Issue 18 / June 2009 / Warez-bb.org
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STAR TREK Dive Into the depths of the all new Star Trek movie!
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Wolverine iPhone 3.0
Get clued in on the latest X-men movie
A look into the new iPhone firmware
Foreign Jobs Find out all the factors of working abroad
Flying Thoughts Be sure to check out our new cartoon section
Music Reviews Check out the latest hottest bands’ June 2009 Issue 18
www.magazine.warez-bb.org
The Scene
CONTENTS ISSUE 18 | JUNE 2009
Movies & Music 4. Star Trek Review 7. Mank’s Music Reviews 10. X-Men Origins: Wolverine Review 12. Angels and Demons Review
General
14. A World of Words Part 3 16. Internet Censorship 17. Inner Enemy 18. Tolerance 19. Jobs in Foreign Countries 20. What We All Live For 21. What’s There and What Isn’t 22. Beware of Laughter Part 3 24. Inflation 25. Flying Thoughts
Tech
26. iPhone Firmware 3.0 30. eVGA x58 SLI Classified Motherboard Review
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Contents
The Scene
EDITORIAL ISSUE 18 | JUNE 2009
Editor ENIGMA Co-Editor .:Nvidia:. Writers Team Leader Waltereegho Artists Team Leader Chicodelperreo Proofreaders Team Leader Daniel.Blaze Writers Team Assistant Shifty Dramamine feenz_b Artists Team Assistant Labonova Proofreaders Team Assistant Yawn. Writers Kartnite Fartermissile mank LewisBeechey Seashock Nauf Artists Oddbrawl Leroy44 Herinjo KieronDSFX Soumyadeep surferdud3 RED.PANTHER Quality Assurance Team Clarinda Snow.Flake MX1CAN Garf. Admiral Agent Of Chaos glenny. Magazine Team Compiler Yawn. Cover Design KieronDSFX Editorial
Hello everybody, Welcome to the June release of theSCENE. I am very pleased to announce two pieces of information. Firstly, the magazine team’s website is now complete and functional. Thanks goes to Daniel. Blaze for completing the backend code for the project and all dev team members who were involved in the website’s design. Please visit our website to subscribe to receive alerts via email. Secondly, we have managed to complete one of the biggest issues in recent months and added a lot of interesting content such as finance, censorship, comic, humor, several reviews in addition to our regular content. We also enjoy the support of new talented artists and writers who have done a great job presenting the content in a way that’ll please you. We hope that you will enjoy this magazine. Regards, ENIGMA
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oday, the much anticipated “Star Trek” has beamed into theaters and your favorite movie reviewer was there at an advance screening! The eleventh film in one of the most iconic science fiction franchises ever, Star Trek, created by Gene Roddenberry in 1966, was deemed by many critics and fans to have worn out its welcome after the disastrous box office take of 2002’s “Star Trek Nemesis”, earning a mere $43 million domestic ($67 million worldwide) and serving as a swan song to “The Next Generation” cast. Making matters worse was the declining viewership of UPN’s “Star Trek Enterprise”, leading to a truncated fourth season being canceled in May, 2005. Many thought this to be the death knell of Star Trek but a few months later, Paramount Pictures announced that pre-production had begun for the eleventh film and it was to be a prequel that dealt with James Kirk and Spock fresh out of Starfleet Academy. The internet forums were abuzz, with many questioning why another film was being made and whether it was necessary to prolong a dying franchise. After all, “Star Wars” stopped with six films. “Transformers” writers Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman, with “Lost” producer Damon Lindelof decided that a clean reboot would be unwise but that the new film should acknowledge
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what came before, while also creating an opportunity to write a new set of adventures that were accessible to our generation. J.J. Abrams, creator of “Alias”, “Lost” and “Fringe” came onboard to lend a helping hand, but once he read the script, he remarked, ‘I would be so agonizingly envious of whoever stepped in and directed the movie, and accepted Paramount’s offer to direct in February, 2007. So, with “Star Trek” opening in wide release tomorrow, the big question would be whether the movie achieved its goals of pleasing us ‘Trekkies’ and creating a new legion of fans. I answer with a resounding YES! “Star Trek” successfully reinvigorates a franchise that was in its death throes and offers an amazing story, a perfect cast and astonishing visual effects that make “Star Wars” look like a 1950’s film. In short, the film is a masterpiece of the best of what science fiction has to offer and is definitely a must-see summer film, whether you’re a hardcore or casual fan or just completely new to the franchise! SOME SPOILERS FOLLOW! The film doesn’t waste any time, opening with a brutal space battle between the Federation starship USS Kelvin and a massive, heavily-armed Romulan vessel, the Narada, which emerges from a black hole. Led by the Romulan rogue
Movies & Music
Nero (Eric Bana), he demands the surrender of the Kelvin’s captain in an attempt to learn the whereabouts of a certain Ambassador, Spock. First, Officer George Kirk takes command and begins immediate evacuation of the ship as he prevents to hold off the Narada while the survivors escape. His wife, Winona (Jennifer Morrison) gives birth to James T. Kirk onboard a shuttlecraft but his father sacrifices himself by setting the Kelvin on a collision course with the Narada. Twenty two years later, James (Chris Pine) grows to be a young, intelligent adolescent with a reckless streak. While at a bar in Iowa, he meets Nyota Uhura (Zoe Saldaña), a Starfleet cadet studying in the field of communications and alien languages. He is goaded into a fight with a group of bullying cadets and would surely have been beaten to death if it were not for the timely intervention of Captain Christopher Pike (Bruce Greenwood). Pike reminds James of the sacrifice that his father made and urges him to join the Starfleet Academy, and with some reluctance, he relents. Along the way he meets the eccentric Dr. Leonard ‘Bones’ McCoy (Karl Urban), who becomes his closest friend during his three years at the Academy. At the end of the semester, Kirk takes the Kobayashi Maru, an ‘unwinnable test’ designed by halfhuman, half-Vulcan Spock (Zachary Quinto) but is caught cheating. Before he can be reprimanded, the Academy learns of a distress signal on nearby Vulcan and all the cadets are quickly assigned to their ships. McCoy smuggles Kirk onboard the USS Enterprise, led by Captain Pike and includes Uhura, Spock, Hikaru Sulu (John Cho) and Pavel Chekov (Anton Yelchin). Kirk realizes that the situation is highly similar to the event that caused his father’s death 25 years ago and convinces Pike that they are walking into a trap. When they disengage from warp, the Enterprise finds itself in the midst of a battle involving the Narada, who are in the process of drilling into Vulcan’s core. The crew learns that Nero is from the future and has time-traveled to the
