You know how several posts ago I was debating about the Kindle Fire? Well, I am the lucky guy who received a Kindle Fire for his birthday. And I love it!
In addition to the standard applications for email, NetFlix, Facebook and Twitter I have added some of my own including a fun pinball game, a note taking program, and an app for reading my comic books; and I have thousands of comic books in digital format. To begin with I transferred all the Tintin books to the Fire.
In addition I’m presently reading a book I got free on Amazon called The Black Stiletto. It’s about a man who discovers that his mother was a superhero back in the late fifties. There is a link to the Amazon page for the book on the sidebar. Everyday Amazon offers up several books for free and I have downloaded several (I should live long enough to read everything I have).
I can also add pictures and music to the Fire or upload content to my Amazon Cloud account.
I’m still figuring things out with the Kindle Fire, but am really enjoying it.
Kindle Fire
May 6th, 2012Going Cardboard Review
March 25th, 2012I watched the Going Cardboard DVD the other evening. I really enjoyed it. There were several good interviews with board game designers and publishers. Many of the interviews took place at Essen Game Fair which is held annually in Essen, Germany. It’s kind of the 800 pound gorilla of game conventions.
Wikipedia describes it as: The biggest gaming convention for board gaming, role-playing games, etc., in the world, followed by Gen Con Indy in Indianapolis, Indiana. It is reputedly the biggest and best public show for boardgames, card games and collectible card games, with designers and publishers demonstrating their newest games, retailers selling games at discount, and a large flea market with a wide range of new and used games. In addition, there is usually a hall of comic book sellers, and one or two halls with RPGs and live action material, and a hall of large inflatables and activities for kids. The show sometimes has computer games, but these are unusual.
One funny thing I noticed on a couple of the interviews was the setting. In one room on the wall behind the interviewee is that painting of Dogs Playing Poker.
I also watched all the extras on the disc which has more interviews and a couple of special features. If you like board games I think you would enjoy watching Going Cardboard.
Oh, I haven’t had a chance yet to play the little free game included with the dvd, but I will soon.
And the Oscar Goes To…..
March 19th, 2012
Wings – winner of the first Best Picture Oscar in 1929.
I saw this movie on tv about 15 or 20 years ago and was very impressed by it. I have been waiting since then for it to be available. And now it can be purchased on DVD in both SD and Blu-Ray.
It’s a phenomenal movie in all aspects. But the really impressive thing is that all the airplane sequences (like the dogfights) were actually filmed with cameras on the planes and the actors really doing the flying; no CGI back in those days.
My DVD should be here tomorrow and I am anxious to see the restored film.
Here’s some information I found about the movie along with a link to watch a short video on Amazon:
Wings is a 1927 silent film about World War I fighter pilots starring Clara Bow, Charles “Buddy” Rogers, and Richard Arlen. Gary Cooper appears in a role which helped launch his career in Hollywood.
The Story
Jack Powell (Rogers) and David Armstrong (Arlen) are rivals in the same small American town, both vying for the attentions of pretty Sylvia Lewis (Ralston). Jack fails to realize that “the girl next door”, Mary Preston (Bow), is desperately in love with him. The two young men both enlist to become combat pilots in the Air Service. When they leave for training camp, Jack mistakenly believes Sylvia prefers him. She actually prefers David and lets him know about her feelings, but is too kindhearted to turn down Jack’s affection.
Jack and David are billeted together. Their tent mate is Cadet White (Gary Cooper), but their acquaintance is all too brief; White is killed in an air crash the same day. Undaunted, the two men endure a rigorous training period, where they go from being enemies to best friends. Upon graduating, they are shipped off to France to fight the Germans.
Mary joins the war effort by becoming an ambulance driver. She later learns of Jack’s reputation as an ace and encounters him while on leave in Paris. She finds him, but he is too drunk to recognize her. She puts him to bed, but when two Military Police barge in while she is innocently changing from a borrowed dress back into her uniform in the same room, she is forced to resign and return to America.
