Friday, September 29, 2006

Superheros Who Bare It All

While we're on the topic of Superheroes, here's the top ten Skimpiest Superhero Costumes from bamkapow.









10. Robin
9. The Hulk
8. The Martian Manhunter
7. He-Man
6. Hercules
5. Namor
I had SUCH a crush on Namor.
4. The Beast
3. Tarzan
2. Conan
1. Silver Surfer
Ohhhh technically he's naked. Of course he's also got no man parts :)

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Ironman .... bites the big one

This news just in from Darkhorizon and CNN.
Robert Downey Jr. is set to star in his first big-budget action movie - the comic book adaptation "Iron Man". Jon Favreau is directing the movie, which will be distributed by Paramount Pictures in May 2008 reports the trades.

Downey will portray Tony Stark, a billionaire industrialist and genius inventor who is kidnapped and forced to build a devastating weapon. Using his intelligence and ingenuity, Stark instead builds a high-tech suit of armor and escapes captivity.

Upon his return to the U.S., he uncovers a plot with global implications and must don his armor and protect the world. Principal photography is set to begin in February.

Let me be the first to predict that Ironman is going to be a flop. HUGE HUGE FLOP!!!! Robert Downey Jr has a TERRIBLE reputation despite being a good character actor. That and most people I know hate him.

To top it off I checked the director for this movie, Jon Favreau. You've probably seen him in numerous shows playing a sidekick or comic relief. He has very little experience directing, and zero experience on action movies.

As the title of this blog say... Ironman is going to bite the big one.

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Thursday, September 28, 2006

FRIDAY Funnies

Its FRIDAY!!!!! Time for a little light hearted fun.




This is called Witchdoctor.

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Wednesday, September 27, 2006

Maple Story

Remember my previous post about the free online game Maple Story? Well... I just just a tiny bit hooked. Its not a very innovative game or particularly challenging. But its soooo cute and allows you to wear so many colorful things.
That's me in the middle. I'm level 15 and just got my pointy hat (which comes in 5 different colors) and my shiny new emerald staff.

So despite the dated graphics, very basic gameplay, and the many issues with its patch program, this game is free (if you avoid the cash shop) and its soo cute. Easy to see how its got millions of people hooked.

My next goal is to hit level 18 and get myself some cool looking black wizard duds to match my hat.

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Tuesday, September 26, 2006

Harry Potter 5 - High Res Pics

For those of us who can't get enough of witchcraft and wizardary, here's a titbit till the trailers are released!!!

Amongst the photos are the shot revealed yesterday of Harry being attacked in an alley by the Dementors. A group shot of 'Dumbledore's Army' in the Room of Requirement, a shot of our heroic main trio, and a shot of Umbridge along with teachers McGonagall (Maggie Smith) and Professor Trelawney (Emma Thompson).

Remember July 13th 2007 for Order of the Phoenix

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Sunday, September 24, 2006

Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip

I tape a lot of shows through out the week and then have a binge TV weekend. Hence, I'm usually later than most with reviews on how good or bad a particular show is.

I had heard lots of good things about Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip but to be honest, I was not very pumped up on it. The cut scenes and such just didn't make it seem that great.

But after watching the full pilot of Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip I was totally blown away. It is hands down THE BEST pilot I've ever had the pleasure of watching. If you're a fan of West Wing, watch this show. If you like intelligent and fast speaking shows with quirky humor, watch this show.

Shows like KyleXY and Stargate SG1 which if you read my blog you know I gush over them and think the world of them. But they are guilty pleasures. Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip like West Wing are shows that will actually challenge you and WOW you.

I can't explain how good this show is. Its just something you have to take on faith and just sit down and watch the pilot. Aaron Sorkin is a genius and ha the ability to make any subject matter he writes about engaging. (I hate politics and yet I loved the episodes of West Wing that he wrote). They cannot pay him enough.

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Thursday, September 21, 2006

Game Review: Maple Story

Last week I found out that my Niece who's 6 years old has been pestering my sister to let her play an online game called Maple Story. Being the game guru of the family she asked me for my opinion, so I downloaded and played Maple Story + did a little research on it.

I'm gonna do a review targetted towards parents allowing or disallowing their children to play this game.

Its got more than 50 million people world wide playing this game. So don't think that its only played by a small subset of people. The first 8-10 levels are Beginner levels. Then you can choose your first Job. I choose to be a Magician. Not something I would recommend to first time players because its slighter harder to do.

