The II-1 DVD: What's up?

I've finished Sides A and B for Disc 1 now (assuming there are those types of CDs being sold...) and luckily, I've managed to put everything I've got in my computers. And you know what, there's more. The last day, L.E. selling, L.E. Interview (assuming people can even retrieve them) as well as a few other projects (remember the trailer?).

But anyway, I'm here to tell you what the heck are actually in the 2 sides, so here I go.

DISC 1: Side A
Though Side B is even more filled to the rim than Side A (I'm considering putting the L.E. Selling vids here since they seem so few, or maybe just the English Cooking slideshow), the side's got a lot of substantial stuff.
For the Teachers' Day menu, the videos are organized by teacher, and numbered (no descriptions... dahil medyo tinatamad ako, hehehe sorry. But maybe I'll change them anyway).

It's a bit scattered with the Mall of Asia part though, but I guess it'll be tolerable.


And there are two pages for the December 20 Party menus:DISC 1: Side B
It's simpler because the version the template came from was pretty primitive. However, the opening's pretty cool. But anyway, it definitely has a lot more content. And no, I won't be showing all menus because they look the same. No moving videos beside it, no nothing (which is probably why a lot more videos could be placed inside).


The following are Christmas, Exchange Gifts (hidden inside Christmas menu) and Primolympcks menus.



For now, this is the end of this update.

HELL WEEK: The guide for your long test needs (ZongHe Part 1 of 4)

Yep, I've decided to share with you this sort of quick guide for the upcoming hell week. But unlike the Oscar/Globes review posts, it won't be as daily in the first few entries, but it will indeed be a series if ever I can handle it (looks at Bio). For this edition, it'll a pretty quick guide for ZongHe (or Zong Hap) so yeah, there'll definitely be a bit of Chinese. (Take note, other years, this guide is for second year)

FIRST LESSON (第一課）探囊取物
*For the identification or 填充, I'll be giving you sort of like an English translation then fill in the Chinese answers in between. The benefit of this, at least to me, is that I actually get to understand what the heck I'm reading, even if it isn't the most precise translation. (Answers are in bold)

1) This guy named 曹操, after conquering 中原 went to the south to defeat 劉備's army.
2) After 劉備's defeat, he went back to his 家卷; while General  趙雲 who was killing people, saved 劉備's son (Thanks to Chang for the correction) who was called 劉禪. (Told you the translation won't be accurate)
3) 曹操's soldiers then went to 長板橋 and saw this somewhat feared man 張飛's 虎鬚 and the 蛇矛 on his hand. He was probably staring with his eyes (LOL) and was expecting them on the bridge. Which is most probably the reason why he was on a horse.
4) 張飛's nickname was 異德 while 關羽's was 雲長. So what's their relation? Well, they're blood brothers, or in Chinese, 結拜兄弟. And though I don't know what relation this guy 趙雲 (whose nickname is 子龍) has to the blood brothers, he is just 劉備's general, or 大將．
5) The story 探囊取物 is about 張飛's courage and talent. Which in other words are, 勇猛 and 機智 respectively.
6) The proverb 探囊取物's synonym is 易如反掌.
7) In that era, 曹操 was not only a Governer (政治家), but also a soldier (軍事家) and a scholar (文學家). However, a certain tribe called him a sort of traitor and war-freak of sorts. You know what? Let the four word saying do the talking: 亂世之奸雄. OK fine, 5 words!

*Now we go to the Question and Answer portion (why do I feel like a beauty pageant emcee?).
1) What does the proverb 探囊取物 mean?
探囊取物 talks about a job that is easy (容易取得或容易辦好的事). That' pretty much the simplest translation of it.

2) Why did 曹操's soldiers chicken out near 長板橋?
When 曹操's soldiers reached 長板橋, they saw 張飛 riding a horse, waiting on the bridge. And because they new that there were assassins? (伏兵), they pretty much lost all courage (不敢) to go forward 長板橋.

3) 曹操 overheard 關雲長 talk about 張飛. What was it about? (Chismoso ah)
曹操 overheard 關雲長 talk about 張飛 being in this area with probably a million soldiers. And inside that did he behead the general (砍上將的頭), thus the saying 探囊取物.

4) What benefits did 曹操's territories get during his rule?
a) 曹操 promoted agriculture by employing refugees to plant (招募難民耕種).
b) He also provided the military (軍事), the transportation sector? (運輸) and the farmers (農田) the water they needed by opening dams (or maybe rivers? As said by England?) (河渠)
c) He abolished? the rental and tax system (廢除租稅制度) and strictly prohibited (嚴禁) the rich people from bullying (or for a more mature term, discriminating) poor people (富豪欺負窮人).

