“Weapons of Self Destruction” review

Robin Williams’ first stand-up special in six years is out on DVD as of yesterday, and in this blogger’s opinion, it does not disappoint.

People who have seen some of Williams’ other stand-up work, like the very popular “LIVE on Broadway” from 2002 will remember that his stand-up is very different from his (typically family-friendly) movies. Robin is crass, foul-mouthed, and wastes no time crossing language boundaries that other comics might be a little shy about.

When asked about his decision to have a 26-city tour at the end of 2008, he was quoted as saying it would be his last chance to make jokes at the expense of the then-current Bush administration. By the time all was said and done, however, there ended up being only a few minutes covering that, so fret not, super-Republicans. You can still enjoy this DVD!

Also familiar to fans of his previous stand-up work will be an expanded-on segment concerning the fictional drug “Fuck-it-all”, where he talks about how America’s been under the influence of this drug for years and is only now coming out of the stupor. He uses this opportunity to have a mock-conversation informing someone about the last few years, including the war in Iraq, death of Saddam Hussein, lack of ability to find Osama bin Laden, and the election of Barack Obama as the nation’s first African-American president.

To give you a little taste, here’s the aforementioned “Fuck-it-all” clip for you to check out. If you like it, get it! The whole special is great!

And what’s even better, it’s not even that spendy to get it. You can find “Weapons of Self Destruction” on Amazon.com for $10, or you can even get that and “LIVE on Broadway” for $22. Go check it out (link)!

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Programs that every computer should come with

If there is one thing that the troubles with my last laptop have taught me, it’s that it is a massive pain in the ass to get a computer set up with even the minimum settings and programs that you want. Assuming you’re not the type to just use the internet and not change almost anything, that is.

So in the spirit of Tech Tuesday and given that internet problems at work tonight are preventing me from finding a REALLY GOOD topic for an article, I thought I’d make a blog about what each computer would be set up with if I was in charge, and why.

• Google Chrome – Easily my favorite internet browser, almost right from the time I started using it. I’ve detailed the reasons for my love before, but to summarize: great speed, good aesthetic layout, and EXTENSIONS. <3
• Windows Live Writer – Another program I’ve made my opinion clear on, when I had to figure out what would make things tolerable in-between computers. If you’re a blogger, this WYSIWYG program is almost a must.
• AVS Media Player – Most people know about Windows Media Player, iPod fans know about iTunes, and Zune users know about the (superior) Zune program. Each have their own strengths, but AVS is sort of my all-purpose media player. I haven’t found a video format I can’t use it to play, and the quality is great.
• BitDefender – You need this program – no ifs, ands, or buts. I know a lot of people prefer to use free antivirus software, but free isn’t always as reliable as paid antivirus software. BitDefender functions as anti-spyware AND anti-virus, and has various prices depending on the product of theirs that you go for, but the one I went with is amazing, and was only $30 for a year.

As it stands, those are my only “must have” programs. I’ve got plenty more that I prefer not to go without, like Adobe Photoshop, Feedreader, Zune, Any Video Converter, but this is a good minimum list. Feel free to share your list with me, if you’ve got programs that make your life easier! :)

Oh, and to avoid the issues my site layout might give if there is no picture in this entry, let me find something kinda tech-related. Hmm… How’s this? :P

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Things NOT to do during a power outage at work

Given the strong winds and possibility (aka likelihood) of a power outage tonight, I figured that I would go ahead and get this Monday’s blog up, and while I was at it, what better topic than this? Heed these warnings, my faithful readers!

1. Do NOT run around your entire workplace shouting “OH GOD IT’S THE END OF THE WORLD!” in a frantic tone, especially not if you work in customer service.
2. Do NOT light an area on fire unless it’s surroundings are protected by something flame-proof, a la metal. Warmth/light provided by said fire won’t matter as much when the building is falling down around you.
3. Do NOT forget to put out candles and/or flashlights for yourself, coworkers, and any customers, if such types of people apply.
4. Lastly, do NOT try and use the internet and/or anything required to be plugged in for use. I know that should be a “duhhhh”, but check out notalwaysright.com some time, you’ll see just how many people still try. And to further this point, do NOT call customer service wondering why (electrical device) doesn’t work. It makes you look like an idiot.

And there’s some (should-be) basic tips for power outages at work. I hope this helps you in your time of need, but I think most of you are brighter than that. It seemed like a fun way to use that first tip. :P

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O-Cast Episode 5: “The Thirteenth Wheel”

“WHAT’S UP, B-B-B-BITCHES?!”

And so, at the end of the last episode of O-Cast, Dionysus made his appearance. Anyone familiar with Greek mythology (in other words, me and Lauren mostly :P) will tell you that making Dionysus a stereotype prep/frat-boy is the perfect call for making him appear as a modern-day version.

The God of Wine arrives with trying-too-hard-to-be-cool music trumpeting him in, and with two popped-collared shirts. Athena grimaces, wondering who invited him, and we cut away to where we are now. Enjoy “The Thirteenth Wheel”!

Tune in next week for the sixth (and final) of the current run of episodes!

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R.A.R.S. #2, or…

Rant Against Religious Stupidity #2: Why Does Every Nut Need Their Own Religion?

You can see it more and more these days, and it’s kind of making me wish the end times were coming a little less end-y and a little more now-ish – idiots clinging to the most stupid fucking religions out of a need to believe SOMETHING. And just because I guess I’m a little masochistic, let’s start off with the one that least makes me want to kill myself, and work up from there.

JEDIISM

Yes, Jediism. As in “Star Wars” Jedi, hence the cloaks and toy lightsabers on the Jedi Nerd-Knights are sporting, and the almost altar to Yoda, who they undoubtedly refer to as “Master Yoda” as if he were right there.

