Issue 2: Jan. 2012 | Our Review Edition

DayOldStubble News & Reviews For The Refined Geek

80’s Flashback

We go retro with our reviews.

Tables and Games...

Oh My!

Samsung Galaxy Note Twitter

How to get your tweets heard.

Emoticons

30 years older and better with age.

Movies

Get a clue with Tintin and Dragon Tattoo.

Battlefield 3 Reviewed

The Ultimate Transformer

Top 5

Final Fantasy Games Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Reviewed

2 | January | DayOldStubble | www.DayOldStubble.com

Contents Features

8

Samsung Galaxy Note

This one is our new must have.

10 12 13 14

Asus transformer prime

Asus’s transformer Prime launches this month with the Nvidia Tegra 3 processor. Is this iPad competitor the right fit for you?

Emoticons: 30 years later

It’s hard to believe these little things have been around for so long. Ever wonder how they were created?

Get a Grip on Twitter

Looking to add a few new followers?

Follow these simple tips and we may be following you soon.

Flash Back

To celebrate the Commodore 64 turning 30, we turn back the clock and look at River City Ransom and Good Morning Vietnam.

Regulars

22

pg. 3 Editorial

Battlefield 3

Time to gear up and move out.

19

pg. 4 Inbox

Tintin Review

A classic comic now onscreen

pg. 5 January Calendar pg. 6 & 7 Gadgets pg. 10 SticKeyBoards

24

Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Is this everyone’s must have?

20

pg. 16 & 17 Refine Geek

Dragon Tattoo Reviewed

How is the latest US version?

pg. 27 Mac n Cheese Break

www.DayOldStubble.com | DayOldStubble | January | 3

From the Editor

Another Year Done..

And We’re Still Growing.

W

ell here it is 2012 and we have all survived another year. We saw every tech company decide they had to make a tablet even though Apple has still sold more iPads than all of them combined. Android continued its big push and became the dominant smartphone OS, and we all became a little less secure online thanks to Anonymous and their pals hacking away in the name of Internet Freedom.

All told 2011 was a very hectic year, not only for tech but also for us here at DayOldStubble. We celebrated our one year anniversary in December with the launch of the DayOldStubble magazine and starting this month we are moving to a video based approach of getting you, our readers, the latest news and reviews. We will be focusing more on bringing you the best quality magazine for the refined geeks out there, while giving you short snippets of video you can digest easily each day.

We would also like to introduce our newest DayOldStubble contributor Aaron DeKuiper. After seeing our inaugural magazine he contacted us and has joined the team. You can catch his great game review of Skyrim on page 23, his Top Five Final Fantasy Games on page 25, and his retro game review of River City Ransom on page 14.

We`re still looking for a few good writers and contributors, so if you’re interested in being a part of our unique brand of refined geekiness, then drop us a line. In the mean time, don`t forget to head over to DayOldStubble.com for all your geek news.

Editor Jason Carrick email: komodojay@dayoldstubble.com/ Twitter: @jason_carrick

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

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

EDITOR Jason Carrick DEPUTY EDITOR James Detzler Layout/Graphics Jason Carrick Contributors Aaron DeKuiper Letters info@dayoldstubble.com Advertising ads@dayoldstubble.com Press & marketing: press@dayoldstubble.com Images Galxay Note Courtesy Samsung Transformer Prime Courtesy Asus sxc.hu Special Thanks: Diana Six & Wayne Bialik Studio6 Laura Moore DayOldStubble Magazine is published monthly by DayOldStubble 1122 21st St Manistee, MI 49660 Volume # 2 published January 13, 2012.

All rights reserved © 2012 DayOldStubble DayOldStubble.com

4 | January | DayOldStubble | www.DayOldStubble.com

Inbox

Email us at info@dayoldstubble.com

Featured Letter

trollerless via the After being able to play games con systems?

Kinect, what is next for video game Katie McAtee technology Next for gaming its basically getting all that adapt more to rs lope to work efficiently and get game deve n at quite grow has ing motion controls into their games. Gam ently. curr eau plat a hit a rapid pace in the last few years and it has you that ems syst or Possibly we could see virtual reality consoles ely activ er mak ole cons plug straight into your gray matter. The only ole cons in way the lead talking about a device is Nintendo. They may with out ing com are they sales but are losing in the games arena. So is a blending of motion It e. nam its be will ly real that the Wii U. Yes, en. People are skeptical control, traditional controls and touch scre re the Wii. Personally I am currently but that’s how everyone felt befo ks where your eye focuses interested in Tobii. This is software that trac puter screen with only accurately. Imagine moving around your com with the current motion your eyes! I could see this being combined get fully submersed in what controls in the future allowing gamers to they are playing.

Congratulations Katie! You were k for this month’s Featured Letter. Loo The d Dea g lkin Wa your copy of The Complete First Season DVD, in the mail soon.

Streaming Media Do you have any advice on a good media streamer I can hook up to my TV to get content from my laptop or desktop? I want to be able to look at photos and stream videos wirelessly. If possible a device that has some storage so I don`t always need my computer on to get content. I`ve looked at Boxee and Roku but was unsure what would be best.

Nancy Bordell Personally I would recommend the Roku 2 XS which retails for $99.99. With this small device you get the ability to stream media from your home computers over wireless but it also comes with expandable storage cabilities by adding a microSD card or USB Stick allowing you to save content directly onto or play from those devices. The XS also comes with the ability to play games on your HD television using the motion sensing remote allowing you to play everyone’s favorite, Angry Birds.

Win a pair of Geek socks from Gumball Poodle Send us a letter and you could win a pair of Geek socks from Gumball Poodle.

These stylish knee-high socks let you proudly proclaim your Geek status and are sure catch to everyone’s attention.

So don’t be shy, just like these socks, and 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 insight 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.

Small Spaces I would like to buy an all-in-one desktop with TV tuner and widescreen to use in my one room apartment. I have close to $1000 to spend. Can you recommend one that I could hook up my Xbox 360 as well to play my games on?

Jim Leahman I would recommend any of these All-In-Ones as they all offer a great widescreen with HD, TV Tuner capabilities and have hookups for audio/video. For around $1000 you can get the HP Touchsmart 600-1370.

A few hundred more can get you the Lenovo Idea Center A310 for $1100 or the Dell Inspiron One 2330 for $1200.

Any of these would be a great fit giving you the power and capabilities to be your computer and entertainment center.

