I am attempting to become a lizard so I can more easily watch the Visitors...

Since it’s premiere I have been a casual fan of the ABC series “V”.  I have not loved every episode, characters have been more than a tad annoying at times, and some of the plot lines felt a bit stale.  However, in my humble opinion it is better than a large majority of the junk that pollutes the digital television signal on a weekly basis.  That said, until recently, if I found myself with an hour less TV time a week I would strongly have considered dropping “V” before any other show.

This season the series was on a slow march towards significant improvement in quality.  I was moderately excited to see the episodes each week and even chose to watch them the night after they aired rather than wait till it was the only thing left on my DVR.  Unfortunately, somehow, my DVR recorded the episode entitled, “Concordia” without sound.  Rather the watch the whole thing closed captioned, I decided to delete the episode and catch it on Netflix, Hulu, or ABC.com.  Worst case scenario, I figured I would purchase the episode from iTunes or Amazon.

I was a little surprised when it was not streaming anywhere legally and free on the Internet.  I was simply flabbergasted when I realized it was not even available for purchase when I wanted to give the series money to buy it directly.  This left me only two options, give up on the series or skip a crucial episode in a highly serialized show.  Luckily in my complaining about the lack of “V” availability my sister-in-law mentioned she had the missing episode and I just needed to trek my family to her place to get caught up.

It should not be this hard to keep up with a television series.

Just today I reached my breaking point with “The Vampire Diaries”.  When it first premiered I gave it a shot and decided it was not for me, though I admittedly have unreasonably high expectations for vampire shows (I called them the “Whedon Factor”).  As the show continued I heard from people I trust that this was a fantastic series.  A couple of weeks ago I listened to an interview with one of the show’s stars on the Channel Surfing Podcast and thought “Vampire Diaries” sounded a lot more interesting then the first episode I watched almost two years ago.

I hoped the series would stream on Netflix, Hulu, Hulu Plus, or the new Amazon Prime streaming service.  Being a fairly popular show, with good buzz, I assumed they would want as many new eyeballs as they could get.  I assumed wrong.  It does not stream on Netflix, Hulu, or Amazon Prime.  It might stream on Hulu Plus but I have no idea how to find out and I’m not paying a monthly fee before I know what is available.

This leaves me a couple of options.  I can purchase season one on DVD, purchase season two when it comes out this summer, and start watching new episodes as they air next fall.  Or I can purchase season one on DVD and pick up season two on iTunes or Amazon for $2.99 an episode.  However, there are already 15 aired episodes of this series so far this season.  That’s almost 45 bucks for an incomplete season and I’d have to burn my DVR memory saving the rest of the season while I get caught up.  That is a tremendous amount of money when you add in the $28.99 it would cost to pick up season one on DVD.

If I want to download season one of Vampire Diaries it will cost me $32.99 for the standard definition version.  This version is a digital copy and requires no shipping, DVD or packaging materials, and very little storage costs because it is sent over the Internet.  But it is more expensive then the DVD version on Amazon.com because, why?

But if I really wanted to get caught up with “Vampire Diaries” I could do it.  I could not, however, watch “Vampire Diaries” comfortably or with my wife.  This is because once we get to our purchased season 2 episodes I would have to watch them on my laptop or my iPod if I purchased them in iTunes.  I cannot easily get content off my computer and onto my television.  I could purchase a Roku box or Apple TV, but is “Vampire Diaries” worth an additional $70.00 to $100.00 expense on top of the 80+ dollars I would be spending on the episodes?  Not likely when you factor in that I already own a PS3 and Wii both of which stream content from Netflix perfectly fine already.

Therefore, instead of watching “Vampire Diaries” as I would like to, I am going to fire up the PS3 navigate over to the Netflix channel and watch “Stargate Atlantis” which I am sure does not appeal to me as much as “Vampire Diaries” would have if I had the chance to check it out.  However, it is really simple to do and looks great in high definition.  All for about 8 bucks a month.

It is not surprising that television ratings are down.  I am forced to stream a show that has been off the air for two years because that is what is convenient and cost effective.

1. Gears of War 3

The Gears of War series is known for not only pushing graphics to another level, but also introducing gameplay that no one has thought of (ie accurate third-person shooting and horde-mode). Word on the blog-street is that the Gears team has been working to get the game close to perfection and adding four-person co-op campaign mode.

2. Star Wars The Old Republic

All the way back in the beginning of the millennium, Star Wars Galaxies hooked me to the idea of massively multiplayer online games, but it was swallowed by the sarlac that was World of Warcraft. After five years of WoW, I am ready to return to my Star Wars roots. With a studio as masterful as Bioware finally working in the genre and wanting to introduce game-changers like story, worthy space combat, and characterization to MMOs, I am positive Blizzard finally has a worthy competitor. With Bioware’s original Knights of the Old Republic being among my favorite video games and the comicbook of the same title being my favorite monthly read, I will be lining up for this one and you should be too.

3. Green Lantern

Perhaps the nerdiest of all the DC Comics, a Green Lantern movie would have been a laughable pipe dream until Iron Man and The Dark Knight cemented comic book movies into almost their own category of movie. Judging from the trailer, we comic nerds may finally get a movie that doesn’t ignore the fact that the DC universe has almost unlimited dimensions… that’s right, get ready for some real geek out moments Ryan Reynolds fangirls.

4. Cowboys and Aliens

What needs to be said?  It is James Bond and Indiana Jones directed by Jon Favreau, produced by Steven Spielberg, and it is called “Cowboys and Aliens.”

5. iPad 2

Although everyone knows that the iPad 2 is going to happen, few have any outlook on just what it will be. With some analysts throwing huge numbers in their iPad sales predictions and almost all their competitors still vaporware, one thing is certain, the iPad is going to continue to be a big tech story of 2011 as it carves out a totally new niche of computing.

6. New Blink 182 Album

After getting their solo projects out of their system, Blink 182 is back together. Their last album showed a more mature experimental band starting to develop from the ashes of a pop-punk group, so it will be interesting to see what direction they take now that they are just too old to sing about getting drunk in high school and going away to college.

7. The Killers back together

Another band coming back from an extended hiatus is The Killers. They have had over a year to write new material and Brandon Flowers has said he has a few tricks up his sleeve for this album. The Killers are one of my personal favorite bands, so I put them on here because its my list. Why don’t you make your own list if you don’t agree with me.

8. A year of Conan!

2010 was the year that Conan O’Brien lost The Tonight Show, but gained a true bond with his fans. Although he was often in the news, Conan was rarely on television due to his contract with NBC. Now that he is killing it on TBS, it looks like we are in for Conan becoming a part of or daily lives once again. Rejoice!

9. A Game of Thrones HBO Series
Often referred to as the modern Tolkien, George R R Martin’s Song of Ice and Fire series is the true spiritual successor to The Lord of the Rings – sorry Harry Potter. Thankfully, it has landed in the right hands. Instead of a highly abridged version of the seven book series, we are getting a full television series with the budget that only HBO can give it… also due to the highly violent and sexy content of the series, HBO is really the only network that would give it any money at all.

10. Verizon iPhone
Finally, all the people I know who have Verizon and try to explain how much better than an iPhone their Android phone is can stop lying and just get an iPhone as they have secretly wanted. Every sign is pointing to 2011 being the year that the Verizon iPhone finally comes out of hiding.

11. The last United State’s troops leave Iraq
On a more serious note, no matter what side you sit on the political fence, I think you can agree that the troops coming home from Iraq is long overdue.

Not Looking forward to

The Space Shuttle’s Last Flight

Without a clear successor in sight, NASA will retire the Space Shuttle in 2011. The reusable Space Shuttle’s nearly 30-year run was fraught with danger and budgetary issues as NASA’s budget slowly shrunk post-space-race. After it flies its last mission, The Space Shuttle program will have run 135 missions and that’s pretty darn impressive for technology that was mostly conceived in the mid-70′s. The only space flight my generation has ever known, the day the Shuttle Program ends will be a sad day for every nerd who once pretended his bed was a Space Shuttle.

