Radium's Space

Korean GP 2010

2010-10-23T04:34:00.003-05:00

The final leg of the F1 2010 season is finally kicking off. I came in this year thinking this season is going to be about as boring as last year. And at the start it looked as it was. but things have really heated up in the last few month.

I have been Team Ferrari for a very long time but it has been interesting to new players coming up and bringing back the much needed excitement to the sport. Vettel, especially, has been very impressive and however things turn out he is definitely someone, me thinks, to watch.

With all that out of the way, here's to hoping Alonso takes home the price. We are down to the wire this year with only three races left. Go Reds!!

My Name is Red

2010-10-17T05:43:00.000-05:00

"My Name is Red" by Orhan Pamuk has been an on again and off again affair for me over the last three years. The book came to me by way of a friend and finally, with a sigh of relief and triumph, I can say that I have read this gem of a book.

The book is a novel take on the classic "Whodunit" with an extremely rich narrative and, at the risk of sounding cliche, multitude of rich multi-dimensional characters.

As an aspiring writer myself it is especially noteworthy how the author brings the entire ambiance to life with subtle sentences and descriptions that immediately make the scenes and locations come to life.

Also remarkable is the attention to detail that is given to the lost art of Persian miniature or more accurately Ottoman miniature. The author would have you believe that he was actually a miniaturist in a past life with the amount of detail he gives to both the description and love the characters show for the lost art form.

It was also exciting to see the contrast of art with religion. especially the nature of art in an Islamic society and the sharp of edges of Islam that many ascribe to.

I'm probably late to the party in saying this, but if you like excellent and you need to go pick up this book.

Three Red Lights

2010-03-25T14:14:00.000-05:00

Nothing for the first two years and now my second TRL in 6 months. Can't wait for more. I must be a glutton for corporate abuse.

Pile of Shame

2009-03-09T17:04:00.003-05:00

I first came across the term “pile of shame” when I discovered the 1Up Yours podcast. Basically it means stuff you plan of doing but never get around to. Usually it could be the pile of books gathering dust waiting for you to get to them some day, or it could be movie you have yet to see, games that need to be played, whatever, as long as it is entertainment related. So one of my piles of shame were several Gundam kits sitting around collecting dust. well no more.

Over the last couple of weekends, I have been slowly working on three kits and getting them in good enough shape to be showcased. From Left to Right, I finished Red Astray, Blitz Gundam, and Gundam Sandrock.

The Sandrock was simple assembly, paint and lining, followed by a flat topcoat. The Blitz required some slight part mods and I put on some custom decals. Its been a while since I built a guldam kit so it was only after the fact that I remembered that you need a smooth surface to better place water slide decals and that the flat black on the blitz did not help. Last was the Red Astray. I really like the Astray Gundam for its compact design. Really am satisfied with its finished look and my choice of darker red.

Overall, they all still need some tweaks here are there but at least I can tick something off one my several lists as being done.

With these all cleared. Maybe I can attempt to dent in my reading pile of shame and finally finish reading the Camus’ Plague. I have tried several times but end up getting distracted before I get to the final quarter. Surprisingly enough I have read the fist half five times now. Hopefully this is the month I cross that bridge as well.

Windows 7 Beta

2009-01-18T07:00:00.001-05:00

Started using the new Beta for Windows 7 yesterday. Though it is too early to form an opinion about this latest release by Microsoft, I have to admit that I am certainly impressed by the wow factor of the OS. Particularly of note is absence of the sidebar, with the move of gadgets to the main desktop. I find that more to my liking as in Vista my gadgets littered the desktop and the sidebar felt kind of useless.

Another interesting change is the revised taskbar. I find it very organic or quiet. Its very compressed and utilitarian in approach. Haven’t had time to try out the Media Center features and see how it works with the Media Extender in my Xbox but I am enjoying the changes to Windows Media Player. The Media Player, though not as cool as the Zune player is still fresh in its approach. Much appreciated is the inclusion of codecs for Xvid, x264 etc. Still had to install CCCP for some of my more obscure videos to work but it was nice to see that kind of support finally make it into Windows my default.

I hope to try out the simplified media sharing and networking soon but other than that, so far so good.

Overall, this is feels like major step in a very right direction by Microsoft.

Paradigm Shift

2008-11-21T07:43:00.003-05:00

Ran across an interesting article about tech that did nto or has not causght on by the guys over at Extremetech. It got me thinking about the idea of a paradigm shift. It is often said that we "live in interesting times". In fact I belive that if one looks closely then any time and every time is interesting in that change is occuring. But when does the change reach a critical mass of sorts. when does a paradigm shift for one or two people reach enough to cause a change.

The reason I write this is because, as I have posted before, I own a Zune and I have started to notice that people, at least those in the tech circle are at least talking about it and more so than I used to previously pick up in web chatter (always wanted to use that word). Is that a move towards some sort of social acceptance. How do societies accept ideas of trends. Is it more akin to the propogation of a virus spreading from people to people or it is an entirely different process. Not really sure. I guess time will tell if the Zune has got legs or not. I still find it to be a superior experience to my old iPod but that is besides the point. What I am more interested in is how ideas are created and transmitted.