1%

The percent required to be shaved off current broadband prices to allow five million more households around the world afford the Internet, according to analyst firm Point Topic.

www.DayOldStubble.com | DayOldStubble | January | 5

January Calendar

10

Contraband

13

Gotham City Imposters - Xbox 360, PS3, PC Sundance Film Festival - Park City, UT

19-29

Haywire

20 31 Soul Caliber V - Xbox 360, PS3

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.

31 Final Fantasy XIII-2 - Xbox 360, PS3

6 | January | DayOldStubble | www.DayOldStubble.com

Gadgets & Collectibles t’Light The t’Light-S boasts eco-friendly illumination from a 5W LED in addition to audio output and a charging function. The included remote control enables you to dim the LED light and adjust the volume and playback accordingly via a range of settings.

The t’Light has a 3 watt LED lamp on top that will provide about 50,000 hours of light. But the power is in its base, there’s a built in iPhone dock for charging as well as a USB port and a jack for charging laptops. www.tlight.cc Price: t’Light-S $199 • t’Light $139

Batman Arkham Asylum Play Arts Kai Batman Action Figure Square Enix’s Play Arts ~Kai~ figures are an improved version of their popular Play Arts action figure series. With a larger scale, a greater attention to detail, more articulation points, and additional parts, these are their finest action figure yet.

Square Enix’s Batman: Arkham Asylum Play Arts ~Kai~ Figures give gamers two of the most realistic versions of the game’s characters, Batman and The Joker, with detailed sculpts based on Ubisoft’s CGI models. Batman stands 9 1/2” tall and his counterpart, The Joker, is 8 5/8” tall. Window box packaging.

Price: $59.99 Release Date: February 29, 2012

i’m Watch Have you ever wanted to access your smart phone but didn’t want to dig into your pockets? Enter the app-based i’m smart watch, with its 1.55 inch sapphire glass touchscreen, 4GB of storage, and a customized version of Android. With bluetooth connectivity you can pair it with your phone and have access to all your important info like email, texts, tweets and even make calls just like Dick Tracy. www.imwatch.it Price: $360 with shipping.

www.DayOldStubble.com | DayOldStubble | January | 7

Mimimicro from Mimoco This USB flash drive with interchangeable microSD memory cards also functions as a microSD card reader to transport data between mobile phones, tablets, e-readers, digital cameras, and mp3 players to one’s computer.

Available in March they will feature characters from Star Wars and the DC Universe. www.mimoco.com

Nest Thermostat Designed by the same great minds that brought you the original Apple iPod comes the Nest. This thermostat employs the familiar click wheel that alters the temperature within your home. After a week of monitoring your habits, the Nest begins to automically adjust the heat to achieve your desired settings. www.nest.com Price: $249 The initial batch is sold out. Look for more in early 2012.

Samsung MV800

Light Light Silhouette

Samsung’s new point and shoot camera comes with quite a difference, a new multi-view display. This 3 inch Flip out display tilts up and down for framing different shots easily. It has a big 16.1 MP sensor, 5x optical zoom and a 26mm wide angle lens. The MV800 also boasts the Smart Filter and an innovative Live Panorama function.

This sturdy multi-mountable cam comes with a 150-minute battery that lets you shoot your greatest ever trick or stunt. Aspiring film makers use this to get those tough action shots without worrying about ruining your dedicated camera.

The gravitydefying Light Light lamp will be a conversation piece for years to come. The levitating top section floats above the base of this table lamp with special electromagnets used to keep the two halves apart. A run of LEDs around the base act as the 300lux light source and a dimmer lets you adjust the intensity of the glow. www.light-light.com

Price: $299.99

Price: $279.99

Price: $279.99

GoPro HD Hero2

8 | January | DayOldStubble | www.DayOldStubble.com

CHAPTER Galaxy Samsung NAME Note

Most d e t n Wa

This revolutionary device is an entirely new category of gadget. The Samsung GALAXY Note is a phone, a notebook, media player, camera, and creativity tool all rolled into one.

With it's 5.3 inch 1280x800 HD Super AMOLED display you can easily browse the web, read ebooks, or digital magazines without the need to zoom.

Video and photos look amazing on this screen with vibrant and bright colors.

The Samsung GALAXY Note features a speedy 1.4GHz dual-core processor and an 8MP, 1080P camera enabling you to shoot HD video or take fantastic photos without the need for a separate device. You also get a 2MP front camera perfect for video chatting with family or friends.

The built in high capacity battery lets you partake in all of these great features from a single charge.

The most amazing part of this phone/tablet hybrid is the unique S Pen that makes the Note perfect for notetaking, business, and just being creative. The Note lets you handwrite notes and then converts them to text on the fly. With the S Pen you can even capture, annotate and share any screen or image.

Currently the Samsung GALAXY Note is availble overseas but is expected to become available on AT&T around Feburary 14th. If you’re looking for a new phone and love the portablity your tablet brings you but hate the size then definately take a look at the GALAXY Note.

Specifications

Processor: Dual-core 1.4GHz Display: 5.3 in,1280x800pixel HD Super AMOLED Input: S Pen, multi-touch capacitive touchscreen OS: Android 2.3 Gingerbread Connectivity: HSPA+, Wi-Fi, microUSB Camera: 8MP stills, 1080P Full HD video Storage: 16GB internal. microSD up to 32GB Sensors: Accelerometer, digital compass, proximity, barometer, ambient light Dimensions: 146.85x82.95x9.65 mm, 178g Battery: 2500mAh

www.DayOldStubble.com | DayOldStubble | January | 9

1

2

3 4

1

8-meg/1080p HD Camera The GALAXY Note lets you capture your world in super-sharp 8MP photos and l080p Full HD video.

With loads of scene options, including a 180-degree panoramic, you may never need a separate camera.

2

Powerful processor and widescreen HD Boasting a 1.4GHz dualcore chip and 5.3-inch HD Super AMOLED screen the GALAXY Note crams the resolution of a tablet into a pocket-friendly size. Not only is it super-sharp, it’s also vibrant, bright and power efflcient.

3

Huge screen with super-slim form Even with a monster 5.3inch screen and housing the S Pen, the Galaxy Note is just 9.65mm deep and weighs only 178g. Perfect for your pocket and won’t ruin the look of your suit.

4

Take instant notes Got a brilliant idea?

Use the S Pen with S Memo and just start writing or sketching just like a real pen and paper. The Note also lets you capture and annotate any screen: photos, web pages, and more can all share a mix of written and visual musings.