Good news is that 2011 may bring perhaps one of the biggest events in human history, the first flight of the private space industry when Virgin Galactic launches their space tourism business. The date of this event is still forthcoming…

Fictional Events to Look Forward to

The Russian Civil War from Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
Good thing we are all well trained virtually for such an event.

It’s Christmas (and all the other winter-based holidays) here on The Modern Day Pirates!  We have the MDP Yule Radio playing and cookies in the oven. Check out all our christmas content below:

The Worst Holiday Commercial!
Last-Minute Geek Gift Buying Guide
Christmas Confessionals: I love Mariah Carey’s “Merry Christmas”
Do Nothing But Read – Episode 27: Ghosts of Christmas Books
Ghostbusters Christmas iPhone and iPad Wallpapers
My Longer-Than-I-Thought-It’d-Be List of Christmas Movies and Specials to Check Out During the Holiday Season
Do Nothing But Read – Episode 26: Looking Gift Books in the Mouth
Stuff Your Stockings: Used & Bargain Bin Game Gift Buying Guide 2010
Black Friday: Stories from the Trenches
We Didn’t Have That! A Look at Big Toy Book 2010
Best Selling Toys of Our Childhood
10 Best Not-Christmas Christmas Movies

In a new entry into their ongoing guest designer series of character flash drives, MIMOBOT has commissioned famed artist Gary Baseman to create two new drives based on characters from his exhibited works.  Check out the photos of characters HotChaChaCha and Toby below, as well as the full press release from MIMOBOT:

—Press Release———————

BOSTON, MA, November 23, 2010 – Mimoco, renowned maker of MIMOBOT® designer USB flash drives, and contemporary artist, Gary Baseman, announce their newest MIMOBOT collaboration — HotChaChaCha and Toby MIMOBOT drives available in 2GB to 16GB memory capacities. Both are popular characters featured in Baseman’s exhibits as painted works and vinyl toy pieces. The newly minted and limited edition MIMOBOT drives are Baseman’s second set to join the MIMOBOT collection.

Mimoco’s version of Toby and HotChaChaCha deliver all the cuddly, curious and “quirky-naughty” noted aspects of a Gary Baseman piece. FromToby’s loveable outstretched arms and all-knowing eye to HotChaChaCha’s devil fangs, horns, and angelic halos, the MIMOBOT creations are uncanny impressions of their original forms. HotChaChaCha MIMOBOT comes in a glow-in-the-dark colorway, making it one of the few glowing characters in Mimoco’s lineup.

“Baseman is the crown prince of pervasive art and we’re thrilled to be releasing two more of his beloved characters as MIMOBOTs,” says Evan Blaustein CEO and Founder of Mimoco. “Toby and HotChaChaCha are perfect in MIMOBOT form and totally encapsulate our mission to infuse everyday technology with pop art.”

Both Toby and HotChaChaCha MIMOBOT are available for purchase today at www.mimoco.com. Each drive also comes pre-loaded with character-specific bonus content like images, wallpapers, avatars, and more.

Gary Baseman is a contributor to Mimoco’s ongoing Artist Series, along with contemporary artists and designers such as Friendswithyou, David Horvath and Undoboy.

All our Halloween posts in one spooky place. Trick or Treat!

The Glory of the Great Pumpkin
Do Nothing But Read – Episode 22: Stephen King, The Dude Himself
Dog Costumes for the Halloween Hound
Does Hocus Pocus Stand the Test of Time?
Top Non-Scary Halloween Movies/Specials
Review: Costume Quest
Zombie Roundup 2010
Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare
Do Nothing But Read – Episode 21: Scary Short Stories to Tell in the Dark
Sexy Costume Roundup 2010
Do Nothing But Read – Episode 20: Frankenstein Facebook Friend?
Five Reasons to Visit the Historic Hudson Valley This October
Zombie Dice – Eat Brains; Don’t get Shotgunned
Book Roundup: Zombies
Review: Cthulhu Dice
Can’t Sleep? Coast to Coast is a Night Owl’s Best Friend
The History of Pumpkin Ales & Buffalo Bill’s Pumpkin Ale
The Champion of Halloween Decorations
Munchies: Another Movie That Still Terrifies Me
What Happened to Halloween?

So you couldn’t make it to last weekend’s New York Comic Con?  Well, you missed a lot of great events, but through the power of the internet, we can make sure you stay informed!  Read on for a full rundown of all the major announcements that came out of NYCC, all the news that’s fit to get your salivary glands pumping.

Comics:

Marvel and DC will both be eliminating the $3.99 price point, making their standard book price $2.99.  The change will also come with a reduction in page count, although most books will only lose 2 pages worth of story [via ComicsAlliance]

Dr. McNinja joins Dark Horse Comics.  The Adventures of Doctor McNinja is a fantastic webcomic from Chris Hastings that has been running since 2004, and it’s great to see it get a print version [via ComicsAlliance]

Brian Bendis will be a busy man, as he teams up with Alex Maleev to reboot Moon Knight, and Michael Avon Oeming to create Taiko, an all-ages kid superhero comic [via iFanboy]

Several new Marvel books will be rolling out soon.  Nick Spencer and Barry Kitson will be collaborating on a new War Machine book, titled Iron Man 2.0. Also, Andy Diggle and Adi Granov will be teaming up to launch Astonishing Captain America next summer, and Wolverine will be getting two new mini-series (one featuring Jubilee, the other featuring Hercules) [via Comic Book Resources]

IDW will relaunch their Doctor Who comic book series with the adventures of Matt Smith, the eleventh doctor.  The books creatives also teased at the surprise appearance of a classic Doctor Who villain in this series.  [via Comiclist]

Stan Lee will be bringing his POW Entertainment brand to the newly launched MTV Geek, where his newest comic, The Seekers, will be available via free digital distribution.  The new series has been described as “high-concept” and “spanning centuries” by Lee, and MTV is currently planning to select its creative staff through community contests [via Daily Chili]

TV & Movies:

Universal Pictures premiered a new teaser for its upcoming prequel to The Thing.  The plot will follow the original team of Norwegian explorers as they discover The Thing trapped in the Antarctic ice [via Moviefone]

James Franco, Danny McBride, and Natalie Portman will be teaming up with Pineapple Express director David Gordon Green to make Your Highness, a fantasy action/comedy premiering on April 8th, 2011.  The panel was a late announcement to the NYCC schedule, but stole the movie news stage with its premiere of never-before-seen footage [via The Film Stage]

The biggest TV news surrounded AMC’s The Walking Dead, where an all-star cast of creators and actors gathered on Sunday morning to show off six minutes of footage from episode 2.  Robert Kirkman revealed that he is the writer for episode 4, and has enjoyed helping Frank Darabond (Director of Shawshank Redemption) take The Walking Dead TV show in it’s own direction.  Kirkman also enjoyed being able to revisit characters on screen who had previously been killed off in the books.  The show will premiere on Sunday, October 31st [via ScreenRant]

DC’s Geoff Johns revealed that the first trailer for the upcoming Green Lantern movie will debut in front of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.  After the last Harry Potter movie is complete, WB plans to release two DC superhero movies per year.  Johns was asked about The Flash, and while he dodged the question completely, it looks like a sure thing.

