X-Babies? Are you $%*&ing Kidding me!!!

 

Some days, like today for instance, I hate being a comic geek…

Drinking away the thought that even comics have been dumbed down in order to better fit a younger generation that no longer enjoys real comics for lack of understanding,
~Steve

Turning Movies into Comic Books

Every single time a new super hero movie comes out, a new series of comic books HAVE to come out too.  Which comic books am I speaking of?  The ones that take our beloved heroes stories and change them up a bit to fit the new story line for the MOVIE.  Case in Point:  New movie Iron Man 2 so new comic book…

Iron Man Vs. Whiplash #1

Now, I don’t know exactly how different this new movie storyline is going to be from the comic books but these comics are just completely worthless.  I understand that Marvel needs to make money and that publishing books based on the movie sparks interest in and reaches a whole new target audience, but I feel like these new books are cheating on the old storylines!

Think about it!  Why did they choose to make a movie with these characters?  BECAUSE OF THE COMIC BOOKS!  The stories and characters in the comic books were so good somebody thought it would be a good idea to make movies out of them right?!?  So, why reverse the process?!?  We’re not making a movie from completely new concepts, stories and characters and some genius thought it would be a good idea to put them in a comic book NO!!!  It’s the other way around people!

I understand that the story has to change a bit to fit the silver screen and I don’t care about that; If I walk into a movie and in no way expect them to follow the comics I walk away entertained every time!  The point is that in the comic world it is meaningless to release a book like this;  Marvel should do itself a favor and instead put out a fresh series outlining the real history of these two characters so that comic people and movie people will pick it up and possibly enjoy it, instead of releasing the ‘refab’ story and having it suck like most of these comic types do.

Going to get my inhaler and calm down a bit now,
~Steve

Futuristic Movie Tech Conquering India?

Look, we’ve all seen the movies where someone walks into a room and is immediately identified by their retinal scan or barcode on the neck or some kind of device hidden under their skin.  Which in turn allows the government, or whomever is tracking the person, to know exactly who, where, why and how about said subject.  But that’s just in the movies right?  I mean human GPS with info tracking is just wrong right?  Well not in India…

The Indian government is gearing up to undertake one of the world's biggest IT projects and distribute biometric ID cards to all of its 1.2 billion-person population. According to the government, the cards will contain retinal scans or fingerprints, credit and criminal backgrounds, and information about individuals' addresses and physical specifications. Needless to say, civil liberties groups are less than enthused about the plan. Privacy issues are a major source of concern, as is the government's ability to effectively police a project of this scale. "We could have a hacking Olympics," one analyst commented. The program is the brainchild of tech entrepreneur Nandan Nilekan, who was recently appointed head of India's new department of Unique Identification Authority. According to Nilekan, the system will be especially beneficial to the poor, who have been famously victimized by the country's massive and inefficient bureaucracy. With the cards, Nilekan claims, "maids and labourers … a hundred or two hundred million people—will be able to access welfare benefits for the first time without any questioning who they are." – Slate.com Read the Original story in Guardian

So, of course under the guise of the protection and the welfare of it’s citizens one more government moves to have complete control over it’s people…well done human race…well done. . .

Not sure if I’m overreacting,
~Steve

Around the Net – Slate.com TV Club - Mad Men Season 3

This weeks Mad Men was really good but there were a few parts of the episode that left me with more questions that answers, so, I went looking for answers and found an awesome TV club on Slate.com that discusses each weeks episode! 

It’s three different people that write articles, sometimes back and forth to each other, about their views on the episodes; the goods the bads and some of the more intricate plot line details.  Check it out @ Mad Men TV Club on Slate.com

Anyways, I got to reading one of the articles for this week and just had to leave a comment so I thought I’d share it here too.  Here is the part I was responding to:

But one question we haven't covered is this: Why, in a show that's chockablock with characters we'd like to spend more time with—Joan, Ken, Roger, even Moneypenny—do we keep getting introduced to new ones? Don has now had two mysterious male-bonding sessions over makeshift cocktails—the first with Conrad Hilton, the second with Warden Den—and although both have deepened our understanding of Don's mental state, neither has added much in the way of plot. READ MORE

And here are my thoughts on the subject:

I think that Don's "mysterious male-bonding sessions" are a perfect compliment to his character. Throughout the series Don has all of two lasting relationships with people outside of Sterling Cooper; his wife and the gal from his previous life (can't remember her name, she has the bad leg). So, I think that it is very fitting that they have introduced new short term characters, like Dennis Hobart, to have these revealing moments with Don.

