Warrant: Ripley

Sorry James Cameron, but the only alien species I love from your films, are the xenomorphs from the Aliens franchise. So you can take you blue Na'vi race and shove it. On that note; the new Aliens Colonial Marines got some interesting news this morning. First. It got delayed... yes, DELAYED for a release of February 13, 2013 (at least Valentines Day will be bloody and cold --  like my every Valentines). Second, it's rumored to be a Wii U time exclusive. C'mon!? It's bad enough we have to wait to play as an awesome bug stomper marine; now we need to buy Nintendo's new "full of promise -- yet disappointing" white plastic console to play it.

Well, at least Sega was generous enough to release a new trailer for the game -- which is pretty cool. You get to board the Sulaco ship, You also see Bishop's mangled, ripped in  half -- spoiler alert -- android body. It's seems there was an infestation of the black slimy xenomorphs aboard the ship -- signs of the queen harvesting nests too. However, at the end of Aliens, there was a electrical fire that  ejected Ripley on an escape pod out. So I'm not to sure how this is going to correlate with the film -- guess it's best to wait.

Anyways, the new trailer looks promising. Watch it now! Also, "Get away from her you bitch!!

Dave? I'm sorry Dave.

Artificial intelligence in science fiction always demonstrates the capacity and knowledge of having a machine govern its self -- mostly for logical thinking -- at times to doom humanity. Our technology, and our programming method for A.I. is getting closer to science fiction now. Researchers at MIT have designed a computer chip to simulate the capacity to be self aware -- self aware just like humans, by modeling and programming it's electrons to a humans ion channels.  

"There are about 100 billion neurons in the brain, each of which forms synapses with many other neurons. A synapse is the gap between two neurons (known as the presynaptic and postsynaptic neurons). The presynaptic neuron releases neurotransmitters, such as glutamate and GABA, which bind to receptors on the postsynaptic cell membrane, activating ion channels. Opening and closing those channels changes the cell’s electrical potential. If the potential changes dramatically enough, the cell fires an electrical impulse called an action potential."

"The MIT researchers designed their computer chip so that the transistors could mimic the activity of different ion channels. While most chips operate in a binary, on/off mode, current flows through the transistors on the new brain chip in analog, not digital, fashion. A gradient of electrical potential drives current to flow through the transistors just as ions flow through ion channels in a cell."

The human brain is more complex to actually model, and program into a computer chip, but MIT researchers are compelled and exited that this new form of computing is an advancement for true A.I. It may be years before we see a computer demonstrate quality behavior like a humans. However, we're now  one step closer for A.I. found in science fiction to be a real thing. I don't know about you guys, but the fact of having computers aware, and self governed is fascinating. 

Sorce: Mimicking The Brain

Isolated Beard

Now that Fall has arrive, the days are getting longer, sadder, and the nights will become more cold. Currently, I have decided to grow my beard once again. Last year I grew my beard for several months... it was an experience, no, it was a pleasurable experience --  like an adult, manly comfort blanket. This Summer, this year hasn't been the most pseudo prevalent, I sometimes look through the window, and wonder of life. I walk my dog, and process many delightful categories life has to show -- all wonder, and beautiful. Regardless, of anything, I am ready for Fall. The crispy clean air, the icy cold gust -- something of a delight -- the closing seasonal ceremony to the year it is. With that said, my beard will be good, It will be groomed, and trimmed on a daily basis for the great beard challenge will soon start. And speaking of soon to start, The Walking Dead will also start soon.

Last year, around the same time  of my beard challenge,  The Walking Dead  premiered, as in isolation with plot of the series, and the pseudo isolation you feel when your growing a beard, they both collided in probably the best begging of Fall to annotate. Maybe this year, it will be the same.