determination that is often at odds with authority yet follows what he knows in his heart is right. He’s ~censored~ and confident but is also the type of person who won’t leave any man behind. The one cast member that really goes above and beyond is Zachary Quinto as Spock and his performance is just perfect. Ever since he was a child, Spock has been an outcast due to his half-human heritage and Abrams even injects a bit of a racism issue when the council at the Vulcan Science Academy is surprised at Spock’s achievements despite his ‘disadvantage’. You really feel the inner turmoil that rages in Spock; on one hand he has been taught to think logically by the Vulcans but at times, cannot help but let his emotions takeover. He’s the heart and soul of the film, more so than Kirk, especially with the plot involving Romulans attempting to wipe out his entire race. All the other cast members have great scenes such as John Cho’s Sulu getting down with an old-fashioned sword fight with a group of Romulan grunts, Karl Urban’s Dr. McCoy needlessly poking and jabbing Kirk with injections and Anton Yelchin’s Chekov saving the day using math! There’s also the right amount of humor injected into the film that keeps everything from being too serious, yet doesn’t go into cheesy territory. One of them is when McCoy sneaks Kirk aboard the USS Enterprise and as the situation spirals out of control, he gets an allergic reaction to an injection! There’s also a funny moment between Chekov and the voice recognition computer, plus the endless rejections between Kirk and Uhura. When Kirk sees that Uhura loves Spock, he gets this dumbfounded look that echoes just what the audience is thinking! If there was one cast member that didn’t get his due, it would be Eric Bana as the vengeance-hungry Romulan Nero. His character is not on-screen very much and I think the writers hould’ve spent some more time with him so we get a better handle of his pain and seeing the loss of his homeworld. Nonetheless, Bana’s
past from the black hole to exact his revenge for the destruction of his homeworld, Romulus. Kirk must lead this untested crew against Nero and battle to protect their future, boldly going where no man has gone before! Trekkies can relax their phasers, as the story in “Star Trek” is an adrenaline rush from start to finish. While it does use the worn concept of time-travel, which has already been explored in “Star Trek First Contact” in great detail, Orci and Kurtzman use it to acknowledge the previous mythology while allowing future films to tell new, fresh adventures without being burdened by so much back-story. It does an amazing job of re-introducing all of the old characters, taking all of the familiar character traits from the original series, but never outright imitating them. Instead the actors/actresses provide their own unique perspective that will still be instantly recognizable by the fans. One of the primary goals was to make “Star Trek” accessible to people who were unfamiliar or have shunned the franchise, and the way the writers have done it is by stripping away much of the confusing ‘Treknobabble,’ but still letting the dialogue feel distinctly Star Trek. Although the new film is definitely faster and more intense, J.J. Abrams takes the time to inject some emotion too, as we’re treated to a heartbreaking scene where Kirk’s father hears his newborn son crying through the communicator and then mere seconds later, sacrifices himself. While the entire supporting cast is given scenes to shine, the focus of “Star Trek” is always on Kirk and Spock and how they become rivals with differing ideologies to becoming best friends who are inseparable. This is in no small part thanks to the perfect casting, and everyone brings their A-game in playing these iconic characters. Chris Pine is often hilarious as young Kirk but he displays a kind of
performance is fine and he looks particularly badass with all his tattoos! The visual effects by Industrial Light & Magic are nothing short of breathtaking. All the Federation starships feature incredible detail and you can see every individual phaser on the ship moving. Sometimes it’s a little hard to tell what is going on with the use of ‘shaky cam’ and the extreme close-ups, but once the camera is pulled back, prepare for a new definition of space battle that rivals even those of Star Wars! The design of the Narada impressed me the most, with its claw-like design that recalls its initial origins of being a mere mining ship, not a military vessel. The USS Enterprise maintains the basic shape of the original series but is given a much sleeker, modernized look inspired by the Enterprise-E from “Star Trek First Contact”. There’s also a “Cloverfield” reference when Kirk becomes stranded on the ice planet Delta Vega. I can only imagine just how impressive the film would look on IMAX, as I was unable to obtain tickets due to them being sold out early. There is one annoying issue and that’s the overuse of lens flare in every scene. Sometimes it creates a blinding effect that might irk some people. The score from Michael Giacchino is also a joy to listen to and he delays using the familiar Star Trek until the end, signifying that the crew has finally come together. Upon its release, no one could’ve predicted the overwhelming positive response to the film, and “Star Trek” currently stands at a whopping 96% on Rotten Tomatoes and is currently the best-reviewed movie of 2009! For anyone that still thinks Star Trek is silly and that people should ‘get a life’, just stop, because you really shouldn’t judge until after you’ve seen the film and I have no doubt all of you naysayers will be equally impressed. I am worried about what the opening box office gross will be since the
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advance screening had relatively few people, with almost half of the theater empty. One fan showed his dedication by coming in wearing a full Starfleet uniform! Hopefully positive wordof-mouth spreads and makes “Star Trek” become a rousing box office success. Consider the irony of this statement when someone asked Roddenberry what would become of Star Trek in the future and he answered that he ‘hoped that someday some bright young thing would come along and do it again, bigger and better than he had ever done it. And he wished them well’. Too right, mate, too right! Be it hardcore, casual, or just plain new to the franchise, “Star Trek” is an amazing film that will have you on the edge of your seat as you prepare to BOLDLY GO WHERE NO MAN HAS GONE BEFORE!
