Issue 1: Dec. 2011 | Surviving the Holidays Edition

DayOldStubble News & Reviews For The Refined Geek

2011 Christmas Wish List

Is The Amazon Kindle Right For You?

Geeks Holiday Survival Guide

Geeks Guide t o Relationships We Crash Wizard World Mid-Ohio

Europe’s Most Stupid Robot is Crowned Gears of War 3 How to Print Great Ubuntu 11.10 Reviewed Photos at Home Reviewed

2 | November | DayOldStubble | www.DayOldStubble.com

Contents Features

9

13

Wizard Word Mid-Ohio

We crashed and conquered.

8 19 22 26

Amazon’s new Kindle Fire

Amazon’s Kindle Fire launches this month.

Is this $199 iPad competitor the right fit for you?

Holiday Survival guide

The Holiday sesason is upon us. Are you prepared to survive this hectic time?

Ubuntu 11.10 review

Does the latest release from Canonical purr or roar? We test it and find out.

Stupid Robots...

Just when we were starting to worry about skynet this competition comes along and makes us feel a little smarter.

Regulars Christmas Wish List

20 items you’ll want on your list

24

pg. 3 Editorial

In Time Review

Who said time isn’t money?

pg. 4 Inbox pg. 5 What’s Happening pg. 6 Gadgets

20

Geeks Relationship Guide

Everyone needs a little help.

25

pg. 7 Tips & Tricks

Gears of War 3 Review

Does this latest release rock?

pg. 27 Mac n Cheese Break

www.DayOldStubble.com | DayOldStubble | November| 3

Welcome...

From the Editor

DayOldStubble magazine has arrived!

SALUTATIONS, FAIR READER!

Y

ou are lucky enough to have got your hands on the first edition of DayOldStubble, a digital magazine which looks at the world of today’s refined Geek (but without the atypical Coke glasses). We aim to stay lighthearted and in the style of a lifestyle magazine, all while making sure you don’t need a knowledge of the Star Wars Universe to enjoy our magazine.

Written for you, and also by you – DayOldStubble is a new breed of magazine. This introductory issue should give you a flavor of what it’s all about. If you’d like to get involved, or If you like what you read, let us know as we’d love to hear from you!

We’re also looking for a few good writers and contributors for DayOldStubble. So if you have something to say or just want to see your articles published then drop us a line and be a part of our growing brand of refined geekiness.

-Jason Carrick

Editor

Join In With Us! Email

Get in touch via email and get on our letters page! info@dayoldstubble.com

Web For all the latest news and reviews. www.dayoldstubble.com

Facebook

We’re sure to like you if you ‘Like’ us! www.facebook.com/ TheDayOldStubble

Twitter Follow us on Twitter and join the conversation. @DayOldStubble

EDITOR Jason Carrick DEPUTY EDITOR James Detzler Layout/Graphics Jason Carrick Contributors We’re looking for a few good writers. Contact us at info@dayoldstubble.com Letters info@dayoldstubble.com Advertising ads@dayoldstubble.com Press & marketing: press@dayoldstubble.com Images Kindle Fire Courtesy Amazon.com Wizard World: James Detzler sxc.hu DayOldStubble is published monthly by DayOldStubble 1122 21st St Manistee, MI 49660 Volume # 1 published December 5, 2011.

All rights reserved © 2011 DayOldStubble DayOldStubble.com

4 | November | DayOldStubble | www.DayOldStubble.com

Inbox

Email us at info@dayoldstubble.com

Featured Letter

Do you have any tips Hey winter is on it’s way here soon. idently drop it in the on how to save your phone if you acc slush?

Geoff O’Brian s and it gets Luckily if you drop your cell phone into the mes you do it right. if — wet, you actually have a chance to save it er inside the stick r Most phones these days have a little pape sed n expo to moisture. battery compartment that changes color whe the excuse that “it just This means no more returning the phone with dry it out to keep from having stopped working.” So your only option is to your phone might just to purchase a new one. Follow these steps and survive. from shorting out any 1. Remove the battery immediately to keep r if possible, the Sim card circuits. Then remove the front and back cove and storage card if your phone has one.

2. Pat the phone dry gently with a soft cloth

or towel.

with dry rice, kitty 3. Place the phone in a sealed container or bag gel packets most litter, or if you have enough, those small silica ics. If you want to use kitty commonly found with new shoes or electron ainer, filling it half way and litter I would recommend using a plastic cont of the litter. then just place the phone on a napkin on top to leave wait at least 24 4. This step is the most important. Make sure You may have to wait 2 hours before checking to see if it has dried out. days depending on how wet the phone got. your phone and 5. Put everything back together and turn on everything should be back to normal.

What do the numbers: 1234, 0000, 2580, 1111, 5555, 5683, 0852, 2222, 1212, 1998 Have in common?

?

They are the 10 most commonly used smartphone passcodes. If your using one of them it might be a good time to pick a new one.

Win a copy of The WalkingnDead Complete First Seaso Send us a letter and you could win a copy of The Walking Dead Complete First Season DVD Set. So don’t be shy - tell us what you think of the magazine, we can take it. Let us know your thoughts, rant about the latest gadget you got your hands on, or simply add some extra insite your fellow readers would enjoy. It could be well worth your while.

Send your letters to info@dayoldstubble.com or leave them on the website at www.dayoldstubble.com.

Virus Concerns I am a bit tight on budget and was wondering what free anti-virus program do you recommend?

Dan Smith We recommend “Microsoft Security Essentials”, free from Microsoft, to keep your PC Virus and Spyware free. For the price this software provides a very good and light weight solution.

Another good solution is NOD32 from ESET. NOD32 starts around $40 and provides very thorough and light weight Virus and Spyware protection and is widely recommended as one of the best solutions out there. Be sure to keep it current and make sure to check for updates at least once a week.

If you really want to be secure take a look at our review of Ubuntu 11.10 for a secure alternative to Windows.

www.DayOldStubble.com | DayOldStubble | November| 5

What’s Happening Upcoming Movies

New Orleans Comic Con 2012

Jan. 28-29 New Orleans, LA Join fellow fans as they converge on the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center at New Orleans Comic Con to celebrate the best in pop culture.

Conventions worth visiting

Upcoming Video Games

12.02.2011 Steel City Con. December 2-4 Monroeville, PA • Pennsylvania’s Largest Toy, Comic & Pop Culture convention celebrates 22 years with celebrity guests. 500 tables of new and vintage toys, comics, anime, die cast, action figures, Star Wars, statues, and more.

12.04.2011 Mario Kart 7 Available for Nintendo 3DS

01.06.2012 Anime Los Angeles.

January 6-8 Los Angeles, CA • Animé Los Angeles 8 will be held FridaySunday, 6-8 January 2012, at the Los Angeles Airport Marriott.

01.28.2012 New Orleans Comic Con. January 28-29 New Orleans, LA • Join your fellow fans as they converge on the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center at New Orleans Comic Con to celebrate the best in pop culture.

12.13.2011 Battlefield 3: Karkland Expansion Pack Available for XBox 360, PS3, & PC

12.16.2011 Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows.

