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A Jedi Knight Couch Potato Must Master the Lightsaber Remote
Posted by Michael Pinto on Oct 24, 2008 in Star Wars
This is the weapon of a Jedi Knight — NOT! As I write this post I fear that I’m contributing to the obesity of Star Wars fanboys (and fangurls) across the world, yet the dark side of the force makes me want to get my hands on the Star Wars TV/DVD with Lightsaber Remote. Although sadly I’m wondering if this item is from the UK if it would work with NTSC? Skottie Young is a Wiz
Posted by Michael Pinto on Oct 24, 2008 in Comic Books
In January 2009 Marvel will be putting out the second issue of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz which features cover art and pencils by one of my favorite artists Skottie Young. One of the nice things that Skottie did with this cover is that he’s reinvented the visual look for Oz which has such a well known history – by ignoring the books and the famous MGM film he’s given the title a fresh start. It’s also great just how cartoony this cover looks too, which is something that you don’t associate with typical Marvel comics which seem so obsessed with Photoshopped realism. Speaking of Photoshop notice how good the coloring is? Young has a very washed out water-colored looking palette instead of the over saturated primary tones you see too often today. And all of this is just the background to the character designs which have a wonderful whimsy to them. Read more… The Moon is an Ice Free Zone
Posted by Michael Pinto on Oct 24, 2008 in Science
If the moon had ice it might be slightly easier to colonize, but sadly it looks like the moon is a dry mistress: “New images of Shackleton taken by the Japanese lunar explorer satellite KAGUYA (SELENE) support the view that there likely aren’t any exposed water ice deposits in the crater. Junichi Haruyama of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency and his team analyzed the images and data. They suggest that temperatures in the crater are less than -297 degrees Fahrenheit (-183 degrees Celsius), certainly cold enough to hold ice. But the images reveal no conspicuous brightness that would indicate a patch of pure water ice. This new analysis, detailed in the Oct. 24 issue of the journal Science, could mean that there is no water ice present at all in Shackleton crater, or that any ice that exists is mixed into the lunar dirt in low amounts, Haruyama and his team concluded.” Toward the Terra: A Must See Classic
Posted by Michael Pinto on Oct 23, 2008 in Animation
The Right Stuf is releasing the classic 1980 anime film Toward the Terra on DVD just in time for Christmas. Back in the day as a 80s fanboy this was one of my favorite flicks, and it still holds up well today judging by the trailer above. Firstly the story line is A+ if your any sort of science fiction fanatic as the plot is very similar to A.E. van Vogt’s famous novel SLAN. Next you have the look of the film which holds up very well some 28 years later! March 6th, 2009: You Know You’ll Be Waiting in Line for Watchmen…
Posted by Michael Pinto on Oct 23, 2008 in Comic Books
Recently someone spoiled this film for me by telling me that the ending was different than the comic book, and in a huff I promised myself that I’d boycott watching it in public. However upon seeing this new poster for Watchmen I know full well that ‘ll be waiting for hours on line with every other fanboy… Found via latinoreview.com. The Knights of the Old Republic had Good Taste!
Posted by Michael Pinto on Oct 23, 2008 in Star Wars, Videogames
Frankly I wasn’t that crazy about the last three Star Wars films (three words: Jar Jar Binks) but of there are two things that George Lucas still knows how to do well it’s merchandising and preproduction art. These illustrations are for the upcoming second PC MMORPG Star Wars: The Old Republic — and I must say the images do inspire one to want to play with this mega multiplayer online title.
