Jon Snow's 80's Style Training Montage
There’s lot of examples of ‘80’s movies with great training montages like Rocky III, The Karate Kid and Breakin. Heck, even Scarface had a montage. Although, that one wasn’t so much about actual training – unless you count training to be a drug dealer. I do.
But what if you could combine Game of Thrones with an 80’s style training montage? What would that look like? Fortunately, we don’t have to wonder becuase someone on YouTube has already gone ahead and done it. Did you expect anything less?
So, without further delay, here’s Magooch86’s Game of Thrones ‘80’s style training montage featuring everyone’s favorite man of the Night’s Watch, Jon Snow.
That’s right, we’re gonna need a montage.
[youtube www.youtube.com/watch
(h/t to Star Foster for the link)
A First Father's Day
However, things are a bit different on this particular Father’s Day. What’s different? Well, in a nutshell, this is my first Father’s Day as a father. Yep.
Okay, in truth, my child hasn’t actually been born yet, but I think that’s a technicality. He’s in there cooking away, doing great and is due to arrive in early September. That is, if he stays on schedule.
Since he is my son, I know his sense of timing will be impeccable and I expect he will arrive exactly when he means to and not a second too soon, or too late. Just like his father. He also has my good looks, of course.
So, this Father’s Day is quite a bit more special than it normally would be. That’s not to take anything away from my own father. He was a complex guy who taught me a lot of things, not the least of which was to question everything and always strive to better myself. He was also one of the first people to believe in me, much like my mother, and for that I will always be grateful.
I wish my father and my son could meet, but they never will. All I can do is make sure he knows about his Grandfather and how much his hard work and wisdom meant to me over the years. My son will know. I’ll make sure of it.
But this particular post isn’t about the past. It’s about the future.
It’s about a future where I will, after long last, be a father. A future where I will experience the world through the eyes of someone to whom it’s all brand new.
I know it won’t be easy and I know it’s a huge responsibility. I also know it’s going to be one hell of a ride.
And I can’t wait for it to start.
Trouble Sleeping? It Could Be Your Gadgets
In truth, I don’t know if anything from the handy infographic below applies to me or not. I do know I frequently use my iPhone, or one of my other gadgets, in bed right before I try to fall asleep.
I also know that I used to be able to sleep very well and make it all the way through the night with no problem. Now, not so much. In fact, these days, I occasionally suffer from insomnia and can’t sleep much at all.
So I have to wonder, is it my gadgets? Maybe so. To find out, I’m going to try a little experiment.
For the next few weeks I’m going to make a conscious effort not to look at my iPhone, laptop or other backlit gadget in the hour or so before I try to fall asleep. That also means I’m going to have to switch back to the older Kindle, without the backlight, if I want to read any books. Or, I guess I could just read an actual book. That would probably work too.
It may be difficult at first, but I think I’m up to the challenge. I’ll let you know how it goes. Now, where did I put my glasses?
The History of the Superman 'S' Logo
In honor of Man of Steel, Zach Snyder’s take on Superman (which opens tonight at midnight), I thought it would be fun to take a look at the evolution of Superman’s “S” logo over the years. Fortunately, someone has already thought of the idea and created a handy infographic showing all of the logos since the character was first introduced in Action Comics #1 in 1938.
Yes, there’s a lot of them. And yes, I think they’ve gotten better over the years. Of course, I do have a special place for the one from 1978. That’s the one worn by Christopher Reeve in Richard Donner’s classic Superman, which I saw in the theater with my parents on opening weekend.
That’s the logo, and the movie, that made a young boy truly believe a man could fly. As cliche' as that may sound today, after a heavy dose of Star Wars the year before and a whole host of other sci-fi, fantasy and comic book influences and input on a daily basis, I was ready to believe . . . And I did.
Let’s hope Snyder’s Man of Steel can work that same magic again on the much older and somewhat cynical (yet still a kid at heart) adult I’ve become. I don’t think it’s too late for me. I think there’s still a chance.
