Max Payne review

One of my favorite video games back in the day was Max Payne. In 2008 this video game was brought to the big screen, and starred Mark Wahlberg. This film is action packed and quite suspenseful. Although, this film is not the best video game that has been brought to the big screen it is very entertaining.

The story behind Max Payne, Mark Wahlberg’s character, is a police officer for the New York Police Department. His family is murdered in their home while he was at work. He becomes consumed with finding the killers.

Meanwhile, the pharmaceutical company his wife worked for has developed a drug to make soldiers into super soldiers. This drug is still in the initial phase of testing when some of the test subjects leave the army and turn to crime, now that they are super soldiers.

This film ranks above most of the other video game films. However, it also ranks over several of the comic books that have come to the big screen, films such as Daredevil and Electra. I can’t say I would recommend everyone rush out to see this film like the others I have discussed, although if you do happen to stumble upon a friend with the film then it is worth checking out.

RoboCop review

Now for this next film get ready. If you did not grow up watching RoboCop, or have not seen it at all, you missed out on one of the most outstanding films of its time. RoboCop came out in 1987. The film starred Peter Weller and Nancy Allen. It is a futuristic tale of a Detroit Policeman who was murdered by gangbangers. In this futuristic time Detroit has deteriorated into crime, murder, slums, and is run by a major company. Following the murder Alex J. Murphy the company decides to make him into the ultimate crime fighter. They need this project to work in order for the company to regain the city, and make it truly their again.

There are a few tiffs between the number two and number three guys at the company as to the integrity of the project. Plus to make matters worse the number two guy hears the number three guy talking some smack in the bathroom. Much like what happens in the bathrooms of middle schools all across the country. RoboCop takes to the streets and the human part quickly takes over. He seeks out the men who killed him to seek revenge.

Now personally I love this film, and consider it a classic of the 80’s. I know the fact that it was made in the 1980’s will deter many from seeing the film, since in today’s society we have come to love films like Avatar that have amazing graphics as well as quite impressive 3-D. However, RoboCop has everything you could ask for in a film:
• Rambo like music
• An ass-kicking human cyborg hybrid
• Great action scenes
• Sweet one liners

Puff, Puff, Pass review

Another, generally unknown, film is Puff, Puff, Pass. It stars Mekhi Phifer, who also directs the film. Danny Masterson plays one of the main characters. He is well known for is role on That 70’s Show, where he played a similar role as Hyde.

This film is not for everyone since the main characters smoke cannabis throughout most of the film. However, you are unaffected by seeing the action being portrayed on film then you are in luck. This film is one of the funniest films I have seen in years.

The film is the story of two burn outs who, after watching an entire infomercial, decide that they are going to plan to go into the ‘tiny classified ads’ business. Now I know you are wondering how they plan to make money off the ads don’t feel bad, because this question is continuously raised throughout the film. The answer is simple, “It’s complicated.”

They two, Rico and Larry, go though quite the escapade in search for a TV that is playing the Shawshank Redemption, which is being played on TNT all weekend. The problem is that they have been kicked out of their apartment, and have no where else to go. They decide to try rehab, since it is suppose to have cable TV. I’ll let you see if they ever get to.

Puff, Puff, Pass is a hilarious film where they run into transvestites, rappers, morons, and businessmen.

Detroit Rock City review

The film of Detroit Rock City is an epic tale of four teenage Kiss fans trying to get to a Kiss concert. The film takes place in the 1970’s when disco is still extremely popular, which causes the teenagers to have several conflicts and disputes with the “Stella’s.” One of the teenagers in the film is played by Edward Furlong who has been in many other films such as Terminator and American History X.

Jam, who is the drummer for the teenagers band Mystery, also has a mother who is extremely religious and despises the fact that her son listens to the band. She claims that the band’s name Kiss is actually an acronym which stands for Knights in Satins Service.

During school one evening she finds the four Kiss concert tickets, and then destroys them in front of the boys during school. Jam is then taken to a religious boarding school one county over. The rest of the film is of the boys trying to reclaim tickets for the show, fight the disco movement, and grow gusto.

This has been one of my favorite films since I originally saw it in high school. While not many people know about the film it is a great story of a group of teenagers fighting for the right to rock and roll all night and party all day.

