***WARNING MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS***
Title: The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
Directed By: Francis Lawrence
Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Liam Hemsworth, Josh Hutcherson, Woody Harrelson, Donald Sutherland, Elizabeth Banks, Lenny Kravitz, Stanley Tucci, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jeffrey Wright, Jena Malone, Sam Claflin
This movie is the second installment in The Hunger Games trilogy, starring Jennifer Lawrence, Liam Hemsworth, and Josh Hutcherson.
It is set, obviously, after the first movie and deals with the trials Katniss and Peeta face now that the games are over. Be that dealing with the fact that it is now painfully obvious that Katniss has little to no actual romantic feelings for Peeta or trying to keep the President from brutally murdering their families (who elected that guy?), it was all rather interesting to watch.
The first Hunger Games movie exceeded my expectations by actually being good and featuring brutal violence not because it looked cool or because the directors and producers thought people would like it, but because it was realistic. The tone of that movie was dark, bleak, and overall, horrifying. I mean, what kind of people would allow this sort of tragedy -- what was Europe doing about all this or Asia? Did they even exist anymore, and if so, why weren't they trying to stop this atrocity known as The Hunger Games from taking place?
The tone in this movie was more sickly sweet and upbeat simply because Katniss had already won the Games once before. Sure, she was now suffering through a mild case of PTSD (not a laughing matter, I know) and an incredibly awkward, somewhat forced love triangle because of it, but she had survived. A good portion of this movie revolved around Katniss awkwardly posing as Peeta's girlfriend who had saved his life in the last Games, while always thinking of Gale in the back of her mind (mostly). Not only that but I could literally feel how arrogant Katniss had become since the last Games, even in the face of the Quarter Quell. I suppose it was a good thing that that arrogance only permeated the atmosphere of the movie during the Quarter Quell, but still, I had thought she was a smarter character than that and smart characters do not, IMO, get wrapped up in their own arrogance.
Setting the romantic drama aside, I have to say that the story was definitely more interesting this time around. There were a lot of unexpected twists that I did not see coming because I didn't read the books (tried to, but couldn't -- sorry, Hunger Games fans). The obstacles and enemies the characters faced in this movie were a lot more interesting than last time around, though some of the obstacles were a lot less realistic, but, hey, they get points for trying. I think my favorite battle scene would be the one involving the mandrills. Always knew I was right to be afraid of those things. So I would also that the writing was pretty decent for this movie.
The special effects in this movie were amazing. There is no point in trying to deny that the movie makers did an excellent job with that, and the costumes and make were quite good as well. They were less costumey, and over the top this time around, and more high fashion, but in a way that I could see the clothes the characters wore actually existing in real life. Which they probably do. I imagine Katniss's white dress or a dress similar to it will be selling out everywhere as summer approaches.
I felt like there wasn't a whole lot of character development in this movie. At least not from Katniss or any of the main characters. I actually felt like Effie and Haymitch went through more character developement than anyone else in the movie.
Overall, though, I'm going to have to give this movie a six out of ten simply because I did not enjoy this movie as much as the last one for a number of reasons: The forced love triangle, the fact that this movie was less about rebelling against a tyrannical government and more about just surviving. I also did not enjoy the fact that the violence in this movie was toned down a lot and that the movie less realistic, less believable for me because there is simply going to be violence in a situation like the Hunger Games or the Quarter Quell, and it will be brutal. And the directors and producers, I feel like, they tried to ignore that fact and it did not work well for this movie.
The last thing I did not enjoy about this movie was that Katniss felt, to me, a lot more arrogant than she had been in the last movie and this isn't me attacking a strong, independent, confident heroine. I'm actually a humanitarian and I have no problem with strong heroines. I just feel like one must be confident in order to be arrogant and sometimes those things are one and the same. I feel like that was the situation for Katniss during the Quarter Quell, for whatever reason. Probably just because she's young and stupid, but it is my interpretation of her personality during that time of the movie and I, personally, did not enjoy it.
I did, however, enjoy seeing Effie and Haymitch grow as characters, and learning more about Katniss's sister, Primrose. I also enjoyed the costumes and the special effects more, but above all I did actually love the story because of all the plot twists and such. It was really, really enjoyable.
Friday, November 22, 2013
Tuesday, November 19, 2013
Nerdy MJ Reviews The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo
***WARNING MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS***
Title: The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo/Men Who Hate Women (Original Swedish Title)
Author: Stieg Larson
Translated By: Reg Keeland
This novel takes place in Sweden sometime in the mid-2000s. It tells the stories of two people as their lives inevitably become intertwined. The first person is the emotionally and probably mentally disturb Lisbeth Salander, who is a 25-year-old ward of Sweden that works as private investigator with some pretty unorthodox methods of investigating. Her life sucks. I don't know what else to say about because, really, Larson didn't tell us much about her life, but at the end of the day, all Lisbeth really seems to want is to be left alone.
The second person is the disgraced investigative financial journalist Mikael Blomkvist, who after being accused of libel is asked to come investigate the mystery of Harriet Vanger in the remote country town of Hedestad, Sweden.
The writing style of this book is bit awkward because it was translated directly from Swedish and yet, it still manages to be gripping. Be warned, though, it is also violent, vivid as hell, and certainly not for the faint of heart.This book made me physically cringe. More than once, I had to stop reading and remind myself that the characters aren't real, that it was just story, and I'd read worse. It was definitely worth reading, though. The mystery we read about in this book unfolds slowly with numerous plot twists and a shocking revelation. It leaves you sitting on the edge of your seat as you turn the page. Sadly, though, the book is anything but unputdownable.
The characters are by no means perfect. Blomkvist is a self-obsessed pig with no respect for himself or the people he hurts. All he really seems to care about is his career. Salander is an antisocial bitch, who seems convinced that everyone is out to get her. Yet despite all in the flaws in the characters themselves, they still find a way to be likable. At least, one of them does.
Despite all of her problems, Salander ends up being one of those kick-ass heroines that we all wish turned more and for me is one of the greats. This character is right up there with Lara Croft, X-23, Wonder Woman, and The Powerpuff Girls (yes, seriously) for me. That is exactly the kind of herione I view her as. One reviewer on goodreads.com said, "...Salander felt like a man recording the facts of what he saw a woman do and say once, not like a living, breathing human character." I disagree. Salander is probably one of the most realistic characters I've ever encountered and definitely one of the characters I can easily relate to. To say that she sounds like a man basically pretending to be a woman, to me, implies that all women speak, act, and think in a certain way and Salander is too far outside the norm to be considered realistic or even human. In response to that, I would like to quote the words of Morticia Addams, "Normal is an illusion. What is normal for the spider is chaos for the fly."