Fixing Heroes

2008-11-11T15:20:00.003-05:00

I think I am not the only one who thinks that Heroes is going through a rough patch; a very rough patch. The story seems to have stagnated. It feels like witnessing a dog trying his best to catch its tail. There has been so many talk about what one should do, and it got me thinking. The only words that came to mind were JMS. J. Michael Straczynski. Those who don't know can wiki the guy here. Of course JMS is now considered an A-lister in Hollywood but I think he is one of the few guys who knows how to keep the core ideas of heroes alive while building on the mythos and the characters that we so very badly need for to evolve. But I guess we can't a;ways get what we want. either way those were my two cents on the matter.

Bullet Witch

2008-09-23T09:42:00.003-05:00

I recently got a hold of Bullet Witch by AQ games. I had read all the reviews before plunging in and was expecting a horrible experience. As it turns out I was pleasantly surprised by what I found. The game is definitely bad. The story goes nowhere fast. In fact, it doesn't even launch. And the AI is extremely glitchy. They happen to be from the school of "rushing your character head on" school. With that out of the way I can finally say proudly that I actually had fun with the game. The character design is intriguingly interesting. The game mechanics present an interesting solution to selecting the various magic attacks available to your character. And the intent of the designers shines through at occasions that you just find yourself moving from fight to fight without being bothered by the flaws of the game.

Last but not least the final boss fight is well worth the price of admission in this game. It is insane and tests your wits and skill thoroughly. I haven't had a chance to test the DLC that shipped after release and frankly I don't think it offers anything that would warrant spending Microsoft points over but I think it does extend the life of the game enough to keeps the few fans the game has been able to find.

In the end I enjoyed it enough to recommend it to anyone as a rental. I could even go so far as to suggest that you grab it from a bargain bin like I did, but then again your mileage might vary. The game is definitely worth a look.

Gundam 00

2008-04-09T14:08:00.004-05:00

Gundam 00 ended its run on March 29th. Overall it was a good show with characters complex enough to hold my attention and a plot that at least tried to make sense. The Mecha design threw me off balance in the beginning but it apparently has grown on me and I really think that the Exia had a very good design; simple and sleek curves compared to sharp edges. Virtue was another good design.

The series treads some familiar ground for Gundam fans but at the same time brings the "new" feel to the series. The Last few episodes were awesome with enough of a hook at the end to make me come back when season 2 hits.

Over all I would recommend it as a good mecha anime and it's definitely worth a look.

Zune 80

2008-01-15T14:19:00.003-05:00

Got myself a new Zune around Christmas. its been working well so far. I really like it compared to my iPod experience. The new Squircle is kind of sexy. Not to mention the contrast I get with the screen. Its been almost a year since I've been without a music device of any kind and I forgot how much I missed listening to my music. Now that I'm with this device, I can't imagine being anyplace without it. Heard about the XNA games that might be coming to the Zune as well. That sounds like a very good idea but I guess it will have to depend on the pricing structure. Can't they just combine all the variuos market places into one big store.
For now I am just glad to be with my music 24x7. And I can do this without being just another iPod Zombie. Long story short but I am standing on one of the busiest street corners of Manhattan when I notice everyone around me wearing white headphones. It was like being in the midst of an insect hive, where everyone was the same. I want to at least pretend to be different. The idea that maybe I'm not just another face in the crowd, not another tech savvy elite with white headphones defining me.

Macbook Air

2008-01-15T14:16:00.001-05:00

Damn you Jobs, Damn you to heck. Why do you want my money so very very badly.

This thing looks disgustingly sexy. Widescreen LED display, 802.11n, backlit keyboard, SSD option. One word summary "Sweet". Those that need details can always check out the Apple's website.

Of course after the initial fervor wears off, you realize that Jobs just pulled a fast one on you.
It has an integrated battery that you can't swap out. Only one USB and no Firewire. You are confined to only the built-in microphone. And Mini-DVI so you have to carry around an adapter if you want to connect it to a real monitor. Also only an 80GB option and no Optical Drive, or the option to carry around an external one. Add to that that this is a first gen apple product and there are bound to be issues. Issues that Apple will keep denying and the forums will keep being censored until the issues just disappear.

Now if someone could get Ubuntu running on it, I might consider buying. Until then, it is a good Prototype. I would like to see what the industry does with it.

Dreaming in Numbers

2008-01-15T13:22:00.000-05:00

Do you ever have puzzling dreams that you don't want to have. That's what last night was like. I kept dreaming about the number 650 and trying to divide it up into packets with the maximum possible size of a packet not to be greater than 6. I kept waking up and telling myself to stop dreaming about that. I kept telling myself to dream about anything else; planes, cars, green fields, girls. But to no avail. I kept dreaming of this same problem over and over again. I have been told stress triggers such events or inadequacy. Could be. Either way it was interesting, to be in a situation where you couldn't will your way out. Normally I have a lot of control on the direction of my dreams. Still fun is fun, in either shape and size. Now that I think About it dreaming is a completely weird experience. Can't wait for the next one.

Chuck

2007-11-30T14:40:00.001-05:00

I've been watching this little know show, (maybe you've heard of it) called Chuck. extremely hilarious. all of a sudden TV studios have figured out how to target the nerd market. Just think about it, we have shows like Chuck, then we have Big Bang Theory, not to mention Heroes. suddenly TV studios have us nerds watching TV rather than toiling away in damp basements over lines of Linux code (do people still do that). anyway, I heard that Chuck is one of the few new shows that will be sticking around for a while a NBC just ordered some more episodes. that's really awesome news. well, awesome if the WGA strike ends soon-ish. either way, fun geeky show, hot women, awesome comedy moments and Adam Baldwin. keep up the good work guys.