When the Crown Prince of Austria is found dead, Sherlock Holmes deduces that the prince has been the victim of a murder that is only one piece of a larger puzzle, designed by Professor Moriarty. The cunning Moriarty is always one step ahead of Holmes as he spins a web of death and destruction to change the course of history.

12.21.2011 The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

The first film in Columbia Pictures’ three-picture adaptation of Stieg Larsson’s literary blockbuster “The Millennium Trilogy.” Directed by David Fincher and starring Daniel Craig and Rooney Mara.

1.10.2012 Gotham City Imposters Available for XBox 360, PS3, & PC 1.24.2012 Silent Hill Collection Available for XBox 360 & PS3 1.31.2012 Soul Calibur V Available for XBox 360 & PS3 1.31.2012 Final Fantasy XIII-2.

Available for XBox 360 & PS3

12.25.2011 War Horse.

Set during the First World War, “War Horse” follows the extraordinary journey of the horse as he moves through the war, changing and inspiring the lives of all those he meets.

6 | November | DayOldStubble | www.DayOldStubble.com

Gadgets & Collectibles MG 1/100 Heavyarms Trowa Barton’s mobile suit is the final addition to Bandai’s Gundam collection from Wing and is set to be released in January next year. The MG 1/100 Heavyarms is decked out in a plethora of weaponry. including the trademark homing missiles, a retractable army knife, chest Gatling gun, and the overpowered beam Gatling gun.

Much like his predecessor releases, this version of Heavyarms will be donned in his anime colors. Be sure to pick this one up to go alongside your Wing, Deathscythe, Shenlong, and Sandrock suits!

Price: ¥3,800/$48.90 and will be available in January.

Strike Witches’ Charlotte and Gertrude Alter is back with two new Strike Witches’ for us to lay down our hard earned cash in support of the 501st. You can enlist the services of Charlotte E. Yeager and newcomer Gertrud Barkhorn.

Gertrud Barkhorn brings her strength and pair of MG42 machine guns in this 1/8 scale figure with waving hair, bow, and uniform tails as well as amazing detail on her guns. Joining Gertrud is Charlotte E. Yeager and even though this 1/8 scale figure has the bunny ears, rear flashing, and large bosom going for her, I think Gertrud takes the cake.

Price: ¥7,800/$84.78. Charlotte will be available in February, with Gertrude following in March.

Dell Inpsiron One 2320 This is the latest 23-inch all-in-one desktop from Dell. Powered buy an Intel i7 processor, it comes with 2GB RAM and 500GB of hard disk drive for handling desktop functions like documentation, web browsing, etc.

Pushed as a device for education and entertainment, it comes with a Full HD 1080p display that is sleek and slim and provides an intuitive userfriendly interface.

Price: $599.99

Apple iPhone 4S The wraps are off the much awaited, new-gen Apple iPhone. Carrying forward the legacy of the iPhone 4, it is called the iPhone 4S (recall the iPhone 3G and the iPhone 3GS). It does look similar to the iPhone 4 but packs a lot more power.

The iPhone 4S dual core A5 processor chips along with faster graphics are aimed at performing heavy tasks with ease - from browsing to gaming to switching between apps.

Replacing the old 5MP camera on the iPhone 4S is the new 8MP one that offers 60 percent more pixels than the former. Face detection, LED flash for capturing good images in low light conditions and access to the camera straight from the lock screen along with 180HD makes it a complete imaging monster.

The biggest addition in the iPhone 4S is Siri, the voice assistant. It understands what you are saying and quickly answers queries. For instances, if you ask "Will it rain today?", Siri will give you the weather forecast for your exact location.

The inclusion of the new iOS5 that includes the notification center, Twitter integration, a new messaging service called iMessage, photos and camera enhancements makes this upgrade seem much more than that.

Price: $199 with new 2-Year contract

www.DayOldStubble.com | DayOldStubble | November| 7

I

t used to be that photo printing was left to the professionals who developed our film. These days, though, we often print our digital photos at home, using our own equipment. All our hard work is lost though if we don’t take care during the printing process, meaning we have to master the art of photo printing.

1. Choose the right print size Computers follow your directions: You can tell your PC to print a photo at any size and it’ll comply. This doesn’t mean the results will be any good, though. For the printed-out photo to be sharp at the desired print size there needs to be enough pixels in your image file. You will need at least 200 dots per inch (dpi) for acceptable image quality, and at least 300 dpi for excellent print quality. But what does that mean, and how can you figure out the best print size for a particular photo?

The best way to determine the maximum recommended print size is by dividing the photo’s pixel size by 200 (or 300 for higher-quality prints).

Let’s say your photo measures 1,600-by-2,000 pixels. Divide each dimension by 200, and you get 8-by10. That means you could print the photo as large as 8-by-10 inches and get acceptable results. If you want a higher-quality printout, divide the pixel size by 300. That gives you roughly a 5.33-by-6.66, which means you should print it no larger than about 4-by-6 inches for the best results. This technique gives a good rule of thumb for deciding whether a photo will print well.

2. Choose the right paper While you can get some stunning photos from today’s inkjet printers, there is still a need to use the right paper.

Plain paper

absorbs the ink, causing the colors to wash out destroying the fine detail and reducing the prints overall sharpness.

The most common varieties are glossy and semi-glossy (also called matte). Glossy is exactly what it sounds like: It’s shiny and gives your photos a resounding visual punch. Glossy paper is very reflective, though, and it can generate glare in direct sunlight. It also smudges easily.

If you want a less reflective, less smudgy alternative, consider matte. It’s not quite as sharp as glossy paper, and fine detail can get lost in the surface but if your printing out a lot of copies that could get touched quickly then matte is a wise choice.

How To ...

5 ti your ps for into best makin quali pictur g ty p es rin ts

3. Use the manufacturer’s ink I highly recommend using the ink recommended, and sold, by your printer’s manufacturer. Your printer is engineered to work best with specific ink formulations, and using “re-manufactured” or refilled ink cartridges will result in lower-quality prints. For everyday printing any kind of ink will work but it is always best to keep the right ink on hand for the right job.

4. Verify the print settings When you’re ready to print a photo, make sure to double-check all the important settings. You’ll be surprised how often you get lousy prints because some of these settings are incorrect. Did you set the right paper and ink type in the print settings dialog? Be sure those settings match the specs on the box. It’s not so bad if you configure the printer for premium paper and quality ink when printing on plain paper, but you definitely don’t want the printer to think you’re using plain paper or draft settings when outputting to high-quality photo paper.

Always make sure the paper is loaded correctly. Photo paper is designed to be printed on a particular side. If you print on the wrong side, the ink won’t absorb properly, and your photo won’t look good.

