Showing posts with label No Disintegrations. Show all posts

Taking It Back

   So, it's been a while since I have made a substantial post here at No Disintegrations, and when I came up with the title "Taking It Back" for the first entry into ND version 3, I immediately thought of this quote:

"Yeah, but you know what? This one, this one right here, this was my dream, my wish, and it didn't come true. So I'm takin' it back. I'm takin' 'em all back." 
~Mouth, The Goonies

Now, I'm not a big fan of The Goonies movie (I've only seen it once or twice all the way through, and only as an adult), but that scene definitely conveys the emotion that has prevented me from writing here more in the last three years, and why I'm taking it back up now.
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Facebook Groups review Pt 1

I decided to dive into using Facebook groups today. So far, I have created a few groups for family and friends. I wasn't sure what to expect. Something like the Old Groups? Or Friend Lists? No, it's like a private mini-Facebook.

When you make a post to a group, the post shows up in the Most Recent News Feed to other group members. People who aren't members of the group don't see the post. It seems like Facebook combined the best part of Friend Lists (privacy settings) and the best of Old Groups (messaging, sharing pics and video, private Wall) to make the New Groups. You can do a group chat or collaboratively edit documents. It will be interesting to see how this ends up working for my groups.

So far, I like what I'm seeing in terms of privacy and integration. Making the groups part of the main news stream will help keep them from getting stale. I'll post an update in a few months (after the holiday season) and give a review of how well my groups took off and which features are good and which ones are lacking.

P.S. I see that Apple is starting a social network based on music and iTunes. It will be interesting to see what happens with that venture.
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eBay Drove Me Away, But Now They Are Caving To Small Seller Needs

What you are about to read is based on my experience, some web research, and an email I received from eBay containing this link:

http://pages.ebay.com/sellerinformation/news/StandardFees.html

When eBay acquired PayPal, I feared the good times were over. I have occasionally been selling / reselling collectibles and comics on eBay to support my own collecting habits. I've been a member of the site for over 10 years now, and began selling 3-4 years ago. At that time, sellers could accept personal checks or money orders, insurance was optional, and listing fees were high.
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So I got an iPod Touch...

for my birthday.



I ended up getting the 16 GB so I don't overload it and have to change things out more often. After playing with it for a few hours, I am already in love. I like the free apps I downloaded so far, and I think once I get the navigation down (it's hard for a shortcut-key mogul like me to switch to point and swipe) I'll be in heaven.

I went with the iPod Touch instead of the iPhone because they were identical in the features I wanted, except the Touch has wi-fi instead of 3G. I do need an excuse to be unplugged every now and again and I treat my phones like crap. Plus, with the $20/mo additional fee on the cell bill, this seemed like the best choice for now. The only thing it really lacks in my mind is an integrated camera, which the iPhone does have. However, I just got an awesome digi-cam for Christmas and I can hold back on uploading until I am in proximity of my laptop.

What this means for you readers - all two of you. I have decided to make this blog mobile-friendly by setting up a mobile mirror at http://nodisintegrations.mofuse.mobi/. You can get there by clicking the "Mobile Friendly" icon at the top of this blog. It also means that come Comic-Con this year, there will be nothing stopping me from posting mid-action. We'll have to see if this blog or Twitter wins out on that. I may have finally found a use for Twitter after all this time following others. I can already tell that some sort of stylus would be a benefit.

Here's a quick run down of my initial impressions:



  • Video: Much, much better than I expected. So far I've only tested with video purchased via iTunes, but the quality is extremely sharp.
  • Audio (built-in speakers): It's audible, but not loud enough to make out over a din of noise. Turning it up full blast sounds very distorted
  • Apps: So far, decent free ones and fairly easy to use
  • Navigation: Very difficult for keyboard addicts. I have small fingers too and found it hard to always hit the right spot, so I can't imagine what people with sausage fingers do. I think a soft stylus should fix that issue.
  • Safari web: Decent. Not anything super surprising, but again, the navigation is not intuitive.
  • Orientations: Okay. Many apps and other features don't support landscape when it would make them much easy to use.
  • Keying data: The keyboard is decent with a QWERTY structure and some shortcuts depending on what you are entering. Still, it's very easy to mistype.