For more indepth info on this game

Maple Story for South East Asia
Maple Story for the US

Quick Review of Maple Story:
Pros:

- Free to Play. No cost at all beyond having an internet connection and a PC able to play the game
- Low system requirements. Basically if you got your PC in the last 3 years, you will probably be able to play this game.
- Simple Graphics, cute, bright colors. This appeals to kids and the "young at heart".
- Easy to learn and play. (My Niece leveled a Warrior and Priest till level 5 on World of Warcraft. This will be a snap)
- Chat System is archaic and not very user friendly.
(I list this as a Pro because I'm gearing this review more for my sister allowing my niece to play. Having a Clunky chat system is good because it will tend to discourage talks with potential strangers online. At 6 years old I think this is a good thing).
- Reading. I've always believed that online games suuch as this encourage children to read. Not all of us like reading 200 page books. So reading Quests and in game messages are great ways for kids to improve their reading skills.
- Something for something. These games teach kids about money. In game you need money to buy things. To get money, you have to kill monsters. Its a reward. It also helps their basic math abilities (subtraction and addition).

Cons:
- Grind, Grind, Grind. If this is your first Online game, it might not bother you much. But the game is fairly basic in terms of MMORPG's. Its essentially a 1st generation MMORPG with World of Warcraft being 2nd to 3rd generation. (Not an issue for a 6 year old)
- This game is free. So to make money they have something called a CashShop in the game. Simply put, you pay real money and get in game money. This can be used to purchase Pets and Clothing and other goodies for your character in the game. Trust me, when I say that kids will want the goodies being offered, especially when they see other characters with all these cute wonderful stuff.
Conclusion:
I have no problem recommending this game for my niece with a few provisos.

1. Time Commitment. This and all these kinds of games are addicitive. And initially (the first 2-3 weeks) are the worst. If you like the game, you might think about nothing else but playing more of the game (Trust me I speak from experience). So Parents please manage your children's Computer Time.

2. Servers. This is harder to explain to non-gamers. Essentially, when you first login and create a character, you have to choose a server to play on. A common problem that occurs is that players jump into the game and just choose any server. Then a few days/weeks/months later they find out their friends are also playing the game but on a different server. This might not sound like an issue to non-gamers but trust me when I say it pays to find out if any friends are currently on an existing server and to create your character on the same server.

3. Enforce the fact that while you can talk with people in the game, never make appointments to meet other characters outside the game unless you know who that person is. This is very important for kids.

4. MOST IMPORTANT!!! Never Never Never tell anyone your Username and Password. Scammers can spot kids in the game by the way they type messages and will create devious methods to get them to revel their Username and Password. So drum into your child to Never Never Never tell anyone your Username and Password. Not in game, not in email, not to friends. Also, parents should know what the username and password is. Expecting a 6 year old to remember this information is just asking for trouble.

5. An Email is required to activate the game. The email address will most probably start receiving junk emails and even worse, Scamming emails. I highly recommend that Parents use their emails and not the Child's emails to activate the game.

6. Parents are highly recommended to spend the first 1-2 hours with the child registering, and creating the first character + playing a the first 2-3 levels with their children. This way, parents have a better understanding of what's actually going on.

As I said, this review is geared towards my sister allowing her daughter to play Maple Story. I say go for it.

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Monday, September 18, 2006

Want to live like a Hobbit?

Welcome to the Shire of Bend, Oregon. It was only a matter of time until someone offered hottbit styled homes. They look good, but look at the prices!!!

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Saturday, September 16, 2006

Kyle and Kal-El

YES! I finally bit the big one and bought a pet. 2 pets actually, 2 hamsters. I'll admit looking at all those cute photos of pets on cuteoverload really influenced my decision. So I went to the petco shop and down about $75 for 2 Russian Hamsters and their cool new home.
Here's their house all built. I could have gotten the cheaper plain cages but this was only $20 more and it does look cool.

Here are my 2 new Pets. Kyle and Kal-El. Why those names? Well if you've been reading my blog, you'll know that the 2 biggest shows for me in 2006 are Superman Returns and KyleXY. Yep, popular culture really influences our decisions.


So how did I decide who was which? That was really simple after some interaction with them.

Kal-El - Right off the bat, this bugger bit me as I was putting him in the cage. Within 2 mins of being in the "Observatory" he climbed down to the main section. And ever since he's been moving non-stop around his new home and even went up and down the tube to the observatory several times. Being so aggressive, he's Kal-El.(That's Superman's native name for you non-comic book fans)


Kyle spent over 45 mins in the top section of the cage. There's a tube that they can climb up into the "observatory" and into the main section of the cage. But Kyle constantly went down 1/2 way and climbed back up. He's too afraid to go down all the way. I finally took pity on him and put him directly into the main section. Hence, this one is Kyle. A little confused and afraid but so cute :)


I actually wanted a puppy but with the peeing and biting shoes and the fur shedding and having to walk the dog constantly... Let's see if I can take care of the hamsters.

