That episode was a bit slow. The depiction of John Adams in this mini-series (and I believe it is historically accurate) is that of a man not truly suited to diplomacy. He is strong willed and speaks his mind and those are not the traits of a diplomat.
The scenes in the French court were simply scary. To think that the white powered face with the random mole was ever a cultural norm of beauty kind of blows my mind.
Overall I sadly must report that this episode fell flat for me and I had a hard time paying attention. I fear this time, too much attention was spent on historical accuracy and not enough on good television. As a history teacher that was a bit depressing to admit, but as a TV viewer I cannot avoid that truth.
The wife actually picked up the computer and started checking emails during this episode because she was so bored. She did not even notice that Adams had sent Quincy to act as a secretary for the US ambassador to Russia.
Hopefully things pick up in the next episode!
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Monday, June 29, 2009
Virtuality
The following dialog contains Virtuality Spoilers. If you do not want spoilers please skip to the last paragraph for news on Virtuality and what you can do about it. I will not give away too many details but for the spoilerphobic out there, this show is worth checking out so please consider yourself warned and skip ahead.
Virtuality appears to be a very intriguing series with a lot to offer its viewers. It seems to have everything a couch potato could ever hope for in a show, something for the reality TV (a reality show TV within the scripted show) fans, murder, a possibly evil corporation, awesome special effects, virtual reality machines that can simulate any environment, a cheating wife, and space. The pilot episode had a grand scope that set up a terrific continuing plot line and contained a super twist at the very end. A twist (SPOILER ALERT) that the creators of Lost toyed with what Virtuality did to its main character but did not have the gumption to go through with.
Virtuality follows the lives of 12 people on a mission to find a planet that could support human life. The mission of this crew has become extremely important to the people back on Earth because the planet is falling apart in environment catastrophe. According to what the crew believes Earth has approximately 100 years before it can no longer support human life at all. They are on a 10 year mission to figure out if life can blossom somewhere else in the universe.
To make matters more interesting the 12 person crew has a TV Host/Computer Expert and a Psychologist/Producer on board. It is their job to turn the daily routine of this space vessel into the highest stakes reality show in the history of the world (bigger than American Idol). It seems like the corporation that paid for this trip is making money in any way they can.
Unfortunately Virtuality is called Virtuality. Ron Moore (the co-creator of this series) foolishly named his last project “Battlestar Galactica” and gave his potential audiences a huge hurtle to jump before they were even willing to give the show a shot, I feel he has made a similar mistake with the name, “Virtuality”. Aside from being a Denzel Washington movie I, as most people, have no idea what that means and it certainly does not encompass the general sense of cool this show radiates.
Even worse than the silly name, however, is the super bad news. Virtuality is not a series. It was shot as a series pilot but FOX in their infinite wisdom did not pick it up. Oddly FOX instead decided to show this as a TV movie rather than the pilot episode it truly is intended to be. Usually networks simply bury pilots they do not plan on picking up so I am hoping this is a sign that maybe, depending on viewers (you’ve missed it already) and streams (it’s on Hulu.com right now please go there and watch it) they will reconsider and possibly bring it in as a midseason replacement. In any event it is worth your time to check it out!
Virtuality appears to be a very intriguing series with a lot to offer its viewers. It seems to have everything a couch potato could ever hope for in a show, something for the reality TV (a reality show TV within the scripted show) fans, murder, a possibly evil corporation, awesome special effects, virtual reality machines that can simulate any environment, a cheating wife, and space. The pilot episode had a grand scope that set up a terrific continuing plot line and contained a super twist at the very end. A twist (SPOILER ALERT) that the creators of Lost toyed with what Virtuality did to its main character but did not have the gumption to go through with.
Virtuality follows the lives of 12 people on a mission to find a planet that could support human life. The mission of this crew has become extremely important to the people back on Earth because the planet is falling apart in environment catastrophe. According to what the crew believes Earth has approximately 100 years before it can no longer support human life at all. They are on a 10 year mission to figure out if life can blossom somewhere else in the universe.
To make matters more interesting the 12 person crew has a TV Host/Computer Expert and a Psychologist/Producer on board. It is their job to turn the daily routine of this space vessel into the highest stakes reality show in the history of the world (bigger than American Idol). It seems like the corporation that paid for this trip is making money in any way they can.
Unfortunately Virtuality is called Virtuality. Ron Moore (the co-creator of this series) foolishly named his last project “Battlestar Galactica” and gave his potential audiences a huge hurtle to jump before they were even willing to give the show a shot, I feel he has made a similar mistake with the name, “Virtuality”. Aside from being a Denzel Washington movie I, as most people, have no idea what that means and it certainly does not encompass the general sense of cool this show radiates.
Even worse than the silly name, however, is the super bad news. Virtuality is not a series. It was shot as a series pilot but FOX in their infinite wisdom did not pick it up. Oddly FOX instead decided to show this as a TV movie rather than the pilot episode it truly is intended to be. Usually networks simply bury pilots they do not plan on picking up so I am hoping this is a sign that maybe, depending on viewers (you’ve missed it already) and streams (it’s on Hulu.com right now please go there and watch it) they will reconsider and possibly bring it in as a midseason replacement. In any event it is worth your time to check it out!
Sunday, June 28, 2009
John Adams Episode 2
What an interesting and real depiction of the events leading up to the Declaration of Independence. Adams agreeing to South Carolina’s demands on slavery, New York’s refusal to vote, even the constant bickering were all great depictions and authentic depictions of the events in Philadelphia.
Washington had an interesting moment with Abigail in which he pretty much said that John would not make a move without her guidance. That, however, does not seem to work both ways as she made the unbelievably hard choice to inoculate the children and herself against small pox without consultation from John. Just like the tar and feathering in the last episode, this episode made me see smallpox in a whole new and scary light. I was under the impression that smallpox was a lot like chicken pox, just more deadly. The complete blistering of the body from the disease was something I managed to block out of my mind when reading about the illness, but a picture is worth 1000 words. A moving picture incidentally multiples the value exponentially.
I love the interpretation the series has of Thomas Jefferson. Somewhat aloof, a bit of a tinkerer, but an unbelievably brilliant man who is entirely capably of greatness. The way he lit up when Franklin was asking him about the swivel chair was just cool to watch and something my minds eye had pictured while I studied U.S. I.
Franklin also is given a wonderful portrayal. He has a completely different skill set than Adams or Jefferson, but he is able to act as Yoda to both. He was able to temper Adams anger and frustration into something more useful to their cause and he gently nudged Jefferson to be more moderate in the language of the Declaration in order not to alienate his more slavery conscience potential allies. Which is ironic considering Jefferson did in fact own slaves.
As much as I am enjoying this show, the first two episodes of this show ran two hours and 45 minutes and I felt every second of it. I fairly certain I feel that way because I am accustomed to the 42 minute mark of network television. Anyone who is an avid movie watcher should have no problems with the length of this remarkable show.
Washington had an interesting moment with Abigail in which he pretty much said that John would not make a move without her guidance. That, however, does not seem to work both ways as she made the unbelievably hard choice to inoculate the children and herself against small pox without consultation from John. Just like the tar and feathering in the last episode, this episode made me see smallpox in a whole new and scary light. I was under the impression that smallpox was a lot like chicken pox, just more deadly. The complete blistering of the body from the disease was something I managed to block out of my mind when reading about the illness, but a picture is worth 1000 words. A moving picture incidentally multiples the value exponentially.
I love the interpretation the series has of Thomas Jefferson. Somewhat aloof, a bit of a tinkerer, but an unbelievably brilliant man who is entirely capably of greatness. The way he lit up when Franklin was asking him about the swivel chair was just cool to watch and something my minds eye had pictured while I studied U.S. I.
Franklin also is given a wonderful portrayal. He has a completely different skill set than Adams or Jefferson, but he is able to act as Yoda to both. He was able to temper Adams anger and frustration into something more useful to their cause and he gently nudged Jefferson to be more moderate in the language of the Declaration in order not to alienate his more slavery conscience potential allies. Which is ironic considering Jefferson did in fact own slaves.
As much as I am enjoying this show, the first two episodes of this show ran two hours and 45 minutes and I felt every second of it. I fairly certain I feel that way because I am accustomed to the 42 minute mark of network television. Anyone who is an avid movie watcher should have no problems with the length of this remarkable show.
John Adams Episode 1
I finally convinced the wife it was time to borrow something a bit more substantial from Netflix and I am very excited about it! We are watching “John Adams” the HBO mini-series about one of our nations most overlooked founding fathers. But this is a conversation about the quality of the television episode and not historical significance.
I really enjoyed many aspects of this first episode. I love the musical score of this series; it manages to be uplifting and engaging without overusing the trite continental music themes of pipes and flutes. I am also keen on the way the show portrays the relationship between John and Abigail Adams. He relies on her opinions, respects her as an equal, and is obviously moved and saddened when he must leave her to go to the first Continental Congress. I believe the way they portray the city of Boston is very authentic as well, which as a history teacher is something I can really appreciate.
Speaking of being a history teacher, it is neat to watch this show and have little “geek out” moments. When they introduce Sam Adams, Thomas Paine, John Hancock, and others I get a little rush. It is similar to watching an X-Men movie and realizing that the mutant with the Russian accent that Wolverine refers to as Peter, is the X-Man we all know and love as Colossus. Yes, I did just compare John Adams to Wolverine and Thomas Paine to Colossus, I realize I have issues.
Anyway, I do have some issues with this series at this point as well. I cannot stand the lighting on John Adams. I understand that the series takes place in the 1770’s long before Tesla brought the magic of alternating current to every home in America, but that does not mean that the director of this show should keep the viewer in the dark every time he wants to shoot a scene at night. Candlelight is not the optimal lighting instrument for a big budget mini-series.
Also, the scene where the colonists tar and feather the ships captain was extremely brutal. Whenever I have thought of the process of tar and feathering I always pictured something slightly comical. That looked torturous and more like an execution than public humiliation.
I do like the way the show seems to paint the colonists with a realist brush. They are not all righteous and fair men who are being kept down by the British crown. They are shades of grey and in some cases extremely dark people. The treatment this episode gave to the Boston Massacre and Boston Tea Party was the nearest to what I learned in my college classes I have ever seen. In any event I am excited to keep watching. I think this John Adams guy has a future.
I really enjoyed many aspects of this first episode. I love the musical score of this series; it manages to be uplifting and engaging without overusing the trite continental music themes of pipes and flutes. I am also keen on the way the show portrays the relationship between John and Abigail Adams. He relies on her opinions, respects her as an equal, and is obviously moved and saddened when he must leave her to go to the first Continental Congress. I believe the way they portray the city of Boston is very authentic as well, which as a history teacher is something I can really appreciate.
Speaking of being a history teacher, it is neat to watch this show and have little “geek out” moments. When they introduce Sam Adams, Thomas Paine, John Hancock, and others I get a little rush. It is similar to watching an X-Men movie and realizing that the mutant with the Russian accent that Wolverine refers to as Peter, is the X-Man we all know and love as Colossus. Yes, I did just compare John Adams to Wolverine and Thomas Paine to Colossus, I realize I have issues.
Anyway, I do have some issues with this series at this point as well. I cannot stand the lighting on John Adams. I understand that the series takes place in the 1770’s long before Tesla brought the magic of alternating current to every home in America, but that does not mean that the director of this show should keep the viewer in the dark every time he wants to shoot a scene at night. Candlelight is not the optimal lighting instrument for a big budget mini-series.
Also, the scene where the colonists tar and feather the ships captain was extremely brutal. Whenever I have thought of the process of tar and feathering I always pictured something slightly comical. That looked torturous and more like an execution than public humiliation.
I do like the way the show seems to paint the colonists with a realist brush. They are not all righteous and fair men who are being kept down by the British crown. They are shades of grey and in some cases extremely dark people. The treatment this episode gave to the Boston Massacre and Boston Tea Party was the nearest to what I learned in my college classes I have ever seen. In any event I am excited to keep watching. I think this John Adams guy has a future.
Life + Near Death = Thoughts on Fringe
The wife and I were driving home from hanging with her sister and the kids late last night and narrowly avoided disaster. We were riding along minding our own business when I suddenly noticed two bikes (with people riding them) on the side of the road. I then turned my attention to the pavement in front of me to notice a bike (with person) that had no reflectors on it about 20 ft. in front of my car (I was travelling at 60 MPH). Thankfully my feline like reflexes kicked in and I was able to break and avoid the biker.
