iMac 2011 Predictions

You can't argue with the awesomeness of a imac. Its slim sleek design, its 27 inch screen, and its made by apple. So how could you resist it. There is a reason how the imac is Apple's flagship. Combining the computer screen and the computer into one was amazing for its time.But what can we expect from the imac in 2011, here are my predictions. (note: these are just predictions)

How the imac has changed over the years

Release Date: Its always hard to pick out a Apple release date, but I predict that the new imac's will come out between February or April. If you look at how often they are updated, the next update should be somewhere in there. (Macrumors buyer guild helps). But we should expect a update before Lion is released. The imac is Apple's main computer, so they won't let it sit idle for long.

USB 3.0? No, Light Peak? Maybe: It was clear that Steve's Job does not want to support USB 3.0 in a email reply he sent earlier this year. This is most likey to make room for Intel's project, Light Peak. (Which apple supposedly thought of). You can still expect USB 2.0, as many of apple's gagdet's like the ipad and iphone use USB. So apple will not abandon it. But Light Peak could be a promising new technology.

New Design, not likely: Apple gave the imac a face-lift a while ago, so don't expect anything to big to happen to the design, expect for the usual bump in hard drive and processor speed.

Touch Screen?: This rumor has been alive for a long time. But with the release of Lion coming around the conner with ipad features, it could be possible. But I'm not holding my breath. If Apple is going to make media, it will be focusing likey more on its Light Peak Technology then a touch screen computer. 

These are the major changes we can expect to see. But you know Apple can always come out with a complete surprise that we never saw coming. So we will just have to wait and see what the imac 2011 brings us.

Wouldn't it be cool to see something like this?

Sym-Bionic Titan Season 1 Review ~ I want more, please?

11 episodes of Sym-Bionic Titan, Genndy Tartakovsky's new show that aired on Cartoon Network in September, ended with the season final today. After watching the final episode, I just have to say, I want more.

One of Sym-Bionic Titan's fight scenes

One thing that Sym-Bionic kills at, is the animation itself. Not only is it highly detailed, but has a cool realistic style to it, while keeping the cartoon feel. There was a really cool raining on window effect used in Episode 11. We also got see a epic car chase which topped live action ones, the inside high tech G3 base and some really cool animation work done on the planet Galaluna.

You can tell that a lot of time and detail has been put into this series. Not only with the animation, but the story itself is pretty intense. Not only do Lance and IIana (the show's main characters) have to defend the earth from monsters, but they also must be cautious of Earth's very own forces. Since it is the first season, the story has a long ways to go, but I am looking froward to its twists and turns.

Sym-Bionic Titan borrows a lot of concepts, such as drag racing influence from movies like The Fast and the Furiousness or Star War influence for the outer space scenes. One episode borrow a lot of influence from the horror genre (think Nightmare on Elem St) which I thought was really cool.

In Episode 10, I was really surprised by the metal concert that Lance and IIana go to. It was right on, in fact, I kinda want the song they used for that scene. If you ever want to know what a sketch metal concert looks like, look no further. There was also a part where Kimmy (a cheerleader at the school) does this really crazy dance to a rap song to impress Octus (who is Lance's and IIana's robot). I kinda felt like I was watching something dirty, it was that crazy.

Well, I have rambled enough. If your looking for a awesome cartoon that has action look no further. The last episode of season 1 ended with a bit of a cliff hanger, so I know there will be more. Cartoon Network ordered 20 episodes as of now. So for sure, we get 7 more. But Genndy has plans to do more then that.

Season Two, what will you bring?

Nintendo 3DS to gimmick off past Titles?

While the Nintendo 3DS new games look great, its hard to not worry if past Nintendo games will be poorly converted to 3D and put on sale. While there are great past Nintendo games like The Legend of Zelda The Ocarina of Time and Starfox 64, it will be interesting to see how they transfer to the 3D format.