Games:

The classic X-Men arcade game is coming to XBox Live Arcade and PSN.  The good news is that the title will support drop-in multiplayer for up to six players, and will adapt to a wide screen mode whenever more than four players are involved.   [via Joystiq]

Four new characters announced for Marvel vs. Capcom 3 [MDP post]

Con-goers were able to play the newest Red Dead Redemption DLC, Undead Nightmare, and the new content impressed [MDP post]

Ubisoft is working on a new singing and dancing rhythm game, The Michael Jackson Experience, which will release on Wii and handhelds on November 30th, with Kinect and Move versions to follow in 2011.  This title had flown completely under our radar, but here’s some footage we shot of the Wii version in action:

Another weeks worth of news from all corners of the internet.  While there may be no true King of the Geeks, I’m throwing my hat in for the job of official town crier of geek-dom.

Movies:

• This may be the worst news story I’ve had to report thus far…  George Lucas, the dark Sith lord of marketing has decided that all six Star Wars movies will be re-released in theaters.  In 3d.  Mr. Lucas could not be reached for comment, as the pile of money he dwells upon is just too precarious and massive for me to climb.   [Story via the LA Times]
• Slashfilm is reporting that we are close to getting an official greenlight on the cinematic return to Middle Earth.  This is news so good it has cleansed my pallet of that last story.
• And we’re right back to the bad.  Though unlike the Star Wars news, this is more hillari-bad than terri-bad.   Rolland Emmerich (are you laughing yet?) has dropped some subtle hints that he’s working on a sequal to Independence Day.  Considering that the last film pretty much destroyed every landmark possible within a span of two hours, it leaves me wondering what exactly would happen in a two hour sequel?  [Story from MTV.com]
• Den of Geek! has a story about some production issues facing the Alien sequels that Ridley Scott will be working on.  Namely that Scott wants a budget of $250 million and an R rating, while Fox wants a smaller budget and a softer rating.  But when one considers the sharp decline in quality after Aliens, most fans probably just want this series to be left the hell alone.

Television:

• David e. Kelly has been signed to write and and produce a new television series centered around Wonder Woman.  While no concrete news as to casting has come forth yet, here’s hoping the actress who lands the role doesn’t get dizzy. [story from Deadline Hollywood]

• More DC on TV news: according to IGN,  Smallville has cast Battlestar Galactica star Michael Hogan to take on the role of the mercenary Deathstroke, who will be joining a host of other DC characters making their Smallville debuts, including the Blue Beetle, Booster Gold and Deadshot.

Comics:

• The Walking Dead, soon to be coming to TV, and veteran of the comic book shelf, has moved into the digital world.  As of issue #77, all of the issues will be released online at the same time as the print issues are released.  For $2.99, the same price as the physical comic, readers can purchase a copy for the iPhone, iPad and iTouch, as well from as the Comics by Comixology website.  While the far-reaching effects on print comics and comic book stores remain to be seen, I think this is an important step in the evolution of the medium, and will ultimately be for the better.  Expect more big titles to make the transition as well in the near future.  [story from Newsarama.com]

Video Games:

• Valve software released an update to Team Fortress 2 this week, and more DLC for both Left 4 Dead 1 & 2.  This is nothing but good news.  Great news would be some sort of information related to Half-Life 2 Episode 3. Something?  Anything?  Anyone?
• Nintendo has put out a list of the launch titles for their forthcoming 3DS. ( Gamespot has the article here)  Titles include Ocarina of Time, a new Megaman, Resident Evil, Street Fighter IV and Pilotwings. The new hand-held system will be released in japan on February 26th, 2011 with a U.S. and European release soon to follow.  Pricing for the U.S. and Europe have still not been confirmed.  While the Wii is a sore-spot for many gamers, love for the Nintento DS is almost universal, and Nintendo is poised to continue their domination of the hand-held market with the forthcoming 3DS.
• Rumors are across coming in from all over the internet that the next World of Warcraft expansion, Cataclysm, is being pushed back from November until early January of 2011.  Blizzard has never been the type to rush a product before it’s ready, so it’s refreshing to see the restraint on their part when it comes to the cash cow of cash cows that this franchise has become.  [Gamespot]

Miscellaneous Geek-ness:

• In the past, I’ve gone with funnier stuff, but this was just too awesome to not plug.  Created by Daniel Kanemoto, this unofficial intro for The Walking Dead is nothing short of stellar.

THE WALKING DEAD “Opening Titles” from Daniel Kanemoto on Vimeo.

Sunday has arrived.  Another week closes, and another chapter in the world of nerd comes to a close.  Your Week in Geek is on the scene to give you the most important, interesting, and/or hilarious happenings from across the wide world of the world wide web (do people even say that anymore?) , now with at least twenty percent more italics!   Read on ye masses, and be informed!

Movies:

• The Big Green Japanese-Smashing Machine is coming back to theaters soon, and he’s bringing other assuredly large and similarly monstrous friends.  I use the term ‘friend’ loosely.  Translation, for anyone who’s mind was blown by that awesome sentence: There will be another Godzilla movie in the near future (no giant iguanas or Matthew Broderick!) and he’ll be fighting other giant monsters, which frankly, is as good as it gets.  [story from Cinemablend]

• The complete alternate opening to Iron Man 2, I.E. the version you saw teased in the trailer, has been leaked.  In short?  It’s better. More accurate to the character, more banter with Pepper Potts, and just better than Stark standing in a plane breathing heavily.  Funny enough, the DVD comes out on Tuesday, and this will almost certainly be on it, hopefully along with plenty of other excellent special features.  Find it on Youtube

• MORE DC ANIMATED FEATURE NEWS!  MORE!  Not because you demanded it, but because there is an endless supply of this stuff and I love (most) of it.  Next up for treatment?  The divine and brilliant All-Star Superman Trailer is here, and it looks both divine and brilliant!  Let’s hope they lay off the sub-par, nearly hilarious and mentally-handicapped-hating All-Star Batman. [Comics Alliance]
• Last bit of movie news and it is most excellent.  Yes, most excellent…  Bill S. Preston, Esquire and Ted Theodore Logan, also known as the WYLD STALLYNS are getting back together for a comeback tour.  Truly un-bogus news there.  And I don’t really remember enough else about the movies to make any more reference jokes…[i09]

Television:

• Pretty much every huge TV show has returned, seeing as Fall is upon us.  Better fire up the DVR.   Me?  I’m psyched for more Chuck and Fringe.

Yup... even creepy when he's smiling.

• John Locke and Ben Linus are back….  as characters who are definitely NOT John Locke or Ben Linus.  Rather, they are playing ex-black-ops agents.  Anybody got any milk?  [blastr.com]

Comics:

• Both Marvel and DC are shifting their base of operations.  Marvel is moving a few blocks, and part of DC’s operation is moving to the West Coast.  With the huge shift towards putting their characters up on the screen, DC’s move shouldn’t be all that surprising.  Stories are HERE and HERE, respectively.

Games:

• From Joystiq:  Borderlands, which was frankly an astonishingly good and even better, astonishingly successful new IP in an FPS market awash with sequels, has been promoted into the greatest hits line-ups on both PS3 and 360, meaning the game and it’s first four DLC packs can be picked up for sixty bucks.  If you haven’t given it a shot yet, now is the time!  Already have Borderlands?  Then you should be checking our the newest DLC, “Claptrap’s New Robot Revolution”, which looks like the best expansion yet.

• Speaking of sequels and success, Halo: Reach had a flat-out astonishing first-day of sales…  over $200 million, globally.  That’s more in one day than even the biggest movies this year managed to do in three.  Story HERE!

Miscellaneous Geek-Ness

• Sesame Street’s take on True Blood…  Amazing.

Another week, another helping of Geek, and we got some real geeky treats in store for you, so read on, and know true horror. Did I say horror?  I meant magic… horrible, horrible magic.

Movies:

• I always lead with the Ryan Reynolds stories don’t I?  Well, to keep nerd-hope alive, Ryan Reynolds had some words about the Deadpool movie he shared with The LA Times (article here).  So maybe a Deadpool flick starring the actor isn’t completely out of the question….