Overall, I'm pleased and impressed with this device. This is my first Apple hardware purchase (I have been using iTunes at a novice level for a while), but so far I'm not seeing any issues - even with the proprietary data transfer, which the wi-fi helps resolve. As I learn more, I'll post more.
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Brief Castle Review





I'm going to keep this short and sweet. I DVR'd Castle last night and finally watched it tonight. I wasn't show how this new procedural would fair, especially since it's on ABC (which I haven't watched a show on for many, many years). The premise is that a mystery writer is questioned about his books and fan mail after two murders are committed that replicate murders that take place in his novels. It definitely sounded like a one show deal or a Murder She Wrote remake from that description.
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SDCC Posts at PCP

I have been posting all my adventures at SDCC over on TD's PCP blog. I'm not syndicating these to ND because I'm lazy, so go over there and check them out!

To tide you over until you get the full reports, here's a link to SciFi.com's full video of the Battlestar Galactica panel I attended:

http://video.scifi.com/player/?id=279928

It was just as frakkin' awesome as the video makes it out to be.
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This blog is still active!

I am posting new content daily for all to enjoy. Some people post an entry full of links to other cool stuff around the web. Because I read so many feeds on a daily basis, I stumble across a lot of cool posts, articles, and sites. Instead of making a million posts that clutter up this site and make it hard to tell what actually contains something written by me, I've decided to make use of Google Reader and just display the 20 latest things I've seen that catch my interest. If you use Goggle Reader, let me know and I'll let you link directly to my shared items. For those of you who don't feed read, I've made it easy by linking to the web version of my shared tidbits. You can always click "Read more" at the bottom of the top stories feed to see older items or the next set listed. So please, keep stopping by and enjoy what I've linked up for you.
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Indiana Jones and the KOTCS



I'm not sure what to say about this movie except that I really, really enjoyed it. It's not groundbreaking, it's not different, and it's not another "Phantom Menace". It's familiar and strange and comforting all at the same time.

Harrison Ford is great as Indy (not like anyone else could ever fill those shoes, which should hit you over the head when you see it). Shia LaBeouf wasn't as bad as people will say he was. His character wasn't Short Round or Young Indy - he was a decently portrayed combo of Indy and Marion.

The plot was okay (the first half hour was great!), but there were some questionable scenes and some huge leaps in suspension of disbelief. I didn't mind it being a little askew to the older films though. It was nice to see something completely and totally unbelievable and in action during an Indy film. The expanded universe books always had better quests and artifacts than the three original movies (the artifacts were harder to obtain and carried graver consequences), so it was nice to see the film step away from Christianity and Hinduism (which for the unenlightened was the basis of the much loathed Temple of Doom) and turn to another religion we know even less about but couple it with something (aliens) that is familiar.

People will probably crush this movie down (most reviews I've read so far are reluctant to give a final rating until after a second viewing). I was so worried it would be another PM that I may have had really low expectations. Also, I am definitely a huge fan which biases me in its favor. However, for people who like the Indy movies and want to jump back into what Dr. Jones has been up to, this movie is awesome. If you can relax and enjoy it instead of analyzing it, it's a great movie: humor, adventure, wit, and a great cast. I definitely recommend seeing it.
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Dollhouse Trailer

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3/4 Relief from the CW

Well, the CW eased my mind today as it released its early series pick-ups. 3 out of the 4 shows I watch on the network have been picked up for another season next year. My picks that are getting another season include: Smallville (season 8), Supernatural (season 4), and Gossip Girl (season 2). I'm still holding out hope for Reaper and wondering if the execs are right about picking up new viewers by moving its reruns to Supernatural's normal Thursday night slot. Only time will tell.

For a full list of the CW's early bird picks, check out the CW Blog.
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Put on your Jedi Robes...



That's right Star Wars fans, there's a new animated movie and television show being released later this year. It's called Star Wars: The Clone Wars and takes place between episodes II and III.

