English Life Enhancing Trivia

Red vs. Blu: Let's Play

2009-06-26T06:39:00.000-07:00

Red vs. Blu: Unconditional Love

2009-06-25T06:39:00.000-07:00

Red vs. Blu

2009-06-24T06:39:00.000-07:00

The Simpsons at the Irish Pub

2009-03-29T03:32:00.000-07:00

This German is terrible or better terribly funny.
I wonder if this is done on purpose.

And who would watch German TV at an Irish Pub?

ROFL.

Was this really God's plan for us?

2009-03-21T16:10:00.000-07:00

I am, of course, not talking about anything religious. I am talking about the magnificent series finale of Battlestar Galactica.

I have to admit, the whole story line of the Opera House and God's plan for Baltar, really had a rather weak end. Like Baltar I was scratching my head, was that all? Why yes it was. And now that I am thinking about it, I am glad that that was all.

Because it leaves the viewer with the characters for the final scenes and not with the story. Kudos to our magazine reading New Yorker citizen Ronald D. Moore. You have done it. The journey is complete. I fell that I don't need to bite my nails every week because I have to wait another 7 days for the next great episode.

But I have to admit, that I liked the journey and the mystery more than the destination. Storywise the climax was happening in the CIC where all the players got together, and boy everthing was happening fast. There could have been a peaceful solution but what destroyed it? The death of Cally! Suprise. Wow, I now see that from another perspective and I totally agree with Tigh. You can't blame Tyrol. Tory deserved it, although she didn't have much to do lately.

The flashbacks payed somewhat of. It seems fair that when we get to see, where the characters end up, we should see where they start. Which is right at the beginning. Baltar at farming, who would have thought. I wished for Lee and Kara to end up together, but that was rather fanboyish. The Kara thread is not resolved and I feel a bit cheated. Hera ending up as Eve for "our" humanity did not really impress me.

I sure hope that the rest of the Cylon race was not wiped out by the accidental destruction of the colony and there are still some Simons around. But what about them and what about the centurions? Another fanboyish dream was not fulfilled. Seeing all the 12 cylon models in one scene. Maybe that will happen in the movie "The Plan" but I doubt it.

The finale was full of great images and metaphors, but I really wished for a stronger image for the final voyage of the Galactica. I liked the scene with Adama sitting by Roslin's grave and it's hommage to Star Trek Generations. What suprised me, though, that there were no other major character deaths except the inevitable Laura Roslin.

And there was the not to subtle message "Don't let this [the circle] happen again!". Thanks Ron! One last question I have for you. What is left in this finale of what you have conceived when you createt the miniseries?

All in all the finale was a blast, with ups and downs and moments for everyone. It was a great ride and a proper send off for one of the greatest and boldest series on television.

One word: WOW! (Meaning 5 of 5 stars)

Battlestar robbed 15 minutes of my finale Lost-style

2009-03-14T13:38:00.000-07:00

I feel a little bit cheated by the first part of the Battlestar Galactica finale "Daybreak". Why? Flashbacks. For no apparent reason the episode was full of flashbacks of the characters' lives before the Cylon attack. To me, they seemed just random and unconnected and if that doesn't change in the second part I will be very much upset. There must be a reason, because I trust Ronald D. Moore enough. Even though I don't know what he is pulling off right now.

I hope the flashes won't cut into the action and I hope the finale will hold up to the expectations. Right now I feel I watched only half an episode. The 2-hour episode will be the last of Battlestar Galactica we will ever get to see (The movie "The Plan" is actually unconnected from the plot lines happening right now), so it'd better be good. I won't accept half an episode next time. So please show us, that the flashbacks are connected somehow or that they pay off when the last line of script is spoken.

But actually I got exactly what I was expecting, the decission to pursue Hera and the preparation for that. The execution of Adama's speech and the choices all of the characters was great. All of that leads to next week. I cross my fingers. I don't feel excited like I was after the first mutiny episode. I was biting my nails of to know how it ends. But today I'm calm. I don't want to get to the end, I want the end coming to me. Do I make sense? More than the flashbacks, it seems.

I have enjoyed and embraced Battlestar for the last half of a decade, so it has to be worth the time. Please.

Watchmen

2009-03-11T01:06:00.000-07:00

I finally was able to watch the movie version of Watchmen.

Alan Moore was right. You can't take the comic and transpire everything to the screen.
While Watchmen is still a great movie, it lacks some elements of the graphic novel. The ending has been changed and the famous sentence "Nothing ever ends" isn't spoken by Dr. Manhattan anymore.

The situation and the atmosphere of the movie does not feel so dire and helpless as it does in the comic and the nuclear war looming in the background doesn't take up as much space.

