Links of the Week

GOP Only for Rich Tax Cuts
The GOP's current platform comes down to "we are not democrats". When asked for a specific plan on how to turn the economy around, the best they can come up with is "tax cuts", specifically make the Bush Tax Cuts permanent. The only problem with this plan is it clearly has worked in the previous 10 years and added around $2.5 trillion to the deficit. Considering the party's sudden love for deficit reduction, further tax cuts present a problem since there are no means to pay for them. Basically a tax cut = increased deficit. So you think when they actually put forth a tax cut plan they would device a means to pay for it right? Nope, as the lovely chart on the right illustrates, their plan isn't really any different than the Democrat, at least until you hit the $500k threshold. The Democratic plan pays for itself and may reduce the deficit because the rich don't benefit anymore than any other tax group. The Republican plan basically goes "you rich? Here have more money!". It’s that trickle down axiom of there that has never worked. After all, what happens to a tax cut that doesn't get spent? It doesn't trickle down. What happened to the previous 10 years of tax cuts? As the economy shows, they clearly didn't trickle down. Instead of listening to the Limbaughs of the world that have 99% opinion and 1% fact, look at the facts. Ignore my words, just look at the chart and noticed the huge difference and ask yourself "does this make any since?" and "Isn't this the opposite of fiscal responsibility the GOP claims to believe in?".

Links of the Week

Lego London Tower Bridge
The pic is an upcoming piece from Lego that when completed has 80 windows, 40'' long, 17'' high with mini Lego vehicles, working drawbridge, tan bricks, arches, and more. The 4,287 piece structure should be hitting Lego online and Lego stores soon. No details on costs but guessing a few hundred.

Weird Science vs. Real Genius Geek-Off
It has been 25 years since these two classics came out and Moviefone decided to determine which is the superior movie based on the good guys, bad guys, "future stars", the ladies, science, geek factor and quotability. Hit the link to see if you agree with their analysis that Real Genius is the better geek film.

Republicans for Rich Only
In one of the things that baffles me, the GOP continues to get support from the middle class and the poor despite the fact that the party policy comes down to a collective "f%^k you". The party talks to them a lot but if every really look at their record they have done nothing for a majority of Americans in decades now. Sure they talk a good game about tax cuts but the only ones that have ever seen any real tax cuts is the rich. If you make over $250k a year, the GOP is your best friend. If you don't, you really have no reason to support them from a financial and economic standpoint. Another example of this is going on now. The states are essentially going bankrupt. All 50 of them. Police officers, firefighters, teachers and more are getting laid off (which is bad for the economy). Odd little cuts are being made like unpaving roads, cutting off lampposts, and more in a bid to shave money off the budget. This isn't "wasteful" spending being cut now but essentials that are needed for safety. So what does the GOP do? They say no. Their "solution" yet again. Make permanent the Bush tax cuts despite the fact they will ADD $700 billion to the deficit and did NOT help the economy in the previous 10 years. Basically their solution is "hey it didn't work for 10 years, let’s try it for another 10 just to make sure!" and people are buying it. It truly boggles my mind that people just cannot see something that simple and reject it as stupid and not working.

California Gay Marriage Ban Lifted
The Chief U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker has ruled earlier this week that the California law banning marriage was un-Constitutional and has now ruled that marriage can resume on August 15th. It is a major victory for gay rights movement and a major defeat for the mostly conservative contingent that has been working hard for years to codify a country wide ban. Ironic considering the conservative "movement" has been making talking about how the Constitution has been circumvented by Obama (while unable to provide specific examples and supporting the Bush's patriot act), that the country is going fascist (while supporting an actual fascist immigration "show your papers" law) and claiming love for the Constitution (while trying to overturn the 14 and 17th amendments. Its real simple, if you love the Constitution, you have to support equal rights. If you support equal rights you have to support gay marriage. You can't really have it both ways regardless of the mental gymnastics used to attempt to justify it. But if there is a real constant in politics, it’s that a conservative is by definition a hypocrite.

