One of the great things about studying at the VCU Brandcenter is that smart industry folk come talk to us and share their trade secrets. No kidding.

Today Yesterday, Paul Parton and Guy Barnett of the Brooklyn Brothers, NYC were our Friday Forum guest speakers. They were quick to declare that they were neither purely a design agency, an ad agency, or a digital shop. They gave the impression that they let the idea drive them to appropriate media.

Paul Parton, the planner, said that planning today is changing from finding Bernbachian human nature insights to consumer behavior insights because it is less restrictive than the former, providing a more fertile space.

Here are some of their mantras that made a great impression on me

• Invite consumers in the conversation: I loved how that mantra shone through in their billboard for Versus (cage fighting) that asked people to run into them to experience a punch.
• The idea is the medium
• Approach every work with an online state of mind: To get fringe fans excited again about hockey after a year's sabbatical, the Brooklyn Brothers created a Ranger's fan character and got him posted on serious hockey blogs like hockeyrodent.com to let the fans judge Bobby Granger. Bobby Granger became such a popular character that at every game people wanted to take pictures with him.

Guy Barnett closed saying he thinks of them as a salesmen out trying to think of creative solutions. He said in every product, say cars, what the engineers do is really very creative and many a times it is about unearthing that creative truth.

Brandcenter folk, what did you'll think about the Brooklyn Brothers?

More of their work:

Jerry Seinfeld's "Comedian" movie trailer for Miramax

Commercial film for Kayak.com

Commercial film for Fuse TV

Bobby Granger for New York Rangers

Fat Pig Chocolate

…oh, hey. I didn’t see you there. How’s it going? Enjoying your Marvel Evolution previews?

In a little over a month the latest Vs. System expansion, Marvel Evolution, will be hitting stores. YAY! It’s been kind of a long wait, hasn’t it? Sorry about that. But! The unbearable wait is over, and like last time (and the time before that, and that, and…) a new set brings new preview articles. This time, almost all exclusively written by you, the fans!

TBS Is The Master Of Good Ideas!

Billy: “Hey, great idea extending the blog preview action from MUN.”
TBS: “I mean, evil genius?”
Billy: “If you say so.”
Andrew: “Why are you talking to TBS and not logged into the World?”
Billy: “Crap, let’s go pwn some noobs!”
TBS: “WoW has stolen your soul, Billy Zonos.”*

As If I Needed To Tell You!**

Here’s a quick list of the X-Factor cards previewed so far:

• Cyclops, Mutant Messiah – Look for this version name to repeat four more times throughout Marvel Evolution. It was kind of a theme.
• Concussive Force – The image for this card changed more than four times. Also, it’s a very powerful card… as many of you have pointed out.
• Jamie Madrox, Multiple Man, Jamie Prime – This image, to me, cuts down to the core of Jamie Madrox’s personality. Love it. Also, TBS did a fine job figuring out all that messy identity crap. Kudos.
• Re-Absorption – UGH, we hated the art for this for the longest time and always meant to find something better, but then I never did and at the time of the deadline we'd kind of gotten used to it.
• Cyclops, Man of Action – I wrote that version months before Fraction and Brubaker started referring to Cyclops as a “Man of Action” in their X-Men interviews. I mean, great minds think alike. :)
• Polaris, Back in the Fold – This card makes me so happy… for obvious reasons.
• Multiple Man, Hydra, Army – Admittedly, his connection to Hydra is pretty suspect, but hey, it was an opportunity for subtle Crime Lords legacy and TBS loved it.
• Multiplicity – That movie was so lame. Sorry for referencing it.
• Strong Guy, Guido Carosella – I misspelled this guy’s name the most. I always wrote “Casserole” first.
• Iceman, Jack Frost – “Catch a cold.” Get it! Wait ‘til you see his other flavor text.
• First Class – the art for this became “available” at the last minute, and by that I mean, the latest Marvel Previews supplement came out days before the art deadline.
• Fearless Leader – the flavor here is extra cheese, but he actually says stuff like this!
• One Man Army – I regret not naming this card “One Man Gang” or “O.M.G.”
• Jean Grey, Jean Grey-Summers – You know, I KNOW this is Ethan and not Phil and yet somehow that fact slipped by me.
• Cyclops, Astonishing X-Man – for the longest time, this was not the art for this card. Thankfully, I pulled my head out of my butt and fixed it. One of my favorite cards.

What To Expect From The “X”

In my mind, there are three unique versions of the X-Factor team, and as I was the one in charge of sorting out the team lists, you can expect to see all three versions of X-Factor represented in Marvel Evolutions. Do you require more detail? Sure.

• You’ll see at least two of each of the members of the original group: Cyclops, Jean Grey, Iceman, Beast and Angel. However, the character art on the cards may not match exactly the look and feel of this incarnation.

Unfortunately, that is just one of the many harsh realities of using recycled art. Marvel allows us access to thousands of high quality images in their online database, but since said database is relatively new most of these images were uploaded from recently published comics. I mean, X-Factor was first published in the 80’s, folks, and the archivers just haven’t gotten around to scanning them in yet. Of course, we also have access to my rather large collection to pull images from, and we surely did, but scanning these comics myself came with its own set of unique problems. For one, no matter how killer my scanner is, using printed comic pages from the 80’s (or older) as source material is rough. Basically, when scanned, the pages look like crap… and retouching images is NOT my forte. But enough already, I’m sure I’ll find time to speak on this more at a later date when I get all my excuses in order.

