Sure, this is fine and dandy if you’re a regular user who just wants to update their blog, their social networking sites and maybe play an addictive web-based game or two. I’m guessing that describes nearly everyone that is around my parents’ age and Chrome would be fantastic for them so they wouldn’t click on every link and get ridiculous viruses or spyware every twenty minutes. However, if you aren’t my parents’ or their peers, then you, like me, probably need something considerably more robust. I don’t know about you but I use my desktop exclusively for two things: Adobe Lightroom/Photoshop and World of Warcraft. I’m all for simplifying WoW but there’s no chance in hell you’ll convince me to that this new Google OS is capable of Lightroom.

And even then, would you really want to? In the age of shared information and copyright worries, photographers, videographers, etc have a lot to worry about when it comes to their rights and intellectual property. I’m not sure I want Google to have full access to everything I make since storing anything on their servers undoubtedly means that they “own” it. Heck, I won’t even store images larger than 800 pixels on Flickr and I refuse to store anything on Facebook due to their spotty terms of service when it comes to these things.

Until something proves otherwise, I have the overwhelming feeling that Chrome OS is going to be like one of those WebTVs or a more polished version of those heavily disabled web-browsing computers you might find at airports or shopping malls. It’ll be something I would install for my parents but definitely not something I would use myself.

As awesome as the main single player game is, it is unfortunately short but there’s lots of fun elsewhere with the multiplayer and special ops. Special Ops is a new part of the game that features certain levels of the game with new challenges and even some of the most popular maps of the first game as well, including my favorite part of the original ‘Overwatch’. Overwatch is a two-player map where one player is on the ground, moving through a farming community to the extraction point. The other player is in an AC-130 gunship raining hot death on all the infantry and helicopters looking to kill the guy on the ground.

The only way that level could be any more awesome is if the guns shot unicorns that explode on impact.

This week, I tell you the secret to success in academics, we sample more of Pho Thai Hoa’s cuisine and we do a Twitter shoutout for the first time in ages.

Every year I try to wake up early to get down to Victory Square for the Remembrance Day parade. Not only is it a great photo op but I think it’s important to honor those who have given so much to protect our country, our freedom and our future. Whether it is Remembrance Day here in Canada, Veteran’s Day in the States or whatever it’s called anywhere else, take the opportunity to thank those who serve. Lest we forget the sacrifice of the brave men and women to whom we owe so very much.

A few more photos can be found here at edlauphoto.com.

That being said, I’m so excited about the next game from Infinity Ward, the makers of the Call of Duty series, that I might consider heading to the closest Best Buy tonight to pick up Modern Warfare 2, which may be in high demand at midnight. I’m a huge fan of the original as the single player is good enough to be a really great war movie and the multiplayer will keep you coming back for more for months. The info released over the last year or so has me convinced that the sequel will be the Empire Strikes Back of gaming, which is a feat in itself as most sequels are more along the lines of em>Matrix Reloaded.

If you’re not convinced, check these out.

Yes, there seems to be some controversy suggesting that there is a sequence in the game where you play terrorists rather than the good guys but to be honest, that probably makes me want to get it more. Way to push the envelope, Infinity Ward. Don’t be scared of the Fox News’ and Jack Thompsons of the world.

Oh, and I’ll be getting it for the Xbox so if anyone wants to play. I’m sure Leo and Stephen might be in as well.

My love for all things zombies, including the movies, video games and general survival theory-crafting, is rather well documented. If and when the zombie apocalypse is upon us, I like to think that I would be well prepared after a quick stop at the local hardware store and then barricading myself and whoever has not joined the vast legion of mindless undead at the local Costco. As such, I originally thought of Zombieland, which I finally got around to seeing this past weekend, as both entertainment and education. One can never been too prepared in the event of a zombie outbreak.

