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To narrow the field a bit, this is a list of the top fast food product placements in cinema history.

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Apparently our future will be met with fast food franchises going to war, and Taco Bell comes out the victor?!

I don’t know what Taco Bell was thinking when they decided to have that stupid chihuahua be their spokesperson in the 90′s. They should have just called upon Sylvester Stallone’s character, John Spartan, from the movie Demolition Man.

The movie takes place in a futuristic society which has gotten rid of everything which is bad for us, everything that is except Taco Bell. John Spartan plays a cop who was frozen in time, who has been brought back to face an old adversary who’s a psychotic killer. Taco Bell comes into play when we learn about the future history and how all the major fast food franchises went to war with each other. With Taco Bell coming out the winner. So every restaurant becomes a Taco Bell. Amazing product placement.

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They’ve got the golden arches, we’ve got the golden archs

If one were to get technical, this is  not a true product placement. But this is my list, so just roll with it. In 1988, Coming to America hit theaters and people enjoyed the wonderful performances by Eddie Murphy and Arsenio Hall. Along with great supporting performances by James Earl Jones, and John Amos.

To explain the product placement, I’ll simply quote Amos’ character, Cleo McDowell. He’s the owner of a fast food restaurant called McDowell’s…not McDonalds.

“Look… me and the McDonald’s people got this little misunderstanding. See, they’re McDonald’s… I’m McDowell’s. They got the Golden Arches, mine is the Golden Arcs. They got the Big Mac, I got the Big Mick. We both got two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles and onions, but their buns have sesame seeds. My buns have no seeds.”‘

Ha, classic.

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NPH wouldn’t do that, but he does love his White Castle

This is perhaps the ultimate product placement. White Castle went beyond simply having their product placed in the movie, they became part of the title. An important plot point even. I’m talking, of course, about the 2004 comedy Harold and Kumar Go To White Castle.

Major props have to be given to White Castle who really knows what theyir food is about. They realize that most of the company’s customer base are potheads looking to grub at 4 in the morning, which coincidentally is the plot behind Harold and Kumar

(This list is a collaboration between two different authors – JV and Mark)

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Gadgets and Tech

Boxee and The Boxee Box (JV Pick)

GoogleTV might be getting all the advertising, and deals with the TV manufacturers but the Boxee Box is really the best way to bring the internet to your TV (beyond an actual PC, or nettop). This little device will parse data from all over the internet, and stream it to your TV. It also will network with your computer and allow you to bring all the content from your PC to your TV. It doesn’t have the limited access AppleTV has, and provides much more functionality than GoogleTV.

Early adopters should be warned that Hulu and Netflix aren’t available just yet, but once the versatility of the Boxee is allowed to flex its muscle, users will be greatly rewarded.

The Hoverboard (JV Pick)

We were promised all sorts of things in Back to the Future II: flying cars, cars which run on waste, self drying jackets, and of course hoverboards. While many of these technologies haven’t come into fruition, one man did the impossible. He created a hoverboard. You just can’t use it…yet.

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Television

Fringe (JV Pick)

This might sound like hyperbole to some, but I’m being literal, Fringe season 3 is one of the best seasons of any show I’ve ever seen (at the halfway mark anyway). The writers, producers, and directors have done a masterful job of interweaving the overlying story arc with some amazing stand-alone arcs which should go down in sci-fi television history.

It’s interesting because I thought Fringe really hit a sophomore slump in season 2, to the point that I didn’t know if the show could recover. Man, did they prove me wrong. The special effects, plot development, stories have been nothing but high quality and extremely interesting. The development between Peter Bishop and Olivia (and alternate Olivia) has been a treat to watch unfold. The mid-season finale ended a bit oddly, and abruptly, but the second half of the season really looks to kick things into gear. I’m hoping for a wonderful conclusion, and a huge face-off between our world and the alternate universe.

And if John Noble never picks up an Emmy for his performance on the show, then the Emmys can suck it.

Honorable Mentions: The Office (Season 7), Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, Damages (Season 3)

Archer (Mark Pick)

FX animated series Archer is a raunchy and razor sharp 60′s spy spoof. The show and its characters are completely shameless when it comes to violence, sexuality and language if it results in delivering a solid punchline. Fans of Sealab 2021 or Aquateen Hungerforce should feel right at home as Archer and fellow ISIS agents serve up constant waves of laughter of an extremely irreverent and politically incorrect manner.

Honorable Mentions: The Walking Dead, Sparticus: Blood and Sand, East Bound & Down

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Games

Heavy Rain (Mark Pick)

Sometimes criticized for being one huge quicktime event, that’s not really the point. Heavy Rain is the closest thing to an interactive murder mystery since Gabriel Knight. Crafted in engaging detail and immersive atmosphere, the world and characters pull you in a unique and entertaining thriller.

Honorable Mentions: Resident Evil: Gold, Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light, Bayonetta

Red Dead Redemption (w/ Undead Nightmare) (JV Pick)

The Western genre; one would think it easily translates to the gaming world. All you need are dudes in cowboys hats shooting at each other, horse riding, and dudes shooting at each other while riding horses. Red Dead Redemption provides all of that and much, much more.

I’d need to write a novel to include everything there is to appreciate about Red Dead Redemption. Instead I’ll simply say this, Red Dead Redemption is one of the most complete packages you’ll find in video games. Plus, Undead Nightmare, technically downloadable content for the game is amazing in its own right. You can actually purchase it separately, which I recommend for any zombie fan.

Just know that I will lay you out in competitive multi-player. You’ve got nothing on my quick draw skills.

Honorable Mentions: NCAA Football 11, Super Mario Galaxy 2, Bloodlines: Champions, Super Street Fighter IV

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Movies

Black Swan (Mark Pick)

Companion piece to The Wrestler, Darren Aronofsky has crafted another emotion wrenching drama with commanding performances and unparalleled direction. Clint Mansell, known most for the Lux Aeterna music piece from Requiem for a Dream, delivers his usual signature style that performs as masterfully as the actors onscreen.

Honorable Mentions: Iron Man 2, Superman/Batman: Apocalypse, Tron Legacy, Piranha 3D

Machete (JV Pick)

I was contemplating back and forth, between True Grit or Machete for my pick. While I think True Grit is movie of the year in terms of quality, Machete represents the ‘awesome‘ of 2010. Danny Trejo’s performance as the bad ass Machete is spot-on, as are the rest of the performances in the movie. Even Lindsey Lohan!

Don Johnson gets represented in the photo above for being “introduced” in the film’s talent listing. Classic.

Honorable Mentions: Get Him to the Greek, RED, True Grit, Kick-Ass, Toy Story 3
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Comics

The Unwritten (JV Pick)

This was easily my toughest choice on the list. Picking The Unwritten means I had to snub some amazing comic series this year. However, the awesomeness of The Unwritten is too much to ignore and definitely deserves its spot as the comic series of 2010.

There are a vast assortment of themes and lessons to be found in The Unwritten. Most of them concern the heavy influence that fiction has in our society, sometimes being even more important than our actual history. These themes all unfold while developing interesting characters, and self contained stories. My favorite coming from The Unwritten #5 (released in 2009, sue me), which was a homage to the british author, Rudyard Kipling. The story was so well told it made me want to study the author even further. The cover listed above is from the issue.

My only fear with The Unwritten is it seems like the kind of series that Hollywood would use as fodder, and completely ruin.

Honorable Mentions: Birds of Prey, Black Widow #1-5 (The Name of the Rose), Astonishing Spider-Man & Wolverine, Amazing Spider-Man Grim Hunt

Secret Avengers (Mark Pick)

Ed Brubaker, Eisner Award winning scribe of Captain America and The Immortal Iron Fist, teams with artist Mike Deodato who in recent years wrapped up some epic runs in The Thundebolts and Dark Avengers. The former Captain America and recently resurrected Steve Rogers leads a black ops team comprised of the Iron Man War Machine, Black Widow, Asgardian Valkyrie, Moon Knight and X-Men’s Beast. The high-octane cinematic action and espionage intrigue makes this a title that can’t be missed.

Honorable Mentions: Batman Inc., Power Girl, Avengers: Children’s Crusade, Heroes for Hire
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There you have the authentic Awesome list of 2010. Here’s hoping all of it can be topped in 2011.

No?

Well, then prepare yourself to be learned!

Find us this religious artifact before the Nazis, right after I’m through being Red Six

– William Hootkins –

Famous Filmography:

Star Wars: A New Hope

Raiders of the Lost Ark

Batman (1989)

While Hootkins is a name you might not be completely familiar with, you’ve no doubt noticed him in the movies listed above. He’s actually a highly trained actor who attended Princeton University, and knows how to speak Mandarin Chinese fluently. Wootkins is known for being a highly versatile actor and has played a wide variety of characters during his career.

