link for a breakdown of when all favorite and new shows will premiere. Most will start up in September, few more in October and the rest in November.

Bank of America Trying to Avoid Government Fee - Bank of America, like many companies that received bailout money, somehow have had excellent quarters and now flush with money want to pay back the government so they can pay ridiculous amounts of bonuses to their executives. However, they just want to pay back the money interest and fee free. Something that if their customers tried to do they would probably have a fit and throw lawyers at. Funny how corporations all feel that the rules should apply to everyone that isn't them.

Healthcare Costs Can Destroy Families - Click the link for a story that the GOP tries to ignore in their quest to kill healthcare reform to protect their big business friends. Essentially it’s about a family that will likely become bankrupt and no longer afford college thanks to the excessive cost of caring for their husband and dad. The situation is bad enough that the hospital suggested the wife divorce him so that she doesn't get buried under the mounting debt that will accumulate for his care that their insurance company is refusing to pay for. Which leads to this very important statistic: "78 percent of these people actually had health insurance, but the gaps and inadequacies left them unprotected when they were hit by devastating bills." The irony is the fools helping the GOP in their cause of many of whom fall into that category, defending their inadequate healthcare plans with such rage. The fight for reform is really about your own family because unless you’re rich, you probably also have gaps in coverage that you will not learn about until those bills start piling up. Ultimately wanting healthcare reform is about creating a net for yourself in case you lose your job, can't get insurance because your job doesn't offer it or you have a pre-existing condition or simply can't afford it because of life's occasional curveballs. It may turn out that net isn't even necessary but wouldn't you feel a lot better about yourself and your family if you knew it was there?

GOP Rep Laughs at Uninsured Single Mother - Speaking of, this show video shows just how out of it the GOP is on the issue, simplifying as a problem with people unwilling to "be a grown-up and go buy the insurance." Because its real simple for them to get insurance with the many choices their jobs provide, they just assume it’s that easy for everyone. Since is so simple, the people complaining about not are able to afford or get coverage due to a pre-existing condition must simply be too lazy or stupid to get it. The GOP has one priority and it isn't God or country, its big business.

Links of the Day

Disney To Buy Marvel for $4 Billion - Marvel Entertainment, home of Spider-Man, X-Men, Wolverine, Hulk, Iron Man and more than 5000 characters, is soon to be part of the Disney empire. The deal will net around $50 for each for Marvel stockholders making me wish I had bought some back in 1997 when it was going for less than a $1 each instead of buying Marvel comics that now just collecting dust. What this means for Marvel isn't clear as they have a lot of contracts with other businesses for movies, video games, and merchandising that has to expire before Disney can do their thing. One critical question is what will this mean for Marvel Comics - will they get "Disney-fied" or will they be allowed to run mostly autonomously?

100 Years of Visual Effects - A pretty good compilation that shows the evolution of special effects.


Bad Boys 3 Screenwriter Hired - Peter Craig has been hired to write the script for the movie that ignited the careers of Michael Bay, Will Smith and Martin Lawrence. I guess all three have indicated they are willing to come back and Sony is willing to pony up the truckloads of cash as likely bringing all three on board will account for at least the first $50 million of the budget if not more. How this effects production of Transformers 3 is currently unknown since a script doesn't necessarily mean a green lit movie.

EVE Online Bank Near Failure - In a case of the online world mimicking the real world, the MMORPG's largest player run bank is on the brink of failure after its "CEO" embezzled 200 billion game credits from the virtual bank and sold it in year life. This combined with general mismanagement has resulted in a 1.2 trillion credit deficit that has resulted in player's accounts being frozen for withdrawal. What impact this will have on the game world is currently unknown but it should be interesting to see as it demonstrates how real world theories on commerce affect even the fake world of the virtual marketplace.

God of War Collection - God of War I and II will get a 720p HD upgrade with a re-release for the PS3 for $40 this holiday season. What, if any, extras are unknown except that Trophies will be added to the game.

Links of the Day

Unboxing Batman: Arkham Asylum Collector's Edition and Review - The game itself is getting universally good reviews but is it worth it to pay an additional $40 or so for the Collector's Edition? Hopefully the review below will help in that decision. For me, the plastic (rather than metal) Batarang isn't enough to pay that kind of money so I will take a pass and just get the regular edition.