• The second incarnation, the government sponsored team, will also be present: Valerie Cooper, Forge, Multiple Man, Havok, Polaris, Quicksilver, Strong Guy, Mystique, Sabretooth, etc… this is probably the least represented version of the team since finding art for them proved the most difficult. Believe me when I say I tried really, really hard. Obsessively hard.

• The third, and most current incarnation, that being “X-Factor Investigations”, will OF COURSE be featured prominently. I mean, we know who butters out bread, if you know what I mean: Multiple Man, Strong Guy, Siryn, Wolfsbane, Rictor, Layla Miller, and M.

…and then a couple of odds and ends characters to satisfy those continuity minded fanatics.

As far as the X-Men dual affiliation goes, we used it pretty liberally, but only because most of the above character were in fact, at one time or another, card carrying members of the X-Men. But, that doesn’t mean we gave it to every single member of X-Factor. That would be lame. So, all the original members of X-Factor are dual-affiliated with the X-Men, but characters like Layla Miller and Valerie Cooper are not. And then there are some characters (Polaris, Caliban) who some of you will undoubtedly point out did not receive said most deserved dual-affiliating (that was an attempt to confuse with odd sentence structure). Well, that’s because for variety’s sake we decided to dual them with another team, and Hump was adamant about not breaking the “only two printed affiliations per character” rule. Sorry!

Okay, beside roster infos, what else can I spoil? Card names (and one piece of flavor) that I love and hope you love too!

• Fall’s Edge
• Cracking The Case
• Optic Blast
• The “X” Factor
• Vocal Minority
• “Please. This demeans us both.”***

Speculate away!

Spoiling Art, It’s What I Do!

And now, I give you the art for one of the cards that will undoubtedly become very annoying in drafts (if you can get him):

“Devolving Brute”

“He lost a finger on each hand. I’m sure that’d make anyone crazy.”

TBS: “I liked these better when they were on the main site.”
Billy: “Why? I’m my own editor here!”
TBS: “Exactly.”
Yip: “ARENA!!!”

Recommended Reading:
1. Astonishing X-Men Vol. 1: Gifted
2. Astonishing X-Men Vol. 2: Dangerous
3. Astonishing X-Men Vol. 3: Torn
4. Astonishing X-Men Vol. 4: Unstoppable
5. X-Factor Vol. 1: The Longest Night
6. X-Factor Vol. 2: Life and Death Matters
7. X-Factor Vol. 3: Many Lives of Madrox
8. X-Factor Vol. 4: Heart of Ice
9. X-Factor: Madrox - Multiple Choice
10. X-Men: Endangered Species
11. X-Men: Messiah Complex

Also, feel free to hit up the Wiki page, a great place to start.

That’s it for this week’s installment. If you have anyone questions, feel free to post them here in the comments section. The way my e-mail is setup nowadays it’s much easier for me to find (and reply to) your questions and comments about Vs. here. So yes, Ken Williams, if you wish to bitch at me, you’re gonna have to read and (OMG!) comment on a (THE HUMANITY!!!) blog.

*Yes, TBS often refers to me as “Billy Zonos”. Weirdo.

**I guess it’s tradition at this point to use these articles to redirect to previews, so why stop now? Also, special thanks to Captain Spud for maintaining this thread. It makes writing these up much easier.

***A phrase that has, after writing it, entered my everyday bag of tricks. Heh. It’s perfect for any occasion!

motorcycle

automobile

bus

cement truck.

The pedestrian never wins.

1. Free Software makes your life simpler and more efficient

Free software means a lot of things. It comes down to saying that source code is available for download free of charge, but this has a lot of implications and consequences. For people who don't give a shit and just want to use computers, it means that their life is easier.

1.1 Free Software means centralized distribution

Since free software can be freely distributed, ubuntu has repositories, which are basically long lists of programs available directly for download. You don't need to go to every single homepage of each program, it's available directly on the desktop, no hassle. Tipical use case is, imagine you want a program for downloading torrents and don't have one nor do you know one.You go to applications->add/remove->search for torrent->Click on Transmission->Apply->password->boom, you're done. No command line bullshit, just plain simple and fast.

1.2 Free Software means centralized updates

Centralized distribuition also implies that all updates are centralized. You can easily keep up with the latest version of all the programs and drivers you use, because they all come from the same update manager. Again, no worries.

1.3 Free software means no spyware and no adds

Not knowing anything else, you think it's ok than msn messenger has flash commercials about tv programs bothering you at the bottom, eating resources and being all-around annoying. It's not normal and you shouldn't put up that shit. Free software means programs do what they do, and that's that. They don't ask you if you want to install google's dogshit taskbar and they don't install things without your consempt. Like it's supposed to.

1.4 Free software means install/uninstall works

Because software is centralized and distributed in a coherent form, installing and uninstalling programs is a standardized process. You can install and uninstall programs all you want, because, again, it works like it's supposed to. Uninstalling software in windows fails all the time, leaves a bunch of register keys, temporary files, folders, all kinds of weird untraceable trails. This does not happen in linux.

