Check Out “Borrowed Time”

If you’re looking for something good to read, or you’re interest in the comic book medium, I’d advise you to check out a comic book called Borrowed Time. Over at CBR, I interviewed the writer, Neal Shaffer (here’s a link), and the book’s artist, Joe Infurnari (here’s a link). It’s one of those comic books that reminds you that the medium is more than just superheroes and fantasy, by telling a story that may start with the fantastic, but is really all about the human condition. The book is available this May.

Also, here’s some other news:

• They’re not well known, but Spoon is a fun band. Their music has catchy hooks, but the lyrics are more than your typical throwaway words to a song.
• Everyone loves Canada these days, and actress Evangeline Lily is another popular Canadian export, appearing on Lost.

News, Eh?

I need to finish my EMT-Basic homework, so I’ll merely say that it’s not a good idea to eat a peanut butter granola bar while watching a video about child birth, complications resulting from birth, problems that can happen in the vagina, and how to clean up when it’s all done. Take that under advisement.

• The heavens continue to shine on the greatest hockey team ever, The Montreal Canadiens, who continued their winning streak last.
• Speaking of Canadians, some may forget that Pamela Anderson is Canadian, but she’s reasserting her origins with a protest against the Canadian seal hunt. She’s also meeting with Prime Minister Harper to discuss the issue.
• Some Canadians are amibitious in other areas, such as one selling a truck from Brokeback Mountain to pay for his college tuition. I thought he’d be getting more than $15,000, but that’s still a good amount of money.
• Do you have a problem with other people using profanity? A lot of people do. I can understand the concern of one of the interviewees: sometimes people just cuss so much that it seems like “fuck” is the only word in their vocabulary.
• As you continue to anticipate season 3 of Battlestar Galactica, here’s an interview with the series’ writer/producer about the show’s future.
• The buzz around Superman Returns is starting to heat up, and part of that buzz has come from the announced soundtracks. There are now more details on Sound Of Superman, which should be a nice little companion to the new film. It’d seem odd to have Top 40 music playing in a Superman film, so I can understand it not being the soundtrack, making this companion disc a nice compromise. Fans get their Superman pop songs, but just not in the film.
• Apple vs Apple. Let the games begin!

Slow News Day

Is there anything Jack Bauer can’t do? As fans of 24 saw last night, the man is a living super soldier and probably the toughest man on television. Sure, Walker, Texas Ranger could do a cool spinning roundhouse kick, but Jack Bauer has the more effective shoot-you-with-gun move. And he’d pistol whip you for the hell of it. 24 also continues to bring people together from both sides of the political spectrum (see this article and scroll down), on normally partisan issues such as violence, torture and executive privelege.

• Even for those not looking forward to Superman Returns, it’s hard not to deny that it is better than what could have been.
• What’s the deal with Snakes On a Plane? Besides the ridiculous title, and the presence of Sam Jackson, there is some real buzz around the film.
• It was good while it lasted. Arrested Development is dead. I don’t see how the show could continue at this point.
• Let the games begin: X-Men 3 Vs Superman Returns. Whose marketing campaign will triumph?

No Title Needed

This week on television, there’s a lot of good stuff. Tonight sees an all new episode of 24, where Jack will extract revenge in that feel-good Bauer way known as torture. Tuesday sees the premiere of FX’s Thief; Wednesday has a new episode of Lost, which could be interesting; Thursday has new episodes of The O.C and Smallville, neither of which will likely be good, but will have their moments; Friday has Doctor Who; and finally, Sunday brings us a new episode of Desperate Housewives. Good times for all.

• If you like surprises, don’t read this page. It has an alleged summary of the Spider-Man 3 film, which sounds pretty spot on.
• There’s some more information on the Superman Returns related CDs. The tribute album, which I’ve mentioned before, should be some nice, easy listening.
• It’s easy to forget that not every country has their own big media heroes, whose casting causes as much discussion as, for example, Brandon Routh as Superman or Tobey Maguire as Spider-Man. Will India ever have this kind of character?
• Kiefer Sutherland and his tattoos.
• It’s been oft-delayed, but Toronto is finally reviving the waterfront. There’s a nice image with the article, to give you an idea of what the area will look like, and I’m excited to see the results.
• Who is the sexiest woman in the world? Here’s the answer.
• With Apple’s 30th anniversary looming, expect to see a lot of tributes online and in print. While Mac computers may not rule the market, they remain at the forefront of innovation, style and accessibility.
• In Nevada, PDAs are even cooler, as you can now gamble on the go.