Because, dammit, I want to believe again.
Is 'RWBY' the Future of Animation?
The man behind it is none other than Monty Oum, whose work on Red vs. Blue: Revelation and Dead Fantasy pretty much defined what this kind of animation can be.
But don’t take my word for it, check out the RWBY trailer called “Black” right here. Is this the future of animation? It just may be.
[youtube www.youtube.com/watch
The First 24 Hours With iOS 7
As promised, I’m back with more on Apple’s latest iOS offering, a “little” update known as iOS 7. Things started off a bit rough yesterday as I tried to get iOS 7 to install and activate on my test iPhone 5 (CDMA) in order to get to know it better. I was able to install the beta but then could not activate the phone. The result was, effectively, a bricked device.
Fortunately, I was able to boot the iPhone into DFU mode and revert to iOS 6. I actually ended up doing this twice due to trying alternative install methods using iTunes. One, the usual wipe and restore and the other an upgrade to iOS 7 over an existing install of iOS 6. Neither of these resulted in the iPhone going all the way through the activation process.
What finally ended up working was a wipe and restore using Apple’s development tool for iOS (and OS X) called Xcode. Using Xcode I was able to wipe and restore iOS 7 to the device and then, this time, the activation completed and I had a working iPhone. This was after several hours and went on into the night.
Consequently, I haven’t had a lot of time to get into the intricacies of the new OS. However, I did have a chance to play with it a little bit and following are my thoughts so far.
First (and this is a big one), I’m not sure I like the new look. Sure, the skeuomorphic aspects of iOS 6 are pretty dated and probably needed to go. I won’t miss the leather-bound elegance of the Calendar app or the simulated wood grain of iBooks. I’m just not sure iOS 7 is going in the right direction either.
In its present form, I find the font and lines around elements too thin and the colors too similar to be very distinct. In my several hours of use I’ve found myself clicking on the wrong thing or trying to slide something to the left or right that can’t actually be slid. Plus, the contrast between UI elements seems much more muted as well. When everything is flat and looks similar with similar colors and little contrast, it’s difficult to tell which elements can be interacted with and which can’t.
I find this especially true when using the new keyboard. A key with a thin black line around it over a light grey background is harder to hit, at least for me, than a key with a heavier line against a darker background. Contrast is good and not something to be scared of. Of course, more contrast makes things look less flat. I get that.
I also get that I’m not a designer, but I have participated in the design of many projects and supervised designers of various kinds over the years. I also know what I like and what I think looks good. And I’m not sure this color scheme and lack of contrast is it. Although, maybe it’s because I’ve haven’t spent much time with the Yahoo Weather app.
Yes, I know, Jony Ive is a genius and I can clearly see what he was going for with iOS 7. You only need to look at the man himself and see what his wardrobe looks like to know he’s not a fan of contrast. He prefers uniformity and order. And there’s nothing wrong with that. But that doesn’t mean his taste is the right taste for everyone. Some people might prefer things to be different. I might be one of those people.
As this is a beta, and an early one, many things also don’t work as expected or seem unfinished. This is especially true with a few apps I use regularly, like Gmail, that haven’t gotten the memo about using the new keyboard. Consequently, when you need a keyboard in the Gmail app, the old one pops up.
This is actually one of the ways I know I don’t like the new keyboard very much. I still have occasion to use the old one and find it much easier to type on than the new one. I’m also not a fan of the seemingly arbitrary change from lines to dots to show cell network signal strength. I didn’t mind lines. What’s wrong with lines? They were used quite a few other places in the new UI, why not for signal strength?
I’m also not sure why I now can’t double click on the home button to get a list of running apps, press and hold on one of the icons to get it to vibrate and then press the “X” to quit it. I’ve had more than a few apps crash on me so far and the old way to get them to work again was to make them stop running and then launch them again. Now, it’s all different.
