Avengers: Infinity War Trailer #2

Looking forward to this movie that hits theaters on April 27.

Toys R Us Shutting Down

A true end of an era as 70 year old Toys R Us is shutting down world wide, selling off its assets over the next coming months. Some form of it may survive as negotiations are ongoing for some stores but the business multiple generations of kids grew up with will cease to exist, likely by the beginning of the summer. The cause is varied but primarily it can be placed at the feet of Bain Capital that makes profits by destroying companies after saddlings them with far more debt then they can handle or ever dig themselves out from. TRU went from $50 of million in debt in early 2005, sold to be Bain which drove that number to around $5.5 billion in that same year. The economics fails me but the net result is the company had not means of expanding, updating its stores, exploring new business models or anything else. Finally after 12 years, saddled with even more debt despite over 15 years of over of solid multi-billion years of sales, the company simply couldn't survive under the load. Its a sad day. The only year takeaway is if you know your company is owned by Bain Capital, look for an exist strategy as that company is exists to destroy.

Firefox: "Do This Automatically for Files Like This" Is Greyed Out

Recently Firefox changed how the browser works at a fundamental level in what they called Firefox Quantum or Firefox v57 and up. Despite the update one of the long term problems (to me anyway) is the issue of the open dialog box where "Do this automatically for files like this from now on." is greyed out. As a result you do not get to tell Firefox how to handles these file types (or extension and what Mozilla calls a MimeType) from now on so do not have to keep verifying if it should download automatically or open a certain program. There is a technical reason for why its greyed out but it really doesn't matter because its a server side setting that you as the user has no control over and so you can't force that option to not be greyed out. The problem is the powers that be at Mozilla have long decided that the user should not be able to manually add extensions types via the gui interface.

Fortunately there is a fix that I found by combined multiple poor answers from various forums. Why people skip all the steps when explaining how to fix something always confuses me since they are trying to be helpful but provide answers that assumes their audience mostly knows the answer and just needs a nudge in a particular direction. In the pre-quantum days, the fix involved editing the mimeTypes.rdf file. Now it involves editing a different file called handlers.json. Now these instructions are going to assume you know the basics of your computer as some parts will change based on which version of Windows you have. If not sure how to do something like open Windows Explorer or Run, google it for your operating system.

NBC Olympics Opening Intro and Closing Ceremony Montages (Pyeongchang Edition)

The 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Games have come to a close and as is now a tradition, I like to try to post the previous and current montages and opening intros to the games when I am able to find them while also attempting to identity the music. The joy of victory and the pride to compete was on full display.

In the United States, the Olympics Games television rights are owned by NBC (starting in 1988 for Summer Games, 2002 for Winter Games), CBS (1990s Winter Games) and ABC (1980s Winter Games). For NBC, their many hours of coverage always begins with a poetic introduction that shows off the host country and ends with their Olympics Ceremony credit montage that summarizes the games in spectacular fashion and while it has the expected focus on the US, it doesn't remain entirely there.

I tried to identify the music where possible besides NBC's traditional use of John Williams's "Olympic Fanfare and Theme", Leo Arnaud's "Bugler’s Dream" and Randy Edelman's "Theme from The Adventures of Brisco County Jr". Some of the videos are crap quality since NBC and the Olympic Committee isn't willing to post their versions online. If you find better copies, missing copies, or identify music gaps, please post in the comments.

As always thank you to the Olympians for bringing two weeks of joy, peace and the competitive spirit. Looking forward to the next Olympics.

Olympic Closing Credit Montages

Avengers: Infinity War Trailer

Does this really need an introduction? Its Avengers 3 and its looks epic.