5. Maintain your printer Take good care of your printer.

Inkjet printers have print nozzles that can occasionally clog and need to be cleaned. Every month or two, it’s a good idea to run your printer’s print head cleaning and print head alignment utilities (usually available from the printer’s options). It is also a good rule to not let your printer go unused for weeks at a time. Even if you have a printer that’s intended just for photos, use it at least once a week whether you need to or not to keep the nozzles from gumming up, which can cause your printer to wear out quicker.g -Jason Carrick

8 | November | DayOldStubble | www.DayOldStubble.com

CHAPTER NAME Amazon’s Kindle Fire

Is Ama zon’s N ew Kindle Fire Ri g ht For Yo u? by: Jaso n

Carrick

Measuring in at 7.5” tall and 4.7” wide, the Kindle Fire is just perfect for holding.

T

his past September, Amazon heated up the tablet space by announcing the new Kindle Fire.

Priced at just $199, Amazon has set the Kindle Fire on a path to compete with Apple’s iPad by offering a customized tablet with an entry level price.

This new UI was built with media and content in mind. The home screen looks and acts like a bookshelf, giving everything an orderly preview. You’ll be able to choose the categories you want to view, as well as see the most recently used apps and media right up front.

While the name Kindle conjures up memories of e-readers, the Kindle Fire is far from that. This is all tablet, made by the same OEM that did the BlackBerry Playbook.

At the core of the customization is the Amazon integration. Access to Amazon’s MP3 player, Video on Demand, the Amazon Appstore, and of course the Kindle store will be tightly entwined with the software.

Running Android at its core, this is far from your normal Android tablet we’ve become accustomed to. Amazon has created a custom interface that runs on top of Android 2.3 and gives the Kindle Fire its unique interface.

Besides all the Amazon customization this tablet is rock solid at it’s core. The Amazon Kindle is your typical 7” Wifi tablet with a 1GHz dual-core TI OMAP processor, 8GB of internal storage and weighs in at 14.6 ounces. The screen is 7-inch IPS display at 1024×600 resolution. There is no SD card for expansion as you will be using Amazon’s cloud for storage and to pull your media from.

Just what can one expect to do with the $199 Fire? You’ll be able to read e-books and magazines, watch video, browse picture galleries, and run Android apps.

This sounds like every other tablet right? True, but that is where the similarities end. With the custom UI you’ll have access to all of Amazon’s content, giving you a one stop shop very similar to what makes Apple’s iPads so popular. You will also be able to sideload books and other media from your computer giving you access to your files you already have.

As with any useful tablet the Fire will have full access to the Internet with Amazon’s Silk browser, a webkit based browser that uses the cloud to optimize content as it’s delivered.

If this sounds like the perfect tablet for you then head to Amazon to get the Kindle Fire for just $199. g

www.DayOldStubble.com | DayOldStubble | November| 9

Wizard World Mid-Ohio

e l b b u t S d l yO

Da

s e h s a Cr d l r o W Wizard o i h O d i M

(Photo:Courtney McVicker, Wizard World)

O

verwhelmed. It is a feeling I have felt often over the last few months. Largely to do with my main job and all the hours I log there and numerous other things in my life which I will not go into detail here. It is a feeling I felt right before walking into the Greater Columbus Convention Center for Mid-Ohio Comic Con. My brother in crime, Jason, was not able to make the trip down to attend this convention with me. To be fair his drive was over three times the distance. Fortunately as soon as I walked through the entrance doors to the convention, I felt at home. I felt welcome. This is a place for me, with people who like the same things I like and are not afraid to show it. Sure you can compare the Mid-Ohio to Chicago Cons and come up with numerous things that are different between the two but since they are so different you want to attend both to get two entirely different experiences.

Chicago Comic Con is a blow you away experience. There is something in the air that makes you want to bottle it and use as a jolt any time your tired. It's electric, kinetic, frenzied and awesome. The show is definitely more focused on the stars that are scheduled to be there and the fans with stitches near their kidneys. It makes for good reporting for us because fans who are afraid of surgery can sit safely at home and hear the news second-hand. Mid-Ohio is an

entirely different experience. The energy is still there but instead of so much of it being directed towards the bait used to draw people in, it is towards one another. This is a Con about getting to know the person under that Spidey mask standing next to you waiting for you to put down that Sonic Screwdriver so he can snatch it up. You see it, you feel it, the sense of community is strong with this Con. I am a patient fellow.

Lines do not bother me, except for ones at the bathroom. I people watch, and experience how people react to each other and they respond, it's fascinating.

Same goes for experiencing booths, I walked through the aisles over and over and over again. One time I would stop at one booth and see what they had to offer, next I'd check out that artist I had already walked by 3 times. It helps me feel like everything is

10 | November | DayOldStubble | www.DayOldStubble.com

spontaneous, that I am not just a robot making my rounds, pounding the pavement, knocking on doors, and repeating the same spiel. The people I felt I connected the most with, are the people I didn't even mention our website to until we had a conversation about something else.

Subconsciously I think this was a weeding out process. This way I knew that they were genuine people, not ones there from a business aspect. Yeah sure they wanted to make money, but this was about the experience first and money second. They truly loved what it is that they do.

One of the first people I actually got a chance to talk with was Wade Cugino. He is the author of Comangra City and the creator of the Huge Glass Comic Book.

This is a dedicated man. He put 550 hours of work and thousands of dollars together to create this beauty. When I asked him if he had a purpose behind his madness, or just woke up bonkers one day he replied how he wanted to change the way we look at comics now. To open peoples' eyes that other mediums are out there for expressing these stories. Is glass the way to go? Maybe not, but I know one thing for sure, it's friggin sweet looking. He also had for sale ink and paper versions of the same comic so you could enjoy his story anytime you want. He then pulls out another rabbit and had for sale his Ultimate Graphic Storytelling Handbook. I applaud him for his innovative thinking here as well. This handbook was created to help people learn the correct way to read a comic, and if your a comic creator yourself, layout tips to help your story flow as well as possible. I respect his motivations behind his work and what he is doing to be an innovator in this field of comics. On his website he also mentions how he will do commission work of doing any glass comic or wall hanging you're interested in.

I had another excellent chat with the talented Daniel P. Gorman. When I stopped and checked out his booth we had a nice conversation centering around some of the difficulties that can arise from creating a career out of doing something you love versus something that pays. This balancing act between doing jobs that pay your bills and in your free time doing the things you actually enjoy is challenging and constantly trying to drum up enough notoriety for our passion and still put food on the table can be very tiring. I think this is something everyone aspires to and it was nice to have honest dialogue with him about the pros and cons of everything involved in this journey. His booth is definitely worth stopping and admiring all of his sketch cards he has for sale. The sheer quantity is impressive let alone the quality work and detail each one possesses.

These cards make for great desk deco or with the holidays coming up a couple would be wonderful stocking stuffers for that geek in your family. Dan doesn't stop with just individual sketch cards, he is also doing work on AMC's upcoming The Walking Dead trading card set and also original sketch card inserts for Upper Deck/Marvel Comics Collectible Trading Card sets. His artistry even touches

www.DayOldStubble.com | DayOldStubble | November| 11

comics in the form of an upcoming issue of Femforce(#158) and The Balancing Act:Book 1 of 3, in which he does the artwork while Robert A. Kraus handles the writing. Please show Daniel some love for his projects and his website.

