Quake running on an Oscilloscope, 'cause reasons

Uber-nerd Pekka Väänänen has rigged up an Oscilloscope that runs Quake. Why? Because it's the year 2014 and if you have a piece of tech laying around you damn well better see if it will run Quake.

Check out all the gory details here.

Ho Ho Links

20 People Who Took Gift Wrapping to the Next Level. These are pretty cool, I wish I had thought of a couple when I started wrapping gifts this year. I don't know what it was but this was the year of odd sized presents. Ever tried to wrap a soccer ball? That's like 7th level of hell stuff right there.

'Evil Dead' scoop: Bruce Campbell reveals series details. WooooWoooo, I am on board the hype train for this one. A few years back when they did the Evil Dead remake I finally resigned myself to the idea that there will never be an Evil Dead 4. I mean there's still not, but a 10 episode series on cable is like the next best thing. Too bad I don't get Starz... quick to the Torrents!

Iggy Azalea Has To Be Nice To Azealia Banks Or Her Sex Tape Will Leak. Are there any winners in this story? I'm pretty sure the demand for an Igloo Australia sex tape is somewhere between non-existent and vomit inducing.

In completely unrelated news here's where I'm going to talk about SyFy's big mini-series event Ascension. I finished it last night and I have to say I really liked it. It's not like it was on Lost or Game of Thrones level or anything but for a SyFy original it was pretty darn good. Like a lot of Science Fiction I thought the set up was better than the conclusion but I was always interested in where it was going and I plowed through the series pretty quickly. That has to account for something.

Tracking a Gadget’s Journey From the Mine to Beneath the Christmas Tree. Interesting long form article on the way our beloved doodads get here from China. Being in the import business myself I found the part where they ride on the container ship to be especially cool.

Tarot and the Krampus and the Worst Christmas Story. Tarot is kind of a bad comic but it's an insanely bad comic. Read the review and skip the actual book.

Welp, this is probably it for the year. I'm going to spend most of now through the first at home with the children. I probably won't be doing much blogging. Look for the big 2014 wrap up in another week. In the meantime Merry Christmas, Festivus, Kwanza, Chanukah, Solstice, etc.

Christmas Wish List: Better Pro Wrestling

Hey kids it's December! You know what that means? Every day in December I plan on posting one thing from my official DevilDinosaur Christmas Wish List (patent pending). Why? Because I can.

Being a fan of Pro-Graps (ie professional wrestling) isn't always the easiest thing in the world. Lets just look at the picture above, that's Cody and Dustin Rhodes (sons of Dusty Rhodes) on local morning news show. Dustin is the one in the Santa hat while Cody is the one in FULL ON STARDUST RING ATTIRE AND IT'S AWESOME. See, that's why being a pro-wrestling fan is hard. Stardust is goofy as hell and he's awesome. On the other hand John Cena is also goofy as hell and he sucks hard.. How do you explain that?

I tell you, it would be a lot easier if the WWE actually made their weekly flagship show watchable. I understand that professional wrestling is never going to be the coolest thing in the world but man, right now they're not even trying. Even the most die hard fans are tired of saying "let's wait and see what happens with this.."

On the plus side the WWE developmental show NXT is FAN-FREAKING-TASTIC right now. So I guess there's hope for the future. Or even if there's no hope I could just stop watching RAW and start watching NXT regularly. If you think Stardust is crazy just wait until you see Fin Balrog Balor.

Hey Look, they remade Night Trap

Ok, so maybe Until Dawn isn't an exact remake of Night Trap but don't tell me it's not a modern day version of that sega CD "classic". In case you've forgotten Night Trap was one of those choose your own adventure style of games utilizing state of the art full motion video that were popular with the advent of the CD-Rom. The gameplay had you trying to save a group of girls at a slumber party from a hacker slasher bad guy that turned out to be a group of vampires. Like most FMV games you were reduced to making a choice in a menu and then watching the video unfold based on your choice.

Which is pretty much what this Until Dawn game is except instead of FMV they've just motion capped Hayden Panettierre in a towel. I don't know, call me crazy but the controls to a game are less complicated than Candy Crush I'm not 100% sure you've actually created a video game. Maybe a Blu Ray with extra special features?

