Uber Crapfest

Dragonball:


This looks like a mix between 'Power Rangers' and 'Fantastic Four 'with the production value of 'Walker: Texas Ranger'.

And shouldn't Goku be Japanese?

FAIL!

.....speaking of characters who don't match their supposed ethnicities, have you seen the girl who plays Chun-Li? She isn't even Chinese! WTF? And the movie doesn't have Ken or Ryu in it? WHAT?

Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li


Well... at least we have "G.I. Joe" to look forward to.

Ray Park as Snake Eyes? Yes!



Oh wait a minute.... Joseph Gordon Levitt plays Cobra Commander..... kill me now....

Attention: Fans of comic books (and irony)

Hi. I'll keep my introduction swift. You can call me Nairb McDuck. Max Rebos real-life brother. Once upon a time, I would fill a santa hat with miscellaneous sweets and hand them out to all the delinquents at school. These days, not much has changed. Instead of delicious candy, I offer my words, and instead of a santa hat, I have this here blog. Gather 'round so I can tell y'all a story that is sure to chill your bones and instill you with a deeper appreciation for the lack of comedy (for lack of a better word) in your universe as opposed to mine. Hold on tight. It's gonna be a bumpy ride.

*Ahem*

Okay, so my life is hilarious and ironic. Unreasonable and ridiculous events occur on an aggravating basis and I've come to expect it; the lack of karmic balance in my corner of the universe has remained constant since I was old enough to pick up on such things and as much as it pisses me off I try my best to go with the flow. I'm sure that this is no different from many of you so you should know what I'm talking about.

However, last night was a little different. "Why was last night so special?" one might ask. Allow me to explain. In one of my many adventures across this fair land I've managed to accidentally stumble across a modest pile of comic books. The when and where are insignificant. They sat in my backpack for a few days until I finally unpacked them and placed them amongst all of the other old stuff I've been collecting in the corner of my room (i.e. vinyl, old books, etc.). Last night I decided to do a bit of research online and I found out quite a bit of information on these comics. Most of them are from the late seventies, specifically 1977 and 1978. They were in pretty darn good shape so I suspected that at least a few of them might be worth some cash and it looks like I was right. I calculated a rough estimate by looking at a couple different resources and the number I came up with decent. It wasn't extraordinary but it was something.

But there was one comic that eluded my attention. I didn't notice it at first, which is ironic in itself because I'm a self-proclaimed Star Wars geek of sorts and this was an original Marvel brand Star-Wars comic. In fact, there were four of them. One through four. So, I looked them up. In comparison, these comics are all nearly identical except for one striking detail: the fourth issue features a square around the price tag (which is thirty-five cents) rather than a diamond, which is featured on the other three. Because of this minor aesthetic difference, this particular comic book is worth over one thousand dollars.

Part of my brain was ecstatic. Thoughts and fantasies of bills being paid, Christmas gifts being bought, and chocolate soy-milk being gulped flashed past my focus like high beams on the thru-way at night. But I knew better than this. I walk in these shoes every day and I adhere to the most influential fundamental law that governs events in my life: irony. So after inspecting the comic up and down I found what I was looking for. To be short, the comic is in beautiful condition given its age; there are no creases in the paper, all the pages are intact and the color is far from fading away, but what makes all of this so common place and predictable is that there are no staples in the binding and the actual comic is not attached to the cover, so (unless I'm wrong) it's pretty much worthless.

ZOMG.

All of the other comics in the pile have their staples. Some of them are in questionable condition but if you look at the edge you will find those goddamn staples right where they're supposed to be, doing what they're supposed to do.

I'm pretty sure there is nothing left to be said. My life is hilarious and ironic. Unreasonable and ridiculous events occur on an aggravating basis and I've come to expect it; the lack of karmic balance in my corner of the universe has remained constant since I was old enough to pick up on such things and as much as it pisses me off I try my best to go with the flow. I'm sure that this is no different from many of you so you should know what I'm talking about.

*Sigh*

Ice storms suck hardcore!

So I've been crazy lately when it comes to this website lately, and I apologize for that! But I have an excuse for the past few days because NY and the northeast in general got slammed with a huge ice storm and we haven't had heat and hot water since Friday night. We had electricity but the Stockade Inn lost theirs and thats where we pick up our signal from. So no internet.

But on a nerdy note I found out that Twilight 2 (aka New Moon) is already having some issues being made. They got rid of the current director, are possibly changing the actor who is playing Jacob, and yadda yadda yadda. I did see Twilight... it was good... there is no way it could have possibly been as good as the book but I was happy. If nothing else that movie is 2 beautiful hours of eye candy. A huge chunk of that book is feelings and emotions and thoughts and they had a really hard time portraying that. But I was pleased. I also just started reading the newest vampire craze by Charlaine Harris... the Sookie Stackhouse series. So far so good.

