Raving Roller Coaster Ride

Fly's Music Video Didn't Soar That High

noreply@blogger.com (Batang Reklamador) — Sat, 03 Sep 2011 10:41:00 +0000

Music lovers are still feasting on Nicki Minaj's hit "Super Bass" and Rihanna's catchy tune of "California King Bed", but who would expect that these two music icons would collaborate their remarkable talents someday? This curiosity made "Fly" interesting to both their fans and other music lovers as well.

Rihanna and Nicki Minaj are both great. There's no question to that. But I got a little disappointed when I watched the music video of "Fly." First of all, the sound effects at the beginning is a little disturbing. The setting is like an aftermath of something terrible. Trashes are everywhere, sight is almost completely covered with smoke, cars are turned up-side-down, everything is messy. They had a nice work on this but this is no better than a zombie film. I mean, these type of scenes are becoming too repetitive (next to vampires, that is, after Twilight). But I got the concept. It's the rise-after-the-fall type of story. Also, there are scenes which are a little out-of-place. Like Nicki's sudden action moves. Also,Nicki's unusual outfits remind me of another great singer in the name of Lady Gaga. On the other hand, the red-haired Rihanna looked great.

Overall, Nicki and Rihanna are both great performers of course, and their tandem made them greater. The song is interesting for its inspirational theme. It suggests new hope after a a lot of troubles. But its music video is not that impressive.

Agree? Disagree? Just drop your comments. I provided the music video if you haven't watched it yet, as well as the lyrics.

I came to win, to fight, to conquer, to thrive
I came to win, to survive, to prosper, to rise
to fly
to fly

[Nicki Minaj]
I wish today it will rain all day
maybe that will kinda make the pain go away
trying to forgive you for abandoning me
praying but I think I'm still an angel away
angel away, yeah strange in a way
maybe that is why I chase strangers away
they got their guns out aiming at me
but I become near when they aiming at me
me, me, me against them
me against enemies, me against friends
somehow they both seem to become one
A sea full of sharks and they all smell blood
they start coming and I start rising
must be surprising, I'm just summising
I win, thrive, soar, higher, higher, higher
more fire

[Rihanna - Chorus]
I came to win, to fight, to conquer, to thrive
I came to win, to survive, to prosper, to rise
to fly
to fly

[Nicki Minaj - Verse 2]
Everybody wanna try to box me in
suffocating everytime it locks me in
painting they own pictures than they crop me in
[ From: http://www.elyrics.net/read/n/nicki-minaj-lyrics/fly-lyrics.html]
but I will remain where the top begins
cause I am not a word, I am not a line
I am not a girl that can ever be defined
I am not fly, I am levitation
I represent an entire generation
I hear the criticism loud and clear
that is how I know that the time is near
so we become alive in a time of fear
and I aint got no muthaf-cking time to spare
cry my eyes out for days upon days
such a heavy burden placed upon me
but when you go hard your nay's become yay's
Yankee Stadium with Jay's and Kanye's

[Rihanna - Chorus]
I came to win, to fight, to conquer, to thrive
I came to win, to survive, to prosper, to rise
to fly
to fly

[Nicki Minaj - Bridge]
Get ready for it
get ready for it
get ready for it
I came to win
get ready for it
get ready for it
get ready for it
I came to win

[Rihanna - Chorus]
I came to win, to fight, to conquer, to thrive
I came to win, to survive, to prosper, to rise
to fly
to fly

Red (Twilight-ish) Riding Hood

noreply@blogger.com (Batang Reklamador) — Mon, 30 May 2011 12:56:00 +0000

I was so excited when I saw the trailer of Red Riding Hood on YouTube, and adding the oh-so-gorgeous Amanda Seyfried doubled that feeling (Yep! She's my celebrity crush. Shhh! (blushes~)). Sadly, a lot of people losses their interest on this movie adaptation of a childhood fairytale of the same title when they saw the "From the Director of Twilight" part of the trailer. This gave an impression to Edward-Bella-Jacob haters that Red Riding Hood is gonna be another love triangle way similar to Twilight. With that, I was unable to find someone to watch this movie with. It's a good thing that its DVD was released weeks earlier and I was able to watch it and write a little review. (Here it is people.)

