LOST is back
Courtesy of ABC
There comes a time once a year that I get so excited for television. As of this past Tuesday, it's officially that time of year. LOST has finally returned from its eight-month hiatus for the final time. It is the sixth and final season, which makes me kind of sad.
I've literally been watching each and every episode of LOST since it's pilot episode on September 22, 2004. I've been a loyal LOST fan through thick and thin, and now we're at the beginning of the end. I really had mixed emotions going into the premiere this past Tuesday. On one hand, I was super excited a new season was starting, but on the other - I knew it was the last season. But I have high hopes. I know this series is going to go out with a bang. It's a bit curious, really.
The producers of LOST announced a time-table for the final season of LOST over three years ago. I think this showed a tremendous amount of courage and brilliance. This is not one of those series that is being dragged out until it meets its own demise, just for ratings. No - not at all. They had an ending....over three years ago. They knew where, in the upcoming seasons, they wanted to take it and wanted to end it. I think this gives us, as viewers, reassurance in the plot and some closure that hopefully (some of) our questions will be answered.
I saw an interesting talk from TED with J.J. Abrams back in 2008. For those who don't know, J.J. Abrams is one of the creators of LOST. He talks about the "mystery box" and what it represents and how critical it is to keep some mystery from the viewer. By doing this, it allows the viewer to utilize their imagination instead of having all the answers handed to them on a silver platter. So, with this concept that J.J. believes so strongly in, I have a feeling that not all our questions will be answered. And, that's okay with me.
Unfortunately, LOST is one of those shows that if you've missed an episode or have never watched it before (even worse), you'll have no clue what is going on. As insignificant some people may view some episodes individually, they all provide clues to the bigger picture. So, if you've never watched it before, don't start now. Start from Season 1. If you know me personally and you're interested in watching LOST, let me know. I've got all five seasons on DVD.
Jailbreak Your iPhone or Lose Your Street Cred
Photo from: http://blackra1n.com
I've owned an iPhone since the original V1 came out in 2007. I remember not really knowing a lot about "jailbreaking" and never really messed with. I eventually gave in and have used quite a few different jailbreaking programs that have flooded the underground. At first, it was really a pain in the ass to jailbreak your device and back then there really wasn't much to do once you were jailbroken. It's quite a different story now. Jailbreaking your iPhone 3G or 3GS today is really the simplest it's ever been. Ever. Thanks to George Hotz (alias geohot) the process takes about 20 seconds and a total of around 1 minute, considering your iPhone has to reboot. That's it. You click one button and it's done. Your dog could do it.
This post is not intended to walk you through the jailbreak process. In fact, you don't really even need to dedicate an entire post to it. Here it is in a nutshell:
- Go to http://blackra1n.com.
- Download blackra1n for your operating system (supports Mac and PC).
- Plug in your iPhone and close iTunes.
- Open up the blackra1n application.
- Click on the only button in the application, "Make It Ra1n."
Avatar, A Breath of Fresh Air
Movies are a dime a dozen nowadays but it really takes something special to captivate the attention of cinema-lovers. I really enjoy watching movies and am willing to give almost anything a shot. And it's even more rare for a movie to make my Top 10 list. But James Cameron's 2009 film, Avatar, has done just that.
I'm not going to do a full movie review but rather share my thoughts about the film. I was fortunate enough to get into, for the third weekend in a row, sold out showing of Avatar in IMAX 3D at the local theater. It's rather funny because this was my very first IMAX experience to begin with and the first movie I see joins the ranking of my favorite movies of all time. Awesome.
I don't know if you've ever been in an IMAX theater but the screen is amazingly large and the surround sound is top quality. Unfortunately, because we arrived five minutes before the show started due to traffic, we sat in the third row from the front. Ouch. Yes, it was not the greatest seat in the world, but it wasn't the first row. I could still get the 3D experience but the depth of the 3D is diminished because of how close you are. I will definitely be going back (and getting there quite early) again to get the full 3D-effect.
The movie is around 2.5 hours long (I think 162 minutes to be exact) but doesn't feel like it. You know those movies that seem to drag on and on and you wonder when it's going to be over? Well, it was nothing like that. Before you know it, you're 2 hours into the movie and ready for more - and you get more! This movie encompasses various theatrical elements to keep you entertained, no matter what type of movie-goer you are. There is love, comedy, drama and even political elements.
If you're leery about spending the extra money for IMAX 3D, don't be. Let the numbers speak for themselves. This movie has grossed over $1 billion worldwide and it's only in it's third, well now fourth, week. Spend the little extra for the goofy 3D-glasses and go enjoy some great cinema.
Infinity Ward, Make Some Changes
Photo from: gamesareevil.com
As much as I love Modern Warfare 2, there are plenty of reasons to get frustrated. Almost three months after the game has been released there has been at least two updates for the game to fix flaws, already. And unfortunately, there is much more to fix. Infinity Ward has already patched the infamous Javelin-glitch (which was much needed) and they also took down the range on the Model 1887 shotguns. Both were significant and needed patches but they still have got some work to do.
First off, they need to fix the server issues. I cannot tell you how many times I've been lagging throughout the game or constantly being disconnected. For having one of the biggest online multiplayer games for the Xbox 360 to ever exist, it would be great if Infinity Ward would use dedicated servers to host the games. It's not too hard to realize that some thirteen-year-old's Verizon DSL cannot handle 16 players from around the world. It just isn't feasible. Instead, invest some of the multi-million dollar profit you've made off the game into setting up some servers to handle all the traffic. Also, please make a patch allowing us the ability to leave the room when the "Host Migration" is taking place. I cannot tell you how many countless times I've sat there for minutes on end until I'm finally kicked from the lobby and the room shuts down. It's rare to find a successful Host Migration.
Sourtea Review: iFrogz Soft Gloss case
Photo by: Shane Holland
Today I received my new case for my iPhone 3GS in the mail, the iFrogz Soft Gloss case. I purchased it in "green" and am pretty impressed by it, hence this article. I'm going to go over the things I really like about this case, as well as some areas for improvement (and yes, there definitely are some).
What's Included
When you receive the case, you get: the iFrogz Soft Gloss case in the color of your choice and 1 clear screen protector. I use a Zagg Invisible Shield, so I'm going to hold onto the screen protector for now. I'm sure it will come in handy later on.
The Good
There really is a lot to say about how good this case is. First off, the quality is pretty spot on. I've noticed with a lot of these style cases, the seams tend to be a little rough and not really refined. The seaming on the Soft Gloss is pretty darn good. You can still feel a bit of the plastic raised where the seam is but nothing terrible. The cutouts for the headphone jack, dock connector and silent switch are perfect. Unfortunately, the cutout for the camera could be a bit better (I'll talk more about this in "The Bad"). The case is a great size, adding minimal bulk but sturdy protection.
The plastic is a bit flexible but not terribly flexible, which is good and bad. The nice part is that it seems it will absorb more impact than regular super flexible silicon skins. I really like that the sleep button and volume controls are cover with the plastic to keep the chrome from scratching, just like the chrome bezel is protected as well.
