MySpace Security

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.

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.

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.