Guild Wars: Eyes of the North

2007-08-06T17:43:00.000-05:00

Have been putting my new PC through its paces. Didn't want to but ended up playing some Guild Wars. Its been a while since I've actually logged on. I think GW is a way better MMO than WOW, but that's just my opinion. I'm sure 8 million plus people are all ready to disagree with me. My entire beef with MMOs is the redundancy. let me summarize with an anecdote.

This hulking giant of a man walks into a tavern. He swings the doors open in an attempt for a dramatic entrance and then stands in the doorway as if waiting for someone. after a minute the tavern-master looks up from the mug he was polishing and asks, "Can I Help you?"
"Can you help me? no good sir it is I who should be asking if there are any here that need my help. For it is I, Balharium Shadowtamer. It was I who trekked across the great desert plains of santum to hunt the great dragon Panyanf and used his blood and bones to forge the great sword LifeFiend. It was this this sword that I was able to defeat the armies of the Unasal, unleashed on this world by the grand Warlock FootinMouth. He escaped me before I would land the deathblow. But my resolve was unshaken for with death of the warlock would the curse that entrapped the beauty of the east, Princess Peacecraft be broken and My love would be returned to me. So I traversed through the mountains to Dhoom and finally made my way to the lair of Asisibhool, it was there after a great battle that raged for day that the warlock fell and the princess was freed. In gratitude she bestowed upon me this pendant of fortitude and it was there that I ripped this here armor, enchanted by the blood of Griffonataurs, from my enemies dead corpse, making me a god amongst mortals. So again my fellow men, it is I who ask if I can help you, for a small reward of some kind of course."
Everyone in the bar stared in silence at the lunatic who was swinging his sword and clutching his pendant. The silence was broken when a bearded drunk dwarf placed two huge swords that appeared to be LifeFeinds and four pendants of fortitude on the table and said"n00b". everyone burst out laughing as the stranger left the bar in shame.
It is rumored that he was never seen on that server again.

My point with this entire story was that MMOs have yet to make me feel like the central hero in a story like one does in KOTOR or like Jason searching for the fleece. To me it makes no sense to keep paying $5 or $15 a month for this kind of thing.
That is why GW rocks. All the socials aspects of an MMO with the ability to use NPC heroes or Henchmen if one doesn't want to group. And to top it all off, no monthly fees. I just pre-ordered Guild Wars: Eyes of the North (or GW:EN for short) yesterday. Can't wait for the preview weekend at the end of this month. Those who need more info on the game just use Google or hit my IGN, Gamespot or the like.

My New PC

2007-08-04T16:44:00.000-05:00

Just got done assembling my new rig. I wanted to get a decent enough gaming rig that I could eventually move under the TV set and use as a media center. with that in mind I set about trying to get a bang for the buck rig built. I went with a Thermaltake Lanbox Lite casing. The other components are an AMD x2 4000+ in 65nm, on an MSI k9AGM2-FIH motherboard with 2GB of Corsair XMS RAM and an nVidia 8800GTS with 640 MB. Rounding this off are two seagate 160GB single platter hard drives in RAID 0 and a Sony DRU-830A DVD burner. All this is powered by a Corsair 620W modular power supply. The system is awesomely quiet. The only things that I will need to do six or seven months down the line will be to get two USB TV tuners, an ATI 2600XT for HDMI output (or whatever equivalent is the market then), and maybe a creative X-Fi card for the sound. Overall I am in gaming heaven right now with the system scoring 5.9 in all vista performance categories except a 4.8 for the CPU. Now to catch up on pending games.

Dungeon Runners

2007-06-09T05:17:00.000-05:00

I haven't had much gaming going on lately. I still have FFXII, Resident Evil 4 and Marvel AU sitting near my PS slim. I have this bet going with my self that I will finish these games before July 28th. before I move one to any other games; I have a huge xbox 360 backlog to cover. Any way rather than grind away at these games and stick to me schedule, I somehow ended up digging out a couple of oldies in my collection; namely, Warcraft III and HomeWorld 2. Never really played through the entirety of these games, but plan on getting through these this time around. Warcraft III looks really old. But its still fun. and of course Homeworld 2 is just a masterpiece. Its 3d gaming done right.

Anyways, not straying too far away from the header, I stumbled onto Dungeon Runners by NCSoft. Its a very simple MMO, kind of like a dumbed down version of Guild Wars or Diablo. its very pickup and play and best of all its free. well you will have to register for an account and download about 420MB, so free is a relative thing. but still its a fun game that apparently eating away a lot of my 15 or 20 minute breaks that one ends up with between daily events. I highly recommend Dungeon Runners to anyone looking to kill some time. but don't go blaming me if you end up addicted and start paying the $5.00 monthly

Musharraf "Takes Note"

2007-03-16T08:27:00.000-05:00

Bump from Bloomberg Asia:

"March 16 (Bloomberg) -- Pakistani police ransacked the Islamabad offices of GEO Television in a failed bid to stop the private broadcaster airing Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry's disciplinary hearing.

Police fired tear gas into the newsroom, broke furniture and shattered glass in the building, 500 meters from the Supreme Court where Chaudhry's second hearing is being held. "They tried to get us out of the building and tear gassed us," Hamid Mir, GEO TV's Islamabad bureau chief said. "We received repeated messages from the police to stop our live coverage."