MACBOOK PRO and MACBOOK: Never a better time than now

In the past, I've always raved about how amazing Apple's MacBook and MacBook Pro is. And although I've never actually cared for Apple's past power upgrades, this one is actually something to care about. Why? Because not only did they add a lot more oomph to the two models' speed, or add more hard disk space, they included something that customers will really love- a Multi-touch mousepad.

But wait, I'm getting a bit ahead of myself. That last one is only applicable for MacBook Pro, but that upgrade is hella sweet. First introduced in MacBook Air, the Multi-touch mousepad uses the same touch screen technology in the iPod touch and iPhone, and take note that the only products you'll ever find these technologies are in Apple products (and maybe the Microsoft Surface as well). As I've raved before in the MacBook Air hands-on post, I loved working with photos using that pad and I practically, instantly missed it when I came back home. And frankly, maybe Apple realized that the MacBook Air won't be very hot after all, and it was a smart move to actually put it in MacBook Pro. Now, the Pro really distances itself from its other brother, the MacBook, and especially blazes it with even faster processing power (2.4Ghz and 2.6Ghz options) and actually usable graphics (nVidia GeForce 8600M GT with 256 or 512 MB memory to be specific).

*UPDATE: Wait a sec, so tapping the trackpad to do a click is already one of them multi-touch gestures? Then the MacBook Pro with Multi-touch models must already be here in the Philippines, because that happened when I tried out the MacBook Pro last Sunday!

And though the newer MacBook isn't really as post-worthy as the new addition in MacBook Pro's arsenal, the choice of having even faster speeds (2.0Ghz and 2.4Ghz for the tech-savvy) is a plus, as well as having 2GB of expandable RAM standard. Plus, you also get to only choose between 120-160GB hard drives, and if you'd like to burn more cash, why not get the fancier black MacBook with 250GB hard drive and faster everything?

A SUPER Review

Stumped with all those bulky videos? Why not convert them? Or how about converting some videos for you PSP, iPod or cellphone? Oh you're gonna have to pay people for that now, wouldn't you? Well if money is a problem, then how about a meeting with my free video converting buddy SUPER?

Don't mix this one with Super Video Converter, which is not free, because this one does as advertised, and once again, FREE! Yes, it's kinda hard to navigate that damn eRightSoft website, thus preventing you to actually access the download link, but there are alternatives you know? (I'll give it to you once the post is finished)

***WARNING: Some tech terms below. (Yes, from this day on, this warning will appear when tech terms appear. Hopefully, I will remember.***

Anyway, I stated in the title that this is a review. So yes, I have experience with it, and well, they're kinda mixed actually. The one in my computer (before I found the alternative download link) was actually a 2005 version, and that version didn't handle my huge MPG files (Handycam, DVD, etc.) very well and it sucked during .MOV (QuickTime by Apple) encoding. But this time around, when I found the 2008 February version, it was a hell of a lot better. .MOV encoding worked most of the time, I repeat, MOST of the time, and it did a hell of a great job at that.

You actually get a skinnable, more user-friendly (compared to others, but it's also kinda intimidating) interface and it has almost every little codec (or video formats) that you can think of, and those so-called codecs come with the installer itself. So yes, installing is simple, quick and very easy.

But when it did NOT work. IT IS HELL. During the '05 version, I got white videos but good sound after conversion (to .MOV) when played in Quicktime (but they were great in VLC Media Player), and when I got the '08 version, it would display dialog boxes that one will never understand, and the file... well, you won't really get the file once these things appear.

And another bad thing about this is the fact that most of the essential options (such as Output Video Folder) is on the right-click folder (but still, it is stated in the title bar that you can find more options by right-clicking everywhere), but one very great upgrade is the preset options for iPod, PSP, PS3, DS, and other stuff.

eRightSoft has to fix the drag-and-drop mechanism for Vista though, it doesn't always work.

***TECH TERMS end here. At least most of them.

Overall, despite the occasional uncertainty that SUPER will not convert any of your videos, or that your videos will end up white at times, SUPER, when it works (which is most of the time), is a VERY GOOD FREE converter for Windows machines. I mean, my 400+MB MPG file became 90MB without any noticeable loss! That is how good this is.

HERE's the download link: http://www.afterdawn.com/software/video_software/video_encoders/super.cfm

Getting Fingers on the MacBook Air

Medyo pasmado nga ang mga kamay ko noon (My palms were a bit sweaty), but I dared touch that surprisingly durable feel of aluminum on that ultra-thin new ultraportable that, though it didn't make as much waves as the iPhone, cooked up quite a storm. Yes, the iPhone part was a give-away because the thing that I tried was none other than Apple's new MacBook Air.

CAPTION: It even comes in a cost-saving, smaller eco-friendly box!

Greenbelt

We went in the Power Mac Center in Greenbelt because my mother was having a one-hour facial (Murad coupon.) and the first thing I would see is not the laptop, but Apple's upgraded

 Apple TV. We tinkered with the usual iMacs, MacBooks and MacBook Pros in display but later, my brother would find the Air in a sort of not so obvious location. Funny that they should do

 that, because when we started using the thing, people were crowding up behind this, because this was the most stylish piece of Apple tech inside.

