The Internet is a big industry now, and so many companies and individuals have money to spend on an excellent web hosting provider but wind up choosing the wrong one. The truth is that there are a lot of fly-by-night web hosting providers, who scam you.
Thankfully, a site like WebHostingRating.com has compiled the web hosting rating for each major company like Bluehost, InMotion Hosting, Globat, and others.
You can see which hosting plan and features best serve your needs, from best forum hosting, best Unix hosting, best blog hosting, and much more.
So if you are dissatisfied with your current web hosting company, be sure to read the web hosting articles, reviews, and rankings.
Angel Jimenez reviews Star Wars The Clone Wars Movie
Guest Blogger: Angel Jimenez rips Star Wars
If George Lucas had any respectability left as a creative genius, it was all lost this week as critics have seen the stink-fest called The Clone Wars. I am ashamed to say that all of Lucas's previous bad movies were somewhat enjoyable to me- especially after a 6-pack and a [Edited] on a Friday night.
But this movie? A clone a clone of a clone? This rehash (didn't we see this on the Cartoon Network) is trying to fill a story gap when there simply was no opening. The "movie" flows like a PlayStation 3 video game- lightsaber battles, generic dialog, and kid-funny moments. This is not an epic story. In fact, this story did not have to be told at all.
Can you say straight to DVD? Actually-can you say: it should have been put on StarWars.com for FREE? They hired a John Williams clone. They hired clones of the original voice actors. Pale imitations. Made in Singapore.
Yes folks this is the new George Lucas, although the old one was overrated. too. Post-Jedi, all of his films have been all style with no substance. The script is loaded with baby-talk that would offend and disgust even his most loyal 35-year old GEEKS.
Look, nobody cares anymore. We've seen the Storm Troopers miss thousands of times now. There's nothing new here. The new Soul Calibur video game probably has more depth than this movie. The fight scenes take up the bulk of the running time.
Yes, nostalgia is a big seller. It worked for the 2nd trilogy from the sales end (NOT the quality end). Yet this CGI monster never feels like a Star Warsmovie (not that they were any good, but still...) The opening crawl is replaced by a voice over, and no one says "I have a bad feeling about this." Thetheme song has been forgotten, replaced by a new electric guitar beat that feels from a 1998 toy commercial.
The landscapes are straight out of a developer's PC game application. The characters are stiff, like 1990's video game home systems. They look like wooden puppets. In other words, the CGI is overrated.
Crap. Crap. Crap. Batman & Robin class. At least the "Star Wars Holiday Special"- previously regarded as the worst spin-off in the Star Wars universe- had some... charm. You will long for the ill-fated Ewok series.
Yeah, I know the routine- I bash a movie and DailySkew people like Vahl and Dark Truths are going to see it with their kids, and come back and tell Damian "It wasn't that bad".
"It wasn't that bad."
Yeah, right.
Yeah, for a 5-year old. A 5-year old that can't distinguish quality when he or she smells it. It's more of a marketing scheme than anything else.
True Star Wars fans will realize that Lucas is marketing the new franchise and TV series to KIDS. These 30+ men will feel old, and that all that data and trivia that they stored in their memory banks is...useless.
Go ahead..see it. We're in a recession, but you just HAVE to pay to see this train wreck of a movie, which currently has a 22% rating on RT. Feed your addiction. Maybe, you just may move BEYOND Star Wars and file it away like a childhood toy, which is all it really was.
My wife's dream car is the Volkswagen New Beetle. So I was looking around for used cars, and found a great review site called Auto123.com. The site is loaded with REAL reviews from journalists and consumers. You can search for any car- new or used- and see all of the car specifications, ratings, photos, overviews, comparisons, and even shop and price.
The review for the 2007 New Beetle was 100% honest, as the reviewer covered all the positives and negatives, which I will keep in mind when shopping online.
Auto123.com is having a contest called Drive, Rate and Fly contest where you can win a free vacation. All you have to do is rate and evaluate your vehicle and join the online car community.
Blaze Media Pro Multimedia Software: video and audio converter
Finally, the all-in-one video and audio converter is here: Blaze Media Pro. It's sleek, simple to use, and all-encompassing for all your audio and video needs. I highly recommend this program because of the smooth interface and multiple options. It is perfect for remixing songs, music, and video. You can make your own music video. It's great for professional use or hobbies.
How about:
Audio, video, and CD, DVD, VCD, and SVCD burning and copying.
Video capture, video creation, combining, extraction, video editing, audio and video merge (joining), MusicID audio recognition, lyrics search, audio tag editing, and much more.
Video frames can be extracted to images files.
Don't worry about if your favorite format isn't supported. Download the free trial and see for yourself: CD, MP3, WAV, WMA, OGG, MPEG-4, AIFF, M4A, AAC, AC3, FLAC, and ALAC, and two-way conversions with MPEG-1, MPEG-2, AVI, WMV, ASF, Flash (SWF and FLV), iPod, PSP, 3GP, and MOV.
Tired of not being able to work with AVI files? Well this software can work with all AVI files (uncompressed and compressed using codecs), MPEG-1, MPEG-2, WMV, and ASF.
You can also delete frames and selections, crop, resize, rotate, mirror, flip, trim, text overlay, adjust audio volume
Finally, thanks to ConsumerPriceWatch.net, anyone who is trying to avoid getting scammed can find out the 10 best diet pills. This website has taken all the guesswork out of it by rating the major diet pills with the following criterion: Value, Ingredient Quality, Customer Feedback, Safety,Company Reputation, Reorder Rates, Customer Service, Product Sensation, Packaging, Long-Term Benefits, Product Convenience, and Weight-Loss Potential.
Did you ever hear of the weight loss pill called 7-DFBX? Have you ever wondered if it really is possible to Lose 17 pounds in 7 days? Well, ConsumerPriceWatch.net found that taking 7-DFBX along with a Smart Carb diet that it did happen. 7-DFBX contains a blend of Natural Detoxifying ingredients that promote weight loss by flushing toxins out from our bodies.
I definitely recommend that you check out their site so you can see the reviews yourself. In addition to ranking the Top Ten best diets pills they searched the Internet for the lowest price diet pills.
