So Im seeing another rash of mysterious bulletins and status updates that can only mean one thing. You got hacked by clicking a strange link that someone randomly posted.
How does all of this start? Well its pretty easy, someone clicks a link to see sexy singles, they approve an "Active X script" that steals their un/pw next time they log in. Their account is then accessed and they spam up with link to "a site that has rumors about you" or "omg you have to see these pics from last night."
You, being a person that rumors are created about or have embarrassing pictures taken of you, click this link to make sure you arent going to get fired from your corporate job, it comes up and asks you to approve an "Active X script" to see the content. Since you dont know what you are doing and blindly click on "OK" or "Yes" every time it comes up you have infected yourself. The cycle starts anew and continues forever.
"But Brandon, I'm so careful when I go online." Obviously not because your account got hacked. What you need to do now is change your password and security questions to something other than your boy/girlfriends name...and not your pet's names either. Pick a random word from the dictionary, thats a large book with a lot of words in it.
I really hope this has been an informative and inspirational post. Now fix your damn profile.
MySpace Security
Harry Potter and the Teenage Romance
Let me go ahead and say that this review may contain some spoilers. The book has been out for a few years now so everyone should have been able to read it. Otherwise you should get off your fat ass, turn off MTV and read a fucking book. Levar Burton didnt spend years on Reading Rainbow for nothing asshole.
Im a huge Harry Potter fan and Im not ashamed to admit that. It is a well written book series wherein the writing style and subject matter grows with the audience over the 7 year adventure of Harry, Ron and Hermione. It's a solid book series that has allowed JK Rowling to sleep on a mattress of money on a solid platinum frame. The movies each follow the books quite well taking a little artistic license only when necessary and never taking anything away from the story.
The Half Blood Prince does not open with Snape taking the unbreakable oath, instead we start with Harry sitting in a subway diner chatting up a waitress, you little horn dog. He looks out the windows to the Dumbledore staring at him, they then go and meet with with Slughorn and convince him to come back to Hogwarts. Nothing wrong with this scene, it shows well that Harry is maturing and isnt going to just sit at home anymore in fact you dont see any of the Harry's aunt, uncle or cousin which I was happy about because they are annoying characters anyway.
So, as in the book, Slughorn is now teaching potions and Snape is defense of the dark arts teacher now. While in potions Harry discovers a beaten up text book with lots of stuff written in the margins. He uses the notes to be top in his class in potions. The book also has some new spells written in it and is signed The Half Blood Prince.
You don't get to see Snape teaching at all though. Considering he is supposed to be a main focus of the story line you really dont see him very often. He pops up from time to time to drag Malfoy away after he gets caught sneaking around, he has a mysterious conversation with Dumbledore, then he comes to Malfoy's side at the end. For such a pivotal character I really wanted to see more of him.
Unlike the book though there really isnt much done to try to find out who the half blood prince is. The term is only mentioned half a dozen times in the movie and at the end when you learn he is Snape...it doesnt change anything. "Oh, ok," is the general feeling about it.
The acting is still top notch, after 5 movies the actors have their characters down and provide really solid performances. I would have liked more Nymphadora Tonks, both her and Remus are really marginalized in this movie.
There is a lot that is left out of this movie. Cho Chang is not in it at all, all but 2 of the memory scenes are removed. There is a stronger focus on Harry/Ginny and Ron/Hermione than I would have liked. They removed the destruction of Diagon Alley, the Death Eaters storming through Hogwarts, and Dumbledore's funeral. All of which were very emotional scenes that really added to the reading experience.
The movie ran ~2.5hrs, had they cut out some of the awkward glances and "snogging" and put in more wizard on wizard battles like what was in the book this movie would have been greatly improved. I know some of that will be added as a "Director's Cut" on DVD, you greedy bastards.
Oh yeah, Snape kills Dumbledore. If you didnt already know that, die in a fire and gtfo my internets.
Im still gay for Johnny Depp
I was once in a heated debate as to whether Johnny Depp has ever been in a bad movie. I have now been proven wrong...
