Breaking Down Barriers June 30, 2009
Posted by mitchfrizzell in Awesome, Comics, Geeks.add a comment
There are two things people notice about me when they get to know me a little better. The first thing about me is that I love routine. I read one X-Men, one Pokemon and one FMA a day, and no more. I play certain games on certain days, and I read a specific amount of pages in my book a day, and no less. Most people probably think that I’m a little OC. But, I’m not, really. 
The other thing is, I’m a geek. And a rather large geek at that. I like Star Wars, Star Trek, Pokemon, Nintendo, Final Fantasy, and above all, I’m a big super hero fan.
Being a geek, the natural progression of my state would be getting into the comic book world. While searching for a Nintendo magazine down here, I happen to see an issue of Superman: Birthright, but in Spanish. I decided not to get it. Then, a couple of days later, I bought it. I’m a huge Marvel fan, so getting a DC comic was a little hard. But once I ripped into (carefully opened, so as not to damage) the plastic sleve, I loved every second of it. I’m planning on buying the whole series (of 12) before I go back to the States. And at less than $2, it’s a real bargin.
I never thought I would get into comics, but since I did, I actually find myself liking it more than anime and video games. I’m planning a weekly visit to a store that sells comics (I know of three, but I’m not sure if any of them are really “comic book stores”) so I can combine my two favorite personality traits. All in all, I can heartily recommend Superman: Birthright, after reading almost half of it, and thouroughly loving it.
Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood – First Impressions June 25, 2009
Posted by mitchfrizzell in Anime, Awesome.2 comments
I started the FMA manga a while back, and I absolutely love it. It’s one of the best stories I’ve ever read, and the characters are excellent. I originally started it because of a couple of episodes I had seen of the anime. Little did I know, the anime and the manga aren’t very close in their storylines. So when I heard a new FMA anime was coming out (with the manga being used as a “script”) I was thrilled. I got my hands on the first episode and watched it. My reaction: simply amazing.
Story: I’ll do my best not to spoil anything, but who knows… Instead of simply starting at the beginning, the anime starts before the beginning, giving us a nice introduction of all the main characters and some villians. The only problem I see in this and the second episode is that some elements are revealed a lot sooner than the manga. However, this might be a good thing for anyone who is going in without having read the manga.
Animation: Honestly, what I thought after watching the first episode was that it reminded me of an OVA or movie, not a series. The animation loses a little something from the manga, but not enough to be noticable. The action, especially, was really great, and was nice to see, as manga can’t portray it as well.
All in all, FMA: B looks to be one of the best animes I’ve seen, and definitely one of my favorites. Plus, I’ve never watched an ongoing anime every week, so I want to catch up and start one for the first time.
My Half-Year Resolutions (And a Short Shopping List) June 20, 2009
Posted by mitchfrizzell in Awesome, Geeks, Random Info.add a comment
Although I didn’t set any resolutions this year, and I horribly failed last year’s, I do have a couple of things I want to do (and get) this year.
1. Master C – My original goal for his year was to master Python, and I can safely say (while trying not to sound too prideful) that I’m pretty good in it. C, however, is going to be a lot harder. I’m planning this feat in two stages. First is my List Program and second is my PMRL.
List Program is a simple non-Windows program with an xml database (need to read up on xml again) that basically just records lists (or lists of lists). PMRL is a simple Pokemon game that is a hybrid monster raising, stadium battling, and rogue-like game. Planned versions 0.1-0.5(ish) will focus on raising; 1.0 will introduce battling; and 2.0 and onwards will feature dungeon gameplay.
ETA (Estimated Time of Accomplishment): 2 Weeks to finish the basics, up to 3 or 4 months for the programs.
2. Upgrade my laptop – I’m eventually going to buy a new laptop (there are some beautiful ones under 500 bucks floating around the internet tubes), but until then, a couple of good upgrades are going to be required.
First off, I desperately need a DVD burner (less for the burning itself, and more for the drive’s speed). My current drive is very slow, a normal show (350 megs) takes around 3 minutes to copy to the HDD (USB 2.0 gets it done in less than 20 seconds). The second upgrade is Linux. I’ve been wanting to make the move for a while, as I’m rather sick of Windows. Once I get some codecs going and a comic reader, I’ll be great. The third and final upgrade is a new battery. Hopefully that’ll increase my unplugged life (but at my current 20 minutes, anything is going to be good better).
ETA: Linux, less than a month. Others, up to 6 months, most likely.
3. Finish Gundam – Remember my goal of watching every Gundam ever made? Well, it’s almost come to fruition. I’ve only got Seed, Seed Destiny, G Gundam, Turn A Gundam, and Gundam 00 S2. Granted, that’s 175 eps and two movies (planning on watching Turn A movies), but it’s a lot more than half way. I’m planning on doing some discussions based on the various Gundam (and perhaps Macross) universes. I’m really loving Seed, anticipating Turn A and dreading G.