Well, after my disappointing Final Crisis #1 review, I got my hands on Final Crisis #2, written once again by icon Grant Morrison and drawn by the capable JG Jones. Going in reading this comic with ZERO expectations, I'd like to say I was pleasantly surprised, but once again I have to scratch my head how DC would allow the pacing and confusion of the Event of the Year to continue for 2 months now. YES, it was better...but not by much.
Yes, it was an easier read this time. since I know what's going on (thanks to all of the comments I received last month for readers explaining everything to me, panel by panel), but ultimately, Issue 2 is still a setup issue with questionable time devoted to obscure or new characters.
It seems like the real word is much more exciting than FINAL CRISIS.
Anyway, it wasn't THAT bad this time...things are a bit clearer, and it's clear that the heroes have NO chance of winning this fight (not joking). (Of course, I don't know for sure if these heroes are from the main DC Earth yet....)
Okay, on with the story:
The cover features The Flash. Last issue said that Barry Allen was returning. Kind of bait and switch. Barry returns on the LAST PAGE.
The first 10 pages...to tell you the truth, I had to look at the cover again to make sure I was reading DC's FINAL CRISIS...the first 10 pages featured previously unseen or VERY obscure (more likely) Japanese super-heroes. I guess DC never explored how different Japanese heroes would be in 2008. We see how the culture is 100% different than ours. Heck, this would make a great comic series by Morrison. The only problem is...WHAT THE HECK IS IT DOING HERE? The 10 pages led up to Mister Miracle (not Scott Free) in a human avatar's body recruit a Japanese hero. Again...this should have been one page at most.
Page 11 shows the fallen Monitor trying to live as a human in a fast food joint. He seems to have some memories of his previous life, and is drawing them.
The next two pages show hard nosed DanTurpin, the detective, beating the Mad Hatter to the brink of death to find out who is killing kids. The Hatter points him to Bludhaven.
We then have a one page funeral with the JLA for the Martian Manhunter. Superman with a great line: "And we pray for a resurrection."
The next two pages show the bad guys, and how Luthor doesn't want to follow Libra. Some villains want to follow Libra, since he put the Human Flame on the map by killing the Manhunter. Luthor wants Libra to hurt Superman for real proof.
The next 8 pages (the middle of the story) show the JLA and an Alpha Lantern investigating the death of Orion. The Alpha Lanterns are the Green Lanterns' superior officers and more rude, mean, and arrogant than the blue Guardians ever were.
Jon Stewart comes close to finding the bullet that killed Orion. The bullet is 50 years old! Another Lantern turns on Jon and tries to kill or blind him.
The Alpha Lanterns place Hal Jordan under arrest for Jon's attempted murder. (I think.)
I think that the Alpha Lantern female is possessed because she atacks Batman, and throws him in a boom tube for a plaything for Granny [Goodness].
The next three pages have Dan Turpin investigating in Bludhaven. Glorius Godfrey (in an Al Sharpton/Don King/Reverend Wright human avatar) treats Turpin like he's Darkseid's human avatar by showing him the tour of Granny's torture and slave chambers. By now, we all know that the New Gods have human avatars, but Turpin was not Darkseid's avatar last issue, so this was a little confusing. Batman is being tortured here.
The next two pages are at the Daily Planet, with the usual cast of Superman's supporting characters. Jimmy Olsen is Clayface in disguise and blows up the top floors. Lois Lane looks dead (like the scene from Jim Krueger and Alex Ross' JUSTICE series) and Clark Kent's clothes are torn off to reveal his Superman costume. This was a shock and the best scene of this comic.
The next two pages show Wally West and Jay Garrick investigating where Martian Manhunter was killed. They have come to the conclusion that the bullet traveled backwards through time (an awesome Morrison idea) to kill him. (This links the murders of Orion and Manhunter.)
The last page has Barry Allen and the Black Racer appearing and warning them to "RUN!"
The Good Things are picking up. I feel a lot more confident that issues 1 and 2 were setups, and issue 3 will be very dramatic and exciting. I feel the mystery and see some clues. The Daily Planet explosion was awesome, as was the fact that the HEROES HAVE NO CHANCE OF WINNING THIS TIME.
The Bad Too many pages on those Japanese heroes. I hate the Alpha Lanterns. I'm still confused...I thought I had a PhD in Comic Books, but a lot this is over my head, still. Compare this series to Marvel's SECRET INVASION, and SI is may more accessible to an average fan.
The Ugly FINAL CRISIS is self-contained and has nothing to do with COUNTDOWN TO FINAL CRISIS or THE DEATH OF THE NEW GODS. It looks like Morrison's private playground. In many ways, these first two issues were a waste of money, since it's all a setup.
FINAL CONCLUSION Better than Issue 1. I'm ready for some action now. I'm starting to feel excited. Morrision is like fine wine...you gotta let him sink in, and reread it a few times. I'm 100% sure by the next 2 issues, my reservations and complaints will be irrelevant. I just have to question how DC let these 1st two issues be so unusual. It's not like me to complain about pacing, mysteries, or Grant Morrison, but All-Star Superman and Morrison's JLA were perfect, and was hoping for that here. For DC's most-hyped series since INFINITE CRISIS, I was expecting..well, INFINITE CRISIS, which had super-action and continuity in every issue. Anyway, I feel better about FINAL CRISIS. Still not enough to lend my issues to my DailySkew partner Tony Vahl, though. YES, there WILL be a payoff in this series, and YES, it's great to not to know what is going to happen for once, but..............kinda hard to give thumbs up yet.
Do you have an adventurous spirit? Did you ever want to live free? Did you know that Motorcycle Tours is a fast-growing vacation idea that will not cost you an arm and a leg (averages only $15/day on gas)?
Reviews have said that EagleRider’s guided motorcycle tours are "the best guided motorcycle tours and vacations in the world" and are known for their professional multi-lingual guides, chase vans for passengers and luggage, motorcycle friendly hotels, a new model Harley-Davidson of your choice, airport and hotel transfers, welcome and farewell dinners, and excellent designed motorcycle touring routes (including custom-made tours for self-tour independent spirits).