Here’s a brief synopsis of each of his roles in the movies above…

Star Wars: A New Hope – Jek Porkins: The Red Six alliance X-Wing pilot is famous for being the first to die during the Death Star run in A New Hope.

Here’s his famous last words – “I’ve got a problem here. I can hold it. No I’m alright, I’m alrighaaagghhhhhh!”

Raiders of the Lost Ark – Major Eaton: When the ally nations needed help to stop the Nazis from obtaining an extremely powerful religious relic, do they send in a heavily armored squad of marines? Or perhaps a group of spies? No, they ask Indiana Jones.  Major Eaton is one of the people who first approaches Indiana Jones about finding the Ark of the Covenant.

Eaton’s famous line: “Professor of Archeology, expert on the occult, and how does one say it…obtainer of rare antiquities”

Batman (1989) – Lt Eckhardt: This is probably one of Wootkin’s largest roles in a blockbuster. Early in the movie, Lt. Eckhardt is a crooked Gotham City police detective who is in bed with the mob. Things do turn south, however, once the Joker takes over. Let’s just say he isn’t in the clown prince of crime’s good graces.

Eckhardt’s famous line: “You mean when you run this show? You ain’t got no future, Jack! You’re an A-1 nut boy and Grissom knows it!”

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Trying to steal these bonds from Nakatomi Tower, have to possess this baby first though

– Wilhelm von Homburg –

Famous Filmography:

Ghostbusters II

Die Hard

Wilhelm von Homburg is a German native who has a very interesting history in the world of acting. He had starred in numerous TV shows and movies, with his career beginning in the 1960′s. Originally, he was a wrestler who was named Norbert Grupe. He was trying to be a villain, so he came up with the stage name, Wilhelm von Homburg.

Here’s a brief synopsis of his roles in the movies above…

Ghostbusters II – Vigo: One of the most successful movie franchises in the 1980′s, Ghostbusters was as hot as franchises can get. Inspiring toy lines, a cartoon spin-off, and raking in tons of money at the box office. In the sequel, the villain was Vigo the Carpathian. He came back by way of a possessed painting and was using the ill will of New York City to build mood slime to conquer the world. However, he needed to find a child to possess so he could come back into the world. A pretty gnarly dude.

Vigo’s famous line: “On a mountain of skulls, in the castle of pain, I sat on a throne of blood! What was will be! What is will be no more! Now is the season of evil!”

Die Hard – James: The mid-late 80′s saw a massive surge in the action movie genre. One of the big hits was Die Hard. The plot had terrorists trying to steal millions of dollar in bonds from a huge office building. Unfortunately, the company was having a Christmas party during the attempt. One of the party-goers was John McClain, who just so happens to be an extremely hardened NYC cop who really doesn’t like terrorist thieves. James is one of those terrorists.

Jame’s famous moment: James doesn’t actually speak in the movie, beyond simple commands. However, he is famous for being one of the terrorists who is killed by McClain’s famous C4 chair bomb.

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I hate you John Malcovich , want to catch a normal guy having a bad day, but I have a soft spot for mutants

– Rachel Ticotin –

Famous Filmography:

Total Recall

Falling Down

Con Air

Rachel Ticotin is known by most movie viewers as a complete bad ass who has held her own next to Ah-nold in the movie Total Recall. However, growing up in the Bronx she was trained in the fine art of ballet. Her career began in the theater; so who says you can’t be a bad ass and classy all at once?

Here’s a brief synopsis of her roles in the films listed above…

Total Recall – Melina: Easily her most identifiable role, Ticotin played opposite of Ah-nold in the sci-fi/action classic Total Recall. Melina is a tough rebel who’s fighting the evil corporation that’s hording all the air on Mars. Which just so happens to have a group of affable mutants on it. Somehow she’s made it through looking ok though. Ticotin has to get major props for this role for being a complete badass, while having to share time with Ah-nold. Not an easy feat.

Melina’s famous line: (while grabbing Ah-nold’s chest and crotch) “Hello, Hauser. Still bulging, I see. What you been feeding this thing?”

Falling Down – Det. Sandra Torrez: Falling Down is a movie which is mostly known for Michael Douglas’ extraordinary performance as William Foster. A seemingly normal guy who’s having an extremely bad day. So bad that he commits a long list of crimes, leading to the police having to catch him. Although the main detective is played by Robert Duvall, Ticotin again held her own along side some extremely famous talent.

Con-Air – Guard Sally Bishop: Con-Air is a low-brow action movie, which brought together a long list of extremely talented actors and actresses, including: Nicolas Cage, John Cusack, John Malkovich, Ving Rhames, Steve Buscemi, Danny Trejo, and Dave Chapelle. Though Ticotin’s role in the movie wasn’t major, she was still one of the few good guys (lady) in it.

Guard Bishop’s famous moment: Unfortunately, Guard Bishop’s moment was pretty unseemly. Danny Trejo’s character known as Johnny ‘Johnny-23′ Baca, who got the number 23 by the amount of women he took advantage of and killed. He was trying to make Bishop 24. Luckily, he doesn’t get a chance, and she ends up teaming up with Nic Cage’s character to save the day. All’s well that ends well.

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There you have it folks, a small list of movie performers you should be aware of, if you weren’t already. Stay tuned for Vol. 2 which will probably come sometime in 2011.

He’s actually a lady, and lack of strong female presence

In video game’s stages of infancy, you never saw females in the lead role. Sure, there was Princess Peach who always found herself kidnapped by a lizard or Princess Zelda who needed to call in her boy-toy Link to save the day. But the roles of females were anything but heroic. It wouldn’t be until a certain space bounty hunter came along that females were taken seriously in the limelight.

Metroid released in 1986 and at the time the game had received a warm welcome. The open ended exploration, and puzzle solving nature of the game carved out a niche that hadn’t been used in gaming. Sure, there was alien blasting and platforming involved but this game had you using the old noggin for progressing forward. The mind games wouldn’t end there as the mega surprise was saved for the end — the character you had been using the whole time was actually a girl. GASP.

It might seem trivial now, but back in the mid 80′s it was a highly progressive move on Nintendo’s part. Although you didn’t technically know the sex of the avatar on screen, pre-disposed notions led many if not all to assume Samus was a dude. Once the power armor came off, Nintendo solidified it’s place in video game history as presenting the first female video game lead role. Who kicked serious ass to boot.

Unfortunately, it would be quite a while before the next heroine would come along to take over where Samus started. Until then gamers had the likes of Mega Man, bad ass dudes with guns in Contra, and more Mario saving the princess to keep them tided over.

Fighting Games – Allowing female characters to sneak in and kick ass

Just because it would be a long time after Metroid before a female had a “lead” role in a game, doesn’t mean that strong female roles were completely absent . This idea was readily apparent in the fighting  genre. In 1991, the now iconic Street Fighter II was released in arcades around the world. It was met with praise, while at the same time introducing a now popular female character by the name: Chun-Li.

Unfortunately for Chun-Li she was surrounded by a dude fest, as she was the only lady who could be selected in the original iteration of the game. I was never a personal fan of her fighting style, but that doesn’t detract from her status as one of the original women of gaming.

The idea of allowing one female per fighting game continued on, with the most prevalent title being Mortal Kombat. Unlike the father avenging Chun-Li, Mortal Kombat’s heroine  relied on her sexuality to combat opponents. Sonya Blade was still a bad ass (special forces commando, actually) but her special moves relied on her sexuality as well. One of her moves blew a fatal kiss at her opponent, thus making Sonya the first ‘femme fatale’ of gaming.

As the fighting genre grew so would the roster of ladies involved in duking it out. Along with Metroid, the fighting genre was a key component in the early days of gaming to allow for females characters to get in on the fray.

Ok ladies, you’re in…as long as you’re voluptuous and the lust of 13 year old boys everywhere

Samus carried the moniker of ‘tough ol’ broad’ going into the SNES generation, but another would step up and carry on the ideal: Lara Croft. While Samus was anything but sexy, the world of 3D modeling allowed for Lara to show off some goods while traversing through levels. Thus began the era of overly endowed heroines, and in many ways still carries on today.

The original Tomb Raider game released in 1996 on the PC. Looking back it’s hard to imagine how anyone saw Lara Croft as a sex symbol, in game at least:

The graphics are archaic by today’s standards, but the idea of Lara Croft’s perfect body proportions were still able to be shown. Then of course you have her tight shirt, and way short shorts. And she was packing heat none the less, so of course any heterosexual male pined over this heroine. To her credit, Lara was more than just T&A. Her games had an adventure setting to them, and puzzle solving was a heavy feature. So, there was brains to go with the looks.

