Monday, July 31, 2006

2IGTV Episode 22

Discover who will voice Optimus Prime in the upcoming Transformers movie in this weeks episode. Learn about See Stan Lee in something far more nonsensical than Marvel film cameos. Wrinkler attempting to reunite the Angels. Take home the Star Trek: The Animated Series on DVD or trap yourself in South Park's closet. Halo movie and Conan MMO are delayed. And if you want news on either David Hasselhoff or Wesley Snipes then you should go here.

Sunday, July 30, 2006

Bond soundstage ablaze!

It happened in 1984 before A View To A Kill, but now it's happened again. The giant 007 soundstage at Pinewood studios has once again been destroyed by fire. A spokeswoman for the Buckinghamshire Fire Brigade said they were alerted at 11.18am on Sunday morning. Filming on the latest Bond film Casino Royale had finished so it doesn't appear that it will be affected, but producers had set a target of 2008 for Bond 22 which may not be possible now.

Source: BBC News

Thursday, July 27, 2006

The Crysis Report, Part III

Continued from Part II

Part of the appeal and buzz sorrounding Crysis is that those who have witnessed the game in action have claimed it's the most graphically incredible game ever seen. It undoubtadly surpasses anything on the PC today and most likely will shit on the limited capabilities of "Next-Gen" consoles (as PC games usually do anyway). One of the main selling points for any game today is graphics and those of Cry Engine 2 (which Crysis is built on) will water your eyeballs. some of the features include:

Volumetric clouds which are illuminated in real-time and allow soft fly-throughs. This allows for frantic action when you are fighting aliens in the sky. The clouds also cast realistic shadows on anything lying beneath them.
Real-time Ambient Maps lighting technology is a real-time implementation of indirect lighting that approximates ambient light intensity. This technology provides realistic ambient lighting. Using this technology Crysis will feature the most realistic lighting without compromising the real-time performance.
A leak and bleeding free implementation of Depth of Field is shown to support focus changes. Crysis will feature this technology as part of their cinematic gameplay experience.
The camera, as well as any object on screen, if moved too quickly features directional high quality Motion Blur. This feature provides a cinematic visual quality supporting what Crytek calls "Video Realism".
All objects cast shadows that are pixel accurate and soft according to the sunlight diffusion; allowing for an unparalleled shadow rendering technology.

It's unsurprising that this is a PC only title. What Crytek has done with CryEngine 2 can only be pulled off with the next-gen technology for the PC and those with high-end machines when the game releases are in for a treat. It should also be noted that it's planned to take full advantage of Windows Vista and DirectX10, although it will run with much lesser options on XP and DirectX9. Any delays with Vista will also delay this game as already announced by Electronic Arts.

Sources: 3D Gamers, IGN & Gamespy

Wednesday, July 26, 2006

Iron Man Teaser Poster

My dear God! It's magnificent. This is Adi Granov's Comic Con 2006 Iron Man teaser poster (not to be confused with an actual studio teaser poster), showing what could be the version of Shellhead's armour as seen in the film. Note the classic use of round, rather than triangular centre light, like in most of the more modern depiction of the Iron Man armour. This may be Fraveau's nod the the original red and gold design. It's doubtful that this exact design will make it into production, considering the release date is almost 2 years from now, but at least we can be happy that Fraveau is taking things in the right direction.

Source: Jon Fraveau himself

Tuesday, July 25, 2006

Mr. T: "A sin to wear all that gold again"

Mr. T will apparently become bereft of his signature gold chains after witnessing the havok and destruction caused in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.

Apparently he doesn't feel it's right that he continues to wear his gold while there is still so much suffering there.

It's most likely however that
a) hes not strong enough to lift the several kilos of gold around his neck anymore (I mean seriously one of the "medallions" around his neck in the picture there is as big as my fucking frying pan).
b) This is a publicity stunt for his new show "I pity the fool" starting in October, where T will dispense advice for people coping with life's problems. I've found a better 'agony aunt' however.

