Geek Strand: From the Enterprise to the Everyday

Every since I was a youngling back in the pre-home computer days, I wanted an iPad.

Trek PADDs - The fictional (future) relative of the iPad obviously inspired the Apple device.

Trek PADDs - The fictional (future) relative of the iPad obviously inspired the Apple device.

Okay. Perhaps I never called it an iPad, but that was pretty much what I wanted. Every calculator, watch, pocket radio or any other portable electronic device I came in contact with became a tricorder-like device to help me search out strange new worlds like Mr. Spock.

As I grew up, I continued in my quest for that elusive device that inspired my imagination. I had the most advanced digital watches, with calculators, computer games and digital phone books. I had scientific calculators you could program. I bought nearly every kind of digital assistant they came out with. When “Pocket PCs” came out, I was right on the cutting edge using the latest models to work and play.

Ipad - The touchscreen device puts a bit of the Enterprise into your hands.

Ipad - The touchscreen device puts a bit of the Enterprise into your hands.

During that time, Star Trek: The Next Generation redefined these portable devices, labeling them PADDs (Personal Access Data Displays). Just as the previous generation of Trek had inspired so many of our advancements, this new Enterprise brought forth a new era of high-tech design, bringing the idea of touch screen surfaces, customizable work stations and even eBooks to popular consumer’s desires.

Just as Kirk’s Enterprise gave birth cell phones (particularly flip-phones), Lazy-Boys and large screen TVs, Picard’s devices, like the PADD, inspired generations of devices like the Palm, Casio PocketPCs, and tablet PCs.

However, it wasn’t until Apple’s success with multi-touch input and the iPhone did things start to really look and feel like what we all saw on Trek.

Then came the iPad. The flat, touch screen device looked like it was smuggled out of the prop archives at Universal Studios, and preformed much the same way as the PADD. Linking wirelessly to networks, it provides personal access to entertainment, communications and even work files. Some people may have mocked Apple for using the “iPad” name, but to anyone who has seen Star Trek, it was obvious what they were going for.

Other naysayers complained that the device didn’t have a market; there was no use for the device. My response was always simple: “Look at Star Trek.”

My iPad fit right into my daily routine. In the mornings, instead of bringing out my 17-inch MacBook Pro, I pick up my iPad, drink my morning caffeine and browse news and e-mails. Throughout the day, I keep up with e-mails and play a few games while waiting for an appointment. In the evening, I can google or access IMDB.com for some bit of trivia as my girlfriend and I watch TV. At bedtime, it turns into an eBook reader (with access to all the major bookstore and eBook services). It can even be my alarm clock, if I wasn’t already using my smartphone for that.

This is not to say that the iPad is going to replace my MacBook Pro (which has replaced my desktop computer), or that I couldn’t (or didn’t) use the laptop for everything I am using the iPad for now. But the iPad does fit in a little better, and even helps as I sit here writing on the MacBook Pro while my e-mails feed onto the iPad.

The iPad is something new that truly fills the technological hole that most (except for us Trek fans) didn’t even realize existed.

Published in: on July 2, 2010 at 13:11  Comments (1)  
Tags: , , , ,

All is not wonderful in Tim Burton’s sequel to Alice in Wonderland

The clues were there all along.

Large or Small, Alice fails to impress in Tim Burton's Wonderland sequel.

Large or Small, Alice fails to impress in Tim Burton's Wonderland sequel.

When I first heard that Johnny Depp was playing the Mad Hatter in Tim Burton’s “Alice in Wonderland,” I was slightly interested.

But then little things started to bother me.

First was the March release date. A March release date for a big name movie usually means it tested badly and the studio didn’t think it could compete with the summer box-offices brutes.

Nevertheless, Watchmen rocked, even though the general movie-going audience didn’t get it, and it was a March release, so I was still giving it a chance.

Then I saw the animation. Particular, the Red Queen’s bulbous head. There was just no reason for it. It completely turned me off of the film.

Then I saw it, and I found that it was worse than I thought.

In case you don’t know, Alice (Mia Wasikowska) was a little girl when she went through the looking glass and fell into the first rabbit hole discovering the magical world of Wonderland. At age 19, she has forgotten her adventures and convinced herself it was only a dream. However, running away from a would be suitor, she loses herself into the magical realm, now turned dark and scary under the evil Red Queen’s (Helena Bonham Carter) rule.