The wife was a little shaken up by the near involuntary vehicular manslaughter of a moment and made a comment, “it’s a good thing that cop pulled you over the other day, cause you would not have been going so slow otherwise”. It was an interesting point (and most likely true) that got me thinking naturally, about alternate realities. Alternate realities led me to the TV show Fringe.
I am worried about Fringe. Alternate realities are a big deal. They ask a lot of audience, infinite possibilities, a character could die one week and be back the next (albeit slightly altered, and keeping it all straight can be a load of work. Lost waited four seasons before introducing time travel and still lost (pun intended) a chunk of their audience who were unwilling to take this leap of faith (no flux capacitor & 88 MPH = no time travel for most people). Fringe was not a super successful show last season. Sure they did well enough to get renewed, but they certainly cannot afford to alienate any portion of their viewership.
Last season Fringe was a Law and Order styled procedural show with some neat science fiction (or SyFy) shoved into every episode. For the most part each episode introduced a bad guy who by the end of the episode either bit the big one or was brought to justice. Sure they had episodes that dealt heavily with show cannon and even a whole episode devoted to tying the seemingly unconnected earlier episodes into a neat little dogmatic bow, however, those episodes were the exception not the rule.
With the introduction of alternate universes (one of which a main character was stolen from as a child) this show goes from Law and Order to Lost as far as the knowledge audience must take to every episode. As a person who loves deep stories and intense viewing, I’m very excited. As a person who sees a lot of the TV he loves taken off the air in favor of procedurals or reality, I’m very nervous for this show.
The wife was a little shaken up by the near involuntary vehicular manslaughter of a moment and made a comment, “it’s a good thing that cop pulled you over the other day, cause you would not have been going so slow otherwise”. It was an interesting point (and most likely true) that got me thinking naturally, about alternate realities. Alternate realities led me to the TV show Fringe.
I am worried about Fringe. Alternate realities are a big deal. They ask a lot of audience, infinite possibilities, a character could die one week and be back the next (albeit slightly altered, and keeping it all straight can be a load of work. Lost waited four seasons before introducing time travel and still lost (pun intended) a chunk of their audience who were unwilling to take this leap of faith (no flux capacitor & 88 MPH = no time travel for most people). Fringe was not a super successful show last season. Sure they did well enough to get renewed, but they certainly cannot afford to alienate any portion of their viewership.
Last season Fringe was a Law and Order styled procedural show with some neat science fiction (or SyFy) shoved into every episode. For the most part each episode introduced a bad guy who by the end of the episode either bit the big one or was brought to justice. Sure they had episodes that dealt heavily with show cannon and even a whole episode devoted to tying the seemingly unconnected earlier episodes into a neat little dogmatic bow, however, those episodes were the exception not the rule.
With the introduction of alternate universes (one of which a main character was stolen from as a child) this show goes from Law and Order to Lost as far as the knowledge audience must take to every episode. As a person who loves deep stories and intense viewing, I’m very excited. As a person who sees a lot of the TV he loves taken off the air in favor of procedurals or reality, I’m very nervous for this show.
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Whoot Watch: The Debacle
The other day my wife says to me “Sweetie, Wednesday’s are $10 dollar wristbands on the boardwalk in Ocean City and I’d like to take Jonny and Jordan”. I responded, “That sounds like a terrific idea sweetie”. Unfortunately it turns out this was the only Wednesday in the entire year that the pier does the ten dollar wristbands so as you can imagine it was a bit packed with people.
Actually, to say that it was a bit packed is a bit of an understatement, it was more like one was trapped in a single level ant colony with amusement park rides, fried food stands, and baby strollers as far as the eye could see. Getting into this hive of humanity was the first trick, the wife took Jordan and I led Jonny by the hand. After 1 minute of trying to penetrate the moving wall of people I whisked my nephew off his tiny feet and went for the push now be polite later approach. The good news was that approach worked well and I was now in the center of the mess, the bad news was that approach worked well and I was now in the center of the mess.
After more pushing and around 20 minutes the wife and I reunited and attempted to go on a ride with the kids. Ocean city must have little precious experience in dealing with crowds of people because there were no snaking lines and no way to know where lines began or ended. Suffice to say we stood in “line” for five minutes or so to go on the children’s version of the tilt-a-whirl before realizing the line was in a completely different spot.
After a 25 minute line and a two minute ride we departed the attraction and I overheard the operator tell a young mother, “it’s going to rain in around five minutes, but we aren’t going to close or stop the rides, the rain will pass in around 25 minutes”. I laughed to myself as I heard this because there was not a cloud in the sky. Besides, meteorologists cannot predict the weather with as much accuracy as this clairvoyant forecasted.
Unbelievably four minutes fifty-nine seconds later, the sky opened up and it began to pour. Buckets of water were falling from the sky and we were getting soaked. The kids were in t-shirts and shorts and immediately began to get cold. I turned to the wife with “whelp that’s it I guess, no more crushing crowd of people time to go home” on the tip of my tongue, but before I could get it out she said, “there are umbrellas in the car, we parked between 10th and 11th streets”. I tossed her the child I was watching at the time and walked away, somewhat disgusted and 100% soaked.
The rain was pounding my face as I passed the ride operator and I shot him the evil eye as I walked by, he was smiling and extremely proud of his uncanny prediction. I hoofed it over to 10th and 11th and found no car. Perplexed by my unfamiliar surroundings (I’m a Wildwood guy) I decided to call the wife, but she decided not to answer, it’s possible that having two kids in the torrential rain kept her from answering the phone. I then calculated the possible locations we could have left the car and multiplied by the possibility that it was stolen and divided by the likelihood it was towed.
I determined I was simply given bad intelligence from the wife and that I needed to go about a concentric grid search starting with the blocks nearest the boardwalk and expanding my way out until I found the car. Unfortunately I kept deviating from the grid search and walked back and forth over the same stretch of road until my feet started to prune from the water that now well above the level of my flip flops. After around 20 minutes of searching (and the wife undoubtedly cursing my name) I went back to the grid search plan and found the car on 9th and 10th. I grabbed the umbrellas and high tailed it back to the pier.
I located my wife at the helicopter ride around 24 ½ minutes after leaving placed the umbrella above the kids and her heads and it immediately stopped raining. The weather channel really needs to find this guy. Disgusted by the lack of encouraging results from my trip to the car I did the only thing I could to make myself feel better. I left the wife with the kids and went out of the still crushing crowd (not a soul left when the rain hit) to the boardwalk proper to buy some French fries (should French be capitalized when it comes in front of “fries”).
When I realized that I would have to share the fries with the rest of the gang when I returned I bought a pretzel to eat on the way back to the family. I quickly made my way back to the group while eating a pretzel, carrying a bucket of fries, and holding multiple ketchup cups and it almost proved to be more complicated than I could handle. Anyway because of the delicate balancing act I was forced to eat the pretzel at inhuman speeds and consume at least half the bucket of large fries so the ketchup would not fall out. I was not feeling that great as I got back to the family and Kim informed me that Jonny wanted me to take him on the big boy tilt-a-whirl.
Usually I am pretty good on rides but my stomach was a tad unhappy with me at this point. We were sitting in the center of the car when Jonny yelled to me that the ride wasn’t spinning fast enough. I’m no physicist but I figured that if we slid to one side it might speed up a bit. Sadly I was correct in this estimate and the ride became 300% more intense. I threw up a little in my mouth… but I was able to at least swallow it again without spewing.
Anyway after that, the time we had with the wristbands was over and we were “forced” to go home. When we got to the car Jonny was doing the pee pee dance and I tried to get him to pee on the wall of a house that was for sale. Kim thought that was inappropriate so we settle on him peeing in a bottle inside the car. Turns out that a 4 ½ year old cannot accurately pee in a bottle and he peed all over the floor. Thankfully we had to borrow his moms car to transport the kids and all their gear to the boardwalk!
Actually, to say that it was a bit packed is a bit of an understatement, it was more like one was trapped in a single level ant colony with amusement park rides, fried food stands, and baby strollers as far as the eye could see. Getting into this hive of humanity was the first trick, the wife took Jordan and I led Jonny by the hand. After 1 minute of trying to penetrate the moving wall of people I whisked my nephew off his tiny feet and went for the push now be polite later approach. The good news was that approach worked well and I was now in the center of the mess, the bad news was that approach worked well and I was now in the center of the mess.
After more pushing and around 20 minutes the wife and I reunited and attempted to go on a ride with the kids. Ocean city must have little precious experience in dealing with crowds of people because there were no snaking lines and no way to know where lines began or ended. Suffice to say we stood in “line” for five minutes or so to go on the children’s version of the tilt-a-whirl before realizing the line was in a completely different spot.
After a 25 minute line and a two minute ride we departed the attraction and I overheard the operator tell a young mother, “it’s going to rain in around five minutes, but we aren’t going to close or stop the rides, the rain will pass in around 25 minutes”. I laughed to myself as I heard this because there was not a cloud in the sky. Besides, meteorologists cannot predict the weather with as much accuracy as this clairvoyant forecasted.
Unbelievably four minutes fifty-nine seconds later, the sky opened up and it began to pour. Buckets of water were falling from the sky and we were getting soaked. The kids were in t-shirts and shorts and immediately began to get cold. I turned to the wife with “whelp that’s it I guess, no more crushing crowd of people time to go home” on the tip of my tongue, but before I could get it out she said, “there are umbrellas in the car, we parked between 10th and 11th streets”. I tossed her the child I was watching at the time and walked away, somewhat disgusted and 100% soaked.
The rain was pounding my face as I passed the ride operator and I shot him the evil eye as I walked by, he was smiling and extremely proud of his uncanny prediction. I hoofed it over to 10th and 11th and found no car. Perplexed by my unfamiliar surroundings (I’m a Wildwood guy) I decided to call the wife, but she decided not to answer, it’s possible that having two kids in the torrential rain kept her from answering the phone. I then calculated the possible locations we could have left the car and multiplied by the possibility that it was stolen and divided by the likelihood it was towed.
I determined I was simply given bad intelligence from the wife and that I needed to go about a concentric grid search starting with the blocks nearest the boardwalk and expanding my way out until I found the car. Unfortunately I kept deviating from the grid search and walked back and forth over the same stretch of road until my feet started to prune from the water that now well above the level of my flip flops. After around 20 minutes of searching (and the wife undoubtedly cursing my name) I went back to the grid search plan and found the car on 9th and 10th. I grabbed the umbrellas and high tailed it back to the pier.
I located my wife at the helicopter ride around 24 ½ minutes after leaving placed the umbrella above the kids and her heads and it immediately stopped raining. The weather channel really needs to find this guy. Disgusted by the lack of encouraging results from my trip to the car I did the only thing I could to make myself feel better. I left the wife with the kids and went out of the still crushing crowd (not a soul left when the rain hit) to the boardwalk proper to buy some French fries (should French be capitalized when it comes in front of “fries”).
When I realized that I would have to share the fries with the rest of the gang when I returned I bought a pretzel to eat on the way back to the family. I quickly made my way back to the group while eating a pretzel, carrying a bucket of fries, and holding multiple ketchup cups and it almost proved to be more complicated than I could handle. Anyway because of the delicate balancing act I was forced to eat the pretzel at inhuman speeds and consume at least half the bucket of large fries so the ketchup would not fall out. I was not feeling that great as I got back to the family and Kim informed me that Jonny wanted me to take him on the big boy tilt-a-whirl.
Usually I am pretty good on rides but my stomach was a tad unhappy with me at this point. We were sitting in the center of the car when Jonny yelled to me that the ride wasn’t spinning fast enough. I’m no physicist but I figured that if we slid to one side it might speed up a bit. Sadly I was correct in this estimate and the ride became 300% more intense. I threw up a little in my mouth… but I was able to at least swallow it again without spewing.
Anyway after that, the time we had with the wristbands was over and we were “forced” to go home. When we got to the car Jonny was doing the pee pee dance and I tried to get him to pee on the wall of a house that was for sale. Kim thought that was inappropriate so we settle on him peeing in a bottle inside the car. Turns out that a 4 ½ year old cannot accurately pee in a bottle and he peed all over the floor. Thankfully we had to borrow his moms car to transport the kids and all their gear to the boardwalk!
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Call Your Cable Company
I had heard (from my wife) that Comcast was offering a special deal to current customers and decided to give them a call. It took me around 30 minutes to mentally prepare for the confrontation with the Great Satan. I listed on paper all my issues with this bastard of a company, service went down for 12 hours during prime time around a year and a half ago, they put a cap of 250 gigs on my internet (and yours) without telling me (or you) around 6 months ago, and in general I spend way too much money on my monthly bill.