10 | January | DayOldStubble | www.DayOldStubble.com

Asus Transformer Prime Specifications

Display: 10.1-inch 1280x800p Processor/Ram: Nvidia Tegra 3 quadcore/1GB Storage: 32GB Battery: 12 hours as standalone tablet, 18 hours when docked Connectivity: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.1, HDMI, microSD, USB 2.0 and SD on the dock Size/Weight: 263x181x8.3mm/537g

1 Details 1. Finger Fun The gorilla glassfronted, touchscreen display has a 720p resolution and offers ten-finger multi-touch.

2. Four Cores!

The first device to sport Nvidia’s quadcore Tegra 3 chip, the prime should pack an almighty punch and great 3D graphics.

2

3

3. Ready to Dock The keyboard add-on increases useability, especially when typing, boosts battery life to an estimated 18 hours, and also gives you an SD card slot.

If you enjoy the portablility of Apple’s iPad but loathe that the device is more of a consumption tool than a creative tool, then the Asus EeePad Transformer Prime might be just perfect for you. Asus has seemed to hit an automatic homerun simply by bundling the first decent, sub-iPad-priced Android tablet with a keyboard dock giving the best of both worlds.

The Transformer Prime comes with Google’s Ice Cream Sandwich OS, Nvidia’s new quad-core Tegra 3 chip, a 10.1-inch, 1280x800p screen with LED backlighting and included Gorilla Glass.

While touch keyboards offer decent usabilty most people tend to happier with an actual physical one.

This is where the Prime’s docking keyboard shines, making typing emails and documents less of a hassle and giving you the chance to unlock your creativity.

The keyboard dock also has its own battery, increasing

the already impressive 12-hour battery life up to an estimated 18 hours of run time. You also gain an SD Card reader and a USB 2.0 port to plug in a mouse or thumbdrive for additional storage.

Let’s not forget the camera, normally they are overlooked on tablets as they appear to be after thoughts that designers threw on to say they included a camera. This one is not the same, the camera is a full 8MP with a wide f2.4 aperature, LED flash and full 1080p video recording ability. A second 1.2MP VGA camera is on the front making it perfect for video chatting.

The most amazing part of this device shows up when you look at the price. You get all this power and portablity starting at $499 for the 32GB model and $649 for the tablet and keyboard dock.

www.DayOldStubble.com | DayOldStubble | January | 11

SticKeyBoards

Websites

Our selection of websites safe to surf late at night.

www.runforyourlives.com

Afraid of the impending zombie apocalypse? Think you’re in shape enough to run away from all of the undead? Why not put your endurance to the test. Run For Your Lives is a zombie infested 5k obstacle course/ race. They started out as a one event location last year but in 2012 the infection has spread and there might be a location near you.

www.9Gag.com

www.newgrounds.com

Newgrounds used to be the site where I wasted the most amount of my time. This is a community of people with skills in voice work, animation, and music. They create original games, animations, music.

Imagine YouTube but focusing on animation skills. A lot of things tend to be for the 18+ crowd, so parents make sure you are paying attention what your children are watching.

www.penny-arcade.com

This site may not be unknown to many of you but nevertheless it is still a great site. Even for those with just a passing knowledge of games, their web comic is hilarious. Add in a cool blog with some neat info and the gaming expos that they host every year and you can’t go wrong with this site.

This website is where I come to kill my productivity. Imagine a FB-like stream of hilarious images and videos. A lot of the stuff is photo shopped but that is what makes some of these so great. Also expect to get caught up on internet culture real quick. This place is full of meme’s and pop culture. Come back next issue and I’ll teach you what meme’s are.

www.inventables.com Do you get restless at night?

Creative juices flowing more than during the day? Love cool products you will likely never find in a normal store? Here is the site for you. Inventables is for all the designers and inventors out there. From tools to supplies to products that seem magical, come here for your next project supplies.

Have any cool websites you would like to share?

Send them to info@dayoldstubble.com and we’ll check them out.

12 | January | DayOldStubble | www.DayOldStubble.com 19-Sep-82 11:44 Scott E Fahlman :-)

Chat Evolution

From: Scott E Fahlman <Fahlman at Cmu-20c> I propose that the following character sequence for joke markers:

: s n ico

t r o e t a m l E ars e y 0 3

Emoticons, or smileys as they are better known, are those little facial expressions pictorially represented by punctuation and letters to express a writer`s mood. But have you ever wondered how they evolved, when they were first used, or how long we have been using them? These little things that help alert a reader to the tenor or temper or a statement, and can improve the interpretation of plain text, have been with us longer than you may think.

Twenty-nine years ago, Scott Fahlman, a computer scientist at Carnegie Mellon University, first proposed a colon, hyphen and bracket as a way of conveying emotional meaning via plain text. Fast forward to today and that simple smiley has evolved into various multi-colored, animated characters that can been seen from webpages, to email, and even on your phone.

:-) Read it sideways. Actually, it is probably more economical to mark things that are NOT jokes, given current trends. :-(

While the original proposal posted to the Carnegie Mellon University computer science general board was thought to be lost, it was recovered almost 20 years later by Jeff Baird from an old backup tape.

The meaning of the word Emoticon and it`s evolution Emoticon is a portmanteau word of english words, emotion and icon. In online forums, instant messengers, and online games, the text emoticons are usual replaced with various graphical resentations also known as emoticons.

Originally, these image emoticons were fairly simple and replaced only the most common character sequence, but over time they have become much more evolved and complex requiring use of a menu or popup window to list the hundreds of possible items.

Emoticons have also expanded beyond simple cartoon faces and can now be a variety of still or moving images. Some emoticons don`t even represent a true emotion but more a thought or idea.

Many instant messaging software is also programed to play a sound when receiving certain emoticons to add to the experience.

Emoticons in the future

The use of emoticons can be traced back to the 19th century where they were commonly used in casual and/or humor writing. The digital form as we know it today was proposed by Scott Fahlman in a message on September 19th, 1982. In the proposal Scott used the emoticons :-) and :-( with a specific suggestion that they be used to express emotion.

In a world where basic communication is done mostly via email, text messages, and chats, emoticons are the best possible way to express your thoughts and feelings in these digital times. Emoticons are going to remain one of the essential items in day-to-day communication. With three decades done and more to come, one can only wonder where the next evolution of emoticons could take us.. g -Jason Carrick

www.DayOldStubble.com | DayOldStubble | January | 13

Social Help

Get a Grip on Twitter can either provide you with an abundance of information at your fingertips or make it seem like you’re the only one talking in the room. Here are a few tips to help you fully understand what networking can do for you.

