Smodder's Day Put a Smile on My Face

Smodcast keeps me coming back. I like it, and I like Kevin Smith.

I'm not one of the frenzied followers that filled his message board with pleas to come back throughout the hiatus in the podcast release while he was filming Zack and Miri Make a Porno, but I check in every Monday or so and see if there's a new podcast to upload, because honestly, nothing goes better with morning workouts than listening to the world's premier couch potato talk about regular stuff with his best friends and family.

Since the hiatus, he quickly quashed any high expectations and fell into his old groove with his buddy Scot Mosier, and sorry Scot, still not sure which guy you are, but I like you as a voice and person. This is not a wait up until the minute you can upload it podcast, it's a nice way to spend half an hour or so when you can't do much else and beats tuning into MSNBC or something on the gym TV's.

Read more at the new blog area

Moving Day - All the Eggs into another basket

Image by jim270 via FlickrHello, this is the day I've been thinking about for a long time. Meta4worldz has always been a multi-faced, splattered, web site. Today, everything is getting moved to my own domain, using Wordpress(for now).

I'm hoping that those of you that drop in or find me will follow over there. Lets just pretend I go on to extoll the new features and everything else that will be available in my new realm. Surely it will be nice, but we have all heard that.

I'm not even going to say that I won't be updating here, but it's less likely, so if you're following, follow me on over.

Battlestar Galactica Cannot End Like This

Image via WikipediaIf you haven't seen the latest episode of Battlestar Galactica, and care, don't read this.

Otherwise, can you believe what they've gone and done?
Found earth? It's a husk, I'm guessing those remnants of buildings in the frozen foggy distance are New York and Manhattan. For a second, I thought that was the end, but then, thankfully, previews of a next episode.

The fact that the next episode does not air until next year, and that they called this latest episode a "mid-season" finale, does not in any way detract from how good it was. From the other column link, ti seems like everyone that follows this show is sued to the long layoffs between episodes, and the dysfunctional way of airing them that SciFi has.

This show, which I two years ago decided to catch up on with DVD's and start following week to week, continues to be riveting. I was prepared to be strung out for the entire season, as one by one, the final five were revealed, and then maybe, as the show ends, they set foot on earth, epic music plays to the cast stargazing to where they'd been from where they were always searching for.

But, NOPE. And I have no clue who the final Cylon is. I'm very impressed with this series and glad that I got on board to watch it crash land into it's final episodes, even if it will take them two or three years. Whatever happens, it won't be predictable.

This cast and writer's have earned the right to go out in style, but if there is not another season of this show, I can't see how they can end it anytime soon, in episode time, not actual time, which has already been extended. At least a spin-off is in order, or maybe a full-feature movie.

It's Summer, Time for Trash TV

Image via WikipediaWe already sat through the bad television of the writer's strike, but that doesn't mean that the summer course of garbage still won't be served. Looking to put up long hours of cheap programming for the dwindling summer eyeballs, the usual course of game shows and second tier reality shows.

Yes, I said Second Tier reality shows, coined that just now, all by myself, or from somewhere in my reading that I am unable to conjure. Until I hear different, that's my term. "America's Got Talent" defines second tier reality shows. This truly is the revived Gong Show. So bad, the girlfriend could watch it topless and I'm not going to be there.

Nearly as bad, Last Comic Standing, an at least decent premise as reality shows go, but so poorly handled that it's near unwatchable. They spend more time doing the obligational waiting line shots, something called the comedy booth, and backstage shots than they do with the stand up. And, they cut far too deep too fast, using celebrity judges that usually get it wrong.

In the same category as "America's Got Talent", "So You Think You Can Dance," is so bad I have to leave the immediate area if it is on. For some reason, the g/f can't get enough of the three judge, people backstabbing, formula. I get used up with it pretty quick.

I'm just happy that I have Rescue Me, a few more episodes of Battlestar Galactica, and Cubs Games to watch.

Plurking, Pownce-ing or just Tweeting, what shall I do?

3Have to admit, I don't really understand what Twitter is good for, but I found myself liking it. I was first drawn in by the app, Twittervision, and found myself pulled in. Of course, there was more action on it when I got dragged in, all those long months ago. I've noticed lately, more from other blog posts about it than personally at first, that Twitter is less active, often doesn't work right, let's face it, it's just not Twittering like it used to. Apparently the swarm is moving along, due to mismanagement, and short attention spans. Hey, if you are going to cater to my crowd, don't be surprised when our time together is fleeting.