Hardware

I inspected the sides of the machine, and yes, I missed the ports that could be found on the left side, but when I checked the right side, the pull-down door was instantly discernible and it would reveal the 3 magic wishes, err... ports namely, the USB port, VGA and mini-DVI ports (one each). I kinda miss the DVD drive (What's the use of iDVD then, right?) but still, at least they covered that itch with Remote Disc which I unfortunately did not have a chance to try.

Amazingly, Apple did not compromise the user by placing smaller keyboards and trackpads,

 but normal-sized ones, hell, the trackpad's larger than the MacBook I'm typing on, and it's quite fun to use. And when I say fun to use, I point to the "multi-touch gestures" that the

 mousepad supports. You can use three fingers to switch to another photo or whatever, you can pinch it to zoom in or out, and move your fingers in a specific way so that you can rotate something. These moves are surprisingly intuitive. And opening this MacBook, and organizing

 the photos for the II-1 DVD, makes me miss them. Hell, I wondered how I could've lived without them!

CAPTION: I adore the intuitive, innovative mouse gestures! How did I ever live 

without them?!

Features

Plus, the screen looks brighter than ever, especially with its power-saving LED backlight, plus it makes the screen super thin as well!

Other features that come standard include Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and not to mention the very

stylish and functional Mac OS X Leopard (which is still in my list of "Pirated software to buy when we go to Greenhills"). It's pretty speedy too for a stripped down dual core processor powered machine and it's even got 1GB more (of RAM) than the MacBook I'm using!

CAPTION: LEDs allow the screen to be ultra thin.

Predictions

It won't really sell as much here. It's not yet as practical, nor future-proof, as it should be. But if Apple released the product, or at least another iteration of it... maybe after 2 to 5 years, it (the next iteration) will sell A LOT. Because by that time, most of our streets will probably have Wi-Fi access pang-masa (public), and software will rarely be distributed by CDs and be set up for download in the Internet instead. It wouldn't be really the best time to buy a MacBook with features like these, but it's quite the pioneer, and a daring one if I might add. Because it will lead the way towards the promotion of the death of CDs (which, on the bright side, is VERY

 eco-friendly) and the Internet will be where we go for music, and pretty much many things else. This is the future, people. But it's still too early to be used frequently, lest your house is a Wi-Fi hotspot, that is.

CAPTION: Great in the long term, not so much in the short term. (ON SCREEN: Me and my little brother.)

(I didn't see the price tag......... but I bet it's more expensive than this MacBook.)

PINOY INDIE FEATURE: Pisay

NOTE: No this is not a review, but a little feature that may either pique your curiosity... or not.

PISAY

The death of Filipino cinema is looming near, yet even in a year where there have been quite a few more Filipino movies being made in comparison to the last, most of them are junk that cashes in on the latest sizzling love team or trend. And though this description is not applicable to all those kinds of mainstream fare, people would eventually get tired and wish there was more to mainstream local cinema than rom-coms, unfunny or loud comedies, fantasy sequels and cheap horror flicks. This is where independent cinema comes in. They tread the paths where nobody dares cross, yet they still tell these stories effectively with a consumer video camera. Why? Because the cameras big productions use are pretty big and clear, not to mention expensive. But I'm not here to talk about cameras. I'm here to talk about one of these independent films that would probably be the most relevant to our lives, as well as our parents'. And this flick is called Pisay, short for the Philippine Science High School.

Directed by acclaimed indie director Auraeus Solito (Blossoming of Maximo Oliveros), this semi-autobiographical tale of high school life in the 80's pretty much focuses on different sets of people in different school years. Being the 80's though, it's not your average ordinary teenage high school flick, but one that is set in the era of Marcos, este, Martial Law. Knowing this, the twist set by the flick will most probably get you wondering how the heck they can go on with their studies during those chaotic times, and how they can even lead a normal teenage life!

The film has won accolades, most recently in France (Vesoul Film Festival; Audience Prize and a few others), and is currently showing locally (Feb. 20-27 @ SM Cinemas). (It was also actually finished and screened internationally since 2006, I think.) But regardless of these little tidbits, I have a feeling that Pisay is a highly viewable film, especially for teens as it chronicles this stage in life in a unique manner and setting. The convincing and talented cast (that also includes some former Going Bulilit faces and relative unknowns) is a big plus.

Below is the trailer:

CAPTION: "You are nothing but a unicellular protozoan amoeba!" Classic line!

MEDIA CREDIT: http://pisaythemovie.com.ph (Official Pisay website)

BLU-RAY vs HD-DVD: The War Is Finally Over

Yup folks, it's true. Blu-ray has won the High Definition battle and Sony has had its revenge (for the failed Betamax).