The way you do it now is to double click on the home button to get thumbnails of the running apps. Then, you swipe the thumbnail upwards to close an app you want to quit. I was able to do it but I also found myself bringing up the control center from the bottom of the screen several times too. Maybe it’s just me, but it seems like a rather convoluted “new” way to accomplish a previously simple task.
On a positive note, I do like the new static wallpapers and that cool 3D-looking effect when you move the iPhone around. Plus, the motion wallpapers are kinda nice too. I’m using one right now, in fact. I don’t know what effect they will have on battery life but so far, somewhat surprisingly, I’m getting pretty much the same battery life as when the iPhone had iOS 6 installed on it. Let’s hope that continues.
With any massive change, there’s bound to be bumps and rough edges. None of my issues with iOS 7, at least so far, are hugely annoying, would prevent me from continuing to use it or make me switch to Android. Although, I’m entertaining that thought for other reasons. But that’s a subject for a future article (or two).
I’m sure as iOS 7 matures, many of the things that bother me about it will be addressed and corrected. At least I hope so.
Once I’ve had more time with iOS 7 I’ll bring you another exciting round of observations. I’m also going to be installing the new version of OS X, code named Mavericks. More on that later too.
Initial Thoughts on iOS 7 and Apple In General
Well, now we know.
My first reaction on seeing iOS 7 was less dramatic than I thought it was going to be. I like the way it looks but I wasn’t “totally blown away” as I thought I might be.
That’s not to say iOS 7 isn’t nice to look at, it is. And in truth, I’m not exactly sure what I was expecting and/or hoping for. It’s just that I don’t think the look of iOS was really the big problem that needed solving. Flat icons and a thinner font don’t make things work better, it just makes things better looking (and that’s a matter of opinion too).
Of course, it’s hard to judge something I haven’t really had time to play with, so I’ll reserve any deeper analysis until I’ve had a chance to install and use iOS 7, which I’m going to do a bit later today.
One other thing I did want to mention about the WWDC keynote that bothered me was the bashing of other companies (especially Google) and the almost apologetic self-promotion by Apple. Let me put it another way: You don’t have to keep talking about how great you are, to be great you just make great products. People will figure it out.
Over the years I’ve managed companies and teams large and small and one thing I’ve always tried to remember is if you have to keep insisting you’re in charge, you really aren’t. The person in charge doesn’t have to say they’re in charge or prove anything, he or she just is.
It’s the same for Apple. The more Apple insist that they’re amazing innovators, the more they try to refute critics and the more they bash other companies, the less they look like a market leader and one of the most successful companies of all time. They just look desperate.
The more Apple tries to be like everyone else, the less special they become. There’s no reason to publicly acknowledge critics or paint rival companies in a bad light and there’s certainly no reason to make it more difficult/impossible for iOS users to choose which default search engine they want or what Maps app they want. That’s just dumb and, frankly, beneath a company like Apple.
Apple got where they are today by not doing things like everyone else. They should win by having the best ideas and the best products. Period. The rest just isn’t important.
Okay, enough of that. More on iOS 7 after I’ve had a chance to work with it a bit.
A Few Interesting Things For a Friday
It’s almost the weekend. Pat yourself on the back for making it this far. It’s been an interesting week for sure.
But let’s put all that aside for a minute and take a look at some fun things for a Friday. Next week we can all go back to the usual BS.
Don’t worry, it will still be there. Promise.
First up is the cool LEGO Star Wars Ewok Village Set (pictured above). Sure, I felt the same way about the Ewoks as you probably did, but this is still pretty cool.
In more LEGO news the company apparently doesn’t want to rest on its laurels by having the worlds biggest LEGO space ship. They also want to build the ultimate LEGO house. Sure, why not?
