The Point Blank Critic

Unraveling Batman RIP

noreply@blogger.com (The Point Blank Critic) — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 16:00:00 +0000

So coming into this, I know it has been a while since the Batman RIP event ended. I don't feel like I am late talking about this because the story was so complicated and led directly into Batman's role in Final Crisis.

Batman RIP was an even that crossed between the comic titles Batman, Detective Comics, Nightwing, Robin, and Batman and the Outsiders. Orchestrated by masterful writer Grant Morrison, the event called into question exactly what exactly RIP referred to in the title. Unfortunately I cannot find the reference at the moment, but Morrison even stated that RIP could have other meanings. I'll discus the meaning I have drawn from it in the end of this brief (considering the complexity of this story) write-up.

Ultimately, RIP was the big conclusion to the all out emotional roller coaster that Bruce Wayne has been through since Morrison started this run on the title. With the three impostor Batmen, the Joker being shot in the face by one of the impostors, the introduction of Damian the son of Bruce Wayne, the mystery of the Black Glove, and falling in love with Jezebel Jet; Batman has run most of the full spectrum of emotions in a fairly short time.

Then comes the Detective Comics tie-in to RIP which is a prelude featuring one of the most personal attacks on Batman to date. Former childhood friend, Thomas Elliot, returns as Hush. Elliot recalls memories of his youth in contrast to the life of Bruce Wayne, and plans to destroy his rival thoroughly. His main target is Selina Kyle, the object of many previous emotional Bat-roller coasters. As Catwoman, Selina is the forbidden fruit so to speak for Bruce who truly loves her but can never let himself be with her. Hush's plan is a sick and brilliant metaphor; by stealing Catwoman's heart literally, he has stolen Bruce's heart as well.

Batman comes through the encounter and saves the day as the hero should. During all of this, however, it is revealed that Hush has been giving himself plastic surgery to look like and attempt to replace Bruce Wayne, another truly personal attack. As for being an RIP tie-in, their is a subtle moment when Hush reveals that he knows the Black Glove is gunning for Batman and intends not to let anyone beat him to the punch.

Then, in Batman proper, the main RIP story takes place. The Black Glove strikes as Dr. Hurt uses a code word planted in Batman's mind to wipe his mind. In one swoop, they take the mansion and the cave and leave a memoryless Bruce on the streets pumped full of dangerous street drugs.

But, Batman is always prepared as we see when it's revealed that Bruce programmed himself with a version of Batman as sort of a default personality if Bruce's mind is ever wiped. As this Batman of Zur-En-Arrh he continues his pursuit of whoever has wronged him. While Batman is missing, mindless on the streets Nightwing has his tie in issues as an encounter with Two-Face before being captured by the Black Glove. Also during this time, Robin, who had suspected that Batman was close to losing his mind (though not quite as literally as was the case,) is trying to unravel the mystery of where Batman has gone.

Now, I want to take a moment to identify the source of a lot of confusion in this story. These other titles had more brief tie-in stories than the six month run in the Batman title. After the Robin issues, specifically, we see Robin beginning to mature quickly as he is dealing with a long set absence of Batman that can be taken out of context to imply that RIP indeed spells the end of Batman. These issues are, as I just said, out of context and should be left as more of a prelude to the upcoming Battle for the Cowl.

And now, back to RIP. While Batman is missing, Dr. Hurt begins to claim to be Thomas Wayne, Bruce's late father. At the same time, a detective reveals evidence to link the late Waynes to other illicit activities including the eventual murder of Martha Wayne arranged by Thomas who also fakes his own murder in the event. Ever faithful Alfred denounces Hurt's claims as he knew Thomas Wayne.

The Black Glove takes over Arkham and attempts to use the Joker, always a fatal mistake. They lure Bruce to their trap at Arkham with Jezebel Jet as bait. In attempting to save her from one of the Jokers devices, Jet is revealed to be part of the Black Gloves schemes. Bruce has to deal with the final emotional attack of the story when Hurt begins to address him from his Thomas Wayne persona and challenges his stint as the Batman. Hurt tells Bruce that his next case as Batman will be his last. In the final showdown, Batman chases Hurt to a helicopter, crashing it into the bay, and leaving everyone on the shore watching.

In the final pages, we see scenes that seem to tie back to the first page of RIP. These tie to six months after the Black Glove strikes. In the beginning, Batman and Robin declare that their team will never die. In the end, Batman apparently confronts another member of the Black Glove who is surprised at the appearance of Batman after a long absence.