How?

Bloggers have been speculating over the weekend about HD-DVD's demise. And it seems to have become official when Toshiba announced its surrender on February 20 (Philippine time). So yeah, they're getting all those cheap 100 dollar players off the shelves and ceasing production of the optical discs and letting Blu-ray fully bask in the limelight. It could have also been affected by several obvious factors such as Warner Bros.' move to exclusively support Blu-ray, as well as the loyalty of the many others before it. From the start I thought Blu-ray would win this, and I was right.

Predictions

It seems that the only future of CD's we'll be going through is blu. PS3's will be flying off the shelves and surpass Wii (it almost did it one time), and price drops are going to be very, very frequent for the players and the discs. So expect to see a 300 dollar PS3 in like, 7 months or so, as well as standalone Blu-ray players that will be dirt-cheap. I just don't know how Filipinos will be able to react to this. I mean, we have no law stating that we should cut out all analog television stations and make the switch to HD or something, and Filipinos don't really care about the HD revolution so... the future is still pretty bleak locally at least. I mean, pirated DVD's are still the rage for Pete's sake!

GAME PREVIEWS: Street Fighter IV Video Impressions and Mario Kart Wii!

OK, GDC's currently on, and I can't wait for the new Nintendo announcements, which should be big. For now, though, I've got Street Fighter Video Impressions which is literally my impressions on Street Fighter IV's videos, and my Mario Kart Wii feature. So yeah, it won't be the most accurate representation of a preview, but hey, can't hurt to write, right?

Street Fighter IV (XBox 360, PS3, Arcade)
It's a highly anticipated return of the legendary fighting franchise, but I think the game is going to fall flat headfirst.


Trailer
The trailer was pretty, darkly impressive, but you won't see any of that stylized cinematic 2D-3D fusion fighting action in the game proper. Yeah, there's great art direction going on from the man who brought us the character designs and art direction from the classic Street Fighter II, but I'm just not flat-out impressed. But don't take my word for it. There are a few new game mechanics such as the "revenge meter" and "focus attacks" as well as a slew of classic and new brawlers in the mix. Plus, the finishing special moves are cinematic and cool!

In 2D!
Plus, the fighting's in 2D- just the way it should be played, so who knows, it may be a pretty solid installment for the series. But for now, all I see is the same complex combos (not that I'm complaining about them), renamed meters and nostalgia reliance.Come on!
If Capcom wants to impress, they better show off what they've actually fleshed out. Otherwise, it will be just another over-hyped disappointment. And you know that there has been a lot of that. You've been there before, I've been there before, everyone's been there before. Why? Because the same applies for the movies. But hey, I'm dabbling on different territory!

FEATURE: Mario Kart Wii

Have you ever wondered what the world would be without that plumber? He revolutionized platforming, he has appeared in sports games innumerable and now he's back with his trendsetting racing game, Mario Kart designed for the Wii.It has become the subject of several rip-offs such as Crash Team Racing for the PS1, but since this is the original, you can expect a lot of the racing action everybody loved since well, 16 years ago! Its DS counterpart has become subject to praise from several professional gaming journalists, with X-Play's Morgan Webb even proclaiming it as "the best kart racer of all time". My experience, especially with multiplayer, of that specific game can also attest to that statement, bold as it can be.

CAPTION: How mobile can a steering wheel get?

And going back, Mario Kart Wii will be bringing a whole lot of favorites back: Split-screen multiplayer matches, online matches, online scoreboards, power sliding, drafting and 16 courses from past iterations. And for an even fresher change of pace, they've included bikes wherein you can just tilt the Wii remote up to perform acrobatic moves that increase your speed. And judging from the pictures, they can be used simultaneously.

CAPTION: Back from the dead- Split Screen Racing! And something new- Bikes!

16 more new courses, a constantly updated (online!) Battle Mode (which gives the player objectives to perform tasks) and a mobile steering wheel sweeten the pot. If this isn't something that will make Wii fans salivate, other than Super Smash Bros., then I don't know what. It's being released in the "Early 2008" timeframe which is kinda vague, but good to hear nonetheless. It ships with that steering wheel and is also like Super Smash Bros.- it has 5 five control schemes: GameCube controller, Wiimote, Wiimote and Nunchuk, Wiimote and Steering wheel, and Classic Controller. Can't wait.

Brace yourself for courses so daring in Early 2008.

PREVIEW: II-1- The Ultimate DVD

At the end of the school year, I will definitely be burning all of II-1's videos from as much video providers as possible. Hell, I'm not even sure if that will even happen in just one disc, but I'll try to make put it on only one. This serves a lot of purposes: 1) My computer will be relieved of much space and 2) We'll have a hell of a lot of memories to keep. JUST DON'T LOSE IT THOUGH.