Source: Yahoo News

Monday, July 24, 2006

Star Trek XI Poster

This is the one-sheet teaser for Star Trek XI revealed at the weekend. It certainly captures the feel of the original series using the command star varient of the USS Enterprise arrowhead (which we all know was later adopted as the insignia for all of Starfleet) imposed over swashes of colour denoting command gold and sciences blue. Simple, yet amazing. Go J.J.

Icons and Desktops are now available here from StarTrek.com.

Sunday, July 23, 2006

More Iron Man details

At the Marvel Studios panel at Comiccon 2006 this weekend, it was obvious that fans thought Jon Favreau was the right man to bring the saga of the armored Avenger to the big screen.

Throughout the panel, the director shared his vision for the story arc of the film, the character of billionaire playboy Tony Stark, the man behind the armor, and the look of the suit itself. "We'll start with the gray armor," he said, citing that "you can't build a Lamborghini in a cave." This is in reference to the origin of the original suit, which Stark will be piecing together during his imprisonment in Afghanistan. From there, Favreau wants to evolve the look to the red and gold comics fans have become accustomed to, and ultimately incorporate the idea of the suit as weapons platform, a la War Machine. The director foresees several suits of armor throughout the film, and the look will evolve if multiple installments of the saga are told.

Talking about the feel of the armor, Favreau stated, "There is a sort of Robocop-like quality this character could have… I like the weight and mass and power," adding that this Iron Man would never be about martial arts Power Rangers moves, and instead all about heavy metal and heavy weapons.

For guidance on the suit design, Favreau turned to Iron Man artist Adi Granov. The digital painter designed a special teaser image exclusively for the Con that shows an idea of what the armor might look like. Of import is the center light on Iron Man's chest, which is round, rather than triangular, like in some designs. In the teaser image, most of the character is shrouded in shadow, as the final design has not yet been determined.

Favreau got a round of applause for stating that he hates the overuse of CG in films, but went on to say, "I always stay away from CG, but if there's any character that lends itself to CG… it's Iron Man." The trick, he said, is that "you have to treat something false as real in order to make it real."

To help inform the project, the director has been re-reading the comics and using anime sources like Ghost in the Shell, Appleseed and Neon Genesis Evangelion to get an idea of how technology interacts with an organic environment.

Favreau described the storyline as a combination of James Bond and a Tom Clancy novel, deeply embroiled in the geopolitical issues of our time. Since he sees the project as a number of films, he has opted to incorporate the "demon in a bottle" alcoholism storyline in future films after the character has been introduced and developed.

Finally, Favreau revealed that the villain that Iron Man will face in the film is the Mandarin. He also hinted that he might reprise his Daredevil role of lawyer Foggy Nelson for this film. The movie will be the first released by the newly-formed Marvel Studios, and it is set to hit theaters in May, 2008.

Source: IGN.com

Saturday, July 22, 2006

New Sniper Rifle for Marines

Scout Snipers from the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit's Battalion Landing Team, 2nd Bn., 2nd Marine Regiment, fired their new rifles for the first time on a range this week.

The BLT Marines will use the new MK-11 semi-automatic sniper rifle simultaneously alongside the bolt-action M40A3, a descendent of the Vietnam-era M40. The rifle resembles an M-16 on first glance, and Sgt. Gerald V. Gavin, Scout Sniper Platoon commander, said the resemblance can benefit operations on today's urban battlefields because identifying a sniper with the new MK-11 in an infantry patrol will be harder, making them less vulnerable.

Gavin said the semi-automatic action on the new rifle, as well as the addition of a suppressor system that reduces muzzle flash and report, make it a valuable addition to the inventory.
The MK-11 comes fitted with the Scout Sniper Day Scope (SSDS), which the Marine Corps also is attaching to its existing inventory of M40A3s. Gavin said the new scope improves the snipers ability to engage targets, offering enhanced sighting ability and ease of use. "It's a great piece of glass," he said.

The Mk 11 system uses match grade 7.62x51mm NATO ammunition (similar to .308 Winchester). The out-of-the-box system includes the rifle, 20 round box magazines, QD scope rings, Leupold Vari-X Mil-dot riflescope, Harris swivel-base bipod on a Knight's mount, and QD sound suppressor, which is also manufactured by Knight's Armament Co. Flip-up BUIS (Back up iron sights) are attached to the modified gas block and upper receiver.

