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Posted by Ben Huber on Oct 6, 2013 in Tech 
There’s a great, lengthy article from The New York Times which goes deep into the process behind creating the original iPhone. There have long been stories of Steve Jobs’ overbearing, intense style of management, and this is perhaps the greatest example of this. Both as a fault, and as his touch of genius, pushing people to do the “impossible.” It goes into details about how he wanted staff to sleep in the booth before a presentation so nothing gets leaked, or how software developers never saw the phone’s true hardware until the last minute. It’s a crazy story and I hope that we hear even more details about how these amazing devices came about in the future. Read more…
Tags: iPhone, long reads
Posted by Ben Huber on Oct 5, 2013 in Cinema, Comic Books 
Oops! Samuel L. Jackson let some news about Avengers: Age of Ultron slip a little early. In a recent interview with the Wall Street Journal, he casually mentioned that he’s excited to be working with James Spader (Ultron) and Elizabeth Olsen. The only thing is, Elizabeth Olsen hadn’t been announced for Avengers yet. So I guess now we know who Scarlet Witch is! She should be a good choice for the role. In related news, Latino Review is reporting that according to their sources, Aaron Taylor-Johnson is signing on for Quicksilver. If that’s true, then we might just have everyone cast for the next Avengers! Read more…
Tags: Avengers: Age of Ultron
Posted by Ben Huber on Oct 5, 2013 in Animation 
Yup, you read right! Guillermo Del Toro directed the opening couch gag for Simpson’s Treehouse of Horror XXIV. It’s definitely a bit more than just a couch gag, featuring just about every movie monster ever and several references to Del Toro’s own filmography. Yes, there is a Pacific Rim nod. Yes, there is a Pan’s Labyrinth nod. And yes, there is a clever joke about the older, traditional animation of classic Simpsons episodes. It’s kind of awesome how cool the crew at FOX are with making direct fun of the decline of Simpsons. You might remember the Banksy opening also did plenty of that, too. But enough talk! Check out the video below! Read more…
Tags: guillermo del toro, The Simpsons
Posted by Ben Huber on Oct 4, 2013 in Videogames 
A recent interview with Eiji Aonuma, the current producer of the Zelda series, offered up some interesting tidbits about the next game. Mainly, he stated “why does it have to be traditional?” He says they’re learning a lot from Wind Waker HD and and putting it to use in the next Wii U Zelda game, making things much more unique than previous Zeldas. Perhaps most interestingly he stated that he wants to make the next Zelda something so different that it “wouldn’t even matter if Zelda is actually a princess, or not.” I could go for an awesome Zelda game with Zelda as the main character, Aonuma! Make it so! Read more…
Tags: Legend of Zelda
Posted by Ben Huber on Oct 4, 2013 in Television 
Get ready Sherlock fans, because your desk or shelf space is about to get much, much cooler. Big Chief has revealed the first images of their Sherlock figures, and what a surprise: the two figures are Sherlock and Watson. Now you can finally own Benedict Cumberbatch in plastic form. Who cares about Martin Freeman though? He’s already got figures from The Hobbit. He’s already got it made. If you want these figures for your collection, be prepared for high price. Pre-orders will start in August, so go here to sign up for an email notification of when they go live. Or just live on the edge and refresh their homepage constantly, hoping to see it whenever it goes up. Read more…
Tags: Sherlock Holmes
Posted by Bob Muir on Oct 3, 2013 in Anime, Videogames 
Nintendo already announced that Charizard (and fellow Kanto starters Blastoise and Venusaur) would have new Mega Evolutions in Pokemon X & Y. But did you know that Charizard would get two Mega Evolutions? Like Mewtwo’s new Mega Evolutions, there will be a different item each in X & Y, with the one we saw before going by the name Mega Charizard Y. That new one up above is Mega Charizard X, which just debuted in Japan in Pokemon Origins, an anime special based on the original Pokemon games. Unlike the Fire/Flying Charizard, its type is (finally) Fire/Dragon. Even though it’s not a flying type, it seems that it gets the benefit of the doubt and can keep flying due to the fact that it starts the battle flying as regular Charizard. Read more…
Tags: 3DS, Nintendo, Pokémon
Posted by Bob Muir on Oct 3, 2013 in Cinema, Comic Books 
