Flash vs HTML 5, and Comic-Con

Next week is Comic-Con San Diego, and boy am I excited. Of the things we should hear about there is Christopher Nolan's third and final Batman movie: The Dark Knight Rises, which should be exciting news for anyone who enjoys a good movie or Batman story.
Bruce Campbell of Evil Dead fame recently said in a Twitter feed that an Evil Dead remake is happening, leaving fans eager for more details next week.
Personal interest Wizards of the Coast, creators of Magic: the Gathering, will be there for their second time. I don't know what kinds of things they talk about at formal events, but I'm hoping to hear some more about the upcoming Innistrad block/set.
With Captain America: the First Avenger releasing next week, we're now on the fast track to hear more about the upcoming 2012 Avengers movie. As excited as I am to know everything there is to know about the movie, I'm also concerned about spoilers. That being said, I'll probably still check it out.

Now I'd like to take a moment to talk about flash. Maybe I'm just sore as an iPhone user, but in all honesty I think it's time to go. The program is slow, buggy, and crashes too often. Most importantly, there is an alternative in HTML5. Pandora radio recently switched from flash to HTML5 and I couldn't be happier. Seeing a major internet presence make the switch makes me think that a wave of followers will start switching as well, leading to the abolishment of flash forever. We have options, and it's time to make a change.

E3 Coverage! Live from my Youtube History!

E3, the biggest conference of new gaming and electronics technology started yesterday morning and since then all three console companies have shown off their new stuff.

Microsoft began the conference with a similar performance as last year, meaning a mix between casual Kinect games and rehashed hardcore games. I'm not saying that I didn't enjoy any of their show, but as a whole I was disappointed. Of the things that did interest me, here are some links:

Halo CE Anniversary, the Halo HD remake we've all been waiting for:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1J3z_2Uep8&hd=1

Halo 4 teaser, to be the start of a new trilogy:
http://www.planetxbox360.com/article_14574/Halo_4_to_be_the_Dawn_of_a_New_Trilogy_-_Trailer_Revealed

Mass Effect 3 with voice support for Kinect.
Trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6XPvkobW5E&hd=1
E3 Demo here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lBjoi5BiKoc&feature=player_detailpage&hd=1
Extended Demo here:
Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xlIGAcaSCd4&hd=1
Part 2: Mass Effect 3 - E3 2011: Extended Walkthrough - Part II (Stream)

There was also a presentation on Star Wars Kinect which, while cool in theory, appeared much too clunky in its current form to appease fans.
http://www.engadget.com/2011/06/07/kinect-star-wars-hands-on-engadget-and-joystiq-get-in-touch-wit/

Also of note was Minecraft's only console release on the 360, a new Gears of War, Call of Duty, and some Kinect stuff I didn't care about, including Disneyland and Sesame Street, brought be the man who gave us Brutal Legend.

I didn't follow Sony's conference too much, but I think most of the interesting bits can be caught here:
http://www.engadget.com/2011/06/06/sonys-playstation-vita-first-hands-on-impressions/
http://www.engadget.com/2011/06/07/sonys-playstation-vita-a-closer-look/
This is Sony's new handheld, PSVita. It has graphics nearly comparable to a PS3 and a lot of the same games, including Uncharted and Little Big Planet. Is has multiple joysticks, a touchpad on the front AND back, and probably some cameras thrown in there. $250 for the WiFi version and I think $300 for the 3GS version through AT&T.

Also of note from the Sony panel was this game, a new adventure set in J.J. Abrahams rebooted Star Trek universe: (note that this footage is a very early build)
Sony E3 2011 - Star Trek PS3 Exclusive

Nintendo once again had the best presentation (at least in my biased opinion). The whole thing can be seen here:
http://e3.nintendo.com/presentation/

But here's my rundown anyway.
Game reveals include:
Mario Kart 3DS:
detail
Super Mario 3DS: (with Raccoon suit!)
detail
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword (Wii)
detail
Kid Icarus: Uprising 3DS (this one looks good!)
detail
Luigi's Mansion 2 3DS:
detail


The biggest news to come from Nintendo, however, is their upcoming console, the Wii U. This device is very mysterious, as the controller looks like a whole new console. However, the actual console looks like a more curvy Wii. It seems to support some great HD, though no details on the specs yet. It is also backwards compatible. The draw of the console, aside from the updated graphics, is the controller. The console's main controller has a screen in the middle with two joysticks on the sides, some trigger buttons, and the usual. The screen can be used to play what's on the console if you cannot use the TV, and can also be used for many other things.
http://www.engadget.com/2011/06/07/nintendo-wii-u-controller-first-hands-on/
Wii U

Enjoy the info, and post any questions and I'll try and answer them with what I know.