The hero of Zombieland is Columbus, a nerd who is identified to us and his comrades only by his hometown. Columbus has survived the zombie apocalypse against all odds so far. If you look at survivors in many other zombie flicks, they’re usuallly good looking, muscled and handle firearms like a conductor guiding a symphony orchestra. Instead, Columbus looks like he would be more at home in a chess club and despite being a decent shot, holds his antique double-barreled shotgun like his arms are made of overcooked spaghetti.

Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg) has survived this long by relying on his carefully constructed set of rules for surviving in the midst of mindless brain-eaters, mostly from making hilarious observations about everyday life and, well, by accident. The first ten minutes consist of the movie playfully explains, albeit with plenty of blood and gore, some of the more important ones such as being in good enough shape to outrun the undead and wearing your seatbelt. The rest of the cast rounds out the comic dynamic of the film quite nicely. Columbus soon meets and teams up with Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson), a zombie killing machine and two sisters, Wichita (Emma Stone) and Little Rock (Abigail Breslin).

Of course, a group of people traveling together in a zombie comedy is inevitably going to draw comparisons to what I believe is one of the funniest films of the past decade, Shaun of the Dead. Although I consider that movie to be absolute genius in a relatively specialized genre of movies, Zombieland is also a hilarious movie, dealing with the everyday living in a post-zombie world. That’s really the charm of the movie: the fact that there isn’t really a serious conflict going on. The characters aren’t trying to save the world. They’re just trying to live and make some sort of sense of the crazy world they’re now in. This might sound a tad mundane compared to the more “serious” zombie movies but the survivor foursome are funny and interesting enough to keep you watching. The cast of characters in Zombieland are a bit more relevant to the plot and more well drawn out but Shaun of the Dead is probably still a better, slightly funnier movie.

I found Zombieland extremely enjoyable as the script is witty and the characters, all well played by their actors, have a great sense of comic timing. That and there’s a absolutely hilarious cameo by Bill Murray. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go improve my cardio. Never know when you have to run from a horde of undead.

Verdict: 8.5 out of 10

The truly amazing thing about Paranormal Activity is that it was shot for a mere $15,000 and from the look of the film, they spent a couple grand on the camera and then bought 13,000 donuts because I can’t see any of the money put into this film. There’s no visible special effects, significant make-up and the cast can be counted on one hand. The editing is simple enough for even John Chow to do properly. And that’s the thing: if you told me this movie was “real”, I wouldn’t really be surprised.

Paranormal Activity is about Micah and Katie, a young couple who recently moved in together, and the demonic forces that seem to be increasingly bothersome…so much so that Micah begins filming it and quickly captures bits and pieces of what seems to be haunting them. The film is sparse and very little information is given. At first glance, you might think there’s very little going on but the empty space builds tension very effectively. Since this is shot in a sort of “home movie” style, there’s no soundtrack and this allows you to hear every step, every tick and every frightening little whisper. The fact that a lot of the film is shot by an unmanned camera just makes the scenes all the more creepy.

It is difficult to judge the performances by any of the four cast members as none of it seems like they’re acting at all. Micah and Katie seem exactly as they would as if they really were a young couple haunted by the supernatural. For the style of the movie and the method it is shot, this is perfect.

However, Paranormal Activity isn’t without its flaws. There isn’t enough depth and material here to grasp onto and the little information given isn’t enough to truly frighten you. Heck, I can’t even think up more than these few lines to say about the whole film. It definitely will not stick like true classics of the horror/suspense genre. It doesn’t play with your mind despite the realistic style of film-making. You will be scared but it won’t haunt you for days like some other truly scary movies. I saw it mere hours ago and I don’t find myself scared anymore whereas I frightened for days, hoping that Sadako wasn’t about to crawl out of my TV after I watched Ringu.Paranormal Activity is an above average thrill and a welcome break from all the gore and obviousness that has plagued the horror genre for the past few years but personally, I don’t think it lives up to the massive hype surrounding it.