For those of you who have read this book or heard about it and are thinking that it needs to be banned because it's too violent or because it touches on a uncomfortable subject, I say to you need to get the hell over yourselves. This is one of those books that no one ever wants to want read or write, but should be forced to. The hatred we see displayed in this book was clearly concocted by someone is who outraged by the kinds of acts that take place in this world and that people are allowed to get away with.
No, it is does not make all men look like misogynistic pigs because as stated before all the characters are flawed. Not just Blomkvist and Salander, but all of them including the sidelined background characters most people don't even take into consideration once they've finished reading a book.
Overall, I'd have to give this book a eight out of ten because the translation was a little iffy and the ending wasn't entirely satisfying (for me, anyways), but it was still a hell of a good story with realistic characters that the author didn't play favorites with.
Title: The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo/Men Who Hate Women (Original Swedish Title)
Author: Stieg Larson
Translated By: Reg Keeland
This novel takes place in Sweden sometime in the mid-2000s. It tells the stories of two people as their lives inevitably become intertwined. The first person is the emotionally and probably mentally disturb Lisbeth Salander, who is a 25-year-old ward of Sweden that works as private investigator with some pretty unorthodox methods of investigating. Her life sucks. I don't know what else to say about because, really, Larson didn't tell us much about her life, but at the end of the day, all Lisbeth really seems to want is to be left alone.
The second person is the disgraced investigative financial journalist Mikael Blomkvist, who after being accused of libel is asked to come investigate the mystery of Harriet Vanger in the remote country town of Hedestad, Sweden.
The writing style of this book is bit awkward because it was translated directly from Swedish and yet, it still manages to be gripping. Be warned, though, it is also violent, vivid as hell, and certainly not for the faint of heart.This book made me physically cringe. More than once, I had to stop reading and remind myself that the characters aren't real, that it was just story, and I'd read worse. It was definitely worth reading, though. The mystery we read about in this book unfolds slowly with numerous plot twists and a shocking revelation. It leaves you sitting on the edge of your seat as you turn the page. Sadly, though, the book is anything but unputdownable.
The characters are by no means perfect. Blomkvist is a self-obsessed pig with no respect for himself or the people he hurts. All he really seems to care about is his career. Salander is an antisocial bitch, who seems convinced that everyone is out to get her. Yet despite all in the flaws in the characters themselves, they still find a way to be likable. At least, one of them does.
Despite all of her problems, Salander ends up being one of those kick-ass heroines that we all wish turned more and for me is one of the greats. This character is right up there with Lara Croft, X-23, Wonder Woman, and The Powerpuff Girls (yes, seriously) for me. That is exactly the kind of herione I view her as. One reviewer on goodreads.com said, "...Salander felt like a man recording the facts of what he saw a woman do and say once, not like a living, breathing human character." I disagree. Salander is probably one of the most realistic characters I've ever encountered and definitely one of the characters I can easily relate to. To say that she sounds like a man basically pretending to be a woman, to me, implies that all women speak, act, and think in a certain way and Salander is too far outside the norm to be considered realistic or even human. In response to that, I would like to quote the words of Morticia Addams, "Normal is an illusion. What is normal for the spider is chaos for the fly."
For those of you who have read this book or heard about it and are thinking that it needs to be banned because it's too violent or because it touches on a uncomfortable subject, I say to you need to get the hell over yourselves. This is one of those books that no one ever wants to want read or write, but should be forced to. The hatred we see displayed in this book was clearly concocted by someone is who outraged by the kinds of acts that take place in this world and that people are allowed to get away with.
No, it is does not make all men look like misogynistic pigs because as stated before all the characters are flawed. Not just Blomkvist and Salander, but all of them including the sidelined background characters most people don't even take into consideration once they've finished reading a book.
Overall, I'd have to give this book a eight out of ten because the translation was a little iffy and the ending wasn't entirely satisfying (for me, anyways), but it was still a hell of a good story with realistic characters that the author didn't play favorites with.
Monday, November 18, 2013
Nerdy MJ Reviews Windows 8(.1)
Before I jump into the review, I just want to tell you guys a story first: As I'm sure some of you know, I was recently in the process of repairing a PC that was given to my husband and I. It was pretty much going to be our family PC with everything on it -- games, internet, blah, blah, blah -- and after doing a bit of research on which OS to get, we decided to give Windows 8 a try.
So we put in a order for Windows 8.1 because, apparently, that's like the brand-spanking-new-less-buggy-and-glitched version of Windows 8, which I heard had a LOT of problems. When we went in to pick it up last week, we were told it had yet to arrive and should turn up some time the next day. Which it did, thankfully, otherwise that'd have been $120 down the drain.
After we came home from picking it up the next day, I pranced off to our bedroom where the new PC was, plugged in all the cords and wires, and put the disc in. I put in the key number and then it started installing. Then five minutes later, I received a message of doom: WINDOWS 8 HAS FAILED TO INSTALL.
Needless to say, I was perplexed, so I booted up the laptop in the other room and did some research. Turns out there are number of things that can cause the Windows 8 installation to fail and one of the most common causes is that the drivers need to be updated. I checked the drivers on the PC and found out they hadn't been updated since 2006. I downloaded the necessary drivers onto a thumb drive via my laptop and installed them on the PC.
Again, the installation failed.
By this point, I was starting to get pretty pissed because I knew it met all the system requirements for the OS. I couldn't figure out what the problem was. So I pretty much uninstalled everything that could be easily uninstalled and did some digging around on the C: drive, which uncovered a freaking Conduit virus. Seriously, beware ANYTHING baring the word Conduit anywhere in the name, title, description, whatever -- those viruses are pretty much impossible to get rid of without wiping the motherboard.
Anyway, upon spotting the virus, I really didn't know what to know. I mean, our roommate had wiped the motherboard to get rid of this virus BEFORE he gave it to us and it was still freaking there. The thing was like a damn cockroach -- it just wouldn't die. I decided to check the drivers again and see if there was anything else that needed updating only to find out that the previous updates had never even gone through. I had installed updated drivers, but there was no visible change to prove that I had. It was like the changes had never freaking happened.
When I saw that, I decided to just leave it alone and give up. Then when our roommate came home, my husband discussed the situation with him and that was when we found out that the PC had originally been built for Windows XP. For those of you who don't know, PCs that had been built for XP are NOT compatible for Windows 8. Rather than apologizing for not making us aware of this ahead time -- you know, BEFORE we spent $120 on Windows 8.1 -- our roommate then said, "Well, you guys should have gotten Windows 7."
Never before I had wanted to kill someone so badly -_-
After I was calmly reminded that murdering our roommate would probably result in some prison time, I spent the rest of the evening talking things over with my husband. We didn't really know what to do. Did we sell the OS online and settle for a cheaper OS for PC that could maybe, probably handle everything we wanted it do after we spent the money to replace the motherboard for it? Or did we simply use it to update our laptop?
In the end, we decided to use the product we had paid for and updated our laptop to Windows 8.1.