What goes around comes around right? Gliese581gG Apparel is a "clothing line dedicated, with in reason, to taking something that was once cool and bringing it back and making it cool again". Their Hero-T line specifically features old comic book characters that were once cool that got lost in the jumble and featuring them in all their retro glory on some quality threads. Some of the designs that they currently featuring are Phantom Lady, Atoman, Spy Smasher(my personal favorite), Cat-Man, and more. What makes me the happiest to spread the word about these guys is the enthusiasm that they exude. While listening to them explain their company and products you can sense these guys are excited to be there, and excited to be doing something they enjoy and are passionate about. This is a clothing line that I think everyone will be seeing more of in the future and I look forward to see what they release in the future.

Talking to someone is much easier when you have a common interest in something. There are few people in my daily life that I find that share the same interests as me, that cons are wonderful for me to find people who I can chat about my obsessions with. I found a kindred spirit in Jay Fosgitt. While browsing all the booths at Mid-Ohio I came across a table with the artist's depiction of all the characters from Firefly. This led me to find Ash in another one of their sketches. Looking up I find the man behind the ink, Jay, and we start up a dialogue obviously centered around Firefly/Serenity and Evil Dead. I may seem over excited about meeting Jay true, but as previously mentioned, finding someone that I can connect with on things that I geek over is very rare for me. Being someone who does what he does because he loves it is also another reason I found it easy to talk with Jay. When people are passionate about something it comes out in their speech and expressions and it is infectious.

That is part of the reason why geek culture is spreading.

We as a group are very passionate people, Cons are perfect examples of just how passionate we are. From star's lines, to cool cosplay and even spending all day looking through the stacks for that specific issue are all ways we show our love for geekdom. Why else do you think stars enjoy coming to comic -cons year after year. Yes a lot of them come to promote themselves but many still come even when they have nothing else to talk about or even when they have been retired for a while. Take Adam West, Burt Ward and Walter Koenig for instance. Sure they may have a few projects here and there they are still involved with but not to the extent that they need to drum up more press for it. They come because the atmosphere at a con is thick with excitement.

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Walter Koenig is one who has very few projects going for him and he showed up to talk about his experiences while working on Babylon 5 and Star Trek. He was asked which role he preferred more Alfred Bester on B5 or Pavol Chekov on ST, and his response was how he enjoyed Bester more because it was a role that had more parts lines written specifically for the character. Unfortunately Chekov was more of an ancillary character and the character development was lacking until later in the series, which he also gained his own theme around the same time for times when he was running around the ship. He had nothing but positive words for Anton Yelchin who is the new Chekov in J.J. Abrams Pavol Chekov 2009 Star Trek. During his thirty minute Q&A he also told a couple of anecdotes involving Anton and even Zulu, co-star George Takei. He recounts a time when he convince Takei that the next Star Trek movie they were doing was going to be in claymation. The best part of his story was Koenig's spot on impression of Takei's voice and expressions. All in all Walter Koenig's panel was delight to sit in on and listen to a wise veteran of the industry recount old stories and answer some of our burning questions.

James Marsters is a actor who I have never really followed sadly. When Buffy came out, I didn't watch a lot of tv, so I never got into the series. At Mid-Ohio I also got the chance to sit in on his standing room only panel. He has a very diverse fan base, mainly rooted in the middle-aged woman but still has many men who enjoy his work as well. As I sat in on his panel I was incredibly surprised with how funny, informed, and charismatic he is. He started out by opening the floor to questions even daring people to try embarrass him, stating that any question may be asked, although may not be answered. The questions he was barraged with was certainly eclectic. Everything from what sign he would have if was at one of the Occupy movements (his response, "We are not done yet") to if his Torchwood character would ever make a crossover to Doctor Who, James Marsters

which he thinks is a sad no because his role a tad bit too "dirty" for Who and it just wouldn't work out. Those attending the panel were also treated to an impromptu live performance of one of his songs from his solo musical work after one of his fans asked him to play using the guitar she brought. When asked what it was like to make out with John Barrowman, from Torchwood, he goes into the un-erotic nature of love scenes while on set due to the fact of all the crew guys leering and making all type of comments while the scene is filmed. This is something you'll never find out until your watching one yourself and hearing all these comments off to the side. It will certainly stick with you as your filming love scenes in future and you can hear those guys in the back of your head going "Oh yeah" and other classy statements. He even responds quite intelligently to question posed to him about PBS getting its funding cut by the government, a very long and detailed account on the weakening of PBS. Last but not least he does talk about some of his upcoming projects, which include a movie he could not go into much detail about other than him playing an adorable villian who had his heart broken and now goes around killing people to prevent them from falling in love. He is also involved with the new series based on the comic that inspired the original Heavy Metal movie. His other projects include a play coming out in LA, a new cd, and a new audiobook series called Vampire Empire, as well as keep working on Harry Dresden.

Mid-Ohio Comic Con may not be as big as its fellow Wizard World cons but size isn't everything. These comic cons are about creating an event where geeks, artists, fans, and stars all collide and socialize and learn from one another. There is so much to gain on both sides from cons. The stars and artists get to promote more as well as hear directly from people what they have liked and look forward to from them. As fans we get that chance to shake hands and actually meet in person someone who entertains us or in some cases inspires and keeps us carrying on. I know I came away from this event feeling very satisfied. I felt that I made a lot of good connections with new people. Ones that as DayOldStubble grows we can continue to work and help each other grow.

Detz All Folks!!! g -James Detzler

DayOldStubble’s

Christmas Wish List Wether your hunting down a gift for your hipster brother or looking for something to fill that empty spot on your list we have you covered. With our selection of items you should have no problem pleasing even the hardiest of tech scrooges.

Amazon Kindle Fire

Amazon's new Kindle is more than a simple e-reader -- it's a Kindle with a color touchscreen for web, movies, music, apps, games, reading and more. Perfect for someone looking for a tablet and is not already tied to the iTunes Store.

Amazon.com | $199

Apple iPad 2

Bound to be a hit again this year, the latest iPad has two cameras, a dual-core A5 chip, 10-hour battery life all in a remarkably thin, light design. They even throw in gift wrap and engraving if you order online.

Apple.com | $499

Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0�

Weighing in at about 13 ounces, this Samsung Galaxy Tab has a 7-inch touchscreen that responds quickly to commands. It has a camera in the front for video calls as well as a rear one with flash and auto focus. The memory can be expanded up to 32GB. You can choose to have the tablet run on Wi-Fi only (nix the contract), or set up a service plan with AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon, or Sprint.

Price varies with plan | Wi-Fi Only $349.99

Commodore C64x Extreme

While it looks like the old Commodore 64 we remember from the '80s, this computer is packed with a 2.2GHz Intel core i7 quad-core chip, 8GB of DDR3 RAM and a 2TB HDD. Plus a whole lot more tech-jargon that didn't exist when the Commodore 64 was hip.

Perfect for your retro-tech lover.

Commodoreusa.net | $1500

Roku 2XS

This little box will stream HD video from hundreds of sources, including Netflix and internet video shows. Includes free Angry Birds, WiFi, enhanced remote with motion control for games, and more.