This is by no means the end of the story that was being told in total, but it was the story of Batman dealing with more personal and viscous attacks than he has even been through before. This includes the attack on the character of his father and the image and memory of Thomas Wayne. In the end, I believe the RIP in the title does indeed mean Rest in Peace. It is a wish as Thomas Wayne's legacy is defended and lain back to rest.

And in this, I wish Thomas Wayne all the peace he deserves.

The Point Blank Critic

Updates and Resolutions

noreply@blogger.com (The Point Blank Critic) — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 19:44:00 +0000

Hey all. I know it has been too long since I last posted here. The worst thing that ever happened to this site was me getting a job that required so much of my time. But, I hope to change that. It has been in my plans to spend some time re-establishing my habit of writing here, and I have a good opportunity to do that coming up.

The position I have been working lately is an hourly full-time position at a state university. These are actually referred to as temporary full-time, and they have a special policy associated with them. These positions can not be filled for more than 11 consecutive months. A mandatory 31 day break (including weekends, but only weekends the university is still considered open) is required. So, as of this coming Friday at 5 p.m., I will be unemployed until March 10th.

This will afford me a lot of time to do the things that have been neglected since I started working my job. One of those things is updating this site regularly. I will likely shift my focus pretty heavily to comics as my passion for them has been renewed as of late. And of course, I will write about all the other random stuff I come across.

The Point Blank Critic

I Don't Have Time to Be Angry About This Right Now

noreply@blogger.com (The Point Blank Critic) — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 19:12:00 +0000

I'm normally not going to give away too much personal information on here, but this makes me really angry. It's a story on CNN about something that happened at the university where I work. I can't get into talking about how angry it makes me that someone would do this in our community here, but let me just say that I'm fuming. Senseless violence towards innocent young animals just does not fly with me, and I hope the person responsible is found and taught the appropriate lesson.

The Point Blank Critic

Jesus was King of Kings, not President of Presidents

noreply@blogger.com (The Point Blank Critic) — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 17:40:00 +0000

We, in a very short amount of time, have made a cliché of calling this the most important election of our lifetimes. While this election may be just that, its heated debates have finally made clear to me what it is that has always offended me about politics.

Let me preface this with a little more detail on who I really am.

I come from a very small town in the south. I grew up in a family that taught me right from wrong, but not in a restrictive, conservative way. My parents taught me critical thinking and reasoning skills that allow me to discern the proper way through many situations myself.

I learned to treat people the way I would like to be treated, and through being treated badly in the past I associate a lot of meaning with this concept. I do not judge people for who they are. I try not to hold grudges against people for their actions. I'm not perfect.

I am a Christian. I believe that God sent Jesus to reconcile me to God by paying the debt of my sins. I believe that accepting Jesus as your savior and truly recognizing the cost he paid for you is all there is to being a Christian, and I do not discuss this any further unless a person is genuinely interested. I refuse to argue needlessly about issues of religion. I do not go to a church that encourages people to actively force Christianity onto others.

I digress, I have finally realized what it is that turns me off to the political scene: I am offended when politicians bring God into their arguments.

I understand that America has a Christian history, but I believe that the founders of our country had the foresight to base their laws on the morality of allowing people to exercise their rights within the respect of the rights of others, not Christian morals. The First Amendment to the Constitution sets the precedent for this, saying "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof."

This is such a clear statement that so many people apparently have a hard time understanding. Let me clarify this for anyone that is having difficulty understanding it.

The American government can not make or allow any laws to keep you from believing in and practicing the morals of any religion, so long as you do not violate any rights of anyone else. I have the right to be Christian, but not the right to live in a country without Jewish people. They have the right to be Jewish as much as you have the right to be Christian.

Also, the American government can not make or allow any laws forcing the values and morality of any religion on you, but only laws that enforce the morality of protecting the rights of others. The protection of the rights of others may often overlap with the morals of other religions. Obviously, Christianity does not condone stealing, but that doesn't make laws against theft a law based on my Christian values. Theft is a violation of the rights of others, and laws against theft protect those rights.

That is about as clear as I can be. This country was founded by men who understood the importance of protecting human rights regardless of how their own religious views guide them.

Today, too many people want to vote for candidates who push their common beliefs on the country. This kind of attitude is a direct insult to the great men who founded this country and the values on which it was founded.