He has always been so guarded about his life, past and present, and yet he has these moments with complete strangers where he is opening up and revealing parts of his past and childhood (at the bar during the wedding) as well as his thoughts and feelings about being a man and dad. I think he does this because to him these people are nobody, people that he has just met that happen to be there when he chooses to reach out to someone (which is becoming more frequent); and that he probably will never see again. So, because there is no danger or commitment in the act of opening up to strangers he does it freely and probably feels better in doing so (for instance the moment of happiness after the bar scene when he drops their things and kisses Betty after the wedding) but then faces no repercussions in his life by letting someone in, no matter how short term.

Thinking about taking up smoking because Don looks so suave doing it,
~Steve

Kanye West mixes things up at the MTV VMA’s

 

Can you say Duche Bag?

Look…I loved Kanye’s first album just as much as the next guy but seriously?  Jumping on stage and publicly dissing Taylor Swift to say he thinks Beyonce should have won?  Have some respect man, I know you think the world revolves around you but I’ve got news for you…it revolves around me, so get with the program!

 

<a href="http://www.mtv.com/ontv/vma/2009/" target="_blank">Kanye West Storms The VMA Stage</a>

Kanye West Storms The VMA Stage

Plaxico hires a Prison Consultant

I had to laugh when I saw this.  A prison consultant???  What kind of qualifications do you think you have to have in order to be a prison consultant?  I’m guessing a resume brimming of full color pictures of your assorted prison tats?

Anyways, along with the story just making me chuckle, the explanation of exactly what a prison consultant does made me laugh; and while probably not purposefully, it was the highlight of the story for me.  So, for your viewing pleasure:

What do prison consultants do?

They help get you into the best prison and orient you on its rules and customs. Going to prison is a little bit like heading off to college. The first step is finding an institution that's right for you. Then there's a lot of anxiety: Who will be your roommate? Where is the library? What time does the dining hall close? How do you make a good impression with the people in charge? Will you make friends? A prison consultant addresses these concerns.

Check out SLATE for the remainder of the story.

Also, my personal opinion is that, based on my thesis for what makes someone qualified to be a prison consultant, he should definitely hire the guy from Prison Break.

Good stuff right?  Don’t they make quite the pair?  I think that if this stuff doesn’t end up on SNL shortly, they are missing the funny boat.

Still staring into the distance to where my funny boat disappeared into the horizon,
~Steve

Pocket Projector?…next stop holograms???

Check it:

The newest blow-away-your-friends devices: microprojectors (also known as pico projectors). These pocket-size gadgets take video on an iPhone (or a handful of other smartphones) and play it on any surface, turning your wall, ceiling or tent into a 60-inch screen.

The projectors first hit the market last year, with the debut of the Optoma Pico, which made a bit of a splash with the tech community. Now two competing models have been announced: the Cinemin Swivel, by WowWee Technologies ($350, at Cinemin.tv, starting in September) and the 3M MPro120 ($349 at shop3m.com, starting Sept. 1).

Read More HERE.

One small step for man.  One giant leap for Geek Kind!

As soon as I saw this all I could think was, “YES!!!  Once they perfect this, the next logical step is hologram technology!”.  And if you’re a geek you were thinking it too…don’t LIE!

I’m so excited, I can’t wait to record my first holographic message…what will I say?  umm uhh WHAT WILL I SAY?!?  Oh no, panic attack…this could be the single most important thing I ever say and I’M NOT PREPARED!!!  I have to go…

Trying to knock this baby out in 50 revisions or less,
~Steve

D&D Event Preview @ Metropolis Comix

The people over at PennyArcade really have a good understanding of the events to come...must be precogs or something...

