June 2016 | Otaku No Culture

[Electric Bungalow] Some Tricks to Get the Most out of USB Sticks & Preserving Data

By Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)

Ever since USB Flash Drives have replaced magnetic media as the de facto method of shuffling data around, I have found not all are built equally. Depending on how well the actual medium, (the chip where all the data is stored) is tested for fault tolerance, those that do not fall within specification will get discarded. A season 20 episode of How It’s Made shows how a computer memory chip can be put into different containers for use in varying devices; it is all built from one common product.

After using these devices since 2006 (my oldest stick being a SanDisk 2gb Cruzer) I believe I have figured out which company’s products perform better. In the world of digital photography where an image is counted by the megabyte, the faster a chip can perform to write the data, the better for those successive shots to be stored instantaneously. In digital videography, any skip of a frame is not welcome. Ranker.com shows which brands are favoured more than others. Sandisk, Kingston and HP are in the top three [1]. Personally, and by order of personal preference, I like Transcend, Kingston and Sandisk the best.

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Norman Lovett of Red Dwarf Announced for Anglicon!

NormanLovett By James Robert Shaw (The Wind up Geek)

You may be forgiven if you only recognize Norman Lovett’s face and not the rest of his body. Lovett spent four series in the British science fiction comedy Red Dwarf delivering his deadpan humor from above the neckline. As Holly, the ship’s computer with an IQ of 6000, the crew of the Dwarf were sometimes left wondering why the other 5994 of it wasn’t used.

Born in Windsor, Berkshire, Lovett got a late start in the light entertainment business after becoming a stand-up comic while still in his thirties. Working with some of the top comic actors of the day (Rik Mayall, Adrian Edmondson, Lenny Henry) Lovett made early appearances on The Young Ones, Happy Families, Lenny Henry Tonite, Rab C. Nesbitt, and Keeping Up Appearances. Lovett originally auditioned for the role of Rimmer in Red Dwarf (the part went to Chris Barrie) but Producers Rob Grant and Doug Naylor realized Lovett’s unique comic style was perfect for the role of Holly the ship’s compter.

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4th Annual Kaleidoscope Family Theatre Festival is set to Colour Centennial Square June 11-12th in Victoria, BC

By Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)

$12.00 Adults
$10.00 Children, Students & Seniors

Victoria’s Centennial Square will soon be transformed into more than just a Kaleidoscope of fun, thrills and joy! Not only is this seminal theatre production company hosting this theatre festival in the heart of downtown, but also Puente Theatre, Outpost 31 and The Purple Pirate will participate. Together, they will be offering productions which includes The Little Prince, Gruff (based on the Norwegian fairy tale “Three Billy Goats Gruff”), Winnie the Pooh and Magic & Mayhem being displayed by these respective performance groups. There is more than one show, so families can check their whimsy in nearly any time of the day from 11am to 5pm.

Music by Ride the Cyclone creator Brooke Maxwell will be part of the show.

The 4th Annual Kaleidoscope Family Theatre Festival takes place June 11-12 and it will be inviting audiences to free their imagination and celebrate the best in what the performing arts can offer for young people.

“The stories being told at the 2016 Festival encourage families to experience the magic of live theatre,” said Roderick Glanville, Artistic Director of Kaleidoscope. “From a rocking musical for two goats and a troll, to the exploration of the unknown, these plays will inspire audiences of all ages and invite them on a journey to a new way of imagining, thinking, and being.”

For two full days, audiences will enjoy unique theatrical experiences alongside free performances from beloved Victoria entertainers Cam and Daisy. The Festival’s Activity Village makes it easy for the whole family to be creatively adventurous together with such activities as mask making, face painting, dress up booth, and more.

The festival marks the first official use of Kaleidoscope’s Igloo theatres. The largest of the two igloos measures 15.2 metres wide and 7.3 metres high will feature three productions seating 150 audience members, with the smallest of the igloos housing Kaleidoscope’s The Little Prince in an intimate 50 seats performance. The igloo’s are inflated through continued forced air and will create a whimsical theatre environment in Centennial Square.