This movie really disappointed me for a few different reasons.
First and most glaring was the camera work. It looks like the entire movie was filmed for a History Channel re-enactment. Extreme close ups that follow the actors for way too long, grainy film work that I'm guessing is for dramatic effect, and the old fade to b/w to transition into a film reel.
Scene transitions were almost non existent, you jumped from scene to scene without any clear idea as to what happened in the between time. It also suffers from Cloverfield syndrome, where it appears they couldn't afford to hire cameramen who could keep a camera steady, instead they got a guy with a handicam who was going through heroin withdrawals..
Second was the action. I loves me some action, a little heart pounding and suspense makes for a good movie, it engages the audience and makes them want more. Public Enemies does not deliver on that. The gunfights start and they just keep going and going and going and going, to the point where I went to the bathroom, came back and the same damn gunfight was still going. I am aware that some of the showdowns between the Dillinger gang and the FBI were quite lengthy but when I get bored of a damn gunfight, you are making the movie wrong.
Length isn't even the real issue here, the gunfights just aren't captivating. You watch Saving Private Ryan and you don't want to get up when they are storming the beach, you don't want to miss anything when orcs are besieging Helm's Deep, and you aren't going to blink during Tombstone at the OK Corral. I went to the damn bathroom in the middle of a gunfight.
Third is the characters. Johnny Depp is amazing and charismatic, Christian Bale isn't doing the Batman voice and you really feel for his character of Melvin Purvis. I really hope these two do more work together in the future, in a better film. Neither of these characters are developed well though. You see that John Dillinger likes robbing banks and is good at it, but why? Melvin Purvis has a strong dedication to the law and wants to see Dillinger brought to justice, buy why?
All of the other characters are borderline nameless, there have no development, no intriguing qualities, and are wholly uninteresting. The Lady in Red was always a central and enigmatic figure in the Dillinger tale, she is introduced as a madame in the beginning of the movie and the BAM informant. I really would have liked to see her character shown more, even if they took some artistic license to fill in the blanks.
Other well know gangsters are shown in this movie, Baby Face Nelson, Pretty Boy Floyd, etc. The movie is called Public Enemies...not John Dillinger (it would have failed on this as well.)
The random G-Men that are shown I'm sure have some history behind them, why does the fat boy relish in beating the shit out of a woman? I WANT TO KNOW!
Last is the soundtrack. I didn't see it in some fancy IMAX with ZOMG sound, I like my small hometown theater, it wont be crowded and I wont have idiots ruining the movie for me, I'm not complaining about the sound quality anyway. I will have to watch this movie again and actually time it but I swear that at least 1/3 of the sound in this movie is gun fire. Non-stop gunfire, I touched on this in the action sequence but damn...it just lasted way to long.
The other 2/3 of the movie are some dialogue, some random song from the 1920's or 30's or just silence. Silence can be used to great dramatic effect, when used properly its amazing and has more feeling than Oh Fortuna. But when its silence for no apparent reason, it is just boring.
I did not enjoy this movie, it had so much promise but failed to deliver.
It could have been a classic, gritty, Chicago crime drama. Instead its a too long gun fight movie that barely touches on the story of John Dillinger and Melvin Purvis, the formation of the FBI, and the later consequences of the federal criminal legislation. I wanted Blow, I got Bad Boys 2.
Posted by Weapons of Reason at 9:16 AM 0 comments
Labels: Bale, Christian, cloverfield, Depp, handicam, Johnny, Michael Mann, suck
Nerdapalooza Day 2
Alright, so after chillin with peeps Saturday night I was crazy tired, hardly any energy left but still going, feeding off the awesome that was permeating the concert hall.
Here we go.
Open Mic
There were some really great rappers that stepped up, Loki with a cameo by Schaffer the Darklord, lucky bastard. And MC Coolwhip with his diss to Helen Keller...
mCRT
Definately not for the easily offended. Easily the raunchiest nerdcore artist at the show, and possibly in the community. There is something unnerving about hearing the term "pink sock" before its drinkin time...
