Purchase list 2013

DVDs


- Games of Thrones Season 1 boxset
- Games of Thrones Season 2 boxset
- Star Wars old trilogy Bluray


videogames

- Final Fantasy XIII-3
- Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2
- Cyberpunk 2077
- Doom 4
-  Dragon's Crown
-God of War: Ascension
-Grand Theft Auto V
-The Last Guardian
- The Last of Us
-  The Legend of Zelda Wii U
 -The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD
- Mario & Luigi: Dream Team
- Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance
- Persona 5
- Tales of Innocence R
- Ys: Memories of Celceta
- Tales of Xillia

Why Mighty Morphin Power Rangers was so popular?

MMPR was the most iconic and most famous because it was the first season. Kids loved it, a lot of parents hated it and the toy industry made a mint off it. When most non fans think of PR, they think of MMPR (unless maybe they have young children currently watching a new season of PR). But why is it so popular?

When you ask a non-fan about Power Rangers, it would be something about Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers, and every Power Rangers parody is based on Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers.

 

When Disney did a poll for the five most popular Rangers, the only non-MMPR to make the list was Andros. Not a single Disney Ranger charted. In this case, first production company wins. That's easy to explain. The original Power Rangers used the same characters and actors from year to year. This made them a lot more recognizable than when the cast changes from year to year as in the later seasons. Usually, it would either be:

1. MMPR is the best (First show).
2. MMPR-PRIS is the best (First era).
3. MMPR-PRWF is the best (First production crew).

Either way, it's a case of First wins.

(Someone's probably gonna shoot me because I used an image from the remastered MMPR.)

The first incarnation of anything that's wildly popular is usually the most memorable and ingrained into the public psyche, since it's what made it wildly popular in the first place. Then it lasts for two or three years and/or two or three incarnations that are of comparable success, then from then on it's diminishing returns, unless the franchise sticks around long enough to make a comeback (and even then it still remains in the shadow of the original). It's a pattern that works with almost any pop culture phenomenon you can think of, unless the second incarnation/second season is regarded as an abject failure.

The "big push" only exists with MMPR because it was the first of it's kind. Nobody had seen something of it's kind before. Once that became passe, it stopped being a big investment.

The franchise had sizably peaked by 1995 and was killed by "they changed it, now it sucks" with the cast and name changes, there's always backlash with an aging series that goes on without a break....there's more backlash to be had when that series jettisons it's entire cast of veterans.

From a marketing standpoint to the entire world, you couldn't go without knowing what MMPR was. It was a cultural revolution for our generation. EVERY child had watched the show, played with the toys, or pretended to morph at some point. Power Rangers hit the world just as hard as the Ninja Turtles, Pokemon, and Hannah Montana. It was the hottest ticket in existence. Once that fever subsided, there were a ton of kids who never knew anything about a "Zeo", let alone their parents. Furthermore, the majority of human beings have no idea Power Rangers still exists. There have been cast members who got calls from their agents to audition and replied "That show's still on?"

As far as people like us, however, people who never stopped loving or returned to loving Power Rangers hold MMPR in great nostalgic value, while not necessarily liking that iteration the best. I bet if there were a poll conducted over the most popular season amongst veteran fans, Zeo would probably take the title, with Space a possible contender. Even Time Force or Dino Thunder may slip in there.

Looking back, I can see why MMPR was what drew a lot of us in. The plot was simple: Bad guys are threatening Earth, and the Power Rangers have to stop them. Rita had no reason to be attacking the Earth besides conquering it. She wasn't looking for supplies for some huge diety. She wasn't serving anyone (initially - later seasons would build the evil side to the UAE of Space) and her whole army was either already released by those astronauts in the first 5 minutes of the first episode, or they were made from clay. All she wanted to do was defeat the Power Rangers, and that was IT. It's brilliance in its simplicity. Also, the blood-pumping theme song that says 'We're the Power Rangers! Shut up evil! BIZAM!' and, excuse my language here, the kick ass music of the Mighty Raw is about half the reason the original series is so great! It didn't act like a high drama like Lightspeed or Time Force, that's probably why fans are turned off by this. Like, if people wanted to watch a high drama, they shouldn't be watching Power Rangers. Because Power Rangers is a kids show, always have, always will. Granted, those seasons are amazing, but that's what people prefer.

