Origin Stories

So in part 1, I introduced SciFi. A riddle wrapped in an enigma wrapped in a tech-suit and holographic cape.

Over the last week, I patched up my Champions Online installation, re-installed City of Heroes and (with no help from NCSoft whatsoever) re-activated my account and added the Going Rogue expansion.

All I needed to do now was actually play the games.

So, you want to be a superhero?

Well, who doesn't? The problem I have found, though, is physics. Sure, you can arrange to be struck by lightning and exposed to a chemical bath, you can subject yourself to unheard-of levels of gamma radiation, and even orchestrate the horrific murder of your parents in front of your eight year-old eyes. But all of this usually just results in death, disfigurement and/or severe psychological trauma.

But thanks to a recent invention called The Computer Game, you now have the ability to clean up the streets of any number of Crime-Plagued Americas wearing the tights, cape and/or adamantium claws of your choice, and all it will cost you is $12.99 a month.

For the Benefit of All

Some time tomorrow, NASA are holding a press conference to announce... something.

Nobody's quite sure what it's about, but dollars to donuts (or even doughnuts) the announcement will be groundbreaking news about a new scientific discovery which will have repercussions in acadamic fields for decades, but because it's not "Look! Here are pictures of aliens! And they're wearing hats!" it will be ignored by the mainstream media and the public at large.

Trust me. It's happened before.

But until that inevitable moment of crushing despair about the state of the media and of the world at large arrives, let's have some fun speculating on what the announcement might be...

The Debt Crisis on Infinite Earths.

Ladies and gentlemen, Ireland is currently in the midst of a financial crisis that may have no way out. The IMF black helicopters are circling Dublin, while Angela Merkel is having the Irish Central Bank measured for new carpets.

In times like these, it may seem pointless to look for one man who can get us out of these dire straits. Surely, no single person who has the financial and leadership skills to navigate the way to economic stability would be willing to take over, once the current government inevitably leaves office in disgrace.

But fear not! There is one man who would be more than qualified to run the show, and he is one who I am sure would welcome the challenge.

The following are the reasons why Lex Luthor should be the next Taoiseach of Ireland.

Kitchen darwinism, and other things I learnt from prime time advertising.

So, there I was sitting in front of my television minding my own business, when I was suddenly assaulted in the face by an advertisement for some form of household cleaning product.

When it was done, the ad left me with two facts:

1. A single bacteria can become two million overnight
2. Their product could kill 99.9% of bacteria

This, needless to say, raised several questions and concerns in my mind.

Four things that you may not know about the worst film ever made.

1999 was a strange year for cinema. Along with modern classics like Fight Club, The Matrix and American Beauty, Hollywood graced us with The Phantom Menace, Virus, and Inspector Gadget.

But perhaps no other movie drew as much hate that year as Wild Wild West.

I watched it for the first time recently. Partly because I thought I might get a blog out of it, partly out of some morbid curiosity, but mostly... Mostly I watched this crap so you don't have to.

Please, I mean it. Do not watch this film. There are many things you can do in the 101 minutes it would take, all of which are better for you. You can watch The Matrix again, and still have 10 minutes left over to try and figure out why Will Smith turned down the role of Neo.

What really bothers me about "Jumper"

Short article this time, folks. For two reasons:

1. There's not a lot that bothers me about the movie "Jumper". It's simple, good fun, with some nice ideas and special effects.
2. I've scheduled this post for tomorrow, and that's like tomorrow or something.
   

Jumper's not a bad movie at all. It's main problems arise from the fact that it was intended to be part one of a longer series. You can tell by the way Hayden Christiansen never uses his powers to become a hero, how he spends the entire movie - and I mean the entire movie - learning, and the fact that almost no-one at all dies over the entire course of the movie (Except some faceless paladins, and they may as well have shown up in red shirts to begin with, and his Dad)