What we need is the candidate who will honestly tell us what they believe personally, and then enact something in opposition to that if it protects the rights of the people.

I don't care if a candidate does not consider the union of two homosexuals to be Biblical marriage as long as they are brave enough to still support equal rights of a same sex couple to share the same benefits of any man and woman in the same situation. It is not the place of the government to define marriage according to God. The only stake the government has in the situation are issues such as (primarily) taxes. If a man and woman are in love and can file jointly, its discriminatory to deny the same to same sex couples who are also in love.

It doesn't matter if a candidate believes that abortion is an affront to God if they realize that any laws on the subject should be in favor of protecting the mother and her rights. A candidate can be morally opposed to pre-marital sex, sodomy, and birth control as long as they understand that they can not deny people the right to any of these things between two consenting adults.

So, America, demand a candidate who favors the rights of your fellow Americans even when you don't necessarily agree with the morality of the situation. Otherwise, you could find yourself on the other side of the religious morality over rights fence. It's the only way to truly be American.

Anti-Venom is Such an Obvious New Character Name...

noreply@blogger.com (The Point Blank Critic) — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 18:56:00 +0000

...I'm not sure what took them so long.

Since the One More Day story changed so much in Spider-Man, I was reluctant to start reading the Brand New Day stuff. However, after I saw a teaser poster at the local shop of the New Ways to Die story-line with images of Venom struggling with an inverse-color Venom-like creature I had to add Spidey to my list.

Last week they put into place the origin of this new Anti-Venom with a background that doesn't take a great leap in logic to piece together. Eddie Brock, formerly host of the Venom symbiote, is spotted at the FEAST Homeless Shelter by a reporter trying to dig up dirt on the proprietor Mr. Li (who also happens to be the villain Mr. Negative) during an interview. It is revealed that Brock is trying to get his life back in order after rejecting the Venom symbiote and is currently battling with cancer.

One note of suspicion the reporter brings up is so-called miraculous recoveries by people at the shelter. During this exchange, we see Mr. Li apparently charging Brock with some of his negative energy powers potentially causing healing within his body.

With his established link to this negative energy, a strong diversion to the Venom symbiote which he blames for the downturn in his life, and his desire to turn his life around; this week we see Brock announce that he now shows no sign of the cancer he had and is healthier than ever.

And, later as Venom attacks Brock and tries to overtake him, the symbiote finds the contact with Brock painful. Whether through his sheer will fueled by his rejection and hatred of the symbiote, or his contact with Mr. Negative (or some combination of the two) Brock finds himself combined with a seemingly opposite version of the Venom symbiote most appropriately named Anti-Venom.

Certainly Anti-Venom will be as violent and destructive as Venom. But, will Anti-Venom be the hero Venom has been presented to the public to be under the command of Norman Osborn's Thunderbolts? Or, will Anti-Venom just be single-minded in his goal to destroy Venom?

One thing's for sure: I can't wait to find out.

The Point Blank Critic

My Return to Comic Books

noreply@blogger.com (The Point Blank Critic) — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 18:30:00 +0000

So, I haven't talked about comic books on here before.

Until the last few months, I hadn't read many. I had a great love for our classic super's in the early 90's when the business was huge. People were buying comics up expecting them to be worth big money later.

Except if they buy so many, they aren't rare. Thus, they never really grew in value to the point that was anticipated and the market plunged suddenly. That's when some crazy things happened. Batman's back was broken by Bane and Superman is killed by Doomsday. Amazing stories aimed at bringing back readers. But somethings just got ridiculous after that. Superman's energy powers among them. What I think really disenchanted me at that time was the Spider-man clone stories. It was confusing and, even beyond the suspension of disbelief it takes to read superhero stories, it was ridiculous.

Well, then I was in high school and later college and often did not have spare money to spend every week. Recently, however, I got a better job and discovered the local store. Since then I have been reunited with some of my favorite characters and it's like none of the silliness never happened. Now, with all forgiven I make sure that every Wednesday I get the latest issues of my favorites.

As such, I would like to add this to my repertoire of topics I talk about here as I attempt my triumphant return with a renewed vitality. Soon I hope to comment on some recent story lines I've been reading.

The Point Blank Critic

No Excuse for Poor Customer Service

noreply@blogger.com (The Point Blank Critic) — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 14:04:00 +0000

Yesterday, a friend an I stopped by the local Pizza Hut in Sylva, NC. We hoped to get in on their lunch buffet.