The climax of the story comes with the epic Battle of Saint-Mihiel. David is shot down and presumed dead. However, he survives the crash landing, steals a German biplane, and heads for the Allied lines. By a tragic stroke of bad luck, he is spotted and shot down by Jack, who is bent on avenging his friend. When Jack lands to pick up a souvenir, he becomes distraught when he learns what he has done, but before David dies, he forgives his comrade.
Wings was an immediate success, premiering on August 12, 1927 at the Criterion Theatre in New York and playing 63 weeks before being moved to second-run theaters.
Awards
The film, completed with a budget of $2 million, was the first film to win the Academy Award for Best Picture, and won a second Academy Award for Engineering Effects.
The Original Film
The original Paramount release was color tinted and had some sequences in an early widescreen process known as Magnascope). The original release also had the aerial scenes use the Handschiegl color process used for flames and explosions. Some prints had synchronized sound effects and music, using the General Electric Kinegraphone sound-on-film process.
The Restoration
As the original negatives are lost, the closest to an original print is a spare negative stored in Paramount’s vaults. Suffering from decay and defects, the negative was fully restored with modern technology. For the restored version of Wings, the original music score was re-orchestrated. The sound effects were recreated at Skywalker Sound using archived audio. The scenes using the Handschiegl color process were also recreated for the restored version.
Link to short video on Amazon
Amazon video clip
Going Cardboard
March 14th, 2012I just ordered this dvd from Amazon:
It’s a documentary about board games. Here’s the editorial review from Amazon –
In 1978 the German press and board game makers created the Spiel des Jahres or Game of the Year award for excellence in board game design. Competition for this award contributed to an explosion in the variety and sophistication of Eurogames. With the arrival of The Settlers of Catan in the United States in the mid-nineties more people began to discover the new breed of board game that had been quietly evolving in Germany for the past 30+ years. Going Cardboard takes you into the world of designer board gaming from the community of enthusiastic fans to the publishers and self-publishers and of course the designers. Witness the spectacle of the SPIEL show in Essen Germany where over 150000 people from all over the world come together… for board games. Fans and industry notables take you into the world of designer board gaming compelling newcomers and delighting existing fans alike. Includes:
Going Cardboard feature documentary
Over 90 minutes of bonus footage
Shoot-Out a board game by Reiner Knizia
Interviews include: Game Designers:Klaus Teuber Reiner Knizia Alan R. Moon Matt Leacock Donald X. Vaccarino Friedemann Friese Publishers: Days of Wonder Mayfair Games Rio Grande Games Community Leaders : Tom Vasel of The DiceTower Derk Solko of BoardGameGeek Scott Nicholson of Board Games with Scott …and many more.
I know it’s pretty obvious from this blog that I love games. And I especially love games that are NOT Monopoly and Life.
Here’s a link to the movie website – Going Cardboard
New Games
March 8th, 2012I needed to order a book from Amazon yesterday and decided to add a couple of games to the order.
First is a solitaire card game (can be played with 2) -
Onirim is a solo/cooperative card game. You (and a partner) must work (together) against the game to gather the eight Door cards before the deck runs out; you can obtain those Door cards either by playing cards of the same color three turns in a row, or by discarding (under specific circumstances) one of your powerful Key cards. In both cases you will have to decide the best use of each card in your hand and carefully play around the Nightmares. Those cards are hidden in the deck and will trigger painful dilemmas when drawn…
The second game is a cooperative game for 1 – 6 players -
A cooperative game where the players attempt to clean out an infestation of hostile aliens from a derelict spaceship. Set in the Warhammer 40,000 universe, players take on the roles of Space Marines pitted against hordes of Genestealers.
Players choose from six different combat teams, each consisting of two Space Marines with different abilities. Each player receives three Action cards for each of his combat teams. After all of the Space Marines have fallen into formation, prepare for the first wave of Genestealers.
Game play is quick and easy to learn.
Updated Link
February 26th, 2012I have updated the page that lists the board games I own. I have added 23 games to the bottom of the list.
Check them out by clicking the “Board Games I Own” link on the right.
