Archive for October, 2013

How To Play Light As A Feather, Stiff As A Board

The game Light as a Feather, Stiff as a Board has its origins dating back to the 1660s and the Great Plague of London, making this one of the oldest games / rituals that is still practiced today.

Light as a Feather, Stiff as a Board involves a person lying on the floor with a group of people surrounding her.  The people place their fingers underneath the person, chant “light as a feather, stiff as a board,” and the person seems to magically lift into the air.  As long as the supporters keep their fingers underneath the person, then she’ll stay in the air.

Playing Light as a Feather, Stiff as a Board is quite easy.  The game normally involves five or six people and can be performed within minutes.

How to play Light as a Feather, Stiff as a Board (the simplest way):

1) Have somebody lie on the floor.  This person is “dead” and should cross their arms over their chest and remain motionless.

2) The four or five other people kneel on the floor and take a position around the “dead” person.  Normally this involves a person at the head and two people at each upper arm and two more at each upper leg.

3) Each person needs to slide the fingertips of their index fingers underneath the “dead” person — ideally around the shoulders, upper arms, and around the knees.  These spots are all surrounding the “dead” person’s center of mass and make it easier to play this game.

4) Everybody chants “light as a feather, stiff as a board” while slowly applying upward pressure with their fingertips.

5) Within moments the “dead” person’s body will magically be lifted into the air.

6) Gently set down the “dead” person.  Don’t drop him or her.

Read more…

How To Play The Midnight Man / The Midnight Game

Depending how you call it, this game / ritual is either called the Midnight Man or the Midnight Game.

The Midnight Game is a ritual that allegedly invites a spirit known as the Midnight Man into your home.  The spirit will attempt to find and capture you, but you’re supposed to stay ahead of it the whole time.  The game ends several hours later as the Midnight Man leaves your home.

To play the Midnight Game you’ll need a home that has a wooden front door.  You’ll also need to make sure that the floor is clear of obstructions as you’ll be walking around in the dark and don’t want to trip or injure yourself.

Make sure that you begin this ritual / game before midnight.  It will take at least 3.5 hours to complete.

tools needed to play the Midnight Game:

• a large candle

• piece of paper

• pen or pencil

• a box of matches or lighter

• a container of salt (for emergency use against the Midnight Man)

• a CLEAN needle, pin or lancet to prick your finger

• a small bandage for your finger (optional)

How to start playing the Midnight Game :

1) Before it’s midnight, write your FULL NAME with a pen or pencil on a piece of paper.  This means your first, middle and last name.

2) Prick your finger with the needle or pin and place a drop of YOUR BLOOD onto the paper with your full name.  Allow a moment for the blood to soak into the paper.  Place a bandage onto your finger if necessary to stop the bleeding.

3) Turn off all the lights and go to your front door (remember that it must be wooden for this ritual).

4) Place the paper with your name on the floor in front of the door.  Light the candle and set it on top of the paper.

5) At the stroke of midnight, begin knocking on the door 22 times.  You MUST finish knocking before the clock reaches 12:01 am.

6) Open the front door and then blow out the candle.

7) Close the door and immediately re-light the candle.

This ritual invites the Midnight Man into your home.  Now the real part of the game begins. Read more…

How To Play The Closet Game And Summon A Demon

At one time or another we’ve all been afraid of something in our closet, whether it’s the bogeyman, a scary monster, or whatever frightened you as a child.

How many of you still make sure that your closet door is closed when you go to bed each night?  Still a little bit afraid of what *might* be hiding in there, waiting to claim you as a victim when you’re asleep and unprotected?

The Closet Game is a paranormal urban legend that takes our natural fears of the closet and the dark to the next level.  As you read in this article’s title, the Closet Game may also have you summon a demon into your home.

The Closet Game is simple and only takes a few minutes.  As long as you can remember a brief set of instructions, and have the skills to not light your home on fire, then you should be okay.  Before you start playing, make sure that it’s dark outside and you can safely stand inside of your closet while the door is closed.  Some of you may need to do a little bit of cleaning while you’re in there.

Tools needed:  a book of matches

How to play the Closet Game:

1) Some time at night, take the book of matches into your bedroom.  Turn off the light and step into your closet.  Do NOT turn on the closet’s light at any point in this ritual.