Will the 3D be worth it? Or should you stick to Virtual Console?

When I think about how cool it see Legend of Zelda in 3D, I just hope that Nintendo can convert past titles to the 3D format. While I am sure the company is focusing on new titles as well, they are porting a lot of classic titles first to delay time for newer titles. 

Paper Mario, Animal Crossing and Mario Kart may be ported as well. (No word if these are new titles or ported games)

If the 3D is done well, I think it would be awesome to play though these classic Nintendo games again with a 3D twist. But if the 3D sucks, I would rather play these games on my big screen via the virtual console then on a handheld.

Resident Evil Revelations could be one of Nintendo's 3DS best games

Darn Son, as soon as I saw the trailer for the game, I was pumped. It might even be better then, Resident Evil 5! The first thing that has me excited is the 3D. Although a gimmick for most movies, if Capcom pulls it off, the 3D could add to the horror. A zombie dog could jump out the screen at you or a zombie monster shoots its tough.

Plus the game looks like its returning to its roots with some cool creepy locations like a tanker ship and a mansion like setting. Check out the Trailer!

It looks much better then the African setting, which did have some creepy moments, but having taken place though daylight and Africa villages just wasn't to scary. Another thing, if you pause the trailer at 32 seconds, you can see a zombie. Not a Los Illuminados, but a classic Resident Evil Zombie. Welcome back to the party guys. 

Expect one thing people like to complain about is how Jill has changed, AGAIN. Which I don't mind to much about. She doesn't look to bad in the concept trailer. Jill is not my character to change, so I'll let capcom do with her what they wish. 

The Graphics also look amazing for a handheld, expect all the footage is probably from rendered movies, but still, it looks like wii graphics. 

Its hard to judge what the story will be or what the actual game will look like, but judging from the trailer, I have high hopes for this one.

No word on a release date. But hopefully we will see Resident Evil Revelations sometime shortly after the launch of the Nintendo 3DS. Will Capcom be able to restore honer to the Resident Evil series after Resident Evil 5? Only time will tell.

Tangled And Burlesque Review

Tangled ~ Tangled is made by the cartoon family experts that are Disney, and will be the last good animated film in Theaters for a while. Disney has always surprised me with their skill to take old boring fairy tales and turn them into a fun adventure.

This movie will make you want to use a frying pan as a weapon

As I am sure you know, Disney was trying to market this movie to boys as well as girls. The movie still focuses on Rapunzel for its main character, however Flynn plays a big role in the movie as well. The movie isn't as girlie as other Disney films as it does have some cool action scenes like a collapsing dam and a chase though the castle streets. But just be prepared for a few un manly songs, but if your a real man you can take it.

The script is pretty sharp and there are pretty of amusing parts to laugh at.  Overall the story holds pretty strong, even if a tiny bit predictable at some parts. The CGi animation looks nice, and looks like 2D animated colors. 

Tangled does not top Princess and the Frog, but is still a great addition to the family animation library. Over all, I give it

***** Out of *****

Burlesque ~ Burlesque stars Cher, who look amazing for her age, and Christina Aguilera, who also looks pretty good even for her age. Burlesque follows in the style of a musical, but it's not a full out musical. The only time only one sings is when they are stage and dancing at the Burlesque club.

Now, the story is nothing new. Alice (Christina) wants to move away from her crappy waitress job to LA in order to have a better life. When she is looking for a place to work, she stumbles upon the Burlesque club, and is hypnotized by the show. Alice then seeks Tess (Cher) to convince her to let her join. 

Along the way, she befriends a bartender at the place, Jack. Which you can guess revolves the romantic twists in the film.Now the relationship kinda confused me at the end, as I thought Alice forgive him way to easy without really knowing what happen. Its hard to explain this without giving spoilers, but the relationship is amusing to watch.  

Along the way, there is a envy co-star, a guy who wants the buy the Burlesque club to build a sky spacer and Cher's quest to save her club from the bank.