Bolt isn’t Blowing Me Away…
Posted by Michael Pinto on Oct 22, 2008 in Animation
Shown above is the latest sneak peak of Bolt which is due out in theaters on November 21st and I have to say that I’m not getting excited by this clip. Now my understanding is that the film will be released in Disney Digital 3D and while that sounds cool it doesn’t mean that there can’t be a story up there on the screen. And from this small sample the whole flick looks like a bad action film which is already based on existing cartoons like Road Runner. The other thing that’s missing here is that none of the characters seem lovable — the dog character Bolt seems to lack any charm, and even the bad guys in the scene above seem so generic. For crying out loud this is suppose to be a Disney film, having interesting evil characters is half the point! To me it looks like Disney was so obsessed with making a Pixar film that they forgot what makes Disney so special (hint: it’s charm, storytelling and imagination!). India’s Major Leap to the Moon
Posted by Michael Pinto on Oct 22, 2008 in Science
While it breaks my heart that NASA is in such a sad state it’s great to see India take this major step into exploration. India still have a long way to go to catch up with China, but they’ve just made some real history today. Perhaps the 21st Century will be about space exploration no longer being limited to a few nations but becoming common place: India launches first Moon mission “The unmanned Chandrayaan 1 spacecraft blasted off smoothly from a launch pad in southern Andhra Pradesh to embark on a two-year mission of exploration. The robotic probe will orbit the Moon, compiling a 3-D atlas of the lunar surface and mapping the distribution of elements and minerals. The launch is regarded as a major step for India as it seeks to keep pace with other space-faring nations in Asia. Indian PM Manmohan Singh hailed the launch as the “first step” in a historic milestone in the country’s space programme. “Our scientific community has once again done the country proud and the entire nation salutes them,” Mr Singh said in a message. The launch was greeted with applause by scientists gathered at the site.” Infected Lego Viper
Posted by Michael Pinto on Oct 21, 2008 in Battlestar Galactica
I got a real kick out of this Lego Battlestar Galactica fan art by Nannan Zhang. One More Way We Might Bite the Dust!
Posted by Michael Pinto on Oct 21, 2008 in Science
Don’t panic quite yet — scientists claim that there isn’t anything to be worried about. However this is yet another reminder just how fragile life on earth is: Sun’s protective ‘bubble’ is shrinking “New data has revealed that the heliosphere, the protective shield of energy that surrounds our solar system, has weakened by 25 per cent over the past decade and is now at it lowest level since the space race began 50 years ago. Scientists are baffled at what could be causing the barrier to shrink in this way and are to launch mission to study the heliosphere. “Around 90 per cent of the galactic cosmic radiation is deflected by our heliosphere, so the boundary protects us from this harsh galactic environment.” The heliosphere is created by the solar wind, a combination of electrically charged particles and magnetic fields that emanate a more than a million miles an hour from the sun, meet the intergalactic gas that fills the gaps in space between solar systems.” Aspirational Americana Alcohol Ads of the 80s
Posted by Michael Pinto on Oct 21, 2008 in Japanese TV
From the land of the free and the home of the bud comes these two Japanese adverts from the 80s. My guess is that the commercial above for Budweiser may have been slightly inspired by shows like Dallas from that era — while the below Coors ad features music by David Foster and Lee Ritenour: The Golden Age of Jetsons Optimism
Posted by Michael Pinto on Oct 20, 2008 in Animation
This Jetsons Little Golden Book is from 1962 — and what’s refreshing to me about this cover is the bold sense of optimism which you don’t see much these days. Authors like Isaac Asimov always felt that dividing line of modern science fiction was that it viewed technology as a positive force in the universe. However I think science fiction (and other imaginative literature) is a reflection of how society views the world at that point in time. So while attempting to predict the future these cultural documents tell us more about the present — or in this case the past. Found via stuffbywackystuff. MikuMiku vs. Jamiroquai
Posted by Michael Pinto on Oct 20, 2008 in Japanese TV
I’m quite impressed with the staying power that MikuMiku (初音ミク) has had as an internet meme — in fact I’m sort of surprised that there haven’t been plans announced for a anime series, manga or even a video game? Retro Rogers Ray Gun