2. You can have a good looking desktop on an old computer

People assume that because their laptop is 4 years old and has a sticker that says "Designed for Windows XP", Windows XP level of graphics is all it can do. This is wrong. Windows XP has been around since 2001, it's ugly by today's standards, and hasn't evolved shit in 8 years. It was made for 2001 hardware, not today's standards. You can have a desktop running full blown compiz-fusion on 4 year old hardware. I know, it's my case

3. Better organization

A windows user is acostumed to the start menu and accessing programs using the "All programs" menu. You wouldn't question such a thing because it's been around for ages, but the start menu sucks. When you have a 3 page long "all programs" menu finding something is brutally confusing, you just don't notice it because your acostumed. Gnome's menu are uglier, in a sense, but the division in applications/places/system is brilliant. It ends ups even replacing the whole concept of "My Computer". Once you start using it, you see the difference.

4. Linux has virtually no viruses, so you can forget they even exist

You can click all you want in email viruses, strange ads on webpages, anything. It doesn't matter because windows viruses won't run on linux, and there are virtually no virus for linux. If you care about your data like your photos, your documents, you have to be careful all the time and naturally use an antivirus. Antivirus either cost money or they're free and they suck. No one uses antivirus software in linux. Ever. So your computer runs smoother because there isn't an extra piece of software constantly wasting resources monitoring all that happens. That leaves ram for oh-my-god-compiz-fusion-is-sweet.

There. Five reasons to put up with a dual-boot. I'd go as far as say 90% of average users don't need windows for anything except games. Got any other reasons? Leave a comment : -)

VEM , VAI, PORQUE A VIDA É ASSIM MESMO                                                                                             ENTRA, E SAI, O CANTO NUNCA É EM ESMO                                                                                        LEVANTA, CAI, ASSIM É VIDA DE GUERREIRO                                                                                    ADICIONA, SUBTRAI, É COMO O VENTO NO VELEIRO

Odiou, amou, muitas vezes ela voltou,                                                                                             atirou, armou, minha alma ela envenenou.                                                                                          Fui, sou, homem de Deus q se alterou,                                                                                                     é, não é, a razão pertence a quem inventou.                                     

Nada é a tôa, porisso cobra não vôa,                                                                                                 quem a alma não dôa, fica p/ traz do espírito q sôa,                                                                            Esqueci da minha pessoa, agora só quero saber da boa,                                                                     vou me largar nessa garôa, o papo é sério vê se não zôa.................

I wanna tell you, how much I want you,                                                                                                     but all you do, is make me a fool.                                                                                                     That's why, you think you're so cool,                                                                                                        and I got my self a brend new tool.

to unlock your heart and free you're soul,                                                                                           you're not that smart your love you sold.                                                                                              More then a part has already been told,                                                                                                 you teared me apart, brought me down as a whole.

Saved by an angel the day I fell,                                                                                                           got back together, and felt that smell.                                                                                                 Ran back home but that I won't tell,                                                                                                      winds blowing north, was a beautyfull swell.

I just read on the Train for Humanity site that over 150,000 blogs are created every day. That's crazy! There are so many facets and opportunities to blogging. I can use this blog for my personal rant or gain, in hopes to convert you to my side. I can feel even more tiny and insignificant based on the enormity of our population and the ability to have my voice heard. Or I can use this blog to encourage growth in myself and others, to create conversations that lead to action. Whether you agree with me or not, the ideal is to move you forward, even if it is in a different direction than where I am going.

Training for Humanity is one of those sites that has overcome such potential inward obstacles and has been created for the good of others. Their mantra is getting fit + social media + blogging = social good.

They are raising awareness and support for Darfur Peace and Development. They give you practical steps and encouragement in how to make a difference in the world around us.

I can definitely see how contagious doing good and training will be when you keep up with their blog.

How are you adding value to the blogging world today?

Versus is Ryuhei Kitamura's yakuza-samurai-zombie flick released in 2000. An isolated area of Japanese forest is a portal to the "other side," turning those killed there into zombies.

The film has some laughs (the yakuza with the green shirt) and other redeeming moments. Just about all the characters are self-consciously cool and have great hair until they're turned into zombies. The film drags a good deal more than it has to, denying it upper-echelon cult status. 

Rating: 3 of 5 stars (worth a Netflix rental)

Depending on the size of your Peace Corps country, you could eventually meet all the PCVs currently serving or else you'll only know and visit those in your district. In bigger Peace Corps countries, Because of public transportation and rough terrain, visiting your district peers might still take a travel time of at least two hours. Friends in Peace Corps are especially important because, of all the people who will try to say "I understand what you're going through" when you relate your difficulties, only those serving in the same country can really say it and mean it. And when you feel triumphant, only those PCVs can fully appreciate why. In so many ways, Peace Corps takes you back to such basic challenges (fetching water, working by candlelight, waking up to 36-degree rooms in winter, pee buckets) that all pretenses in the form of social rules are dropped: personal cleanliness, food rules, &c.