“Space: the final frontier. These are the continuing voyages of the starship Enterprise. Her ongoing mission: to explore strange new worlds; to seek out new life-forms and new civilizations; to boldly go where no one has gone before!” Rated PG-13 (Sci-Fi Action and Violence, and Brief Sexual Content) Running Time: 2 Hours & 6 Minutes Cast: Chris Pine-Captain James T. Kirk Zachary Quinto-Commander Spock Karl Urban-Dr. Leonard ‘Bones’ McCoy Zoe Saldana-Lieutenant Nyota Uhura John Cho-Lieutenant Hikaru Sulu Simon Pegg-Chief Engineer Montgomery ‘Scotty’ Scott Anton Yelchin-Ensign Pavel Chekov Eric Bana-Nero Bruce Greenwood-Captain Christopher Pike Winona Ryder-Amanda Grayson Ben Cross-Ambassador Sarek Jennifer Morrison-Winona Kirk Chris Hemsworth-Commander George Kirk Leonard Nimoy-Future Spock Directed by J.J. Abrams
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Movies & Music
Artist: The Bigger Lights Album: Fiction Fever (Re-Release) Genre: Pop Punk Store Date: April 7, 2009 The Bigger Lights lifts your head, opens your eyes, and prompts a volume increase. Topher Talley, J.K. Royston, and Dan Mineart are once again raising expectations with the re-release of their EP, “Fiction Fever”. This band has really come a long way from releasing their first EP “Third Act Stories” in 2007. One year later, they teamed up with Doghouse Records and released their download only EP “Fiction Fever”, which has been exponentially increasing their fan base ever since. The re-release of this EP contains the same digital-only tracks previously released in 2008, however it also includes new and exclusive bonus content, including a FREE-P featuring acoustic/electronic remixes of all six album tracks, as well as exclusive video, photos, member writings, and wallpapers. The EP starts off very similar to a lot of pop punk bands, however, lyrics have an independent style such as “give in and give up, sulk into the airwaves, get up, get in, bring yourself to me, breathe in, breathe out, fingertips and heartbeats are all we need”, taken from the first track “Closer (Time Stops Breathing)”. The tracks are very well ordered, with each track having its designated spot on the EP. The first three tracks open the listeners’ ears in preparation for the fourth track, “Romance In A Slow Dance”, which is beautifully sung by lead singer Topher Talley. The fifth song, “Goldmine Valentine”, offers a nice melodic sync between lead and backing singers which prompts the concluding track on the EP. The final song, “When Did We Lose Ourselves”, can mean so many things, making it universally appreciated. “We don’t know what we’ve become, and we’re freaking out, when did we lose ourselves...when did we lose ourselves…” The lyrics are absolutely breathtaking and create an amazing closure to this EP. The six tracks are extremely catchy and addictive, making The Bigger Lights a true sensation for all pop punk fans.
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Movies & Music
Album: Metamorphosis Genre: Rock Store Date: March 24, 2009 Papa Roach is finally here again with new rock for 2009. I can still remember as a teenager, walking into the record store and buying their triple platinum album Infest, which was released in 2000. Two years later, the band produced their third release Lovehatetragedy, followed by Getting Away With Murder, The Paramour Sessions, and now Metamorphosis. The band faced a sad lineup change in 2008 during The Paramour Sessions Tour. Dave Buckner, the band’s drummer, left due to drug abuse and was replaced by Tony Palermo. It’s always a burden having certain band members abusing drugs. However it is a lot more common than most people think. Practically every talented big-named band has faced some sort of drug issue. Papa Roach moves on with Jacoby Shaddix (vocals), Jerry Horton (guitar & vocals), Tobin Esperance (bass guitar & vocals) and newcomer Tony Palermo (drums). This album features twelve tracks including the singles, “Hollywood Wh*re” and “Lifeline”. The band still holds on to their metal genre, however none of these songs come even close to being hard enough, forcing its current genre as alternative rock. The album offers some deep lyrics, as the track “Had Enough” includes “…cause we have had enough, all the violence has touched every part of our lives our innocence is gone tonight.” The album also features guitarist Mick Mars of Motley Crue, making an appearance on the track “Into the Light,” changing the atmosphere of the music by ripping insane guitar solos throughout the entire song. “Out of the shadows and into the light,” is screamed by Shaddix, while Mars shreds his electric guitar, increasing the adrenaline of the album exponentially. Nearing the end, Papa Roach defines their album Metamorphosis, which is essentially marked by a rapid transformation, implementing growth and development. It transforms from a “You don’t love me, I hate you” style, to an “I’m sorry, please forgive me, I’m depressed” fixation. This is clearly shown on the track “Nights of Love,” which includes lyrics such as “I’m coming undone; I’m out of my head in a memory of you. I’ll never forget what you put me through. It wasn’t right what you did, I was just as wrong as you.” This spring, Papa Roach will be touring the United States, moving on to Europe, and then ending in Canada. I encourage all fans to see them live at least once; they put on a remarkable show.
Artist: We Came As Romans Album: Dreams (EP) Genre: Hardcore Store Date: March, 2009 Previously available through digital download in December, Dreams is available on CD. We Came As Romans are David (vocals), Kyle (vocals & keyboard), Joshua (guitar), Lou (guitar), Andrew (bass), and Eric (drums). These six guys form a band that increases every fan’s heart rate to a point of excelled energy that remains unmatchable in power. The EP slams into play with the first track “Conditions.” “I believe in a better condition... is the sun in the sky” are just some of the lyrics that melt your mind away from reality. The next track “Dreams”, prompted the recognition of this band with its flawless singing and screaming combination. Screams of hate, love, and relational dilemmas are exposed in varied angles on the third track, “Intensions”. Halfway into the track, tunes of classical orchestra and a little piano are cut short and morphed back into love-stricken hardcore. Refusing the goodbye, the band continues their dream journey on the final track for this EP, “Shapes”. This band is in it for the love of the music, keeping fans eagerly anticipating their first full length album.
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Artist: In All Its Glory Album: Self Titled Genre: Hard Rock Store Date: January 23, 2009 In All Its Glory is a hard rock band with Anthony (guitar & vocals), Damon (drums), Cody (vocals), James (guitar & bass), and Bryan (bass). Though unsigned, In All Its Glory holds a well deserved reputation in their home state of Illinois. In just one year, the group released their first full length album. The album offers ten quality tracks, with each one holding a very high potential. The track “Divided We Fail”, mixes so many unforgettable styles of the late 1990s, with bands like Staind and Incubus. The band even notes bands with a similar style on their MySpace page, which includes: Trapt, Breaking Benjamin, Incubus, Finch, Thrice, and Soil Work. Marking some criticism on their choosing of Soil Work, this band isn’t as hard as them. Soil Work is metal, this isn’t quite metal, however, it does hold a sound much harder than rock. This is a rare sound that doesn’t come around very often, such as in the track “Just Moments”, immediately slamming into their hard rock with lyrics followed by background screaming knocked down by drums. Electric guitar accompanied by bass guitar is frequent in each song symbolizing their lyrics. On the track “The Art of Confession”, lyrics such as “I think that we fight too much…don’t let me die alone” categorizes this band among the top. The third track “To Amount To Something”, proves to be the finest song on this album. It captivates all styles of hard rock with its melodic singing mixed in with occasional hardcore screams tied together by flawless sounds from the bass guitar and drums. Hitting the public early in their band career, In All Its Glory has successfully released their first self-titled record which is rapidly gaining fans of original hard rock styles that have long been faded soft by popular culture.