Harry Potter 7 Split Revealed
The final story of Harry Potter is being split into two films. Part 1 this Christmas and Part 2 next Summer. The point the movies will break has finally been revealed by Entertainment Weekly in this week's magazine article about the movie. It seems it will occur around Chapter 24 (out of 36) when Voldemort captures the Elder Wand. This leaves the Gringotts break-in and Battle of Hogwarts as the main pieces of Part 2.


He Who Yells Loudest Is Still Stupid
Knowing they have no plans beyond stop taxing the rich, the GOP keeps bouncing from scare tactic to tactic to get the ignorant to vote for them. Their entire 2010 campaign comes down to "be scared of stuff, vote for me and I will cut rich people's taxes to protect you!" The new meme is "terror babies" or "anchor babies". The idea is people are having babies here so that 20 years from now they will attack the United States. In a bizarre interview with Rep. Louie Gohmert basically yells his way through the interview on the idea that yelling really loud means he is right. Asked for evidence of his assertion he can provide none yet mentions it must be true cause of an airplane conversation. It is the usual GOP nonsense of lying but making it seem true with repetition and yelling a lot. After 10 years of this you would think people would stop falling for it. Sadly no. Hit the link to watch the rather insane exchange. The GOP, "we hate everyone but the rich...vote for us."

2010 San Diego Comic-Con 80 Plus Panel Videos

It is a few weeks late but finally able to post the links to 80 panels from the 2010 San Diego Comic-Con (SDCC) that were recorded and posted on line. Big thanks to all the uploaders.

The lengths vary from as short as 10 minutes to a full hour, usually the difference related to how much copyright footage was show during the panel. Because of that material you will often find a reference to a clip but that get shown as had to be edited out per SDCC recording rules or avoid DCMA takedowns. The panels cover TV, movies, toys, comics and video games. I have watched most but not all. Probably my favorite of the bunch was Castle with Nathan Fillion kept things going with his usual wit and charm. The other ones worth watching include The Visionaries Panel with Joss Whedon and JJ Abrams, Mythbusters, Psych and pretty much all the SyFy panels.

MOVIES
Battlefield Los Angeles - Part 1 | Part 2
Captain America - Part 1 | Part 2
Cowboys & Aliens - Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3
Green Lantern - Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3
Red Press Conference - Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6
Red Panel - Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9
Resident Evil: Afterlife - Complete
Salt - Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3
Scott Pilgrim vs. The World - Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4
Sucker Punch - Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3
Super - Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4
Thor - Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4
The Avengers - Complete | Trailer
The Expendables - Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3.1 | Part 3.2 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6
Tron Legacy Press Conference - Complete
Tron Legacy - Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Trailer

Links of the Week

GOP Holding Laws Hostage for Bush Tax Cuts
In yet another example of conservative hypocrisy, the GOP is holding pretty much all activity in Congress hostage in effort to make Bush's tax cuts permanent. Despite claiming fiscal responsibility and reducing the deficit, the previous decade of cuts resulted in around $3 trillion being added to the deficit (more than Obama is expected to add in his entire first time). If made permanent, the cuts are expected to add at least another trillion. The GOP claims it helps the economy, but considering the cuts has been in place since 2001, that doesn't seem true. Especially since the cuts only provide significant assistance to those that make $150k or more so around 10% of the country. The graph to the left is why they are fighting as the Obama plan would re-shift tax policy so that the burdens to the rich and even then not that significantly but to the GOP the rich shouldn’t even pay $1 in taxes. Then again, considering pretty much the top tier of the GOP are in those wealthy categories that benefited most under Bush, their perspective is no surprise. What is the surprise is their non-rich followers that support a policy that doesn't benefit them in any meaningful way.

Things You Didn't Know About Scientology
Hit the link to look at an amusing chart that compares science with the cult of Scientology. It includes a handy timeline of Earth's history that science believes occurred and the bat-sh$t crazy that is the cult's version along with a few myths they try to sell but isn't true.

Tom Mankiewicz R.I.P.
The screenwriter of Superman, Superman II, most of the 70s James Bond films and more died on July 31st at his home 68. He was 68.