What They Believe: As near as I can tell, they tend to vary, but they have one thing in common – they believe that the Force is a real and powerful force, typically considered to have a trinity of aspects: Personal Force, Living Force, and Unifying Force.

In practice, Jediism is sort of like if Buddhism and Taoism had dirty steamy sex at the top of the nerd tree, and the baby hit every branch on the way down. Toss on a heaping of would-be chivalry, and you’ve got “The Jedi Code”.

End Goal?: What little I’ve been able to find tells me that there doesn’t really seem to be much of an end goal, if any. No real “heaven” or “hell” to speak of, just rejoining The Force when they die.

Are You Fucking Serious?: Yes, I’m ashamed to say that I am. This is a growing religion, attempting to get legal recognition in the various governments where they congregate (most media seems to come out of the UK).

Rambler Says: This religion is proof that some people really shouldn’t bother coming out of their parents’ basements.

 

The next two are both pretty nerve-wracking for me, and I have yet to decide which I consider worse… okay, I’m leaning towards one of them, but it’s a tough call.

 

SCIENTOLOGY
 
They actually believe this shit

Oh, Scientology… you are the butt of so many jokes and so much criticism, and rightly so. As a former religious man and a current atheist, allow me to say this as clearly as I can: What the fuck are you on?!

What They Believe: Whew, this one’s kind of a doozy. If you’ve seen the South Park episode where they talk about Scientology, they pretty much nailed it. Here’s a summary for those who didn’t see it – Scientology revolves around the thetan, supposedly the “true identity” of the person, an “intrinsically good, omniscient, and non-material” spirit, essentially. Here’s where it gets… “fun”.

Supposedly these “thetans” came around when Xenu, dictator of the Galactic Confederacy, brought billions of his people to Earth in DC-8-like spacecraft, stacked them around volcanoes, and killed them with hydrogen bombs. I wish I was shitting you on that. That’s not all though… Allow me to quote the Wiki, which is heavily sourced with accurate factual sources. I’ll even leave the links in:

“The now-disembodied victims' souls, which Hubbard called thetans, were blown into the air by the blast. They were captured by Xenu's forces using an "electronic ribbon" ("which also was a type of standing wave") and sucked into "vacuum zones" around the world. The hundreds of billions of captured thetans were taken to a type of cinema, where they were forced to watch a "three-D, super colossal motion picture" for thirty-six days. This implanted what Hubbard termed "various misleading data"' (collectively termed the R6 implant) into the memories of the hapless thetans, "which has to do with God, the Devil, space opera, et cetera". This included all world religions, with Hubbard specifically attributing Roman Catholicism and the image of the Crucifixion to the influence of Xenu. The two "implant stations" cited by Hubbard were said to have been located on Hawaii and Las Palmas in the Canary Islands.”

End Goal?: Survival. Seriously, they assert that survival is the basic principle of existence. It’s considered the sole purpose and is divided into eight levels of survival, the last being survival as part of the Supreme Being. Lofty goal.

Are You Fucking Serious?: Again, yes. I really wish that I wasn’t, but as you can tell by hearing any words out of ScienTomogy Cruise’s mouth, they are VERY serious.

Rambler Says: KEEP ME AWAY FROM THESE NUT-JOBS. This religion is just so ridiculously out-there that I’m amazed anyone believes it.

 

Now, one that definitely makes me want to put a bullet to my head. And this one is all Stephenie Meyer’s fault. Fucking Twilight drivel.

 

CULLENISM

More honest way of putting it

Fuck you, Stephenie Meyer. And fuck you, Cullenists, or whatever the hell you want to call yourselves. If you’re reading this, feel free to comment negatively. It’ll prove a great source of chuckles for me.

What They Believe: This is a religion that I’ve mostly only heard about and don’t know for a fact about the details of. I’ve tried to research and come up with very little, but what I have found implies that the Twilight series are a sort of set of holy books. And right there, you’ve lost me. I tried to force my way through that series, and if that’s what passes for a holy book, I’ll take a ticket to hell please, first class.

Not just that is out-there, though. After all, for those books to be holy books, there’d have to be something pretty special about the author, eh? Indeed, Cullenism suggests that Stephenie Meyer is nothing less than a prophet of the religion centered around the Cullens. A prophet that needs to take a few lit classes and learn how to write, as far as I’m concerned.

End Goal?: The end goal of this religion is another thing that makes me want that first-class ticket to hell as soon as possible. From what I can find, “heaven” in this religion is spending eternity in a place similar to Forks with the Cullen family, the prophetess Stephenie Meyer, and Jacob Black. Because even though he’s not a Cullen, fangirls need to have their masturbatory material, right?

Are You Fucking Serious?: Sadly, yes. Everything I can find points to the “religion” being something along these lines, and it saddens me that this fandom has gotten so terribly out of hand.

Rambler Says: Rambler says a few things this time. First things first, I’ve lived in Washington my whole life. I’ve been to Forks. If that’s your idea of heaven, you are a sad, pathetic individual. Secondly, kill me please, before I accidentally do something to redeem myself for my past sins, if THAT is “heaven”.

READ MORE - R.A.R.S. #2, or…

WYO: Cover versions of songs

As someone that enjoys a good cover every now and then, I got to thinking tonight “I wonder what they think of covers?”. “They” being you guys, of course. After all, I think of you lot whenever any entry ideas pop into my head! And as for this article, you can thank Hatebreed’s “For The Lions” cover album, which I’m currently listening to.