My comments: This version of the 700-year old legend made me puzzling over a single question all throughout the flick. Who's the damn wolf? I had 5 guesses at least and at the end I was wrong. So much for spoiling, just find out the answer by yourself. And (Yep!) it's Twilight-ish. It's like watching twilight less the blood-sucking but fabulous vampires. Even the first minutes made a viewer wonder if they got the Twilight DVD instead. So (enough for the Twilight thing) all in all, this movie gives the thrill about the wolf's identity and Amanda's red hoodie and basket. She even said RRH's lines with the grandma-disguised wolf.

My rating: 3/5
Links: IMDB, Wikipedia, Official website

NEVER Upload Private Photos on Friendster

noreply@blogger.com (Batang Reklamador) — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 05:02:00 +0000

I just learned of a hack on the social site Friendster with regards to its private photos feature. Now with this website, dibatam.com, anyone can look and go through someones private photos on Friendster (even if that profile is also private!).

So how does this trick works?
Follow this link ---> dibatam.com
A page will load with a large typing area that's for UID.
UID is a profile's unique ID in Friendster. It can be found on the URL of a page (e.g. on http://profiles.friendster.com/333, then 333 is its user's UID).
But in some cases, a user may replaced this UID on URL with a preferred one. In this case, click on it's primary photo (e.g. on http://www.friendster.com/photos/###/1/601189699, then ### is its UID.
Just copy and paste the UID on the box provided and you can see the whole photo gallery of a Friendster account.

Be cautious on uploading private and personal photos...

The Philippine Jeepney~ A Closer Look

noreply@blogger.com (Batang Reklamador) — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 06:11:00 +0000

Jeepneys, which origins can be dated back from World War II, are taking their position as the most popular means of transportation in the Philippines. These public vehicles also took some physical and structural transformations from its first looks to its third generation types. And now, there's the so called "E-jeepney". Let's take a closer look at Philippine jeepneys.

Filipinos may not notice, but these public vehicles are taking a part of their daily living. Take mine as an example. Every morning, as I walk down the streets, I can't help but notice a man or two on the jeepney terminal, casually-dressed, and shouting their heart for possible passengers to ride the jeepney. Their eager voices filled the area and I wonder why did they have to do those things. I mean, if a person wants a ride, he/she will go to a public vehicle voluntarily without anyone calling. Right? But then, due to the growing number of public vehicles, maybe its competition to blame. And BTW, its their preferred job.

I think most jeepney drivers are very strict when it comes to their vehicle's seating capacity. If it's for 18 people, it's for 18. They usually don't start the trip if the number of passengers doesn't meet the jeepney's capacity. But what if there's a man who wants a ride, they have 17 seated passengers, one of them is a fat lady, and what remains vacant is a couple of inches? ''Uh-Oh!'' and ''Good Luck!'' for that man.

Another is the jeepney's unique look and style which drivers and owners want to improve all the time. Here are some special(?) parts:

The windshield is typically decorated with a signboard, stickers, hanging toys, rosary, air freshener, etc. which becomes exaggeratedly-designed and passengers from behind cannot see where the jeepney is going. Good thing there are
side windows which let passengers see the side of the road. But some jeepney's windows are very narrow and low that only your neck can take a better look outside. In these cases, the passenger's last hope is the
rear entrance which is widely open. But, if the jeepney goes fast, you may be 5 meters away from your stop after you tell the driver to stop.
The upper part on the front has a large banner with writings on it about anything that its owner wants. Some jeepneys even have radio antennas on both side which are not connected to their radios. Say what?
Both sides of the jeepney serves as mural walls. (Try to see a jeepney and you'll know what I mean.)
Some also provide a trash can behind the driver's seat which is only accessible for those near it.

Another not-so-great feature of a jeepney is that it accepts both passengers and cargoes (fish drums, grocery boxes, merchandise items, and almost everything) which makes it a good choice of transportation. But why did I say ''not-so-great''? Because passengers and cargoes are both stuffed inside the jeepney (passengers seating on sides and cargoes on the center). And making it worse is how a passenger will make an exit through this obstacle-like scenario.