Perfect for those wanting to cut the cable cord and have a long Netflix queue.

Roku.com | $99

Garmin GTU 10

This detective-worthy GPS tracking device will help you keep tabs on your most prized possessions. The waterproof gadget—which weighs 1.7 ounces—comes with an adhesive strip, case, and carabiner clip, making it simple to attach to virtually anything. Register the GTU 10 on My.Garmin. com to set up to 10 geofences per device. You can track where an object has been and get e-mail or text notifications if it moves in or out of designated areas.

Garmin.com | $199.99 with one year of standard tracking, then $50 per year

Watchismo

These watches are reaching back into the glory days of electronics for their inaugural Dip Switch and Turn Switch timepiece collections. They feature the circuit boards you'd recognize from any '80s arcade game or electronic device. Ideal for those who like to open their newest gizmos and see its guts.

Watchismo.com | $149

Air Swimmers Flying R/C Sea Life

Yes, this is a giant inflatable flying shark.

Because, who wouldn't like a giant inflatable flying shark? Or, for that matter, clown fish.

Fish lovers, kids, or kids who love fish will find this enjoyable.

ThinkGeek.com | $39.99

Dr. Who TARDIS USB Hub

Just like the name implies, this is a USB hub shaped like TARDIS. Perfect for any Dr. Who fan.

Amazon.com | $26.99

MakerBot Thing-O-Matic 3D

This printer is a breakthrough in 3D printing technology. Buy it, assemble it, and enjoy being the first on your block to live in the cutting-edge personal manufacturing future of tomorrow! Get this for the guy who has to be the first to have everything.

Makerbot.com | Starting at $1299

Speck CandyShell Flip for iPhone 4s/4

You’ll never risk dropping your phone unprotected with this innovative case. The bottom of the hard plastic shell flips back for easy docking. Rubber lines the inside of the case and extends past the screen to protect the device from shock. Rubberized button covers add even more protection. The Speck CandyShell Flip is available in white/pink, black/blue, and black/gray.

Speckproducts.com | $34.95

J5 Create Wormhole KM Switch

This small gadget called the J5 Create Wormhole KM Switch is perfect for when you need to transfer files back and forth from computers, or want to connect and interact with a tablet. The USB to USB cable simplifies the sharing process, and allows you to control two devices with the same keyboard and mouse, as well as copy and paste content between PCs. Multiple Online Stores | Around $30

Lytro Camera

A tiny camera that captures the entire light field, allowing you to refocus your pictures at anytime, after the fact.

Lytro.com | $399-$499, ships early 2012

LomoKino Super 35 Camera

A cheesy, real-life Instagram/Hipstamatic camera that will give you old-school home movies. Great for your hipster friend who's always taking movies on the iPhone with vitage apps.

Lomography.com | $80 for the camera, and another $100 for the LomoKinoscope, a handheld, hand-cranked 35mm viewer.

ContourROAM

The ideal camera for a fun and easy experience capturing your adventures anywhere life takes you. Just attach it to your helmet, slide the record switch and you're instantly filming beautiful HD video. Contour.com | $199.99

Olloclip

This little gizmo clips onto your iPhone 4 or 4S to give the camera fisheye, wide-angle and macro lenses. The small, convenient package easily fits in your pocket. Perfect for anyone who wants to snap the best pictures of their little ones, without lugging around a big camera. BiteMyApple. com | $70

Pentax Optio WG-1 Compact Digital Camera

This rugged 14-megapixel camera was made to survive the elements. It’s waterproof (to 33 feet), crushproof, and can shoot 720p HD video. The Pentax Option WG-1 also comes with GPS functionality (for geo-tagging applications) and an anti-reflective 2.7-inch LCD screen. It’ll survive subfreezing temps, has 97 MB of memory, and an SD card slot.

Pentaximaging.com | $349.95

X-Mini II Capsule Speakers

The "next generation in portable sound," these small speakers pack some audio punch.

Perfect for those who like to listen to music on the go, without relying on headphones.

X-mini.com | $20

Jawbone Jambox

This sleek and colorful wireless speaker was made to help you multitask. The Jambox play your music, serve as a speakerphone for conference calls, and even send an e-mail text if you tell it to. You can download apps to personalize and improve the device to fit your needs. At 12 ounces it won’t weigh you down, and with a battery life of about eight hours, it won’t let you down either.

Jawbone.com | $199.99

The Ultimate Future Christmas Wish: DMC-12 EV Electric DeLorean

You no longer need to by plutonium from your Libyan nationalists to fuel your DeLorean, because now "this sucker's electrical!" The DMC-12 EV Electric DeLorean will be going into production sometime in 2013. This gift is perfect for those Eco-friendly Michael J. Fox fans.

DeLorean.com | $90k - $100k

www.DayOldStubble.com | DayOldStubble | November| 19

Geek Holidays

Geek Holiday Survival Guide A

few more days to go and we’ll all be gearing up for the festive season and planning who’s house to head to next. So, just how does a self-confessed social media addict and tech-geek survive the holidays?

With the right tips and apps you can stay entertained and connected while seemingly lost in the middle of nowhere.

1. Travel Apps Let’s start with getting there, if you are visiting a place for the first time there are plenty helpful navigation apps to help you get there. You can also manage your trips, track flights, schedules and check your budget.

FlightTrack ($4.99) Android, iOS, BlackBerry, & Windows Phone

Get real-time flight status and map tracking for airline flights worldwide. Track flights with beautiful, zoomable maps or get real-time departure info, delays and gate numbers at a glance.

It even updates you on cancellations and helps find an alternate flight.

TripIt (Free) Android, iOS, BlackBerry, & Windows Phone

This popular travel buddy can assist family travelers by tracking itineraries and other details for any trip.

2. Foodie Apps The Holidays are about spending quality time with family especially while sharing food around the table.

Here are some great food apps that can help you with the perfect meal to the best place to dine out if your

meal doesn’t go quite as planed.

Epicurious (Free) Android, iOS, & Windows Phone

THE food website to go to is also available for your mobile devices. This app features Epicurious Recipes & a Shopping List to get everything you need.

Urbanspoon (Free) Android, iOS, & BlackBerry

If you prefer dining out instead of cooking all day at home and you have no idea where to take your family, this is the app for you!

3. Gift giving There are plenty of productivity apps that help you keep track of things to buy, as well as your budget.

One good app to have around the holidays is the Free Christmas List on Android Market and Christmas Gifts List ($0.99) on iPhone, both help you keep track of what gifts you bought for your friends and family as well as how much you spent on each.

4. Family Fun Apps If your mobile device is used to entertain yourself or keep kids occupied here are a few themed apps to download.

Super Dance Elf Christmas with Friends (iOS $.99) is a fun app that lets you put a photo of your family, pets included in dancing elf characters. You can share this with family and friends through email and

brighten someone’s Christmas with your personalized holiday greetings.

Santa Booth (Android $1.99) is a similar app where you can take a picture of yourself or use an existing photo.