Since its creation five years ago, Twitter created a new communication tool never before. While most people and businesses use Twitter successfully there are those who find it a really noisey corner of the internet and a complete waste of time. If you’re one the latter then try using these simple tips and tricks to get the most out of your Twitter experience while still maintaining a decent social life.

Use Hashtags: With millions of tweets sent out 1 each hour it can be easy to get lost in the river of info, let alone find what you’re looking for. This is

where hashtags can become useful. A simple hashtag (#) before any relevant keyword and others can find your tweets easily. Hashtags often used by events are publicized in advance so you can add your own comments or follow along with everyone else. Most Twitter clients allow you to click on the hashtag to see all the tweets associated with it. You can also use these hashtags to mute out tweets that do not interest you.

But word to the wise, using too many hashtags in a tweet is just bad etiquitte.

Find a capable Twitter client: While the 2 Twitter website is getting better to use, it still lacks a few key elements to take full advantage

of the social network. A dedicated Twitter client on your PC/Mac or favorite mobile device adds additional features like including photos, videos, links, and auto updates from important people or hashtags to keep you updated wherever you are.

Make sure to follow the right people: While 3 following the people you know on Twitter may sound like a good idea, it can tend to get a tad

quiet if no one is updating all the time. Simply add a few people outside your normal circle and you will be

amazed at all the new information streaming your way. Use the built-in Twitter search to help find relevant people to follow or use the Twitter suggested “Who to Follow” lists to your advantage. You can browse for similar interests or search for friends and soon you will be interacting with people you may have never met. If you find out you’re following too many people don’t be afraid to do some spring cleaning and unfollow those who aren’t keeping you interested. Feel free to add us, @DayOldStubble, to your list. would want to follow on Twitter, set a 4 people daily schedule so that you don’t overdo it in Post regularly: To become someone that

just one day of the week and then be silent the rest.

A constant voice brings rewards like new followers and increased interaction. Using tools like Buffer and Twitlert can help. Buffer is a simple tool that lets you post muliple tweets when you find interesting things but then spaces those out at a more manageable interval for your readers to follow. Twitlert, on the other hand, keeps an eye out for those important tweets you may want to track on Twitter and sends you a notification if and when they are mentioned so you can catch up or follow along.

Start using these simple tricks and watch as your Twitter followers and interactions increase. Soon you might see yourself on the “Who to Follow” list. g

-Jason Carrick

FlashBack

- A look at quality games, movies and tech of yesteryear that still make for a great experience today!

River City Ransom

Original system: NES, released in 1989 by Technos This game is a classic NES brawler, and one of few from that era that featured 2 player co-op game play. While gamers today enjoy a bevy of cooperative experiences in games ranging from the Halo series to Baldur’s Gate titles and everything in between, back in the 80’s you usually either had to pummel your buddy or take turns at the controller with them. River City Ransom lets you play alongside together as two high school boys facing waves of gangs and their leaders in an effort to retake their school, and save your girlfriend!

Classic 80’s.

Drawing game play inspiration from titles like the Double Dragon series or Renegade, River City Ransom equips you with the standard martial arts array for combat. But that’s where this game really takes off, and expands your options far beyond what was common from console games of its era.

There are no health hearts to pick up, instead you gather cash from downed foes- and then go shopping! Scattered

Good Morning Vietnam Release: January 15th, 1988 Stars: Robin Williams, Forest Whitaker Director: Barry Levinson 4 out of 5 Stars

Gooooooooooooodddddddd Mooooorrrrninnnnng Vietnam!!!! You don’t even have to have seen Good Morning Vietnam to know that quote. Just seeing or even hearing the trailer once and that line will be stuck in your head forever. Robin Williams plays Adrian Cronaur, a military radio DJ transferred from Crete to Vietnam to add a little color to the radio station and increase morale.

Unfortunately he runs afoul of his bosses and experiences the harsh reality of the war first hand. This is a perfect

throughout the game world are town sections where you can visit a variety of stores and restaurants to purchase items like hot chocolate, sushi, and pepper steak. Foods replenish your health bars and also increase your stats.

Many foods can be ordered takeout if you choose, to be eaten later from your inventory. Additionally, you can purchase skill books that grant your character additional attack options such as rapid-fire punch or kick attacks.

These quickly overpower your experience…but who doesn’t like mowing down baddies with blissful impunity!

River City Ransom is best played with a friend for maximum enjoyment of combining to dispatch foes… and scrambling to swipe the precious coins they leave behind. It is not an overly long experience, coming from the days when a good game was one that entertained you for one long day of gaming at a time, but it does take a while to fight through all the enemies, particularly if you are investing time exploring the different goods the towns have to offer. The game yields decent replay value for a brawler of this era… experimenting with different skill book loadouts greatly changes the difficulty of the game, or try running through with just your base abilities for added challenge!

In addition to the original release version, River City Ransom is also available on Game Boy Advance and through the Wii Virtual Console. With a VC price tag of around $5, this is a great pickup for a quick diversion from your current games- particularly if you plan to stomp through with a friend! g -Aaron DeKuiper

movie, if not the best movie, to showcase Robin Williams acting range. He comes in unaware, almost innocent-like, and by the end of the film still has his goofy nature but is heavily tempered by his experiences in that jungle country.

This film is ultimately a classic because it handled a difficult subject with humor and made it accessible to everyone. It allowed people to see what life was like for soldiers without depressing people and actually was a quite uplifting film that you can walk away from feeling good.

If you do not already own this film, on January 17th, they are releasing the 25th anniversary special/blu-ray edition.

This would be a great time to pick it up and see all the extras that will be loaded on there. Anything extra from Robin Williams prime is a definite win in my book.g -James Detzler

Happy 30th Bir thday, Commodore 64!

The bulky brown home computing box of choice of the 1980’s hits the three decade landmark this month, and is fondly remembered by many as their first experience with home computing.

Thirty years ago, at the 1982 CES, the world was first introduced to the Commodore 64. It is still considered by some to be one of the best home computers ever made for the normal consumer.

A tame machine by today’s standards, its 8-bit charms with a MOS Technology 6510 processor running at a 1MHz, 64k of memory and 16-colour graphics chip were as good as it got upon release in 1982.

For many, the C64 was their first taste of the delights of gaming at home, trading cassette tapes instead of quarters at the local arcade. Even though they took an age to load, these games offered countless hours of fun. Anyone who remembers running through the legs of the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man in Ghostbusters still sings the machine’s praise.

