Exyle

Hot Prototypes and Cool Gadgets

Take a look at the following picture:

Now, yes…you are absolutely correct in what you are thinking. It’s a computer. WOW!!! That is nuts. I’m really stoked about it as well as a number of other prototypes and future electronic gadgets. You can check out a number of them here. You can also see some more pictures of the Roll Computer and find out more information on it here.

Let me know what you think.

I Gotta Feelin’…

…Today’s Gonna Be a Good Day….

The Black Eyed Peas are awesome, and their newest album is amazing. Check out this video of a live performance in the heart of Chicago!!! Amazingly cool!!!! Enjoy:

San Diego Comic-Con

So, the San Deigo Comic-Con has been going this week…and will continue through the rest of the weekend.  This is an event that is on my “Before I Die” list of things to do.  I went to MegaCon here in Orlando this year, and it was great, but Comic-Con is where it’s at I’m afraid.

So, from all the twitter feeds over the last couple days, it’s been a crazy time with lots of announcements and what not from the panels.  Here are just some noteworthy ones:

1. According to Gary Oldman, Batman 3 should start shooting next year.  Sadly, no more details than that, but I hope Nolan is behind the script and camera again.
2. Disney’s Head of Production, Oren Aviv, says that the next installment of the Pirates of the Caribbean will start filming early next year.  I’m excited to see the direction they go with the franchise now.  Jack Sparrow is a great character.
3. The sequel to Tron is finally coming to a theater near you.  Jeff Bridges is in it, and it’s going to be badass.  So pumped!!
4. I have to say that I’m starting to get really excited to see Where the Wild Things Are.  I recently came across the book again, and though there isn’t much too it, it definitely leaves an impression on you.  The trailer for the movie is incredible, and all the talk around the movie is nothing but great.  Here’s to hoping the Spike Jonze really nailed it.
5. I’m just going to say that I’ve really come to enjoy the remakes that Michael Bay’s Platinum Dunes has been doing.  I think they’ve done a great job of updating and reimagining the horror movies I grew up watching.  Obviously, they aren’t perfect, but I enjoy them nonetheless.  I say that because, the Nightmare on Elmstreet series has always been one of my favorites.  Yes, I picked Freddy to open a can on Jason in the Versus movie, but hey, you knew how it was going to end going into it anyways.  Anyways, Platinum Dunes just wrapped filming the new A Nightmare on Elmstreet and none other than Watchman’s Rorschach - played by the memorable Jackie Earle Haley - takes on the glove from series originator Robert Englund as Freddy Kruger.  I’m excited.  This movie has a lot of potential.
6. I’ve always had a small fascination with Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass.  And now the one and only Tim Burton is going to be sharing with the world his take on the classic story.  Burton’s Alice in Wonderland is going to be INCREDIBLE!!! I’m so stoked and once you’ve seen the trailer, I’m sure you’ll agree.
7. James Cameron’s Avatar.  Now I don’t even know where to begin on this one.  There have been a lot of speculation and rumors surrounding Cameron’s return to the director’s chair.  Will it be as “revolutionary” as we’ve been told?  Will it redefine cinema and movie-making as we see it today?  Only time will tell.  I for one am excited to see just what all the fuss is about.  And apparently, on August 21st…I’ll get my chance.  You can  see the panel at Comic-Con with Cameron himself here and here and get an idea of the just what the film is all about here.
8. Wanted 2 is going to start filming in 8 weeks.  James McAvoy and apparently Angelina Jolie are going to be back in front of the camera with Timur behind the camera again.  The first movie kicked ass, but was a far a comic book adaptation.  It’ll be interesting to see what direction the script goes.  Either way, it’ll be one hell of ride again.
9. The Resident Evil franchise looks to be returning to theaters with Resident Evil: Afterlife.  Milla Jovovich and even Paul W.S. Anderson - who wrote all the movies, but only directed the first - will be returning behind the camera.  Anderson says that the film will be shot with the cameras used to shoot Avatar.  That definitely sparks my interests.  It’s supposedly an entirely new kickoff to the series, so I guess we’ll see how it goes.  The games have been getting better and better, hopefully the movies can follow suit.
10. Ninja Assassin!!  Honestly, the entire movie is summed up in the title.  Directed by James McTeigue (V for Vendatta) and produced by Joel Silver and the Wachowski Brothers (Matrix Triology) and I think you get a very good idea of what’s in store for you when watching the movie.
11. District 9 - all I can say is WOW!!!  It’s an ambitious concept and idea, the trailer is badass, and from all the remarks about the movie so far, it delivers on everything and then some.  Also, apparently all the alien scenes were CGI, and it was shocking how incredibly real they were.  You can hear thoughts on the film here.  The director Neill Blomkamp definitely has made his mark.
12. Iron Man 2.  Not much can be said except for the following because the panel literally just finished, but based on the reaction, it’s going to be badass!!!  Excitement is in the air.