Some people will complain about cover albums, saying that the newer artists (in this example, we’ll stick with Hatebreed) are trying to cash in on fans of the original version of the songs by making an entire cover album. The concept behind it is like a lot of cover albums though, which is that Hatebreed wanted to make covers of some songs and bands that influenced their success.

I think that a cover version of a song done solely for the increase in revenue pales in comparison to a cover version done because the newer artists are fans of the original. Hatebreed’s “For The Lions” album is damn enjoyable, and if you ask me, it’s because they are performing songs they really like, not just songs they know will sell.

But that’s just my opinion on covers. Now it’s time for that all-important question of the day: what’s your opinion?

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“It all started with a big bang”

That’s the last few words of the theme song to a show I’ve recently finished catching up with: The Big Bang Theory.

I’ll be honest… I didn’t think much of this show when my friends David and Erin tried to convince me to watch it months ago. All I knew was that it was about two physicists and was supposed to be hilarious. Didn’t sound that funny to me, so I kinda put off the whole “trying it out” thing.

More recently, I remembered that I’d agreed to give it a shot, so I thought “eh, what the hell? Why not?””, and I’m very glad that I did. I’ll be reluctant to doubt Erin and David again, because The Big Bang Theory is great, and one of my new favorite shows.

The characters each have their own charms – Sheldon, the mildly narcissistic obsessive-compulsive theoretical physicist; Leonard, the shy and occasionally sarcastic experimental physicist; Rajesh, the astrophysicist from India who literally can’t speak to women; Howard, the engineer and only one without a Ph.D., and probably shouldn’t talk to women; and Penny, the only main character that’s not a genius, and also the object of Leonard’s affections.

This is definitely a show worth checking out, especially if you love other CBS shows, like How I Met Your Mother. It’s got a similar (but also very different) feel to it than HIMYM, but is still fun, and lets you identify with the characters. The storylines are fun little mini-arcs, with Leonard’s affections for Penny driving much of the main storyline of the (short) first season.

I recommend getting in to this show. You don’t have to be a huge geek to love it, but the nerdy references will make a lot more sense if you are. Trust me, I am a huge geek, and I love all the references to things like Green Lantern, comic books in general, classic movies, and so much more.

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Tech Tuesday: 3/23/10

In future tech entries, I’ll come up with a better name, but today, we have a couple different segments to discuss! First things first, our good old (okay, kinda new) segment, Rise of the Dark Lord Google, followed by a newer (actually new) segment known as Yes, Satan? Apple News!

Indeed, I’ve accepted my role as a warrior on the side of Lord Google, or He Who Rules The Searches. Now, with Google and Satan Apple at odds on various issues, I’ll report on events from both of them. And for those who doubt Satan = Apple, look at Steve Jobs.

Seriously, give the guy a set of horns and he’s got the whole Satan thing down. Shave his head and face, and ditch the glasses, and you’ve got a much more realistic Lex Luthor than Kevin Spacey could have hoped to be. Anyway, on to the news!

Dark Lord’s Rise: Google Offers Opt-Out from Analytics
A lot of sites, mine included, are tracked by Google Analytics so that they can gather user data and help the person running them (i.e., me) target his/her website’s focus better. This tracking doesn’t include any private info or anything like that, and it doesn’t provide the website-holder with your IP Address or anything.

All that this tracking does is collect information such as operating system, internet browser of choice, internet connection speed, and a small amount of location tracking.

However, some of the paranoid among us will want out, if an opt-out function becomes available. Well, tinfoil-hat crowd, your time is now! Google is testing an opt-out function for Analytics, to make it so none of your sensitive, non-private data is shared. But let’s be honest here… it’s Google. It knows.

Dark Lord’s Rise: Google Puts Advertising In Your Hands
Also known as “the power is yours!” from the beloved Captain Planet cartoon of my youth. Yes, the Dark Lord is giving you a chance to make it’s YouTube advertising your bitch, essentially. Or to be more polite, to make that ad space work for you.

Despite the fact that a lot of YouTube users are pretty annoyed with the Flash overlay ads in general, and how much they are relative to the video content is iffy, Google is trying to help you out a little bit.

Using the self-serve Display Ad Builder in Google AdWords, you can make your own ads to go on to YouTube videos, and help your small business endeavors work just a little harder. Because Google loves you, whether you like it or not.

 

Apple’s true face

Yes, Satan? Apple Wants To Know Where You Are
Those of you who have Twitter accounts have probably noticed something that’s getting pretty popular lately: people who lack internet paranoia using services like Foursquare and Gowalla to say where they are lately, and with how many other people.

Now, regardless of how much (or how little) you care about what businesses your friends visit in cities you’ve never been to, you can still hear about it! Yay happy fun times! And what’s better, now Satan Apple is getting in on the fun, too!

In the “What’s Hot” section of the App Store are all these ever-so-wonderful annoying location-tweeting apps, so you iPhone users can share all you want!

Yes, Satan? Apple Now Accepting iPad Apps
If you want to be in on the next big thing, the iPhone Gigante iPad launches on April 3rd, and to be part of the launch, you need to get your apps submitted by March 27th to be part of the launch!

Given that that’s only a few days away, I’m thinking that not many of you will super-code an app that will be up to Apple’s standards in time, but give it a shot anyway! You never know, selling your soul could have some awesome benefits, like money!

READ MORE - Tech Tuesday: 3/23/10

That didn’t really go as planned…

And by “that”, I kind of mean this entire last week. You may have noticed, Random Ramblings readers, a certain lack of me in your daily diet. Fear not, for that time is now over! I have returned! Veni vidi vici!