Here's the official Lucasfilm release: http://www.starwars.com/theclonewars/news/announcement.html

This shouldn't be shocking news to most readers. It was announced last year at Celebration IV. This week tons of news syndicates have been picking up the story. I just didn't feel like I could get away with not posting about it and still call myself a Star Wars fan. Yes, I am excited for this, but not so excited that I'm wearing my Jedi Robe from now until the release or anything.

Anyway, the full-length motion picture will be released on Friday, August 15th, 2008. The show will follow as half hour episodes on Cartoon Network and then more airings on TNT. You can't say I didn't warn you...
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Start biting your nails...



While I'm sitting here dreading going out into the sub-arctic temperatures that have descended today, I thought I'd give you all something to ponder and obsess over until it's safe to go outside - the ramifications of the WGA strike on the rest of the TV season.

While the writers and networks are scrambling to figure out what to do now that a tentative agreement has been reached, TVGuide.com has a blog entry detailing what the future looks like for our favorite shows. For some fans, the news is good, as some episodes are slated to be written. filmed, and released before the end of the season. Many other fans will mourn as they find that their favorite shows are facing a fairly silent death as a result of the strike (or a future yet TBD). For the latest info on which shows are continuing and which are over now and forever (and which shows may need some saving in the next couple of months), check out this blog. Supposedly, it will be updated as more "official" announcements about these shows are released.

Personally, I lucked out because most of the shows I care about are all continuing until the renewal announcements that usually come in May. I'm still fearing for Reaper though, since it only has pre-strike episodes listed and an undetermined future. Of course, the strike is also going to affect the DVD sets of this season (many shows won't make it to the full 22 episodes before the season runs out). I'm just relieved that next season won't be entirely reality TV, at which point I would stop watching TV.

I'm going to crawl back under my rock now until I have something else worthy to report.
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Amazon's New Wireless Reading Device: Kindle

Amazon.com: Kindle: Amazon's New Wireless Reading Device: Kindle Store

You have to check this one out! Now you can condense your home library and get books really cheap - if you won't miss page turning and cover art. Do you know a bibliophile? This may be the perfect Holiday gift for them.
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Gather Your Gamers

During Origins this year, we decided to participate in some gaming events that required signing up for new gaming sites. One site sent out emails immediately after the convention, and i have to say it wasn't that impressive. Recently, I received another email from the other site we registered with, GatheringGamers.com. Strangely enough, their actual URL is : http://creativegamingevents.com/.

Now, I'm pretty well represented on several sites that my friends belong to and also sites that reward me for my time (although I occasionally take breaks from them). This seemed like another site among the heap until I read farther down their announcement. They offered new members the chance to become bloggers to win passes to GenCon. This seemed like a site that was ready to put up to get some folks enrolled. Now, writing as many blogs as I have (I know, not enough to have fresh posts regularly), I decided it might be worth a second look. The requirement for eligibility is to post 2 entries per week and receive at at three comments on them each until GenCon next year, basically. After the screening process I was accepted in and so far have been meeting the terms, or very close.

I have to say I'm impressed with the quality of the site for a new start-up. They had the initial glitches that most companies have the first run out the door. There are some typos some places, and their auto-enrolled profiles had some glitches at first. But now it seems like the major snags have been worked out and they're already asking for input. They offer a CCG marketplace, auctions with cash back on purchases, free advertising for retailers, networking to connect publishers to gamers, and social networking for gamers to help find other players in their area. This is a huge undertaking and i have to say they have a goal in mind and are absolutely working toward becoming the best networking site for gamers out there.

Now, don't get me wrong, I love boardgamegeek.com and what it offers to the gaming community, but it does have its own quirks that are daunting to new users. It's super easy to search for games, but everything else takes some getting used to. GatheringGamers.com has a fairly straightforward interface that is really similar to most social networking sites. It doesn't take long to figure out how to navigate the site, but hopefully a few design improvements will be made in that area so that it's even easier.

Anyway, this site is for gamers only, so if you don't like games of some sort this probably isn't the site for you. For those who do like to play, I definitely suggest checking it out. And if you do, be sure to look me up and read my game blog. With the 2-a-week commitment there, I may be slow posting here for a while.
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Reaper Outlook Not So Grim



I've been watching Reaper since the season premiere because it seemed like it had a decent premise (for a CW show). I love tales of dealing with the Devil, and an hour-long episode each week sounded great to me. After the last two episodes, I'm glad I tuned in.