Though the Commodore 64 got off to a slow start after initially being revealed at the 1981 CES show, 17 million units went on to be sold. Dominating the 1980s, the machine fell out of style by the early 1990s as Nintendo, Sega, and Amiga video game machines became increasingly popular, and by the middle of the decade Commodore had filed for bankruptcy.

While it’s very easy to get your hands on a Commodore 64 emulator (there’s even one as an app for Apple devices), and just as easy to pick up a retro machine from eBay, those who want to relieve their old glory days are in luck. A new company called Commodore USA has begun production on a new machine called the Commodore 64x. A great gift for fans of the original machine, it keeps the bulky classic build of the original computer, but adds modern specifications like dual-core, 1.8GHz Intel Atom D525 chip, an Nvidia Ion 2 GPU, Wi-Fi and a Blu-ray drive.g -Jason Carrick

Top 5 Things the Commodore 64 Could Do That Today’s Computers Can’t.

1. Load Programs from Tape and / or Buy Them in Book Form to Program in Yourself.

Looking to share the latest software with a friend, nothing beats a good tape drive for easy backup. We all have books on programming but what about books with the code to your favorite video game? Entering in games by hand was all the rage in 1984.

2. Connect to Any Tube Television.

Sure today’s monitors come HDTV ready but what about the older tv in junior’s room? With its convenient RFmodulator output through an RCA cable, the C64 would have no problem.

3. Be Used as a Portable and Desktop at the Same Time.

If you’re ever in a hurry and need to head out with the C64 all you had to do was pick it up and out you went, not like today’s bulky desktops.

4. Take a Spill Like a Champ All of us at one time or another accidentally spilled a cup of water on our C64 when growing up and they kept on kicking. Try that with today’s hardware and it might not be so pretty.

5. Blend in With Any Mid-70’s Decor Hey I hear bell bottoms are back so it’s only a matter of time before the beige and brown color schemes are all the fad again, right?

16 | January | DayOldStubble | www.DayOldStubble.com

Geek Chic Storm Black Aquatron $450 - stormusa.com The durable Aquatron has all the features such as date, Swiss movement, sapphire glass and a rotating bezel. In addition to this, it has a titanium case and extra strong Kevlar strap.

Kisai Rogue Touch Pocket Watch LED Watch $169.00 - tokyoflash.com Available in four display colors, the Kisai Rogue Touch Pocket Watch has a hybrid LCD/LED interface. giving you the best of both worlds; the time is displayed in two time zones and has a date mode, an alarm and a futuristic animation.

One Big Element Cufflinks

Kisai Rogue Touch Pocket Watch

Storm Black Aquatron

NIKE+ Sportwatch GPS

NIKE+ SPORTWATCH GPS Powered by TomTom $199.00 - store.nike.com Using GPS by TomTom with the Nike+ Sensor, you can track your run and get accurate speed and distance information, indoors or out. Tap the screen to mark laps and activate the backlight during your run, and personalize the data that you want to see during your run.

Raymond Weil Maestro Automatic Moon Phase $1600 - raymond-weil.com

With its pure and refined style, the steel casing on the leather strap adds to the authentic cachet of this timepiece. In addition to its moon phase indicator situated between 10 and 11 oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;clock, this watch also offers day and date functions.

One Big Element Cufflinks $60 - Soniaspencer.co.uk Take the high road by storm, all while putting a humorous new spin on the Periodic Table, with bright colorful graphics and an inventive, witty mix-up of the chemical elements!

Wallet Emergency Cufflinks $12.88 - touchofginger.com

Raymond Weil Maestro Automatic Moon Phase

Party animals should never leave home without a set of these Emergency Cufflinks. Just twist them out of the sheet and fold to lock the cuffs in place. Keep the spare pair for next time.

Wallet Emergency Cufflinks

Geek Furniture Tables are normally useful for all types of things. Eating dinner, doing work, and playing games are some of the things we use tables for.

Unfortunately though, have you ever gotten wrapped up in an extremely long game, or campaign that you just could not finish in one night? What are your options? You could stay up all night and attempt to finish the game. This causes the game to seem more tedious than enjoyable.

Another option is to leave the table occupied with all of your game gear until the next time you are all able to meet up again. This limits the table’s usefulness as a workspace or dining area. Wouldn’t it be nice to be able to just freeze frame the game and come back to it at a later time without it being in the way?

Enter Geek Chic’s line of furniture specifically designed for gamers.

They create custom tables with a recessed center where you are to set up your games and play, but if you need to call it quits for the night or an emergency arises all you have to do is put the tabletop on and all evidence of your gaming is hidden out of sight. You can also order these tables with drawers to store your pieces when you are not playing.

Another customizable feature, which is in my opinion one of the best, is their rail system. Basically this is a slot in the side of the table which allows you to attach their cup holders, bins, or even writing desks anywhere along the rail. This makes it great to be able to sit where you

The Hoplite Base Price: $1,250 - $1,600 Available in: walnut, maple, cherry, or natural finish want or move on a whim.

One last thing that will entice all technology buffs is their Locus table.

Underneath the standard tabletop is not a recessed center like all of their other tables, but rather a large multi-touch screen using Natural User Interface Technology (NUIT) from Mesa Mundi. It allows you to use d20 Pro which makes for a nice clean board because there is no need for game pieces. The added benefit is the ability to play with friends no matter where they are in the country.

So friends that have moved away or new friends you meet at comic cons can all come together and enjoy

The LOCus The Spartan

Base Price: $1,800 - $5,000

table top gaming no matter where they are.

So if you want to add a classy piece of furniture that allows you to play your games and still use the tabletop for eating and working, Geek Chic is the place to go. They have normal height tables, coffee tables, and they even have storage solutions outside of the realm of tables. So whatever your needs are they have a solution or will work with you to find one.

Show them some love at www.geekchichq.com. g -James Detzler

Base Price: $4250 40” Touch $8500 60” Touch

18 | January | DayOldStubble | www.DayOldStubble.com

CHAPTER What to Look NAME For Real Steel

ks c i P p p A e e Fr t r a m S r u o y for Phone

Release Date: January 24th Stars: Hugh Jackman, Evangeline Lilly, Dakota Goya Director: Shawn Levy

Drive

Release Date: January 31 Stars: Ryan Gosling, Bryan Cranston, Albert Brooks, Carey Mulligan Director: Nicolas Winding Refn

IMDB Trivia (Free, Add ons $.99 - iOS) A quiz spin-off from the all-conquering film website that is sure to test everyoneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s knowledge of who starred where and when did that come out.