Bonus Night Trap walk through:

Can you believe that at one time this was considered the most vile thing in video games. There were Senate hearings and everything. Man the 90s were crazy.

Christmas Wish List: Christmas Spirit

Hey kids it's December! You know what that means? Every day in December I plan on posting one thing from my official DevilDinosaur Christmas Wish List (patent pending). Why? Because I can.

Did you know there are like 7 days left until Christmas? Where the F is my Christmas Spirit? I mean I've watched a couple made for TV Christmas movies and been to a couple holiday parties but for whatever reason it just doesn't feel like Christmas yet. This is supposed to be my favorite time of the year, what's wrong with me? Watch, the second I start really getting in the Christmas groove it'll be Dec 26th.

The 12 WWE Days of Christmas

Here's the 12 Days of Christmas as sung by the current WWE roster. I mean it's not the entire roster, just the guys you see on RAW every week in the same stupid matches. If you see me this Christmas be sure to ask me my thoughts on the WWE. Make a drinking game of it, every time I say Vince McMahon is out of touch and senile take a shot. You'll be dead in like 4 minutes.

Top Ten Disappointing Games of 2014

Machinima has released this nice little video of their Top Ten Disappointing Games of 2014. Assassin's Creed, Call of Duty, Halo... notice a pattern here It's not just that these are big $$$ mega-franchises, although that's important to note, it's that many of these games were rushed and published without being %100 done. Say what you will about Rockstar and Valve taking forever to publish games but at least when they do it the games are ready to go. Which would you rather have. A new slapdash Call of Duty or Battlefield game every Holiday season that is barely an upgrade from the previous version or a whole new super kick ass experience every 2 or 3 years?

... The Blurst of Times: 12 Dates of Christmas

This years relatively slow Holiday season has provided me with ample opportunities to explore the depths of Lifetime and the Hallmark Channel's Holiday programing. With "..the Blurst of Times" I'll tell you all about whichever horrible made for TV movie I watched the night before.

12 Dates of Christmas is totes a Christmas rip-off of Groundhog Day. There's no two ways about it. Amy Smart's character is knocked out by some secret Christmas magic and spends the rest of the movie repeating the day before Christmas. That is until she finds true love in Mark Paul Gosselaar. Sorry I spoiled the ending for you.. With that that being said, it's a really good Christmas rip-off of Groundhog Day.

Frankly, and I know this sounds stupid, Mark Paul Gosselaar is kind of a good actor, so is Amy Smart. Arguably, they're both better than a cheeseball made for TV movie by on the ABCFamily channel. I guess their career loss is our Christmas gain. Like I said, it's a Groundhog Day rip-off. The first half of the movie Amy Smart spends the day before Christmas repeatedly attempting to break up her old boyfriend with his current girlfriend. She also has to deal with the inconvenience of a blind date with Gosselaar. Somewhere along the line she figures out it's not her ex-boyfriend she really misses, she's just lonely. Enter the dreamboat formerly known as Zack Morris.

Compared to last year's Christmas movie review, Help for the Holidays, 12 Dates of Christmas scores two thumbs way way up. I can certainly think of worse ways to spend the Holiday season, like hanging out with your family.. yuck.

Christmas Wish List: Homemade Retro Console

Hey kids it's December! You know what that means? Every day in December I plan on posting one thing from my official DevilDinosaur Christmas Wish List (patent pending). Why? Because I can.

Some guy on reddit posted this homemade Raspberry pi powered console emulator yesterday and it's all I've been able to think about for the last 24 hours. It doesn't look like it would be THAT expensive to build, $70-100 with controllers and it only looks moderately difficult. I mean I've put together PCs for years this can't be that different. It looks like the most complicated part is getting the software all set up. I don't know man, money is tight right now but imagine the possibilities. Thousands of NES, SNES Genesis games all loaded into a sleek, portable little unit. I know my son would get a blast out of it.

Maybe in a couple months I'll sell some more comics and put the money into a Raspberry pi fund. This just looks like too much fun not to give it the old community college try.

Teens React to Mega Man

It's been said before by smarter gamers than I, but as far as overall difficulty goes today's games are friggen clown shoes compared to games on the Atari and NES. Watch a bunch of teens get destroyed trying to play Mega Man, one of the more notoriously difficult games on the NES.

