Robin Williams Dead at 63

Damn. One of my favorite actors of all time is dead at the age of 63 after committing suicide this morning in his home. The actor, who has spent decades battling depression and his various drug and alcohol addictions is suspected of dying from asphyxiation. One of my favorite movies of his was Dead Poets Society. I still remember seeing it a theater with my family. I also watch most of his Mork and Mindy episodes as a child. Really I consumed most of his work, be it comedy, drama, TV, movies, it didn't matter. Robin Williams was always entertaining and the best at what he did. I think his demons are really the only reason he isn't one of awarded actors in history as the skills were there and when allowed to be on display he simply had no equal. He was a four time Oscar nominee with nominations for Good Morning, Vietnam, The Fisher King and Dead Poets Society before finally winning Best Supporting Oscar for Good Will Hunting. He also one four Grammy Awards and three Emmy Awards. The actor is survived by his three children Zachary, Zelda and Cody along with current wife Susan Schneider and previous wives Valerie Velardi and Marsha Garces. His humor and gravitas will be missed and a true loss to entertainment.

Supreme Court: Corporate Religious Rights Trump All

It continues to amaze me that in this day and age that birth control remains an issue. Not abortion (that will never go away), but the use of various medical means to avoid even needing to have an abortion. You would think encouraging people to not get pregnant and therefore not potentially want an abortion would be a good thing. So while abortion is bad, so is preventing the means that might lead to that decision. A contradiction and yet one that the Republican party is happy to live with. Why? Because the religious right thinks any form of birth control is bad. Not because of the bible (because that isn't in there) but because of religious tradition.

A tradition founded at a time when populations could easily be decimated by war and disease. Usually war. So it was to the best advantage of those in charge to encourage as much baby making as possible to not only keep the religious ranks (and thus Church coffers) full but also allow those in charge to go off and conquer as needed. Wars are expensive and costly in manpower and the only way to keep numbers up was more children. This constant need to have replenished populace was why the average age of marriage was 10 to 12, the average age of birth was around 13 to 14 and the average age of death was late 20s. This "tradition" is what is fueling the religious arguments of today.

The Legend of Korra Book 3 Trailer

Below is the first official trailer for The Legend of Korra Book 3. In what is likely the final season of the show, the focus seems to be on how the world has changed now that the spirit world and human world are now merged. There is no voice overs or the like, just a whole lot of gorgeous images and scenes. While I hope this show gets more seasons, it doe seem the second golden age of cartoons will be concluded with the show's end as all the cartoon channels are once again drifting to childlike, simplified story telling that marked most of the late nineties and early oughts.

E3 2014

E3 was held this week in LA and once again it was gamer heaven as all the major players in the industry laid out their plans for the next year or so of games. As usually Sony dominated with announcement of Playstation TV (sling games to another TV and play Vita games), a white PS4 combo pack, Playstation Now (rent games) and usual slew of games. Microsoft played it safe by announcing only a bunch of games including a Halo collection. Nintendo, still trying to recover from very poor Wii U sales, also essentially played it safe that once again teased a bunch of potential great games but other than Super Smash Brothers doesn't have anything much left in the tank for this year. Below are links to a detailed summation with trailers for the major press conferences while what follows is really just my overview on things.

Sony | Microsoft | Nintendo | EA | Ubisoft

Apple Announces iOS8 and OS X Yosemite

Monday Apple started their week long 2014 World Wide Developers Conference (WWDC). For the last few years the conference has not been used to announce new hardware but to announce new features, updates, and changes that will be made to the software that will be running on future hardware. Pundits will complain about the lack of hardware announcements...but the pundits are either morons or liars cause they knew there wasn't going to be any hardware announcements. So on the software front, the iPad and iPhone (aka iDevices) will get the iOS8 update in the fall, likely to come with the now traditional hardware refresh of the i-line sometime in October or so in time for Christmas. For their laptops, the next iteration of operating system will be OS X Yosemite. Both will bring a bunch of new features that have, to be blunt, been legally stolen from Android and other apps. They have the usual slight alteration in implementation to avoid law suits but almost none of it is original. Except maybe their new Apple only programming language to replace Objective C called Swift. Still if use Apple products (like me), the changes will be welcome. Highlights below or can watch the keynote here.