The Supreme Court is determining whether President Pervez Musharraf's action removing Chaudhry from the post last week is lawful. GEO TV has telecast live coverage of the protests and police action in Islamabad today. "This is unjustified and we will hold an inquiry," junior Information Minister Tariq Azeem told reporters outside GEO's office in Islamabad.

Newscast Stopped

The government ordered GEO TV yesterday to stop airing its main daily news program, "AAJ Kamran Khan Key Saath," or "Today With Kamran Khan," according to the News newspaper.

"I never knew that that the government would get so desperate and would lose patience so soon with this free flow of information," Khan said, according to the News. "We never had an agenda, other than providing people the most accurate news and an objective analysis on this most important turning point of our history."

President Pervez Musharraf has "taken serious note" of the incident and assured journalists that action would be taken against those responsible, GEO TV reported, citing Information Minister Mohammed Ali Durrani, who said he spoke to the President on the telephone.

I stand stunned as I watch this live and read about it. My only question is why? Is that how all tyrants are; they beat you up, hurt you, abuse you and then tell you not to cry and how sorry they are, and to "walk it off".

"Sorry" is the coolest word in the english language.

Democracy Inaction

2007-03-12T14:35:00.001-05:00

...thought what I'd do is pretend...

Today is a sad day for democracy in Pakstan, sadder than most. The Dictatorial General Pervaiz Musharaf tried to remove Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry from office. Many in the legal community believe that Justice Chaudhary was dismissed because he took up cases that were unpopolar with the government. Chief among these was a petition to recover missing persons, allegedly abducted by intelligence agencies. He also overturned the recent sale of Pakistan's state-run steel mills. In fact the judge is a very controversial figure noted for his firm line on government misdeeds and human rights abuses.
Freedom just doesn't intail choosing the best cellphone plan for yourself. It is a burden. It is the wounded and dying stranger that must be carried on ones back, through all the hardships ahead, just for the fun of it. That is the only way for it to survive.
Personally I am skeptical about all things organized; organized religion, organized thought, organized government. In my opinion they serve the purpose of getting a human up on his feet. But once a person stands up, it is that persons duty and responsibilty to move away, to start carrying freedom around like a log. It is easier to ignore this responsibility. Infact, most people do. but every now and then an idea comes around that makes you think. We have to think, even if we are powerless to act, because that is how ones gets to know oneself, ones beliefs. Is this infinite universe all our insignificant existence amounts to is our beliefs.
So as I see three celeberties dancing sensually on TV trying to cram down Joe's throat something they want him to think he needs, I try to focus on my thoughts; Two things come to mind.
Power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely. and,
In a republic who is the country?
This is how I see it; In a republic, people choose there leaders. They take another ordinary person and vest them with power. Power to make decisions for them, Power to deiced what is Best for others. But if power corrupts then, this approach becomes flawed. What do those with power want? Simple answer, more power. So to control those who we corrupt by giving them power, we set up a system where we give another person power to watch the first person. and yada, yada, yada, we end up with institutions that are there to maintain a balance of power.
So where does that leave us when one power hungary despot tries to consolidate it all. My answer. and I say mine because I hope yours is different, it leaves us with a flawed system falling apart. We see this in the world everyday in one form or another. Who knows how it all ends.
We have to remember that its was our power that got them where they are. We deaf-mutes.

FreeNAS

2007-03-10T17:52:00.000-05:00

Wow, its been a long time since I posted. Work apparently takes up a lot of time. In the free time that I have, I've been messing around with FreeNAS. I had an old Celeron lying around which I scavenged to get this set up. FreeNAS is actually a very easy and inexpensive wave to get a RAID 5 network storage solution up and running on this. With this I can finally stop worrying about the day a hard drive fails and I lose all the data on it. Now all I need is a good gigabit Ethernet card so that I can get better throughput on my network once I move all my media files to this server. I think i am really doing this product a dis-service by not talking more about it, but I would urge anyone interested in a cheap backup or central storage to wiki more information here. It is really a very impressive piece of software. That works simply and as advertised.

MythDora

2007-01-12T05:33:00.000-05:00

The new year came and went, and after a lot of searching as to how one should go about setting up MythTV as easily as possible, I stumbled across MythDora. It is a complete package on one DVD that installs Fedora Core and Myth 0.20 all in one go and gets you up and ready in almost no time. I have been running this off my desktop PC for a couple of days now and after I get used to the interface and work the kinks out, I will do a fresh install on a new PC that can act as a backend and frontend and be separate from my desktop. Only downside right now is that its based of FC5 and its 32-bit. but that's just me being nit-picky. Bottom line is that it works and simplifies a lot (but not all) of the hassle.

Fedora Core 6

2006-12-24T14:25:00.001-05:00

Another good Linux Distro is Fedora Core. Fedora is an RPM based distro that is sponsored by Red Hat. Unlike Red Hat though, fedora contains only free and open source software. Also due to Red hats involvement, the community is slightly more focused on making it easier to implement technologies that windows users take as given. This means that from a beginner’s point of view, networking and file sharing, or setting up basic servers for DNS or firewall/gateway purposes might be easier. Personally, if it can be done on Fedora, it can be done on Ubuntu. And I my self and more inclined towards the sudo side of the Sudo/Root implementation argument. But like I said earlier, my implementation choice will also depend on making the tech usable to the average John/Jane who are so indoctrinated by windows that it’s an effort just to get people to give OpenOffice or Firefox a chance, let alone switch OSes.

