While the actual Green Lantern movie won’t be released until June of 2011, you can watch this trailer 20 or 30 times if you just can’t wait. Obviously this is a fan video using clips of other films to create a fake GL trailer, but it’s one of the more convincing ones I’ve seen. I always thought Dennis Quaid was the perfect Hal Jordan, but of course he’s too old now. Nathan Fillion would make an ideal choice for Jordan, but Serenity’s box office failure means he probably won’t be first pick to star in a $150 million movie. Hats off to Jaron Pitts who put this video together.

What’s that? You beat GTA IV and your life just isn’t the same without a daily dose of simulated sociopathic behavior? Fortunately this fall will see the release of The Ballad of Gay Tony, an expansion for the popular game. Players will assume the role of Luis Lopez, whose loyalty to night club owner, Gay Tony, is challenged during a series of missions which promise to make Liberty City even more dirty and violent. The game pack will be available for $39.99, or you can download it for $19.99. Unfortunately, it looks like you’ll need and Xbox to get the first crack at it, but a PS3 release can’t be far behind.

Being out of the country has really put me behind. First thing I’m going to do when I get home is pick up an Xbox or PS3 and get caught up on GTA IV. Seriously.

Occasional Superheroine linked to this op-ed that Bill Maher wrote for the LA Times, “Superheroes Can’t Save California.” I remember once mentioning that I had been watching Real Time With Bill Maher and a family member said, “Does that mean you’re one of them?” I think in this context “them” meant “liberal,” as opposed to “someone with a sense of humor.” In any case, anyone who listens to Bill Maher on a regular basis knows that he’s got criticisms for both sides of the aisle. Check out the article, if for no other reason than it’s probably the last time you’ll see Maher saying, “Newt Gingrich had it right…”

Boom! Studios has always been hit or miss for me. I’m not much of an art guy, but it seems like every time they have a concept that interests me, like “The Muppet Show,” the book’s art is so bad I can’t appreciate the story (like anything drawn by John Romita Jr). Lately, however, they’ve surprised me with books like “Irredeemable” and “Station.” Now, however, they have successfully piqued my interest with the upcoming “Die Hard: Year One.”

Why has no one thought of this before!?! John McClane is the ultimate bad ass, so who wouldn’t want to see him kill every terrorist/thief you could think of. The book takes place more than ten years before the Nakatomi incident. You never know, but I think Howard Chaykin and Stephen Thompson just might pull this off. If they do, I think a Lethal Weapon series/crossover shouldn’t be far behind. Yippie Ki Yay!

A fictional dialogue in a Hollywood casting office circa 2007:

Casting Wizard #1: Alright, folks, the notes here say that Tony Stark, the alternate identity of Iron Man, is an alcoholic weapons engineer. I’d go with Johnny Depp for the druggie hero routine, but I think it’s overplayed.

Casting Wizard #2: Agreed, we’re going to need another talented actor with a personal history of substance abuse who can really sell the “bright but tortured” routine.

Casting Wizard #3: How about Tom Cruise?

Casting Wizards #1 and #2 defenestrate Casting Wizard #3.

Casting Wizard #2: I’ve got it! Robert Downey Jr!

Casting Wizard #1: Is he clean now?

Casting Wizard #2: Yeah, and working like a horse. Did you see “Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang?”

Casting Wizard #1: You know I don’t watch movies.

Casting Wizard #2: It’s not important. He’s perfect, and if Iron Man does well enough, I’ve got the ideal follow-up for him.

Keep in mind I’m not complaining.

Some of you may have noticed that for purposes of this blog I only use a single space after my periods, but that does not mean I like using only a single space after the periods (or “full stops,” for my English friends).  I’ve been writing a little more prose in my off-time lately (it’s hush-hush, but I will say it’s a memoir), and I’ve found that even in that scenario, I’m single-spacing after the period.

I have always been a proponent of double-spacing after my periods, most likely due to Typing Tutor, like the above-linked article suggests.  I even seem to recall my English teachers handing out style sheets suggesting that we would lose points for single-spacing after the period.  Now it looks like even MLA has changed their tune on this one. Unfortunately, the double-space looks awkward and clunky on both blogs and emails.  Sad as it is to say, unless I do bite the bullet and go back to school at some point, I’m probably going to have to give up the double-space.  So long, old friend.

Thanks to Jen, who rocks my face off, for linking to this article on Facebook.

Most people who know me know that I am rarely found without my trusty iPod. As far as recreation goes, I don’t do much more than read, watch movies, and listen to music. The iPod provides me with plenty of music and movies and, thanks to iPod Library, makes a half-way decent ebook reader. Recently, though, I found myself wishing there was some way I could put a lot of fresh content on my iPod so I could be entertained when walking to my tutoring appointments, and that’s when I discovered podcasts.