I’m still having a bit of a hard time believing that Ant-Man is actually becoming a movie (set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe). I admittedly haven’t ever read any Ant-Man comics, but I know the concept of the character and some story beats through the years, and it seems like a weird choice to follow up The Avengers: Age of Ultron from a mass-market perspective. But god dammit, I’m happy that something comparatively smaller and weirder can be made into a big movie in this day and age! And because Edgar Wright is directing it, it has my attention. Wright even tweeted this picture to show that, yes, his long-in-production movie is finally filming, making this the first picture from the set. Read more…
Tags: ant-man, Marvel
Posted by Bob Muir on Oct 2, 2013 in Videogames 
During the latest Nintendo Direct, Nintendo revealed a new Kirby game coming to 3DS in 2014. The visuals look colorful and bright, and the core gameplay is typical Kirby. What’s most interesting about this installment is the two different levels of platforming. One track is closer to the camera, while the other is farther away in the background. Kirby can hop between the two, presumably to avoid obstacles or look for secrets. A few other games have done this, but not many, so it’s still novel. Plus, it seems like a good way to use the 3D capabilities of the system, which range from unnecessary visual enhancement (most 3DS games) to actual gameplay help (Super Mario 3D Land). Hopefully it’s more of the latter! Read more…
Tags: 3DS, Kirby, Nintendo, Nintendo Direct
Posted by Bob Muir on Oct 2, 2013 in Cinema 
Benedict Cumberbatch is hot right now, and with good reason: he’s a fantastic actor, he’s got a great voice, he’s appearing in great productions like Sherlock, and his name is so charmingly British. I’ve been waiting to hear how he would sound as Smaug in The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, the second Hobbit film due out on December 13. Sure, the Hobbit films seem really padded out and the CGI isn’t as endearing as the camera tricks Peter Jackson used in The Lord of the Rings. But Benedict Cumberbatch is a sly dragon, and that’s all I need. I hope the actual shots of Smaug are limited, but knowing how much additional content needed to be put in to make The Hobbit into three three-hour films, I have a feeling he’ll practically be dancing in front of the camera. Read more…
Tags: Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit
Posted by Bob Muir on Oct 1, 2013 in Dr. Who, Television 
The Weeping Angels were once scary monsters, debuting in one of the new Doctor Who series’ stand-out episodes, “Blink.” Since then, what might have been a great one-shot monster has been used two more times, culminating in a ridiculous episode where the Statue of Liberty turns out to be a Weeping Angel. Perhaps wisely, Stephen Moffat has chosen to step away from the monsters, saying “I’m probably done to be honest on what you can do with the Weeping Angels. But other writers have to have a go…” Read more…
Tags: Doctor Who
Posted by Bob Muir on Oct 1, 2013 in Cinema, Star Trek 
J.J. Abrams often gets mocked for how much lens flare he put into Star Trek and Star Trek Into Darkness. But while comments about the lens flares in his reboot movie didn’t make him stop using them in the recent sequel, he says that he was actually being more conscious of how they affected the film. In fact, he claims that he actually reduced the lens flare! Read more…
Tags: J.J. Abrams, Star Trek Into Darkness
Posted by Ben Huber on Sep 30, 2013 in Animation 
Every once in a while a music video comes out that actually does something cool. I also have a soft spot for animated music videos, so C2C‘s latest music video for their song “Delta” is right up my alley. It’s got a great visual style that reminds me of the art of Genndy Tartakovsky mixed with a more orange sci-fi tint. If only more bands would do this! I’m still hoping for someone else to do their own Interstella 5555 for a new age. But for now, this is a wonderful piece. It also is one giant metaphor. See if you can figure it out — it’s pretty clear. Great job CRCR! Watch the video below. Read more…
Tags: music videos
Posted by Ben Huber on Sep 30, 2013 in Cinema 
