Blade Runner The Final Cut (2007) directed by Ridley Scott coming soon

December 8, 2007| Stettin| 0 Comment| 12:19 am

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Movies

I’ve heard rumors of this “Final Cut” of Blade Runner for years. Blade Runner was one of the first movies released on DVD, but was such poor quality I was extremely disappointed. It is definitely one of my favorite movies, and felt a bit cheated that the transfer was so poor. The picture was grainy and the soundtrack was only in Dolby 2.0, not even 5.1 surround sound which was the main advantage to DVD (besides increased resolution) at the time. I’ve been meaning to review the original Director’s Cut DVD (without Rick Deckard’s narration and the happy ending) but haven’t gotten around to it yet.

I’m glad to see that Blade Runner is finally getting the love and care it deserves. I have only seen the Director’s Cut, and have watched just a few scenes of the theatrical release with the narration on cable from time to time. I’m excited to see all of the different versions offered together. There are 3 different releases announced with a variety of alternate cuts of the movie. There is a 2 disc Special Edition, 4 disc Collector’s Edition, and 5 disc Ultimate Collector’s Edition (DVD, HD-DVD, Blu-ray). I plan on getting the 4 disc DVD version and reviewing it here in the near future. Both Blu-ray and HD-DVD 5 disc versions are available without the “Ultimate” briefcase for a lower price, but for some reason that option isn’t available for DVD. Don’t miss this release, check out all of the pre-order options (there are MANY) that are available on Amazon.

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Luke Skywalker bionic arm waiting on green light for clinical trials.Luke Skywalker bionic arm waiting on green light for clinical trials.

February 7, 2008| Stettin| 0 Comment| 6:09 pm

I noticed today on my RSS feed for TheForce.net there was a news blurb about Luke’s prosthetic hand from Star Wars might soon become a reality. I tried clicking on the full article located at MSN but for some reason it didn’t come up for me. After a google search I found an article located on the IEEE Spectrum site that had more information. The prosthetic arm was nicknamed “Luke Arm” by Dean Kamen, the inventor of the Segway. An interesting video found via Engadget shows the arm in use and explains the modular approach used in manufacturing. It looks like the project’s fate lies in the hands of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) which has funded the first two phases. If clinical trials are approved, it is possible that veterans could have access to these as early as next year.

Isaac Asimov would have been 90 todayIsaac Asimov would have been 90 today

January 2, 2010| Stettin| 0 Comments| 1:00 am

Nobody is sure when exactly Isaac Asimov was born due to poor record keeping. January 2nd, 1920 was the day Isaac Asimov decided to celebrate his birthday. Along with creating the Three Laws of Robotics, Asimov also unintentionally coined the term robotics. It was first used in print when his short story “Liar!” was published in 1941. He was constantly writing in just about every area of literature. I have primarily read his Science Fiction, but he has done textbooks, humor, mystery, non-fiction, and more.

My first exposure to Asimov’s writing was when my father gave me an old worn out copy of I, Robot. I tucked the book away for a few years and eventually got around to reading it. I was so enthralled with the robots that I eventually read every robot book by him and other authors. This naturally led me to read the Foundation series which I also enjoyed, but I’ve always preferred the robot series. The Robot and Foundation books make up the biggest reading project I have ever completed. Aside from those, I’ve read a bit of his autobiography and plan on sampling some of his other writing in the near future.

By the time I discovered Asimov, he had already died. I wonder how much more he could have written had he not contracted HIV from a blood transfusion he received during heart surgery. He died of myocardial and renal complications on April 6, 1992, but the true cause of his death wasn’t publicized due to the stigma of HIV/AIDS at the time. His work has greatly influenced my love of Science Fiction, and for that I am thankful.

For more information on the life of Isaac Asimov, please visit the official Wikipedia post

Excellent Star Wars Cosplay photo shoot, must see!Excellent Star Wars Cosplay photo shoot, must see!

February 2, 2011| Stettin| 0 Comments| 6:19 pm

A long time ago (2007) in a city far, far away (Carbondale), I posted about Sith Vixen and her Femtrooper costume. A photographer has topped this by gathering up a group of Star Wars geeks and putting together an amazing photo shoot. There is a femtrooper in this one, however she’s called “Femme Storm Trooper”. I personally think femtrooper is better name. Characters also included are Lady Vader, Darth Vader, Slave Leia, Oola the Twi’lek, Boba Fett, and Padme. The Slave Leia and Femtrooper scene is a particularly interesting. I’m not really much of a tattoo fan, but Padme has a pretty awesome Death Star and R2D2 on her right shoulder. This is only part 1 of the photo shoot, so be sure to bookmark the blog and keep an eye out for more!