Peace Corps-Lesotho's last several country directors and staff understood that, so they set up systems in which other PCVs act as security point people (always let your security person know where you are, even if you're supposed to be on-site and are sneaking off), peer support for new PCVs and lots of peer-to-peer sessions during pre-service training.

If your Peace Corps class is particularly small, don't feel distressed if you don't find someone to connect with. There's a lot of pressure from the very beginning, during Peace Corps staging, and I remember when I was split into my sector (we had three sectors in our class), I was thinking, wait--these are the people i'm being told I'll need to depend on for the next two years? That's it? Although it may not always seem like it, there will eventually be ample opportunity to meet many other PCVs both during and after training. If you don't buddy up with someone, it's really not the end.

Many people who are AmeriCorps Vistas, on the other hand, tend to stay in the area they're from. For those who haven't, they either want a change of scenery or are using AmeriCorps as an opportunity to relocate to the city they want. For some people, they move where their significant other will be, and AmeriCorps provides a one-year guarantee of job stability in the service sector. More likely than not, AmeriCorps volunteers will already know someone in the city they're moving to. In some places, AmeriCorps volunteers end up hanging out together. For those who neither know anyone nor hang out with other AmeriCorps volunteers, they often meet friends through the workplace, their living arrangements or by volunteering with various groups that share their values and interests. But as far as I can tell, friends are very important, but not necessarily as vital as in Peace Corps. Pre-service orientation is far shorter than pre-service training, and although Vistas often enjoy one another's company, three days is not necessarily enough time to cement permanent friendships, especially when there are 31 other people to meet.

Of course, the disadvantage of having to rely so much on friendship as the most immediate support structure is the rumor mill. Nothing is safe, and even if you don't reveal anything, PCVs tend to make uncannily correct guesses about you. Everyone is friendly, but don't forget there are always going to be rumors, and you're going to get sucked into it. You will be the subject of deep analysis, and you will speculate about others as well. It's not really a matter of being gossips as much as it is that when everyone's situations are different and their friends on-site will always be blank faces to other PCVs, the only people everyone has in common is every other PCV. You will always have someone in your business; rumors are news where there is no Facebook, Twitter, email, reliable phone connections, parties and events to meet new people. Nobody indulges in it because they have bad taste but because everyone's so isolated that they're all necessarily concerned or curious about one another.

Although I don't get to chat with my CTC Project friends too often, it's always a party when we have a CTC Vista Project webinar training. We all enter the web conference and start going crazy on the chat feature, sharing jokes (most of them very corny) and speculating on recent news. As geeky as it sounds, it's all a lot of digital fun. Ultimately, although we don't get much time with one another, we all still hold those connections we made during orientation, and any CTC Vista in my class is welcome to couch-surf at my apartment anytime, just as I would be welcome at theirs.

After being hailed as the Pinoy Dream Academy season 2 Grand Star Dreamer, Laarni Lozada was honored again as the 2008 most Promising female Performer last October 4, Saturday at the Mandarin Suites in Gateway, Cubao together with Bugoy Drilon as the Most Promising Male Performer.

The 23 year old independent woman of Sultan Kudarat was overwhelmed by the series of success she has right now including the latest award she received.

"Sobrang proud po ako. Salamat po talaga sa pagtitiwala. Excited na ako. Pag-iigihan ko talaga. Ibibigay ko ang best ko para mapasaya ang mga tao", she said in an interview and article posted on ABSCBN.com

On the other hand, Laarni is set to release her very first album under Star records as she signed a one year contract under the ABSCBN's sister company last Sept 30.

The songs line up is still under the negotiation. Laarni revealed that she is hoping that the album will showcase her versatility in different genres.

“Belter, classical singer, OPM, opera, iba’t iba pa. Hangga’t maaari gusto ko pong maging versatile singer. Doon po ako nakilala ng mga tao. Kahit ano po okay lang sa akin. Gusto ko pong ipakita sa mga fans ko ‘yung versatility ko," said Laarni.

Laarni's first single, Manalig Ka has been performing great in radio stations nationwide however the sucess of her first single has been controversially being compared to her runner up Bugoy Drilon's original ballad Paano na Kaya who is doing equally good with her song.

Laarni bared that among the top 6 scholars, she is not affected by the rising issues about rivalry between her and Bugoy drilon.

“Okay lang po ‘yon. Nasa likod ng utak ko ‘yon. Madaming detractors at maraming magbibigay ng comments so nirerespeto ko po kung ano ang comments nila as long as ginagawa ko ang dapat kong gawin ang trabaho ko. Okay lang po ‘yon sa akin,”

“Normal lang po ‘yun, meron siyang sariling fans, ‘yung relationship namin sa loob (ng academy) hindi matatawaran. Kahit anong intriga or pagsubok ang pagdaanan namin okay pa rin ‘yung friendship namin, lahat kaming scholars."

Laarni explained as well on the issue that people cannot avoid her being compared to the first Grand Star Dreamer Yeng Constantino who had produced multi platinum albums and hit sonngs.

“Normal lang po ‘yun (na i-compare kami) kasi siya ang Season 1 Grand Star Dreamer. Pero kasi iba po si Yeng, iba po ako. Iba po ‘yung goal ko as a singer. Nasa akin na po kung magiging successful ako. ‘Yung mga opportunities na naibibigay sa akin iniingatan ko talaga. Blessing ito kaya dapat pagtrabahuan ko ng maiigi”, the young singer explained.

