Calling All Geeks!

Big podcast news. First, that ‘last big X factor’ I mentioned before did work out. I’m very pleased to announce that Jon has agreed to be my co-host. This is very important as I couldn’t possibly have done it without someone to work with. (I mean, who really wants to hear me talk to myself … well, other then people who read my blog. ) So, thank you very much, Jon!

And, with that final piece in place, we recorded our first episode last night. I originally only planned for it to be a test run, but it ended up sounding pretty good, so it’s been dubbed our official ‘Episode 0′. It’s a little rough in places and the levels are just a little bit low through most of it. (But still audible, thank God. – We had a bit of a scare last night.) Also, I didn’t put any music into this one as I’m still trying to work all that out. But despite these minor issues, I really do think it’s pretty darn good.

I’ll upload it just as soon as I figure out how. I’m about 99% sure I know what to do, but I just want to do a few final checks before committing. (Don’t worry, it’ll run much smoother after this initial run.) So, expect it to be online sometime within the next day or two. If you absolutely can’t wait, though, feel free to check out the show’s official MySpace Page. (The page is still kind of plane right now, but I hope to gussy it up soon.)

Stay tuned here for more info.

I’m actually making some progress on this whole podcast thing. I’ve been downloading sound recording/editing programs and I bought a headset mic today at Best Buy. (I must say, the sound quality is pretty good considering how little I paid.) I’ve been brainstorming segments and I wrote up an example episode outline, which actually made it look a lot easier then it had previously. I want this thing to be about an hour long and, until today, I was wondering how I would fill time. After laying it all out, I’m actually thinking about extending my goal to an hour and a half. I don’t know for sure, though. There is one big X factor that I still need to work on.

Oh, I think I may have a name and logo. The title I’m currently working with is “Wertham’s Bane”. It’s a reference to Dr. Fredric Wetham who wrote the book “Seduction of the Innocent”, a scathing piece of anti-comic book propaganda. All that stuff your mother used to tell you when she wanted you to put away the funny books most likely came from him. Superman encouraged kids to jump off buildings. Batman and Robin were gay. Wonder Woman gave young girls “the wrong idea” about “their place in society”. And all this bad press he brought resulted in entire comic companies going out of business and years of over-the-top censorship.

The truly sad part is he actually wasn’t that terrible of a guy, from what I understand. I guess he did a fare amount of civil rights work back in the day. (Some of his writings were even used during the Brown v. Board of Education case.) Unfortunately for him, his nearly-McCarthy level of rabblerousing has cemented his place in history as the “anti-comic book guy”.

Anyway, here’s the logo I’m currently planning on using:

Okay, so I now have a pic of my toe without the bandage which I am about to share with you. BUT, because I’m kind, I will put it up as a link. (So you won’t even have to see the … um, thumbnail (So to speak.)… if you don’t want to.

My big toe: Post-op – WARNING: VERY DISGUSTING!!!

So, I technically had minor surgery today. It really wasn’t anything serious. Just had an ingrown toenail removed at my mom’s work. (She does billing for a foot doctor.) It was an in-office procedure and only took about 10-15 minutes to actually do. It was actually kind of cool. Pretty much what he did was cut the ingrown part off and then put on some acid so that it wouldn’t grow back. Thankfully I didn’t feel a thing at the time, but the shots he gave me started wearing off a little late this afternoon. It’s still not too bad, but it does feel like it’s throbbing a little.

The culprit.

My toe all wrapped up.

I’ll be sure to add a pic of my actual toe tomorrow when I take the bandage off.

Those of the Discordian faith believe that everything happens in fives. If you don’t see five in a situation, they say you aren’t looking at “the big picture”. And, truly, when you put your mind to it, you really do start to notice how many fives there are all around. You may even begin to think to yourself that the Discordians are onto something and, perhaps, five really is a divine number. But as any rational Discordian will tell you, the “rule of five” is really a lesson in ‘if you look for something hard enough, you will eventually find it’. And that’s the rational behind “The Number 23”.