Lara Croft became the first buxom babe in gaming, and unfortunately led to a massive saturation of overly endowed females in video games. Here is a gallery of my favorite T&A characters throughout the years:

The future is looking brighter, and still sexy

All of this history has now brought us to present day. There are still a high volume of voluptuous females out there, and we still love them. However, there has been a subtle shift in female presentation in gaming. It’s as though a lightbulb has gone off in developer’s heads — we can still have sexy ladies in games that aren’t completely about huge chests, and barely clothing.

A perfect example of this evolution can be found in one of my most favorite recent games – Dreamfall: The Longest Journey. The game follows the story of  two female leads: Zoe Castillo and April Ryan. Both characters are involved in a highly in-depth story that is based mostly on characterization and plot development.

Both Zoe and April aren’t eye sores to look at, but compare them to the pictures above and it’s obvious that they are proportioned more correctly. To the size that it wouldn’t be too improbable to find two women out in the real world who look like this:

Zoe and April represent a shift that can be seen in other games out there. For other examples, research: Faith (Mirror’s Edge), Alyx Vance (Half Life 2), Jade (Beyond Good & Evil).

I hope that those who read this don’t misinterpret me. I have a fond place in my heart for the titilating females of gaming, Bayonetta really looks to take us to a new level with a heroine who wears nothing but her hair. And as she pulls off moves in the game, more of her body is shown off. The point is that not every game needs to have our women sporting double D’s, and attire that has said double D’s popping out of their chest.

Looking back in the history of gaming, it’s amazing to see the evolution of characters in general. While today I wrote about ladies in gaming, guys are represented just as insane sometimes too. As we move forward I hope that our characters mature with us as well. And perhaps one day we’ll find the great medium of sexy and smart all rolled into one.

Unfortunately, super hero based video games have had a rather rocky history. Most of the time it’s because the games are based off a movie property which are usually rushed, and generally try to follow the movie too closely. Leaving a big stinker in fan’s consoles. The future is looking a bit brighter for super hero games though, as we’ve seen two quality games released this year with a hero theme. The first being: Batman Arkham Asylum.

I’ve played through and beat Batman: Arkham Asylum and I can say without a doubt it’s the best super hero video game I’ve ever played. Almost everything that you would want to do as Batman is included somewhere in the game. Except perhaps getting to drive the Batmobile. You can’t have everything, right?

Arkham Asylum’s greatest strength is how it captures the spirit of Batman and translates it to a game. It’s dark, dreary, and Batman faces insurmountable odds like almost any good dark knight tale. The spirit of Batman is greatly represented in the graphics, which are quite beautiful. The player models have a distinct look to them that seem other worldly, with almost a clay like structure to them. As if someone sculpted the characters and put them in the game.

Another aspect of the graphics that translated even better than the characters is the setting. All of your time will be spent on Arkham Asylum and man is it depressing. Don’t expect to see sunlight anytime during your stint with the game, and be prepared for highly detailed visuals. The Poison Ivy stage is a great benchmark for the game’s scenic beauty.

So the game looks beautiful, but do you get to play like ‘The Batman’? For the most part yes, with a couple of shortcomings that can drag. The heart of the gameplay is based on what is called freeflow combat. The system itself is simple, to a fault. There are two buttons that you’ll basically use when taking down badguys, attack and block. Depending on what is happening on screen you’ll combine button presses differently. In practice it’s simple but the way it’s shown on screen is breathtaking. The camera pans around a fight scene, zooms in and slows down. It’s really cinematic and makes a two button system seem much better than it is.

The second part of the gameplay which is performed much better than the combat is the stealth system. There will be playground type stages that allow for Batman to move about in the shadows and rely on height advantage to sneak about. You can glide down and knock out unassuming baddies, or sneak up from behind and take someone down with a headlock. I highly recommend this style of play when you come across gun toting bad guys. Batman really doesn’t like guns in this game.

If you’re a Batman fan then there’s no reason to pass up this game. Around 2.5 million units have shipped out, so if they all get purchased that’s one massive amount of people that agree with me.

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While Batman is a great game based on a property we all know and love, another game has really caught my attention – Champions Online. It’s a MMORPG that’s based on a pen-and-paper RPG that happens to feature super heroes for it’s lore. In this game you can create your own hero, and just about make anything your imagination can come up with.

Within 5 minutes of logging into the game you’ll come across it’s greatest strength, character creation. Almost every MMORPG features a create-a-character system but Champions Online puts every one I’ve seen to shame. I stated that you could make anything in your imagination, and the create-a-character is the reason. First, you must decide on what powers you want to have. You can either pick a powerset which has two pre-defined skills, or mix and match. There are 18 power sets in all, with around 12-14 skills in each set. So, the combination of skills at your disposal allows for some amazing customization.

Along with the powers, there’s a copious amount of options for creating your character’s aesthetic look. You can choose a pre-defined body type or dive deep into the slider system that is attached to nearly every single body part. Then afterwards you get to design your costume. The costume editor has too many options to list here. Let’s just put it this way, if you find a character in the game that looks completely like you I’ll be really surprised. The only kicker is that there are those who make characters based on established properties, i.e: a bunch of Deadpool knockoffs running around.

I haven’t gotten far enough into the game to provide a complete analysis of the gameplay. I can tell you that almost all of the powers have an amazing payoff that really make them fun. The animations are spot-on, and you do get a sense that your character is indeed a super hero.

Here’s a list of my Champions so far:

One evident danger of Facebook or MySpace activity is the increased risk from stalkers and predators. Kids and teens, and even those beyond their teenage years may unintentionally place themselves at risk from stalkers and sexual predators. Your friends aren’t the only people who may be looking at your profile, and MySpace is a stalker’s haven where personal photos and information are a click away.

Most interesting are those who claim the variety of health problems that come about from social networking. Aric Sigman, a highly acclaimed British scientist has inflamed and enraged the population through his books like Remotely Controlled: How Television is Damaging Our Lives. Sigman is to be respected for taking the minority stand on unpopular issues. His talks on alcohol and technology are equally scintillating, but it’s his comments regarding social networking with which we are interested. In his influential paper, “The Biological Implications of ‘Social Networking’” (Biologist, February 2009), Sigman attempts to prove his thesis that online social networking has biological effects that adversely alter our health. In other words: Facebook is bad for you. If you can navigate his medical verbiage, you will discover that online social networking subjects you to increased risk for cancer, genetic mutation, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, dementia, lupus, arthritis, strokes, and yes, even the common cold. His charts which trace the size of one’s social circle and its direct impact upon the diameter of one’s arteries are really quite insightful.

With a pointed application, Sigman closes his work with a haunting question: [Having considered th the enormous evidence of these calamitous effects] “we should now explain the true meaning of the term ‘social networking.’”

I will admit that I have a few Facebook friends, who don’t seem to sleep, judging by the constant regularity of their status updates, even in the odd hours of the morning, but I’m not sure it’s given them lupus…yet.

No doubt, it would do us all good to maintain an awareness of the way we spend our time. Few would argue that such an exercise could produce significant improvement, but you will have to judge personally whether or not you’re at an increased risk for dementia as a result of your Facebook activity.

A recent report from Forrester Research, gives hope to the tech industry, vision for the future, and a half-humorous/half-disgusted view of the American consumer. Forrester, a technology and market research firm, performed an in-depth investigation of over 50 thousand American and Canadian homes to determine how techie we’ve all become.

The answer: exceedingly so. In Wednesday’s report, everything from HDTV to cell phones received attention. For example, the report revealed the number of hours that we spend online. The average American spends about two hours a day online, and most of that is for personal purposes—Facebook, gaming, etc. With over 60% of families now using high-speed Internet, extensive online time is more possible and enjoyable.

Forrester also made some observations about the present that impact market positions for the future. Americans have rushed to buy up HDTVs at a record pace. Nearly ten million households purchased HDTVs last year. The number isn’t expected to decrease much over the next several years, with nearly ten million more per year entering consumer homes. That’s good news for the HDTV manufacturing and service provider industry. It also looks rosy for the programming industry.

Beyond merely watching TV, households are getting connected. While HDTVs are the leader in terms of technology consumption, home networks come as a close second. By 2013, thirty million more homes will obtain home networks. Again, this paints a pretty picture for Internet providers, wireless router manufacturers, and the host of online services that will benefit from the influx.

The thirst for connectivity is going somewhere, and that somewhere is gaming. Games are no longer an activity reserved for the lazy teen holed up in his bedroom. Games are now a pastime of half of all American adults. Thanks to technology like the Wii and games like Guitar Hero, families are jumping on the gaming bandwagon in droves. For homes that do not have children, the likelihood of their becoming “hardcore gamers” is pretty high (50% more likely), which means playing games for ten hours or more every week. “Casual gamer” is the designation that describes most Americans—taking part in an occasional free iPhone or online game.