The Versatile singer of Sultan Kudarat is looking forward for a better future not only for her as well as for her family.

"My God, although this is my first time, sa ngayon ay nag-aadjust ako. As long as mag-e-enjoy ka, walang imposible. Dati isa lang akong simpleng tao at mamamayan, afterwards nasa limelight na, pati ang family ko. Nag-iba na din ang pamimuhay namin. Proud pa din ako dahil kahit nandito ako sa kalagayan na ito at very supportive ang family ko. Basta nandiyan sila sa likod ko ay kayang-kaya," she ended.

Laarni's lovelife :is blooming on "The Prayer" ?

in an episode of Boy & Kris, ex-co scholar Hansen revealed that Laarni Lozada had a huge crush to Jed Madela, another ASAP 08 singer who did a duet with her during the celebrity duet episode of the Pinoy Dream Academy Season 2.

Laarni after being revealed turned red as Jed Madela was advised by Boy Abunda to sit right beside her. The scene then was full of teasing smiles and laughters among the other guests including Boy and Kris Aquino. Laarni became conscious right after Jed sat beside her and she could not even watch directly to Jed's very eyes. The kilig moment was heightened up when they both sang The Prayer and Kris requested Laarni to sing the Because you love me with Jed. It was bared that Laarni started to admire Jed on ASAP.

watch the video after the jump.

]]> http://patbrazilianguitar.wordpress.com/?p=90 Sun, 05 Oct 2008 17:53:09 +0000 patannequin http://patbrazilianguitar.ru.wordpress.com/2008/10/05/day-by-day/ Day by day, I gotta find a way,                                                                                                             easy you say, as you did yesterday.                                                                                                           I found a way, to the secret magik play,                                                                                                              follow the prey, if you wanna dine today.

I don't mind if you find,                                                                                                                            all the things I left behind.                                                                                                                        I don't care if you dare,                                                                                                                         calling love from everywhere.

Our love comes from the sky,                                                                                                           tastes sweet as a piece of pie.                                                                                                          Nevermind saying goodbye,                                                                                                                  another night for you I'd die.

Single light, shines beautyful tonight,                                                                                                  maybe I might, get things all right.                                                                                                      Heaven's a sight, when things are tight,                                                                                                 so much delite, in love's single bite.

Clive Barker is a man whose importance to genre pictures is unquestionable, but as far as his actual talent is concerned, everyone has a different opinion.  Celebrated as one of the premiere horror fiction writers of his time, many have blasted him as of late for drifting into the land of fantasy, away from the guts, gore and magic that drew so much attention to his writing.  I'm not sure if that's fair to Mr. Barker, but one thing I am sure of is that his work in the realm of horror, monsters and the supernatural is still relevant and suitable for modern day cinema.  Proof being The Midnight Meat Train.

Directed by Ryuhei "It's a crime I'm not directing in Hollywood on a consistent basis" Kitamura, Meat Train follows the story of a up and coming photographer who under the advice of a powerful player in the photography world played by Brooke Shields (Yeah, that Brooke Shields!) begins to dig deeper into the New York night scape, in particular the subway system.  There he finds a man in a suit who waits until well past midnight to slaughter innocent victims catching those red eye trains home.

Seeing as how this originated from a Clive Barker short story, you know things are never as simple and clear cut as they seem to be from the start.  But those little twists and turns wouldn't be as intriguing if the trio of main characters couldn't carry their roles.  This movie does have some kills and gruesome scenes, both innovative and familiar, but it is still a piece that relies heavily on your investment in the characters.  Bradley Cooper, Leslie Bibb and Vinnie Jones all perform well above the standard for a little horror flick.  Vinnie Jones is especially impressive, since he only speaks ONE word the whole movie, and that line is at the very end.  He is in the movie a lot, and just his presence and body and facial expressions make "Mahogany", his character, really jump off the screen.  Cooper and Bibb make a great couple in descent, and both command their screen time admirably and bring a fair amount of depth to their characters.

The gore and special effects are a mixed bag, because it's a mix of some practical effects like latex and props, and some heavy CGI work.  It's a shame because I personally always love to see innovative kills done without the aid CGI, but you can't win them all.  The kills still work, and toward the end, you see less and less of the cgi blood and gore, and during the climax's TWO fight scenes the brutality is accentuated by make up and karo syrup based splatter.  Even for some seasoned gore hounds, there's still some tricks Barker, Kitamura and company have up their sleeves, and it definitely doesn't disappoint when it comes to kicking the violence up another notch in the final 20 minutes, which is where Kitamura really excels as he is a master craftsman when it comes to staging fights of any kind.

Kitamura is the real star and for the same reasons I described in my Versus review.  He has a great eye for making his version of New York stand out just a little bit from other film interpretations of the famous locale.  His use of different lenses and lengths makes for some interesting shots, and his flashy visuals are usually nothing short of arresting.  Simple, predictable scenes become much more interesting with Kitamura behind the camera.  Overhead shots, POV shots, upside down shots (Don't worry, it makes perfect sense), and playing with lighting and reflections make this ride one that doesn't feel stagnant on a visual level.  He also knows when to reel it in and just play certain scenes straight with no trickery.  It's a delicious balance of confident experimentation and traditional filming that succeeds in exciting your eyes.