It is currently in service with most operational components of United States Special Operations Command and also with the Israeli Special Forces. The system has also recently become available to civilian consumers at a unit price of around $7,500 USD (without the sound suppressor unit and with with assault weapons ban friendly 5-round and 10-round magazines).

The BLT and Scout Snipers will continue to train with the MEU's Aviation and Logistics Combat Elements here until the end of the month. The training at Fort A.P. Hill is the MEU's first step in a six-month pre-deployment training process designed to merge the disparate elements of the MEU into a cohesive, rapid reaction force. The 26th MEU will continue to prepare for an early 2007 deployment in support of the Global War on Terrorism.

Picture: Maj. Gen. Douglas V. O'Dell Commanding General of the 4th Marine Expeditionary Brigade (Anti-Terrorism), shoots a 7.62mm Mk 11.

Thursday, July 20, 2006

The Crysis Report, Part II

Continued from Part I

We all knew that Crytek would pull some serious technological magic for their second title and it doesn't look like anyone will be disappointed.

According to Crytek, the AI for Crysis has been rewritten from scratch, hopefully resulting in soldiers who will do a better job of using cover, working in teams, and flanking you. The stealth meter returns from Far Cry, so you can tell if you're in danger of being spotted, and you'll also have a set of high-powered binoculars on hand to scope areas out from afar.

One interesting new aspect of Crysis that you have the ability to customize your character's gear. To start, you're outfitted with a specially powered armor suit that can switch between three settings: Speed, Strength or Armor. Each of these settings will come in handy at various times; for example, Strength will allow you to carry heavier weapons, provide more accuracy while shooting, and even dish out more damage if you're forced into melee combat. Switching between these settings was as simple as clicking the middle mouse button and selecting the desired armor setting on the fly. This menu also allows you to customize other aspects of your gear, such as bullet type (armor piercing, incendiary, etc), or bolt-on options for weapons via a rail system found on many weapons I use in reality! The machinegun, for example, could be outfitted with a flashlight (see how simple it is ID?), a scope, or a grenade launcher.

Another improvement is the new environments. While some of the game is set amongst island jungles, players will also fight their way through the ice laden frozen zones of the island chain, across the decks of an aircraft carrier under siege, and even into zero G gameplay aboard the alien mother ship. Thanks to an engine that allows for reaction of a ton of different objects (especially with the help of the unified architecture DX10 design, upcoming GPUs, and PPUs) jungles now become more than stagnant cover. Foliage reacts to contact with other physical objects so that leaves and branches bend and react to human bodies but more importantly, much of the environment is destructible. Trees will fall apart from gunfire and when they fall, if they happen to say: smash into a bad guy's head, that bad guy will take an appropriate amount of damage. Likewise, the frozen objects set in ice by the alien weaponry will have properties that allow it to be shattered by weapons fire.

Perhaps what was most encouraging about seeing Crysis at this year's E3 Expo in Los Angeles was hearing Crytek CEO Cevat Yerli acknowledge the things its rookie effort, the award-winning Far Cry, did wrong -- things like a poor savegame system, insanely difficult endgame levels, and spotty network code that marred an otherwise excellent game with groundbreaking level design and some of the best graphics we'd ever seen in a videogame. Those who've played that will be pleased to know that a quick save function will appear in Crysis as standard (and not just available as a unser downloadable mod). Even Crytek has realized that the difficulty level in Far Cry was pretty high for the average player. Crysis, while still providing a challenge that players can feel good about overcoming, should be a little easier to manage without having to worry about making it to the next checkpoint to save the game. Cevat is hoping the balance between enemies, weapons, and challenges will benefit the player.

Crytek also admits that the story behind Far Cry was a bit cheesy, and its goal with Crysis is to make something closer to a true blockbuster than a B-movie.

Continued in Part III

Sources: 3D Gamers, IGN & Gamespy

Wednesday, July 19, 2006

Jack Bauer in for 3 more days of hell!

