Monday, January 5, 2009
Farewell
I have had a ton of fun, but I never felt that I had something new or unique to offer. There are numerous other pop culture blogs out there written by better writers and with much more dedication. I find myself more and more wanting to go back to being a pop culture consumer, and leave the content creation to those better than me. I am ready to stop taking notes and/or thinking through a post with every bit of pop culture I consume.
I will continue to consider new kinds of blog formats, and may come back in the next year or so with something more defined and niche focused. We'll have to see if I can come up with somthing that I can enjoy doing and will not take up so much of my time (with this blog, each post took about an hour on average, I think I might be slow).
Anyway, thanks for all of my readers and please enjoy the links to the right over there. Those are the bloggers that I enjoy the most and will keep reading. They are well worth checking out.
If you have any comments for me, feel free to email me at Tom [dot] the [dot] Titan [at] gmail [dot] com.
So long, and stay safe!
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Holiday Hiatus

See you 1/5/09! Stay safe!
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
A Quick Plug
shows, and any press releases from TV networks. Every day on the calendar has a list of all new shows airing on a given night, critical information for someone recording shows on a VCR or TiVoing them with only two tuners. It is nice to see what will be on and when. Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Step Brothers
...we watched Step Brothers this weekend, the newest Will Ferrell movie, costarring John C Reilly. There was nothing surprising about this movie, it was pretty much exactly as advertised. It is about two forty year old guys who live with their parents and act like obnoxious and entitled teenagers. Their parents meet, fall in love, and they become step brothers.
From there, they fight (both physically and emotionally), they find a common enemy, and they
work together to beat that enemy. It's pretty straightforward, and might have been heartwarming if it actually starred teens or pre-teens. But, it doesn't, it stars forty year olds, which makes it hilarious, not heartwarming. It was a great opportunity for Ferrell and Reilly to act like idiots and make fools of themselves.I don't know what about watching men almost twice my age act like someone half my age fun, but it is. It is, admittedly, quite stupid, but there's nothing wrong with that. I wouldn't recommend this movie to anyone who doesn't like Will Ferrell or stupid humor, but if you want an evening of fun, check this out! Mrs Titan and I laughed quite a bit and it was a good bit of escapism in these troubled times. I would have to say this is the best Will Ferrell movie since Stranger Than Fiction
I will try to be back with a new post tomorrow, but with work and Mrs Titan's finals, we'll see if I have any time to use the home computer.
Friday, December 12, 2008
Watching Movies

I know how I will be watching my movies this weekend, do you? Have a great weekend, see you Monday!
Thursday, December 11, 2008
A War of Gifts
It is a sweet little story about the kids in Battle School as they deal with not being able to celebrate Christmas (and/or Sinterklaas Eve). It focuses on Dink Meeker and Flip Rietveld as they secretly celebrate Sinterklaas Eve, and lead a Santa Claus revolution at the school. And, Card shows this story through the eyes of Zeck Morgan, a right-wing, religious zealot.
The story is short and sweet and even includes a chapter which was published as a standalone story called Ender's Stocking, in Orson Scott Card's Intergalactic Medicine Show. The only problem I would have recommended this book to everyone is that if you have never dipped your toe in the Enderverse and into any Battle School book, you may not have any clue what is going on. Also, what's wrong with you? Get out there and read Ender's Game
.
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Discovery Channel: Time Warp
Not every segment is a must see, but the majority of them are. Watching a Taser be shot, a pole vaulter jump, a car crash, and a man breaking stones with his arms are pretty incredible at 5000 frames a second. Here are some great examples:
And:
It's pretty neat stuff. And they even include some science behind what we are seeing! Check it out!
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Showcase Presents Superman: Part 15
This one is especially weird. Lois gets a phone call from Chet Hartley. Her friend set her up on a date with him as a favor to him if he came to Metropolis. She doesn't want to go, but agrees anyway, even though she has a date with Superman later in the night. Apparently they can date, but they can't marry, why buy the cow Superman? Anyway, Lois makes herself look like a maladjusted eight year old to scare Chet away. They go out dancing and it works, Chet is so embarrassed that he takes her home in time for her date with Superman. However, Clark saw her there with Chet, and felt like he needs to avenge poor Chet, by playing a prank on Lois.
