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Comic-Con 2014

san-diego-comic-con-logo-1As many of you know, it’s San Diego Comic-Con time this week and thousands of geeks/nerds will be making their way to the promised land to experience all the Con has to offer. I will not be one of those geeks/nerds.

Well, that’s not entirely true. I will be going to San Diego, but just for one day. That’s it.

So, for those of you who care, I will be at the Con on Saturday and will be wandering the halls getting into adventures. If you happen to run into me, feel free to say “Hello.” But no, I won’t be giving out any free hugs. Sorry.

Why am I only going on Saturday? Well, let’s just say I’m trying to avoid any Imperial entanglements. That sounds a lot cooler than the real reason.

Happy Nerd Prom to one and all!

Happy 4th to One and All

captain-america-4th

Well, to those of you in the United States at least. The rest of you? Happy Friday.

Hey, that’s great too. I love Fridays. The day, not the restaurant. The restaurant kinda sucks, truth be told.

Anyway, that was a bit off topic. We will be celebrating our nation’s independence by doing almost nothing. That’s right, I’m not even going to fire up the barbeque.

Does that make me un-American? I think not. We’re just using today to rest up for the rest of the weekend. I can assure you we will be consuming mass quantities of BBQ, and related, over the next couple days. Plus, there’s probably gonna be some adult beverages in the mix too. It happens.

Enjoy your weekend.

A Second First Father’s Day

WeeklyMax51

Last year, around this time, I waxed sentimental about the loss of my own father and how I was very much looking forward to, finally, becoming a father myself. Now that my son is here, and has been for nine months, I feel I’ve gained some insight into what it really means to be a father and also some idea of what my own father went through with me.

Unfortunately, I’m too tired to tell you about all that right now. But here’s the gist: fatherhood is the most amazing and most terrifying thing I’ve ever done.

I can’t believe I waited this long to do it, but I’m so glad I did. I got the exact kid I was supposed to get (if you believe in that sort of thing) and watching him grow up and experience all life has to offer (and helping guide him on his journey) is a privilege I will treasure always. I will also try very hard not to screw it up.

So Happy Father’s Day to all the dads, but especially to mine. I get it now Dad. Thank you.

The ‘Akira Project’ Trailer

akira-project-1

Hollywood has been trying to make a live-action version of the classic anime and manga Akira for a long time. They should just let these guys do it.

Sure, this trailer isn’t exactly a trailer, nor is it without a few issues. It is, however, pretty damn good. And with the movies Hollywood is turning out these days, pretty damn good is likely much more than good enough.

Here’s more about the Akira Project from the source:

The Akira Project is a crowd-sourced, non-profit project meant to create a live action fan trailer of AKIRA, the renowned manga-turned-anime film from the late 1980′s. After a year and a half in post-production, we are proud to present the project to Akira fans the world over. We hope to have done justice to the timeless work of Katsuhiro Otomo and look forward to, someday, seeing the full scope of the Akira story translated to the big screen as a live-action.

I do too.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1GO-93Nt3c?rel=0&w=560&h=315]

A New Episode of The Flickcast

injustice-android-1

Hey, I do a podcast. You probably already know that. But if you don’t, forgot for some reason or are trapped under something heavy with nothing to do but listen to podcasts, I thought it would be a good idea to mention it again.

In fact, a new episode just dropped yesterday. It’s a pretty good one. Actually, I would go so far as to say it’s very good.

So yeah, I do a very good podcast. It’s called The Flickcast and on it my co-host Joe Dilworth and I discuss lots of geeky stuff like movies, TV, comics, tech, gadgets, beer and a whole lot more. Yes, more. Lots of more.

Heaps of it, in fact. I’m not sure you can handle all the more, but you should try. Trust me, it’s worth it. It’s very worth it.

You can find the podcast on iTunes, on Stitcher and at The Flickcast website. Check it out, won’t you? And if you like it, feel free to tell someone and, perhaps, rate or review it.

Thanks. You’re a real sport.

This Is How I Feel Some Mornings

hulk-need-coffee

Actually, I can feel this way pretty much anytime the coffee is gone. I like coffee. I need coffee — frequently and in large quantities.

Perhaps I have a problem? No, YOU have a problem. Wait … sorry.

At least when I do run out of coffee (which happens sometimes, let’s face it), I can turn to this.

modern-times-beer

My other best friend.