EagleRider are the expert touring company, which specializes in the rentals of Motorcycles, ATVs, Dirt Bikes, Scooters, Snowmobile, and Watercraft.
Unlike some fly-by-night companies, everything is legit and professional with EagleRider. EagleRider totally understands and respect the needs, likes, and dislikes of motorcycle enthusiasts and adventure travelers; they offer a wide and large selection of pristine maintained Harley, Honda and BMW motorcycles. They offer one-way rentals and guided tours between their various franchise rental facilities located in fantastic tourist destinations and hotels in the world.
Over 200,000 customers have enjoyed EagleRider's vacation adventures by touring the United States, Europe and Mexico. You should consider them when planning your next vacation.
Advanced Imaging Solutions: The Microfilm Depot has a reputation for scanning paper at high quality, in whatever format or indexing requirements you need. Owned by Christopher Ferrar, they have successfully scanned hundreds of paper scanning projects, and although the majority of their clients are from South Florida, they have serviced paper scanning jobs from all across the United States. They have digitized such document types as medical records, law firm documents, maps, plats, manuals and technical specifications, permits, personnel & correspondence files, loan & mortgage documents, commercial & personal banking documents, photographs, architectural & engineering Drawings, and much more.
I can personally vouch for their work. They have an eye for quality and have the scanners to get the job done in a quick time.
Actually, I'm not going to review it, you will. I linked this post in the Marvel Comic Book Message Boards so I expect a lot of comments.
I would just like to say that I really liked the acting, and all the easter eggs that Marvel put in the movie. The easter eggs referenced various aspects from different Hulk continuities- the 70's/80's TV show, the Bruce Jones Hulk comic book run, and the other Marvel movies.
As an owner of every HULK comic book every made, and watcher of every TV show episode, I can confidentially say that I'm a Hulk expert.
So...go ahead, chime in, give me your thoughts, and I may respond in the comments section.
KillTheTermites.com is quickly becoming the #1 resource on the net containing detailed information about the different types of costly termite property damage. The site also has different photos of termites, so you can recognize if your house is infested. This resource describes the various ways to treat your home and kill termites for good, including some do it yourself procedures.
American Home Craft Inc. is in the business of making your dream home become a reality. Their professional team will design and custom make your home based on your creativity, desires, and financial means. American Home Craft is also one of the leaders in reducing energy consumption, which not only helps the environment, but will save money on your electric bill. Also, if you are looking for fine cabinets, countertops, windows, entry doors, vinyl siding, and texture coats. American Home Craft can help you remodel your house.
American Home Craft has an experience design team, and provides high quality craftsmanship for new and existing homes.
IZEA's new blog social network, SocialSpark, has been officially launched. You can check out my SocialSpark blog profile to see what the layout looks like.
Everything about SocialSpark is search engine compliant, so all blog post reviews have no follow tags and in-post disclosures. SocialSpark uses IZEA RealRank instead of Google Page Rank.
The community is very strong, technical support responds very quickly, and the interface is 100% more sleek than previous blog advertising ventures.
I realize SocialSpark is new, and they are still working out bugs, listening to feedback, and working on getting more advertisers to join our online community, so there is room for improvement. I'm going to list a few negatives, and hopefully these issues can be addressed in the future.
If an advertising opportunity is taken, you can reserve it. If a spot opens up, you are notified via e-mail that you have 12 hours to complete the assignment. A 24-hour window would be more reasonable.
The prop system (a way to get other bloggers to give you a thumbs up to increase your visibility) is flawed. Bloggers just trade props without even reviewing their respective sites.
Opportunities seem hard to sort in the Marketplace. They refresh when you try to sort by a column or when you read an opportunity.
SocialSpark is still the future of connecting advertisers to bloggers. Just the fact that they are allowing me to give an honest opinion about their system is proof enough that they believe in 100% disclosure and honesty. I strongly recommend you to sign up with them- no charges or fees.
Hey, if you want rap lyrics, hip hop forums and message boards, rap artist biographies, pics, and albums, you should check out RapArtists.com for your fix. This is the place to be for upcoming rap albums, photos, and songs. With a great New Releases section, you can keep taps on all of your favorite rap and hip hop artists.
One of the reasons why Americans are struggling with finances, and living from paycheck to paycheck is because of consumer debt. You need to check out Advocate Credit Assistance and read about your rights as a consumer, and to find out what debt collectors can and can't do to you.
ACA4Help.com explains the different options you can take to free yourself from debt: debt settlement, bankruptcy, credit counseling, debt consolidation, or by paying on your own.
Just paying the minimum credit card payments every month will bury you, and will continue to make you feel unhappy and distressed. You need a game plan. Advocate Credit Assistance believes in stopping consumer credit card debt, and offers debt relief.
VistaPrint has over 13 million customers worldwide, and with good reason. The testimonials all say the same thing: VistaPrint has shown why they are the leading online supplier of graphic design services and customized printed products to small businesses and consumers. They provide a high-quality convenient and online solution for graphic design and full-color printing at an excellent price.
They are currently offering free business cards, so be sure to checkout VistaPrint.com for that offer, and the other free stuff they have such as free pens, free rubber stamps, free logo design, free checks, and much more.
VistaPrint can custom print business identity items, such as websites, car door magnets, folders, brochures, return address envelopes, and letterheads. You can also have them print promotional giveaways for your organization or company, such as hats t-shirts, pens, window decals, sticky-notes, and more.
So many people use VistaPrint for custom printing for invitations and announcements, such as photo products, postcards, thank you cards, and holiday cards.
VistaPrint's website is designed to be user friendly and simple to use. You can pick your designs and options with ease. So many of their customers have felt satisfied, that I think it's time you use VistaPrint for your printing needs. The customer service is exceptional.
I read FINAL CRISIS #1 today. This was the beginning of the much-hyped DC 7-issue limited series that was supposed to wrap up the Crisis that has been happening since 1985 (or since IDENTITY CRISIS, depending on who you listen too). The icon Grant Morrison got the assignment. Now, on with the DailySkew plot review- with full spoilers.