It is a great movie and you should watch it nevertheless, but it never can beat the comic book.

4 out of 5 stars.

OMG... the new Star Trek Trailer is so epic

2009-03-08T13:50:00.000-07:00

Dreimann

2009-02-23T00:18:00.001-08:00

New Year's Eve... the rest is history

New Simpsons Main Title

2009-02-15T05:21:00.000-08:00

The Simpsons will be broadcast in HD on Fox starting today. The main titles were given an update. The colors look fresher and many secondary characters were inserted. Sherri and Terri were made smaller in the band scene.

I think it's alright that the main titles are updated. (This is the second time after the first season change. Those of you who are old enough to remember: Bart was stealing a bus stop sign in the first sequence)
Even though the episodes aren't as good as the old ones. There may be more humor, but they mostly lack story.

Escape From City 17

2009-02-14T14:26:00.000-08:00

I have just been notified by my friendly neighborhood Steam, that there is a really awesome video over at YouTube about Half-Life.

Created by the Purchase Brothers, the video shows the escape of two human resistance fighters from City 17 in the Half-Life universe right after Gordon Freeman blows the reactor of the citadel.

This video isn't just great. It totally rocks! Props to these guys. If anyone in Hollywood is watching this: There is the recipe for a great movie adaption of a video game. Uwe Boll, make room for the Purchase Brothers.

Their hompages:
www.sonsanddaughters.ca
www.purchasebrothers.com (Apparently currently down)

Their video:

Great Stuff!!

Lost is Death

2009-02-13T09:46:00.001-08:00

This week's episode of Lost called "This Place is Death" saw the death of Charlotte. It was sad to see her go. I found her character really intriguing and she and Daniel made a really cute couple. They had a good chemistry.

This is the next death next to Charlie's that really had an impact on me. I hope the show does not forget her character into oblivion and that her death will have an impact on Daniel. Maybe he will try to go back in time and undo stuff (Hey, that's a cool theory).

Next to that nothing really happened. The island is still jumping around in time and the people off the island took a lengthy drive to Daniel's mom.
The time flashes really annoyed me this episode, because they were just used as a cheap way to show already established facts, nothing more.

It was rather pointless to have Jin jump around Danielle to see her do the things the viewer already knows about. I bet Jin's time travelling will have no impact and it was just used to confirm or discredit fan theories. These scenes had no other use and made storywise no sense.

Jack's father's reappearance and that he could not help John up just furthers that he is just an apparition or an incarnation of the monster that was established as security system for the temple.

All in all the Lost episode for this week was a bit disappointing compared to the highlights of the season so far. One reason for this might be that I had to watch "This Place is Death" a day later than the other eps and therefor I was spoilered a bit too much. I knew something was going on with Charlotte, because she is not listed as guest star in the press releases of the next episodes, amongst other things.
Hopefully next week something will happen...

I think this week Battlestar Galactica can easily top Lost, because we know that Ellen Tigh, the fith Cylon, will be back and there will be some explanations and clarifications. And I think that plot that will revolve around that thread will be far more interesting than a half hour drive to Ms. Hawking that doesn't even last half an hour.

Monopoly: The Movie

2009-02-13T02:35:00.001-08:00

This may be old news, but I only found out today and it is still very odd...

There is a movie based on the board game "Monopoly" in the works. According to Wikipedia, it will be a "futuristic comedy-thriller". Well I guess, we will see plenty of hats, dogs and old cars in it. As well as Jails, the water company, Reading Railroad, income taxes and Baltic Avenue.

Let's see where this goes...

The news:
http://www.worstpreviews.com/headline.php?id=4473&count=0

Extremely terrified...

2009-02-10T02:31:00.000-08:00

Someone called Amber is extremely terrified of Chines people. You should read the article and the comments. I think everybody is entitled to their own opinion about that matter, but this is just racist, stupid and extremely closed-minded.

http://christwire.org/2009/02/i-am-extremely-terrified-of-chinese-people/

So now we're not afraid of Jews anymore, we're afraid of Chinamen. But hey, what do you expect from a blog called "Christwire" which offers 'conservative' views? While I am disgusted at that article it is important that it is read, because it shows who we really should be terrified of...

Why have I found this? Google. Google suggests "i am extremely terrified of chinese people" when you begin typing "i am extremely". Well, who begins a search query like this? I dunno. But this phenomenon will spread because as of this post the list of search results for the query will be longer.