I got the complete DVD collection of the Mighty Morphin two weeks ago.  I love the second season the most. 

I also bought seasons 4 - 7 boxset, because I watched Zeo.(Power Rangers ZEO, Power Rangers Turbo, Power Rangers In Space and Power Rangers Lost Galaxy)

MLB in decline

Detroit Tigers selling free tickets to 13 and under. 

I am sour on baseball. It’s not the game itself that has me bothered but rather the way it is being played on the Major League (MLB) level. It is now World Series time and I am not even that excited. It’s not because my team is not in it but rather my heart is not in it. This MLB lifer is not in the game.
There are a number of contributing factors to this but I will isolate this down to three manifestations of one big problem. The problem is pride. Maybe I should say “greed” instead so that people don’t think in sports terms that have baptized “pride” as virtue. I am bugged by the greed.
1) The Steroids: I was glued to the TV when McGuire and Sosa were battling for the Home Run titles at the end of the 90′s. Then we found out that steroid usage was rampant in the game. It wasn’t just a few guys, no, there was a widespread epidemic afoot. It seemed like many guys were cheating. Suddenly the reality gap between video games and real games got smaller. It wasn’t just because graphics got better; no, MLB became more fake. This became a significant rock in my baseball watching shoe.
2) The Free-Agency: As a Red Sox fan I have personally benefitted from a team that opens up its purses to pay people a lot of money to play for them (and by consequence not for other teams). However, somewhere in the midst of the massive open-market that is Major League Baseball we have begun to root not for people but for the uniforms. My rooting interest in a team becomes strangely disassociated from the players wearing the uniforms. Rich teams pilfer poor teams and superstars leave cities to go and play for other markets. Nobody gets too attached to anybody or any team. It looks and feels a lot different than the game I loved to watch at Fenway Park growing up.
3) The Lack of Hustle: This really is my big issue. I watch these guys play and it is obvious that many of them are not giving 100%. If you flip on a game in May you will see people that look like they have the intensity of a company softball game. Guys not running out ground balls, making careless plays, and failing to think strategically. As a case in point if you turn on the World Series you will see a different game than you see in June. There is so much more intensity. Last night we saw Cardinal pitcher Chris Carpenter give up his body and dive into first base to get the out. Sadly, this type of hustle and sacrifice is not the norm throughout the year. The post-season guys are playing the game like it matters.
Well, there is something else that matters for me, time and money. I don’t have a lot of either. If I am going to plunk down the time and money to go to a game or sit and watch it then I expect the players to hustle. When I don’t I look elsewhere. And if you haven’t noticed, football players hustle. If they don’t they will lose their jobs. It is no accident that the NFL is expanding it’s dominance over the MLB.
I think all of us have grown to expect and even tolerate greed in this world (the analysis of this is worth the brain power). However, when it comes to MLB it has become clear that I can’t take it. It’s over the top. That’s why I’m calling the bullpen for something better to do with my time.

Dual Shock 4 first impressions

I love this controller. I love Dual Shock. I would love Dual Shock 3 for PS4, but this touch screen is a bonus.

I have seen Killzone: Shadow Fall and Destiny screenshots.  They look superb. I'd pay $500 for PS4 and Dual Shock 4 tomorrow.   Playstation 4 is TWO YEARS LATE!   I had my Radeon HD 5970 Black Edition (DirectX 11 GPU)  for over Three years.   CONSOLES ARE SUPPOSD TO HAVE 5 YEAR LIFESPANS, NOT OVER SEVEN YEAR LIFESPANS!  
I hear on other [stupid] websites, how the games don't look good enough.   PS4 is over two years late, and the graphics are clearly better than a hypothetical PS4 released in 2010.  The reality is PS4 is late to market and nobody has the same amount of income as they did in 2010. It seems the longer Sony drags out PS4, the less games people buy.   The President Bush tax cuts have ended in 2012.  Nintendo was brilliant in seeing Bush tax cuts ending and releainsg Wii U before 2013.

China/Russia militaries using FreeBSD for some reason

I have this idea that both Russia and China are using FreeBSD in cold war against Linux which our Government and military use.

FreeBSD ^

US should have "PC-BSD Fermi"