I forgot to mention that in front of Pirates 2, there is a new Disney logo.. and it’s amazing. Mike Gabriel is supposedly the one who designed it, and I was blown away. It’s all 3D.. nighttime, the camera pulling back across a city and water, then up and to the side revealing a very large Sleeping Beauty castle. I believe there were fireworks, too..

I’m sure someone will post it up on YouTube or Google Video soon..

Updated 2006-07-10: Here's a static shot of the new logo:

Update 08-16-2006: Someone posted a rip of the new logo on YouTube. Click here to view it on their site (this means you, LiveJournalers), or I've embedded it below:

August 27th, 2006 Update: Please check out my new site, MickeyRevealed.com for more Disney trivia/secrets!

Replying to Susan about my Astro Blaster’s score, I made a list of tips/secrets for the ride. Let me know if you have any more!

1) Just keep shooting, every 5 "misses" or so, you get some "pity points". It's so kids don't get a score of 0 even if they didn't hit anything. You'll know you've hit something if the back of your gun flashes white.

2) Aim for these shapes (in order from highest to lowest points): diamond, triangle, square, circle. Targets that are lit up give you more points. Aim for the tiny black hole in the center of the target.

3) There is a hidden target (at least at Disneyland) actually on the Zerg character, in the center of his armor. It's a tiny black hole.

4) There is another hidden target in the dark tunnel.. you'll see one on your left, and one on your right.. but look up! It's worth 100k!

August 27th, 2006 Update: Please check out my new site, MickeyRevealed.com for more Disney trivia/secrets!

What a great movie, and a perfect followup to the original. My only disappointment is in myself for forgetting that they are already working on/almost done with a third (and this film’s ending leaves you hanging..)

But I highly recommend it if you liked the first one. ILM has really outdone themselves with the special effects; Davy Jones just looks real.

Also, stay after the credits are over for a funny little followup to one of the minor characters.

And with that, I’m totally exhausted and going to bed. ‘Night!

August 27th, 2006 Update: Please check out my new site, MickeyRevealed.com for more Disney trivia/secrets!

 

 

I almost forgot to post my picture from Astro Blasters.. a new high score for myself, 600k+! Awesome. Next time I hope for at least 800k.

Related: For tips on getting a high score, check out my other blog post.

August 27th, 2006 Update: Please check out my new site, MickeyRevealed.com for more Disney trivia/secrets!

Yesterday I went to Disneyland with some friends, snapped some photos, and generally had a fun time. Got to ride the new version of Pirates, and it was pretty darn cool. The Davy Jones mist effect is pretty neat, and fits perfectly where they placed it. I also noticed some of the “burning” effects are updated. While passing through the burning town, there is a man above you (the “dirty feet” pirate) who is holding a jug. The top of the jug now has a tiny flame coming out of it. Later on, when you’re passing through the burning buildings, there are little fires on the hottest parts. It’s hard to explain, and I wish I had taken photos of ‘em.

The person in the front of our boat kept taking photos every couple of seconds, flashes and all, until someone else spoke up about it and he stopped. Ugh. Talk about common sense. Another irritating thing happened on the Haunted Mansion ride— a young kid with a laser pointer thinking it’s funny to use it everywhere during the ride. In Leota’s chamber, he shone it on her head, making the video all red and washed out, as well as reflecting in everyone’s eyes. Where are the parents? Bah. Anyways, I finally got to see the new “spirit” effect in the Haunted Mansion, and it’s not as cool as people made it out it to be, but it is definitely a welcome update to the attraction.

In a completely random subject, I found out that a nice splash of Goldbond body powder on my thighs successfully kept them from rubbing and getting raw as they usually do when it’s hot and I’m walking around all day. That might have been too much information for some people, or it could be a godsend for others. Who knows.

For lunch/dinner, we ate at the new “Cafe Orleans” (I believe that’s the name of it..) It’s signage is updated to be better themed with Pirates. Kind of strange, but cool. Their menu is totally different from before. I had a delicious Monte Cristo sandwich— I had no idea what a Monte Cristo sandwich even was before then, but I didn’t regret ordering it one bit. You’ve got your meat, your cheese, your fried pastry shell, and then to top it off a sweet-tasting berry syrup to dip it in? Count me in. Heart attacks, ahoy!

So yeah, that’s about it. Tomorrow I’m supposed to go with the gang and watch Pirates of the Carribean: Dead Man’s Chest. It’s getting mixed reviews, so here’s hoping for the best. Ciao!

August 27th, 2006 Update: Please check out my new site, MickeyRevealed.com for more Disney trivia/secrets!