On a non-nerdy note I'm in the process of converting to veganism. Today is day 13 and I'm doing pretty good so far. I got a little pissed at the company who makes "Veggie Cheese" and throws milk in there just because they feel like it! Technically I'm not a vegan yet because I haven't removed all animal products from my life, but I'm working on it. And the more research I do the more I am determined to continue down this path! Wish me luck.

punisher: war zone review

i was rather concerned with this new punisher: war zone movie. i am still traumatized from watching the dolf rungren film in the 80s (as an 80s action film it was perfectly fine, but to call it "the punisher" fucking FAIL). the last punisher film with thomas jane made up for that abortion of a film. sure it deviated from the comics a greta deal but did a great job of keeping the spirit of the thing. the trailers for war zone looked full of grade A cheese and i was not looking forward to this. till i got the call that a reliable source saw it and it was good. i had to see it for myself.

i love it when movies start off in the middle of things. the punisher has already been out for a bit and everyone knows he kills criminals dead. that's all he does. like the terminator. sure the police "offically" are trying to catch him, but deep down inside, they love him. he can do the things they cant do. paying the price they wont. he even takes sick glee in the creation of jigsaw (slight comic deviation, but acceptable). jigsaw at the plastic surgeon smacks of the joker in tim burton's batman. let this be a lesson to all plastic surgeons, if you ever have to operate on an insane and deformed criminal, just save time and inject that needle full of air into your arm ASAP. i also do not remember jigsaw having A)  a brother and B) said brother being a cross of hannibal lector and the joker.

at least they did a great job of making all these evil doers rememberable and with a unique reason for you to hate them and cheer ol' frank castle on as he puts out their lights. everyone from the stereotypical mobster with his fuck up, emo, coke-head son (oh do not get me started on him. i think it is a him. cannot be too certain with emos) to the carribean parkour catburlars. the sheer amount of gore and vicera flying in the air is on a new scale of awesome. the only place to see more human gibblet pieces in an a B grade horror movie. heads were exploding every other minute. it was great. this was blooder than every other marvel studios movies, combined.

some weak spots i found were the expressedly cheesy parts. hanging from the chandlier, spinning and shooting mobsters by the roomful in slow motion has been done to death. no more, i beg of you. jigsaw's pimp walk with patton-esque speach. and frank's little talk with a priest at what looks to be limelight in new york city (party monster, yeah!). all that i could do without, but what do you expect in a balls out action flick? wherehas i know why punisher has microchip and understand that dynamic, it leaves the non-comic book fan a little in the dark. they are left wondering why he is helping punisher so directly.

personally, i felt the climax of the film was not in the last 15 minutes, but in the first 30. you see, punisher is not out there to punish the bad guys. he is so guilt ridden from his family's death he really punishing himself by fighting a war that will never end, hoping that one day either some street punk gets lucky or a good guy is there the day he fucks up. he is only human.

 

i give it a bloody thumbs up on account i sliced my thumb open on accident shortly after watching it.

 

ps fanboy momment of the year is the brad street hotel. if you know, you know.

We may not be able to "Watch the Watchmen" ?

from http://blog.wired.com/underwire/2008/08/fox-lawsuit-wat.html :

Who watches Watchmen? It won't be you, if 20th Century Fox has its way (at least not until Fox gets a taste of Warner Bros.' action).

In February, 20th Century Fox sued Warner Bros. over the rights to the DC Comics Watchmen franchise -- insisting that Fox still had a claim on Watchmen after failing to develop the graphic novel into a film.

Fox sought an injunction to stop production until the rights dispute was cleared. But, these big court cases can drag, and director Zack Snyder hustled Watchmen along -- getting a three-hour first cut of the film in the can before any legal action could be taken.

A federal court in Los Angeles on Monday refused to dismiss the Fox lawsuit -- meaning Fox can proceed with an attempt to shut down Snyder's movie in court. The ruling offered no comment on the quality of Fox's case or its potential for success, but clearly the judge found enough merit in the rights claim to let Fox's lawyers take it up a notch.

I am now A+ certified to haxx0r yer pooter b0x

I passed part one of the test (A+ Essentials) in September with a score of 705 out of 900 (78%)

And two days ago (November 13),I passed part two  (220-604, Depot Technician) with a score of 825 out of 900 (92%)

I did much better on the Depot exam (92%), because it focuses on the hardware, and I didn't have to answer all those annoying over-the-phone-computer-tech-support questions.

So now I am officially A+ certified! Huzzah!

So my husband McGyver...

... has finally "fixed" our interwebs. I don't know the details but I do know there is an $80 wi-fi adapter and a hob-nob antenna sticking off our apartment window. (Similar to the images in the last blog, minus a swiffer). So I can finally tell you about all the amazing graphic novels I've been reading! Firstly, I read Locke & Key by Joe Hill... who is an INCREDIBLE horror writer and is rumored to be Stephen King's son. FYI, Joe Hill totally trumps Stephen King if this is true. If you haven't read Heart Shaped Box yet I highly recommend you go out and get it right now! But anyways, as soon as I saw he had something to do with a graphic novel I had to read it. I finished it on my lunch break at work. INCREDIBLE!!!! It's only volume one and I can't wait for more!!!

Secondly I finally got to read The Curious Tale of Benjamin Button. Which was very good. Another quick read and interesting story. Which is going to be a new movie starring Brad Pitt. I thought it was great. I'm very interested in seeing what they do with the movie.

And thirdly, I got to read The Fountain, by Darren Aronofsky. So incredibly beautiful. The illustrator is Kent Williams and I was so completely blown away by the images. Really a moving piece of art. Apparently it also is a movie, which I have not seen yet... but it's def. on my wish list!

And lastly, and from a completely different sector of nerdom... TWILIGHT IS COMING SOON! November 21, 2008 we will finally be able to watch the film version on the most incredible vampire saga I've read in a long time. I love the promotion they're doing with this movie, and I honestly don't think they could have picked a better cast. Edward looks amazing... for lack of a better word. And from what I've seen from the previews they are trying very hard to stay as close as possible to the novels. The soundtrack just came out too, which is a Barnes & Noble exclusive but has been so popular they ran out of copies! There is also a movie guide chock full of pictures and some movie magazines have dedicated entire issues to the upcoming movie. Is anyone else as excited as I am about this incredible movie coming out? I have a feeling we're going to be going to a midnight showing!!!! And no, I'm not dragging my husband with me just a bunch of the girls but with this kind of movie it's probably better that way!