• JOBLO has gotten their hands on some early concept art for the live-action Voltron pitch, and it looks….  Okay?  I kind of understand the yen to do some minor redesigns on iconic characters when they hit the big screen, but the nerd-rage over this will be heard from deep space.

Television:

• Got seventy grand and want to be the absolute envy of no one at all?  Get yourself an Aqua Teen Hunger Force hot air balloon.  You too can drift above, judging those below, while those below judge you as you and your Meatwad balloon right back.  Pick one up here!  Then file for Bankruptcy here!

Comics:

• OK, maybe this isn’t strictly a comic story, but it is an AWESOME one.  Six Flags Great Adventure is planning on installing a new roller coaster, called The Green Lantern, coming around the time of the film starring Ryan Reynolds.  Article here.

• This IS an actual comic book story, and an odd one at that.  According to Comic Book Resources.com.  In current continuity, Daredevil has become a bit of a prick and a crime-lord to boot.  And when the current arc, Shadowland, comes to an end, there will be a new Daredevil….  The Black Panther?  I’d make a joke about the transfer from the actual jungle to the urban jungle, but really…  I’m better than that…  Today, anyway.

Games:

• I know nothing about EVE Online, only that every once in a while, I read a story telling of how some genius/jackass makes away with thousands of real dollars in millions of pretend dollars.  I’m not sure how one translates into the other, but check out the article and see for yourself. (Source:  G4TV)

• Speaking of jackassery, Zynga, the folks behind the gaming-plague known as Farmville, are apparently a bunch of buttheads.  Surprised?

• On to much, much better news:  ICO and Shadow of the Colossus, two of the most beautiful and original games in recent memory will be getting the HD overhaul and heading to the Playstation 3.  (LINK)  In related news, does anyone have an extra Playstation 3? (From Destructoid.com)

• Maybe this is comic news, maybe this is gaming news, but it definitely is important news.  If you click on no other link, than click on THIS ONE, because there was a DOOM comic book put out in the 90’s. It is AWFUL and you HAVE to read it.  Be warned:  Awful, awful, awful and more awful.  Like worse than Maximum Carnage awful.

Miscellaneous Geek-ness:

Insanity Roll vs. Six Pack Abs:

“If you love MMOs, then you should check out Guild Wars 2.  If you hate MMOs then you should really check out Guild Wars 2.”

Their words.  For more words on why this is the case, we got to talk to several members of the design team.  First up was Jeff Grubb.  When asked why this quote was the case, he told us:  “We don’t play with a lot of the traditional MMO tropes.  We don’t have a dedicated healer class. Your ally falls, you can bring him back.  You don’t need a special ability.  If you like playing healer, or paying more in a support role, each profession has the ability to be supportive.”

Even more interesting, and very central to Guild Wars 2 is the idea of dynamic events.  “They are the way you encounter the world.”  Jeff told us,   “You don’t go up to somebody with a bang [exclamation point] over their head and get a mission to go attack centaurs.  You come over a rise and the centaurs are attacking a garrison.  If the centaurs take over the garrison, that kicks of a new event.  Now we need to retake the garrison.  If you retake it, that kicks of another event.  Someone in the garrison wants to go behind enemy lines and bring back some old weapons.  You do that and a vendor who sells these weapons.  So your actions have consequences.”

Another novel, if seemingly minor feature Jeff told us about was the  Personal Story. Said Jeff:  “You’re a human Elementalist, I’m a human Elementalist, but we don’t have the exact same story.  I grew up on the streets, you grew up a child of nobility…  You start off with these things and they set you on different paths.  And then, as you go along, you make more choices.  What Order do you support?  What groups will you join?”

All this is well and good, you may say, but what about the combat? “You spend a lot of time in combat in MMOs that’s more fun to watch than to participate in.”  Jeff said.  But in Guild Wars 2 that will not be the case, he told us.  “It’s very visceral…  You’re moving around–position matters.  You can roll out of the way of an attack.  That’s very action game-oriented…  We liked that, so we thought we’d bring it over, see how it plays, see what the effects are on the rest of our game.”

As for the PVP, something the first Guild Wars was very focused on, Jeff didn’t tell us much.  “We’re going to have an arena-style PVP and a world vs. world PVP, and that’s all we’re going to say about it right now.  Big reason?  We want to make sure we have it right before we show it to people.”

Everything about this game is impressive.  It boasts killer graphics; a stellar art style wonderfully incorporated into the gameplay experience in beautiful cut-scenes; and an exciting and challenging dynamic event system that stand out against the drudgery of the grind so many MMOs rely on.   There’s no release date for Guild Wars 2 at the moment, but you can expect a lot more coverage on the game in the coming months.

For a taste of the art and design of this game, check out the trailer below:

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On the MDP Forums, threads aren’t hidden inside folders inside folders, instead everything shows up in one giant feed in order of recent updates. Plus, all discussions you post and bookmark can be found with a press of a button. Hopefully this will facilitate actual conversation and not just people talking to themselves. We also have planned a lot of extra interactive content for the MDP Forums that will not be found on the proper MDP site.

But wait, there’s more!!! If you sign up now, there’s prizes…

While we were at PAX last weekend, we picked up a number of beta keys and t-shirts, and have decided to give them away to readers who join the forums.  All you have to do is register and make your first post.  Starting on September 20th, we’ll pick randomly pick one member each day to win their choice of the following:

• League of Legends PAX 2010 exclusive Jax skin
• LEGO Universe beta keys (5)
• Rift: Planes of Telara beta key
• End of Nations beta key
• Sword of the Stars: Ultimate Edition (full game w/ 2 expansion)
• Power Gig: Rise of the Six String t-shirts (2)
• Microsoft Expression t-shirt
• Rock Band 3 t-shirt
• Making History II t-shirt
• Firefall t-shirt
• Brink t-shirt

This will be the first of many giveaways that we will run on the site after covering a con, but you’ve got to be on the forums to enter.  So head on over and make your first post today!

Ladies and Gents,Your Week in Geek is back!  Once you’ve gotten a grip on yourself and controlled your  excited giggling, click the jump for the kind of news that puts the ‘eek’ in ‘week’…  and ‘geek’ too for that matter…  I didn’t really think that through…

Movies:

• Monsters is an upcoming no-budget sci-fi film that’s been getting quite a lot attention on the net.  A quick summary: Six years after a NASA probe carrying alien micro-organisms crashed landed in Mexico, half the country is an infected zone, populated by horrific lifeforms that the U.S. and Mexican military struggle to contain. The action centers around a journalist escorting a tourist through the nightmarish landscape. The teaser and a few more trailers are all available on Hulu.  If films like Cloverfield, The Host, or District 9 are in your wheelhouse, this offering looks to be right up your alley.  It comes out October 29th.

• Green Lantern hasn’t even hit theaters yet, but /Film is reporting that the writers have completed their treatment of a Flash movie and are now moving on to the inevitable sequel to Green Lantern.  If Super hero movies are on their way out (Hint:  They really aren’t), DC has clearly not gotten the message.  Good news?  Ask me after Green Lantern comes out.

• The entire internet leaked this photo earlier in the week, of someone who isn’t Chris Evans–presumably his stunt double–in full Captain America get-up.  It’s completely under-whelming.

• Deadline has broken the news that Stephen King’s The Dark Tower series will finally be getting adapted on to the screen.  The debate has been nerd-raging for a few years now as to whether the story would be better served as a run of movies or a television series, and the answer is unprecedented and AWESOME.   It’ll be both. A movie, directed by Ron Howard, a season of episodes, also directed by Ron Howard, another film, another season of television, and then a final movie.  This is ambitious on many levels, and I’m eager to see if this project is finally coming to a head.

Television:

• Not much to report, but you should check out this LA Times article that takes a look at the creative duo behind The Venture Bros.: Jackson Publick and Doc Hammer.   Also a trailer for season 4.5 is included in the article to make it truly worth your time.

