March 2006

MacGyverrrr!!!!
Submitted Tuesday, March 28, 2006 - 1:38:14 PM by Klaitu

Well, not exactly, but Richard Dean Anderson is returning to SG-1 this summer for the shows 200th episode, along with an episode of Atlantis and 2 additional SG-1's.

For nerds, this is a big deal, I thought I would share!

Episode 200 entitled "200" will air as the 6th episode of SG-1 Season 10.



Empire Earth 2
Submitted Monday, March 27, 2006 - 3:03:58 PM by Klaitu

What would happen if you took Empire Earth and then you made it suck?

Empire Earth 2.

Empire Earth 2 is so different from Empire Earth 1 that they should have called it something entirely different altogether. They took the symple Empire Earth 1 system and complicated the crap out of it to the point where it's nearly impossible to learn.

Despite the heavy system requirements for the game, the graphics really aren't that good. Units are hard to see and don't always perform the same way each time.

There really isn't a whole lot positive I can say about this game.

Overall Score: 3 of 10



Battlefield 2
Submitted Monday, March 27, 2006 - 3:00:53 PM by Klaitu

Did you ever play America's Army? You know, that game made by the Army as a recruiting tactic?

Battlefield 2 is a lot like that, except more fun.

It combines the global account statistics of America's Army with the fast-paced capture the flag gameplay of Battlefield 1942. The result is an interesting blend of RPG and FPS.

The more you play, the better score you get, the higher rank you are. Higher ranks entitle you to new guns and make you more eligable to become your team's commmander.

Battlefield 2 runs the middle of the road in the balance category. It's somewhere between Rainbow Six's one hit kills, and America's Army's 3 clips, a grenade, and a rocket kills.

But there's not just infantry action, there's also tank action, plane action, and helicopter action.. and Dune Buggy action as well.

System requirements are a bit stout, though.

Overall Score: 7 of 10



HDTV
Submitted Monday, March 27, 2006 - 2:15:25 PM by Klaitu

I've always had questions about HDTV.. odd questions that nobody really knew the answers to. Now that I've had a chance to play around with a HDTV, I have some of those answers, and I thought I'd go ahead and share them with you all.

- Progressive vs. Interlace

HDTV is frought with strange terms like 1080i or 720p. What does all that mean? I could explain to you the technical details, but suffice it to say that bigger number = better picture.

As for those letters, "p" is always better than "i". I stands for Interlace and P stands for Progressive. What's the difference? Again, a lot of technicality, but the bottom line is that the progressive variety provides a picture that is twice as good.

But, with all these letters and numbers, there's one thing that is constant: Everything looks better on a HDTV.

- HDTV Tuning

Before I had an HDTV, I wondered how they handled the whole channel thing. We have a channel 4 here, so if I tune to channel 4 on my HDTV, do I get the HD signal?

Here's how it works: A HDTV can pick up your regular, everyday analog signals.. the kind you've been watching for years on your normal TV. All of those stations are the same, but you have additional new channels. The HD feed from the afore mentioned Channel 4 is channel 004-001. In HD, all channels come in that format. The first number is the channel, and the second number is which of their broadcasts you are watching.

Channel 004-001 is NBC, so this is the channel you'd get all the HD shows in. This station also has 004-002, which is like NBC's version of the weather channel.

The kings of the multi-stream is TBN, our channel 14 has streams from 014-001 to 014-007! (and nothing you'd want to watch on any of them).

As of March 1 of next year, all TV's made that are 13 inches or larger must include a HDTV tuner in the design. If you're buying a HDTV, make sure you get one with a tuner.

- HDTV vs regular TV

If you're in the market for a TV, you might be considering just spending 100 bucks on a normal TV and leaving it at that. If you spend on a regular TV, you need to know that you'll be buying another TV in the near future, as the cut-off date for those old "regular" stations is February 17, 2009.

- HDTV connection

To get HDTV signals, you don't need anything new. HDTV signals come through the air just like any other kind, and can be picked up by your everyday rabbit-ear antenna. Heck, you can even use an antenna from the early 80's and get a perfect signal. Standard coaxial connectors and everything.

For things like your PS2, your Xbox 360, or your DVD player, the "basic" type of connection is the Component video connection. It's like those White/Red/Yellow connectors you're so familiar with, except instead of one yellow one, you've got 3 yellow ones. Simple to hook up, and looks great.