Out of the Loop

I'm without internet for 3 weeks and all of a sudden Don Cheadle is playing War machine?

I have no real opinion on this. I don't really care about war Machine anyway. just passing along the info:

from wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iron_Man_(film)#Sequels):

'In October 2008, The Hollywood Reporter stated Don Cheadle would replace Terrence Howard. The trade journal explained many reasons, including Howard's salary, resulted in him dropping out.[109] Howard however, said "There was no explanation [...] apparently the contracts that we write and sign aren't worth the paper that they're printed on, sometimes. Promises aren't kept, and good faith negotiations aren't always held up."[110] Beforehand, Cheadle commented he is a comic book fan, but felt there are not enough black superheroes.[111] Entertainment Weekly later said Favreau had not enjoyed working with Howard, often reshooting and cutting his scenes (Howard's publicist said he had a good experience playing the part, while Marvel chose not to comment). As Favreau and Theroux chose to minimize the role, Marvel came to Howard to discuss lowering his salary – Howard was the first actor cast in Iron Man and earned the largest salary of the cast. The publication stated they were unsure whether Howard's representatives left the project first or if Marvel chose to stop negotiating.[112]"

Unfortunate Circumstances...

My adapter is connected to a broom, and is sticking a foot out of the window.

*shakes head*

On the positive side, I now have five bars and feel like McGyver.

Unfortunately...

Our internet access is on the fritz at the moment and I have no idea when we'll be able to get it fixed. So if you notice a giant gap in posts... that is why. Right now I am using my coworkers laptop to get this info up. So please don't forget about us but know that it may be awhile before the blog is properly updated again. Feel free to contact us via our myspace account or e-mail and I promise it shouldn't be incredibly long before we're back in action.

Incredible things you hear in a bookstore...

You hear some pretty bizarre things when you work in a bookstore. Some of those things make sense... but generally they don't. For example, one of my co-workers was ringing a father and daughter out, back in our music and DVD department. They were picking up the special 3-disk edition of The Hulk (which I have not seen yet, so I have no opinion on at the moment) and while he was ringing them out the father asked his daughter why she wasn't getting Iron Man today. Her response is... "because it sucked" !?!?!?! WTF? It is still very hard for me to believe that there are people out there that didn't enjoy this movie! My co-worker said it took every ounce of control to not reach across the counter and smack her. :) For better bookstore stories check out http://boothandnoble.blogspot.com. I am really amazed when people tell me they don't love this movie! What is not to love? It shames me to admit that my parents are these people! My mom insists it must be lame because she fell asleep while watching (which she does with almost every movie) and my dad didn't like it because the fact that the arch reactor was necessary for the bad guys suit when it was originally to keep shrapnel away from Tony's heart in the first place and yadda, yadda, yadda.

On another note. I have one more graphic novel under my belt. The Good Neighbors by Holly Black. She is well know for her novels... The Spiderwick Series, Tithe, Valiant and Ironside. I must say I have not been disappointed with any graphic novel I've read thus far. And Holly Black never disappoints. I highly recommend her novels too. All her books (including the graphic novel) can be found in the teen or juvie section of any bookstore which makes them very quick but satisfying reads. It's amazing to have a visual idea of whats going on inside her head now. I loved it!!!

I love that so many new authors are branching out into the graphic novel world. It makes it a whole lot easier for a newb like me to branch out into graphic novels.

Some other ones that have caught my eye include The Curious Case of Benjamin Button... Nevermore , which is an awesome collection of Edgar Allan Poe short stories adapted into a graphic novel... and so many more! It's amazing what you find when you work in a bookstore. And always keep me posted with your ideas on what I should read next. :)

It's been too long.

Okay, so we haven't written in awhile. I know, we're awful. We now have a forum, but I'm not sure if my husband has put up any links to it or not yet. If he has or when he does come check it out! Our lives have been very uneventful. I was very sick yesterday and the day before (with a cold) and now my husband has it. Your jealous, right? We have recently been crazy budgeting so we have no money to do anything fun!



But we did get to go see GWAR, which was awesome. We had to use our allowance money (not kidding), but it was totally worth it!

They were absolutely incredible. And incredibly awesome good time. I haven't had that much fun in a long time. If you haven't heard of Gwar I highly recommend that you look them up or at least go see one of their shows. I had never listened to their music before and I thought they were great!

Can you ask for more from a metal band then getting completely rocked and at the same time get covered in "blood" and "space jizz"... their words not mine.

I know it wasn't really a nerdy experience but I was amazed by the completely eclectic audience they had. You had your hardcore fans, your drunk chicks, then you had all sorts of random people like my husband and I and everywhere in between. Fat guys, skinny girls and vice versa. I was really in awe of the diversity at the show. I had no idea what to expect but I was pleasantly surprised.