Why Are Senior Citizens Crying "Socialism"? - The link provides some analysis but to me the short answer is because they are stupid. You have to be if you’re against healthcare reform because its socialism while at the same time you’re drawing from socialism programs of Medicare and Social Security. This doesn't include other socialism programs of public education, emergency services, armed services, roadways and highways, and so much more. I seriously doubt any of them would willing give up any of the many socialism acts of the US government for those anti-Socialism ideals they suddenly grew out of nowhere thanks to the GOP taking advantage of their ignorance.

Most Dangerous Celebs to Search - According to a report from McAfee, compiled in who knows what way because that would require the press doing more than rewriting a press release, Jessica Biel and Brad Pitt are the most dangerous celebs to Google as their results can lead to websites with viruses and spyware.

Why Neoconservatives Love Jon Stewart - An interesting article that claims conservatives, who usually loathe to be challenged and stick to GOP friendly places like Fox News or radio, seem to like the liberal Jon Stewart. Supposedly because he is intelligent and aware but really because he lets them speak their garbage in complete sentences rather than interrupting constantly as their GOP counterparts like O'Reilly ("cut his mic!"), Hannity, and others like to do.

How USB Flash Drives Are Made - A video that shows how a flash drive is manufactured by Kingston. I found it interesting, especially the parts that involve more human input then I would have thought. I figured it was basically a start to finish machine operation but not quite.

Links of the Day

Lego Voltron Figure - Click the link for a full gallery of Lego Voltron that has its five cat modes and robot mode. Very cool and something wish was available at a local toy store to purchase.

Roger Ebert Comments on Healthcare Debate - I am pretty much in agreement with Roger Ebert when he call providing healthcare to all a moral imperative. I just think its good fiscal policy. Rather than people waiting for issues to reach the critical range when if often very expensive to treat with a hospital stay, they are more inclined to deal with it when a visit to the doctor and a prescription would have taken care of it. Measure that by millions and the savings cost can be measured in billions. What really annoys me though is those that hate it confuse communism with socialism and don't have enough sense to recognize that socialism has been a part of America from nearly day one. What do you call the police, emergency services, Medicare, the Armed Services, education and so much more? All of those are socialistic programs. How stupid do you have to be to not know this while complaining that healthcare shouldn't be done because its "socialism"?

10 MacGyver-like Tricks - Click the link for a few cheap and easy ways of fixing a few household problems such as diffusing a camera flash, making an iPhone dock out of anything, using nail polish for a bug bite, drying out a wet cell phone, and more. My personal favorite is using canned air and hair dryer to fix car dents.

Michael Jackson Murdered? - Preliminary results indicate that Michael Jackson may have died from an overdose of propofol, a sedative he used to help him sleep. This is on top of an extensive list of drugs the singer took on a regular basis. One source indicated the coroner ruled the death a homicide but that has not been verified. Considering Jackson's love of drugs to manage his lifestyle, I don't see any attempt at prosecution being successful.

8-Bit Lego Trip - Cool video with Legos and stop motion that pays a homage to the 8-bit era of video games.

Links of the Day

World of Warcraft: Cataclysm Expansion Trailer - At Blizzcon '09 today, the next expansion of the most popular MMORPG in the world is getting a new expansion that will include cap level increase to 85, new quests, dungeons, instances and more including transforming existing land and characters into something new that will probably lead to re-exploring the land. More details of the release can be found here.


Pallet Shipped for One Power Cord - The picture to the left is what HP chose to ship a 10 foot PC power cord in. Those cords could almost be tossed in a letter size padded envelope and even that might be too big. It’s pretty amazing that someone went through this level of trouble to ship such a small item.

Avatar Teaser Trailer - The new teaser trailer for James Cameron first movie since Titanic. The result is visually appealing but doesn't really tell you anything about the story or characters.

Barney Frank Nails An Idiot - This is how you handle the ignorant healthcare protestors whose knowledge of the issue essentially extends to repeating whatever Limbaugh, Hannity, or Beck said in the last few days. This one for instance apparently doesn't have any grasp of history whatsoever and Frank basically admits that talking to her is a waste of time as nothing will be accomplished anyway.


Castlevania: Lords of Shadow Trailer - The next game in the Castlevania series will be an action game in the vein of God of War if this trailer is indication. The voice cast is phenomenal, the graphics look good and hopefully the game play and story will be too.

New PS3 Slim and Starcraft II News

Playstation 3 Slim Officially Announced - The worst kept secret in video games is now official and hits stores shelves starting around September 1st with a $100 price drop. The new system, which is 33% smaller and 36% lighter is essentially identical to the current models (i.e. no PS2 backward compatibility) but with 120 GB hard drive and $299 price tag. For a video of the unboxing of the system, click here. If interested in buying the PS3 Slim from Amazon be sure to use the link to the left so my sites get some of the credit.

Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty Hands-On - The game is probably six plus months away from release but portions of the single player campaign was made available for various game sites to play. Click the link for Joystik's first impressions of the game that looks like is going to be a must have game of the year.

Starcraft II's Dustin Browder Interview - Main lead on the development of the game, he talks about development of the game, the delay to 2010 for release, achievements, matchmaking system, Easter eggs, and much more.

Starcraft II Andy Chambers Interview - Discussion with creative director of the game as he discusses the single player story line which takes place about four years after the end of the Brood War storyline. The game has over 4000 lines of recorded dialogue.

Starcraft II Cinematic Trailer and Gameplay - Two videos, one shows off a cinematic sequence for the game and the other shows off various single player maps.

Links of the Day

Mickey Mouse Copyright - As the chart indicates, how copyright duration has changed over the last 100 years, mostly defined by how close the Mickey Mouse copyright came to entering public domain. It use to be that items would enter public domain after a certain period of time but now that is unlikely to happen as lobbyist get Congress to extend the date which is currently 70 years after the creators death. Just another example of how copyright, patents and more are broken systems.

Avatar Sneak Coming Soon - Apparently James Cameron's next epic might get a 15 minute sneak peak next Friday at Imax 3-D theatres worldwide at 6 and 6:30pm. The website is reporting that the tickets will be available at noon PDT on Monday at the Avatar website on a first come first serve basis.

Clueless Town Hall Protester - It’s amazing how a little ignorance can go a long way as the video shows below. This random housewife of clearly limited knowledge has suddenly become absolutely angry about the healthcare debate (despite her own coverage being one of the worst I have heard of). Apparently the last 20 years couldn't get her dander up but this is the final straw! How much you want to bet all her information comes from Fox News and Glenn Beck? In this day and age with the ease of getting information from multiple perspectives, her ignorance on even the basics is pathetic and inexcusable.


GOP's Real Reason for Fighting Healthcare - Let's face it. If you look at the GOP for the last 60 years their core platform is "whatever makes big business happy" + "scare the public with a boogeyman argument". In the Healthcare debate the question then is what are they protecting big business for? It turns out record profits is the motive. Based on SEC filings, during the Bush years (2000-2007) Health insurance companies have enjoyed a 428% increase in profits from $2.4 billion to $12.9 billion. During this same period 19% less Americans have insurance. This is why the GOP is fighting so hard and why they are using boogeyman arguments ("death squads") to fight any reform as the insurance companies are scared to death that their will cease to enjoy record profits. When the GOP is fighting something there is always, without exception, a big business motive behind the action. They do nothing out of kindness, only out of lust for money.

Special Comment - Stop the Lies

Sadly the health care coverage has devolved into a mess in this country. With a skill that only the GOP and their followers of stupid can manage, they have changed to conversation about health care into something other than how to fix it. The concern, magically, has become about fiscal policy at least for a few that are vaguely aware. For most though the argument is become just how unfair they think the world is because their team is not in charge of things. For the last 8 years it was "Bush knows what is best, don't argue with your President in a time of war!" to basically disagreeing with a great deal of hate and anger with anything and everything that is done, often by people who themselves need the help. If check the town hall meetings, often the most angry are older white men who are probably on Medicare complaining that the government will decide their healthcare and completely oblivious to the irony.

As Keith Olbermann points out below, all this is only fueled by the Republican machine of lies led by Sarah Palin, Newt Gingrich and Glenn Beck. They don't counter with truth (the costs, better alternative plans, etc); no they counter with "death camps" and pretty much anything else they can make up. Newt, when confronts with "its not in the bill" lamely responds "its 1,000 pages long" basically meaning "I can make up whatever I want to get the idiotic base fired up and mad!". God forbid a rational argument be held using actually. I honestly don't know what is worse, that the "leaders" of the GOP are essentially trying to incite their followers to violence with lies or that their base after 8 years of similar lies continue to eat it up with a grin on their face and unquestioned obedience, not much better than a dog that fetches simply because his master told him too.

Links of the Day

The Ballad of GI Joe - From Funny or Die and starring some actual stars like Alexis Bledel (Lady Jaye), Billy Crudup (Zartan), Julianne Moore (Scarlett) and more in costume in brief appearances in this music video about how the various GI Joe characters spend their off days. I think my favorite is Olivia Wilde as the Baroness; she in glasses is just fantastic eye candy.

