For the next ten days starting Monday, I will watch a movie off the list of Movie Network OnDemand movies each day and post a review. This will start tomorrow with a review of the film, Shutter Island.
Also, Don't forget to turn the lights off tonight at 8:30 for Earth Hour.
See you later on Hayden@Earth.
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Friday, March 25, 2011
Youtube Friday #1 - March 25, 2011
Thanksgiving is now considered a time to pig out on good food in the company of good friends and family. But no other feast compares with what I saw on one video on Youtube. They called it the "Turbacon epic". Epic is a word that is thrown around a lot today. In this case, however, epic is a massive understatement. Welcome to the insane, over-the-top world of Epic Meal Time where, "We make your dreams come true, and then we eat them". Since then, I have watched their weekly videos every Tuesday without fail. Until you see their videos, you do not know ANYTHING about food. They make creations out of meat that you would never believe are possible until you see with your own eyes. Also, the people in the show are hilarious, especially the lead, Harley Morenstein. Check out their channel on youtube and prepare to be amazed. Highlights (other videos) include a massive "Meatball Deathstar", a Christmas special that puts a meaty twist on tradition, and many other insane meat creations with absolutely no veg****les (or fruit) included.
See you later on Hayden@Earth.
Yes the word vegetables (seen above as veg****les) is censored in their videos.
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Youtube Fridays
This Posting is just to let you know that from now on, every Friday I will give mention to a noteworthy video or series of videos from Youtube. This will start tomorrow, March 25, 2011.
Robin Hood Review
I was disappointed when I never made it to see Robin Hood in theaters. The trailers had got me very excited about the movie but I never got a chance to actually go see it. Therefor when I saw Robin Hood playing on The Movie Network On Demand I leaped on the opportunity. I'm now glad I didn't waste my 11 dollars to see this piece of garbage at the theater.
OK, maybe it wasn't THAT bad. I probably would have enjoyed it more in theater. I doubt I'm the only one that was led to believe (by the trailer) that the movie was 2 hours of exciting action and battles. What was delivered was 5 minutes of action, followed by almost two hours of chatting and discussions that seemed draaaaaaaawn out and completely irrelevant to the plot of the film. The battle outside the french castle and the final battle are both well done with good effects and cinematography. The costumes were well made and realistic-looking and visual effects were done well . This would have easily been a 4+ star movie if it wasn't for the drawn out, boring main body of the film.
For all the well-recognized actors they got, the acting was mediocre at best. Even the usually exciting actor Russel Crowe seemed stony and robotic in his lead role as Robin Hood. Maybe its just because of a poorly written script or maybe Russel Crowe was just bored because he didn't realize that he would spend 2 hours in plain chatting and "parties" that seemed more like funerals when he took the role of Robin Hood, the badass of Sherwood Forest.
Robin (your cash) Hood gets 2/5.
OK, maybe it wasn't THAT bad. I probably would have enjoyed it more in theater. I doubt I'm the only one that was led to believe (by the trailer) that the movie was 2 hours of exciting action and battles. What was delivered was 5 minutes of action, followed by almost two hours of chatting and discussions that seemed draaaaaaaawn out and completely irrelevant to the plot of the film. The battle outside the french castle and the final battle are both well done with good effects and cinematography. The costumes were well made and realistic-looking and visual effects were done well . This would have easily been a 4+ star movie if it wasn't for the drawn out, boring main body of the film.
For all the well-recognized actors they got, the acting was mediocre at best. Even the usually exciting actor Russel Crowe seemed stony and robotic in his lead role as Robin Hood. Maybe its just because of a poorly written script or maybe Russel Crowe was just bored because he didn't realize that he would spend 2 hours in plain chatting and "parties" that seemed more like funerals when he took the role of Robin Hood, the badass of Sherwood Forest.
Robin (your cash) Hood gets 2/5.