Vehicles have a thing which we can call a sound signature. Its how a vehicle will leave an impression for those who heard its sound. Its like when you hear ''Vrooooom!'', then its a great car that passed by. But if its an unrecognizable and unexplainable noise that's only great for New Year's Day, then its no other than a jeepney.

Feel free to drop some comments!

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Recently Played~Dissidia: Final Fantasy (PSP)

noreply@blogger.com (Batang Reklamador) — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 11:35:00 +0000

I've been busy playing the newly released PSP game~Dissidia: Final Fantasy. It's an action RPG/fighting game following the story of other related Final Fantasy games. I was hooked with its arcade demo version with five playable characters (all characters are playable on full game arcade). The game is a bit different from the past FF titles and it took a break from the cute chubby characters. They are now on full 3D, just like those on the movies. Most parts of the game are on one-on-one fighting style and less RPG style. Character can also undergo customizations on skills, equipments, summons, etc.

Other information: Wikipedia, Square Enix

The game is also full of movie clips and cut scenes which made playing it like following a story on a movie. Dissidia seems to be a reunion of FF characters from episodes I-XI with its set of protagonists and antagonists. At first the player takes the role of the Warrior of Light, then plays the other protagonists' stories. The story of the game revolves on the conflict between Cosmos and Chaos.

My reviews~
Storyline: As I said, accomplishing some parts of the game will give movie-like scenes about the story which is a bit exciting specially for those FF fanatics.
Game-play: Playing this FF version is like having Tekken with a hint of RPG style, strategies, and easy-to-follow fighting styles. Though moves are somehow limited.
Sounds: The set background musics fits the game. Sound effects are also remarkable except the repetitive dialogues of the characters during fight scenes.
Graphics: The graphics on cut scenes are more like those of the FF movies which seem to be realistic 3D animations, while graphics on other parts of the game are just similar from other 3D PSP games.
Overall: This is a great PSP game for FF's 20th anniversary. Though a little different from its predecessors, fans will more likely to be hooked on this game. And since it has a hint of being a strategy game, this game requires patience specially as the story goes farther.

Recently Watched Movie~GI Joe: Rise of Cobra

noreply@blogger.com (Batang Reklamador) — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 13:32:00 +0000

I had five days with no classes last week so I decided to take a break from my Midterm exams and watch a movie.

What I watched: GI Joe: Rise of Cobra (2009)
Additional information: Wikipedia, IMDb, Official Site
My comments: The movie is full of amazing (and mouth-dropping) scenes all throughout. The action-packed scenes already started from just around five minutes after the title pops up. The special effects are great~from the freaky nanomites that destroys the Eiffel Tower in about a couple of minutes to the gears, gadgets, holograms, etc... It's just great seeing your toy collections in action.

I will rate this: 4/5

Share your ratings too:

D-Modules: Online poll

You should include this one on your "What to watch next?" list.

All About Movies

noreply@blogger.com (Batang Reklamador) — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 06:23:00 +0000

As there are so much cases on piracy of movies, here are some terms and information about it.

CAM

A cam is a theater rip usually done with a digital video camera. A mini tripod is sometimes used, but a lot of the time this wont be possible, so the camera make shake. Also seating placement isn't always idle, and it might be filmed from an angle. If cropped properly, this is hard to tell unless there's text on the screen, but a lot of times these are left with triangular borders on the top and bottom of the screen. Sound is taken from the onboard microphone of the camera, and especially in comedies, laughter can often be heard during the film. Due to these factors picture and sound quality are usually quite poor, but sometimes we're lucky, and the theater will be fairly empty and a fairly clear signal will be heard.

TELESYNC (TS)

A telesync is the same spec as a CAM except it uses an external audio source (most likely an audio jack in the chair for hard of hearing people). A direct audio source does not ensure a good quality audio source, as a lot of background noise can interfere. A lot of the times a telesync is filmed in an empty cinema or from the projection booth with a professional camera, giving a better picture quality. Quality ranges drastically, check the sample before downloading the full release. A high percentage of Telesyncs are CAMs that have been mislabeled.