2) Shut the closet’s door, face it, and stand still for TWO MINUTES.  No talking during this period.

3) Hold a match in front of you and say out loud, “Show me the light or leave me in darkness.”

4) Listen carefully.  Do NOT turn around.  If you hear anything, quickly light the match.  Failure to light the match fast enough after hearing whispering *may* result in a demon grabbing you from behind and dragging you into its realm of darkness.

5) Keep the match lit while you’re in the closet.  If it goes out then quickly light a second one.

6) While holding the lit match in front of you, slowly open the closet door and step out of it.  Close the door behind you.  Do NOT turn around and look behind you into the closet.

NOTE – If your heard the whispering or the match lit on its own, then you have a demon in your closet.  Always remember to have a light on in your room (on in the closet) whenever you need to go into the closet.  If you leave the closet door open at night with the lights off, then you may see a pair of glowing demon eyes watching you.

There are two obvious warnings with this ritual. Read more…

How To Play The Bloody Mary Urban Legend

One of the most popular Halloween games is called Bloody Mary.

For those of you who don’t know, Bloody Mary is an urban legend revolving around the ghost of Queen Mary I.  And why was Queen Mary I known as Bloody Mary?  During her five-year reign as the queen, she restored the court to that of Roman Catholicism and viciously prosecuted the Protestants.  Some 280 Protestants were burned and executed during the English Reformation.

The legend of Bloody Mary may belong to that of Mary Worth, a woman of unknown origins.  Depending on where you look, Mary Worth was a witch burned at the stake hundreds of years ago, she was a mother who killed her children and then committed suicide, or she may have been a woman who was killed in a gruesome car wreck.

This is perhaps the biggest problem with the game of Bloody Mary, a ritual that has been popular since the early 1970s.  Nobody knows as a matter of fact for how to summon the spirit of the woman in a bathroom mirror.  As there are several stories behind the ritual, there are even more variations for how you’re supposed to perform it.

How to play the most common version of Bloody Mary:

1) Stand in front of your bathroom mirror.  You can be alone or have several people with you.

2) Light a candle and turn out the lights.  If there’s a window, make sure that the blinds are closed and it’s dark except for the lit candle.

3) Say the name “Bloody Mary” three times.

4) Enjoy!

Results of this ritual include seeing a woman’s face in the mirror, hearing a woman whispering behind your back, or even being scratched from a phantom hand.

Did the ritual not work for you?  Here are some common variations to playing Bloody Mary: Read more…

How To Use An Elevator To Reach Another World

Elevators.

They’re relatively harmless devices that help people transit between floors in a building.  Thanks to elevators, buildings can reach dizzying heights and people don’t have to climb a thousand stairs.

Elevators can also be terrifying experiences for some people.

Imagine standing in a box-like item and being suspended twenty or so feet above the ground.  Your main support is a cable that attaches to the top of the elevator and runs the entire length of the elevator shaft to a counterweight.  Motors and pulleys move the counterweight, which, in turn, moves the elevator up and down the shaft.  Knowing that nothing more than a floor a few inches thick is what separates you from plummeting to your death can be rather unnerving.

Every so often you hear about an old elevator that has a severe malfunction and plunges to the basement of a building.  Such an accident is virtually impossible for the vast majority of today’s modern elevators with our rigorous safety standards, but that thought it still there in the back of your mind.

But what if you’re alone on an elevator, the doors open, and you find yourself in an alternate dimension?

What if the elevator takes you to another world entirely?

An urban legend claims that by pressing a series of buttons, just such a thing is possible.

Here’s how you can allegedly transport yourself to another world in an elevator.

First of all, you have to be in a building at least ten stories tall.  Some people claim that you can actually do this in a five-story building as long as you half the directions exactly.

Second, you have to be completely alone.  If other people join you then the process will be interrupted and you have to start over again.  Obviously, you’ll want to try this during a quiet time in the building, such as late at night or on the weekend depending on the building.

Are you ready?  Here we go. Read more…

Dish Network Hopper & Free Apple iPad 2 Tablet Promotion – Is It A Good Deal?

By now you’ve probably noticed Dish Network advertising a promotion involving its Hopper system as well as a free iPad 2 tablet.