Verdict: 7.0 out of 10

If you feel inclined to do so, you can check out more videos of this Stormtrooper gettin’ down in various Tokyo locations on YouTube. I mean, what else are you going to do at work?

We ain’t messin’ with no broke…broke!

I was actually rather tired this week and thought about skipping Dot Com Pho but John suggested we go back to Pho Thai Hoa which has some of the best Vietnamese sandwiches I’ve ever had so I was convinced. Seriously, if you stop by, grab one of the grilled pork sandwiches and you’ll be in sandwich heaven. iPhone Gary got one with extra jalapeno and subsequently paid for his foolishness as he was soon dripping burning hot sweat and tears.

Joining Dot Com Pho fixtures like myself, Gary, John and Greg this week were Michael “Fatality” Yurechko, Mike Walker, Dan Udey and Moneca as we discuss a movie on the financial woes of the United States of America, a new pocket-sized Canon digital camera and more.

Everyone is welcome to join us for Dot Com Pho every Saturday at 12:30pm. We usually alert the masses as to where we’re going for the week the days leading up to the weekend so if you’d like to join us, let me know via Twitter and we’ll save you a seat!

Most people will know this as “that wicked busy intersection in Japan” rather than its given name. Of course, the description is mostly true as Shibuya is one of the biggest hubs for the various subway and train stations in Tokyo in addition to being a massive shopping, cultural and gourmet centers in one of the world’s most densely populated cities. Since my apartment was a mere 5 minutes from Shibuya, I had to cross Hachiko almost every day and honestly, it never gets old. If you’ve ever been around the Arc de Triomphe in Paris and the ridiculous round-about, this is sort of the same thing. There’s a build-up to it as the lights turn and then you get the sense of “Okay…here we go!” as you flood into the intersection with hundreds of other people.

If you’re meeting friends in the area, strangely enough the busiest area in town is a popular meeting spot and just about everyone will know exactly what you’re talking about if you mention Hachiko. There’s lots nearby including popular department stores like Tokyu, 109, Bic Camera and the three Parco buildings in addition to all the various small shops that are commonplace everywhere in Tokyo. Just tell anyone to meet at the statue.

The actual story of Hachiko is a rather sad one. In 1925, a professor at the University of Tokyo named Hidesaburō Ueno would walk to Shibuya station with his dog, Hachiko. The pooch would go home and then come back to the station to greet his master when the professor would return at the end of each day. This routine would continue until one day, the professor suffered a fatal stroke on campus and never returned home. However, Hachiko would continue to come to Shibuya station everyday, hoping to see his master coming home. The dog would loyally maintain this routine until his own death 10 years later.

The dog’s loyalty touched the local commuters, who would bring him treats and food everyday when he would come to the station, precisely when the train was due to arrive. A statue, the extremely popular meeting spot, now stands where Hachiko would wait and you can also see the actual Hachiko at the National Science Museum of Japan.

I wasn’t seriously paying attention to this game’s development despite my love for the Guitar Hero and Rock Band series. This was mostly because I found that while I can play expert level guitar with ease, I fail horribly at playing the drums. That foot pedal is hard! However, after seeing the gameplay previews as well as the set list, I’m quite excited for DJ Hero when it drops at the end of October. I mean, there’s Daft Punk, Jay-Z and Benny Benassi…so what’s not to like? Heck, there’s even some old school Bell Biv DeVoe!

My only worries are that the game seems incredibly complicated and difficult at higher levels. The coordination required and things to keep track of seem otherworldly. That and…while being a DJ is pretty awesome too, I don’t think the appeal is quite the same as being a rock star. Every kid imagines himself on stage rocking out with a guitar…not a turntable. It’s also a little strange that the game is about $20 more expensive than single player versions of Guitar Hero.

Plus, look at this controller…looks great but I’m guessing this is going to have an insane learning curve.

Either way, let me mix Justice’s Genesis with freakin’ anything and I’ll probably be happy with it.

