This is sheer brilliance on Sony’s part, for they totally shred Microsoft typical annoying and dare I say inherently frustrating and infernal practices of having making everything overly difficult to do, such as sharing a game with your buddy.
The Sony Playstation 4 is the one for me!
Vid: Official PlayStation Used Game Instructional Video
The first Hobbit film I very much enjoyed, though there were some aspects that I did not like whatsoever, such as the over the top, cgi mine cart sequence. I hope that this film is a bit more “serious” in tone and does not have such nonsense, which detracted from the film.
Having gotten that off my chest, I very much am down with what I see in this trailer!
Trailer: The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug
Just finished watching Apples World Wide Developers Conference Keynote. There is a lot of very cool software and hardware coming out of Apple. Anyone who thought that Apple has not been working tirelessly to bring about truly awesome products, well I think Phil Schiller summed it up best by quipping, “Can’t innovate anymore, my ass!” during his particular presentation of the newly announced, redesigned Mac Pro.
Bravo Apple, Bravo!
Link: Mac Rumors Mac Pro Sneak Peak
One of my most beloved pieces of music is the Miserere. Composed by Gregorio Allegri and sung by the Tallis Scholars. I have been fortunate enough to hear them live over the years, even having a moment to speak with their director Peter Phillips, who also kindly signed for me the book he wrote entitled ‘What We Really Do: The Tallis Scholars” aptly about founding and conducting the Tallis Scholars.
Here is both the Latin and English text of Psalm 51, which is the text of the song.
Latin:
Miserere mei, Deus: secundum magnam misericordiam tuam.
Et secundum multitudinem miserationum tuarum, dele iniquitatem meam.
Amplius lava me ab iniquitate mea: et a peccato meo munda me.
Quoniam iniquitatem meam ego cognosco: et peccatum meum contra me est semper.
Tibi soli peccavi, et malum coram te feci: ut justificeris in sermonibus tuis, et vincas cum judicaris.
Ecce enim in iniquitatibus conceptus sum: et in peccatis concepit me mater mea.
Ecce enim veritatem dilexisti: incerta et occulta sapientiae tuae manifestasti mihi.
Asperges me hysopo, et mundabor: lavabis me, et super nivem dealbabor.
Auditui meo dabis gaudium et laetitiam: et exsultabunt ossa humiliata.
Averte faciem tuam a peccatis meis: et omnes iniquitates meas dele.
Cor mundum crea in me, Deus: et spiritum rectum innova in visceribus meis.
Ne proiicias me a facie tua: et spiritum sanctum tuum ne auferas a me.
Redde mihi laetitiam salutaris tui: et spiritu principali confirma me.
Docebo iniquos vias tuas: et impii ad te convertentur.
Libera me de sanguinibus, Deus, Deus salutis meae: et exsultabit lingua mea justitiam tuam.
Domine, labia mea aperies: et os meum annuntiabit laudem tuam.
Quoniam si voluisses sacrificium, dedissem utique: holocaustis non delectaberis.
Sacrificium Deo spiritus contribulatus: cor contritum, et humiliatum, Deus, non despicies.
Benigne fac, Domine, in bona voluntate tua Sion: ut aedificentur muri Ierusalem.
Tunc acceptabis sacrificium justitiae, oblationes, et holocausta: tunc imponent super altare tuum vitulos.
English:
Have mercy upon me, O God, after Thy great goodness
According to the multitude of Thy mercies do away mine offences.
Wash me thoroughly from my wickedness: and cleanse me from my sin.
For I acknowledge my faults: and my sin is ever before me.
Against Thee only have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that Thou mightest be justified in Thy saying, and clear when Thou art judged.
Behold, I was shapen in wickedness: and in sin hath my mother conceived me.
But lo, Thou requirest truth in the inward parts: and shalt make me to understand wisdom secretly.
Thou shalt purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: Thou shalt wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
Thou shalt make me hear of joy and gladness: that the bones which Thou hast broken may rejoice.
Turn Thy face from my sins: and put out all my misdeeds.
Make me a clean heart, O God: and renew a right spirit within me.
Cast me not away from Thy presence: and take not Thy Holy Spirit from me.
O give me the comfort of Thy help again: and stablish me with Thy free Spirit.
Then shall I teach Thy ways unto the wicked: and sinners shall be converted unto Thee.
Deliver me from blood-guiltiness, O God, Thou that art the God of my health: and my tongue shall sing of Thy righteousness.
Thou shalt open my lips, O Lord: and my mouth shall shew Thy praise.
For Thou desirest no sacrifice, else would I give it Thee: but Thou delightest not in burnt-offerings.
The sacrifice of God is a troubled spirit: a broken and contrite heart, O God, shalt Thou not despise.
O be favourable and gracious unto Sion: build Thou the walls of Jerusalem.