THE GOOD:
Artwork by JG Jones was great. Colors were great.
Grant Morrison had the main villain called Libra say "Twilight of the Gods", which was Alan Moore's pitch for Crisis II back in the 1980's.
The weather has gone nuts (red sky).
THE BAD:
As you know, I read COUNTDOWN TO FINAL CRISIS (all 50+ issues, including the tie-ins)...yet I have NO idea what is going on in this issue. I checked out the message boards...and no one else does either. Here goes:
THE PLOT:
It starts off like 2001: A Space Odyssey...we see flashbacks to the past (OR it could be one of the 52 DC Earths, where Anthro and/or Kamandi live). We see Metron give fire to the boy. It looks like he invented it for humanity.
A fat and bald detective named Turpin (whom I never saw before) is investigating the deaths of kids. [Yet ANOTHER "Who is killing the New Gods" plot.] He is led to the Dark Side Club [homage to Hellfire Club, with Darkseid], where Darkseid and his Evil New Gods have assumed human form and are living on (I guess) New Earth. The kids who are dying are actually the Good New Gods, like Orion. So it seems as if the New Gods (whom were mostly killed off in COUNTDOWN and DEATH OF THE NEW GODS) are living on earth in human form. I think.
The Guardians of the Universe acted like NYPD BLUE cops and assigned Hal Jordan and Jon Stewart to investigate these deaths. This was the first time I've ever read the Green Lanterns actually use police codes for crime scene investigations. That seemed extremely odd to me, not to mention confusing. I guess it was in homage to Alan Moore's TOP 10. For some reason Hal Jordan didn't seem too crushed that Orion died, either.
Next we have a bunch of C-List villains fighting the League of Titans (who?) and some are protesting for their civil rights. The police, heroes, and villains seemed way to self-effacing for my tastes...kind of kills the illusion. Dr. Light and Mirror Master team up and talked about Libra (who?), the main villain.
At the Legion of Doom, there is a meeting with some A, B, and C-list villains. Lex Luthor and Vandal Savage don't want to follow orders from Libra, who quite frankly looks like a JLI costumed villain. Libra promises them their hearts' desires (like the Beyonder did in Marvel's SECRET WARS in 1984). Libra grants some D-List villain named the Human Flame (I think) the wish to burn The Martian Manhunter (John Jones) alive. So he's dead now. [Yeah, RIGHT.]
Meanwhile, at The Hall of Justice, the JLA get together to talk about the New Gods. They're acting like all of this is new to them. Kinda strange since everyone was present when Darkseid fought Jimmy Olsen in COUNTDOWN. Which really made me think FINAL CRISIS #1 does not take place on New Earth.
The Monitors kick out a Monitor and strip away his immortality for allowing his earth to be destroyed (see COUNTDOWN).
The last page shows a guy waking up (probably this Monitor, who is now human) watching TV with the announcement that Martian Manhunter is dead, and Green Arrow vowed vengeance.
And that's it.
A message from the editorial staff revealed that EIGHT mini-series which will be released along with and following FINAL CRISIS, and that the normal super-hero titles would not have crossovers. So much for the mega-series of the summer........DC is cashing in again. I guess I'm not used for readers to shell out $4 dollars an issue to read 9 mini-series to get the whole story. Back in 1984, SECRET WARS was 12-issues, and there WERE no crossovers, one-shots, OR accompanying mini-series. In 1985 when DC released CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS it was 12-issues, too. There WERE technically crossovers, but they were 100% not necessary to read the main maxi-series.
Anyway, this comic was WAY over my head, and judging from the comic geeks online, it will take someone else to discpher this issue and figure it out.
I have faith in Morrison that the series will pay off, but I was utterly disappointed that DC would allow such a confusing and "arsty" comic to pass off for issue #1 (which needs to ATTRACT new readers.) I mean, seriously...I'm dumbfounded. It's like if I read issue 6 of Morrison's Seven Soldiers of Victory without reading anything else! Huh?? The reaction is the same all around the 'Net: "Did I miss an issue?" It looks like Marvel may beat DC this summer with their (generic yet mainstream) Secret Invasion storyline and various crossovers asking "Who's a Skrull?".
Final Conclusion: Issue 1 doesn't make sense, but Morrison always pays off. Seems like a setup to something huge. Disappointed in DC Comics for the number of limited series that will be launched along with it.
My first exposure to Marvel Comics Civil War mega event came via the message board forums on the Internet. I heard so many complaints about perhaps the most controversial storyline in comic book history.
Without spoiling too much (although it is 1-2 years old now), I'm going to tackle the criticisms.
1) The writers and editors did not follow continuity.
Although the actual Civil War mini-series spanned only 7 issues, if you included the various crossovers and one-shots, it really was an 80+ issue storyline. Try to put that in perspective: 80 issues would be over 6.5 years of comics back in the 1980's. So, yes, there were mistakes. And yes, the reading order is screwy. And yes, there were retcons. It should have been organized better, perhaps a number for each issue to tell us the reading order of each issue. I understand the Marvel Powers That Be did not want fans to be "forced" to buy 8o+ issues (although geeks would, of course), so maybe they didn't want to number the issues outside the core 7 issues. However, this lack of organization makes reading all the issues from all the various Marvel titles in order impossible. Some issues had contradictions. Some have spoilers. Some loose ends are never finished. Truthfully, I didn't notice them, since I've been out of the Marvel comic collecting scene for years. But these errors drove comic geeks CRAZY.
Conclusion: Yes, there were errors. Who cares? The story was good.
2) Iron Man, Captain America, and Mr. Fantastic were out of character.
First of all, Tony Stark has a history of being an arrogant jerk who believes that the ends justify the means. In Armor Wars back in the late 1980's, he took initiative, broke the law, and lied to the Avengers because he thought his morality was correct. In Operation: Galactic Storm, he voted to kill the Supreme Intelligence to prevent it to starting another war. He is a "by any means necessary" character, and has the financial resources, technology, and intelligence to do whatever he wants. The track record is there for him to become "holier-than-thou" and to impose his own morality and his will upon others. Did he cross the line in Civil War? Yes, he did. Did he act like a villain? Yes, he did. But it was for a "greater good". Love him or hate him (and I hated him in this series), Tony Stark was within character.