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Tuesday, September 12, 2006

Chinglish

What's Chinglish you ask? It seems that China has a slight problem. There's an epidemic of terrible Chinese to English translations going on.
The term Chinglish is a fusion of the "Chin" from Chinese and the "glish" from English.
There's even a whole flickr site going on about Chinglish. Here are a few of the gems I found.


Hehehe Some of these are really funny. I'm not so sure I want to try "Fuck to fry the cow river" or "Big two pots of head".

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Monday, September 11, 2006

Catchy Ad for Boss Coffee

Read this blog entry from neomarxisme. I don't quite get it but I think this company got Gigolo's (called Hosts) to promote this new coffee. Evidently Gigolo's are a way of life for many young Japanese males today. Its a fairly interesting read.

Anyway here's the coffee in question. Catchy tune :)

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Movie Review: The Covenant


Its been about a month since I last saw a movie and despite all the shows that have been released, I chose to watch The Covenant.

I'll be very brief on the review because this show is only going to appeal to a small demographic. If you like B Grade Action/Fantasy movies this is the show for you. The plot is actually better than many other B grade movies out there and the acting is decent. The plus is obviously the budget which gives the movie that high quality gloss and special effects. Steven Strait, the main actor is strangely like Josh Hartnett when he was younger.

Oh and it does help if you like cute guys. There's several shirtless scenes (of very buffed bodies), a locker room scene, and they are on the swim team. Eye candy galore. Oh and if you prefer women, the 2 main actresses have several scenes in very skimpy sleepwear.

Watch the trailer. If it sparks your interest, this show is for you.

Watch a high quality trailer here Trailer here, or click on youtube below.

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Friday, September 08, 2006

Foreign Commercials

Here's a few fun commercials for your viewing pleasure.

Tea Leaves


Baby takes Pictures


Girl and photocopy machine


Girl eating noodles

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Should I get this?


Soooo temped to get this shirt. Why? Cos translated from Japanese it reads I Love Hentai. And if you don't know what Hentai means... move along and ignore this post.

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Biting the big one


Some Python in Kampung Jabor, Malaysia got too greedy and swollowed a pregnant sheep. Seems that Pythons are like fish who will eat and eat till they die from overeating. And get this, its still alive, it just could not move and just lay in the middle of the road.
Pythons eat no more than once a week but when they open their incredible hinged jaws, anything is fair game.

This 5.5m python found its eyes were definitely bigger than its belly.

In July surgeons were forced to operate on a 4m Burmese python after it inadvertently swallowed a queen-size electric blanket.

Humans also have become victims. In 1972 a python in Burma swallowed an eight-year-old boy.

In October last year, a 3.6m python came off second best in Everglades National Park in Florida.

The snake, which tried to swallow a 1.8m alligator whole, exploded, said scientists who found the gory remains

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Thursday, September 07, 2006

Candy Scabs


Totally gross! You know what we're talking about. You've skinned your elbow while crashing your bicycle getting extreme over a gnarly jump in your neighborhood. You cry to your mommy and she gently places a bandage over the bloody spot. Two days later, you peel back the bandage to re-assess the damage. That same spot is now oozy in the middle and crusty at the edges! SO NASTY! You know you want to lick that puss spot.... don't deny it.... and now you can.... with Candy Scabs!

Each pack includes candy scabs and 5 plastic bandages which are stickable just like a real bandage. A plastic compartment on the bandage opens to reveal a pressed dextrose candy scab. Open the compartment, lick the candy, and reseal for licking later!


Hehehe might get this for my niece and nephew :)

Buy them here. A little pricy but quite unique.

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Tuesday, September 05, 2006

An Unhappy Kitty

Taking a break from all the cutey animal pictures I usually post, here's a very unhappy kitty.

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Monday, September 04, 2006

My Labor day

How did you spend Labor day? I spent my day watching a marathorn of the show Top Chef on Bravo.

It is hands down one of the best reality shows I've seen in along while. Why? Because of the final episode, I was literally on the edge of my seat rooting for Harold. The showdown between the 2 top contenders was Harold, the nice guy that everyone loved, and the uber bitch that everyone hated. Both good cooks, but seriously, when the 4 sou-chef's who are helping you prep the final meal all choose Harold to win, there is something seriously wrong with your personality.
This is Harold, and he even has his own Myspace page. He won a spread in Food and Wine magazine, a top of the line professional kitchen and $100k to help start his own restaurant. Grats Harold!!!
This is Tiffani, the uber bitch who keeps saying she's here to win, not make friends. Well Tiff, being a bitch came back to bite you big time. On the final challenge, they brought in the previous 4 contenders who were eliminated who would help the chef's prepare their meals. Hands down all 4 of them wanted to work with Harold. Sometimes the good guys do win :)
This is Lee Anne. I think everyone was rooting for her and Harold to do the showdown. Both excellent chefs and solid people whom you would want to work with. Sadly she was eliminated.

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