There is another kind of connection for more expensive TV's called HDMI which is one plug.. but unless you're buying one of those $4000 TV's, you might as well just forget about it.

Most HDTV's will also use your standard S-Video or composite video cables you've used for the last 20 years as well.

- Ow, my back

My model of HDTV is a CRT variety. That means it's got a tube and the glass in front and all that stuff just like a normal TV. Unlike a normal TV, it is SUPER HEAVY. It's no wonder why so many HDTV's are LCD, plasma, or SXRD.

The kind of HDTV you want depends precisely on your budget. CRT offers the best picture for the least money. LCD are small and flat, but often don't have that great a picture. Plasma looks amazing, but the screen burns super easily. SXRD is your premium technology at the moment, it's like an upgraded LCD but is super expensive.

There you have it, Klaitu's guide to HDTV. I know I'm enjoyin mine. HDTV is a lot like broadband. Once you have broadband, you can't go back to dialup.. well, once you have HDTV, you can't go back to analog.



Where's Klaitu?
Submitted Friday, March 24, 2006 - 2:45:54 PM by Klaitu

So, I've been getting these e-mails.. "Where's Klaitu, why aren't you writing so much on Special K?" So, I thought I'd give you a truly blog-style experience and chronicle why I haven't been writing so much.

Carson has been over here a lot, and we've been playing Battlefield 2. He's a Lance Corporal, and I'm a Corporal, and we oft go around the internet shooting terrorists or Chinese. (Hey, they shot st us first!) Carson likes to mow people down with a helicopter, while I prefer the simple pleasure of flattening a guy by running over him with a jeep. Good times!

Before Battlefield 2, we played Empire Earth 2 for about 30 seconds before we determined that it sucked.

Also, speaking of Carson, he bought me a computer upgrade for my birthday. Truly a wonderous thing! After all, that's how I can play Battlefield 2.

So, now that I have this new computer, old games that were impossible to play are now working just great. Games like The Sims 2: Open for Business and World of Warcraft run smooth. The latter I can even run at maximum resolution and get no slowdown at all. It's amazing!

And while we're on the subject, something odd happened to me yesterday in the Sims 2. Sephiroth stole my newspaper! It's true! He did! I'm a big mod downloader for the sims, and Sephiroth was just one of those plethora of extras I put into my game. I never thought he'd be stealing my newspaper, though! So evil!

In the land of World of Warcraft, Bran has started playing and I've been spending some time hanging with her, helping her get adjusted to the game. I dunno if she's sold on it, she's stubborn, but I think she will come around.

The rest of my time has been spent installing, rearranging, or uninstalling the various programs of mine on this new computer. So, basically, it's keeping me busy, but fret not, I'm not going anywhere! Plus, you know there's reviews coming for all those games I mentioned, plus Kingdom Hearts 2 in about 4 days. Keep checking back!



Doctor Who
Submitted Friday, March 24, 2006 - 2:36:46 PM by Klaitu

The British just love their Doctor Who, and why not? It's one of the fery few television shows they make, and certainly one of the few that gains enough appeal to cross the pond.

So, I sat down and watched the premiere on Sci-Fi a few days ago. I use the term "premiere" loosely, because this is merely a continuation of the Doctor Who series that has been going on since the 70's. This new season is designed to ease newcomers into the show.

Aside from the lame special effects, the first thing you notice when you watch Doctor Who is that you can't understand about 25% of what they're saying. They're speaking english english. For instance.. you're in a dark hallway, you hear footsteps. Normal people say "Who's there?" right? Well, the British say "Is there anyone lurking about?" I had to rewind that one twice to figure it out.

In a lot of ways, Doctor Who is like the CSI of sci-fi. It's procedural. You don't learn much about the characters, the writers want you to instead focus on the "zany sci-fi elements".

The whole thing has the same feel as "The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy" and why not, Hitchhikers was british as well.

I'll end up watching Doctor Who, because all of my other shows are on hiatus.. but I'm not going to like it.

Overall Score: 4 of 10



Lame Internet Movies
Submitted Tuesday, March 21, 2006 - 1:51:02 PM by Klaitu

As an appreciator of all things lame, I find the internet to be an invaluable resource for finding really bad and/or hilarious movies online. It just so happens that I've come across like a bunch in one day, so I'll share!