Full of rage I was ready to call, and did just that. After one ring I was talking to a live human being, which slightly nudged my rage off track, because I usually have to wait on hold for around 20 minutes. I was pleasantly addressed which also through me because I’ve grown accustomed to hearing “Hello my name is ________, how can I help you today?” so full of sarcasm that it actually causes pain in my teeth.
In any event somewhat politely I address my concerns to my new “friend”. “Hi, I heard that Comcast was offering some kind of deal to current customers and I would like to get in on that”. What he said next almost gave me a heart attack, “Sir, that is correct, let me see if we can help you!”
Turns out that after around a 10-minute conversation my Comcast buddy was able to lower my monthly payment by 45 bucks over the next six months and I did not even have to sign a new contract! Did Comcast grow a heart during the current recession, or is competition (from FIOS) really a good thing for a free market?
Full of rage I was ready to call, and did just that. After one ring I was talking to a live human being, which slightly nudged my rage off track, because I usually have to wait on hold for around 20 minutes. I was pleasantly addressed which also through me because I’ve grown accustomed to hearing “Hello my name is ________, how can I help you today?” so full of sarcasm that it actually causes pain in my teeth.
In any event somewhat politely I address my concerns to my new “friend”. “Hi, I heard that Comcast was offering some kind of deal to current customers and I would like to get in on that”. What he said next almost gave me a heart attack, “Sir, that is correct, let me see if we can help you!”
Turns out that after around a 10-minute conversation my Comcast buddy was able to lower my monthly payment by 45 bucks over the next six months and I did not even have to sign a new contract! Did Comcast grow a heart during the current recession, or is competition (from FIOS) really a good thing for a free market?
Monday, June 22, 2009
Benjamin Linus update: Still not that one!
Benjamin Linus has been making a mess of our house as of late. He has dragged his blankets outside in the pouring rain (New Jersey is turning into a rainforest as of late, fraking global warming) and then pulled them back into the house soaking everything in a 10 feet radius of the wet fabric.
He has been lugging in huge branches through the doggie door and then grinding them down to saw dust on the living room rug. The fanatical dog has even pull in pieces of slate stone that litter my yard from the previous owner and ground them up all over our lovely home. To simplify, we gave him a dog door and he gave us a headache.
The little brat has even started shedding so significantly that we were forced to vacuum daily (sometimes twice daily). We vacuumed so often that our Dyson (Dyson is a euphemism for “super expensive and most likely not worth the price”) vacuum cleaner became less then functional (the hose worked but the brush didn’t spin). The wife and I were losing the alpha male war to our dog and something had to be done.
My action plan included a pair of pliers, electric clippers, and a lot of peanut butter. First off, I lured the dog into the garage with a spoonful of peanut butter. That went well, but it may have made the dog a bit hyper for the next activity. I had my wife hold the dog by the collar and rear while I used the clippers to shear Benjamin Linus of all his excess hair (turns out we could have made 3 or 4 additional dogs from what came off him). That took about 4 hours (he was a bit squirmy) but the shedding has mostly stopped.
Finally the wife and I attacked the vacuum issue. I pulled every tube I could out of the vacuum until I found one that was completely clogged with Benji hair and saw dust. Some of it was so far inside the tube itself that it could only be reached with extra long needle nose pliers. When all was said and done, we had pull around 4 cubic feet worth of dog hair and other refuse out of the vacuum. Unfortunately I am not entirely sure how to put the vacuum back together. But once I do, I’m pretty positive it will work just fine!
Anyway after losing battle after battle to Benjamin we finally are starting to turn the tide!
He has been lugging in huge branches through the doggie door and then grinding them down to saw dust on the living room rug. The fanatical dog has even pull in pieces of slate stone that litter my yard from the previous owner and ground them up all over our lovely home. To simplify, we gave him a dog door and he gave us a headache.
The little brat has even started shedding so significantly that we were forced to vacuum daily (sometimes twice daily). We vacuumed so often that our Dyson (Dyson is a euphemism for “super expensive and most likely not worth the price”) vacuum cleaner became less then functional (the hose worked but the brush didn’t spin). The wife and I were losing the alpha male war to our dog and something had to be done.
My action plan included a pair of pliers, electric clippers, and a lot of peanut butter. First off, I lured the dog into the garage with a spoonful of peanut butter. That went well, but it may have made the dog a bit hyper for the next activity. I had my wife hold the dog by the collar and rear while I used the clippers to shear Benjamin Linus of all his excess hair (turns out we could have made 3 or 4 additional dogs from what came off him). That took about 4 hours (he was a bit squirmy) but the shedding has mostly stopped.
Finally the wife and I attacked the vacuum issue. I pulled every tube I could out of the vacuum until I found one that was completely clogged with Benji hair and saw dust. Some of it was so far inside the tube itself that it could only be reached with extra long needle nose pliers. When all was said and done, we had pull around 4 cubic feet worth of dog hair and other refuse out of the vacuum. Unfortunately I am not entirely sure how to put the vacuum back together. But once I do, I’m pretty positive it will work just fine!
Anyway after losing battle after battle to Benjamin we finally are starting to turn the tide!
3 Reasons to Not Post
It’s been a while since I have updated the blog. Here are the three main reasons for my lack of writing as of late.
First off, I have not been watching TV that induces me to write. The wife and I just finished season four of Weeds but for some reason I find writing about Weeds less compelling then writing about Moonlight which is ironic because Weeds is an exponentially better show. Secondly, I just finished up my school year on Friday (my real life job includes educating the youth of the USA) and have been easing into the summer of relaxation. Thirdly, and probably most importantly I’ve been a video gaming fool since the purchase of inFAMOUS.
Weeds season four while worth viewing is not a must view unless you fall into one of the following categories. A) You are a small time drug dealer looking for a way to expand your business. B) You are trying to learn Spanish but find the books on tape boring. C) You are a pot-head and just need something to watch while stoned. D) You have watch all other good TV that you can think of and are somewhat interested in a show about self-destructive characters that tend to land on their feet regardless of the crazy situations they put themselves willfully into on a regular basis.
The school year is in fact over! I can’t decide if that means I’m going to post more or I’m going to post less. I’m guessing daily updates are a thing of the past until fall but look for more anecdotal posts like my trip to the Apple store as the summer progresses. By the time fall rolls around I should be posting about the new television season till my fingers fall off. Thursday nights alone have something on all five networks that I want to watch… thankfully I have two DVR’s and a TIVO.
inFAMOUS is worth your time. It is a terrific open world game that allows you to be a lighting powered man/god. As you run around the post-apocalyptic world you have the choice to bring people back to life with a little jolt of lighting or suck what little life they have left out of their decaying bodies to power up your character. The story of inFAMOUS ends on an extremely surprising note and I for one must say I enjoyed it thoroughly. Though I must say some of the story bits that were happening as I was fighting off waves of enemies were lost to me as I was somewhat distracted. I for one am ready for the inevitable sequel that they obviously have planned, as evidenced by the terrific twist at the end!
First off, I have not been watching TV that induces me to write. The wife and I just finished season four of Weeds but for some reason I find writing about Weeds less compelling then writing about Moonlight which is ironic because Weeds is an exponentially better show. Secondly, I just finished up my school year on Friday (my real life job includes educating the youth of the USA) and have been easing into the summer of relaxation. Thirdly, and probably most importantly I’ve been a video gaming fool since the purchase of inFAMOUS.
Weeds season four while worth viewing is not a must view unless you fall into one of the following categories. A) You are a small time drug dealer looking for a way to expand your business. B) You are trying to learn Spanish but find the books on tape boring. C) You are a pot-head and just need something to watch while stoned. D) You have watch all other good TV that you can think of and are somewhat interested in a show about self-destructive characters that tend to land on their feet regardless of the crazy situations they put themselves willfully into on a regular basis.
The school year is in fact over! I can’t decide if that means I’m going to post more or I’m going to post less. I’m guessing daily updates are a thing of the past until fall but look for more anecdotal posts like my trip to the Apple store as the summer progresses. By the time fall rolls around I should be posting about the new television season till my fingers fall off. Thursday nights alone have something on all five networks that I want to watch… thankfully I have two DVR’s and a TIVO.
inFAMOUS is worth your time. It is a terrific open world game that allows you to be a lighting powered man/god. As you run around the post-apocalyptic world you have the choice to bring people back to life with a little jolt of lighting or suck what little life they have left out of their decaying bodies to power up your character. The story of inFAMOUS ends on an extremely surprising note and I for one must say I enjoyed it thoroughly. Though I must say some of the story bits that were happening as I was fighting off waves of enemies were lost to me as I was somewhat distracted. I for one am ready for the inevitable sequel that they obviously have planned, as evidenced by the terrific twist at the end!
Monday, June 15, 2009
Moonlight Episode 16
Finished! Wish I was happy with my viewing experience overall but I am not. Josef is not only not dead to the world but also a major philanthropist. That kills me, how in the world do they expect us to believe this? Turns out they were setting up the new ADA to be Mick’s major rival in season two. I’d say “too bad they never got to tell that story” but I think I’d be lying.
Again no Coralline, and again no thoughts about her at all from Mick. I’m completely out of steam on this show and cannot write another bit about it for now. Maybe if I feel inspired I’ll go through a series retrospective at some point in the future but I doubt it.
Again no Coralline, and again no thoughts about her at all from Mick. I’m completely out of steam on this show and cannot write another bit about it for now. Maybe if I feel inspired I’ll go through a series retrospective at some point in the future but I doubt it.
Moonlight Episode 15
Didn’t we already establish that Mick was in the Korean War? Maybe I’m crazy but I really thought that happened. If I had known Mick fought in World War II I feel like I wouldn’t have been so down on his history.
Anyway Mick thinking he was a daddy was an interesting if somewhat predictable story. I like that the boy figured out that Mick was their guardian angel. The big bad in this episode did not seem to make any sense. He wasn’t near getting caught until he decided to call Mick.
I’m a bit bummed that this series is coming to a close. Wait that is not it, I’m more than ready for this show to be over.
Anyway Mick thinking he was a daddy was an interesting if somewhat predictable story. I like that the boy figured out that Mick was their guardian angel. The big bad in this episode did not seem to make any sense. He wasn’t near getting caught until he decided to call Mick.
I’m a bit bummed that this series is coming to a close. Wait that is not it, I’m more than ready for this show to be over.
Moonlight Episode 14
Beth went to the darkside and it does not even matter because Mick’s secret is out anyway. I love that she went to Josef to fix Mick’s problem. But more importantly I love that he said “you know how I’m going to handle it” and she was ok with it. I was wondering why they bothered to kill off Josh introduce a new ADA for Beth to date instead of Mick. Turns out they did that to set someone in the real world up as a good antagonist for Mick.
Terni was a boring storyline and once again proved Mick’s incompetence a vampire. He knew something was up and he let her go to the stateroom alone, he should blame himself for her death because it is his fault. Speaking of Mick’s inadequacies, I guess he’s not going to bother looking for Coralline.
I find it interesting that Josef told Beth to quit Buzzwire and then she quit Buzzwire. Sure she quit because her artistic integrity was being attacked by the new boss, but Maureen was not much better, she just treated Beth better.
Terni was a boring storyline and once again proved Mick’s incompetence a vampire. He knew something was up and he let her go to the stateroom alone, he should blame himself for her death because it is his fault. Speaking of Mick’s inadequacies, I guess he’s not going to bother looking for Coralline.
I find it interesting that Josef told Beth to quit Buzzwire and then she quit Buzzwire. Sure she quit because her artistic integrity was being attacked by the new boss, but Maureen was not much better, she just treated Beth better.
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Moonlight Episode 13
At the end of the episode when Mick and Beth kissed on the rooftop (at night like a good vampire show) the wife exclaimed “Finally!” to which I responded; “They kissed like 27 episodes ago”. I’m sad to report that I felt let down again by these 42 minutes of television. I know I’ve mentioned this as a nagging problem for me before but Buffy/Angel did this episode much better.
Mick was not human; he was faking it, because it was in fact a temporary reprieve. That alone makes his “sacrifice” seem less noble to me from the get go. Coralline “died” and became a vampire again, or her girlfriend turned her and saved her life. The cure is a farce and the only two people who were really fooled by it were Mick and Beth.
Josef once again proved to be a bright spot in this episode “siring” Mick though when he asked Mick for forgiveness for turning him my eyes rolled a bit. I really do think this show could have succeeded with a Jason Dohring as Mick and Alex O’Loughlin as Josef. O’Loughlin seems to come from the Rocky Balboa School of acting and it is just not working for me.