Some vaguely exciting adventures occur. No, that’s a like. After some boring adventures, Alice must face her fears, fulfill the prophecy and deal with some rather creepy romantic overtones between her and the Hatter.

The writing was terrible; an insult to Mr. Carroll.

Depp was under used and did a Scottish accent to show when the Mad Hatter was being madder than usual.

Alice was cute, but uninspiring.

The animation struggled between silly and overdone.

The 3D was abysmal. I don’t know if there is a real difference between “Disney 3D” and the “Real 3D” other movies use, but the 3D work in “Alice” was pitiful. Gag attempts to “jump out” of the screen were stymied and terribly contrived. Two years ago, in “Beowulf” a spear almost took out my eye. You could see the notches on the brightly lit blade and felt like you had to duck. In “Alice,” we have returned to the dark ages. Everything was dark, smudgy and flat.

Dark. Smudgy. Flat.
I can’t think of any other three words that describe the movies effect on the audience. Enter into un-Wonderfulland at your own risk.

Published in: on March 10, 2010 at 18:31  Comments (1)  
Tags: , , ,

A little Batman: Arkham Asylum review

So, if you haven’t heard, I have been writing for the examiner.net as a comic book “examiner.” It might be stretching, but here is a link to my look at Batman: Arkham Asylum…http://www.examiner.com/x-18371-Columbia-Comic-Books-Examiner~y2009m9d13-Mad-Skills–Batman-Arkham-Asylum-tests-the-Dark-Knights-and-players-skills-and-sanity

Published in: on September 14, 2009 at 14:09  Comments Off  
Tags: , , , ,

Movies to See: Duplicity

“Duplicity” is the movie equivalent of the little engine that could.

Not Even a Bad Imitation of Mr. and Mrs. Smith

Not Even a Bad Imitation of Mr. and Mrs. Smith

That is if the little engine tried to be a whole bunch of different things but kept failing.

“Duplicity” tries to be “Mr. and Mrs. Smith” but is nowhere near as sexy or exciting.

“Duplicity” tries to be “Oceans 11″ but is nowhere near as inventive.

“Duplicity” tries to be “Wall Street” but is nowhere near as greedy.

“Duplicity” features Clive Owen and Julia Roberts as government agents turned corporate spies and would-be thieves. (more…)

Published in: on March 26, 2009 at 17:20  Comments (1)  
Tags: , , , , , ,

Places to Be: Spencer’z South

It’s not just the owners who can get me to come visit their favorite place to be. Anyone can e-mail me and ask me to come on down. For example, last week Phil from the Inlyn Gruve band e-mailed me to come down to Spencer’z South to see them play. This gave me the perfect excuse to head down to Murrells Inlet and check out Spencer’z South.
At the intersection of Pendergrass Ave. and Highway 17, Spencer’z South is a huge place with great character from the moment you walk up the steps to the front door. Inside, the place is virtually split into two separate areas. Immediately upon entering, there is a comfy bright barroom with several tables, a digital jukebox, dart games and TVs. If you keep going, you come to the short flight of stairs leading down to a huge room with high ceilings and plenty of space for tables. On a raised platform, there is more seating on the “backside” of the bar from the other room. What a great design effect. I fell in love with the place immediately.
On the lower level, there was a second bar against one wall, and on the opposite end of the room was a stage and a spot for a couple of pool tables. The back of the room had an extension that looked like it could be partitioned off as a private banquet room if needed.

Inlyn Gruve is in the House!

Inlyn Gruve is in the House!

The stage was big enough to fit all of the members of Inlyn Gruve and their guest members. They played a great mix of classic rhythm and blues and rock ‘n’ roll. There was enough room in front of the stage for some couples to dance. (more…)

Published in: on March 26, 2009 at 17:14  Comments (1)  
Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

Movies to See: Race to Witch Mountain

race_to_witch_mountainYou come to expect some things in the world Hollywood remakes.

Old TV shows like “Charlie’s Angels,” “SWAT,” and “Dukes of Hazzard” play upon nostalgia. “Friday the 13th” and other horror remakes come from a perverse need to see if they can make those old campy horror movies scarier.