Viva Chimpe

How much of a difference does style make? Viva Chimpe proves that style is very important, after all, it's just a video of one of those cymbal-playing monkeys.. or is it?

Es bueno!

http://www.orange32.com/monkeypants/

Aladdin and the Cave of Cheeseburgers

What happens when you take the audio out of Disney's Aladdin and redub the entire thing? You get hilarity!

http://www.nrg.to/romztower/movies.html

AFV Cats

Oh those wacky cats and their hijinks! Check out the best of the kitty cats that were ever on AFV.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CWej4ZbrbbM&search=cat

Amusing. Most amusing.



beep beep beep
Submitted Saturday, March 18, 2006 - 5:42:30 PM by Klaitu

How much awesome could my computer chuck if my computer could chuck awesome?

All of it.

My new computer is pimpalicious! Well, it's awesome anyway. It's a lot like my old computer, except it goes VROOM and has a eerie blue glow!

Now I can do things like:
Install games made in the past 2 years!
Play a 3d game at more than 10 fps!
Enjoy particle effects!

It's quite fantabulous, and it's all thanks to Carson who hooked me up.

Everyone tell Carson how awesome he is!



Missing in Action?
Submitted Wednesday, March 15, 2006 - 11:45:47 PM by Klaitu

Exciting computer news!

Well, not yet, but in the future!

I might be out for a few days, but stay tuned!



Cheese in Paradise
Submitted Sunday, March 12, 2006 - 6:06:43 PM by Klaitu

I've been meaning to write up a little something about my trip to Cheeseburger in Paradise, but what kind of words can I use to describe it?

Cheeseburger in Paradise is kinda like a Tropical TGI Friday's. We're talking 7 dollar hambugers here, as well as a variety of tropical dishes including seafood.

The particular restaurant I visited was stuffed to the gills with people. Tables and chairs were mooshed together everywhere, and navigating to or from your table is a real pain.

Suprisingly, the cheeseburgers are pretty good at cheeseburger in paradise. Maybe not as good as paradise, and maybe not worth 7 bucks, but they're decent.

Also, my sister seemed to enjoy it:


So, if you ever get a chance, check it out. It's pretty good!



You Stud, You.
Submitted Thursday, March 9, 2006 - 9:16:56 PM by Klaitu

Dear Richard Hatch,

You're a tiger!



XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXX,
Klaitu

This magazine.. I.. It's.. I think I want it, I mean look at it..

15 (thats FIFTEEN) Great Rear Views!
Not to mention Robby Benson..
And I always wondered how to make my office affair work.. I mean, I was just afraid to ask some advice.

But the "think yourself skinny" diet, I'm already on that. Sorry, Playgirl.. too slow.



American History X
Submitted Thursday, March 9, 2006 - 12:10:46 PM by Klaitu

I finally got around to seeing this one, and I have to say that I wish I had seen it sooner!

American History X is about a jerk of a skinhead who gets arrested and sent to jail. While in the pokey, he reforms and learns the error of his ways. When he gets out, he discovers that his little brother is caught in the same thing that he was once caught in, and now the ex-con must convince the little bro before it's too late.

With the help of Avery Brooks.

I'm not usually one to like movies set in an "urban" enviornment. This one was an exception though. The film score gets some special props.

Excellent acting, excellent music, excellent story. It's not a movie you'd watch over and over, but it's solid. If you haven't seen it, give it a look-see.

Overall Score: 9 of 10



Mr. Holland's Opus
Submitted Wednesday, March 8, 2006 - 5:28:24 PM by Klaitu

Don't laugh! I never saw it before, despite being a strangely famous movie.

The movie tracks the life of an ordinary music teacher for 30 years.. a music teacher who originally was only interested in composing music. He comes to love teaching over time, and when he is finally forced into retirement due to budget cuts, it turns out that Mr. Holland's Opus is not only a musical score, but also the lives of all the children he taught to play music.

Like Forrest Gump, this movie is one of those that spans an impressive amount of time.. on the order of decades. You get to see the children from the beginning of the movie as adults later in the movie. The tonality is much similar to the series Quantum Leap.

Oddly, for a film about music, the score was pretty disappointing.

Overall Score: 7 of 10



The Professional
Submitted Wednesday, March 8, 2006 - 5:23:50 PM by Klaitu

Alright, ponies, I got a foreign film for ya. The Professional! (from the people who brought you The Fifth Element)

This movie is the story of an assassin who takes in an orphaned little girl. The little girl wants to learn how to kill people, too. Will he teach her? Will he kill her?

