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Tuesday, February 19, 2013

The Walking dead Season 3 Episode 9: The Suicide Kings


Following the events of the last episode of the Walking Dead titled “Made to Suffer”, Rick and his group were able to save Glenn and Maggie. But in the process, Oscar got killed while Daryl was captured by the people of Woodbury. To make things worst, Michonne took it upon herself to kill the Governor but was surprised to find his undead daughter locked inside a closet. It did not end well when the Governor caught Michonne in his house next to Penny. Michonne stabbed Penny which made the Governor furious and started to attack her. Glass were shattered from broken Aquarium filled him severed zombie head and there was a lot of punching, kicking and chocking during their brawl. In the end Michonne was able to pick up a piece of glass and stab the Governor taking out his right eye.
 

This episode started with the Governor pitting the Dixon brothers against each on other in a death match which would reward the winner freedom. Although I am not sure he would set Daryl free if he is the winner. Actually I don’t think he would allow Merle to leave either if he won. The match was interrupted by Rick and the Gang deploying smoke grenades and shooting at the crowd to distract the people of Woodbury which allowed the Dixon brothers free. As soon as they escaped they met with Glenn and Michonne waiting by the road. They were not happy to see Merle tagged along. Merle was not making his situation better throwing insults at the group. In the end Daryl decided to stick with Merle and left Rick’s group.
Back in the Prison, something is brewing as well. Allen and Ben are in agreement that it would be easy to take over the prison. Good thing Tyreese and Sasha would not allow it. Rick and the others were able to reach the prison before anything happens. As Tyreese and his group were pleading to Rick about staying in the prison, Rick saw his wife, Lori and had a mental breakdown which seems like he was refusing Tyreese’s group to stay.


 
Back in Woodbury, the Governor is also deal with some issues as well. The people were panicking and are ready to leave the community. Andrea was there to diffuse the situation and was able to convince the people to stay. However it is clear that the Governor is affected with Penny’s demise.
 


 
The episode was a bit slow paced in my opinion. Aside from the Dixon brothers’ rescue, there wasn’t much action and too much talking. This episode shows us that people are cracking up. From Rick to the governor, even Glenn is going through some of his issues as well. We still have to see what will happen to Carol as well. Based on the comics, Carol will let herself get bitten since he was depressed due to Tyreese and Michoone’s infidelity. By the way in the Comics, Tyreese and Carol would have a relationship and Michoone would be the third wheel. Whether or not this will happen in the show I guess we will have to see. Maybe instead of Tyreese, Carol would be depressed because of Daryl. In the comics as well, Tyreese would be killed by the Governor. I am not sure if this would happen not unless the Prison Arc would extend until the next season. I think they would have to establish that Tyreese would be part of the chain of command of Rick’s group.  There are lots of events that happened in the comics that has not come to past in the show. Like Rick’s hand getting cut-off. Although we had that we Merle I am not sure if that would still happen. Or maybe Merle would cut-off Rick’s arm as an eye for eye kind of thing. Who knows? Guess we would have to wait longer.

Will there be a fifth Pacquiao – Marquez fight?




When Marquez and his camp were interviewed right after the phenomenal 6th round win against Pacquiao last December, they were willing to give the latter a chance to redeem himself and have a fifth bout. Now they are singing a new tune. Marquez and his trainer Ignacio “Nacho” Beristain, would rather fight Brandon “Bam Bam” Rios rather than the Pacquiao.
 
If you are a Marquez fan, you would say that there is no need to fight Pacquiao for a fifth match. Another fight would give Pacquiao a chance to redeem himself. But on the other hand, Marquez always had Pacquiao’s moves figured out. Pacquiao’s wins against Marquez were not that convincing enough and that is the reason why there was a four match.  If there was a fifth match, Pacquiao would definitely have a hard time putting Marquez to the Canvass.
 
If you are a Pacquiao fan you would definitely want a rematch. I personally am rooting for Pacquiao. If he would have won last December, I would say that 4 match is enough. But Marquez unquestionable outmatch Pacquiao last December and would want him to get another chance in the ring. Some would say that Pacquiao was on his way on defeating Marquez. I would agree. Marquez’s nose was already bleeding when the 6th round started. If Pacquaio wasn’t careless he would have won. But that is just about it. There are so many “If”. Main point is he got too eager to knock him out. He got too careless. Some would say that it was a lucky shot. I don’t think so. We all know that Marquez is a great counterpuncher. That says it all.
 