Comics:

• Consider Marvel’s MAX imprint, the adult-rated, edgy, violent and profanity-laden publishing moniker.  Who better to be given the MAX treatment than the Punisher?  Well that already happened, so who else?  DEADPOOL, baby!  The Merc with a Mouth (as he must be referred to at least once in every article about the character) is joining the MAX line October 6th, and Newsarama has a very minimal sneak-peek for your perusal.  If it’s anything like Punisher MAX (in terms of quality, not necessarily content), this is entirely worth checking out next month.

Games:

• A writhing, horrid mass of gaming news burst forth from last weekend’s Penny Arcade Expo in Seattle.  Duke Nukem Forever (for reals this time, promise) was there and playable thanks to Gearbox software.  (Kotaku’s coverage here)  Dead Space 2 had a playable demo, and  Firefall, an impressive looking MMO-FPS from many former Blizzard employees was there.  And of course, the Portal 2 multiplayer demonstration has been widely reported (most importantly right here, by MDP writer Matt)

• Telltale Games, makers of Puzzle Agent, The Sam and Max series of games, Tales of Monkey Island and Strong Bad’s Cool Game for Attractive People, rolled out a big announcement:  Their next two projects will be adventure games based on some of the biggest movies released in the past thirty years.  Namely, Back to the Future and Jurassic Park.  Check back here next week for MDP’s interview with some of the creative team behind these forthcoming titles!

Miscellaneous Geek-ness:

• This may be the greatest commercial ever made:

After a brief, completely non-Starcraft-related hiatus, Your Week in Geek has come bounding back, bristling with the kind of geeky news so awesome and exciting it’ll wrinkle your new shirt.woot tee from fifty yards away.  (Please note that The Modern Day Pirates can claim no responsibility for damage done to either your shirt or yourself as a result of reading this spectacular column.)

Movies:

• A trailer for the forthcoming sci-fi movie Skyline is now available on Apple.com.  The movie centers around a group of friends who find themselves in the midst of a world-wide alien abduction.  Low budget, cool concept and a great trailer have given me high hopes for it.  The Brothers Strause don’t exactly have a stunning track record, (Alien Vs Predator: Requiem….  yeah)  but I’m pulling for them with this one.

• DC has been putting adapting a lot of their stuff into animated DVD format, and it’s no surprise that with their solid record–starting with the immortal Batman: The Animated Series– that these are absolutely worth a putting on your netflix queue.  The next to be released is called Superman/Batman: Apocalypse, (find the trailer here and the official and uninteresting site here)  and is based on Jeph Loeb’s similarly titled comics run.  For the record, the Wonder Woman and Green Lantern animated features were really, really good.  Superman/Batman: Public Enemies was mediocre at best, and this isn’t giving me chills.   I’ve yet to see Batman: Under the Red Hood, and all rumors point to the next few projects DC Animated will be producing to be another Green Lantern feature (excellent) and an adaptation of Batman: Year One and All-Star Superman, both of which rank among DC’s best comics in recent memory.  Those I’m excited for.

• I shouldn’t need to tell you this, but Scott Pilgrim vs. The World has arrived in theaters.  If you haven’t seen it yet, I hope you explode into a shower of coins.  Alright, maybe I don’t, but if the content of a site called The Modern Day Pirates, where we talk about social media, music, comics and video games constantly, falls into the realm of your interests, you are doing yourself a serious disservicet by not seeing this film AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.  Nerd up and go forth, minions!

Television:

• A holdover from Comic-con, and I apologize for missing this, and for the continued rant about DC’s animated productions, but there’s a video on youtube pertaining to the next actual animated series DC will be rolling out, called Young Justice.  It looks promising.  Again, DC really tends to knock these animated series’ out of the park, so high hopes indeed.  Also, the video can be found right here

Comics:

• This fits here more than in the Movies headline, but MORE DC NEWS FOR YOU:  A trailer has been released for the forthcoming DVD Secret Origin: The Story of DC Comics. The documentary is narrated by Ryan Reynolds, who is now officially DC’s bitch.  Sorry to everyone pulling for a Reynolds Deadpool reprisal, but that’s just not gonna happen now that he’s got that ring on his finger.

Games:

• A trailer has been released for Bioshock: Infinite, and it looks like the game series has finally succeeded in doing what the protagonists of the first two games tried so desperately to accomplish:  It got the hell out of Rapture.  This is a huge boon for the series, and if the trailer (find it at Kotaku.com) is any indication, quality will be consistent with the first two releases.   The release date is set for 2012, and frankly, it’s unfair to have to wait that long for something that looks this amazing.

• Duke Nukem Forever.  The title carries a heavy weight of broken promises and fourteen years of waiting.  Well if recent rumors are to be believed, the game has been picked up to be finally finished and released by Gearbox Software and Take-Two interactive, the folks behind the recent and fantastic new game Borderlands.  This sets expectations to be dangerously high for a game that literally reeks of disappointment.  We will apparently learn more at PAX, come early September.  (Original story from Kotaku.com)

• Lastly, someone from Kotaku.com has played the first thirty minutes of Fallout: New Vegas. In other news, I have added someone new to my “People I am Unreasonably and Painfully Jealous Of” list.  (Story here)

Miscellaneous:

• Mel Brooks has officially predicted the future.

Now what if I told you that new shoe technology has given us an alternative solution to this dilemma, as opposed to walking around with nasty bare feet all day?  Too good to be true?  False.  The company Vibram has created a line of footwear call Five Fingers which allows the user to feel as though they are barefoot, while still maintaining the protection from the environment that wearing shoes provides.  Think of it more as a toe sock with a sole.  That’s right; it’s a shoe that has toes!   Rather incredible to look at.  There is nothing but a thin (2-7 mm) rubber sole between you and the ground.  This enables the foot to flex while running, walking, or whatever you choose to do in them.  This also means that it becomes very dangerous to plant most of our weight on our heel as we are forced to with traditional shoes.  Instead of the heel, most of the weight is placed on the arch of the foot.  Miraculously, the arch coupled with the ankle, and knee, are the best set of shock absorbers to date.  A slightly bent leg absorbs much more shock and does less damage to the body compared to a straight, locked knee.  Read on to hear about my experience switching over to these new shoes:

I have been running in my Five Fingers for over 6 months and have yet to develop any sort of running related injury where as in the past I would have to take a few days to a few weeks off of training due to unexplained pain in my foot or leg.  The ability to train for months on end has been the best thing about these “shoes”.  I am faster, feel better, and have more endurance than ever before.

Vibram has many models of the Five Fingers.  The most popular model the is the KSO (Keep Stuff Out).  It utilizes a Velcro strap to literally keep stuff out and keep the shoe on.  I have been using this for running until today, when I upgraded to the running model, Bikila.  Here’s my review:

So I got the latest and greatest pair of “footy” shoes from www.citysports.com a few days ago.  All I can say is wow.  Not only are these the most comfortable things that I’ve ever had on my feet, but they actually STAY on my feet! Vibram has incorporated more of a “sole” design into the Bikila model which provides more cushioning for the runner than their previous models. Please note that there is still zero arch or any kind of other support, just added cushioning that allows the runner to have a more springy step whilst still being able to feel the ground and use the inner muscles of the foot. Honestly, it feels like I’m carrying around a rubber track on the bottom of my feet…and that’s when running on concrete. There is also a  polyurethane arch cushion which prevents rocks from impacting the oh so delicate arch. Great additions.