Still, as fun as it was, what the hell is Twitter really for? I used it like an open IM, and even more so when I put the twitter widget on my blog. I used it just enough to be hooked, and I'm looking around now for a substitute, stepping out a little. So far, through other blogs and such, I've found Plurk and Pownce, and more than my initial use of Twitter, have jumped on board quicker. At this point, Plurk feels better and has put a few more interesting voices in my world.

I am meta4man on all 3 if anyone wants to track me, as if you couldn't guess.

The White Sox Fan Chirping Begins

Image via Wikipedia

The Cubs don't want any part of the Sox right now.
-heard on WSCR, Mike North, this morning.

And the chirping begins. It's been a while, as the Sox struggled to stay above .500, apparently the line of demarcation is their ascendence to 10 games above the .500 mark. Congrats, Sox Fans, it's rareified air. Why can't you just enjoy it?

I know, because you're a White Sox fan. You get ahead in a bad division, (Yes, the division is bad. Let's all quit being stunned), made worse by injuries to your key rivals, and the first thing you do, take a shot at the Cubs.

To be frank, you would be in Third Place in our division, and you are exactly the type of flawed, puffed up team that we have made meals of this season. Read More

If I Won Ten Million Dollars

Image via WikipediaAnother blog I linked up to thru Twitter put up a cool question, surely one of the generic but eternally interesting ones. Mega-Millions
What if you won ten million dollars?

Every one who buys a lottery ticket buys the chance to run down that pleasant mental lane, at least until they check the numbers. I wrote a song about it, long time ago, and posted it as a comment in that blog, as well as on my writing blog, and here.

Ten Million -

I actually wrote a song about it for a girl a long time ago when she told me that I would dump her if I won the lottery.

If I Won the Lottery

There’s a lot of things that I’d change in this world
But none of them have to do with you girl

There’re a lot of things that I would do
Baby all of them would still include you

I’d quit my job at the factory
Give my car and house away for free
I’m in love with you, You’re in love with me
None of that would change,
If I won the lottery

Baby Baby the day my ship comes in
We will never eat Mac and Cheese again
Never drive junk cars, Never wear old clothes
Never worry ’bout where my pocket change goes

We’d buy a house, no an estate
hundreds of acres of land behind a gate,
We’d stay up and party and sleep in late
That’s what I would change,
If I won the lottery

That’s what I got, not usually the type to leave prose in comments, but what can I say it’s in the moment.

How to Know Your Password is Strong Enough

We are living in a world of passwords and usernames, one is getting simpler, the other is getting harder.
User names are no longer the exercise in clever letter play they use to be, as far as I can tell, most of us can get the name we want these days, with a minimal amount of added numbers or initials.
Passwords are a different story. These days, my old standby passwords don't quite pass muster, and as I continue to submit new variations, frustration brought about this revelation.

If you end up having to write it down, then your password just might be strong enough. Of course, you will lose that slip of paper, and have to get it reset, and the cycle goes on.

Four Reasons Iron Man is Cooler than Spiderman ..

Four Reasons Ironman is cooler than Spiderman and Four Reasons He Isn't - and a tiebreaker.

Now that the initial rush is over, it's time to assess the true validity of Ironman, now a movie star, and while I'm at it, let's compare him to his recent Marvel theater blockbuster counterpart, Spiderman.

In the Marvel series Civil War, Tony Stark and Peter Parker start out being buddies, and Tony trying to turn Peter into a corporate drone. He even started wearing s special Spidersuit that Tony made for him, with all kinds of big brother gadgets. Of course, that didn't last, and they put on a good fight in Amazing Spiderman #535.

In the theaters, despite Iron Man's good numbers so far, Spiderman is the grizzled veteran, with as many good movies made about him, arguably, as Superman. So, who's better?

Iron Man

Cooler Suit - Without this, there is no point in going on, of course he has the cooler suit. And int the Movie, wow, they do a good job with it, there are only a few Power Ranger moments in this movie. Credit better CGI and John Favreau for doing that.

Cooler Actor playing him - Robert Downey acts like he was built for this part, because he's an excellent actor. Still, he's mailed in some performances before, and this time, he just cruised through it. Have fun cashing that bumped up sequel check Robert, and if you're going to go out and do drugs, hire hookers, and trash hotel rooms, go to Amsterdam or somewhere that it's legal.

Read More