Moneyball

Release Date: January 10 Stars: Brad Pitt, Jonah Hill Director: Bennett Miller

Boardwalk Empire

Launcher Pro (Free - Android) If the default user interface on your Android is not to your liking then get Launcher Pro and get set to customize your look to match your desires.

Release Date: January 10 Stars: Steve Buscemi, Michael Pitt, Kelly MacDonald Creator: Terence Winter

Ides of March

Release Date: January 17 Stars: George Clooney, Ryan Gosling, Paul Giamatti, Philip Seymour Hoffman Director: George Clooney

Photo Studio (Free - Blackberry OS) Take your Blackberry to the next level with this great portable photostudio sure to enhance the photos you take.

Edit, add digital frames and select from different effects to get just the right picture.

Movie Review

Set Sail foer Adventur

I love when a director is fully invested in a film. Movies always end up better when the man behind the camera has a deep love and admiration for the story they are telling. Steven Spielberg fell in love with The Adventures of Tintin way back in 1981 after someone compared Raiders of the Lost Ark to it. He even ended up buying the rights to Tintin two years later in 1983. Nearly thirty years later, this Oscar-winning director collaborates with Nickelodeon Pictures, the first to do so, and what comes out definitely shows his love of the source material. It doesn’t hurt that he had Stephen Moffat(Doctor Who), Edgar Wright(Shaun of the Dead, Scott Pilgrim), and Joe Cornish(Attack the Block) for screenplay writers. They are in my opinion some of the greatest minds working in the film industry today. Add the acting chops of Jamie Bell, Andy Serkis, and Daniel Craig to the mix and you got a recipe for one

(Photo: MGM Columbia)

of the best films of 2011.

Herge’s mixture of adventure, and humor set in real world locations amidst political backdrops is what made his comic so popular in Europe.

The screenplay is a melding of “The Crab with the Golden Claws”, “The Secret of the Unicorn”, and “Red Rackham’s Treasure”. They effectively captured the tone of comics and put it onto the screen for all of us to enjoy. For being Steven Spielberg’s first animated movie, he certainly did an awesome job. Scenes were set up to allow the scope of the action to sink in at the right moments and at other times he made sure the view was up close and personal to capture the humanity of characters.

Which brings me to something I was very impressed with; the graphics team did a great job keeping these characters out of “uncanny valley”. The

valley where lifelike animations are so realistic yet something isn’t quite right, so they have this weird uncanny, creepy quality. I felt the 3D aspect was handled deftly, although it is not the best I have seen. I certainly did like the ability to notice the 3D in slower scenes where it helped get a depth of the scene. I felt you lost most of this during the action scenes which is actually kind of a surprise. But that is a small blemish on an otherwise great film. The voice acting was superb and I can’t think of a single thing that would have made this a better film. Definitely see this film before it leaves theaters and look for it when it comes out on dvd. Detz All Folks!!!g -James Detzler Check out our video review of Tintin over at DayOldStubble.com for even more insight into this great movie.

4 out of 5

The Adventures of Tintin (Photo: MGM Columbia)

(MGM Columbia Pictures) Animation/Action/Adventure • Rated: PG Jamie Bell, Andy Serkis, Daniel Craig

20 | January | DayOldStubble | www.DayOldStubble.com

CHAPTER Movie Review NAME

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hard to know where to begin this review. After hearing about how awesome The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo was for the past two years or so I was pumped. I was expecting David Fincher to prove all the naysayers wrong and show that it is possible to make a good American version of a foreign film. I even held off watching the Swedish version so that my initial impressions would not be tainted with comparisons. In retrospect I see that I waited for nothing.

There is are an endless number of things in this film that annoyed me to no end. This is on top of the pacing issues of the first half of the movie.

Up until the all important meet-up of the two detective minds, the film felt

(Photo: MGM Columbia)

like it deserved to be a contestant in a snail racing tournament.

They donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t cover any extra ground than they need to but the scenes seem to drag on. It is already a slow burning movie, which I can dig, but each scene seems to take forever. Some better editing would have moved the movie along at a quicker pace and made for a more exciting movie.

I am going to address something that will probably upset a lot of people considering all of the good press there is for Rooney Mara lately. I hate her portrayal of Lisbeth Salander.

I get that she was supposed to be for the most part androgynous, but she came across sooooo.....(it took me for ever to nail it down what bothered me about her role)... downtrodden I guess is the best way I can explain it.

In every scene she seemed pissed off but not with any fire in her. It actually made sense she was still a ward of the state at her age. It was as if she was a

(Photo: MGM Columbia)

scared child who was constantly afraid of reproach. Another aspect about her which rubbed me the wrong way would be the initial intense scene she has with Mikael Blomkvist.

Understandably it was supposed to show her having some dominance over him, but once again there was no fire, no edge. It also sets up later scenes which contribute to my initial comparison of her to a child. After that scene she began to seek attention and approval from him. Her flip-flopping emotions just add to my confusion about her role. Her inconsistencies eventually became distracting and I left feeling that so much more could have been done with this role.

Second large issue I had was with the director himself. I had faith that he would make this a film that I could come away feeling satisfied. Sadly, I walked out of the theater wishing I would have waited to rent this movie or see it when it hit Netflix. Dragon Tattoo lacked the edge that most of his other films are so well known for. Even the decidedly edgy scene involving the state worker lacked bite. Just because you push the lines of good taste does not make a film shocking. Well it can, but not in the good sense. Personally the wielded golf club scene was more edgy because it was quick and sharp.

It bit into your brain and the look on

www.DayOldStubble.com | DayOldStubble | January | 21

(Photo: MGM Columbia)

his face shall stay in my gray matter forever. The other scenes lacked that quickness that gets you on the edge of your seat. The Social Network was a perfect example of whip-crack pacing,. It also had tight dialogue and characters that, no matter how you felt about them, you wanted know more about. Dragon Tattoo started off stagnant, with the only person I ended up caring about was Henrik Vanger, the retired business man who hired Blomkvist. The conclusion involving him was quite moving and one of my favorite scenes. Stellan Skarsgard also did a good job of tempering his character until the right moment but still left me wanting more from him. It shows that the acting talent was there, just that David Fincher seemed to squander their abilities.

Lastly, I have an issue with the story.