The installation took about an hour, and I was a little surprised when I first started using it. The tile interface was surprisingly easy to use, despite what reviewers had said about it. It was made even easier by the "Desktop" option, which brought me to a Windows 7-esque desktop interface. However, unlike previous versions of Windows, this one seemed to be lacking some key features -- mostly Microsoft Word (which had been only a free trial version in other versions of the OS) and Windows Movie Maker. I quickly learned that was because they were trying to peddle users to buying full programs like Word and the Wondershare video editor.
Naughty, naughty, Microsoft.
If you run a quick search in the App store, though, you'll easily find Microsoft's newest video editing toy for Windows 8.1. It's called Movie Moments and, well, it's free for a reason. The reason being that this simple to use little device will only allow you edit and create sixty second-long videos and movies. Which isn't really much of a movie at all. That's more like a preview for a movie, IMO. So, yeah, it's not something I would recommend downloading.
Instead I would recommend some freeware. For example, in order to replace Microsoft Word, I would say you should just go ahead and download LibreOffice. It's a German program that is highly recommended by Fanfiction.net and basically operates the same way as Microsoft Word. It also will restore your documents upon start up in the event of an unexpected computer restart or shut down, so that's also a cool feature. I know what you're thinking, though: Hmm, well, that sounds good and all, but you're a know-nothing blogger whose site gets hardly any views and that's a piece of freeware I've never even heard of -- sounds fishy.
To you I say sure, go ahead and try out one of the included three writing apps that comes with Windows 8.1. I should warn you, though, one requires you to actually hand-write what you want to write in it -- which is pretty freaking hard to do with a mouse if you lack experience and a touch screen -- and none of them have spelling or grammar check. So, by all means, don't trust me and enjoy subjecting yourself to the wraith of internet grammar-Nazis.
As far as video editing goes, as long as you're not looking for a high-end editing program, then I would just go ahead and download the 2012 version of Movie Maker from the Microsoft website for Windows 8. It's free and easy to use, but doing this will require you to download and install some features on your PC in order to make the program work. The Windows 8 version also seems to come with fewer animations and effects, but the trade-off is that we're given the option to include a voice-over narrative rather than music (of course, we still have the option of putting music in the vid).
The only other thing I would suggest downloading is nifty little program called CCleaner, which is pretty much the working, non-virus-infested version of mycleanPC....I would put the whole URL, but I don't want to be blamed just in case someone is stupid enough to click on it and infect their computer. Anyway, CCleaner essentially cleans up your PC by clearing your caches and getting rid of unused files. This includes files and caches having to do with your apps, which can take up a lot of a space on your hard drive if they're not emptied periodically. There is a free version of the program, but it's also available in a professional version. Though seeing as I plan on buying some anti-virus and anti-malware programs sometime next week, I plan on just sticking with the free version.
Overall, I would have to say that I believe some of the Windows 8 haters were severely overreacting with some of their negative reviews. Yes, the new tile interface was a little hard to get used to at first, but I was able to figure it out in a manner of minutes and, honestly, I don't see how anyone could have a hard time figuring it out unless they'd never used a computer before. Granted, I'm using Windows 8.1, which is supposed to be the better version of Windows 8, but I'm also a person who has never even touched a smart phone before and was able to make use of the new interface, without help, after about fifteen minutes of exploring.
Trust me when I say, Windows 8 is not nearly as bad as some reviewers -- who really could just be biased fanboys -- have said it is. Aside from the lack of traditional features, the only problem I have with it is that I really can't figure how to uninstall an app. Seriously, I downloaded a free game and ended up hating it -- my fault, I know -- and now, it's just there taking up space. If anyone knows how to get rid of it, please, let me know. Otherwise, though, I've had no problems with it and really don't see myself switching back to Windows 7.
Though, please, note I will be returning to the topic of Windows 8 after we purchase a new PC and try to do some gaming on it.
Just as a basic OS, though, I'd have to give it a seven out of ten. This is because the newest version of Internet Explorer is an absolute b!tch to freaking navigate because navigation bar seems to be gravely misplaced and because of the lack of features. The IE issue is easily remedied, though, by simply downloading a new default browser. After doing that, it's really a non-issue.
I also really like the design of the new tile interface and love that Microsoft include a desktop interface option because, let's face it, the tile thing isn't for everyone. A lot of new apps are cool, too, and my favorites just so happen to be the Weather and News apps. They allow to me view the weather in my hometown and follow the news with my favorite online newspaper.
There you have it. The story of how I ended up with an updated laptop and my review of Windows 8(.1). I hope you've enjoyed. Please, leave your thoughts in the comments below.
So we put in a order for Windows 8.1 because, apparently, that's like the brand-spanking-new-less-buggy-and-glitched version of Windows 8, which I heard had a LOT of problems. When we went in to pick it up last week, we were told it had yet to arrive and should turn up some time the next day. Which it did, thankfully, otherwise that'd have been $120 down the drain.
After we came home from picking it up the next day, I pranced off to our bedroom where the new PC was, plugged in all the cords and wires, and put the disc in. I put in the key number and then it started installing. Then five minutes later, I received a message of doom: WINDOWS 8 HAS FAILED TO INSTALL.
Needless to say, I was perplexed, so I booted up the laptop in the other room and did some research. Turns out there are number of things that can cause the Windows 8 installation to fail and one of the most common causes is that the drivers need to be updated. I checked the drivers on the PC and found out they hadn't been updated since 2006. I downloaded the necessary drivers onto a thumb drive via my laptop and installed them on the PC.
Again, the installation failed.
By this point, I was starting to get pretty pissed because I knew it met all the system requirements for the OS. I couldn't figure out what the problem was. So I pretty much uninstalled everything that could be easily uninstalled and did some digging around on the C: drive, which uncovered a freaking Conduit virus. Seriously, beware ANYTHING baring the word Conduit anywhere in the name, title, description, whatever -- those viruses are pretty much impossible to get rid of without wiping the motherboard.
Anyway, upon spotting the virus, I really didn't know what to know. I mean, our roommate had wiped the motherboard to get rid of this virus BEFORE he gave it to us and it was still freaking there. The thing was like a damn cockroach -- it just wouldn't die. I decided to check the drivers again and see if there was anything else that needed updating only to find out that the previous updates had never even gone through. I had installed updated drivers, but there was no visible change to prove that I had. It was like the changes had never freaking happened.
When I saw that, I decided to just leave it alone and give up. Then when our roommate came home, my husband discussed the situation with him and that was when we found out that the PC had originally been built for Windows XP. For those of you who don't know, PCs that had been built for XP are NOT compatible for Windows 8. Rather than apologizing for not making us aware of this ahead time -- you know, BEFORE we spent $120 on Windows 8.1 -- our roommate then said, "Well, you guys should have gotten Windows 7."