The Number 23 is about a man named Walter Sparrow (Jim Carrey) who, after reading a mysterious book, becomes obsessed with, as the title suggest, the number 23. The more he looks into it, the more he uncovers this seemingly sinister conspiracy. As he dose so, those around him (and eventually he himself.) begin to question his sanity. Is there really a great conspiracy, or is 23 just a number. It’s a very seductive idea. I’ll admit, even sitting there watching the movie, I found myself counting back on any potential encounters. (I was born in 1985. 1+9+8+5=23. My birthday is June 4. Divide 6/4 in half and you get 3/2, 23 backwards.) And it defiantly was NOT lost on me that 23 just so happens to be one of ‘the Numbers’ on LOST. Even the Rule of Five is affected. (2+3=5)

I tell you, this movie was intense and the end is a total mind-fuck. I loved it! It reminded me very much of Vanilla Sky. Just when you think you have it all figured out, it pulls a 180 and slaps you with something completely unexpected. I couldn’t believe it starred an actor from and was directed by the same guy who did Batman Forever. (Joel Schumacher’s over the top visual style is actually quite cool when the main character isn’t supposed to be a creature of the shadows.) I will admit, however, this movie might not be for everyone. It’s a thinker and some people simply aren’t into that sort of thing. The co-workers who watched it with me tonight mostly talked through the first half and then spent the second wondering why they didn’t know what was going on. (Of the three of them, only one said the liked it afterwards.)

This movie was awesome. I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good mental work out. I know it’s still early in a year full of movies that look great, but I have a feeling this one is going to really stick out. I’m giving the Number 23 a very solid 5 out of 5.

Okay, I was going to be cool about this. I really was. I really wanted a Nintendo Wii and all, but I wasn’t going to lose my cool over it. Sure, it’s awesome and revolutionary and everything, but I can wait. No problem at all.

Then Jon just HAD to let me play on his. Sure, I sucked at just about all of the games (Except pool. I’m a hustler, baby.) and my Mii avatar looked like a woman, but I’ll be damned if it wasn’t a ton of fun. I mean, I’ve played video games before, but the Wii is an entirely different beast. It literally feels like you are inside the game. You really have to experience it to truly understand.

And so my quest began…

Today, I decided to venture out in search of a Wii. Now, I knew I had a one in a billion chance of actually finding one. They sell out in stores in a mater of hours, if that. But I couldn’t help but get the feeling that I was meant to look. I had just about talked myself into just staying in for the afternoon when I saw a Wii commercial on TV, nudging me on slightly. Still, I was on the fence. Then I saw a commercial for that travel agency with the roaming gnome (can’t remember the name) talking about how you “never know how long a deal will last”. If there was a Wii out there, it wouldn’t be there for long. So, like any sane, rational person would, I decided that the Lord God Almighty was talking to me through the TV about video games.

Seriously, I decided to go out, knowing from the start I would most likely fail. I went to Target first and then Best Buy and Sam’s Club. I then headed over to Circuit City. I walk over to the video game section and … OH MY GOD, THERE IT IS! Not one, but two Wii boxes just sitting there with no one around. I get there and reach for it when I notice a tiny red sticker. “For Display Purposes Only”. I check the other box and, sure enough, it’s the same. Fuck you, Circuit City. Fuck you with a Wii remote. After that, I went back to Target because a bunch of UPS trucks had pulled up just as I left the first time, but they were still empty. Then I went to Meijer and finally, back home.

So, it was just as I predicted. Oh, well. I’m going to have to keep my ear to the ground and eventually camp out like Jon did. Or I might seriously wait. I thought I read somewhere online that they’re suppose to become a lot more available sometime in March. But, I don’t know.

On an interesting side-note, I saw quite a few Playstation 3’s. I can’t help but laugh at the guys who thought they were going to get rich by selling theirs on eBay. Suck on it, you bastards. (Okay, I might be a little pissed at what people are charging for the Wii.)