The first thing that I noticed when putting on the Bikilas is that there was little or no break-in period. I didn’t have to jam my toes into their respective slots, nor did my pinky toe feel smashed like it did when I first tried on the KSOs. Maybe this is because my feet were already used to how FiveFingers are supposed to feel, but either way, the “shoe” was significantly easier to get on my foot. This was partially due to a larger ankle opening. I fact, the entire opening is looser and more comfortable. Hell, the entire inside of the shoe feels like a velvet carpet that Aladdin could ride around Arabia! Its great! The looser ankle design allows for more comfort around the ankle as well as less pressure on the Achilles tendon, producing an even more natural running feel. The strap on the forefront of the foot is where things get awesome.

You may be thinking, “If the ankle is looser, how does this thing stay on my foot?” I have no clue, but it just does. The toe portion of the shoe fits much more snugly that the KSOs ever did. Uncomfortable? Not at all. Remember kids, the whole inside of the shoe feels like Aladdin’s carpet. The extra hug that the balls and toes of the shoe give to your feet is a much welcome one. The strap on the Bikilas (unlike the KSOs) provides no arch support and no pressure on the tendon, and is only there to make sure the thing stays snug around the front portion of the foot. With these features combined, you foot does not seem to slip and slide (ouch!) around the inside of the shoe. At high speeds in the KSOs, my foot would slip and I would feel both unstable and afraid to run any longer. Conversely, with the Bikilas, there is ZERO slip at a full sprint. I have absolute confidence in my foot. I would compare the Bikilas to a sports car shoe. Great for everything, both slow or fast. I have yet to put them through any serious cornering, but the few turns that I did take in them felt great.

I’ve been waiting for a shoe design like this for years. No more foot or leg pain. No need to take days or weeks off of training to heal from a running related injury. For those of you who own a pair of FiveFingers, you know what I’m talking about. For those of you who don’t, I highly recommend investing in a pair. Avid runners, it will change the way you run forever. Not so avid runners, it will improve your over all posture, strengthen your feet, and you’ll never have foot pain again!

I hope you join me in the bareofoot running movement!

Your Week in Geek rolls on to another round-up of important news, events and awesome stuff pulled from the pages of the internets, and distilled for you here into a fine, nutritious and delicious paste.   Seeing as this is the third week of this column, it just might  qualify as the most consistent thing I’ve ever done with my life!

Movies:

• Comic-Con wrapped up on Sunday, and the last day is usually light on the big news releases.  On the other hand there was a release of a few minutes of footage from the upcoming Thor movie…

I hope you caught it when it was online, because good luck finding it now, suckers!

Television:

• A big announcement about….  Aw the hell with it.  You guys know Starcraft 2 came out this week right?

If anyone needsme, there’s Zerg that to kill, and Koreans on Battle.net chomping at the bit to embarrass me in multiplayer.  Your Week in Geek will return next week with some actual news worth reporting…

Maybe.

Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to another (day-late) round of Your Week in Geek.  San Diego Comic-Con is in full-swing as of Thursday, and a mother-load of potentially jaw-dropping-ly, world-shatteringly awesome nerd news has been dropped so far this weekend.  As such, you can consider this week’s roundup to be but the tip of the veritable nerdy iceberg, poised to sink the metaphorical Titanic that is your free time, extra spending money, and social skills when the awesome stuff announced this weekend is released to the general public.

The San Diego Comic-Con has grown exponentially.  What started as just that—a comic convention—has now become the launching pad for any and every geeky medium’s major announcements: books, movies, television, comics, video games and even music.  So, as you can imagine, for a newly minted and ambitious column like Your Week in Geek, covering everything that’s been announced in the first two days of the international nerd-gasm that is SDCC is not entirely unlike me trying to paint the Sistine Chapel with a bic pen.

Especially since Brandon wouldn’t spring for me to fly out and cover the event first-hand!  (I mean REALLY, it’d only be like fifteen hundred for the weekend.  Sigh.)

Enough with the diatribe, on with the news!

Movies:

• Gonna start off on a similar note as last time:  Cool movie images for this week include a shot of Mjollnir and Thor from the folks at Marvel:

• Rainn Wilson, Nathan Fillian, Ellen Page, Liv Tyler and Kevin Bacon are the stars of an upcoming super-hero comedy Super. According to Gunn it’ll be a “an effed up, low-rent Watchmen.”  Mr. Gunn, I am intrigued by your premise, excited about the stellar cast, and will be seeing this one opening weekend. (via firstshowing.net)

• I loved Grindhouse.  Loved it.  Especially the fake trailers.  Especially the fake trailer for Machete.  When I heard that they were going to go ahead and actually make Machete¸ I was ecstatic.  When I saw this red band trailer over at IGN.com, I kind of lost it a little bit.  (again:  RED BAND TRAILER.  Totally Not Safe for Work)

• Finally, both some good news and some bad news from Joss Whedon, regarding The Avengers. The bad news?   Nathan Fillion will not be taking up the role of Ant-Man.  I am suitably heartbroken.  The good news?  The movie will directly deal with just how ridiculous a group the Avengers really are.  In Joss’s own words:

“It just really just goes back to the very first incarnation of The Avengers. It goes to The Ultimates, it goes to everything about it. It makes no sense, it’s ridiculous. There’s a thunder god, there’s a green “ID” giant rage monster, there’s Captain America from the 40s, there’s Tony Stark who definitely doesn’t get along with anybody. Ultimately these people don’t belong together and the whole movie is about finding yourself from community. And finding that you not only belong together but you need each other, very much. Obviously this will be expressed through punching but it will be the heart of the film.”

Find video and text of the interview at io9.com.

Television:

• Chuck has been on shaky ground for a while, in terms of ratings, but it’s coming back for one more go at least. It would seem that the next season will be continuing the shows streak of fantastic geeky guest stars, as well, with none other than Linda Hamilton.  When Scott Bakula took on the role of Chuck’s father, it set a pretty high bar for a great guest star to step in as his still unrevealed mother.  Getting Sarah Connor herself, though, is a stroke of genius.  (via Los Angeles Times online)

• I don’t really follow Family Guy, but their recent Star Wars spoofs were quite good.  When McFarlane and company debuted a short taste of their forthcoming Return of the Jedi episode, they admitted to having no interest in spoofing the prequel trilogy.  (story via The Hollywood Reporter)

• The folks at io9.com also have a write-up of the pilot for NBC’s new superhero drama The Cape.  Should be interesting…  The costume is kind of cringe-worthy.

Comics:

• So the only really interesting bit of comics-related news I could scrounge up from the Comic-con news onslaught was that Vertigo comics, publishers of such stellar lines as Y: The Last Man, Fables, Preacher and The Sandman, have announced a slew of new titles.  The Unwritten, American Vampire, Sweet Tooth, and iZombie are all slated as upcoming titles from the publisher.  They have a lot to live up to, that’s for sure.  (Newsarama)

Games:

• If you’re at all interested in the upcoming game Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions, in which players can control four separate versions of the iconic character in four separate and distinct universes, Kotaku.com has a slew of news stories, including a hands-on preview, and a look at the store-exclusive costumes.  I’m not sold on this one yet, Spider-man’s console adventures have a shaky track record at best, but the game has a damn cool idea behind it, and if pulled off well, could be well worth the time and money.

• Scott Pilgrim vs. The World is getting an appropriately 16-bit, side scrolling beat-em-up game released on Playstation Network and Xbox Live.  For a taste of what’s coming, head over to IGN for some video.

Miscellaneous:

• When I saw this custom Transformer, my inner-child just about burst through my ribcage in a fit of nostalgic glee.  Yes, that’s a giant robot (gestalt or combiner in Transformers lingo) made from the Dinobots.  It’s name is the delicious icing on the nerd-cake:  Extinction.  Yes, it’s not canon, but it kicks so much ass it really ought to be.  There are more pics at Seibertron.com, and you should absolutely check them out.

Movies:

• The first official picture of Ryan Reynolds as the Green Lantern has been released.

It looks expensive.  And Green.