This last week wasn’t expected, not even a little bit. If it had been, I’d have announced it. Most of it pretty much sucked, but let me sum it up for you:

• Saturday night, started feeling immense pain from my wisdom teeth.
• Sunday day, wasn’t able to get any sleep, because the pain got worse when I tried, so I didn’t write a How To blog due to my inability to form coherent thoughts.
• Monday day, didn’t get any sleep until around 5pm, when my coworker had her husband get me some Orajel and pain medication in general. Woke up that night around 2am and was barely able to stay awake, so I decided a Tech blog was also going to be a bad idea.

The rest of the week was spent recuperating and working, hiring a new guy that I’m now training, and various other work-related things. The good news is that I’m BACK, and also, you can check out some comic book reviews I’ve written over at A Comic Book Blog, where I’ll write reviews and such for Spider-Man, Deadpool, and a couple others. :)
I’ll be doing my best to blog great all this week, and promise at least one video for you all. It’s just a matter of getting some footage! :)

READ MORE - That didn’t really go as planned…

O-Cast episode 4: “Occupational Hazards”

Last week, in episode #3 “Derailed”, we got to see the god of the underworld, Hades. In addition, the episode ended with the start of an Olympian council meeting, and the gods discussing some of the problems they have with the mortals these days.

This week, that is further explored, along with the (mostly failed) business ventures that the gods have gotten in to: Apollo makes regarding one man’s eternal doom, Demeter’s produce sales aren’t exactly going well, and Ares alternates between getting the piss beat out of himself and beating up others in an underground fight club. Enjoy!

 

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Is originality really dead?

Is originality as dead as they say? Depending on what you take in to account, some people would say that yes, originality has been dead for years now.

I disagree, though. The people who say that complain because of sequels, prequels, remakes, and the like. The rationale is because Hollywood and the like are making those movies, that they have little to nothing else besides.

If the sequels, remakes, and that sort of thing were carbon copies of their predecessors, you’d find me on the “NO ORIGINALITY!!” bandwagon, same as everyone else. The fact that writers these days can take similar ideas and, in some cases the same characters, and reinvent them to be relevant to the modern day says something about creativity still being alive and well.

Take the Star Trek remake that came out last year, for example. While the majority of the characters were the same iconic characters, they all had their differences, too. The arrogance of James Kirk, the ranting of Leonard McCoy and so many other things, that was all there. When Karl Urban called Spock a “green-blooded hobgoblin”, my mind immediately went to the third Star Trek movie, where DeForest Kelley called Spock a “green-blooded son of a bitch”. The characters were taken out of their original lives and a fascinating new story was told.

The problem isn’t that originality itself is dead, the problem is that people can’t accept these sorts of things. No matter how much they love a film (i.e., Star Trek, The Dark Knight, etc), they still say that it was made because the people in charge couldn’t come up with a better idea. Maybe it’s just that they came up with a good new story to tell, instead, which echoes a sentiment from a recent video made by Nate from DeadpoolAndFriends, stating that while all the basic plots that can be made likely have, the real meat of a movie is in the story, in all the details. I’ll leave you to think on that, and I’ll see you all tomorrow! :)

READ MORE - Is originality really dead?

“Janet Reno becomes first female Attorney General”

I’d imagine that somewhere, some headline was run that looked pretty much like that, because on March 11th, 1993, Janet Reno was confirmed by the U.S. Senate and was sworn in the next day.

I think that if the people in charge of the news had a little bit of future-sight, or if Saturday Night Live’s Lorne Michaels had a second job with a newspaper, at least one would have a byline that read: “On a related note, expect to see Will Ferrell in drag very very soon.”

Damn you to hell, Janet Reno, for (indirectly) inflicting this on us.

Yeah, I know, it’s not a pretty sight. The things we do for blogging, eh?

Anyway, here’s a list of some other things that happened today, so look through and educate yourself! Have fun, and see you tomorrow!