Never before I had wanted to kill someone so badly -_-
After I was calmly reminded that murdering our roommate would probably result in some prison time, I spent the rest of the evening talking things over with my husband. We didn't really know what to do. Did we sell the OS online and settle for a cheaper OS for PC that could maybe, probably handle everything we wanted it do after we spent the money to replace the motherboard for it? Or did we simply use it to update our laptop?
In the end, we decided to use the product we had paid for and updated our laptop to Windows 8.1.
The installation took about an hour, and I was a little surprised when I first started using it. The tile interface was surprisingly easy to use, despite what reviewers had said about it. It was made even easier by the "Desktop" option, which brought me to a Windows 7-esque desktop interface. However, unlike previous versions of Windows, this one seemed to be lacking some key features -- mostly Microsoft Word (which had been only a free trial version in other versions of the OS) and Windows Movie Maker. I quickly learned that was because they were trying to peddle users to buying full programs like Word and the Wondershare video editor.
Naughty, naughty, Microsoft.
If you run a quick search in the App store, though, you'll easily find Microsoft's newest video editing toy for Windows 8.1. It's called Movie Moments and, well, it's free for a reason. The reason being that this simple to use little device will only allow you edit and create sixty second-long videos and movies. Which isn't really much of a movie at all. That's more like a preview for a movie, IMO. So, yeah, it's not something I would recommend downloading.
Instead I would recommend some freeware. For example, in order to replace Microsoft Word, I would say you should just go ahead and download LibreOffice. It's a German program that is highly recommended by Fanfiction.net and basically operates the same way as Microsoft Word. It also will restore your documents upon start up in the event of an unexpected computer restart or shut down, so that's also a cool feature. I know what you're thinking, though: Hmm, well, that sounds good and all, but you're a know-nothing blogger whose site gets hardly any views and that's a piece of freeware I've never even heard of -- sounds fishy.
To you I say sure, go ahead and try out one of the included three writing apps that comes with Windows 8.1. I should warn you, though, one requires you to actually hand-write what you want to write in it -- which is pretty freaking hard to do with a mouse if you lack experience and a touch screen -- and none of them have spelling or grammar check. So, by all means, don't trust me and enjoy subjecting yourself to the wraith of internet grammar-Nazis.
As far as video editing goes, as long as you're not looking for a high-end editing program, then I would just go ahead and download the 2012 version of Movie Maker from the Microsoft website for Windows 8. It's free and easy to use, but doing this will require you to download and install some features on your PC in order to make the program work. The Windows 8 version also seems to come with fewer animations and effects, but the trade-off is that we're given the option to include a voice-over narrative rather than music (of course, we still have the option of putting music in the vid).
The only other thing I would suggest downloading is nifty little program called CCleaner, which is pretty much the working, non-virus-infested version of mycleanPC....I would put the whole URL, but I don't want to be blamed just in case someone is stupid enough to click on it and infect their computer. Anyway, CCleaner essentially cleans up your PC by clearing your caches and getting rid of unused files. This includes files and caches having to do with your apps, which can take up a lot of a space on your hard drive if they're not emptied periodically. There is a free version of the program, but it's also available in a professional version. Though seeing as I plan on buying some anti-virus and anti-malware programs sometime next week, I plan on just sticking with the free version.
Overall, I would have to say that I believe some of the Windows 8 haters were severely overreacting with some of their negative reviews. Yes, the new tile interface was a little hard to get used to at first, but I was able to figure it out in a manner of minutes and, honestly, I don't see how anyone could have a hard time figuring it out unless they'd never used a computer before. Granted, I'm using Windows 8.1, which is supposed to be the better version of Windows 8, but I'm also a person who has never even touched a smart phone before and was able to make use of the new interface, without help, after about fifteen minutes of exploring.
Trust me when I say, Windows 8 is not nearly as bad as some reviewers -- who really could just be biased fanboys -- have said it is. Aside from the lack of traditional features, the only problem I have with it is that I really can't figure how to uninstall an app. Seriously, I downloaded a free game and ended up hating it -- my fault, I know -- and now, it's just there taking up space. If anyone knows how to get rid of it, please, let me know. Otherwise, though, I've had no problems with it and really don't see myself switching back to Windows 7.
Though, please, note I will be returning to the topic of Windows 8 after we purchase a new PC and try to do some gaming on it.
Just as a basic OS, though, I'd have to give it a seven out of ten. This is because the newest version of Internet Explorer is an absolute b!tch to freaking navigate because navigation bar seems to be gravely misplaced and because of the lack of features. The IE issue is easily remedied, though, by simply downloading a new default browser. After doing that, it's really a non-issue.
I also really like the design of the new tile interface and love that Microsoft include a desktop interface option because, let's face it, the tile thing isn't for everyone. A lot of new apps are cool, too, and my favorites just so happen to be the Weather and News apps. They allow to me view the weather in my hometown and follow the news with my favorite online newspaper.
There you have it. The story of how I ended up with an updated laptop and my review of Windows 8(.1). I hope you've enjoyed. Please, leave your thoughts in the comments below.
Saturday, November 9, 2013
Nerdy MJ Reviews: Thor: The Dark World
***WARNING: MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS***
Title: Thor: The Dark World
Directed By: Alan Taylor
Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, Christopher Eccleston, Anthony Hopkins, and Natalie Portman
The plot for this movie is relatively simple. It revolves around the return of the Dark Elves and their leader Malekith, who decide to exact their revenge on the Asgardians by seizing the Aether now that The Nine Realms are about to converge. The problem with that plan?
Well, the Aether requires a host body and after stumbling upon it accidentally, Jane Foster (Portman) became the new host. After discovering this, a somewhat depressed Thor, who seems to have been doing a lot of soul searching since his return to Asgard, retrieves Foster from Earth and brings her to Asgard in an attempt to save her. So, naturally, Malekith turns up on Thor's doorstep with a whole army of Dark Elves and a fleet of spaceships that look strangely similar to Star Wars TIE Fighters.
In an attempt to save both Jane and Asgard, Thor turns to Loki for help and heads to The Dark World where he tries to lure Malekith into one final battle.
Now, the costumes and effects in this movie were great. I absolutely loved them. I also loved how much Thor seemed to have matured and developed as a character since the first movie. The direction and scripting in this movie was great as well. Alan Taylor did great and they did a great job choosing him as the director. All of that was great.
I do have some problems with this movie, though. My first problem with the movie would probably be that it sort of felt like this movie was more about Loki than Thor, which I would have totally been okay with if the movie had Loki's name in the title rather than his brother's.
I mean, yes, Thor got some character development, but it really felt like Loki was the only one with any real character. It felt like, at the end of the day, the cast and crew put more work into Loki's character than anyone else's. And that's not what I, personally, as a movie-goer wanted to see. I mean, yeah, I love Loki. He's a great villain. Everyone loves him, but I wanted to see Thor make new mistakes and learn new lessons, and kick some ass in the process. And, yeah, he did all of that, but the majority of learning and making of mistakes was done off-camera, so that Tom Hiddleston's fangirls could have more Loki screen time.