It's pretty predictable, but ultimately a solid movie. There's nothing I can really say except that it's pretty much average in every way, but definately worth a watch if you haven't seen it.

Overall Score: 5 of 10



Performance hiccup
Submitted Sunday, March 5, 2006 - 9:08:29 PM by Klaitu

Special K is probably going to get blasted off the net temporarily due to my host being slow in responding to their e-mail. I should be back soon, though.. so don't cry!



Ultraviolet
Submitted Sunday, March 5, 2006 - 12:12:23 PM by Klaitu

More like Ultralame.

Awhile back, I was talking with this overzealous guy about the movie, and I listed all the reasons why the movie was going to suck before I even saw it. Let's go back and see how I did.

1. The hero is a girl.

I don't give me any points for this one, I mean, it's pretty obvious she's a girl.

2. She has super powers through some partially-explained method of pseudo science.

I got this one right on the head.. but not only does she have superpowers because of a "eugenics program" she is also a vampire!

3. 20 years ago, she would have been a man played by Sylvester Stallone.

Probably, but it wouldn't help the movie any.

4. She wears black, probably black vinyl or leather and wears sunglasses.

Right on the money on this one. She does wear all black with black sunglasses in the movie, however her clothes occasionally change color though some "mysterious" process.

5. She's been trained as a secret agent ninja commando by the government of the future.

I missed that one, she was trained as a secret agent ninja by the enemy of the government of the future.

6. She's gone rogue due to some injustice committed by the government of the future, or alternatively she is working for the "good" government and fighting the "bad guys" be they an evil government or terrorists.

Right on the money. She's gone rogue against the government because the government killed her baby because she became a vampire.

7. Nobody can stop her! She's invincible.. except maybe the boss at the end of the movie.. (who is either a man, or a monster, or a monster who was once a man)

The boss at the end is a monster who was once a man. He's not only the one responsible for her troubles in the movie, but he's also the person who invented the vampire virus. That evil guy!

8. She wins in the end.

Yep, she has her cake and eats it too.

1. At some point during the movie she will hold a gun inappropriately, or perhaps do something so silly as to carry two rifles at the same time.

You know, this one is true, but the movie has so many problems, I'm going to give them a pass on that one.

2. Though supposedly a secret agent ninja commando, she will not behave at all like a secret agent ninja commando.

She almost commits suicide.. does that count?

3. At some point she will wander precariously through a dark corridor hunting a target of some sort. There may be steam. Either way, she wins.

Well, it wasn't a corridor. It was a dome, and it was pitch black with no steam, and you can only hear stuff for awhile. She still wins though.

4. It's entirely possible that she will have a nude scene, or a bath scene, or maybe even a love scene. Whatever the reason, boobies will appear on screen (unless its PG-13 rated, and then her nude back will appear on screen)

No boobies, but the story did require her to get naked, though they didn't show it. All we got was Milla pullin her pants up.

Those are all the things I predicted, and most of them came to pass. I really don't know why people didn't believe me.

Anyways, in addition to all that, there was some stuff that was so stupid that even I couldn't have imagined it!

- She has a black hole in her belt buckle! Why? It allows her to walk on walls and ceilings. It also allows her to drive her motorcycle up the sides of buildings and such. Isn't that cute?

- 5 times during the movie, Ultraviolet gets surrounded by bad guys. They approach her in a circle and point guns at her. There's a standoff situation, and then she kills all of them in one blow. Did I mention this happens FIVE TIMES in the movie?

- The bad guy is not only bad, check this out he's: A mad scientist, militant, Arch-bishop, hospital administrator, government leader.. AND a vampire! On top of that, he's an expert swordsman and a quickdraw. He can also see in the dark. The dude really gets around.

- The people in the future are obsessed with making buildings that look like what they're supposed to do.. for instance, Where do you store biohazardous material? In a building shaped like a giant biohazard sign! The bio medical lab at the end of the film is shaped like a giant cross. Curse those christians! Making vampires and forming evil empires all over again! (I wonder if instead of a cross there were a crescent moon.. would there be riots?)

Ordinarily, I'd go into the acting or the cgi or the music or something here.. but it's all pretty much irrelevant.

Overall Score: 1 of 10

This movie is not fit for any human person, and should not be watched by anyone.