Monday, December 8, 2008
Fred Claus and Radio
We got to watch two movies this weekend that have been clogging up the Netflix Queue. The first has been on the queue since last Christmas, Fred Claus. Since it's now almost time for presents, I figured we should watch it. I wasn't entirely sure what to expect, but I liked it. It was kind of hard to get a feel for it though, because it was part kids movie and part adult comedy. With Vince Vaughn's rants and wisecracks, it felt like a Vaughn comedy. It was funny and he was his usually charming self, the same character he is in almost all of his films.
uba Gooding Jr's "mental illness film." He plays a "retarded" boy (he was never diagnosed in the film, so we have to stick with that, sorry) who likes to hang around the school and watch the football practice. Plus, collect radios. Friday, December 5, 2008
Mass Effect
Well, after about 30 hours of gameplay I finally beat Mass Effect. It is a pretty amazing game, and I have to thank Skoth (aka Mr Little Sis, a name which is apparently "weird" and not good enough, we wanted to be called "my brother-in-law", but that's stupid!) for letting me borrow it. It is the best game I have played in a long time.
g, and also where you become very important to the galaxy, by recieving visions from an ancient artifact. It is also where you get the first glance of the main antagonist in this epic story.
erything I could before finally setting out into the galaxy. Once you take command of your own ship, you can choose where to go and what order to perform the main story missions. I, of course, wanted the broadest experience of the game, so I did every side mission I could before attempting the first story mission. These were great. Basically, you pull up in a solar system, and get to explore. You can survey planets and read details on the history and composition of these systems. Almost every system also has a planet that you can land on and explore in your dune buggy/tank, the Mako. This is great fun! There is a mission on almost every planet as well, and they are not all the same, there are a variety of mission types and objectives.
generally fall into two categories: Paragon Renegade. For my first playthrough, I went straight Paragon and I had a great time. The characters were believable and interesting, thanks to some fantastic voice acting, and the choices seem to make a difference in the outcome of the game. I have evern decided to replay as a Renegade to see if this is actually true. Thursday, December 4, 2008
Star Trek: The Eugenics Wars Volume One: The Rise and Fall of Khan Noonien Singh
This is the first Star Trek book I have ever read. After being a fan of the show for as long as I can remember, and missing it since Enterprise was cancelled, I decided to start checking out some of the numerous books.That said, I have no idea why I picked this one first, but I am glad I did, because Greg Cox is a great writer. I have never seen a complete episode of the original series (I know, geek blasphemy! Sorry.). I know of Khan from Star Trek II, and that's it. So, it was odd that I picked it up a few years ago.
Anyway, the book is actually all about Gary Seven and Roberta Lincoln. After a prologue featuring Kirk and the gang, the book is set in the late twentieth century, spanning almost 20 years. Gary Seven and Roberta Lincoln had the use of a supercomputer, transporters, and a "servo" (basically fancy phasers). I didn't understand why they had these things in the 1970s, so I did some research. I found out that these are canon characters from an episode of TOS, Assignment Earth, where the crew heads back to 1968.
I guess Gary Seven had been sent to Earth to keep humans from destroying themselves. In the show he prevented a nuclear missile from launching. In the book, he, along with Roberta and his alien cat Isis, is a super agent in the vein of Bond. Well...the old Bond, you know, with gadgets. And teleporters. Anyway, many adventures are alluded to, and we get to see all those that involve the young Khan.
The book uses real world events, such as nuclear testing under the Indian desert, the chemical plant explosion at Bhopal, and the ReykjavÃk Summit to frame Khan's development from a sweet super-powerful genetically enhanced kid, to an angry super-powerful genetically enhanced teen. It is neat how Cox was able to tie in real events into Star Trek mythos. The book ended in a cliff-hanger, and after I finish the book I am reading now, I will pick up the sequel. Even if you aren't a Star Trek fan, check this one out, it's a lot of fun!