Battle: Los Angeles Review
Overview
When you think of alien invasion movies your mind immediately jumps to the generic plot of: aliens land, aliens kill people, people find a weakness, people fight back, people win. The new film, Battle: Los Angeles does not stray too far from this plot but does bring some refreshing uniqueness to the table. It is in fact one of the most realistic looking (if you can say that about an alien invasion movie) and exciting science fiction movie I have ever seen.
Visuals and Audio
Firstly, the design of the aliens themselves was truly unique. They look exceptionally strange and otherworldly. They are unlike anything I have ever seen before in any other science fiction movie. On the human side, a wide variety of weapons, vehicles, and other equipment are displayed throughout the movie. The sounds of gunfire and explosions are very realistic and really help set the hectic, chaotic them of the film. Visual effects are also very well done as the explosions and gunfire look very realistic and other effects (namely fog and smoke) are used well.
Many scenes in the movie (mainly the first 45 minutes - 1 hour) are full of suspense due to the speed and positioning of the aliens as well as the thick fog. The battle scenes (a good 85-90% of the film) are hectic and chaotic. The film is shot in a fashion similar to Black Hawk Down which also features the chaotic battle scenes. If you enjoy action movies, you will most likely enjoy this movie.
The acting was fairly solid throughout the movie. The standout actor was Aaron Eckhart (who you may remember as Harvey Dent from the Dark Knight) who delivers an excellent performance as Staff Sergeant Michael Nantz. These characters spoken lines were limited to the frantic shouts of "Get Down" and "Take cover" typical of war movies. However there are several inspirational, well written speeches delivered by the aforementioned Aaron Eckhart. However, some of the dialogue and acting throughout the film is just awkward.
There are a few minor problems with the film. Firstly, the talking scenes and speeches feel dragged out after all the action. Also, the limited perspective of the soldiers (you only know what they see) creates suspense well but it would have been nice to see a bit more of the unique alien ships and soldiers (you do not get to see much of either).
In closing, Battle: Los Angeles is a fairly standard alien invasion movie that does not much new to the table, but does deliver on action and suspense.
Battle: Los Angeles gets 7.5/10
When you think of alien invasion movies your mind immediately jumps to the generic plot of: aliens land, aliens kill people, people find a weakness, people fight back, people win. The new film, Battle: Los Angeles does not stray too far from this plot but does bring some refreshing uniqueness to the table. It is in fact one of the most realistic looking (if you can say that about an alien invasion movie) and exciting science fiction movie I have ever seen.
Visuals and Audio
Firstly, the design of the aliens themselves was truly unique. They look exceptionally strange and otherworldly. They are unlike anything I have ever seen before in any other science fiction movie. On the human side, a wide variety of weapons, vehicles, and other equipment are displayed throughout the movie. The sounds of gunfire and explosions are very realistic and really help set the hectic, chaotic them of the film. Visual effects are also very well done as the explosions and gunfire look very realistic and other effects (namely fog and smoke) are used well.
Many scenes in the movie (mainly the first 45 minutes - 1 hour) are full of suspense due to the speed and positioning of the aliens as well as the thick fog. The battle scenes (a good 85-90% of the film) are hectic and chaotic. The film is shot in a fashion similar to Black Hawk Down which also features the chaotic battle scenes. If you enjoy action movies, you will most likely enjoy this movie.
The acting was fairly solid throughout the movie. The standout actor was Aaron Eckhart (who you may remember as Harvey Dent from the Dark Knight) who delivers an excellent performance as Staff Sergeant Michael Nantz. These characters spoken lines were limited to the frantic shouts of "Get Down" and "Take cover" typical of war movies. However there are several inspirational, well written speeches delivered by the aforementioned Aaron Eckhart. However, some of the dialogue and acting throughout the film is just awkward.
There are a few minor problems with the film. Firstly, the talking scenes and speeches feel dragged out after all the action. Also, the limited perspective of the soldiers (you only know what they see) creates suspense well but it would have been nice to see a bit more of the unique alien ships and soldiers (you do not get to see much of either).