If you like comics as I do, you may want to, occasionally, read them on your iPad. But what’s the best app to accomplish this? Well, the gang at Lifehacker recommends Comic Zeal. I like it, but as it’s only for non-DRM comics, I also use the Comics app from ComiXology to read my Marvel, DC and other publisher’s stuff.
With Apple’s WWDC coming up next week, there’s lots of speculation as to what the company may announce. I think we’re going to see iOS 7, a new Pro desktop, maybe a new laptop and a new music streaming service, but what else? Wired has the full compliment of predictions. We’ll know if any of us are right next Monday.
Finally, are you a science geek? Or perhaps you have a child (or two) that needs to learn the periodic table of the elements? Well, what better way than with a music video. Watch and enjoy. You just might lean something. I did.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zUDDiWtFtEM?rel=0&w=525&h=295]
Happy weekend.
Seven Coffee Mistakes You Might Be Making
If I made a list of the things I love it would have to include, of course, many things geek such as Star Wars, Star Trek, Sci-Fi in general, Apple, Google, Comics, D&D and a whole lot more. Another prominent item on that list would have to be coffee.
In truth, I’m kinda obsessed with it. Not just drinking it but with the whole process of bringing it from bean to cup. I’m also obsessed with getting the best cup of coffee I can at home.
Turns out, there’s others like me.
In fact, one of them has written a list of the seven mistakes people make when preparing coffee at home. Yes, this is a list of bad things you should stop doing so your coffee doesn’t suck.
Here they are (with my notes as applicable):
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Dirty Equipment: Make sure all parts of the machine have been rinsed thoroughly and no coffee or soap residue remains. (I clean my stuff daily).
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Old Beans: If you can’t remember when you bought your coffee, it’s time to buy some new beans. Only buy as much as you will consume in 1 to 2 weeks. (I get my beans fresh from these guys, these guys or these guys.)
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Pre-Ground Coffee: Coffee that has already been ground is more susceptible to oxidation. Grinding your beans as close to brewing as possible ensures freshness. (You’ll need a grinder for that. I use this one).
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Wrong Size of Grounds: Each brewing method requires a different size of grind. Coffee that has been ground too fine is often bitter, but if ground too coarse it may be weak. Check the machine’s manual to find out which size is ideal. (Again, get your own grinder and RTFM).
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Wrong Coffee-to-Water Ratio: For every 6 ounces of coffee, you’ll need 2 tablespoons of coffee grounds. Using more, your coffee may be too strong and taste bitter; use less and you’ll end up with watery, weak coffee. (To measure, I use this
. Or, you could weigh your ground coffee with one of these
).
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Improper Water Temperature: If the water is too hot, you can scald your coffee, and if it’s too low, the flavors will be mellow. The water should be around 200 degrees Fahrenheit, or just before boiling (water boils at 212 degrees Fahrenheit). (I use one of these
and let it get just to the point of boiling, then I turn it off, wait a few second, then pour).
-
Impure Water: Tap water often contains minerals that can alter the flavor of your coffee. Use bottled spring water or filtered drinking water. (I don’t have a sophisticated walter filtration system at home, yet. I just use Arrowhead drinking water. It seems to work well).
While we’re on the subject, my current preferred method of making coffee at home is the French Press. This one
Yes, it takes a bit of time and you need to clean up a bit after, but it’s so worth it if you do it right. Of course, for the real coffee geek, the next step is to start making espresso at home. I’m going to do that after the move. But that’s a topic for another time.
Until then, go make some great coffee!
Even An Alien Needs a Day Off Sometimes
Even though you’re an Alien from, you know, Alien you can’t spend all your time ripping arms off, crushing skulls with your explosively protruding jaw or impaling people with your barbed tail.
Sometimes, you just need to take a break. And heck, what better place to take that break than a nice park?
He likes the rides. How sweet.
While we’re on the subject of Alien, I want to mention how much I love this lamp. I love it for many reasons, one of which is it makes me laugh.