• “Iron man 2 footage was freakin awesome! Incredbile! Everything we want it to be!” - Geek Tyrant
• “Footage again. ScarJo looks kickass in action. Whiplash advancing on injured Stark on race track, whipping his electric tendrils” - CHUD
• “Holy Fuck Iron Man 2 was bananas!!!! WAR MACHINE LOOKS BAD FUCKING ASS.” - Latino Review
• “Its safe to say that IRON MAN 2 was by far the best shit at Comic Con 2009.” - Latino Review

Well, that’s about all I’ve got to write about really.   Exciting times ahead.  But, yes, one of these years, I will be on of the 200,000+ people attending “The Con”, and I’m going to enjoy every minute of it!!!

Dominance War IV - The Finished Product

Well, I guess about a month a little less than a month ago, Dominance War IV concluded - at the moment he doesn’t know how he did.  My brother, if you don’t remember, was participating in it.  (For more information on the competition and what it’s all about, you can go here.)  Anyways, he made it through it and delivered a final and finished painting.  Though he obviously has his problems with it, I personally think it came out great.  He did a fantastic job, and it makes me very excited to be working with him on a comic book because I know the art is going to be incredible!!  If you want to see his thread and view his progress throughout the competition, you can go here.  Otherwise, enjoy the final product below:

“Flutebox” and Beardyman

I have to thank Lindsey for coming across this little item. These guys are ridiculously talented and extremely entertaining to listen to. Enjoy.

21.9

An incredible commercial for a new Philips Widescreen TV coming out.   You can visit the official site here .

Textiquette - A Book about Text Etiquette

So a few of us have decided to make a coffee table book about the etiquette of texting.  I think it’s going to be a pretty fun little project.  Below is a small excert from the draft of the chapter I am writing entitled “When it is NOT appropriate to text”:

Textiqutte, much like etiquette, is an unwritten code of social behavior, or in this case - texting behavior, that is a reflection of proper manners and respect.  Though you may think that the rules that lie herein may hinder your supposed sense of personal freedom, let me assure you - they do!  And the reason you may feel that these rules unnecessarily restrict your behavior is because I am calling you out on the stupid, idiotic buffoonery you call decision making - when it comes to texting that is.

Believe what you want, but there is a reason you find yourself reading this book.  If it is meant to be it is going to happen, and right now, you are meant to be reading this book.  Now, granted, you might be finding the words written herein amusing and laughable - HEY!! GUESS WHAT?!?!  THAT’S THE POINT!  How else did you think we were going to get our point across…play (pander) to your intelligence?  Ninety percent of the people that pick up this book will learn absolutely nothing, so at the very least we should make your “time wasting” enjoyable.

Sadly, however, making your “time wasting” enjoyable is not the point of this chapter.  I am here to give it to your straight and not waste time, because not following the proper textiquette guidelines found within these pages wastes everyone’s time.  Shape up, pay attention, and don’t even think about texting while you’re reading this.