I had my own first hand experience at this just this weekend. For whatever reason Logan really wanted to play Zelda: A Link to the Past, so I dusted off the old SNES and we played for about 30 minutes. That game is TOUGH. I spent the first 5 minutes just trying to figure out how to equip my bombs. Long story short, you're on your own Zelda.

The Navy Blows Stuff Up with Lasers

Did you know the Navy has lasers? Did you know they have hype videos with cheezy electronica for their laser technology? Well, aren't you a mister smarty pants.

I assume this is just phase one of project Dr. Evil. If I was North Korea I'd start getting really nervous right now.

Christmas Wish List: A Famous Chili Recipe

Hey kids it's December! You know what that means? Every day in December I plan on posting one thing from my official DevilDinosaur Christmas Wish List (patent pending). Why? Because I can.

I really wish I had a signature recipe. It doesn't have to be chili, it could be anything. I'd just like to be able to cook one thing that friends and family would love so much that they'd request it all the time.

Then of course I would spill it all over the floor.

Honest Trailers: Guardians of The Galaxy

You know those guys that do those Honest Trailer things? Well they did one for Guardians of the Galaxy. That might seem like an awkward way to introduce this but honestly what am I supposed to say? It's a funny internet thingy that most everyone is completely familiar with. In fact you've probably already seen this somewhere else. Some blog run by bloggers without families or real jobs or co-workers looking to undermine their Christmas joy at every turn.

Christmas Wish List: Flux Capacitor Watch

Hey kids it's December! You know what that means? Every day in December I plan on posting one thing from my official DevilDinosaur Christmas Wish List (patent pending). Why? Because I can.

Does anyone wear a watch anymore? I know everyone was excited for the new iWatch for like 2 minutes but smart watches aren't a real thing, right? They're just the logical replacement to the old calculator watch. More of a bright flashy geek identifier that actual useful thing. Anyhoo, if I ever was to wear a watch again it would most definitely be this Back to the Future Flux Capacitor Wristwatch. Look at all the fluxs this watch gives. That my friends is a real statement piece.

To tell you the truth I'm not even sure if it tells time.

WWE 2K15 in a Nutshell

Remember a couple weeks ago when I said I was interested in the newest WWE game, WWE 2k15. Yeah, I kind of take that all back. What can I say? I'm easily swayed.

Debt Links

The people have spoken! Kirk Cameron’s ‘Saving Christmas’ is IMDB’s worst film of all time. Yikes... In related news I watch some of Candace Cameron's (now Bure) Hallmark Movie Channel original Christmas under wraps and it wasn't half bad. It was no A Very Merry Mix Up or Help For The Holidays but it was pretty good. I'm guessing at least 4 IMDB stars better than Saving Christmas.

Simpson’s safety posters can really come in handy while at work. These are pretty rad. If I had some spare duckets this christmas I might order a few for the office. As it stands right now I don't think I could swing the printer ink to print my own. That's what kids will do to you, I'm too broke to steal.

Krysten Ritter Is Officially ‘Jessica Jones’ In Marvel’s Next Netflix Series. Ok, now all they have to do is cast James Van Der Beek as her famous neighbor and we're in business. Seriously I miss Don't Trust the B--- in Apt 23 so much. That and Better off Ted.

Why isn't America's massive debt being considered a larger problem? I'm not going to act all crazy here and tell you that the national debt the US is carrying right now is a good thing, but next time your Uncle starts talking about how the Chinese own the US now go ahead an point him to this very well reasoned post on why the national debt isn't all doom and gloom.

The 2014 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show. Here's your yearly reminder that what the average person thinks is sexy and what Fashion people think is sexy is two VASTLY different things. Also if you do watch might I suggest you turn it into a drinking game? Every time CBS cuts away from exposed butt cheeks do a shot. You'll be in a coma in 15 minutes.

Skeletor and He-Man singing Jingle Bros

I'm pretty sure the advertising wizards at Honda are scanning my brianwaves for ad ideas. If their next add involves Diora Baird dressed up as Josie from Josie and the Pussycats selling a new Accord Wagon we will have confirmation.

Seriously Honda, get to work.