Kiefer Sutherland has inked a deal reportedly worth $40 million to remain on the pulse-quickening drama 24 for another three seasons, ensuring CTU's main man will be fighting terrorists through 2009. The deal includes several perks for the actor including being 'promoted' to executive producer, as well as a pay raise that elevates him to being the highest paid actor on a drama series.

"I am thrilled to extend my commitment to all my friends and colleagues at 24, and I'm looking forward to this expanded relationship with 20th Century Fox." Sutherland said.

A somewhat terrifying part of the Golden Globe winner's multifaceted deal, sets up Sutherland with his own production company and a two-year development deal with the studio. Apparently the actor is eager to see what he can do behind the camera. We can only hope this doen't incude that awful band he manages and promotes which played in Dublin recently in a venue where Sutherland himself bought all the tickets so people could hear the band for free!!!

Aside from another few years on Television; 24, currently in its highest rated and most critically acclaimed year yet, Sutherland and show producers are considering bringing the drama to the big screen. The 24 movie, like the small-screen version, is expected to follow the exploits of Counter Terrorist Unit agent Jack Bauer who protects the United States from whoever threatens it.

Instead of the story taking place over the movie's approximately 2-hour running time, the film will likely abandon the show's unique real-time storytelling approach. Series creators Robert Cochran and Joel Surnow will pen the screenplay with executive producer Howard Gordon working on the story. It's possible that the feature could be filmed as early as next summer in between shooting the sixth and possible seventh seasons of the show. It's easy to envision the sixth season finale providing a adrenaline-charged setup for the film.

Source IGN TV

Tuesday, July 18, 2006

Who says that justice doesn't work?

The British bobbies who scored a righteous kill on Jean de Menezes (left) this time last year when they suspected him of being a terrorist: will thankfully not be prosecuted for their excellent marksmanship.

Daftly, however they will be held accountable for violating health and safety laws? There's probably some dumb ISO procedure which they didn't follow during the takedown where they didn't police their brass (pick up their spent shells) and someone slipped on one.

While the rushing Brazilian was later proved not to be a bomb-wielding terrorist, he should have stopped when the men in black with "POLICE" in big white letters armed with the beautiful H&K MP5 Sub-machine gun told him to do so. Sadly because this guy was apparently innocent, the UK has left their shoot-to-kill policy slip a bit. Shame.

That reminds me of the best visual gag of last year before The Colonel's Eagle came online. It'll never get old for me :)

Monday, July 17, 2006

Technolotics; the Colonel as you've never seen him before...

... and for all you ladies expecting to see me naked, I must dissapoint, but delight you in other ways by telling you that I appear (with Mark offscreen) in Episode 40 of Irelands first independant Vidcast: "Technolotics", a lighthearted look at the world of Technology and Politics.

Picture: Me and Francis from the Technolotics crew.

Naturally we upset the somewhat left-wing socialist viewpoint of the show, but even the show's producer felt things needed to be shanken up a bit, so how bad?

It's almost a 50 minute long video so be patient. You can get it at the 2IGTV website now!

DDO: Mega Review

The ancestry of nearly all fantasy computer role-playing games can be traced back to the dice-rolling classic, Dungeons & Dragons. The genius of Gygax and Arneson ate the infinite mysteries of magical fantasy created by authors like Tolkein and shit them out as a set of rules that you can argue with others about, over empty beer bottles until four in the morning. Even most fantasy RPGs now follow the basic D&D mathematical principle of: killing things = cool stuff + level up as opposed to an overshadowing of ancient good and evil.

In the extraordinary world of computer games however, just because you were the first at it, doesn't necessarily mean you're going to be the best at it. Indeed games like the D&D Baldur's Gate saga were the most superior of their time, but we have thousands of people still on Battlenet still playing Diablo long after the Gate has been laid to rest. The Dungeon Siege and Elder Scrolls franchises are encroaching into D&D's territory and in the Autumn, Neverwinter Nights 2 will have some battle to wrest the RPG crown from Oblivion.