• 1387 – Battle of Castagnaro: English condottiero Sir John Hawkwood leads Padova to victory in a factional clash with Verona.
• 1565 –The Siege of Malta (also known as the Great Siege of Malta) ended in defeat for the Ottoman Empire who attempted to invaded the island, then held by the Knights of Malta with support from the Spanish Empire, and other European Allies.
• 1641 – Battle of Mbororé, Guaranís from Jesuit Reductions against Bandeirantes, and Portuguese explorers after separation of the Kingdoms of Spain and Portugal.
• 1649 – The Frondeurs and the French government sign the Peace of Rueil.
• 1702 – The Daily Courant, the UK's first national daily newspaper is published for the first time.
• 1708 – Queen Anne withholds Royal Assent from the Scottish Militia Bill, the last time a British monarch vetoes legislation.
• 1824 – The United States War Department creates the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
• 1845 – The Flagstaff War: Unhappy with translational differences regarding the Treaty of Waitangi, chiefs Hone Heke, Kawiti and Māori tribe members chop down the British flagpole for a fourth time and drive settlers out of Kororareka, New Zealand.
• 1848 – Louis-Hippolyte Lafontaine and Robert Baldwin become the first Prime Ministers of the Province of Canada to be democratically elected under a system of responsible government.
• 1851 – The first performance of Rigoletto, written by Verdi.
• 1861 – American Civil War: The Constitution of the Confederate States of America is adopted.
• 1864 – The Great Sheffield Flood: The largest man-made disaster ever to befall England kills over 250 people in Sheffield.
• 1867 – The first performance of Don Carlos written by Verdi.
• 1872 – Construction of the Seven Sisters Colliery, South Wales, begins; located on one of the richest coal sources in Britain.
• 1872 – The Meiji Japanese government officially annexes the Ryukyu Kingdom into what would become the Okinawa prefecture.
• 1888 – The Great Blizzard of 1888 begins along the eastern seaboard of the United States, shutting down commerce and killing more than 400.
• 1917 – World War I: Baghdad falls to the Anglo-Indian forces commanded by General Stanley Maude.
• 1927 – In New York City, Samuel Roxy Rothafel opens the Roxy Theatre.
• 1931 – Ready for Labour and Defence of the USSR, abbreviated as GTO, is introduced in the Soviet Union.
• 1941 – World War II: President Franklin D. Roosevelt signs the Lend-Lease Act into law, allowing American-built war supplies to be shipped to the Allies on loan.
• 1942 – World War II: General Douglas MacArthur abandons Corregidor.
• 1945 – World War II: The Imperial Japanese Navy attempts a large-scale kamikaze attack on the U.S. Pacific Fleet anchored at Ulithi atoll in Operation Tan No. 2.
• 1977 – The 1977 Hanafi Muslim Siege: more than 130 hostages held in Washington, D.C., by Hanafi Muslims are set free after ambassadors from three Islamic nations join negotiations.
• 1978 – Coastal Road massacre: At least 37 are killed and more than 70 are wounded when Al Fatah hijack an Israeli bus, prompting Israel's Operation Litani.
• 1985 – Mikhail Gorbachev becomes the Soviet Union's leader.
• 1990 – Lithuania declares itself independent from the Soviet Union.
• 1990 – Patricio Aylwin is sworn-in as the first democratically elected Chilean president since 1970.
• 1993 – Janet Reno is confirmed by the United States Senate and sworn-in the next day, becoming the first female Attorney General of the United States.
• 1999 – Infosys becomes the first Indian company listed on the NASDAQ stock exchange.
• 2004 – Madrid Train Bombings: Simultaneous explosions on rush hour trains in Madrid (Spain) kill 191 people.
• 2005 – Brian Nichols goes on shooting rampage at Fulton County courthouse in Atlanta, Georgia, killing three. He kills a fourth person before surrendering to the police the next day.
• 2006 – Michelle Bachelet is inaugurated as first female president of Chile.
• 2009 – Winnenden school shooting – 17 people are killed at a school in Germany.

READ MORE - “Janet Reno becomes first female Attorney General”

Zombies, gods, and comics, OH MY!

This week, I’m reviewing more than just one thing. Instead of a detailed review of some new movie or comic issue, how about a few short reviews of the comics I read over this last week? First up, one of my favorite topics: zombies!

 

Written by Brea Grant (who some might remember as Daphne, the speedy thief from Heroes’ third season) and Zane Austin Grant, “We Will Bury You” is a slightly different zombie story.

Rather than being set in the modern day, or a dystopian near-future, “We Will Bury You” is set in the past, the early part of the 1900s. The main characters are Mirah and Fanya, two women who are in love, despite their secret relationship’s taboo nature, and despite Mirah’s marriage.

While they are dancing together at the club where Mirah works as a dancer, with Fanya costumed to look like a man, a riot breaks out in the club. Unknown to the duo is that it’s not an ordinary fight, but the start of a full-on zombie apocalypse.

The art in “We Will Bury You”, from Kyle Strahm, took a bit for me to get used to. It’s not my normal preference, but for the story, it seems to fit. This issue, the first of four, is definitely worth picking up, though. In my opinion, it is a good start to the story, and I’m interested to see where it goes from here. Another quality publishing from IDW!

 

Now, on to “God Complex” issue #3, which I’ve been waiting to get my hands on!

If I wasn’t being obvious enough, with my recent gushing over O-Cast, I love mythology, especially Greek mythology. This series feeds my oh-so-nerdy fire, and doesn’t have any budget limitations like O-Cast and any other video-based media would have.

As the story of “God Complex” so far has been going, Apollo has left the pantheon, which in the modern day strongly resembles a business. Needless to say, Zeus is pissed. Apollo has stopped partaking of ambrosia, thus making himself mortal. He has taken a mortal name, Paul, and works in a small restaurant, as the dishwasher.

Now that the other gods have discovered his location (since he used his superhuman strength and such to protect the proprietors of the restaurant), they have sent a witch after him. And not only that, but as a little bit of insurance, they’ve sent the god of strength, Hercules.

I really love this series, but to me, this issue felt kind of rushed. A lot was happening, and I think they could have done themselves a favor by pacing it a little differently, maybe over the course of two issues – have the fight with Hercules be the main focus in this, and the witch summoning the Gorgon as a cliffhanger to be resolved in the upcoming issue.

Still, I’d recommend picking it up if you’re interested in the storyline from this little review. The series shows a lot of promise, and aside from the small hiccup of the pacing problems, I’m still excited and eagerly awaiting God Complex #4! Hooray Image Comics!

 

Wow, that’s actually taken up a lot more space than I expected. Guess I got a little long-winded in my excitedness over these issues! :) I’ll go ahead and leave it here, and tune in next week for a review of Kevin Smith’s new film (as a director only), “Cop-Out”!

READ MORE - Zombies, gods, and comics, OH MY!

Rise of the Google Empire

Welcome to a new segment on Random Ramblings, which will be at least a monthly feature, possibly more depending on how fast the Dark Lord Google makes its moves.

Logo rejected as “too obvious” 

One thing that is becoming more and more obvious to people is that Google owns a little bit of everything. Some people, like myself, have embraced that. Some of those people, like myself, have realized that they are kind of Google-whores.

Yes, even Random Ramblings is under the gaze of the Dark Lord Google. After all, until I have the money (and re-learn the skills) to buy my own web-space and build my own website completely, this site is hosted by a company (Blogger) owned by Google. I also use (and love) Google Chrome, have Google Analytics keeping track of the site, and… well, I don’t need to continue for you to realize the extent. You could say that I’m something of an “inside man”, fighting the good fight from inside It’s lair.