Links of the Week

Green Lantern Posters
Even though the movie is a year away, we have teaser posters that show off the main cast of the movie with Ryan Reynolds (Green Lantern, Hal Jordan), Blake Lively (Carol Ferris), Peter Sarsgard (Hector Hammond) and Mark Strong (Sinestro). Nothing remarkable yet, other than the observation that Lively is exceptionally hot as a brunette. Hit the link above for hi-res pics.



New DMCA Exemptions
Oops. Apple spent the last year or so trying to make it illegal for user to jailbreak their phone and here the Copyright Office instead makes it not only legal but specifically sites Apple in their change. While Apple continues to march down the 1984 path (really, can't even do what you want to your own purchase?), it’s nice to see at least some people get in the way. The other major exemption is the use of clips from an already owned purchase as long as used for documentaries, non-commercial videos and educational use. Basically, if using the clip and not making money from it. This isn't a move a GOP administration would ever allow since they see corporations as their masters.

DC Universe Online Trailer
If only DC would actually make a movie that looks this good and this dark. The trailer uses pre-rendered CGI to basically show the intro sequence for the upcoming MMORPG that establishes the skeleton of the story driving the game. It involves a despotic future where the heroes are just defeated by all the villains when Brainiac invades. Back to the present, the heroes must make sure that future doesn't happen.

Stargate Universe Season 2 Trailer
If don't mind spoiling the season 1 "everyone could die!?!" finale, hit the video below to check out the return of Stargate Universe on September 28th. I just hope the series picks up the pace as I have been a fan since Stargate-SG1 premiered on Showtime but this series is a drag. Uninteresting characters (but with potential), not particularly interesting situations and very slow moving plot. The foundation of a great series is here but in an effort to not be SG1 or Atlantis (which should not have been cancelled), they created something dull. On the plus, breaking up the DVD box sets stopped my buying habit of all things Stargate, so saved some money there.



YouTube Time Limit Increased
Speaking of YouTube, after years of staying at the same number, the average uploader can go to 15 minutes. While YouTube already makes exceptions for "partners", this is the first major change in the time standards since nearly the inception of the website. Hopefully this will decrease the amount of "Parts" you find for many videos.

Links of the Week

Economy Does Better Under Democrats
For reasons that will probably never be explained, most corporations and people seem to think the economy thrives when Republicans are in charge. This isn't actually true as numbers repeatedly and always prove. There are really no exceptions in this. Consistently, Republicans are bad for the economy. The reason is fairly straight forward. The GOP believes in unrestrained greed. The problem with that is too much greed becomes destructive, which rarely leads to healthy companies. See Enron, HP, all of Wall Street, housing scandals, lead in toys and so much more. When you allow unrestrained greed, companies will often make decisions that make the short term look good but can lead to their death in the long term. On top of that, the GOP has a pretty straight forward belief that tax cuts to the rich fix everything. Except that isn't true either. The engine of the economy isn't the rich. It’s the middle and lower classes (who are 95% of the population). The rich are getting richer thanks to GOP tax cuts but everyone else is either getting poorer or holding steady. Even raises have been stagnant now for around 10 years. The result is less disposable income which leads to a sputtering engine. People do not make spending decisions on tax cuts. They make them based on available disposable income and job security. Eight years of tax cuts under Bush has proved it doesn't work, despite the GOP promising more of the same (while not trying to pay for it). Any case read the link for more charts on why your savings and investments are better off during Democrat administrations.

New StarCraft II Trailer
Blizzard has released a new trailer that hints at some of the story that will drive the single player campaign in the game. I participated in beta and found the game to be a whole lot of fun; however my computer is old and barely could run the game. To get the full experience, you should consider playing the game with a computer that meets the recommended specs. In this case that means one that is two years old or newer (my computer is five years old).

Links of the Week

Green Lantern First Look
In what is probably a test run of the all CGI costume, Entertainment Weekly has scored the first look at the Green Lantern costume. The movie is expected to hit summer next year. The result is rather interesting but a little too painted on for my taste. Really hard to tell for sure until the final look is decided and seen in action.

