Couch Potato Journal

Captain America Deleted Scene

noreply@blogger.com (Pinoy Technocrata) — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 13:44:00 +0000

Avengers 1st Trailer

noreply@blogger.com (Pinoy Technocrata) — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 06:24:00 +0000

everything looks nice... except for Bruce Banner... More focus on Iron Man... Cap is the first leader of Avengers?

Marvel.com

Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance

noreply@blogger.com (Pinoy Technocrata) — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 00:12:00 +0000

from Marvel.com

The Amazing Spider-Man Trailer

noreply@blogger.com (Pinoy Technocrata) — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 01:31:00 +0000

Australian Night Sky

noreply@blogger.com (Pinoy Technocrata) — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 03:43:00 +0000

Ocean Sky from Alex Cherney on Vimeo.

got this through Wired.com.

Kape + Waffle

noreply@blogger.com (Pinoy Technocrata) — Sun, 24 Jul 2011 17:14:00 +0000

STARCRAFT 2 Final Scene - Sarah Kerrigan cured HD 1080p

noreply@blogger.com (Pinoy Technocrata) — Sun, 17 Jul 2011 17:56:00 +0000

... with badass Jim Raynor!

Awesome Captain America Trailer

noreply@blogger.com (Pinoy Technocrata) — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 01:00:00 +0000

plus new movie poster!

Chrome 12: To Chrome or not to Chrome?

noreply@blogger.com (Pinoy Technocrata) — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 06:24:00 +0000

With all the technological advancement of Chrome over other web browsers in the wild and already available in its previous incarnations, I still prefer Apple’s Safari as my default web browser. Simply, because the amount of resource it gobbles is much less. Though through time, Safari does freeze up even after you’ve already added physical memory to your rig. This can be mitigated by a simple close and reopen which can be annoying. But what’s more annoying is that some of the websites I usually go to doesn’t support Safari. I’ve installed “Multibrowser” to make things easier with incompatible websites but this have introduced additional mouse clicks in navigating web links especially using other applications like Reeder, Sparrow, Twitter and others. I’m surprised that Chrome has more compatibility with web sites even though… as far as I know, Safari came first.

I’m glad I checked my Reeder (my default RSS reader) a few weeks back because had I not… I wouldn’t have known Google released an update to its Chrome web browser. I have Chrome since its release in my application folder but never bothered to use it because of stability issues. Comparing the PC version to its Mac incarnation, the latter was a big disappointment. But I kept the auto-update feature open, hoping for the day it matures on a Mac. Seeing the version 12 tag got me somehow excited… Will this be it? Is Chrome finally tamed and ready to play nice with Mac OSX?

Surprise!

Chrome in terms of speed outpaces Safari, but not that much [I didn’t use a benchmarking tool :)]. The thing that would make me choose one from the other is stability and surprisingly, Chrome 12 is a much stable version than its predecessors. Everything seems to be in place except, I guess as a result of the silent rift between Apple and Google and for the fact Google is developing it’s own web video codec, Chrome dropped support for H.264.

Goodies = Extensions

I wasn’t a fan of “extensions” when Firefox introduced them. But with the resource hog crazy flash animation in most websites, I was forced to use extensions like “ClickToFlash” and “FlashToHTML5” for Safari. So, just after checking out Chrome 12, I checked out their collection of extensions and was happy I found my usual extensions equivalent and found some new nifty ones.

Neat Bookmarks

There are three ways of accessing bookmarks in Chrome:

1. Clicking on the “wrench” icon and then “bookmarks.” [mouse/trackpad dependent action]

2. Enable the option to “always show the bookmarks bar” in Chrome preferences. Click the wrench icon and then “preferences.” [mouse/trackpad dependent action]

3. Press “Option + ⌘ + B” to access the “Bookmark Manager.” [keyboard action]

Neat Bookmarks is an extension that sits in your toolbar and provides a drop down menu listing of your bookmarks with just a click. Though mouse/trackpad dependent, this extension saves space in viewing websites since you won’t need to enable option 2 above. And one overlooked feature of Chrome regarding bookmarks is that every time you create a new tab, it shows your bookmarks bar and disappears when you have clicked/opened a website.