Team America: World Police Review

To keep with my new theme of great films I would like to discuss a movie by the creators of South Park. Matt Stone and Tray Parker have revolutionized the cartoon and puppet game. As most know South Park has become a favorite among many of today’s youth. However, the film Team America: World Police which was released in 2004 was a ground breaking movie. With an interesting take on today’s action movies Team America provides viewers with continuous laughter, and non-stop enjoyment.

The film starts with Team America, which is a group of elite task force soldiers, stops a terrorists attack in Paris. A lot of the nation’s monuments are destroyed in prime puppeteering graphics. Following the mission where one member of the team is killed the leader, Spottswoode, goes out recruiting for a new member. He finds Gary who is an actor on Broadway. Gary’s brother was killed by a gorilla when they were young because Gary was performing on the rail of the gorilla pi, and fell in. This causes Gary much turmoil throughout the film.

Gary agrees to join Team America, and falls in love with Lisa who is another member of the group. Their next mission takes them to Cairo, Egypt where they are looking for information as to when the next terrorists attack is going to take place. Gary undergoes surgery for a disguise to infiltrate the terrorists in Derka Derkastan. While obtaining the information a lot of destruction takes place and angers the world. Particularly the Film Actors Guild (F.A.G.), which is headed by Alec Baldwin. F.A.G. joins forces with Kim Jong Il to organized a peace conference where all the world leaders will attend. However, while the show is going on Kim Jong Il plans to detonate weapons of mass destruction that he has previously distributed to terrorists all around the world.

Gary’s issues about his acting killing his brother comes back and he quits Team America. The team learns of Kim Jong Il’s plans and they go to try and stop them. They are captured and held captive while his plan continued. Gary has a realization and goes back to the team’s fortress inside Mount Rushmore. Once he arrives he finds out that it has been blow up by Michael Moore, who strapped himself with C4. Gary finds Spottswoode and learns about the team being captured and decides to save them. A wonderful montage ensues, followed by Gary saving the world with his acting and this speech:

"We're dicks! We're reckless, arrogant, stupid dicks. And the Film Actors Guild are pussies. And Kim Jong Il is an asshole. Pussies don't like dicks, because pussies get fucked by dicks. But dicks also fuck assholes: assholes that just want to shit on everything. Pussies may think they can deal with assholes their way. But the only thing that can fuck an asshole is a dick, with some balls. The problem with dicks is: they fuck too much or fuck when it isn't appropriate - and it takes a pussy to show them that. But sometimes, pussies can be so full of shit that they become assholes themselves... because pussies are an inch and half away from ass holes. I don't know much about this crazy, crazy world, but I do know this: If you don't let us fuck this asshole, we're going to have our dicks and pussies all covered in shit!"

A Transition into Red Dawn

Since I believe that I have more than exhausted the topic of novice and intermediate snowboarding, I am going to shift my topic of discussion from snowboarding to movies. In making this transition I would like to start off with a movie that I am sure many people will not know. The film is titled Red Dawn and was directed by John Milius. John Milius is a well respected director and or writer of many classic films such as Conan the Barbarian, Dillinger, Clear and Present Danger, and Rome. The film featured a few actors that went on to have huge careers such as Patrick Swayze, who played the part of Jed, and Charlie Sheen, who played the part of Matt.

The story takes place during the middle of the 1980’s. It starts off with the children sitting in their school in Colorado, when all of a sudden they look out their window to see paratroopers invading their football field. The attacking forces turn out to be a combination of Cuban and Soviet Union soldiers. Upon the surprise attack a group of students flee the area and take refuge in the surrounding mountains. Luckily, the story takes place during the mid 80’s because the students were armed with hunting rifles, bows, pistols, and knives.

While they are scouting the area around their camp one day a few of the members of the now self proclaimed “Wolverines” kill some of the Soviet insurgents. They then create a plan to free the rest of the town, which has been captured by the soldiers. Following this jailbreak the town had the ability to overtake the Soviet and Cuban forces and reclaim the American soil.

Enjoy the sales

Everyone loves getting new stuff and being able to use it immediately. However, if you really want to find some of the best gear for a great price it is important wait till then end of the season to purchase new snowboarding equipment and gear. When March comes around you need to start looking around at the local board shops to see who has the best deals going on. The retailers want to clear out their stores and warehouses so they can make room for summer items. This greatly benefits the consumer by getting a four hundred dollar snowboard deck for nearly two hundred and fifty dollars.