The pilot was better than most new shows. It wasn't awkward or grasping, although it did have plenty of the "getting to know the show" scenes. The next three episodes (Charged, All Mine, and Magic) all followed the same format and made sure to ground the viewer in the premise. At this point, I began to wonder if the show would be able to transition enough to stay on the air. Episode 5, What About Blob, managed to pull that first transition step off by adding a darker and more sinister tone to the show, which was desperately needed. Hopefully, the sub-plot revealed will become a longer story arc that is revealed throughout the season.

This week was the Halloween episode, Leon, and while it lost most the darkness that was brewing in What About Blog, it managed to mix the framework up enough to show the show has real potential. In this episode, Ray Wise, AKA the Devil, was shown smoking a cigarette (rare these days) and acting really depressed about the commercialization of evil, while Sam, played by Bret Harrison, showed some real character growth by getting a backbone and feeling some sympathy for the Devil's emotions. Comedian Patton Oswalt's performance as a soul trapped in a snow-globe at the show's beginning also added some extra depth to the show's premise and gave viewers a chance to learn more about Sam and Sock's (played by Tyler Labine) friendship. This episode also brought up some philosophical points about the real meaning of forgiveness, repentance, and sin. Way heavier stuff than the previous episodes.

Reaper recently received an order for three new scripts, which may indicate that additional scripts will be requested to make it a full season. Hopefully, the writers can continue to add more depth to the characters and the scenarios they face, since that is definitely the show's main selling point. So far, the story-lines about the escaped souls and their new Earthly forms have been decent, but they could use some fine tuning and less attention. They should be the backdrop of the show and the focus should, like Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Smallville, be turned to character development and relationships. If the show moves in that direction, it may be one of the best new shows this television season. If not, then it's still more believable and pleasurable to watch than some other now defunct shows with similar mythical premises.

If you've ignored this one until now, you can still catch up and watch old episodes at The CW website. Reaper airs Tuesdays at 9 pm EST on The CW.
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Halloween Reflections

Well, it looks like I managed to post on the first and last day of this month (since Blogger struggled on Blog Action Day and even though the post is there I don't count it), which is weird, but okay, I guess. It's Halloween today (for those living under a rock) and it's finally fall weather.

I remember back at the 'ole university that Halloween was the biggest weekend and the biggest event of the year. Since it's always been my favorite holiday, I was always up for the shenanigans during the big celebration. I guess the tradition rubbed off because I continue to want to celebrate Halloween by having costume parties.

This past weekend was the 2nd Annual Halloween Costume Party at our place and we had a great turnout. Everyone was willing to get dressed up and play along with our games and drink our free beer. It was great seeing old friends, and I hope they'll all come back next year when I've worked out the bugs and will have more time to spend with them. I honestly did make an effort to hang out with everyone, so I hope no one feels left out.

Other than a few rude and hurtful comments and scenes that I won't go into (but have been stewing on quite a bit), I think the party went pretty well. I'm already thinking about improvements for next year (which I need to do since I'll be de-decorating the house in the next couple of days). Right now, my biggest problem is what to do with the left-over food and beverages.

Anyway, thinking about Halloween always makes me think of the year I won best costume in my hometown parade. For years, I came up with ideas trying to win that stupid thing, and one of the last years I participated, I struck gold. My uncle has gone as Oscar the Grouch when he was younger and won first place and my grandma still had the silver trashcan he used in the basement. When I saw that, I thought, "Well, since I never win, I'll just go as trash". So I had my grandma help me attach a trash bag, paint my face brown, and staple real trash to the bag (banana peels, old milk cartons, and other not-so-gross objects). Lo and behold, the judges dug it and I won in my category. Technically I guess I went as recycling instead of trash, but no one really knew that, and to this day, I do not look at trash the same way. (Or the judges).