Nevertheless, nowhere did I see a remake of “Escape to Witch Mountain. Was there a nostalgic need for it? I don’t know. I remember the movies (There were at least a couple sequels) from when I was young. They would show up at night on ABC’s perennial Sunday standard “The Wonderful World of Disney.” What else do I remember? A couple of kids with magical powers being chased by police heading for some scary mountain in the desert. I think it might have been the same mountain, but most everything else has changed, or maybe only the actors and the special effects have changed.

This time, the kids (AnnaSophia Robb and Alexander Ludwig) are older, teenagers as opposed to the preteens I recall from the original, and they shanghai an ex-con-turned-cabbie (Dwayne Johnson) into helping them track down a science experiment that could stop a full scale invasion of Earth. Fortunately, there is a UFO convention in town (Las Vegas), and one of the leading experts on the theory of extraterrestrial life is in town, and she (Carla Gugino) is cute and willing to help them (and be Johnson’s romantic interest for the film). Trying to stop them is the Disney version of the Terminator along with a cadre of evil government agents (led by Ciarán Hinds).

The assassin is from the kid’s home planet’s military, which wants to force the invasion. The government agents, of course, want to capture and dissect the alien kids. Like I said, other than the faces and the FX, not much has changed. It is still just as exciting as you would remember a 70s Sunday Disney fill as being. (more…)

Published in: on March 26, 2009 at 17:11  Comments Off  
Tags: , , , , , ,

Movies to See: Fired Up!

I wasn’t too hot to see any of the movies that came out this weekend.fired_up_poster

To tell you the truth, I was more interested in daydreaming about the upcoming Watchmen movie (March 6), than any of the meager offerings for this week. Heck, even that Streetfighter movie opening this Friday looked better, and we all remember how bad the first one was.

However, I had to choose a movie. I decided on “Fired Up” for two reasons. One was that while Tyler Perry’s movies are usually good, I just can’t get into this Madea thing. I am told it’s because I am not from the south, where every family has a crazy Madea grandmother or aunt. Well, I have some crazy aunts, but, nothing like that.

The second reason I chose “Fired Up” was because it is always more fun to trash a terrible movie than to write any kind of review about a mediocre one, and “Fired Up” had all the makings of a bad, bad movie.

First up, it is a “teens trying to get laid” movie, which is kind of refreshing in this day and age. We all grew up with films like “Porky’s” and “Revenge of the Nerds,” but those stories of teenage folly have gone out of style. While that might seem like a point in favor of “Fired Up” (or against it, depending on how seriously you take these movies), in the age of blandness that comes with PG-13 movies, half the fun you had in “Porky’s” or with the Nerds in the 80s would be nearly illegal to film in the current day. So, with “Fired Up” promising to be a watered-down teen flick, badness had to follow.

Secondly, well…it is a weird story. You have two high school football stars, Nick (Eric Christian Olsen) and Shawn (Nicholas D’Agosto) who decide that going to cheerleader camp with 400 girls would be more fun that going to Football camp in Texas. That sounds like some silly high school movie or sitcom episode, and you expect them to throw in some twist like they cross-dress for the whole thing, pretending to be girls, or to be gay or some such nonsense, but even the cheerleaders at the camp are well aware of their intentions. So, another refreshing point to the movie.

Of course, there is a love interest. Shawn falls for his squads head cheerleader, Carly (Sarah Roemer), who has a jerk boyfriend in college. Meanwhile, Nick pursues one of the camp’s instructors (Molly Sims). Of course, these stories follow the usual foibles, like having to work out their differences in time to beat the rival cheering squad, admit your inner poet and prove that the college boy is really a jerk to the girl of your dreams.

Pretty much all stuff we have seen before, and all of it heavily watered down because of the PG-13 rating.

However, there are some bright spots to this film, particularly the dialoged, which is very witty and entertaining. Maybe not entertaining enough for me to encourage you to go see it in the theater, but definitely entertaining enough to tell you to look for the “un-rated” version of the film that is sure to be on the shelves in a few months. I suspect there will be more to see in that version of the movie, and it will bring back pleasant memories of those teen movies of yore.

