Blast from the past: originally published July 26 2002.

I’m enamored by the idea of the PDA, or personal digital assistant. I bought a Palm IIIxe a few years ago and found it fit well for keeping my schedule, listing contacts and playing games. The batteries lasted two months and it was easy to use. Yet my life evolves around computers, so I move from my work PC to my home PC without the need for something in between. Of course there are those times when you’re in …

Blast from the past: originally published June 2001.

I just bought a Kodak DC4800 digital camera. This becomes the second device I have that uses CompactFlash cards; the other is my IBM z50 Windows CE handheld. CompactFlash is a small square memory card that is used in portable devices as a storage medium. It’s gained a huge market share and is the preferred method of storage on portable devices, such as digital cameras, PDAs, MP3 players, etc. As well the CompactFlash format has been used for NICs, modems and …

Blast from the past: originally published November 1 2002.

This spring I was in the process of upgrading my multimedia PC that’s connected to my television and receiver. It was using a standard keyboard and mouse perched on top of my record player (yes I still have one hooked up, for when I get around to ripping all my LPs to WMA). My new plans included gaming on my projection television, so new input devices were needed. Cordless mice and keyboards have been around for years, but …

I was wandering the supermarket with the family just before closing and came across a pile of tilapia and cod fillets on 50% discount as their best before date was the following day.  We bought a bunch and came home ready to make fish and chips.
A really authentic British fish batter was required so after several web searches I cobbled this together:

1 Cup Flour
1 TSP Baking Powder
1 TSP Smoked Paprika
1/2 TSP Salt
1/2 Cup Milk
1/2 Cup Water

Mix it together and it resembles glue or paste: very thick.  I like to add …

This is my second book from the newly relaunched Humanoids English division, and Madwoman Of The Sacred Heart is not your average comic book.  Here’s the publisher’s blurb:

Professor Alan Mangel’s journey of madness begins when he impregnates Elisabeth, a student, with what she believes is John the Baptist reincarnated. They meet and conspire with people convinced in bringing forth the Second Coming of Christ. Are they delusional? By the creators of THE INCAL, Moebius and Jodorowsky.
Let me give a brief overview.  Alan …

Blast from the past: originally posted May 31 2001.

It’s tough to review optical drives, like CD-ROMs and DVD-ROMs. Once you get past the model number, it’s pretty much a look at some benchmarks and a picture of the front, top, back and packaging of the drive. Factor in that almost every computer has a CD-ROM drive that does the basics, installing and running software from CD, and you’ve got the whole picture. What I’ll try and do here is present basic observations to go along with …

After finishing I moved quickly into Fantastic Four By Jonathan Hickman Volume 2.  Here’s the publisher’s blurb:

Jonathan Hickman and Dale Eaglesham’s critically acclaimed run continues in the Prime Elements, a story that kicks off the new world-spanning adventures of the Fantastic Four. Featuring the return of the Mole Man, the architecture …

Blast from the past: originally posted December 21 2000.

We all have and use a keyboard. Almost all of us are using the model that came with our PC, whether it be from Dell, Compaq or a clone shop. It’s only when we start to shop around for extras or scour the accessories aisle at Costco that the various models and styles of keyboards come into view.

Recently I purchased a few clone PCs for my office, and they came with an OEM IBM keyboard. Checking online, I found …

Based on the title I get the distinct feeling I should know who Jonathan Hickman is, but I still don’t.  I’ve always been a Fantastic Four fan but I haven’t been reading it for a few years so Fantastic Four By Jonathan Hickman Volume 1 seemed like a good point to jump in.  For some background depth check out this interview.  Here’s the publisher’s blurb:

Solve everything! Inside a room kept secret from even his closest friends and family, Reed Richards had scrawled upon the walls …

Blast from the past: originally published April 5 2002.

After my rant on finding the right case size, I grabbed a few micro ATX cases to see what’s what. First up for review is the Enlight 7150.(editors note: product is now discontinued)
We had looked at the Enlight 7200 desktop case in the past, but this was the first foray into micro ATX. Basically it limits the motherboard size to 9.6” x 9.6” maximum, with four expansion slots and a specific layout for CPU and memory slots. Interestingly there is …

It was the first hardcover collected edition I purchased: The Rocketeer from Eclipse Books, fresh off the press in 1986.  A solid 8.5×11.5″ seventy page book for $20; pricey even for that few pages.  Sadly my copy shows the wear and tear of banging around a teenagers room but later on I was able to pick up the Graphitti Designs edition.  Let’s take a step back and look at the history.