That being said, I have some news to report to you, on recent moves that were made. Join me, for the first in this series!

The Dark Lord buys Flickr’s photo editor
Flickr’s default photo editing service, Picnik, was bought by the Dark Lord, which Picnik announced on March 1st. It is a powerful cloud-based photo editor, and integrated directly into Flickr. With Google’s purchase (and likely plans to integrate it into Google’s own photo-sharing product Picasa, it is likely Flickr will discontinue their use of Picnik.

An Execution: SearchWiki put “out of its misery”, replaced with “cute stars”
In what we here at Random Ramblings are sure comes as a surprise to SearchWiki’s family and friends, the Dark Lord put SearchWiki to death earlier this month. The search suggestion tool, considered unpopular by a number of tech blogs, has been replaced with “cute stars”, which you can click if you feel their suggestions are relevant. SearchWiki’s family is holding a private service to commemorate it’s passing.

Invading the real world: Google gains a foothold in the heart of the USA
Due to recent announcements from the Dark Lord about plans to sell one gigabit-per-second fiber optic broadband internet, the mayor of Topeka, Kansas has declared that for the month of March, “Topeka” is now to be known as “Google”. While it is not a legal change, it is an attempt to garnish It’s favor, and be the first place where Google’s 1Gb/sec internet (in exchange for their eternal souls). Random Ramblings will be keeping it’s eye on Google, Kansas. Just in case.

And that’s all we have for this first segment! Depending on how things go, you may see it back sooner, but look for updates again around the end of the month!

READ MORE - Rise of the Google Empire

How to get yourself fired from a job

This is kind of a weird “how to”, but given recent events at my work, I figure that it’s kind of fitting. Most people want a job, but from what it seems in my history of working here, that’s not true of everyone. Some of these methods will be really obvious, but it doesn’t stop it from happening!

Method number one: Use drugs at work. A lot of places do their best to prevent this, via pre-employment drug testing, and random drug tests throughout your employment, but there are still some places (like my work) where employees aren’t drug tested. Someone I worked with a few years back would regularly come to work stoned, smoke some more weed during his lunch break, and then smoke a little more after getting off work (but before he actually went home).

Here’s a little tip for anyone who thinks this is a good idea: it’s not. While I have no problem with recreational drug use in a private environment, i.e. your own home, a workplace is definitely not the place to be stoned.

Job-loss-o-meter: 10/10 for effectiveness, 3/10 for difficulty

 

Method number two: Sleeping on the job. Another obvious method of getting fired, but still one that happens! Depending on circumstances, some bosses will be lenient. I dozed off at one job, completely unintentionally, and my boss didn’t punish me for it because she knew that I had been up for two days straight (Christmas season = madness).

However, if it’s obvious that you intentionally fell asleep, your ass is grass. A former coworker of mine tucked himself away in the back room at the front desk, in a big, comfortable chair, with one of the hotel’s blankets, and a pillow. He was found like that by the morning chef who had come to open up the hotel’s restaurant, and because he’d even locked the front desk area, she had to climb over the desk to wake him up and get the restaurant keys. Yeah, he was fired pretty shortly after.

Job-loss-o-meter: 8/10 for effectiveness, 1/10 for difficulty

 

Method number three: Talking shit to the wrong people. This one tends to be a bit harder than the previous two. If you live in a big enough area, there’s a good chance that your shit-talking about your workplace won’t get back to your boss, but if you live in a small town, like I do… let’s just say it’s a bad idea.

One thing to keep in mind if you live in a small town is the likelihood of someone you’re talking to knowing your boss. If you’ve got to talk shit about how “everyone is waaay under-trained”, and “nobody knows how to do their job”, and “it’s managed so badly”, I have a huge piece of advice: only talk shit with people you trust.

People that it’s not a good idea to bad-mouth your workplace to: your neighbor, just because they’re your neighbor; people at other branches of the same workplace, since you have similar jobs; ANYONE connected directly to your workplace in some way (i.e., the credit card company who handles the payments your business receives).

Job-loss-o-meter: 8/10 for effectiveness, 5/10 for difficulty

 

Method number four: Leaving your workplace during your shift. This is a BIG no-no that everyone should be smart enough to know. You don’t leave work while you’re on shift, especially not if your workplace deals with customers on a regular basis (like a hotel).

I’ll tell you know that the difficulty scale is going up for this one, because it takes some good-sized stones to do something this stupid. I’ll admit that I’ve done it once or twice before, but that was when I was living right next door to work, close enough that the cordless phone from the hotel still worked. But getting in your vehicle, driving somewhere, and being gone for 15-20 minutes minimum? Ballsy.

Also stupid. Shit like that will lose you your job for sure, especially if you’re caught doing it on security cameras, and it loses your workplace some customers because there was nobody there to help them.

Job-loss-o-meter: 10/10 for effectiveness, 7/10 for difficulty

 

And that’s all I’ve got for you this time, folks! Like I said, most of them are obvious, but apparently not obvious enough.

READ MORE - How to get yourself fired from a job

On Writing

This is a short blog, because most blogs about writing are full of bullshit.

~Stephen King... sort of.

Lauren here! It's me again, but this time I'm not coming at you with a new and/or improved technizmo*, I'm coming at you with something a little more... personal.

When Justin website watched my blog, he mentioned that I was a writer... and while I wear that title loosely (but with a massive amount of pride), it is true. I'm a writer, and I greatly enjoy it. And since Jordan used her guest blogs for something she enjoyed doing, I figured I'd do the same*.