Scroll To Top Button

I first saw this type of button in Tumblr and immediately installed it in Chrome upon seeing the extension in its web store. An improvement over Tumblr’s button is the ability to also quickly navigate to the bottom part of the sites you’re viewing. With this extension, your mouse click wheel gets its much-deserved rest and no more banging on your left mouse button to scroll up or down.

Smooth Gestures

This is the neatest browser mouse gesture I have ever used. Comparing it with Safari’s extension, Smooth Gestures have a plugin that would retain the function of your right mouse button for contextual menus and still use the extension.

Downside

There is no doubt that Chrome is now useable on a Mac. A lingering issue I have since its early versions is with DNS pre-fetching and I’d turn this on and off from time to time. Some Facebook games tend to perform poorly but when accessed through their main site turned out to perform way better which made me think of closing my Facebook account :). Lastly, there’s no extension for downloading YouTube videos.

Verdict

I liked that its full screen mode is built-in and its ability to sync bookmarks with other browsers do work. After weeks of using Chrome 12, with nice extensions and better handling of memory, I’ve set Chrome as my primary web browser (as of this posting, Chrome 13 has been released). The question now is… for how long would I use Chrome as my primary web browser? With Apple set to release Mac OSX Lion (10.7) next month or several days from now, there will also be a new version of Apple’s Safari with features/function more like Chrome. I just hope Apple will make it available also for late adopters like me who’ve decided to stick with Snow Leopard as long as I can… or else, I’ll be sticking with Chrome for good.

LSS: The Man Who Can't Be Moved (The Script)

noreply@blogger.com (Pinoy Technocrata) — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 08:39:00 +0000

Anne Curtis! I admit I’m a huge fan… who isn’t? The Script? Never knew they existed until a few weeks ago. I was watching “Showtime”… Jimmy Bondoc was on as one of the judges. For his “sample,” he sang a song by the “The Script” and dedicated it to Anne Curtis. According to Jimmy, he learned that it was one of Anne’s favorites. And since I’m… again, a huge fan of Anne, dedicated most of my distracted brain to the act at hand, pulled all resources so that I’d get what makes this song special for someone like Anne Curtis.

For someone whose music taste dates back to the days of “The Beatles,” stuck in the 80’s and late 90’s music scene… though I loved Paramore… there I was… held both hands close to my ears (a thing I learned from a college professor - which simulated an antenna parabolic reflector) so that more sound waves are directed to my ear, tried to appreciate the song as I could.

There’s something about acoustic version of artists like Jimmy Bondoc that make you appreciate songs more. The melody was not bad… a little upbeat. The lyric was straightforward, pure emo as most songs throughout the ages have been but catchy in a way. Then it hit me… hmmm… could this be Anne Curtis song when she and broke up? The song is basically for people with hang-ups. So Anne is still… Bah showbiz!

So, after Jimmy’s rendition of the song I Googled the line “I’m not moving” and learned that the title of the song was “The Man Who Can’t Be Moved” by “The Script.” I thought it was Vertical Horizon… somehow there was some similarity. And then a friend posted a picture of her “The Script” concert tickets on Facebook a few weeks back and it turned out that they’d be performing tonight.

So every time I fire up iTunes… I have to play the song first and this is probably the longest LSS that I’ve ever had! Bear with me people…

"The Man Who Can't Be Moved"

Going back to the corner where I first saw you

Gonna camp in my sleeping bag I'm not gonna move

Got some words on cardboard, got your picture in my hand

Saying, "If you see this girl can you tell her where I am?"