I would like to commend the show for keeping the same hacker for a few episodes in a row. I did notice that he switched from Guitar Hero to Rock Band in this episode, which makes him a much cooler vampire/hacker/gamer than Mick gave him credit for. Also I am impressed that they are keeping the same vampire at the coroners week after week.
One major flaw with the episode was the fact that Josef is supposed to be dead to the outside world. Why was Maureen interviewing him on the phone and possibly meeting with him? They even had scenes in Josef’s burned out office building! How did that get looked over?
Mick was not human; he was faking it, because it was in fact a temporary reprieve. That alone makes his “sacrifice” seem less noble to me from the get go. Coralline “died” and became a vampire again, or her girlfriend turned her and saved her life. The cure is a farce and the only two people who were really fooled by it were Mick and Beth.
Josef once again proved to be a bright spot in this episode “siring” Mick though when he asked Mick for forgiveness for turning him my eyes rolled a bit. I really do think this show could have succeeded with a Jason Dohring as Mick and Alex O’Loughlin as Josef. O’Loughlin seems to come from the Rocky Balboa School of acting and it is just not working for me.
I would like to commend the show for keeping the same hacker for a few episodes in a row. I did notice that he switched from Guitar Hero to Rock Band in this episode, which makes him a much cooler vampire/hacker/gamer than Mick gave him credit for. Also I am impressed that they are keeping the same vampire at the coroners week after week.
One major flaw with the episode was the fact that Josef is supposed to be dead to the outside world. Why was Maureen interviewing him on the phone and possibly meeting with him? They even had scenes in Josef’s burned out office building! How did that get looked over?
Moonlight Episode 12
I still don’t understand why vampires need to sleep in a frozen space. Does it have something to do with blood decomposition in warmer environments? At least the vampire in this scene actually seemed to be in a tub full of ice as opposed to Mick from earlier in the season being in a tub full of plastic bits.
But I digress. This episode is all about Mick ties to the French Revolution. That’s right, that French Revolution. It turns out that Coralline was in the court of Louie XVI and so were her six brothers. The seven of them and their super bad ass sire developed some kind of temporary antidote for vampirism and it is what saved their undead skin during the purge of the guillotine which had nothing to do with fraternity or liberty but simply undead baddies.
Anyway I truthfully do not know how I feel about this development. Could be interesting, but it could also be a story thread they introduced in one episode and then never talk about again. Considering there are only 4 episodes left in this series I’m afraid it is going to be the latter.
Coralline got kidnapped by her brother and Mick proved that he is not only a pathetic vampire; he’s also a pathetic human being. Rather than chase after Coralline or even figure out where she is going to be taken Mick decides to order out. Then he decides to go see Beth, who by the way he’s been a real jerk to since her boyfriend died.
But I digress. This episode is all about Mick ties to the French Revolution. That’s right, that French Revolution. It turns out that Coralline was in the court of Louie XVI and so were her six brothers. The seven of them and their super bad ass sire developed some kind of temporary antidote for vampirism and it is what saved their undead skin during the purge of the guillotine which had nothing to do with fraternity or liberty but simply undead baddies.
Anyway I truthfully do not know how I feel about this development. Could be interesting, but it could also be a story thread they introduced in one episode and then never talk about again. Considering there are only 4 episodes left in this series I’m afraid it is going to be the latter.
Coralline got kidnapped by her brother and Mick proved that he is not only a pathetic vampire; he’s also a pathetic human being. Rather than chase after Coralline or even figure out where she is going to be taken Mick decides to order out. Then he decides to go see Beth, who by the way he’s been a real jerk to since her boyfriend died.
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Moonlight Episode 11
Spoilerific Again:
No Josef in this episode so it gets a one point demerit to start. I was thinking they forgot about the non-vampire boyfriend until he showed up at some point last episode so Beth could break up with him. Then all of a sudden we have this episode were they reconcile and are perfectly happy within the span of 3 minutes.
The death of any recurring character should be a major blow to the audience in any series. The death of Josh was no such blow. It did, however, serve to remind me of how inept Mick is at being a vampire. He beats up the humans so quick that he forgets to knock them out. Also, when Mick has all of Josh’s blood on his hands he sad that Josh is dead. He should be craving the blood to eat especially considering that he’s been in the sun all day (which in this universe makes him hungry). That being said Mick does get some credit for following up on the Coralline lead, even if he did not actually make much progress.
Unfortunately the show insulted the audience’s intelligence twice in a big way this episode. First off, in El Salvador there is no such thing as a “Sweet 16”. The custom is the quinceanera which by all accounts is the type of party the big bad in the episode was celebrating for his daughter. The fact they the writers, producer, or network felt the need to Americanize this festivity was extremely annoying. Secondly and more exasperating to my tech savvy self was the scene where Mick and Beth are tailing kidnapped Josh and Beth explained to the audience that a ringing cell phone means it is still on.
No Josef in this episode so it gets a one point demerit to start. I was thinking they forgot about the non-vampire boyfriend until he showed up at some point last episode so Beth could break up with him. Then all of a sudden we have this episode were they reconcile and are perfectly happy within the span of 3 minutes.
The death of any recurring character should be a major blow to the audience in any series. The death of Josh was no such blow. It did, however, serve to remind me of how inept Mick is at being a vampire. He beats up the humans so quick that he forgets to knock them out. Also, when Mick has all of Josh’s blood on his hands he sad that Josh is dead. He should be craving the blood to eat especially considering that he’s been in the sun all day (which in this universe makes him hungry). That being said Mick does get some credit for following up on the Coralline lead, even if he did not actually make much progress.
Unfortunately the show insulted the audience’s intelligence twice in a big way this episode. First off, in El Salvador there is no such thing as a “Sweet 16”. The custom is the quinceanera which by all accounts is the type of party the big bad in the episode was celebrating for his daughter. The fact they the writers, producer, or network felt the need to Americanize this festivity was extremely annoying. Secondly and more exasperating to my tech savvy self was the scene where Mick and Beth are tailing kidnapped Josh and Beth explained to the audience that a ringing cell phone means it is still on.
Moonlight Episode 10
Two strong episodes in a row, this is unbelievable. I was a little disappointed that Coralline was not dead because I thought that would have great dramatic consequences for Mick and Beth. However, they managed to raise the dramatic stakes (get it?) for Beth and Mick through a Josef storyline, which was fine by me. Of course the fact that Josef was shooting vampyric blanks when it came turning his lover was a bit over the top.
Coralline disappeared so I’m pretty sure that means she is not dead. Though maybe her vampirism cure is not as final as she made it seem which may spell trouble down the road for our hero.
Six episodes left and this show is getting better. Two episodes ago I did not even care how the show would end as long as it did. Now I’m hoping at least a little bit that they managed to wrap things up neatly with the season/series finale.
Coralline disappeared so I’m pretty sure that means she is not dead. Though maybe her vampirism cure is not as final as she made it seem which may spell trouble down the road for our hero.
Six episodes left and this show is getting better. Two episodes ago I did not even care how the show would end as long as it did. Now I’m hoping at least a little bit that they managed to wrap things up neatly with the season/series finale.
Moonlight Episode 9
Warning, these thoughts are very spoiler heavy for Moonlight Episode 9.
You
Have
Been
Warned
Coralline came back, found a way to become human, and reveled all to Mick just in time for Beth to drive a stake through her now human heart! That’s what I’m talking about! When the drama is good the little things (like the fact that Mick and Coralline spent the entire day in the sun) can be forgiven. It took 9 episodes but I’m thinking this show finally hit its stride.
The storyline with Mick and Morgan following the cheating wife was fairly boring but everything else in the episode really did seem to work for me. Also, I was happy to see Josef again, if only for a brief while. His scenes with Beth were some of her best work. Maybe this show would have been better with the actors playing Josef and Mick in a role reversal (the wife disagrees).
I wonder if the sudden uptick in story quality and movement has anything to do with the writers strike… Nope, the first twelve episodes of Moonlight were made before the writers strike. If memory serves me correctly the writers would not have been able to do re-write starting on this episode or the next one. That means that the strike could only have hurt this particular episode rather than help.
You
Have
Been
Warned
Coralline came back, found a way to become human, and reveled all to Mick just in time for Beth to drive a stake through her now human heart! That’s what I’m talking about! When the drama is good the little things (like the fact that Mick and Coralline spent the entire day in the sun) can be forgiven. It took 9 episodes but I’m thinking this show finally hit its stride.
The storyline with Mick and Morgan following the cheating wife was fairly boring but everything else in the episode really did seem to work for me. Also, I was happy to see Josef again, if only for a brief while. His scenes with Beth were some of her best work. Maybe this show would have been better with the actors playing Josef and Mick in a role reversal (the wife disagrees).
I wonder if the sudden uptick in story quality and movement has anything to do with the writers strike… Nope, the first twelve episodes of Moonlight were made before the writers strike. If memory serves me correctly the writers would not have been able to do re-write starting on this episode or the next one. That means that the strike could only have hurt this particular episode rather than help.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
inFAMOUS Thoughts
I just played around 6 straight hours of inFAMOUS for the PS3 and thought it might be a good time to take a break from the action. In order to come down in a gentle fashsion from my video game high I figured the best thing I could do was inform you dear reader of how much fun you could be having with this game.
inFAMOUS hits all the sweet spots I look for in a video game. Moral choices, open world, great story, fun combat, and a forgiving continue system are all enjoyable aspects of this game.
inFAMOUS tells the story of Cole, a bike messenger who just happens to live through an apocalypse in a major metropolitan city that is modeled on New York. Cole is out of it for a few weeks after the catastrophe and when he wakes up he finds himself supercharged with the power of lightening. As the player Cole is a joy to move around the city, whether he is scaling roof tops, grinding power lines, or shimmying through the sewers he is easy to control and fun to watch.
Also of note, Cole is super powerful and gets stronger as the game goes on. Unfortunately, he needs to be because this game can be very hard. The good news is that when Cole fails to complete a mission in inFAMOUS the game puts him right back in the action. He does not have to slog all through the city in an effort to get back to the start of the mission that was just botched and that is something the player will learn to appreciate.
At this point I’m about 10 hours into the game total and I’d say I’m a little less than halfway done. The story is still a bit of a mystery but I am enjoying the ride. The narrative is not exactly told to the player, in fact, it happens as you are playing for the most part. Through Cole’s push to talk cell phone (which for some reason survived the disaster) he communicates with an FBI agent, his best friend, the remaining police officers, and his ex-girlfriend and they all do a great job teasing out the story bit by bit.
The only thing that limits what Cole can do in the city are the rival gangs of super mutant drug dealers who were able to take over the city in the post apocalyptic environment. While Cole can easily dispatch one or two at a time they can start to swarm pretty quickly and then he’s in trouble. Enemies shoot at Cole from roof tops, behind cover, and at street level and none of them are willing to stand around while Cole electrocutes them.
My only complaint so far is that it is hard to stay on the moral path in this game. While making the “good choice” is usually straightforward, civilians tend to get killed by Cole very easily considering he is a human transformer (the electric kind, not the more than meets the eye kind). If Cole gets wet he gets hurt, if Cole runs through a puddle and another person is also in the puddle, Cole electrocutes that person to death. Cole can also bring people back to life bearing in mind that he is in fact a walking AED, so for everyone he kills he tries to bring a few back, but the cosmic scales are most likely tipped against him.
I’ll check in again with inFAMOUS after I beat the game but right now it is ranking as some of the most fun I’ve had with the PS3. inFAMOUS is rated “M” for mature and is exclusive to the Playstation 3.
inFAMOUS hits all the sweet spots I look for in a video game. Moral choices, open world, great story, fun combat, and a forgiving continue system are all enjoyable aspects of this game.
inFAMOUS tells the story of Cole, a bike messenger who just happens to live through an apocalypse in a major metropolitan city that is modeled on New York. Cole is out of it for a few weeks after the catastrophe and when he wakes up he finds himself supercharged with the power of lightening. As the player Cole is a joy to move around the city, whether he is scaling roof tops, grinding power lines, or shimmying through the sewers he is easy to control and fun to watch.
Also of note, Cole is super powerful and gets stronger as the game goes on. Unfortunately, he needs to be because this game can be very hard. The good news is that when Cole fails to complete a mission in inFAMOUS the game puts him right back in the action. He does not have to slog all through the city in an effort to get back to the start of the mission that was just botched and that is something the player will learn to appreciate.
