Google's New Project, Next Gen Sytems and Catching Fire

        This month has been full of interesting stories so far, from next gen console rumors and news to new Google projects, this month has been filled with revelations, surprises and speculations, it sure is exciting to see so many new projects being announced. Technology should never be stagnant, we should never be stuck in place or ever think "there is no room for improvement" thus the plethora of news about new developments happening are always welcomed. So here are a few new projects you should know about and a brief update on the "Hunger Games" sequel "Catching Fire" who is facing some problems.

    Project Google Glass

   You can always count on Google to be pushing the limit when it comes to next gen tech, thank God for that. This new project consists of glasses that pretty much work like a smart phone interface who responds to voice commands and has an in built camera. The video shown reminds us a little of Siri, it's as if Siri was always with you helping you navigate the world. For those of you that are not familiar with Siri, she is the little voice tech on the IPhone that answers your commands and saves you time, so instead of typing something out you just say "where is the closest gas station?" and Siri finds them for you, she is quite useful. Obviously there is great speculation when it comes to the Google glasses, from if they will work properly to how much they will be and so forth, so much buzz has been created that parody videos have already started to circulate the web, it sure doesn't take long now-a-days for memes to be born but in the end this project is really exciting.

   Wii U: Nintendo's Demise?

   As per tradition every 5 years or so Nintendo releases a new system and this is the year that their new console Wii U will be releasing, some have dated it as early as November 12th. The system will be unveiled at E3 this June so everyone is very excited about that, the console itself has not been revealed but specs on the controller were released a few months back revealing the touch screen they will be releasing with it. Though we trust Nintendo to pull through and deliver a good product we have heard recent news as of late that claim that Nintendo's next gen's graphics aren't up to par. If the rumors are correct the new system has inferior graphics than  the 360 and PS3, which means that Nintendo will not be able to compete graphic wise, this is a big blow to the new system. When asked to comment Nintendo simply stated that gameplay was their main concern, this response, though expected, made many hardcore gamers worry that this new system will disappoint as much as the Wii did, only time will tell, in two months we'll either see the brilliance of Nintendo or the final years of Nintendo.

     The "Used Games" Controversy

   There have been rumors circulating the net about how the next gen systems for Microsoft and Sony will both require Internet access 100% of the time and will not run used games, in fact there is even talk about not needing for physical games anymore and just downloading games directly to your system. If this were to occur your local game retailer would die, and thus the controversy is set. These are but rumors, that's something we should all remember when dealing with these issues, Sony and Microsoft are both not stupid, to make a move so drastic as this would not only hurt the company but it would decrease their fan loyalty by a ton. People don't like to see big companies hurting the little guys, and any move by big distributors to try to remove retailers is never looked upon lightly by the people, thus why this future of no used games will probably not come to pass, it would be business suicide for companies to jump on this bandwagon. Though this is a push that will happen in the future, this is not the case for us today, maybe in 10-20 years we will see a very real push towards all online games but for now this is simply not a practical reality.

   "Catching Fire" Director Problems

   As it turns out the project has lost its director, Gary Ross has decided to step down from this project and will not be returning for the second movie. This puts Lionsgate in a very tight schedule, we will surely be receiving news very soon as to whom will be taking over this big project. On top of that, turns out that the shooting for Xmen: First Class 2 is being delayed for next year so that Jennifer Lawrence (she plays Mystique) might be able to finish shooting "Catching Fire" for its 2013 release. Thus this all means that yes we will have a sequel next year, it will be filmed this year and Lionsgate is on the lookout for the next director. What this means for the direction of the movie no one really knows, the next movie might look very different from the first one or it might follow suit, let us hope that whoever takes over the project learns from the mistakes that Ross committed and provides us with a better movie overall.

     We hope that you all had a good break this Easter and that this week might be  fantastic. It is never fun to come back from vacation but at the same time there is a sense of continuity when coming back to real life. We pray that this week might be a safe one for you.

Love from your humble blogger,

Reality TV Shows That Are Ruining The Next Generation

    No matter how you spin it, TV shows do influence those that watch it. This can be a negative influence or a positive influence depending on the show. For guys we have had great male role models and some horrible ones as well, but the balance is towards more good guys than bad. Think every major TV series, most are lead by good standing guys, thus boys grow up looking up to these figures, while understanding the difference between what is success and what is not. When it comes to lead female roles within television we have seen a shift happen, and more lead female inspired shows are coming out, which we think is awesome, but the dark side of the matter is that for every good TV show influence that comes out, there are five bad influences that surface, this is a cause we must begin fighting against.

   Let's start with an obvious show, "16 and pregnant", here girls learn that having  a baby at 16 might be tough and the guy that you slept with might leave you, but you can do this and it is accomplishable, and that bad guy might just come around  and become a good guy, do give it a shot yourself. Ok, maybe we're exaggerating a bit, but this show is not about preventing girls from getting in this situation, at best it is giving an example of someone who is doing it and surviving, so providing someone with the justification to go through doing such a thing. The point here is, that the show should emphasize the reality of the situation, attempting to spread a positive message of abstinence, and encourage teenage girls to have a future, be successful and aim to the heavens, instead of their message right now which is "aim low, you can do it, she just did, so can you :)", it's sickening when you realize the kind of garbage the next generation of women are being influenced by.