Happy Saturday. Please enjoy accordingly. I know I will be.

How Apple Are You?

how-apple-are-you-crop

It should be no surprise to anyone (at least anyone paying attention) I’m an Apple fan. I like the company and I like the company’s products. Quite a bit, in fact.

I like Apple’s products so much I’ve amassed a fairly large collection of them over the years. I even have one of the first Macintosh computers ever made. I also have an Apple II+ (it was my first Apple product) which came out way before the Mac even existed. In 1979, to be exact. That’s how far back I go.

But with all that, how Apple am I really? Fortunately, there’s a handy infographic that can help answer that important question. It can probably help you too.

I did pretty well. What’s your score?

how-apple-are you

Note: I like this infographic, which is why I posted it. However, I’ve never used Mackeeper so I can’t endorse it. Do your own research.

Rethinking Facebook

facebook-dislike

Like many of you, I have a personal Facebook page. It’s right here. I also have one for The Flickcast. That’s right here. I do spend some time on Facebook interacting with a few friends. I don’t spend as much time as I used to, however.

This is mostly due to having less free time in general, but also because over the last couple of years I’ve found Facebook to be less and less useful for promoting my various endeavors, which is one of the reasons I got on it in the first place.

Now I understand why.

Over at Booooooom, they’ve posted a couple videos highlighting what’s wrong with Facebook and why many people are leaving it. It all makes sense now.

Given the state of things, I may be joining the exodus soon enough.

Because I like you and don’t want you to have to click anything and go to another page, the videos are below.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oVfHeWTKjag?rel=0&w=560&h=315]

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l9ZqXlHl65g?rel=0&w=560&h=315]

Analog Tools In a Digital World

pens-and-pencils-and-more-1There’s no doubt we live in a digital world. Pretty much anything and everything can be found online, and more often than not, we create or consume content via a digital device like an iPad, a smartphone, a computer or a television. And given how the world is evolving, it’s fairly obvious this is going to become more prevalent as time goes on.

It should also be fairly obvious, if you’re a regular reader here, at The Flickcast, or a listener of my podcast, I’m a huge fan of technology and this evolving digital world. What people might not know is how much I also love old school, analog tools and things many people may consider obsolete.

Things like pens, pencils, paper, notebooks, watches with hands and more are all as exciting and useful to me as the latest iPad, smartphone, laptop or other piece of technology. I don’t consider them obsolete at all. Far from it. In fact, they are an integral part of my daily life.

Given that fact, I thought it would be fun to share some of the analog tools I enjoy so others could hopefully begin to appreciate them and what they have to offer. And sure, my fondness for these analog tools is partially because I grew up in a time when we didn’t have any real alternatives.

I grew up in a world before the iPad, iPhone, HD TV, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google and all of the other things we take for granted now. Sure, I had a computer (my first was an Apple II+) but the Internet was in its infancy then and to get “online” you had to use a POTS line and a dialup modem.

Yes, it was slow. My God it was slow. But it was amazing too and gave us a glimpse of what was to come.

But to do any real work, I used a notebook and a pen. That’s all I needed. I would write papers, reports, notes, stories and more with that trusty notebook and pen. They never failed me, needed a software update, security patch, lost connectivity or had to be rebooted because they froze. They just worked.

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Happy (Soon to Be) 50th ‘Star Trek’

Kirk-Tribbles

As my friend and The Flickcast podcast co-host Joe Dilworth pointed out recently, it was supposedly about 50 years ago (on or about March 11) that Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry first put pen to paper (or fingers to typewriter) and wrote a proposal for a new sci-fi TV series.

His first words? “Star Trek is . . .”

Since that day his creation has spawned several TV series, a bunch of movies, action figures, models, conventions and whole generations of adults of all ages all over the world who dreamed of boldly going where no one has gone before. Those words, and the resulting TV series, had power . . . Power to entertain, to inform, to spark debate and highlight the important social and political issues of the time. Plus, the show was just plain fun.

I’m sure we’ll start to see all sorts of tributes and honors for this amazing and groundbreaking TV series, and the phenomenon it became, as the actual 50th anniversary of the original series, which first aired in 1966, hits in 2016. Until then, let me put in my two cents now and say “Thank You” to Gene Roddenberry and Star Trek for the countless hours of fun and entertainment.