At this point I’m about 10 hours into the game total and I’d say I’m a little less than halfway done. The story is still a bit of a mystery but I am enjoying the ride. The narrative is not exactly told to the player, in fact, it happens as you are playing for the most part. Through Cole’s push to talk cell phone (which for some reason survived the disaster) he communicates with an FBI agent, his best friend, the remaining police officers, and his ex-girlfriend and they all do a great job teasing out the story bit by bit.
The only thing that limits what Cole can do in the city are the rival gangs of super mutant drug dealers who were able to take over the city in the post apocalyptic environment. While Cole can easily dispatch one or two at a time they can start to swarm pretty quickly and then he’s in trouble. Enemies shoot at Cole from roof tops, behind cover, and at street level and none of them are willing to stand around while Cole electrocutes them.
My only complaint so far is that it is hard to stay on the moral path in this game. While making the “good choice” is usually straightforward, civilians tend to get killed by Cole very easily considering he is a human transformer (the electric kind, not the more than meets the eye kind). If Cole gets wet he gets hurt, if Cole runs through a puddle and another person is also in the puddle, Cole electrocutes that person to death. Cole can also bring people back to life bearing in mind that he is in fact a walking AED, so for everyone he kills he tries to bring a few back, but the cosmic scales are most likely tipped against him.
I’ll check in again with inFAMOUS after I beat the game but right now it is ranking as some of the most fun I’ve had with the PS3. inFAMOUS is rated “M” for mature and is exclusive to the Playstation 3.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Moonlight Episode 8
I thought I’d mention the fact that the way this show uses the iPhone is kind of hilarious. First off, every character in Moonlight has an iPhone. Oddly enough they all have carved squares over the Apple logo or keep it in a case that covers the logo. It turns out that Steve Jobs knows a stinker when he sees one.
I am super frustrated with Moonlight right now because I want to like it. It is a Scifi/Fantasy show that has a rabid following and was cancelled at the end of its first season. It is the exact show I fall for Pushing Daisy’s, Wonderfalls, Journeyman, and Firefly are all examples of my soft spot for this type of show. Yet I have not fully enjoyed a single episode of Moonlight.
Where was Coralline? I get that they are probably trying to slowly slide her into the mythology of the show and that makes sense. However, a single scene of Coralline sitting in a giant black chair sticking a lit cigarette through a picture of Mick’s face would gently remind us that she is out there and angry. Heck, a scene with her and Beth at Buzzwire during a seemingly normal interaction would serve the same purpose.
This episode had an extremely weak villain again. Once again Mick gets his rear handed to him by a extremely new vampire and only can defeat him when the new vampire takes his eye off Mick to follow his obsession.
I also dislike the way Mick refers to vampires as “vamps”. Have a little respect for your own people Mick. While we are on the subject of his own people, was Josef even in this episode? After last episodes excellent Josef scenes that was a big disappointment.
The big secret is out, Beth now knows that Mick is her guardian angel. When she confronted him in what should have been a heartwarming or heart wrenching scene my wife turns to me and says: “Sweetie this is a terrible show. Right?”
I am super frustrated with Moonlight right now because I want to like it. It is a Scifi/Fantasy show that has a rabid following and was cancelled at the end of its first season. It is the exact show I fall for Pushing Daisy’s, Wonderfalls, Journeyman, and Firefly are all examples of my soft spot for this type of show. Yet I have not fully enjoyed a single episode of Moonlight.
Where was Coralline? I get that they are probably trying to slowly slide her into the mythology of the show and that makes sense. However, a single scene of Coralline sitting in a giant black chair sticking a lit cigarette through a picture of Mick’s face would gently remind us that she is out there and angry. Heck, a scene with her and Beth at Buzzwire during a seemingly normal interaction would serve the same purpose.
This episode had an extremely weak villain again. Once again Mick gets his rear handed to him by a extremely new vampire and only can defeat him when the new vampire takes his eye off Mick to follow his obsession.
I also dislike the way Mick refers to vampires as “vamps”. Have a little respect for your own people Mick. While we are on the subject of his own people, was Josef even in this episode? After last episodes excellent Josef scenes that was a big disappointment.
The big secret is out, Beth now knows that Mick is her guardian angel. When she confronted him in what should have been a heartwarming or heart wrenching scene my wife turns to me and says: “Sweetie this is a terrible show. Right?”
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Moonlight Episode 7
That was more like it! Well almost more like it, we are making some progress. It is too bad that seven episodes in the show has not found its feet and there are only 16 total episodes in this series.
Man I loved that Darla, wait that’s not it, Coralline came back to mess with Angel, wait that’s not it, Mick after he killed her. At least Mick didn’t kill her off (again) in this episode, like he did with the last interesting villain. Call me crazy but I think some evil law firm probably brought Coralline back from the dead to mess with Mick because he’s ruining their evil business.
Maybe it’s my snobbery coming through but I hate that Mick was turned in the 1950’s. He has not lived a very interesting life yet. He met Coralline when he was playing as a lounge singer. That’s his life story? B-O-R-I-N-G, I mean Angel wasn’t much as a human but his afterlife as a vampire has him experiencing some of the most interesting stuff in human history. Bill got to live through the Civil War even if he did fight for the wrong side.
I can’t help but feel like this show is just a retread that hasn’t brought anything new to the table. Last week was a rip off of True Blood and this week was lifted generously off Angel it just feels so recycled.
On the plus side I loved Josef coming along with Mick to the arsonists house. Jason Dohring is a terrific actor and I hope they keep using with what’s left in the series. Mick and Josef have good buddy cop chemistry. That said I still would not mind if they turned Josef against Mick because that could kick start the rest of the series.
Man I loved that Darla, wait that’s not it, Coralline came back to mess with Angel, wait that’s not it, Mick after he killed her. At least Mick didn’t kill her off (again) in this episode, like he did with the last interesting villain. Call me crazy but I think some evil law firm probably brought Coralline back from the dead to mess with Mick because he’s ruining their evil business.
Maybe it’s my snobbery coming through but I hate that Mick was turned in the 1950’s. He has not lived a very interesting life yet. He met Coralline when he was playing as a lounge singer. That’s his life story? B-O-R-I-N-G, I mean Angel wasn’t much as a human but his afterlife as a vampire has him experiencing some of the most interesting stuff in human history. Bill got to live through the Civil War even if he did fight for the wrong side.
I can’t help but feel like this show is just a retread that hasn’t brought anything new to the table. Last week was a rip off of True Blood and this week was lifted generously off Angel it just feels so recycled.
On the plus side I loved Josef coming along with Mick to the arsonists house. Jason Dohring is a terrific actor and I hope they keep using with what’s left in the series. Mick and Josef have good buddy cop chemistry. That said I still would not mind if they turned Josef against Mick because that could kick start the rest of the series.
Moonlight Episode 6
Marshall’s back! Well, Steve is back, but he was much cooler as Marshal on Alias. I hope we see more of Steve, that actor can be a huge asset if given just a little material to work with.
Beth taking the silver laced “V” was dumb. The “V” then made her less than endearing, and the shower scene with Mick was just awkward. At least Mick was able to resist her “V”ed up charm.
It is interesting that this episode of Moonlight aired well before True Blood was on HBO. Considering bit of information one would be inclined to think that at the very least Moonlight gave some lent some real dramatic ideas to True Blood (which is a much superior show overall). Unfortunately, True Blood is based on a series of books by the same name which predates this particular episode of Moonlight. Meaning so far I still haven’t zeroed in on the something special that others have in this show as of yet.
Here’s another scene where Mick gets his rear handed to him by a more powerful vampire. At least Lola was a real vampire with a real evil plan, and real age, too bad Mick killed the most interesting adversary he’s had so far. Once again it is fate that saves him as Lola falls into the silver bath while he falls harmlessly to the floor.
Why were the vampires drinking alcohol at the end of the episode?
Six episodes in and I’m still finding more to dislike than enjoy in almost every episode. Here’s hoping Lola’s death makes Josef go haywire and become the big bad for the rest of the series. He’d be a great villain.
Beth taking the silver laced “V” was dumb. The “V” then made her less than endearing, and the shower scene with Mick was just awkward. At least Mick was able to resist her “V”ed up charm.
It is interesting that this episode of Moonlight aired well before True Blood was on HBO. Considering bit of information one would be inclined to think that at the very least Moonlight gave some lent some real dramatic ideas to True Blood (which is a much superior show overall). Unfortunately, True Blood is based on a series of books by the same name which predates this particular episode of Moonlight. Meaning so far I still haven’t zeroed in on the something special that others have in this show as of yet.
Here’s another scene where Mick gets his rear handed to him by a more powerful vampire. At least Lola was a real vampire with a real evil plan, and real age, too bad Mick killed the most interesting adversary he’s had so far. Once again it is fate that saves him as Lola falls into the silver bath while he falls harmlessly to the floor.
Why were the vampires drinking alcohol at the end of the episode?
Six episodes in and I’m still finding more to dislike than enjoy in almost every episode. Here’s hoping Lola’s death makes Josef go haywire and become the big bad for the rest of the series. He’d be a great villain.
Moonlight Episode 5
Something I haven’t touched on as of yet is the whole Mick being able to smell events that have happened in the recent past of a particular location. Suffice to say that it is bogus and I dislike it, topic covered.
Additionally I’m having a hard time accepting the vampires as less than a perfect version of ones human self. Even if the antagonist for this episode was turned at age 16, he should not have acne, and he should not a squeaker of a voice.
Mick spent a lot of time in the sun this episode and didn’t actually need to feed at any point. The 16 going on 210 year old vampire didn’t even need to wear sunglasses and he was cool a cucumber all day long.
Beth kissed Mick. That was unfortunately very anticlimactic. What’s wrong with Beth? She has a perfect boyfriend and she’s falling for the vampire that cannot win a fight without her help or the intervention of “fate”. Truth be told, Mick’s kind of a pathetic vampire and really needs to get a win on his own sometime soon.
Additionally I’m having a hard time accepting the vampires as less than a perfect version of ones human self. Even if the antagonist for this episode was turned at age 16, he should not have acne, and he should not a squeaker of a voice.
Mick spent a lot of time in the sun this episode and didn’t actually need to feed at any point. The 16 going on 210 year old vampire didn’t even need to wear sunglasses and he was cool a cucumber all day long.
Beth kissed Mick. That was unfortunately very anticlimactic. What’s wrong with Beth? She has a perfect boyfriend and she’s falling for the vampire that cannot win a fight without her help or the intervention of “fate”. Truth be told, Mick’s kind of a pathetic vampire and really needs to get a win on his own sometime soon.
Monday, June 8, 2009
Moonlight Episode 4
After what seemed like 40 hours Mick was suddenly feeling the affects of the sunlight. Naturally what he needed after that much sun was a bath. Not just any bath mind you, a bath that had perfectly formed ice cubes that looked an awful lot like plastic, but I digress.
Other items that seemed to be pushing the boundaries of believability include the RPG firing helicopter and the amazing assassin that is so easily killed off, it makes me wonder why Mick ran away when he met him at the diner. I was hoping the assassin was a vampire, but he was just a super-human.
I liked the girl who needed protecting as well as the cops who were protecting her for the first 4 minutes of the episode. The scene where Mick drank from Beth should have packed a bit more of an emotional punch for me but I couldn’t get over the 40 hours of daylight and the plastic floaty bits in the tub.
To prove how off something on this show really is at the end of this episode the wife turns to me and says “wait is she (Beth) falling for him (Mick)?”
Other items that seemed to be pushing the boundaries of believability include the RPG firing helicopter and the amazing assassin that is so easily killed off, it makes me wonder why Mick ran away when he met him at the diner. I was hoping the assassin was a vampire, but he was just a super-human.
I liked the girl who needed protecting as well as the cops who were protecting her for the first 4 minutes of the episode. The scene where Mick drank from Beth should have packed a bit more of an emotional punch for me but I couldn’t get over the 40 hours of daylight and the plastic floaty bits in the tub.
To prove how off something on this show really is at the end of this episode the wife turns to me and says “wait is she (Beth) falling for him (Mick)?”
Moonlight Episode 3
To be fair to Moonlight I really did enjoy this episode much more than the previous two. I think it had something to do with the fact that the big bad of the episode was an actual vampire this time around rather than a humans who Mick should have much more easily disposed of. Also, I enjoyed the little anecdote that Josef told about the monks at the end of the episode.
The last scene in broad daylight was a vampire show mood killer for me as is the fact that stakes paralyze rather than kill vampires in a dust poof. Other grievances I have include the fact that Mick brought a gun to a fang fight. This is not his first rodeo and he should have known what to expect. Getting staked by the physist vampire who just wanted to fit in was a low light. Speaking of our geeky friend, he spends five seconds with his offspring and runs away screaming. That was pathetic.