TELECINE (TC)

A telecine machine copies the film digitally from the reels. Sound and picture should be very good, but due to the equipment involved and cost telecines are fairly uncommon. Generally the film will be in correct aspect ratio, although 4:3 telecines have existed. A great example is the JURASSIC PARK 3 TC done last year. TC should not be confused with TimeCode , which is a visible counter on screen throughout the film.

SCREENER (SCR)

A pre VHS tape, sent to rental stores, and various other places for promotional use. A screener is supplied on a VHS tape, and is usually in a 4:3 (full screen) a/r, although letterboxed screeners are sometimes found. The main draw back is a "ticker" (a message that scrolls past at the bottom of the screen, with the copyright and anti-copy telephone number). Also, if the tape contains any serial numbers, or any other markings that could lead to the source of the tape, these will have to be blocked, usually with a black mark over the section. This is sometimes only for a few seconds, but unfortunately on some copies this will last for the entire film, and some can be quite big. Depending on the equipment used, screener quality can range from excellent if done from a MASTER copy, to very poor if done on an old VHS recorder thru poor capture equipment on a copied tape. Most screeners are transferred to VCD, but a few attempts at SVCD have occurred, some looking better than others.

DVD-SCREENER (DVDscr)

Same premise as a screener, but transferred off a DVD. Usually letterbox , but without the extras that a DVD retail would contain. The ticker is not usually in the black bars, and will disrupt the viewing. If the ripper has any skill, a DVDscr should be very good. Usually transferred to SVCD or DivX/XviD.

DVDRip

A copy of the final released DVD. If possible this is released PRE retail (for example, Star Wars episode 2) again, should be excellent quality. DVDrips are released in SVCD and DivX/XviD.

VHSRip

Transferred off a retail VHS, mainly skating/sports videos and XXX releases.

TVRip

TV episode that is either from Network (capped using digital cable/satellite boxes are preferable) or PRE-AIR from satellite feeds sending the program around to networks a few days earlier (do not contain "dogs" but sometimes have flickers etc) Some programs such as WWF Raw Is War contain extra parts, and the "dark matches" and camera/commentary tests are included on the rips. PDTV is capped from a digital TV PCI card, generally giving the best results, and groups tend to release in SVCD for these. VCD/SVCD/DivX/XviD rips are all supported by the TV scene.

WorkPrint (WP)

A workprint is a copy of the film that has not been finished. It can be missing scenes, music, and quality can range from excellent to very poor. Some WPs are very different from the final print (Men In Black is missing all the aliens, and has actors in their places) and others can contain extra scenes (Jay and Silent Bob) . WPs can be nice additions to the collection once a good quality final has been obtained.

DivX Re-Enc

A DivX re-enc is a film that has been taken from its original VCD source, and re-encoded into a small DivX file. Most commonly found on file sharers, these are usually labeled something like Film.Name.Group(1of2) etc. Common groups are SMR and TND. These aren't really worth downloading, unless you're that unsure about a film u only want a 200mb copy of it. Generally avoid.

Watermarks

A lot of films come from Asian Silvers/PDVD (see below) and these are tagged by the people responsible. Usually with a letter/initials or a little logo, generally in one of the corners. Most famous are the "Z" "A" and "Globe" watermarks.

Asian Silvers / PDVD

These are films put out by eastern bootleggers, and these are usually bought by some groups to put out as their own. Silvers are very cheap and easily available in a lot of countries, and its easy to put out a release, which is why there are so many in the scene at the moment, mainly from smaller groups who don't last more than a few releases. PDVDs are the same thing pressed onto a DVD. They have removable subtitles, and the quality is usually better than the silvers. These are ripped like a normal DVD, but usually released as VCD.

Now let's go on the formats:

VCD

VCD is an mpeg1 based format, with a constant bitrate of 1150kbit at a resolution of 352x240 (NTCS). VCDs are generally used for lower quality transfers (CAM/TS/TC/Screener(VHS)/TVrip(analogue) in order to make smaller file sizes, and fit as much on a single disc as possible. Both VCDs and SVCDs are timed in minutes, rather than MB, so when looking at an mpeg, it may appear larger than the disc capacity, and in reality u can fit 74min on a CDR74.