I know this has more to do with the source material, than anything else, but ultimately the director has full control of what he does and does not put in to his movie. To me the whole Wennerstrom bit at the end was added on and forced. The part at the beginning made sense, it set up Mikaelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s back story and flowed well with the rest of the film. The part at the end.....just tacked on nonsense. Sure it was a little bit sweet of revenge, but did it serve any kind of true purpose? To me it once again supports my idea that Lisbeth was seeking approval from Mikael. I will remit all detractions I have mentioned about this part of the story line if in the future installments it proves to be an essential part of the story. Until then, lopping off a bit of this bog slog

would have been a welcome edit.

Anything to make this movie better would be welcome. I do like a good detective story, but I like to be entertained also. I was instead left to take in small bits of the story as they were slowly fed to me, leaving me to fume over how increasingly irritating the characters became.

In a nutshell, I wish this is one tattoo I would never have gotten. Detz All Folks!!!g -James Detzler

2 out of 5

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo (Photo: MGM Columbia)

(MGM Columbia Pictures) Drama/Suspense/Thriller â&#x20AC;˘ Rated: R Daniel Craig, Rooney Mara

22 | January | DayOldStubble | www.DayOldStubble.com

Video Game Reviews

(Photo: EA Dice)

Voice acting is done well, nothing to write home about but effective.

It was there.

While Skyrim received praise after praise this fall. There.

While Arkham City and Uncharted: Drake’s Deception battled it out for the best game that wasn’t Skyrim. Yup, there.

Even while Portal 2 and L.A. Noire slipped in to people’s number one spot when they wanted to create a conversation. Still there.

FPS Box Office Showdown 2011 was in full effect this past fall. Gears of War 3 was an option in this race, but it is easy to compare it to a popular independent presidential hopeful. In reality it came down to the incumbent, reigning king of gamers’ wallet, Call of Duty franchise’s Modern Warfare 3 versus Battlefield 3 from DICE. As with a lot of David vs Goliath stories, the little man is the one lost. At least as far as sales number indicate. Many gamers were just afraid to take the leap into the unknown and try DICE’S viewpoint of how a modern war would play out.

It is their loss though. Battlefield

is a fantastic game, provided you aren’t looking to only be playing the single-player aspect. It’s not that the campaign mode is horrible, it just suffers from some tech issues and feeling like another retread of the same old story. It does try to borrow some elements from Call of Duty to try and appeal to more people. Over the top set pieces, and explosions galore help add to the scale of the war while quick-time events pull the gamer more into the story feeling more a part of it. For the most part this all works fine but it does certainly have the deja vu effect, seeming like you have come across this gameplay somewhere else.

Co-op mode is a fun aspect of gaming if you’re tired of playing by yourself and don’t want to deal with all the people online either. Battlefield’s co-op is good but the lack of mission variety and locations keeps it from reaching great status. The most annoying part of Battlefield 3’s co-op is that it doesn’t support single-system co-op. It must all be done online. So if a friend comes over and wants to play co-op with you he better be bringing his own system, game, and tv or else your retroing it up and handing the controller back and forth all night.

Multi-player is where Battlefield 3 really shines. Let’s be honest, people don’t necessarily buy either Modern Warfare or Battlefield games for their campaign modes. Largely those are tacked on parts while studios (Photo: EA Dice)

www.DayOldStubble.com | DayOldStubble | January | 23

(Photo: EA Dice)

focusing on trying to create the best multi-player experience available.

Battlefield 3 has some of the best miniwars going on in the industry today.

It should, considering old school Battlefield 1942 was already doing many things in multi-player that other studios are just now catching up to.

From flying aircraft to driving infantry this mode has it all. Gameplay modes are Rush, Conquest and Deathmatch.

Rush divides players into either attackers or defenders. Defenders must protect M-COM Stations from the attackers until the attackers run out of the 75 respawns they start with. After destroying the first set of M-COM Stations, respawns are reset and gameplay moves to a different set of stations on a now expanded map.

Conquest plays basically like King of the Hill but with multiple locations all up for grabs. Players fight to control neutral flags and the team which occupies the most flags gets help in depleting the other team’s respawns, 1 every 2 seconds. Game ends once one teams respawns are completely gone.

Finally we come to Deathmatch mode which needs no introduction. There are also two other modes called Squad Rush and Squad Deathmatch. Same gameplay, less people. In these modes each team consists of 4-man squad. A suitable test for the more experienced gamers out there and those looking for a change of pace. The final thing

that must be mentioned about Battlefield’s multiplayer is the amount of people to a side. Console systems only support up to 12 players per side, while PC gamers get to enjoy mini wars consisting of 32 players to a side.

That’s 64-player battles folks!!! Talk about epicness.

Sure Battlefield 3’s single player needs a jolt of life and co-op mode could use some adjusting but its largely because we gamers are becoming use to such fine quality that we like to nitpick. There are no terrible flaws in the game and I am sure any technical issues that you may come across will be adjusted in upcoming updates. Multiplayer is what sets this game head and shoulders above other similar games. From the scale of the size of battles to the plethora of options available, this is reason I suscribe to Xbox Live. Detz All Folks!!g -James Detzler

Battlefield 3

EA Digital Illusions CE Electronic Arts First-person shooter ESRB: M Xbox 360 PS3 PC

8/10

Video Game Reviews Bethesda Game Studios, the developer of The Elder Scrolls (TES) series, has done it again. Skyrim is even more polished than the entry it is modeled on, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, and is one of 2011’s must-play games.

(Photo: Bethesda Game Studios)

The opening of Skyrim finds you in one of the usual TES tropes- your character is a nameless prisoner, and over the course of the initial hour or so they manage to free themselves while simultaneously teaching you the controls of the game. Customization is extensive- there are dozens of sliders for adjusting your appearance, as well as the common choices of gender, race, etc. Once you get through the beginning piece the world opens up and is yours to explore in whatever manner you choose.

Skyrim, like many Bethesda games, is the ultimate example of non-linear game play. Certainly there is the main quest that you can pursue, and the game gently encourages that direction. Turns out your prisoner is Dovakin- Dragonborn- which is to say, a mortal born with the soul of a dragon. You are able to use the language of dragons in the form of “shouts,” which you unlock

by defeating various dragons and absorbing their essence. Luckily your Dragonborn appeared at just the right time, as an evil force has begun unleashing dragons on the world and wreaking general havoc. It’s up to you to slay them and restore peace.