Arum is meeting Marquez to discuss the deal. Off course there would be talks on who will get the bigger purse and where the bout would be held.  They are considering the tax cut if the bout takes place in US and considering other locations such as Mexico , Singapore Dubai, Abu Dhabi or Macau . Tax cut would be around 20 to 39 percent.
 
Should they really fight again? I think that is up to the fighters. Would anyone still watch it? I think people would still do. Although I would never think that they would watch a fifth match if the fourth match did not go the way they did. Meaning if it went down to a decision, I don’t think anyone, including myself, would want to see another bout. We will have to see if the match would take place on September as Arum plans.

Can we avert a Meteor Strike?


If you have seen the movie Armageddon or Deep Impact, you might have asked yourself would it be possible to avert an asteroid from hitting the planet. In movie they both use nuclear weapons to either split the asteroid in hopes that it would pass earth on both sides or completely blow up the asteroid from the inside. Is that even possible?

 
Following the meteor strike last Friday which injured 1200 people in Russia , a number of Governments around the world are now asking whether it would be possible to stop a meteor from hitting the planet. The Neo Shield consortium, a European Union funded organization, aims to find ways to deal with asteroid on a collision course to the planet. A conference was held in Vienna last Monday to discuss on possible means on averting objects that would hit the planet. Some of the ideas seems like something from a science fiction movie. Here are some of the ideas brought up in the conference
 
1.        Kinetic impactor – a huge spacecraft would be launch into the asteroid to alter the path it is supposed to take.
2.        Gravity tractor – a spacecraft would be placed near an asteroid and thrusters would be use to alter the asteroids trajectory.
3.        Using nuclear devices would be a last resort.
 
Also problem which needs to be remedied is the detection of asteroids. The current technology that Space agencies around the globe could only detect asteroids hours before it reaches the planet. NASA and ESA also have said that some strikes are completely unavoidable and warned governments to make plans for wide scale evacuations.
 
Scientist are also looking into the idea of harnessing the power of the suns and using it as laser beams to destroy incoming objects or alter the course asteroids are taking. It seems that this technology is something that far from reality, Gary Hughes, a researcher and professor from California Polytechnic State University said they were able to build the device but the device does not have the power needed to stop incoming asteroids. Building a much bigger device is the challenge that they are trying to resolve.
 
Astronomers with the University of Hawaii are developing a device that would hopefully in the future detect and provide a one week warning for a 50-yard asteroid and three weeks warning for asteroid with a size of 150-yards. The 50-yard asteroid could destroy something as a city while the 150-yard object could destroy a country.
 
Although some predicted that it would years before another asteroid would be close enough to earth, it is somehow reassuring that the technology that would somehow protect the planet from this threat is now being created. Who knows how long it would take to create this devices but at least the technology is not something that we only see in some science fiction movies

Alphas Cancelled


After two seasons, Alphas has been officially cancelled. The show is based on people with superhuman abilities similar to TV series called Heroes. After the cancellation of Heroes, Alphas was somehow my replacement for a show that features superhuman abilities. I find the Alphas is more believable than heroes. It also shows that there is a limitation and consequences for using excessively using one’s abilities. This is something which I find more believable that the abilities featured in Heroes.
 
Even though I was not concern about the TV ratings and neither did I checked it weekly, I somehow knew that Alphas was going to end quickly. The stories in the second season were not alluring enough for me to eager to watch for the succeeding episode. It was something that I could put-off watching or to be more exact it was something that I least prioritized in watching.
 



So what went wrong? The stories were something in I already saw in Heroes. A group of people with superhuman abilities banded together to exact revenge or bring chaos to a society that do not see them as equals? Familiar isn’t it? So here is the real question.  Are sci-fi shows destined to be cancelled prematurely? I have seen quite a few. Firefly, Heroes, Kyle XY, Alphas, Terra Nova, and V are just some of the show’s that I watched which got cancelled without giving fans a proper ending. It seems to be a trend nowadays. Off course there are still some sci-fi series out there. Falling skies is one of them. Fringe has just ended.  So I have to wait for something new.
 