SVCD

SVCD is an mpeg2 based (same as DVD) which allows variable bit-rates of up to 2500kbits at a resolution of 480x480 (NTSC) which is then decompressed into a 4:3 aspect ratio when played back. Due to the variable bit-rate, the length you can fit on a single CDR is not fixed, but generally between 35-60 Mins are the most common. To get a better SVCD encode using variable bit-rates, it is important to use multiple "passes". this takes a lot longer, but the results are far clearer.

XVCD/XSVCD

These are basically VCD/SVCD that don't obey the "rules". They are both capable of much higher resolutions and bit-rates, but it all depends on the player to whether the disc can be played. X(S)VCD are total non-standards, and are usually for home-ripping by people who don't intend to release them.

KVCD

KVCD is a modification to the standard MPEG-1 and MPEG-2 GOP structure and Quantization Matrix. It enables you to create over 120 minutes of near DVD quality video, depending on your material, on a single 80 minute CD-R/CD-RW. We have published these specifications as KVCDx3, our official resolution, which produce 528x480 (NTSC) and 528x576 (PAL) MPEG-1 variable bit rate video, from 64Kbps to 3,000Kbps. Using a resolution of 352x240 (NTSC) or 352x288 (PAL), it's possible to encode video up to ~360 minutes of near VCD quality on a single 80 minute CD-R. The mpeg files created will play back in most modern standalone DVD players. You must burn the KVCD MPEG files as non-standard VCD or non-standard SVCD (depends on your player) with Nero or VCDEasy.

DivX / XviD

DivX is a format designed for multimedia platforms. It uses two codecs, one low motion, one high motion. most older films were encoded in low motion only, and they have problems with high motion too. A method known as SBC (Smart Bit-rate Control) was developed which switches codecs at the encoding stage, making a much better print. The format is Ana orphic and the bit-rate/resolution are interchangeable. Due to the higher processing power required, and the different codecs for playback, its unlikely we'll see a DVD player capable of play DivX for quite a while, if at all. There have been players in development which are supposedly capable, but nothing has ever arisen. The majority of PROPER DivX rips (not Re-Encs) are taken from DVDs, and generally up to 2hours in good quality is possible per disc. Various codecs exist, most popular being the original Divx3.11a and the new XviD codecs.

CVD

CVD is a combination of VCD and SVCD formats, and is generally supported by a majority of DVD players. It supports MPEG2 bit-rates of SVCD, but uses a resolution of 352x480(ntsc) as the horizontal resolution is generally less important. Currently no groups release in CVD.

DVD-R

Is the recordable DVD solution that seems to be the most popular (out of DVD-RAM, DVD-R and DVD+R). it holds 4.7gb of data per side, and double sided discs are available, so discs can hold nearly 10gb in some circumstances. SVCD mpeg2 images must be converted before they can be burnt to DVD-R and played successfully. DVD>DVDR copies are possible, but sometimes extras/languages have to be removed to stick within the available 4.7gb.

MiniDVD

MiniDVD/cDVD is the same format as DVD but on a standard CDR/CDRW. Because of the high resolution/bit-rates, its only possible to fit about 18-21 mins of footage per disc, and the format is only compatible with a few players.

Other Information:

Regional Coding

This was designed to stop people buying American DVDs and watching them earlier in other countries, or for older films where world distribution is handled by different companies. A lot of players can either be hacked with a chip, or via a remote to disable this.

RCE

RCE (Regional Coding Enhancement) was designed to overcome "Multiregion" players, but it had a lot of faults and was overcome. Very few titles are RCE encoded now, and it was very unpopular.