Basically, new customers can sign up for Dish Network and as long as you select a minimum of the America’s Top 120 package, then you’ll receive the Hopper upgrade for free.  In addition, you can also select to receive an iPad 2 tablet for free as well.

So what’s the catch?

The biggest concern for most people is that in order to use these promotions, you need to follow through with the 24-month contract.  Most television channel providers have some sort of contract, so this really isn’t a big deal for most people.  Failure to complete the twenty-four months results in a financial penalty.  Again, that’s nothing new as most Internet, television and cell phone providers require a minimum length-of-service contract of some sort.

But is the free iPad 2 tablet a good deal?

For that we need to look at the pricing details.

First of all, Dish Network is offering a free 16 GB iPad 2 with Wi-Fi only.  This version of the tablet is the most basic of the iPad 2 series of tablets.  This one does NOT have the capability of connecting to the Internet through the cellular network.  You need to use the Wi-Fi feature to do so, whether that’s through your home’s network or a place that provides free Wi-Fi access, such as McDonalds and other establishments.

As of right now. the 16 GB iPad 2 Wi-Fi tablet costs $399.99 whether you go to Best Buy, an Apple store, or even Walmart.

Now it’s time to compare the main TV channel packages provided through Dish Network.

Take note that there is a monthly discount for the first twelve months if you do NOT want the iPad 2 tablet. Read more…

Movie Review – Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954)

There’s a good reason why people are fearful of swimming in natural bodies of water such as oceans, lakes, and rivers.

The 1954 classic horror film Creature from the Black Lagoon is one of those reasons.

The Creature from the Black Lagoon is a straight-up monster movie.  The film tells the tale of a scientist who discovers a fossilized link between sea creatures and land animals down in the Amazon.  This discovery quickly spurs an expedition to return to that location and look for more evidence of that creature.  What the expedition discovers is that their missing link is very much alive as it continually attacks and tries to kill the people in the expedition.

Creature from the Black Lagoon was directed by Jack Arnold.  The film stars Richard Carlson as Dr. David Reed and Julie Adams as Kay Lawrence.  Supporting them are Richard Denning as Dr. Mark Williams, Antonio Moreno as Dr. Carl Maia, and Whit Bissell as Dr. Edwin Thompson.

Two different actors played the role of Gill-man (a.k.a. the creature).  Ben Chapman played the creature for the dry shots, and Ricou Browning played the role of the creature for all of the underwater shots.

The Creature from the Black Lagoon begins a quick explanation of the creation of planet Earth.  It also tells a little bit about the evolution of life.

Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954) – (c) Universal International

The film then transitions to the northern part of the Amazon River in Brazil as an expedition led by Dr. Carl Maia (Antonio Moreno).  The expedition makes a startling discovery of a fossilized hand sticking out of a rock.  While the hand itself looks human, the sharp claws and webbing around the fingers says otherwise.  Dr. Maia photographs and then removes the hand.

Dr. Maia orders a few of the men to remain behind at the camp while he takes the evidence for further analysis.  As he leaves we see a much more lifelike version of that same hand reach out of the water and scratch the dirt.  Perhaps that species of creatures is still alive after millions of years . . .

The scientist visits the Instituto de Biologia Maritima where he meets up with his old friend Dr. David Reed (Richard Carlson), and his colleague, Kay Lawrence (Julie Adams).  Dr. Reed is an ichthyologist who used to work at an aquarium in California. Read more…

Movie Review – The Wolf Man (1941)

“Even a man who is pure in heart,

and says his prayers by night;

may become a wolf when the wolfbane blooms,

and the autumn moon is bright.”

According to the local villagers, that’s the poem you’re supposed to recite whenever there’s talk about werewolves.  But werewolves are just the stuff of legends, right?

While werewolves have been part of European folklore for over a thousand years, it wasn’t until 1941′s horror film The Wolf Man brought the creature to the big screen and gave American audiences a hair-raising experience.

The Wolf Man was directed by George Waggner.  The film stars Lon Chaney, Jr. as Larry Talbot / The Wolf Man.  Co-Starring in the film are Evelyn Ankers as Gwen Conliffe, Claude Rains as Sir John Talbot, Warren William as Dr. Lloyd, Ralph Bellamy as Colonel Montford, Patric Knowles as Frank Andrews, and Bela Lugosi as a gypsy called Bela.