Beyond that my only other nerdy experience in this past month is that Spore is making me want to shove my head through the computer. So far it was an amazing game. I was totally hooked. Then it started buggin' out and I don't know what to do. So if you have any suggestions either leave a comment or e-mail us at ironmanchangedmylife@yahoo.com. So I make it all the way through the tribal stage... awesome! Totally stoked! I get to make my city hall and what not then I go to make a car and my Spore just bugs out and freezes kinda and I just get to watch my tribe stand around and shake their instruments. It's supposed to just be a little clip of a video connecting me to the car maker but I never get there. Please help if you can! It would be greatly appreciated.

Oh, and I almost forgot! I read a new graphic novel called The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher.

Absolutely incredible. Very impressed. I've had a regular at the bookstore I work in tell me about Jim Butcher for years and I wasn't sure. I'm not always a huge sci-fi fan. Usually I'm a bigger fan of the fantasy end of that spectrum. Anyways... I figured this would be a great way for me to be introduced to the series quickly to see if I'd like it. Well I loved it! Give it a read. I'm very excited to see what he does with this series.

There's also another graphic novel that Holly Black (love her) just put out that I can't wait to get my hands on.

And if you think of any other books, that I just need to read please let me know! Thanks in advance!

Nintendo DS 3.0

The Nintendo DSi is the newest version of the DS, announced during the Nintendo Conference on October 2, 2008 in Tokyo, Japan.



Pros:
1. The new DS has two 640x480 cameras built in (one that points toward the user, and one that points away from the user)
2. SD card slot (for photo storage)
3. larger screens (3.25 inches as opposed to the previous 3 inches)
4. It is possible to download games from an online store, called the DS Shop, and store them on the DSi. The applications will either be free, 200, 500, or 800 Nintendo Points.
5. It also comes with a built-in browser

cons:
1. The cameras are a measly .3 megapixels.
2. The front slot for GBA cartridges will be removed, thus removing the unit's backwards compatibility and its compatibility with add-ons like Guitar Hero: On Tour and the rumble pack.

The system will be released in Japan on November 1, 2008 for 18,900 yen (appox.$180USD), and in 2009 in the rest of the world.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nintendo_DS#Nintendo_DSi

My take:

The larger screen and the ability to download games and software using Nintendo Points is VERY cool, however, removing GBA backward-compatibility is totally lame. I still play my old GBA games, and I always have one loaded in my DS system at all times. I couldn't give a crap less about the stupid camera. What I didn't mention in the 'pros' and 'cons' is that the DSi is thinner and lighter than the 'DS Lite'. I haven't decided whether that's a good thing or a bad thing. I'll have to hold one in my hands to decide.

Yesterday was a little slice of geek heaven!

WOO HOO!!!! I OWN THE LIMITED EDITION STEEL CASE IRON MAN DVD!!! I can't even find a picture of it online yet so we'll have to do with the image on the right but it is pretty f-ing sweet regardless! I got it at FYE and it's awesome!!! I've already watched it once! SOOO AMAZING! This movie is just incredible!!! I was blown away all over again. (Surprise, surprise) And the special features are pretty awesome! So far we've only watched the documentaries and I know there's a bunch more.

But what you may not have guessed is buying Iron Man's special edition DVD was only the beginning to my little slice of geek heaven. I also got to pick up Sex and the City - Extended Cut, which may not seem geeky to you but it's one of my favorite things to watch with my geekiest friend. Nothing like kicking back, having some girl time, sharing cocktails and what not! So now I just have to catch up on my seasons (I got the entire series for my wedding), I think I only have a couple left! Then it will be uber girls night!

And then last, but not least....

I AM THE PROUD OWNER OF SPORE!!!! I was up until 1:30 in the morning last night installing it and playing it! It is absolutely incredible! The graphics are great and the whole idea of the game is pure genius!!! I love it! And by the way, my current species name is... Tonas Starkas :) I highly recommend every one drop what they're doing and go out and buy 2 out of the 3 things I've just discussed! Well worth the money !

So if you don't hear from me for awhile I am probably playing Spore, watching Iron Man for the 18th time, or having a girls night! :)

Excited-ness!

Okay... first of all let me apologize for not writing a proper blog in forever. We've been very busy lately. If it wasn't for my husband I'm sure this blog would barely get any updates at all. Second, let me give you a little background on how I met my husband. I promise you this all has a point. I used to work at a very small bookstore called Borders Express (basically a Waldenbooks that was bought by Borders). I worked there for a total of 3 years. During that time one of my customers bought a book called Letters to a Young Mathematician by Ian Stewart (as seen on the right). When I saw the cover of the book I shouted excitedly, "Look, it's a fractal!" I had just been trying to explain to my coworker what a fractal was, and if any of you have ever tried explaining what a fractal is, you know just how difficult that can be! So this customer just drops his jaw and looks at me and says, "You know what a fractal is?" He looked completely dumbfounded. He then ends up leaving the store, I later find out it was to buy a pencil and some paper so he could give me his info but when he left I had gone to smoke a cigarette and he thought he had lost his chance, and so he went home defeated. Maybe a week later he came back into the store with his friends and I ran over and gave him a piece of paper with my name, cell phone number, and my e-mail. And the rest is history. Later that night I got my first e-mail, then we exchanged myspace page info, where we discovered we are both obsessed with Manson (Marilyn Manson), and we've been together ever since. My husband has a very mild form of Asperger Syndrome and I can state for a fact that he probably never would have talked to me if it wasn't for this book. We had been planning on writing Ian Stewart a thank you letter for sometime, and after we got our wedding thank you cards back from Snapfish.com we decided it would be the perfect opportunity to send him one. So we did, explaining in a much shorter way why we were sending him a thank you card and how much we appreciated him. And we got a response! Not only did he write us a letter  he also sent us a copy of his newest book personally autographed for us!