Features:
Organized Interactive Menus

Plenty of Slideshows

Never Before YouTube-d Footage

Unedited, widescreen (as much as possible) videos

Projects and presentations

DVD-ROM Content (Access every picture and if possible, video)

Release date:
March 5. 2007? *I am already doing it now*

Basta kasama na rin to, since practically EVERYBODY thought it was a comedy trailer:

PIECES OF ADVICE...

...when you are planning/already own a Mac:

1) 80GB is an ultimately small amount. Which is why laptops or system units the company (Apple) sells have this capacity as the lowest in their hard drives. (Talagang 69GB... because of my Windows installation)

2) ALWAYS reserve 20GB of free space. You'll never know when you'll install some HUGE software like Final Cut Studio (though it honestly takes up 40GB and takes four hours reportedly, to install).

3) NEVER use Automator if you don't know what the hell it does.

4) NEVER use iMovie and iDVD at the same time. YOUR COMPUTER WILL SURELY HANG.

5) You won't find any guide for the alien language OS X uses for the hotkeys/keyboard commands. No really, I still don't know them yet. But the big up directional symbol is Shift.

6) Insert that Mac OSX Install Disc, and look for X11. Just search for it instead in Spotlight because I don't remember. X11 will surely come in handy after you install it.

7) ALWAYS log out of your password-protected user (assuming it is password-protected) if you have reckless, galawgaw siblings. Because once you close the Apple lappie or system unit, the user that will be opened is your own user. So that means there is no user log-in screen during boot. Nada.

8) Stop looking for the Control Panel. It's called System Preferences now. Get used to it.

9) There's NO Add/Remove Programs in the aforementioned System Preferences. So if you've installed some programs, always do as the dialog says: Drag the icon to the Applications folder. Seriously. (Although if the program you've installed is out of sight, you can always search for it.) Removal of the program involves dragging the icon to the trash. Done.

10) DO NOT go on Video Podcast overload. THEY WILL FILL UP ANY iTUNES ENABLED COMPUTER... to the rim! (I'm having a free space crisis already! I've got an 80GB disk pa naman)

11) Download VLC Media Player first, because Apple is maarte with original, region-coded DVDs. VLC bypasses this. Or better yet, buy pirated DVDs.

12) Never abuse the processor of a Mac. Dual-core nga, pero napapagod din!

13) Do not expect too much out of a MacBook's video card. It SUCKS.

14) Always look for the word Open-Platform when you download stuff. It's not everyday that the perfect software is in Mac (because they're in Windows).

15) Do not underestimate iMovie '06 and never upgrade to iMovie '08. (My trailer can testify.)

16) iDVD has a bit of a learning curve.

17) Always go to iPhoto for slideshow needs. (I got 437 photos in a slideshow in 5 minutes. No joke.)

18) Never mistaken the iCal (for Tiger) icon for today's date. It'll always be JUL 17 no matter what.

19) If you see a colorful twirly mouse cursor, that means only one program has hanged. Close it by clicking the blue Apple button in the menu bar (only after you press F11 that is) and click Force Quit, Mac's simpler equivalent to Task Manager. Force Quit the hanging program and it'll ALWAYS go away.

20) Do not always think that Save As... equates to giving you the power to save one thing to other formats. Export does that.

Can you beat THIS band?

If you thought an iPod, iPhone and Nintendo DS were merely gadgets of class, show-offs and kiddies respectively, then here's another way to utilize them simultaneously, harmoniously and creatively. (It's a YouTube video. But if you ask me, it's pretty cool.) It's appropriately called iBand and they all use different software of course.

COMIC RELIEF/YOUTUBE VIDEO of the ???: The WoW addiction in good use

Americans already know what I'm implying, because it was infamous the time the "ad" was released. Yep, it's the solution of the over-populous China, or maybe a way to decrease our country's birthrate. It's World of Warcraft as birth control.

CREDIT: X-Play

BASIC PHOTOGRAPHY: Use White Balance

It's easy, but beneficial.

I'm not sure if this feature is one you'd normally bother to configure, but if you do try tinkering with it, I'm sure you'll probably be able to maximize the quality of your camera, or cameraphone.

Yes, you'll be able to find the thing in a cameraphone, so if you configure the proper White Balance setting, your pictures will be prettier. Plus, you don't need to wait for your computer, and for Photoshop to open.

It all depends on the model, as well as the certain model's capability, but you'lll definitely be able to find these settings either on a so-called "advanced user setting/mode" or just in plain sight. There'll be presets like Daylight or Sunny, Dark or Nighttime, Fluorescent or Lamp, once again, it all depends on the camera. The more the presets the better. So if you get to access this feature, it's just takes a bit of common sense in tweaking to whatever kind of light the area currently has.

Still, there are some times that when you forget to re-tweak White Balance, you end up with:

Admittedly, I kinda like this "emo" mood. Haha. (It's in Fluorescent mode)

And if you use it correctly:Notice that the board's a bit greener.