I had hoped it wouldn't be too terribly busy. The customer parking lot had maybe 4 cars in it so I felt like we had missed the rush. Upon walking in my thoughts were confirmed; there were only 2 tables of customers in the restaurant. The buffet, however, looked dismal.

Three completely empty pans sat there, with 3 others that had, maybe, a pizza and a half total. Well, maybe there's more coming out. After all, there's still another hour left in lunch.

So we get a seat at the only clean table we can see, directly at the register. I might have hit my head on it if I leaned back too far. About 5 minutes later, we still had not seen any signs of life from the kitchen area where staff should be. We decided lunch was too short to spend waiting on some kids to turn their intolerable service into just unsatisfactory service, and thus went to Bojangle's instead.

It was delicious.

I encourage you, however, to speak your mind if you have had any trouble with a business in your area. The internet is about communication, and has become a great tool in customer service. These corporations want your business, and they want to know why they don't have it or why they lost it.

Especially if you know the Pizza Hut in question and have had a bad track record with it, as I have, give them some feedback. Visit their customer service contact site and let them know what happened to you. If they start to notice a trend, they'll fix the problem.

Unhappy customers don't give money.

The Point Blank Critic

Wow. Has it really been 2 months?

noreply@blogger.com (The Point Blank Critic) — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 20:14:00 +0000

So, I have been on a bit of a hiatus for a couple of months. It's pretty inexcusable, but I have a few excuses anyway.

I started a fancy new job around that time, and while it does afford me plenty of time at a computer, most of it is spent trying not to go totally insane. Now that I've gotten into the swing of that, I plan to be more active again.

Another major change was moving a couple weeks back. I have managed to get settled in, and though I am still without internet service in the new place I will use my spare time at work to bring you tidings of interesting information.

I hope you all will forgive me once again as I take another stab at consistency. I really do this for you.

The Point Blank Critic

Cinebarre Theater

noreply@blogger.com (The Point Blank Critic) — Tue, 06 May 2008 16:45:00 +0000

If you are in the Asheville, North Carolina area and you want to get dinner and a movie, why not make one stop?

Cinebarre, a theater at the Biltmore Square Mall has dining in house before and during the movie. I got to go there this weekend when I saw Iron Man, and I really don't want to see a movie anywhere else now.

The cost of food and drinks are mostly what you would expect to pay at any other restaurant, with a few exceptions. My girlfriend got a shake that I felt was overpriced. They serve pizza and many generous sized appetizers along with soft drinks, beer, and wine. The Ticket price is only a dollar or so more than other theaters in Asheville, and I'm pretty sure this is to make up for the number of fewer seats they have in the audience. And, unlike other theaters that serve food, this one shows first-run movies. So if you're a first day kind of person, you can still enjoy it to the fullest.

The theater is set up brilliantly with a slight stadium elevation. Your row of chairs will have a low set table with appropriate walking space between it and your seats for you, and between it and the row in front of you for the wait staff that actually allows the servers to not interfere with your viewing.

You can arrive early to place food and drink orders, and continue ordering during the movie by writing your request on a not card that you stand up in a holder to make its easily visible. About 45 minutes before the end of the movie they have their last call when they come by with the check. A few minutes later they will come to collect them so they can handle the bill without huge lines after the movie.

The whole process was smooth, the food was delicious, and I had a pitcher of Yuengling during a movie. It was the best movie viewing I've ever experienced, and with great movies like The Dark Knight and Prince Caspian coming out this summer I expect to be giving them more of my business.

The Point Blank Critic

Iron Man

noreply@blogger.com (The Point Blank Critic) — Tue, 06 May 2008 16:22:00 +0000

I got to see the new Marvel movie, Iron Man, this weekend.

It was awesome. I feel it is the best of the Marvel movies so far, and is setting the scene for something bigger over the horizon.

I don't want to post any spoilers, but I want to give a fair and detailed critique. The effects of the movie are nothing revolutionary. At this point, everyone can do amazing things with computers, and Iron Man did not fail to deliver the amazing. It's just that everyone can do it now.

But, I don't just go to the movies to see pretty effects, just like I don't play video games because they use more polygons, and have better rendering engines, and more realistic character motion. I do these things for the same reason I enjoy reading, or play pen and paper role playing games. I like story.