Ubuntu

2006-12-22T01:51:00.000-05:00

At home I have been using ubuntu for a while now, so it was the logical place to start. Ubuntu is a Debian based distro that focuses on stability and ease of use. It comes with the GNOME desktop as standard, which I have always preferred to KDE for some unknown reason. If someone out there is a curious newbie, Linux doesn't get easier than Ubuntu. Some of the included features include aptitude for downloading all kinds of software that one could need and Synaptic package manager for handling download of updates, adding and removing software, and automatic updating. Ubuntu also ships with the OpenOffice and Firefox packages so it's pretty easy to get up and running in under 30 minutes.
Another plus for noobs is that the ubuntu-desktop installation CD is Live, so one can just insert it into the CD drive and boot from it into a complete and running OS without having to install anything. Its like test driving, there’s no commitment.
Those interested can just wiki it or go to ubuntu.com and download a desktop CD from torrent or http. Those on slow connections look for a link to ShipIt and get CDs shipped to you anywhere in the world for free.

Of course for a server install I will have different considerations. One of the biggest hurdles that I see is going to be getting LDAP, SAMBA, WINBIND, etc set up right.

To Tux or not to Tux...

2006-12-19T13:10:00.000-05:00

As my friends know, every now and then I just “happen to” find myself in interesting situations. Well so it is that I just “happen to" find my self in charge of the IT implementation at work. Currently we are using two main techs. A windows based Active Directory implementation and a SQL based central database. This system is currently a very hackneyed implementation by the previous IT staff with resources just slapped together by wiring and users just thrown randomly into the AD. This is quickly reaching manageability limits as the number of users in now around 25. My goals are to move all this to a Linux based setup with the goal of easy future additions to the network. Some considerations are to use easily manageable tech so that I can teach administration to non-Linux IT team members. On big hurdle is to do all this experimenting after hours to minimize down-time.
Over the next few posts I will talk about the implementation that I… implement and how I got about it. This is going to be fun.

Brazilian Grand Prix

2006-10-22T11:19:00.000-05:00

In just over an hour the Brazilian GP is going to start and when the dust settles, someone will be crowned the 2006 driving champion and one team will walk away as the constructor's champion. Massa is on pole with Raikkonen second. Alonso is starting fourth and Schumacher is tenth on the grid due to trouble during qualifying. To have hope, that is both a good thing and a bad thing. I am posting before the race instead of later as I intend to sit and enjoy the race no matter what happens. 2006 has been an amazing season. As a scarlet fan I will remember this one for a long time to come.

Apple Gets Classy

2006-10-18T06:33:00.000-05:00

"Small number of Fifth Generation iPods May Be Carrying Windows Virus". This was the headline on a support page at apple.com. If you have frequented this blog, which I highly doubt, then you know that I am a huge fan of Apple (sarcasm apparently doesn't translate well to print). So imagine my shock when apple uses the following words to apologize."As you might imagine, we are upset at Windows for not being more hardy against such viruses, and even more upset with ourselves for not catching it."
This remark is in really bad taste. I mean there could have been all sorts of answers, ranging form poor quality control, to not using updated software. But apple decided to use the opportunity to shift blame.
best of all was the line that read "This known virus affects only Windows computers, and up to date anti-virus software which is included with most Windows computers should detect and remove it". Apparently the windows that apple uses at its facilities wasn't up to the task.
My only question is that where are the cultural values and consumer commitment of a corporation when it shifts blame instead of accepting responsibility.

Digital Comic Preservation

2006-10-02T03:01:00.000-05:00

I have been a comic book fan for a very long time. I guess I must be getting old as I can’t remember when the addiction started. It was harmless fun when I began reading about Peter Parker. But soon I found my self addicted to all things Marvel. I tried to kick the habit twice; one during the ordeal that was the clone saga, and then again during the travesty that is onslaught. But I wasn't strong enough. Soon I found myself in experimenting with varying doses supplied to me by the Distinguished Competition. I few years later I can into the world of Dark Horse and Image. It took me a while to get a hold of myself. Now I am mostly confined to Mareldom, with only occasional forays to check out Flash, Ion or the new Checkmate. Bats does a good story every now and then, and of course one has to keep tabs on the hotties, in Witchblade, Fathom, and even Tomb Raider. Star wars is fun but I buy trades there. So that’s like a once every three months deal. This brings me back to the topic. All those who keep yelling “make mine marvel” know that the 616 is embroiled in civil war. It’s really a great event. And trust me when I say great, I don't me the kind of Bantha PooDoo that was the Infinite Crisis.
So imagine what I was going through when I came back home to find that the only comic book store in the area had become an old bookstore with only one or two titles a year. Yes, the overgrown smug goodie two shoes Boy Scout, who has no idea that underwear goes inside ones pants, is all one can really find at stores. Some Batman and Spider-man make it through but no Deadpool, no Ultimates, and definitely none of the Civil War stuff. So I did what any comic book junkie would do, I turned to DCP.
The name DCP refers to a group of loosely connected comic book scanners on the web, who use BitTorrent for distro. Each of them scans several comics and contribute them to one large torrent, adding their aliases to their scans to let us know who to thank. Several torrents containing the latest comic book and graphic novel releases are offered each month and usually can be found on bit-torrent hosts as dcp-mm-dd-yy.
It’s not like this is a new discovery. I've availed DCP's offerings on several occasions in the past to get a hold of out of print series or when one just got curious or was missing a reference. Still it was a relief to know that even being in a country like Pakistan I can still keep up with my addiction thanks to the cool people that make up DCP.
Also this is in now way an endorsement to stop buying comics. I myself have sent an average of about a hundred dollars a month, every month for the last five or six years. And if comics become available readily in Pakistan, I will again. Artists and writer need to eat too. I know that sounds clichéd, but consider this, that unlike other artists, say Hollywood actors or musician and rock stars. The average person in the comic book industry is not a multimillionaire with an endorsement deal on the side. This post has gotten longer than I expected. So, I’ll leave it hear, saying thanks a lot DCP. I'll keep seeding as long as I can.