But now to the matter in hand: How good or bad is Dungeon and Dragons Online: Stormreach? Set in the relatively new campaign world of Eberron, where you may be surprised to see steam and valves everywhere, in a D&D setting, D&D's first MMORPG is simply splendid, in my opinion. I had never delved into the foray of any MMO before. Only Star Wars: Galaxies held my interest when it was released, and because you couldn't be a Jedi (well you couldn't back then), I snubbed it. When Mark "insisted" I join him online, I didn't really hesitate, it was something I wanted to try and since I was more than familiar with the game mechanics of D&D there was no downside...

Picture: (left) Karadon the paladin, (crouched) Zendrak the rogue, (right) Alro the cleric.

I would have to say that DDO captures some of the spirit of the PnP game, in so far as you need to be in a group in order to play, you can't really go it alone- I thought that that aspect was pretty fuckin' obvious myself: what's the point of playing online connected with 1000's of others to a server if you have a pressing need to want to go off and adventure by yourself? Some people demanded solo-play though; you just can't please everyone! It also lacks player-versus-player for the moment, which was a big plus for me to be coaxed into the game. PvP is against the spirit of D&D which is based on co-operative groups of adventurers.

I've read that "no game, including Neverwinter Nights, comes as close to feeling like an actual old-school D&D module running on your computer screen. (At least the combat portion of it. The role-playing is up to the players)". Naturally however, there have been some tweaking to the rules as those who know the rules of D&D know that it would be an almost impossible task to port every single aspect of D&D into a computer game, and make it work. In particular, healing is faster and spell-casting less restrictive but the general feel and the setting make you look around for your dice bag and the dungeons play like an actual adventure with real plot twists.

Graphically, the game was good enough, nowhere near the standard of something like Oblivion, but it could be tailored to almost any system that wanted to play it through a large array of options. In the beginning there were quite a few server issues which resulted in a number of days where you couldn't even get on to the servers, but they seem to have all but disappeared now. The distributors reimbursed you for your time out too, which was very nice of them.

Two things I would have liked to have had in the game were a more epic storyline and kill-based XP. I think that your adventures in Stormreach should have had an epic tale of good triumphing over evil or a quest to recover some epic device which you would need for higher levels. I know that by it's very nature, the game would have to give every player the same storyline, but I'm not a developer, I'm just telling you what I'd have liked and I'd have liked something to say why I was in Stormreach, risking life and limb with all these crazy characters, surely the motivation wasn't as shallow as gettin' loot and levellin' up after a bloodbath? Also, and I'm not just saying I want experience based on kills because out of everyone in my party I always got the most kills. In PnP experience was given to you and anyone who was with you when you made the kill. I think it made more sense that way, but that's just me. You could have got something then for random encounters on your way to a quest-giver in all those areas where you had to do that, but you got nothing for all the creatures slain along the way. Bad form.

While unfortunately only due to time constraints as opposed to the game itself, I won't have the time too see it through to the end, not that there's much of an end of it in sight with modules being added to the game faster than they can be completed, I'm glad that it was DDO (and not the misfire of Guild Wars or something) was my first (and most likely only) venture into the world of MMOs. It was a worthwhile experiment and one I was glad to undertake. I can't say: "I've never done that". It was a funny experience leaving the game finally. I went into an inn and proceeded to give all my gear to a paladin, an avatar of a UK player whom I never met before. Once I told her I was Irish, she asked me if I had been out earlier and if I was sure I wanted to do this? She remarked that she now understands what winning the lotto feels like.

So if you want that old-school D&D experience in its purest form, pull out the books and start rolling dice. But for folks no longer in an actual school, running a D&D game can take more time than is practical. DDO is a fun way to capture some of the feel of all-night, beer & pizza-fueled dungeon crawl without having to do as much of the work up front. It's doubtful it will do next-to-near the business of World of Warcraft, but that's because it takes a special breed of person to enjoy this game, people that are few and far between; good, helpful and friendly people- people who don't think that they're forced to be good or neutral aligned characters (even though you are), they're glad to be. It's for people who will take their time and not rush through the dungeon to get the final treasure and more XP; well you can, but not doing so will be a more rewarding, satisfying experience. It was for me.