Posted by Michael Pinto on Oct 19, 2008 in Hobbies and Collections
I think that it’s fair to say that Buck Rogers was the first Star Wars of its day (sorry Flash Gordon came later). Buck started as pulp fiction but quickly made the jump to comics, movies and later television. And with success came merchandising — and the toy ray gun from the show became a favorite to a generation of young fanboys back in the day when “Atomic” conjured up visions of the future: Buck Rogers Atomic Disintegrator “Sideshow Collectibles is proud to present Go Hero’s Buck Rogers Atomic Disintegrator replica. Originally manufactured by Daisy in the 1930s, the Buck Rogers pistols were the most popular toy ray guns for kids and adults for years! Starting with the Atomic Pistol, and then after WWII, the Disintegrator Pistol, these celebrated ray guns became the gold standard by which all others would be judged. The Go Hero version is a hybrid of these two designs, 10″ metal pistol, four fins (sub-atomic condensors), and nearly a piece for piece reproduction of the originals. Pull the trigger for a loud pop sound and bright flashing spark to deliver that great original experience! Used as cover art for the 1995 Foo Fighters debut album and inspiration for blasters in several modern day sci-fi films, it is the epitome of iconic design perfection. It shoots no projectiles and is completely harmless, unless you happen to be an evil alien! Travel through time to see what the future used to be, as Go Hero presents the Buck Rogers Atomic Disintegrator Pistol!” The Cutest Way to Watch a DVD
Posted by Michael Pinto on Oct 19, 2008 in Hobbies and Collections
I’m always amazed at the number of people I see on the subway with portable DVD players — well now if you’re a Kitty fanboy (or fangurl) you can watch your video in purrfect style: Sanrio Introduces a Hello Kitty Portable DVD Player “Japan’s Sanrio unveiled a cute, new portable DVD player shaped like a Hello Kitty face. It features a 7-Inch LCD screen with 480×234 resolution, a built-in rechargeable battery (2000mhA) and plays DVD,DVD-R,DVD-RW,CD (for music), CD-R, and CD-RW formats. It also provides a battery life span of 2.5 hours, and comes with a remote control.” Parody Preview: New Avengers #46
Posted by Michael Pinto on Oct 18, 2008 in Comic Books
The roof! The roof! The roof is on fire!!! You know when you watch a bad film and it’s obvious that a special effect is just obligatory eye candy to make up for a lack of plot? Well that’s how I feel about the above “Photoshop magic” from the upcoming issue of New Avengers #46 which is due to blaze into your local comic book shop on October 22nd. By the way I’m not writing this to put down Aleksi Briclot (his work looks pretty decent) — but perhaps Marvel should let him do something a little less conventional on the next cover? Mortal Kombat vs. the DC Universe
Posted by Michael Pinto on Oct 18, 2008 in Videogames
There’s something quite silly yet entertaining about the concept of kit bashing retro gaming favorite Mortal Kombat with the comic book characters from the DC Universe. In fact the idea of having the chance to see Batman tackle a ninja makes me happy as a fanboy — it feeds into that classic “what if X fought Y” argument that you overhear late night at every convention (admit it: you’ve always wanted to see the Enterprise take on a Death Star). In fact maybe this will inspire Hollywood to rediscover the idea of the old school schlock sequel where you take two hit films and put them together like Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man. Is Every Galaxy a Doughnut with a Black Hole in the Middle?
Posted by Michael Pinto on Oct 18, 2008 in Science
Defiantly not a place that you’d want to have a long term lease: Above is an artists illustration of a cosmic nightmare — two colliding galaxies each with a colossal black hole at the center. But what’s disturbing about this picture is that astronomers think that having a colossal black hole in the center of your galaxy is actually common place: Colossal black holes common in early universe “Astronomers think that many – perhaps all – galaxies in the universe contain massive black holes at their centers. New observations with the Submillimeter Array now suggest that such colossal black holes were common even 12 billion years ago, when the universe was only 1.7 billion years old and galaxies were just beginning to form. The new conclusion comes from the discovery of two distant galaxies, both with black holes at their heart, which are involved in a spectacular collision. 4C60.07, the first of the galaxies to be discovered, came to astronomers’ attention because of its bright radio emission. This radio signal is one telltale sign of a quasar – a rapidly spinning black hole that is feeding on its home galaxy.” AKBINGO!