Macrovision

Macrovision is the copy protection employed on most commercial DVDs. Its a system that will display lines and darken the images of copies that are made by sending the VHS signals it can't understand. Certain DVD players (for example the Dansai 852 from Tescos) have a secret menu where you can disable the macrovision, or a "video stabaliser" costs about 30UKP from Maplin (www.maplin.co.uk)

NTSC/PAL

NTSC and PAL are the two main standards used across the world. NTSC has a higher frame rate than pal (29fps compared to 25fps) but PAL has an increased resolution, and gives off a generally sharper picture. Playing NTSC discs on PAL systems seems a lot easier than vice-versa, which is good news for the Brits An RGB enabled scart lead will play an NTSC picture in full colour on most modern tv sets, but to record this to a VHS tape, you will need to convert it to PAL50 (not PAL60 as the majority of DVD players do.) This is either achieved by an expensive converter box (in the regions of £200+) an onboard converter (such as the Dansai 852 / certain Daewoos / Samsung 709 ) or using a World Standards VCR which can record in any format.

About release files:

RARset

The movies are all supplied in RAR form, whether its v2 (rar>.rxx) or v3 (part01.rar > partxx.rar) form.

BIN/CUE

VCD and SVCD films will extract to give a BIN/CUE. Load the .CUE into notepad and make sure the first line contains only a filename, and no path information. Then load the cue into Nero/CDRWin etc and this will burn the VCD/SVCD correctly. TV rips are released as MPEG. DivX files are just the plain DivX - .AVI

NFO

An NFO file is supplied with each movie to promote the group, and give general iNFOrmation about the release, such as format, source, size, and any notes that may be of use. They are also used to recruit members and acquire hardware for the group.

SFV

Also supplied for each disc is an SFV file. These are mainly used on site level to check each file has been uploaded correctly, but are also handy for people downloading to check they have all the files, and the CRC is correct. A program such as pdSFV or hkSFV is required to use these files.

Scene tags:

PROPER

Due to scene rules, whoever releases the first Telesync has won that race (for example). But if the quality of that release is fairly poor, if another group has another telesync (or the same source in higher quality) then the tag PROPER is added to the folder to avoid being duped. PROPER is the most subjective tag in the scene, and a lot of people will generally argue whether the PROPER is better than the original release. A lot of groups release PROPERS just out of desperation due to losing the race. A reason for the PROPER should always be included in the NFO.

SUBBED

In the case of a VCD, if a release is subbed, it usually means it has hard encoded subtitles burnt throughout the movie. These are generally in malaysian/chinese/thai etc, and sometimes there are two different languages, which can take up quite a large amount of the screen. SVCD supports switch able subtitles, so some DVDRips are released with switch able subs. This will be mentioned in the NFO file if included.

UNSUBBED

When a film has had a subbed release in the past, an Unsubbed release may be released

LIMITED

A limited movie means it has had a limited theater run, generally opening in less than 250 theaters, generally smaller films (such as art house films) are released as limited.

INTERNAL

An internal release is done for several reasons. Classic DVD groups do a lot of .INTERNAL. releases, as they wont be dupe'd on it. Also lower quality theater rips are done INTERNAL so not to lower the reputation of the group, or due to the amount of rips done already. An INTERNAL release is available as normal on the groups affiliate sites, but they can't be traded to other sites without request from the site ops. Some INTERNAL releases still trickle down to IRC/Newsgroups, it usually depends on the title and the popularity. Earlier in the year people referred to Centropy going "internal". This meant the group were only releasing the movies to their members and site ops. This is in a different context to the usual definition.

STV

Straight To Video. Was never released in theaters, and therefore a lot of sites do not allow these.

OTHER TAGS

WS for widescreen
FS for Fullscreen.

RECODE

A recode is a previously released version, usually filtered through TMPGenc to remove subtitles, fix color etc. Whilst they can look better, its not looked upon highly as groups are expected to obtain their own sources.

REPACK

If a group releases a bad rip, they will release a Repack which will fix the problems.

NUKED

A film can be nuked for various reasons. Individual sites will nuke for breaking their rules (such as "No Telesyncs") but if the film has something extremely wrong with it (no soundtrack for 20mins, CD2 is incorrect film/game etc) then a global nuke will occur, and people trading it across sites will lose their credits. Nuked films can still reach other sources such as p2p/usenet, but its a good idea to check why it was nuked first in case. If a group realise there is something wrong, they can request a nuke.