Christmas Wish List: Star Wars Lawn Ornament

Hey kids it's December! You know what that means? Every day in December I plan on posting one thing from my official DevilDinosaur Christmas Wish List (patent pending). Why? Because I can.

I finally got around to putting up the Christmas lights on the house yesterday. The lights look pretty good but outside of a wreath for the front door we don't really have any other Christmas decorations to go with them. I'm not sure if this Star Wars Lawn Ornament is that Christmasy but I could put some lights on it or something. Maybe have Santa in a snow speeder to go with it. I don't know, I'm just brainstorming some ideas.

Make it So, Let it Snow

I think I've posted this before but who cares? I could post videos of Jean Luc Picard singing Christmas carols 24/7 and I think it would be an improvement to the blog.

Christmas Wish List: Wakeboarding behind a car.

Hey kids it's December! You know what that means? Every day in December I plan on posting one thing from my official DevilDinosaur Christmas Wish List (patent pending). Why? Because I can.

It doesn't have to be a Ferrari F50 but someday I want to find a giant ditch and wakeboard behind a car. Maybe wakeskate if my insurance is up to date. I'm not going to lie whenever I see a news story on TV that involves massive flooding I always thinks about how awesome it would be to be able to kayak down to the local piggy wiggly (assuming it wasn't washed away). My house is situated on a big hill so I'm pretty sure it's a physical impossibility but I can always dream.

Christmas Wish List: Koss PortaPro Headphones

Hey kids it's December! You know what that means? Every day in December I plan on posting one thing from my official DevilDinosaur Christmas Wish List (patent pending). Why? Because I can.

I need new headphones. I've had the same pair of Sony Studio Monitor cans for probably 15 years. Don't get me wrong they're great sounding headphones but the leather has wore off the earpads and if I move around too much one side cuts in and out. These Koss PortaPro Headphones look awesome in a weird retro way and from everything I've read they sound great. I might actually buy a pair this Christmas.

Sorry I know this entry was boring, I'll come up with something outlandish for tomorrow.

He said he'd be back

So this teaser for the new Terminator: Genisys (ugh) trailer popped up on the web this morning. Remember the T-1000? He's back. Oh yeah, and so is Arnold... old Arnold. Because that's what robots would do if they were making androids, age them in a realistic fashion.

Hell, maybe they would? The whole point of the terminators was to infiltrate the enemy with a life like robot. Having older models might help camouflage them, it's not any sillier that having John Conner send his best friend back in time to both save him from killer robots and knock up his mom.

As long as they're bringing back older Terminator models can they bring the T-X. Kristanna Loken is still not unattractive.

Suicide Squad Cast, or Thanks For Helping Me Sell Comics DC

Yesterday WB/DC announced that they have cast some of the principals for a Suicide Squad movie. Will Smith, Tom Hardy and Jared Leto are some pretty big names and certainly shows their commitment to making this an honest attempt at a summer blockbuster not just another Jonah Hex. It also helped shoot my pending ebay auction for Suicide Squad #1 up to 31 dollars.

Honestly I don't care much about a Suicide Squad movie. The concept is cool, a group of super-villains sent out on a suicide mission to clear their names. I mean it better be cool, it's a complete rip off of the dirty dozen. Still, DC movies have a lot to prove to me. I like the Chris Nolan Batman movies as much as the next nerd but if they're going to grim and gritty it up over all their characters like they did with Superman, count me out. Still big names are big names and me selling comics is a bold new frontier for me.

I have about 4,800-5,200 comics in my collection (I have most of my collection counted and databased but there's still 5-6 boxes unaccounted for). That's something like 26-28 short boxes of comics which is a lot of space in the house dedicated to comic books. Comic collecting is also a moderately expensive hobby. Comics these days cost 3.99 a piece and publishers are starting to ship books a slightly increased paced. A couple years ago a title might have shipped 12 times a year, now some books are up to 14-16 times a year. Even a short pull list like mine, combined with the single issue or trade every now and then can run a collector 60-70 dollars a month. So what to do when a hobby becomes expensive and unwieldy? Sell Sell Sell!