Artist: DNB Project Album: Just Lay Back (EP) Genre: Progressive House Store Date: February 24, 2009 DNB Project wants you to just lay back with their new EP “Just Lay Back”. The EP features three original mixes of “Stabilizer,” “A Tribute to Aes,” and of course, “Just Lay Back”. Keeping the listener lying back in a constant state of mind is the primary objective for every disc jockey. The track “Just Lay Back” immediately starts your journey through DNB Project’s masterpieces. A constant background beat mixed with only three different types of tones, sliding up and down, is merged with an orchestra, allowing rest between beats sessions. The midpoint of the song constructs all three tunes into a harmonic melody, which later ends with the same tunes as the first half; however, determination allows the illusion of an increase in intensity. The second track, “A Tribute to Aes”, prompted the idea of including this review here. This mix is unlike anything I have ever heard. The variable instruments synced throughout this song give the listener a distinct sound. A similar beat in the background is utilized in this mix, allowing a smooth transitional cue from the first song. An instrument which sounds similar to a xylophone is tapped in a rhythmic fashion, later prompting the sound to transition into synthesized air tones which mimic the tapped xylophone. The increased energy level in your mind from “A Tribute to Aes” has reached its peak, prompting stabilization during the final track on the EP, “Stabilizer.” Keeping the beats per minute maintained, DNB Project is approaching its final destination. In the mix, minimal tones develop the melody, causing a lethal injection of energy jittering into a fritz and back once more to the bare minimal. DNB Project’s new EP is currently available through several online music stores in a digital-only format.
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X-Men Origins: Wolverine review by spideman120988 Layout by surferdud3
(spoiler warning)
Ryan Reynolds-Wade Wilson/Deadpool
Rated PG-13 (Intense Sequences of Action and Violence, and Some Partial Nudity)
Kevin Durand-Frederick J. Dukes/The Blob
Running Time: 1 Hour & 48 Minutes
Cast: Hugh Jackman-James Howlett/Logan/Wolverine Liev Schreiber-Victor Creed/Sabretooth Danny Huston-Colonel William Stryker Lynn Collins-Kayla Silverfox
Dominic Monaghan-Christopher Bradley/Bolt Daniel Henney-David North/Agent Zero Taylor Kitsch-Remy LeBeau/Gambit Scott Adkins-Weapon XI Tim Pocock-Scott Summers/Cyclops Tahyna Tozzi-Emma Frost
Directed by Gavin Hood
William Adams-John Wraith
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Movies & Music
“I’m the best there is at what I do, and what I do best isn’t very nice.” NIKT!!! Summer officially begins with the release of the much-anticipated Marvel Comics film, “X-Men Origins: Wolverine.” Most of you have probably already seen it due to the leaked workprint that has been floating around on the Internet for the past month, but I’ll discuss that later. I’ve read a lot of the negative buzz surrounding the film, especially the changes with fan-favorite Deadpool but personally, it wasn’t the disaster most people made it out to be. Sure, it’s definitely no “Dark Knight” or “Watchmen”, but “X-Men Origins: Wolverine” is still an action-packed, enjoyable film that’s bogged down by a somewhat weak story, clunky dialogue and an overall generic feel. SOME SPOILERS FOLLOW! In Canada, 1845, young James Howlett lies bedridden due to an unknown condition but is suddenly awoken by the sound of a shotgun. To his shock, he discovers his father shot by the groundskeeper, Thomas Logan. Enraged, his hands sprout razor-sharp bone claws and James kills Logan in an act of vengeance, who, with his dying breath, reveals that he is his true father. James runs away with his brother, Victor Creed, and throughout their adult years, participate in many historical wars such as the American Civil War, World War I and II, and eventually the Vietnam War. Victor (Liev Schreiber) reveals his animalistic and savage nature when he attempts to rape a young Vietnamese girl, but he is stopped by his superior officer, whom he kills. James, now called Logan (Hugh Jackman) comes to his defense and the two are sentenced to death by firing squad, though their unique regenerative abilities keep them alive. Colonel William Stryker (Danny Huston) visits the two in prison and makes them an offer to join a special black ops team called ‘Team X’, which also includes Fred J. Dukes/The Blob (Kevin Durand), John Wraith (William Adams), Christopher Bradley/Bolt (Dominic Monaghan), David North/Agent Zero (Daniel Henney) and Wade Wilson/Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds). During a mission in Africa, Logan becomes disgusted at the group’s willingness to kill innocents and leaves Team X. Six years later, Logan works as a logger in his native Canada and lives with his girlfriend, schoolteacher Kayla Silverfox (Lynn Collins). Meanwhile, someone has been murdering former members of Team X and Stryker asks for Logan’s help but is refused. The killer turns out to be none other than Victor, who murders Silverfox in cold blood. Swearing vengeance, Logan agrees to Stryker’s offer, who laces his skeleton with an indestructible metal called Adamantium, and becomes…WOLVERINE. Adapting a comic book character whose history spans over 35 years was no easy task, and writers David Benioff and Skip Woods succeed for the most part, merging elements of mini-series ‘Wolverine Origin’ with the Weapon X storyline from ‘Marvel Comics Presents’ #72 to 84. The problem is that it overall feels very generic and rushed, sacrificing character development in favor of focusing on loud action sequences. We never really care about Wolverine’s anguish because not enough time is spent on it. It’s Movies & Music
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marginally better than “X-Men: The Last Stand” but that’s not saying much, since the film falls into the same trap of trying to shoehorn every character from the comics. This is frustrating because while you’re happy that you’re favorite character is in the film, the result is unsatisfying because it just boils down to a glorified cameo. Prime examples would be Remy LeBeau/Gambit (Taylor Kitsch) and Deadpool. Gambit literally is on-screen for 15 minutes and we never really learn his motivations because one minute he’s fighting Wolverine and becomes his sidekick the next. Perhaps what will make comic book fans reach for their pitchforks is the complete bastardization of Deadpool. We see him as a member of Team X and his depiction is largely fine there thanks to Reynold’s portrayal of the ‘Merc with a Mouth’. Unfortunately, he just disappears until the end, where he comes back as Weapon XI with an appearance that bears no resemblance to his comic book counterpart, and wielding an amalgamation of other mutant’s powers. Sad, because director Gavin Hood really had the potential to do the character justice but I guess the rumored studio interference from 20th Century Fox and the reported reshoots did more damage than I had originally foreseen. Also problematic is the way Logan loses his memory due to ‘Adamantium bullets’, which just seems crude and not well thought-out. “X-Men Origins: Wolverine” is really Hugh Jackman’s show, and it is his performance that saves the film from complete mediocrity. After playing the character that made him a