Iron Man has a great introductory story with a villain related to the origin story, and wraps things up with just enough hint at something more. The characters are amazing, especially Tony Stark played by Robert Downey Jr. Downey Jr delivers an excellent performance giving us the edgy attitude and quick sharp wit we all see in the trailers along with a rich and deep amount of character development as Stark transitions into his exciting new super hero life.

Fans of Marvel will do well to stay after the credits. Not that I really expect any real fans are not already planning to do so.

But, that's all I can say without giving away spoilers. Go see it.

The Point Blank Critic

Food 411

noreply@blogger.com (The Point Blank Critic) — Sat, 03 May 2008 05:11:00 +0000

I just came across a culinary interest database website that I think some of my readers would like to know about. It's called Food 411, and I'm already making notes on dishes I want to prepare.

I have to be honest, I haven't looked at any of the other various sections of this site, of which there are many. So far, however, I am very pleased with the recipe database. The search feature takes a bit of a learning curve to figure out just the words to use to get your desired results. Other than that, I love this site.

Don't look at it any time you aren't prepared to become hungry.

The Point Blank Critic

What Big Eye's You Have...

noreply@blogger.com (The Point Blank Critic) — Thu, 01 May 2008 17:48:00 +0000

Remember when we were just getting the first proof of the giant squid? The whole world watched the first live video captured of the beast closest to the much feared kraken of nautical lore.

Well, now we get to meet the colossal squid!

A mostly in tact specimen of a colossal squid carcass has been discovered, and is now at New Zealand's national museum. In thawing it out, they discovered many interesting things, including that they eyes are still in good condition.

Apparently this is a first.

The only predator I know about for these things are very large and very old whales beneath the coldest waters in the southern hemisphere. I wouldn't think that a whale could gouge out eyes in a fight, but maybe I'm wrong.

In measuring these eyes, they discovered that they are the largest yet known on earth at about 27 centimeters. That's about the size of a soccerball, a metaphor that comes with a visual which makes me both giggle and cringe. Check out the video of the thawing process from the CNN story.

The Point Blank Critic

Twitter: Live Updating

noreply@blogger.com (The Point Blank Critic) — Thu, 01 May 2008 17:17:00 +0000

You may notice a new addition to my sidebar today. The section named Point Blank Critic Live is a feed from my new Twitter account. Twitter is a quick status updating system that allows people to send updates in many various ways, most notably via text messaging.

The popularity of Twitter has been growing steadily for a while now, but has really taken off in the last couple of months. Recently, a student who was photographing at an anti-government protest in Egypt was arrested, but was able to secure help by updating his Twitter account.

While I don't expect to be arrested for anything or in any situation where it could make a great emergency contact, Twitter is neat and will allow me to post short thoughts that I have throughout the day.

The Point Blank Critic

Vote Now!

noreply@blogger.com (The Point Blank Critic) — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 21:51:00 +0000

Just a note, my previously mentioned submission to Threadless is now available for voting/scoring. Please stop by and tell me what you think!

The Point Blank Critic

Earth in the (kinda) Dark

noreply@blogger.com (The Point Blank Critic) — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 14:49:00 +0000

We hear words like "noise pollution" and "light pollution" from time to time. They come up less often now since so many people are worrying about more physical forms of pollution, but if you've ever tried finding a place to view an astronomical event you know that light pollution is an annoying, if not destructive, reality.

One of NASA's more interesting developments in recent years is their Earth Observatory website which tracks various information about the planets surface through observation from space.

Recently, EO released an image of lights on Earth compiled from 9 months of observation. You can see how the more heavily urbanized areas are bright and dense, while at least the coastlines of our continents are almost all outlined in light. It's an interesting perspective to really see how much light were generating on our surface. It's easy not to realize the true reach of light from our perspective, where our bulbs seem to give in to the darkness after only 10 or 15 feet. But, relative to the darkness of space, we seem to be working our way to becoming a star instead of a planet.

Penguin In a Wetsuit!

noreply@blogger.com (The Point Blank Critic) — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 14:11:00 +0000

The cutest things you can see on most days are kittens and penguins. But the cutest thing you'll see this week is a penguin in a wetsuit.

The penguin, Pierre, is a very old penguin at the age of 25 living at the San Francisco Zoo. Pierre was losing his feathers and would avoid getting in the cold water without his natural protection.