The Summer Cometh

Even though we're part-way through June, I'm just now starting to feel like it's summer. Since I'm taking classes this summer it feels like school never stopped; but now an old friend from high school moved up to Tallahassee, and seeing a familiar face is making me feel like I'm home for the summer.

Of course, I'm not home for the summer, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Sure it feels weird not going home for the first summer since I left for college, but I'm doing it because I want to- not because I feel some responsibility to stay up here and be productive (I do feel this pressure, but it's not what made me decide to stay). I wanted to take these classes so I can graduate asap. I also want to find a job, though there's more pressure on that end. And again, I'd really prefer it to be in something that's of interest to me.

Life stories aside, there's actually something that I've always wanted to do with a blog. Friends and relatives have told me that if I had something like this where I posted cool movies or information of interest to me, they would read it. I now challenge these statements, so without further ado, here's some stuff that I'm interested in now:

Stuff I'm interested in Now


I'm excited for the upcoming Captain America Movie and Game. You've all probably seen a trailer or two for the movie (and if you haven't yet, you will soon). However, not as many people will see the game, which looks pretty good, especially for a movie tie-in game.
Captain America: Super Soldier Gameplay Demo (PS3, Xbox 360)

E3 is this week, and a few of the rumors circulating are for a new Wii and Halo HD. I am excited.

I've finally decided to play Borderlands for the Xbox 360. The game is great, combining popular elements to make a fun game- it's a First-Person Shooter, it has experience points and levels, it has collectables, and it is a free-roam game with missions.

INfamous 2 for PS3 is coming out soon. I really enjoyed the first one two summers ago, and am excited to play this one whenever I get the chance. If you're interested in the series, check out the 6-issue comic mini-series before picking up INfamous 2 on Tuesday.

Speaking of comics, part 3 of Marvel's tie-in event Fear Itself was released this past Wednesday. No spoilers, but stuff happens.


That's all for now. Logging out in 3...2...1..-

Dear Journal,

Today, Skeeter and I went to go see the Beets-
no, wait, this isn't right. Sorry, but every time I think about writing down my thoughts, I always hear Billy West's character Doug Funny writing to his Journal at the beginning of every episode (or on a roll of toilet paper in that one episode where he lost his journal). You might also recognize Billy West's voice from Futurama, or from the Bumblebee from the Honey-Nut Cheerios commercials. I think he's also the red M&M. The reason I bring all this up is because it is a part of who I am- an amalgamation of pop culture references and obscure movie quotes. For some reason I can still remember details from a show I haven't really watched in almost ten years, and yet when it comes to learning things that might help me find a career I'm clueless.

I've been spending a lot of time thinking about my career lately. For the longest time I coasted through education, struggling in classes I didn't care about even though they were related to my major. I hadn't given it too much thought farther than, "well, I guess I learned that I don't want to do that for a living." But now as I near the end of my college career (two semesters' worth of classes left) and some of my friends are moving on from theirs, I'm wondering when I'm going to start learning new things that I enjoy and that are applicable for a job. I am incredibly interested in the most useless things (video games, comics, TV shows and movies) and can recite quotes and useless trivia, but am still clueless for a job.

I mean, ideally I'd like to work and operate a game store with an old high school friend. We've been wanting to do this since high school, and even as roommates we talk about it all the time. However, this is a goal. This is something I have to strive for. Until then I need to get a job to make money so I can live, plus save. So what do I do in the meantime? I love computers but hate programming. I'd like to do tech support or something in digital media, but I don't know how to get myself in. So until then, I'm going to write about what I like and hope that maybe by writing my insight down I will be able to mold myself a career path.