Elysium opened to moderate interest and reviews, but it didn’t seem to really capture audiences the way District 9 did. Still Neill Blomkamp is unhindered, and is moving forward with another sci-fi story, and he’s back to filming in Johannesburg. Blomkamp says his next movie, Chappie, will be a “comedy” and a “heartfelt story” about a robot police officer (voiced by Sharlto Copley — who else?) who is kidnapped by two gangsters (Ninja and Yolandi Visser of Die Antwoord) in South Africa. And just recently announced, Hugh Jackman (a CEO) will also get involved as well. I can appreciate that Blomkamp is trying something different for his next film, and also hope that this odd premise pays off. Read more…
Tags: Chappie, neill blomkamp
Posted by Ben Huber on Sep 29, 2013 in Cinema 
Gravity will finally arrive on October 4th, and I want you all to go see it. Alfonso Cuaron’s latest has been getting rave reviews everywhere but it seems Warner Bros. is worried that people might not be into it, as they’re releasing clip after clip for the movie. Well, I hope we all prove them wrong and the turnout is solid, if not great. I really appreciate the dedication to realism, like the lack of sound in space, which is demonstrated in this clip here. Sandra Bullock’s character, Dr. Ryan Stone is on her first space mission and is attempting a repair when things go very wrong. Get ready, it’s going to be intense! Read more…
Tags: Alfonso Cuarón, Gravity
Posted by Ben Huber on Sep 29, 2013 in Science 
We’ve seen some huge strides in artificial limbs in the past few years, and we’ve blogged about them before, too. Here’s the latest one, a bionic leg for Zac Vawter, who lost most of his right leg in motorcycle accident in 2009. Now, he’s the first tester for an incredibly impressive bionic leg that is hooked up to the nerves in his leg. Now, he can walk almost as well as before the accident. I’m really excited to see the advancement in this tech, and I hope more people will support this kind of work. It’s groundbreaking stuff! Read more…
Tags: Bionics
Posted by Ben Huber on Sep 28, 2013 in Hobbies and Collections 
I’ve seen starship comparisons before, but nothing quite this comprehensive: DeviantArt user DirkLoechel put together an absolutely massive chart of almost every starship out there. Star Wars? Of course. Star Trek? Obviously. Warhammer 40000? Eve? Wall-E? Yes, yes, and yes. It’s really neat to see each each side-by-side, so you can really start to get a sense of scale (something that’s usually pretty difficult to get a handle on in space). Now pick your favorite ship and try to hunt it down the high-res version, included below. Read more…
Tags: Sci-Fi, spaceships
Posted by Ben Huber on Sep 28, 2013 in Videogames 
Weird is definitely the way to describe this. But, it could be the good kind of weird? As their final announcement, Valve has revealed their controller for the Steam Machines: the Steam Controller. It features two circular touchpads in place of the usual two joysticks, with two clickable areas on each: one in the center, and one in the outer ring. It also has advanced haptic feedback inside under each trackpad, allowing for a great degree on control over the intensity, direction, and force of the vibration (presumably allowing you to feel some degree of “pushback” when moving your finger around). It also has the usual assortment of buttons, as well as two on the underside of the controller. And of course, a touchscreen. Valve has a lot going on here and these controllers will begin beta testing with the lucky 300 hardware beta participants this fall. Click here to enter. More images below! Read more…
Tags: Steam, Valve
Posted by Ben Huber on Sep 27, 2013 in Hobbies and Collections, Television 
We’re seeing plenty of fanboy-related topics show up on LEGO CUUSOO all the time now, and it looks like the latest one to win the support of the community is a Sherlock model. Based off of the popular BBC show, the creator on CUUSOO has included a variety of options for LEGO to consider when making it a set, including different sets of minifigures, different sizes of the model itself, and an optional display stand. Basically, they put a lot of thought into the factors that LEGO themselves considers when making a set. Now that it’s got support, LEGO has to evaluate the model and obtain the rights to make the set. This is usually the biggest hangup, but with a versatile model like this it might just work out. Read more…
Tags: Lego, Sherlock Holmes
Posted by Ben Huber on Sep 27, 2013 in Cinema, Comic Books 