The Wolf Man begins with a definition of the word lycanthropy — werewolfism.  Apparently this is a disease of the mind where human beings believe that they are wolf-men.  According to an old legend, the victims actually assume the physical characteristics of the supernatural animals.

The Wolf Man (1941) – (c) Universal Pictures

The film then shows Larry Talbot (Lon Chaney, Jr.) returning to Talbot Castle, his old home.  He’s greeted by Sir John Talbot (Claude Rains), his father, along with Colonel Montford (Ralph Bellamy) of the local police force.  News of his brother’s death in a hunting accident has brought Larry back to his father’s residence.  His father has severely taken note of Larry’s absence as Larry was the younger of his sons and saw resentment towards his brother’s inheritance of the Tablot estate.

In the upper part of Tablot Castle, Larry repairs his father’s telescope.  He then uses the optical device to catch glimpses of ordinary life in the town.  Larry spies a beautiful woman who works for an antique store, and he decides to pay her a visit. Read more…

Book Review – Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child’s “Brimstone”

Primarily set in New York City, Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child‘s thrilling novel Brimstone continues the action in their Agent Pendergast series of books.

While Brimstone was published after Still Life with Crows, virtually nothing from that book has an influence on Brimstone.  Most of the previous references are from The Cabinet of Curiosities along with Reliquary.

It’s an ordinary day in Southampton, New York until Jeremy Grove, one of the community’s wealthy residents, is found dead inside of his mansion.  His death is a bit of a puzzle though as the home was locked tight with the intricate burglar alarms still armed, nothing of value was noted as missing, and Grove’s corpse was burned to a crisp — without burning the rest of the room or his house.

To make matters even more interesting, in the air is the smell of sulfur.  Burned onto the wooden floor by Grove’s body is a hoofprint.  Who, or what for that matter, killed Jeremy Grove?

Sergeant Vincent D’Agosta is one of the police officers on the scene when FBI Special Agent Aloysius X. L. Pendergast makes an appearance at the crime scene.  Grove’s home is located on a beach, and it’s believed that the criminal crossed the water into neighboring New Jersey, so that makes it a federal crime and allows FBI Special Agent Pendergast onto the crime scene to help with the investigation.

The investigation begins and Pendergast and D’Agosta learn that Jeremy Grove was hosting a party just the previous night, and some of his guests were people that he had not spoken to for years.  It appears that Grove knew that something bad was going to happen to him, and he was trying to make amends and correct past mistakes that he made with people, as if it would help clear his conscious.

One of the suspects is a man named Nigel Cutforth.

Like Jeremy Grove, Nigel Cutforth is also a wealthy person.  He owns a deluxe apartment that doubles as a recording studio for musicians.  Before his interview with Sergeant D’Agosta, Cutforth and his wife notice the smell of sulfur in the air.  D’Agosta later interviews the man, and he catches him in a lie.  It’s implied that Cutforth knows more than he’s willing to admit to the police.  Perhaps telling the truth about his relationship with Grove would make him a better suspect in his murder.

However, before Cutforth can be further interviewed, his body is found by the apartment complex’s maintenance crew.  Cutforth suffers the same death as Jeremy Grove.  His body is nearly incinerated while the rest of the apartment is virtually untouched by the apparent fire.

Could Jeremy Grove and Nigel Cutforth’s deaths be that of spontaneous human combustion (SHC)?  One case of SHC is incredibly rare.  Two cases of it with both of the victims knowing each other sounds just a bit too suspicious. Read more…

Movie Review – The Mummy (1932)

The ancient history of Egypt and the pyramids of Giza have always been an area of mystery and fascination.

It’s also been an area involving the curse of the pharaohs and death to those who would dare rob the tombs or disturb the mummified remains.

That’s the basis for 1932′s horror film, The Mummy.  Primarily set in 1932, The Mummy tells a tale of archaeologists discovering the mummified remains of an Egyptian priest.  One of the archaeologists reads from a forbidden scroll and the mummy comes back to life.  The mummy takes a human form and seeks the reincarnation of his love from thousands of years ago.  When he finds this person, he intends on killing her and then resurrecting her from the dead so the two of them can live forever.