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Discovery Channel: Storm Chasers
After Mythbusters and Dirty Jobs, the rest of the Discovery Channel shows are all just about on equal footing. Storm Chasers is all about...well...storm chasers. Specifically, Sean Casey and Dr Josh Wurman, and this year we have the welcome inclusion of Reed Timmer. Last season was the first year I watched this show, and last year we didn't have Reed.
computer equipment. What makes it kind of fun is that Casey is a nutty artsy type who wants to go go go while Dr Wurman is all about the science. He is much more conservative in his actions and takes his time. His goal is collecting data while Casey's is getting "the shot."
enjoy themselves on these kinds of shows.Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Showcase Presents Superman: Part 14
Superman #126
"The Spell of the Shandu Clock"
Long Story Short: There is no supernatural, and a Superman story is never as interesting as it first looks.
This short back-up story is kind of dark and gloomy looking, like an old EC horror story. It starts with a "tense" audience watching Shandu, a master illusionist, while he performs a show. Shandu causes a table to burst into flames and begins to float when Superman flies in, exposes his tricks (like that Breaking the Magician's Code guy), and calls him a fraud. Shandu admits he cheated this time, but claims that he will prove it to Supes.Superman then goes to the Daily Planet and Perry White tells him that Shandu died at sea, and left a message for Superman that he will prove that the supernatural is real from beyond the grave. He then asks Superman to take Jimmy and Lois to Shandu's house for a story. We then learn that Shandu built a supernatural clock before he died. When they get to the house they see a giant, hideous clock, and when it a metal Superman rings a gongs, Superman falls into a trance.
He then flies off into a distant valley and smashes a boulder with his head in front of some shocked cowboys. When he makes it back to the clock he decides he wants to see what's going on inside, but can find nothing unusual about the interior. The metal Superman rings the gong again, and yet again, Supes falls into a trance. This time he burns a hole into a pile of sand (seriously). Jimmy, Lois, and Perry all gather together to worry about what will happen if Superman is in a trance when the Fallon Gang activate their new "crime machine." I don't know what this is, but they "invented" it. Cool. I want one.
Anyway...Superman decides he needs to destroy it, so he makes a giant hammer. I have no idea why he needs that, but there you go. He is unable to follow-through though, due to an invisible force holding him back. Before Superman can figure out how to destroy it, he tells Lois to leave him alone and then the gong rings again. This time the Fallon Gang is watching and they decide to used their "Sonic Vibrator" hi Googlers! to zap Metropolis National Bank.
Superman then shows up, but he is covered in metal. It's the Superman from the clock. The crooks blast him with the vibrator and the metal breaks off. Ah, of course, like all of these old Superman stories, it's just a giant prank. The Superman in a trance was a robot, and Shandu was a fake. They were all working together just to capture the Fallon Gang. Well, that was a lot of build-up for another fake out. Oh well.
Monday, December 1, 2008
Kung Fu Panda
We only watched one movie on this long and relaxing weekend, Kung Fu Panda. This animated, Jack Black film didn't look all that interesting to me when I first saw the previews for it. It kinda looked a lot like a lot of other animated movies and Jack Black hasn't really had a ton of appeal for me since School of Rock.However, once the movie started, I was hooked. It opens with a dream sequence with Po the Panda fighting along side his heroes, the Furious Five, and kicking butt. He is "bringing the awesomeness" to his enemies. You know, just like I do here on the Titan blog! The sequence has a really stylistic design. It was part anime, part hand-drawn animation, and part CG. It was really unique and very cool.