I will admit that it’s probably funnier if you’ve actually seen James Cameron’s movie Aliens. But if you haven’t, it’s still a cool lamp.
Although, you really should see Aliens too.
(h/t to Fashionably Geek for the Alien vacation photo)
Every Ray Harryhausen Creature Creation In One Awesome Video
I am a huge fan of visual effects master Ray Harryhausen, who passed away recently at the age of 92. During his lifetime he brought us all manner of creatures and pioneered the use of stop motion effects in movies and television.
He was a true visionary and his creations will live on and inspire countless generations of current and future filmmakers. To give you an idea of just how many amazing creatures the man brought us during his career, YouTube user Mat Bergman has put together a video highlighting every one of them.
Check it out below and be amazed.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U9kmjW73-v4?rel=0&w=525&h=394]
Happy 30th Birthday 'War Games'
Sorry, it can’t be Star Wars 24/7 around here. Instead, let’s turn our attention to another movie from my youth I thoroughly enjoyed then and still do today.
That movie? Director John Badham’s 1983 cold war computer geek classic War Games.
In War Games, a young Matthew Broderick plays computer hacker David Lightman who tries to impress a girl named Jennifer (the equally young and cute Ally Sheedy) by hacking into the school’s computer to change her grade. He does it, she’s impressed and all is well. However, things then take a turn for the worse when David inadvertently hacks into a powerful NORAD defense computer known as the WOPR and almost starts World War III.
The feds, as you can imagine, are not amused and go looking for David. As they close in, and with the clock counting down until the start of an actual war by the computer that thinks its not a game, David goes on the run to find the only man who he hopes can make things right: the thought-dead inventor of the WOPR Professor Falken.
Sure, the movie’s technology is dated and yes, so are the hairstyles. But after 30 years War Games still holds up as a serviceable cold war thriller and provides some good insight into the mentality of an eighties teenager/hacker.
As a former eighties teenager/hacker myself, I can relate. Although, not to the almost starting World War III thing. That wasn’t me. I was out of town that day.
Check out the trailer for War Games below. If you haven’t seen it in awhile, or ever, it’s definitely worth a look.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hbqMuvnx5MU?rel=0&w=525&h=295]
Over 1000 Behind the Scenes Photos From the 'Star Wars' Trilogy
The internet can be home to some pretty amazing things. Sure, there’s also a lot of porn too. Fortunately, the worthwhile bits outnumber the naughty ones.
A prime example of this is Imgur user JoinYouInTheSun who’s taken the time and made the effort to assemble over 1000 behind the scenes photos from the original Star Wars trilogy. As someone who grew up with this first (and some say only) trilogy of movies, these images brought back a lot of wonderful memories and were great fun to look at.
In fact, I liked them so much I clicked through each and every one of them. Slowly.
If you’re a Star Wars geek like I am, you’ll understand.
Here’s a couple more. Head over to Imgur for the rest.
Batman 1972
I love it when artists take chances and spin known subjects or concepts in new and different directions. Today’s example is from artist Francesco Francavilla as he takes the iconic Batman and reimagines him as a 70’s blaxploitation anti-hero.
Check out more of the images from Batman 1972 below.
'The History of Typography' - An Animated Short
Among the many reasons I consider myself a geek is my love of fonts and typography. I love the way type and graphics look when laid out properly on a page. I’m not sure where it comes from, but I’ve always been a big fan.
So, this animated short, made by Ben Barrett-Forrest, about the history of typography was very enjoyable for me. Perhaps you will enjoy it too.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wOgIkxAfJsk?rel=0&w=525&h=295]
'The Empire Strikes Back' Is 33 Years Old Today, So How About Some Bloopers?
It should come as no surprise to anyone that I am a huge fan of the original Star Wars trilogy. In fact, I’m such a fan that I know The Empire Strikes Back was released 33 years ago today. Yes, I was there to see it on opening day.