About a month ago I sold a 7 issue run of Batman on ebay for $102. Then I followed it up with a couple Deadpool books and a Guardians of the Galaxy #1 that got me a combined hundred bucks. Currently I'm selling another Batman #1 and the aforementioned Suicide Squad #1 that are going for a combined $55. I don't expect to be able to maintain that kind of return for any length of time. I've been picking and choosing highly sought after books to maximize my Christmas budget but the end goal of having a collection that pays for itself and allows me to maintain a reasonable amount of comics seems pretty obtainable. That's pretty cool if you ask me, a lot cooler that Will Smith as Deadshot... Maybe as cool as Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn.

Christmas Wish List: More Twitter Followers

I'm about to eat some generic, knock-off Pop Rocks. If I die someone delete my browser history.

— Kevin Newburn (@KevinNewburn) November 18, 2014

Every day in December I plan on posting one thing from my official DevilDinosaur Christmas Wish List (patent pending). Why? Because I can.

It's stupid how much I enjoy something as patently stupid as twitter. It's easy to dismiss twitter when all you hear about it in the lamestream media are Kardashians and Beliebers but I've found it to be a great way to connect with people that enjoy some of the same niche hobbies that I do. Not to mention it's a very interesting way to follow news stories. I think I first really started using it when there were some mild riots in Seattle a couple years ago. Getting immediate pictures and updates form users on the street was really interesting and a lot more fun that just watching the traditional tv news coverage.

I saw an uberfact pop up the other day that says less than 5% of all twitter users have more than 100 followers. As I write this I have 88 followers. So if you're not following me already you should totes do it now. Where else are you going to hear random thoughts about pro wrestling and comic books?

Submarine Links

The Best Hidden Features of VLC. VLC is great, I've been using it for a while to play ripped DVDs and Blu Rays that I may or may not be acquiring through illicit means. I had no idea it had so many other uses. Like did you know you can use it to save youtube clips? Or stream out of area MLS matches in HD? Seriously I saved myself a ton of cash by using VLC to watch the Sounders in the playoffs this year.

Which I wouldn't have had to do if the MLS hadn't signed such a terrible TV deal with NBC sports.. jeez they are the worst.

11 Wonderful Former Disney Rides. I can't believe the Submarine voyage is gone. I haven't been to Disneyland since I was 12 but I can't believe Submarine Voyage isn't there anymore! That's one of like 4 rides I vividly remember. Next thing you'll tell me is that the Swiss Family Robinson house isn't there anymore.. NOOOOOO!! I don't want to hear it!

25 Movies Every Man Should See. This list is a little too "Maxim's definition of manly" for me, but there's no denying that there are a lot of great movies on it. Rio Bravo in particular is a fantastic movie that a lot of doofus kids probably wouldn't watch because it's too slow or John Wayne is too fat. Stupid kids, get off my lawn.

Stand By Me - Then and Now. Speaking of slow movies that kids these days probably wouldn't appreciate. This Then and Now photo gallery of locations from Stand by Me is really interesting. It's kind of depressing to see a few of the run down locations look even more run down after 25 years. Seriously Brownsville, get your act together.

Are These Provocative Ads For Coca-Cola’s New Milk Product Sexist? First off the very idea that Coca-Cola is getting into the milk business is kind of gross. I can't wait until clear milk, or new milk and then the return to milk classic. Also once one person says these adds look like some kind of porno all you're going to see is semen. Semen everywhere....

Christmas Wish list: RC Cars vs Mini Drones

Hey kids it's December! You know what that means? Every day in December I plan on posting one thing from my official DevilDinosaur Christmas Wish List (patent pending). Why? Because I can.

RC Cars! Mini Drones! A battle for supremacy! This video either needs to be made into a video game or a full length motion picture. THEN I need my son to get really into RC cars so we can start playing with them. Seriously there's this school up the street from my house and they have an old football field with a cinder track that never gets used just sitting there begging for some RC mayhem.

Lego Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens Teaser Trailer

It took someone all of 24 hours to recreate the Star Wars Episode VII trailer in Lego. I'm kind of surprised it took that long. If I'm a big time movie studio with one of the most eagerly anticipated trailers of the season in my pocket I'm going to go the extra mile and make a lego trailer all on my own, plus probably a sweeded version. Maybe even one where all the actors have been replaced by Grumpy Cat.