Currently www.the-house.com which is a great website for low prices on all things snowboarding, wake boarding, skating, and skiing are currently having huge sales on their winter items. They are using the success of the United States Snowboarding team at the 2010 Olympic Games, especially Shaun White. You are able to receive up to a forty percent discount on their boards and gear. But this is only one website, and there are plenty others to choose from each having its own great deal on boards and gear.

So if you are in the market for some fresh gear for next season, fight that urge to wait till next seasons new stuff comes out. Instead, head out to your local shops and find that sweet new deck that got lost in crowd during the season for almost half price.

Online Chats

In this same writing class at James Madison University we also broke into groups of about four students each and conducted online conversations. During this online conversation we were suppose to talk about information that we were going over in class. Topics such as how technology affects our abilities to write and remember. For instance, in Plato’s Phaedrus the topic arises that with the new technology of their time, writing, memory will no longer be as necessary for people to become intelligent.

The argument in this piece is that since students of Plato’s day needed to memorize all text that they believed that they would need in the future. In today’s world however we have the ability to write down information for future reference, as well as the internet that provides vast amounts of written information at the click of the button. This propels the belief we no longer need to use our memories as we use to.

During the online chat that we conducted we concluded that while we no longer need to memorize everything as we once needed to, the technology of writing that was new to Plato has truly revolutionized the world. Take a minute to think about how this world would be different without reading. You would no longer have computers, books, TV, video games etc.

We also took note of how conversations tended to overlap each other. As well as, move much faster than typical face to face conversations. The conclusion that my group came to was that these types of online conversations are great for talking to friends or even a couple of fellow students or co-workers, however it seems that if many more than four or so people in an online conversation at a time tends to lead to the conversation losing its meaning, and people can then become confused more easily.

Hypertext

In my technology and writing class at James Madison University we have recently been discussing hypertext. A hypertext is a way of storing data on a computer program that allows the user to create and link information non-sequentially through nodes. Nodes are the ‘hot link’ or hyper-linked part of the document that allow you to click on them to move to another part of the story. As stated in Literacy and Computers,
Because exploratory hypertext can still preserve much of the original author’s node offerings, some sense of stability is preserved: the reader is still only choosing among various options that are inherently in the original text—a path from one node to another exists only because the original writer decided that it should exist. (Selfe and Hilligoss 207)

Many people believe that these types of documents are going to change the way people read recreationally, thus blurring the lines between reader and writer. However, after a class discussion we came to the conclusion that these types of documents still need work. Hypertexts are still a foreign to people from my generation as well as people from past generations.

We were able to come to the conclusion though that hypertext documents have the chance to catch on in the future, if they are used more in the classrooms of grade school. I think that hypertext can be a very useful tool in the classroom. However, I believe that they will provide as a better tool for teaching students how to write rather than helping them with their reading.

Work Cited
Selfe, Cynthia L., and Susan Hilligoss. Literacy and Computers: the Complications of Teaching and Learning with Technology. New York: Modern Language Association of America, 1994. Print."

Slope Difficulty

When you take to the slopes it is important to know what you are getting yourself into. In order to do that you must know how difficult each slope is. Therefore, a universal coding system has been implemented in order to keep everyone safe. However, the Europeans had added a couple more classifications to their list than the Americans have. The classifications break down like this:
•Green Circle: Easiest- good for beginners
•Blue Square: Intermediate- good for someone who feels comfortable on a green circle.
•Black Diamond: Intermediate/Difficult- good for someone who is ready to test their skills, and is bored with the green circles and blue squares.
•Double Black Diamond: Difficult- steep and only for someone is an expert.
•Triple Black Diamond: Extremely Difficult- these slopes are for professionals only, and are very dangerous.

These signs need to be takes seriously, as do all signs on the slopes, as they are there for your safety. You need to be able to properly asses your skills before tackling slopes of higher difficulty. And remember that there is no shame in taking a lesion if you’re a beginner or just trying to advance your skills on a snowboard or heaven forbid a set of skis’.

There are also other signs that you should be aware of when hitting the slopes. For instance, when an area of snow is starting to get close to the ground where rocks can be a sign will be placed a few feet up slope. These signs are generally a black and orange pole with a circular orange sign on it.

Stay safe and make sure you don’t try slopes that you are not ready for yet.