Matrix Of Bloggership

I like the idea of being able to complete homework through a school’s website. It’s efficient and keeps students up to date with technology. However, I hate it when the people in charge of putting the homework online fail to do so as promised. Onto the news!

• Proving that nerds are continuing to inherit the Earth, you can now buy a replica of The Autobot Matrix Of Leadership. You could end up using it and being a total poser like Hot Rod/Rodimus, a poor sap like Ultra Magnus, or you could be a badass like Optimus Prime, whose mere presence causes the heavens to look upon him…and rock out to Stan Bush’s “The Touch.”
• Sure, Spike TV is rebranding, but my issue is with the article, which implies that there can be too many James Bond marathons. Heresy!
• I am fearful for X-Men 3, as the film seems to be trying to do too much at one time, but I’d like to see the franchise continue. Patrick Stewart thinks it might.
• Do a lot of voices in newer commercials seem familiar? Well, that might be because Jack Bauer is pimping Apple to the masses, along with other celebrities getting on the advertising bandwagon.
• The Washington Times is somewhat of a useless newspaper, but they are talking about DC Comics, so they can’t be too bad. They don’t review a lot of comics from DC, and I wished they’d mentioned the new Superman issue, which was really excellent (sorry, I had it listed as the Post earlier).

Social Security=Social Insecurity

What’s the point of a Social Security number these days? In the information age, a time when we can find out almost anything about the people with the Internet and a bit of hacking, I’d argue that Social Security numbers don’t offer security. They’re a liability. We place these numbers on a pedestal, assuming they’re some vaunted form of maintaining our “identity,” but we give them ou to video stores, hospitals and lots of businesses. Unless you want to get in a big fight, which you might not win, you have to provide your SS# to sign up for a cell phone. Why? I’m told it’s to do a credit check and for security. But you DON’T need a Social Security number to perform either function.

I’ve applied for credit cards, not provided the SS# and a proper credit check has been run. Security isn’t compromised: I just need to be more inventive with passwords, and so I rise to the occasion. So what’s the point of the number? It’s an archaic holdover, maintained by a government woefully out of touch with the electronic threats we face today. It’s frustrating, because the government tells us to hold these numbers dear, but then we’re forced into giving these to, for example, cell phone companies. If we want to protect our identities, we need both new ways of securing our identities with companies who require personal information, and a newer method of protecting us all from identity theft. We simply can’t be giving out the information to Dumbass McMuffin at YouReScrewed Credit Company and not expect that it’ll be abused when their firewalls and security measures prove ineffective.

Sure, this is no revelation, but I don’t want to waste another thirty minutes of my life arguing with some lady at Cingular Wireless about the fact that they can’t legally compel me to provide a social security number for a cell phone, no matter how nice the features.

Do We All Need to Shut Up?

It’s funny to look around and take a moment to absorb our views of others. The first thing I’ve noticed, at least recently, is that we so often frame our own worth, abilities and beauty in relation to other people. I may think I’m smart, but it can often turn into “well, I’m smarter than (insert name of person),” as opposed to simply possessing intelligence and being proud of that. Some people look at, for example, geeks/nerds/etc and dismiss them as “childish,” by somehow concluding that those nerdy interests are inherently less mature than their own. It’s not a case of geeks having different interests, but it’s that their interests are somehow inferior.

I’m not going to pretend I know how to solve this problem or that I’m immune to the effects of defining myself in relation to others, but I think it’s important we realize that we do this to both ourselves and others. How often do we look down on our own aesthetics because we see someone else with “better” looks? Though we may be attractive in our own rights, that beauty is somehow minimized by the perception that someone might have greater beauty, which simply makes no sense. If beauty is a virtue in its own right, and can exist without other beauty surrounding it, then its “quality” should not be gauged by the beauty surrounding it.

Let’s look at a different example. Some people are really into videogames. I’m not, but I do enjoy getting my butt whipped in Madden 2006 by my brother, Nick, every so often. Still, these gamers are the object of much derision by the “mainstream” and seen to be ineffectual, socially inept, sterile human beings. Do some of the gamers live up to these stereotypes? Sure. They’re the ones locked in gaming centers, with unlimited bags of Cheeotos, Mountain Dew and inversely proportionate amount of cleanliness. But it doesn’t make these people “less” than any other group of people and it doesn’t mean that all of them fit the stereotype. Their “nerdiness” isn’t inherently a bad thing. Sure, I could say it’s not as bad as alcoholism or abusing drugs, but then I’m using the very argument I’m arguing against. But think about it: being into video games does not mean one will be anti-social, overweight, stupid or dirty. Those are choices people make. But the interest in video games is not hurtful nor immoral, thus is not deserving of the mean comments we often make about those invested in video games.