Tickets can be purchased online at rmts.bc.ca, by phone at 250-386-6121, in advance through the McPherson Playhouse Box Office or during the Festival at the on-site box office.

Final Fantasy Returns to Ivalice in HD on the PlayStation 4

By Shawn Trommeshauser
(Dreaming in Digital)

Final Fantasy XII (FFXII) was originally released in 2006 for the PlayStation 2 and it is one of my favourite entries in the legendary series of role-playing games from Japan. It’s getting an update, titled Final Fantasy XII – The Zodiac Age, and the announcement of its availability on the PlayStation 4 was made today. There are currently no mentions of other consoles or the PC — which is unfortunate — but these days Square Enix has had a good track record of PC support so I would say it’s just a matter of time.

This was the first single player game in the series to truly begin moving away from the style that the classic Final Fantasy titles were known for. This shift has become exceptionally controversial with the newer games in the series, but I feel that this game struck a great balance between the older turn based party combat and more modern action RPGs that allow autonomous party members and dynamic movement in battle. This battle system was further refined and anyone who enjoys Final Fantasy XIV (available on Amazon) would be able to see the foundations laid in FFXII.

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Conner4Reel is an Underdog Needing Brothers in Popstar

popstar-never-stop-never-stopping-poster

By Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)

One of my first reactions to first hearing about the comedy movie Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping is in wondering if the story is going to be anything like Journey’s song, “Don’t Stop Believing?” In some ways, it does but forgoes the dynamics of a small town girl and a boy becoming close. Unlike the film, their success does not mean them breaking up and leading separate lives but instead examines how difficult it is to stay ahead of the game. In what’s presented is downright hilarious. This movie comes close to mirroring the ingenuity of This is Spinal Tap!

Very few musicians are lucky to consistently belong at the top of the music charts. Some struggle, like Conner Friel (Andy Samberg), to maintain their integrity. At the start of his career, he forms a rap trio, The Style Boyz with childhood friends Owen (Jorma Taccone) and Lawrence (Akiva Schaffer). They were set to be true pioneers during a musical award show simply referenced The Poppy’s. But when Lawrence hears Conner not giving credit to where it’s due, a rift forms. He leaves, and Owen almost does too… Unaware of all the hurt feelings going on due to Friel’s ever growing ego, this mockumentary goes places which are undeniably funny.

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Explaining a bit of Turtle Science in Out of Shadows

By Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)

*Spoiler Alert!

With a movie title like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows, I figured part of the story is going to be about these heroes in the half shell coming out of the darkness they are hiding in and entering into the public eye. They have been fighting New York crime at night and while they leave the thieves all tied up for the police to take away, they do not necessarily leave their calling card around, like Spider-Man. Plenty of subtexts are offered in what they represent to the city and never getting the recognition they deserve, but the story does not go deep enough in that territory. The movie provides more fan-service moments to the masses in a hyper-violent kind of way. In a different spectrum, the obligatory scene with April O’Neil (Megan Fox) in a short skirt gets included too.

A lot of the set pieces have a feel of having been done before. From A-Team (2010) to Transformers (2007-present), I really had to wonder why having Bumblebee appear mattered at all? The obvious answer is because Michael Bay is producing and David Green’s name as the director is just a nod. I liked his movie Earth to Echo; it had a charm to it. His name is sadly overshadowed by Bay’s style. Any movie this producer touches is more about flash and bang for your buck. In that regard, this movie succeeds with plenty of explosive action, stupid hijinks and a plot riddled with holes that I can stick a rhino’s horn into. One is not enough to fill the many problems in this movie. While I love Donatello’s aptitude for tech, there are times I wonder where he gets the parts to build some of his toys, I get the feeling he raids Tony Stark‘s garbage pile for all those discarded tech he has! (side note: yes, please give me a TMNT / Avengers crossover movie)

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