Avalanches

An important point that I would like to stress, to all who are going to hit the slopes on a snowboard or skis, is that you must be alert and safe. Everyone has to do their part to know and apply the rules and safety tips that riders must know in order to keep fellow outdoor enthusiast safe. Knowing how to be safe on the mountain becomes much more important when riding in areas that have large amounts of fresh powder. This is because areas then become prone to avalanches, which I’m sure you all know can be very dangerous.

It is important to remember that avalanches are often triggered by yourself or somebody that is riding with you. Having the ability to ride down a mountain requires a fair amount of skill, but skill alone does not mean they you should be on that slope. It is important to remember that when riding in an area that is prone to avalanches three things must be kept in mind:
1) What is the weather like?
2) What is the terrain like?
3) What is the snowpack like?

You should always ask around to find out what the weather has been like in the past week or so. That way you know that if a lot of fresh snow has fallen avalanches are more likely to occur. When snow falls it tends to fall in layers. When one of the layers grows weak it collapse and forms a pocket that you can fall into, or it can trigger an avalanche. Last thing there is to know about basic avalanche signs is the terrain. Obviously, the steeper the terrain the more likely it is for an avalanche to occur.

Manuals & Butters

Once you have mastered the basics of snowboarding the next step is to add some tricks to your skill set. One trick that is easy and is also the basis for most of the tricks that one can perform on a snowboard is a manual. A manual is simply the act of raising either the front nose of your snowboard or the back or tail.

I would recommend starting with a tail manual first. To perform this you need to lift up your front foot, while at the same time push forward with your back foot. It is important to remember that while your back foot is pushing forward that the pressure is being distributed evenly. This is so you will be able to keep your balance as well as keeps you going straight forward.

Once you have the tail manual under control you can try a nose manual. To perform a nose manual the same actions are performed as a tail manual except you lift up on the tail of the board and place your weight on the front foot.

After these manuals have become mastered you can move onto ‘butters.’ To perform butters you start by performing a manual, and then apply pressure to either the toe or heel edge to start rotating. This is a stylish move that is sure to attract some attention from the ladies on the lift.

Now that the manuals are under control you are ready to learn how to ‘pop’ your board to perform a jump. To do this start with performing a tail manual, then as you feel the pressure build up pop the board to bring your tail into the air. You have now performed a jump and are ready to hit the terrain park with your new set of skills.

Waxing your snowboard

Learning how to wax your own snowboard is a quick and easy way to give your board a tune up. A fresh coat of wax can really be useful when there is fresh powder. Since when you do not have a fresh wax and try to ride in fresh powder snow can build up on the bottom of the board acting like a brake. This can ruin your riding experience since you will not be able to ride as easily as you might be use to.

There are several different types of wax out there, and you need to find the one that is right for you and the conditions you will be riding on. To start the waxing process find a place where it will not matter if a little wax gets on the floor or ground. Next set your board on a chair or blocks so that it is about belly button height, and place to board with the bottom facing up.

The first step in waxing your snowboard is to apply the wax. To do this, hold the iron perpendicular to the board and rub the wax onto the iron allowing the wax to drip onto the board. A thick coat is not necessary, just enough to cover the board. Once you have the wax on the board in the dripped form use the iron to spread the wax evenly across the entire board.

The next step in waxing your board is to scrape off the wax. You will need a scraper that is made of either Plexiglas or plastic. You will then remove the wax by scraping in a smooth and consistent manner. You will want to scrape down the board, not across. Once you have removed the wax you will want to use either a snowboard wax brush or really any abrasive pad you may have laying around. This will polish the bottom of your board and get rid of any wax you may have missed when scraping the wax off of the bottom of your board.

Riding in powder

There are different styles of snowboard riding for different types of conditions. When riding on the east coast it is important to keep in mind that generally you are not riding in powder. Therefore, you must keep your stance leaning forward or centered on the board in the “triple threat” basketball position.

It is only when riding in powder over about four inches or so do you want to start shifting your stance more toward your back foot. This is because if you are riding in powder and do not shift your weight back from the general centered stance the nose of your snowboard will dive into the snow sending you flying forward. This can be painful especially on your knees since you are strapped to the board.

When the snow is falling resorts generally do not groom the slopes. When the slopes are groomed the snow is distributed evenly across the slope. However, when they do get fresh snow they usually do not want to pack the snow down so that people can enjoy the feel of the fresh powder. This causes lumps, bumps, or moguls to form. When this happens you really want to lean farther back than usual. This will help keep the nose of your board up, and will make it easier for you ride over top of these bumps on the slopes.