Some online naysayers believe that Captain America would support and uphold any government legislation, no matter how immoral, just because he is a soldier and already is a registered government super-hero. Wrong! Cap is an idealistic libertarian. He was never a government tool. He was fired by the government at least on two occasions in the 1980's (when he assumed the identity of Nomad and The Captain), and I believe he was a wanted fugitive during writer Mark Waid's run in modern times. Cap is old school, and can see fascism and a corrupt government a mile away. This has already been established. The Captain America portrayed in this series acted like the Earth-X version, but with more confidence and was more level-headed.
Mr. Fantastic- Reed Richards- the genius leader of the Fantastic Four is perhaps the most disappointing character in this Marvel event. Reed sided with Tony Stark and devised ways to take down heroes who refused to register with the current government administration. Reed created a cosmic Guantanamo Bay- a prison in the Negative Zone, from which there is no escape. Reed put unregistered heroes and villains in it, including Daredevil. Reed and Tony took it upon themselves- with the backing of S.H.I.E.L.D. to imprison these unregistered super-being indefinitely. Reed comes off as weak, focusing on numbers and probabilities, detached from reality, cold, and without compassion- or common sense. He rationalized all of his decisions, and when his wife Sue Richards threated divorce and used her invisible shield to damage the Baxter Building, Reed calculated the dollar amount in damage instead of calming her down and bringing her back. Anyone who has read Grant Morrison's take on Reed in the Fantastic Four 1 2 3 4 limited series a few years ago, knows that this is the TRUE Reed Richards.
Conclusion:We saw the worst of Iron Man and Mister Fantastic. It was a shame Captain America had to go underground, and had the U.S. and government against him, but everyone was within character. Did Iron Man go to far? Yeah..Marvel really pushed the envelope with him. The Internet fans were up in arms- even suggested that he was an impostor- but that's what the standard reaction to preemptive strikes and taking a moral initiative does to observers. If you remember, DC fans were up in arms when Batman had "secret files" on every super-hero, too.
3) Civil War was written by a bunch liberals, and is anti-Bush. Too much politics.
Both sides of this war: pro-registration (Iron Man) and anti-registration (Captain America) were represented well. Both sides explained their philosophy. Was this story an allegory about the Patriot Act? Oh, yeah. You darn straight it was. It was about civil liberties vs. your safety. FYI, George Bush was not mentioned by name, and neither were both major political parties.
The abuse of the Patriot Act, phone taps, and treating POWs as slaves ARE major issues in our life right now, and it is natural that comic books- and art medium- tackle these problems by showing both sides.
By the way, it's amazing how the writers: JMS, Bendis, and Millar were PRAISED for their previous small-time work, but the MINUTE they tackle mainstream super-heroes, the message boards turn on them.
Conclusion: The writers did a great job with allegory. It was 50/50. Bush and Republicans were never mentioned.
4) The Marvel super-heroes were deconstructed.
The message boards brought up some good points: wasn't vigilantism always legal in the Marvel Universe anyway, unless you were a mutant with the X-Men or Spider-Man, thanks to the Daily Bugle? How could the citizens just turn on heroes who saved their lives for years just because they wear a costume? Why did non-powered heroes have to register? If I wore a costume and saved a man crossing the street, would I have to register or else be hunted by Tony Stark's cape-killers? Conversely, could I wear a costume, call myself "Overmind", register, and get full government benefits, such as salary and insurance? It can never be the same now.
Again, great points, and that's why Marvel never did anything like this before- it really pushes the envelope and injects realism into a fantasy world. Civil War came dangerously close to deconsructing the basic elements of being a costumed hero in the Marvel Universe. But guess what? It made Marvel millions of dollars. Marvel has yearly events, sometimes two or three events a year. It gets harder and harder to come up with event stories that truly can change things. This story changed everything. Marvel should be applauded for pushing it to the edge. These are not your daddy's comics anymore. Heck, these same fanboys never had any problem with The Authority or Squadron Supreme or Kingdom Come or Watchmen or Days of Future Past, but the moment something like this happens in the real Marvel earth, the geeks go crazy. I do agree that there may be giant plot holes about registration and the definition of what it is to be a "costumed hero" in the Marvel Universe, and I could even agree that Civil War came too close to deconstructing the illusion, but the story was very entertaining. If this was 1982, it would have been revealed that Doctor Doom was the mastermind behind all of this, and Captain America and Iron Man would team up and stop him. But we live in a different era now. Hero vs. hero.
Conclusion:If you can accept that a teenager can get bitten by a radioactive spider and get super powers, you should accept that the government would force heroes to register with them to protect the citizens from accidents and property damage. It's 2008 now. The Silver Age has been dead for a long time. Back issues are still available, though, if you want to read comics from a simpler world circa 1961.
5) S.H.I.E.L.D. is too powerful. They can spy on anyone, don't have to answer to anyone, are not accountable, and it must cost trillions of dollars to support them.
Sure, I agree with that. But I don't know what to tell you. You seem to have no problems with men in tights flying, but you have a problem with a high-tech intelligence agency. Marvel earth is NOT our earth.
Conclusion: It's a comic book, folks. Just shrug it off. I think everyone just took Civil War a little too seriously.
Final Conclusion: Too expensive to buy all 80+ issues. See if you can borrow the good issues from a friend, or but the trade paperback containing the core issues. It's worth it for the controversy alone. Of course, it IS Captain America's final story. Was it the best story of all time? Nope, not even close. But it was MUCH better than the X-Men "events". Was Marvel cashing in, and taking advantage of the fanboys? Of course, it's a business.
Review: DC Comics' Countdown to Final Crisis Series
Well, I borrowed the 51-issues of Countdown to Final Crisis, #0, and the mini-series and one-shots that tied into Countdown.
At $3.00 + per issue, I would have never in my right mind bought them every week.