2006 Formula 1 Season Blown Wide Open

2006-09-10T10:52:00.000-05:00

Today, Micheal Schumacher won the 2006 Italian Grand Prix at Monza, becoming the first driver in history to win 90 races. The seven-times world champion also announced today that he would be retiring at the end of this season with the Brazilian Grand Prix on 22nd October set to be the last race of his career. I have been following the sport for the last 5 years, and Schume has been the reason I have fallen in love with the sport. I am not going to be too verbose, All I can say is that we will miss him, and we wish him and his family a very happy future. As for the remaining three races, they are going to be an awesome spectacle to watch. Hope Schume can pull it of in style. Go scarlets.

Andre Agassi

2006-09-03T23:11:00.000-05:00

Today is the 3rd of September, 2006. Andre Agassi's tennis career came to an end today. Benjamin Becker of Germany defeated Agassi 7-5, 6-7(4), 6-4, 7-5 in the third round of the U.S. Open. It was a good match that Agassi nearly controlled. In his tearful goodbye speech Agassi said:

"The scoreboard says I lost today, but what the scoreboard doesn't say is what it is I have found. Over the last 21 years I have found loyalty; you have pulled for me on the court and also in life. I have found inspiration. You have willed me to succeed, sometimes even in my lowest moments. And I have found generosity. You have given me your shoulders to stand on to reach for my dreams; dreams I could never have reached without you. Over the the last 21 years I have found you and I will take you and the memory of you with me for the rest of my life."

Have a good one man.

Saint Peter's Church

2006-07-27T22:30:00.000-05:00

At the corner of Lexington and 54th street, hiding amongst all the skyscrapers is this small building pictured here. The reason I find this building interesting is that it happens to be a church. Usually all centers of organized religion are designed to impress. Their architecture reflects them being full of themselves. This building on the other hand is hiding under a Citigroup building. One would almost miss it if one was walking by, or just consider it a useless annex to the building next to it. If God wasn't dead he would be impressed. And the other lesson here is simple; pay attention to everything around you. Or as cliched as it sounds, stop and smell the roses.

MBF-P03 Astray Blue Frame Second L

2006-07-27T00:21:00.000-05:00

Here is one of my most favorite gundams. The Astray Blue that makes appearances in the Gundam Astray manga. Those wanting to know more can check out the section at MAHQ here. Of course there is always wiki. I built this 1/100 over five or six months ago. I chose a darker blue instead of the original lighter scheme and went with some custom decals. If you want to see some more pics leave a comment and I will take some more and paste them here.

Union Square Park

2006-07-25T20:59:00.000-05:00

Union Square is probably my favorite place in NYC. It is bound by 14^th Street, Union Square East, 17^th Street, and Union Square West. Important thoroughfares which lead away from the square are Broadway, leading both north and south; Fourth Avenue, leading southeast to the Bowery; and Park Avenue South, leading north to Grand Central Terminal. The park is a second home to all kinds of radicals and radical wannabes. It is also home to the Farmers Market, held Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays between 8 AM and 6 PM for six months every year. One can find all kinds of people in and around the square. Personally the square has served as a kind of meeting place for me and my friends. We usually converge on the square before we head out for a night in the city. Another interesting thing is that there is a Barnes & Noble located on 16^th street. I like the selection they have there. Also close by are Greenwich Village, University Place and MacDougal Street, The Forbidden Planet, and some of my favorite eating spots. Those wanting to know more about the park should check the wiki here and the NYC parks webpage here.

Venom Revealed !!!

2006-07-25T10:48:00.000-05:00

The most anticipated thing amongst the Spider-fan community has been about the look Venom will have in the movie. I wont say much but let you guys take a peek.

The Empire State Building

2006-07-24T22:32:00.000-05:00

First on the list of things in NYC that intrigue me is the Empire State Building. The building is the tallest building in Manhattan and once was the tallest building in the world. What I really like about the building is that unlike most of the skyscrapers in the city, the Empire State has a masonry facade which makes it stand out from the crowd. Also the giant spire on the top gives the building an extremely distinctive look. Those interested in learning more can click here to get to the wiki page. The picture on the side was taken from the roof of a nearby building (about 25 stories tall). That is this picture is missing the bottom 25% of the building. Lets see what I can find tomorrow. I do have a game plan but it mostly involves wandering the streets. Who knows, maybe by loosing myself, will I finally end up finding myself.