household name nine years ago, I don’t expect anything less, but like I mentioned before, not enough time is spent on analyzing the personal tragedies he suffers in favor of slicing and dicing helicopters. Hood won an Oscar for his 2005 foreign language film, “Tsotsi” and it makes one wonder how different “Wolverine” would’ve turn out if he had focused his effort into making a more dramatic film, rather than fulfilling the demands of the studio. After Jackman, Liev Schreiber shines the most as Victor Creed/Sabretooth, who displays the right amount of menace that looks like he could explode into a berserk rage at any second. His tumultuous relationship with his brother is the centerpiece of the film and is an example of the good that comes from a storyline if given the proper time to develop. The only other actor with the most screen-time is Danny Huston as Colonel William Stryker. He is essentially channeling Brian Cox’s performance from “X2 X-Men United” and it works for the most part, but he lacks the charisma of Cox. The rest of the supporting cast play bit parts that don’t really serve the story, and could’ve been replaced by any other X-Men character without making a difference. The relationship between Wolverine and Silverfox doesn’t resonate, partly because Lynn Collins is not on-screen much, thus robbing much of the film’s emotional impact. Reynolds is hilarious as Deadpool and after he kills an entire group of gunmen with twin katanas he yells, ‘Ok! People are dead!’ This just makes it more disappointing due to his limited screen-time
and if the rumors about the reshoots were to expand his role, then originally he must’ve only had a fleeting cameo. The action scenes are generally exciting but occasionally bogged down by bad visual effects, a prime example being the plane sequence during the beginning of the film. Wolverine and Sabretooth engage in a few titanic claw fights; other memorable action scenes include Agent Zero dishing out punishment with his pistols and Deadpool swinging his katanas so fast to deflect bullets. However, the violence is just too toned down for such a vicious character and it is surprising to see that the game adaptation revels in blood and gore with Wolverine frequently disemboweling enemies. In the film, there’s nary a drop of blood! Comic book fans will notice some smart nods to the previous X-Men films, including a cameo by Scott Summers/Cyclops (Tim Pocock) and Professor Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart), though his digital de-aging didn’t really look that great and had the appearance of a wax figure. “XMen Origins: Wolverine” was released to largely negative reviews from professional critics, with a 37% on Rotten Tomatoes, which is incredibly low for such a high-budget summer release. While Jackman was singled out for his performance, critics said that not even he can ‘overcome a clichéridden script and familiar narrative’. It could’ve been worse considering that there are certainly some god-awful comic book films such as “Elektra” and “Ghost Rider”. It will no doubt be #1 at the box office this weekend but most certainly be demolished by “Star Trek” next week, which has been receiving positive buzz all across the board. General audiences that aren’t too familiar with the comics will probably enjoy it as evidenced by the whooping and applause when I saw the film. Now, as for the people that watched the workprint, I urge you to experience it in the movie theater because what you saw was an unfinished film, akin to playing a beta of a video game. “X-Men Origins: Wolverine” is certainly worth the price of admission, largely thanks to Hugh Jackman’s performance and some awesome action set-pieces, but it’s bogged down by a run-of-the-mill story that doesn’t push the limits of what comic book movies can do such as “The Dark Knight”. At the end of the day, it feels like every other loud summer blockbuster, which is a shame considering how Marvel started off last summer with a bang thanks to “Iron Man”. Make sure to stay during the credits for a special epilogue, which is different depending on what movie theater you’re in.
Final Rating: 3 out of 5
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layout by
Release Date: 15th May 2009 (USA)
text by Nauf Soumyadeep
Cast Tom Hanks Ewan McGregor
Genre: Drama | Mystery | Thriller IMDB Rating: 6.9/10
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Ayelet Zurer Stellan Skarsgård Pierfrancesco Favino Nikolaj Lie Kaas
Movies & Music
Director Ron Howard brings another best-selling Dan Brown book to the screen, and this time he almost gets it right.
In Angels and Demons, Dr. Robert Langdon (played by Tom Hanks), a symbologist, finds himself in a race against time to decipher clues hidden amongst ancient books to save Vatican city. The movie begins with the ghastly murder of a scientist in a laboratory in Switzerland and a volatile vial of antimatter being stolen. The death of the Pope results in the Cardinals gathering at Vatican city to mourn the death and to attend the College of Cardinals conclave to select the new Pope. But four of the cardinals are kidnapped by the Illuminati – An ancient secret society of scientists who were murdered by the church. To seek revenge against the atrocities committed by their forefathers, the Illuminati threatens to kill a Cardinal each hour and destroy the entire Vatican City with the antimatter at midnight! The authorities request Dr. Robert Langdon to assist them in the investigation to prevent the sinister plans of the Illuminati. Dr. Robert Langdon teams up with the foxy Dr. Vittoria Vetra (Ayelet Zurer), a scientist who worked in the
Swiss lab, to uncover the clues to save the Cardinals and Vatican City. The plot of the movie is very well scripted. The various exotic locations are shot brilliantly, adding to the steady pace of the movie. The script is very well prepared with excitement and suspense greeting the audience at every turn. The cast does a remarkable job adding to the aura of the movie. Camelengo Patrick McKenna (Ewan McGregor) does a splendid job as the plot unfolds. The production and editing team deserve a pat on the back for creating such great scenes in shanty settings. But the movie has its share of weakness as the movie falls a bit flat in the end when the plot is revealed. Many of the fans who’ve read the book might seem disappointed for the various alterations done to the plot in the movie by Ron Howard. The movie seems more like a prequel rather than the sequel to the The Da Vinci Code. Nevertheless, the movie packs quite a punch having equal doses of suspense, excitement and humor. Director Ron Howard seems to have learnt from the prequel and provides a fast paced action thriller. Contrary to views the church has called the film “harmless entertainment” in the official Vatican paper, giving it a positive review and is happy about the fact that this time around they are on the side of the good guys. This movie has definitely scored at the box office as it has grossed more than $360 million worldwide so far, making it the largest grossing film of 2009 . Overseas Angels & Demons maintained the #1 position for the second weekend as well, even with the release of Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian which opened at #2. The movie is thus a must see for movie enthusiasts and it promises to be really entertaining. I for one enjoyed the movie and hope you do as well.