Those of us who were in attendance last year have fond memories of the previous A Taste of Yaletown event held at the Tequila Kitchen, which is unfortunately not open anymore. This year’s event was a bit different in that we would be on a short walking tour of several restaurants in the Yaletown area rather than crowding into a single venue where all of them would come and show us what they’re serving this year. Stephen Fung was busy being a good student and Leo Chiang was off somewhere shooting a movie where he’ll probably die…usually from random gunfire. That left John Chow and I to attend this year’s A Taste of Yaletown. We would get a appetizer at one restaurant before heading to another for an entree and another for our dessert.

Of course, John shot a video to go along with our coverage.

We started at Glowbal, a restaurant I’ve been to several times in the past. We were handed a cocktail of Red Bull, sparkling wine and triple-sec. Not bad but not something I would order on a night out. Generally, anything bright orange with bits of fruit in it is not really my thing.

Our appetizer consisted of a cup of pumpkin bisque companied by a beef carpacio. The beef was rich and flavorful and the soup was creamy with great bits of crunchy roasted pumpkin seed. Glowbal is also one of the best designed places in Yaletown, with a great modern lounge feeling and comfortable at the same time.

Next was a short walk to Goldfish. I’ve never been to Goldfish before but almost immediately I was thoroughly impressed. The room had great ambiance and the staff was very attentive and friendly. The space is also very inviting with great warm lighting.

Our entree was a combination of several entrees served this year during A Taste of Yaletown. Up front is a fire-roasted surf & turf and a center cut beef tenderloin. In the little dish behind it is a over-roasted sablefish. The sablefish was the standout here so if you’ve got reservations at Goldfish, that’s my recommendation. It was melt-in-your-mouth tender and perfectly cooked with a bit of black bean, showing a bit of Asian cuisine influence. The tenderloin was done to a perfect medium rare, just the way I like my steak. Same with the surf & turf but everyone at the table agreed that the sablefish was amazing.

For dessert, we headed to the Yaletown Brewing Company for a stout ice cream. I don’t know why no one has ever thought of making an ice cream with beer but it’s about damn time. The ice cream was fantastic tasting although I prefer a slightly more solid ice cream rather than soft serve. It went great with the chocolate covered espresso beans and sour cherries. I’m not a big fan of stout beers either but a glass of it went great with dessert. Usually beers like this such as Guinness are too thick and heavy tasting but this one was surprisingly light despite appearances.

After dessert, we met up with Stephen, who as always, was hungry so we dropped by Cactus Club for a snack. Stephen polished off a sirloin, John had some butternut squash ravioli and I went for some tuna tataki.

A Taste of Yaletown begins tonight (the 15th) and goes til the end of the month. Three course tasting menus are available for $25, $35 and $45 and part of the proceeds go towards The Greater Vancouver Food Bank. You can make reservations with Open Table for any of the restaurants in the area.

It seemed strange to me that I could find my tiny apartment in the suburbs of Tokyo but I couldn’t find my house in Richmond on Google Streetview. Well, this week, Google finally got around to covering us with their awesome Street View program. If you’ve never played around with the Street View option in Google Maps, you’ll probably end up wasting hours upon hours. My friends and I spent nearly an entire day once looking at our entire backpacking trip in Europe (6 weeks in France, Belgium, Amsterdam, Germany, Italy, Austria, and the UK, including World Cup 2006!) on Street View.

A few other Canadian cities, Squamish, Whistler, Banff, Calgary, Kitchener/Waterloo, Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal and Quebec, have also been included in this latest update. I haven’t found anything funny happening so far on the Vancouver one but since the Google van drove by during the Canucks playoff run last year, it is almost certain that everyone was inside watching the game rather than looking for a van with a giant camera on it.

Asakusa is one of the most popular areas of Tokyo for two main reasons: the Sensō-ji temple and the Sumida River Fireworks.