Another tip I have to give to those who are lucky enough to ride fresh powder on the east coast is to think of your legs as shock absorbers. You want to keep your knees bent a little more than usual, and let your legs be relaxed. This will help you ride over the ungroomed snow much easier, and keep up from falling. Riding on fresh powder requires you bounce around more so than on typical east coast hard pack.

Connecting turns

The next step in snowboarding to learning how to connect turns, so that you don’t just stick to one edge the whole time. It is common for most people to be much more comfortable on one edge than the other. One important tip that you much keep in mind while riding is to try and stay as centered on the board as possible. This stance is the same as the “triple threat” position used in basketball. This stance is balanced on the center of the board with your knees bent.

Another way to get use to making turns on your snowboard is making what is called a “C” turn. The “C” turn and the “J” turn are called so because you want your turn to make the shape of the letter. A “C” turn is more of a swooping turn than the “J” turn.

In my previous blog I told you how to skate and make the “J” turn. Now you need to learn how to twist the board to make your turns flow together. A twist on the board is when you have your toes pulling up on one foot placing weight on your heel, and pushing your toes down on your other foot. Doing this vice versa is also performing a twist.

Now once you have the previously mentioned “J” turn down pat it is time to link turns together. Once you reach the end of the “J” you want to make a twist to start the turn going to other way. So, if you have made a toe side turn and want to transition to a heel side turn make a twist in the board where you pick up your toes and keep your heel pushed down. Then as the board starts coming around pull up your toes on your back foot. Once you have this down you are ready to keep practicing and linking turns.

How to determine stance & make first turn

Here are some tips to help you teach yourself how to snowboard. You want to start by determining which foot is your dominant foot. To do this you are going to need two people. You start by standing with your back to another person. Then have the other person give you a gently push forward, and which ever foot you step forward with is going to be your back foot. If this is your right foot then you have a regular stance. However, if this is your left foot then your stance is goofy. Once you have your stance determined you are ready to step out on the slopes.

I would recommend not going up the lift to start with. Instead, strap in only your front foot. Try skating around a bit to get use to having a board strapped to your feet. Skating is the same on a snowboard as it is on a skate board. Take your back foot, place it in front of your front foot in slide it backwards along the board, and repeat as needed.

The next step is to just walk up the hill like twenty yards or so. Then with either one or both feet strapped in start with your perpendicular to the slope, and you are looking down the hill. You are now going to take the first step in learning how to turn. This is called a “J” turn on your toe side. Next stand up in start the board going down the hill you are going to put pressure on your front foot toes to twist the board, since your back foot will still be pulling away from the slopes. This initiates the turn. Then shift weight from your heel to your toes on your back foot to complete the “J” turn. You then reverse these steps the learn how to make a heel side turn.

Snowboards

To the unknowing public one may chose to purchase a snowboard that is popular, or is used by the most popular rider. However, when it comes to choosing the appropriate snowboard there are several different factors to take into consideration. Factors such as where you ride; Virginia, West Virginia, Vermont, Colorado, Utah, or California. Just knowing the most prominent location that you are going to be riding has a great influence over the type of board that is right for you. Knowing the location helps you to determine the length of board you will need.

For instance for a six foot male riding on the east coast should look for a board between 153cm to 156cm. However, if the same male is going to be predominately riding in Colorado should look for a board between 155cm and 160cm. This is because the east coast style of riding is generally done on man made snow (ice), which requires a shorter board. In climates like Colorado or Utah where there is more powder a longer board is needed to keep the rider on top of the snow. Most sales people will try in tell you that your board should come up to your nose, but this does not apply to all slopes.

Another major factor that comes into play when choosing the perfect board is where on the mountain you will be riding, whether it be in the park or on the slopes. This is because if you ride predominately on the slopes a stiffer board is helpful to make harder turns. However, if you prefer to ride the park a board that has more flex will be much better for you. That way you are able to get more pop out of the board to help jump higher, butter easier, and manual better.

When it comes down to it Lib Tech snowboards has revolutionized the snowboard in the past couple of years. Lib Tech has developed what they call magnatraction. Magnatraction provides more of the board’s edge to touch the snow providing better response. The typical snowboard’s edge is cut straight. However, the Lib Tech board’s edge is cut with more of a wave to it providing more points touching the snow.