The Hobbit on Blu Ray

So I purchased the Hobbit on Blu-Ray day one and watched it alone like I did at the movie theaters.  It is a bit sad that none of my friends seemed interested in it like we did in high school with the Lord of the Rings Trilogy.  Granted some of the reasons behind their disinterest's was fair, it was a long movie and kind of slow like Fellowship of the Ring.  I really enjoyed the movie and almost watched it again at about 9:30 last night, but then it would have ended super late and I am getting old and tire easily.  Well that is a bit of an exaggeration I am up late most nights anyways stressing about some bullshit.  Well that is an exaggeration too I don't stress that much but I digress.

I really like watching the special features of movies.  I have always had a fascination with how movies are made and the technical trickery behind the visual effects.  To be honest I was a little bit disappointed with the special features of The Hobbit's Blu-Ray. There were two sections video blogs, and a 6-7 min video on New Zealand's scenic  locations and how little they had to add or enhance in the final film.  It truley is a remarable country.  The video blogs were just okay.  They didn't get into the nitty gritty of  make up & costumes, stunts, sets, et ctera.  Which I feel is really unfortunite.  Special features in other movies could spend 20-30 mins just on set designs and 3d animation.  Most of the the videos didn't show much because The Hobbit movies were all shot at once. Since this being the first movie and they had to keep a lot a secert.  There is a lot of on location bits were they are scouting places to shoot and some in studio stufff but not much on the technical side.  I do think there were a few interesting parts was one the kept refering to the Hobbit as two movies which we now know will be three.  Second they literally finished the post production for the last part of the movie hours before the press screening.  Also the shear amount of organization of the support crew was staggering.  Other than that I was left wondering if they are holding back on the features for the super sized ultra limited preordered box edition featurening the original 48fps and a  85" 3D TV.
-Matt

From Across The Pond

It is no secret that Mike and I are huge fans of Doctor Who and the new season is almost upon us.  However I think it is fair to say that at least in my circle of friends and family no one matchs my fandom for English televsion. I feel I should pay the tv licesene fee for all the shows I watch even though I don't live in London.  BBC America has been stepping up its game and coming up with its own shows for us Americans obsessed with England.  I have watched many BBC shows: Top Gear, Gavin & Stacy, Peep Show, The Inbetweeners, Sherlock, Primeval, Grahm Norton.  I have watched so many of Gordan Ramsay's shows (Kitchen Nightmares, The F Word) I could run a sucessful resturant.

BBC America debuted their own televsion series awhile back called Copper. Copper as in police officer not the element, takes place in 1864 New York City, more specifically Five Points, and it is gritty crime drama following Kevin Corcoran, surprise an Irish-Amercan police detective.  It is a fantastic show with great writing and acting.  The coppers will bust a crime by killing a crimnal before they anounce they are cops.

Copper aside I wanted to bring attention to two new shows on BBC America I am truly excited for.  The first one is called Orphan Black and rather than trying to explain it I will quote it's plot summary case it does a pretty good job of explaining it.
"Sarah, an outsider and orphan whose life changes dramatically after witnessing the suicide of a woman who looks just like her. Sarah assumes her identity, her boyfriend and her bank account. But instead of solving her problems, the street smart chameleon is thrust headlong into a kaleidoscopic mystery. She makes the dizzying discovery that she and the dead woman are clones… but are they the only ones? Sarah quickly finds herself caught in the middle of a deadly conspiracy and must race to find answers about who she is and how many others there are just like her."
Sounds interesting right.  Starts March 30 same night as the new Doctor Who.

The second show stars our favorite 10th Doctor David Tennant. Hurray!! The show is called Spies of Warsaw and I just saw the trailer for it the other night. Here is a brief tease for the show. Show starts April 3. -Matt

 



Dumb Droids Podcast Episode 5

In this week's episode we talk about two marvel movie franchises, Iron Man and The Amazing Spiderman.  There has been some new info and the past few weeks and we will get into our thoughts on both franchises.  The second half of the podcast is about the future of space faring. Starting with the ambitious project of sending a married couple to circle Mars by the year 2018, as well as mining asteroids.

Music credits:
Opening: The Black Keys - 240 Years Before Your Time
Ending: Coheed and Cambria - Gravity's Union
If you are a fan of the show or like the music you hear please support the artist by purchasing their music.

We are also on Podomatic here.