Angry Birds Seasons (iOS & Android $.99) is another great time waster with a winter holiday level as well as other celebrated holidays.

5. Record and share The best way to share all your best holiday moments is with social media. Of course you can always share via Twitter and Facebook but there are easier ways to share, especially if you are using a mobile device.

Shozu lets you upload mobile pictures and share them to all your social networking sites, Juicecaster is a similar app that also lets you send videos. If you want to have your own page just for the holidays, you can use the Treemo or Tumblr apps to upload and store all of your holiday pics and videos by creating a personalized mobile page.

The most important holiday survival tip is to enjoy this time with family and friends. Share your holiday with people that are important to you on and offline.

While social media can be addicting, it is okay to keep your virtual life silent for a while and make time for real interaction with your family and friends. g -Jason Carrick

20 | November | DayOldStubble | www.DayOldStubble.com

CHAPTER Refined Geek NAME

A Geek’s Guide To Relationships

OK

so, you are a geek. A proud geek but still one nonetheless. Eventually there will come a time when you find yourself with extra free time and no amount of Warcraft, or hours of Star Trek can seem to fill that void.

www.DayOldStubble.com | DayOldStubble | November| 21

Maybe it is time to get a little female companionship in your life. This is the REAL world, and it’s not like you can just can go and program a female AI to take care of you. So how do you start?

Step #1. First clean yourself up Us geeks typically aren’t the most fashion conscious types. While we love our vast assortment of software branded t-shirts and comfortable jeans, these just wont cut it. We’re talking about attracting women here, and like it or not, you’re going to have to look your best.

Get a nice haircut and shave, shaggy hair no matter where it is can be a huge turnoff.

Put on a clean pair of jeans and a nice shirt. Preferebly one without a catchy geek slogan or superhero on it.

Remember a person’s looks reflect how they feel about themselves. So try to look like you care. Take some time with this. Looking like a well groomed man is going to help with first impressions immensely.

Step #2. Brush up on pop culture Geek culture may be comfortable but to the vast majority we are the 1% and they are the 99%. While you don’t need to know everything going on, a little familiarization of all things

Hollywood and music can make a conversation go a lone way.

A word of warning - anything with the word “Star” in it is NOT part of Hollywood pop culture. Silly as it sounds, it’ll pay off in droves later.

Step #3. Step away from the game controller Being a geek and loving video games pretty much goes hand-inhand. Unfortunately, some geeks use video games to get their “human contact” fix by chatting with their gaming buddies, and don’t feel the need to go out and meet real people.

If you wanna meet women, you’re going to have to take some time off from the video games.

Now, I’m not telling you to give up video games all together - that’s crazy talk! But make meeting women a priority over the next Call of Duty... just for a little while.

Step #4. Get out of the house This one goes hand in hand with putting down your video game controllers. Us geeks have a really bad habit of staying indoors.

You will NEVER meet women unless you get out in the “real world.” Take some time after work and go hang

out somewhere for an hour. It can be someplace you enjoy, like a bookstore, a coffee shop, a dog park - wherever, as long as there girls who could potentially show up.

Step #5. Lastly it is time to meet some girls When you do run into a female that you like start off slow. Try and keep things light. Don’t hope for a home run and try and get a date off the bat.

Start random chit-chat with girls and if they seem cool, then (and only then) ask for her number.

When setting up a date try to get together for coffee or drinks. Do fun stuff that the both of you enjoy doing.

Don’t start revealing your inner geek until at least the third date, after she’s built up some comfort around you.

If your still unsure of “hitting” on females then start slow and try a good online dating site. Just make sure you actually set up a meet and greet or else your not getting anywhere productive.

Just remember to HAVE FUN! Don’t try to hard to change yourself. You are cool the way you are, and in time the women will come around to recognize this. g -Jason Carrick

Common Dating Mistakes To Avoid While Geek is the new chic and we no longer have to hide the passion for our nerdy habits. There are some things we tend to do that turn women off.

1 ) Over-Explaining/Condescending When asked a technical question we tend to explain with way more detail than was required.

Sometimes simply just taking a moment to ask “How familiar are you with it?” before explaining it as if they were five years old will allow you to save face.

2 ) Know-it-all/always being right Sometimes being smarter than everyone around us can be hard. Try to see someone else’s side of

things first and relate to it before giving your thoughts on the matter.

3 ) Fashion – Tennis shoes Buy yourself some nicer shoes for work or casual social events. You don’t have to go crazy but even some more trendy sneakers will go a long way.

Women do notice shoes.

4 ) Fashion – Loose out of date clothes Retire your clothes if they are out of date and stop dressing like the clothes were hand-me-downs. A well dressed man catches every ones eye no matter his size or shape.

5 ) Texting or emailing while talking If you are having a conversation, put down the game, the phone, the email, etc. Pay attention and be in the conversation.

6 ) Being defensive when teased Learn to roll with the punches. If you know how to be more playful and flirty you’ll be amazed at where it can get you.

7 ) Asking for feedback on a date Don’t ever ask how you are doing on a date.

Getting to the second date will tell you more than any answer she gives you.

22 | November | DayOldStubble | www.DayOldStubble.com

Ubuntu 11.10 Review

U

buntu’s latest release, is out and while the thought of releasing a new version of an operating system every 6 months may sound like an impossible target, Canonical has once again proven they can do it.

Ubuntu 11.10 (codenamed Oneiric Ocelot)

(Photo:Ubuntu Wallpaper)

Released on October 13, Ubuntu 11.10 (code named Oneiric Ocelot) brings the end of official support for the GNOME desktop, and thrusts its users into Canonical’s own Unity desktop in either the default 3D or 2D mode. The buzzwords surrounding 11.10 seem to be integration and refinement, more like a service pack than a new version.

The improvements are mostly limited to completing the switch to Unity, along with general polish in terms of look and feel. There’s an elegant new graphical login screen, enhanced graphical effects throughout the OS and updated icons and wallpapers.

While Unity is about a simpler and less cluttered desktop, user control areas have been reduced to a top menu bar and the launcher bar on the left of the screen. This is vastly improved over previous iterations of Unity, although it breaks from previous versions of Ubuntu in that much older hardware with lesser graphics performance may wind up choking on it.

In terms of interaction the Dash button now has a permanent place on the left-hand shortcut bar, making for much easier access. The bar will disappear when windows are maximized or moved over it and then re-appears when the mouse is moved to the top left-hand corner of the screen.

Clicking on the Dash button shows a search box that can be used to start programs and find documents.

Ubuntu even shows programs that

have not been installed but are available in the Software Centre that relate to what your are looking for. While it is possible to browse for your program, doing a search is always quicker.

The desktop is also easier to manage with new workspace switching options and an updated Alt-Tab switcher. Most users will also notice the windows controls are now hidden by default, which is sure to be a sticking point for some like the new scrollbars were in 11.04.

