Posts by phil:
Super Mario Doom
January 7th, 2008Here’s a videogame switcheroo from TechEBlog: a custom Doom level replicating one from Super Mario Bros.
Next Generation Star Trek Home Theater
November 7th, 2007
According to TechEblog.com this home theater took 6 months to create.
“The client has amassed a very large collection of original props, models and drawings from “Star Trek,” TV series and other sci-fi movies,” says Hoover. Highlights include motion-activated air-lock doors with series sound effects. There’s even a “Red Alert” button on the Crestron TPMC-10 controller to turn all of the LEDs bright red and flashing, along with the actual sounds from “Star Trek” blaring. “If you don’t know it’s coming it scares the pants off guests.”
UPDATED BY MICHAEL: I added the link to the story, categorized it and tagged it “Star Trek”. (And I did it while I’m at the User Interface conference.)
Kid’s Halloween Costumes from RetroCrush
October 31st, 2007A friend of mine just sent me the link to the RetroCrush Halloween Costumes Gallery. The highlights are of course the Superheroes (including a Green Lantern Mask gracing both the Aquaman and Mr. Fantastic costumes for some reason), and the Worst Costumes gallery is hilarious. “Oh, Daddy I want to go as Asteroids!“
Hey… they have a Rocketeer costume! How cool is that!
IT: The History of Pop
October 31st, 2007XM Radio is (as we speak) playing every top 40 hit ever on their various “decade” stations. They’ve been doing it for a couple of weeks already, but They’re currently in the fall of ’68 so the good music is just about to start.
Interspersed between the music are newsclips and other pop culture tidbits. They just played a campaign jingle for Nixon while I was writing the above. It’s a boon for guys like me, who have an interest in modern history and like to get a feel for the zeitgeist of a given era. For instance, when you think of November ’68, the height of the civil rights movement and the unrest over Vietnam, protest songs automatically spring to mind—but Andy Williams also had a hit with the Battle Hymn of the Republic. That was also the dawn of disco and glam rock, two forms that most people equate with the late ’70s.
I tend to equate my geek status with the music I like. Namely for me, Progressive Rock and New Wave. All the stuff they don’t play on the “classic rock” stations anymore. So I eagerly await the next two weeks, The ’70s and ’80s.
If you don’t have and XM subscription, you can still listen online at AOL. It’s FREE! How about that, AOL is still good for something…
Add this to Mike’s Christmas list…
October 29th, 2007…a remote control K9 from ThinkGeek. Dr. Who’s trusted companion is accurately detailed and the blurb on the website calls him “lush”. I don’t quite know what they’re referring to there, as he looks more in the “stainless” area when it comes to adjectives. That’s my opinion. Unless they’re saying he’s “A lush”, as in, “an alchoholic”. I’m not a fan of Dr. Who, so maybe Hutch can correct me there.
Anyway, he’s cute as a button, and at ¼ scale he won’t take up as much space as the real deal. He’s more of a toy K9. that’s somewhere between a miniature and a teacup.
But he’s not a “toy”.
Neal Adams’ “Expanding Earth” Theory Picking Up Steam
October 24th, 2007One of my internet haunts, TechEBlog, scours the internet for gadgets and interesting tech news. This morning they had a YouTube video produced by Neal Adams, showing a bit of his theory on how the Earth formed.
Neal has been promoting his theory for some years now but no one seems to care because he doesn’t have a bunch of initials after his name. It probably doesn’t help that he worked in comics, either. But all theories are equally valid if you think about it, kind of like opinions. And I kinda like what Neal proposes.
You can find more segments of his video on YouTube as well.
A Couple of Geek Podcast ideas
October 24th, 2007I spend a lot of time alone in my office so I like listening to podcasts. My favorites usually star former castmembers of the long-gone TechTV show The ScreenSavers. But I also look to expand my horizons and try out all kinds of podcasts. I’ve listened to archived radio shows, stand-up comedians, even the odd celebrity news podcast (in a weak moment). But the holy-grail geek podcast is what I am always looking for. Admittedly, any podcast will have a geek of one sort or another involved, just by its very nature. But it’s the content that defines its worth in my opinion. Whoops, ‘scuse me—I mean IMO.
Batman TV series still making the news
October 8th, 2005Some reports have said that the house that was used for “Stately Wayne Manor” in the television series Batman had burned in a fire this week. Those reports are now found to be premature. The actual house in Pasedena is safe, although a neighboring house was burned.
“Batman” house escapes damage in Pasadena fire
Meanwhile, dolphins have been trained to sing the theme song to the show. Believe it or not. Dolphins sing ‘Batman’ theme
Stretch out with your peelings….
June 13th, 2005Here’s a great parody: Store Wars, geared toward helping the organic food industry.
My Weekend in Metropolis
June 13th, 2005If you were bored this weekend you should have come with me and my wife to Metropolis, Illinois for Superman Celebration 2005 .
Metropolis may be more like Smallville, but they sure know how to put on a local festival. The best way to relate our visit is to get right to the pictures, though.
Long Live the Riddler…. Frank Gorshin, R.I.P.
May 18th, 2005Sad news for fans of TV’s Riddler… Frank Gorshin died last night at the age of 72.
The story according to ABC News
Frank’s own website has not been updated yet as of this posting.
Movies Opening This Friday
May 6th, 2005I thought I’d celebrate the re-launch of Monitor Duty by doing a regular list of movie openings each friday. I’ll even include TomatoMeter ratings from www.rottentomatoes.com/!
Today’s nationwide openings:
Crash (TomatoMeter = 80% Fresh)
Kingdom of Heaven (TomatoMeter = 38% Rotten)
New Superman Returns Diary Entry
May 6th, 2005Entry #10 of the ongoing diary of the making of the new Superman flick includes an explanation of how they’re going to make the Man of Steel’s flying sequences the most realistic ever. A first: wire-flying in the x, y, and z axes!
Check it out at BlueTights.net!
SPA IDOL Final Round Begins
June 22nd, 2004Phil jumps on newly-built bandwagon
May 26th, 2004
Suitably out of focus. It adds to the mystique.
So You Want To Be a Comics Pro, eh?
May 20th, 2004Do you have what it takes? Here’s (perhaps) the best article I’ve read on the subject. From CBR’s Permanent Damage, by Steven Grant.
Someone Finally Made a Movie About Me.
April 19th, 2004He’s Napoleon Dynamite. And he’s here to inspire those who are less fortunate.
From Fox Searchlight Pictures
Eisner Award Nominees Announced
April 12th, 2004Here’s a list of this year’s Eisner Award Nominees.
For your perusal.
Funny Bad Reviews for “Alamo
April 9th, 2004I love reading bad reviews. Does that make me evil?
The Alamo, opening today, has the critics opening up their goody bags full of quips, as read on Rotten Tomatoes.
Wow! Golden Age Comics Discovered in NY
April 9th, 2004A cache of 21 golden age comics has been discovered in New York, according to ICv2 News. They include the ultra-rare Detective #2 and several first issues, such as New Comics #1, which became Adventure Comics, the premiere vehicle for the Legion of Super-Heroes in the silver age.
They are being auctioned off in June. I’m sure it will make news again then when the going prices are revealed.
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