OK, so how about a more direct comparison?

That's quite it for this post. It's kinda short for a tech tip, but it's actually up to you and your camera/cellphone model as to where this feature would be located, if at all.

UNRELATED
Panic At The Disco's new single: Nine in the Afternoon has released a video! :D It's stuck in my head! Nine in the afternoon, your eyes are the size of the moon, blablablablablabladoo! Haha

ON X-PLAY: Hello Kitty... MMO???

Watch out Ms. Ileto wannabe's 'coz the kitten's going online. No, not a website, but an MMORPG (Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game) of sorts where you can customize avatars, communicate with other kitties, get skills and even go farming. Yup, Sanrio's trying to take over the world again. Will WoW ever compare?

*UPDATE
Just saw the screenshots. The game's presented in 2.5D with very colorful backgrounds that prevalently uses a garish pink... Just as expected. And I can't even believe that fans are going overboard for this thing. And what's with the HP? And why fighting (mentioned below)? Hmmm... I don't know whether to describe it as stupid or wrong. But I'd like to see how they die. >:) EVIL, EVIL ME. Good news for those who want to actually try this though, it's free and requires no subscription whatsoever.

Why do I get this strange feeling that there's already a Japanese version? (Note the ugly fonts.)

From the original X-Play article:
Watch out World of Warcraft: Hello Kitty is going MMO. Welcome to Kitty Town, b*tches.

Hello Kitty Online, the Sanrio-sponsored adorabiltiy simulator, is going into Beta, which means YOU can apply. Do it. You know you want to.

In addition to the standard MMORPG features such as customizable avatars, guilds, skill systems, and player economy, some of the unique Hello Kitty Online features are under the cut. Click it. The kitten says you must.

• Unique game world: a persistent, beautifully designed environment where thousands of players and NPCs live, explore and quest in a magical world with real and imaginary zones such as the Flower Kingdom, Tokyo, Paris, Moscow, and more. Real world locations offer players the ability to learn about those places.
• Unique NPCs: players will encounter and interact with popular Sanrio characters such as Hello Kitty, Badtz-Maru, My Melody, Keroppi, and many others, all animated with a variety of contextual facial expressions.
• Free to play: Hello Kitty Online is downloaded and played free of charge. There are no subscription fees.
• Character upgrades: the Item Mall allows players to use real money to purchase special items and upgrades for characters.
• Player housing: players can build and customize their own houses after acquiring the necessary licenses and materials. Houses depreciate over time and need to be maintained properly or will fall in disuse. A homeowner can invite someone to visit by making an in-game telephone call, and the player called will automatically be transported to the house if she agrees.
• Crafting system: Hello Kitty Online has an extensive crafting system with output such as tools & weapons, farming implements & furniture, a wide variety of cooked dishes, and clothing for decorative and stat-modifying items. Raw materials include wood, minerals and metals, and crops.
• Farming: players can run their own farms, which offer extra storage room and have the potential to produce important raw materials. The farming system incorporates a number of variables such as fertility, pest infestations, and crop characteristics.
• A different focus: although it has a sophisticated combat system, unlike other MMORPGs combat need not be a primary objective for players of Hello Kitty Online. There are many puzzles to be solved, mini-games to compete in, story lines to follow, and adventures to experience

Spielberg's Wii Game, Skype PSP and other news

I don't think there is such a thing as an Oscar for games, but Oscar winning director Steven Spielberg, as the gaming universe must already know, has two games with EA on the works. One is a game called Boom Blox, which he conceived after experiencing the Wii controller, so yeah, it's Wii-exclusive, and family-friendly... and it's about blocks. It looks like an UNO Stacko game of sorts, hopefully it doesn't become a Jenga World Tour...

Another game in the works are for the other two console PS3 and XBox 360 as well as the PC. There hasn't been any announced title yet, but it's a story in that fits Spielberg's resume- sci-fi. Right now, it's still called "LMNO" and features a cyborg lady and a guy that you get to play. Depending on their relationship, the abilities are able to shift between them or something...

There is also actually another game that hasn't been announced, but occasionally mentioned. No details whatsoever have been released.

Still, even with Spielberg, there is still reason to doubt. Why? For one, he's not the most credible game designer, and two, he provided the gameplay idea of the poorly (critically) received LucasArts game The Dig. Ironically, players dig that game so... we'll just have to wait and see.

Skype PSP

It only works for the PSP Slim mind you, but Skype for the PSP seems like an excellent idea for the attraction of more business-minded people. Why? The PSP could also serve as an excellent movie viewer and MP3 player as well. And what's a PS without the games, right? (Speaking of games, well... more on that later.) Course, you need Wi-Fi if you want to make wireless free Skype-to-Skype calls on the go, as well as a headset plus microphone, but what the hell, it's kinda cool.