During this year, I tried to keep track of events via the DC Message boards (the posters love to rip DC there), Wikipedia, and the various comic book review sites. And although the sites were helpful, I must confess actually reading the comics was a great experience. It's similar to getting the results of a sporting event from a newspaper article versus actually watching the game or listening to it on the radio. The actual experience is much better than reading summaries or someone else's opinion.
With that out of the way, and without spoiling, here are my thoughts:
1) This was a DCU anthology for a year, with many plot-lines and characters. Because it was weekly, the writers and artists had to pace themselves. In fact, it read like a weekly episodic TV series. This means that for many issues, the characters were still searching for their goals, and plots were stretched. In other words, 51 issues was probably too much, and if you were shelling out $3.00 a comic, you had every right to be frustrated. I read all issues in one sitting, and didn't spend a dime, so I had no frustration. Is DC trying to cash in on CRISIS? Yup. And fanboys continue to contribute. It's a business, folks. A business I no longer give money to.
2) There was a WHOLE lot of hype going into this series with posters, advertisements, and teasers. Did this series live up to the hype? Not really, but significant events did occur. But I'm staying spoiler-free, however. Feel free to ask me questions in Comments, and I'll reveal all.
3) The writing and art was above average for the most part, although some weeks the art was not to modern "cool" standards. The coloring was fantastic.
4) The backup stories (a few pages at the end of each issue) didn't reveal anything we didn't already know. 100% filler, although I was curious to see DC's official origins for characters and the multiverse.
5) It seems like the current 52-earth multiverse is here to stay, although Monarch- the main villain in this story- destroyed or altered so many earths with impunity that one has the feeling DC doesn't really care about 51 earths; they just care about the main New Earth.
6) There were plenty of near-invincible villains: Monarch, Darkseid, Superman Prime (formerly Superboy Prime), OMAC, and rogue Monitors. Monarch and Prime were particular vicious to the heroes of DC's 52 earths. In fact, it was very sad. Remember folks, Superman Prime pulls no punches. So when he took down the JLA from another earth (they had no idea there is a multiverse or who he was) in a few panels, it was pretty ugly and sad. It's been a cliche for a long time that alternate earth heroes are the first to die (since the main earth heroes can't), but the way Prime dismantles heroes is graphic. Monarch was portrayed like Mark Waid's villain in Empire: unbeatable, all-knowing, and all-powerful. The heroes seemed like toy soldiers. Whereas the heroes in the original CRISIS were actually able to fight the Anti-Monitor, brute force went nothing here.
7) There were a few themes that Damian Hospital and Tony Vahl had already came up with their Dream Seeker Universe series and from comics that were already done. So there's nothing too original here. We have "Somebody is Killing New Gods" to "Who Monitors the Monitors" to "Incurable Virus Destroys the Earth" to "An Arena Where Different Versions of Heroes have to Fight Each Other to the Death" and other retreads. But although the plots weren't original, they were grand in scope.
8) Jimmy Olsen, Karate Kid, and The Pied Piper- three minor characters, really shine.
9) Jason Todd (Robin) was impressive, and looks ready to assume the caped cowl of Batman if something bad should happen to Bruce Wayne. Todd's experience with the Batman of an Earth where Bruce killed all super-villains to avenge that Jason's death was extraordinary.
9a) I hate Mary Marvel now.
10) In conclusion, if you can borrow it, borrow it. Don't waste money on the comics or the trade paperbacks. The series had great battles, and I HAD to continue reading (very addictive). I confess I wanted to see more of certain characters than others, however. Things started off fast (the first Issue was #51), and then went into a steady pace, with a few throway issues that rightfully upset paying customers from the DC message forums. Then the series started to get hot again when mysteries were revealed, Superman Prime started to visit other earths, and when Monarch launched his attack against the Monitors. FYI, Issue 2 is the real climax, while Issue 1 wraps up loose ends. Issue #0 is more of a preview of Final Crisis, which is due out this month.
Las Vegas stay and play happens to be the trendy thing for golfers now. In fact, many golfers I know have told me how Las Vegas golf courses offer an unforgettable experience. If you check out lasvegasgolfing.com, you will see that you can get discount golf specials with no middle-men or brokers. They have great golf deals on courses like TPC Las Vegas, Angel Park, Revere, Paiute, and Tuscany.
Be sure to check out all the custom golf vacation packages and tee times Each resort and golf course (designed by professionals) offers a unique and memorable challenge for both beginners and professionals.
Marvel Comics took the initiative over DC to offer free comics online last year. Although I am not a subscriber, I occasionally read their free samples at Marvel Digital Comics.
The comics are full color, and their software (which appears to be uncrackable using conventional methods) has a smart panel feature which enables you to read the comic clearly and logically on your screen. I have a great flat panel monitor at home, and I have to say the artwork looks fantastic blown up, panel by panel.
All of this was to stop piracy (many fans download PDFs of comics from BitTorrent or LimeWire, which is illegal), and to try and make some money (current subscription fees are $10 per month or $60 per year for unlimited access). Besides it's great marketing and publicity.
The free samples are nice, and more comics get added to the library every week.
If you keep reading the free samples, however, annoying pop ups will appear over the comic telling you to subscribe.
For a casual fan, I would recommend browsing the free sample library. The actually unlimited collection contains thousands of comics, from original 1960's vintage to the new stuff that the Internet and comic shops are buzzing about, like Illuminati and World War Hulk. In fact, many hot comics are in the free sample section.
I sure wish there was ONE list I can see on my screen, but most of the lists are thumbnails or only shows 24 comics on a screen, similar to Netflix, so you have to spend a lot of time browsing.
I would recommend this site to anyone into comics and anyone who is curious. For example, with the popularity of the Iron Man movie, perhaps you want to check out a new comic featuring a retelling of his origin.
Since Marvel has changed their business plan a few years ago (they make their money through movie-related merchandise, toys, animated cartoons direct to DVD) the actual selling of printed comics through subscriptions and comic shops simple isn't their core business anymore.
The Internet is LOADED with comic book fan sites, and Marvel Digital Comics Headquarters gets an awfully lot of hits.