Price is Right Perfect Bid, Wasted Moment
An interesting story from Esquire that details how Terry Kniess became the only person in 38 years of the Price is Right to guess exactly value of the prizes in the Showcase showdown. The part that annoyed me was how Drew Carey and the show’s producers handled it. Which was very poorly. They basically assumed the guy cheated and was trying to make them look stupid. Carey has just recently replaced Bob Barker on the show and the long time executive producer Roger Dobkowitz was fired so he could be replaced by a cheaper newbie named Mike Richards. The next result is a whole lot of inexperience led to a horrible handling of a game show historic moment. It is kind of expected that the producers would be worried about image and credibility; however Carey's response was just wrong. At their core, a game show host's job is to advocate for the contestant. They should want the contestant to not only win, but win in the most dramatic way possible. By doing that, they create good television. Instead, all Carey focused on is his ego. How bad he would look and more. Basically, reading this article confirmed what I suspected. The Price is Right is no longer worth watching because the guy at the top doesn't recognize what his core job is. It is tragic.

Links of the Week

The Best Lego Films
Bleeding Cool has compiled 18 Lego movies that show off the many ways you can tell stories with Legos. They include a brief retelling of Star Wars, Thriller, Spinal Tap, and other movie related re-creations.

How They Make the Old Spice Commercials
Click the link to view an interview with Old Spice's Isaiah Mustafa that stars in those wild Old Spice commercials. He explains how the recent commercial was made. It turns out that it is one continuous shot that can take up to 40 takes to get right, it was filmed on a lake, used a real circular saw, man-made waterfall and more.

RetroN 3 Device for Old School Gaming
If you have $70 you can buy a device that will play NES, SNES, and Genesis games. It comes with two generic wireless controllers but also has slots to use the classic controllers for each system. The perfect system if have old games lying around or need to free up some space.

Links of the Day

DC Redesigns Wonder Woman's Costume
For the first time in years, Wonder Woman is getting a permanent (such as exists in comics) costume change. As the image shows, it retains some elements of the classic design but the goal seems to mostly lose the bathing suit esthetic of the decades old template. I think the change is motivated by a marketing desire to make the character easier to sell to parents and more importantly easier to create a costume if Wonder Woman ever makes it the big screen. Warner Bros show it is nearly incapable of exploiting its own properties well so not holding my breath on a Wonder Woman movie but moves like this might make it a little easier.

Best Buy to Fire Employee Over Internet Video
Yet another sign that Best Buy doesn't get it, they are going to fire an employee because of a funny iPhone vs. HTC EVO video (at the link) that pretty much makes fun of iPhone lovers. The video doesn't reference Best Buy or any store. The video has no Best Buy specific logos, dress or anything else even remotely related to the company. The only Best Buy aspect of it is the video was created by a Best Buy employee and expressed an opinion corporate didn't agree with so decided to take action. I imagine that if the video had been a glowing review of the iPhone, they wouldn't be taking this action. The lesson is for all current and future Best Buy employees, beware as Corporate Big Brother is watching and if they do not approve of your internet activities done on personal time, they may fire you for it.

Links of the Day

Futurama, Lego Style
If a fan of Futurama or Legos, really should check out the huge gallery of images of this re-creation of Futurama' New York. It has the major buildings, including Madison Cube Garden and the Planet Express. Also have the characters Lego style, the sewers and a lot more sweet details. (Via Gizmodo)

Larry King to Retire
It is official; Larry King is finally going to retire after 25 years on the air. The decision is likely one part simply being time since he is 76 years old, one part personal reasons since he is going through some family problems, one part pressure from CNN as his ratings or not only bad but skewed to an older non-advertising friendly demographic and finally because he simply isn't very good at it anymore. Better to go out before things sour to the point of no return, especially since all it takes is one mistake for the press to tarnish a long and legendary career (see Helen Thomas). No date on his last day was provided.

Hulu Plus Announced
It has been rumored for more than a year but now official. By fall Hulu will have a paid subscription of $10 per month and availability on most devices that you pretty much already find Netflix on including iPhone and iPad. The plus apparently brings access to more shows by giving access to all episodes of shows rather than just a select few or last six or so episodes like is the current practice. Of note is you will still be forced to watch the ads and I doubt that the episodes will become available any quicker than they do now after broadcast.

