My Experience With... The Original Star Wars Trilogy

Greetings, one and all!!!

So many people in the US are still standing in line to watch the all-new, bound-to-be-award-winning Star Wars Trek Wars Episode 7 movie.

Personally, I'm glad I'm not one of those people. I prefer waiting until the movie comes out on DVD or something.


Now, I originally had no interest in Star Wars Trek Wars, so I was not one of the many who watched the franchise when I was a kid. My mother ended up buying the VHS set for me recently, I guess as a "just 'cause" gift because I have been really showing my geek side lately. I figured "Hey, maybe I can fully relate to many more people if I watch this cultural masterpiece."

So I did. Overall, it was surprisingly good, in my opinion.

The first one would undoubtedly be my favorite. Despite its being based off the fourth book in the series, it held up very well as a movie. I didn't get such a set-in-stone "beginning, middle, and end" like I see in so many movies. You could tell that the story started in the middle of a set of events. The end didn't seem too finite, nor did it seem like the franchise was screaming, "You gotta pay another [insert local ticket price here] in order to see what happens neeext!"

*coughcoughtwighlightlordoftheringsharrypotterhungergamescoughcough*

Whoof! Pardon me. I must be getting that "winter cough."

Anyway, I'm not gonna waste time on the story itself, mostly because pretty much everybody has watched it already. I will say that one of my favorite scenes is when Darth Vader kills Obi-Wan Kenobe. Sounds weird, I know, but I would definitely say - even though the scene itself didn't make all that much sense -  it's a tug-at-the-heart moment, and the effect was pretty cool.

C'mon, you gotta admit, that's pretty sweet how they did that, especially for the time period.

And that brings me to the next aspect: the effects.

I like to watch a ton of old movies / tv shows, and this movie really does turn the tables as far as special effects go.

The second one would have to be my least favorite. I found it pretty boring (not unlike the Two Towers book that I have yet to finish), and really more of a bridge to the finale of the trilogy... which still didn't hold a candle to the first one! Yeah, the "I am your father," scene was pretty funny, the mask removal was creepy and hilarious, and the ultimate "end boss" character (the thing that looks like Skeletor, he-who-shall-not-be-named, and Nightmare from Kirby's Adventures got their DNAs blended) was really disappointing.

Oh, and of course, my fave characters are C3PO and R2D2. Their shenanigans are so cute and hilarious!

All-in-all, I don't mind the trilogy, glad I watched it, not so much in a hurry to watch it again.

Happy new Star Wars Day, and Merry Christmas to all!

Before I go, here's a funny Star Wars-themed sketch from Clinton Jackson:

What's your favorite Christmas tradition?

My Experience With... iPad Pro!

Oh, hey.

Um.... just push the play button below. It'll add dramatic effect.

Alright, for those of you who may not know, I fully enjoy technology, and I really love Apple products.

Even the Apple watch, as useless as it looks, is still a pretty sweet toy. Sure, it's not the most helpful gadget, but people used to fantasize about this kind of thing!!!!

I've played Blimey Cow and Say Goodnight Kevin on Best Buy's Apple TV. I've widened my eyes with the Photobooth app! (No, literally, I used a Fish Eye Lens filter.) I've found how ridiculously stellar the OS system is with graphics and sound. Dude, I've even almost composed Grammy-worthy pieces testing out the iPad family!

Sadly I own none of these. Yet. (Have you tried saving for one of those bad boys when you've got bills to pay? iPod.... or rent?)

But, anyway, I'm always looking at the beautiful new sleek models on Best Buy, reminiscing of those candy-coloured iMacs of the 00s, and wondering why in the hizzy they haven't made all their computers touch-screen yet. One day, lo and behold, I found out about the most amazing iPad model yet. And today I got to experience (easy, chica)... firsthand... (don't blow a gask-)

THE ALL-NEW IPAD PRO!!!!!!!!

And let me tell you, it truly is AMAZING!!!!!!!!! Firstly, the sound. Honest-to-goodness, the sound quality is better than some DESKTOPS. No speakers necessary! And it all sounds so crisp! Uhm.... cha! I'm impressed!

The graphics.... yes, yes, top-notch, HD, whaddaya expect?

But what I REALLY loved most of all was that stinkin' PEN!!! The sales rep who helped me out showed me the almost limitless bounds (oxymoronic, I know) of that piece of plastic! It makes realistic-looking marks, and responds to pressure!

Of course, I ended up drawing a Trogdor. Unfortunately, I have no photo available.

But can you imagine the power you have with that thing?! This could put some drawing pad brands out of business!

Now, as amazing as it sounds, there are a few drawbacks.

Ironically enough, the pen is the first one. Firstly, it's not compatible with any other member of the iPad family. Ugh! Secondly, that thing is pretty stinking huge, considering it's a "pencil." It resembles those novelty pencils you can get at a dollar store or arcade. That was a bit of a nitpick, especially since I hardly noticed after indulging in my skills of an artist, but hey, full-on review here.

The second thing I need to address is the size of the iPad Pro. Uhm.... I think it's bigger than the MacBooks. This is NOT something you would buy for convenience's sake. I don't think weight would be that much of an issue -- I never picked it up, but I would imagine it would weigh about 75% of the weight of an early laptop. Plus, this is not exactly what you could carry in a decent Coach bag.... unless they made some backpacks. Wait, do they? Anybody who knows, comment below!

Lastly, and most importantly... SO important that the store rep said it from the get-go... the blinking PRICE. Apple, WHAT ARE YOU THINKING??!!! Are you trying to market to business executives and departmental directors?! You made the closest thing to an All-in-One Touchscreen Desktop / Touchscreen Convertible Laptop and you price it as though it were a MacBook! No way! Honestly, I think it might've been like $1000 or something crazy like that for 128 GB of memory! Really?! At this moment, I could get that much memory on an iPad mini 4 for HALF the price!!!!!! I'll forego the pencil, which, by the way, is sold SEPARATELY. Again.... WHAT???!!!!! *frustrated grumbling, trying to find the right words to say despite a highly expanded vocabulary* ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!!!???!!!! It only works with an iPad Pro, so SELL it with the iPad Pro! Forgive me if I offend, but I think it's safe to say that Steve Jobs's coffin just jumped a couple of inches!!!! This isn't good marketing, you're just exploiting the Christmas Crowd!!! 

*sigh* I just KNOW that there's gonna be a slew of YouTube viral vids showing 5- to 10-year-old chilren receiving 2 iPad Pros and a Mac Pro for Christmas, along with the pen, and the little brats darlings will still be crying because of a lack of the Apple TV that they asked for as well.

The pricing aside.... waaaaaaaaaaaaay aside..... the device itself is really nice. It's not completely revolutionary, although that pen is pretty cool, though, but it still is probably a right step in the technological path. I hope that one day... one day... someone decides (s)he has about, oh, $2000 or so extra in cash (s)he wants to give as a gift to me, so I could buy it at its current price. That's about the only way I would buy this piece of machinery at this time.

What's the greatest piece of technology you've come across. And seriously, does Coach sell backpacks? I've never really checked.