So whatever happened to the “economic downturn?” Technology costs money. Despite talk of the recession, American consumers have been putting their weakening dollar toward strengthening their technology acquisitions. It’s anyone’s guess why that is the trend. What Forrester’s report proves is that America has a fixation on technology. And as technology only increases and becomes more widespread, the technology sector is going to grow.

That’s the real oath that every member of the Green Lantern Corps recites. If you’re a huge Green Lantern fan like myself, you can recite the oath on command and if you’re a true nerd — backwards.

I’m sure most casual comic fans, or ones who only know the heroes from the movies have an idea of Superman, Batman, and some Wonder Woman. One hero that I find many have no true idea about is the ‘Green Lantern‘. With the plans that DC has set for Green Lantern, that all looks to change. As I look around it seems that every form of media is going ‘Green’.

COMICS – STORY, CHARACTERS, BLACKEST NIGHT

If you want to learn about the character of Green Lantern, here’s his wiki page. For a brief summary I’ll give you an idea of what Green Lantern is about. Unlike most comics, the term ‘Green Lantern’ doesn’t speak for an individual person. There are literally thousands of Green Lanterns spread across the universe. They act as a police force that protects order and justice, and at the center of it all their home planet of OA. This planet is the center of the Universe, and houses the ‘Guardians’ who have been around for billions of years seeing that the universe stays safe.

Along with the story, many don’t have an understanding of what power the Green Lantern actually has. What makes a Green Lantern special is the power ring that he/she uses, and the strength of will the wielder possesses. Depending on the strength of will, the user is able to create constructs from the ring that can be used to protect themselves or others, and engage an enemy. Their power alone is the reason Green Lantern is my favorite DC super hero(es). It’s such a creative power, and in many ways it’s wielder must be creative in how it’s used.

While there are many Green Lanterns, the comic book stories tend to follow Hal Jordan. Who is known as ‘The Greatest Green Lantern’ (along with Sinestro). His character was introduced in 1959, and for the most part has had the spotlight of the main series. During the run of the story, there have been times that the focus has shifted to other characters. John Stewart, and Kyle Rayner are other characters the Green Lantern series has focused on.

Speaking of comic books this summer’s huge event is ‘Blackest Night’. This story arc will not only effect Green Lantern, but all the heroes in the DC universe. It will primarily focus on Green Lantern though, and it’s really creating a stir. I certainly am giddy as a school girl for it.

The basic plot of Blackest Night is that along with the power of Green (willpower), there are other colors that represent different sides of the emotional spectrum. Think ROY G BIV. There are different corps that represent these various colors, each with their own members and rings.

Red (Rage)
Orange (Avarice)
Yellow (Fear)

Green (Willpower)

Blue (Hope)
Indigo (Tribe) (Compassion)
Violet (Star Sapphires) (Love)

The ‘Blackest Night’ story follows a prophecy in the Green Lantern lore that says the various corps will erupt in a ‘War of Light’. This leads to the creation of the ‘Black Lanterns’. These corps of Lanterns represent death, and their power will resurrect the dead from their graves. They’re looking to extinguish all the other colors of light, thus kick starting the ‘Blackest Night’ event.

LIVE ACTION MOVIE – GOLDENEYE DIRECTOR, WRITING TEAM, RYAN REYNOLDS

It’s probably not a coincidence that DC’s main event for the summer is focused around Green Lantern, and major news concerning the movie has come to light recently. It’s obvious they’re really wanting to put Green Lantern into the spotlight.

While there is a buzz about the movie, very few details have been announced. We do know that Martin Campbell (Goldeneye, Casino Royale, Mask of Zorro) will be directing. With Campbell’s track record I feel safe knowing that he will be handling the film. The writing team is what I’m most concerned about; Greg Berlanti & Michael Green. It’s not that these guys are talentless, it’s just that they’re inexperienced. They’ve really only written for television, and Green Lantern is a big break for both of them. This could turn into a blessing in disguise though, as they are most likely really hungry to pump out something solid.

Along with the director, and writers, we know who will play the main character (Hal Jordan); Ryan Reynolds. I’m pretty neutral towards him playing Hal Jordan. I like Ryan Reynolds, and have enjoyed many of his movies. However, I’ve always seen him as a comedic actor. Even in action movies that he’s been in, it’s seemed as though he played the comedic relief. Playing Hal Jordan will definitely test his range, and I’m hoping that he passes.

ANIMATED MOVIE AND VIDEO GAME TIE-IN – ORIGINS, AND TRY NOT TO RUSH THIS GAME

Ha, you thought that with a summer event story and live action movie announcement that the news would be over for ol’ Green Lantern. You couldn’t be more wrong. To be honest what I’m most excited about from everything I’ve written today is the animated movie, Green Lantern: First Flight.

If you’ve seen any of the recent DC animated movies then you’ll know why I’m excited. Nearly every DC animated movie that’s come out in the past few years has been high quality. JLA: New Frontier, Superman/Doomsday, Wonder Woman, all of those movies are definitely worth a watch and represent the various character(s) really well. Now it’s Green Lantern’s turn with First Flight. The storyline of First Flight will focus around Hal Jordan’s origin story and how he became Green Lantern. Below is a trailer for First Flight, which releases July 28th.

An unfortunate constant anymore in the movie business is that when a film is released, a video game tie-in is to follow. The reason this is a negative is because movie tie-in games are known to be of lesser quality. Generally because the developers have to rush the game out to coincide with the release of the movie. The outcome is a poor product with numerous bugs and just having an overall ‘rushed’ feel to it.

VentureBeat has confirmed through what they call a credible source that a Green Lantern video game is in the works. It is being developed by a company called Double Helix who created Silent Hill: Homecoming, and the upcoming G.I.: Joe video game. There are no details to report on the game, except that VB’s sources say that only a Xbox 360 and PS3 version have been confirmed.

CONCLUSION – MY HOPE FOR THE GREEN LANTERN FUTURE

Now that DC looks to stand by their strong surge of Green Lantern property, I hope that we see some quality product released as a result. For too long Green Lantern has taken back seat to the more popular DC heroes, and it’s a real shame. Today marks the release of the Blackest Night story arc, and I couldn’t be more excited. With First Flight releasing later this month, July 2009 could mark the beginning of something truly special.

Green Lantern bed sheets next? You’re not someone until you have specially crafted bed sheets made in your honor.

You’ve read the line before, some of you can recite it 50 times in a minute — the question is if the same spirit in that ever famous line can be found in the redux of the 2009 Star Trek. Without sounding too poetic, the answer is simply; yes.

Before I start my review of Star Trek, I should probably provide a history of my Star Trek fanhood. I’ve always loved the original series, and never really got into TNG or the other variations of the Star Trek universe. Just give me the good ol’ Spock and Kirk days, everyone else can have their Picard and whoever was captain of the other Trek shows. Now that we have that settled, let’s move onto the review.

Abram’s greatest directorial feat in Star Trek is the balance that it took to create not just a masterpiece, but a film that can be enjoyed by everyone. Trekkies will find obscure references that will make them giddy with delight. Yet the average movie-goer will be presented with a kinetic, yet elegant thrill ride that doesn’t let up until the very end. All of this is able to occur while setting up the characters, specifically Kirk and Spock with great ease.

Speaking of characters, the 64k question is … How are the characters handled?

For the most part, the characters are portrayed wonderfully. None of the renditions ever strayed too far from how the characters acted in the original show. In fact, one of the glaring weaknesses I found in the movie was how two of the performances felt more like impressions than interpretations. Karl Urban tried way too hard to pull off the sounds of DeForest Kelley’s voice as Doctor “Bones” McCoy. What was even worse than that was Anton Yelchin’s portrayal of Checkov. Instead of just providing a russian accent, Yelchin went too far to capture the unique tone of Walter Koenig’s voice. When you hear the “v’s” become “w’s”, you’ll cringe more than smile.

Luckily, the weaker performances of Urban, and Yelchin are propped up with great performances from Pine, Quinto, and Pegg. Chris Pine isn’t quite as charismatic as Shatner, but let’s be fair, there’s no one as charismatic as the ‘Shat’. The storyline of the movie actually supports the difference in the two renditions, but I won’t explain further for fear of the dreaded spoiler. In terms of ‘proximity’, Quinto’s portrayal of Spock is probably the closest to the original show than any of the other characters. Quinto looks like Spock, his voice inflection matches Spock; he really is the ‘new’ Spock. While Pine and Quinto were great, my favorite character and performance was Simon Pegg as Montgomery Scott. Which is odd considering I was most worried about Pegg playing Scott, for fear he would be turned into the ‘comedic relief’. However, Pegg came through and really captured the role of Scott while adding his own little ‘Pegg’ twist to it. He is the comedy relief, but there’s not too much relief.