Some try to hand me money, they don't understand

I'm not broke I'm just a broken hearted man

I know it makes no sense but what else can I do

How can I move on when I'm still in love with you

'cause if one day you wake up and find that you're missing me

And your heart starts to wonder where on this earth I could be

Thinkin maybe you'll come back here to the place that we'd meet

And you'll see me waiting for you on the corner of the street

So I'm not moving, I'm not moving

Policeman says, "Son you can't stay here"

I said, "There's someone I'm waiting for if it's a day, a month, a year"

Gotta stand my ground even if it rains or snows

If she changes her mind this is the first place she will go

[Chorus]

'cause If one day you wake up and find that you're missing me

And your heart starts to wonder where on this earth I could be

Thinking maybe you'll come back here to the place that we'd meet

And you'll see me waiting for you on our corner of the street

So I'm not moving, I'm not moving,

I'm not moving, I'm not moving

People talk about the guy that's waiting on a girl

There are no holes in his shoes but a big hole in his world

Maybe I'll get famous as the man who can't be moved

Maybe you wont mean to but you'll see me on the news

And you'll come running to the corner

'cause you'll know it's just for you

I'm the man who can't be moved

[Chorus 2x]

Going back to the corner where I first saw you

Gonna camp in my sleeping bag, I'm not gonna move

Malapascua Island Hearthrob

noreply@blogger.com (Pinoy Technocrata) — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 01:26:00 +0000

Malapascua Island: Low Shutter Speed

noreply@blogger.com (Pinoy Technocrata) — Sat, 02 Apr 2011 17:50:00 +0000

Even couch potatoes goes on vacation :)

Night pics taken at Malapascua Island, Cebu. November 2010.

The First Avenger

noreply@blogger.com (Pinoy Technocrata) — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 10:22:00 +0000

Looking good! Enjoy...

Sebastian Vettel takes F1 2011 opening race

noreply@blogger.com (Pinoy Technocrata) — Sun, 27 Mar 2011 15:28:00 +0000

Congratulations to Sebastian Vettel for a race well done. Taking Race 1 (Australian Grand Prix) of the 2011 F1 season.

Looks like Michael Schumacher and Nico Rosberg need some of Sebastian’s not so secret formula as seen in this Mercedes commercial. :) Thanks JJ the F1 addict for the link. :)

Jack Bauer takes down another bomb crazy individual!

noreply@blogger.com (Pinoy Technocrata) — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 08:32:00 +0000

reblog from my tumblr account

Jack Bauer takes down another bomb crazy individual in this hilarious 24 / Bomberman mash up fan art. “Tell me where the bomb is or I will kill your son.”

Bauer Meets Bomberman by Leus / Bocetation (CGHUB) (via gamefreaksnz)

The Wolverine Saga

noreply@blogger.com (Pinoy Technocrata) — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 07:31:00 +0000

The Marvel Universe has really some casting issues. We’ll be seeing Chris Evans as “Captain America” this year, who originally played Fantastic Four’s “Johnny Storm.” I’m thinking it’s okay if you’re Ryan Reynolds, play Marvel’s “Dead Pool” and then go to DC to play “Green Lantern.” But within the same Marvel Universe, it’s just wrong.

I guess it all started with Hugh Jackman. When I learned he would play the iconic character "Wolverine" who is everybody's favorite, I asked myself... "Isn't Hugh Jackman too tall to be Wolverine?" Selecting Jackman had its perks but to the detriment of “Cyclops” played by James Marsden who looked small standing next to Jackman.

Well... finally, there's someone who knows about comics and surprisingly for me, the director of "Black Swan"... yawn… yawn… yawn… Darren Aronofsky! He was set to direct “The Wolverine” movie but unfortunately, he just quit!

Here’s an excerpt from Yahoo! Movies… What he told Jackman about the Wolverine character.

Aronofsky's sudden departure also raises a big question for Jackman, who recently spoke out about how the Oscar-nominated director ordered him to bulk up for the role.  