Honest Trailer for The X-Men Trilogy

In time for X-Men: Days of Future Past, here is the Honest Trailer for The X-Men Trilogy.

R.I.P. Bob Hoskins

Fantastic character actor Bob Hoskins died today at 71 due to pneumonia that was possibly related this is multi-year fight with Parkinson. The actor retired after learning of the diagnosis after completing his last major role in Snow White and the Huntsman. For most though he is most known for his role of Eddie Valiant in Who Framed Roger Rabbit? Some of his other famous roles include The Long Good Friday, Mermaids, Hook, and Super Mario Bros. Not mentioned by many but one I really enjoyed was his portrayal of Winston Churchill in "When Lions Roared" (I still have the VCR recording of the mini-series). I always thought he was an amazing actor that could play whatever role was thrown at him. If anything, it is a shame that Hollywood didn't pay more attention and use him more. Condolences to his family.

New Amazon Fire TV Announced with Demo Video

Yesterday Amazon has announced their next attempt to get into the daily use of homes with the Amazon Fire TV. The tiny quad-core powered smart TV box is their answer to the Roku, Chromecast and Apple TV. Available now, the $99 box comes with a bluetooth remote, wireless connectivity, voice commands and the ability to play Android games (modified for Fire TV) with either the remote or a separate game controller that costs $40.

Hit the links below for hands-on descriptions and videos. There is also an unboxing and detailed demo video below. Overall the first impressions of the device have been excellent, citing an easy to use controller that does not rely on line of sight, a very fast response time to loading videos and a lot of potential. The game controller turns it into an inexpensive video game console, useful for those that already enjoy many Android based games. Already there is a long list of games and channels that are available right from the start but its not clear if some of those channels require a corresponding cable subscription like they do on other devices (but I assume they do).

Hands-on: Gizmodo | The Verge | Engadget

Reviews: The Verge | Gizmodo

So just based on the descriptions, is it worth buying? If you already own some smart TV solution from the last year or two, I see little additional benefit from buying a second box unless just really love video games. However, if you are new to looking for one of these devices or just wanting to replace a current one, then it does seem superior to current offerings. The AppleTV could have been great but really if you don't live in the Apple ecosystem you are paying a whole lot of money to enjoy only 10% of what it can do. The $99 Roku is an alway recommend but this new box blows it out of the water in speed and potential, along with a user interface that doesn't appear out of date and clunky. Even though it is compared to the Chromecast, that is its own separate thing that is (to me) really designed to share and view tablet content on a TV and more in addition to a smart TV box solution rather than instead of one. As for Amazon Prime subscribers, its an easy choice. There is no reason to get any other box but this one.

Based on descriptions, initial hands-on write-ups and the potential that Amazon's market share brings to bear, if you are in the market to spend around $100 for a smart TV solution, then the Amazon Fire TV may quickly become the leader in the market, especially if Apple continues to limit the capabilities of their own hardware. If you are interested in getting one, the Amazon Fire TV is available now, the game controller accessory will be out on April 24th.

X-Men: Days of Future Past Trailer #2

Today the second trailer was released for X-Men: Days of Future Past that unites the cast from the original X-Men trilogy with the cast of the relaunch that was set in 60s. The movie jumps to the 80s as Xavier is at his most depressed. Meanwhile, in the future the X-Men are fighting a losing battle against extinction and in a desperate gamble sends old Wolverine into the body of young Wolverine (in the 70s) to try and prevent that future from occurring. The movie is based on the early 1980s story of the same name that is considered one of the best X-Men stories ever written and has been frequently emulated in some form or fashion in comics, books and movies ever sense. Based on what is seen hear, this could be an amazing movie.