Enjoy. -Mike & Matt

Holy BatSmith

So I stumbled upon this internet video series called Man at Arms, where this master blacksmith named Tony Swatton makes a iconic movie, tv, and game weapons. each week.  So far there have been five episodes the latest being the Batarang. My favorite though is Ralphael's Sias. 

Tony Swatton has some pretty impressive movie credits. The Hunger Games, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, The Legend of Zorro, et cetra. -Matt

Tony's website: http://www.swordandstone.com/
You Tube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/AweMeChannel?feature=watch

The Nerdist Way Review

when I was growing up I didn't have cable and therefore no access to MTV, so needless to say I had no idea who Chris Hardwick was. I really became familiar with him through his website www.nerdist.com where he is apparently a titan of podcasts. I like to have stuff on the background while I work so after going through the rest of my favorite podcast I stumbled across the treasure chest of podcasts. the format I have become familiar with is much like radio and I always saw podcasts as a place where radio djs went after they got fired to continue creating a portfolio. the thing that got me listening and kept me listening to the nerdist was his large array of diverse and surprisingly well known guests. Another thing that really stood out to me is his extremely positive attitude and advice he gives to people wanting to be creative,  His most helpful advice to aspiring podcasters was "just press record and post it and you'll get better with time" so that's part of the reason I decided to do this.

I found out about Chris's history listening to just about every podcast I could on his site, from him being on singled out to his fall shortly after transforming into a overweight out of work alcoholic. so after he kept mentioning his book I figured it would be a interesting read to hear about how he went from TV celebrity into a downward spiral and rose up as a stand up comedian and creator of one of the largest podcast networks currently out there. "The Nerdist Way: How to Reach the Next Level(In Real Life)" is partially about his life but was mostly written as a self help book with steps Chris had to take to get to where he is today. those of you that are familiar with his work know at times he can be rather pretentious and uses many jokes he's used in his podcast to describe different levels in his life. So I'd like to say some of the I did find certain parts of this book to be helpful and I will be using some of them in my everyday life. the book is broke into three sections this book is broken into three sections mind, body, and time. I don't want to really go into a ton of detail on it because it is pretty humorous and I just wouldn't be able to  explain the way he does or do his book justice so I'll just give an overview of things he has included and if you think they could help you great! give it a read. if not but you are still interested i picked this up from Barnes and Nobel for 15 dollars.

mind: the mind portion of this book really focuses on positive thinking and believing in yourself. It gives a lot of tips on things to do if you overthink things and not letting  your mind talk you out of doing things you're passionate about, he also has a lot to say about the way you put yourself out there and present yourself to people with the vibe you give off and your personality.

body: This is pretty self explanatory, there is a lot in there about working out and different work outs you can do in different places. he also goes through some of the problems he had,
one being panic attacks and worrying to much, which I definitely do. I took his advice and completely stopped drinking caffeine and it actually has helped me no worry so much and calm my mind down. Chris Hardwick takes this section as an opportunity to also share his struggle with addiction and how he managed to get passed them, while I don't feel I suffer from addiction (most addicts don't though...oh shit!) I could definitely see how this would be helpful and all the things he had to go through to get past them.

time: this section I found very helpful as I am not very organized and I've been trying to figure out a way to make things easier on myself. I've taken his advice on writing notes for things that I may forget as well as setting calendar alerts for myself which he suggests. there is as well a portion he dedicates to financial problems and all of the things he had to go through to right his credit after he had destroyed it with bad financial habits.

if any of that seems helpful to you I strongly suggest you read this book I also suggest you if you enjoy comedy you maybe take a second to pick it up and maybe even if you don't find anything helpful about it, maybe you'll find it humorous as I have.


-Mike

Dumb Droids Podcast Episode 4

Our podcast this week is a little late.  We try to get it out every tuesday but like EA's botched launch of Sim City we we're plagued with technical issues.  Thankfully we did not have to rerecord our show just spend an extra amount of time in post-production.  This is our first  episode with two microphones and a new software that we are unsure if it is going to work.

In this weeks episode we talk about some strange news in science about rats, tadpoles, and robots.  Also SYFY channel and it's new show Robot Champion League, Tremors, and a rant about Call of Duty.

Music credits:
Opening: The Black Keys-240 Years Before Your Time
Ending: Patrick Sweany - After Awhile
If you are a fan of the show or like the music you hear please support the artist by purchasing their music.

