Pop Culture & Current Events

5 Biggest Letdowns from the Star Wars Canon “Purge of 2015”

Like millions of others I have seen and LOVED Star Wars: The Force Awakens. As a long time fan of films and games and books, I loved seeing things from or derived from the ‘Expanded Universe’ that were immediately familiar. In fact, everything about this great new entry was awesome … but since then I have realized what it meant to the REST of the Expanded Universe: death. It was 37 years ago that the book “Splinter of the Mind’s Eye” became the first post Star Wars book, based on some early writings from George Lucas, but later declared ‘non-canon’…

News & Features

Disney Dodges Spoilers by Releasing “The Force Awakens” as an E-Book Only!

I remember being a kid and getting books that were “novelizations” of movies. In fact, I’m 99% sure I had the entire Star Wars trilogy in novel form as well as the (now not-canon) Timothy Zahn trilogy. Disney is continuing the tradition for “The Force Awakens”, but they apparently don’t trust bookstores, because the novel will be ebook-only at release!

News & Features

Cyboard Self-Balancing Scooters Will Be Hot for the Holidays!

You’ve seen those self-balancing scooters that all the celebrities are riding, right? They’re like mini-Segways with only two wheels and they’ve got LED lights and they make you look like you’re gliding down the street. Now, you can have one of your very own in one of five colors for only $500 from our friends at Cyboard.

News & Features

The X-Files: It’s Almost Time to Get the Complete Collector’s Set on Blu-Ray

On January 24, 2016, there will be a run of six brand new X-Files episodes. If all you remember is the flukeman from the second episode of the second season (didn’t everyone see that and shudder?), then you’ll want to brush up on the series — in Blu-Ray — before the new shows air.

eBooks

Good News, the Twilight Reboot You Never Wanted Is Here!

Twilight has been rebooted by Stephenie Meyer. This is not a drill. Head to your nearest bookstore immediately, because for the 10th anniversary of Twilight, there’s a new version of the story out. Where the vampire is a girl and her object of obsession/stalkery affection is a boy. And yes, it’s really by Meyer, and not fanfic like it sounds.

Reviews

The Martian Might Not Be Scientifically Accurate, but It’s Very Entertaining

Earlier this week I had the opportunity to check out a screening of The Martian, directed by Ridley Scott, who has a history of making films that aren’t only well produced but star actors who have a habit of being known for one acting genre and changing that.

News & Features

‘The Martian’ Is Setting a High Bar with Amazing Trailers

There’s a slew of awesome science fiction movies coming out this fall, but “The Martian” looks to be one of the most interesting. The basic premise is that we send a mission to Mars, and in the course of an emergency one of the astronauts is left stranded on the surface, scrounging to survive while awaiting rescue in 4 years.

Reviews

CustomUSB Makes Flash Drives for the Game of Thrones (and Other Shows) Fan in You

If you are a Game of Thrones fan (as I am), then you might want to take a look at CustomUSB’s flash drives. They also have drives that may appeal to fans of True Blood and Firefly. CustomUSB sent me an assortment, so let’s take a look!

News & Features

Get Excited for the Return of the Muppets!

Who doesn’t love The Muppets? There’s something timeless and endearing about the whole gang, from Kermit and Miss Piggy to Gonzo and Fozzie Bear. ABC is launching an adult-aimed sitcom starring The Muppets this fall; it looks like a send-up of “The Office”, with maybe a shade of 30 Rock for good measure, and it looks AMAZING.

Editorials

Reddit, aka ‘The He-Man Woman Hater’s Club’, Currently Under Fire

This isn’t your typical Gear Diary post, but more so a personal vent of mine. As a huge fan, and recent user of Reddit, the recent turn of events in the past few days have actually surprised me so much that I’ve gone ahead and deleted my daily reddit driver completely from all of my devices.

Gear Bits

Here’s the History of the Internet in One Infographic

Do you think you know your Internet history? This infographic just landed in my inbox. See if there is anything on here that Vivint missed.

Editorials

The New “Heroes Reborn” Trailer ALMOST Makes up for the Heroes Series

Heroes was a really good show, at first. It followed pretty familiar comic/sci-fi territory of people developing superhuman abilities, and the various conspiracies designed to stop and control them. Plus bad guys, pretty people, and of course, some mind-bending twists. We won’t discuss how quickly later seasons managed to squander the goodwill of that first magical season.

News & Features

Check Out Star Wars The Force Awakens Teaser Trailer #2!

Its hard to believe we’re so close to getting another glimpse into the Star Wars universe, as Star Wars The Force Awakens is set to arrive this Christmas. And to get all of us even MORE excited, as part of Star Wars Celebrations we get a new teaser trailer with a Luke voice-over, and a peek at Han and Chewie!

News & Features

Paul Rudd Stands off with Yellowjacket in New Ant-Man Trailer

Marvel and Disney’s relationship is an odd one that I’m pretty much on the fence about. But I’m appreciative of films like Avengers and Guardians of the Galaxy so I was super excited when they announced Ant-Man would show up on the silver screen. And we now have a trailer to go with it.

Reviews

Fast & Fun! Furious 7 Film Review

Get in high gear at the theaters with the recommended Furious 7 filled with stars, action, thrills, and amazing stuntwork. Paul Walker’s final film role adds to the surprisingly poignant dramatic elements as this seventh installment of the film series

Game Diary, News & Features

Rock Band 4 Coming to Next-Gen Gaming Consoles

Game Developer Harmonix has announced the next installment in their long-running Rock Band music/rhythm game series for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One (no plans for a Wii U release) with more details in May and a late 2015 targeted release date. Rock Band fans can also expect single-player and multiplayer game modes and a huge song catalog (free and paid) along with backward compatibility with PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 guitar and drum controllers. New music peripherals for this latest installment are also planned. Rock Band 4 will be the fourth game in the game series although the 2012 PSN/Xbox Live downloadable Rock Band Blitz, the popular Beatles Rock…

News & Features

April 2015 Movie Release Calendar: Lots to See!

Gear up your devices, streaming resources and DVD/Blu-ray players! Here is the current home video and movie release calendar for April 2015.

News & Features

Block Buster Saturdays: Movie Trailers You May Have Missed This Week

It looks like we’re headed to a Block Buster year at the movies! We started the week with a movie trailer for Mission:Impossible – Rogue Nation, and it seems as if 2015 is going to be a GOOD year to grab yourself some popcorn and enjoy the silver screen.

Events, News & Features

#SeedShare Is Not Only a Hashtag, It’s Now a Legal Movement in D.C.

Well, it may be one thing that a lot of people dislike, but they have had to learn to accept in the last month: Marijuana in Washington D.C. is legal, and #SeedShare is now a thing.

News & Features

The X-Files Returns with Six New Episodes!

I will never forget The X-Files. When I was a kid, I used to live for Friday nights so I could watch The X-Files while my parents were out. I’m still terrified of sewers after the Chernobyl worm man episode. So my geeky heart is all aflutter with news of SIX NEW EPISODES!

Events, Game Diary, News & Features

Six Flags’ Magic Mountain Coaster Gets ‘Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate’ Treatment

It’s never too early in the year to think about amusement parks. This year Six Flags Entertainment Corporation will partner with Capcom to theme their Magic Mountain park with elements from the Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate video game, exclusively available on Nintendo 3DS.