Posted by Michael Pinto on Oct 17, 2008 in Japanese TV
AKBINGO! is an NTV variety show that just went on the air this October. In the show participants go through various game show stunts — however the twist is that in the second half of the show turns into a musical showcase of sorts. So far the show has featured musical acts like AKB48 and the Bad Boys. Here’s a recent episode from October 15th: Strange Brew: Emily the Strange Goes Pop
Posted by Michael Pinto on Oct 17, 2008 in Comic Books
This looks like a good low budget fanboy gift for Christmas or maybe Halloween: Emily the Strange, Jones Soda Team Up “Now you can get Emily the Strange in a bottle! Emily comic book publisher Dark Horse Comics has teamed up with Jones Soda Co. to launch a limited-edition line of Emily the Strange soda pops on www.myjones.com. Dark Horse Comics is known for breaking tradition and bucking trends. It arranged the partnership with Jones Soda Co., part of Jones Limited, to provide comic and soda fans with a new way to enjoy some of Dark Horse’s most popular characters. Six special-edition Emily art labels have been created for the sodas. And only 600 six-bottle packs of each of the six themes will be available, just in time for Halloween on October 14. These special-edition sodas, which come in Strawberry Lime, Pure Cane Cola, and Cream Soda, will only be available here. The other Dark Horse comic featured in the program will be Eric Powell’s The Goon, which will launch with the soda line.” New Trek Stills Give Me Bad Muppet Baby Vibes
Posted by Michael Pinto on Oct 16, 2008 in Star Trek
I’m trying hard not to pre-judge the up and coming Star Trek film, but it’s hard knowing that Shat won’t be a part of it. But looking at the latest batch of stills that are “leaking” onto the net I’m not getting a good vibe. Shown above is a still image from UGO showing off the crew — maybe it’s the lighting or the costumes but they all look a bit too baby faced for me. There’s this next shot from MTV:
That set for the bridge looks a little too much like the cosmetics section of the drug store — this worked well on the old Space:1999 but here there’s no style holding it all together. Again the lighting is just a tad too bright, although the actors look a bit more animated. But I fear this film is committing the sin the Star Trek: TNG where the captain sits around all day and yammers — while what I loved about the original series was that Kirk wasn’t afraid to have a fist fight. But there’s some hope below in this next shot of Spock from AICN:
But this begs the question of why Spock is so hands on? However at least Spock seems to be doing something rather than enjoying a cup of earl gray while having a conference call with Star Fleet command on what he should be doing about the situation. This last shot from TrekMovie gives me the most hope:
Hubble Rescued from Muddle
Posted by Michael Pinto on Oct 16, 2008 in Science
Do you realize that Hubble has been in orbit since 1990? Hubble pre-dates Windows 95, Nirvana’s first hit and is older than Miley Cyrus! I just find the state of NASA depressing — and making matters worse the the final Presidential debate we get McCain yammering on YET AGAIN about funding a planetarium while his Vice Presidential pick thinks cavemen rode dinosaurs to work in the morning while picking up breakfast at Sonic. But I guess we have to be grateful that Hubble is less flakey than some of the powers that be: NASA approves Hubble revival plan “NASA is going ahead with a plan to restart the flow of science data from the Hubble Space Telescope by routing around circuitry that failed a little more than two weeks ago, officials said Tuesday. The unprecedented switchover is due to begin early Wednesday, and if all goes well, the telescope should be beaming imagery back down to Earth by Friday, said Art Whipple, manager of the Hubble Space Telescope Systems Management Office at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center.” Latte, I am your father!
Posted by Michael Pinto on Oct 15, 2008 in Star Wars
Warning: Adding too much cream to your morning cafe may weaken the dark side of your force while sipping from this crafty Star Wars mug which is available at Amazon: Found via uniquedaily.com and technabob.com. Crass & Rude: But You Still Love Him
Posted by Michael Pinto on Oct 15, 2008 in Hobbies and Collections
I hate to admit it: But as a fanboy it’s always a guilty pleasure of mine to watch repeats of Futurama episodes: Futurama Series 3 Bender Action Figure “f you’re looking for a good time, might we suggest palling around with the Futurama Series 3 Bender Action Figure? Based on the robot from the recently revived animated series, this action figure stands for pornography, stealing, smoking, sleeping around, and hard drinking… truly, the cornerstones of life in the 21st century. This 6-inch tall plastic pal has oil, malt liquor, and a huge pile of money. If you can ask for anything more from a friend, we don’t know what it is!” |
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