My second problem with the movie is that Natalie Portman's character didn't really seem to have a reason for existing other than being there to act as the host body for the Aether. I mean, I'm seriously pretty sure the comedic relief got more screen time than she did, which is disappointing because the other thing I was really looking forward to with this movie was seeing some sort of change or growth in her relationship with Thor.
And that didn't happen.
Pretty much as far as that aspect of the movie goes, all we found out was that yeah, they still like each other.
Taking all of that into consideration, I'm gonna have to give this movie a 7 out of 10, which I think is fair because despite its flaws, it is still an awesome movie that Marvel fans are sure to love. That being said, please be sure to make this your Saturday night movie one weekend while it's still in theaters because this is definitely one superhero movie you're not gonna want to miss.
Title: Thor: The Dark World
Directed By: Alan Taylor
Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, Christopher Eccleston, Anthony Hopkins, and Natalie Portman
The plot for this movie is relatively simple. It revolves around the return of the Dark Elves and their leader Malekith, who decide to exact their revenge on the Asgardians by seizing the Aether now that The Nine Realms are about to converge. The problem with that plan?
Well, the Aether requires a host body and after stumbling upon it accidentally, Jane Foster (Portman) became the new host. After discovering this, a somewhat depressed Thor, who seems to have been doing a lot of soul searching since his return to Asgard, retrieves Foster from Earth and brings her to Asgard in an attempt to save her. So, naturally, Malekith turns up on Thor's doorstep with a whole army of Dark Elves and a fleet of spaceships that look strangely similar to Star Wars TIE Fighters.
In an attempt to save both Jane and Asgard, Thor turns to Loki for help and heads to The Dark World where he tries to lure Malekith into one final battle.
Now, the costumes and effects in this movie were great. I absolutely loved them. I also loved how much Thor seemed to have matured and developed as a character since the first movie. The direction and scripting in this movie was great as well. Alan Taylor did great and they did a great job choosing him as the director. All of that was great.
I do have some problems with this movie, though. My first problem with the movie would probably be that it sort of felt like this movie was more about Loki than Thor, which I would have totally been okay with if the movie had Loki's name in the title rather than his brother's.
I mean, yes, Thor got some character development, but it really felt like Loki was the only one with any real character. It felt like, at the end of the day, the cast and crew put more work into Loki's character than anyone else's. And that's not what I, personally, as a movie-goer wanted to see. I mean, yeah, I love Loki. He's a great villain. Everyone loves him, but I wanted to see Thor make new mistakes and learn new lessons, and kick some ass in the process. And, yeah, he did all of that, but the majority of learning and making of mistakes was done off-camera, so that Tom Hiddleston's fangirls could have more Loki screen time.
My second problem with the movie is that Natalie Portman's character didn't really seem to have a reason for existing other than being there to act as the host body for the Aether. I mean, I'm seriously pretty sure the comedic relief got more screen time than she did, which is disappointing because the other thing I was really looking forward to with this movie was seeing some sort of change or growth in her relationship with Thor.
And that didn't happen.
Pretty much as far as that aspect of the movie goes, all we found out was that yeah, they still like each other.
Taking all of that into consideration, I'm gonna have to give this movie a 7 out of 10, which I think is fair because despite its flaws, it is still an awesome movie that Marvel fans are sure to love. That being said, please be sure to make this your Saturday night movie one weekend while it's still in theaters because this is definitely one superhero movie you're not gonna want to miss.
Tuesday, November 5, 2013
The Animal Crossing (New Leaf) Blues
As any Animal Crossing player can tell you, there are a vast number of reasons why someone could choose to restart their Animal Crossing: New Leaf game save and begin anew. As a new AC player who's made a lot of newbish mistakes, I can pretty much tell you all of them:
1) You went and sold you're only piece of perfect fruit.
2) You choose a bad map and have no room for ANYTHING.
3) You hate your villagers because you're shallow and, yes, you really care that much about what other people think about the imaginary, humanoid animals that live in your video game -- hey, at least I admit it.
4) Just because.
Those are all valid reasons to restart your ACNL game, in my opinion, and of course there are other reasons. Like maybe you find it unsettling that all it takes is one rainy day before you find yourself digging up what seem to be shallow graves (for more info Google "Animal Crossing + Gyroids + Haniwa"). Or maybe you received bad information from a LPer, who shall remain nameless, and were under the impression that all your perfect fruit had rotted when it was actually perfectly fine. Or maybe, just maybe, you found yourself living in constant fear every time you logged into the game due to horrifyingly fast, deadly spiders and decided just to bow out for a month til spider season died down and keep it to yourself because, let's face it, it's hard enough being afraid of bugs in real -- who the f*ck is gonna admit to being afraid of virtual ones?
It's like I said, there are a lot of reasons a player could choose to restart and they're all good, valid reasons. But ACNL can be a pretty unpredictable game sometimes and sometimes things can happen that can leave a player royally screwed over.
That's pretty much what happened to me in my new save.
See, I decided to start a new game for personal reasons (see reason number three on the above list) and for once, things were actually looking up. I had an avatar with a face I could actually stand to look at, decent villagers that didn't make me want to punch a Nintendo game developer in the face for coming up with a such a stupid design, and what I consider a pretty awesome map. Yep, everything was all sunshine and rainbows for me.
My character, Hikari, became the mayor of the sleepy town of Starwood and everything was looking good. I planted some perfect fruit in her would-be back yard as per tradition in my other saves, and paid off the 10,000 Bells down payment on her house in a matter of hours.
Life was good.
Then I logged on to the game today, and my mouth literally dropped in horror of what had taken place in my town.
I know what you're thinking: Someone's moving in. What's the big deal?
Well, let me explain. You see, every town has a native fruit and when a new ACNL save is created, you usually get one piece of perfect fruit. One. Not one tree full of perfect fruit. You get one piece and one piece only to do with as you please, but the smart player knows you're supposed to farm it, so you don't end up riddled with debt. Now, the native fruit itself is valuable, but only if you have access to another players' town where that particular fruit is considered foreign. The perfect fruit, however, is worth double what the foreign fruit is worth, so I imagine you could understand why people would like to have it around.
So, now that that's been explained, let's turn our attention to the tiny, wilting tree in the picture. Uh-huh. Yep. Guess what that is?
If you guessed it's my perfect fruit tree -- my ONLY perfect fruit tree because it's the only I planted because I just started playing yesterday -- then you guessed right. Guess who is instantly out of, potentially, millions of Bells?
Yep, this gamer.