What seems to be new are series with a Serial Killer theme. First we have Dexter, then the Following, and soon Hannibal Lecter would on the TV screen. Off course there are shows like CSI or Criminal Minds but nothing focus more on serial killers that this three series.

Person of Interest Season 2 Episode 11: 2πR


Don't read if you haven't watched this episode


Following the events of the Person of interest’s last episode, Shadow Box, Reese was captured by the FBI and has been taken to Rikers. FBI agent Nicholas Donnelly is hell bent to find out who among the four people that they have in custody is the man in the suit. Using the the DNA samples and fingerprint from Reese’s last arrest, Donnelly was really confident that they will have their man.
 
While Reese in prison Finch poses as a substitute teacher (who is currently on an all expense trip to Maui ) to protect student named Caleb Phipps. Caleb is a genius and is developing a ground breaking computer code that could compress a large amount of data. On the side he is also an elusive drug dealer that has employed two students from his school to do his bidding without them knowing it.



 
One Caleb’s teacher, Chris Beckner, discovered the computer code that Caleb was developing and copied the file from Caleb’s computer in school. Caleb is writing the code long hand and transferring the code in one of the school’s computer. At first Finch thought that Beckner was stealing Caleb’s work and selling it as his own. Later Beckner confessed that Caleb told him what he was creating the code and informed him that he Beckner will get the credit for the algorithm. In return Caleb asked Beckner to give the money from selling the code to his mother. Beckner informed Finch that he never intended to take credit for Caleb’s work from the beginning.
 
Finch is puzzled why Caleb would go to such length to gain money knowing how talented he is. Later they realized that he is putting all the money that he made in a trust fund intended for her mother. They also realized that Caleb’s brother was killed in an accident in a train station and Caleb has blamed himself for his death. Caleb has been planning to kill himself in the same station where his brother died. But before doing so, he would need to amass enough money to leave her mother. Finch was able to discover Caleb’s plan and was able to convince Caleb to stop.
 
Also In the episode, Carter picks up a man and drugged him. She then took a DNA sample to switch it with Reese’s DNA. Carter then breaks into the FBI and swaps the sample.  Donnelly then gets the Result of the DNA testing which showed that none matches the four people he has in custody. Donnelly refused to release them and believes that there is a mole in the FBI. He asked Carter to use her skills she acquired as military interrogator to find the identity of the man in suit.
 
There is not much of Reese in this Episode. It is refreshing to find out a bit about Finch’s background story. In this episode, we learned that Finch was gifted and knowledgeable with computer code even as a kid. The main obstacle that Finch and Reese are facing in this episode is the FBI. Donnelly is closing in to his identity and it is a matter of time before he finds out the truth.

Thursday, January 31, 2013

The Following Season 1 Episode 1: Pilot





The shows revolve around the lives of former FBI agent Ryan Hardy and the infamous serial killer that he caught named Joe Carroll. Years after Carroll’s arrest and days before his execution, the Carroll killed five guards and successful escaped prison. The now retired Ryan Hardy was called by the FBI as a consultant to apprehend Carroll.
The Police then put Carroll’s ex-wife, Claire Mathews, under protection. Also they immediately put Dr. Sarah Fuller, Carroll’s last victim who survived, under protection as well. Little does Ryan and the FBI knows that Carroll has created a master plan to abduct Sarah and finish his work. At first Carroll sent one of his followers to the FBI and ordered her to stab herself in the eye. They later discovered that a prison guard named Jordy help Carroll escaped. They discovered that he is learning to Carroll’s way using animals. Later Ryan talked to Claire and we soon discovered that they had an affair. Claire mentioned that Carroll’s book was a way of tribute to his hero Edgar Allan Poe and in a way the book was to finish Poe’s work. Ryan soon realized that Carroll would go after Sarah to finish his work. Ryan then rushed to Sarah’s house but they were too late. Sarah’s neighbors Paul and Jacob abducted her and delivered her to Carroll. Ryan found a picture in Paul and Jacob’s apartment taken in a lighthouse in Virginia.