The plot development, and writing of Star Trek was handled by someone who is definitely a Star Trek fan. There is so much ambiance, and cleverness in the writing that it almost felt like I was watching an extended version of a Star Trek episode. It’s almost too hard to define, but Abrams doesn’t lose that air of ‘goofiness’ that you feel when watching Star Trek. He doesn’t take it too serious, but at the same time provides a story that encapsulates the entire spirit of Star Trek. I would actually explain some of the story, but even providing a pinch would have me applying a spoiler tag. I will say this, the first 15 minutes of the movie is easily the most epic 15 minutes of cinema viewing that I’ve experienced in years.

As I stated earlier, everyone will have a reason to love this movie. If you liked the fact that Kirk got it on with alien chicks in the original show, then you’ll be appeased. If you just like sci-fi action, then the movie has it in spades. If you’re a Trekkie, and love the sense of superiority of explaining things like black holes, time paradoxes, and Vulcan traditions to lesser life forms then you shall not be disappointed.

Why Bing?

Apparently, it wasn’t up to Ballmer. By his own admission, he’s not the creative thinker behind Microsoft’s creative products. Nonetheless, he suggests that it’s a catchy, trendy, weirdish sort of name that will be a household word in the months to come. As he admits, choosing a name “is a very important step,” and is so much more than putting letters together and posting it online. It’s about creating a brand, suggesting a feel, and creating a culture. Will “Bing” do that?

Maybe. Maybe not.

The new search engine is not in its final state of rollout. That will take several days, said Microsoft’s Ballmer during his speechifying at the D7 conference on Thursday. It will be completely released on June 3^.

Want to meet Bing face-to-face? Go ahead. Check it out by going here. You be the judge on its merits or demerits, and how you think it can be improved. Then look it over on June 3. Most certainly the changes won’t end then, but by June 3, there should be a very polished product ready for the world so see.

Yeah, I intentionally put five zeros in that number. The actual number is 303,398, but of course what are three thousand texts when you’re sending ten thousand texts every day?

It all happened when Crystal Wiski’s mom bought her an iPhone. That was the beginning. Crystal soon realized that texting was cool, really cool. So, she engaged in texting like most of us engage in breathing—constantly, reflexively, and thoughtlessly.

The Antelope, California teen is a texting fiend. You’ll see what I mean when you break it down and crunch some numbers. If she sleeps anywhere near the average (7 hours a night), that gives her 17 waking hours in which to text. That means that Crystal has about 510 non-sleeping hours in one month. Which means that Crystal is sending 594 text messages every hour. Yes, that’s about ten every minute.

What’s the reason? Is she taking over the world? Starting a political party? Competing with Ashton Kutcher in a popularity contest? None of the above. She’s just a popular teen. As she said,“I am popular. I can’t help it.”

By the way, Crystal is in school. She’s a graduating senior. She happens to be a 4.0 student. And she works full time, 40 hours, at McDonalds. And she sends ten texts a minute.

Do not ask me when she eats, what she does during class, and how she flips burgers with one hand.

All I can say is this girl is a genius. McDonalds is not the job for her. I’m sure she will find something better down the road.  When it comes down to it, though, I’m glad she’s not texting me.

This also reoccurs in other forms of pop media such as video games and comics. I remember reading stories about Wolverine and playing Solid Snake in Metal Gear in the 80′s. In the past couple years I’ve seen fascinating stories that revolve around their older ages. Their weathered no-nonsense countenance is reminiscent of Clint Eastwood in his more recent performances.

Here is a relevant quote that Stallone has said about action films:

“When we make action movies now, we’re considered moneymaking machines with no esoteric worth, and that’s not true at all. There’s a lot of artistry that goes into what we do. I tend to think of action movies as exuberant morality plays in which good triumphs over evil.”

To see one last hurrah with some old-time favorites is going to be the spectacle of spectacles. And anyone born in the last century should have some interest in this ambitious project. It looks like Stallone is going to make the preeminent action film with as many 80′s action stars as possible. As the 80′s have spawned so many action heroes and virtually created the genre, we’re looking at an all-star asskicker squad combining the old-school classics with the present day finest. Stallone and Schwazeneggar alongside Statham and Li is enough to blow the roof off. So blending in stars that this century’s kids grew up with is like providence.

But here is look at how much testosterone fueled power can be expected:

Source: IMDB

Corporate users have been enjoying the iPhone as a communication device, allowing them to stay in touch with their company’s home base both via E-mail and voice. But employers are liking the device as well, since IT costs have been significantly lower than expected. The 12-page report examines three large companies with significant iPhone use ” Kraft Foods, Oracle, and Amylin Pharmaceuticals. According to Tim Shadler, the reports author, the iPhone helped create a happier, more productive workforce.

There’s nothing in particular about the iPhone’s hardware or software features that helped create this surge in employee satisfaction. Rather, employees’ happiness came from the ability to use the tool they chose. After all, the iPhone is one of the most lusted-after phones on the market right now.

The report does note some downsides: ActiveSync and calendar support on the iPhone are still not up to snuff when compared with the competition, and the device can’t top BlackBerry Enterprise Server when it comes to reliability. Still, with new features like expanded push notifications and copy and paste expected this summer, corporate iPhone use is sure to continue to expand.

Jon Favreau enlisted Adi Granov, one of Marvel’s premiere illustrators to do production art and Iron Man’s costume sketches themselves. Zack Snyder brought in Dave Gibbons, artist of the Watchmen to oversee aspects of production in the film. These are the pains that should be taken to get the films visually where they need to be.

So whenever I watch X-Men and have to listen to Cyclops tell me “What would you prefer, yellow spandex?” I think, “Screw you, Scott. I know you lack imagination, but I wouldn’t use wrestling tights. I can suggest at least 5 better costume designers than yours though.” He might as well be saying, “I’m ashamed of the way we have looked in over 40 years of printed material.” Last time I checked, I don’t remember reading the comic where the X-Men all take a shopping day in the Matrix. Wolverine has a mask and I’d like to see him wear it someday. And Magneto is not built like Gandalf. Magneto is built like Daniel Craig. These things can be done by visual directors more capable than Ratner and yes even Singer. They deserve better. Catwoman is a Caucasian jewel thief and not whatever Halle Berry was. I understand if no one in Hollywood can make do for a casting choice, concessions need to be made, but to actively choose to bastardize a property in a multi-billion dollar industry just doesn’t make sense.

The Ghost Rider villain Blackheart is supposed to look like the cross between the devil, the Predator and a black panther, not the emo kid from American Beauty. Villains are half the movie and need to be on point just as much as the hero. (I have similar issues with Venom in Spider-Man 3.)

Not to take away the importance of translating the personality and essence of the character. Sometimes they get the spirit of the comic right, or sometimes just the appearance. In cases like 300, Watchmen and Iron Man they get both. In instances like Catwoman, Elektra and Schumacher Batman films, they abysmally have neither. The bottom line is that you can make them universally appealing while keeping them visually accurate to the fans that liked them in the first place. Watchmen even proved that if you stylize it enough you can make those silly Silver Age costumes work. Now I’m looking at you, X-Men. You can have the skimpy blue ninja costume, the phoenix logo, the masks, greens, blues, reds and yes Cyclops, even yellow.

The amazing news comes all the way from Brisbane, Australia. This is where Dr. Brent Coker, of Melbourne University conducted a study, relating internet browsing in the work place to productivity. During his study, Coker coined a phrase that should spark a workplace-internet revolution: WILB (Workplace Internet Leisure Browsing).

According to Coker’s study, workers who spent 20% or less time engaging in WILB were found to be more productive during the day. 9% more productive than those who aren’t WILB’ing to be exact. Of course, anymore than 20% and you’re really cutting into work time which would go against the nature of the study.

Dr. Coker has a very common sense theory as to the increase in productivity, “People need to zone out for a bit to get back their concentration. Think back to when you were in class listening to a lecture – after about 20 minutes your concentration probably went right down, yet after a break your concentration was restored”

Coker says that taking short little breaks at certain intervals during the day is like a restart for the brain. Of course, there needs to be a limit. As staying on all day of course causes the opposite effect.

So, if your boss walks by and catches you browsing the internet at un-related activities for work, just tell him/her you’re trying to keep your concentration.

“No matter what the level of your ability, you have more potential than you can ever develop in a lifetime.” -James T Mccay

Although McCay was talking about human beings, I think the quote rings true for OnLive. Its performance will unlikely catch up to its full potential. Before we get too philosophic about things, I should probably explain what OnLive is.