Links of the Day

iPhone 4, Apple Against Left Handed People
It seems that the new iPhone has a left handed person bias. The phone antenna is around the outside of the device to increase signal strength and overcome some of the inherent problems that are associated with AT&T. It seems a side effect of that design is if you hold the phone in such a way as your skin contacts the bottom left hand corner (something common if type on device with right hand or just a lefty) then it will quickly lose its connectivity to AT&T. Now either this problem was not discovered or it explains why the new overpriced "bumber" case was released. Apple's official response to the news was a) you are holding it wrong and b) buy a case. So once again, buyer beware.

Links of the Day

100+ Pieces of Star Wars Concept Art
Hit the link for a huge gallery of images from the six Star Wars films and few video games that show how a lot of what is now iconic images were developed.

iPhone 4Gen Review
Apple has released the update 4.0 for the iPhone operating systems and now the 4th gen iPhone has started shipping to retail and those that pre-ordered online. Overall, the media remains in love with the phone calling it the best yet and worth the upgrade for most users. An unboxing video can be found here.

Complete Guide to iOS4
Click the link to get an overview of all the features the new 4.0 OS for the iPhone including how to use folders, multi-tasking, new mail features, and more. Again, the OS is considered a win and worthwhile for iPhone 3GS users. There is a caveat (see below).

Links of the Week

Looney Tunes Cast Revealed
Bugs Bunny is returning to the airwaves soon via the Cartoon Network but with a new look and new (mostly female) cast members. The cast has been de-aged to around early teens. I just miss the old cartoons which were pulled off the airwaves by the Network once they locked up exclusive rights to them and decided they were not worth airing.

Gigantic Lego Imperial Shuttle
Lego continues its huge scale Star Wars sets with the 2503 piece set that will hit retail in September for $260. Once assembled, the craft will be 28'' tall and 22'' wide. It will include five minifigs with Darth Vader, Shuttle Pilot, Imperial Officer, Stormtrooper and Return of the Jedi Luke Skywalker. Sadly this set is outside my wallet range.

Monster Lego Chess Set
Below is a video that shows off a massive, motor controlled chess board that was built with 100,000 Legos and $30,000. The game is controlled by computer that can also reset itself. More info on it at Team Hassen Plug.

E3 2010 News

E3 is a video game convention/conference where the major video game companies present their plans for the next year. The business aspect is to get retailers and the like interested in their product but the main benefit is the free press they get worldwide as people talk about their plans and show off the products that are coming down the pipe. This year brings not only new hardware from Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft but the usual plethora of games. Below are links and the like to info I found most interesting.

E3 Press Conferences and Trailers
From checking the various websites, Gametrailers.com really is the best source to see all the E3 press conferences and trailers in solid quality so head there if want all the details and not just a few bullet points.

Microsoft Kinect Officially Announced
Last year at E3, Microsoft demonstrated a device they called "Project Natal". This year it is now an official edition to the Microsoft line-up complete with Kinect specific games, special port on new XBox Slim and really a whole new way to do motion control. The device supports controller-less playing, voice commands, video chat and more. It uses sensors to tell a person's positioning to reflect commands so a kick is read as a kick, a jump a jump and so forth. Touching in space can register as commands and a lot more. It’s hard to type out what it does, but the potential of this is huge. It also seems like a lot of work since you can't "cheat" the system like you could with the Wii where could bowl from the couch. Since your body is the controller, it means games will require your full physical attention to participate. The systems release date is November 4th and the expected launch games list is here. Gamestop has the price at $149 but that price point is not official. I suspect that that at that time there will be XBox, Kinetic + game system packs that will go on sale in time for Christmas.

Links of the Day

Nintendo 3DS Revealed?
Nintendo had announced last year it was working on a 3D handheld system and apparently some information about the product has been leaked. The device has the basic form factor of the regular DS but now with a much larger widescreen on top, camera, and an analog stick (the white nub on bottom left side). The image is just a mock-up based on the report from China but expect the real deal to be shown off next Tuesday at Nintendo's keynote address at E3.

Time-Lapse of Space Shuttle Prep and Launch
Very cool video that shows the six week process of prepping the Space Shuttle Discover for launch from the hangar bay all the way to lift-off.