Ryan then went to the lighthouse and heard Sarah screaming. He found Carroll but he was too late. Carroll was able to finish his work and killed Sarah by removing her eyes. Carroll explained that the eyes is connected by 7 seven muscles and that he removes it one by one. In the end the voice that Ryan heard was from a recording. Sarah was hanging upside down with a rope tied to her feet. 
Ryan then jumped Carroll and was about to strangle him to death. Moments later the FBI arrived and Carroll announced that he is surrendering.  Later Ryan questioned Carroll. Carroll explained that Sarah was killed for Ryan’s benefit. He explained that Ryan is part of his plans and that his followers have something in store for him. Carroll demanded that he talks to Claire but Ryan said that she would agree with it. Before the episode ended, Claire’s son, Joey, went missing. Emma, Joey’s babysitter, took him and delivered him to Paul and Jacob. The episode ended with Carroll shouting “Call Claire!”


This is one of best pilot that I have seen in a while. I am personally drawn more to Joe Carroll than Ryan Hardy. I like the idea that the hero has flaws as Carroll has stated in the episode. After being stab by Carroll while saving Sarah, Ryan had to have a pacemaker to keep his heart pumping. In the pilot episode it showed that his heart condition hinders Ryan physically. In the episode it also shows that he has drinking and attitude issues. I am sure we will discover more of Ryan’s reputation in the next episodes.
Since Carroll is days away from his execution, I have the feeling that they would postponed it to get more information from him. As he has stated, Carroll would in some way help Ryan. I bet the series would revolve around catching Carroll’s followers. We just happen next to Ryan. Will he be reinstated by the FBI? I have this feeling that a member of the FBI or some other agency is part of Carroll’s cult. We have met 5 followers so far: Jordy, Paul, Jacob, Emma and the girl who committed suicide. The real question is how many are still out there?

Sunday, January 27, 2013

My thoughts on Stopzilla Anti-virus software

I have tried a lot of anti-virus applications before: AVG, ESET32NOD, McAFee and Bitdefender. Although they have came through for me in the past, there are viruses and malwares that has surfaced recently that could dealt with by the anti virus that I have mentioned.

Recently I tried a new anti-virus called Stopzilla. I did my research before installing the software. Most of the reviews were positive. Off course there are some negative reviews about it as well but which anit-virus doesn't?  Since I have used the other software I figured that it wouldn't hurt to try something new. I am glad I did. It has cleaned my computer of the viruses and malwares that I have been trying to get rid off. I still have to see if Stopzilla would be able to come through in the long run. But for now I have to say that I am very satisfied with this anti-virus. What are your thoughts? Please let me know

Saturday, January 5, 2013

Gun Ban in the Philippines to take effect on January 13, 2013




As the Election draws near, the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) has announced that gun ban would take effect from January 13 to June 12, 2013. The gun ban would prohibited ordinary citizens from bearing, carrying or transporting firearms or deadly weapons outside his residence or place of business and in public places regardless even if they have acquire a licence to possess or carry firearms.

Under the Resolution No. 9561-A, the ban would also include airguns, airsoft guns or any replicas of firearms. Bladed weapons, grenades and other explosive except for Pyrotechnics are also ban during the Election period. Only members of the Philippine National Police, Armed forces of the Philippines and other law enforcement agency within the government.

Running Candidates are also prohibited to enlist protection from members of Police or Armed forces not unless authorized and assigned by COMELEC. Under the Omnibus Election Code, any person violating the the gun ban and found carrying firearms would be committing an election offence. 

Just days before the gun ban, several firearm related incidents has taken lives of several Filipinos. Several people were victims of stray bullets in the midst of the New Year Celebration. 2 Children were shot during the New Year and were died shortly after. Just last week, a former low level politician named Ronaldo Bae went on a shooting spree killing 7 people and injuring 11 other. Authorities are now investigating the possibility that the shooter was on the influence of prohibited drugs during the shoot out. 

People are now looking into implementing the total gun ban not only during elections but also during holidays while some would like to review existing rules and have them implement them in a more strict manner. 

Thursday, January 3, 2013

Merlin Season 5 Episode 13: The Diamond of the Day part 2

Don’t read if you haven’t seen the episode

 The Battle of Camlann continues and Merlin races to Arthur’s Aid. Outnumbered, Arthur and Camelot were on the verge of defeat. Merlin disguises himself as Dragoon the great and unleashes his magic and rained thunder on the Saxons. Morgana was totally useless again Merlin and a surge of his magic knocked Morgana out so easily. The Saxons were outmatched by Merlin’s magic and retreated immediately.