Just last month Jackman told The Los Angeles Times he was on a 6,000 calorie-a-day diet and weighed 210 lbs. 

"I don't know how much I want to give away about it, but Darren said with the last one, 'Hey you looked great, but you're so tall that in those long shots you looked kind of like Clint Eastwood, and that's not Wolverine,''" Jackman said. "He said that Wolverine, in the comics, is powerful, stocky, you know, he's short and thick. So he said, 'I want you to go there, get bigger.'"

Complete article here!

X-Men: First Class - Official Trailer

noreply@blogger.com (Pinoy Technocrata) — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 04:09:00 +0000

Nice trailer... can't wait to see the movie! :)

Love & Other Drugs

noreply@blogger.com (Pinoy Technocrata) — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 04:11:00 +0000

It’s the love month and it’s that time of year again when everybody gets crazy and cheezy and the word annoying... corny takes the back seat. Oh well, this blog was triggered by a really fun chat with an old friend (two bottles of San Mig Light and one Mudshake Cappuccino for me) regarding, again, crazy and cheezy things people do when it comes to matters of the heart and the movie I watched this morning on my own since my wife and her college buddies already seen it on the big screen on a women’s only night out. So I resorted to my reliable mode of entertainment delivery and with my new Skull Candy Lowrider Rasta headphones! Sweet gift from the Wifey!

If you judge this movie by its poster alone which you can’t probably miss if ever you walk by it, well… it practically speaks half of what to expect of the movie. I bet you know what I mean. And though by my standards unusually long at 1 hour and 47 minutes, the movie again by my standards offered more. I guess you have to forgive me, I’m not used to watching chick flicks and forgive me again if I labeled the movie a chick flick but again forgive me because the last chick flick I watched was “Serendipity” and it was ages ago… in dog years, that is. So what’s the other half of the movie? The serious side of relationships… boom!

Verdict: The movie wasn’t bad and I can’t help but notice Anne Hathaway’s acting in this movie. Acting… and I mean it.

Should you watch it? Yes!

Will I watch it again? grin… grin… big grin!

House Lived in the Philippines!

noreply@blogger.com (Pinoy Technocrata) — Mon, 06 Dec 2010 06:29:00 +0000

... one episode from Season 6.

Megan Fox in "the tip"

noreply@blogger.com (Pinoy Technocrata) — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 04:52:00 +0000

oh dang!

Good Morning, Megan

noreply@blogger.com (Pinoy Technocrata) — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 00:35:00 +0000

Megan won't be around for Transformers 3. I don't know if it's a good thing or not since Rosie Huntington Whiteley will be taking her place as the leading lady (not necessarily her character in the movie).

For those who can't get enough of Megan now Mrs. Green... check the video!

Megan Fox In 'Good Morning, Megan' HD from Meganfoxxxdaily on Vimeo.

Wall Lords 2010

noreply@blogger.com (Pinoy Technocrata) — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 06:40:00 +0000

I got this from my tumblr account. What caught my attention?

GRAFFITI!

as the banner say... FREE flowing Manila Beer! which I haven't tried...

and it's just around the corner where I live hehehe

Kick-Ass Isabelle

noreply@blogger.com (Pinoy Technocrata) — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 07:24:00 +0000

I got a copy of Kick-Ass the other day, a movie I wasn’t interested in watching on the big screen. Not interested maybe because Nicholas Cage is in it or maybe because it’s not based on a comic hero like those from Marvel and DC. Anyway after devoting more than an hour and a half of my time, I’d say it was worth it. But what made it more memorable for me were scenes that referenced my beloved country… Philippines! It’s not the first time we got mentioned in movies or television shows which were mostly unpleasant. This time it’s somewhat intellectual… informative. Batangueno's would be proud!

The scene.

