I AIN'T NO BUNNY RABBIT!

For those of you that don't know, I had quite a bad car accident last week and, as a result, haven't had the time (or energy) to think of anything geeky to write. I got away with just bruises, so I'm lucky, but OUCH! So, here's a cartoon that contains a very applicable quote:

"I'm not like other people. I can't stand pain. It hurts me." - Daffy Duck


(Ep. 168) - The Abominable Snow Rabbit by ducthangsuachua

See you next week for the yearly Halloween post!

=========================
Like what I'm doing here on the blog and podcast? Why not check out my Patreon Page to see how you can help me do more? http://www.patreon.com/TheHammerStrikes

Watching Video Games

You know, I just don't understand Twitch. I get watching someone you're next to play a game, since you can make comments of give advice, but just watching a video of someone playing a game isn't all that interesting to me.

The one major exception to that is Talyn Plays. This is a YouTube channel run by Aaron Henley of Tangents Abound. There are a few differences here that make it entertaining.

1. Aaron is a friend of mine. Just like watching that friend on the couch next to you, the fact that I know the guy doing the gaming helps a lot. (It also allows me to give him tips, or make snide comments, after the fact.)

2. It's family friendly. Sometimes I watch alone, sometimes with Michelle, sometimes with Kira, and sometimes with all three of us. The content makes it easy to do that.

3. The commentary. Aaron has a great sense of humor, which aligns pretty closely to my own, so I just love to hear what he has to say as the game is going on is a real treat.

Don't take my word for it, watch his first episode of Star Trek Online and see for yourself.



Full Disclosure: Aaron is a Patreon Supporter, but I wrote this post without his knowledge.

=========================
Like what I'm doing here on the blog and podcast? Why not check out my Patreon Page to see how you can help me do more? http://www.patreon.com/TheHammerStrikes

Superman: The Movie Ending

What's really going on here?

I recently re-watched Superman: The Movie with the commentary track (thanks to the new Superman Movie Minute) and something occurred to me. The premise of the ending is that Superman turned back time in order to save Lois by averting the disasters. We even see the water flowing back, the dam repairing itself, etc.

The problem is, this doesn't work. Jimmy comes up with a line about how Superman dropped him in the middle of the desert during an earthquake. Well, if the disasters didn't happen, Jimmy would still be on top of Hoover Dam. So, what really happened?

Well, what if it was only Superman going back in time? He knows that he can't be in the same place as his other self, or bad things would happen. What he can do, though, is act to lessen the impact of the explosion. He can do more work in the fault, or other underground areas, to bring the earthquake down the Richter Scale, so that the dam doesn't burst and the ground doesn't open under Lois's car.

He couldn't stop the missile from hitting, since that wouldn't give him cause to go back in time in the first place, but he can change the eventual effects. That makes it work with Jimmy's line and it keeps with the powers shown in the comics.

What do you think? Is there another explanation that I'm missing?

=========================
Like what I'm doing here on the blog and podcast? Why not check out my Patreon Page to see how you can help me do more? http://www.patreon.com/TheHammerStrikes

Baltimore Comic-Con

The world's newest superhero - The Midnight Cat!

This past weekend our family took a trip down to Baltimore Comic-Con, which was a really good time. Believe or not, this convention actually focused on COMICS! There were some great creators there, including Jerry Ordway, Walt & Louise Simonson, Mark Waid, Joe Staton, Paris Cullins, and Karl Story. There was also enough room to actually move around, which I've found to be a rarity at bigger conventions.

What was really nice, though, was there was specific programming for kids. Kira was able to take part in a few of the workshops, including Superhero University (as you can see above). She had a great time and got to discover a lot of new kid-focused books.

I think the highlight of the weekend, though, was meeting people. I knew that Tom Panarese was going to be there, as he has gone for the past several years and he took his son last year. We met up at Thom Zahler's table, and had fun chatting. We met up again later at the kid's area and who should show up but Darrin & Ruth Southerland along with Chris Calloway! The next day we say Darrin & Ruth again, but this time they had Michael Lane with them.

It was a really fun weekend, with great friends and a good amount of comics fun. We might just go back next year.

=========================
Like what I'm doing here on the blog and podcast? Why not check out my Patreon Page to see how you can help me do more? http://www.patreon.com/TheHammerStrikes

Odd Mental Processes

Armus, killer of Security Chiefs

My brain works in weird ways. I was recently listening to a podcast where the character of Armus, the black tar monster from Star Trek: The Next Generation, was mentioned. As big a Trekkie as I am, that was not my first thought when I heard that name. No, my brain went right to Superman: The Movie.

Detective Armus, aka Officer 1

In the movie, Ned Beatty's Otis is tracked by Officers 1 & 2 (according to the credits), but we know them to be Armus and Harry. They follow Otis into Grand Central Terminal* and as Harry continues down to the tracks, Armus goes out to call for back-up. Harry, as you remember, was killed by Luthor by being thrown in front of a train. Armus finds his hat not much after that.

I couldn't find anything on naming conventions for either character, but since "Skin of Evil" came out 10 years after Superman: The Movie, I'm going to guess that there might be a connection between the two. We geeks tend to like putting references in where very few other people will catch them.

* The name is, actually, Grand Central Terminal, not Station. That is because all trains stop, that is terminate their runs, at Grand Central. If they passed through it would be a Station, but it is, in fact, a Terminal. (And anal-retentive is hyphenated.)

=========================
Like what I'm doing here on the blog and podcast? Why not check out my Patreon Page to see how you can help me do more? http://www.patreon.com/TheHammerStrikes

Yet Another Filler

I fully intended to have a post ready for today, but life got real hectic real quick, so I have to beg off another week. In the mean time, enjoy Disney's "The Song of the South" courtesy of Archive.org.




=========================
Like what I'm doing here on the blog and podcast? Why not check out my Patreon Page to see how you can help me do more? http://www.patreon.com/TheHammerStrikes

Pain

Pain is what I've experienced recently, as my friends on Facebook already know. I managed to sprain my left ankle on Friday and, as such, I haven't been able to sit at a computer. So, no (real) post this week. Sorry about that. Hopefully I'll have something for you next week.

=========================
Like what I'm doing here on the blog and podcast? Why not check out my Patreon Page to see how you can help me do more? http://www.patreon.com/TheHammerStrikes