The dancing scenes are nice and showy

Overall, if you don't mind the predictable story and dance moves, then Burlesque is for you. How ever, if your  looking for a little more substance of drama, you may want to look somewhere else.

***** Out Of  *****

How to Make Pizza Rolls

Now I don't cook very often, and won't be posting about cooking often. But I thought I would share with you how to make Pepperoni (or other toppings) Pizza Rolls. Since a lot of people don't seem to know about them and they are one of my favorite snacks.

A Pizza Roll is basically like a pizza, but wrapped up inside of a roll of dough.  If you like Pizza, you will like these. Here is the stuff you will need.

1. Trader Joe's Pizza Dough (or you need to make your own)
2. Cheese (Standard pizza cheese will do)
3. Flour or Olive Oil
4. Pepperoni (And any other toppings you want inside your roll)
5. Butter and Garlic
6. Pizza sauce (for dipping)


All right, so first thing you do is roll out your dough. You can use Flour or Olive Oil to prevent it from sticking to your hands. I have used both methods and they both work well. It depends if you want your hands to be oily or dry.

Roll your dough into a big rectangle, and try to make it as thin, but not to thin. Once you have your rectangle, layer the pepperoni on the dough, follow by any other toppings you want. Then put on the cheese.

Once you are pleased with the amount of stuff, your going to take one edge of the pizza and fold it over, so it should be like a giant roll. Close up the edges by pinching the dough together.

Now, you take a knife, and cut the big giant roll into smaller sections. Then put the smaller sections onto your cookie sheet. Now is the time to take some butter and garlic, and melt it in a bowl. Use a spoon to put it on the top of the rolls. You can also sprinkle some cheese or other spices on. Now bake at 450 degrees (temp may vary by oven) for about 15 minutes.

Pepperoni Rolls before being cooked

And that is how you make pizza rolls. You can also use your pizza sauce to dip them into after cooking for that true pizza experience. 

Sounds good but to lazy to cook, well pizza hut has your back. Check out the Stuffed Pizza Rollers at Pizza Hut, cause they are quite tasty. You may be able to find this rare pizza roll at other pizza houses, but in CA I have found it almost imposable to find them. In CO, my old hometown, there where everywhere. 

So I either have to go to Pizza Hut, or make these suckers at home. But if you want to give your normal pizza life a twist, try cooking some Pizza Rolls. 

Yum Yum, Cooked and Ready to Eat

Has Apple Sold Out?

It's true that Apple has had a successful year and is doing quite well despite the economy. But one has to ask the question, has Apple sold out? If you look at Apple's focus, you can see that its mainly on the ipad and iphone.

That's great for the gadget people, but about the professional end of the market. It seems that Apple is starting to ignore their professional end computers and software. Where is Blu-Ray and USB 3.0 support? Well, the normal consumer market doesn't want it so why would apple care. Even if the pro market wants it, Apple does not even offer it as a option.

Look at Final Cut Studio, the famous editing software that Apple is known for. Which has not been given a much needed update and is lagging behind Adobe Premiere and Avid. Final Cut is not even 64 bit, and is not currently able to use the full power of the Mac Pro.

Final Cut has made many independent  films, has it see its last days?

Now according to a sketch Steve Jobs Email, Final Cut Studio 4 is on the way and its going to be awesome. Some people believe the lag is due to a major rewrite. But Truth be told, no one knows what the future of Final Cut is looking like. Can we trust Steve Job's email?

According to the release's of past updates, the next Final Cut should be due this summer or earlier. Hopefully this update will the update we have been waiting for after the disappointing release of Final Cut Studio 3. 

It would be nice to see Apple focus some accouterments in the Pro market of Final Cut and other areas instead of the "Beatles on Itunes" and Ipad. Has Apple sold out to be a mainsteam gadget and phone company? Or will the company continue to innovate in the computer and pro-sumer software market?

I guess only time will tell.