Apple Introduces iPhone X (Ten)

In an effort to mark the 10th anniversary of the iPhone, yesterday Apple introduced the iPhone X (ten) and currently skipping over an iPhone 9. They finally dropped most of the storage sizes which hopefully will become the standard for all devices across the board as 16GB and 32GB anything is rather stupid and overly cheap of companies. The phones come in just two storage sizes - 64GB and 256GB. Most people will not need more then 64GB. They also showed off the Apple Watch 3 which might actually be worth buying now along with Apple TV 4k. Below are the highlights. You can watch the 2 hour event in 13 minutes here. Also iOS 11 will be released on September 19 for new devices and old.

iPhone X
- Price: $1000 (64GB)
- Release Date: November 3 (pre-orders start on October 27)
- Screen: 5.8" Super Retina OLED display that goes edge to edge of the device, removing the home button (replaced with swipe up motion)
- FaceID - replaces Touch ID by using facial recognition that uses multiple sensors and data including infra-red, to detect a face.
- Other: A11 processor, 12-megapixel camera with image stabilization, and Qi wireless charging
- Summary: its an iPhone Plus for those that really deeply care about screen quality and don't mind paying for it.

Happy 25th Anniversary Batman the Animated Series

Batman: The Animated series turned 25 today. September 5, 1992 is considered the official debut date of Batman: The Animated Series on Fox Kids. The cartoon series is considered by many (including me) to be the greatest cartoon series of all times. Happy Birthday. Shame it can't come back as still don't have a good super hero series of the same caliber. Batman: The Animated Series remains the gold standard on how to improve and update characters, especially villians.

I still use it as a source of comparison when continue to see mostly poor attempts by writers to add their own often silly little spin to Batman’s Rogues Gallery. The TV show Gotham suffers from this regularly. I get their doing their own thing, which is fine...but when you have a template on how to do it right you have no excuse for failing cause if your take is crap, just copy theirs (which they have but its like a copy of a copy of a copy like their take on Mr. Freeze and his origin). With BAS, when they tweaked an origin or added to them, it always tied directly into the personality and behavior of the character. It wasn’t done as a gimmick, might look or sound cool, it was a choice of true characterization that is often missing today’s comics and media adaptations.

At the end of the day I wish more writers and directors would follow a simple rule - if I cut this scene, sequences, plot point does it impact the story or the characters? If the answer is no, then its got to go and be replaced with something that follows that rule. BAS seemed to always have that in the back of their head for many episodes with is an amazing accomplishment for a cartoon series at kids and one that almost no television show in the last few decade or so can match.

Read more: How BAS Change Superhero Adaptations | Behind the Scenes Interview with Voices of Show

Game of Thrones Season 7 Trailer

Sheesh been a while since posted but just have not felt like it. Until now with a new trailer for Game of Thrones Season 7. People who have read the books might recongnize stuff but it was all greek to me except the part that matters - Winter is Here on July 16.

Nintendo Switch Details, Release Date: March 3, 2017

In an hour on long presentation (video below) Nintendo finally revealed some details on their next generation console called the Nintendo Switch. How you interact with it has not changed but now we know the release date is Friday, March 3 for $300. The specs include a 6.2" 720p touch screen display that outputs in 1080p when docked. The memory is a pathetic 32GB (tech companies really need to dumb the 32GB space standards, it was old four years ago). The hope is the game cartridges called GameCards that are similar in size and shape to Nintendo 3DS games) will do most of the heavy lifting on space but it doesn't really address how those that prefer to buy digitally will manage the space limitations. In portable mode the Switch's battery life will be between 2.5 to 6 hours depending on the graphics horsepower the game needs. Additionally Nintendo is finally doing away with proprietary connections by using a USB-C for charging on the go.

The Year in Movies 2016 Supercut

A look back at 2016 movies.

Spider-Man: Homecoming Trailer

After his introduction in Captain America: Civil War, here is the trailer for the new reboot of Spider-Man. Yep its the third time in less then 20 years but this one was done under the control of Marvel whose track record is only matched by Pixar.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 Teaser Trailer

First teaser for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 which will hit theaters in May 2017. Looks like the love of baby Groot will continue.

Let the GOP Implement Their Wish List

200M Americans decided to not vote and therefore support the winner while an additional 50 million voted for President Trump. As of now the GOP have zero excuses for not implementing their wish list of laws and changes. After all they have a majority at the state level, in the House, in the Senate and shortly in the Supreme Court. 250M+ Americans have demanded they be allowed to do what ever they want and Democrats should stay out of their way.