Remember back when we first heard the title for Avengers: Age of Ultron? Yeah, that was great wasn’t it. But like most fans online you probably weren’t age Comic-con, and you probably weren’t in Hall H, so chances are you didn’t see the video reveal. This kind of stuff usually doesn’t show up online except in blurry handycam format, so seeing this clearly in HD is nice. It was made available through the Iron Man 3 Jarvis app, oddly enough. So here it is, in crystal clear form. It also gives a little look at the prep work for the panel, with Joss Whedon saying “it’s like Christmas.” Read more…
Tags: Avengers: Age of Ultron
Posted by Bob Muir on Sep 26, 2013 in Tech, Videogames 
Let’s say you were excited about SteamOS, the living room-focused OS meant to make it easier to play PC games on HDTVs. If you were thinking of buying a new PC to hook up to your HDTV, why not consider a Steam Machine? These boxes running SteamOS are the second of Valve’s three big announcements this week. Valve is working with multiple manufacturers to bring Steam Machines with varying specs to retail in 2014. But before those are released, Valve is testing a high-performance prototype machine, and you could be one of the 300 people to test it for free, if you’re eligible. Read more…
Tags: Steam, Valve
Posted by Bob Muir on Sep 26, 2013 in Comic Books, Television 
With the success of Arrow, the upcoming Flash series, and the continuing popularity of the Batman franchise, it was only a matter of time before some sort of Batman TV series was made. The only wrinkle is that like 2002’s Birds of Prey, this series will have no Batman. Yes, Warner Bros. is making Gotham, a police procedural centered on a younger Commissioner Jim Gordon before he meets Batman. And despite WB making it, Fox has won a bidding war for the series, committing to the series without even asking for a pilot. Gotham is being created by Bruno Heller, who has also created The Mentalist for CBS. Read more…
Tags: Batman, DC Comics, Fox, Warner Brothers
Posted by Bob Muir on Sep 25, 2013 in Comic Books, Videogames 
Okay, the costume you see above isn’t literally Adam West. The Batman in Batman: Arkham Origins is still being voiced by Roger Craig Smith, and the costume won’t change that. But it’s definitely Adam West’s Batman outfit from the ’60s live-action TV show. And though this Batman is bigger and more ripped than Adam West was, I think it’s cool how the outfit makes him look slightly pudgy and soft, just like the TV series. But if this alternate costume doesn’t tickle your fancy, how about Azrael’s Batman outfit from the Knightfall storyline? It looks positively demonic, and perhaps almost too badass for my first playthrough of a game that’s supposed to be about Batman’s early days. If you’re liking these outfits, you may want to consider buying Batman: Arkham Origins on PS3, as they’ll be exclusive to that console. You also get five challenge maps, but aside from people with an unhealthy obsession for this game’s combat like me, the main thing I’d be worried about missing out on is these awesome costumes. Read more…
Tags: Batman, Batman: Arkham Origins, PS3, Warner Brothers, Xbox 360
Posted by Bob Muir on Sep 25, 2013 in Anime 
Dragon Ball Z has always had some crazy hairstyles. Many anime since have had even more ridiculous hair, but DBZ was a pioneer, with its blonde Super Saiyan transformation primarily marked by a change in hairstyle. So now, 17 years after the show went off the air (yes, there have been sequel series, movies, and rereleases since), you can finally buy official DBZ hair wax for making your own hair stick up. They come in three levels, marked by how Goku’s hair looks: 3 (Goku’s regular hair), 5 (Goku using Kaio-ken), and the strongest hold, 7 (Super Saiyan Goku). Best of all, the hair wax comes in Dragon Balls! This seems to be a Japan-only product, but it would be awesome to see this released in America whenever the movie DBZ: Battle of Gods is released. Read more…
Tags: Dragonball
Posted by Bob Muir on Sep 24, 2013 in Videogames 
While we’re all pondering what else Valve has in store for us, let’s look at an indie game series that has been approved for Steam via its Greenlight service. Higurashi: When They Cry (a.k.a. Higurashi no Naku Koro ni) is a visual novel series that has been sold through English publisher MangaGamer’s website. But with a Steam release approved and in the works, the company is considering updating the product. Being on Steam means much more visibility and higher sales, so it may be possible that Higurashi will receive a new translation. A translator says that they still need to look at their schedule to see if it’s doable, but it’s something they’d like to do. Read more…
Tags: Steam, visual novel
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