Sunday, July 16, 2006

Karadon Retires From DDO

The greatest knight whomever roamed the lands of Eberron; Karadon: Slayer of a million Kobolds, has retired from active service to the Church of the Holy Flame.

After 4 and a half months of exemplary service to the people of Stormreach, the mighty Paladin, long-time comrade of Zendrak Thalendon: the sneaky rogue and Alro: the holy cleric, passed on his arsenal of powerful weapons and armour to a fellow paladin who vowed to continue on the fight. "I met Shayla in the Rusty Nail, she thought I was drunk when I began handing over 65000gp and the greatest Paladin armour and weapons that could be purchased in their price category".

Karadon's last campaign was in the Tomb of Delera where he protected his comrades in a battle to near death for their very souls.

"I was able to defend my frightened comrades using my superior martial skills to vanquish the evil undead that dwelled within." Karadon said humbly "The power of my deity flowed through me, no undead could withstand my onslaught, even the non-corporeal Wraiths fell before my magic and Ghost-touch weapons as I accounted for far more kills than anyone else, it was glorious".

Karadon felt the taint of evil however, take hold of him in that darkened dungeon. "There may have been a higher power there, but on either side of good and evil. Unseen eyes watching me with passionate envy, to what end, I know not but once I emerged, I knew I would not be returning as the others would".

What does the future hold for Karadon? "I shall miss my friends and comrades, it is likely that they will be lost without my leadership, I may have not always known which way to go but they knew that glory, treasure and adventure were found by following me. Still, I must move on, I hear Neverwinter is nice in the Autumn" and with that Karadon stepped on a ship which disappeared into the mist.

Saturday, July 15, 2006

The Colonel In Dublin

I had the misfortune of having to go to Dublin today. I do so hate that hole, but it was a necessary measure to continue my quest for fame (but more on that later). I noticed that the spike or spire, that ridiculous monstrosity that claims to be art that even the Dubs themselves are ashamed of, is leaning. I mean Jesus lads... do something about it. It's going to fuckin' fall!!!







Picture: Mark

Friday, July 14, 2006

2IGTV Episode 21

Pirates and French stuntmen invade our cinemas- but should you go? We talk Russel Crowe, John Woo (not Ang Lee!), Casper Van Dien & Linda Carter's Slayer, Cameron's Avatar and comprehensive news of Sam Jackson returns. Big rumour for Indiana Jones IV and speculation on the Silver Surfer abound. We discuss the little hiccups that are plagueing high-def DVD players and the wonders of science continue to cameras that survive re-entry through our atmosphere.

Get it here!

New Spider-Man 3 Poster

'Nuff said!

Thursday, July 13, 2006

The Crysis Report, Part I

You can't have not heard of Crysis by now, the second game from Crytek who originally brought you Far Cry in 2004, has been featured in every gaming magazine and website since this years GDC.

Crysis is not a sequel to Far Cry, but both are similar only in the fact that it's an island setting, but we'll se far more different environments than a tropical jungle in this game. Crysis takes place in 2019 directly following the landfall of a large asteroid onto an island chain. Nefariously, North Korea seals off the island chain to all outside sources in order to keep any potentially beneficial research to themselves. Naturally the defenders of world freedom, the United States sends off a Delta Force squad to find out what's going on in the area.

At the two powers bicker undiplomatically, the asteroid pops open and reveals a mother ship and some highly aggressive alien visitors hiding inside. Naturally it's got some interesting weapons. The world's weather system goes wacky, part of the island chain completely freezes, and humans combine forces to take on the new and more threatening enemy. Over the course of the game, players will have to fight through jungle, over mountain, through towns, and into the heart of the alien ship to take down the threat to humanity.

Of course you as the player will be thrust into the shoes of a super soldier out to save the world. Weapons are important to a shooter and Crytek say that you’ll have customizable armour and weapons which will add to the fun and dynamic aspects of the experience by making players adapt to their environment and enemies. Of course, as you would expect following Far Cry, players will want to be adaptable to deal with some AI that's pretty competitive in the market and will undoubtedly be much improved this time around. Not only will human AI be interesting and use military tactics in real-time, but the aliens will use their own tactics and highly tuned senses to make life difficult for any would be heroes.Even more interesting is the promise of natural disasters to confuse the issue even more. Earthquakes, ice-breaks, landslides, and tornadoes will rock the landscapes of the game making the world a death trap as far as we can tell. These particular features could be pretty interesting.