Announced at GDC 2009 (Game Developer’s Conference), the OnLive service has really been turning heads in the gaming industry. OnLive is a cloud computing service, only it runs video games. So, at its core OnLive will allow people to play games through their systems on a browser plug-in. The idea of it is astounding. This basically makes hardware spec requirements obsolete; everything but a fast connection that is.

When OnLive launches this is how it will work. You’ll sign up for the OnLive service, which will undoubtedly have a monthly subscription attached to it. You’ll download the OnLive browser plug-in, and from there you’ll be able to stream games to your computer through their service. We’re not talking Flash games, or old console games but new release titles. The great thing is that none of it will require any of your machine’s power to run. Here’ a video from IGN, of Crysis running through the OnLive service…

Some other cool features with OnLive is that you’ll have the option of directly receiving the service on your TV. If you buy their micro-console, you can directly input the stream to your television set. Nothing else is required. Except a mouse-and-keyboard, or the OnLive controller. The other feature that will be available is something called Brag-Clips. They work like a DVR setup, you’ll be able to record 10-second videos of the game that you’re playing.

A large number of publishers have already signed on to have their games available through OnLive: EA, Take-Two, Ubisoft, Epic, Atari, Codemasters, Warner Bros., THQ and Eidos.

Ok, I stated in the beginning of the post that this service is unlikely to meet the potential it presents. Which is sad for me to say, because I’m beaming over it. The first problem is bandwidth, and connection issues. I know that most people reading this, and myself included have got killer broadband connections. Having a 5/Mps connection might not be something too advanced in our minds, but it’s the entire consumer base that matters. OnLive has stated that a 1.5/Mps connection will be required to run games in 480p, with 5/Mps required for a 720p signal. While broadband is making its way into more homes everyday, not everyone has it.

The problems don’t stop with the user’s connection. I don’t think very many of us realize how much bandwidth is required to send a gaming signal out. Even with an outstanding compression rate. The videos that have been showed off are incredible, but what happens when more than a thousand people are streaming games in? then millions? That’s a lot of strain to put on a network. Let alone the machines that have to physically run the game that’s being played.

Even with connection issues, the service could take off if the price is right. The keyword in that sentence is “if”. The largest challenge for OnLive will be fixing on a price point that appeals to consumers, while at the same time making sure they have enough money to keep the service running. That’s a tricky balance to consider. And one that I think is the make, or break point. These are figures that I came up with, none based on any fact but just to give you something to think about…

Cost of OnLive Service: $50
Cost of a full game: $35
Cost of Micro-Console option: $80

Ok, so let’s say you buy a single game a month. What would your first year costs look like? $1,100. That’s quite a large budget for just purchasing a single game a month. Maybe some months you don’t even buy a game at all. Of course, a rental service would be an adequate means of alleviating the financial burden.

I want to say this again though, this is all speculation and brain storming on my part. OnLive hasn’t announced anything about pricing structure yet.

The more I think about OnLive, the more I keep thinking of the Sega Channel service from back in the mid 90′s. To me, that was one of the most ‘ahead of its time’ ideas ever in video gaming. It was a service that transferred game data through a cable outlet to your Genesis. It provided gamers with close to 50 games a month, and every month more games appeared. It was amazing. Yet, the consumer base didn’t get into it. It was too advanced for its time.

I get that same feeling when I think about OnLive. Here’s hoping I’m wrong though.

We’re at a critical juncture in the world of online media. As the fight between pirates, entertainment labels, innocent consumers heats up, the stakes continue to get higher, and higher. Where is that line, between innocent downloading/viewing, and piracy? Who’s to say what the punishment for illegal downloading should be? Is it right that lawsuits have been fought against dead grandmas, and struggling teenagers going through tumultuous surgery? And finally, who do you have sympathy for?

One aspect of online media viewing, that is going widely unnoticed is the latest plan put into place by ESPN. It’s ironic that it’s going unnoticed, because if it catches on could forever change the landscape of the internet as we know it. Just imagine five years from now, the content that you view could be shaped by which ISP that you’re signed up with. Maybe you want to go with AT&T, because they’re the only ISP who’s allowing FX shows (Damages FTW) to be viewed. Or Playboy.com has an exclusive deal with Verizon.

The latest, ‘latest’ news is about the rising online sensation, Hulu. What started out as a small project for bringing people TV shows, and movies has blossomed into a hit. Of course, Hulu looks to perhaps be shooting themselves in the foot, by limiting what online entities have access to Hulu.

Let’s shift to the a more broad view of the internet’s providers, and users . First, I’m of the impression that content providers aren’t respecting the power of the user base in the internet world (much like Admiral Motti lacked faith in the force).

Much like Admiral Motti’s lack of faith, some of these decisions the providers have been making will do nothing but shrink the user base. Which could lead to their demise. The internet isn’t like the world of television. If you’re watching TV, your options of what you want to view are limited. Therefore the quality and, how you’re broadcasting your media is less important. This isn’t the case on the internet.

If you want an example of the power of the user base, look at the world of Facebook, and Myspace. If you rewind a couple of years ago, the power MySpace had looked to be impenetrable. After a few bad mistakes, and ignoring the problem of spammers and bots, Facebook is now the new kid on the block. All because Facebook, even with its problems looked to have its user’s needs at heart compared to the buggy MySpace.

How do you view the future of media on the internet? Is all of the power in terms of viewership decided by the users? How should content providers progress, as more media is made available? Did you know who Admiral Motti was before reading this post? All of these are the important questions we, and the media corporations should be answering.

The new Presentation Pro Swiss Army Knife from Victorinox (the original Swiss Army Knife company) comes with everything a normal Swiss Army Knife has: a blade, nail file with screwdriver, scissors, and a retractable pin. The special Presentation pro version also comes with a removable USB drive that ranges from 8GB to 32 gb which of course effects the price, a laser pointer, secure data encryption technology, ECC and BCE error correction and AES and DES encryption capabilities.

The price range goes from $169.95 for 8 GB of storage and goes up to $329.95 for 32 GB of storage. They should be available in May so get yours soon! Watch this exclusive video all about the Victorinox Swiss Army Knife Presentation Pro:

There are many of the advanced Swiss Army Knives to choose from so you won’t have a hard time finding one to fit your budget. Check out this link to see all of the advanced Swiss Army Knives that include USB.

If you’ve kept up with the history of video games, and Star Wars then you’d know that its mostly been a pleasurable journey. From flight sims, to FPS’s, to even capturing the strategy behind Star Wars. This is a tribute to the greatness of Star Wars video games through out the years. I hope you enjoy it.

Star Wars Tie Fighter — X-Wing — X-wing vs. TIE Fighter — X-Wing Alliance

You could take your pick of any of the games featured above, and you’d be playing one of the greatest flight sim games of all time. When LucasArts first released X-Wing (1993), they could have easily just rested on the laurels of letting gamers man the cockpit of a Rebel Alliance starfighter. Instead, they came out guns blazing and provided an experience that when you first played; you couldn’t believe it. The game started just before the events in ‘A New Hope’ and had you on a mission for delivering the Death Star plans to Princess Leia. Later, the game would act as a parallel to the events that occured in A New Hope. This pseudo-side story really immersed Star Wars fan further into the struggle found in the movies.

The gameplay was pretty advanced, and even with a flight stick there were plenty of buttons you had to remember. It wasn’t just about ship battles. You had escort missions, scanning missions. The game truly offered a varied experience, all the while with smooth and accurate controls.

A year later, Tie Fighter would be released and is the game that a majority of gamers believe is the best of the Star Wars flight sim games. Instead of directly following the original trilogy storyline, the game offered a more independent mythos. It started just after the Battle of Hoth, and ended just before the Battle of Endor. The game had you interacting mainly with Grand Admiral Thrawn, a fan boy favorite. But there were options for side missions with the Emperor, Darth Vader, and even a shady conspirator.

X-Wing vs. Tie Fighter would take the spirit of the first two, and bring it to the multi-player arena. It was one of the first games to ever offer 8-player online co-op , with the Balance of Power expansion pack. If you didn’t have the Balance of Power expansion, all you really had was a multi-player fest.

X-Wing Alliance would be the culmination of pretty much everything that was great about the three games prior to it. It had the same engaging gameplay. Only this time you piloted the Millenium Falcon. The largest addition of Alliance, was the ability to create custom battle scenarios. The game allowed for the inclusion of a numerous amount of starships.

Dark Forces — Star Wars Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II — Star Wars Jedi Knight: Mysteries Of The Sith — Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast — Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy

Since the original Star Wars trilogy, there have been very few Star Wars stories worth telling on the big screen. Yes, I’m including Episodes 1, 2, and half of 3. One storyline that does the Star Wars universe justice is the Dark Forces series. In fact, I’d go so far as to say that the Dark Forces series is the best Star Wars story told besides the original trilogy.