The really messed up part about this situation is that I didn't make any mistakes this time or anything like that. The only thing I did wrong was think it was an okay idea to plant a f*cking tree in my virtual back yard because who the f*ck does that, right -- it's completely out of the f*cking ordinary to have a tree in your Arceus-for-saken backyard!!!!
Guess it's back to beetle farming for me until I can convince one of the six people on my 3DS friends list who are all too busy playing Pokemon X/Y to care to let me into their town, so I can pawn my worthless native fruit on the shop owners there -- but wait a minute! Didn't Nintendo just disable the Spotpass function on Swapnote because some pre-teen boys thought it would be fun to send out drawings and probably actual pictures of their junk to all their online friends? Yep, I think they did!
Well, at least, I've got oranges to sell!!!!
1) You went and sold you're only piece of perfect fruit.
2) You choose a bad map and have no room for ANYTHING.
3) You hate your villagers because you're shallow and, yes, you really care that much about what other people think about the imaginary, humanoid animals that live in your video game -- hey, at least I admit it.
4) Just because.
Those are all valid reasons to restart your ACNL game, in my opinion, and of course there are other reasons. Like maybe you find it unsettling that all it takes is one rainy day before you find yourself digging up what seem to be shallow graves (for more info Google "Animal Crossing + Gyroids + Haniwa"). Or maybe you received bad information from a LPer, who shall remain nameless, and were under the impression that all your perfect fruit had rotted when it was actually perfectly fine. Or maybe, just maybe, you found yourself living in constant fear every time you logged into the game due to horrifyingly fast, deadly spiders and decided just to bow out for a month til spider season died down and keep it to yourself because, let's face it, it's hard enough being afraid of bugs in real -- who the f*ck is gonna admit to being afraid of virtual ones?
It's like I said, there are a lot of reasons a player could choose to restart and they're all good, valid reasons. But ACNL can be a pretty unpredictable game sometimes and sometimes things can happen that can leave a player royally screwed over.
That's pretty much what happened to me in my new save.
See, I decided to start a new game for personal reasons (see reason number three on the above list) and for once, things were actually looking up. I had an avatar with a face I could actually stand to look at, decent villagers that didn't make me want to punch a Nintendo game developer in the face for coming up with a such a stupid design, and what I consider a pretty awesome map. Yep, everything was all sunshine and rainbows for me.
My character, Hikari, became the mayor of the sleepy town of Starwood and everything was looking good. I planted some perfect fruit in her would-be back yard as per tradition in my other saves, and paid off the 10,000 Bells down payment on her house in a matter of hours.
Life was good.
Then I logged on to the game today, and my mouth literally dropped in horror of what had taken place in my town.
I know what you're thinking: Someone's moving in. What's the big deal?
Well, let me explain. You see, every town has a native fruit and when a new ACNL save is created, you usually get one piece of perfect fruit. One. Not one tree full of perfect fruit. You get one piece and one piece only to do with as you please, but the smart player knows you're supposed to farm it, so you don't end up riddled with debt. Now, the native fruit itself is valuable, but only if you have access to another players' town where that particular fruit is considered foreign. The perfect fruit, however, is worth double what the foreign fruit is worth, so I imagine you could understand why people would like to have it around.
So, now that that's been explained, let's turn our attention to the tiny, wilting tree in the picture. Uh-huh. Yep. Guess what that is?
If you guessed it's my perfect fruit tree -- my ONLY perfect fruit tree because it's the only I planted because I just started playing yesterday -- then you guessed right. Guess who is instantly out of, potentially, millions of Bells?
Yep, this gamer.
The really messed up part about this situation is that I didn't make any mistakes this time or anything like that. The only thing I did wrong was think it was an okay idea to plant a f*cking tree in my virtual back yard because who the f*ck does that, right -- it's completely out of the f*cking ordinary to have a tree in your Arceus-for-saken backyard!!!!
Guess it's back to beetle farming for me until I can convince one of the six people on my 3DS friends list who are all too busy playing Pokemon X/Y to care to let me into their town, so I can pawn my worthless native fruit on the shop owners there -- but wait a minute! Didn't Nintendo just disable the Spotpass function on Swapnote because some pre-teen boys thought it would be fun to send out drawings and probably actual pictures of their junk to all their online friends? Yep, I think they did!
Well, at least, I've got oranges to sell!!!!
Nerdy MJ Reviews: Dark Wolverine Vs. X-23
****WARNING**** MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS
Title: Daken: Dark Wolverine Vs. X-23: Collision
Title: Daken: Dark Wolverine Vs. X-23: Collision
Written By: Marjorie Liu & Daniel Way
Illustrated By: Giuseppe Camuncoli, Marco Checchetto, Ryan Stegman, Agustin Padilla, and Sana Takeda
Review: This Marvel graphic novel is set in the 2010 story arch "Wolverine: Road To Hell", and brings together a total of six comics from two of the three series that intertwine in said story arch.
Overall, this graphic novel tells the story of Daken meeting Laura Kinney, X-23, his kind of, sort of sister and explores his developing feelings of what I can only describe as familial ties to her.
Overall, this graphic novel tells the story of Daken meeting Laura Kinney, X-23, his kind of, sort of sister and explores his developing feelings of what I can only describe as familial ties to her.
It also, however, tells the story of Daken seizing control of the crime ridden city of Madripoor, so he can "go beyond the Weapon X" as a mutant with help from none other than Malcolm Colcord -- AKA Mr. Sinister. Yeah, because there's no way that could possibly ever go wrong and when it inevitably does go wrong, it leads to Daken teaming up with X-23 to bring Colcord down.
On a different part of the scope, the story continues to explore Laura's journey to find herself with Gambit along for the ride as a sort of sidekick. Although this time she seems a little less unsure of her own humanity, unlike in previous volumes of the X-23 series.
If nothing else, I could say that this graphic novel was wrongly titled. We actually get to see very little Daken V. X-23 action. We see them working together more than anything else throughout the novel, so I can only conclude that the title was chosen to grab the attention of Marvel fanboys who love a good fight scene and the possibility of seeing Daken ripping X-23's clothes to shreds. Even in a incestual, yet nonsexual but still kind of gross to think about sort of way.
God, what is wrong with me?
Anyway, the writers did an excellent job, penning a deep story with lots of plot twists. The story is emotionally gripping and does not disappoint in the action department. It's definitely one that will keep first-time readers on the edge of their seats.
The different art styles are a little hard to judge because the artists' independent styles are so vastly different from each other, though I will say the artwork in the very beginning of the novel was not to my liking. It was very rough and crude, and at times looked like something out of a Bugs Bunny cartoon. Luckily, though, the artwork did improve and is overall quite beautiful, in my opinion. Honestly, if I had to pick a favorite artist from the five that worked on this novel, I'm not sure I would be able to, but I definitely look forward to seeing more of their work in the future.