Continued in Part II

Sources: 3D Gamers, IGN & Gamespy

Wednesday, July 12, 2006

Optimus Prime Transformers Movie Picture!

This is the picture that Mike Bay and Paramount don't want you to see (less the big red X I stuck on there obviously) of Optimus Prime in Truck mode. I'm not completely surprised that they didn't go with a Cabover semi because they aren't that common today, but I didn't see the flame type of deco coming. It doesn't say Prime to me, but it does have potential. I'm reserving judgement until we see robot mode pics.

It's obviously real, since they had AICN remove it, but it's still up in a few places on the net for all to see. I'd like to link them for you but if I do then those sites pictures will be taken down too if not their whole websites like heavy-handed Paramount have done recently.

In related news I do have this from Youtube! It has Steven Speilberg talking about Transformers and Mike Bay and we see a lot of grainy footage.

Tuesday, July 11, 2006

Flags Of Our Fathers

Clint Eastwood's next directorial assignment is Flags Of Our Fathers, chronicling the US Marines and Navy Corpsman who raised the US flag on Mount Suribachi at The Battle of Iwo Jima on February 23, 1945 , a turning point in WWII.

As this is the most reproduced image in the history of photography, I'm sure you'll be surprised to know that THIS IS AN IMAGE FROM THE FILM! I shit you not people! With attention to detail like this we're in for something big here.

Monday, July 10, 2006

Warning! Construction work ahead!

If you see things go a little "wonky" around here in a bit: Do not adjust your computer or change browser. I'm just doing some modifications and improvements. Due to the fact that I'm not a qualified web-designer nor have I any formal training in HTML I expect things to go horribly wrong before getting it right. As I often say: "It's going to get worse before it gets better!"

Updated:
Please report any issues with my adjusted layout (citing browser and resolution) by commenting or E-mail.

Sunday, July 09, 2006

Yet another French defeat...

...this time on the football battlefield where I was overjoyed to see Italy defeat the garlic munching cowardly dogs.
Proving their true nature as ignorant savages; their captain, the commanding officer of the company headbutted one of the poor Italians sending him flying. What an animal!, and a disgraceful way of ending a career. I'd spit at him and his teammates except I'm an officer and a gentleman, far removed from those people.

Mama Mia! Well done Italy!

Wednesday, July 05, 2006

The North Korean Menace

In the past 24 hours, North Korea has launched 7 missiles into the Sea of Japan. One of their largest and most far-reaching the Taepodong-2 is capable of reaching the US mainland, but apparently failed 40 seconds into its launch.
While I'm readying for possible military action against Iran, I did monitor the launches from the bunker. Non-military people have been asking me all day, what's going on? Is it WWIII? Them I can only assure that North Korea's technology is 10 years behind that of the US and no match for the impressive anti-missile defense system in place by both the US and Japan.

Taepodong in Korean means "a kind of penis" and it appears that for the moment the penis is somewhat flaccid.

Tuesday, July 04, 2006

Happy July 4th!

Happy July 4th to all my US visitors, don't blow off your fingers with the fireworks.
The big story might have been a pretty big rocket pushing the Space Shuttle Discovery into orbit that thankfully didn't turn into a firework itself, but there were two great 4th July speeches made today, one by the Commander in Chief: President Bush and another by the CJCS Marine General Peter Pace here on www.foxnews.com

Sunday, July 02, 2006

The Transformers Teaser Trailer

Never before have so many capital 'T's been used in a headline, but now you can all sit back and watch the most anticipated trailer in history. Not because it's a Mike Bay film, it's because everyone reading this has played with the Robots in Disguise at some point since 1984, or at least has seen the cartoon series. Only if living in a cave like Bin Laden is now, could you have avoided the cultural phenomenon that the war between the heroic Autobots or evil Decepticons has been responsible for.See the Transformers trailer now at www.transformersmovie.com.