The gameplay behind the Dark Forces series has evolved, and has really changed from the original all the way through Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy. In the original Dark Forces, gamers were subject to a standard FPS. The game didn’t come out much later than Doom, and in many ways evolved the FPS genre. This game implemented the ability to have full viewing available to the gamer. You could run, jump, swim, and look around fully which might simple but was revolutionary at the time.

After the original Dark Forces game, we received Dark Forces II: Jedi Knight. This is the game in the series that really set it off, and became a classic in the eyes of most PC gamers. It expanded upon the original Dark Forces, by including well put together FMV sequences. A much updated graphics engine, and most importantly brought us lightsaber combat. Kyle Kataran’s story really fleshed out and brought story telling elements to the FPS genre that really weren’t seen before it. The expansion pack “Mysteries of the Sith” brought a character that has gone down in legend as a cult classic, Mara Jade. This feisty saber wielding vixen was a lot to handle, and really deserved her own spin off series.

Jedi Outcast, which is my favorite game in the entire series took the ideas in Jedi Knight and heavily enhanced upon them. The graphics made a huge leap, and the effects given off by the saber were stunning to say the least. The animations, and move set that Kyle Katarn was given really took Jedi combat to the next level. There were three different stances for saber combat, each with different moves that really added a depth of strategy to saber duels. The online aspect of the game is what really set it off, as you’ll find your most dedicated gamers lurking in the still running Jedi Outcast servers. Jedi Academy was kind of an off-shoot of Jedi Outcast, in that the game no longer followed Kyle Katarn but a jedi apprentice. This game featured Luke Skywalker, Kyle Katarn, Lando Calrissian, and Chewbacca. Billy Dee Willaims, and Mark Hammill both provided voices for their characters. Jedi Academy was pretty weak on the story side, as the game felt very divided in terms of how the levels were laid out. Very little continuity. It more than made up with this by offering a very robust multiplayer experience. On top of the three standard light saber stances, the jedi staff, and dual wield sabers were added. Of course, any JA vet will tell you that the trust single saber is the way to go.

Super Star Wars — Super Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back — Super Star Wars: Return of the Jedi

Before the Dark Forces series, and the flight sims, there was the “Super” Star Wars series on the SNES. This line of games has a special place in my heart, and was an important part of my gaming history in the early 90′s. More important than that though, is that this series of games is the only other representation of the original trilogy other than the movies. What’s funny is that the games actually do the source material justice, which was possible during the 16-bit era. Which makes you wonder why they can’t get it right now.

The ‘Super’ series at its core was nothing more than a side-scrolling platformer. What it lacked in graphical prowess it made up with solid gameplay, and a certain charm. All three games allowed you to play through as multiple characters. The original Super Star Wars allowed you to play as Luke, Han Solo, and Chewbacca. And they returned as the cast for Empire Strikes Back, which would allow for the first use of force powers in a Star Wars game. Super Star Wars: Return of the Jedi expanded upon the roster by allowing you to play as Princess Leia, and Wicket the Ewok.

I really can’t say a whole lot about the series other than it’s a very worthy side scrolling platform. Its most impressive feat was staying so close to the original stories of the trilogy even when the limited technology of the SNES might have detracted from it. If you have a SNES, and happen to live near a vintage game shop, then do yourself a favor and try to find these games.

Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (KOTOR) — Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: Sith Lords

I should preface this by saying that I’m a huge Bioware fanboy. I’m really not a fanboy of any other entertainment entity other than Bioware. Of course as they’ve only released quality games throughout the years, it’s kind of hard not to be. Anyway, this leads up to what could be considered an even greater story than the Dark Forces series.

When the news hit that KOTOR would be coming to the PC, and Xbox I was skeptical. I really didn’t think that the Star Wars universe was a right fit for a RPG. The reason is that most of the combat is based on moving, and covering from blaster fire, and the kinetic light saber duels. Then I heard that Bioware would be the dev studio behind the game. I couldn’t believe it, because up until then they only dealt with D&D properties. My skepticism turned to optimism, and I couldn’t wait to get my hands on the game.

I received the game as a Christmas present, and I played it the entire week of my break. I couldn’t stop. The story, combat, and immersive world were utterly addictive. I believe it took me about four days to beat the game, and that was with me exploring all of the side content I could get my hands on.

The story takes place 4,000 years before the original trilogy. When the Jedi, and Sith were plentiful and locked in a grueling battle for control of the force. The game follows an unnamed character, who is linked to a strong sith lord named, Darth Malak. The game progresses as you find out more about this character, because in the beginning he/she starts out with memory loss. I can’t really go into much more for fear of giving away too many spoilers.

The gameplay of KOTOR should be familiar if you’ve played a Bioware RPG before. They adopted the D20 style combat, and brought it to the Star Wars universe. For the most part it worked, and it added a strategy to combat not seen in any Star Wars game before. My only gripe is that like any RPG, the gameplay feels slower compared to the Star Wars action titles.

If you’re a fan of RPGs, and Star Wars then you need to do yourself a favor and pick up the KOTOR series. With an epic storyline, wonderfully detailed world, and some open-ended strategic gameplay, there’s a whole lot to get involved with.

Honorable Mentions

This is a list of the games that while of good quality aren’t quite as recommended as the ones above. Therefore, not as worthy of a write-up, but if you come across them you might want to try them out.

Conclusion

It’s quite amazing how the quality of Star Wars games has kept up throughout the years. Sure there have been a few clunkers here and there, but for the most part its been a wonderful ride. Even some of the honorable mentions I listed still hold special place in my heart.

If you’ve never played any of the Star Wars games I’ve mentioned then do yourself a favor and check them out. Even if you don’t like Star Wars, these games are worthy to play because they’re fun and of real high quality.

The Vaio runs on a 1.33GHz processor, and Sony offers a choice between 60 and 128 GB hard drives. Initial reviews of it are good to the point of being almost over the moon; you can, with little trouble, imagine the demo models not getting sent back to the manufacturer. And on that note, Sony is indeed taking orders now, with prices starting at about $900.

Le Trung is the inventor of his robot wife, who he calls Aiko. I’m sure someone has made a robot, and called it his “wife”. Le Trung has stepped that idea up a notch, as he’s created a robot who could easily be mistaken as an actual woman from a certain distance.

Aiko has a vast amount of dialogue and can speak up to 13,000 sentences at a time. She has a large number of sensors as well, and reacts to many forms of touch. Which is displayed in the video below.

The big question on most minds, including my perverted own is if she performs robotic duties in the bedroom. Le Trung hasn’t added the ability yet, but is something he could easily add with a few tweaks.

Le Trung also mentions that he has created her as a form of hobby, with most of his work being conducted in the basement. Now that she’s pretty much complete, he uses her for all sorts of things. Like reading the paper for him in the morning.

I have a mixed reaction to the video, and story about Le Trung and Aiko. Part of me thinks this is one of the coolest robot creations ever. While another part of me is very creeped out by the fact that a robot is so close to providing needs that only humans could before.

For many, that means its time to start thinking about Christmas trees, and appropriate trimmings. Gizmodo is pointing today to a pretty cool Digital Picture Christmas Ornament, which is only $15.50 at Chinavasion.com.

It’s about time Christmas ornaments got a little more hi-tech.

Features as listed at the site:

- 8 MB Christmas Ball digital picture frame for the holiday. Other memory sizes are also available.

- Fashionable holiday ornament for Christmas Trees or the desktop.

- Includes and additional clock function

I’ll tell you what I’d really like to see, is an mp3 player ornament or at least an iHome-style one. Wouldn’t it be great to be able to have the beautiful rendition of Jingle Bell Rock as performed by Hall & Oates coming right out of your tree? Or Max Headroom’s Merry Christmas, Santa Claus?

A video version would be even better.

Unfortunately I am of the latter ilk. For one, I am the kind of guy who likes my Terminators to carry strong tones of Austrian/governor accent. Terminators who speak in monotone voices who have very clear missions that can only begin once their first objective is achieved: obtain clothes, boots, and a motorcycle. I come from the school of “The Electronic Murderer” (even though I’m not Polish). Picture courtesy of Answers.com.

I am not so much interested in this. “Oh, but it’s got Christian Bale,” you might respond. Watch Harsh Times and then give me that argument. Was Eddie furlong not available? I can’t imagine that the Night of the Demons remake was a higher priority for him. What happened to Nick Stahl? I wasn’t thrilled to have a new John Connor forced upon me then either, but he did an adequate job.

I’m not saying that Bale can’t cut the mustard. Bale’s not the issue. The issue is that they have gotten away from what made The Terminator a classic, and that was…well, Arnold (not to mention Michael Biehn), James Cameron, and the decade of the 80s. I’m not one to totally live in the past. I realize times have changed, but films like Planet Terror prove that the dark, gritty look of the original are still possible to achieve.