Directed by legendary Hollywood director and cinematographer Karl Freund, and produced by Carl Laemmle, Jr., The Mummy stars Boris Karloff in the roles of Imhotep and Ardath Bey.  Co-starring in the film are Zita Johann as Helen Grosvenor and Princess Ankh-es-en-Amon and David Manners as her boyfriend Frank Whemple.

Supporting them are Arthur Byron as Sir Joseph Whemple, Edward Van Sloan as Dr. Muller, Bramwell Fletcher as Ralph Norton, and Leonard Mudie as Professor Pearson.

The Mummy (1932) – (c) Universal Studios

The Mummy begins with informing us about the Scroll of Thoth, an ancient ritual used to restore life to the recently deceased.

The film then jumps to 1921 and a field expedition by the British Museum.

Three archaeologists, Sir Joseph Whemple (Arthur Byron), Dr. Muller (Edward Van Sloan), and Ralph Norton (Bramwell Fletcher), have recently discovered an Egyptian mummy along with a mysterious box.  What’s odd is that this mummy doesn’t look like the other mummies that have been discovered, almost as if he died a horrible death.  Evidence suggests that whomever was mummified was actually buried alive.

An inscription on the interior of the sarcophagus mentions that the mummy is a high priest named Imhotep.  The men also notice that the sacred spells that normally protect the deceased people in the land of the dead have been removed.  Imhotep was not only sentenced to death in this world but also the next one.  Perhaps Imhotep was a little too friendly with a princess of a reigning pharaoh. Read more…

Samsung Smart TVs – Prepare For Assimilation!

While I haven’t been paying that much attention to Samsung’s line of Smart TVs, I do have to admit that their recent advertising has made me curious to learn about the advanced televisions.

Samsung F8000 2013 Smart TV demonstration

Doesn’t that look pretty slick, or what?

It’s fascinating to me how something like a television set (and Samsung’s Smart TV is no ordinary television) now has its own computer, with this latest one having a quad-core processor, and can easily watch regular programming as well as a variety of Internet-related tasks such as YouTube and Hulu videos as well as video chatting with Skype and even access to the Internet and social media websites.  In addition to that you can even use your smart phone for even more features and accessibility, both from the TV to the phone and vice versa.

Perhaps I need to pay more attention to home entertainment.

Some of my friends have alternate versions to the features in Samsung’s Smart TV, but I had yet to see all of that combined into one unit.

Something that still looks rather ridiculous are the gestures to use the camera’s motion sensor to control elements on the television.  The woman in the demonstration looked stupid the way that she was waving around her hands.  The same goes true to all of the people using the same stupid gestures in the Samsung Smart TV commercials.  That’s really neat technology but you look like a fool when you use it.

PRIVACY CONSPIRACIES

The fact that the Samsung TV has a video camera, the remote has a microphone, and the television itself is connected to the Internet opens the door to conspiracy theories about Samsung and The Powers That Be easily spying on you inside of your private residence.  We already know that most websites record your actions, and social networking websites such as Facebook have waved good-bye to privacy a while ago.  The Internet Age has virtually eliminated the concept of privacy.  But what about that video camera on top of the TV that constantly stares at you?  Is it recording you right now? Read more…

Samsung Galaxy Gear – Can Samsung Bring Back The Watch?

Recently there’s been a massive advertising campaign for the Samsung Galaxy Gear, a smartwatch and part of the opening wave of wearable technology.

Samsung Galaxy Gear: A Long Time Coming

The advertisements for Samsung’s Galaxy Gear are somewhat amusing as they show a collage of video clips for technologically advanced wrist watches.  Pretty much all of the sci-fi watches have been just that, works of science fiction and wishful thinking.  That is, until today and the dawn of the smartwatch.

As we know, wrist watches have dominantly been manufactured for the sole purpose of telling time.  Whether you prefer an analog or digital watch, most of them have had few features besides telling you the current time.  Some watches know the date and day of the week, others can function as a stopwatch, and other watches have the capability of knowing the time for different time zones.  Back in the 1980s, if you were one of the cool kids in class then your watch also had a calculator built into it.

But the era of smartwatches is going to change the concept of wrist watches forever.