The vampire cleaner is intriguing but also odd. Vampires need to take care of these things themselves. The fact that they can call an 800 number to dispose of a dead body is more than a bit annoying to me.
All that said, I really did enjoy this episode more. However, I still wouldn’t keep watching if I had anything else to watch and my wife wasn’t making me.
The last scene in broad daylight was a vampire show mood killer for me as is the fact that stakes paralyze rather than kill vampires in a dust poof. Other grievances I have include the fact that Mick brought a gun to a fang fight. This is not his first rodeo and he should have known what to expect. Getting staked by the physist vampire who just wanted to fit in was a low light. Speaking of our geeky friend, he spends five seconds with his offspring and runs away screaming. That was pathetic.
The vampire cleaner is intriguing but also odd. Vampires need to take care of these things themselves. The fact that they can call an 800 number to dispose of a dead body is more than a bit annoying to me.
All that said, I really did enjoy this episode more. However, I still wouldn’t keep watching if I had anything else to watch and my wife wasn’t making me.
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Whoot Watch: Return of the Babies
The following blog post contains adult language: Reader maturity advised.
The wife and I watched the Whoot kids again yesterday and overall we had an extremely successful experience. We managed to transport them from their home to Wildwood and spend time on the beach and boardwalk.
At least we did have fun until the ride home. We got the kids in their pajamas in preparation for them to sleep on the car ride, unfortunately that was not going to happen. Before we left Jonny asked me for a piece of candy, I pushed my adult in the relationship responsibilities off on my wife and told Jonny to ask her. She gave him permission (I thought it was a bad idea) so I handed him the candy jar and he chose a lollypop. Immediately Jordan started crying (she cries a lot) for her own lollypop. Once again, I left the decision up to Kim (I was thinking “bad idea”) and she allowed Jordan her own lollypop.
Once we were in the car (kids with candy in mouth) we realized our folly. I was concerned that the children (Jordan specifically) was going to swallow the lollypop whole (stick and all) and choke to death in the moving car (mostly because I was told as a child that would happen to me if I was in a car with candy in my mouth). Kim was concerned with slightly more realistic problems, like the fact that Jordan seemed to be licking the candy, rubbing it all over her face, licking the candy, rolling it around in her hair and repeating the process.
It was at that point Kim said to me, “just take it from her”. I turned around and asked her for the lollypop and she said “no”. Jordan is 1 ½ so it was more like “naoa” but it was clearly a big negative on handing it over peacefully. So with ninja like speed I grasped the lollypop with my pointer finger and thumb and ripped it from her small not yet fully formed hand.
I would like to pause at this juncture to point out the fact that whoever first uttered the phrase, “like taking candy from a baby” was full of shit. I have never heard such an ear piercing scream from such a small human. The best part was that she kept screaming for a long, long time.
When it came across my mind that Jordan was once again jealous of her brother who still had his lollypop, hence the continued screaming, I asked him for his candy as well. Shockingly, he declined to comply with my request. Thankfully I didn’t have to resort to ninja skills this time and appealed to the near 5 year old child’s rational brain. “Hand me the lollypop or I’m going to shut your movie off”. That worked just fine.
Anyway after about a half hour of Jordan’s continuous screaming I turned to my wife and asked, “Why did you ask me to take the lollypop away”? She replied, “What? I thought that was your idea!” I said, “No, you definitely told me to grad the lollypop!” To which she said, “No, I said what are we are going to do about the lollypop!” “Well mumbles, next time you are going to have to annunciate when we are watching the children”, I retorted.
Kim’s comment, post traumatic event, “Number one, I said yes to a piece of candy, not a giant lollypop, and number two I specifically said don’t let Jordan see because the then she’ll want one as well.”
The wife and I watched the Whoot kids again yesterday and overall we had an extremely successful experience. We managed to transport them from their home to Wildwood and spend time on the beach and boardwalk.
At least we did have fun until the ride home. We got the kids in their pajamas in preparation for them to sleep on the car ride, unfortunately that was not going to happen. Before we left Jonny asked me for a piece of candy, I pushed my adult in the relationship responsibilities off on my wife and told Jonny to ask her. She gave him permission (I thought it was a bad idea) so I handed him the candy jar and he chose a lollypop. Immediately Jordan started crying (she cries a lot) for her own lollypop. Once again, I left the decision up to Kim (I was thinking “bad idea”) and she allowed Jordan her own lollypop.
Once we were in the car (kids with candy in mouth) we realized our folly. I was concerned that the children (Jordan specifically) was going to swallow the lollypop whole (stick and all) and choke to death in the moving car (mostly because I was told as a child that would happen to me if I was in a car with candy in my mouth). Kim was concerned with slightly more realistic problems, like the fact that Jordan seemed to be licking the candy, rubbing it all over her face, licking the candy, rolling it around in her hair and repeating the process.
It was at that point Kim said to me, “just take it from her”. I turned around and asked her for the lollypop and she said “no”. Jordan is 1 ½ so it was more like “naoa” but it was clearly a big negative on handing it over peacefully. So with ninja like speed I grasped the lollypop with my pointer finger and thumb and ripped it from her small not yet fully formed hand.
I would like to pause at this juncture to point out the fact that whoever first uttered the phrase, “like taking candy from a baby” was full of shit. I have never heard such an ear piercing scream from such a small human. The best part was that she kept screaming for a long, long time.
When it came across my mind that Jordan was once again jealous of her brother who still had his lollypop, hence the continued screaming, I asked him for his candy as well. Shockingly, he declined to comply with my request. Thankfully I didn’t have to resort to ninja skills this time and appealed to the near 5 year old child’s rational brain. “Hand me the lollypop or I’m going to shut your movie off”. That worked just fine.
Anyway after about a half hour of Jordan’s continuous screaming I turned to my wife and asked, “Why did you ask me to take the lollypop away”? She replied, “What? I thought that was your idea!” I said, “No, you definitely told me to grad the lollypop!” To which she said, “No, I said what are we are going to do about the lollypop!” “Well mumbles, next time you are going to have to annunciate when we are watching the children”, I retorted.
Kim’s comment, post traumatic event, “Number one, I said yes to a piece of candy, not a giant lollypop, and number two I specifically said don’t let Jordan see because the then she’ll want one as well.”
Moonlight Episode 2
At least we didn’t see Mick shoot up blood this episode (maybe the censors thought it was too much heroine or something). That being said, the blood that Josef poured for Mick looked a lot like wine so I’m not sure that’s better. Also, drinking the blood pack from the tube is not very vampire like at all. Everyone knows a real vampire rips into a blood pack with his teeth.
It wasn’t until the last 5 minutes or so of this episode that I thought there was anything worth viewing in this series. In fact, even the wife exclaimed as the evil Lee Jay smashed his own head into the window “this is getting frustrating”. Maybe terrible villains will just be a hallmark of this show but Lee Jay was even worse than the teacher and evil padawan from the first episode.
At least in the last few minutes Beth figured out what Mick was, even though he was dying to tell her anyway since he met her. I’m happy that Beth saved Mick’s rear and not the other way around this time. Post silver shot was not as winning as I would have hoped, they went too sweaty and pathetic and not enough stoic and Mick saying things like “I’m dying… it’s cool”.
I could also complain about the scene in convertible having the most fake driving backgrounds since 1980’s sitcoms but I think that would seem petty.
It wasn’t until the last 5 minutes or so of this episode that I thought there was anything worth viewing in this series. In fact, even the wife exclaimed as the evil Lee Jay smashed his own head into the window “this is getting frustrating”. Maybe terrible villains will just be a hallmark of this show but Lee Jay was even worse than the teacher and evil padawan from the first episode.
At least in the last few minutes Beth figured out what Mick was, even though he was dying to tell her anyway since he met her. I’m happy that Beth saved Mick’s rear and not the other way around this time. Post silver shot was not as winning as I would have hoped, they went too sweaty and pathetic and not enough stoic and Mick saying things like “I’m dying… it’s cool”.
I could also complain about the scene in convertible having the most fake driving backgrounds since 1980’s sitcoms but I think that would seem petty.
Moonlight Episode 1
In keeping with the vampire motif the wife and I picked up “Moonlight” the complete series. Turns out I saw the first episode already and while my wife catches up I’ll fill you in on what I thought and what I’m thinking this time around.
But before I do that I’ve got to come clean about my bias as a viewer. I can’t stand the establishing episodes of a new vampire series. The rules in a vampire universe have been perfectly established by “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”, so changing the rules that Mr. Whedon created is not something that generally sits well with me. I was resistant to “True Blood” and eventually came around to that, so while I’m super down on “Moonlight” episode 1 it might be me simply not giving it a fair shake.
While I seriously miss “Veronica Mars”, I don’t miss it enough to watch Jason Dohring pretend to an extremely old and sarcastic vampire. Also, on the low-light scale, the opening scene where Mick St. John explains himself to a camera was really hooky. To make matters worse the whole show at this juncture seems really impractical.
I know it seems ridiculous to say a show about vampires doesn’t give the impression of being be grounded in reality but this one really doesn’t. Mick sleeps in an ice box, he shoots blood into himself with a syringe, and if he wears sunglasses he can walk around in broad daylight. This is all insane and does not make any dramatic sense. How can vampires have all the strengths they have and none of the weaknesses?
The storyline with the professor and his padawan learner was absolutely ridiculous as well. But I’ve got to tell you, I knew this show was nothing special the first time around for sure when the episode was coming to a close and Evanescence started playing.
This show has two things going for it, however, one my Dad picked this up in reruns on the Scifi (soon to be Syfy) network so that speaks well for it. More importantly the wife really enjoyed the first episode so I’m stuck watching this regardless, unless it suffers from a “Heroes” styled sudden drop in quality which I’m thinking is impossible because in my eyes it’s got nowhere to go but up.
Those of you reading this who enjoyed the Moonlight series, please check out “Angel”, being a vampire in that universe has consequences and makes you evil. Unless you have a soul… or a chip…
But before I do that I’ve got to come clean about my bias as a viewer. I can’t stand the establishing episodes of a new vampire series. The rules in a vampire universe have been perfectly established by “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”, so changing the rules that Mr. Whedon created is not something that generally sits well with me. I was resistant to “True Blood” and eventually came around to that, so while I’m super down on “Moonlight” episode 1 it might be me simply not giving it a fair shake.
While I seriously miss “Veronica Mars”, I don’t miss it enough to watch Jason Dohring pretend to an extremely old and sarcastic vampire. Also, on the low-light scale, the opening scene where Mick St. John explains himself to a camera was really hooky. To make matters worse the whole show at this juncture seems really impractical.
I know it seems ridiculous to say a show about vampires doesn’t give the impression of being be grounded in reality but this one really doesn’t. Mick sleeps in an ice box, he shoots blood into himself with a syringe, and if he wears sunglasses he can walk around in broad daylight. This is all insane and does not make any dramatic sense. How can vampires have all the strengths they have and none of the weaknesses?
The storyline with the professor and his padawan learner was absolutely ridiculous as well. But I’ve got to tell you, I knew this show was nothing special the first time around for sure when the episode was coming to a close and Evanescence started playing.
This show has two things going for it, however, one my Dad picked this up in reruns on the Scifi (soon to be Syfy) network so that speaks well for it. More importantly the wife really enjoyed the first episode so I’m stuck watching this regardless, unless it suffers from a “Heroes” styled sudden drop in quality which I’m thinking is impossible because in my eyes it’s got nowhere to go but up.
Those of you reading this who enjoyed the Moonlight series, please check out “Angel”, being a vampire in that universe has consequences and makes you evil. Unless you have a soul… or a chip…
Friday, June 5, 2009
True Blood Episode 12
First off, good for Sookie for killing Renee mostly on her own. Though personally I’m thinking when you have the bad guy on the ground after whacking him in head with a shotgun, you hit him again. Also, after you just confessed to the killer that you can hear his thoughts, why the frak would you believe him when he thinks, “I need to go into the woods”.
Sam made a heroic effort to save Sookie and at the very least gave her the window she needed to save herself. I’m glad they are giving him an adversary next season in Mary Ann. Also, it should be fun to see him win Tara away from Mary Ann next season. Assuming Tara does drag him back to the Parish herself after realizing he’s gone.
Poor Lafyette, he will be sorely missed next season, but hey I called it.
Is Bill the most impotent vampire ever? Let’s look at his history. He gets captured by the Rattrays (most pathetic pairing ever) and needs to get saved by Sookie. He kills a vampire out of turn and is punished by the community. His punishment is to make a vampire, pretends he doesn’t want to and then he makes one so pathetic that Erik can’t stand to be around her. He attempts to save Sookie from the killer he knows is about the murder her and he doesn’t even think to throw a towel over his head as he lumbers like a zombie in the sunlight. Do not forget the fact that he drains Sookie’s blood every time they get intimate.
Overall, I was extremely impressed with the first season. That being said, they are going to have to do a lot of work to keep the excitement moving into the second season. Rather than killing Lafyette to set up next seasons mystery or pin another douche move on Bill, they should have killed Jason. Great idea True Blood writers, give you dumbest and least appealing character the story that is most transparent metaphor in the history of television.
Most likely I’ll post more thoughts as I think them!
Sam made a heroic effort to save Sookie and at the very least gave her the window she needed to save herself. I’m glad they are giving him an adversary next season in Mary Ann. Also, it should be fun to see him win Tara away from Mary Ann next season. Assuming Tara does drag him back to the Parish herself after realizing he’s gone.
Poor Lafyette, he will be sorely missed next season, but hey I called it.
Is Bill the most impotent vampire ever? Let’s look at his history. He gets captured by the Rattrays (most pathetic pairing ever) and needs to get saved by Sookie. He kills a vampire out of turn and is punished by the community. His punishment is to make a vampire, pretends he doesn’t want to and then he makes one so pathetic that Erik can’t stand to be around her. He attempts to save Sookie from the killer he knows is about the murder her and he doesn’t even think to throw a towel over his head as he lumbers like a zombie in the sunlight. Do not forget the fact that he drains Sookie’s blood every time they get intimate.
Overall, I was extremely impressed with the first season. That being said, they are going to have to do a lot of work to keep the excitement moving into the second season. Rather than killing Lafyette to set up next seasons mystery or pin another douche move on Bill, they should have killed Jason. Great idea True Blood writers, give you dumbest and least appealing character the story that is most transparent metaphor in the history of television.
Most likely I’ll post more thoughts as I think them!
True Blood Episode 11
The following blog post contains adult language: Reader maturity advised.
Renee! Truth be told somewhere in my incoherent rambling I’m pretty sure Renee was the first person I flagged to be the killer. I’m somewhat proud of myself, even if I did flag around 300 other people since then, including Sam in the next sentence. But Renee always seemed a bit off a little to damn good to be true. Jason confessed to Renee and Hoyt that he’d taken “V” with Amy and I knew it was lights out for her and time for Renee to step up as the killer with his next words; “She fucking em too?”
Sookie loves Bill, Sam, and Tara and found a way to hurt all of them at the Sam time. I must say that I found Sookie in general to be the most boring part of this episode. Even her scene at the police station seemed predictable and tedious. I’m guessing that means I like the pairing of her and Sam less then I like the pairing of her and Bill.
Poor Tara was run off the road by a crazy naked woman (CNW) and a pig only to be abandoned by her Jesus loving mother. Then the CNW bails her out of jail and takes Tara to her mansion sided home in her red convertible as Jason Stackhouse is brought to the police station cuffed again.
Amy had an instant karmic payback for staking our vampire friend. I don’t think I’ll miss her but hopefully this means Jason will either be more interesting or more dead in the future.
Laffyette just stuck his big toe into extremely dangerous waters. I predicted he’d be nearing the more dead area of the pool as well soon and it’ll be interesting to see if Renee or our future disgraced congressman offs him first. This will be sad because I really do think Laffyette is a fun character.
Bill sucks! His noob vampire said it and it really fits. He’s too cautious to be a good vampire and he’s too vampyric to a good human. I miss Angel.
Renee! Truth be told somewhere in my incoherent rambling I’m pretty sure Renee was the first person I flagged to be the killer. I’m somewhat proud of myself, even if I did flag around 300 other people since then, including Sam in the next sentence. But Renee always seemed a bit off a little to damn good to be true. Jason confessed to Renee and Hoyt that he’d taken “V” with Amy and I knew it was lights out for her and time for Renee to step up as the killer with his next words; “She fucking em too?”
Sookie loves Bill, Sam, and Tara and found a way to hurt all of them at the Sam time. I must say that I found Sookie in general to be the most boring part of this episode. Even her scene at the police station seemed predictable and tedious. I’m guessing that means I like the pairing of her and Sam less then I like the pairing of her and Bill.
Poor Tara was run off the road by a crazy naked woman (CNW) and a pig only to be abandoned by her Jesus loving mother. Then the CNW bails her out of jail and takes Tara to her mansion sided home in her red convertible as Jason Stackhouse is brought to the police station cuffed again.
Amy had an instant karmic payback for staking our vampire friend. I don’t think I’ll miss her but hopefully this means Jason will either be more interesting or more dead in the future.
Laffyette just stuck his big toe into extremely dangerous waters. I predicted he’d be nearing the more dead area of the pool as well soon and it’ll be interesting to see if Renee or our future disgraced congressman offs him first. This will be sad because I really do think Laffyette is a fun character.
Bill sucks! His noob vampire said it and it really fits. He’s too cautious to be a good vampire and he’s too vampyric to a good human. I miss Angel.
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Star Wars MMORPG
I have a serious problem. This is no joke. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I can’t stop thinking about how excited I am to play Star Wars the Old Republic. It’s a massive multiplayer online role playing game (MMORPG) set in the Star Wars universe and it looks spectacular.
I loved “Knights of the Old Republic”, I played and loved “Jade Empire” and “Mass Effect”, all from Bioware the developer of those magnificent games. Now Bioware is going to pull this MMORPG junk. This is bad because up to this point in my life I’ve only logged about 3 months worth of MMORPG play time and it took all my energy to end the game when I did.
When I was finishing college I was not the best student teacher I could be (to put it gently). Not because I wanted to enjoy my last semester and party down, but because I was addicted to Final Fantasy XI. This by most accounts was a fairly bland video game experience that I could not tear myself away from. I’d come home from student teaching fire up the old PS2 and play until I went to bed. Then I’d wake up plan for the day, teach my shoddy plan, and do it all over again.
Now Bioware an excellent company with a proven track record has gone and made an MMORPG in the Star Wars universe. How the hell is anyone supposed to stop playing long enough to hold a job and spend time with their friends and family?
I loved “Knights of the Old Republic”, I played and loved “Jade Empire” and “Mass Effect”, all from Bioware the developer of those magnificent games. Now Bioware is going to pull this MMORPG junk. This is bad because up to this point in my life I’ve only logged about 3 months worth of MMORPG play time and it took all my energy to end the game when I did.
When I was finishing college I was not the best student teacher I could be (to put it gently). Not because I wanted to enjoy my last semester and party down, but because I was addicted to Final Fantasy XI. This by most accounts was a fairly bland video game experience that I could not tear myself away from. I’d come home from student teaching fire up the old PS2 and play until I went to bed. Then I’d wake up plan for the day, teach my shoddy plan, and do it all over again.
Now Bioware an excellent company with a proven track record has gone and made an MMORPG in the Star Wars universe. How the hell is anyone supposed to stop playing long enough to hold a job and spend time with their friends and family?
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
True Blood Episode 10
Bill is a bastard, Sam’s a hero, and WTF is Admiral Cain doing on True Blood? By the way the actor who played the new lead vampire annoys the crap out of me because he marked a series low-light for heroes… although that whole show seems to be a low-light now.
Every time Bill has the opportunity to prove he’s more than the average vampire he blows it. First he bites Sookie when having sex, then he kills her uncle for having perverted thoughts 15 years ago, next he bites Sookie again while having dirty sex (pun intended), and now he’s about to turn this poor girl. Dude’s a bastard; Angel would have whisked that girl away and saved her, that’s all I’m saying.
Sam has done nothing but prove he’s a stand up individual. He’s a shape shifter, there is nothing wrong with that, actually there is a lot awesome with that. Oh then he saved her from a murderous villain who seems to be very male, so I guess Amy is out. Though I it is true that I didn’t see the Sheriff at the party. Too bad the killer thinks in visions when he’s on a murderous spree.
Amy is a psychopath to be sure. I’m pretty sure Laffyette signed his own death warrant when he stated repeatedly that he’s not going to die for Jason’s mistakes.
Admiral Cain (from Battlestar) shows up naked with a farm animal and runs Tara off the road. Just thought that was worth mentioning. Tara is all messed up because her demon slayer is just broke con-artist. This honestly is a relief because if they introduced demons and shape shifters in the same episode I’d have to call a “Jumped the shark” penalty point.
If you haven’t picked up on it by now, I’m way into this show. Only 12 episodes in the first season and I don't get HBO! Crap!
Every time Bill has the opportunity to prove he’s more than the average vampire he blows it. First he bites Sookie when having sex, then he kills her uncle for having perverted thoughts 15 years ago, next he bites Sookie again while having dirty sex (pun intended), and now he’s about to turn this poor girl. Dude’s a bastard; Angel would have whisked that girl away and saved her, that’s all I’m saying.
Sam has done nothing but prove he’s a stand up individual. He’s a shape shifter, there is nothing wrong with that, actually there is a lot awesome with that. Oh then he saved her from a murderous villain who seems to be very male, so I guess Amy is out. Though I it is true that I didn’t see the Sheriff at the party. Too bad the killer thinks in visions when he’s on a murderous spree.
Amy is a psychopath to be sure. I’m pretty sure Laffyette signed his own death warrant when he stated repeatedly that he’s not going to die for Jason’s mistakes.
Admiral Cain (from Battlestar) shows up naked with a farm animal and runs Tara off the road. Just thought that was worth mentioning. Tara is all messed up because her demon slayer is just broke con-artist. This honestly is a relief because if they introduced demons and shape shifters in the same episode I’d have to call a “Jumped the shark” penalty point.
If you haven’t picked up on it by now, I’m way into this show. Only 12 episodes in the first season and I don't get HBO! Crap!
True Blood Episode 9
Turning to dust is cleaner for sure. I did not expect Bill to execute Longshadow in the first 10 seconds of the episode. That was intense but for now I do not like it because dust is easier and cleaner.
I did, however, expect Sam to be that dog. It was very gentlemanly for him to turn his head when Sookie was changing. That did make for a hilarious moment at the end of the episode though!
So I was expecting a trial for Longshadow and now it seems we’ll get a trial for Bill (who’s name I still can’t stand for a vampire). Erik continues to be interesting enough, though his follower vampire is nearing idiot vampire trio levels. She better do something interesting quick.
Jason and his Hyde are truly annoying together. Oddly enough my favorite person on screen with Jason is Laffyette’s vampire. He makes Jason more interesting than Hyde does by far. The most thoughtful thing Jason has done for anyone so far was bringing Laffyette’s vampire some Tru Blood.
That brings us to Amy, who is actually an interesting character when she is not around Jason. Amy with Sookie was supportive and pleasant. Amy with Sam telling him that Sookie went to Bill’s was caring and trustworthy. But the vampire warning Jason about Amy was the most intriguing thing about her character the entire episode. I believe she really does scare the crap out of the Laffyette’s vampire which makes her possibly the scariest person on the show and puts her in contention to be our killer.
I did, however, expect Sam to be that dog. It was very gentlemanly for him to turn his head when Sookie was changing. That did make for a hilarious moment at the end of the episode though!
So I was expecting a trial for Longshadow and now it seems we’ll get a trial for Bill (who’s name I still can’t stand for a vampire). Erik continues to be interesting enough, though his follower vampire is nearing idiot vampire trio levels. She better do something interesting quick.
Jason and his Hyde are truly annoying together. Oddly enough my favorite person on screen with Jason is Laffyette’s vampire. He makes Jason more interesting than Hyde does by far. The most thoughtful thing Jason has done for anyone so far was bringing Laffyette’s vampire some Tru Blood.
That brings us to Amy, who is actually an interesting character when she is not around Jason. Amy with Sookie was supportive and pleasant. Amy with Sam telling him that Sookie went to Bill’s was caring and trustworthy. But the vampire warning Jason about Amy was the most intriguing thing about her character the entire episode. I believe she really does scare the crap out of the Laffyette’s vampire which makes her possibly the scariest person on the show and puts her in contention to be our killer.
True Blood Episode 8
There is something wrong with a show when I can’t decide if one of the recurring characters is about to kill his girlfriend or propose. Of course it’s possible there’s something really good about a show if I can’t figure that out as well. I’ve had a feeling Renee is our killer for a while now because he just seems like too good a guy at this point. Something has to be up with him.