NUKE REASONS :: this is a list of common reasons a film can be nuked for (generally DVDRip)

** BAD A/R ** :: bad aspect ratio, ie people appear too fat/thin
** BAD IVTC ** :: bad inverse telecine. process of converting framerates was incorrect.
** INTERLACED ** :: black lines on movement as the field order is incorrect.

DUPE

Dupe is quite simply, if something exists already, then theres no reason for it to exist again without proper reason.

Things To Check Before Considering Yourself As An Emo

noreply@blogger.com (Batang Reklamador) — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 03:10:00 +0000

"Today emo is commonly tied to both music and fashion as well as the emo subculture. Usually among teens, the term "emo" is stereotyped with wearing skinny jeans, sometimes in bright colors, and tight t-shirts (usually short-sleeved) which often bear the names of emo bands. Studded belts and black wristbands are common accessories in emo fashion. Black Converse sneakers and skate shoes, such as Vans, are popularly worn among people of the emo fashion. Some emo guys also wear thick, black horn-rimmed glasses.

The emo fashion is also recognized for its hairstyles. Popular looks include long side-swept bangs, sometimes covering one or both eyes. Also popular is hair that is straightened and dyed black. Bright colors, such as blue, pink, red, or bleached blond, are also typical as highlights in emo hairstyles. Short, choppy layers of hair are also common. This fashion has at times been characterized as a fad. Early on, emo fashion was associated with a clean cut look but as the style spread to younger teenagers, the style has become darker, with long bangs and emphasis on the color black replacing sweater vests.

In recent years emo has been associated with a stereotype that includes being emotional, sensitive, shy, introverted, or angst-ridden. It has also been associated with depression, self-injury, and suicide."

~from Wikipedia

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Top Reasons Why People Are On Pirated Products

noreply@blogger.com (Batang Reklamador) — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 11:11:00 +0000

I've noticed that there is a dramatic increase on the number of sidewalk vendors offering some illegal copies of the newest blockbuster movies. There are also internet cafes which offer some additional services like installing games of different consoles (e.g. PSP, DS, etc. etc.) which were grabbed from the world wide web, or selling copies of computer software installers and games provided with their corresponding key gens and cracks. So why do people patronize these stuffs???

Price. Yes, that's the very first reason. People, specially due to global financial crisis, always wanted to be enjoyed and entertained for lower costs. Why would they go to the theaters and buy the originals if they can have these things with some 50-80% offs???
Internet. With a lot of ways to share files on the web, one can have a DVD-ripped movie, or an ISO (or CSO) game for their PSP, or the sofware installers with cracks; all for just clicking one single word~DOWNLOAD.
Quality. Pirated ones can have qualities just a bit lower than originals. Take movies for example. You may see shadows of some people passing between the images of the movie and the video device used for recording; but still want to continue watching the flick because you're still able to understand the storyline. On the other hand (the DVD-ripped ones), the quality is the same as the originals.
Laws Against Illegal Downloads. Most of the countries around the globe don't have some laws against downloading files with copyright infringement. So why be afraid of getting to jail or paying damages if there is no law against what you're doing???
Additional Income. So this one is for the part of the vendors. As the demand for pirated stuffs continue to rise, more and more people are into selling these kinds of stuffs. Aside from the high demand, pirated things require low production costs (or sometimes, nothing at all), so why miss the opportunity to earn revenue? Though this can be bring additional money, it is still WRONG. So to those people reading this post, like the ones being flash to your TV screens before airing a dangerous stunt: BEWARE: Don't try this blah*blah*blah*. Or you could be in a total mess...

So those are some reasons why businesses of piracy grew (and still growing). Just be reminded that buying those is equivalent to contributing to our economy's downfall.

My Age Plus One

noreply@blogger.com (Batang Reklamador) — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 02:37:00 +0000

OK. So two days from now (this very date), I will be celebrating the day that I was born. Whoa! Should I be grateful? That is, I'll be another year closer to the grave. And to top it all, I am here sitting in front of my computer's monitor and creating another blog that will make me more busy. So now I'm thinking of sharing my thoughts and opinions with my readers (yes, with you) about certain issues that passes by my mind. And BTW, thank you for dropping by today.