At least, that’s what some of the big companies are trying to do.  Whether or not this actually catches on is still anybody’s guess. Read more…

GoGo Pillow (Cell Phone & Tablet Holder) – A Marketing Review

The combination of a spicy dinner finished with ice cream and washed down with an icy cold cola can be dangerous.

At least, it can be dangerous for those of us with stomach disorders.

While the meal itself was delicious, you know that the after effects can be a bit, um, hostile, if you know what I mean.  Sometimes it’s worth it though if you’re craving a meal like that and don’t have it very often.  Every once in a while you don’t mind sitting on the can and suffering from the horrors of diarrhea after a really tasty meal.

Thankfully, we have items such as cell phones and tablets to keep ourselves busy while “dropping anchor” on a “porcelain cruise.”  As you try to balance your expensive tablet on your legs and prevent it from slipping between your thighs and making a splashdown amongst the floaters and sinkers, you can’t help but wonder if there’s a better way of doing this.  Maybe there’s such a product to make it easier to hold your precious entertainment while performing a massive evacuation from your bowels.

GoGo Pillow website — www.GoGoPillow.com

What’s this?

The GoGo Pillow?  Could it really help us in those hours of need when we desperately need some way of holding our tablet on an uneven surface?

GoGo Pillow TV commercial

Hmmm.  Maybe there’s some potential with this tablet accessory.  Let’s take a closer look and review the advertisement, perhaps even seeing if we can discover any faults along the way. Read more…

Movie Review – Frankenstein (1931)

Imagine if you had the power to restore life to a deceased person.

What if you were able to not only restore a life, but make the person even better, giving them new appendages?

Those are the kind of questions addressed in 1931′s classic horror tale, Frankenstein.

Frankenstein tells the story of a brilliant scientist, Henry Frankenstein, and his quest to assemble the perfect human being.  But assembling a person isn’t enough.  He intends on giving his creation life and allowing it to walk the Earth.  Frankenstein’s experiment works, but the creature he creates, a monster, has different thoughts in mind.  This is a killing machine and nobody is safe from its rage.

Directed by James Whale and produced by Carl Laemmle, Jr., Frankenstein is loosely based on Mary Shelley’s classic novel of the same name.  The film stars Colin Clive in the title role of Henry Frankenstein, a brilliant scientist who is determined to bring life to inanimate objects through artificial means.  Boris Karloff has the classic role of Frankenstein’s monster.

Supporting them are Mae Clarke as Elizabeth, Henry Frankenstein’s fiancée; John Boles as Victor Moritz, a friend of both Elizabeth and Henry; Edward Van Sloan as Dr. Waldman, Henry’s old medical professor; Frederick Kerr as Baron Frankenstein, Henry’s father; and Dwight Frye plays the classic role of Fritz, Henry Frankenstein’s laboratory assistant.

Frankenstein begins with Edward Van Sloan stepping out from behind a curtain and warning the audience of what they’re about to see.  He warns that it is one of the strangest tales ever told.  The film addresses issues of life and death, and it may thrill, shock, or even horrify the audience.

Frankenstein (1931) – (c) Universal Pictures

The film itself begins in a small town in Germany.  We watch as a small gathering of people mourn over a recently deceased person, and that person is then buried in the Earth.  Once the coast is clear, two men, Heinrich “Henry” Frankenstein (Colin Clive) and his assistant Fritz (Dwight Frye), quickly dig up the coffin.  They steal the dead body and then take the corpse of a man who was recently hanged and still swinging from the gallows.  Unfortunately, as Henry Frankenstein points out, the brain in the hanged man is useless.  They’ll have to find another brain. Read more…

Movie Review – Dracula (1931)

In honor of Halloween, this month we’ll be taking a look at classic Halloween-type films, starting with the classic Universal Monsters.

Released on February 12, 1931, Dracula was one of the first official films to be based on Bram Stoker’s classic novel, Dracula.  While the 1922 silent film Nosferatu is technically the first film to loosely follow the Dracula story, German film maker F.W. Murnau did not have permission to use the story.  Stoker’s widow sued for plagiarism and copyright infringement, and all copies of Nosferatu were claimed to have been destroyed.  Of course, not all copies were destroyed, and the film is readily available today.  For the sake of argument, we’ll still consider the 1931 version of Dracula to be the first official film version of the novel.