In the battlefield, Arthur faces Mordred but was stabbed right away. Immediately Arthur stabbed Mordred as well killing him instantly. Merlin found Arthur and brought him out of harms way. Back at the camp, Leon informs Gwen that the battle has been won but they are unable to find Arthur.

Gwen and the others return to Camelot but the patrol is still being dispatched for their missing king. Eira is trying to find out more information from Gwaine about Arthur whereabouts. Her persistent questioning has made Gwaine suspicious. Later they caught Eira sending message to Morgana. Gwaine however provided a wrong information leading Morgana to the opposite directions of Merlin’s destination.  She was later hanged for her betrayal.
Arthur awakens finding Merlin in his side. Merlin then revealed that he has magic that made Arthur feeling betrayed. He was reluctant to have Merlin tend his wounds. Gauis meets them then later and revealed to Arthur the he had known that he was a sorcerer all along. They then travel to Lake of Avalon where Merlin hopes that the ancient Magic of the Sidhe will heal Arthur. But before leaving Arthur entrust the royal seal to Gauis with instructions that it would be given to Gwen. Gauis then hugs Merlin and told him that his dinner will be waiting for him. Gauis however had the feeling that Merlin would not return to Camelot.


A very disturbed Morgana orders her men to keep searching for Arthur. When she received the message from Eira, she immediately rides to search for Arthur. Gwaine and Percival are both waiting for them was able to kill all of Morgana’s men. Unfortunately for them, Morgana was too powerful and they were captured. Morgana used her magic to get the information from Gwaine. The tortured was too much for him and moments later after Percival found him, he died.

On their way to Avelon, Merlin reveals more of his magic to Arthur as he defeated two Saxons who was pursuing them. Arthur asked why he is acting like a servant knowing what he really is. Merlin told him that he was destined to serve him. On their way to the Lake , Morgana was able to catch up to them. Using her magic she magically pushed Merlin and thought he was knocked out. Later Merlin told Morgana that he felt responsible for what she has become and was holding Excalibur. Morgana told Merlin no mortal blade could kill her but as soon as Merlin stabbed her, he explains that the sword was forged with Dragon’s breath. That marks the end of Morgana and Arthur says that they have achieved peace at last. Eventually Arthur accepts Merlin for being a sorcerer and says Thank you to him before he died. Desperate, Merlin called Kilgarrah for a final favor. Kilgarrah informed Merlin that there is nothing else he could do and the he was destined to die and Arthur is the once and future king, and one day when Albion is in great need, Arthur will rise again.


Gwen was then proclaimed as the next ruler of Camelot after the Sir Leon announced that Arthur has died. The episode ended with Merlin walking near the Lake of Avalon while a truck passed by implying that Merlin has lived since Arthur’s time until modern day England waiting for Arthur’s return. 



I felt that the two part Finale was not enough to end the series properly. It would have been great if there was a showdown between Morgana and Merlin using magic. There was no really proof that Merlin was the most powerful sorcerer of all time aside from the defeating the Saxons while disguised as Dragoon the great. I think there was nothing really significant with Merlin’s magic. It seems that Morgana was more powerful. When she saw Merlin on top of the mountain threw bolts of lightning and using his magic to defeat the Saxons, why did she have to shout “Emyrs!” then got knocked out immediately right after?


So did magic return to Camelot? What happened after Arthur’s death? Why did they say that Aithusa is a good omen? She was a burden to Camelot after all. Without Merlin’s ability to talk to dragons, she would have killed Arthur and the rest of them. Mordred was anti-climactic. After all the build up, he died instantly. I know Excalibur is extremely powerful but Mordred’s death was not what I expected.

The series ended with what most Arthurian legend are based from. In the Legends, Arthur killed Mordred but was fatally wounded. In an attempt to save his life, he travels to Lake of Avalon where it is believed that the water have magical healing powers. It is also said that Excalibur was thrown to the lake so that no mortal men could use it. It is also said in the legend that Arthur died before reaching the Lake .

Even though I was a bit disappointed with the finale, I thought they ended the series fairly well and has stay true to legends. As much as I have wanted Arthur to survive and rule further, I am glad they followed the legend. However I felt that they did not portrayed Merlin as the most powerful Sorcerer of all time. I was waiting for more magic. I was waiting for something more extraordinary. I am sad to see the series end as I have been a Merlin fan since it first aired five years ago. I guess I have to wait for another show that is based on the Arthurian Legend.

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