Performance has also been improved too. Users will now notice that app load time and search results are quick regardless of your processing power. There’s also new filtering options built into the Dash’s search-driven interface that resembles the smart folders on Windows 7 and OS X Lion that make finding anything easy and fast.

www.DayOldStubble.com | DayOldStubble | November| 23

The Software Center has an improved look which has also seen the benefit of new filtering options, a new toolbar, and a layout rethink, all to help make finding new apps much easier for the end user. A new addition to the Software Center is the availability of paid for programs allowing developers to finally get some recognition they so need.

Thunderbird is now the default email software rather than Evolution. Various included applications have also been updated to their latest versions, including Firefox and LibreOffice.

Images are handled by the Shotwell app, and entertainment is handled by the Banshee music player and Totem movie player.

The OneConf tool, which allows you to automatically keep applications synchronised across multiple Ubuntu systems, is now installed by default.

There’s a new backup client too, in the shape of the third-party Déjà Dup backup utility (it appears in the system settings as “Backup”). Déjà Dup works similar to Apple’s Time Machine, with support for both local and networked storage. By default it backs up your files to your Ubuntu One account, but this could eat up your space very quickly.

Ubuntu One, Ubuntu’s cloud music service as well as a file storage solution, has grown up and is a major feature and part of the Ubuntu experience in recent months. They have added Windows support, as well as the ability to stream music on either an iOS or Android device.

Power users can still customise the appearance and behavior of the Launcher via the CompizConfig tool, but interestingly this still isn’t included or advertised in the standard distribution and must be downloaded and installed manually.

Overall, this looks to be the best version of Ubuntu yet for existing users and those considering the jump from Windows or Mac. If you’re still not convinced then check out the official tour of the new OS in with a web based demonstration at www.ubuntu. com/tour. While this isn’t the full thing, it gives a good idea of how Ubuntu 11.10 works, in particular the Dash menu and Unity.

Remember Ubuntu is an alternative operating system to Windows and Mac OS X and costs nothing to download and use. Head on over to the official Ubuntu website at www.ubuntu.com and get download the 695MB ISO. g -Jason Carrick

5 Things to do after installing

Ubuntu 11.10 1. Check for Updates Be sure to check for any last minute updates added to Ubuntu after you downloaded it by checking the ‘PowerMenu’ (the right-hand cog icon) for any alerts.

2. Check for Availability of Proprietary Hardware Drivers Check for additional drivers available and activate the ones you want. Open Unity dash and search for ‘Additional Drivers’ application.

3. Install Restricted Codecs Ubuntu can’t ship things like patent-encumbered codecs due to legal reasons.

If you didn’t check the ‘Install 3rd party codecs/restricted drivers’ during the installation of Ubuntu 11.10 then Install the “ubunturestricted-extras” package. This will enable your Ubuntu to play popular file formats like mp3, avi, Flash videos etc.

4. Set up Ubuntu One Every Ubuntu user is entitled 5GB of free online storage space with Ubuntu One. Use it to back up your files, folders, Firefox bookmarks, Tomboy notes, Ubuntu Music Store purchases – whatever you like.

Click the Ubuntu One icon on the Unity Launcher to get started.

5. Make the desktop yours Just click the ‘cog and spanner’ (System Settings) icon on the Launcher and select the ‘Appearance’ option from the settings window that opens.

Browse through some of the 15 HQ photos wallpapers or change the theme to something lighter.

24 | November | DayOldStubble | www.DayOldStubble.com

Movie Reviews (Photo:20th Century Fox)

“In Time” Runs Out of Time

I

n Time is a dystopian future world where the world’s currency has all been surpassed by time. Too many populate the Earth, so in an effort to cull it down engineers have now genetically engineered humans to age until 25. Once they reach this age their “life clock” is set at 1 year and begins counting down, ending their life when it reaches 0:00. The rich can afford to buy more time and essentially live forever, the poor often die at a very young age. This is the set-up surrounding Justin Timberlake’s character, Will Salas, while living in the poorest “time zone”. At a bar one night he saves a out-of-place stranger’s life who has hundreds of years on his time clock. This man gifts all of his time clock to Will, and his world is turned upside down. He begins to shake things up among the rich by kidnapping the a powerful

mogul’s daughter, played by Amanda Seyfried, and with her help starts to rob banks and share the stockpiled time with everyone.

First let me begin with the idea behind this movie is an absolutely amazing one. There has been very few intriguing ideas in the movie scene lately and this one is definitely refreshing. I thoroughly enjoyed myself watching this movie. It was thought provoking and action-packed at the same time, while also allowing for those moments of heart that it needed. At it’s core I do believe the film is supposed to be a sort of social commentary on our current economic status and how we put so much stock into money and how it rules and controls our lives that it may as well be time. Somehow though, I felt this movie was constantly missing something. The characters were diverse and had interesting enough back stories, the ideas were different, the world felt claustrophobic but intriguing, but somehow I kept wanting more. Maybe because I had so many expectations for this movie, I wanted that extra little bit of polish. I wanted the world to be expansive and jaw-dropping, characters that made you fall in love with them(yes even the “villains”), and overall just a movie that would make me sit watching all of the credits just to comprehend everything. Yes, this movie is being docked points for not living up to its potential and sadly I think that is all that is lacking. Detz All Folks!!

In Time (20th Century Fox) Scifi/Fantasy PG13 Amanda Seyfried, Justin Timberlake

3.5 out of 5

(Photo:DreamWorks)

Hugh Jackman’s Real Steel stronger than Admantium

E

veryone remembers the old Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots right?

In the future, boxing has evolved to a new level, it is now ruled by large remote control robots controlled by promoters trying to be the best. The film centers on the character Charlie Kenton, played by Hugh Jackman. Charlie is an ex-professional boxer who has a hard time putting together a winning robot and providing for himself. In enters an unexpected burden on his life when he finds out an old flame has passed away and left him with an eleven year old son, Max. Initially he takes on the kid because he needs money to get another robot. He runs into another bad spot and the duo end up in a junkyard looking for parts where the kid finds an obsolete sparring robot with a unique shadowing feature. Charlie dismisses the bot but the kid believes in his robot and needs Charlie’s skills as a boxer to be taught to it. They name

their scrapper Atom and begin their underdog march to the top to battle the undefeated current champ. They bond through the hardships they face and Charlie begins to realize that maybe he needed Max more than he thought.

This movie feels like a futuristic Rocky film. Comparing it to such a classic is not that far off at all. It draws you in and you really start to care for these characters on screen. The puppet master behind my heartstrings was Atom the robot. He never utters one word, yet somehow I had a hard time not looking at his expressionless face and wondering what he was thinking and feeling. He is a great manifestation of true perseverance, the ability to get up time after time, no matter how hard that last knock was. Hope personified is Max. This boy always believes the impossible is attainable and teaches Charlie to take a leap and believe in himself. That is part of what makes this story so great, is seeing all these different things go on and how they affect Charlie’s cynicism. The graphics are strong with vivid set pieces that bring to life the world of robot fighting. To top it off, come on it’s robots fighting!!!! It awakens the little boy in all of us, that magic when something has us in awe and we can’t tear our eyes away. Detz All Folks!!