While elected Democrats should vote their conscious, otherwise they should not interfere. No poison pills, no tricky admendments, no behind the scenes gamemanship. Vote yea or nay and stay out of the way. Let the GOP and their supporters get EVERYTHING they want. All of it. No matter what the law is and the potential harm it will cause. The GOP have promised that if they are allowed carte blanche, we will see an economic and societal utopia. Let them have their shot at it.

Those that voted against Trump, stop reading political sites, stop watching the news, just use that time to do other things like read a book, hang with loved ones or do your favorite thing. Check out for the next four years. Let the chips fall where they may and do nothing to prevent them from landing be it for good or bad.

Let them all feel the love if the promised trickle down utopia emerges or the pain if it doesn't. The demographics have demanded this. Around 42% of women voted for Trump so clearly nearly the majority want a roll back on women's rights. around 12% blacks voted for Trump so sadly they are screwed but based on city heat maps it appears most stayed at home and so are part of the 200M that supported Trump by their inaction. Around ~40% of Latinos voted for Trump so it seems they think by a not insignificant margin that Trump is right on immigration. If any of these groups have supported Clinton in higher numbers, the poor white man vote would have not made the difference. Again 200M Americans choise to not act and by their inaction they declared their support for the victor aka President Trump. Follow the will of the people and let the GOP give them EVERYTHING they have coming to them. Do not interfere, do not protest, let it happen and as promised will we will have utopia on earth in four years.

President-Elect Trump

White people have spoken by showing up and voting and the result is a racist, sexist sociopath will be the next President of the United States. It is official as Hillary Clinton conceded to President Donald Trump. As a middle age, middle class white guy, I am horrified by tonight’s events. Not surprised because I am aware of how truly ignorant the average American is on how government actually functions (“I will upend the ‘establishment’ by voting in all incumbents! That will show that do nothing Congress!”). Having said that, if you do not fit that demographic, be afraid, be very afraid.

The GOP and Trump believe the young are lazy and higher education is something only the elite should have access to. The old just drain the economy with the best solution being the elimination of medicare and social security. Let nature do the rest. The poor (aka the majority of white that voted Trump), forget about it. Best thing they can do is go off and simply die. As for minorities...the US use to know what to do with you and will learn so again. Women...see kitchen, use kitchen. See bed...spread legs. That is all.

The next four year with GOP owning Presidency, Congress and Supreme Court is going to be ugly. Looking at the close states, be sure to thank those that voted third party (the coward’s vote) for that. They surely impacted this election, make no mistake. Not in anyway to help their cause but for sure to help the GOP cause.

Ultimately those that vote third party or the huge swaths of minorities that once again chose not to vote can only blame themselves what follows next or what may happen to them. They were warned what white people were going to do and they ignored the warning. At the very least the non-voters and 3rd party voters gave up their right to bitch for the next 4 years (seriously, I am going to ask and if I hear either answer my response will be: shut up, you lost the right to complain).

In the end, here is hoping that President Donald Trump somehow goes against his long history of mediocrity and failure to actual rise to the occasion of his position. Maybe, just maybe, he turns out to actually be a good President. Its about the only hope we have.

In the meantime, it will be interesting to see what happens when his poor white supporters realize he can’t keep any of his promises (I mean that literally as most are economically or legally unfeasible). The only real lesson to learn from this - next time vote. Don’t assume, just vote and know for sure.

Vote!

Just a friendly reminder to vote. I have already stated my opinion on our choices. At the end of the day you are not asked to do much for this country. Quite literally the least you can do is every few years and take the time to vote.

The 108 Year Drought Ends

Sports longest drought comes to an end as the Chicago Cubs wins their first World Series since 1908. The storied team finally accomplishes what fans have been desperate to see in their life time and often did not. In a close match that started with a score, grew to a 5-1 lead before getting tied 6-6 in the 8th only for the Cubs to regain the lead in the 10th (after a 15 minute rain delay) to hold on long enough to win 8-7. Chicago is celebrating tonight. Congratulations to Chicago for a victory that everyone wanted to see.