We are also on Podomatic here.

So with out further a-due enjoy. -Matt & Mike

 

You Know That's Right

Shawn and Gus are back solving crimes and making obscure 80's and 90's references in the seventh season of Psych.  I am huge fanatic of Psych and have been watching it from the beginning.   Thanks to  Netflix I have probably watched a handful of episodes at least fourteen times each. Yeah, that is a lot and actually quite crazy when I think about it because it is probably a lot higher.  Lets face it I should probably call it Psychflix, because 90% of the time that is on (as in right now.)

Psych is a crime/comedy on USA Network and it stars James Roday and Dule' Hill (Shawn and Gus.) It is a show that certainly does not take itself seriously and the duo can be very silly.  The dynamic between the two rivals Riggs and Murtagh of Lethal Weapon.  Shawn is a fake psychic who's perceptions skills and obscure references are only matched by Gus's super sniffer (sense of smell) and ridiculous encyclopedic knowledge random things.

This new season started off with the conclusion of season six's cliffhanger with Shawn's dad Henry being shot by his former police partner who turned out to be dirty.  In the premier episode we see a different side of Shawn.  For the first time you see him blinded by his feelings, sure in other episodes you see him very concerned about his Mom, Juliet, and his girlfriend at the time Abigail in the Yin and Yang episodes, but in this one it is a bit different.  For a character who is always cracking jokes to diffuse tension he leans on Gus to break it for him to catch his father's shooter.  Without wanting to spoil anything about the first episode I will comment that in the second episode this week Shawn is back to usual self and we see some growth between him and Juliet.  

For those interested in watching Psych here are my go to episodes.

Black and Tan: A Crime of Fashion

Shawn (And Gus) of the Dead

Lights, Cameras, Homicido

Shawn and the Real Girl

Sixty Five Million Years Off

Dumb Droids Podcast Episode 3

Welcome back to the third installment of Dumb Droids Podcast. This week we talk about Playstation 4, classic video games, indie and arcade games, the walking dead, and some other random tangents. Lots of tangents in this one. Enjoy. -Mike & Matt 

Thor: God of Thunder Review

The story in Thor: God of Thunder is a tale of great proportions that spans the eons of Thor’s immortal life.  The comic takes place in three parts of Thor’s life and it slow unravels as it jumps from each time period of his life.  There is a young Thor who travels across Midgard with his band of Vikings fighting battles, feasting, drinking mead, and boasting about the women he has been with.  The pinnacle of what a true Viking is perceived to be.  Then there is Thor as we know him, one who has learnt humility and is worthy of Mjolnir’s power, an avenger. Finally, Thor King of a ruined Asgard who feels he is unfit to be king.

The three eras of Thor’s life are distinct but share the same brilliant art style of subdued colors of a dreary Scandinavia setting.  Scenes of the rolling country side or cold wintery landscapes are cover by a misty fog that hides what is lurking just beyond sight.  The art and coloring really setup the atmosphere, in a dark cave a torch brilliantly lights the faces and surroundings in a warm orange glow.  The battles between Thor and the main villain (who I will get into more), are wrought with blood splatter and electricity.  Thor: God of Thunder is not like the one we see in the Avengers he is an immortal Viking and the art direction of the comics fit that well.

The villain of this tale is certainly one who will be remembered.  The creature’s name is Gorr the God Butcher and Thor has been battling him for a few millennia.  A young Thor gives battle with Gorr and nearly escapes with his life on a few occasions.  Present day Thor investigates the whereabouts of Gorr and his motives on his rampage to kill all the immortals that inhabit the universe.  While Thor King of Asgard sits on his throne as the last immortal waiting for a final battle to die a Viking warrior’s death.

Each issue reveals more about Gorr the God Butcher and the conflict between him and Thor.  In the latest issue you find out Gorr’s motives or at least his initial reasoning behind kill the gods.  By the end of fifth issue you realize that this is just the beginning of one of Thor’s newest and maybe his greatest threat.