The solution? Get a custom penguin wetsuit made to keep him warm.
And it's working. Pierre has regrown his feathers and is feeding better. Now his zoo buddies are weening him off of the suit. Hopefully he will keep up his renewed lifestyle.

I'm pulling for you Pierre.

The Point Blank Critic

Threadless T-shirt Design

noreply@blogger.com (The Point Blank Critic) — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 21:35:00 +0000

Hey guys, I have a favor to ask.

I have submitted a t-shirt design to Threadless, a t-shirt printing company that lets artists submit ideas and get them printed much like a book publisher would for a writer. In a few days, once it is approved by their internal crew, they will be allowing public voting on the design.

The favor is for you to all go check it out and vote in favor of its being printed if you like it.

In the meantime, I can tell you about the idea. Ever wonder if aquatic folk visit terrariums like we would a large aquarium? The idea struck me as so funny, I decided to sketch it out, and this shirt is the end result.

Stay tuned, as I plan on creating several other submissions for these guys as the ideas come to me.

The Point Blank Critic

I have signed up for Pay Per Post

noreply@blogger.com (The Point Blank Critic) — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 01:17:00 +0000

Hey guys, I have signed up and been approved for Pay Per Post, a resource that allows advertisers to put out offers for self publishing blog writers to spread some word of mouth advertising while allowing those bloggers to monetize on their hard work. I love the concept because it can allow me to discover things I would not have been exposed to otherwise. It also allows me to be discriminating with my choice of offers to accept, and to post true opinions instead of compromising my integrity. This means that I can maintain my vigilance towards non-bias reviews, only on a wider array of topics.

I just recently was approved to write for them, and in the process of gaining this approval I learned a great deal. The opportunities are offered on the basis of several ranking systems. One is Google's PageRank which is a calculated comparative value to represent a sites relevance out of the entire internet. Another is Izea's RealRank, which tracks websites who have signed up to be tracked. Izea is a partner of Pay Per Post, and they work together to provide a user friendly way of maintaining a healthy blog.

I first heard about this opportunity from my buddy over at The Raging Tech. He has been doing this king of posting for a while now, and recommended it to me.

I promise that everything I write for them will be disclosed, and written with my standard critical style. Pay Per Post even requires that a blog can not post paid material more than 50% of the time.

That's right, it really seems like a win-win situation.

The Point Blank Critic

Disclosure Policy

noreply@blogger.com (The Point Blank Critic) — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 01:14:00 +0000

This policy is valid from 22 April 2008

This blog is a personal blog written and edited by me. This blog accepts forms of cash advertising, sponsorship, paid insertions or other forms of compensation.

The compensation received will never influence the content, topics or posts made in this blog. All advertising is in the form of advertisements generated by a third party ad network. Those advertisements will be identified as paid advertisements.

The owner(s) of this blog is compensated to provide opinion on products, services, websites and various other topics. Even though the owner(s) of this blog receives compensation for our posts or advertisements, we always give our honest opinions, findings, beliefs, or experiences on those topics or products. The views and opinions expressed on this blog are purely the bloggers' own. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer, provider or party in question.

This blog does not contain any content which might present a conflict of interest.

To get your own policy, go to http://www.disclosurepolicy.org

Money for Continuing Education

noreply@blogger.com (The Point Blank Critic) — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 20:22:00 +0000

When you try to balance working and education like I do, money is always hard to come by. And, if you have ever looked for educational loans, finding a good company can be difficult at best. Luckily, I have stumbled upon SimpleTuition, a site that has a very detailed search/sortable resource of loan from both the government and private lenders for students hoping to continue their continuing education.

Starting with the type of education, and narrowing down your search to your area and specific institution, they will show a list of lenders and offer side by side comparison. A comprehensive list like theirs will help you find loans that may have otherwise gone unnoticed.

I can only vouch for the list, however. I can not make you any promises on the lenders themselves. But, if you need money, this could be a very helpful tool.

The Point Blank Critic

Birthday Wishlist

noreply@blogger.com (The Point Blank Critic) — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 17:25:00 +0000

Now it is time for a little self indulgent moment.

My birthday is in just 2 months, and people always have a hard time shopping for me. In an effort to alleviate this and shop for stuff I don't have money to purchase, I'm creating wishlists. I will add them to the side bar. I hope to keep them limited to just Amazon and Musicians Friend.

Gifts aren't expected (unless your my parents) and so when my birthday arrives, just attending whatever festivities are held is plenty.