It comes with the newest software upgrade for the Slim, so I don't know what this means for illegal games and homebrew, but there's probably a high chance that they'll be bricked.

If you want to get started on Skyping with your PSP Slim, go here.

PSP God of War gets gold chains

Sony's newest installment of the Greek monster franchise is finally done and ready for mass production. Coming out to a PSP near you in March 4, this God of War is a prequel to the first God of War which hacked its way onto the PS2 in 2005.

Spore finally gets a release date

OK, maybe that's only applicable for the PC, Mac and DS versions, but the very ambitious Will Wright (The Sims creator) game is finally getting released on September 7! Kinda like The Sims 2. And though it's still a bit hazy, it might even get translated to the XBox 360 and PS3, and not just the Wii.

Mass Effect PC

Bioware don't make no XBox exclusives no more.

Bioware has just announced that its acclaimed sci-fi RPG Mass Effect is getting the PC treatment and is getting released under EA Games.

Golden Globe/Oscar nominee review #4: Atonement

ATONEMENT

Directed by: Joe Wright

Released by: Universal Pictures, Working Title Productions, Focus Features

Noms: Oscar Best Supporting Actress, Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography, Best Costume Design, Best Original Score, Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, Globes Best Picture - Drama, Best Actress - Drama, Best Actor - Drama, Best Supporting Actress - Drama, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Original Score

Wins: Globes Best Picture - Drama, Best Original Score

Tomatometer: 82%

In a nutshell: It's a successful adaptation of Ian McEwan's widely lauded tale of war, lies and romance in World War II. The actors, especially newcomer Saoirse Ronan, give the film good performances that match the art direction and wondrous cinematography. And I fell in love with the score, by the way.

Back from re-creating Jane Austen's arguably most famous novel Pride and Prejudice does Joe Wright adapt yet another one, this time from Ian McEwan's acclaimed Atonement. It has become one of the books that belong to the "best books of all-time" lists of many, so it's no surprise that expectations are pretty high.

The director faces the challenge, and creates a piece of art that not only gets the scattered sequencing right, but also lets the viewer feel the guilt that rages inside Briony Tallis, the main character. OK, so why is she guilty again?

It all starts with a letter. Robbie (James McAvoy) writes this as an apology for his bad behavior towards Cecilia (a VERY thin Keira Knightley) in an earlier scene and gets Briony to give it to her. But when he realizes that he has put the wrong letter in the envelope, his eyes widen in outrage and Briony reads it. She then misinterprets him for a maniac and when her cousins get lost, hell breaks loose and Robbie is wrongly accused of a crime he definitely did not commit. World War II rages, the family breaks and mistrusts the maid and her son, Cecilia runs away, and Briony finally grows up. Knowing the damage she has done to the lives of everyone concerned, she is determined to atone for that particular deed. The rest, as they say, is history.So much for that summary (which I re-wrote 3 times). Anyway, the first thing I've fallen in love with is the score which gives the film a new layer and light. Each score that plays fit the character or scene, and it just makes everything so much better. (THANK YOU, DARIO MARINELLI.) I also love newcomer Saoirse Ronan's performance as the 8 year old Briony Tallis. Yeah, the character is played by 3 different actors to represent different age groups, but Ronan's part weighs a lot heavier than the others and is therefore commendably believable.

As for the other actors, they also portray each others' characters satisfactorily. The fury that spews out of Robbie when he sees the 18-year old Briony again, the disappointment that Cecilia feels when she learns of Robbie's arrest- these are just some of the best moments you'll see and feel with the characters.
Plus, even with the fact that my eyes are more hypnotized with Sweeney Todd's art direction, the art direction you'll see in this film is nonetheless wonderful, and the cinematography is equally wonderful. And I'm not just saying that for the fact that the film's nominated for those aspects.
As a whole, Atonement is adapted with much success and the Dario Marianelli's score is just torrent-worthily hypnotizing. If you want something worthwhile, and not to mention wonderfully dark, watch this. Who knows? You might not even dare lie again.

Golden Globe/Oscar nominee review #3: Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

SWEENEY TODD: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

Directed by: Tim Burton

Released by: Dreamworks SKG, Warner Bros. Pictures

Noms: Oscar Best Actor, Best Art Direction, Best Costume Design (parang puro Tim Burton film may Costume Design or Make-up nom... LOL), Globes Best Picture - Musical or Comedy, Best Actress - Musical or Comedy, Best Actor - Musical or Comedy, Best Director

Wins: Globes Best Picture- Musical or Comedy, Best Actor - Musical or Comedy

Tomatometer: 87%

In a nutshell: It's a magnificently vicious gorefest that's perfectly directed, greatly acted, surprisingly well-sung and just wonderfully made! One gripe though, the last 4 minutes lack a bit of sentimental punch!

