Biggs' Zone

A Geek's Cogitations, Conjectures and other Cortical Experiences

Biggs On: Episode VII Cast

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On May 3, 2014

In Biggs On, Geek Canon, Star Wars

master-lukeIf you are a Star Wars fan, some very exciting news was announced this week; the cast for Episode VII. It seems I’m in the minority when I say that I think the cast looks pretty good.  All the so called “fans” that just want to dis on Lucas and piss off the rest of us that are the true fans of the franchise are just trying to troll (and believe me, I know a troll when I see one).

Be that as it may, the bulk of the cast are relative no names, which I think is a great move by Disney and J.J. Abrams (after all, who even heard of Mark Hamill prior to A New Hope). The most exciting bullet point of the announcement was the return of Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford, Kenny Baker, Anthony Daniels and Peter Mayhew to reprise their iconic roles. My personal feeling is that while I think its great that they are going to be in the next story, but I doubt they will be in leading roles. I mean, Luke as the new Obi-Wan Kenobi would be awesome!

The new cast members are John Boyega, Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, Oscar Isaac, Andy Serkis, Domhnall Gleeson, and Max von Sydow. I’m sure most (if not all of those people) are unfamiliar to you. Andy Serkis and Max Von Sydow stand out to me though. If you are a Lord of the Rings fan (of the films) then you should also recognize Andy Serkis. He was the beloved schizophrenic Gollum. 

Max Von Sydow is a much older actor, he doesn’t really have a lot of notable roles, but he’s one of those guys you would recognize him when you saw his face. JJA and Disney have not unveiled any specific character names but MVS must play the role of a Sith Lord, I cannot envision him in any other role.

For those Harry Potter fans out there, Domhnall Gleeson was Bill Weasley in the last two Harry Potter movies. The remaining actors seem predominately unknown.

I am becoming more and more excited for this film; I love the work JJ Abrams did with the two recent Star Trek films so I have high hopes that he will due justice to Star Wars as well. I know many are concerned about the lack of Extended Universe content but Lucas has had the story for these films thought out for many years, and since he is consulting on the films production, I think he has the veto power. Don’t get me wrong, I really, really wanted to see Grand Admiral Thrawn (portrayed by Benedict Cumberbatch) but it’s not my story to tell.

On a final note, to all those out there complaining about the lack of female roles … so what?!?!? It’s a freaking movie!! If you’re really bunching the panties over more female roles in Star Wars then dig into the Extended Universe and read about Ahsoka, Aura Sing, Mara Jade. There are plenty of incredible female Star Wars characters.

/cheers!

Still Sleeping “Normal”

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On April 25, 2014

In General Cogitation

When you are going to have a baby every person always says the same thing, you will no longer get any sleep. Perhaps that is true for most people, but I’m getting my normal amount of sleep. When I say that I don’t mean that I am ignoring the baby or making my wife handle all of the baby’s crying and fussing. I say that because I already average 5 or 6 hours of sleep anyway. Thanks to college and my well, ingrained gaming habits.

I might go to bed about 9:30 or 10 but I’m usually awake reading or watching tv until nearly midnight because I have never been able to fall asleep when I want to. Usually she needs one of her nightly feedings during that window. Since I’m up, no problem.

When I have finally fallen asleep, I rarely actually stay asleep. In fact I rarely even dream (or if I do, I rarely remember what it was I dream about). So when she wakes up at 2:30 or 3am, its not really a big deal. Now I get up and do something instead of rolling over and trying to go back to sleep.

Then she wakes up between 5:30 and 6:30 … yea, that’s when I get up for work anyway (and on the weekends, that’s usually one of those times that I randomly wake up – similar to the 3am window). So when people tell me that I won’t be getting sleep anymore, it’s mildly humorous because I’m somewhat of a freaking insomniac.

We are entering our second week with the kid and I still do not feel any more exhausted then I have every morning going all the way back before college.

Tired of Waiting

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On April 9, 2014

In General Cogitation

clock_waitIf you have been following along at home then you know that we are expecting. She (it’s a girl) was due April 3rd and here it is April 9th and she still doesn’t seem like she’s ready to come out. We are starting to look at the possibility to induce labor.

Of course when you are expecting a baby the cliches and colloquialisms come pouring out (better get use to not sleeping. check. better get use to not having any free time. already have too much, check. etc). The part that nobody tells you about is how frustrating it is to have to wait. I’m not someone that likes to sit around with nothing to do when I know something big is about to happen. I feel like we have done all we can to be ready for this baby, now we just need the baby.