Real Steel (DreamWorks) Action/Adventure PG13 Hugh Jackman, Evangeline Lilly, Dakota Goyo

4.5 out of 5

www.DayOldStubble.com | DayOldStubble | November| 25

Video Game Reviews

Gears of War is as name everyone even remotely interested in video games knows by now. It’s understandable considering the franchise is what helped the launch of the Xbox 360 and grew into one of the largest gaming franchises in current gaming. No extensive introduction is needed to the Gears of War 3 other than just mentioning that it does wrap up the current story arc while not making any drastic changes, but adding new weapons and play modes to keep things fresh.

The first big addition you will see when you boot up the game is the addition of Beast mode. Beast mode is easily compared to playing as Left 4 Dead’s infected during multi-player for obvious reasons. You spend the round playing as a member of the Horde attacking entrenched COG soldiers, all the while earning money for completing tasks which can be used to re-spawn as anything from the Horde repertoire, even a mighty Boomer. This new mode is extremely fun, mainly because of the chance to step into the shoes of the bad guys and see what it is like to be them.

Horde mode is the same concept this time around with a twist. You also earn cash now for completing tasks and preforming well. This cash can be used to fortify defenses and buy new weaponry. Standard Versus matches get the least amount of change all thought the matching algorithm seems to be improved as

well as making it easier for friends to stay together while playing. Single player is a better experience this time around with intelligent teammate AI, challenging team-based fighting style, and smooth graphics bringing life to their over the top ideas .

As far as weaponry goes, during the last game I never had a moment where I thought that I needed a new device to kill off the horde. I will admit some of the new toys are fun(Diggers and OneShot) but I know during the main game and even during multiplayer most of my kills came from my contemporary weapons, the Lancer and Gnasher Shotgun. The Retro Lancer allows for some fun charging kills but ultimate is not a fair trade off for the horrible recoil, even with its increased power. The Sawed-Off Shotgun was another one that did not impress me when compared to its original design. The new Incendiary Grenades seem a little pointless and the Silverback Mech actually felt a little underpowered to me.

Overall the game is a continuation of what made this franchise great.

Hyper-violence paired with a well executed covering mechanic, sets this game apart from other first-person shooters and allows it to wrap up the story in the normal grandiose way we all expect from the series. New modes and weaponry keep the game from going stale and in our game trays.g -James Detzler

Gears of War 3

Microsoft Game Studios Epic Games Action ESRB: M Xbox 360

9/10

26 | November | DayOldStubble | www.DayOldStubble.com

Stupid Robots....

pp A c i t o b o R our y r o f s k Pic ne o h P t r a Sm

ave you ever worried that robots are H getting too smart?

There’s one thing science fiction has taught us, it’s that it won’t be long until the machines take over.

Lucky for us there are some people who are dedicated to keeping our metal friends dumb.

(Photo:Budapest Kitchen)

Bacarobo, the Stupid Robot Championship, is a showcase for just such robots. The event took place on October 30th in Budapest, Hungary and they recently crowned the worlds Stupidest Robot.

The contest originated in Japan "baka" means "stupid" in Japanese - running in 2007 and 2008 before moving to Hungary in 2010. While Bacarobo may not be as high-tech as other robotics contests such as the Robocup, the organisers hope the event will raise the profile of robotics in Budapest and Europe.

In this “survival of the dumbest,” 13 inventors presented their useless robots which met the three main rules: the robots must operate automatically, they must be useless and they must be funny. With the (Photo:Budapest Kitchen) winning robot receiving a €2000 prize.

This year’s robots included the Sheep-inthe-box ran away from people making sheep noises, a pair of shivering robots in a refrigerator, a

puddle jumping robot that made it’s own puddles and jumped over them, a "vicious" Nutcracker that did more that crack walnuts, and the Love Me, Loves Me Not robot that would tear the petals off of flowers.

The robot that took home the grand prize for Most Stupid Robot was FanBot Józsi,a football (soccer) (Photo:Budapest Kitchen) robot fan.

FanBot Józsi made no attempt to look humanoid and would sit around on a couch until he heard the word GOAL. Józsi would then grab a flag and wave it in the air while shaking his head and jumping on the couch if he was very excited.

Currently they are planing a 2012 Bacarobo Championship in Europe along with the possibility of a Global Championship to see who could create the worlds most stupid robot. So get your thinking caps on and get started on the next Supid Robot today. g -Jason Carrick

Bebot RoboSynth ($1.99 iOS) Part synthesizer, part animated robot. Touching the screen causes the robot to move and make sounds controlled by your movements.

Tiny Robots (Free Android) A missile defense game where you play as a plucky little robot defending his homeland from evil alien invaders.

MINDdroid (Free Android) Control LEGO MINDSTORMS robots with your Android phone. Create a create a wireless connection directly with your NXT and use your phone as a controller.

www.DayOldStubble.com | DayOldStubble | November| 27

Mac N Cheese Break

Hello folks and welcome to my breakdown page. This is where all types of breakdowns will happen. Sometimes I will break down a certain word or term and discuss the history of it and my thoughts on its future. Other times this page will be for my breakdowns. The times when I am just bursting with opinions and need to get a few things off of my chest. This page may evolve into something else in the future but I like this current direction.

Today I break down the word Geek.

According to Dictionary.com here is the definition.

Geek

noun Slang .

1.a computer expert or enthusiast (a term of pride as self-reference, but often considered offensive when used by outsiders.)

2.a peculiar or otherwise dislikable person, especially one who is perceived to be overly intellectual.

3.a carnival performer who performs sensationally morbid or disgusting acts, as biting off the head of a live chicken.

Origin: 1915- 20; probably variant of geck (mainly Scots ) fool < Dutch or Low German gek Geek is a term I heard growing up that was used to hurt someone’s feelings. At a young age I learned a geek was a social outcast, an outsider. Now granted this may be due to me not fully understanding the term. The term geek has become extremely mainstream now. I am not saying I wish we were like hipsters where we hang around the fringes of society. I know growing up being a “geek” was synonymous with having no social life, burying our heads into video games and computers, and being socially inept around anyone who didn’t share our same interests. Fortunately our world has evolved. We have become a world that absolutely depends upon computers, our specialty. All of a sudden those of us who were made fun of are the ones people depend on. Our everyday lives are immensely impacted by the social tools that geeks have created. Almost every one is tied to the Internet in some way or another.

Myspace, Facebook, Tumblr, and YouTube are all social sites created by geeks, designed to bridge that gap between people and bring them closer, and all geek created. Some business owe their entire popularity to these sites as well.

So I would like to make it known that we geeks are extremely social. In fact maybe even more social than some of our “normal” counterparts. We get together to play all types of games from video games to tabletop. We collect en masse for comic cons and countless other conventions to meet other like minded fellows and share in the celebration of the things we love. We even use forums online to discuss topics with people halfway around the world.

One of things we love to do most is just to find people that share our interests and to me that seems to be a great example of some one who is social. So before thinking that geek at the computer repair shop is lonely and shut in, they might just surprise you and have more friends than you. Detz All Folks!!

-James Detzler

Deputy Editor

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