Tibbarerew.com

Windows Live! Writer

2006-08-15T09:51:00.000-07:00

I just downloaded Windows Live! Writer and thought I would give it a try. Recently I've been using Microsoft Office 2007 Beta to write and post my blog posts, the service was very obviously still a beta and had some rough edges. Well Windows Live! Writer is the blog posting feature from Office 2007 beta, but with far more polish, and the added bonus that it's a free download. Configuration is incredibly easy with Live! Writer, simply point it to your webpage and give it your username and password, with most of the major blog providers it'll detect the setting automatically. It even pulls in the CSS so you can see what your finished post will look like. I've gotta say I've been impressed by some of the things MS has been doing lately, but the new suite of Windows Live! apps is positioned to really give Google a run for their money.

The Superman That Almost Wasn’t

2006-06-26T11:33:00.000-07:00

With Superman Returns just around the corner, I thought this might be a good time to explore the long, complex and sometimes worrisome path to its creation. Producer Jon Peters has been the producer behind Superman for a decade. During the time he’s been in charge he’s sat and talked with many writers, directors and actors. There were no less than four scripts turned in and several “A-List” talents involved. I doubt anyone can truly unweave the tangled web which is the history of this film completely, but hopefully I can give you a little background and a reason to be thankful Bryan Singer’s vision is the one they finally went with.

In 1996 Kevin Smith (yes that Kevin Smith) was hired to write a draft of a Superman script. Some of Smith’s comments on the process can really shed a light on why it took so long to get here. I’ll let Smith tell you in his own words. Here’s one of the things Smith had to say about Peters

“He was always saying that Brainiac should give Luthor a space dog, something from that menagerie of his. He gives Luthor a dog; Luthor is afraid of the dog, and the dog hates him. I’m like, ‘It doesn’t really lend to the story; why do you want that?’ ‘Because I need a Chewie.’ This was during the time of STAR WARS’ re-release, and he said, ‘Chewie’s cuddly, man. You could make a toy out of him, so you’ve got to give me a dog.’”

To sum it up, Peters is a flavor of the month type of guy. He wants what’s already selling out there. He wants to cash in on other people success. Peters even wanted to take some “inspiration” from Smith’s own movie in the form of a gay L-Ron (Brainiacs robot sidekick). Peters wanted a “gay R2D2”. Peters had several other crazy requirements, including Brainiac fighting polar bears on his way to the Fortress of Solitude and Supes fighting a giant spider in the third act. To be fair that’s the only complaint smith seems to have about him, but it’s a pretty big one from Superman fan point of view. In 1997 Smith is out because Tim Burton is in.

Tim Burton came onto the project in 1997. The thought was if he was successful with Batman, why not Superman. I could list all the reasons it should never have been considered, but hopefully they are obvious. No matter how crazy it was the project was in full swing, including actor Nicholas Cage as Superman. By this time the project had taken on the name Superman Lives and was the subject of many rumors. In 1998 Tim Burton was off the film and the project is dead in the water. A year later the project is back with Nicholas Cage and a script by Dan Gilroy. The project hangs in creative limbo.

In 1999 Warner Brothers starts talking a whole new project, a Superman Batman team up, or maybe Superman versus Batman, it really all depended on what day of the week it was. The fact that this project was supposedly a serious consideration put Superman lives on the back burner. In 2000 Nicholas Cage left because it was just plain taking to long. Nothing against Nicholas Cage, but I let out a heavy sigh of relief that day.

For the next two years rumors fly, none of them worth mentioning here. In 2002 though, there’s new talent on the movie. McG, the director of the Charlie’s Angels films is signed to start the process from scratch. Gone are all the past incarnations and the process starts in earnest. Before long J.J. Abrams is writing a script and Brendan Fraser is rumored to be the new Superman. Waiting in the wings however is the Superman/Batman movie. In July 2002 WB announces they’re going forward with Superman/Batman, it’s canceled a month later however in favor of two separate movies.

At the end of 2002 McG was off the Superman film and Brett Ratner was on as director of a script by J.J. Abrams. A few quick notes about the J.J. Abrams script. This script was crap. In the script Krypton isn’t destroyed, Clark’s suit has a mind of its own, Superman dies (and is brought back by a stern talking to by Jor-El) and then the worst part happens, the stupidest thing I think I’ve ever read. Lex Luthor turns out to be from Krypton. J.J. Abrams may have a gift for dialogue and be a good writer, but he can’t find a good story to save his life.

From here all we hear is that Ratner is out. It’s not until 2004 when Bryan Singer is brought on that we start hearing more. The movie gets fast tracked and everyone involved says it’s incredible. Even Jon Peters admits he tried to do it wrong for a decade. I have high hopes for Superman Returns, it’s got a little of the old, a little of the new and hopefully a lot of fun. This could very well have been worth the wait and it certainly beats the runners up. Check out RavingMedia.info for a review as soon as I get to see it.

The Legacy of the Flash

2006-06-26T08:19:00.000-07:00

The Flash is second only to Superman, Wonder Woman and Batman when it comes to longest running series. Since 1940 there’s only been 5 years without a Flash. When it comes to comicbook legacy’s the Flash is second to no hero. Last Wednesday a new chapter in the legacy began, but before we get to that, let’s start at the beginning.

The Flash first raced through comicbook pages in 1940. At the time his name was Jay Garrick and he was the fastest man alive. Jay was a student at Midwestern University where he studied science, specifically the gases from “hard water”. One day while working in the lab Jay knocks over several containers and the fumes render him unconscious. A few days later in the hospital he discovers he’s got super speed. During his run Jay mostly fought common criminals, with one notable exception. In Flash Comics #104 a rival speedster was introduced, Dr. Edward Clariss, a chemistry teacher at Midwestern University. Wearing a darker version of the Flashes costume he used his temporary speed formula to commit crimes. This was the first evil speedster, but certainly not the last. For 11 years Jay wore the lightning bolt and his distinctive metal helm. In 1951, as interest in superhero comics died out, Flash was canceled.

In 1956 DC Editor Julius Schwartz asked Robert Kanigher and Carmine Infantino to revive the character of The Flash for Showcase #4. Schwartz wanted everything about the character to be different. Kanigher and Infantino came up with Barry Allen, police scientist. While working in his lab late one night lightning struck a shelf of chemicals dousing Barry. Barry took on a brand new costume and started fighting crime.

Barry was a very different Flash then Jay Garrick, the most notable difference however was Barry’s rogue’s gallery. To this day the Flash has one of the most colorful (in some cases very literally) and diverse groups of villains. The themes of the Flashes villains are pretty simple for the most part, Captain Cold uses a cold gun, Captain Boomerang uses trick boomerangs, Heatwave has a heat gun and Weather Wizard controls weather. That’s just a small sample of the Flashes villains though, and one of the more unique things about them is they would work together to rid themselves of the Flash. Another unusual thing about Barry is he was married, at the time a married super hero was unheard of.

In issue #139 Flash met the Reverse Flash, Eobard Thawne. The 25^th century has a Flash of its own, but he’s the opposite of Barry Allen, right down to the color of his uniform. The Reverse Flash was Barry’s greatest enemy, he killed Barry’s wife, Iris West and tortured Barry for years using his knowledge of history to appear at the happiest times in Barry’s life. When Thawne returned to kill Barry’s fiancée, Fiona Webb, Barry did the only thing he could to save her, he kill Thawne. This lead to a storyline which would continue until the end of Barry’s series, the trial of the Flash for manslaughter. For me these issues have a very special meaning since these are the issues that not only got me interested in the Flash, but comics in general. In 1985, with issue #350 Barry Allen’s run as the Flash ended. Shortly thereafter, in crisis on Infinite Earths Barry was killed in action.

Shortly after Barry started his run as the Flash he was given a sidekick, Kid Flash, Wally West. Issue #110 of Flash Comics introduced us to Wally West, Iris West’s nephew, and the Flashes biggest fan. The Flash takes Wally to the scene of his own accident and demonstrates how he got his powers, going so far as to rearrange the chemicals exactly as they were the day he became the Flash. Just as he’s finished a lightning bolt hits the rack and douses Wally in the same chemicals. In a costume identical to Barry’s (but smaller) Wally began his three decade career as Kid Flash. In issue #135 of Flash Comics Wally gets his own costume (one of the coolest speedster costumes if you ask me). After Barry’s death Wally takes on the mantle of the Flash. For me this is the point where the Flash really becomes a legacy. Wally steps up and tries to fill the shoes of his mentor, he’s the first of the teen sidekicks to fulfill his potential and it’s not easy. With DC’s recent Infinite Crisis Wally has disappeared with his wife and their twin children. All we really know is they’ve gone to someplace good, that’s not the speed force. In the wake we’re left without a Flash, that was until last week.

Last week the fourth chapter in the legacy of the Flash started. Bart Allen, Barry’s grandson (he’s from the future but that’s another story entirely) will be stepping up to take the mantle of the Flash and this could be quite an interesting ride. The new series is written by Paul DeMeo and Danny Bilson (the guys responsible for the Flash TV series). The series has a strong start with excellent artwork. I can’t wait to see where this goes.

The legacy of the Flash is a rare one in comics. It’s a legacy that allows the character to grow and change. The Flash has been updated many times and they’ve laid the ground work for it happen again when the time is right. The legacy of the Flash is also a big part of what keeps the series going and lets the story move to new places. I’m interested to see the take on Bart Allen learning to fill Wally and Barry’s shoes. The journey to him becoming his own hero should be quite interesting and it’s looking like a fresh take on the scarlet speedster.

Welcome to the new Tibbarerew.com

2006-06-12T14:41:00.000-07:00

This site has been around for a while and undergone many changes and revisions. Well I'm undoing a lot of that and restructuring it much as I originally intended it, as a personal blog. So from now on expect me to voice my personal opinion on any and all topics in this new and improved version of Tibbarerew.com.

Map Tech: Google Maps, spy enabled.

2005-04-15T13:38:00.000-07:00

the_unexplained: So tonight I spied on Area 51. Actually: "So tonight I spied on Area 51. Actually, maybe I should explain a little more, before I lead with such a tempting sentence. If you go to CNN�s website tonight, you will see a story about google�s new map search service. Basically, the company has integrated satellite technology into their map-searching site, and now you can get ACTUAL photographs beamed directly from somewhere in space. This section of the page just launched a day or two ago, and already many people are upset because they feel, for some reason, having satellite mapping software on the web that gives basic users the ability to stare at the roof of someone else�s house is an invasions of privacy (Sheesh, what prudes.) "

I think this is cool technology. I mean imagine all the cool stuff you can see. You can scan central park for people having sex, you can check out all the homeless people in America, you can search for Bigfoot in the pacific northwest and even try to find your lost dog. Or not. Even at it's highest zoom it's impossible to make out even cars, let alone people. Some people are worried about privacy. It's neat but not very good at invading people's privacy, heck I could barely make out Neverland. After some research I also found some of the images are over two years old. Cool it is, a privacy issue it ain't.

Tech: Comcast ups speed, drops the ball.

2005-04-15T06:29:00.000-07:00

Comcast recently started up grading their speed to 4Mb. Which is great, I love to see the numbers go up on data transfer. The problem is right after they did it people started having connection problems. This wasn't one of those local problems it was nationwide.

My Way News: "Comcast's high-speed Internet customers nationwide have suffered Web and e-mail problems since last week, the company said Thursday.
The intermittent nature of the problem made it difficult to pinpoint how many of Comcast's nearly 7 million broadband customers have been affected, Comcast spokeswoman Jeanne Russo said.
Some Web pages took a long time to load or were inaccessible altogether. E-mail was down for some.
The exact cause of the problem had not been determined, but the troubles related to Comcast's Domain Name Server system, which translates easy-to-remember domain names like 'AP.org' into a Web site's actual numeric address, Russo said.
The latest service disruption started about 8:30 p.m. Wednesday and ended shortly after midnight. Customers experienced similar problems last Thursday and during a three-hour period Tuesday starting around 6:30 p.m."

Computer Tech: The worst mouse

2005-04-12T14:00:00.000-07:00

Leave it to sony to throw caution to the wind and give us the worst designed mouse ever. Apparently this for all those people who thing ergonomic design is just "the man keeping us down".

???e???????[Sony eCatalog]

Tech: Tiny Drone

2005-04-05T10:37:00.000-07:00

Wasp MAV: Seven-Ounce Drone : Gizmodo: "Smaller than the death-dealing, missle-launching UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehice) drones is the MAV�the Micro Air Vehicle. This particular model, called the Wasp, is currently being tested with the Nimitz Carrier Strike Group and weighs just seven ounces. It can be controlled from the ground (via a taut string and an 11-year-old) or can wirelessly follow a pre-plotted path using GPS coordinates, snapping pictures from forward and aft cameras. It�s not unlike the ship-orbiting �options� from Gradius, except they can�t deflect as much laser fire."

Alright, so I need this for the Mech paintball thing so I can take overhead shots of all the action.

Robot Tech: Coolest real mech yet

2005-04-05T10:32:00.000-07:00

That's right, this bad boy is the coolest REAL mech so far. It shuffles more then it walks. It only goes 1.5km/hr but it's got guns. They shoot foam balls. I'm thinking swap them out for paintball guns, build a city mockup and charge people a ton of money for 30 minutes blowing their friends up. Now if only I can figure how to make jump jets...

Sakakibara Kikai's Land Walker Robot : Gizmodo

Akira Scooter Mod : Gizmodo

2005-04-05T10:14:00.000-07:00

Akira Scooter Mod : Gizmodo: "I just thought you’d like a little more info about that story. According to the ITMedia article, it’s based off of the Honda Fusion (http://www.honda.co.jp/motor-lineup/fusion/index.html). There’s two (well, three) types for sale. A new Fusion, pre-modded will run you around Y1,155,000 (that’s in “Fighting Red” color). One that is painted to look more like the real (?) thing is called Kaneda Red and that will run you Y1,470,000. If you already have a Fusion and you just want the body kit, the bolt-on kit will run you Y630,000.

This is all put together by Saitaniya, a custom parts maker out of Osaka. They’ve been working on this for over a year, trying to get a kit that would be easy to put together and also not cost an arm and a leg. They say that if you can change your own muffler, then you can assemble the kit."

Ultra-Lightweight LCD Glasses

2005-04-05T10:12:00.000-07:00

I4U News - Ultra-Lightweight LCD Glasses: "Japanese Nikkei.Net reports aboout Scalar Corp. introducing a wearable LCD screeen that only weighs 7g.

The Scalar Teleglasses can be mounted on ordinary eye-glasses. The 0.24' 180,000 pixel LCD chip creates a 14' TV screen viewed in 1m distance.

The weight of just 7g is just amazing. The price for the LCD HMD is set at 50,000 yen (~$459.62). "

Video Tech: Cool JVC Camera

2005-04-04T14:29:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure how many people know this but not only am I a writer, I like to think of myself as a filmmaker too. I've been drooling over a Canon camera for quite some time, but now I have a JVC to drool over.

The GY-HD100 is an incredible camera. It has a native resolution of 16:9. It does up to 1080i recording. It has standard DV media as well as a built in harddrive. The harddrive is removable for quick easy editing. The lenses are also interchangeable.

The camera uses 3 CCD's and is extremely compact. It is also one of the most flexible camcorders I've seen when it comes to formats. Admittedly it's standard resolution is PAL (at least in the information I saw) but I won't be shooting standard resolution with this bad boy.

No pricing information but as soon as I know I'll let you guys know. All I know is it won't be cheap.

The JVC GY-HD100 & BR-HD50E HD recorder

Gmail to up capacity.

2005-04-01T07:57:00.000-08:00

My Way News: "A year after unveiling a free e-mail service with a full gigabyte of storage, Google Inc. (GOOG) is doubling the capacity of each account and plans to keep bumping up the limit in the future.
Once the upgrade takes effect Friday, Gmail users will be able to store up to 2 gigabytes of e-mail and attachments for each account. Even more capacity will be made available after that as it becomes feasible, the company said."

The article goes on to say that Google plans on upgrading storage space as often as possible. They want to make sure storage isn't a problem. That makes me very happy and means I won't be leaving Gmail anytime soon.

Tech: Tiny PC

2005-03-29T08:35:00.000-08:00

Linux system squishes into Ethernet connector

OK so it's based on linux, it's got 2mb or 4mb of flash memory. a 36, 36 or 55 mhz processor and builtin networking. I'm thinking cluster, not sure what I would do with the cluster, but something. I could maybe make a really powerful calculator. Other then that I dunno.

Space Tech: One small step for NASA

2005-03-24T18:35:00.000-08:00

Wired News: NASA Follows X Prize Footsteps: "It's time to dust off your never-finished plans to develop Spider-Man-strength webbing and wireless power transmitters.
NASA announced Wednesday that it will award $50,000 each to the first teams to develop a Space Age tether and a wireless method for powering robots. "

See this is the kind of thing I like to see. NASA is finding ways to develope new and interesting technology. If I had any sort of engineering skills I would be all over something like this. Of course I'm more of a code geek then a hardware geek so I'll leave this to professionals. A wireless power source could be very cool though.

Thinking Shoes

2005-03-23T12:08:00.000-08:00

Engadget has a review of a pair of Adidas 1. They are a shoe with a microprocessor to control the cushion. They say they seem to work fine and be more then a gimmick, but they cost $250 so it's a little steep for shoes. According to the reviewer they are also very ugly in person.

Adidas 1 review - Engadget - www.engadget.com

DIY Robots

2005-03-23T11:22:00.000-08:00

New Radio Shack Vex Robotics kits - Engadget - www.engadget.com: "All right, robot hobbyists, get ready to share your enthusiasm with your kids, your students, or perhaps cater to the kid inside with Radio Shack�s new Vex Robotics Design Systems. The kits, available next month at Radio Shack outlets nationwide, will offer a competitively priced Erector-set-style robotics environment, including a pro-level radio controller, programmable micro controller, and over 500 parts for assembling autonomous bots. Designed to fill the gap between entry-level kits of the Lego Mindstorm variety and expensive, top-level kits, the $299 Vex Robotics systems will come with a manual aimed at educators to help encourage students� interest in engineering and robotics. After the release of the product, Radio Shack plans to roll out a host of add-ons, programming modules and sensors to expand the possibilities beyond the standard kit."

Sign me up, I love building robots : ).

Software Tech: Barbie OS?

2005-03-17T15:03:00.000-08:00

A Linux Distro for Barbie?

That's right, Barbie has her own OS. BarbieOS, and it's based on Linux. The OS will be featured on Mattels new line of Barbie laptops. The laptops should be available for christmas and are supposed to be complete desktop replacements. No one tell my wife because then she'll want one. I however could really do without it. We'll just have to see if Barbie can topple Microsoft in the hearts of little girls (like the kids will even care what OS it's Barbie releated).

Computer Tech: Why a Mac?