Movies & Music
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A World of Words Part 3 By Kartz
Layout by Herinjo
I
n Handy Book of Literary Curiosities, William Walsh notes thus – “Numbers have a legendary and mystic signification. It is not only the mathematician that has been fascinated by them. The poet, the philosopher, the priest have pondered over their changeless relations to each other, have come to look upon numbers and their symbols as in some sort of revelation from on high, things to be dealt with reverently and awesomely. And so, almost every number has been given an esoteric meaning”. Welcome to yet another etymological Tour, courtesy of theSCENE… and this time around, let us look at how we get words that signify numbers. For starters, I will put forward a poser. Each of the words listed below contains a number from 1 to 10. Can you do the necessary association? 1. Decade 2. Duplicity 3. Hebdomadal 4. Monolithic 5. Novena 6. Octopus 7. Pentathlon 8. Quadrille 9. Semester 10. Trident One is easily recognizable in words like unit, unity and union. ‘Uni’ is derived from the Latin word unus, which means ’one’. The number ‘one’ was invested with a sacred quality, being indivisible and forming a part of all other numbers. A classic example of its awesome connotation would be the word, atone – at one. In general use though, the word refers to reparation. Here are some forms of the Greek adjective, monos – meaning single or solitary: Monarch – originally a supreme ruler Monocle – a glass for one eye Monophobia – morbid dread of being left alone
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One-and-a-half is given by the Latin prefix sesqui, which is formed by semi (half) and qui (meaning, “and”). Sesquicentennial – 150th anniversary (1 ½ times 100) Sesquipedalian – a foot and a half long; a term used to characterize unusually long words Two may be company, but the idea of this may also cause division. For instance, when in doubt, a person is of two minds – a condition the Germans call Zweifel (zwei, two). Bi is the Latin element from which we get words like: Biennial – happening every two years or lasting for two years Biannual – occurring twice a year (better to use semiannual to avoid confusion with biennial) Combine – to unite two or more things
sacred because of the four ancient elements – earth, fire, air and water. Quattuor is the Latin word for the number 4 and the combining form is quadr(i): Quatrain – a four-line stanza Quadrille – from French, which is an old form of square dance Can you guess what quadricentennial could mean? Five fingers, toes, senses – magic powers were also once inputted to the number five. The five-pointed star was used as a magic symbol. It is also called “the endless knot” because it can be drawn continuously without lifting pencil from paper. The technical name, you guessed it, is pentagram or pentacle. Pente is the Greek word for the number 5, while quinque is the Latin equivalent.
Three, in Pythagorean thought, was the perfect number – expressive of a beginning, middle and an end. Tri is a Greek and Latin element from which we have words like:
Pentateuch – the first five words of the Old Testament Pentameter – a line of poetry having five metrical feet Quinquennium – a five-year period Quintessence – “the fifth essence”, also meaning, the highest essence
Triad – a group of three (Greek) Triptych – a three-part picture (Greek) Trident – a three-pronged spear (Latin) Trivet – a three-footed stand (Latin) akin to a Tripod (Greek)
Six was considered a perfect number representing equilibrium because it denoted the number of sides in two equilateral triangles placed base to base. Sex and Hex are the respective Latin and Greek equivalents for the number 6.
Four was venerated by Pythagoras’ followers as the first square after two. It has also been considered
Sestet – a stanza of six lines Sextant – a navigator’s instrument, so named because its arc is
60 degrees, one-sixth of a circle Hexagon – a six-sided plane figure Siesta is an interesting example of how the original meaning was lost. This name for an afternoon nap or a break in the day’s routine is derived via Spanish from the Latin phrase sexta hora, referring to the sixth hour after sunrise, which is set at six in the morning for the purpose of reckoning time. The siesta began, therefore, at noon. However, as far as the time is concerned the original significance of the word has been lost, but the word itself has been kept to refer to any rest period at any hour of the day. Seven ages of man, days of the week, Wise Men – the number 7 has had a symbolic, mystic character. An interesting tale would be that of “September”, which by derivation should be the seventh month of the year. It was so, until BC 153, in ancient Rome, when the year had started with March. With the promotion of January and February, September slipped to its current ninth position. The original meaning was lost, yet the word was retained; as was the case with the months that followed September. Septa and Hepta are the respective Latin and Greek words for the number 7. Septet and Heptagon are easy to figure out.
General
Eight, to the Pythagoreans was the number of justice, for it divides evenly into four and four, which divide evenly again into two and two, which further divide into one and one. Also, eight happens to be the first cube after one. Octo is the Latin word for number 8. Octave – in music, the eighth full tone above or below any given tone and in general, any group of eight (octet) Octavo – abbreviated as 8vo, it refers to a page or piece of paper cut eight from a sheet. Nine, representing three equilateral triangles, was considered a lucky number indicating the equilibrium of the three worlds. Agreed, “nine” does occur in quite a few phrases, but the concept appears in only a few words. Among them are November, novena and nonagon. Noon is another derivative, too. It originally referred to the ninth hour of the day, nona hora in Latin. As we have seen in the case of siesta, the hours were reckoned from six in the morning. So, the ninth hour meant three in the afternoon. A church office recited at that hour was called the nones. Although the hour of this
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service was rushed up, the name noon was kept for the hour in which the nones were recited, even though it is now closer to twelve than to three. So, twelve o’ clock noon bears a name which means three o’ clock! Ten was considered a perfect number; the fact that man learned to count on his ten fingers and ten toes gave this number its mathematical importance. Decem and deka are the respective Latin and Greek words for the number 10. Dean – originally, a chief over ten men but now, it refers to a high officer in a professional/academic group Decalogue – the Ten Commandments Decimate – originally meant to execute one chosen by a lot out of ten, but now it means to kill/destroy almost totally That concludes our Etymological Tour for this edition of theSCENE. We hope you had a good time reading and learning something new. Feedback is always welcome. Until next time, stay safe. Have fun.