I highly recomend this series as a regular read.  I would give it a 4.5 out of 5. -Matt

a good day to die hard

a good day to die hard
Let me first off say that I was the target audience for this movie, I loved the originals, and when I found out this movie was coming out I walked around with a rod waiting for it to finally be released into theaters. I was also late to the party with this series of movies, I didn't start off with the original die hard, I started off with "Live Free or Die Hard" and then was obsessed and went back to the previous movies. The thing I find most appealing about these movies is the fact that the protagonist, John McClane is a ordinary man who keeps getting put into extraordinary situations. They have a certain over the top realism where the events that happen in the movie are believable in that universe. I will forever love these movies and put myself in the position of the immortal John McClane every time I re-watch them. ...that being said, after its a good day to die hard, i feel that this franchise has ran its course and thus should stop before it makes a spectacle of itself like the jaws franchise.

Before I get started I would like to say that I will be talking about several plot points and events in the movie from here on out so this article is no longer safe to read if you plan on seeing the movie. *********SPOILER***********

Throughout the story it seems pretty typical, John McClain it turns out is seeking his son who through Intel you find out is in Russia and has quite the wrap sheet. he has been arrested on murder charges and is being taken to trial, so of course John McClane must go to Russia to try and help the son he neglected and didn't love enough. In Russia John goes to the court house his son is being tried at and you are taken through a pretty spectacular prison break scene. But than this movie loses me, McClane runs into his son thwarting his seeming prison break. after a pretty spectacular, and unrealistic car chase, id like to say while its very entertaining it was very far fetched even for action movie standards. He rams a jeep into a large military vehicle cause it problems, it looks to be about the size of a jeep liberty and somehow he's ramming it into things cause very little damage to himself or the jeep. He gets to his sons safe house and you find out his son is a spy......this is where you lose the idea that this is an everyday man dealing with a extraordinary situation, it becomes the "Bourne identity" with his sidekick John McClain. its almost on the same level as "Indiana Jones
and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull". this is when my idol becomes a bumbling idiot to his son who he gives little pieces of advice in order to help convince him to complete his mission which is also like Indiana Jones and the last crusade but somehow John McClane has turned into Sean Connery. For some reason they've also decided to overuse the phrases "I'm on vacation" as well as "Jesus Christ". They also throw two unnecessary and rather predictable "twists" which to be honest as far as I can see render the villain referred to as "the dancer" completely unnecessary. The action at the end of the movie while very good comes to late and tries to make up for to many problems the movie has in itself ruining the reputation it has built up for itself over the past many years.
********************END SPOILER************************

So after all this and a great love I have built up for this series, I would like to see them lay John McClane and the "Die Hard" name to rest. I just don't see them being able to pull out of this tailspin the movie is now taking and while it is possible, I'm now of the opinion of "why risk it?". Why would we want another beloved franchise to be ruined the way that Jaws, Star Wars, Alien, or Indiana Jones was? maybe a reboot a decade away and possible taking the road that "DREDD" has but at the same time I don't see there being a John McClain that isn't Bruce Willis he has made that character a icon and beloved hero to many of people in my generation.  I mean really we all remember the first time we met john McClane, when argyle picked him up from the plane. yes that is the first line from "die hard" by Guyz Night.
-Mike
let us remember the good times!

Russian Cows

This is quite possibly the funniest video I have ever seen.  During the last podcast we talked about the meteor blew up over Russia and how everyone there has a camera in there car for insurance claims.  Take a look at this video of an accident caught on camera. -Matt

Dumb Droids Podcast Episode 2

In our second episode of Dumb Droids Podcast Mike and I give our opinions on some of the biggest topics out right now. Starting with our impression of last weeks Grammy Awards, President Obama's nomination for the new head of the CIA and the ethical issues of military drone airstrikes, and two topics concerning Russia of all places. The meteor and A Good Day To Die Hard.


Some of the Grammy performances covered during the podcast

Nova special Rise of the Drones.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/military/rise-of-the-drones.html

The meteor over Russia.

The beers this week.

Enjoy the podcast. -Mike & Matt

P.S. The singer/songwriter's voice that I do not like and I was struggling to remember is Bob Dylan.- Matt

Dumb Droids Podcast Episode 001

In our first ever podcast of Dumb Droids, we cover: our thoughts on JJ Abrams directing the new Star Wars franchise, Marvel's phase three plans, a little Doctor Who, and a couple of comics we are reading.

This week we tasted and reviewed two beers that are new to us.  Mike had The Phoenix Ale Brewery's  Camelback Indian Pale Ale. While I had Sierra Nevada's Narwhal Imperial Stout.

