Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Rock Band for iPhone

I have decided that the iPhone's screen is just way too small to properly play this game.  My fat fingers are always pressing the wrong buttons because they're too close together.  It's annoying.

I suspect that I'd enjoy Rock Band a LOT more if I had a PS3 and was playing it with real controllers on a big screen television...rather than on a tiny 3.5" screen with touch-sensitive icons that are entirely too small.

And that's why I've asked for a PS3 + Rock Band 2 for Christmas. Well, I also want Grand Theft Auto 4, Gran Turismo 5 Prologue, Need for Speed: Shift, etc.  :-)

More diecasts

Forgot to add these awhile back, so I'll add them now:


1950 Oldsmobile 88
(ERTL Authentics 1:18)






Ferrari F355
(Hot Wheels 1:18)

Stargate Universe

I was slightly disappointed when SyFy cancelled Stargate SG-1...though I was more disappointed when Richard Dean Anderson quit the series and was replaced by Ben Browder.  Anyway, I was still disappointed with the cancellation of the show.  On the other hand, it had ten seasons...that ain't bad by any standard.

I was even more disappointed when SyFy cancelled Stargate Atlantis.  I thought it was a nice evolution of the series and one that added more Ancient technology and mythology (and, thankfully, didn't have any of that Origin storyline).  The premise was sound...though it was hampered a bit by plots that echoed SG-1 a bit too much (with some notable exceptions...like the episode that featured the all-female unit and the CSI-like episode, both in the fourth and final season).  That said...I enjoyed it anyway.  Adding Robert Picardo to the cast was a smart move, as I never cared for Elizabeth Weir (the original actress that portrayed Weir in SG-1, forgot her name, would have been a better choice and might have made the character more appealing).

Now here comes Stargate Universe...the third series in the Stargate franchise.  Take one part Battlestar Galactica (camera snap-zooming, intelligent dialogue, big & old ship, searching for Earth) and mix it with one part Star Trek: Voyager (lost billions of light years from Earth on a ship with limited resources), you get the basic outline of Stargate Universe.  The end result is better than what you might think.  The episodes are unusually cinematic in appearance and the story lines are surprisingly well done.  I like that, so far, the crew has not encountered any English-speaking "aliens" that look just like humans.  In fact, they only aliens they have encountered so far are, basically, bug-like creatures.  That's cool, because I think the possibility of finding humans that far out is remote. 

I am liking Stargate Universe.  I am liking it a lot, in fact.  I am not saying it is superior to SG-1 or Atlantis just yet, but if it can keep up this pace and quality...it should be around for awhile.  And that's a good thing, in my opinion.

By the way, my favorite character...so far...is Dr. Nicholas Rush.  I'm curious to see what his motives are.  :-)

Wednesday, November 4, 2009

Recent Diecast Purchases

Here are a few new ones I've acquired lately...


1969 Oldsmobile 442 W-30
1:18 scale by Auto World

Audi A3 Sportback 3.2 Quattro
1:18 scale by Kyosho


2007 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 Cobra
1:18 scale by Shelby Collectibles

1995 Volvo 850R Sedan
1:18 scale by AUTOart

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

Halloween 2009

I'll be adding some pictures, if I got any keepers, from this year's Halloween in the next few days.  :-)