General
Internet
CENSORSHIP
By Coltraven
I
nternet Censorship is an issue that has, in some countries, been widely publicized and in the past has been controversial. Countries like Iran, China, Korea and Vietnam are known for their heavy censorship of the internet. These countries, along with others, are commonly known as “Enemies of the internet” because of their severe censorship of political, adult, gambling and in some cases human rights websites. Before we draw the battle lines and take sides, let us examine both the pros and the cons of internet censorship in our society. Censorship of the internet can be a good method of restricting unnecessary content that can be viewed on the web. With children and minors accessing the internet earlier and earlier it seems reasonable to want to regulate what children can access. For all of these benefits there seem to be an equally understandable counter proposal such as: instead of mandatory internet censorship why not just have a normal software net nanny with a password lock? Unfortunately it seems that the ideas for Censorship in Australia have recently come to light and it’s but one example of a government feeling threatened by the internet and its vast amount of content and information. They have so far proposed to block educational, informative and perfectly legal websites. A proposed list of banned websites has recently surfaced on the website www. wikileaks.com and on this list are certain wikipedia pages, a dentist’s website, multiple legal gambling websites and websites with information on abortion. We need to ask ourselves, is it right for internet censorship to block perfectly legal websites even if they have some graphic content. Does the context in which the graphics or websites fall under not matter? In a digital age, isn’t it important for us to keep as many useful and educational sites available as we can, amongst the flood of video games and entertainment? 16 \ theSCENE \ WAREZ-BB.ORG
The technical issues of censorship are important when it comes to countries that don’t have state-of-the-art or advanced internet. In the ISP filter trial report (which can be found at www.acma.gov.au), it states that 10,000 sites will be blocked incorrectly out of every million. Also on this report it stated that Australia’s internet will be slowed by up to 80% if the filter is implemented and in a country where slow internet is generally a way of life, this is not a good idea. The proposed filter whilst big and costly is, to put it bluntly, dumb. Any basic proxy or virtual private network can easily get past the filter. The proxy would also need to be able to monitor the internet for websites with blacklisted content. This means constant monitoring of changing and new websites, which is an impossible task. Internet censorship can be a good thing depending on the degree of severity the party in question is willing to impose onto the internet. Overly strict or threatened governments can react harshly to the internet and block content that they believe could influence people’s opinions or that the government is overly biased about. Controlled forms of censorship, where only material that is deemed illegal for reasons of laws appropriate to the country, can be an efficient way of regulating what the populace sees. Morality and legality are two very different things and no government should decide the morale stance for the population of their country. What an individual decides to do in the privacy of their own home is their business as long as it’s not illegal. And yes, I can see the irony of talking about legality when writing for a warez magazine. Heh.
Layout by oddbrawl General
Inner
Enemy Words: Text: Glenny glenny. Layout: Leroy44 leroy44
As she sat there, as lonely as one could wish not to be, she once again fell to the temptation of toying with the thought that all her miseries had been the fruit of other people's doings and unfortunate circumstances, rather than of her own insensible policies. It had for a long time been a profitable business for her weak soul to run, blaming everything and everyone else for anything that ever went wrong. She shook her head violently to chase away this ghost of her past misconceptions. There would be little point in torturing herself with the idea that her fate would have been of a more noble nature, had people not explored and advanced on her ever so dif ficult character . While one could argue that her art of self-destruction had been generously aided by others, the true honor of bringing the af fairs to a lamentable state had been hers. It had been her inability to face criticism that made her spin an endless web of lies, each time promising that it was the last time, and each time coming up with an even bigger lie, getting trapped in her own vicious web. It had been her vanity that made her abandon all her shields once attention was payed to her . Once someone was in her grace, they were owners of all her acts. And while she had never desired such treatment, she always managed to submit herself to it most successfully . It had been her lack of self-confidence that made her be as fragile as a newborn, forcing her to retreat whenever she ought to have advanced. Hidden in her shell, she would wait for all risks to pass, and by the time she felt safe enough to come out, all her chances had gone past as well. It had been her choice to delight herself with the presence of most obscure people. Surrounded by such company , she ought not to have expected that her days could have been any lighter . So as she sat there, as regretful as one could be, she once again assured herself of the ultimate truth; that all her misfortune had been the consequence of her very own lack of better judgment, that she destroyed her own plans by having followed her stray views for a much longer time than she should have afforded. It would take her years to mend all that she ruined and to resume a stable path in life. But she was at peace, because her views were now clear , both for the past and the future. She looked through the window with a serene smile of clean conscience.
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General
Tolerance Tolerance or compromise is the ability and capacity for someone to accept others, despite differences in religion, culture, opinion, political views, gender, national origins, contagious diseases and sexual orientation. Tolerance is a highly desirable quality and a fair objective attitude towards others whose opinions and practices differ from one’s own. About 200 years ago, most societies were homogenous. They were inhabited by people of the same race. During the past 50 years, owing to globalization, most societies in the world have become pluralistic. This is where tolerance becomes essential. The greatest example of intolerance is religious fundamentalism. All religions are beautiful and there are great people in all religions. The purpose of all religions is the same; peace and respect. However, some religions are distorted by extremists. In a family, tolerance is fundamental among the different members. Tolerance creates harmony which is based on compromise and dialogues. A parent should be tolerant towards their children to some extent, especially because of the generation gap. Parents
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must try to understand their children especially when they are undergoing puberty, otherwise there will be conflicts, frustration and juvenile delinquency. Children should also make an effort to understand their parents. They should bear in mind that the only reason that their parents prevent them from doing certain things is that they do not want their kids to suffer potentially harmful consequences. The parents may have gone through bad experiences and do not want their children to go through the same difficulties. There should be tolerance among the members of a school in order to maintain respect for each other. A school is just like a miniature society, where students differ in religion, culture, social background and financial status. That is where tolerance holds its importance. Here, on warez-bb, tolerance is crucial to maintain a friendly atmosphere. Be tolerant and it won’t result in a ban!