     Where is the TV show that hosts the successful women in the world, where is the show where we have good messages being sent out? We're not talking about having a reality show with "perfect" people in them, no we're talking about putting a cast together of women who are making a difference in this world and providing the next generation with positive influences, with women they can look up to. No one is perfect, that is truth, so the show would be funny, and there would be drama, and fights, but it would be hosting a series of accomplished women, women who's goal should be encouraging fellow women in the world to succeed and rise to the top.

    Think about all the reality shows about wives even, which one of those actually hosts a decent human being? It's sickening, the equivalent for guys is a gladiator match, this is what these shows are, these shows are basically featuring the scum of the earth, the worst type of people, the people you don't want to be but enjoy watching, fighting against one another to determine who is the worst of them all (i.e. gladiator match). We love watching people self-destruct on television, every year there is a celebrity we follow that does so, and every year we all watch it with eyes open, be it Britney Spears, Lindsay Lohan, or Charlie Sheen, we love it all. This in a sense is another conversation for another time, but the point here is that for every bad guy role model there are five good guy role models pushed upon us by television, but when it comes to women those numbers are reversed, and that is a disgusting fact.

    There is so much that could be going on there, from TV networks trying to manipulate girls into becoming the people they are watching in order to continue the cycle that the TV networks originally initiated, to men being scared of a female take over and therefore trying to pass on the false message of "non-success" in order to encourage the next generation of women to accept defeat and not strive to reach the heavens. God knows what is going on behind the scenes, no one does really, but one thing is for sure, we need to start fighting for more shows displaying successful women, in order to encourage young girls to succeed in the word. A good example of a strong female character in a mostly men show is the character of Joan Holloway in "Mad Men" played by Christina Hendricks, here is a successful woman who holds real power in the office and over most of the men she comes in contact with, there are many other examples we could site here, specially if you take "The Closer" into account.

     This goes both ways of course, the next generation of boys also needs those good influences, the argument here is that they have them, and have them in abundance, but the girls do not. Think with us for a second about every movie that is coming out this year, for every 10 guy lead role based movies there is one girl lead role based movie to counter it, this is the reality we live in today, one we must fight against. Isn't it about time that we started to get closer to equality? Isn't about time that we at least start hoping for it and fighting for it? We believe so, we believe that we must constantly be thinking about the future and striving to bring one forth that all of us can be proud of. 

    There are many ways that we can all fight this, one of the most important things you can do is raise awareness of the problem, talk with your friends, spread the word, and maybe soon we'll see change occur. We need to start thinking about the future and we need to start fighting to bring about one that we are all proud of.

 We hope you have been having a fantastic week, and pray that it may end well,

Love from your humble blogger,

Oh Hollywoood, why?!

           A little while ago Hollywood presented us with a remake for Fame, which to some was sacrilege, we're talking a movie made in 1980 being remade and "modernized" 30 years later. One would imagine that Hollywood's bloodlust would be quenched by now, but that is not the case, it seems there is another sacrilege being prepared on the horizon, Footloose.

           Footloose originally came out in 1984, that's four years more recent then Fame, you might think that I'm being a stickler about time here but time is an important factor to watch for. If these numbers are right we might be seeing a remake of "Chicago" in the next 10 years or so, and a remake or sequel to "Black Swan" as well. Needless to say my fears go out to movies like "Grease" or "Dirty Dancing", or even worse, what if they decide to do a remake of "Singing in the Rain", got your attention now didn't I. Yeah, there is no dignity on the screen, that or Hollywood is legitimately running out of original ideas.

        Inception was the last movie released with an actual originality aim. I can't think of any other movie that was well produced, had a good cast, and attempted to push the boundaries of the norm, be it via special effects and amazing story line. We are in desperate need for some good movies to come out, not only good movies, but good original stories.

           We are the next generation, it is our duty to make this dream a reality, we must push the system, strive to create what has never been thought up, to speak out and have our own voice, in order to end this state of stagnation that we find ourselves in right now. In the times of our fathers, they sought to create a better world but in the end lost part of their imagination for it, we must strive to correct this wrong. To breath life into the entertainment industry. Let us rise up and take over and show the world how beautiful imagination can be.

            The act of creation is not one usually filled with smiles and laughs, but it is one filled with rewards and accomplishments. People will tell you to accept the norm, to keep your head down and not voice your opinion, but do not listen to those people, these are the same people that due to their loss of imagination have placed us in a black hole of creativity.

          When you dream, dream BIG, there is no reason why you should not, and when you try to do anything give it your BEST, anything else just won't do. And remember that regardless of success or not, what matters most is that you put yourself out there and sought to change the world. This is what matters most, the true attempt to make something awesome occur. Think about school, if a professor is impossibly hard and you never try you will fail the class and feel sad, but if you try your hardest and still fail the class, you finish knowing that you gave it your all, that you fought till the end. A simple fact to remember in life and a good one to keep close is that at times you will fail, you will fall, you will lose. It is not a matter of how many times you fall, what counts is the amount of times you get back up and continue to fight.
     (Here's a good clip from "Dead Poets Society" to illustrate my point)

        Thus I encourage you now to "Seize the Day", to grab life by the horns and lead it to it's full potential.

   Have an encouraging Monday, and a great week,

      Love from your humble blogger,