Indiana 5 Rumors
The film is likely years off, but apparently next year is the penciled in date to start production. The story is rumored to involve Indy and his son Mutt on an adventure at the Bermuda Triangle. A goal is to go back to Indy roots with more practical effects and less CGI driving the story.

Starcraft II War is Coming Trailer
A decent trailer for the upcoming game. It mostly shows off the game's cinematic and hints at the single player story. I played the Beta and pretty much if you’re a fan of Starcraft I then two is right up your alley. My five year old machine played it pretty good once dialed down the graphics but I think any machine three years or less in age with separate graphics card should be able to enjoy the game.

iPhone 4 and Other Links

iPhone 4 Officially IntroducedToday Steve Jobs officially introduced the new iPhone at the WWDC 2010 keynote which will be available starting June 24th. The price will be $299 (32GB), $199 (16GB), and $99 (3GS 8GB). A comparison of the 3GS and iPhone 4 shows a faster processor (same as one in the iPad), a higher pixel density of 960 x 640 (almost same resolution as iPad) or what Apple calls Retina Display, HD video recording (720p at 30fps), a front and back camera, the main being 5 megapixel with flash, and slightly improved battery life. So far the phone seems to continue to be tied into the crapiness that is AT&T so an upgrade will jail you to them for two more years. Main new apps for the device include iBook (with pdf support), Netflix, and iMovie. The phone will also support video conferencing (aka FaceTime Video Chat) but only over a Wi-Fi connection. Hands-On description and video here. Top link is a definitive guide that breaks down all the details for the new phone.

Helen Thomas Forced into Retirement
If you want to know why conservatives always go into attack mode even when it does nothing to actually help, this is why. Helen Thomas voiced an opinion that Jews (aka Israel) should get out of Palestine. Since America has this warped opinion that Israel can do no wrong, it was twisted into an anti-Semitic remark by the right with the cowardly press corps diving into the dog pile as they figured it would help ratings (cause god forbid it actually start an intellectual conversation about the Gaza Strip, the politics of the regions and more).

Links of the Day

25 Horribly Sexist Vintage AdsAds that are kind of jaw dropping by today's standards in how they depict women vs men in trying to sell products. A shoe ad has the tag line "Keep her where she belongs...", another has a woman as a rug with her head being stepped on, another is for a projector but the focus isn't the projector but the woman's breasts, and well you get the idea. Amazing these often wordy and stupid ads actually worked.

Supreme Court Guts Miranda
It took three decisions to do it, but conservatives finally have used the sheep...err the five conservatives on the Supreme Court to gut Miranda rights to the point that they have no value. In a 5-4 ruling, the Court decided that until a person verbally invokes their right to remain silent. Apparently your rights only apply when you declare you intend to use them. I am not sure how the requirement to declare your intentions applies if you can't speak, don't speak English or talk after the statement is made. A previous ruling invalidated asking for a lawyer as a means of ending interrogations. Basically, with their various rulings over the years the police are only required to read you your Miranda Rights, not honor them. They can interrogate you for as long as they want, regardless of what your do or don't say, with the full protection of the Supreme Court. It’s unclear if other rights also have to be declared out loud before they apply. I wonder if this means websites have to declare their intent to use the 1st amendment since rights are no longer implied.

Nun Excommunicated for Saving Mom's Life
In yet another sign of how bizarre and arbitrary of the so called moral authority that is the Catholic Church. A nun, Sister Margaret McBride, approved an abortion as the only means of saving the mother's life. It was in the 11th week of the pregnancy so it was the death of the mom AND the baby or the death of just the baby. The decision is sadly pretty simple. The result was she was excommunicated. As the report at the link notes, strange how this nun participated in saving a life is punished and very quickly yet all the priests that raped children are still with the church who has gone through massive steps to protect them. Moral authority my rear end.

Links of the Day

Gary Coleman, Dead at 42The star died today of a brain hemorrhage at the age of 42. For me, he was the hilarious comedian on Different Strokes. For others he was the short guy suffering from nephritis that would pop up in the tabloids for some problem or other. All I know is he made me laugh for many years as a child and for that I alone I have nothing but fond memories of the guy. It’s a tragedy he died so young and lived a life so hard. R.I.P. Gary thanks for the laughter.

Woman Killed After Threatening a Census Worker
While not confirmed, I am betting this woman was an avid listener of Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh. It is the only way to explain why she pulled a gun on a census worker and later was dumb enough to wave it around at the police officers that came to investigate. Point guns at police plus refusal to put it down equals them defending themselves. The result is this woman lost her life because she didn't have the common sense to know when to back down or not listen to fools that claim to love the Constitution while attempting to thwart and endanger those carrying out its directive of a census every 10 years.

Internet Running out of IP Addresses
It seems the world is about 18 months away of running through the 4 billion IP addresses the IPv4 scheme allows for. A solution already exists, in the form of its replacement, IPv6, that allows for trillions of addresses but a majority of companies are not ready for that standard. The result will most likely be that companies seeking new addresses will be turned down until they update their equipment to handle the new protocol, something that will become a problem for smaller companies that may not necessarily be able to afford the added expense. At this point it really is too early to know exactly what will happen but for the average user not a whole lot.

Holmes 2, Superman Set Dates
Warner Bros. has made a few firm decisions on some of its franchises. It has announced that Sherlock Holmes 2 is set for a December 16th, 2011 release date with most of the key cast returning. The Flash is also on the verge of being greenlit while Superman has penciled in December 2012 for a release date with The Dark Knight's Chris Nolan producing.

Darth Vader Recording for TomTom
Amusing commercial that shows the difficulty in recording lines for the Star Wars TomTom device.


Stop Motion NES 8-Bit Montage
A creative video that uses household items like paper, desks, food and more to re-create classic NES games from the 80s like Contra, The Legend of Zelda, Metroid, Mega Man 2, Super Mario Bros and more.

Links of the Day

Google Pac-Man Cost $120 Million
Apparently the Google Pac-Man playable logo was enough of a hit that it is estimated that it cost $120 million in lost productivity. This is based on half a billion hits the site experienced on May 23rd and around 5 million hours of time at an estimated cost of $25 per hour (which seems high to me). The game itself remains available here.

Apple Officially the Goliath
Way back in 1984, Apple cultivated this image of the underdog company always trying to beat the big meanies of Microsoft, Dell, and other computer companies. Ever since then Apple fans have used this false view to defend pretty much anything the company does as the acts of a smaller company just trying to survive. As of Tuesday, Apple's market value is now greater than Microsoft, which to mean needs to forever kill its underdog status. It is now the Goliath it once railed against. See its iPhone and iPad policies for proof of how it wields its strength. I wish this would put an end to the excuse making from the Apple fan boys, but not holding my breath.

Alice to Cross $1 Billion
In unexpected box office news, Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland is expected to cross the $1 billion threshold by the end of the weekend. This is largely based on its foreign sales of $667 million but the $332M from the US didn't hurt. The movie becomes only the sixth to cross that threshold, joining Avatar, Titanic, Return of the King, Dead Man's Chest and The Dark Knight. The movie was released in March, becoming the first non-summer, non-holiday movie to cross the mark and possibly proving that not only can movies succeed when released outside of the usual crowded summer window but also thrive. I also think it proves that the US consumer is going to lose power in deciding what a success or failure is as the foreign sales continue to makes up a huge chunk of the gross for many movie releases. Now if only TV would take into consideration the overseas success of its programs when deciding what to keep or cancel.

Generic = Name Brand Drugs
Click the link to view a nice chart that breaks down why it’s silly to pay more for name brand drugs when the generic does the exact same thing. The reason? Thanks to "evil" regulation, generic drugs are required to be identical in dosage, safety, strength, quality and performance as its name brand counterpart. Basically it’s the same everything in less flashy packaging or expensive advertising campaigns at half the cost.

1979 vs. 2010 Oil Spill
Rachel Maddow broke out the way back machine last night to show off how little technology has changed in 30 years when it comes to dealing with ocean based oil leaks. The names change, such as "The Sombrero" becoming the "Top Hat" method but other than that, not a thing. For all the talk of "advancement" from BP and its defenders, it’s pretty clear the only tech applied to drilling is how to get more oil for less money, not preparing, preventing, or planning for when disaster strikes.