Shame that this movie went through the troubles it did in trying to get released.  For those who don't know, it was supposed to be released nationally in theaters, then was reduced to a limited release, then it was announced it would only play in those dollar theaters.  It seems now it will just find a home on DVD.  Again, a shame it probably won't get as much recognition, as it is a fine example of Barker and Kitamuras talents.

Meat Train has  a lot to like, and I recommend you find a way to see this as soon as possible.

The Samsung A540 series takes the already stellar and highly praised A550 series lcd televisions and fixes a couple of reported problems with the units, most notably the matte screen which users were reporting much glare and reflection off of, and switching it up to the newer ‘Ultra Clear Panel’ released on some of Samsung’s newer and high end units. Most people would think that the number drop from 550 to 540 series would mean a downgrade to the latter, but actually the Samsung 540 series units are the same thing with a few upgrades, why they didn’t name it the A560 series is a mystery. The Samsung 540 series also boasts a 35,000:1 contrast ratio over the 30,000:1 contrast of the slightly older A550 units. But is the difference really worth the $200 premium is the question? Many users and people that have seen them side beside state that the 540 vs. the 550 really gives the A540 the upper hand, with the new panel and semi-matte really making a big difference combined with the 550. The contrast ratio, although when broken down into the math (15%+ better) shouldn’t really be such a big factor for the average person, although difference in favor of the 540 is noted although not very profound. So it basically comes down to a person-person basis; are you a power user that will be watching your television a lot? Gaming and the latest in High Definition? Go for the A540 and spend the extra bucks most would agree... but if its just a home television and your going to be watching SD cable programming with the occasional DVD movie – go with the cheaper and proven LNA550 option while pocketing a couple extra hundred dollars.

Differences between LNA540 and LNA550 LCDs:

• A540 – 35,000 to 1 Contrast ratio… A550 – 30,000 to 1 contrast ratio
• A540 – Ultra Clear panel = reduced glare and reflection, A550 – Glossy screen looks nicer but causes problems with lighting and viewing angles/reflections
• A540 - $200 price premium for the somewhat impressive upgrades – down to taste if use television a lot go for 540

Samsung 540 Series available in sizes:

• Samsung LN32A540 – 32 inches 540 series
• Samsung LN40A540 – 40 inches 540 series
• Samsung LN52A540 – 52 inches 540 series

Samsung 550 Series available in sizes:

• Samsung LN32A550 – 32 inches 550 series
• Samsung LN37A550 – 37 inches 550 series
• Samsung LN40A550 – 40 inches 550 series
• Samsung LN46A550 – 46inches 550 series
• Samsung LN52A550 – 52 inches 550 series

Ontem me arrasei, com uma rima q era em vão.                                                                                      Esse papo manjo bem, pois emóla eles não dão.                                                                               Então me arrumei, e me esqueci da solidão.                                                                                       Vamo se preparar pois assim todos estão.

SÃO, SANIDADE, LOUCURA EM PUBERDADE.                                                                                       BELA, BELDADE, FOI P/ LONGE DA CIDADE.                                                                                              TANTA A SAUDADE, ANTES CEDO DO Q TARDE.                                                                                 iSSO É MALDADE, NÃO PRECISA TANTO ALÁRDE.

O tempo passa rápido, e me sinto meio pirado.                                                                                    Me lembro de um párto, de história eu estou fárto.                                                                            Cada um com o seu fárdo, as vezes falho mais não tardo.                                                                    De espírito armado, é melhor vc ter cuidado.

Sáia do meu lado, de vc estou cansado.                                                                                                    Quero ficar largado até o próximo Sábado.                                                                                          Sou um cara danado, e me chamam de pertubado.                                                                           Passei o recado e o pápo já está dado

                                                             * pat annequin

She was all in red,                                                                                                                              sweet lips this woman had,                                                                                                                      I went in all the ways,                                                                                                                             that into her would lead.                                                                                                                      

Asked her if she wanted,                                                                                                                           a piece of my bread.                                                                                                                               Gotta get together,                                                                                                                                   before I loose my head.

She threw me against the wall,                                                                                                         sucked my kiss with her tounge,                                                                                                            on my knees she made me fall,                                                                                                                 I felt guilty as if I was wrong.

She made me her man,                                                                                                                          got so crazy I couldn't stand.                                                                                                                Hold me tight by my hand ,                                                                                                                       I will brake if I can't bend.

                     *pat annequin                                                                                                                      

Checaremos las especificaciones de hardware de estos dos telefonos y veremos quien se lleva la victoria,lee mas despues del salto

CLICK AQUI o EN LA IMAGEN PARA VER Versus

Conclusion.-

Los dos son buenos telefonos, dedicados a la navegacion web y multimedia, aprovechando la tecnologia 3g y multitouch en su esplendor, son 2 ejemplos de celulares con inovacion.