Below, the moment Chicago learned of their victory outside of Wrigley Field.

If Congress Was Your Co-Worker

From the mind of Joss Whedon, here is Chris Pine playing a petulant, useless co-worker that blocks progress and accomplishes nothing - just like Congress! Despite how dissatisfied people are with Congress they always vote to keep the same useless members in office. The average retention rate for a Congress person is 92% despite a popularity rating in the low teens for all of them. Just saying, it pays off to be useless and the only lesson voters keep giving them is to demand more of the same uselessness. Show up, vote, and vote against the incumbent Congress person regardless of party.

Save the Day and Vote

Below is a new video from Joss Whedon and friends of Joss (which basically means bunch of movie and TV celebs) that are attempting to encourage people to actually vote this upcoming November. While not explicitly said, they are asking people to not just complain about Trump and his vile talk but back it up with action.

Simple action. Called voting. Something millions have died to protect and yet hundreds of millions of Americans avoid doing. To me its not a choice of Trump or Clinton but a choice of For Trump or Against Trump. If you are for Trump, the choice is simple and you will likely vote. Republicans have never had that problem. If you are against Trump, you have to vote for Clinton.

You do not have to like it, you do not have to proud of it (I am not), but you have to recognize that not voting is a vote for Trump as is voting for one of those third party candidates whose chances of winning the election is about equal to you and every single member of your family winning the lottery in the same week despite none of you buying lottery tickets. Until then see the video below and keep and eye on SaveTheDay.vote for future vids.

Shiva Ayyadurai Did Not Invent the Concept of Email

Below are two stories removed by Univision due to possible litigation with Shiva Ayyadurai whose assertions have not reached a historical consensus. Ayyadurai claims he invented email. The article makes a good case on how he did not. Or at least he was not the first. At most he can claim to have invented the word "email".

It likely is like the case as with other inventions where ideas get created independently of each other but the "winner" is the one to do it first. For example the inventor of the airplane is credited to the Wright brothers for their flight on December 17, 1903 while Brazil considers Alberto Santos-Dumont to be the "father of flight" for his airplane invention that flew on October 23, 1906. Chances are he had no clue of Wright brothers work and so independently invented the airplane. He could accurately claim, based on his knowledge at the time, to be the 1st to fly. Except he wasn't by three years.

Just like Ayyadurai probably had no idea that sending electronic messages from one device to another via a network already existed when he independently created his program called "email." It doesn't change the fact, as indicated by the links below, that he was not the first and thus should not credit no matter how desperate he is to make it happen (100+ websites? really?) and apparently is willing to sue to force history to align to his viewpoint. Sadly the law isn't about justice or being right, it is often just about those with the will and means (aka money) to fight regardless if the fight is worthy or not.

Apple Announces the iPhone 7

Yesterday Apple official announced the iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus, and Apple Watch 2. In short, as rumored, they have eliminated the headphone jack in favor of bluetooth solutions, a dongle, and waterproofing the device. To early to say if the trade off is worth it. In general, just like in the last few years, all the devices are just the usual incremental improvements in CPU, camera and other features. If you are currently using an iPhone 6, the bump to 7 is minor at best but for older devices you might see a real improvement in overall quality. One thing to consider is how often you use wired headphones. If you almost never use them, then the iPhone 7's lack of headphone jack probably will not matter to you but otherwise its something you will need to consider in your upgrading decision. I signed up for the iPhone upgrade program last year but the differences are so minor that it doesn't seem worth bothering with. I can easily get three years or more out of my iPhone 6. While I use bluetooth devices heavily, I also do occasionally switch to headphones either out of convenience or because of dead batteries so the lost of that port is actually giving me pause. Maybe once can touch and feel it in a store I can make a final decision. Below is the highlights, click the links for more details.

iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus
- Headphone jack removed: replaced with an adapter that plugs into lightening port (replacement dongles are $9) with expectation of users moving to Bluetooth for sound needs

- Home Button Removed: replaced with Force Touch sensitive spot that acts as the home button