Enjoy the podcast. - Matt & Mike

Coheed and Cambria-The Afterman: Descension

I will start this off by saying I'm a huge fan of concept albums and progressive rock, so of course Coheed and Cambria is like a giant wet dream for me. This year marked the release of the second half of the Afterman two part album by Coheed and Cambria. While in 2012 they released The Afterman: Ascension part 1 they followed it up with Descension to continue the story in the world created by Claudio Sanchez.

For a little background Coheed and Cambria has recorded 7 Albums to date, and each album is a concept album based on a Science Fiction story created by singer/guitarist Claudio Sanchez. The first five follow the characters of Coheed and Cambria along with their son Claudio. The Afterman follows a different storyline with in the Amory Wars. Not included in this Claudio's solo project The Prize Fighter Inferno, following the same story from a different perspective.

To be honest you really don't need to know all of this to enjoy Coheed and Cambria's Music, but I have enjoyed reading the books and if you like graphic novels I suggest looking into them.

The Afterman: Descension has been one of my favorite albums by Coheed and Cambria, right next to In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth III. As with all albums this band has made, they do a very good job of mixing different styles of music and tempos very quickly. They have also had a repeating pattern of mixing violent topics with poppy and catchy choruses that get stuck in your head, along with constant "oh oh's" from the singer Claudio. The album starts off as the prior 6 have with an opening track containing some sort of ominous tone and a message to set the mood of the album. unlike they prior 6 this one also start the album off with singing. The second track of this album starts off with a heavier song a lot like Ascension did and it really grabbed my attention as having the same styles as their first 3 albums. The rest of songs take you on a ride mixing a little bit of everything they have experimented with in the last 6 albums as well as mixing in some new styles of music with it. while the end isn't nearly as grand as In Keeping Secret of Silent Earth III or Good Apollo I'm Burning Star number IV, it fit great and left me satisfied with the record overall.

 Descension has a very good flow to it and it makes it very easy to listen to. so much so it has replaced the rest of them in my car since it came out. I have heard Claudio's voice described as on of the most polarizing voices in progressive rock, and while at first that seems dumb I have constantly had to try and fight to get people to listen to them because they don't like Claudio's voice. I will say at first it took some time to grow on me I now love it and find it fits perfectly with this band. If you like Coheed and Cambria you will love this album, however if you don't, this is not a bad album to start on. You don't necessarily need to start off with the first one to follow with the story and if I could give any advice it would be listen to this once and wait a little while and pick it up again. I will give this album 4/5 and it will sit high on my list of favorite albums.

Some say...

that the outline of his left nipple is exactly the same shape as the Nurburgring. All we know is he’s called the Stig.  Yes Top Gear is back on BBC America which means that Jezza, Captain Slow, and Hamster are cockin’ it up on the streets of England again.  It seems that series 19 is going to be another good one.  Last night’s episode started off with the Pagani Huayra (pronounced why-rah).  When saying Huayra, think about adding extra an emphasis on the H like Stewie Griffin saying Cool Whip.  The Huayra is the successor to Pagani’s Zonda which at one time held the fastest time around the Power Lap board.  After last night’s episode the 1.3 million dollar super car completed the lap in just 1:13.8 beating the Ariel Atom by 1.3 seconds.  Check out the lap.

 

Now an episode of Top Gear would not be complete some ridiculous challenge or wonky build.  Last night Jeremy revealed his new car the P45.   He designed the car to be smaller than the Peel P50, Jeremy once seen driving it around the Top Gear and BBC offices.  There are no words to describe the P45 hilariousness you simple must watch it.

 

 

Check back next tuesday for highlights of next weeks Top Gear. -Matt

Kneel before Louise *cough*…I mean Zod

“General Zod was a visionary leader who was under appreciated by his entire planet. Of course I know who Zod is.” – Louise Litt

If you’re wondering who Louise Litt is he is a character on the TV shows Suits.  If you never heard of Suits you are missing out on a fantastic show.  Suits, on USA Network, is not your typical lawyer show, where most of the drama takes place in a courthouse or a DA’s office.  Instead it is about all the wheeling and dealing, and leveraging that takes place before a trial even starts.  In fact you rarely ever see a courtroom.  The stars of the show are Harvey Specter, senior partner, and Mike Ross, a first year lawyer who never went to law school but helped other cheat on the bar.  It might sound gimmicky that Mike Ross fooled everyone into thinking he was a lawyer, but Harvey recruited him in the first episode and knows he never went to law school.  Suits is so well written, it is like a heated chess match between some Russian and a super computer.  Suits is half way through its second season and after an intense season finally last year it just keeps getting better.