In the end, I’m simply trying to say that while it’s not wrong to pass judgement on others and their actions, we should be careful of the source and reasoning of our criticism. It probably isn’t possible to be 100% objective, but there are simple things we can do to make sure that we’re not simply criticizing others to make ourselves feel better or to prop up our own self-image. There are so many real problems in this world, and simply degrading others because their interests are not the same (assuming, of course, they aren’t interests that harm others), or because their harmless way of life is different, is just plain stupid. Let’s cut the crap and get back to making this world better.

Superman…And Other Things

I’m sure you’re excited about a weekend update for Arune.Com, but really, this is going to be a really nerdy update, mostly with Superman-related news. So, if you don’t like, you’ll learn to deal with it, just as if you were ingesting little bits of poison each day…which you sort of are, every time you visit this site.

• The Sydney Herald newspaper has a good interview with Brandon Routh, star of Superman Returns.
• This isn’t a soundtrack for the film, but a Sound Of Superman album is being released. You can get the first song on iTunes already. Here’s minimal info on the disc.
• The Japanese are known for a lot of cool things, including their “Real Action Hero: line of kickass toys. Here’s their new Superman Returns figure.
• And, if you have that kind of money to blow, here’s their Jack Bauer figure. No, I’m not buying it. Yes, I want it.
• But if you do want to buy some Superman Returns toys, the new boxes of Cap’n Crunch cereal feature Superman on their boxes and have coupons inside for SR toys.
• Still, there are the comic book based Superman action figures hitting shelves soon or you can get figures based on the awesome show we know as Justice League Unlimited.
• If Angel is more your thing, there are some neat new action figures coming out soon.
• You might be more of the Transformers kind of person, so here you go.
• In real news, George Lucas is attacking America…and no, it’s not with another bad Star Wars film. In this case, Dallas and its ilk are to blame for world problems. The force is not with this one.
• So, American Idol is in trouble over a lawsuit filed by angry fans who feel that marketing Clay Aiken as heterosexual, when he’s apparently homosexual, is false advertising. Right. Here’s their response to Simon Cowell’s comments. I’m not sure how this lawsuit couldn’t be considered homophobic, because his talent wasn’t misrepresented, and nothing else about him was, so if the issue is with his sexuality, then by definition, isn’t this homophobia?

Just Another Day

There will likely be some original content this weekend, and at least one update, so we’ll see how well I manage my time. For those who missed it last week, Doctor Who is on Sci-Fi Network tonight, with an all new episode, and this Sunday it seems there is a new episode of Desperate Housewives. Good television for all.

• As one would hope, the Canadiens beat the Leafs, coming that much closer to a playoff berth. I’m sure the Canadiens will blow any playoff games they participate in, but it’ll be nice to still see them triumph over their rivals, the Leafs.
• While The Shield will be missed, a new show, Thief, appears in its time slot next week. It looks pretty good, though I said that about The Unit and that show put me to sleep.
• Speaking of The Shield, here’s some details on the future of the show. If you haven’t seen the season finale, don’t let yourself get spoiled! Thanks to Augie for the link.
• If you’re wondering why The Shield has such good buzz, here’s an article to explain it.
• Is President Bush trying to be like Jack Bauer? Sorry Bush, there’s only room for one Bauer wannabe, and that’s me.
• If you are a fan of 24, check out the novels sometime: they’re well-done. It’s not as riveting as the television show, but it allows for some exciting, but smaller scale, stories to be told. They can be purchased at Amazon.Com by searching keyword “24.”
• Ever notice how Seinfeld is on all the time? It seems that whenever you want to watch it, it’s playing on some channel. Turns out, it gets good ratings, and people seem to enjoy the “classics” more than new sitcoms.
• And soon, you’ll be able to legally download movies, but only in Britain. It’s a good idea, but that’s a lot of hard drive space you’ll need to store it all. I do like the distribution method, with the DVD copy sent to you as well.

Quick Update.

No pithy remarks. No 24 news. Just something quick.

• Apple is now at war with France over a law that requires iTunes to be compatible with other players.
• The greatest hockey team of all time, The Montreal Canadiens, are on the brink of playoff elimination. And yes, I’m still sore over the fact that Montreal and Toronto can no longer meet in the Stanley Cup finals, after the silly division restructuring.
• Windows Vista has been delayed, meaning we still have to wait a bit longer to see how Microsoft has advanced their operating system. The new release date, January 2007, is going to be difficult for consumers and buyers, since new computer owners will want to upgrade and some may hold off for new systems with Vista, meaning lower holiday sales.
• In the continuing South Park saga, the war against Scientology continues.