Dave Stevens was approached by Pacific Comics around 1982 to provide something for them: …

Blast from the past: originally published December 13th 2000.

When you think of getting yourself a new computer case, first thoughts go to a huge tower with twelve case fans or a sleek and sexy mini tower with that cool blue translucent cover.  Almost no one thinks of the desktop case: squat, square and oh so utilitarian.  Unfortunately they’re the workhorse of the office environment, as no one wants a mid tower under their desk at the office cubicle.
Recently I purchased a bunch of PCs …

Most people think of the Disney live action film when they hear Rocketeer but for comic fans Dave Steven’s beautifully illustrated character cheerfully fills our thoughts. December 2009 IDW published the collected Rocketeer works in a regular hardcover and in The Rocketeer: The Complete Adventures Deluxe Edition.  It quickly sold out but IDW has recently released a new printing for this holiday season.  Here’s the publisher’s blurb:

The Deluxe Edition will feature everything in the regular hardcover edition but will be printed in a larger format (8 …

Batman: Haunted Gotham
A different take on the Batman mythos with Gotham controlled by demons and Bruce Wayne forced to fight the forces of Hell.
Conan Volume 0: Born On The Battlefield
A fantastic collection of stories about Conan’s childhood by Busiek and Ruth.
Catwoman: Wild Ride
A full helping of Cameron Stewart art; very clean and works so well with Brubaker’s writing.  Catwoman and Slam Bradley keep it interesting.
Long John Silver Volume 1: Lady Vivian Hastings
Stunningly good: top notch story and art fully envelope us.
Ultimate Thor
Nice reworking of the Thor origin in the Ultimate …

Blast from the past: originally published June 17th 2003.

Next up is American Conquest from CDV. Not a big name in North America, but they’ve has a lot of European hits like Sudden Strike and Cossacks. American Conquest is a real time strategy game set in the Americas from the Spaniards arrival to American independence.
This is a big game, with 42 missions and 12 nations or tribes to play. It provides some innovation, albeit slight. It’s a traditional real time strategy: collect resources, build a base, pump out …

I’ve been looking after the back-end of Comic Book Daily, a website running on WordPress.  This is a comic book website so it’s very visual: one of the things people want is a lot of images.  For this we’re using jQuery Colorbox to make the images pop out of the site;  to work effectively and have the image fit without scrolling in the bulk of web browsers we resize the image to a maximum of 800 pixels.  Resizing also allows for fast loading and reduced space on our web hosting.
For …

After thoroughly enjoying I scanned my local comic book shop and found Conan Volume 6: The Hand Of Nergal softcover.  Here’s the publisher’s blurb:

A mysterious curse lingers, following Conan as he attempts to return to his homeland, and a great darkness looms ahead in the doomed city of Yaralet. This latest collection in Dark Horse’s smart, innovative Conan series finds the cunning Cimmerian chased by both unfinished business from his past and a strange novice magician who seeks to deliver a …

Blast from the past: originally published June 17th 2003.

I’ve finally started playing some games on my X-Box. A guy at work was selling his X-Box with two controllers and some games for a song, so I couldn’t pass up the deal. Got it home and read the manual. Grabbed an HDTV adapter the next day and set it to take advantage of the various resolutions available, plus hooked an optical cable for Dolby Digital sound. My X-Box was ready for whatever I threw at it, which was nothing …

I recently had the opportunity to try out a sample of Green Lantern movie toys from Mattel, the Colossal Cannon and an action figure.  My children John and Chloe were anxious to assist.

The box arrived and I removed the two items.  The action figure was Stel, a robot type figure from the movie that I don’t remember seeing in the comic.  Unfortunately he proved unpopular and has languished unloved.

The big hit was the Colossal Cannon, and for all the reasons kids love to play with toy guns.  You insert your …

Was shopping a sale earlier this year and picked up a bunch of Marvel Premiere hardcovers including Black Widow: Web Of Intrigue.  Here’s the publisher’s blurb:

It’s been a long lively life for Natasha Romanova – in the Avengers, the Champions, S.H.I.E.L.D. and elsewhere – but could it end with her surrounded by international assassins? Old enemies and new are using her instructor, her mentor and her ex-husband against her – or so it seems – but who and what can be …