So, anyway, I hope you have enjoyed my Halloween ramblings and are having a Happy Halloween of your own.
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Winning the Lottery and Super Powers

Not a day goes by that I don't win an international lottery. Hundreds of millions of dollars tempt me each day when I check my spam folder. If I actually cashed in on all of them, I could buy and sell the people sending them. Alas, it's only spam.

I've been watching a lot of Smallville the past couple of weeks, and it's been creating a huge internal dialogue in me about why I gravitate toward superheroes and other archetypes for entertainment. Let me preface this by discussing how I came to like certain super characters.

Spider-man and Batman are also up there with Superman for me. (I know, pick the three with the biggest following why don't I?) Spidey and Batman were first introduced to me through drugstore comics I would pick up and browse while I was waiting for the shopping trip to be over. Having suckled at the He-Man teat during my formative years, the concepts of super powers and secret identities were old familiar turf by this time. With comics being designated as a "guy" activity, I found out more about these two through animated series, which was an acceptable form of entertainment for a young girl. The original Batman live action series was also being run on Nick at Night at the same time, so I was able to see Adam West portray the characters through a myriad of "WHA-AM"s and "KA-POW"s. Then came the Michael Keaton movies, that rooted Batman as one of my favorite characters. The part I liked best about him was that he used devices rather than real powers.

A few years later, my family tuned into The Adventures of Lois and Clark. Dean Cain became Super-man and had to deal with human dilemmas and saving the world. Up to this point, I kind of thought Super-man was a tool (sorry original movie fans). Reeves did a good job of portraying the character he was given, but the character was weak. He was too plastic and alien to see any qualities that I myself might possess. He wasn't human and it felt alien. Then the live action series of Lois and Clark came along. Cain made Super-man human. The writers showed the turmoil and human emotion that the plastic Super-man of the movies lacked. I could finally relate to the character and I was sold.

Recently, there have been more movies depicting these characters. The Spider-man movies let me connect with Spidey on this same human level the cartoons lacked. The Batman prequel revived my interest in a character I gave up for dead when Kilmer took over. Then, thanks to the D-train, I was fully exposed to two great episodes of Smallville (season 5 finale, season six premiere). I was willing to go back and put up with the awkward first season freak-of-the-week episodes and thanks to DVD could ignore those plots in favor of the longer character-evolving story arcs. I could relate to this Super-man and was excited to see him Return in a movie. Unfortunately, the movie was another plastic caricature. A much better plastic man than the previous films thanks to more realistic special effects, but still an alien with which I could not empathize. So I decided to stick with the Super-man I liked - on TV.

I was rewarded when the Smallville sixth season DVD came out. I had missed the Oliver Queen story arc due to a lack of DVR and catching up in the series on DVD. Imagine my surprise when I found that of all the characters I'd known so far, the one I could relate to best was the Green Arrow because he lived in the real world, or at least a much realer and uglier world than the others. I've always had a penchant for gray characters.

This is when I discovered that my super power may be extreme empathy. I can only relate to characters that I can understand well. I need to be able to put myself in their position and see their motives for the actions they take.

At times, this power is also my weakness, especially when I leave the fantasy realm of entertainment and watch comedy or drama. Sometimes it's physically painful for me to see characters embarrassed or hurt. My mortification sets in before they even stumble into the situations that cause their pain.

I'm not sure why this is. I, like most people I know, had my own moments of awkwardness or embarrassment when I was younger, but nothing like the deep-seeded mortification or embarrassment I feel when I watch characters walk in to these situations completely unaware of what awaits them. Sometimes I find that my reaction is much stronger than their reaction, and I wonder why this is.

I also wonder why so many writers love to put people in these kinds of situations over and over again. Yes, some humiliation is good for character growth, but sometimes it's way over the top of what it needs to be - probably to heighten the viewer's reaction and emphasize the trauma of the event. I would love to see more scenes where the humiliation factor builds, but then, like many times in real life, the others who could laugh don't because they're too polite. Sure not seeing that on reality TV.