Emergency Pizza Party
They said it couldnt be done, they said it shouldnt be done, but EPP proved them wrong. You CAN somehow rhyme about pizza and Capt Planet in the same song...well still maybe you shouldnt but it was hella catchy.
The Great Luke Ski
Umm...I was eating breakfast. Im sorry Luke :(
Dual Core
Holy shite! If you want to know where the scene is headed, or maybe where it should be heading, check out int80. In my opinion, with his rhymes and no deviation from the subject matter, the purest form of nerdcore I have ever heard. This was probably also the most EPIC act because of this:
int80, remy, MC Lars, MC Frontalot, Beefy, YTCracker and Schaffer the Darklord. One stage, one song, 5 of the most awesome minutes in nerdcore history.
The House of Black
Wizard rock, interesting concept, didnt stay for this one as I was dying of thirst and needed to rest after staring into the face of awesome.
ZeaLous1
When he isnt busting out a sick free style he is rocking your face with songs about first person shooters and pwning your ass every chance he gets. His newest album is definately worth checking out.
Uncle Monsterface
I didnt really know what to say when this band came on. They have people in costumes, cool. They have sock puppets, cool. Their first song was about a battle between Mashed Potatoes and Vampires...lol wut?
The Grammar Club
This was something a lot of people were waiting for, they had been practicing each morning since this was the first time everyone in the group would be playing together irl. You had beefy, laying down fast smooth rhymes and Shael Riley, without a doubt one of the best lyricists in the nerdcore genre. This show was plagued with sound problems, from mic feedback to the drums being unusable.
It was still a great first show for nerdcores first Super Group.
Schaffer the Darklord
Here we go, the main event (at least in my eyes). Schaffer is a rapper from NYC, he is evil, he drinks baby tears to sustain himself, he can throw down enough beer to kill an elephant and doesnt breath.
Im just playing, he does in fact breath, I just dont know when. His rhymes do not stop, he does not stop. He and his black box of doom take the crowd to a new level of energy and dont let them back down until he is damn good and ready.
With songs ranging from Fonts battling killing each other deciding who is the best to the ultra offensive to some Night of the Living Christ he has to be the greatest showman of the nerdcore genre, easily the best ive seen.
Unfortunately I was not able to stay long enough to see The Protomen, had a long drive ahead of me and little sleep as is. mc chris was the main headliner for the night and the closer for the entire event...
There were some people that said he didnt belong, he has blasted nerdcore repeatedly and said that everyone was just riding his coattails, well look. He sell tickets, it was all for charity so no one can really complain. And if Frontalot is cool with it them im cool with it.
Nerdapalooza 2009!
Im back at my day job after having easily one of the best weekends of all fucking time.
I went to Nerdapalooza, a nerdcore centered music festival down in Orlando Florida, over 20 acts with 30 performers spread over two 12 hour periods. For clarities sake Im gonna go through each act chronologically.
Please note, Im not trying to diss anyone or disparage what they do, these are just my own personal views and preferences so if you get offended then you are taking yourself way too seriously.
Odd Austin
Wasnt really what I was expecting, I guess it was nerdcore since he talked about social networking, but I could kinda feel from the crowd that as an opener he was a little lack luster.
My Parents Favorite Music
So you have a guy with a green mohawk and beard, rhyming over Zelda lyrics about the harshness of life. These guys had so much energy and you could tell they really like what they do and just want to share it with people. I bought their album Testing the Waters, has barely left my CD player. Scope em on MySpace
Devo Spice
Very entertaining, I was talking to some merch people while he was on so I missed a few songs, very good rapper none the less.
Captain Dan
Rapping Pirates. Yep there is an extra p in there, not what you would expect, kind of against the grain :-P. Awesome lyrics and style. Talked with him and his wife several times through Saturday, very awesome people.
Marc with a C
Sadly another one that I missed, this time from eating. Protip: Dont plan on going anywhere for food in that tourist trap hell.
Listening to his stuff online, very good music and he is a local.