Comcast Doesn't Give a F**k

This video from Funny or Die pretty much summarizes why the merger between Comcast and Time Warner Cable is a very bad idea. So of course once money and future job promises are completed, the FCC will happily approve it. The last major merger from Comcast was for NBC and its networks. Shortly after the approval one of the people that vote for and pushed for it left the FCC to work for the company. Considering how well that plan worked last time, I expected a repeat performance. I also think at least one of those that have a vote use to work as a high level executive for the company. The Justice Department also have to approve the merger so that might be a roadblock but only if Comcast does something foolish in the next six months or so (like try to block Google Fiber expansion).

NBC Olympics Opening Intro and Closing Ceremony Montages from Years Past

I love watching the Olympics and the 2014 Sochi Games were no different. Sure the drama and individual stories are often exaggerated but really for me it really isn't about team and country. It is about the excitement, the drama, its pure unpredictableness. There are favorites to win but more often than not, the favorites seem to fall short for the simple fact it is the Olympics and nothing less than perfection is required on the day and no human is capable of being perfect on demand regardless of the training involved.

But what I really enjoy is the joy. Regardless of who wins or the country involved, for at least two weeks it doesn't matter. Instead we get to see that pure joy from an athlete achieving a dream, family and friends enjoying the success and fans around the world reveling in the moment. Joy in its purist form that has nothing to with lines on a map or political differences. It doesn't last long but its wonderful to see, if only because if you think about it, how often do you get to see real joy in your daily life? Not much, but for two weeks you get to see it over and over and over.

Best News Bloopers of 2013

A little year end funny with a bunch of news bloopers from the year edited together in two parts. Technically NSFW due to language and sexual references.

Working Life-Size Lego Car

As the below video does show that using a whole lot of ingenuity, 500,000+ Lego, and air Steve Sammartino and Raul Oaida were able to build a car that is drivable and does move forward while powered only by air. Everything about the car is Lego including the engine with its 256 pistons and is capable of a speed of 20 - 30kpm (12.5-18.5 mph). (via i09)

Disney Buys Rights to New Indiana Jones Films

Today Walt Disney Studios and Paramount Pictures have announced a new agreement regarding the Indiana Jones franchise. While buying Lucasfilm gave Star Wars to Disney, the deal did not come with Indiana Jones as Paramount owned the rights to the character and movies. Under the new agreement, Disney will have the rights to make, market and distribute new films using the Jones-verse while Paramount will retain distribution rights to the first four films and get a cut of the future films. Disney did not announce a new film is in the works but if Star Wars is any indication they are working on that as they will want to recoup whatever the unannounced cost of the rights transfer as soon as possible.

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 Trailer #1

The first trailer for The Amazing Spider-Man 2 has been released and it is looking pretty good. The movie, coming May 2014, has Electro (Jamie Foxx) as the main big bad but clearly there is more to the movie with teases of the Rhino, a sick Norman Osborn, Harry Osborn with what appears to be glimpses of Doc Octopus's mechanical arms and the Vultures wings. Probably one of the Osborn's will become the Green Goblin but unknown if that alter ego is in the movie. The suggestion could be the film at least introduces the "Sinister Six."

In the comics that is the name of six Spider-Man villains joining together to defeat Spider-Man, a kind of anti-Avengers team to stop one hero. The idea could be awesome if handled well but as Spider-Man 3 proved, too many bad guys can be a bad thing, especially if forced to spend a good chunk of the movie providing the big bads origin, spending enough time to get the audience to love or hate him and usual story needs. Seems a proper use of the Sinister Six would need to be saved for The Amazing Spider-Man 4 or 5 so that each of the six can get all that done in the previous installments. Again The Avengers formula of using other movies to do the character introductions, origin etc. so that the team movie can just focus on the main story. In this case, assuming The Lizard is one of the six, after the sequel you may or may not have the introductions for Lizard, Green Goblin, Rhino and Electro. That leaves Six mainstay Doc Oct and I guess the Vulture (personally I would swap out Lizard and introduce Mysterio). Any case that is a lot of character origin stuff to juggle unless use three and maybe four to introduce the new characters with the fifth as a kind of grand finale six vs one fight. All that speculation is years away from being proven true or false so instead just enjoy the trailer below. The second video is commentary from the core cast and director for the trailer that is more informative then would expect.