I know this picture is giant, but I wanted you to be able to see some of the detail. I don't know if I accomplished that but oh well.

Below are some images of the book for your enjoyment!



So we met, we fell in love, and now we get to live geekily and happily ever after!

Wanna watch someone beat Megaman 9?

For those of you who don't know, a new 8-bit, old-school Megaman game came out on Sept. 22, 2008. I blogged about it a while ago and posted the trailer.

Well, the game's only been out for 4 days and some crazy bastard has already beaten the whole thing and uploaded the ENTIRE game to Youtube.

So if you're as excited about Megaman 9 as I am, check it out:

part 1: Intro:	http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7wDhTbcsRlQ
part 2: Tornado Man:	http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1K1OSoCk5QU
part 3: Magma Man:	http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Yoe5cdmxxI
part 4: Hornet Man:	http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KvHNJ3ZwDgM
part 5: Splash Woman:	http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_dSOZIKe6o
part 6: Concrete Man:	http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZJ4rB7Kwik
part 7: Galaxy Man:	http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5NIjINVijuI
part 8: Jewel Man:	http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTBc5WQztbc
part 9: Plug Man:	http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=prEWMZE7Qbk
part 10: Wily Castle 1:	http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aHkT2KO08Wo
part 11: Wily Castle 2:	http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mH0Q2dNhro0
part 12: Wily Castle 3:	http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w7DE9CdqY7E
part 13: Wily Castle 4:	http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Icj4CKm3L5c
part 14: Ending:	http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d4tx2Ur5O1A

Rubik's = Poop-ik's

Why can't they just make a good Rubik's cube?

See... basically the cube is covered with WHITE stickers that they color with ink (like marker ink). They must have known that this paint RUBS RIGHT OFF, because they decided to cover each individual sticker with ANOTHER sticker (a clear one), to prevent people's fingers from rubbing the paint off (apparently).

This would be fantastic as long as those clear stickers didn't just peel right off!!!

So... you buy a Rubik's Cube, you play with it for a while, and the clear stickers peel off... [see: video of me playing with it]

THEN....

you keep playing with it some more and then the colors all rub off, so you end up with a solid white cube (of 54 little white stickers), which is obviously completely useless...

Why sell a toy that wears apart so quickly? (mine started rubbing off after about 5 weeks of owning the thing). I believe the answer is that they just want people to keep going out and buying more cubes to make more money, which is totally fucking lame. They even sell replacement stickers at the official website to make EVEN MORE money.
By the way, my mother owns an original Cube from the 70's and the stickers on it are just fine. Not because it hasn't been played with a lot (because it HAS), but because the original stickers are solid colors all the way through, not just WHITE ones with 'coloring' on the top of them [that rubs right off].

This isn't first time this has happened to me. I rubbed a cube raw a few years ago and threw it in the garbage. I bought a new one, and the same thing started to happen, so I took some initiative. I decided to paint the white squares MYSELF. With MODEL PAINT. HAH!!11!

Max Rebo wins!




Er... oh yeah... the middle squares pop out sometimes too. WTF? I gotta get me a V-Cube

Some exciting news!

I just wanted to give my a husband a big "I'm proud of you" in front of everyone here. He just passed the first half of his A+ Certification exam this morning! I knew he could do it! So everyone please drop him a comment and let him know how awesome you think he is.

Also in the world of exciting news IRON MAN is coming to DVD on September 30!!!! SOOOO excited! And Spore has come out! I haven't had a chance to play it yet (because we have not had the funds to buy it) but the reviews have been awesome. So hopefully by the end of the month my husband will be completely A+ certified, I will own the Iron Man DVD and I will be playing the crap out of Spore!

Wish us luck!

Atom Smashers, Black Holes, and the "God Particle"

Scientists have been smashing particles into each other at high speeds for several decades. They basically use tubes that have electromagnets in them to magnetically guide the particles into each other. (Michio kaku built one at age 16, the crazy bastard...). The fruits of their labor (up until now) has been an understanding of how quarks and other sub-atomic particles behave at high energies.

But recently, a NEW and improved GIGANTIC nine billion dollar particle accelerator (or ATOM SMASHER, as nerds like to call them) has been built in Geneva Switzerland. They've been working on this thing for 20 years, but they've FINALLY finished building it. It's called the "Large Hadron Collider" and it's a 17-mile long tunnel under Switzerland.

The new hope is to find a particle referred to as "The God Particle", which is believed to be the particle that is responsible for creating all of existence as we know it. I believe Higgs fields create mass out of massless particles, and therefore create matter (in theory).


Sounds pretty awesome right?


The only problem is, some scientists are worried that a Black Hole will be created in the particle accelerator and our ENTIRE EARTH WILL BE DEVOURED.
According to Reuters:

"CERN scientists have been at pains to deny suggestions by some critics that the experiment could create tiny black holes of intense gravity that could suck in the whole planet."

At the end of this year, they will:

"...move on to produce tiny collisions that will recreate the heat and energy of the Big Bang... The detectors will monitor the billions of particles that will emerge from the collisions... "

So are scientists going to create a BLACK HOLE that will devour our planet? Michio Kaku doesn't think so, and I trust his judgment. Oh well... it would have been cool. Reknowned physicist Stephen Hawking bets we won't find the God Particle either. He's betting a whopping $100. That just screams 'confidence'.


http://www.reuters.com/article/scienceNews/idUSL846768920080909?

