Friday, January 8, 2010

The Sites I Frequent

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I'm sure you've been wondering about this for a while, and here is the answer to the question that keeps you up night after night: What websites do I, Doctor Dozer(himself), keep myself entertained with? What sites does he have to keep up with for fear of missing something hilarious, enlightening, or important? Well, click that little link... yeah, that one... and I'll tell you.

The first three are members of the Gawker Media universe. From Wikipedia, "Gawker Media is an online media company founded and owned by Nick Denton based in New York City. It is considered[1] to be one of the most visible and successful blog-oriented media companies. As of January 2009, it is the parent company for 10 different weblogs, including Gawker.com, Defamer, Fleshbot, Deadspin, Lifehacker, Gizmodo, io9, Kotaku, Jalopnik, and Jezebel." Basically, depending on what you are into, you can find a blog for you in one of those for sure. I happen to love three of them.

1. Lifehacker - Lifehacker is a polished site with fantastic posts each day about one thing and one thing only: streamlining your life, aka "hacking" your life. This can include tips about random things everyone might do (from making DIY outdoor lamps to wiring your apartment and turning your xbox into a media hub) to pieces of software or other applications that might somehow make things easier on you. Even if the tip doesn't apply directly to me, I learn a lot about random things, save some money on DIY projects or free software, and have a good time reading good writing.

2. Gizmodo - A very similar site, but this one focuses its attention on gadgetry and software almost exclusively. The latest news on the newest phones, cameras, computers, navigation devices, high tech pens, and whatever other gadgets your fingers desire. They also do a really good job giving open and honest opinions about cutting edge products (helped me decide to purchase an iPhone). They also do a great job keeping me up-to-date on the latest and greatest iPhone apps while also informing me when apps are being offered for free (my favorite).

3. io9 - io9 is a blog about Science Fiction. It covers popular Sci Fi, shows like Lost or Heroes or Avatar or Spiderman or other heroey stuff, and also classic Science Fiction texts and movies and things. Lastly, it cover science fiction ideas, like futuristic artwork or architecture, possibilities of planet colonization, or any other topics that come up in contemporary works of Science Fiction. Great site, and one that proudly waves the Science Fiction banner I march behind.

The next few will be sort of random. But they are great. We'll start with a classic, and end with, well, I'm not sure because I haven't gotten there yet. But if you'll just bear with me for a moment (this is a reference to a joke from the next site)...

4. xkcd - This is the holy grail of webcomics. No one even comes close. Self proclaimed as "a webcomic of romance, sarcasm, math, and language," which are more than a few of my favorite things. It's actually four of my favorite things. I literally weep for people when I am in my bed at night after I reference xkcd and they tell me they have never heard of it. Don't make nerds cry: experience a great comic today.

5. Conquer Club - Again, I'm starting to (starting to!?) come to grips with the fact that I am a huge dork. I like board games. Risk is one of my all time favorites. And this site does a really great job handling risk. You play in games with strangers on new and exciting maps of fictional or real places with the same goal - taking over the world. You simply take turns making your moves, and each player has 24 hours to take their turn. There are nuances, obviously, associated with playing the game online, but you'll learn them all. Best of luck, and you can't touch me.

6. Zero Punctuation - Man, I'm just a dork. Dammit. Anyway, this site absolutely kills me. It's a constantly growing collection of hilarious (beyond hilarious) video game reviews done by Ben "Yahtzee" Croshaw. He is offensive in the best possible ways and is a tough critic on a genre of art that needs tough criticism. We've been throwing our money at video games for too long to just blindly purchase whatever the next "rage" is without someone we trust filtering out the crap for us. Thanks for being that guy, Ben. I, personally, purchased The Orange Box on your recommendation alone and never regretted it. PS - I am a full supporter of your movement to bring an end to the exclusive use of the brown on brown color scheme that ruins the current generation of video games. Thanks for being you,

7. Coming Soon - ComingSoon.net keeps you abreast (A BREAST!?!?!) of the latest movie news. This, for me, mainly consists of me checking their "most popular" list and scrolling down the list of "Most Craved this Week" movies and watching the latest trailers, reading the latest rumors, or finding out what some movie is actually about. A great site if your into movies at all. It singlehandedly kept me sane for the year and six months during which I waited for Avatar to come out. So worth it...

8. CastTV - My first destination when it comes to watching television shows online (which I do a lot of these days). Let's face it - TV has gotten a LOT better over the last few years. And that means there are a lot of shows to watch. And that might mean you miss some from time to time. Or you might miss them completely and want to go back and experience the show you never learned about until after its end (Jericho, Arrested Development, Battlestar Galactica, etc.). This site links you to places that host the shows you are interested in, both pay sites and free sites, and allows you to watch the shows you love and miss anytime you like. Great site.

9. Sporcle - Last but not least is Sporcle. Basically, this is a game site that challenges you with 4 or 5 new puzzles every day that ask you to generate some kind of list. Countries, sports stars, movies, you name it, there are quizzes for you. Lots of fun, and a great diversion/brain teaser when you need a break but want to keep a sharp mind.