Dinner
Let’s be honest.  What’s the whole point behind going out to dinner?  For those of you who think I mean anything related to a fast-food restaurant, please close this book, put it back where you found it and walk away.  You have more issues wrong with you then this book has pages to address.

The whole point behind going out to dinner - a real dinner - is to be social.  You are meant to interact and socialize with those you are out on a dinner with.  You are NOT at dinner to be social with your phone.  When you text while at dinner, it is rude, embarrassing and sometime offensive to those you are with.  Don’t do it!

Car/Driving
Very little is more inconsiderate, dangerous and outright reckless than texting while driving.  When you text while you drive, you are either doing one thing or the other - there is no multi-tasking.  If you think you can do both, you are greatly mistaken, and you aren’t just putting your life at risk, but you are also putting everyone else that is on the road with you at risk.  It’s simply bad form any which way you look at it.

While looking past the obvious dangers of texting while driving, if you are in traffic this is also not the go ahead to text either.  If you’re looking down at your phone, you aren’t looking at the cars in front of you.  Yes, the cars that are now a 100 yards - that’s right, a full football field’s length - ahead of you now.  No one should have lean on their horn to get you to pay attention to the road.  We are all trying to get somewhere.  Don’t hinder the process.

If you liked what you read, look for the book when it comes out.  There’s definitely a lot more to it, and it is a real fun read.

Dominance War IV

The two heroes in the third Great War for Dominance foresaw what would happen if Machines were allowed to continue their hostilities, but it was too late. 5 year’s after their sacrifice to end Machines’ disruptive means for war with unstable dimensional travel, the sinister threat they foretold, emerged!

…Reality collapsed.

Everywhere, dimensional tears opened to hellish realms and everywhere, nightmares emerged! In the first wave alone, Machines were struck down with such ferocity that for the first time in any war, Machines had to take a more conservative stance. Norms were clearly outnumbered on all fronts and had to withdraw to their great magically protected cities. It was a new era and everyone soon began to realize, including Machines, that it might very well be the beginning of the end in a new chapter of the Epic Dominance War Series: The Rise of Demons!

But there is still hope. The tears in reality are not normal. Something is keeping the dimensions destabilized. Both machines and norms have the mystical power or technology to correct the crisis, unfortunately, to find the source of the problem and to revert everything back to normal requires a luxury neither Norms nor Machines have… time. With death beating down on their walls, and darkness looming around every bend, the missions are as follows: (read more)

So, my brother is going to be participating in the Dominance War Contest this year. It’s pretty awesome. If you click the “read more” link above it will give you all the rules and details to the competition. It’s really pretty exciting, and I’m stoked Matt is competing. If you want to follow his progress, you can do it here. Tear it up Matt!!!

Stewart vs Kramer

I have to say, Jon Stewart is the MAN!! An unfortunate Jim Kramer is put to the test when Stewart confronts him about his show, the role of his show, the state of the economy and how the economy go to where it’s at today. Enjoy!!

What’s in the Box?

I came across this “viral video” - if that’s what you want to call it - the other day.  Really cool, and done very well.  Check it out.

“This 9-minute first-person short film has appeared on YouTube this week and is beginning to gain some traction in the Alternative Reality Game world. What we do know is this: The short was shot in the Netherlands, Nijmegen to be exact, using a bunch of assets taken directly from Half-Life, and music from the television show Lost. The YouTube page says that “This is a early temp version. Will be deleted soon” and the video’s title is What’s in the Box? - Test Film 2009.” The informational sidebar also provides the following url: www.whatsinthebox.nl. When you go to the site, you will find a box with a blinking question mark which sporadically glows red. Many people think it’s the start of a viral. Some have even suggested it is for Half-Life 3… but I think it might actually just be a very well put together special effects demo. Either way, it seems to me that whomever created this, put a lot of time and effort into it.”