Response to "You're a new nerd, you don't count."

From psychopathicsin on Sept. 2, 2008 @ 8:20pm

i think you always have been a nerd.... like you said there are different types of nerds and (ahem) im the COMIC NERD!!! you are not. i would not expect you to know all the marvel characters..cause youre not that type of nerd..i think youre more of a "book worm" (nerd)..same with me i have not always been this hardcore with comics(well maybe i have) i gradually got into it..and now thats me!! as im sure you will graphic novels are the best!! keep reading..might i suggest "identity crisis" by Brad Meltzer..anyway dont listen to anyone but youre self.. you know who you are..besides us neerds have to stick together..this is the decade of the nerd!!!

7 BOOKCASES...

... in my teeny-tiny 2 bedroom Stockade apartment! We just purchased a new book case.  We don't have the space but it seems I have a compulsion to read/buy books not matter how little space I have for them.  But we are very, very broke right now so it seems I won't be adding any to our collection for awhile... so the space we just added should be there for awhile.

Enjoy!

Nerdcore + Deathcore = WTF?

iwrestledabearonce - "Tastes like Kevin Bacon"


This defies explanation.

Just watch it.

Racist Cartoons and the Great Garloo

I was watching a collection of old Porky Pig cartoons with my son today. I love old cartoons from the 30's - 60's because animation back then was actually quite fun to look at. The storylines/plots were basically irrelevant (in my opinion), because the visual gags and the way the characters move and act is just as funny and fun to watch (if not more so) than the so-called "entertainment" of the 80's and 90's (TMNT, Thundercats, X-Men, and The Tick notwithstanding.... Those cartoons are AWESOME). But as cool as the X-Men are, I often find more enjoyment watching the complete absurdity that was the hallmark of the "Golden Age of Animation". Betty Boop, Popeye, Casper and of course Bugs Bunny and the Looney Tunes Gang are among my favorites.

After growing up with the heavily-edited versions of these cartoon shorts (as shown on Saturday Mornings throughout the 80's), I eventually discovered the original, unedited, sometimes insanely violent (by today's standards) and sometimes blatantly racist and sexist cartoons of yesteryear.

So... back to the Porky pig collection....

Knowing what I know about the racist past of the old cartoons, I was (slightly) shocked while watching the 1940 Porky Pig cartoon called "Ali Baba Bound" (which can be seen here in it's entirety ). There is one scene in particular in which an Arab with a bullet strapped to his head is identified as a member of the "Suicide Squad". He watches the warfare from afar and gets visibly excited at the thought of getting shot at. Eventually he just decides to head right into battle, thus concluding the episode.



Presumably, at the time of its' release, "Ali Baba Bound" didn't cause quite the uproar of the Muhammad caricatures of 2006, but one could only wonder at the amount of hullaballoo this cartoon would have stirred had it been released in recent times.

Now, I'm not racist, but let's all watch these racist cartoons together and remember the good old days:
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=racist+cartoons&search_type=&aq=f

For no reason in particular, I'm closing this entry with the completely unrelated, non-racist, fantastically-named "Great Garloo".

Enjoy:


LikeTelevision Embed Movies and TV Shows

Turtle Day 2008

Thank you to all who made TMNT Day 2008 a success.



Click here to see previous TMNT Days.

COWABUNGA!

Fibonacci and the C++ conundrum (part deux)

A few days ago, I posted a C++ program that I wrote that was supposed to calculate the fibonacci sequence. It worked up to the 46th number, and then things went a little wonky. I started getting negative numbers for some odd reason. (See what happened: HERE)

'War&' left me a comment saying that I should change my 'int's (variables assigned as integers) to 'long's (variables assigned as long numbers, which are capable of storing more information),

You're a new nerd... you don't count.

Someone told me this a few days ago, and it's really been bugging me. I was told that because my nerd-dom was started because I watched Iron Man it doesn't count. I'm only a nerd because I married one. And I really hate that. The fact that really kills me is she really believes this. Do you? And if so why? Why can't someone become a nerd? Yea, I know being a nerd isn't easy. I know you went through a lot of bullshit in high school and junior high... you think I didn't? No, I didn't read comic books, no I didn't see Star Wars 18 times when it was in the theater, no I can't name every Marvel or DC character or Dark Horse or any other comic brand but does that really matter?

I tried to argue this point with her. That I was a vampire dork, and a book dork... but yet she insists. I don't count. Why not? I was picked on in junior high... no I wasn't really picked on in high school... but that is because I was the scary goth girl. I have worked at one bookstore or another since Ieft college. Doesn't that count for something? I think it should. I have 6 book cases in my tiny little 2 bedroom apartment. Not everyone can say that. My friends are all nerds in some form or another. I have Clifton... the physics nerd, Rachael the Renaissance Faire and sci-fi nerd plus faeries and all sorts of other nerdness... I have Drewie... the comic book nerd. I have been surrounded by nerd-dom for as long as I can remember but apparently that doesn't count.

So now I need your opinion... do I count? I have started down the path of true nerdness... I have started reading graphic novels and learning to play chess... but I have always been a fantasy nerd... and a fractal nerd... and a vampire dork... and a faerie geek... and so on. Isn't that enough?