ETA: End of the year.
4. Get back into reading – I’ve hit a dry spell in reading, but I’m hoping to get back into it. Starting with Hitchiker’s Guide and its many sequels. Hopefully I can find another series to quench ny thirst once those are done.
ETA: 3 Months or so.
5. Buy Crap! – My shopping list is rather long, and my shopping currency… well, I have no money.
Zombies!!! (Board Game)
X-Men Alert! (Board Game)
Uncanny X-Men Vol. 1 (Comic collection of giant size X-Men and the frst ten issues of the Uncanny X-Men)
Pokemon Ruby (GBA game, to follow the manga)
PS2 or WII + a buttload of games (for PS2 mostly Gundam)
ETA: Whenever I get a job…
Well, there you have it. My resolutions and shopping list. Tune in soon for my completion posts.
X-Men Alert! for Zombies!!! Are Coming June 12, 2009
Posted by mitchfrizzell in Awesome, Geeks, X-Men.add a comment
I’m currently in a zombie mode… again. So recently, I’ve been playing all the zombie games I can get my hands on (Resident Evil, Flash games, board games, etc.). After finding and downloading the excellent PnP game, Zombie Plauge, I looked around for some decent zombie minis. This is when I stumbled upon the board game Zombies!!!
Zombies!!! is known for a number of different qualities. The positive one is that it comes with 100 plastic zombies and 6 plastic “shotgun guys”. The other, less appealing quality is that the rules are not the best, and sometimes cause game sessions to be several hours long. It’s also known for having a buttload of expansions.
However, a few changes to the rules results in quicker game time, and best of all, it’s only 20 bucks. But, since I’m a collector/painter at heart – not a gamer – I’m very excited about the 100 zombies to paint as I see fit.
I’m also in an X-Men mode right now, and I’ve been looking around at the various collectable minis games that feature the X-men, trying to pick one. Marvel Battle Dice was my original choice (due to the fact that it’s not full of repeats like the HeroClix game), but according to some sources, the scale is not consistent over the line. HeroClix is my choice right now (despite the repeats), but I’ve also found a new love. X-Men Alert! is an oldish board game (haven’t read a lot of reviews, so I can’t really opine on the quality) that comes with 18 unpainted X-Men figures, including Professor X. Prime candidates for me to colorize!
All in all, Zombies!!! is my first $20 choice and X-Men Alert! is no. 2. Be on the lookout in the future for my reviews and painted figs.
Get Rich Quick Online! June 9, 2009
Posted by mitchfrizzell in Awesome, Geeks.add a comment
No, really. In my quest to make $20 (more on this in a later post), I’ve gone through most of the ways to make money online. Some are more useful than others, while some are absolutely worthless. I’ve decided to share my experiences here to enlighten anyone who might be interested in spending hours making no money. (Note that this is not a list of links, but a gathering of my insight)
Online surveys
Most people who use the internet have seen the ads: share your opinion to make easy money. Filling out surveys is actually one of the few ways to make real money online. The drawback? Most sites require you to be in the States. Sites that offer international surveys e-mail you when a survey is available; and the e-mails are few and far in between (note that this is also the case with some State-side sites also). It’s not going to be a full time job, but it’s definitely a good way to make some cash in your free time.
Tips: First off, find a site that pays in money, not in products or deals, unless that’s what you’re after. Second, sign up for multiple sites at a time. The frequency in which you get offers will multiply if you’re on more than one site.
Ad Viewing
Ad viewing is simply going through a list provided by the Ad Viewing site, and viewing another site through a frame. If you’re not cheating with multiple open windows, then your account will get credited. However, these sites can be very decieving. The rates you start out with are very high (sometimes up to $0.25 for a 30-second view of the ad), and then drop to even a cent after the frst day; or in the case of one site I tried, they stop crediting your account altogether.
Tips: Number one tip is if you’re alone, don’t try this, it’ll most likely be a waste of your time. If you should try one, make sure they pay through a well known service (translation: PayPal), just to be safe, and to know you can actually acess the money.
If you find a genuine site with good referral rates, it might be worth it to get together a group of friends and work together. ($.10 per referral view, 10 friends and 10 ads per day = $10), in five days, each of you has 5 bucks for 25 minutes work each (it seemed like it was going to be a lot more before I wrote it down). But, it’s most likely a waste of time.
Blogging For Cash
Blogging for cash consists basically of reviewing products or services for a small reward.
Tips: Sign up for multiple sites, and see if each site allows you to have multiple blogs. This will increase the amount of offers you’ll recieve, and in turn, the amount of rewards. This is the area I have the least experience in, as I’m still waitig for my first offer.