Lifeless playground

I sat under the tree's shadow at a park, reading my new novel (World War Z). As I read some pages of instant gradfication from the words, I started to think of this park becoming isolated and abonded from a potential biological or nuclear attack. For a second there, I felt like Sarah Conor -- the scene from Terminator 2 -- looking at kids play when suddenly an nuke explodes. But my daydream was a little different. I sat there, visualizing park dark, and eerie, and only walking dead prowled the grass and dirt. The kids laughing and screaming were replaced by growls, and moans. It only took me a second to appreciate this small area of the city, where children/people come to spend thy're recreational time.

I continued to read more of my novel. I continued to wonder not only the park becoming isolated, but the walking dead's isolated -- whats left of it -- they're brain/memory. Could it be possible for the walking dead to remember this pace of importance? I saw a father playing with they're children, frolicking on the grass and on the playground. I visualized them as walking dead also frolicking on playground lifeless, and maybe joyless. But the more that I thought of it, I started to think, being alive in a park is no different than being in the park dead. It may, or may not be, that the walking dead come to places that was important for them when they were alive.

I continue to read...

Sping Anime: X-Men The J-J-Jean Edition

Well now that Spring has officially started -- given the fact that theirs a drought in new videogames, anime, or films means that many  nerd-filled media will sure to come out. Thus, anime Spring calendar has been released and has started in Japan. There are a couple of interesting anime series I wanna check out, but the X-Men anime series was atop of my viewing roster -- a priority do to the fact of how this transfer (U.S to Japan animators) might look since X-Men anything originated from the U.S. and there hasn't been an outstanding X-Men animated series since the heydays of  Fox Kids Saturday morning cartoons.With that said, I check out the first episode of the X-Men series this morning, and I was, in all nerd-honesty, quite impressed.

The first episode starts out with a bang. Phoenix (Jean Gray) is on the verge of having her psychological meltdown/berserk/female havoc -- the norm in the X-Men universe -- an encyclopedia tell. Sure, you have Cyclops, Wolvereine, and Storm trying to preemptively stop Jean's doom -- but fail. A year passes, Cyclops is all emo, Storm in on vacation, Wolvereine is held by airport security, and Professor Xavier is (like an old man) sleeping in his chair meditating infront of Jean's grave. The story follows by a young Japanese women (a mutant) being kidnnaped by a mysterious man wearing a cloak. The X-Men are called back, and are reunited to investigate the kidnapped girl. The Blackbirds  lifts, and takes flight. Credits roll, and I'm left wanting to watch more. Now that I pretty much told the story in a nutshell, lets get on to the meat of my nerd-anime-boner -- the art department.

Was it well drawn? Was the animation good? The answer (not including the poor buffering/stream state it was in) YES! I was a bit skeptical about the X-Men being made into an anime, but after the credits rolled I was satisfied. I really dislike androgynous looking males, and overly breasted girls in my anime, but the animator at Madhouse did quite an impressive job. The guys/girls look well proportion, but my only disliked was, the whole Halle Berry look to Storm (meh).  The animations is fast, fluid, quick passed conversation, and tons of eye pleasing flashes, bangs, and explody stuff -- an animation fusion of Western-Japanese style to satisfy both nations demographics indeed. I really enjoyed every seen, and like how the team at Madhouse styled each X-Men character right down to their outfits. And if I'm correct, even the Sentinals got quite a mechanical body/paintjob. Also, during the opening, and closing credits you get glimpses of more mutants that will most likely be appearing as the series develops in episodes.

Overall, yes, I will be watching during the anime spring calendar, and hope the first episode was a good indication.

Not So Thankful. Right, Mr. White Goldfish?

It's Thanksgiving today (forced smile) and I could care less. Well, actually, I used to care. When I was younger, I enjoyed Thanksgiving, I enjoyed the essence of having a grand feast with family members, and friends. Going to school, and having art assignments to celebrate the turkey and the pilgrims. But once my brain started to understand and know why we celebrate Thanksgiving -- I neglected it and it's inhumane selfishness of consuming of turkeys. There's a turkey baking in my oven right now, although, it's not me who placed it in. I would, if I could, tried to sabotage my families turkey, and if I could, I would tried to save the turkey before it ended inside the oven.