That's all for now. That should keep you busy for, oh I don't know, nearly forever. Don't say I didn't warn you. But do thank me (and the creators/generators of all that fantastic content, but me first) for pointing you in the right direction when you do find something you happen to fall in love with. And marry. And bang out and reproduce with. You're welcome in advance.

Yours in Dorkhood,
Doctor "Spin Me Right Round" Dozer

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It's Always Sunny

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I think I'm going to start a series on converting you to followers of my favorite television programs. Yeah, I just started it (though, truth be told, I've done pieces on Breaking Bad and on Scrubs in the past with the intent of gaining converts...). But I think we shall start with the most ridiculous show on TV... It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. Why is it good? What makes it worth your precious time? Jump it and learn.

It's Always Sunny is the most out of control sitcom on TV. I had to qualify that with "sitcom" as opposed to "TV show" because I recently watched an episode of Jersey Shore and wept for my nation. How sad it is that those people exist. But back to more pressing matters, why should you watch It's Always Sunny?

The truth is that this show is hit or miss. When they miss with an episode, you may not laugh one time, but when they hit, you literally could end up rolling across the floor. You might dribble urine into your undies. Seriously. I have.

If you watch and have any friends that watch, I'm sure you've spent time rehashing your favorite moments (and there are definitely a lot). You've spent time trying to do Charlie's "Freak Out" voice. You've been reminded of things you had to put out of your memory for fear that it would render you crippled with laughter at some important time.

If you don't watch, all that I just said should be an indicator that you should. If you need more, here it is: they are simply out of control. Whereas The Office and Scrubs (two comedies I've lobbied hard for in the past) take common situations and make them light and funny, It's Always Sunny takes absurd situations, places absurd characters into them, and has them say and do absurd things. Their viewpoints are dangerous, evil, but always hilarious, and their actions are the same. They are a bunch of losers trying to get ahead in the small world that they know, and they do a terrible job doing so.

But I love them, and you will, too. Go for it. Trust me...

I'm a Doctor.

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An Image Used to Represent You on Forums, You Mean?

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Hello folks. The Doctor has returned. Maybe you don't care. But it's nice to be writing again. I just wanted to give you a quick movie review on Avatar. Because I know there aren't any of THOSE out there. But maybe mine will be a little different and interesting to you. Or not. But hey, give it a read while you're here. After the jump...

Alright. So Avatar. I think I had been anticipating its release for at least 18 months. I spend a great deal of time perusing the big board they have there about what upcoming releases people are interested in. So every few weeks I go down and look through the top 50 and see what might be interesting. I stay abreast (*breast*!!! hahaha) of anything I find interesting. And I become obsessed with movies I think will be amazing. Avatar was one of those movies. From the first time I read that James Cameron had this film coming out until finally seeing late December, I was hooked.

So let's start with what I actually thought of the film. I think there is only one correct word to use: epic. I think that applies in two different senses. First, we'll go with the more complimentary of the two meanings. The movie was an epic undertaking and has paved the way for new and incredibly appealing uses of movie technology in the future. The 3D elements of the film were amazing. They weren't haughty or overdone. They gave depth not only to the screen, but to the characters. They made the world real and accessible and something you cared about. It was an experience I have not had too often. I'd say the closest thing to that was the Star Wars universe, but really this blew that out of the water.

The other way the word "epic" describes the film is through the story line. It's truly epic. Which is a good thing and a bad. It's a good thing insomuch as the storyline feels important and historically significant. The movie allows you to feel as though you are reliving the legendary times of the Na'vi's past while also painting the aggressively expansionary tendencies of the human race as evil and unacceptable. Even though they are fighting for their already established existence, the viewer almost feels as if he's watching the times that truly create the Na'vi as a people. Their origin tale, or something like that.

However, the outcome is almost too good, too squeaky clean to fall in love with. Which is sometimes how epic tales can be given their age-old or classic nature. You feel you already know the ending, so it lacks that literary element of surprise, making the reader miss out on that burning desire to see the story through to the end. Which is not necessarily a bad thing. But with James Cameron's classic Sci-Fi films (take Alien or The Abyss for example), there is something about the movies that make you HAVE to know what is going to happen, that makes you need it. And Avatar isn't that.

But it still is a great movie, more for the 3D and world-crafting elements than anything else. It lived up to and probably exceeded my expectations in a number of ways. I'm glad it was made, and I'm even more glad it was successful, because now more and more films will try and be just as... epic.

One last point before I get you out of here. It's been a successful appointment so far, so hopefully this doesn't take anything away from it. But I have this friend who I've written about before. He's in the army. Definitely a military type. And he had a tremendously different viewing experience than I think most people would. He was rooting for the humans and could not believe that Jake Sully would abandon his race to support a bunch of savages. I thought this through with him, trying to figure out if his viewpoint could be defended by any sort of human logic, and we decided it could not. The reason he admitted this was because the soldiers he identified with were not of the national variety - they were mercenaries who only did these things to make a buck. That is indefensible, and he is a douche for thinking to support them at all.

Consider yourself vaccinated from the Swine Flu.

PS - Apparently there is a Na'vi sex scene that was deleted from the movie to keep it PG-13. And it will be on the DVD. Something to look forward to there...

RX - More Big Budget Science Fiction Films

The Doctor

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