De alguna manera estos dos telefonos son debutantes, por el lado del G1 , HTC no es nueva compañia ya a hecho trabajos anteriores, lo que si es nuevo es Android este sistema operativo para moviles, que es open source y como consecuencia permitira el desarrollo y enriquecimiento del movil con muchisimas aplicaciones, ademas es de google,y lo que google toca, la mayoria de las veces se convierte en oro.

El iphone si debuta en todos los sentidos, aunque ya tiene tiempo en el mercado, es el unico movil de Apple, como ya sabes, la manzana hace su propio hardware y su propio O.S ( OS X), el telefono sigue el estilo de la compañia, pareciera una extension portable de una mac -y si lo es-,  los fans se identifican con el, es un telefono increible, aunque mejorable.

Lo que nos decepciono de los dos, fue la falta de un buen soporte bloototh, ademas de que no graben video.

Ambos tienen aplicaciones poderosas, y muy utiles, el mismo precio, y hasta comparten el mismo procesador, los dos tienen pantalla tactil, acelerometro,misma resolucion,etc.

Es decir por el lado de hardware por muy poco el G1 rebasa al Iphone, sobretodo en la camara que es lo que mas podemos destacar como punto fuerte del G1 (3.2 Mp), por los 2 MP de Iphone.

A mi parecer la diferencia vendra en unos meses cuando el G1 siendo open source, tenga aplicaciones de a monton (que no necesariamente es igual a calidad ¿ok?), mientras que apple te restringue aun mucho tu iphone, son muy cerrados, y esto no es nuevo, apple siempre ha sido asi.

Los dos son telefonos de ese futuro que veiamos en peliculas, y aunque no son unos mounstros, si son los mas ingeniosos,con tecnologia inovadora, y que generan mucho ruido en la industria.

Que comience la carniceria.

The $200 questions here folks, what are the main difference between Samsung’s 6 series (A650: ln40a650, ln46a650 and ln52a650) vs the Samsung 7 Series (A750: LN40A750, LN46A750, LN52a750) and are those differences enough to warrant an extra $300 premium spent on the A750 units? Well there aren’t as many actual differences between the two then one would think considering the percentage difference in price, but if those few comparisons will make the television worth it will probably depend on the individual. While the Samsung 750 series is a better performer across a series of benchmarks and packs a few extra features, it’s nothing that really stands out for the everyday type of customer, although if you can take advantage of some of the neat extras on the elder, the choice will be more clear as it is a more functional and future proof unit; and with recent price cuts to both series to make way for the Series 8 and series 9 (yah starting to get confusing I know) the price margin is narrowing and the A750 is starting to seem like the more obvious choice.

Differences between A650 versus A750

• A750 add: Internal 1GB of memory preloaded with content ranging from children’s games to full featured recipe/cookbook
• Connect USB devices or MP3 players for viewing of pictures or listening of music / reading of content stored on device
• integrated woofer for an enhanced audio experience
• a few other really minor changes and tweaks that aren’t really too noteworthy

Comparing Price differences:

So is it worth it to go for the slightly more expensive A750? Well yes and no depending on a few things, if you aren’t going to be hooking up a sound system to the television (Samsung 750 series has improved audio) and will be taking advantage of the games/content library/recipes loaded onto the 1GB hard drive of the 7 series, then yes the $150+ price will be worth it… if not? Well then save yourself some money and buy your kids something nice and go for the cheaper Samsung LN A650 series

Prices as of Oct 1/2008

• Samsung LN40A650 vs LN40A750 - $196 more
• Samsung LN46A650 vs LN46A750 - $189 more
• Samsung LN52A650 vs LN52A750 - $204 more

Samsung A650 series available in:

• 19 inch – LN19A650
• 22 inch – LN22A650
• 32 inch – LN32A650
• 40 inch – LN40A650
• 46 inch – LN46A650
• 52 inch – LN52A650

Samsung A750 series available in:

• 40 inch – LN40A750
• 46 inch – LN46A750
• 52 inch – LN52A750

Thanks.

To the centre of the city where all roads meet, waiting for you,
To the depths of the ocean where all hopes sank, searching for you,
I was moving through the silence without motion, waiting for you,
In a room without a window in the corner I found truth.

In the shadowplay, acting out your own death, knowing no more,
As the assassins all grouped in four lines, dancing on the floor,
And with cold steel, odour on their bodies made a move to connect,
But I could only stare in disbelief as the crowds all left.

I did everything, everything I wanted to,
I let them use you for their own ends,
To the centre of the city in the night, waiting for you,
To the centre of the city in the night, waiting for you.

Siempre me recordó la familiar historia un hombre que sale a un club nocturno esperando encontrar a ese alguien que ansía. Sin conseguirlo, claro.

Aquí tienen el original. Perdonen la calidad del vídeo, pero es que se trata de la (maravillosa) primera aparición de Joy Division en televisión.

Siempre me he preguntado que pensarían quienes estuvieran viendo la tele aquella noche.

Por cierto, entre otros tesoros, Control (Anton Corbijn, 2007) contenia en su banda sonora una versión de Shadowplay a cargo de The Killers (¿alguien sabe por qué Control no se ha estrenado aún en España?). Esta nueva relectura le resta evidentemente la intensa pochez que Ian Curtis le imprimía al original pero a cambio nos regala ese momento extático en el tercer minuto y que a mi me arrebata por completo.