2005-03-16T15:15:00.000-08:00

DIY arcade game from a Mac G4 - Engadget - www.engadget.com: "People find many creative ways of repurposing their old machines, though few are quite as creative as creativebastard, who spent a full year converting his old dual 500MHz Mac G4 into a classic arcade-style gamebox. Can�t beat that canary yellow, nohow."

So why would you do this with a Mac when you can do it much cheaper with a PC? The parts are all out there and frankly the PC itself has got to be cheaper. It won't be any more stable running arcade emulators, it's not easier to mod (in fact it would be harder to mod). Some people need to let their Mac obssesion go and use a PC when there's no reason for a mac.

Robots: Spider Walker

2005-03-16T15:11:00.000-08:00

Giant spiderbot: not your average John Deere offering - Engadget - www.engadget.com: "So we readily admit to having been lulled into complacency by the selection of John Deere farm and lawn equipment heretofore witnessed, but never again will we write this company off � not after seeing the giant spiderbot walking forest machine. The Finnish subsidiary of the mighty JD, Plustech, adapts automagically to the forest floor terrain by making what we can only imagine as deft usage of its six articulated legs. Forward, sideways, diagonal � whatever it takes, this machine can handle (we hear it can do a mean Boot Scootin� Boogie). Its motions are all computer-controlled, and � here�s the best part � the user interface to the operator is a simple ol� joystick. Alright, now � who do we have to talk to about developing a simulation for the PSP?"

OK I totally need one of these. It'd be great for live action Rifts. Who doesn't want a giant spider robot vehichle that can travel anywhere it wants?

Tech: Dyson reinvents the ball

2005-03-15T13:43:00.000-08:00

Dyson DC15 - The Ball

Dyson makes cool and very expensive vaccum cleaners. This new one is out to change the way your vaccum moves by placing it on a ball. The idea is the motion of the ball will make it easier to steer through cluttered rooms. I have to say it looks pretty cool and it seems to turn very nicely in the demo videos on the site.

Game Tech: Logitechs new mouse

2005-03-15T13:09:00.000-08:00

Peripherals: Input : Gizmodo

The MX518 sounds like a winner to me. Not only does it process at 5.8 megapixles/second it also has configurable resolution at the touch of a button. You can go through 5 levels of resolution from 400 to 1600 dpi. It's also got 8 buttons and looks cool. I don't think it beats my MX1000 though.

Tech: 25 DVD's itty bitty living space

2005-03-14T13:15:00.000-08:00

IBM lets Millipede storage out for a stroll CNET News.com: "The MEMS prototype can hold the equivalent of 25 DVDs on an area the size of a postage stamp, IBM said. MEMS stands for micro-electrical-mechanical system."

That sounds like the future of portable PVR's to me. 25 DVD's on a tiny chip, how cool is that? Guess it depends on access times.

Tech: Detachable Display

2005-03-14T13:10:00.000-08:00

Toshiba shows off detachable notebook display - Engadget - www.engadget.com: "It almost looks a little bit disturbing, seeing the headless notebook with detached screen, as if you�ve just perpetrated your own worst nightmare and dropped your laptop to the floor, severing its hinge. Once we get past our separation anxiety, Toshiba�s detachable display starts looking like a pretty sweet idea, enabling you to get the benefits of a Tablet PC with all the computing power of a traditional notebook. The prototype they pitched at CeBIT was a 12.1-inch TFT LCD screen, XGA resolution (1024 x 768 pixels), communicating with the mothership via 802.11b. However, there�s some bad news (as usual) � the detachable displays won�t be ready for market for at least another two to three years, and nobody�s gonna get attached to the battery life on these units: currently an hour, with hopes to extend to two to three hours by the time they go into production."

OK this is pretty cool, except the battery life. But still a tablet that detaches from it's keyboard, I want one.

Welcome

2005-01-06T18:09:00.000-08:00

Welcome to Tibbarerew.com, this blog will focus on technology. This should round out our ever growing media empire. Let us know what you think.