I used to eat meat, I used to dine on turkey on Thanksgiving, but one day, there was a part of me that clicked and I decided to stop consuming meat. My father is a butcher, I have tasted all kinds of meats growing up. I grew out of it -- not from it's taste, nor by it's texture, but because of the suffering that is present during it's life and near the end of it's life before it's slaughtered. My father took me to witness a slaughtering factory when I was a little boy at a IBP meat packaging distribution. Unaware, of what was going to happen, I witness the horror animals endure before the slaughter. Calves removed from their mother, lined up in a fence and forced to enter a gray discolored building. I witness some cows trying turn around and escape from their impending doom -- they sensed and could listen that death was approaching from a screaming cow few feet away. As a young kid to be placed in this scenario, I was dumbstruck and curious, but if I would have known of the horror I was about to see, I would have chossen not to. It's chilling to the core, to see a helpless animal trying to survive, knowing it's about to be killed. Animals are mistreated, un-respected, and ripped away from the simplest essence of life. The sight of a cow, or any animal (even humans) gasping for air and life after it's been decapitated is heartbreaking. You probably don't understand how I feel, but for some time, I also felt defenseless, waiting for someone to help me live.

There was a time in my life, when I was extremely depressed -- suicidal for many years. I was knee deep in a maelstrom of self hating, self abusing, and incompetent for me to survive. I needed help, I asked for help, yet, the few people I told, pointed and laugh -- accusing me of being pathetic -- I felt pathetic. No one was there, but this white goldfish, who I would talk to. Its sounds absurd, but he was there for me when others avoided me. I was isolated, smothering myself in self loathing and hatred. Like my goldfish, I felt trapped, helpless, and neglected by life -- a feeling of being alone in a tank full fish and life. Unlike my goldfish, I could change... and I did. My goldfish, as crazy as it sounds helped me, and I made an oath -- made the a decision that has forever changed me... I became vegetarian -- it healed me. I favored saving myself by trying to save helpless, defenseless animals, in a pseudo synchronization of preserving my life by not taking other beings life (not killing animals). Death to the living is unavoidable, but it could be reinforced with optimism of understanding the importance of living, especially, when you are on the edge of taking your own life.


Even though, I don't understand why many people place Thanksgiving on a pedestal, since they are unaware of the cruelty/suffering and injustice turkeys suffer. And yet, Most don't even know the true definition of why we celebrate Thanksgiving. I don't disrespect others for their feasting or celebration -- it's just not for me.

P.S. My goldfish is still alive after so many years. Thank You

Mark Wahlberg and the Uncharted Nathan Drake

Are you sitting next to your loaded shotgun? Well, your about to use it. Sad news today, in a effort to mesh-out films adaptations from video games, the Uncharted series is making into the big screen. Yeah, Uncharted... if playing this cinematic game was not satisfying to you because were not enjoy it with popcorn, well your luck... sorta. It seems that Mark Wahlberg announced, that he will be playing the role of Nathan Drake. Who is Nathan Drake you say? Meh, he's like the male version of Laura Croft, whatever.

But here's the sad news, remember that 2008 film Max Payne (how could we forget) and how awful it was? Well, this is the path Uncharted my also suffer from. Most video games to movies spiels sound good on paper, but never actually impact good quality or it's legit-ness to the game. There have been dozens of series that have made it to the big screen, and NEVER deliver the essence of experiencing/corralling to the game. I don't want to sound jaded, or alarmed of the fact that Uncharted is becoming a movie, is just that I don't trust the transitions, because most films that are based on video games are epic fails and are very disappointing to us gamers. I had high hopes for Prince of Percia, and many other, but I end up face-palming throughout the film.

Well, don't use shotgun just yet, maybe this movie will be a work of masterpiece us gamers want from an adaption. It might be epic in all it's rock climbing grandeur, and it might even come out in 3D (Gawd, I hope not). Who knows? But if Nathan Drake appears in a scene wearing nothing but Calving Klein whittie tightis, than count me in.

[pic courtesy from Joystiq.com]