Fibonacci and the C++ conundrum

DISCLAIMER: the following Blog post involves computer programming. If this sort of thing bores you or confuses you, you might as well not read any further and instead I advise you to check out something nonsensical like LOLCATS. I wouldn't want to ruin your interweb experience.
---------------------------------------------------------------------

I was wondering how difficult it would be to write a program that would calculate the fibonacci sequence. After giving it a bit of thought, I decided that it didn't seem too hard, so I wrote the program using C++ and compiled the code using Dev C++.




The code seems simple enough. It looks like this:

#include iostream
#include stdlib.h
using namespace std;

int main(){

int first, second, num1,num2,num3;
int index=1;

first=1;
second=1;

do{
num1=first;
num2=second;

num3=num1+num2;

cout<< num1 <<" ";
index++;

first=num2;
second=num3;

}while(index<=45);

cin.get();
return 0;
}

Unfortunately.... things didn't go EXACTLY as planned....

Old Ben

Mandelbrot Set:

The Mandelbrot set is an infinitely complex fractal, composed by using the following seemingly simple equation:




When various numbers are used in place of the variable C, after several iterations, they will either tend to lead toward infinity, or they will lead toward zero. When constructing the Mandelbrot set, not only are Real numbers used, but also Imaginary numbers (such as i, 2i, 3i etc... where 'i' is defined as the square root of negative 1). Any number that leads toward infinity is discarded, and all other numbers remaining are considered elements of the Mandelbrot set.


For example, c = 1 gives the sequence 0, 1, 2, 5, 26; which leads to infinity. As this sequence is unbounded, 1 is not an element of the Mandelbrot set.


On the other hand, c = i gives the sequence 0, i, (-1 + i), -i, (-1 + i), -i, which is bounded, and so it belongs to the Mandelbrot set.




Fun Fact:
Only after infinite numbers have been placed into the equation Z = Z² + C, will the full set be truly created. Since it is impossible for humans (or even computers for that matter) to input INFINITE numbers into the equation, we will never know (and CAN never know) the FULL mandelbrot set!!


However...


When computed and graphed on the complex plane using several hundred, thousand, million etc... numbers, the Mandelbrot Set is seen to have an elaborate boundary, which does not simplify at any given magnification. This qualifies the boundary as a fractal.

The infinite complexity of the Mandelbrot set is illustrated below:

The video above shows a magnification of the Mandelbrot set. The song playing in the video is Jonathan Coulton's "Mandelbrot Set". If you listen to the lyrics, he explains how to construct a Mandelbrot set. He also mentions other fractals such as the Koch curve, Seirpinski gasket, and Cantor Ternary Set. ENJOY!!

Spoiler-free 'Watchmen' Trailer Review

WATCHMEN TRAILER review

by Psychopathic Sin





First, I have to say 'Watchmen', the graphic novel is the best novel I have ever read. For those of you who don’t know the book, it was written by England’s own Alan Moore with art by Dave Gibbons. The book made it on Time Magazine’s top 100 list and it also won the Hugo award.



Alan Moore is best known for 'Swamp Thing', 'From Hell' and 'V for Vendetta'. Most of his comics are not for kids. He is known for attacking adult themes and problems. Moore is also a novelist who wrote "Voice of the fire". He pretty much shaped comics in the 1980's.


The book is deep with political undertones of the 1980's (in an alternate America) and the characters seem so real when you read it that you don’t want to put the book down. So human and life-like you forget you’re reading a comic.


You see their humanity behind the mask.


I think this will be the most monumental acheivement ever made from comic to movie... Alan Moore wrote the script so layered it was supposed to be impossible to be made into a movie... well I guess we'll find out when it comes to theaters in 2009... But just seeing the trailer and by making the comparison to the comic, the movie is going to be great...


But we're talking about the trailer only.. so lets get right into it here... first watch the trailer:









...oh I forgot I do not give out spoilers!! Most of these scenes they show are KEY moments in the book..so I can only briefly comment on them.




Now lets compare some of the scenes with pictures right out of the graphic novel:

So before my husband takes the blog over....

I figured I should probably post a new blog. Ironmanchangedmylife.com will now be having multiple posters and I wanted to give everyone a heads up on that. I figured with multiple posters we can better serve nerds and dorks of all genres.

So how is my nerdness coming along? There has been definite progression. I married my ultimate nerd :) and we're living our happily ever after. I have seen Batman Begins to further my nerd background. Which was fantastic! Totally addicted. I know, I know a true nerd would have already seen Batman Dark Knight... but with all this wedding nonsense and our family camping trip after the wedding I have had no time. But I will definitely be going to see Dark Knight in theatres... I can't wait.

Also I am in the process of learning to play chess. Not an easy, or necessarily a fun thing to do, when your husband is chess master. But sometimes I play on line to try to get the basic moves down and what not, but I still get wupped everytime. So hopefully I will get better as time goes by instead of just giving up, like I usually do.

And last but not least I have been reading graphic novels!!! And I am completely getting addicted. I have read Iron Man: Demon in a Bottle (AWESOME!!!) and Marvel Zombies vs. Evil Dead which was a completely random and fantastic combination of characters. And I just borrowed Batman: The Killing Joke by Alan Moore which should be amazing (does Alan Moore ever do any wrong?)!

So in conclusion... if anyone has any nerdy ideas to help my growing nerdness please leave me a comment. Give me books to read, movies to watch, things to do, etc. I am open to expand my nerdyness in almost anyway possible.

Oh yea, did I mention that I will be working at my stores midnight release party for Breaking Dawn (the conclusion to the epic Twilight saga by Stephanie Meyer), which I am completely addicted to? Enough said!