Although, opening day was actually the second time I had seen it. The first time was at a press screening a few weeks earlier my Mom had won tickets for by listening to the radio all day while I was at school.
Do I have a cool Mom or what?
I still have that press kit somewhere with all the awesome black and white photos from the movie. Must dig that up someday soon.
To commemorate this milestone in history, here’s some bloopers for the first (and only good) trilogy. Enjoy.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e_XgTyBzWZ0?rel=0&w=420&h=315]
Geek vs. Nerd
Let this handy chart help you decide. Nerd? Geek? Maybe both? Let’s see.
(h/t to @e2thej for the link)
Fear is a Four Letter Word
This is one of those times where I don’t think I have anything to say, but I still feel like writing anyway. I was once told by a writing teacher that even if you feel you have nothing to say, you should just start writing anyway.
His opinion, and I’ve often found this to be true, was that if you start and keep on going, eventually words will flow. The trick is to start.
Thinking about that now I really feel it applies to almost any endeavor. Simply put: If you don’t start, you’ll never finish.
I’m sure most of you are familiar with the famous Wayne Gretsky quote where he says: “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.” Again, I think that applies to most things in life.
Starting things, like a writing project, is often very difficult. But I don’t think it’s the act of starting that’s the problem. What we’re really talking about here is fear.
For a writer, that fear most often manifests along the lines of “What if it sucks?” or “What if nobody likes it?” or even “What if people are so enraged by what I write, they want to burn me in effigy?” Actually, that last one might not be so bad.
Well, nobody wants to get burned in effigy, of course, but writing something powerful enough and moving enough to get people that enraged could be kinda cool. Again, if you can avoid the whole being burned thing.
We all feel fear at one time or another and there’s always the potential that fear will drive us to do something or, more to the point, to not do something. But we can’t let it win. We can’t let it get to us.
One of my favorite movies of all time is Lawrence of Arabia. In the movie, T.E. Lawrence, played by the amazing Peter O’Toole, holds up a match and then extinguishes it with his thumb and forefinger, seemingly oblivious to the pain this must surely have caused him.
His fellow soldier, William Potter, then tries to do the same and as he does, he realizes just how painful it actually is. He exclaims that “It damn well hurts!”
Potter then askes Lawrence what the trick is. Lawrence replies that yes, of course it hurts.
The trick is not minding.
Here's Some 'Community' Outtakes for a Friday
Many of these made me laugh. Some made me, well, experience other emotions. Anyway, here’s a little video containing some fun Community outtakes.
Enjoy them as this week’s episode may be the last one ever. Fingers crossed for a renewal from NBC, though. Thursday night’s episode would be a hard way to go out.
No, I didn’t think it was that great. I was hoping for more. On a side note, don’t read anything into the fact that most of these outtakes contain scenes with Alison Brie. That’s just a coincidence.
I also have no idea how the picture of her eating ice cream came back again. I thought I got rid of that. Please accept my humble apologies and I will try not to let it happen again.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=woP-4BP4w5M?rel=0&w=525&h=295]
Trailer Time: I Know What You're Thinking, But I Like It
In truth, I never did much “live” role-playing like the gang in this trailer for Knights of Badassdom. However, I did enjoy more than a few fun times playing some Dungeons & Dragons on the ping pong table in my parent’s garage. No, we didn’t have a basement. I live in California, people, come on.
Anyway, this trailer made me laugh. So, I’m going to share it with you so you can get a laugh on a cloudy Monday. Well, cloudy in California anyway. Ironic, I realize.
Check out the trailer for Knights of Badassdom, which stars Ryan Kwanten, Dani Pudi, Summer Glau, Stave Zahn and Peter Dinklage, below. From what I understand, this trailer is for the version of the movie that is not the director’s cut. If true, that’s unfortunate.
However, it doesn’t take away from the trailer being fun. And fun is what I’m all about today.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zyougFDZ7zU?rel=0&w=525&h=295]