• Kevin Bacon has been cast as the yet-undisclosed villain in the forthcoming X-Men First Class.  (Geeks of Doom)

• Most importantly!  Inception is out today.  If you’ve never allowed Christopher Nolan to blow your mind for two hours, this looks like a great place to start.  Trust me, it doesn’t sound nearly as filthy as I’ve made it out to be.

Television:

• Liveforfilm.com has a great side-by-side comparison of the cast for the upcoming TV series based on Robert Kirkman’s utterly fantastic The Walking Dead. Everything I see, hear and read about this show gets me more and more excited. The above image is no exception.   The show is set to be released in October on AMC, and the first few episodes will be directed by Frank Darabond.

Books and Comics:

• Scott Pilgrim Vol 6: Scott Pilgrim’s Finest Hour will be released Tuesday, July 20^th.  The final chapter in the series, geeks, nerds and hipsters everywhere will be descending into joy-induced spasms, which should subside just in time for the feature film’s release, August 16^th.

• Brian Clevinger, creator of the webcomic 8-Bit Theater, and author of Atomic Robo (MDP Review of vol 1 & 2 here), will be writing an on-going Captain America series entitled “The Fighting Avenger,” which will look into the formative years of Marvel’s first super-soldier during World War 2.  The first issue will be released this January.

Games:

• Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies for the DS came out this week.  I should be getting my copy in a couple hours—my jones for a well-made, old school JRPG has reached a fever pitch and this is just the fix I need.  A review is, of course, forthcoming.

• Blizzard released the system requirements for Starcraft 2.  They don’t look too brutal.  I won’t list them here, but check them out at Tomshardware.com

• Via Destructoid.com:  There will be no Brutal Legend 2 (article).  I enjoyed Brutal Legend, flawed as it was.  It was fun, funny and the soundtrack rocked harder than the mountains of skulls that marked the landscape of the game—which by the way, was also incredibly metal.  If you never played it, you essentially drove a hot rod around a world every inch of which looked like the cover to a Dio album, and killed things with an axe while listening to Three Inches of Blood, Motorhead, Skeleton Witch and Judas Priest.  It was a love letter to heavy metal, and while the RTS system seemed a bit half-baked, I had high hopes for a sequel.

Back in February, Brandon and Amanda wrote pieces on the five books that shaped their life.  Since I spent Sunday’s Do Nothing But Read Day decidedly not reading while attending a Weird Al concert (which was awesome), I feel I should pay homage to the books that made me who I am today:

Jurassic Park

So for the hundredth time on this website, I’m calling out Jurassic Park as the defining novel of my generation.  If you are in your mid-20s, and you did not read this book at an age way too young to be reading Michael Crichton novels, then you seriously missed out.  Reading Jurassic Park at age 8 taught me that adult books were awesome, and that I shouldn’t be afraid to read above my age level.

It also imparted the important lesson that the book is almost always better than the movie.  So many great moments where left out of that film!  Dr. Wu giving much more detailed explanations of the science behind the cloning (in Chrichton fashion), Old man Hammond dying on the hill, and we were even led to believe that Ian Malcolm did not survive (his fate is revealed in the novel The Lost World).

The Far Side Gallery 2

Followed by many, many more books filled with Gary Larson’s timeless single-panel cartoon, the first compilation I got was The Far Side Gallery 2.  At some point between the seventh or eighth grade, being turned on to this comic strip was one of the defining influences of my sense of humor.

Dave Barry Turns 40

Picked straight off of my parents’ bookshelf at age 10, I think they must have given me a strange look when I decided to read the humorous musings of a now-middle-aged man.  The only “forbidden book” on the shelf was Howard Stern’s Private Parts, though, so this one was fair game.  I already covered The Far Side, but being as I feel my sense of humor is my defining personality trait, I owe Dave some credit as well.  Whereas Gary Larson spun everything into the absurd, Dave Barry has a knack for looking at the mundane aspects of our daily life and pointing out the ridiculousness involved.

Barry writes in a conversational tone, and where his stories truly influenced me was in learning how to make people laugh without having to resort to vulgarity of violence.  If I could recommend one other book of his, it would be Dave Barry Slept Here: A Sort of History of the United States, where he writes an entire history book of our country seemingly off the top of his head, and inserts ridiculous humor wherever he can’t remember a fact.

For those of you who have never read any Dave Barry, I’ll leave you one quote I randomly just pulled from Dave Barry Turns 40: “Our old grill rusted out. It was your basic model, the kind where you put your charcoal in, you lit it, you noticed about an hour later that the charcoal had gone out, and you ordered a pizza. It gave us many years of good service.”

Stephen Biesty’s Cross Sections: Man-Of-War

Getting my hands on this book probably had a huge part in turning me into an engineer.  This is not a novel, but a large hardcover book that page by page, slices the decks off of an 18th-century British warship.  With each further deck, the reader is able to see more and more of what goes on inside areas of the ship.  Biesty accompanies the great visuals with some excellent descriptions, making the book rather educational.  Being able to take something so incomprehensibly large to me and gain an understanding the function of every last piece and person sparked in me a desire to know how things work.  That intellectual curiosity definitely put me on the path I am today.

D’Aulaires’ Book of Greek Myths / The Chronicles of Narnia series

Ok that’s more than five books now, so I’m a cheater!  D’Aulaires’ Book of Greek Myths is one of the first books I can ever remember owning. It was so long ago that I am not certain at what age it first came into my possession.  This book is a very kid-friendly large print, with big beautiful pictures to help depict each of the Greek myths.  I later went on to read works by Joseph Campbell and Edith Hamilton, but the d’Aulaires took an impressionable young child and taught him how cool a fantasy setting could be.  Yes, I know, most young boys don’t need any assistance in thinking that dragons and mythical beasts are awesome, but I believe this compilation of myths primed my mind for reading fantasy novels as I would grow up, the next of which would be The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe.

Being that I was reading Michael Crichton and Dave Barry around this same age I discovered Narnia, I was in all likelihood ready to read The Lord of the Rings, but I was simply unaware of its existence for many years still.  Instead, I discovered The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe in a small bookstore in Myrtle Beach, SC while on vacation.  The book gave me a taste of the long form fantasy epic, and I loved it.  From being raised on those myths and fables, I gobbled up this new picturesque universe, and before we left on that vacation, I had the entire 7-book box set.  These books are responsible for making me the geek I am today!

The personalized mouse ears. The Mickey-shaped ice cream. Meeting Mickey, Minnie and all their friends for the first time.  Everyone remembers some element of their first trip to Disney World, even if their first trip was when they were only 3 or 4 years old.  However a lot of people are of the opinion that they don’t need to re-visit Disney World until they have a 3- or 4-year-old child of their own to take with them. 

Since the opening of the Magic Kingdom in October 1971, Disney World has expanded in astounding amounts with the addition of Epcot in 1982, Disney’s Hollywood Studios in 1989, and Disney’s Animal Kingdom in 1998; thereby making Disney World four worlds in one. This doesn’t even include the two water parks (Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon), Downtown Disney area (complete with restaurants, shopping and Disney’s own Cirque Du Soliel show La Nouba), golf courses, spas, and wide variety of resorts (from value to luxury) that are right within the Disney property.  Disney World has come a long way since 1971 in both size and technology, and offers so much for young adults traveling without kids that it is worth a visit or two without children to reminisce old Disney memories while making new ones.

(1) Thrill Rides That Are Actually Thrilling!