Adding 'shield' to the list of things to bring to Metropolis Comix,
~Steve

Spider-Man is BACK in Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade

Finally, Macy’s has heard the cry of the people as they say, WE WANT SPIDEY!

That’s right Spider-Man is finally coming back after a ten year hiatus from the famous parade and in a BIG way:

A little more info from Marvel.com:

Millions of New Yorkers will feel their Spider-senses tingling this November when New York's own neighborhood Super Hero, Marvel's Spider-Man, makes a triumphant return to the skies over Manhattan to ensnare a new generation of fans in the 83rd Annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade®. After a decade, Thursday, November 26, 2009, marks the date when more than 3.5 millions spectators and over 50 million viewers nationwide will catch Spidey-fever as the ever popular Super Hero returns to the Macy's Parade line-up.

Marvel's legendary crime-fighting web-slinger made his Macy's Parade debut in 1987, becoming an instant classic. Hailed by spectators, amateur photographers and millions of the Super Hero's fans, the Spider-Man balloon became an icon of the Parade's signature giant character balloon line-up. Flown in the holiday spectacle for twelve years, the balloon was retired following the 1998 procession. The new Spider-Man balloon debuting in this year's Macy's Parade combines the classic pose of the previous giant—his arms outstretched in front of him and his legs bent behind in full crawling mode—but this time it will feature Spidey's classic web-slinging pose coupled with a more modern look. The Spider-Man balloon will be a part of the Macy's Parade through 2011.

Read the entire story @Marvel.com

Making sure I catch the parade on the good ole DVR this year,
~Steve

Mexican Prisoners Need Love Too

So, I would just like to post a very short clip of an article I was reading today @ NYTimes.com:

“The United States government, as part of its counternarcotics assistance program, is committing $4 million this year to help fix Mexico’s broken prisons, officials said.”

I just have one thought on this:  I thought we were broke?  Has anybody else gotten this impression or is it just me?  Have you or anybody you know been laid off or severely affected by the budget cuts???

If so, a quick tip…I hear there is money in Mexican prison jobs…just a thought…

Waiting for someone to tell me ‘4 million isn’t really that much’,
~Steve

Read more of the fun and informative article at NYTimes.com

Political Cartoons

You’ve all seen the cartoons about President Bill Clinton going over to save the two journalists being held in North Korea and being that he is well known for his little issue with a certain white house secretary they are really slamming him about it:



Don’t get me wrong it’s funny…but I like to think it happened more like this:

And for your viewing pleasure the only other funny cartoon printed this week:

I’ll tell you why this is funny…because it’s true!  Think way back to that story I wrote about the Taliban making threats to kill a soldier they held captive.  In that story the military was using a post on a Taliban website as Intel about the condition of the soldier!  The world it is a’changin.

Doing everything thing I can to keep from a’changin,
~Steve

Billy Mays was doing Cocaine???

So, here is the big headline:

Autopsy: Cocaine contributed to Billy Mays' death

Seriously?!? I could have told you they were going to find SOMETHING in this guy! Have you seen his commercials? I mean, how is it possible to talk that fast and loud without a little something to give you that extra boost…he was always WAY too excited about those products…do you know what I mean?

Ok ok so he was very discrete about it, other than all the obvious signs, he was very clean cut, good looking and well built guy right? Why would anyone question him?

But I say just take one look at his competition and take a good guess:

At first glance it might not SEEM like these guys were partying together…but now its OBVIOUS. I mean look at the Sham Wow Guy (and yes that is his name)! He looks like they picked him up off the street, needle still hanging out of his arm, and threw him in front of the camera.

Just picture this: Billy Mays is partying with this guy and he snorts up a giant line and finishes up with a SHAM WOW THAT IS GOOD SHIT! Billy turns slowly, dramatically, inebriatedly and says…son, I’m gonna make you a star!!!

And the rest is history. . .

Going to start partying in the right places for careers sake,
~Steve