PROS:
Great FREE quality comics
Hundreds of FREE COMICS (great selection)
Unlimited access gives you the ability to read THOUSANDS of comics online
Viewing software is generally smart when switching from panel to panel
CONS:
If I'm a paying subscriber, I would want full collection runs of series; there are too many gaps.
After your subcription runs out, you have nothing to show for it besides your memories (you can't download or print).
Internet only (and it's browser based).
Free samples have pop-ups to convince you to subscribe
Sometimes the smart viewer will cut-off speech bubbles, so you have to zoom out. The overall interface has seemed to improved from last year, though.
It takes a while to browse due to the inability to have the entire library listed on one page.
Autorenew your credit card: be careful.
You have to sign up with a verifiable e-mail to read the free comics
Like most fans, I want EVERY Marvel comic that ever existed up there
Ultimately, just check out the free samples and see if you want to donate $10 per month or $60 for a year. There is no bait-and-switch- everything you see on the site is yours to read.
To put prices in perspective, a comic costs around $3 to $5 dollars an issue now. Back issues? Unless you're at a comic book convention and get lucky, you're going to be paying a lot to read back issues.
I have to commend Marvel for going digital. The possibilities are endless. It's possible they will stop printing one day due to high costs, and sell monthly digital comics through some sort of subscription program, but that is not an official statement. Printed comic books still make money because collectors have jobs. Most collectors are 30+ now. The digital comics they currently provide are a great way to get new and younger fans.
Have you heard of Infinity Shoes? They have numerous locations in New York, and have a great website where you can order tsubo shoes, minnetonka boots, and seychelles shoes. My friends in New York shop at Infinity Shoes all the time because of the latest styles and sales. It truly is the place to go to buy the latest shoe syles. Thanks to their online catalog, anyone can shop there via the internet now.
Take Tsubo shoes, for example. These women's shoe combines young fashion and comfort ("Tsubo" means "pressure point" in Japanese.) They use double density foot beds to be firm and soft in the right places.
Ed Hardy women shoes burst onto the fashion scene representing the design of tattoo artist Don Ed Hardy. Ed Hardy quickly has become a trendy brand from the hip NYC scene to the California surfer culture.
Timberland, best known for their rugged and durable construction boots, has branched out and made fashionably comfortable womens shoes.
With my wife's birthday coming up soon, I would have to seriously consider buying her designer Keds. These classic shoes are unbelievably comfortable, and casual yet stylish enough to wear for any occasion. She already has a few pairs, and would definitely enjoy adding to her shoe collection.
I'm going to keep this nice and simple: I was in a very diverse movie theater- men and women of all ages, cultures, and intelligence, and everyone walked out of the theater happy, impressed, and excited.
As evidenced by the positive feedback of comic book geeks who originally saw the preview last year, Robert Downey, Jr. was PERFECT CASTING for the arrogant, cocky, party-guy, billionaire playboy Tony Stark, who reforms and becomes a super-hero.
The special effects was top notch, and looked like LucasArts' ILM A-Team did this.
But special effects can only go so far- the story, drama, and acting was just as good as the excellent special effects. The licensed songs and sound track paid off as well. Gwyneth Paltrow was a great female sidekick.
This is one of the best super-hero movies (I consider super-hero movies a separate genre from action movies or sci-fi, something other critics do not).
If you liked Spider-Man or Transformers, you will enjoy this movie.
If you didn't like Incredible Hulk, Fantastic Four, or Ghost Rider, you will be very pleased to see a mainstream blockbuster super-hero movie done correctly.
Unlike X-Men, Spider-Man, Batman, or Superman, Iron Man is not an A-List superhero. In fact, many casual comic or action fans don't know a whole lot about him except that he has cool armor and is a good guy. So if the screenwriters took any liberties about his origin from the 1960's comic book, it was a NON-ISSUE for fans.
So how can a B-List Marvel superhero have a blockbuster movie?
1) Great cast 2) Great script 3) Superior marketing and hype 4) Great character- Tony Stark, who was invented in the 1960's is actually more relevant today. Tony connects with audiences because he is exactly what they wish to be (as we are introduced to him at the beginning): have billions, be a celebrity, answer to no one, be irresponsible, be cocky, and have any chick you want. After he gets captured by terrorists, the audience becomes sympathetic with him, and he never loses his edge. 5) For all audiences 6) Great graphics 7) Great trailer 8) Not a whole lot of competition at the box office 9) Modern feel to the movie, from Afghanistan to cutting edge technology 10) Like Batman (the most famous non-super powered crime fighter), Stark has no super-powers- just loads of money, intelligence, ingenuity, and determination, so audiences can pretend they are Tony. 11) Keeping to original source material (old Iron Man comics) was not an issue or concern, since let's face it, not a lot of people know or care about old Iron Man comics.
Using this list, compare Iron Man to Marvel movies that were disappointments.
For actual fans of comic books and Iron Man, this movie is a dream come true. Fans of Iron Man always like the engineering technology (like those who memorize starship Enterprise specs). Iron Man is a hero for millions of geeks worldwide.
If there are flaws (since this is the DailySkew, all flaws must be revealed) it's that the super-hero genre is NOT for anyone. Part of the super-hero genre is to have explosions, a betrayal, generic stereotypical disposable enemies, and Also, the techno-babble may make some people who were not exposed to Star Trek to feel dumb.
Otherwise, this a must-see movie for comic book fans. For non-fans, it still is the must-see action movie of the year, simply because Robert Downey, Jr. steals the show.
By the way, there is a great easter egg after the credits. Quite possibly the best easter egg of any movie.
WARNING: Mike saw the movie, so if you don't want to read FULL INDIANA JONES SPOILERS, don't read this post.
Hey guys, this is Mike. Well I saw Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull today (ShogunMaster uploaded it via BitTorrent), and I gotta say I was kinda disappointed.
I seriously don't think that Indiana Jones (now called Colonel Jones, WTF?) should be involved with aliens. This whole movie is about Roswell and Area 51. There was not a lot of homage at all. They did show the ark, and revealed that the warehouse is Area 51, but other than that, it didn't feel like an Indy movie.