To my brilliant neighbors who decided attaching an M-80 to an arrow and firing it straight up would be a good idea: @!($)%* you!

Your arrow missed my friend’s young daughter by two feet.

Gah. Next time, do the world a favor and hold the M-80 in your mouth.

Found this online, don’t quite remember where, but it’s a scan from the “Raising the Bar” book about Half-Life 2’s development. If you’re a fan of the game, it might be of some interest to you. I know it was to me.

Also, these people are not the ones who do the voices for the character(at least for the major characters.)

Voice Actors:

Robert Guillaume - Dr. Eli Vance
Robert Culp - Dr. Wallace Breen
Lou Gossett, Jr. - Vortigaunt
Michelle Forbes - Dr. Judith Mossman
Merle Dandridge - Alyx Vance
Mike Shapiro - Barney Calhoun
Mike Shapiro - Gman
Harry S. Robins - Dr. Isaac Kleiner
Jim French - Father Grigori
John Patrick Lowrie - Citizens/Misc. characters
Mary Kae Irvin - Citizens/Misc. characters
Ellen McLane - Overwatch voice

Character Face Models:

Jamil Mullen – Alyx Vance
Scott Lynch – Barney Calhoun
Larry "The Count" Heard – Dr. Eli Vance

Got a widescreen monitor? I’ve got a Dell 2005FP and I love it. Or maybe your laptop is widescreen? Check out these wallpapers. There are some “not safe for work” ones in there, but for the most part they are harmless. My current one:

Oh yeah, almost forgot about this site too. It seems to have more photographic widescreen wallpapers.

And if you'd like some amazing Disney wallpapers, DaddyB can help ya out!

Update 08-12-2006: Found another site called InterfaceLIFT which has tons and tons of widescreen (and regular) wallpapers.

You’ll only notice this if you view my blog directly, but I’ve added some of my blogroll links, as well as my “user bars”. Yes, user bars are kind of cheesy, but I like em, so there. Neener.

Great YouTube video someone made of what it might be like if Jean Luc encountered the Death Star from Star Wars. Enjoy!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wow. The Transformer’s (movie!) teaser is out, and I’m excited. I don’t care what anyone says about Michael Bay. I know he’s an adrenaline junkie, but I totally enjoyed The Island, Pearl Harbor, Bad Boys (1&2), Armageddon and The Rock.

Heh. I’ll say it again. I’m a geek.

 

 

 

Searched around a bit more and found another video on YouTube from the new pirates ride. Check it out here.

I've heard that the lightning is now more realistic, and someone mentioned it being "purple". Dunno what to make of that. The treasure pile does seem to have more stuff in it, as well as a "sparkling" effect.

Here's a video with actual footage of the Jack animatronic moving about in different parts of the ride, as well as Barbossa commanding the ship.

And yet another video of returning back to the station on the new ride. There seems to be an actual map now of where you just went through, and the parrot is on top of a shovel. Sweet.

And finally, footage of Jack's hidden treasure room. Not sure where this is on the ride...

Whew. I'm such a geek.

August 27th, 2006 Update: Please check out my new site, MickeyRevealed.com for more Disney trivia/secrets!

Wow. Someone on YouTube has posted the Scientology orientation video(s). Be afraid, kids.

PopSugar has tons of pictures from this weekend's premiere of Pirates of the Carribean: Dead Man's Chest, along with the newly revamped ride. Check 'em out here.

August 27th, 2006 Update: Please check out my new site, MickeyRevealed.com for more Disney trivia/secrets!

MSN Video has a big preview of the ride, sort of a behind the scenes/making of. Check it out!

There's also an official Disney website up, and if you follow the "Attraction Enhancements" link, you'll get another video detailing the updates.

August 27th, 2006 Update: Please check out my new site, MickeyRevealed.com for more Disney trivia/secrets!

Check out this thread on the tellnotales.com messageboard for some sweet pictures of the new Pirates ride.

August 27th, 2006 Update: Please check out my new site, MickeyRevealed.com for more Disney trivia/secrets!

Wow. Check out this video posted by doombuggies.com :

Can't wait to see more!

I went to Disneyland this past Monday and was pleasantly surprised to find that the attic has been updated, both effects-wise and story-wise. The Disney Blog has a quick blurb on it, linking to a thread on the Disney MiceChat forums with lots and lots of pictures. If you want even more pictures, DoomBuggies.com's forums has 'em.

There are pictures throughout the attic of the bride (now named "Constance") with various husbands. Every couple of seconds their heads disappear.. it's very creepy, and the effect looks "natural". Don't know how else to say it. The old bride used to be in the right corner as you left the attic, but now she is in the right, and is totally updated to be projected/live-action. She stands there holding a bouquet and saying random marriage phrases, such as "'Til death do us part..".. sometimes during these, her bouquet morphs into an axe which shimmers and makes a swishing sound. It's awesome!

Someone posted good footage of the new bride on YouTube:



You might notice the music is louder now, as is the beating heart sound. The shadow piano player is still there, in the side of the room just before you see the bride. That effect seems to be better, too, but I can't place my finger on why.

There are other updates happening slowly around the Haunted Mansion -- if you haven't been in a while, you might not know that the seance room has been revamped a bit. (As of a year ago,) Madame Leota's head now floats around the room in the crystal ball (instead of staying put on the table.) I'd post a picture if I had one. It's a very cool effect, and further detaches you from thinking "this is all just trickery.." -- Supposedly there are going to be even more effects added soon to this room, such as spirits fading in and out with fog/smoke, as if they were "coming through" because of Leota's incantations. Nice. I've heard they will be updating the "hitchhiking ghosts" (that you see in the mirror at the end of the ride.) They will be more developed animatronics, and rumor has it they will be amazing, very top-notch.

Indiana Jones might have had some updates, too, but I can't remember 100% -- inside the chamber of destiny, it looks like the roof is now full of stars and sky.. I don't remember that being there before. I know there used to be an ice maker up there, that would flash-freeze a sheet of water and make it fall in front of your car (like the ceiling was collapsing) but heard the effect never worked 100% of the time so it was removed..

---

Anyhow, that was my Disneyland experience. I can't wait to go back again, and see what else is in store for the future. Here's hoping the Finding Nemo submarine ride is pretty cool..

August 27th, 2006 Update: Please check out my new site, MickeyRevealed.com for more Disney trivia/secrets!

This is the first post in my blog-- well, okay, technically I've had a blog since April of 2000 (tail end of my high school experience.) That was back in the LiveJournal days. I was user number 2012 to join LiveJournal. I'm "old school", yo!

Reading my LiveJournal entries is strange. With time has come a better understanding of the world, and knowledge that the things I thought were big deals growing up, aren't really that big of a deal in the real world. It's all relative I suppose.

Anyhow. Welcome to the new blog location. I'm going to be posting in here a lot more often, and trying to mix it up a bit (technical stuff, music, movies, televisions, reviews..)

I bought World of Warcraft a few weeks ago to try it out (lots of friends are on there already..) so, yeah. I tried it for a few days and honestly didn't dig it that much. I figured I'd sell my game on eBay and try to recoup my losses. I ended up selling it fairly quickly, and I thought that's that.

It turns out there is a primary activation key that comes with the game, and a "guest pass" key. I used the primary activation key, and now, according to Blizzard (the developers of the game) that means that no one else can activate/create an account with that key. The person who bought my copy is trying to create an account, but cannot do so without a "new" activation key. Also, if he uses the guest pass key, it only works for 10 days, and after that he has to enter a retail activation key.

This all boils down to the fact that I now have to refund this guy's money, hope he mails it back.. and I cannot sell a game that I bought! The game is essentially forced to be mine now. Thanks a lot, Blizzard.

Has anyone else had to deal with this ridiculous policy? I might write a nice long letter to Blizzard tonight..

Bible study was mucho awesome last night. The church's youth leader, Dave, started us on a series he made about God's word when it comes to attracting, dating, courting and marrying the very best person God has intended for us to be with. I was blown away. Even if you aren't a Christian, you have to recognize some of these truths.

To start off with, there is a picture of a pyramid, with "Physical" at the top (small), "Mental/Emotional" in the middle (medium), and "Spiritual" at the bottom (large.) It represents the most important aspects of finding that person. The world tends to flip this pyramid on it's point, and make it seem like "Physical" is the most important. What a lie..

How to determine good character:

1. Observe their behavior in stressful times. (James 1:19-20)
[my notes: 'quick to listen, slow to speak']
2. Check out their reputation with others (Song of Solomon 1:4)
2a. Ask yourself:
- Would I feel honored to go on a date with this person?
- Would I feel privilaged to be seen in church with them?
- Would I be excited about bringing this person home to meet my parents, grandparents, etc.?
[my notes: Love is a learned behavior, not a feeling!]
3. Observe their obedience to authority. (Song of Solomon 1:5-6) [my notes: Observe how a woman treats her father. How a man treats his mother...]
4. They should never ask you to comprimise your character to be with them. (Song of Solomon 1:7)
5. They must have a daily quiet time with the Lord. [my notes: schedule out your day, see where your time is spent. That shows your priorities in life..]
6. They must be actively involved in a Christian church. (2nd Cor. 6:14-16)

Requirements for successful dating:

1. You need lots of time. [my notes: Do not spend long periods of time with the person you are dating.. take time to ponder their character "away" from their presence.. try to see them in different situations.]
2. You must have a "no strings attached" policy. (Song of Solomon 1:16-17) [my notes: Make no promises, and you'll have no pressures..]
3. You must display extreme respect for this person. (Song of Solomon 1:9)
4. There should be a desire to listen and growing ease in communication. (Song of Solomon 2:1-2)
5. There should be a feeling of complete safety with this person. (Song of Solomon 2:3)
6. There should be complete containment of the fires within you by both the man and the woman. (Song of Solomon 2:7, 15)

Anyone have feedback? I think this is great advice, and just what I needed right now..

Music: P.O.D.'s new album Testify -- looking forward to Beth Orton's new CD, Comfort of Strangers. (Feb. 1st!)

Movies: Catching up on the classic spaghetti westerns.. Fistful of Dollars, A Few Dollars More, and The Good, The Bad and The Ugly. TGTBTU is amazing from many standpoints.. it's hard to imagine this was made 40+ years ago, and still has validity today (and is still seen as one of the top films of all time.)

Television: Hopelessly devoted to Battlestar Galactica and Lost. I'm convinced neither show can do any wrong. As a side note, when Sarah and Jeff move out in a few weeks, bye bye Lost and BSG in HDTV :( But maybe later this year I'll buy my own HDTV..

Programming: Everyone likes to tout FireFox as this awesome replacement for IE.. well, it has it's pros and cons, just like any other browser. I spent 7+ hours this weekend trying to code around a stupid 2-pixel scrollbar issue. It seems that FireFox's scrollbar is not the Windows standard one (or at least, doesn't match Internet Explorer's.) Found more information about it here and here. This bug has apparently been unfixed since the beginning. Talk about stinkin' lame. I ended up having to create an "IE Only" CSS that defines the widths correctly. Opera/FireFox/Safari will just have to suffer with their lame implementation. As a side note, why is there no CSS/etc. to control how scrollbars look? I'm talking completely.. like custom buttons/placement/graphics..

Video Games: Trying to play through Perfect Dark Zero on my Xbox360 when I get free time (which is almost never.) Also throw in a little Battlefield 2 time on my PC... I'm consdering a new video card soon. The ATi X1900 XTX which just came out looks to be the fastest card you can buy right now.. so it's looking mighty tasty.

A few days ago, I bought a 30gig iPod video to replace my older 20gig (non-photo/non-video) iPod. It has been better in so many ways over my old iPod.. the album art showing, the larger screen, video capability, photo capability.. all lovely. The user interface is almost exactly the same as the old iPod, but with the niceness of smoothed fonts and full-color icons. So, in short.. it's great, just like everyone else says it is.

Now for the bad... I bought some accessories with it, namely the new official Apple dock, with the infrared port (to work with the Apple remote.) The remote only can control the forward, back and play/pause buttons. Huh? Why not "Menu" or the rest of the controls? Also, the "line out" on the back of the dock is not actually a line out-- it is just the headphone jack from the top of the iPod, so when you change the volume of the iPod while docked, it changes the "line out" volume.. which makes no sense at all. The final nail in the coffin is the grounding noises you get while your iPod is docked (and being charged through USB) and you try to use the line-out to play some music... you'll get horrible clicking and buzzing noises through it, thanks to some ground loop inside the dock. I don't have the time to try and figure that one out, but yeah..

Buy the video iPod, just not the official Apple dock.

Wow. It would only take me 20 hours to drive up to Oregon and check out the various buildings from "The Goonies" (my all-time favorite movie, if you aren't in the know.)

I'm very very tempted. Hah. Maybe someday I'll round up some friends and make a roadtrip out of it. Maybe see some other sites as well, and visit some friends in that area. Yes, you know who you are.

Hah. I'll admit, out of all the Britney Spears songs, Toxic is probably the only one I can "dig". It's my guilty pleasure, per-say.

Michael informed me that when he last saw Nickel Creek, they did a cover of it. I did not believe him, because that sort of talk is just plain silly. Funny enough, I search Google Video and found two different videos of them performing it! I also found a full-length MP3 recorded at the House of Blues in Cleveland (where I believe those videos came from too..)

Enjoy! And just as a bonus, here's some live footage of Nickel Creek doing "Reasons Why".