Then shalt Thou be pleased with the sacrifice of righteousness, with the burnt-offerings and oblations: then shall they offer young calves upon Thine altar.
Listen: Tallis Scholars-Allegri-Miserere
One game that I very much enjoyed was Torchlight, which came out some years ago by Runic Games. It was created by the original Diablo team that left Blizzard to start their own company. They created a sequel, aptly named Torchlight 2, at which time I am patiently waiting for a Mac version to be ported over.
I was checking out some different articles on the web about the game and came across a video of a player who finds a hidden Minecraft Ester Egg while playing Tourchlight 2. What I love about the video is the players reaction and overall delight and appreciation as to the developers efforts to insert a fun, little surprise.
Enjoy!
Torchlight 2 Secret Minecraft Easter Egg
WOW!
I can not believe that it has already been a year since my buddy Matt and I started putting out our weekly internet radio show. Originally, I had the idea where we would sit down and just babble on about nothing in particular, within a very unassuming and free flowing context. Little would I imagine that it would blossom into a show that is now heard world wide currently in one hundred and ten countries of the world. Unbelievable and also very humbling as well to say the least.
There are few aspects that I very much enjoy doing the show. First, it is “working” with my buddy Matt. Dare I say that I think we have a good chemistry together, for I love the fact that I can “work off” of what Matt says and just go wherever my particular train of thought is at that singular moment. I know I sometimes surprise him by what I say, which also more often than not is a surprise to me as well.
Secondly, the show is such that we never know where we are going with it, though it is grounded (usually) by having a guest interview, or perhaps a particular theme. People really do fascinate me, for everyone has a specific, particular story which is uniquely their own. By which of the show, it affords me an opportunity where by I can be introduced to a whole host of individuals who I quite possible would not have had the chance to meet, let alone have the privilege of gaining some insight or awareness from having a conversation or exchange with them.
It is my sincere hope that we can continue to do this for a long time and celebrate many more anniversaries together. Next year we will definitely have champaign!
So a most massive thank you to Matt, who has been my partner and my dear longstanding friend for many years. Thank you to Mark, who I have gotten to know recently and who is now a brother in arms. Thank you to all those who have been guests on our show, who have so graciously allowed us to take a moment of their time so as to “interview” them. Lastly, a most deeply felt thank you for all those who have listened. It truly is a privilege doing the Matt and Pat Show!
One last tibet which should be mentioned, our motto is “Don’t Listen!”
Even though the Lakers and Kobe did not make the playoff, there is a small consolation in the form of this awesome commercial of Kobe doing what Kobe does best.
Enjoy!
Just want to wish all veterans and all those who are serving within all branches of our armed forces a blessed, peace filled and hallowed Memorial Day. So many shed their blood and gave their lives so that we and many others could have so precious a gift as liberty. Your sacrifices are not in vain, nor are they forgotten.
Please show your support and give to the National Veterans Foundation, a non profit organization which is dedicated to helping our veterans with whatever their needs may be.
I was not that impressed with the previous Wolverine films, they didn’t really capture the essence of his character as it should have been. By the looks of it, this trailer finally does so!
I have been on a roll with going to the movies in recent weeks. It seems to me to be either feast or famine in terms of what I want to see at the movie theater. There is no denying that summer movies barrage is upon us, though as always I am inherently selective as to what I will see. One determining factor is definitely the cost of going to the movies. Between the price of a ticket and then the price of a popcorn, it really eats into the wee little piggy bank! I love my popcorn, so I usual go for a large bucket and make sure I get my free refiles over the course of the film, so that it works out to cost me around $2.50 a go around. Ha!
The latest film that I saw was a special double feature of Star Trek and Star Trek Into Darkness Wednesday night with two buddies of mine. Just as a preface to the show, we went and had a grand meal at Kabuki! I am not one for sushi actually, I wish I was for I know I would love it if I didn’t like the taste of it. Regardless, I was most happy enjoying some delicious shrimp and vegetable tempura, along with generous helpings of both saki and Kirin beer. Good food and even better company as I am want to declare!
Once in our cozy seats, which were perfectly situated within the center of the theater, always a pleasant happenstance, we began to discuss all manner of topics, in particular Burning Man. Of course, you would be correct in ascertaining that I had my bucket of popcorn in hand! Soon, the lights dimmed and we were ready for the nights entertainment.
First up was the 2009 Star Trek film, which I enjoyed. I saw it in the theaters when it was released and was pretty happy with it. What was really nice about watching it upon the big screen was the fact that the events, story lines and characters were fresh in mind for when Star Trek Into Darkness played next.
To jump right into the matter at hand, I will start with what I liked about the film. Visually, it was beautiful to watch. The overall imagery of the film was quite a grand spectacle. What caught my eye the most within this particular aspect were the different colors and hues used thought out the film. The bright reds of the tropical island, the distinct greys of the city, the visually stunning tones of the atmospheric environments was a beautiful, breathtaking spectacle to take in.