Scrub Club
This was an act I was NOT going to miss. They were the subject of much discussion the entire day, some were saying that they were the next up and coming group in nerdcore, this was important considering Mc Lars' blog about the death of nerdcore. Well guess who was right beside me in the front row...Mc Lars.
Fantastic flow, lyrics, beats, high energy rappers who were laying down mad fucking rhymes. Only complaint was that Kabuto (wearing a Guy Fawkes mask) was all but inaudible.
Are they the next big thing in nerdcore? I dont know but its going to be smart to check these guys out.
Spork and HDNinja
After Scrub Club I chilled towards the back to drink up the free Vitamin Water and cool off so I wasnt front row, but they sound was really tight and smooth.
Krondor Krew
I fully expected a battle between these guys and Captain Dan, why? They are fucking NINJAS!
Awesome costumes, though I wish I could have gotten better pictures. Fast hyped rhymes that just make you want to move.
Epic-1
Other than Hamstar and maybe Zealous1, Epic-1 was the best at free styling. I want able to get any videos of this but Im sure some will be posted on youtube very soon.
The Megas
Rock...Megaman, its like peanut butter and bananas. The sound seemed a little off though, it was a problem that was persistent with a lot of acts but with fast guitar and heavy drums it just made it more noticeable.
I Fight Dragons
One of the most hyped acts of the entire night, crazy sound equipment that was connected to a track and field pad, Nintendo powerpads and controllers...and I fucking missed it!
The hotel I was staying at had a 3am check in limit and I was really looking forward to some after parties. The hotel was .75 miles away...took me 45 minutes because of traffic on I-Drive, so pissed for real.
YTCracker, MC Lars & MC Frontalot
While technically 3 different acts, they each back one another up on several songs so there really wasnt a clear ending point between them.
I was lucky enough to see this Trio in Jacksonville last year, when I heard that Lars and YT were booked for Nerdapalooza I knew what to expect. And they destroyed the stage, in a good way.
YT with his hard lyrics and high energy were only diminished a little by his stage partner who was high as a kite and fucked up some lyrics.
MC Lars catchy Post Punk Laptop Rap had everyone moving their asses and screaming their lungs out.
MC Frontalot. Without him the genre wouldnt have a name. His rhymes and music range from the fast paced Tongue Clucking Grammarian to the chill yet disturbing Yellow Lasers. A very mellow end to the night musically, especially after YT and Lars.
Saturday came to an end, we were all tired, hungry, sweaty and pumped. I wound up eating at IHOP with MC Lars, DJ, Maja, Mike Rousso, Eric and Angel, great night, a crazy ass waitress and CPs galore. Took us 10 minutes to get seating, 45 to get our food, 20 to eat, 20 to escape, good times.
Got back to the Holiday Inn and headed upstairs, Eric and Angel had to part ways since they were only 20. I wasnt able to stay long, it was already approaching 5 in the morning and check out at my hotel was 11. Was able to catch some amazing free styling with MC Lars, Hamstar, Epic-1, Zealous1 and Maja.
I'll be posting the events from Sunday shortly, right now I gotta get some food.
Posted by Weapons of Reason at 9:57 AM 0 comments
Labels: Captain Dan, Frontalot, FUMP, I Fight Dragons, Krondor Krew, Lars, Marc with a C, MC, Nerdapalooza, Parents Favorite Music, Scrub Club, The Megas, YTCracker
They arent even trying anymore.
I regularly check my spam folder and see what kind of crazy garbled messages I get trying to get me to buy Cialis or Viagra or some "herbal" variation there of.
I really want to know how these people are getting information on my penis size, but they need to check their sources...ladies.