I hate waiting, I really do. I think what makes its worse is this just perpetuates my wife’s discomfort. She can rarely find a comfortable place to sit, she pretty much has to lay down in very specific positions so her back will stop hurting. Sitting at her computer is right out. Sleeping comfortably is also a challenge. I’d have to concur with something she said the other day; what, about being pregnant, do most women seem to enjoy about it?

Anyhow, it’s just a meandering thought. It’s not going to be a common occurrence for me to post a lot about the impending munchkin; that will be predominately on the family website.

/cheers

Psych: Truly “Astoundashing”

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On March 31, 2014

In General Cogitation

So ends another one of my favorite TV series. I had watched Psych from the first episode to the last. I feel so sad when a show ends because the characters become such a part of your life that it’s finale feels like a chapter in your own life has closed; but a show can’t go on forever (unless you’re the Simpsons). I’m going to miss the Wednesday Psych-Out’s (which were some of my favorite parts of the show), the variety of ridiculous partner names given to Gus and Shawn’s ADD riddled commentary which, allegedly, have been described multiple ways.

Be warned, if you haven’t watched the end of the series yet, there are spoilers ahead!

So how was the series finale compared to the others (because how a series ends seems to receive the most scrutiny)? I really enjoyed how they ended the series. I’m almost kind of glad they didn’t do the whole “2-hour-final-episode” deal, but kept it to an hour and gave everyone a fond, Psych-styled send off. I wish Shawn had said a more proper goodbye to Henry, granted it wouldn’t have properly fit with the rest of his farewell’s. I don’t know what the fan reaction was to the farewell DVDs but it worked well, especially for Woody and Lassiter. The fact that Lassiter wouldn’t watch Shawn actually admit that he wasn’t psychic was the best part of the whole episode … well that and Shawn finally proposing to Jules in the end!

Mira Sorvino’s super detective was the written in perfectly over the last couple of episodes to give proper closure between Psych and the SBPD. She also player her character brilliantly.

I think the fact that James Roday and Maggie Lawson have been engaged (for real) since about season 5 or 6 made me enjoy their character’s chemistry more. I hope they finally tie the proverbial knot soon and they don’t become another typical Hollywood marriage.

So I think they tied things up pretty good in the end. The small homage to Monk at the end was brilliant, and could have only been pulled off by USA!!

Farewell Shawn and Gus, Henry, Jules, Lassie, and Karen. And we can’t forget Despereaux, Mr. Yang, McNab and, of course, Dobson!!

Hey, maybe we can have a Psych reunion episode in a few years???

Soapbox: Cable Companies

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On March 25, 2014

In Fulmination, Soapbox

overworked-290x290I had to do the Cable Company dance again. I had to cancel one and switch to the other again in order to receive the better deal. I will, most likely, have to do this again in two years because our “deal” will have expired and the bill will spike up another $30-40. It’s ridiculous that I have to do this dance every other year. I don’t understand why cable companies can’t be more like cell phone companies, every two years renew your contract at a discounted rate.

Yea, I get that they probably make most of their money from people that suddenly decide they don’t give a damn when their current deal ends and they just pay the extra charges. Perhaps the number of people that actually do drop service to switch to a cheaper service is a smaller percentage. Be that as it may, I still don’t understand why they are so difficult to negotiate with when I call a month before my contract expires to try to extend my coverage and keep my lower rate. I would think they would want to keep me as a customer. Loyalty builds a steadier stream of income. I shouldn’t have to go to twitter and start berating them before I get cooperation.

I’m getting close to just “cutting-the-cord” on cable in general, I know several of my friends already have. The technology available in Blu-ray players and Smart TVs today almost make it more affordable to ditch cable and access all the shows and movies from the Internet. We just switched so, for the time being, I’m going to endure with this cable provider but when it gets close to the end of my contract then I think it will be time to be the biggest pain in the ass as possible. I’m just tired of the hassle of switching providers all the time.

/endsoapbox

The MMO Times: MmmMmm Pi

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On March 16, 2014

In Gaming, MMO Times, MMORPG

mmo-headerIssue 98: March 14th is the almighty Pi Day (3.14), I have acknowledged this day since high school trigonometry (Thanks Mr. Urban). How did you celebrate Pi Day? Sadly I had to work today, but I think a Cheesecake (I know, it says cake, but it looks like a pie) this evening. Be that as it may, check out these awesome headlines in the MMO world lately.

Some World of Warcraft expansion news (which I’m sure most of you are already aware of); actually there is quite a bit of Blizzard related news from Hearthstone to Heroes of the Storm. If you play any of Blizzard’s titles, I’m sure you know about most of them. Age of Wushu has some new information about a possible expansion, and remember WildStar? There are some new details surrounding the official release. So put down the pie-fork and game on, friends!

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