Selling Pokemon Cards
Yes, I played Pokemon when I was younger, and I still play the games and read the manga. I’m a fanboy. However, back in the day, a Holo Charizard was worth $27, so I decided to see how much my cards might get me. I got my stack of holos and promos (about 50) and headed over to a site that buys the cards. My most valuable card, an Ancient Mew promo, was worth $2 (and I know I must have had around 15 of ‘em, I just don’t know where they went…), and altogether, I would have gotten a total of $10 for my holos (Holos not on their “wanted” list were going for $.20). Adding all of my other cards, I might have gotten another $5 (normal cards were going for $.01), so it just wasn’t worth the hassle. However, if you have a good amount of cards, check around on some sites to see what you might get (remembering that it might be more profitable to sell it on Ebay).
Real Job
This is the most stupid one on the list. Go out and get a real job (remember, this post is about making money online, so I don’t literally mean “go out”). This is a very profitable area if you possess any computer skills. The bulk of the money is going to programmers (and the buku bucks are in Flash Game Development), so if you’re any good in that, you’ll have an easier time getting a job. Besides programming, anyone with some kind of certification or degree in a wide array of fields will have an easier time also (examples are Web Development, translation, etc.) However, if you don’t possess any skills like those, or they are too new, be prepared to get pocket change for working long hours.
Tips: GetAFreelancer.com Period. It’s the site I always use, and it’s a great place to find a job, or someone to do a job for you. You can search through jobs yourself, see them in categories, see them in an RSS feed, or even have them sent to your inbox. The first thing you need to do is set up a nice looking profile, complete with a small description of your skills and whatever else you think pertinent. The most important thing in this area is honesty. Be honest, do a good job, and you’ll get good feedback, speeding up the job hunting process a little. (Should you need an alternative, there’s a UK GAF, elance, and rentacoder to name a few).
New “Destroy All Humans” Game, Contest and Giveaway November 14, 2008
Posted by mitchfrizzell in Awesome, Random Info, Video Games.add a comment
Path of the Furon is the game I’m talking about. The newest game in the “Destroy all Humans” series takes place in the 70’s, and is coming to the XBox 360, PS3 and Wireless platforms. As you control Crypto, you’ll fight new enemies, including a new very dangerous enemy: Crypto’s own species. So as we fight the humans (obviously), the aliens, we’ll also have acess to certain powers learned from the Kung-Fu Master.
So head on over to CryptoEnhance and enter the contest there for a chance to win a freaking 32″ HDTV or a $50 GameStop certificate! And, since you’re there, you might as well check out the trailers and free downloads including wallpapers and AIM icons.
But that’s not all! If you get the game, then take your Proof of Purchase to your local (participating) GameStop and exchange it for a BobbleHead! Get over there before supplies run out.
Giant Robots With Wilford Brimley Faces! August 18, 2008
Posted by mitchfrizzell in Awesome, Random Info.4 comments
First comic in a long, long time that has made me laugh out loud.
Now making a new avatar…
Edit: Can’t see it 
You’ll have to Right Click > View Image in Firefox to see the whole thing. Sorry about that.
Random, Rants, and Reviews #3 June 26, 2008
Posted by mitchfrizzell in Anime, Awesome, Gundam, Mega Man, Random Info, Video Games.add a comment
The Mega Man Dilemma: To start out, I love Mega Man, and this is the Random info part, so I’m not ranting. But I noticed something odd about the franchise; a pattern if you will. Here it is: A unique game (or series), followed by a basic carbon-copy series with just a few new improvements. First there was Mega Man, then Mega Man X (basically the same, maybe excluding x7 and x8); Mega Man Battle Network (GBA), and the new(ish) Starforce series (basically the same as BN, with a new battle view); Mega Man Zero (also GBA), and the also new(ish) Mega Man ZX. Wow. I have to note the exception of the Legends game (unless you count Tron’s game as the copy), and certain games like Mega Man Soccer and Mega Man Battle and Chase. But does this formula make the Blue Bomber any less cool in my book? No way.
Hackers: Apparently, someone has hacked into my Rapidshare account and is using it. I’m hoping that it’s just a simple error, and that tomorrow morning I’ll see that it’s running like fine. If not, I’m going to contact customer service and see if there’s anything they can do about it. When I noticed the problem, I immediately changed the password to a random string of characters and numbers stored only (as far as I know), in my head. Then, I quickly ran a virus, spyware, and a registry scan, and all three came up clean. I checked my TCPView, nothing weird there; I checked my Netstat and found a few odd entries, but nothing too alarming. But the problem persists, which makes me really believe that it’s just a fluke. How else could someone use my account even after I changed the password? Anyway, hackers suck, and I heard the main reason they hack servers is to host pr0n? That’s sewer-low.