New Deep Purple DVD
January 26th, 2012I ordered this dvd the other day from Amazon:
Deep Purple with Orchestra: Live at Montreux 2011
It arrived yesterday and I just had to take it to work with me to watch during the quiet times. I watched both the concert and the interview feature with the band members.
Here is the set listing for the concert:
Orchestral Intro
Highway Star
Hard Loving Man
Maybe I’m A Leo
Strage Kind Of Woman
Rapture Of The Deep
Woman From Tokyo
Contact Lost
When A Blind Man Cries
The Well Dressed Guitar
Knocking At Your Back Door
Lazy
No One Came
Don Airey Solo
Perfect Strangers
Space Truckin’
Smoke On The Water
Hush
Black Night
I enjoyed the dvd very much. I want to watch it again at home on the tv and the 5.1 sound system; computer speakers just don’t cut it.
They used the orchestra to augment the band and I think it added a depth to the sound. The orchestra did not play all the time…just in strategic places.
And I got a kick out of the orchestra members. You could tell they were really enjoying themselves. Often when the camera is focused on the band you can see orchestra members in the background “dancing” in their chairs; moving back and forth with the music.
One thing did bother me a bit. The cameras often got a full blast of light from one of the stage lights, but that was only early in the concert.
As far as the band is concerned the playing was spot on. Yeah, I know Ian Gillan (lead singer) can’t belt it out like he did when the band formed over 40 years ago, but for a 66 year old man he sounds pretty good. Matter of fact, all the members of the band are older. Ian Paice (drummer) is 63, Roger Glover (bass) is 66, Don Airey (keyboard) is 63 and the youngest Steve Morse (lead guitar) is 57.
The dvd also has interviews with the band and Ian Paice talked about being asked to play drums for Paul McCartney on McCartney’s Run Devil Run cd.
If you’re a Deep Purple fan this is a nice addition to your library.
Kindle Considerations
January 11th, 2012As you know I have owned a Kindle for a couple of years now. It’s the Kindle 2:
I have really enjoyed reading on the Kindle. I think I have read more with it than I did with actual books. But now I am considering upgrading to either the Kindle Touch ($99) or the Kindle Fire ($199).
Kindle Touch:
Kindle Fire:
The thing that appeals to me about both is the touch screen capabilities. What got me thinking about this is when I was in a class in church. Someone says “Will everyone please turn to…..” and I’m like the last guy to get there. Then I notice more and more people using their phones and iPads. Well, I don’t have a smartphone and iPads are too pricey for me.
So, I thought it would be nice to have a device that I can just tap a couple of times and get right to where I want to be in a document.
Now the problem is which device to buy next.
The Kindle Touch is strictly a reading device. And that’s my main reason for owning a Kindle in the first place. Plus I really like the e-ink screen as opposed to reading on an LCD display.
But the Kindle Fire has the allure of a tablet (yes, I know it is not a real tablet). It streams Amazon Prime content, NetFlix, and more. There are apps for GMail, Facebook and Twitter which make it appealing when traveling. Plus games are available; although I would like to see some real boardgames like Ticket to Ride ported to the Fire.
At this time I am just considering for a possible future purchase.
Couple of Things
January 9th, 2012I was at the Deseret Industries store this afternoon and picked up this game:
Warhammer 40,000 Battle for Macragge. It’s an introductory Warhammer game meant to be used by first time players. And that would be me. I have never played a Warhammer game and really have very little knowledge of them. But for $1 I couldn’t pass it up. The box is a bit battered, but after a quick look at the contents, I think all the pieces are there.
The “Read This First” booklet doesn’t look too intimidating, but it also has a 112 page rulebook.
Item 2
You might notice on the sidebar that I have indicated I am presently reading A Princess of Mars. It is the first of the Mars novels by Edgar Rice Burroughs. I read the entire series in my late teens and thought it would be good to revisit this story since the movie is coming out in early March. I want to refresh my memory so I can see how the movie compares with the novel.
Here’s the trailer:
There are several elements in the trailer that are not as I remember. For example, Dejah Thoris (the princess) has red skin in the book. And the flying craft are more like sailing ships that spaceships.