Interessting facts

2009-02-09T05:39:00.000-08:00

Today: Biological data transfer
http://qdb.us/262095?%2F

An indian take on a classic

2009-02-05T14:26:00.000-08:00

Songsmith

2009-02-04T04:13:00.001-08:00

http://download.microsoft.com/download/8/1/3/813609D2-82A3-47D7-B823-5ED32DF3A75C/SongsmithSetup.1.01.msi
Get it

Battlestar Galactica vs. Lost

2009-01-31T09:35:00.000-08:00

This is for everyone who is as blown as me as two of the greatest television series draw to their close.

The first one a little quicker than the other one. I am, of course, talking about Ronald D. Moore's Battlestar Galactica and J.J. Abrams' Lost, the best your television has to offer right now

I planned this entry as a battle between the two shows. I would rate each week's episode and give the show with the better rating a point. But I after saw friday's "The Oath" of Battlestar Galactica I have to say that it compares in no way to wednesday's Lost episode "Jughead". They were both absolutely brilliant.

Both shows introduced an intriguing set of characters last year. The freighter folk on Lost and the Final Four on Battlestar. Well, the four cylons are not entirely new characters, but that add the necessary spice to the mix, that now pays of. In fact both shows pay off at the moment. Battlestar has to, because the end is coming at a fast pace and I am dying to find out how everything will happen again. I actually believe that Starbuck is a younger Ellen and therefore a cylon. And because everything has happened before and will happen again, the finale will not be a flash back, but a flash forward (Lost anyone?). I will uphold these theories until proven otherwise.

As with Lost, this show it also paying off. They are not waiting for the last season next year. The show is really spinning my head in a positive way. I love science fiction so I love the time travel aspect. It really gets me. The advantage Lost has are the characters. I know all the characters, I can relate to them and they have strong connections to and conflicts with each other. But because these characters are fully developed, the show can't spend any time on them any more. It has to focus on something else like the time travel aspect (and gradually reducing the red shirts [background characters] *lol*). "Jughead" introduced us to Charlie Hume, young Charles Widmore, the "first" meeting between John Locke and Richard Alpert. And I don't think the show will pause for a minute this season.

The greatest things about Lost and Battlestar Galactica is that the viewer still doesn't know the grand plan, how everything is going to end. The shows show us the road, but not the destination. But unlike other TV shows, the show runners know the destination.

Ronald D. Moore, J.J. Abrams, Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindelof along with Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman are some of the greatest minds in the entertainment industry right now in my opinion. They know their stuff, their audience and how to turn great stories into images, that the viewer loves and cares about.

You better watch out for Star Trek and Tranformers 2 (Revenge of the Fallen) in your summer 2009 blockbuster schedule.

An impression from 2008

2009-01-27T15:18:00.001-08:00

This was the last picture I took in 2008

Canada in Powerpoint

2009-01-24T15:48:00.000-08:00

I hadn't tested Microsoft Office 2007 much yet. But as I used Powerpoint 2007 for my studies today I came to notice something truly trivial.

Microsoft put the flag of Canada into Powerpoint. The icons in the task bar make it evident:

This could only mean

It's another joke about Canada by people of the US
A Canadian programmer or graphic designer at Microsoft put it there as a show of patriotism
Nobody knew what the icon might look like in the task bar and it's all just a simple boring coincidence.

Whatever the case may be. I smell conspiracy.
If Canada plays it right, I could make millions of dollar from an out-of-court settlement. The they would not have to go on strike for that damn internet money they think they earn.

Anyhow, just keep an eye open for signs.

Current Avengers Rosters

2009-01-24T15:27:00.000-08:00

After the whole Civil War/Secret Invasion shake-up there are currently three teams of Avengers. While I find this really intriguing, others may lose patience or maybe they might just lose track where their favorite hero is now and which issues the must pick up.

I have compiled this list that should make things easier.

New Avengers	Mighty Avengers	Dark Avengers
Captain America (Bucky Barnes)	U.S. Agent	Iron Patriot (Norman Osborn)
Ms. Marvel	Scarlet Witch	Ms. Marvel (Moonstone)
Ronin	Hank Pym (Wasp)	Hawkeye (Bullseye)
Wolverine	Hulk	Wolverine (Daken)
Spider-Man	Jocasta	Spider-Man (Venom)
Luke Cage	Hercules	Captain Marvel (Noh-Varr)
Spider-Woman	Vision	Sentry
Mockingbird	Stature	Ares
Jessica Jones	Amadeus Cho

It's really cool to see how the Dark Avengers will try to mimick the style of the heroes they are impersonating. I wonder if the public will know and when these teams will come face to face. I wanna see 3-on-3

Life Enhancing Trivia en Anglais

2009-01-24T15:06:00.000-08:00

I decided to post on English, too....