The musical score by Michael Giacchino is first rate and excellently crafted. The pensive and introspective piano playing which is played before the catastrophic events that take place in London sealed it for me! The grand scale of sounds that slowly builds and then erupts into the lavish and bold theme music of what you would expect to hear from a film of this scale. Last year, Giacchino composed one of my favorite film scores to date, that being John Carter of Mars. You may recall his score for the show Lost as well, which was hauntingly beautiful!
I loved seeing Peter Weller, talk about a happy surprise! Can someone PLEASE make the sequel to Buckaroo Banzai! I have been waiting all my life for Buckaroo Banzai Against the World Crime League, is that asking too much???
SPOLER ALTER-DON’T READ FURTHER-THERE “BE” SPOILERS!!!!!
Now for what I felt didn’t work for me.
Having seen Star Trek 2, The Wrath of Khan when it came out in back in 1982, this current film was a bit off putting seeing the conflict redone between the crew of the Enterprise and Khan Noonien Singh. I knew going in that Benedict Cumberbatch was portraying Khan. When the time comes in the film when he reveals himself, I was very much like “Cool! Bring it!” But somewhere, somehow it felt flat to me the more I watched the events unfold throughout the film. While Cumberbatch does an admiral job, it just didn’t seem to me that this was, in fact Khan. He seemed underused. The best analogy I can provide is seeing an SSC Ultimate Aero in the slow lane on the freeway. This just didn’t feel like Khan to me, something was gravely missing.
Ricardo Montalban will forever and always be Khan. Besides the clearly evident fact that his performance will ever be etched within my mind at the tender age of twelve, I think it has to do more so with the subtle nuances that he brought to the role. There is a certain natural refinement and aged quality that he brings, a certain classicalism to the portrayal with which Montalban exudes, where by the younger Cumberbatch just does not have. It is akin to a fine wine, with age it greatly improves in taste, flavor and body.
An interesting trivia fact that i learned is that Shatner and Montalban never filmed any scenes together. Think about that for a moment. At no point within the film did they ever have any direct contact with one another and yet the chemistry on screen between these two clearly locked in a battle of wits, played out much like the Miltonian chess matches of Karpov and Kasparov. There was, for me, never any real sense of some grand, monumentally overwhelming resounding danger per se from Cumberbatch’s Khan.
Perhaps it has to do with the writing or perhaps the directing, but one has to remember that the history of this genetically engineered “Nietzcheionian Uberman” at one point ruled a quarter of the Earth. There is a grandeur, a larger than life to Khan inherently that failed to come across to me by way of his portrayal in the current film.
Who would I have liked to play Khan you ask? I propose Javier Bardem. Let that sink in for a moment. If you have not seen Skyfall, stop reading this post and immediately go rent it. Better yet, go buy it! Sitting here ruminating upon the idea of Bardem taking on the role of Khan would be awesome to see! He has the depth of range and inherent nuance to be the Khan in all his full villainous resplendence.
I think too the death of Kirk, a clear juxtaposition of the death of Spock from The Wrath Of Khan left me greatly wanting. What made the scene so powerful and moving between Shatner and Nimoy is that there is a this very tangible reality of there being a genuine life long friendship. It is etched upon their faces, the nuance of countless adventures together, as well as shared conflicts and perils of exploration and many missions of space travel. The scene was believable to me.
Watching the death of Kirk unfold within the current film, it left me feeling unemotionally disconnected. It was simply too soon to play that particular card so to speak. I believe for it to be believable, there needs to be a much longer fermentation and deep rootedness of the friendship between Kirk and Spock to take place. It has not been established long enough to come across as the emotionally impacting event that it is meant to be. Perhaps I am being overly critical, but to my way of thinking, Khan and the death of Kirk would be much better suited much further down the line of the new Star Trek cannon of films, where there would be more of a weathered sense of years of serving together and the deep bonds that would be fused as a result.
When discussing my thoughts upon the film with one of my buddies who just saw it tonight, he took my lack of enthusiasm of the overall aspect of the film to be due to my not “being a Trekkie”. I would respectfully disagree with that assessment. If anything, I would consider myself more akin to a classic “Trekkie”, for I content that it has to do with my admiration and love of what the original cast and filmmakers did so well, that there are clearly elements that are lacking for me within the latest film.
Putting it into perspective, I much more enjoyed the recent Star Trek films than the recent Star War films. Those don’t even exist for me. Absolutely dreadful and dare I say embarrassing to watch!
Overall, I enjoyed the film and I would very much like to see the further adventures of the crew of the Enterprise. It is just that in a very practical fashion of the film, some things clicked, some things did not, simple as that.
Next film I am looking forward to is Fast & Furious 6…until then, phasors set to stun.