Fall 2010 Upfronts

This week all the major networks held their upfronts which is basically a press conference were they release their probable schedule for Fall 2010. This usually also includes official confirmations of cancelled shows, renewed shows, new shows and midseason shows. The schedules will often experience a few tweaks over the summer but usually most of it remains in place from what is revealed in the upfronts.

Links
Breakdown: ABC | CBS | NBC | Fox | CW
Fall TV Schedule chart
New Shows Trailers

Cancelled
ABC: Better Off Ted, The Deep End, Defying Gravity, Eastwick, FlashForward, The Forgotten, The Goode Family, Hank, Lost, Scrubs, Surviving Suburbia, Ugly Betty, Wifeswap

CBS: Accidentally on Purpose, As the World Turns, Cold Case, Gary Unmarried, Ghost Whisperer, Miami Medical, The New Adventures of Old Christine, Numbers, Rules of Engagement, Three Rivers

Fox: 24, Brothers, Dollhouse, Past Life, Sons of Tuscon, Til Death

NBC: Heroes, The Jay Leno Show, Law & Order, Mercy, Trauma

CW: The Beautiful Life, Blonde Charity Mafia, Fly Girls, High Society, Melrose Place

Renewals
ABC: America's Funniest home Videos, The Bachelor, Brothers & Sisters, Castle, Cougar Town, Dancing with the Stars, Desperate Housewives, Extreme Makeover, Grey's Anatomy, The Middle, Modern Family, Private Practice, Supernanny, V, 20/20

CBS: 48 Hours, 60 Minutes, The Amazing Race, The Big Bang Theory, Criminal Minds, CSI, CSI: Miami, CSI: NY, The Good Wife, How I Met Your Mother, Medium, The Mentalist, NCIS, NCIS: Los Angeles, Rules of Engagement, Survivor, TWo and a Half Men, Undercover Boss

Fox: American Dad, American Idol, America's Most Wanted, Bones, The Cleveland Show, Cops, Family Guy, Fringe, Glee, The Good Guys, Hell's Kitchen, House, Human Target, Kitchen Nightmares, Lie To Me, The Simpsons, So You Think You Can Dance

NBC: 30 Rock, The Apprentice, The Biggest Loser, Chuck, Community, Dateline NBC, Friday Night Lights, Law & Order: SVU, The Marriage Ref, Minute to Win It, The Office, Parenthood, Parks and Recreation, Saturday Night Live, The Sing-Off, Sunday Night Football, Who Do You Think You Are

CW: 90210, America's Next Top Model, Gossip Girl, Life Unexpected, One Tree Hill, Smallville, Supernatural, Vampire Diaries

New Shows
ABC: Better Together, Body of Proof, Detroit 1-8-7, Happy Endings, Mr. Sunshine, My Generation, No Ordinary Family, Off the Map, The Whole Truth

CBS: Blue Bloods, The Defenders, Hawaii Five-O, Mike and Molly,&%%* My Dad Says, Criminal Minds Spin-Off

Fox: Bob's Burgers, Lonestar, Mixed Signals, Raising Hope, Ride-Along, Running Wilde, Terra Nova

NBC: The Cage, Chase, The Event, Friends with Benefits, Harry's Law, Law & Order: Los Angeles, Love Bites, Outlaw, Outsourced, The Paul Reiser Show, Perfect Couples, Undercovers

CW: Hellcats, Nikita

Sad to see some favorites go, especially Law & Order which isn't getting the send off it has earned, but that is typical of NBC. Of the new shows, only a few grab my interest. I intend to try out The Cape, Love Bites (because of Jordana Spiro and Becki Newton hotness), Perfect Couples (cause of Olivia Munn), Undercovers (spy show), No Ordinary Family (superhero fan), Body of Proof (cause of Dana Delany and Jeri Ryan), Terra Nova (Spielberg's involvement), Hawaii Five-O (pure curiosity), and Nikita (loved the original TV show). It looks like another year of recording one program while watching another.