Podcasts are certainly not a new phenomenon, in fact I’m jumping on this bandwagon a little late. For some reason, though, the form doesn’t seem to be as popular as it should be. In simple terms, a podcast is nothing more than a series of audio or video files that are released on a regular basis. It is basically a way of revitalizing the serialized radio show format, except instead of tuning in at a certain time of day, you just download the show and listen to it at your leisure on either your computer or preferred portable audio device.

There are a number of ways to access podcasts. There are various programs you can use to check the podcast listings, or you can just go to the website of your favorite podcaster and download from them directly. iTunes makes it pretty easy to organize and access everything, though, so I’m sticking with iTunes for the time being.

For shows, I have to say my favorite is the Adam Carolla podcast. Since he left his position as a radio show host in LA, Carolla has managed to build the largest podcast audience in the history of podcasting, at least that’s how he tells it. I also love all of the shows that howstuffworks.com puts out. The “Stuff You Should Know” and “History” podcasts are a great way to bone up on all the esoteric knowledge you need to sound smart at your next gathering. NPR’s “All Songs Considered” has helped me become a better music snob. For comic book reviews, I listen to both iFanboy and Comic Impact, and, when I really want to nerd-out, I listen to “The Shadow” radio shows, which have all been released for free via podcast.

Like I said, I know the format isn’t exactly new, but I hear that the most downloaded podcasts get roughly 4,000,000 hits. Surely there’s room for growth in this field, and, once the big corporations figure out a good way to monetize it, the money will follow. But if you find yourself getting bored of listening to the same 5,000 songs over and over again, check out a couple of podcasts.

A couple of my friends have sent me the above-linked article from BBC News relaying the worst news to hit Egypt since the war in Gaza: An Egyptian court has ruled that internet pornography should be banned. Worry not, children. This is not the end of porn in Cairo.

Aside from the fact that I’m just not a big porn guy, I don’t buy that this change will be either immediate or effective. For one thing, China has shown us time and time again that a full blown “Ministry of Truth” will never be able to completely block internet access. For every site you block, ten more will show up to replace it and meanwhile there’s going to be a dozen proxy sites out there which are more than willing to link you to the filth you crave.

That said, I don’t think the Egyptian government has the resources or the motivation to actually start blocking access. Keep in mind that this legislation was not initiated by the government, but rather by a Muslim attorney who thinks the government isn’t doing enough to defend the moral values of the people who live in Egypt. This is the same government that doesn’t bother enforcing traffic policies that keep people physically safe. How can anyone expect them to defend the moral decency of private citizens?

This turn is, however, cause for concern. This court decision sets a precedent for the government to monitor internet use and police it. Should the government ever decide to divert enough resources to start policing the internet, the legal groundwork has already been laid. Once they’ve got a lock on the porn, it’s only a matter of time before they start blocking Facebook, blog sites, and everything else that is a challenge to Egypt’s “essential decency.” It’s times like this that I’m glad I’ll be out of this country soon, insha’allah.

*My best approximation for how to spell the Arabic word for ”No more.”

I’ve been meaning to do this for a couple of weeks now, but it kept slipping my mind. If you’re into Nerdcore or video game music or if you were unaware that people listen to this sort of thing for recreation, check out the link above. I’ve been listening to 8bit FM since Dekker put it in the testing phase, and it’s opened up a whole new world of music for me. It’s especially fun to play “Name that Tune” with the remixes. Enjoy,

I just caught this news from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution: a customer complained about service at a South Carolina Waffle House and was subsequently shot by her waitress. Fortunately, the woman seems to have been merely wounded, but being shot, even by ricochet, is never a laughing matter. Nevertheless, I’m going to be insensitive and comment on this story.

Having worked in the food service industry, I immediately checked my sympathy with the waitress when I read the headline. After all, she shot somebody, and that is never cool. That said, the victim is not without some blame. She simply failed to understand the etiquette for dealing with unsatisfactory service. This is why everyone in the world should see “Fight Club.” Whenever dealing with the people who prepare your food, park your car, tend the entrance to your gated community, etc. you should always be polite and courteous, even when complaining. The victim of this alleged crime, however threw her waffle, although she’s quick to note that she threw it on the floor and not at the waitress.

When it comes to dealing with wait staff, throwing anything off of the table is an affront because it’s something they will have to go out of their way to clean. Cleaning up your unnecessary mess is going to slow the server down even more. This incident was also during the 4:30 AM Sunday morning rush. Just because you’ve had twenty or thirty margaritas is no reason to get unfriendly with someone who’s in their penultimate hour of the graveyard shift at the WaHo.

None of this justifies gun violence, but it’s important to consider your vulnerability to attack before losing your temper. If the trigger-happy waitress had been a little more thoughtful, she might have just thought to sabotage the customer’s food.

Then again, this may be worth killing for.