Sony Cyber-Shot DSC 600

2006-07-23T20:00:00.000-05:00

I had been planning on getting a digital camera for a while; how else am I going to take pictures of my gundams. Anyway, long story short, I finally picked up a Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-600 and a 512MB memory stick today. This kicks of my new New York project. For the next two weeks I hope to upload a picture everyday of something in the city that I Find interesting. Also I will post a review of how the camera performs very soon. Hopefully I didn't buy a really expensive paperweight.

Gundam Astray Gold Amatu

2006-07-19T13:22:00.000-05:00

The Astray Gundams have been on of my favorites for the unique head and body design. I own both the red and blue in 1/100 and have been hoping for Bandai to do the Gold Amatu Mina for a while now. So imagine my surprise when rumor started circulating that they were working on a 1/100 gold. The beauty was displayed at the Tokyo hobby show (or some other convention) a while back and I have been counting days till its release. Well today I finally got my hands on one and I am as happy as a (insert your favorite expression). I will hopefully posts pics of what I have and how it turns out finished, but it looks like an awfully cool gundam.

Bull-shitting 110

2006-07-15T19:11:00.000-05:00

Ten years from now when they teach bull-shitting to marketing majors Steve Jobs will get the first chapter in course books. I have to give the guy credit; I, for one, am completely amazed by his ability to get away with things. When introducing the Shuffle he talked on about how screens were so last year and it was time to enjoy life at random. That was before he gave us all cool color screens on our iPods and Nanos. Now jobs goes on and says that he expects cool iPod owners to go buy a new iPod every year. "you keep on innovating, you keep on making better stuff. And if you always want the latest and greatest, then you have to buy a new iPod at least once a year". The guy is just a marketing god. Who else would have the guts to belittle Intel for years before he moves to the platform for its superior technology. I am really looking forward to what must-have features they introduce with the next-gen iPod rumored to be announced on August 7th at WWDC06.

Baqwas Blog

2006-07-15T15:22:00.000-05:00

Some of my friends are trying to blog their nonsensical thoughts. I will also try to post there every now and then but it you like the weird give these guys a try. They can be found over at Baqwas Blog

They won

2006-07-09T15:16:00.000-05:00

Who Would Have guessed; i for one was hoping and praying. but WooHoo the Italians pulled it off. They won it!!!

Football!!!

2006-06-09T23:40:00.000-05:00

Nuff Said!!! the World Cup is here...

P.S. Hope Italia wins.

Something Old, Something New...

2006-06-07T00:25:00.000-05:00

Something old, something new, something borrowed and something red and blue. Most of the great spidey arcs are not about the websliger but about Pete and finally in Amazing Spiderman #532 JMS (Joseph Michael Straczynski) gets back to a old-fashioned tale that is about the man and not about the spider. Don't get me wrong here; I enjoy a good archetypical myth just as much as the next man, but finally after a long time (probably since Jenkins' send-off in Spectacular (Vol. 2) #27) did I resonate with what I read.

Emotional Energy

2006-04-29T23:58:00.000-05:00

I don't hate anybody, I just cant seem to. I believe that hating just requires too much energy. Frankly, by hating people or things I would be wasting all the energy that could be well spent towards other activities. Life is absurd. If one accepts that fact, then it become a stepping stone to being happy and not wasting energy towards hate.

War is Upon Us

2006-04-27T00:04:00.000-05:00

Is anyone else out there a comic buff. Well rather than take my time getting to the point, I will say it out loud; DC Sucks Big Time!!! (yes it deserves all three exclamation marks). I mean the entire Infinite Crisis was an utter waste of time. And it made me realize on thing, as much as I am a fanboy for good Bats, Supes, or even Flash and GL stories, they are few and far between. I also realize why I and millions keep yelling year after year "Make mine Marvel!" So heres counting down to what is going to be a really good story arc (fingers crossed).

The Man of Iron

2006-04-21T21:27:00.000-05:00

Any Spidey Fans out there, those who are reading JMS current run will be up to date on all that is happening in the Marvel 616. Apparently Civil War is upon us, and I for one am extremely excited. But more on that when the first shot is fired. I follow everything Parker related, and one character has caught my attention; Tony Stark. I have new found respect for the man's shrewd-ness. He has been playing Peter for a fool, and only time will tell what that costs Peter. Not only that but he has been busy else where as well. But without spoiling much for people whole like good stories, you need to check out the current Iron-Man run and the New Avengers: Illuminati, to find out what I am talking about. I really don't know who this new Stark is, but he is one mean dude, and I plan on following him for a while.

The Only Good Thing

2006-04-07T18:16:00.000-05:00

I try to be open-minded about everything. Hey, that's how you learn new things is life. But DC comics much hyped Infinite Crisis turned out to be a complete waste of time. It is a completely haphazard story that does nothing but give fan service to lost forgotten characters. I mean, I am a long time reader, and even I did not get all the "homage" the first time round. That coupled with a weak storyline, messed up pacing and 60's style science logic, all lead to one crazy (the bad kind of crazy) mini-series. Still one good thing came out of all the madness, Probably good enough to buy issue # 6. And That would be the amazing cover art of Infinite Crisis #6 by Jim Lee.