OK, so maybe I shouldn't have put the damn subtitle on the title (even the opening credits don't), but hey, there has already been a few movies based on the same musical that also have the subtitle as its title. OK, I'm babbling now, and I'm not sure this introduction is even decent anymore, so moving on...

Benjamin Barker (Johnny Depp) is a man who has a beautiful wife and a daughter named Johanna. But because Judge Turpin (Alan Rickman) wants his wife, he wrongly dumps Barker to Australia for 15 years in exile. But now that his sentence is over, he returns to London and changes his name to Sweeney Todd. He meets his former landlady Mrs. Lovett who owns a shop which sells "the worst pies in London". Now he knows that his wife is presumably dead from poison and Judge Turpin has taken Johanna into his care (and plans to marry her), he wants to take revenge, not only to him, but also to the other people who have helped ruin his life.In Tim Burton's sixth collaboration with Johnny Depp and fifth collaboration with his domestic partner Helena Bonham Corter (not including their other two "collaborations") and Depp and Carter's second (?) movie together, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street offers a powerhouse cast lead by Burton's two favorites (who are rightfully acclaimed for their performances). Right from Anthony, Toby to Beadle Bamford, they are all noteworthy and distinct and that's what I like about it.

Actually, in the first half of the movie, I asked myself why the hell it's even rated R, especially because there wasn't anything direly wrong about that first half anyway. I even thought that the movie should've been rated PG-13 or just PG! I mean, the only swear word you'll ever find is...
Sorry... but you get the point. (P. U.! I can even smell the picture!)

But in the second half, when Sweeney gets his first chance at murder, you get sort of a shock because you don't actually expect that much blood to come out of someone's throat (I'm talking too much already) and that image is still shocking everytime he does it. Still, even in its most gruesome glory, the art direction of the film still shines and rather eye-popping. (Damn, the poop is still showing in the damn blog editor!)
Even though Burton perfectly directs everyone and the risk he took with the actors have paid off (because they don't really sing), but even with the powerhouse performance of the whole cast, I think the last four minutes of the movie (I won't elaborate about that, of course) needs a bit more of a revelationary (if there was such a word) punch! I think it needed to be more dramatic, but then again, I'm not saying that the ending didn't convey its message wrongly.But even with that, this movie is my new favorite musical, and if Juno didn't exist, and if that ending had more punch, the movie would've earned my 2007 Unanimously Best Picture award and a perfect 10 respectively. I love the way it was helmed, the vision of Burton which blends in well with the story and the magnificent music of Sondheim, and everything. It's well-made and once again, I just love it.

Rating: 9.7/10 (It's almost perfect, but one thing just keeps the movie from hitting it. It's a visceral cinematic treat you should watch, especially in the theater if you can.)

PHOTO CREDIT: The Daily Poop, Rotten Tomatoes

Golden Globe/Oscar nominee review #2: Elizabeth: The Golden Age

ELIZABETH: The Golden Age

Directed by: Shekhar Kapur

Released by: Universal Pictures, Working Title

Noms: Oscar Best Actress, Costume Design; Globes Best Actress

Wins: N/A

Tomatometer: 34% (Loser.)

In a nutshell: Spell it with me! B-O-R-I-N-G. BORING! But what saves the history lesson from disaster is its lead star Cate Blanchett who gives a great performance, as usual.

Actually, even within the facade of the English-Spanish war, there is a romance story going on, and not only any ordinary affair. This Spanish pirate named Sir Walter Raleigh (Clive Owen) goes to our dear queen Elizabeth I (Cate Blanchett) when she tries to look for suitors so that she can produce an heir. The pressure of being queen sets in and because Raleigh is a Spaniard, she cannot love nor marry him. Of course, there is also the aforementioned war King Philip has waged against her for being Protestant that she has to take care of. So yeah, that's quite a lot of work.

Though the same director from the first movie (yeah, this one's a sequel) which got leading star Blanchett her first (of many) Best Actress Oscar, this one just doesn't match up. Why? Because for one, it's pretty boring and disappointing probably for those expecting more from this. But hey, the film's quite goodly shot, but Blanchett just looks like... a female drag queen. Yeah, there are the triangular love twists and such, but... they're not just very effectively presented as I would have wanted to expect... especially on a Cate Blanchett film!

Still, the fact that Cate reprises her role here (and still does it with fiery passion!) is the film's very saving grace as she effectively knows how to carry a sinking history movie such as this. Heck, it's no surprise that she's being nominated again!

But as for the movie itself... well, maybe you can stick to watching the first one (and I'm just saying sheerly for the fact that the first movie's 79% on RT). It's a pretty boring history lesson (as I have said for like, what? 3 or 4 times already?) and something I almost slept in! That is, if it weren't for Cate!

Rating: 6/10 (Zzzzz...., this one was supposed to be a 5! I like Cate's performance, though, so what the hell.)

PHOTO CREDIT: Rotten Tomatoes
Next in the series: Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (tomorrow)