 My main reason for writing this is the character Louise Litt.  His character is a bit of a weasel and sometimes it seems like he is a traitorous asshole but he really isn’t.  He is often the butt of jokes and like his quote about General Zod his is under appreciated at his firm.  Granted most of the times he brings ridicule on himself, but he is just so damn funny.

I recommend watching this show, even if it is just an episode or two.  More than likely you will get hooked.  If you have watched the show tell me what you think, and your favorite Louise moment.

-Matt

Music Retrospective

Today has been pretty exhilarating, for me there is nothing quite likes finding new music to obsess about.  It has happen only a hand full of times for me, and it seems like it is occurring more frequently now.  I had every intention this morning in buying Mumford & Sons newest album Babel, but instead bought two albums by different artist based on a couple of songs that blew me away.  The music inspired me to write a little retrospective on my musical tastes over the years.  It is funny; ears are kind of like taste buds things sound different as you age just like food taste different.

In high school I listened to post hardcore rock, emo, some metal, anything with aggressive guitar licks and power chords.  There were a few standouts though that I matured in sync with.  Namely Thrice, I remember first hearing Teppi’s aggressive guitar, Dustin’s powerful vocals in the album Illusion of Safety.  Their music changed over the years and I always changed with them.  I listened to the same type of music for quite awhile until I started listening to The Black Keys.  Now The Black Keys are my favorite band but this is not really about them, but I do credit them for expanding my musical tastes in the past few years.  They are the tip of the spear that got me listening to blues musicians like T-Model Ford, RL Burnside, and Junior Kimbrough.  In turn I picked up on Seasick Steve and his three string transwonder (name of his guitar.)  From there I found The Heavy, thanks to Borderlands 2 intro song Short Changed Hero.  I bought two of their albums The Glorious Dead and The House That Dirt Built, the latter has Short Changed Hero and another little song called How you Like Me Now.

This brings me to what I bought today two artists far apart musically.  First up, Patrick Sweany and his album Every Hour A Dollar Gone.  If you are a fan of The Black Keys or Dan Auerbach’s solo album Keep It Hid this is a must have.  From what I read Patrick Sweany has played with Dan on a number of occasions.  Check out his songs After Awhile, Burma Jones, and Hotel Women a few instant standouts for me.  Also today I bought something that is leaps away from my typical musical tastes, but has some granted very minute attributes that I like about The Heavy.  The artist is Aloe Blacc and he is an American soul singer.  I bought his album Good Things and it is unlike anything I listen to, but I really like it.  The Black Keys album Brothers had some soul influenced songs like Never Gonna Give You Up, cover of Jerry Butler Never Give You Up.  If you enjoy The Heavy or The Black Keys Brothers or old school soul check you the album.  I particularly like Green Lights, Take Me Back, and I Need A Dollar. 

Looking back I cannot believe some of the stuff I use to like.  I cannot wait to see who or what type of music Aloe Blacc will turn me onto.  So try new things and embrace musical artists that evolve cause if they don’t what is the point.

-Matt

Current Song Obsessions

The Heavy – Curse Me Good
The Heavy – No Time
The Heavy – What Makes A Good Man
Seasick Steve – Never Go West
Aloe Blacc – Green Lights
Patrick Sweany – Hotel Women

Mudshark Full Moon Belgian style white ale

After dropping my daughter off this past weekend I had some stuff to do around the house and decided to pick up a 6 pack to drink while I did chores. I try to grab something new to try that way I'm not stuck in a loop of delicious yet predictable Budweiser. This time my selection was Mudshark's Full moon Belgian style white ale.

Brewed in Lake Havasu, Arizona, which pleased me to discover that it was a local brewer. i had picked it up at a Fry's so I'm sure they have it at BevMo! in the phoenix area
but I'm not sure on how far this company ships to. I was relatively shocked by how smooth it is and the fact that there is a rather pleasant after taste and that the company was able to accomplish this without adding in a fruit that would ruin the beer. I powered through my first one while vacuuming and going worked on my second, and pleased to discover it wasn't getting old and was still enjoyable. If I had to compare it to another beer I would put it somewhere around the drinkability of an Amber Bock or a Killians Irish Red. Two hours later I had punished 4 beers and went to work on my 5th, shortly after that I realized that things were becoming slightly more difficult to accomplish, in other words.....I was shit faced.
So here comes my warning that comes with this beer. it is a 8.9% alcohol and obviously a sipping beer not meant to be treated the way I was trying to.