Sensō-ji, a.k.a. Asakusa Kannon, is the oldest and most famous Buddhist temple in Tokyo. Dedicated to the goddess of mercy, Kannon, the temple dates all the way back to 645. Some of the most iconic shots of Tokyo are from Sensō-ji, including the Kaminarimon or Thunder Gate, that visitors pass through on their way to the temple.

The massive red chōchin lantern is probably one of the most photographed places in Tokyo.

The streets approaching Sensō-ji are full of various stores selling just about everything including swords, fans, dolls and other assorted knick-knacks.

There’s also a vast number of vendors for traditional Japanese foods, especially desserts. Sugar freaks will have a field day with all the taiyaki (fish shaped pastry filled with sweet red bean paste), wagashi (traditional Japanese sweets) and ice cream around.

Personally, I think Asakusa is a must-see but perhaps just once. Sensō-ji is definitely worth the trip but since the area is so tourist-orientated these days, most of the shops and especially the restaurants are rather pricey. That isn’t to say you’ll have a bad meal as bad meals are few and far between in Japan but you’ll definitely be paying a “tourist tax” for it. The same can be said for much of the merchandise in the various shops. You’ll find better souvenirs for your friends and family elsewhere.

The one item mostly unique to Asakusa, however, is the fake plastic food. All those plastic models of food you see in restaurant windows? The bulk of that is sold in Asakusa and if you are looking for a totally realistic piece of octopus sushi to bring home with you, this is the place to get it. Be warned, though, as this stuff isn’t cheap. You’d think plastic models of sushi would be but you’d be paying like $50 for a fake bowl of udon!

The only other time to really visit Asakusa is during the Sumida River Fireworks which happens on the last Saturday of July. The masses of Tokyo flock to the area, mostly dressed in traditional yukatas. I wanted to dress the part as well but I passed since I couldn’t stand walking around in the traditional sandals. You’ll also find some great food from all the street carts catering to the flood of people, although you’ll probably be paying slightly more than usual since it’s an important day.

Finding a good spot means you’ll probably have to get there real early. To get the best spots, people show up in the early afternoon, which is really something since the fireworks don’t start until it gets dark…and during the summer that means around 8-9pm. There’s usually some street musicians and other entertainers in the area so you’ll have a few ways to pass the time. Getting there and getting home will also take some time since the Tokyo underground going into and out of Asakusa is incredibly crowded on that day. If you have a friend that lives in the area, the roof of a tall building is quite often the best venue to view the fireworks but you won’t get the ambiance of the busy streets and the well-dressed crowd.

I’ve recently decided that I’d like to go to Japan again, probably for a longer term than my summer stay last year. I thought that since I recently graduated, now seems like a good time to go live in another country where I don’t speak the language or know anyone. Yep, sounds like a great plan!

Yep, so I might figure some things out or even possibly sign up to teach English for awhile. Who knows? As such, I’ll be posting some of the stories and pictures that I never got around to from my previous trip. Stay tuned!

Despite the cheesy setup and ridiculous “science” behind the world suddenly imploding, I thought The Day After Tomorrow was actually a rather good movie. Not because it was actually a good movie but rather because the storyline was entertaining enough to keep me from punching myself in the face and any doubts I had about the film’s absurdity were quickly drowned out by the absolutely gorgeous special effects. I sort of have the same expectations for 2012. If you’ve been watching TV recently, I’m sure you will have noticed the breathtaking trailer. I actually think the trailer reveals a little too much already but seeing the world end is a visual spectacle. I don’t have particularly high expectation as I don’t really enjoy John Cusack as an actor. I think he’s made one or two good movies (High Fidelity and Being John Malkovich) but most of the time, he’s just not very interesting.

In case you don’t get it, 2012 is when the Mayan civilization predicted that the world will end. Of course, science says this isn’t true but from the looks of the trailer for 2012, science is quite wrong and we are totally #%*&ed.