I was planning on posting a best off list of the craziest random string of words. That was until today, I open 1(!) email and it has this, its a list of....stuff..all one big hyperlink to a Canadian pharmacy. I'm telling you, dont trust anyone from Canadia.
found van hurtle carve!
coccus wean cupel hurtle?
spawn spawn gullet.
diet missus satire douse!
eddish hong spawn pact.
pigsty cuboid spongy satire?
scree scry spun natter.
poker maroon.
buckle satire hotel.
purist spawn spun clave!
haul emir rested.
grain carve.
splay barret thieve glossy!
alight yore kino.
educe did splay womb?
holly missus alight.
spawn beady clave maxima.
missus sorb.
sundae haul van foster?
diet beady spawn yap?
did brown missus found?
purist womb wean missus!
hotel smarm meshy holly?
sudsy purist dare.
hut foam cuboid cupel!
oxtail delve cuboid page?
forum womb page haul.
cuboid womb pact brown?
cobweb oxtail.
cupel haul splay delve!
meshy coccus whisht whisht!
coccus creep maxima sneak?
hotel foam haul yore!
yore eocene.
vein womb purist whisht.
rested beady purist womb.
deary poker hurtle.
glossy diet.
maxima wean hut.
maroon brown hong payoff!
did pigsty foster.
haul carp mucous foster.
crump maroon.
rested uppish.
uppish filet carp carve!
dare sudsy pigsty kino.
grouch racing.
eocene locus kino.
maroon grouch haul rasper!
whisht glossy.
spawn missus cupel eddish!
crump coccus basque cuboid?
uppish spongy vizier cobweb?
remark racing meshy grain?
satire pigsty helmet carp.
beady vizier douse womb.
educe beady cobweb.
emir borer escort eocene?
august spawn.
maroon kino.
haul clave rested yore.
payoff cobweb sleazy emir?
whisht maxima.
alibi buckle remark.
educe oxtail hut.
gullet crump foster coccus!
dare clave thieve yore?
spongy rested mucous.
beady spawn sorb glossy?
filet remark.
satire uppish hut.
hong yore buckle.
purist scree holly beady?
hotel pigsty diet.
brown maxima.
missus gullet eddish helmet?
drag rasper carve august?
clave glossy.
purist missus dare diet.
cupel locus glossy foster.
missus ablaze.
glossy elves douse vizier.
spawn drag wean.
gullet funk rested uppish.
dare reeky douse.
glossy hong remark dare?
foster dirge.
diet grouch bade dare.
diet borer barret maxima!
escort hong.
remark deary.
scree glossy.
natter wean escort foster!
sleazy splay.
oxtail hurtle.
oxtail rasper clave hong?
What The Fuck?!
So here I am working at the Liquor store, its just before noon so its still pretty slow a normal Friday morning...at least I thought.
Here in Putnam County Florida we have some crazies, we have some real crazies, like George Lucas crazy...
A guy comes in, normal looking guy mid 40s maybe, asks for a half gallon of cheap dark run, normal so far. I ring it up, he hands me a card, I ask him cash to credit, he says credit. He quips that I should know better, no one has any money, we are still in the Bush recovery time. I chuckle because I thought it was funny, he asks if I voted for Obama I said yes, because I did.
He said he met him, I thought that was cool and not impossible Obama did do several stops in Florida. He said then that Obama has gone to his house in Hastings...bullshit meter rising. Then all hell breaks loose.
Let me summarize this because there is way too much crazy:
1) George Bush was really stripped of power on June 21st of last year but it wasnt revealed because of the economic meltdown...which I dont think happened until a few months later.
2) Obama was almost assassinated at this guys house...in Hastings...
3) It was ordered by Bush and Cheney and executed by over 200 Delta Force soldiers.
4) This guy dropped 6 secret service guys when he tried to warn them.
5) Over 20 secret service agents died in the firefight that soon ensued.
6) Obama picked up a rifle and dropped 15 or more of the Delta Force assassin squad.
7) We have been at DEFCON 2 at least 200 times since June of last year.
8) The country is actually in control of someone else and the world is ready to blow itself up over it.
9) That man is him!!!!!
Update:10) He is also the one that converted Obama to christianity and made him tone down his seeming arrogance.
This went on for like 15 minutes or more until the guy finally said "You think it's bullshit dont you?" And he walked out and back towards the next door fruit market.
What...the...fuck?!