Overall, I'm going to have to give this one an eight out of ten. Honestly, I have to say, it would have received a ten out of ten, but I really just feel there wasn't as much as emotional depth to this story as there should have been and I really feel like Daken did not develop much as a character at all. I mean, yeah, he found out he has a clone for a sister, who is a complete and total badass and that he sort of doesn't hate her. Other than that, though, he really doesn't seem to change or develop or evolve in anyway, to me.
Maybe it's because I haven't read a lot of the comics about Daken. What can I say -- he's not my favorite character or even my favorite villain, for that matter. That's mostly because his existence really just screws with the continuity of the Marvel multiverse as I know it, but let's not get into the argument of whether or not Wolverine banged chicks other than Mariko in Japan and that it is a multiverse, so pretty much anything can happen. There's more to it than the continuity thing, but I won't go into it because it's like I said, he's not my favorite character. Hell, though, I survived The House of M -- AKA The Biggest Marvel Mind F*ck Of All Time -- so I can survive Wolverine having an estranged son.
But there also didn't seem to be very much character development for X-23 this time around, either. Which is weird because in the previous volumes of the X-23 series, she was all soul-searching and questioning her humanity, on a journey to find herself. In this graphic novel, the issue was rarely addressed.
In the end, though, I believe that eight out of ten is a fair score and, honestly, it's more than what I expected to give this particular graphic novel. Excited though I was to read it, I didn't really have high hopes for it just because Daken was in it (see above). Though, I will admit, he did manage to get some good jokes in.
I may or may not end up revisiting this graphic novel after I have finished collecting and reading the individual series, which make up the aforementioned Wolverine: Road To Hell story arch, but until then, my opinion probably won't be changing any time soon.
So, I guess, the only question that remains is: Is this graphic novel worth buying?
Well, it really depends on the reader. If you're a die-hard Wolverine fanboy, then yes. Hell yes. That means it's also probably a yes for X-23 or Daken fans just because they're related to Wolverine.
However, if you're a Marvel or X-Men fan who really just thinks Wolverine is meh or is sick of all the hype he gets in the movies, then you could probably skip out on this one.
At the end of the day, though, I would still probably recommend this graphic novel to readers of both those categories for two reasons: 1) It is not specifically a Wolverine story, so the Wolvie haters really don't have anything worry to whine about because whether they like or not, Daken and X-23 are not the same characters as Wolverine and it'd be ignorant of them to assume they were. 2) It is a hell of a good story.
Sure, it may have featured one of my least favorite Marvel villains of all time and there wasn't nearly as much character development as I'd have liked, but at the end of the day, the story still makes it worth reading. In my opinion, anyway.
God, what is wrong with me?
Anyway, the writers did an excellent job, penning a deep story with lots of plot twists. The story is emotionally gripping and does not disappoint in the action department. It's definitely one that will keep first-time readers on the edge of their seats.
The different art styles are a little hard to judge because the artists' independent styles are so vastly different from each other, though I will say the artwork in the very beginning of the novel was not to my liking. It was very rough and crude, and at times looked like something out of a Bugs Bunny cartoon. Luckily, though, the artwork did improve and is overall quite beautiful, in my opinion. Honestly, if I had to pick a favorite artist from the five that worked on this novel, I'm not sure I would be able to, but I definitely look forward to seeing more of their work in the future.
Overall, I'm going to have to give this one an eight out of ten. Honestly, I have to say, it would have received a ten out of ten, but I really just feel there wasn't as much as emotional depth to this story as there should have been and I really feel like Daken did not develop much as a character at all. I mean, yeah, he found out he has a clone for a sister, who is a complete and total badass and that he sort of doesn't hate her. Other than that, though, he really doesn't seem to change or develop or evolve in anyway, to me.
Maybe it's because I haven't read a lot of the comics about Daken. What can I say -- he's not my favorite character or even my favorite villain, for that matter. That's mostly because his existence really just screws with the continuity of the Marvel multiverse as I know it, but let's not get into the argument of whether or not Wolverine banged chicks other than Mariko in Japan and that it is a multiverse, so pretty much anything can happen. There's more to it than the continuity thing, but I won't go into it because it's like I said, he's not my favorite character. Hell, though, I survived The House of M -- AKA The Biggest Marvel Mind F*ck Of All Time -- so I can survive Wolverine having an estranged son.
But there also didn't seem to be very much character development for X-23 this time around, either. Which is weird because in the previous volumes of the X-23 series, she was all soul-searching and questioning her humanity, on a journey to find herself. In this graphic novel, the issue was rarely addressed.
In the end, though, I believe that eight out of ten is a fair score and, honestly, it's more than what I expected to give this particular graphic novel. Excited though I was to read it, I didn't really have high hopes for it just because Daken was in it (see above). Though, I will admit, he did manage to get some good jokes in.
I may or may not end up revisiting this graphic novel after I have finished collecting and reading the individual series, which make up the aforementioned Wolverine: Road To Hell story arch, but until then, my opinion probably won't be changing any time soon.
So, I guess, the only question that remains is: Is this graphic novel worth buying?
Well, it really depends on the reader. If you're a die-hard Wolverine fanboy, then yes. Hell yes. That means it's also probably a yes for X-23 or Daken fans just because they're related to Wolverine.
However, if you're a Marvel or X-Men fan who really just thinks Wolverine is meh or is sick of all the hype he gets in the movies, then you could probably skip out on this one.
At the end of the day, though, I would still probably recommend this graphic novel to readers of both those categories for two reasons: 1) It is not specifically a Wolverine story, so the Wolvie haters really don't have anything worry to whine about because whether they like or not, Daken and X-23 are not the same characters as Wolverine and it'd be ignorant of them to assume they were. 2) It is a hell of a good story.
Sure, it may have featured one of my least favorite Marvel villains of all time and there wasn't nearly as much character development as I'd have liked, but at the end of the day, the story still makes it worth reading. In my opinion, anyway.
Sunday, November 3, 2013
Decisions, Decisions
I am currently in the process of gathering supplies in order to repair a PC that was given to my husband and I by our roommate. I know, I know -- you're married and living with a roommate? Yeah, I know. I don't even wanna -- can we just say, its a college thing and leave it at that?
Anyway, there really isn't anything special about the PC. It was built by a local company that pretty much went under, save for one, lonely, little PC repair shop in a nearby town, is about seven years old, and is in need of a new motherboard for whatever reason. It was given to us with no monitor and no OS, so it wouldn't be unfair to say that there's a good chance that it is a worthless piece of crap, but despite its problems, our roommate swears up and down that it's actually good for playing games.
On low graphic settings but whatever.
Now, in the long run, I want to just turn this into the sort of family, living room PC that everyone can use with no qualms whatsoever. However, I would also like to try and get into doing Let's Plays. This is partially because, you know, I love playing video games and want to share that with other people, but it's also because I happen to have a little something known as social anxiety. It used to be a lot worse when I was younger. As a child, I couldn't be introduced to anyone or even order my own food at a restaurant without bursting into tears. It really pissed my family the hell off, so when I got older, I started to reason with myself that people weren't so scary and it started to get better.