The hilarity of technological progress

Three years before I was born, a tremendous technological breakthrough became a reality...

The introduction of the ONE gigabyte hard drive.



My goodnesss, with that much hard drive space, you could store like... one whole 2 hour video file. No wonder it was the size of a refrigerator.

Did I mention that it weighed 550 pounds and cost $40,000 dollars?

... It seriously did.

Mega Man 9 [in 8-bit GLORY!!11!1!!!1!]

If you're anything like me, you've been lamenting the loss of the classic 8-bit style of the videogames of yesteryear. Ever since Mario 64 burst onto the scene with its 3-D graphics, everything's been downhill since. Granted, Mario 64 was a pretty sweet game, but Mario Sunshine was a steaming pile. Mario Galaxy was a huge improvement...but it's still no Mario 3. I think most would agree, but I digress...


We aren't talking about Mario here, we're talking about Megaman.



If anything has suffered during the '3D era', it was the Megaman franchise. Megaman Legends was a disaster. Megaman Legends 2 wasn't much better.




He doesn't even wear his helmet in these games, WTF?!!?! They went on to make the god-awful Battle Network series (of which there are 20 titles, according to wikipedia). That's right... TWENTY Battle Network games.


Thankfully, Capcom came to their senses and released several awesome 2D Megaman games in recent years: The 'Zero' series and 'ZX', and I can't fail to mention the entirely AWESOME 'Megaman X' series. Megaman + Hadouken = Effin' sweet.


But now Capcom is doing one of the coolest things I've seen any video game company do in a LONG time. OMG, I'm so giddy as I write this....The newest game in the Mega Man franchise, to be released in September of this year (2008) is.... *drumroll*


Ladies and Gentlemen.... I introduce to you.... MEGA MAN 9!!







What's this? Is it some mistake? Didn't I say this was a 'NEW' game? YES! It IS new. Capcom is releasing an ENTIRELY NEW 8-BIT MEGAMAN GAME. HOLY SWEET MARMALADE!! (?)



Check it out, here's the trailer:






Did you notice that it said "In the year 20xx"? I love it.



screens:







These screens are taken from http://wii.ign.com/objects/142/14260822.html

Of Mario and Myth

Some of the most toxic mushrooms found in the world are found within the genus Amanita. This genus is responsible for approximately 95% of the fatalities resulting from mushroom poisoning. About one gram of amanita muscaria is considered a toxic dose. In cases of serious poisoning it causes a delirium, characterized by bouts of marked agitation with confusion and hallucinations.

So why is Mario eating Amanita Muscaria?

He eats them like candy!

Reason: Size distortion.

In western Siberia, the use of A. muscaria was restricted to shamans, who used it as a method of achieving a trance state. They also use it during Yule celebrations, in which the shaman will bring A. muscaria to the people of the tribe. They will then eat them and see each other as huge giants or tiny elves. In fact, the consumption of A. muscaria in Siberia is directly responsible for the Christmas (Yule) legends of elves and Santa Claus!

So that's why he grows so big when he eats the mushroom! (or turns small if it's a mini-mushroom or dies if it has a skull on it)

Mario spends a lot of time eating Amanita. Could he be a shaman? No way! He's a plumber from Brooklyn, right? Well maybe when he isn't saving the princess in the Mushroom Kingdom, he's sitting at home studying shamanism and ethnobotany, because he seems to know exactly which mushrooms he needs and exactly which leaves he needs for size distortion and sensations of flying respectively.

Maybe Raccoons are his totem animal?

Or how about the Tanooki?

The Japanese legendary shape-shifting Tanooki is said to put leaves on its heads and to chant prior to transformation. In some legends, the leaf is the sacred lotus plant of Buddhism. When Mario gets a leaf, he gains pointy ears and the tail of a Tanooki.

"Tanuki" is the Japanese word for 'raccoon dog' (Nyctereutes procyonoides). They have been part of Japanese folklore since ancient times. The legendary tanuki is a mischievous master of disguise and shapeshifting.

Okay.... so Mario is a shaman who eats mushrooms and leaves and his totem animal is the 'raccoon dog' of Japanese folklore..... interesting....

Speaking of Japanese folklore.... the Koopas are actually "Kappas" which are "river-children" of Japan. These legendary water-sprites are gods of the Shinto religion.

Kappa are mischievous troublemakers. Their pranks range from the relatively innocent, such as loudly passing gas or looking up women's kimonos, to the more troublesome, such as stealing crops, kidnapping children, or raping women. In fact, small children are one of the gluttonous kappa's favorite meals!!!

They feed on these hapless victims by sucking out the entrails through the anus. But don't bother trying to stop them, they are said to be masters of the "Koppo" martial arts technique (which was invented by them).

Mario EASILY kills these Shinto gods by jumping on their heads. Mario is awesome!!!!!

Note: I must say that not ALL kappa are evil. There are Shinto shrines dedicated to benevolent Kappa throughout Japan.

In the Japanese manual for the original Super Mario Bros, the evil King of the Koopas is called Daimaō Kuppa ( "Big Devil Koopa" or "Great Demon Koopa").
Keep fighting the good fight Mario!!!

Links:

Amanita -

http://www.erowid.org/references/refs_view.php?A=ShowDocPartFrame&C=ref&ID=6472&DocPartID=6005

Tanooki -

http://www.onmarkproductions.com/html/tanuki.shtml

http://www.themushroomkingdom.net/mariosan.shtml

Kappa -

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kappa_(folklore)