The Ballad of G.I. Joe from Olivia Wilde

InvisibleHand 1.5 - Firefox add-on that checks 50 or so US and UK retailers to make sure that the item you are looking at isn't better priced elsewhere.

Kick-Ass Trailer - As shown at the San Diego Comic Con, this trailer is for the movie based on the comic book miniseries about a boy that decides to become a real superhero (but minus the powers). This inspires a dad and daughter team to enter the vigilante business and their methods are much more violent.


Super Michael Jackson Bros - Amusing video that puts the King of Pop in Super Mario Bros. It’s actually nearly a year old and yet it remains amusing.

John Hughes Dead at 59

John Hughes, king of the 1980s teen comedies, passed away today due to a heart attack at the age of 59. He wrote and directed many beloved films that still influence the work of today including The Breakfast Club, Some Kind of Wonderful, Sixteen Candles, Ferris Beuller's Day Off, Pretty in Pink, and Home Alone. There are many stars in Hollywood that owe their career and continued paychecks to his efforts. He leaves a film legacy that few others have achieved in both acclaim and box office bucks. Condolences to his surviving family of a wife, two sons and four grandchildren.

John Hughes
2/18/1950 - 8/6/2009

Click here for a great story about the director and writer that conveys his humanity from the perpective of a fan and pen pal.

Links of the Day

Journalists Freed - Two journalists have finally been freed from North Korea thanks to a visit from former President Bill Clinton. The journalists were jailed for essentially planning on writing stories that were not flattering to the country. Of course, Fox News thinks they should have served their 10 years for doing their jobs (makes you wonder what their own journalists are feeling about that right about now). Overall a good day and a sign that Bill Clinton still has the mojo that Bush will never have.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

MegaMan Game History - Click the link for a large picture diagram that shows all the Mega Man games created for the storied franchise and all its iterations across pretty much every gaming platform since the NES. Personally I miss the original Mega Man games.

Starcraft II Delayed - To probably the surprise of no one, the game has been delay. The plan now is for a first quarter 2010 release but I suspect that April to May is the more likely date.

Paula Abdul Quits American Idol - The link breaks down the likely reasons why but really everyone knew her days were numbered when that fourth judge was added as insurance in case one of them bailed. The cause comes down to money, she wanted a few million more (not clear if per episode or season) and Fox said no. Time will tell if this will impact ratings but I suspect they will not show more than a minor hiccup.

Windows 7 Review and Features - Long story short, Vista sucks, get this version instead which is what Vista was supposed to be. If you buy any machine make sure it has the free Win 7 upgrade. I haven't used it but have noticed that essentially everyone that panned Vista is universal in their agreement that 7 is a good buy.

Special Comment on Health Care

Keith Olbermann knocked another one out of the part regarding the health care debate as the American public allows themselves to be lied to be Republicans and "Blue Dog" Democrats who have been clearly bought by the health care system who are worried that a public option would create the competition of good and services that up to know they have not really had to worry about.

They like to talk about how the government can't run anything, find let’s say that is true then what is the harm of the public option? Why fight it so desperately if it’s nothing to worry about. They say "hey do you want a bureaucrat deciding your care?" Well assuming you can even afford it, don't they anyway? Who makes the decision on what is covered and what isn't? Who decided how much the insurance will pay out and how much you have to? Oh yeah corporate bureaucrats who actually get raises and bonuses for making things better for the company at the expense of your health.

They say "what about the costs?" Yes what about them? What do you think happens when a simply flu that could have been taken care of with a quick doctor visit and anti-biotics turns into a medical emergency requiring hospital care simply because the person couldn't afford that initial visit? Which is cheaper? Getting people to see the doctor when they need to or making them delay until their own bodies takes the choice away? Now imagine that scenario times millions. That is why it will be cheaper, simply because people will get the cheaper care they need rather than waiting until a much more expensive consequence occurs.

The final argument is "what about your choices of coverage?" What choices? Unless you work the government you have one choice, whatever your employer decides if that. If you have a pre-existing condition and no coverage from an employer, the "choice" is made for you - you’re just out of luck. There is no choice in medical care anymore then there is choice is cable coverage, or gas or anything else. Sure they all have different names but the "choice" of cost and extent of coverage remains oddly uniform and lacking in any real competition.

There is no marketplace; there is no proof of capitalism when it comes to healthcare. The choice people need to make is do they want the Republican solution - do nothing or the Democrat solution - do something, anything that is better the current system. To me the choice is simply, something is better than nothing and that is the choice we really have right now.