I would definitely recommend this beer to people trying to get into something new but not ready for something as strong as the stone arrogant bastard or a Guinness. all together I would say
3.5 out of 5 on the taste scale, on my "ninja drunk scale" I give this bad boy a 4, it sneaks up on you amazingly fast.

Side note: This beer was responsible for one of the best drunk naps I've ever had.

-mike

Knight Industries Two Thousand (KITT)

There was a reason my first word was car and it had everything to do with KITT.  While most kids between the ages of two and five were watching Sesame Street, Mister Rogers Neighborhood, or taking a look in a book on the Reading Rainbow. I was obsessed with shows like Knight Rider and Air Wolf.  Everything a young boy loved: cars, attack helicopters, and crazy explosive stunts.  KITT was not a traditional humanoid robot, but a 1982 Pontiac Trans AM with more tricks than James Bond’s DB5.

Who can forget his first appearance where Michael Knight sneaks into a pitch black warehouse and is greeted with the eerie red cylonesque light and woooe wooe echo sound.  Then the head lights flip up and the tries screech as it races to a stop at Michael’s feet.  The first episode, Knight of the Phoenix, had many great memorable moments like Michael falling asleep at the wheel and getting pulled over by a cop.  It taught a valuable lesson on how to get out of tickets, just act deaf. 

KITT is nearly indestructible; his Molecular Bonded Shell can deflect gun fire and explosive devices and later high energy laser beams. Turbo Boost is the most iconic feature allowing KITT a boost of speed and the ability jump over obstacles and gaps.  KITT’s tool kit includes: grappling hook, oil jets, smoke screens, tear gas, laser, microwave jammer, chemical analyzer, and with more scanners and sensors than you can think of. 

KITT is my number one seat when it comes to robots and AI.  He may not be humanoid, but what is cooler than a super intelligent talking car.

Fee Hee Hee Hee EEENY… FEENY!

-Matt

Johnny Five no disassemble

Since my childhood I remember being mesmerized by the story and characters included in short circuit, and more specifically....Johnny Five. With much time of my adulthood being spent thinking about robots I've come to the conclusion that he is the best robot in all of cinema and possibly all of media. There is actually one point in the movie I could point out that I believe could completely seal this argument, but why not make this a slow burn. for those of you unaware of Johnny Five...i both pity and envy you. i pity you because you have not yet seen this amazing, lovable, and startling realistic looking robot. however I do envy you because now you get the chance to experience how amazing this is for the first time.

 Johnny Five was created as a robot created during the cold war for use by the military,
As with most robots Johnny Five becomes self aware, after during a lightning storm strikes Johhny Five and he wanders off to start his adventure. after befriending an animal lover and learning from her how to assimilate to humanity he starts his adventure. He's not a robot that came out to destroy humanity from the future like the terminator, he's not from outer space
and partially homosexual with a trash can following him around. he was made for war and by FATE i tell you! he was hit by lightening and decided to live peacefully with humanity. Until someone screws with his friends and then its on, and not in the break dancing way, I mean the i will fucking kill you way. if you're seeking the scene I am referring to I would like to point you
here-http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q2EqzWz6BE8..........the I need a hero montage is one of the most inspirational and amazing montages created in cinema and I DARE you to find one that says otherwise. The closest one that even comes close is the "you're the best around" montage made famous by the Karate Kid. Johnny Five goes from loveable friend robot to bad ass with metal Mohawk and eye patch. I would also like to make the point that to move around he used tread giving him quick mobility, versus a robot with metal legs and not the fluid motion a person has during travel.

Between his program being altered by none other than god himself, being created for war and learning to assimilate to humanity and becoming a lovable machine. The mobility is a huge advantage as well and Johnny Five being made during the cold war era makes him ahead of the robot curve.

I leave you with "Johnny Five is alive!"
-Mike

the dumb droid rises

this is the beginning of....well hopefully something. we will be making an effort to post at least a couple times a week as well as a podcast we will come up with a timeline for. Its really just a outlet for the things we are into so it'll will be a mixture of everything from music, movies, comics, games, beer, and probably other things that wont really make sense. we'll probably work some sort of current events in as well so keeping checking in and we will keep adding content! we'll be back.