Blessed are the Ignorant

2006-02-15T12:38:00.000-05:00

We have all heard it before; "ignorance is bliss". The ignorant man has one huge advantage over others; he is free of angst. Why? Well that should be the topic of another post. But the idea I am going to talk about here is the thought of those people who jeer, sneer and mock others. They do so to make fun of others but also to point out to others that they themselves are quite good at doing something. Case in point, a person in a restaurant is using all the table utensils properly. He notices someone else, not displaying proper manners and this ignorant peasant is enjoying himself. Now my feeling is that Mr. Proper is upset that he himself is behaving so well, and no one is noticing his superb behavior. So to get noticed, he has to act all haughty and superior, only so as to have the acknowledgement of another sentient that a person with manners is better than a person without manners.

Hiatus

2006-02-09T01:31:00.000-05:00

Hiatus: gap or interruption in space, time, or continuity; a break. That is what is in store for this blog as I plan to be moving around for the next month or two. Still I plan to post regularly, and post I shall.

Stupid Evil

2006-01-30T01:23:00.000-05:00

There is the theory out there that anything that is evil is by definition also stupid. It’s not actually a science or anything, but I come across it a lot. Especially amongst fiction writers, who have a tendency to follow it like a religion. Let me explain. The writing usually portrays the bad guys outnumbering the good guys a million to one, but they run in straight lines only and are slow thinkers as they all belong to retarded races, the hero or heroine outwits them at every turn and the evil people never see any of it coming, they all live in dull flea ridden villages and cannot read or speak foreign languages, they leave keys or incriminating evidence out in the open for the hero to find, and so on and so forth. I wonder why that is? I mean it is a good thing to see a clever protagonist but authors should realize that there is a big difference between smart heroes against normal people, and clichéd heroes against an even dumber people.

For those out there who are interested in writing believable bad guys Peter Anspach has a humorous list that can be reached by clicking here. It has some interesting pointers to keep in mind when writing.

Medalon Review

2006-01-29T01:41:00.000-05:00

I just finished reading Medalon by Jennifer Fallon. It was definitely good enough to make me go out and buy Treason Keep, the second book in the Hythrun series. Of course, a bibliophile like me is cursed to read to the end anything I pick up. Still, the book does a very good job in the perhaps over-crowded fantasy genre. The characters are unique and have to, some extent, quite believable motivations. R’shiel, the main protagonist is a very strong lead and has very human aspects for a “good guy”. Tarja, the required companion in any fantasy, is perhaps a little too concerned about honor but that is me being fussy. The book gives us a good mix of politics and intrigue without getting bogged down in them like some other series; cough, Wheel of Time, cough. In addition, another criticism I have about most fantasy writers is that they overwhelm the reader with something I refer to as the superman aspect. We get an inordinate amount of fight and battle scenes and magic thrown in so that the reader gets the Hollywood feel. Personally, I like human stories where the author keeps these aspects in check. At the same time, myself being a wannabe writer, I feel that Medalon did a good job at hinting at these things to come in future installments. I just hope we get to see some cool battles and powers soon, rather than none at all until the climactic scene in the final book. One thing the book was probably lacking was moments of humor. The book has a very serious tone from the get go and after midway, we rarely see the characters attempt any sarcastic remarks or the like. Still, the bottom line is that I would definitely recommend this book as a good read to anyone looking to pick up a series. And those looking for synopsis and plot summaries, there are too many out there already. Still if you need one, look up the book on Amazon.

Tiger and I

2006-01-26T21:18:00.000-05:00

I once asked a tiger to take me on a journey; to show me something, anything, it thought I should know. It asked me to follow it and it ended up showing me four things. First, I saw a field littered with carcasses and bones. I could not tell if they were human or animal. Second, it showed me a grave in a cemetery. I thought it was mine, but only for a moment. Next, it took me to a field where I saw daisies in bloom. I wondered how they'd smell. Finally, it led me to a small hill top where sitting under a tall shady tree, there was someone waiting for me. I thought, I hoped, she might be Dawn, the bringer of good tidings. The tiger left me there. I haven't seen it since.

Sports and Newtypes

2006-01-25T03:48:00.000-05:00

I am a huge tennis fan, not to be confused with rabid, but still a huge fan. The sad news is that Martina Hingis just lost to Kim Clijsters 3-6, 6-2, 4-6 in the Quarterfinals of the Australian Open. I was really rooting for the Swiss. Alas, it was not meant to be. I still hope she will do well in the future and win a Grad Slam in a year or two.

Anyway, I stray from the point to be made. In all spectator sports there are so many people watching, cheering, wishing, and hoping and so on. Is there really the possibility that a million people watching an event could some how telepathically or telekinetically influence the outcome? Just bear with me here. If humans do have the potential to evolve into, for a lack of better word, “Newtypes”, then shouldn’t we start seeing signs first in spectator sports? Maybe we already are. How many times have underdogs gone on to win, despite the odds, against stronger opponents. Could it be because of the tiny psychic energy of millions of humans was simultaneously directed towards influencing the outcome. I guess there is no science to verify this but it would be somewhat cool to believe that there is a remote possibility to this being true. After all, who doesn’t want to be a newtype?

To Another Beginning

2006-01-24T21:43:00.000-05:00

Well, here is to the beginning for another project. I never started a blog before because there was never anything I thought that I needed to say; I still don't. But now this project starts, shakely and purposeless in direction. The idea is to construct a place where I can past all the ideas that dwell in the depths of the mind and usually end up dying without ever seeing the light of day.

So here in this place titled "Radium's Space" I will be pasting all sorts of useless tidbits. Who knows how long this lasts and what shapes it ends up taking.