Beautiful Time-lapse Compilations from the ISS

Take a few minutes and enjoy the grandeur of Earth from the International Space Station in the two compilation videos edited by David Peterson using footage from ISS Astronauts including Don Pettit. (via i09)

Man of Steel Honest Trailer, Everything Wrong with Pacific Rim

While I really loved Pacific Rim and Man of Steel, buying both Blu-ray versions on day of release I am more then willing to admit that both movies have flaws. Flaws that the Honest Trailer and Everything Wrong series is happy to use to amusing effect.

Outstanding Lego Arkham Asylum

Lego Masterbuilder Thorsten Bonsch has built an amazing Lego version of Arkham Asylum from the Batman comic books. The large structure doesn't appear to be based on any one version of the Asylum but Bonsch view of how it might look with inspiration from HP Lovecraft. Just as amazing is he created an 82 "making of book" that explains exactly how the built the huge structure. To view his gallery, hit his flickr account and download his making of book (.pdf) here. (via Brothers Brick)

Apple's October Event Introduces iPad Air

Tuesday Apple introduced the next iteration of their iPad, iPad mini, Macbook Pro and Mac Pro. As expected, most changes will not particularly big, just small hardware improvements that only graphic intensive gamers will enjoy. For the iPad, its gets another new name called the iPad Air to highlight that its now at just a pound in weight while the iPad mini enjoys a solid boost with Retina Display but its comes with a $70 increase in price tag. In addition to the hardware tweaks iOS X update, called Mavericks, is free along with new hardware buyers able to get most of Apple's suite of programs for free (iLife, iWorks, etc.). Currently the release date is November 1st for the iPad and later in the month for the mini.

iPad Air
- 20% thinner at 7.5mm, 1 pound in weight, screen resolution and battery life same as previous gen.
- Cameras same but now front camera can shoot at 1080p instead of previous 720p
- Contains the A7 chip, same as iPhone 5s with its 64-bit architecture
- Smart cases now cover entire iPad, not just screen but now at double the price for $80.
- Price: $499 ($16GB), $599 (32GB), $699 (64GB), $799 (128GB) and add $130 for mobile equivalent
- Comparison
- Hands-on: Engadget | Verge | Gizmodo

$24 Billion Lost

The cost of the government shutdown that last 16 days to the United States economy was $24 billion.  $24 billion, with a B. Remember that number the next time Republicans talk about fiscal responsibility.

$24 billion, to gain nothing in return. $24 billion to accomplish nothing except look like fools and please their Tea Party morons, the same morons that later complained when government services were not available when they wanted them, even though their leaders were doing exactly what they wanted.  $24 billion which could have paid for a host of programs, helped a host of people, that painfully proves that government is needed.

While I hope that Republicans look at this and decide that maybe their goal should be to improve government. To fix what is broke, to always improve what is already working, and to cut the fat where clearly it needs to be cut. Sadly, the Republican party lives to break that which works and make worse those things that need to be improved. Sadly, the Republican party believes a hammer is always the solution when a scalpel is needed. Sadly the Republican party is nothing but fools that seem to be determined to destroy the United States just so they can claim a empty victory. The Tea Party is a cancer on American but before they rot away hopefully they will take the Republican party with them. The conservative movement has consistently been on the wrong side of history and sadly it looks like that will remain true.

$24 billion, lost for nothing.