Or, you can ignore that storyline

completely. One of the greatest strengths of Skyrim is that if you don’t want to do something, you don’t have to do it- even the “main” quest. If you’d rather wander around picking flowers for potions and checking out cool waterfalls than opposing evil dragons, so be it. You can spend time being a blacksmith, collect plates and bowls to decorate your house, take part in a large civil war, get married, read hundreds of pages of in-game books and stories, help townsfolk get revenge on people who have wronged them, or any of a hundred other assorted pursuits throughout the world. Be Sherlock Holmes- witness a

(Photo: Bethesda Game Studios)

(Photo: Bethesda Game Studios)

murder, and track down the conspiracy that caused it. Become a vampire- stay out of the sun during the day and then recharge your powers by feasting on the unsuspecting once night falls. Play hide and seek with children. Endless possibilities!

Skyrim is a great game, but not quite a perfect one. Ultimately, that very openness that gives you such a free hand to make the game your own personal experience can also leave a hollowness once you’ve poured dozens (or hundreds) of hours in. Did you decide to defy your fate, and let the evil dragons run unchecked?

Fine…but nothing happens. That quest line just pauses wherever you leave it, waiting for you to return to it again later. Towns don’t get ransacked, the dragons don’t eventually destroy the world. If you want to imagine that your Dragonborn was selfish and pursued his own hobbies while completely avoiding heroism, it’s up to you to do that solely in your imagination. There are no multiple endings that take into account all the paths you did (or did not) followtechnically there is no ending at all, as even at the conclusion of the main quest you are free to continue adventuring in the world. This type of game experience may not sit well with a gamer who expects more structure

and conclusiveness, that stamp of “it’s done, I completed it.” In the end, after all those hours, you will inevitably put Skyrim away out of either satisfied contentment or out of boredom- not because you “beat the game.”

Ultimately, this limitation and other more minor problems (ally and enemy AI is weak, graphical popup is rather common) pale in comparison to the depth and thrill of experience that Skyrim has to offer. No two gamers play it the same way, and no matter how you do play you never feel that you messed up…your game just evolves based on the quests you undertake and the skills you choose to advance. It is a very rare game indeed where you can play 50 hours and still feel like you’ve barely scratched the surface of what there is to offer.g -Aaron DeKuiper

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Bethesda Game Studios Bethesda Softworks Action role-playing, Open world ESRB: M PC PS3 Xbox 360

9/10

26 | January | DayOldStubble | www.DayOldStubble.com

Top Five Pics Final Fantasy is one of the most

e v i F p o T

popular and influential RPG series of all time, and almost every entry

Games

has a passionate fanbase….but which numbers are truly the best from such an honored franchise?

Final Fantasy VIII

While many decried the system where monsters level up alongside you when this game was released, the reality is that is how many of the most popular franchises have developed lately. The game designers at Square realized this way ahead of the curve- who wants to waste time fighting the same enemies over and over again just to get to a high enough level to proceed in the story?

FF VIII featured a unique graphical style and more adult storytelling, though the plot can be hard to follow at times.

And yes, the draw magic system is lame, but Triple Triad is the best mini-game in any Final Fantasy game.

Final Fantasy IV

This was where the series really began to take off and fly, which is why FF IV remains a beloved title even though at times it gives painful reminders of being a game from the earlier SNES years. You have less control over party formation and character’s skills in this game than in any of the later ones, but somehow that never feels as limiting as it sounds. The story is full of great moments (losing Rydia…and then getting her back!) and silly ones (anything with the dwarves…and who came up with flying a giant whale spaceship to the moon?), and though it features more than enough need to grind for XP, it’s still well worth playing through.

-Aaron DeKuiper

Final Fantasy X

After all the years on the original Playstation, this was the first game to benefit from the power of the PS2.

Great characters, solid story, and an immersive experience that draws you in on a personal level far more than most of the other entries make this game the most recent high mark in the series.

Final Fantasy VII

The first entry to radically shakeup the art style, and one of the PS1’s earliest blockbusters. The polygons are cringe-worthy nowadays and the story is convoluted, but Sephiroth is awesome and customizing with Materia yields boundless options.

The fact that hordes of gamers jumped ship from Nintendo when it was announced that this title would be exclusive to Sony’s fledgling console shows just how powerful the franchise is.

Final Fantasy VI

The best of the best, considered by many as one of the top RPG’s of all time. A diverse cast of characters that show real emotion and story depth help pull you into the world, and the pacing of the story is the smoothest in the series.

From the Opera House to the shattering of the world, from learning Espers to acquiring powerful relics, this game provides an astoundingly complete and satisfying experience that is still a thrill over a decade later.

www.DayOldStubble.com | DayOldStubble | January | 27

Mac N Cheese Break

It’s that time of year again. Yes, the beginning of the year when everyone wants to better themselves and swears that this year is going to be different. This is the year that everything changes. Yes resolution time.

As according to Dictionary.com,

Resolution

noun .

1. a formal expression of opinion or intention made, usually after voting, by a formal organization, a legislature, a club, or other group. Compare concurrent resolution, joint resolution.

2. a resolve or determination: to make a firm resolution to do something.

3. the act of resolving or determining upon an action or course of action, method, procedure, etc.

4. the mental state or quality of being resolved or resolute; firmness of purpose.

5. the act or process of resolving or separating into constituent or elementary parts.

Origin:

1350–1400; Middle English < Latin resolūtiōn- (stem of resolūtiō ),equivalent to resolūt ( us ) resolute + -iōn- -ion Aside from image quality, resolutions are most commonly known to people as those things they have to come up with at the beginning of the year to help themselves get into shape. Yes, I know that not every one’s resolutions are weight centric, but a lot of people do focus on their health this time of year and this includes mental health. Many times people want to un-clutter their lives so they resolve to keep things simple and focus on the big picture. Some want to learn a new skill or become better at something so they become determined to learn. Unfortunately not every resolution comes to fruition.

At times we lack the fortitude to complete our task, other times, external situations can affect our lives or even change our resolutions. Whatever your resolutions may be, the thing that is most important about making them is your willingness to change yourself for the better.

Without resolutions we would be fine with accepting the same old us year after year after year. While we may fail at completing them, we have won in the long run. We refuse to accept the fact that we can not become better. Once you give up and give in, making no plans to improve yourself, you have lost the battle that is life. We must strive to excel, to take our bodies and our minds to the limit. For that is living life to the fullest. Daredevil stunts or crazy acts do not necessarily mean you are living, but attempting to achieve every thing that is possible, that is true living. So please, make your resolutions this year. Make small ones, make big ones. The goal is to try, try, and try again to be the best you there is.

Detz All Folks!!

-James Detzler

Deputy Editor

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also. Come visit us at www.dayoldstubble.com. We update daily with fun and interesting posts. Also you can contact us on there to ask us questions and get featured in the next issue of our magazine.

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