(Original written for the Myrtle Beach Herald)

Published in: on March 1, 2009 at 13:35  Comments Off  
Tags: , ,

Movies to See – The International

Does the world of high finance excite you? Are you looking for a career in international banking? Does the idea of dealing in bank accounts with balances higher than the GNP of Spain make your heart pitter-patter?

the_international_poster1

Then maybe “The International” is the movie for you.For the rest of us, “The International” is just as boring as listen to your cousin’s best friend talk about her exciting day as a teller at the corner branch of not-quite national bank.
When it comes down to the bottom line, International’s problem comes down to an accounting error. It has several good positives that somehow don’t add up to a positive balance.
To the good, you have some excellent actors, a good plot and a good action scene. However, these deposits are countered by an excruciatingly slow payout, lack of a romantic interest rate and heavy penalties for boredom.
Louis Salinger (Clive Owen) is an ex Scotland Yard detective who is now working for INTERPOL. He lost his detective job because he became obsessed with bringing down the IBBC, a gigantic banking operation that protects its own interest with assassinations and weapons deals to third world nations. He has teamed up with New York Assistant District Attorney Eleanor Whitman (Naomi Watts) in an investigation to the mysterious deaths that happen to anyone who casts an unfriendly eye toward this financial powerhouse. The IBBC, led by Jonas Skarssen (Ulrich Thomsen) and Wilhelm Wexler (Armin Mueller-Stahl), is currently brokering a deal to become the exclusive dealer of Chinese missiles to Africa and the Middle East. Anyone who gets in the way is dealt with their special consultant (Brian F. O’Byrne).
To be honest, the acting is great. You cannot slight anyone’s performance, particularly of Owen and Mueller-Stahl. We have seen him playing various villainous or Eastern Europeanpoliticians roles for what seems like forever, but I thought his performance really stood out in the film.
In the plus column for directing, the shoot out at the Guggenheim
Museum was spectacular. However, it was the only bit of excitement in the film and was pretty much the climax of the film. Unfortunately, this high point came at about the halfway point between several long and drawn out scenes that made you wish that your credit card was declined when you bought tickets.
I was sure that this movie was based on a book. If it were a novel, the suspense and intrigue might have held up for an interesting read. I was betting that in some weird happenstance, the producers decided to follow the book a little too closely and resisted the urge to “Hollywood it” for the audience.
However, as it turns out, it was written for the screen by Eric
Singer. Of course, we don’t know how much the production changed from the original screenplay, but from what I have seen from this movie, he should give up on writing screenplays and become a novelist.
“The Internationalist” fails as a movie, but if you see the “novelization” out there somewhere, it might be a good read.

(Originally Published at www.MyrtleBeachHerald.com)

Published in: on February 21, 2009 at 09:00  Comments Off  
Tags: , ,

Movies to See: He’s Just Not That Into You

hes_just_not_that_into_you_ver2Ah, February. Time for some lame romantic comedies and other doldrums offerings from the movie industry. Or so we have come to expect.

However, this year’s lead romantic comedy manages to be good, if not quite original.

“He’s Just Not That Into You” has a blunt, if slightly awkward, title, that really only describes one of the several storylines in this look at relationships in the 21st century.

Okay, I admit my soft spot for romantic comedies and these “relationship” films. It reminds of movies like “St. Elmo’s Fire” and similar films I grew up with. This movie follows the same basic plots but with just enough innovation took keep it interesting.

The title plot goes to Gig (Ginnifer Goodwin), a young girl who can’t seem to figure out why guys don’t caller her back. Then she meets Alex (Justin Long), who gives her frank advice on the man’s point of view on dating.

The other plots involve a couple (Jennifer Aniston and Ben Affleck) that has been together for seven happy years until the idea of marriage comes between them; a young realtor (Kevin Connolly) who is in love with a yoga instructor (Scarlett Johansson) who toys with his affections, but is really interested in Ben (Bradley Cooper), who is married to his college sweetheart (Jennifer Connelly). Throw in to the mix is Drew Barrymore, executive producer, who plays one of the girls who has a lot of angst over the multi-media world of dating in the new millennium.