Then...we get the rest of the movie. We see that Po actually works in his dad's noodle shop, and idolizes the Furious Five, he is no Kung Fu master. In fact, if you have seen the trailer, you know that he is fat and clumsy. He tries to get up to the see the ceremony where the Kung Fu masters choose the next Dragon Warrior. It is pretty obvious from the get-go that Po will be chosen, but when he is, things start to get a little more interesting.
You see, Po is the ultimate fanboy. He recalls with awe the battles that the Furious Five have fought like a comic book geek can recall all the first appearances of their favorite villains. He interacts with the FF (hmmm...coincidence?) as if they are heroes, and it is kind fun to watch them get annoyed at him and then slowly warm up to him. And, the FF aren't unknown actors either, they are all A-listers: Angelina Jolie, Jackie Chan, Lucy Liu, David Cross, and Seth Rogen (!). Dustin Hoffman even voices their master.
Ultimately this movie is great fun, if a little predictable. I thoroughly enjoyed it the whole way through and I thought the fight scenes were a lot of fun. I can't stress enough that I loved the opening sequence. This is definitely one to check out!
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Happy Turkey Day!
Monday, November 24, 2008
A Little Old...A Little New
steals and cheats and robs from everyone they meet. He doesn't have any respect for his parents or any other authority figures. He is arrested and continues to get in trouble in jail. Immediately after being released he is drafted into the army. He goes AWOL and begins to do a little boxing for some easy money. The army eventually finds him and it's off to prison, where he begins to realize his potential when he starts boxing.
it. It was good, but a lot like Casino Royale. There was plenty of action, and all kinds of world hopping excitement. Daniel Craig is the model of ice-cold killer/secret agent. He will do whatever he needs to to get the job done. Friday, November 21, 2008
A Message From My Past
Hey You,
Boy, you are a great guy! I am aren't I? You sure know how to pick a winner past me!
What have you been up to for the last three years? I graduated and I got a job and I got married and I bought a house and I started a blog!
Really? Yeah, seriously dude! Huh. That's odd. No, it's not, it's great, you're odd.
Anyway, hope things with [future Mrs Titan] are going great. They are, it worked out great! I told you it would!
She's a great girl huh? Duh, and I totally love making her read my blog and probably embarrassing her! Yeah, I know!
Anyway, you are probably all busy now with work and stuff right? Yeah, totally, and blogging, and all the crazy pop culture that we always loved!
You are working I hope! I am, and thank goodness you learned how to use question marks and commas. Idiot.
You better be, I'm counting on it! I know, cause you wasted too much money!
Are there any good shows on there in the future? Well, yeah, some. You would love HIMYM dude!
Are you still watching them? Duh, that's part of what this blog is all about. Not as many as you though, what were you at, like 40 hours a week?
At least the good ones, right? Yeah, I'm pretty much down to just the good ones now.
Do you even care about TV anymore? Yeah, but not as much as you.
Man, you've changed man, I don't even know you any more. True, I'm way cooler now.
Or maybe I do, who knows, guess we'll just see in three years. Good
luck! Things have been awesome, way to not suck it up dude!Your Friend,
[Future Tom the Titan]
Geek Alert!
If you are a hardcore geek or if you have been to the new Bond movie already, I'm sure you have seen this, but for all of you softcore geeks (that sounds dirty) or wannabe future geeks, the new Star Trek trailer is out! Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Discovery Channel: Dirty Jobs
Last week I discovered that the Discovery Channel is apparently my favorite channel. I also talked about Mythbusters, my favorite Discovery Channel show. Today I get to tell you about my second favorite show on DSC, Dirty Jobs.
Discovery's earlier shows, and still does narration on a few. And he makes the show. He is the show. He is able to make anyone he visits like him almost instantly, from hippies building their homes with poo to hunters who clean and package their animals. They all take to him instantly and he gets along with almost everyone. The back and forth teasing is one of the best parts of the show, and is tons of fun. Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Just Blame Mr Lil' Sis...

Now I am hooked unitl I can stop Saren and his evil plans. Then I have to stop Mr Lil' Sis from his evil plans to stop me from ever being productive again. Darn you!!