In closing, Battle: Los Angeles is a fairly standard alien invasion movie that does not much new to the table, but does deliver on action and suspense.
Battle: Los Angeles gets 7.5/10
Thursday, March 3, 2011
how to wirelessly share a printer in a network
If you have one printer in your home but multiple computers, printing can be complicated. Having to carry a laptop to a printer and manually connect it to the printer`s USB or sending the document to the desktop connected to the printer can be a major inconvenience. Therefore there are obvious benefits to sharing a printer throughout all the computers on the network. To allow all computers on the network immediate and wireless access to the printer, follow these simple steps on the computer physically attached to the printer.
1) Go to the printers and faxes (or just printers or hardware and printers depending on your operating system).
2) Right click on the printer you want to share, bringing up several options.
3) Click on Sharing.
4) In the sharing menu, click on share my printer and give the printer an easily recognizable share name.
5) On all the computers you want to share, add the shared printer. (control panel-printers-add a printer). The printer you set to share should be found by your computer. Select it and press continue. Everything else is handled by Windows sharing and (or) is self explanatory.
1) Go to the printers and faxes (or just printers or hardware and printers depending on your operating system).
2) Right click on the printer you want to share, bringing up several options.
3) Click on Sharing.
4) In the sharing menu, click on share my printer and give the printer an easily recognizable share name.
5) On all the computers you want to share, add the shared printer. (control panel-printers-add a printer). The printer you set to share should be found by your computer. Select it and press continue. Everything else is handled by Windows sharing and (or) is self explanatory.
How to make an object spin in Flash CS4
One useful tool in Flash is the ability to make objects spin. It is a simple way to add some excitement to your animation. Just follow these simple steps.
1) Draw the image you want to spin. This can be anything from a car to a plain rectangle.
2) Using the free transform tool select the object.
3) Go to Modify then convert to symbol. Give the object a name and make sure you are converting it to a movie clip, not a button or graphic.
4) Double click on the object. This should bring you into the edit screen (aka underground). If you are in the underground, just under the timeline you should see scene 1 (or whatever else you have named it) with the name of the object to its right.
5) Select a frame on the underground timeline (not the first) and convert it to a keyframe.
6) Create a classic tween between the automatic keyframe on frame 1 and the newly created key frame.
7) On the timeline, click anywhere on the tween between the two keyframes. This should give you an option (or properties) panel.
8) On this panel, change rotation from automatic to either CW (clockwise) or CCW (counter-clockwise). You can also select the amount of times you want it to turn with the time specified by the keyframes.
To make sure it worked, press ctrl+enter to preview the animation. Your object should be spinning in the manner specified. If you want, you can add a button that will control the motion of the object, but that`s an explanation for another article.
1) Draw the image you want to spin. This can be anything from a car to a plain rectangle.
2) Using the free transform tool select the object.
3) Go to Modify then convert to symbol. Give the object a name and make sure you are converting it to a movie clip, not a button or graphic.
4) Double click on the object. This should bring you into the edit screen (aka underground). If you are in the underground, just under the timeline you should see scene 1 (or whatever else you have named it) with the name of the object to its right.
5) Select a frame on the underground timeline (not the first) and convert it to a keyframe.
6) Create a classic tween between the automatic keyframe on frame 1 and the newly created key frame.
7) On the timeline, click anywhere on the tween between the two keyframes. This should give you an option (or properties) panel.
8) On this panel, change rotation from automatic to either CW (clockwise) or CCW (counter-clockwise). You can also select the amount of times you want it to turn with the time specified by the keyframes.
To make sure it worked, press ctrl+enter to preview the animation. Your object should be spinning in the manner specified. If you want, you can add a button that will control the motion of the object, but that`s an explanation for another article.