It is all been done before, plot-wise, and on the surface, you wouldn’t expect to be impressed. I know I didn’t, but this turned out to be surprisingly good. You really get involved in the characters’ lives and hope everything works out. Of course, nothing surprising happens. Nevertheless, even that doesn’t damper the feel well, date movie vibe you get watching it.

About the only surprise acting-wise is with Affleck. After a long string of bringing down movies with some placid performances that put off moviegoers, Affleck actually comes across as likable in this film. Maybe it is because of the minimal screen time or the fact that he was paired with Aniston, who just makes any scene better, but you’re almost surprised that it is Affleck in the role.

I would recommend this movie as a great date movie with Valentines Day coming, however I will warn you. If you are in one of these situations, you might just have to face facts and put your relationship to the test.

(Originally Published by the Myrtle Beach Herald)

 

 

Published in: on February 16, 2009 at 10:23  Comments Off  
Tags: , , ,

Place to Be – Broadway Louie’s

 

I have mentioned before that I believe living in a tourist town is pretty cool. Where else could a small town population get to have top-notch restaurants, amusement parks and theaters? If we were in the Midwest, what would we have? If that big mass of water outside our windows was the Ohio River, I don’t think we would have the same quality of life as we do here in Myrtle Beach.
Sure, that sounds simple enough, but how many times do we forget how great this place is? How often do we forget that we have an awesome beach right down the street? Too often, I bet. I also think that we forget some of the cool places to be that are here for us because the summer crowds tend to scare us away from them.
Well, during the next few months, I am going to try and remind you of some cool “places to be” that are more accessible while most of the tourists are still sleeping in their snug little beds and only dreaming of being at the beach.
My first stop on this tourist tour of Myrtle Beach begins at Broadway at the Beach.
I had to drop off some data files to my friend Sean, but our schedules weren’t matching up. However, he said that he liked to hang out at Broadway Louie’s and was there most Thursday evenings. Coincidentally, my Thursday evening was open, and I figured I could meet him there, drop off a flash drive and maybe hang out for a little. Or a lot, as it turned out.
Broadway Louie’s is known for two things: its arcade and its karaoke.
Jake’s All-Star Karaoke starts at 9 p.m. nightly, and this is some big-time stuff. I have done karaoke there before, and it is quite a different experience from any other karaoke I have tried in the past.
This isn’t any mike and TV screen in the corner operation. This is going up on a big stage and singing the words off a jumbo projection screen to a huge crowd.
Karaoke on this scale will truly test your stage fright tolerance.
The other half of Louie’s is a two-level arcade.
With a small, square bar in the center, the place has pool tables, skee ball, claw drops and just about every game imaginable.
Sean was already there, working up a sweat on one of the Dance Dance Revolution games. I had come straight from work, so I ordered a drink, took a look at the menu and decided on a chef salad and a appetizer sampler platter. I really wasn’t expecting much. After all, I was in an arcade. Was I in for a surprise!
The sampler platter was a good-sized mix of cheese sticks, fried mushrooms, poppers and onion rings, but it was the chef salad that impressed me.
A lot of places serve a chef’s salad that consists of lettuce with a few slices of lunchmeat on it. To tell the truth, I get a lot of chef salads, despite my reputation for bad eating habits. I only mention the good ones here.
Louie’s chef salad is worth mentioning. It was a delightful mixture of turkey and ham, including a generous amount of cheese served on a bed of crispy lettuce. Honestly, I was just expecting something to hold me over until I went somewhere else to eat.
Broadway Louie’s banished all thoughts of more food.
So, well fed, I took my chances against Sean at Dance Dance Revolution, and failed miserably. My only relief was that the people who were taking pictures of Sean’s expert play had moved on long before I got my anti-groove on.
We took a tour of the arcade, trying out various games. I ended up getting hooked on Deal or No Deal, a video game based on the television show. After collecting my reward tickets, I didn’t have enough tokens to go for any of the big prizes, but I did well enough to pick out some silly gifts for a care package to a friend.
Broadway Louie’s is a great place to be to let your inner child out to play, especially while you have a chance to check it out during the calmer months of the year.

(Originally published in the Myrtle Beach Herald)

Published in: on February 8, 2009 at 19:26  Comments Off  
Tags: , , , , , ,
Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 403 other followers