The members of Dot Com Pho are no strangers to world travel. We’ve been to various places as a group like Taiwan, Vegas and Los Angeles and adding together our individual exploits, we’ve pretty much explored most of the planet. Michael Kwan, for example, has Edmonton and Red Deer covered! However, our travels pale in comparison to our guest this week, travel blogger Gary Arndt of Everything Everywhere who has spent the last couple years traveling the world. He joined Stephen Fung, John Chow, Michael Yurechko and myself at Pho Thai Hoa.

Also this week, I was the first to show up for once, breaking my usual routine of being fashionably late. This because I’m usually sleeping but this week, I went for lunch before I went to bed. You’ll notice my sleep deprived delirium when I’m on camera. I even referred to my Canon 1D as a Nikon…

Of course, if you’d like to join us at Dot Com Pho, let one of us know on Twitter sometime Thursday or Friday and we’ll save you a seat.

John Chow and I went to a launch party to celebrate the re-opening of The Morrissey on Granville Street in downtown Vancouver yesterday. Honestly, I never went to the old one so I can’t really tell you how much of a difference the remodeling made but I can tell you I really enjoyed the new look. Done by Vancouver design company Beyond Beige, The Morrissey now looks…old. I know that seems strange to remake something to look older but the effect works really well. The whole place looks worn-in, a classier looking version of the famed New York live house CBGB (although The Morrissey smells a whole lot better…).

Like with everything we do, John shot a video.

These chandeliers, for example, were purchased from antique stores and repeatedly hand-dipped in wax to make them look like they’ve lit the room with hundreds of candles over many, many years.

Lots of pictures hang on the wall in vintage frames. One near the bar has autographs and records from a multitude of rock acts including Morrissey himself and The Smiths. Another wall is full of images inspired, I think, the UK punk rock scene. There are other real interesting touches such as benches made from bed headboards and movie theater seats.

Now the food. I started with the calamari. I can’t seem to remember what the two included dips were and the menus aren’t available online yet. I can remember that one was quite good while the other was far too sweet (which John enjoyed since he is a sugar addict). The calamari was crispy on the outside, tender on the inside.

This is Sarah’s salad. Delicious, fresh greens with a even more delicious vinegrette.

John’s calamari salad. I wish I got this instead since I tried Sarah’s salad and an entire plate of fried anything is way too much.

This is the chicken club house. The caesar salad on the side was inedible for me. There was far too much dressing everywhere, which I believe is a cardinal sin for salads. I left the majority of it on the plate and I hate to waste food but I like for there to be more salad than dressing and not the other way around. The sandwich was decent with great crispy bacon and lettuce but the chicken was a bit dry. I would’ve been better with a bit of mayonaise to moisten it up.

This is the beef stew. The chunks of beef were tender and the gravy was flavorful. John had a steak as well but that picture didn’t turn out well. It looked like a steak and it was cooked to a nice medium rare so I’m sure you can imagine.

Overall, I thought the food could use a little work but was better than many pubs around town. You get good value for money as well. Big plates for mostly in the $8-15 range. There’s a good selection of various beers, cocktails and such at the well-stocked bar as well.

Give it a look if you’re in town for some good food in a fantastically interesting venue.

Other than being a hilariously entertaining show about cars, Top Gear has some of the best camera work on television. The way the show is produced is amazingly well done with top-notch cinematography…and in the upcoming season (we assume it will start in November) will finally join the rest of the world in high definition!

There have been several episodes in HD already such as the Polar Special from a couple years ago but for the most part, our favorite BBC2 show has been stuck in standard definition. However, the first question that sprung to my mind is…how on earth are those of us not in England going to get it since the majority of us outside of the UK get Top Gear via downloading episodes from online sources such as FinalGear.com. They’ve already said that they will be releasing episodes in 720p and 1080p but I can’t imagine how long that 1080p download is going to be considering that an hour long episode at standard definition is a 700MB video file. Probably three or four times the size? The delay and anticipation would kill me!