Dracula tells the story of a vampire named Count Dracula and his relocation from a castle in Transylvania to an abandoned estate in London, England.  He can transform into a wolf or a bat, and Dracula can use hypnotic power to seduce women.  When Dracula tries to claim John Harker’s fiancée, Mina, Harker fights back with the help of Van Helsing, a monster hunter.  It’s a battle in London as Van Helsing and his assistants track and fight back against the deadly vampire.

Dracula was directed by Tod Browning and produced by Carl Laemmle, Jr.  The film stars Bela Lugosi in the title role of Count Dracula.  Co-starring in the film are Dwight Frye as Renfield, David Manners as John Harker, Edward Van Sloan as Van Helsing, and Herbert Bunston as Dr. Seward.  Helen Chandler plays the role of Mina while Frances Dade has the role of Lucy.

Dracula (1931) – (c) Universal Pictures

Dracula begins as a businessman named Renfield (Dwight Frye) arrives in the eastern European country of Transylvania.  He’s on his way to meet Count Dracula, but the local villagers plead with him to spend the night in their village before continuing on his journey.  They’re not trying to get money from Renfield.  No, they’re terrified of the evil that takes place at night, from large wolves that run around and howl to large bats that terrify people.

Renfield insists on continuing to Count Dracula’s castle that evening, and one of the villagers gives him a crucifix to wear as protection.  He’s then driven to Borgo Pass where his carriage to Count Dracula’s home is waiting.  Renfield doesn’t realize it, but that’s Count Dracula (Bela Lugosi) himself driving the horse-drawn carriage.  Things get even more spooky when Renfield tries to ask the driver to slow down, but instead of a person driving the horses, it’s a giant bat.  That bat mysteriously vanishes when Renfield finally arrives at the castle. Read more…

Tropical Storm Karen – final update

Throughout the day on Saturday, October 5, Tropical Storm Karen continued to weaken as it approached the northern Gulf of Mexico.

The maximum sustained winds decreased to a point where Tropical Storm Karen was downgraded to a tropical depression.  As of 11 am EDT this morning, Tropical Depression Karen dissipated.  The storm system is now just an unorganized mass of wind and rain as it tracks due east at 13 mph.

According to the last public advisory, the remains of Tropical Storm Karen were located about 85 miles southwest from the mouth of the Mississippi River.  The storm’s maximum sustained winds were measured at 30 mph, and the system is tracking to the east at 13 mph.  A cold front moving across the southern states is assisting with the storm’s movement to the east.

Northern Florida and parts of southern Georgia and the coastal area of South Carolina can expect extended periods of rainfall and the possibility of localized flooding.  In addition to the rain, those areas can also expect strong and steady wind with gusts reaching thirty to forty miles per hour.

That concludes our coverage of Tropical Storm Karen.

Book Review – Orson Scott Card’s “Empire”

Today’s society seems more polarized than ever when it comes to the world of politics and social issues.

Take this recent election as an example.  The political mud throwing and the name calling by the candidates’ supporters seemed to reach a new low as each side tried to prove how stupid and reckless the opposite side was.  You had fascists on one side, socialists on the other, and the impartial media trying their best to swing voters to their heavily biased point-of-view.

When you consider the deeply opinionated views and the narrow margin between winning and losing, it’s safe to say that the country is divided as a whole.  There is no sense of national unity at this point in time.  Throw in the talk about states wanting to secede from the union and there you go.  The country is ripe for a major event to split us apart.

Science fiction writer Orson Scott Card takes this frighteningly real scenario and takes it a few notches further with his 2006 novel, Empire.

Empire begins with a special forces raid somewhere in southern Asia, presumably Afghanistan.  U.S. Army Captain Reuben Malich leads his squad against an opposition force in a small town.  The commando raid itself is successful as all enemy forces are killed and his unit didn’t suffer any casualties, but the town’s village elder is shot and killed.

Empire transitions to some time later when Malich is studying at a local college.  He’s under extra pressure as one of his professors continually calls him “Soldier Boy” and wants to debate him on various subjects in history.  Malich keeps his cool while under pressure from the professor and he passes his class.  It turns out that his professor somehow knows about Malich’s secret missions overseas, and he recruits Malich to perform some top secret duties here in the U.S. Read more…

Tropical Storm Karen – Update #1

It’s been 36 hours since our initial look at Tropical Storm Karen in the Gulf of Mexico.