For a while.
After some rather recent negative encounters with an estranged family member, I started to regress a bit and it got to the point where I was afraid to post on my own Facebook page. After a couple of months of living by a set of carefully constructed rules I'd developed strictly for the internet -- don't talk to strangers because they don't care about you, don't bother posting because no one will read it, don't share anything that will start an argument -- being pretty much as PC as is probably humanly freaking possible, I decided that things had to change....Plus, the fact that keeping all my emotions to myself was making me have anxiety attacks may have played a role.
So I figured, hey, why not do some Let's Plays?
It would give me a chance to practice my public speaking, play some new games, and learn to interact better with people. Hopefully.
Getting back on topic, though, because I want to do LPs, I've been doing a lot of research on which screen capture software would be best for me -- and other gamers and LPers -- to use on a plain, ol' regular computer with slightly limited (4GB) memory. For a while, I was leaning towards FRAPS because it seemed like a good software and the vast majority of LPers used it. Then I found out that a FRAPS save file would take up a lot of memory on my poor, ol' PCs hard drive. So I checked my research again for a good alternative and discovered that Bandicam save files actually take up less hard drive space and the software costs about the same price as FRAPS.
The only drawback to Bandicam is that there are certain games that it will not record in full screen mode, which I guess might be a dealbreaker for some LPers, but not for me. The way I see it, you can adjust the screen settings so that the game play takes up most of the monitor space, while still looking clear and then just record the footage like that. Oh, and bonus, going with Bandicam also means that I won't have to install additional software like Audacity or something because as far as sound recording and editing goes, Audacity is really the only good one (that I know of, granted) to record the LP narratives. That makes Bandicam the screen capture software for me.
For those of you who are considering doing some LPs yourselves, I will post links to both the FRAPS and Bandicam websites below, so you can compare and decide which software is best for you. And quick note: I actually am in the process of saving for the a legit, gamer PC build, so I'll be able to play and record better, but it's a really slow process so....Just wanted to throw that out there before anyone commented.
FRAPS
Bandicam
Anyway, there really isn't anything special about the PC. It was built by a local company that pretty much went under, save for one, lonely, little PC repair shop in a nearby town, is about seven years old, and is in need of a new motherboard for whatever reason. It was given to us with no monitor and no OS, so it wouldn't be unfair to say that there's a good chance that it is a worthless piece of crap, but despite its problems, our roommate swears up and down that it's actually good for playing games.
On low graphic settings but whatever.
Now, in the long run, I want to just turn this into the sort of family, living room PC that everyone can use with no qualms whatsoever. However, I would also like to try and get into doing Let's Plays. This is partially because, you know, I love playing video games and want to share that with other people, but it's also because I happen to have a little something known as social anxiety. It used to be a lot worse when I was younger. As a child, I couldn't be introduced to anyone or even order my own food at a restaurant without bursting into tears. It really pissed my family the hell off, so when I got older, I started to reason with myself that people weren't so scary and it started to get better.
For a while.
After some rather recent negative encounters with an estranged family member, I started to regress a bit and it got to the point where I was afraid to post on my own Facebook page. After a couple of months of living by a set of carefully constructed rules I'd developed strictly for the internet -- don't talk to strangers because they don't care about you, don't bother posting because no one will read it, don't share anything that will start an argument -- being pretty much as PC as is probably humanly freaking possible, I decided that things had to change....Plus, the fact that keeping all my emotions to myself was making me have anxiety attacks may have played a role.
So I figured, hey, why not do some Let's Plays?
It would give me a chance to practice my public speaking, play some new games, and learn to interact better with people. Hopefully.
Getting back on topic, though, because I want to do LPs, I've been doing a lot of research on which screen capture software would be best for me -- and other gamers and LPers -- to use on a plain, ol' regular computer with slightly limited (4GB) memory. For a while, I was leaning towards FRAPS because it seemed like a good software and the vast majority of LPers used it. Then I found out that a FRAPS save file would take up a lot of memory on my poor, ol' PCs hard drive. So I checked my research again for a good alternative and discovered that Bandicam save files actually take up less hard drive space and the software costs about the same price as FRAPS.
The only drawback to Bandicam is that there are certain games that it will not record in full screen mode, which I guess might be a dealbreaker for some LPers, but not for me. The way I see it, you can adjust the screen settings so that the game play takes up most of the monitor space, while still looking clear and then just record the footage like that. Oh, and bonus, going with Bandicam also means that I won't have to install additional software like Audacity or something because as far as sound recording and editing goes, Audacity is really the only good one (that I know of, granted) to record the LP narratives. That makes Bandicam the screen capture software for me.
For those of you who are considering doing some LPs yourselves, I will post links to both the FRAPS and Bandicam websites below, so you can compare and decide which software is best for you. And quick note: I actually am in the process of saving for the a legit, gamer PC build, so I'll be able to play and record better, but it's a really slow process so....Just wanted to throw that out there before anyone commented.
FRAPS
Bandicam
Friday, November 1, 2013
Tech Stuff
This is where I'll post about tech stuff, including my journey to saving up for and building my first legit gaming PC.
Gaming Vids & Tips
This is where I'll posting gaming vids and links to walkthroughs, Let's Plays, and things of that nature.
If there is a LP you'd like me to post about, please let me know.
If there is a LP you'd like me to post about, please let me know.
Cinema & Movies
Being a huge will movie buff, I have to have a page to post about cinema and movies. I just have to.
Now, not all of the movies I post will be in theatres because there are a lot of old movies on my Must Watch list, so hopefully you guys will enjoy reading about them.
If there's something you want to watch and write about, please feel free to suggest it in the comments below.
Now, not all of the movies I post will be in theatres because there are a lot of old movies on my Must Watch list, so hopefully you guys will enjoy reading about them.
If there's something you want to watch and write about, please feel free to suggest it in the comments below.
Nerdy Lit.
This is where I will be posting my reviews of new comic books, manga, graphic novels, and literature in general. Some of the regular novels I read will be nerdy, some won't. It's not a big deal, IMO. I will also be posting about books and series and such that I recommend people reading.
My collection of these things is quite small simply because I don't make a lot of money, so I can't afford to buy a lot. Though I usually get a new comic book or graphic novel once every two weeks or so.
If you have a series, comic, or book that you think I should read or would like me to review, please feel free to comment it on this page and I'll do my best to get around to reading it when I can.
My collection of these things is quite small simply because I don't make a lot of money, so I can't afford to buy a lot. Though I usually get a new comic book or graphic novel once every two weeks or so.
If you have a series, comic, or book that you think I should read or would like me to review, please feel free to comment it on this page and I'll do my best to get around to reading it when I can.
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