But I’m going to wait for some reviews to come in and see how the purists react.
Still Here
January 8th, 2012As you can tell I decided not to let this domain name expire. I plan to post here much more often so I will keep it alive.
Announcement
December 3rd, 2011I received an email today reminding me that the domain registration for johnstuff.net will be expiring in 25 days. And I am tempted not to renew it.
Unless I can decide on a theme or direction for JohnStuff, it will probably disappear at the end of the year.
Castle Returns on September 19th
August 30th, 2011One of the tv shows I really enjoy is Castle. I just saw this promo for the next season opening episode:
I can’t wait for Castle and Fringe to return.
Roku
July 6th, 2011Here’s what I received in the mail yesterday:
It’s a Roku box and I am super excited to have it. It’s a small box that connects wirelessly to your home network and feeds content to your tv. I have configured it to access both my NetFlix and Amazon Prime accounts. And there is a ton of free on-demand programming available as well.
One of the main reasons to get is is to have access to GBTV (Glenn Beck TV) which is online only with feeds available through mobile devices like the iPad, iPhone and Roku.
I can foresee a time in the future when I can either scale back or completely cut the Dishnetwork service as more and more content moves in the direction of online streaming with devices like Roku.
More New Games
June 13th, 2011No, this is not becoming a game related blog, but it just so happens that I have recently been able to add to my game collection.
When we went to Liz’s graduation from BYU we stopped at the BYU Bookstore to pick up some items. In the store was a man sitting at a table with this game set up. I stopped and talked with him for a bit. Turns out he is the designer of the game. He walked me through the mechanics and flow of gameplay. Then he autographed the copy I purchased.
Below is a write up of the game.
Swashbuckled! is Fun-at-Home Games first game. Played with different colored sailing ships and on a beautiful large world map board, the game is set in the year 1806, at the peak of Napoleon’s power. The game is played on three levels: the first level is rolling dice and moving one of six cargoes indicated on cargo cards from one port/continent to another, avoiding ever changing bad weather and war zones, lest you sink at sea.
The second level features pirates that every player gets a chance to be, by the pick of specially marked new cargo cards, once your voyage is complete. Pirates need not reveal themselves until they so desire. Poker face is critical to this game. Pirates can attack merchant ships by rolling additional dice. Knowing when to hold and when to attack are critical to success. However, there are also a few Lord Nelsons at sea – the game’s police force – that can Neutralize pirates.
Finally, there is the most exciting third level; the Secret Treasure Islands. With every game there is at least one, truly secret treasure worth 50,000 pounds that makes the game a fun, fast, in your face adventure. Since the location of these treasures changes from game to game, no two games are ever the same and although the better strategists more often than not win this game, no one is ever really out of it. The emotional intensity of the game often increases into a climactic finish.
The Box and Board are beautifully designed, money comes in British pounds (paper), ships are wooden and painted with different colored sails, ship manifests are included to keep record of your payouts, and variously colored lighthouses mark where you start and where you end.
Then in Oregon, Andy and I went to a local game shop. I picked up a couple of other games. The first is a little card game called Gloom.
Here’s the description from Amazon.com:
Gloom: The Game of Inauspicious Incidents and Grave Consequences
The world of Gloom is a sad and benighted place. The sky is gray, the tea is cold, and a new tragedy lies around every corner. Debt, disease, heartache, and packs of rabid flesh-eating mice — just when it seems like things can’t get any worse, they do. But some say that one’s reward in the afterlife is based on the misery endured in life. If so, there may yet be hope — if not in this world, then in the peace that lies beyond.
In the Gloom card game, you assume control of the fate of an eccentric family of misfits and misanthropes. The goal of the game is sad, but simple: you want your characters to suffer the greatest tragedies possible before passing on to the well-deserved respite of death. You’ll play horrible mishaps like Pursued by Poodles or Mocked by Midgets on your own characters to lower their Self-Worth scores, while trying to cheer your opponents’ characters with marriages and other happy occasions that pile on positive points. The player with the lowest total Family Value wins.