If video killed the radio star, my annoying voice may soon be causing it to spin in it’s grave. Over on the IHN Radio Message Board, a couple of users are trying to talk me into starting my own podcast. It all started when I asked if there were any good comic based podcast out there and they replied that if there wasn’t, I should just take maters into my own hands. I thought they were joking at first, but it’s actually getting kind of serious. I have to admit, it is something I’ve always wanted to try. And now that I’m seriously thinking about it, I’m starting to get a few ideas.

Like I said, the original idea was to do just comics, but I thought I might throw in a few other things as well, such as movies, TV (LOST & Heroes specifically) and possibly video games. Anything I’m interested in, really.
So, what do you guys think?

I’ll be honest with you right off the bat. I did not expect much from the Ghost Rider movie. As a fan of the comic, I found a few problems with the trailer, my biggest concern being that it seemed as though the origin story had been altered. And, well, I’ll just say that Nick Cage would not have been my first choice for Johnny Blaze.

Here’s the basic comic book origin (As with all comics, there is slight variation depending on what version you read, but these are the basics.): You have this young man by the name of Johnny Blaze. He’s a stunt riding legacy, performing daredevil acrobatics on motorcycles with his father (step-father is some versions.) across the south-west in a traveling circus. Then, one day, he learns that his father has developed inoperable cancer and, to save him, Johnny sells his soul to the Devil. (Or “Mephisto” in the comics. “Mephistopheles” in the movie.) Unaware of Johnny’s deal, his father performs a stunt that he knows he has no chance of surviving and ultimately dies in an accident. (Completely cancer free.) Afterwards, Johnny Blaze is doomed to spend the rest of his life acting as the Ghost Rider, the Spirit of Vengeance working to send evil souls to Hell. Nevertheless, Johnny is always searching for a way to free himself from his curse.

Now, in the preview for the movie, it was suggested that he sold his soul to save his girlfriend who was very much alive afterwards, thus eliminating the total tragedy of Blaze’s deal. I am happy to say, however, that the trailer was very misleading in that regard. Much to my surprise, Ghost Rider stays fairly true to the comic. (As much as it can considering the over 30 years of continuity.) Maybe it was because I was expecting so little from this movie, but I have to say that I was actually quite blown away. Even Cage did a better job as Blaze then I could have ever expected. (He still wouldn’t have been my first choice, but at least I can live with it.) There were even aspects created entirely for the movie (As far as I know. I don’t know Ghost Rider that well.) that I ended up liking a lot. For instance, the motorcycle riding, flaming scull Ghost Rider is actually the second character to use that name. Before that, there was a costumed cow boy character whose name was changed to “Phantom Rider” after the Ghost Rider we all know and love was introduced. As far as I know, the two are entirely unrelated, but the movie included a nod to the character which was, even though “inaccurate”, one of the coolest parts of the movie, in my opinion.

If I have any complaints, it’s that some of Ghost Rider’s adversaries seemed to go down almost too easy at times. I guess it turns out that some of Hell’s most vicious demons are kind of pansies. It all pays off in the end, though, when Ghost Rider faces down Black Heart, Mephistopheles’ own son. Also, even though I was overjoyed/slightly-relieved when they included the song “Ghost Riders In The Sky”, I would have preferred it had they used the classic Johnny Cash version instead of the updated, slightly-techno version that they did. That, however, was a very minor note.

So, who knows. Maybe it was because I expected so little, but in the end, I loved this movie. Though Spider-man I & II and Batman Begins are still the undisputed best, I honestly think it has the potential to be the next great comic book adaptation. That’s why I’m giving Ghost Rider a strong 4/5.

I’ve been seeing these things pop up around the web called Userbars. I thought they looked pretty cool and I figured out how to make them on GIMP. Here are my early attempts.

My first test was creating a few for the band my brother follows around, A Vicious Cycle:

Once I felt I had a good handle on it, I created a few for myself:

Another email from Primatech:

Last file 4 a while. Go 2 primatechpaper.com, find helix. Same place as b4. Usrnme: bennet pwrd: claire. Matt’s code: MPggtn75x Rembr: Usrnme always bennet

Still haven’t gotten around to watching last night’s episode. (Probably will this evening.)