Robert Downey Jr sat down with Jimmy Kimmel last night following the Oscars and showed off another 2 minutes of spliced together footage from his new movie, void of narration or context. In show business they call this a “trailer” and its supposed to make you want to see the movie because you have no idea whats going on. I made a point of recording this show on my DVR since it ran well after my bed time, and was disappointed to see that ABC has not seen fit to give Kimmel and HD camera for his show yet. So you, dear reader, get to see the footage in HD first.
As it was before, you can find the new Iron Man trailer on Apple.com in all your HD and iPod toting variations.
Ok, its also on Youtube. [Read the rest of this entry…]

Since the alphabet is the building block of our language, the Powet Alphabet is the building block of what makes us geeks.

What is this composite, amalgamated entity? If you’re a fan of anything Science Fiction, Science Fantasy, or generally geek, you’ve seen movies and/or TV shows by at least one of these three gentlemen — if not all three — even if you don’t know their names. Of the many things they have in common, the most obvious (and least important) is that all of their names start with “J”. I frequently can’t think of one without thinking of the other two. Together they are like some triune entity, the three faces of a Geek (not “Greek”) god.

Let’s explore their credentials together.

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Since the alphabet is the building block of our language, the Powet Alphabet is the building block of what makes us geeks.

Surely Indiana Jones belongs in any list of the greatest characters ever put on film. Aside from the role as the (also list worthy) Han Solo, Indy is what defines Harrison Ford as a tough, charismatic actor.
He was introduced in the film “Raiders of The Lost Ark” and thats a great movie. But I’m going to focus on the movie where the character’s name actually appears above the title, “Indiana Jones and the Temple Of Doom”
I know this article series is supposed to focus on a lot of stuff that we as geeks either do or should respect. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom is maybe the antithesis of that. We must know it so that we may learn its mistakes.
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SoulCalibur 4 marks the current generation debut of Namco’s Hack ‘n’ Slash fighting game series. While the game has been enhanced in some areas (notably graphics and online play), the game tends to be somewhat lacking in others (story and single player content). Even so, fans of SoulCalibur will once again have a chance to enjoy another installment of the fun and fast paced action that the series in known for, and there are even a few surprises included as well.
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Today marks the kick off of New York Toy Fair 2010 and I am just as eager as everyone else to talk about what is being revealed at the show.

Press releases and sneak peak photos were all over the web starting last night. All the info is after the break.
This post will be kept at the top of the page today since I will be adding updates and news as I find it throughout the day.

Warning: This post may get image heavy as updates continue to come in.
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Since the alphabet is the building block of our language, the Powet Alphabet is the building block of what makes us geeks.

Remember when cartoons used to be good? Back in the days between the original Power Rangers and whatever the hell umteenth spin-off they have run most recently, cartoons used to be well thought-out and fun for kids, while often having some aspects sprinkled about them that were meant for adult humor or reference. This meant kids and parents both could appreciate cartoons without realizing it. Warner Bros. was infamous for this practice, going as far back as the old Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck cartoons for the 60’s and 70’s. Fun campy cartoons that entertained the crap out of us as youngin’s, that have managed to have little surprises in store for us as we’ve grown up and notice subtle little quips that we’d obviously missed or not gotten when we were kids. As WB carried on, this habit did not waver. Enter Freakazoid!
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Since the alphabet is the building block of our language, the Powet Alphabet is the building block of what makes us geeks.

Star Trek has created a wonderful universe for fans to enjoy, and all along the only theme reoccurring as consistently as a captain screwing ladies and technobabble is some kind of ship named “Enterprise”. With a seemingly limitless number of ships bearing that name, I will attempt to explore some of the more memorable ones, but before thinking about all those space ships, it’s important to note that many real vessels carried the name even before Star Trek revolutionized the world of science fiction.

``All those vessels were called 'Enterprise'`` - Star Trek: The Motion Picture

The above scene from the horrible “Star Trek: The Motion Picture” is just a glimpse of the many ships that have carried the name “Enterprise”. When thinking of the word as meaning an undertaking or endeavour, it is an inspirational word fitting for a starship, or a simple sea faring vessel. From the begining of the 18th century until today 15 ships of the Royal Navy have carried the name “HMS Enterprise” or “HMS Enterprize”, starting with a 24-gun frigate captured from the French Navy. This particular ship is featured in the opening credits of “Star Trek: Enterprise” as well as in Jonathan Archer’s ready room. A number of aircraft carriers have also carried the name. Many of these existed prior to Star Trek, but after the show’s great success, real ships would be named after the fictional Enterprise. This is precisely what happened when a huge letter writing campaign convinced President Gerald Ford to name the first space shuttle “Enterprise”. This shuttle unfortunately never did fly in space, though apparently it will in the Star Trek universe.

NCC-1701. No blody A, B, C, or D

I’m one of the many who believe that video games not only can be a form of art, they can also be a literary medium. Want proof? Look no further than Silent Hill 2’s gripping narrative and try to tell me that that’s not on par with a Steven King or Clive Barker. Check out Ico’s emotionally moving story. Even Bungie’s Halo and Bioware’s Mass Effect have introduced players to science fiction universes on scale with a Star Wars or Battlestar Galatica. However, if gaming is to progress as an entertainment medium, it’s not enough to present an quirky art style or a deep plot. Gaming has to be able to explore taboo and even controversial subjects just like books, movies, and television shows do, even if they may get somewhat offensive or politically incorrect (which is why I was disappointed when 6 Days in Fallujah ended up being indefinitely postponed, but that’s another story). Of course I’m not saying that a developer should go out and create ‘KKK Lynchin’ Heroes’, but if and when done correctly, video games can provide a light with which to look at social issues that continue to affect us today. Beyond Good and Evil could be considered a commentary on the role of the press and the distribution of information during times when civil freedoms are being challenged, and Metal Gear Solid 4’s storyline about private military corporations can be considered a look at military policy, particularly in the wake of the Blackwater scandal. However, few issues have been more hotly debated than that of violence in our schools, and no one moment in our history better exemplifies the issue than the Columbine Massacre.

For those of you who don’t know the story, on April 20th of 1999, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, two troubled teens who had apparently been bullied during their years in high school went on a violent shooting spree, killing over a dozen students and teachers. The media, parents/teacher groups, clergymen, and opportunistic politicians, unable to fathom that two white boys from a wealthy suburban community bought about something that apparently is only supposed to happen in the ghetto or a backwoods rural area (and with rumors of a so-called ‘trenchcoat mafia’ shut down), immediately set about finding things to blame the tragedy on. “It was because of easy access to guns!” “It was because gun control laws are too strict!” “It was Marylin Manson!” “It was violent video games!” “It was Doom!” “It was because of the evil liberals taking prayer out of schools!” “Where were the parents at?” “Why didn’t anyone see the warning signs?” With all the fuss in a search for a scapegoat, few even considered to take a look at the events in their lives that might have led up to the shooting. Enter independent developer Danny Ledonne. Using the program RPG Maker 2000, he created a game which places characters in the role of the shooters. By researching thousands of pages of news articles about the massacre, home videos the two killers made, and video news reports, Ledonne’s product gives an insight and paints a picture suggesting why such a tragedy occurred.

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