Edit: Turns out it was just a fluke. No hacker…
Gundam F91: Just watched the F91 Gundam anime movie and really liked it. I’ll get around to a real review in a couple weeks, but the mecha designs: wow. Now, the F91 is a Gundam, which means by default it’s pretty cool, and the Rafflesia isn’t my favorite. But the Den’an Zon and the Den’an Gei are awesome! I love the Zaku II, and so far no suit can beat it, but the Den’an s come close. Here are the pics from the official site.
Random, Rants and Reviews #2 April 16, 2008
Posted by mitchfrizzell in Awesome, PSP, Random Info, Video Games.add a comment
I’ve come up empty…: That’s right, no real random info for you this time. Sorry.
Auto-Play: Or what ever you want to call it, it’s the default action Windows takes when a certain media type in inserted into your PC. It’s a great concept, but it really frustrates me. I frequently use two types of removable media: DVDs and my Flash Drive. I want my DVD (all video DVDs) to automatically open in PowerDVD (the only DVD playing program I have). But instead, a dialog box opens up which says Open with PowerDVD, Open in Windows Explorer or Take no Action. Hmmm… That’s a hard one. I tried editing the default action in the drive’s properties dialog, and it seems to work for a while, but after I turn the PC off, I get the dialog again, but this time with a checkbox (that’s checked) saying “Make this the Default action”. Now for my Flash drive. I want it to open in a folder when I stick it in. So, I edit the default action in the drive’s properties, but I have to select one for Music Files, Movie Files, Pictures and mixed Content. Since I don’t have any music or videos, I shouldn’t have to do it, but I still do. Anyways, I select Open in Window Explorer for all options, Apply, remove the flash drive, and pop it back in. It opens up a windows explorer window! Woo-hoo! Do it again, however, and I get the stupid, stupid dialog box. Maybe Linux (Ubuntu) is right in making an icon on the desktop whenever you put a flash drive in. I really despise this system.
Aedis Eclipse: Generation of Chaos (PSP): I just hit 100% completion of Gundam Battle Chronicle, so I’ve moved on to Aedis Eclipse. AE is a unique strategy game with a mix of a few genres. First off, there’s the field map. This one plays like a board game (similar to most strategy games, but along straight paths). On the map there are element blocks, city blocks, etc. Also present are a Player base and an Enemy base. If either is captured, the other side automatically wins. On the field map, should you land on the same square as an enemy soldier, you will enter combat with him. Combat is done in real-time, and the only thing you directly control is the basic strategy/movement of your soldiers, and the use of skills and items. Movement might sound like a big thing, but it’s a lot more limited than in most RTSs. The game is great, but there’s too much great implementations to write about here, I’ll be doing a more in-depth post later.
Review of Afterworld 1-20 April 6, 2008
Posted by mitchfrizzell in Awesome, Random Info, Reviews.add a comment
After watching the first twenty episodes of the online show Afterworld, I’ve decided to share my opinion on the series so far. For those of you who haven’t heard of Afterwrod, it’s an online show, like I said earlier, and all 130 episodes can be found on YouTube (I think they’re all out by now). If you can’t get them where you are, just head over to video.aol.com or megavideo.com and you can catch them there. AW starts after the “fall” in which 99.99% of Earth’s population die, their bodies are “taken” and all technology in the world is also gone. The story revolves around Russel Shoemaker and his mission to discover the cause of the fall, and find his family in the process (at least that’s the story’s point so far). So, what might have caused the fall? Here are my opinions on the two most accepted in-show theories. Note that there will be some spoilers for the first twenty episodes, so read carefully.
The EMP Theory: So, the first theory that’s brought up is the EMP theory. An EMP would explain the lack of technology, but it doesn’t explain the death of most of the people on the Earth. Also, wouldn’t there have to be a HUGE bomb, or a huge number of bombs to knock out all of the technology in the world? Then again, we all (yes, we all) saw something similar to this in Jhon Carpenter’s Escape from LA, so if it can happen there, why not in AW? In my opinion, though, the terrorism story is a little unbelieveable. How did they launch a HUGE EMP attack and a likewise huge chemical? attack that took out 99.99% of the population out and their bodies? Also, wouldn’t that mean that of the .01% of people, most of them would be from the terrorist group, or is .01% a lot more than I’m thinking?
The God Theory: The second theory is a little scarier: God basically got fed up with the people on Earth and killed most of them off and took out the technology too (because people were putting their faith in it and not in Him). But there’s a problem. If we’re talking about the Rapture, then why were so many taken? I’m not sure, but the amount of people in the world who have putten their trust in Jesus Christ as their Savior is not that high. But, on the other hand, if God were repeating the events of the days of Noah, would his promise be void? Or would we be running on a technicality, due to it not being a flood? I guess this theory makes a little more sense that number one, as it explains the loss of technology and people, but it doesn’t seem to fit in with God’s personality or the events laid out in His Word. Then again, it’s a show, so it can make up its own rules.
That’s it for now, tune in a little later next week for episodes 21-40.
