Iron Man Movie! I can’t believe I haven’t posted about this yet and it’s out this Friday! I imagine all of you will be going to this movie, right? You know that Iron Man is based on Marvel’s best-selling Iron Man comic book character. Even though I’m a big Marvel fan, I’ve only collected a few of his comic books. It’s probably because he wasn’t a mutant or the Hulk, but boy does this movie look better than the upcoming Hulk flick. (I’m also not a huge fan of Robert Downey Jr. and with my oldness and swiss cheese memory, I get him mixed up with Johnny Depp often. But from what I’ve seen in the previews, he’s got the character down pretty well.) Heroes aren’t born, they’re built.

Update: Great quote from io9:

Iron Man is the first comic-book movie that’s actually better than its source material. That’s partly because Iron Man is one of the most boring characters in the history of comics, but it’s also because the movie manages to transcend its source.

Now even more reason to go see the film!

Update 2: After watching the film I can say that it unequivocally rocked!

Qix - A classic game from early 1980’s, which I recall playing at the arcade. You’ve gotta draw boxes to claim as much screen as possible (75%) without getting in the path of the “Qix” and “Sparx”. Draw slower for more points, but keep an eye on the time meter located at the top of the screen. Simple and very, very addicting! Here’s your Qix emulator and a game strategy to get you started.

Want to add an air of of ruggedness and Paul Bunyan-ness to your school or TPS reports? Why not use Tim Yarzhombek’s cool beard font? More fun fonts for you.

I’m not sure how I feel about the upcoming film The Lost Boys direct-to-dvd sequel, Lost Boys: The Tribe. Sure I was a fan of the Coreys and the movie back in 1987, but this seems to be another attempt to sully a “classic”. It’s hard to beleive that fans would blinded by the nostalgia of the original film to be ga-ga about this sequel. Corey vampires would be neat to see, but I think they’ve lost their boyish charms that garnered a lot of their attention decades ago. These “Lost Boys” did grow up.

I’ve watched and rewatched Ghostfight a few dozen times now and each time it’s different and really cool. There’s a ton of action as these stick figures battle it out with swords. With it’s great music, dazzling effects and fluid animation, there’s always something a bit different each time you watch this fun Flash movie. Speed, perspective, background colors, music and angles change each time you watch it. There’s even some interactivity to it too! Watch it for yourself and be sure to check out Justsolo’s blog to see how he did it.

I am crushing your head!

I so missed The Kids in the Hall! So it’s great to know they’re back together performing. You may recall that the show itself ended in 1995, but lived on in constant re-runs on Comedy Central. Their kind of humor is edgy and warped, but a whole lot of fun. (The show’s sketches were more reminiscent of Monty Python’s Flying Circus.) The Kids in the Hall is a Canadian sketch comedy group, consisting of comedians Dave Foley, Kevin McDonald, Bruce McCulloch, Mark McKinney and Scott Thompson. Enjoy some of their new (NSFW) skits and perhaps you’ll catch them on their new 2008 North American tour, titled “Live As We’ll Ever Be”.

Your goal in Clix is to drag and drop the tiles in order to fill the complete game board. It’s fun for your brain as you also have to flip, rotate and puzzle your way through the increasingly difficult levels. This is just a fun diversion from the rest of your day, so try not to get hooked.

Baracky! More YouTube wonderfulness with Barack Obama as Rocky Balboa. A well edited, animated Rocky parody for these fun political times. A political post to get you ready for the Pennsylvania primary. Get out there and vote!

Square-Enix announced earlier that Final Fantasy IV will be released for North American DS owners on July 22, 2008. This is one of my favorite RPGs of all time so I’ll probably be getting this version too. The story and soundtrack make it just plain fun. (If you don’t believe me, watch the Japanese video on YouTube.) I don’t have a great memory, but it seems just like yesterday I was posting about the release of FF4 for the GBA…

These snacks have been a favorite snack of mine for 20+ years; even though I’m not a big fan of the comic strip. The Hot Fries are my favorite flavor and I can polish of a bag easily, but I usually don’t. The MSG gives it a salty punch and the paprika and garlic powder give it a spicy kick. (So it’s like a one-two crunchy combo in your mouth.) When I used to go backpacking, I’d take a bag of these with me to snack on. File these under junk food since they’ve got no meaningful quantity of vitamins or important dietary minerals, but I like them and they sure are tasty.