Terminator: Salvation is looking more like a Transformers or Matrix knock off (if not a stylized Robot Jox remake) to me based on some of the robot designs. But I guess that’s what you get when you give the co-creator of Fastlane the reigns of one of the most beloved science fiction/action franchises of all time. I’m a little skeptical to say the least.

But to be fair, I can’t judge it too harshly without having seen it. My expectations are set pretty low, so perhaps I’ll be overwhelmingly surprised. Some of my best movie-viewing experiences have come from low expectations.

See some recently leaked video footage at io9.com. I rest my case.

Here’s an in-store tip. Shop around! How often have you heard that before? Seriously. Have in mind what you want, go to some place that they know their stuff, learn more about it, check out their prices, then go to a couple more places. Once you’ve found that same item in another store at a lower price, record it, and if you’d rather not get it at that store, go back to that first one and see if they will lower their price for you. Sometimes they may mark down some of your other items just so you’ll shop there with them. A sale is better than no sale to some places. Not all places will do it, but it’s worth a shot. The worst they can say is “No” after all, and then they lose your business as you walk out the door. Yes, it takes more time than just going to one place to get everything, but believe it or not, some places are less expensive than others! And we’re not just talking about a box of cereal.

Do not forget to shop online–there are some fantastic deals there as well! Some stores may have a good price in the store, but check their website also, because sometimes they have “Online Only” specials on their merchandise. Some internet-based stores are excellent places to go for your holiday shopping needs, like Amazon.com or if you like to take chances, try Craigslist.org or eBay.com.

Hope something in here sparks an interest in your holiday shopping needs. Maybe some of the best deals are happening right now AND during the intense holiday season? I do know one thing: if you get on it now, it’s better than the hassle of the shoppers traffic, and headaches, just to find out they are sold out of something.

The art of hacking in a technological world is generally a negative thing. To hack into something, usually means a breach in security and some form of data altered. However, hacking, and being particularly skilled at it, can pay off – if the skills are used appropriately.

Shane Kelly, age 16, became the world’s youngest person to pass the Certified Ethical Hacker course. Because of his dedication and precision, there are some big people very interested in utilizing his mad skills.

Hacks can be used for good! Programming something to “hack” into a problem you’re encountering, like with say your website development or network. Hacking can be viewed as a positive thing, and quite frankly, the biggest networks and programs are developed by hackers. You have to know how to get into it to be able to prevent access to it, right?

Now, by no means am I saying that it is okay to hack into someone else’s property, or copyrighted works like programs and applications, but hacking should not always be viewed as illegal. Take those skills and go work for someone who can really benefit from them. Internet companies, software companies, police departments. Fight crime! Slip into your bat-suit and get involved in the criminal investigation sector of a police department. After all, they are likely to more fully utilize your hacking super-powers (and you’d get paid for it).

So tomorrow, we’ll finally be back up to speed!

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Two of us here at ArsGeek have the game and so far we’re split 50/50 between issues and enjoyment.

I’ve had the game since release and have so far experienced no issues with it. This is the kind of game I enjoy, with a lot for the casual gamer and a lot for the hardcore gamer (space phase).

Cavtroop got the game at the same time, and ran in to the nasty DasmX86Dll.dll issue.  What’s that?  Well it looks like DasmX86Dll.dll is a part of Dasm32 – a debugger/disassembler.  Basically this is a tool used to debug software.  You can get it for free here if you want to check it out.  What happens is, at some point the game crashes to the desktop with an error on that DLL.  Why?  It looks like EA/Maxis was a bit sloppy and left a reference to the debugger in their production code, which should not be in there.  Thus, when the game wants to go into debug mode it crashes to the desktop.

Don’t think that installing Dasm32 will help though, it won’t.  EA and Maxis need to release a patch for this.  Until then, the only real work around seems to be. . . well, the one that we shouldn’t have to use.  Others report that the pirated .exe works fine.  It’s a pretty big problem when the pirated exe works better than the one shipped from EA.  It’s not clear to me if this debug call is a SecuRom call, or one built into Spore itself.  At a guess, it’s a SecuRom thing – once you remove SecuRom from the picture, no crash.

While I don’t advocate pirating anything, I just don’t have a moral issue with finding a cracked .exe for a game that I’ve already purchased, just to get the game to work.  And not only do you have to do that for the game to work, but your running it at a reduced capacity – no online content for you!

There’s been talk of how hard it is to remove SecuRom in and of itself.  I’ve found official instructions for doing this online at several sources, and I’ll reproduce them here in a cleaned up version so you know what to do.  Obviously this will stop Spore from functioning properly for you.  But if you have had SecuRom infected games installed on your PC and you no longer want to play them, here’s how to remove this software.

To remove all SecuROM related files (except the license data stored beneath the registry keys) please follow the uninstall instructions below.

Before you start the uninstall process, close all programs which are running in the background, especially be sure that no instance of the Windows Explorer is running.

Open the Windows command prompt.
type in the path of the infected executable:

“C:\Program Files\EA GAMES\[Your game] (for example: The Sims 2 Bon Voyage)\TSBin\[Sims 2 .exe file] (for example: Sims2EP6.exe or Sims2SP5.exe)”

And append /uninstall to it.

So for Sims2EP6.exe, you would type C:\Program Files\EA GAMES\Sims 2\TSBin\Sims2EP6.exe /uninstall

A dialog box should then appear to start the SecuRom uninstall process.

The registry keys described above are not removed by the above uninstall process; otherwise, the copy protection function of SecuROM would be completely undermined. The registry keys, which contain license data, remain on your PC and do not affect any of your PC’s functions. This is no different than other commercially available software programs that employ a similar use of registry keys.

Note: These instructions will work only for applications protected with SecuROM version 7.24 or higher (The Sims 2 Bon Voyage uses version 7.33 of SecuROM, so the instructions do apply). If you have an earlier version of SecuROM, please contact support@securom.com for different instructions.

Speaking of SecuRom – I’m not quite sure why software companies continue to insist that DRM of this type (or any type) is worth it.  I wonder how much money EA stuck into this?  The game was available on the torrents before it’s official launch and yet here’s EA and far to many other companies shoveling money down the DRM hole.

And it’s doubly a problem because of their refusal to see this as an issue.  If the game sells well, EA says “See! DRM isn’t that big a deal, people don’t care and we’re still selling games.”  If the game’s sales are hurt by DRM they fall back on “Pirates are killing our bottom line!”  Seriously?  Games will get pirated, sure.  But you’re much more likely to sell copies if they’re not crippled in the first place by software that does nothing to stop the pirates and everything to annoy legitimate users.

Think EA!  How many more games would you sell to people if your Amazon ratings were 4 or 5 stars?  How manyon the fence gamers wondering if they should plonk down $50 of their hard earned money are going to turn away from this?  I like this game, I really do, but I had to give it a 1 star rating on Amazon as well because of the way legit users are treated like criminals and the folks who do steal the game get to play it whenever and wherever they want.

So what to do?  Well obviously you can decide to not spend your money on this game.  Even more important though, rather than pirate it which is still illegal, why not give your money to publishers who refuse to treat their customers as criminals in the first place?  If PC gaming is a dying past time, it’s because of publishers who use DRM.  If someone’s going to save it, it’s the folks below.

My favorite game company of all time, Stardock, has a number of good to great games out there right now, Sins of a Solar Empire being my current favorite video game period.  They make good games, and their currently in the spotlight for refusing to use DRM, a commitement to ship a finished product and their gamers bill of rights. Impulse is also a neat client and is shaping up to be a real Steam competitor.

I’m glad to give them my money for a product that works, is fun and is DRM free.

The folks at Software, Technology and More have also gone through the trouble of compiling a great list of DRM free, indie games.  Their top pick, Mount and Blade is a fantastic game and the rest, though I don’t have much experience with them, I’ll be checking out.

The bottom line – DRM sucks. It punishes the people doing the right thing by paying developers to develop, causing a lot of unecessary headaches among users and basically making us all feel like we’re just renting a game, not purchasing it. I hope that the mob of low ratings on Amazon sends EA and other publishers a message but I’m doubtful they’re even listening.

Technorati Tags: drm, spore, securom, video games, remove drm, ea, maxis, stardock, indie, games, geek, technology, computers

I’ve been busy making things though.  You can check them out to the right —-> down there somewhere or look right here.

If you read AG and are also playing and enjoying Spore (DRM unloved as it is) feel free to comment with your spore profile or sporecast as well as I’d love to check it out.

Technorati Tags: spore, sporepedia, drm, amazon review, ea, sporecast