Dubbed the big three mountains you needed to conquer in the Magic Kingdom, Space Mountain (1975), Big Thunder Mountain Railroad (1979) and Splash Mountain (1992) were, for many years, the only thrill rides/roller coasters that Disney had to offer patrons. In comparison to other theme parks such as Six Flags Great Adventure (offering rides such as The Great American Scream Machine and Batman: The Ride) and Busch Gardens Williamsburg (with roller coaster thrill favorites such as Alpengeist and Loch Ness Monster), these rides, while still beloved classics, didn’t add up on the “thrill” front many amusement park goers were craving. While each have been updated and renovated over the years, many argue that Disney did not truly break into the thrill ride sector until Disney’s Hollywood Studios opened the Twlight Zone Tower of Terror in 1994 (a free-falling elevator ride that plummets riders down, and back up, and back down again, at varying intervals and speeds) and Rock’n’Roller Coaster starring Aerosmith in 1999 (a looping roller coaster that accelerates riders from 0 to 60 miles per hour in 2.8 seconds).  Epcot also got in the thrill ride mix and opened Test Track in 1999, which is currently Disney World’s fastest attraction that puts the rider in the role of a crash test dummy on a General Motors test track.  In 2006, Animal Kingdom proudly opened Expedition Everest, an elaborately themed roller coaster that zips riders front wards and backwards at speeds between 30 and 50 mph through the Himalayan mountains as they try to escape the fearsome Yeti.  With height requirements that most children under the age of 8 cannot meet, these rides were designed with thrill-seeking adults in mind; quite a change of pace from It’s A Small World!

(2) Disney Imagineers Utilize Technology in the Most Magical of Ways

If thrills aren’t your thing, Disney offers newer, flashier, “tame” rides as well.  3D has been an exploding trend among those simply buying televisions, and Disney World has taken this technology and put people right in the middle of it with Toy Story Midway Mania, an interactive ride at Disney’s Hollywood Studios that debuted in 2008. Riders don 3D glasses and play carnival games among all their Toy Story favorites. Wait times can still exceed over 2 ½ hours, even two years after the debut of this attraction, due to its popularity among visitors.  Simulators have come a long way at Disney World as well; Soarin’ (2005) and Mission: Space (2003) at Epcot both champion the simulator sector at both parks, allowing visitors to “fly” over various cities or blast off into space, respectively.

(3) Golf, Tennis and Spas—oh my!

6 hard tennis courts, 2 clay tennis courts, 5 golf courses and 3 full-service spas await you right on Disney property.  Amenities that are generally dubbed “boring” by younger children, these areas of Disney world offer children-free environments for a different kind of relaxation; leave the screaming kids on line for Dumbo in Magic Kingdom’s Fantasyland.  After a relaxing day, eat to your heart’s content.  Epcot’s World Showcase, Downtown Disney MarketPlace, Downtown Disney West Side, and a wide variety of the luxury resorts (such as the Grand Floridian) offer visitors specialty sit-down dining establishments devoid of character greetings with finer fare than your typical amusement park cheeseburger and Coke.  Book your dining reservations well in advance of your trip (up to 90 days ahead); those working at Disney Dining aren’t kidding when they tell you that restaurant reservations fill up fast.

(4) Get Your Drink On

Epcot’s World Showcase boasts eleven countries for visitors to walk around to get a taste of eleven different cultures.  Set up conveniently in a circular pavilion, visitors can either start in Mexico or Canada and work their way around all eleven to make sure all are experienced.  Young adults have turned this into a way to experience specialty alcoholic beverages from all eleven of these countries as they “drink around the world.”  From margaritas in Mexico to sake in Japan, you’ll truly get a sampling of worldly beverages without having to take more than a few steps between countries.  Visit Epcot in the fall and experience the International Food and Wine Festival, another great way to sample exotic cuisines and specialty wines from around the world.

(5) Go Behind the Scenes

Disney World offers a variety of backstage tours to guests, allowing them to see just how the Disney magic runs and operates on a daily basis.  Depending on how much time and money you are willing to spend visitors can choose from a variety of backstage touring options, such as a 6-hour tour that showcases everything from Disney’s famed Audio-Animatronic figures to the legendary underground “Utilidor” tunnel system, or a simple 1-hour “Behind the Seeds” tour through the greenhouses in Epcot’s Living with the Land pavilion that provide vegetables for restaurants used throughout the Disney World property. As adults, you’ll appreciate not only the magic itself but just how the magic is made; this type of knowledge is never something children are interested in experiencing.

Have your own ideas/suggestions on ways adults can re-experience Disney World before they take their own kids?  Post ‘em below!

Unfortunately I haven’t gotten this one out of my skull for two weeks. It’s still hilarious, yet annoying and ridiculous at the same time.

For the record I’m not a fan of “GoDaddy” commercials. They are usually on the semi-sexist side, tasteless, uncreative, and upon viewing them I’ve never felt compelled to log on to the web hosting site and see what it’s all about.

But then, I saw this one…

Granted, it won 3rd place in their commercials contest, but I’ll attribute that to the lack of boob-age in it. It’s just a comical overweight black man singing about setting up an online store for his produce shop – funny, clever and catchy. How could you go wrong?

Yet when she explains to mopey adult Jacob that he is the one to replace her, I believe her. She said it was always supposed to be him, she just did not know it at the time.  It would seem that the innate goodness in Jacob is what the island was craving in a custodian.  The Man in Black was the first person to exploit the power of the island and it would seem that the “light” of the island could see that coming.

Did anyone else find it odd that after Claudia drank the liquid “mother” gave her she instantly began speaking English?  How much easier for Jin would this whole series have been if Jacob gave him a glass of that magic juice?  Claudia only picked one name, seriously?  Is there any chance The Man in Black’s name is actually “Brother”?

Richard has always been an enigma on the island.  What made him eternal?  Why was he Jacob’s right hand?  How did he get to the island?  All questions answered tonight.  Richard does not age because he asked Jacob to make it so he would never die.  Richard was important to Jacob because he convinced Jacob that someone needed to act as a balance to the “Man in Black”.  Richard got to the island because Jacob brought him there on the “Black Rock”.

The Smoke Monster/Man in Black/Un-Locke/My Friend/Man-in-Locke is evil according to Jacob.  While Jacob is evil according to Smokey.  Smokey told Richard that Jacob is the devil (which is true if you watch Supernatural) and sent him on a mission to slay Lucifer.  I am fairly certain that the knife Smokey gave to Richard was the same knife that Sayid used on My Friend and later Dogan’s interpreter.

Neither Smokey or Jacob is the devil.  That settled, Jacob was The Man in Black’s jailer and with him dead the Smoke Monster may soon be free to roam about the world.  Which would be disastrous considering how many people would bow down and pray to an eternal being made of smoke.  Think of how many pyramids My Friend would have built in his honor.  At the very least he would have ton of followers on Twitter.

I guess this episode proved that Richard does not belong in the real world.  Richard had no flash sideways because Richard does not exist without the island.

Illana was told Richard would have the answers and I hope for the sake of everyone on the island that he finds them soon.  I am fairly certain that Hurley was told by Jacob and not Isabella that Richard was to stop the Man in Black from leaving the island but that does not make the request any less important or valuable.

It would seem as the though the candidates, Richard, Illana, Frank, and Ben should meet up with Widmore on Hydra Island.  Though based off what we learned in this episode the Smoke Monster is truly eternal and cannot be killed.

The captain of the Black Rock was Magnus Hanso and you can bet that he is related to Alvar Hanso who happened to be the financial backer of the Dharma Initiative.  Why did Richard allow for the complete genocide of the Dharma Initiative?  Why did Richard call for the murder of the US soldiers in the 1950′s? Jacob is a hands off deity but if Richard thought he was going to hell for one murder he should have at least had a second thought or two about killing dozens.

Who created the rules of the island?  Why is it that the Man in Black could not kill Jacob?  If the island is a prison for Smokey, I doubt it has any real power to create rules.  Therefore, who is Jacob’s boss?

Feel Free to check out more of random musings on Sensyden’s Sounding Board @ sensyden.blogspot.com

I thought the dog was dead and I respected the creative staff of Caprica for having the courage to kill such a cute dog on TV.  I will admit, however, that I was more than happy to see the dog was not dead, dead dogs bum me out.