New ways to access the internet
There are several new methods of getting connected to the internet. The first recently developed source is fiber optic cables. These new cables are an upgrade to the traditional underground wires used to supply internet connections. This relatively new technology has several benefits. Fiber optic wires are much thinner than traditional cables. Each strand of fiber optic wiring is as thin as a human hair compared to traditional wires which can be several inches thick. Also, each fiber optic wire can carry much more information than even the fattest of traditional cables. Fiber optic cables allow for fast data transfer over a large area.
The second method (source) is through satellites. Satellites are one of the most costly options for connecting to the internet, but have plenty of advantages. They can provide a signal to anywhere on the planet because, unlike cables, they are not limited by geographic features. They also boast lightning fast transfer of data between computers no matter how far apart the computers are.
The final method is known as tethering. This method takes advantage of the new internet capabilities of the newest generation of smart phones. The smart phone is used as a form of hub to form a network using it as a source for internet connection. Data is transferred quickly and, like satellite, without interference by great distances or geographic features.
The second method (source) is through satellites. Satellites are one of the most costly options for connecting to the internet, but have plenty of advantages. They can provide a signal to anywhere on the planet because, unlike cables, they are not limited by geographic features. They also boast lightning fast transfer of data between computers no matter how far apart the computers are.
The final method is known as tethering. This method takes advantage of the new internet capabilities of the newest generation of smart phones. The smart phone is used as a form of hub to form a network using it as a source for internet connection. Data is transferred quickly and, like satellite, without interference by great distances or geographic features.
Network topologies and their benefits
There are several ways to set up connections in a network. Each of these setups, known as topologies, have several advantages and disadvantages.
The first topology is the bus topology. In this setup, all the computers are connected to one main communications line called the bus. One advantage of this topology is the relative ease of actually setting up. This is the easiest of the three main topologies to set up as all you need to do is hook up a computer to the line if you want another one on the network (easy to expand). Also, it is the cheapest topology to set up because only one cable is necessary. The main disadvantage of this topology is that if there is a problem with a connection/the cable, all computers on the network are effected. Also, moving data between computers takes a longer time than the other topologies and the length of the cable limits the size of the network.
The second topology is the ring topology. In this setup, the computers are connected to each other in a ring from one computer to the next. The advantages of this topology include faster data transfer than that on the bus topology and the fact that they are very orderly networks. Disadvantages include the fact that the necessary adapter card is very expensive and that if one computer malfunctions, the rest may experience difficulties.
The third (and final for this post) topology is the star topology. In this network, each computer is connected to a central switch or hub rather than to each other. The main advantage of this is that if one computers experiences difficulties, none of the other computers on the network are effected. Also, data transfer is fast and removing parts is fairly simple. The disadvantages include the network's dependence on the proper functioning of the central hub/computer and the high cost of the necessary wiring.
The first topology is the bus topology. In this setup, all the computers are connected to one main communications line called the bus. One advantage of this topology is the relative ease of actually setting up. This is the easiest of the three main topologies to set up as all you need to do is hook up a computer to the line if you want another one on the network (easy to expand). Also, it is the cheapest topology to set up because only one cable is necessary. The main disadvantage of this topology is that if there is a problem with a connection/the cable, all computers on the network are effected. Also, moving data between computers takes a longer time than the other topologies and the length of the cable limits the size of the network.
The second topology is the ring topology. In this setup, the computers are connected to each other in a ring from one computer to the next. The advantages of this topology include faster data transfer than that on the bus topology and the fact that they are very orderly networks. Disadvantages include the fact that the necessary adapter card is very expensive and that if one computer malfunctions, the rest may experience difficulties.
The third (and final for this post) topology is the star topology. In this network, each computer is connected to a central switch or hub rather than to each other. The main advantage of this is that if one computers experiences difficulties, none of the other computers on the network are effected. Also, data transfer is fast and removing parts is fairly simple. The disadvantages include the network's dependence on the proper functioning of the central hub/computer and the high cost of the necessary wiring.
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