Part of the problem was how Harrison Ford kinda mailed it in the whole movie. I mean, he only had a couple of really funny lines, but the rest of his dialog showed that he was bored, and never once did we think he was in peril. No tension whatsoever. It's like we were watching Ford instead of Indy.
Indy's son is pathetic. There is NO chance he will be taking over for Harrison Ford anytime soon. The franchise is officially dead now, even though everyone survived. How lame is that?
And what was up with Indy giving villains clues for the whole movie? Seriously, the movie was like a parody. The actors were just having fun, and were in not in character.
Special effects- oy vey. They should have used CGI. Man, I can't believe how fake the snake looked and most scenes looked like a sound stage or the Orlando Raiders stunt show.
Stunts- again, it seems like no one took this movie seriously. The stunts were so unrealistic and improbable. It was total satire.
Anyway, if you want a good laugh, see the movie. Don't take it seriously. It's OK, but it's doesn't hold up to the original trilogy. Sorry if I'm coming off ripping it, but I'm just trying to lower your expectations- this movie should NOT be in continuity.
For those of you who are trying to get your fix for Reality TV News, I want to recommend RealityBug.com, which has the inside scoop on all the latest Reality Shows. There are profiles and message boards for all of your favorite shows, such as American Gladiators, 30Days, American Chopper, Mythbusters, Dirty Jobs, Rob & Big, and much more.
1stNFLPicks.com is gearing up for another football season, and are offering free NFL picks so you can beat the odds makers. They guarantee that thay will never play both sides, and you will get researched picks that are based on their proven formula, and legit information from inside sources. Their team of handicappers have been achieving excellent results since 1997, and have the stats to prove it.
Wordclay happens to be one of the most organized, simple, and informative websites that can help you self publish your own books.
From video tutorials to book marketing, Wordclay has all the tools writers need to self-publish. Even if you are not interested in going mainstream, Wordclay can show you how to publish a book with family recipes, genealogy, history, or photos. Or perhaps your business needs internal softcover or hardcover handbooks- all of this is possible with Wordclay, which is a Do-It-Yourself self-publishing Print On Demand company.
Do you know how easy it is to self publish your dream novel now? AuthorHouse offers the following services: one-on-one author support, custom full-color cover, custom interior design, 10 free image insertions, up to 828 black-and-white pages, ISBN assignment, electronic proof, author-set book price and royalty rate, online distribution via Amazon.com and Barnesandnoble.com, bookstore availability, complimentary author copy, and more. Of course, you keep full control over your book and you retain all the rights. Many well-known writers have used Authorhouse, including Amanda Brown (Legally Blonde).
Before you quickly dismiss playing miniature golf on the computer, let me get your attention: Mini Golf Maniacs may very well be the most FUN GAME YOU CAN GET OFF THE INTERNET.
You may hate golf. You may think miniature golf is for kids. You may not even want to waste a minute playing a game that has cartoon animals as putters.
But guess what?
This game, which was abandoned by Sierra, was never completed and never released for major video game/PC systems, so it was assimilated by Open Source Borgs, over at Soulforge.net.
The creators added a MOD to it, and 10,000 downloads later, Mini Golf Maniacs (MGM for short) is universally recognized as one of the best open source games of all time. It's great for kids and adults alike.
The Good
Why is it FUN?
Loads of courses. Great characters. Scoring is 100% true to life. Easy controls. Decent graphics for its time (similar to Bubsy) and mucho great for freeware. Tournament mode with satirical golf announcers. Loads of replay value. Truly unique holes that pay homage to the various mini golf courses around the world. Cool music for each level. Customizable (of course). Secret characters. Bonus courses. Multi-player. Different modes. Need I go on?
At first, it may seem as if the mouse if jumpy, but the learning curve is around 5 minutes if that. Some courses seem impossible to get par, but if you practice, you'll see it's possible to get a hole in one!
Practice and putting modes have special equipment you can use to enhance your golf game. Tournament mode, however, is strictly real, with no power-ups.
The Bad
On a few occasions (generally if you hit the ball in a odd place), your character's hat or background object may block your shot, so you have to move the mouse a certain way.
Crashes have been reported, although I've never experienced one.
The Ugly
Installing the MOD is 100% recommended and necessary to run a smooth game, and to play it the way it was went to be played. The bad news is that you have to follow my instructions to install the MOD. You would think the MOD would already be installed, but you know those open source guys can't make installations easy, now can they? In an ideal world, you'd just need to click once, and your game would install.
Instead, you must follow these instructions:
1) Go here and click on MGM.zip 1a) Go here and click on the latest MOD/patch, in this case 1.0.8. 2) Unzip these files into a directory you can remember 3) Go into Windows Explorer and right click minigolf.exe 4) Create a shortcut to your desktop 5) Right click that desktop icon and get Properties 6) Make sure the target path looks liek "C:\MGM\MINIGOLF.EXE" (add quotes if needed) 7) Type [space]-mod after "C:\MGM\MINIGOLF.EXE" plus the name of the mod folder:
EXAMPLE: "C:\MGM\MINIGOLF.EXE" -mod mmod-1.0.8 (the unzipped folder name)
Other than the annoying installation, this game is 10/10, and the online community continually makes additional courses. Everything is free- no spyware, adware, or special software to install in the background. The funny part is: they have fake ads in the game, the announcer says, "Brought to you by...[insert corny company here].
The announcers (they are in Tournament Mode] are extremely humorous, and sound like the creator of Family Guy.
IZEA has been taking steps to make things smoother for blog advertising. There is no denying that blogging for money helps thousands of people financially around the world. SocialSpark is more compliant than the other pay per post blog services for a number of valid reasons:
Any blogger who is signed up with SocialSpark is forced to use an in-post disclosure when advertising a product or spreading buzz. This combats the critics who say that reviews are misleading.
Click to enlarge
Posts written in SocialSpark's format are search engine friendly, meaning the links have no follow tags, which Search Engine Cops have been insistent about.
Therefore, it is assumed that bloggers using SocialSpark to make money would not have their Google Page Rank zeroed out.
If you are a blogger, and want to make money and keep your Page Rank, join SocialSpark because it has a