Good work from the Dangerfield detective (he gets no respect) actually calling the nudist colony and figuring out that Sam’s not telling the whole truth. Which means it’s more than likely that one of them is not long for this world. I’m starting to think that the Sheriff could be the killer as well. I don’t know maybe I’m grasping at straws but I feel like Dangerfield really has been hampered by Sheriff “I hate Vampires” nagging and second guessing. The Sherriff really did let Jason go very easily even though he was definitely connected to those two murders.
Since we are on the subject of Jason, his new main squeeze is very much the Jekyll and Hyde of the group. Speaking of odd behavior, what kind of vampire just takes a bath in someones house? It seems rude.
It’s too bad Longshadow is stealing from Erik, he was possibly the most interesting vampire we’ve met on the show so far. His scene was Jason was possibly the best scene Jason has had in this series thus far. Now I’m fairly certain that Longshadow is going to get the ax at the hands of Erik.
Good work from the Dangerfield detective (he gets no respect) actually calling the nudist colony and figuring out that Sam’s not telling the whole truth. Which means it’s more than likely that one of them is not long for this world. I’m starting to think that the Sheriff could be the killer as well. I don’t know maybe I’m grasping at straws but I feel like Dangerfield really has been hampered by Sheriff “I hate Vampires” nagging and second guessing. The Sherriff really did let Jason go very easily even though he was definitely connected to those two murders.
Since we are on the subject of Jason, his new main squeeze is very much the Jekyll and Hyde of the group. Speaking of odd behavior, what kind of vampire just takes a bath in someones house? It seems rude.
It’s too bad Longshadow is stealing from Erik, he was possibly the most interesting vampire we’ve met on the show so far. His scene was Jason was possibly the best scene Jason has had in this series thus far. Now I’m fairly certain that Longshadow is going to get the ax at the hands of Erik.
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
True Blood Episode 7
I really hope that vampire trio is dead. They are all such pathetic caricatures of what vampires are and I truly hope they died in a fire. Sadly, I’m fairly certain that Bill is not dead so I doubt they are goners. What’s with Bill by the way? Killing Sookie’s creeper uncle is not going to go over well with his adoptive community.
Sam continues to act oddly, running through the woods naked in the early morning hours. I loved the Iraq vet getting into his ready stance and pointing out the Sam’s naked mile. If early morning running, coupled with someone making reference to the “full moon” in the bar the night before doesn’t say Werewolf, I don’t know what does… except full on hair suite I guess.
I love Tara, but I hate her mother and if they never make mention of “demons” again it will be too soon. Also Jason, idiotic, dumb, unwatchable Jason I kept wishing that our hippie chick was a vampire who would put you out of your misery or at least turn you and make you more interesting. Sadly, you just got laid again.
Sam continues to act oddly, running through the woods naked in the early morning hours. I loved the Iraq vet getting into his ready stance and pointing out the Sam’s naked mile. If early morning running, coupled with someone making reference to the “full moon” in the bar the night before doesn’t say Werewolf, I don’t know what does… except full on hair suite I guess.
I love Tara, but I hate her mother and if they never make mention of “demons” again it will be too soon. Also Jason, idiotic, dumb, unwatchable Jason I kept wishing that our hippie chick was a vampire who would put you out of your misery or at least turn you and make you more interesting. Sadly, you just got laid again.
True Blood Episode 6
The Iraq vet returning, Hoyt, Renee, the red headed waitress, Hoyts mom, the police officer, the detective, the two coroners, these are all great examples of this show doing an excellent job filling Monroe with people who actually live in this fictional town. Most of them have a scene or two tops per episode and they always make a great little impression.
This show was the True Blood equivalent of the Buffy episode “The Body” and it shared the strengths and weaknesses of that episode in many respects. The scene where Sookie is eating the pecan pie was very intense and I really felt the loss of Gran. Unfortunately this episode also broke the non-stated agreement that vampire shows have with the viewer. The agreement is “Death happens; it’s not a big deal, and no person we really care about can ever die. If they do die, it is a fairly simple exercise to bring them back to life.” Gran is dead and she’s not coming back. That stinks.
Sam continues to be an enigma wrapped in a snausage. As Bill watched over Sookie’s window so did the dog, how he is related to Sam is still a bit confusing though I think at some point a few episodes ago Sam called the dog “Brother”. Speaking of Sam, Tara is terrific and he better not hurt her. Though it seems more likely that she’s going to hurt him… assuming he’s not a serial killer.
This show was the True Blood equivalent of the Buffy episode “The Body” and it shared the strengths and weaknesses of that episode in many respects. The scene where Sookie is eating the pecan pie was very intense and I really felt the loss of Gran. Unfortunately this episode also broke the non-stated agreement that vampire shows have with the viewer. The agreement is “Death happens; it’s not a big deal, and no person we really care about can ever die. If they do die, it is a fairly simple exercise to bring them back to life.” Gran is dead and she’s not coming back. That stinks.
Sam continues to be an enigma wrapped in a snausage. As Bill watched over Sookie’s window so did the dog, how he is related to Sam is still a bit confusing though I think at some point a few episodes ago Sam called the dog “Brother”. Speaking of Sam, Tara is terrific and he better not hurt her. Though it seems more likely that she’s going to hurt him… assuming he’s not a serial killer.
True Blood Episode 5
This series is picking up a bit for me. I’m invested in these characters and care about them (well not Jason, he’s a douche). Lafyette is a good example of a character that was easy to care about in this episode. In one scene he is getting Jason addicted to “V” and in the next he’s kicking the crap out of three dudes for being bigots and disrespecting him and his food.
It’s too bad about Gran. She was a fun character even if she was a bit too excited to see her granddaughter date a vampire. Plenty of suspects in her murder and it should be interesting see it shake out. I wonder if it’s the same killer as the girls. There seems to be way too much blood at the crime scene to be a vampire.
Speaking of vampires, they cry blood. I did not see that little twist coming. Why isn’t Sookie a vampire if she drank Bills blood? Does he have to ingest hers first?
Same is a Werewolf I’m convinced, emotional control issues, the dog, plus his thoughts being more like grunts than actual words = Wolf.
It’s too bad about Gran. She was a fun character even if she was a bit too excited to see her granddaughter date a vampire. Plenty of suspects in her murder and it should be interesting see it shake out. I wonder if it’s the same killer as the girls. There seems to be way too much blood at the crime scene to be a vampire.
Speaking of vampires, they cry blood. I did not see that little twist coming. Why isn’t Sookie a vampire if she drank Bills blood? Does he have to ingest hers first?
Same is a Werewolf I’m convinced, emotional control issues, the dog, plus his thoughts being more like grunts than actual words = Wolf.
Monday, June 1, 2009
Scen14 through Sensyden
It’s time I came clean and gave the reasoning behind my digital persona, Sensyden. In order to understand my digital persona today we have got to take a walk down memory lane and start from the very beginning.
My very first screen name was an AOL name, Scen14. Scen I will make clear in a moment because it’s a big of an explanation, the 14, on the other hand, is easy to explain. I went with 14 to end my very first screen name because it’s my birthday and to make the number even more relevant, I was 14 years of age when Scen14 was created. Scen was a creation of my 14 year old brain and by far the coolest thing I have created up to this point in my life.
About 3 weeks before getting AOL full time I decided I was going to write a comic book. Before conceiving a story I needed a good comic book hero and his name was Scen. Scen was a hero that utilized centriphical force to subdue and take down his enemies. A quick Google search has recently led me to believe that centriphical force does not exist, but in my 14 year old mind I had a very clear definition of it. To my freshman self, centriphical force was the crap that made things spin. Plates on poles, whirlpools, tornados, fans, wheels, centrifuges that separate blood into platelets and other stuff that makes up blood (maybe not that last one at age fourteen) were all powered by centriphical force. Obviously, “Cen” seemed boring so I added the “S” to kick things up a notch, and Scen was born. Sadly I never wrote the “Scen” origin story but I’m pretty
After a few months my parents canceled AOL and I was torn from my first digital identity. Thankfully it was a temporary setback and I was back on AOL within a few weeks. Unfortunately I was unable to retrieve my old persona and I was forced to drop the “C” and Sen14 was forged in the digital tides. While Sen14 obviously grew out of Scen14 I was embarrassed by my half cooked comic book hero so I took to explaining to people that “Sen” was a combination of the first, most frequent and last letters of my first name.
Sen14 became my internet persona for a long time, through most of high school and college careers. I flirted with various other screen names such as “Morfeus14”, Poseyeden, and Senboa. Morfeus happened right after I saw The Matrix, it was never right for me though and I dropped it quickly. Poseyeden is a phonetic spelling of Poseidon and that happened during my “Greek mythology is awesome” phase. Finally Senboa is the “Sen” formula (explained in the previous paragraph) only with my first and last names combined.
I still use the “Senboa” identity if needed but for some reason it was never my favorite. The digital persona that I find most comfortable and the one that I hope you know me as is Sensyden. Pronounced “Sen-sy-den” and NOT “Sen-so-dine” Sensyden always seemed to be my most comfortable digital persona. The odd thing is that it has no actual origin; it formed through an evolutionary process. I wanted to drop the number and I wanted something special and unique.
My Aunt Lulu (name changed to protect the innocent) had the screen name “Nytrane” and I always thought that was the spiffiest screen name ever. So in an effort to make something spiffier I played around with letters until I had something that sounded like a word without meaning anything yet. After approximately 20 months (or minutes that part of my life is a bit fuzzy) of thinking on it I settled on Sensyden.
Anyway I hope that helped answer your questions about “Sensyden” and how I ended up with it. Side note, I’ve been surfing the internet solo for around 12 years now and I have no idea what I did without it or for that matter, what I’m doing with it…
My very first screen name was an AOL name, Scen14. Scen I will make clear in a moment because it’s a big of an explanation, the 14, on the other hand, is easy to explain. I went with 14 to end my very first screen name because it’s my birthday and to make the number even more relevant, I was 14 years of age when Scen14 was created. Scen was a creation of my 14 year old brain and by far the coolest thing I have created up to this point in my life.
About 3 weeks before getting AOL full time I decided I was going to write a comic book. Before conceiving a story I needed a good comic book hero and his name was Scen. Scen was a hero that utilized centriphical force to subdue and take down his enemies. A quick Google search has recently led me to believe that centriphical force does not exist, but in my 14 year old mind I had a very clear definition of it. To my freshman self, centriphical force was the crap that made things spin. Plates on poles, whirlpools, tornados, fans, wheels, centrifuges that separate blood into platelets and other stuff that makes up blood (maybe not that last one at age fourteen) were all powered by centriphical force. Obviously, “Cen” seemed boring so I added the “S” to kick things up a notch, and Scen was born. Sadly I never wrote the “Scen” origin story but I’m pretty
After a few months my parents canceled AOL and I was torn from my first digital identity. Thankfully it was a temporary setback and I was back on AOL within a few weeks. Unfortunately I was unable to retrieve my old persona and I was forced to drop the “C” and Sen14 was forged in the digital tides. While Sen14 obviously grew out of Scen14 I was embarrassed by my half cooked comic book hero so I took to explaining to people that “Sen” was a combination of the first, most frequent and last letters of my first name.
Sen14 became my internet persona for a long time, through most of high school and college careers. I flirted with various other screen names such as “Morfeus14”, Poseyeden, and Senboa. Morfeus happened right after I saw The Matrix, it was never right for me though and I dropped it quickly. Poseyeden is a phonetic spelling of Poseidon and that happened during my “Greek mythology is awesome” phase. Finally Senboa is the “Sen” formula (explained in the previous paragraph) only with my first and last names combined.
I still use the “Senboa” identity if needed but for some reason it was never my favorite. The digital persona that I find most comfortable and the one that I hope you know me as is Sensyden. Pronounced “Sen-sy-den” and NOT “Sen-so-dine” Sensyden always seemed to be my most comfortable digital persona. The odd thing is that it has no actual origin; it formed through an evolutionary process. I wanted to drop the number and I wanted something special and unique.
My Aunt Lulu (name changed to protect the innocent) had the screen name “Nytrane” and I always thought that was the spiffiest screen name ever. So in an effort to make something spiffier I played around with letters until I had something that sounded like a word without meaning anything yet. After approximately 20 months (or minutes that part of my life is a bit fuzzy) of thinking on it I settled on Sensyden.
Anyway I hope that helped answer your questions about “Sensyden” and how I ended up with it. Side note, I’ve been surfing the internet solo for around 12 years now and I have no idea what I did without it or for that matter, what I’m doing with it…
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