I've been asked about my writing method a few times, and - while I really don't have one - there is something that is a constant every time I write. Every story I've ever written in the past 4 years has been written with Stephen King's On Writing sitting right next to me (Everyone has a mentor, and he's mine). It's this gorgeous hard back book, looks absolutely mint, and still has its dust sleeve... which may lead you to believe I don't read it often. And that's true. I've read the book once or twice, but the lessons I've learned are very important ones, and I keep the book by me as a reminder.

Like I said, the lessons are important, and I'd like to take this time to pass them onto you:

Everyone can write.

I'm not going to say that everyone can write a best selling novel, or that everyone will be published, but everyone can write. Writing is as easy as breathing. You don't need to have a huge vocabulary, or even an imagination... because that's not what writing is about. Just like music, or art, writing is about expression. About getting your feelings out in every way you know how. You don't have to create new worlds, or new languages, or even new species... you just have to express what you feel. That's writing. The rest of it... that's just creativity.

Don't expect to be amazing.

Even Stephen King said "I'm doing what I know how to do, the best I know how to do it." Like the first lesson, this is something I feel every writer should accept. Don't set out to write a masterpiece. If you set the bar there, you'll never have fun. Instead, just tell yourself that you're doing what you know how to do, the best you know how to do it. The rest will come on its own. And I promise, the more relaxed you are, the better the writing will be.

And that's it. Seriously. If you get those two lessons in your mind, and keep them there, you'll be well on your way to becoming a writer. There are more tips I could give you all, but 1. I'm not really that amazing of a writer (I just do what I know how to do, the best I know how to do it), and 2. like the quote says above, I'm keeping this short to sift out the bullshit and get to the point. Don't let the fact that you "can't write" get in the way of you expressing yourself... because everyone can write, they just do so at different levels.

If you want to write, then do it. Just write. And who knows? Maybe you'll surprise yourself.

*That's short for "technological gizmo". You like it? I just made it up right now. That's what writers get to do... you sure you don't want to be one?

**Another made up word. See? I rest my case.

READ MORE - On Writing

And now, O-Cast episode 3: Derailed!

Hey folks, welcome to the third entry in my six-week O-Cast “spamming”! Unlike last week’s entry, this one won’t have a Website Watch bundled in. This time, it’s just the episode, with a summary of events until now. So, here we go!

Last week, we see Athena’s idea in action. The goddess of wisdom’s idea was to get the gods/goddesses hooked up with some mortals, have a little fun, and pop out some kids because “things were a lot easier when [they] had kids in the mortal world”.

In the end, Athena’s idea didn’t go that well for most of the gods. Apollo left with a woman who’d been disgusted by Hephaestus (but not before smacking the ass of a dude that was at the bar). Ares laughed at someone who was talking about the peace rally she was putting together. Artemis almost cut “Slick Earl” for being a douche, and she also got pretty pissed at her “dear old dad”, Zeus.

Zeus, in his true lecherous fashion, took about a half dozen girls to “freaking… respect them! … HARD!” and have an orgy, or as Artemis called it, “a vagina buffet”. By the end of the episode, it was Athena and Poseidon talking on the roof again, before Hades calmly shows up. And now, we pick up from there:

Come back next week for episode four: “Occupational Hazards”, in which we see that making a living isn’t any easier for gods than it is for the rest of us!

READ MORE - And now, O-Cast episode 3: Derailed!

“Worry is interest paid in advance…

… on a debt that never comes due.”

That quote is from the Spanish writer Mamet, recently quoted on Twitter by Kevin Smith, writer and director of the various “Jay and Silent Bob” movies, and director of the new film “Cop-Out”. I liked the quote a lot, so when I started experiencing some worries, I felt that it’d be a good topic to start with.

Like a lot of people, I tend to worry about things which I (usually) have very little control over. Take yesterday, for example. Those of you who follow me on Twitter probably saw my updates regarding the call from my manager, that I am currently* clueless about. I know that there is nothing I can do but wait, and yet the worry still seeps in, even though I can’t think of anything I did worth worrying about. All that I can do is wait until later for an answer, but the longer the wait, the more the stress.

A lot of people stress about things they can do nothing about. Sure, I could call my boss’ cell phone and ask her to tell me what it was about, but I don’t know if she’s in the middle of something, and both the suspenseful wait and the pissed-off boss are bad options, far as I’m concerned.

My suggestion, which I’ll be trying my best to apply to my own situation, is to follow Kevin’s (and Mamet’s) advice, and don’t worry so much about it. If the problem never comes to fruition, then you’ve wasted valuable energy worrying. If it does turn out to be an issue, then you can deal with it at that time.

 

*And by currently, I mean when this blog was written/posted. If you’re reading this after 8am on March 5, 2010, then I’ve since been told what it was about. lol

READ MORE - “Worry is interest paid in advance…

WYO – Online Dating

If you have television, you’ve seen the commercials. If you have the internet*, you’ve probably seen ads on various sites. Hell, you probably know someone with experience in this department: online dating sites.

Pictured above are just a few logos from some of the (many) dating sites located around the internet. I don’t joke when I put an emphasis on “many” either, because it seems like there is one for just about every dating niche you could think of, and then some more on top of that.

For example, Geek 2 Geek, which I pointed out above. I have a friend who has been using that site and is actually going on a date soon with someone from there, and that site is supposed to be a “great way to meet geeks”. OKCupid and eHarmony are also very well-known dating sites, used by a very large amount of people.