The Point Blank Critic

Announcement! Punktuate

noreply@blogger.com (The Point Blank Critic) — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 00:56:00 +0000

Sorry for the serious lack in updates! I have been very busy with work and other life things.

I am writing today to announce that I am founding a band named Punktuate with my friend Marq and my girlfriend Kendall.

Kendall is a very new bass player and Marq is learning to play the drums. I will be on lead guitar. We will be working together to define our musical style and then auditioning singers and rhythm guitarists.

To keep up with the progress of the band, slow as it may be, you can check out our music MySpace profile (I feel dirty just saying that) here.

The Point Blank Critic

Music - Panic at the Disco, Pretty. Odd.

noreply@blogger.com (The Point Blank Critic) — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 12:16:00 +0000

Panic at the Disco, coming off of the success of their album A Fever You Can't Sweat Out, has released today their highly anticipated, new album Pretty. Odd. I got my pre-ordered digital copy last night, and have been listening through the songs.

You may have heard the radio edit of the single that had been previously released from this album, Nine in the Afternoon. That song does speak of the overall tone of this album, I believe. Their nostalgic sound combined previously with their modern music to make a truly unique album. This new collection, however, combines these two things even more, bringing their musical sound closer to the nostalgic style that can be seen even in the bands attire and music video settings.

I haven't yet heard every track, but the album seems, across the board, to be significantly softer than their previous release. Some songs are even a bit folkish, though nothing like what you would expect from an indie folk band like the Decemberists.

The album is available on all manner of digital copies options including iTunes, or from their label Fuled by Ramen. Also at the FBR store, they have a special collectors package that includes a very nice case and includes a vinyl copy, the cd, a special dvd, and fancy flip book all built into 1 packaged product. I don't really need all the fancy extras, but the collector side of me drooled over the video of the product.

I mostly would just like a copy on vinyl, as their unique sound is probably best appreciated in this old analogue media. My vinyl copy of A Fever You Can't Sweat Out on vinyl is one of my favorite albums.

If you get a chance at 7pm EST tonight, they have a webcast performance you can see if you click on the banner ad below. Check it out if you get a chance.

My life is just a series of distractions

noreply@blogger.com (The Point Blank Critic) — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 16:02:00 +0000

I've been meaning to make this post for about a week now. Sorry for the lateness.

I have been neglecting my duties due to business in the rest of my life. Two weeks ago I worked many extra hours, and was very busy. Thus, by the time I got home, I didn't want to touch a computer very much, except to maybe play some video games.

Then last week, I came home with my recently modified guitar, and have been playing it in most of my free time ever since.

Distractions, distractions.

I did, however discover a neat article on CNN about a new dinosaur fossil. (It was discovered 3 years ago, but that's new relative to the millions of years it was hidden.) The thing that makes this fossil article worthy is it's fast rate of fossilization which preserved much of the creatures flesh. We can literally see the skin texture of this creature. That's pretty cool.

The Point Blank Critic

Spring Break Completed

noreply@blogger.com (The Point Blank Critic) — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 15:18:00 +0000

Hey, guys. Last week was my spring break, and instead of taking time off and writing lots of entries here for you, I worked most of the week then left town to pick my brother up and bring him back from his vacation.

Now back to the every day grind of things.

Recently, I have started playing Final Fantasy Tactics Advance again in anticipation of Final Fantasy Tactics A2 which should come out for the Nintendo DS sometime soon. It has been out in Japan since October, yet there is still no release date for the game here in the US.

Some of you may have never played FFTA for the Gameboy Advance, but if you are a fan of portable games and tactical combat RPGs, you should definitely look around and find a copy before they start releasing the sequel.

This original game is set in a land called Ivalice, which you might recognize if you have played Final Fantasy 12. FFXII came along afterwards featuring the races presented as present in Ivalice. I can only guess many many more Final Fantasy games are to be set in this world, bringing an amount of consistency to the Final Fantasy story between games that hasn't really been seen on this scale before.

It features a complex job system allowing you to customize many generic characters into a truly unique team.

Other games in this series, such as the new FFXII sequel for the DS are falling out of the traditional Final Fantasy turn based style and either heading towards the real-time style of FFXII or a more tactical style like that featured in Tactics. If you've never played this kind of game, but enjoy a more methodical game with chess-like strategy's, you should check it out. It's definitely not for everyone.

The Point Blank Critic