Now if only my super power could have been to cash in on those lottery winnings for real...
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Crystal Skulls

For once, I am syndicating back from PCP instead of to it:

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After my brief sabbatical following the blog-a-thon (even with my "hit and miss" posts), I decided it was time to help post over here at PCP by talking about annoucement on every Lucas-fan's mind: the naming of the 4th installment in the Indiana Jones saga. Leave it to Lucas to try to grab a new fanbase by letting Shia annouce this at the MTV Awards Sunday night (it wasn't a slip either since Lucasfilm sent out a press release earlier that day). The next movie will be titled Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.



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Already rumors about what this entails for the plot have started circulating. Previously, a casting call went out for extras to play football players and cheerleaders. Due to the outfits and haircuts glimpsed at some of the filming locations, the plot is rumored to be set during the 1950's (which makes Ford's 20 years of aging more beliveable in the saga). The news of the Crystal Skulls mentioned in the title has led to speculation that the archaeology piece of this movie will be set in Mexico or Central America where the majority of these skulls have been uncovered in real life. Unfortunately, a rumor has also stated that Indy will find the Crystal Skulls at the base of a Mayan pyramid which will then blast off and prove to be a mothership of the alien race that is responsible for the rise of civilization in this area and Egypt.

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This guy does not appear to be buying this plot point.

I have to say that I don't either. The previous installments have focused on religious mythos: Christianity and Hinduism. Paganisam isn't much of a strectch, but aliens are.

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom was perhaps the strangest of the trilogy, yet it held true to Hindu stories of Kali (or Kali Ma, AKA the Dark Mother). In fact, the mantra chanted by the first guy to get his heart ripped out is actually a very popular mantra "om na shivaya" or "I bow to Shiva", and is considered by many to be the first mantra uttered by the Creative Source (which you may know as some sort of "Creator"), and thus the oldest. Shiva, often referred to as a consort of Kali, is said to eventually destroy the universe, but also to represent the inner self. It stands to reason that if anyone could calm Kali's fury, it would be Shiva (and it is mentioned in Hindu scripture that he has performed this task on several occasions). Also, Kali is often referred to as being "drunk on the blood of the slain" in battles, which could explain why when Indy drank the blood, he became her devotee.

Anyway, my point is, as weird as Temple of Doom may have seemed to some, those familiar with Hindu scripture stories (like myself) found it to be very well thought out and reasonable (as tales of fantasy archaeology go).

A popular theory is that the Crystal Skulls are alien in origin due to the Mithcell-Hedges Skull receiving a field hardness rating of 9 (a dimaond is a 10) and its being hard to fashion due to its 3 or 4 growth stages which each have their own axis, which means a false hit could shatter the entrie crystal. However, here are other origins myths surrounding these finds. One turns to the lost Altantis for its answer, and another turns to the "Creator" (who coincidentally had a hand in the Ark, the magic stones, and via his/her offsrping, the Grail). So should we bet on seeing extraterrestrials or more religious mythos? Knowing George and his penchant for consistency, I gotta go for something to do with religion. Or, maybe I just can't buy into a bunch of skull rocks lifting a Mayan pyramid.

Either way, we'll find out May 22, 2008.
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And 1 (As the Cool B-Ballers Used to Say)

Well, this post wraps up the ND blog-athon. In a way, I can't believe I made it to the end. Then again, people always tell me I'm full of it, so maybe now I'll be empty or half-full for a while. If you were able to keep up and slog through my ramblings, I want you to know that I appreciate your readership, hope you will leave some comments, and hope you will return. The one thing reading a blog written by a weirdo like me guarantees is that you'll never know what to expect or when to expect it. Thanks for stopping by!

And this blog does have time machine capabilities, but is in no-way affiliated with Back ot the Future, Michael J. Fox, or the Dolorean.
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Sideshow Collectibles

If you've read my previous entries, you'll notice that the name Sideshow Collectibles has been mentioned before. Until recently, I tried to avoid high end collectibles because of the cost. After making my first Sideshow purchase, I was sold on their products. The detailing is very intricate and well worth the price jump. Their customer service is unbeatable, timely, friendly, and great with communication. I have yet to have a problem with an order that they have not taken care of, and they have some of the best licenses around. If you've never checked out their site or their products I highly recommend you take a look. They are always running contests, so if you aren't sure about purchasing anything yet, enter one of those. Once you receive one product from them, you'll be hooked.
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