Some people don’t trust dating sites, or think they are ridiculous, but those tend to be the same people who still think that any person on the internet is going to be some stalking serial killer if you give out even your first name. If they’re right, then I’m fucked, because I’m not exactly private with my information. Hell, I use my full name for things relating to this site, including my email! Take that, paranoid people! =P

Dating sites aren’t all schemes though, as much as a few of them seem to be. I know of at least one success story within my own family, which is my uncle Terry, in Missouri. After his divorce, he met someone online and has been happily married to her for years now. It’s improved his life overall being with her, and everyone I’ve talked to in the family absolutely loves her.

This is a topic where I’m not 100% sure that I have an opinion, because I have very little experience with dating sites. I do have an account at OKCupid and Geek2Geek, but haven’t made much effort to use them yet. When I do, I’ll let you know how that goes, and I’ll give you my opinion then. :)

 

*And if you don’t have internet, I really need you to let me in on how you’re reading this website. Seriously, are you some sort of mystic with one hell of a crystal ball?

READ MORE - WYO – Online Dating

Review: Romeo X Juliet

Hey guys! LimitedEmpathy here with another review!





Honestly, I've only made it to episode six of Romeo X Juliet, but I am absolutely mesmerized by it. Being an English major, I love seeing new takes on classic works, and seeing it in a manga or anime form is even better.

Romeo X Juliet tells the story of Neo Verona, which was taken over by the Montague family. The Capulets ruled the city until the time that Prince Montague murdered the family. There were only a handful of survivors - some of the servants and Juliet, the only family member who escaped.

The story is old, and yet new, which makes it an exciting adventure. You never know what to expect with this anime. A war between the Montagues and the remaining Capulet and her protectors is brewing - but the stakes are much higher than in Shakespeare's original tale. The Montague Prince rules Neo Verona with an iron fist, and there is no one to stand up to him but the Red Whirlwind (a Shakespearean take on "Batman"). There is also the fact that the Prince has been searching for the last Capulet, so he can kill them - putting Juliet in enormous danger. Especially since she has fallen in love with the Prince's son. Romeo.

The animation is absolutely gorgeous, from the complex backgrounds to the character design. Also, the music is fantastic. One thing I've noted about some animes is the lack of music in the episodes. Romeo X Juliet has pleased me with its gorgeous music that plays through most of the episode. It is fully orchestrated and really adds to the Shakespearen tone. One note about the music that made me smile - the opening song for the show is a Japanese take on "You Raise Me Up." While the lyrics are totally different from the English, and obviously in Japanese, it's still fun to hear it. (Not to mention the fact that I can't get Josh Groban's voice out of my head when I hear it.)

This anime is subbed, rather than dubbed. You can watch the series now on Hulu for free. I've linked the title of the article to the site, so click to enjoy!

READ MORE - Review: Romeo X Juliet

It’s new, shiny, and maybe even a little sexy…

What is “it”, you may ask? I have three words to answer you with: Windows. Phone. 7.

I might have just had a bit of a nerd-boy moment… more than usual, that is.

A lot of you are probably familiar with the massive collection of fail that is the typical Windows Mobile operating system, at least when compared to other mobile OS’s. To quote the folks over at Engadget, though: “This really is a completely new OS -- and not just Microsoft's new OS, it's a new smartphone OS, like webOS new, like iPhone OS new.”

If you’ve used a Zune HD (which I have, and wanted to buy SO badly when I was in Chicago), you know that the interface and general user-friendliness of the device is awesome. Windows Phone 7 Series uses a similar, albeit deeper and more intense, interface. It wants you to be interacting with it in new and exciting ways (and no, not those ways*), and I say ‘lead the way!’

Microsoft seems to almost be harking back to it’s DOS days in a good way, with the lack of shaded icons, background, faux-3D, drop shadows, and all that other mess. Joshua over at Engadget describes it as “almost Tron-like in its primary color simplicity”, and I agree with him when he says that it’s “rather exciting”.

Rather than let my text do all the talking, how about I let you check out the pictures and see for yourself?

 

*Seriously, go outside or something. No piece of technology should ever give a man a double Polaroid…

All images in today’s post courtesy of Engadget. More pictures, and videos, on
this subject can be found on the Engadget source post (linked here).

READ MORE - It’s new, shiny, and maybe even a little sexy…

Knowing Your Limits

Whether it’s in regards to alcohol/tobacco/food/etc consumption, overworking, or involving yourself in too many things all at once, there is something you really need to do: figure out where to draw the line.

Note: The line doesn’t have to be literal.

Stretching yourself too thin can stress you out. Trust me, I know. Between my actual work (paperwork) and trying to prepare blogs for my days off (also known as “the internet-less days”) and filling guest requests and dealing with noise complaints… my nights aren’t a whole lot of fun when I’m at work. Add that to my crappy pay, too-many bills, and you just get a whole bundle of fun.

That being said, I think I’m approaching my limit. Anyone who works customer service, and especially hotels, will know that late spring and all of summer are very busy times. Because of this, I might slip on the blog for the sake of my real world responsibilities. I’m going to do my best to keep you up to date, though.

Around July, there’s a very good chance I will take a hiatus. Not a definite thing, but the first week of July is going to be hell week, really. I try and get things set up on my days at work, and am going to be trying to get internet at home soon, but I think I’m learning my limits.

Moral of the story: Set your obligations together, figure out what needs to happen and what you want to happen, and try and do what you can. Don’t stretch yourself too thin, or you’ll end up a nerve-wracked mess of stress. Like me. =P

NOTE: I will definitely keep Random Ramblings around for a long damn time. Just because I’m thinking a week’s hiatus this summer might have to happen doesn’t mean you’re getting rid of me so easily. =P

READ MORE - Knowing Your Limits