Printed on transparent plastic cards, Gloom features an innovative design by noted RPG author Keith Baker. Multiple modifier cards can be played on top of the same character card; since the cards are transparent, elements from previously played modifier cards either show through or are obscured by those played above them. You’ll immediately and easily know the worth of every character, no matter how many modifiers they have. You’ve got to see (through) this game to believe it!
Finally, a really fun game about managing a trailer park – Trailer Park Wars.
You have finally landed the job of your dreams: Trailer Park Manager! To be the Best Darn Trailer Park Manager in town, you must place quality Tenants in your trailers, create a fun and friendly atmosphere by adding some sweet Amenities, and go about destroying the other trailer parks, no matter what it takes. Surface to Trailer Missile? Molotov Beer Can? A Tornado? You Bet. Trailer Park Wars Game contains: -48 Gorgeous to Grungy Trailer Cards -130 Cards for a Draw Pile -18 Trailer Park Name Tiles -AND 100 plastic yard flamingos miniatures to collect as points!
Andy and I got a chance to play both Gloom and Trailer Park Wars, but not Swashbuckled. They were really fun. LaRue and I are going to have a session of both Trailer Park Wars and Swashbuckled in the next few days.
New Game
June 1st, 2011
We’ve been in Portland for almost a week waiting for the birth of a new grandson.
On one shopping trip I picked up a new game – Zombie Dice.
It’s a fun, quick game in the “push-your-luck” catagory. Basically, each player rolls dice trying to collect “brains” and avoid “shotguns”. You keep rolling dice until you roll 3 shotguns which not only ends your turn, but causes you to lose all the brains you have collected. But you can elect to end your turn before getting the shotguns and keeping all your brain points. You play until reaching a certain amount of points. Playtime runs only a few minutes and there is no set-up needed. You can carry the dice with you and play anywhere.
Smallville Finale
May 21st, 2011
Well, it’s all over now. 10 years of Smallville came to an end last Friday. What an awesome finale it was!
I loved how some many things were wrapped up and answered. If you have not seen it don’t click for more. There be spoilers beyond this point…
Continue
Tintin
May 18th, 2011A trailer has just been released for the upcoming Tintin movie:
When I was a kid I read all the Tintin books I could get my parents to buy. Today we would probably call them graphic novels. They were large hardback books.
I have since found and bought a few, but not the entire series. I’m not even sure if they are all in print.
Here’s a list of all the books –
1. Tintin in the Land of the Soviets (1929)
2. Tintin in the Congo (1930)
3. Tintin in America (1931)
4. Cigars of the Pharaoh (1932)
5. The Blue Lotus (1934)
6. The Broken Ear (1935)
7. The Black Island (1937)
8. King Ottokar’s Sceptre (1938)
9. The Crab with the Golden Claws (1940)
10. The Shooting Star (1941)
11. The Secret of the Unicorn (1942)
12. Red Rackham’s Treasure (1943)
13. The Seven Crystal Balls (1943)
14. Prisoners of the Sun (1946)
15. Land of Black Gold (1948)
16. Destination Moon (1950)
17. Explorers on the Moon (1950)
18. The Calculus Affair (1954)
19. The Red Sea Sharks (1956)
20. Tintin in Tibet (1958)
21. The Castafiore Emerald (1961)
22. Flight 714 (1966)
23. Tintin and the Picaros (1975)
24. Tintin and Alph-Art (1986 Unfinished work, published posthumously)
I did not purchase or read all of them as a kid, but I now have them in cbr format for reading on the computer. I think now would be a good time to go through the entire series.
Go to Tintin.com for access to the main Tintin website (there’s a pulldown to select English) or to the new movie site.
Also check out Tintin’s Wikipedia page
I Think I’m Getting Excited
March 26th, 2011Your Brand New Car
February 7th, 2011Here’s a video produced by Popular Mechanics in 1948 showcasing the car of the future. Kind of glad these didn’t work out.
New Smallville Promotional Poster
January 15th, 2011I really like the new promotional poster for this final season of Smallville:
