That might be the longest subject ever to grace my blog.

• Fergie’s “London Bridge” song is one of the worst songs I have ever heard in my life, hands down. The lyrics boggle the mind. What the heck does “my london bridge wanna go down” mean? Ugh. First you talk about your “humps” and now your “bridge”. Update: If you want to know what the song means, GO HERE.
  
• My coworker showed me MGM Grand’s new website. Wow. Talk about your sweet Flash designs, and a genius navigation to boot.
• [via HDBeat] If you’re lucky enough to get HDTV, namely the UniversalHD channel, and you’re a fan of Firefly, Joss Whedon’s prematurely cancelled series, you’ll be in heaven in September. UniversalHD will be running the series in 1080i format, starting September 24th. Browncoats, schedule your DVRs!
• Snakes on a Plane may look like the worst movie ever made, but it’s actually the best. Make sure you get Samuel L Jackson to send a personalized e-mail or phone to your friends to tell them to go see it with you. Yes, seriously, Samuel will call them for you! And no, you can’t do it to me now; I’ve already been called.
• Do you use Outlook or Thunderbird to check e-mail? Tired of spam? In the past, I used the free and excellente Spambayes, but it has not been updated in some time, and is starting to catch less and less of the newer tricks (such as “image only”) mail. The other day I stumbled across a new free/open-source application called Spamato. This program uses many different types of “spam checks”, and has really impressed me. Give it a try!

Study: Raunchy Lyrics Prompt Teens To Have Sex. No kidding. Start dabbling with sexual things and you're going to start thinking about them more and more… I’m amazed that teens constantly listen to music (particularly rap/pop) that degrades women. Even women do the degrading sometimes (*cough*Fergie*cough*) Goes for any form of media or entertainment, really..

The timing couldn’t be better for this rant from Stanley Crouch about the MTV generation that is accepting of the black culture portrayed by MTV.

When did it become cool to be a sexist pig?

If you could pick only a handful of CDs to take with you on a desert island, what would they be?

For me, I’d have to say..

1) October Project – October Project [only $10 at Amazon!!]
2) Live – Throwing Copper
3) Loreena McKennitt – The Mask and Mirror
4) No Doubt - Tragic Kingdom

Pretty random, I know. You probably recognize Live and No Doubt, but wonder who the heck October Project is, and Loreena McKennitt for that matter. I’ll save Loreena for another time, but let’s just talk October Project. It’s really a struggle to describe what type of music they are, so you’re better off just listening/watching a few clips to get the gist. Mary Fahl has a truly unique voice and it’s a perfect match to the rest of the band.

I think the album means even more to me having been recommended by my father to me.. he would purchase random cassettes at K-Mart and try them out. Found October Project, and it became his favorite band. There’s really something there for anyone, as the songs go through a range of emotions and journeys. “Bury My Lovely” still puts me in this peaceful mood every time I hear it.

It’s a shame that they were only able to make two albums in their time together. The followup, “Falling Further In” is almost as good as their first album. Shortly after that, they were dropped from their label, and the lead singer left the band. They tried to re-form with a different singer, but really.. Mary was the core of the “sound” of the band, and things just weren’t the same…

Ahh, I could ramble forever about this band.. but I’ll spare you. Just check ‘em out, you may like them. You may not. My friends don’t seem to care for them, but I take no personal offense. Everyone has their tastes!

[ Now playing: October Project - Bury My Lovely ]

A lot of my blog hits from Google are coming for my Astro Blaster’s secrets/hints post, as well as my Pirates and Disney Logo posts.

I’ve been playing with the idea lately of opening a Disney ‘secrets’ site, where people can post any trivia they know about various Disney properties, such as the films and theme parks. I remember visiting Hidden Mickeys a lot growing up, but the site is really stale now, loaded with ads.. etc.. I remember e-mailing the webmaster and offering to help convert it to a better design, database driven and all, and our conversation never really went anywhere.

I want to do better than HiddenMickeys— have it be more community-driven and personalized, as well as modern and fast. I’ve started to sketch out a site/features map, and will probably talk more about this soon, but just wanted to get everyone’s feedback on the idea in general. The site wouldn’t be completely about “secrets”, mind you, and would have sections to review Disney rides, films, post your own photos from visits, discussion forums…

I’m still debating a name… nothing fancy has come to mind yet.

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

 

Well, sort of. Mike’s started a new venture called RiffTrax, where for a low-price, you can purchase play-along commentary for a film. Right now he just has commentary for “Road House” (ugh) but his next film will be The Fifth Element.. can’t wait for that one!

 

 

 

I’ve got a pretty darn good rig.. Intel DualCore 3.2 GHz, 2 GigaBytes of RAM, ATI X1900 XTX 512meg video card, RAID-1 300gigabyte drive array.. and yet, I cannot for the life of me get Quicktime high-definition movie trailers to play without dropping frames every few seconds.

Really annoying, considering my PC can play WMV-HD just fine, as well as DiVX-HD, etc..

I’ll try posting about this to Apple’s mailing list and see if I get anywhere, but I doubt it. They’ll probably just say “buy a Mac”. Bite me.

Seems I’m not alone in my problems..

My sister had her baby suddenly this morning (a few weeks premature). My mom woke me up around 3am and we headed down to the hospital to meet her and Jeff there. At 5:30am, she delivered Joshua Almond (I believe that’s the final name they decided on.)

Wow, birth is an amazing thing. I was almost crying by the end of it, and I wasn’t even looking at it directly.

Here’s a picture of Sarah and her new baby boy:

I really really really like the movie “Ever After”. Okay, scratch that. I love it. It’s easily my favorite romantic film of all time, and it reminds me of simpler times.. finishing my sophomore year, onto my junior year, as well as a summer spent with a woman I thought I was destined to be with. *sigh*

Oh, where was I? Yes, right. Anyhow, I remember seeing the trailer and thinking the accompanying soundtrack sounded pretty darn cool. I was already a Robert Miles fan, so to hear “Fable” in a movie trailer was nice. But the first song was from an artist I had never heard of, Loreena McKennitt. The song was titled “The Mummer’s Dance” off of the “Book of Secrets” album. I’ve since purchased all of Loreena’s albums, and thoroughly enjoy all of them.

Hrm, distracted again. Okay, back to the subject at hand, Ever After. I got a press kit for the movie a long time ago, and never bothered to do anything with it until tonight. I’m not sure if anyone wants this sort of thing, but it’s free for the taking anyhow. Please remember the images are copyright 20th Century Fox... (if anyone from Fox is reading this and wants them taken down, shoot me an e-mail.)

P.S. — The font used for the film’s title is “Serengetti ITC” by Linotype.

 

 

(DiVX Web Player is needed to view this trailer. Click here to get it.)
Click the play icon to start the trailer.

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!