As of the original posting, the tropical storm has moderately weakened.

The latest public advisory states that Tropical Storm Karen has maximum sustained winds of only 45 mph.  Remember that for a tropical cyclone to be classified as a tropical storm, it must have 1-minute maximum sustained winds between 39-72 mph.  So with the storm’s maximum sustained winds of only 45 mph, that means that the storm is barely strong enough to still be classified as a tropical storm.  If the winds sink below the 39 mph mark then it will be downgraded into a tropical depression.

Tropical Storm Karen is currently located about 205 miles to the south-southwest of the mouth of the Mississippi River, and about 230 miles south of Morgan City, Louisiana.  The storm is still moving to the north-northwest at about 7 mph, though it’s forecast to make a sharp turn to the east within the next 24-36 hours. Read more…

Movie Review – Carrie (1976)

“If they only knew she had the power.”

Have you ever been bullied at school?

Have you ever felt wanted to let the rage flow freely, allowing that inner demon to wreck havoc?

If so, then you may have something in common with Carrie White.  She’s a seventeen-year-old high school student who has no friends and she feels the wrath of bullies.  Little do they know that Carrie holds a dark secret, and if they push her too far, then they’re all going to pay for it.

That’s the general premise behind Carrie, a 1976 horror film directed by Brian De Palma.  Based on Stephen King‘s 1974 book of the same name, Carrie stars Sissy Spacek in the lead role of teenager Carrie White.  Piper Laurie plays the role of Margaret White, Carrie’s abusive and unstable Christian fundamentalist mother.

Supporting them are Amy Irving as Sue Snell, William Katt as Tommy Ross, Nancy Allen as Chris Hargensen, Betty Buckley as Carrie’s sympathetic gym teacher Miss Collins, and John Travolta as Billy Nolan in one of his first movie roles.

Carrie takes place at Thomas Ewen Consolidated High School in the normally quiet town of Chamberlain.  For most students this is an exciting time of life with their high school prom just around the corner.  For Carrie White (Sissy Spacek), each day is a nightmare.  From the girls tormenting her in class to her abusive and Christian fundamentalist mother at home, there is no escape.

Carrie (1976) – (c) United Artists

One day after gym class, Carrie is alone in the school’s shower when she discovers that she’s bleeding.  Not knowing that it’s a normal process for women, Carrie panics and tries to get the other girls to help her.  Instead of helping, the other girls taunt and ridicule Carrie.  They laugh her back into the shower and throw sanitary products at her.

Teenagers Chris Hargensen (Nancy Allen) and Sue Snell (Amy Irving) lead the gang of girls.  The class’s gym teacher, Miss Collins (Betty Buckley), hears the commotion and rushes to Carrie’s aid.  While she’s consoling her, an old light bulb on the ceiling breaks.  It catches Miss Collins by surprise, but she believes that the bulb’s failure was from its age. Read more…

Google Nexus 7 Glossophobia (Fear of Public Speaking) Commercial

Is it just me, or are the examples in the recent television commercial for Google’s Nexus 7 tablet just incredible lame?

Google’s Nexus 7 – glossophobia (fear of public speaking) – TV commercial

Let’s take a closer look and review the commercial for Google’s Nexus 7 tablet.

The scenario in this commercial is a high school student who has to give a speech to his class.  Public speaking can be a nerve-wrecking experience for anybody, no matter your age or the size of your audience.  It’s a fear that many people would rank as worse than the fear of death.

Google Nexus 7 TV commercial

The Nexus 7 commercial begins with a boy using the voice recognition feature on the tablet.  He’s asking about the term “glossophobia,” which means a speech anxiety or commonly known as the fear of public speaking.

So how did the boy know about the word “glossophobia” without knowing its meaning?  Did the teacher use that word in class?  Did a smart ass student label him with that term?

We do know that the boy used the speech recognition software to look up its definition, implying that he didn’t know how to spell the word.  Score one for the easy path.  Just make sure that you pronounce words correctly and don’t speak with a heavy accent. Read more…