One of the heroines in the movie was Mindy/Hit-Girl played by Chloe Moretz whom I thought was the little girl from “Little Miss Sunshine” Abigail Breslin. Nicholas Cage played her dad Damon/Big Daddy. The following clips shows Big Daddy and Hit-Girl talking about a gift… butterfly knife, which is locally known as “balisong.”

subtitle indicated "one dollar...? two dollar...? but actually what Big Daddy was saying was "one balisong... two balisong"

So... Americans call them "Isabelle" from "balisong"

Isa-balisong or Isabelisong! lol!

Sports Unlimited: Anything Palawan Adventure Pic Contest

noreply@blogger.com (Pinoy Technocrata) — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 16:13:00 +0000

I have a confession to make… Saturday nights… before midnight… I watch… Sports Unlimited! ☺

It’s primarily a sports/adventure-oriented show and recently they have been featuring adventures of viewers through photos submitted to their Facebook fan site. So, one time, their photo topic is about Palawan… “Anything Palawan.” Thinking I had this stash of photos from Coron, Palawan… I obliged and uploaded a few. Unluckily I didn’t win but it’s ok. Then I checked my Facebook account just tonight and I saw their avp of “Anything Palawan.” I wasn’t expecting anything though deep down inside… hahaha I was hoping some or even just one of the pics I’ve sent gets included. And they did include not just one but two!

Check the avp! My pictures at 0:26 and 0:42 ☺

Click here to view my Coron, Palawan adventure (add me first as contact to view the pictures)

Avatar 3D... again

noreply@blogger.com (Pinoy Technocrata) — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 03:34:00 +0000

This time around, I watched it for free at SM Mall of Asia's IMAX 3D Theater. Comparing my experience with two different movie theaters with the same movie, the following are what I've learned:

1. Bigger is Better!

SM MOA's IMAX movie screen is bigger than Greenbelt 3D Cinemas’, which I believe, uses Dolby's 3D technology but not all of it I noticed was utilized by the movie. Another big thing is the 3D glasses. I always find it hard watching with the Dolby 3D glasses, as they are too small for me. SM IMAX 3D goggley glasses, though geeky and unfashionable are bigger, surprisingly lighter and provide better viewing.

2. IMAX is 3D

Greenbelt's 3D is a conventional theater converted to screen 3D movies unlike IMAX which is really built for 3D.

3. Better 3D experience

IMAX offers true blue 3D experience. At first, I marveled out how the they have designed the theater. Seating was made in a steep angle to give all the moviegoers as much as possible equal proximity to the screen which is very important when things starts to pop out of the screen.

4. Seating comfort

Talk about bad luck! I have nothing against big people but I suspect my chair was abused by to many Jabba the Hutt’s that it reclines too much than I ask for. The spacing was reasonable to satisfy observation number 3. But overall, Greenbelt scores on this one.

5. Snacks

Not a fan of popcorn but IMAX popcorn tasted better that day. Or maybe because of the flavor... cheese!

6. Piracy

Every time we go to the mall, we usually bring along our trusty dslr. Ayala cinemas have an inconsistent policy when it comes to dslr's. At Greenbelt, one time they allowed me to bring my camera inside as they already realized that dslr's are no compacts and should I cam cord the movie, they'd spot me easily and not all dslr's have video capture capability. After a week, we watched a movie in Glorietta, the unenlightened ones didn't allowed me to bring it inside the theater. On the technical side, 3D movies I believe has a promise of solving the piracy as they could blur out the movies so bad camcorders will be useless.

7. 3D Fidelity

Watching movies in 3D is of course better than 2D but not all the time plus the fact that not all movies are shot in 3D. I noticed that when action goes frantic, sudden blurring occurs with IMAX that I didn’t notice with Dolby 3D. Could it be caused by design limitations of the glasses with respect to the distance of the screen or maybe the projectors itself?

To sum it up, IMAX 3D is the way to go in enjoying 3D movies but the only thing that makes me think twice is the price and location. Greenbelt and Glorietta is much accessible for me.