If you enjoy games, comics, computers and TV as much as I do, your lifestyle can be a bit sedentary. Do you also like tasty treats? If you’ve also got a job where you’re sitting most of the time, like me, you may notice a little extra “you” growing around your midsection. Now unless you’re expecting a child, for which I’ll say congrats, you’re probably not getting enough exercise. So why not combine exercise and fun together, you say? Then you must check out Wii Fit for the Nintendo Wii.

There’s fun game/exercises like hula hooping, jogging, push ups, ski jumping, snowboarding, step aerobics, tightrope walking and yoga exercises. Plus you can check your BMI and track your progress as you continue to get healthier! It’s been getting a great reception worldwide and has sold over a million units in Japan alone. I’ll be purchasing it when it comes out in May, so I too can have fun staying fit.

Note: If you keep up with 4CR, then perhaps you followed Vinnk and his Wii Fit exercise routine. His results are pretty impressive and I hope he keeps it up.

The Adventures of Tigerboy and his Real Tiger Paws!

Got a bike? Want to ride fast and win races? Slap on some Tiger Paw Tires on your bike. They’re the ones with with the red stripe made by Uniroyal! Remember red stripes alone don’t make Tiger Paws. Real Tiger Paws say Tiger Paws right on the tire. So if you want to be like adventurous Tigerboy get these now defunct tires!
(*I can’t find any info on these anywhere, does anyone remember these bike tires?)

Hug those curves and your Red Stripe Tires!

A Day of Remembrance

Instead of talking about the awful events that took place last year, I decided to talk a bit about my memories of being a Hokie.

As a Hokie and Blacksburg native, the events of last year really hit home for me. I was at work when a friend called and told me what had just happened. I called home to check on my folks to make sure they were OK. Thankfully they were. (It’s the oddest thing for something like this to thrust your little hometown and college into the world’s limelight.) Blacksburg had changed dramatically on that day.

The Blacksburg and Virginia Tech area were a great place to grow up. I went to grade school from K through 12 there in relative peace and tranquility. With a Mayberry like atmosphere of very little crime, but a highly educated and completely wired college town, I learned a lot about the world without traveling much. (It might come as a surprise to you, but Blacksburg was an early adopter of the Internet back in 1994.) With parents and friends involved with the university, I grew up as a Hokie well before I decided to get my computer degree from Va Tech.

After I graduated and went off into the world, whenever I told people where I was from and what college I went to, they hadn’t heard of it. (Unless it was of the high ranked ACC football team.) I was usually tarred with the epithet yokel, merely because I came from a small southern town. With people’s preconceived notions, I’d surprise them whenever I spoke without a southern drawl. I’d reply, “I was edumucated!” I owe a big thanks to my English teacher mom for my upbringing.

Even after I left town and the East Coast, I’m still connected to Blacksburg and Virginia Tech. Taking up residence across the country in California hasn’t changed this small town boy much. It’s sad to see something like this happen in my hometown and the community I grew up with. I imagine even with a tragedy like this, Blacksburg and the Hokies will stand strong together with the rest of the world, and we will prevail.

On Wednesday, April 16, the Virginia Tech Day of Remembrance will be held in honor of those lost a year ago. So please take a moment out of your schedule tomorrow to remember and honor the victims of this tragic event.

I really have been enjoying Twitter since I started in January. Twitter is a way to share bit-sized updates of your life and follow those that matter to you. It’s like a mini blogging system where you can tweet about what you are currently doing (via the web or mobile phone). Give a shout-out on Twitter and it broadcasts to all of your friends in simple 140 character messages (or less). It’s your real life between your blog posts and emails. Learn more about Twitter in plain English.

Twitter is a great way to keep in touch and it’s pretty fun. I recommend that you give it a try and tweet me sometime at http://twitter.com/OldManMusings.