Con esto les dejo en paz por un par de semanas. Mientras los signos parece que comienzan a alinearse ante mi, vuelvo al Sur en una trayectoria que pasara primero por Ciudad Amor, que visite por ultima vez casi en otra vida, para despues llegar a Modernona y asistir por primera vez al Festival de Sitges en donde espero encontrarme con algunos de ustedes. La ultima parada antes volver a los Fríos sera Gallardongrado, para visitar a la Familia Zita como suele ser habitual. Mientras tanto, cuidense, cuidense mucho. Hasta pronto.

Thursday 10/2

(2-2) #15 (5-0)

Rice-Eccles 7PM MT TV: Radio: KALL 700 Sports

This game just got a lot interesting with Oregon State taking it to then #1 USC at home last Thursday. Do not let the 0-2 start for the Beavers fool anyone, Oregon State is a notorious late bloomer. Oregon State has gone 15-3 the last two years in games in October and later.

This game is much bigger in terms of the BCS and strength of schedule if Utah can beat the team that just beat the number one ranked team. Utah has revenge on their mind because last year these two teams played on opening weekend and lost quarterback Brian Johnson for a few weeks and running back Matt Asiata for the year.

On the year Oregon State has yet to win a road game after losing at Stanford and at Penn State in September. Both schools have similar national rankings in their statistics, with the one big difference being that Utah scores 10 more points per game at 38 compared to Oregon State. The big challenge for Utah will be trying to slow down true freshman Jacquizz Rodgers who ran all over USC with 186 yards and two touchdowns. This back is small, but very speedy and Oregon State just ran him right up the gut of USC and utilized his speed in the screen game along with other players.

Utah may be fine in defending the run, because they gave up only 50 yards to an Air Force team that was averaging around 300 per game, two weeks back. They focus must be on Rodgers to slow him down this game.

Utah just needs to keep getting everyone involved in this game and wear down the Oregon State front seven that has only been together for four games this year. Quarterback Brian Johnson will need to be a threat in the running game to keep the Beavers defense from focusing in on one player or type of play.

It is shown that Oregon State is vulnerable to a spread passing attack and a no huddle, look for Utah to emulate what USC did in the second half offensively.

Two side notes about the game as of October 1st the spread has Utah favored by 10.5, Vegas is rarely wrong but that seems a little bit high to me.

Also, Coach Whittingham has had good success a year after a team has beaten his Utes. Every team that has beaten Whittingham he has beaten them the year after; that list includes TCU, UCLA, San Diego State, UNLV, Colorado State, Air Force, and Wyoming. The only schools to defeat Whittingham two years in a row are BYU and New Mexico.

Final Score: Utah 31 Oregon State 20

Here is Coach Whittinghams weekly press conference going over this weeks game.

Friday 10/3

#7 (4-0) (1-3)

Romney Stadium 6PM MT TV: BYU TV Radio: KSL Sports Radio

It is a wonder ESPN did not pick up this game nationally for its Friday night game, because WAC schools do play a few weekday games plus the game is not even offered on ESPNs pay per view package.  Luckily though if you have DirecTv or Dish the game is shown on BYU TV, for DirecTv it is channel 374 and on Dish it is on 9403.

On to the game, well we all know that BYU is an overwhelming favorite in this game, and Romney Stadium will be filled with a lot of BYU fans.  Also, Utah State fans will be bringing out the boos since they feel BYU stole star recruit quarterback Riley Nielson as he is currently serving his LDS mission.  Riley played his freshman season at Utah State and played quite well before leaving.

The big question will be how many points BYU can score, and if they can coninue their scoreless streak which is currently at two games by outscoring opponents 103-0.  BYU will most likely do what they wish against BYU with Max Hall throwing at least 2 touchdowns maybe three and then the backups will be in sometime during the third quarter.

For BYU to keep up in the polls BYU will need to give up no more then 17 points and win by at least three touchdowns. 

Final Score: BYU 41 Utah State 3

Anything worth having is going to be a struggle. Commitment doesn't come easy, but when you're fighting for something you believe in, the struggle is worth it.-John Maxwell, Today Matters, p. 165

During my lunch break at work, I have been going through Today Matters by John Maxwell. His reads are always useful for daily life. He gives you solid advice and practical exercises in sound bites that you can take throughout the day. You can pick up his book at any time, read a chapter or paragraph and still walk away with a lot to chew on.

I think the biggest thing that I have realized about myself is a discrepancy between my beliefs and my commitment level to those beliefs. My pattern of commitment looks like the following:

• read, study, absorb, get excited
• set up regimen/ plan
• go hard and strong for about 1-3 weeks (if I am lucky)
• get distracted
• totally forget there is a regimen until 1-2 months later
• guilt is always close behind

How much of my thought patterns set me up for failure? My favorite and most worn out excuse is, I'm tired. I am going through the exercise of realizing that every time I say no, it is still a decision and a break in my commitment. The realization and understanding that I am breaking a commitment helps me to adjust my attitude to a yes.

What areas in your life do you need to recommit? What thought patterns need to be broken to move you towards a yes?