Article: feenz_b
TOLER A NCE
Layout By KieronDSFX
General
Jobs In Foreign Countries What are the factors to be considered?
feenz_b Soumyadeep
article by layout by
Some of us are students, either at secondary or tertiary level. Others are job seekers, and some of us are actually working. Whatever the case, the idea of working in a foreign country must certainly have come into your mind. There are several factors to be considered when going for a job in a foreign country.
omy is growing at a slow pace, factories may close down and workers will lose their jobs. Economic stability leads to stability of the currency. A foreign worker must always make sure that he is paid in hard currency. If his salary is in local currency, he must see to it that the local currency is strong. He must also make sure that he is able to transfer his money to his country. If he cannot repatriate The first important factor which someone must consider the savings, he will be compelled to keep the money in is social stability. Civil order, law and order, peace and se- the country and he may not use the money for his councurity must prevail in the country. If this is not the case, try. Consequently, workers must make sure that their job no hard work can be done. Fear will be omnipresent. It contract makes mention of repatriation of funds. is obvious; someone cannot go to his place of work early in the morning with the fear of being blown up in a sui- Cost of living and the rate of taxation are other factors cide bomb attack. That is why he must choose a country which must be taken into account. If the cost of living is where he will be free to walk about, to go out at night and very high and there is a galloping inflation, the worker where there is an atmosphere to encourage him to give may not be able to save any money. Equally, the rate of the best of himself. taxation is important for a foreign worker if he wants to save some money. It will be useless to work in a country Political stability is another factor which is similar to where most of the salary is spent on paying taxes. social stability. Again, there must not be unrest or tension because of fighting between political parties. Con- Accommodation is a basic necessity and nobody can sequently, the person will again not be able to give the work satisfactorily if he does not have a good place where best of himself. he can relax, sleep and live. However, the worker must ensure that the rent for the room is not very high. The Xenophobia is a factor which should be considered. In- rent for the room must be in line with the salary. The deed, feelings of discrimination towards a foreigner cre- room or the house he has chosen must be a place where ate a climate of fear and insecurity. It is quite natural that he feels secure. The place where he lives must not be too in other countries, a foreign worker will not be happy far from the place where he works. He must see to it that and will feel threatened, and therefore he might not to he has transport facilities. be able to work in this climate. If the worker is able to overcome his fears and get used to the environment, These were the most important aspects to be considered then he can consider himself to be successful, as this will when going to work in a foreign country. Yet, there are help him to do the finest work. others factors which need to be considered as per one’s specific personality. Language and climate are two facThe economic stability of a country is very important for tors to be considered, but which will vary from one perthe foreign workers. If the economy is doing well, the job son to another. is assured. However, if there is a recession or if the econ-
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General
What We All Live For I remember
waking up in a cold sweat, one time when I’d dreamt that my dad had passed away. The emotion was genuine but it was a dream. The emotions associated with loss and desolation. I remember waking up and walking to the kitchen at 7.30am and making myself a cup of tea, then I opened the door and had a look at the paper. At about 8.00am, my father came into the living room and asked me what I was doing up so early. I stood up, told him I didn’t know and gave him a hug. I told him I loved him. He was slightly surprised and asked me what was wrong and I said nothing was - I just wanted him to know. I remember hanging from the fourth storey of a building without support. That day I had gone up to the roof to put up posters for Sports Day in my old school. I am quite lanky for my age, so I slipped (kudos to my big feet) after pasting the poster, and I ended up hanging for dear life with my two skinny hands. The first thought that went through my head was: “Would anyone miss me if I died?” It was my second thought. And my third thought. The fourth thought that came into my head – I don’t remember. I just remember a sudden rush of thoughts – disjointed, disoriented – random flashes and thoughts such as “This is slippery” and “I love my family”. 20 \ theSCENE \ WAREZ-BB.ORG
My thoughts returned to my father and tears filled my eyes. I couldn’t think. I just hung there screaming for help while my teachers milled around. Eventually they pulled me up and I lay there gasping. My hands were blue from holding the roof. What do we all live for? When tomorrow you could be crossing a road and you could either be hit by a car or lightning could strike you, why work so hard to save yourself? Yes, there is an element of commonsense safety that we all should follow, but some things are just unavoidable – death will eventually come to all of us. I’m not trying to be morbid or illogical, it’s a thought that’s haunted me since the time I hung from that school building. I finally came to a conclusion – many have spoken about this cliché but it could not be more appropriate now: Live life to the fullest, because you never know when the end will come. And I’ve never looked back since that, and maybe we shouldn’t. - Twist
General
I like looking out of my window before I sleep every night. I just sit in my chair, open the curtains, and look past the stupid coconut tree that’s blocking my view to see the stars. I never go to sleep until I see at least one star in the sky because it makes me feel happy, just seeing that spark of shining light out there in the dark night. Yesterday I sat in my chair for 3 hours. It’s the longest I’ve ever sat there before. I couldn’t see any stars. I felt weird because there weren’t any. Not even a small one. Not even a teensy tiny little baby star. Nothing. Words: Twist’s Girlfriend Layout: leroy44
It made me feel empty. Watching stars every night had become a routine, something I looked forward to before sleeping everyday. It scared me that there were none. The only thing that I could see was the moon. Its crescent shape was shining right next to my coconut tree. I had never really liked the moon. It always distracted me from the stars, and that bugged me. It always took over the sky, because of its size. Give the stars a chance, eh? But I looked closer yesterday, and I saw the moon, like I was supposed to see it and I went to sleep right after that. The moon, I realized, was just as special as the stars, and I had only just seen that. I had never before seen the beauty of the moon. The best part is, the moon would be there every night, even if the stars wouldn’t come out. I learnt something new yesterday. Just before I closed my eyes, I glanced out the window and saw that one tiny little star had crept out of the darkness to give the moon company. And that made me smile.
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General
BEWARE OF LAUGHTER
WRITTEN BY: FARTERMISSILE LAYOUT BY: SURFERDUD3
1955
A crusty old Marine Sergeant Major found himself at a gala event hosted by a local liberal arts college. There was no shortage of extremely young idealistic ladies in attendance, one of whom approached the Sergeant Major for conversation. “Excuse me, Sergeant Major, but you seem to be a very serious man. Is something bothering you?” “Negative, ma’am. Just serious by nature”, he said to the young lady. The young lady looked at his awards and decorations and said, “It looks like you’ve seen a lot of action”. “Yes, ma’am, a lot of action”. The young lady, tired of trying to start up a conversation, said, “You know, you should lighten up a little. Relax and enjoy yourself ”. The Sergeant Major just stared at her in his serious manner. Finally the young lady said, “You know, I hope you don’t take this the wrong way, but when was the last time you had sex?” “ 1955, ma’am”. “Well, there you are. No wonder you’re so serious. You really need to chill out! I mean, no sex since 1955!” She took his hand and led him to a private room where she proceeded to “relax” him several times. Afterwards, panting for breath, she leaned against his bare chest and said, “Wow, you sure didn’t forget much since 1955.” The Sergeant Major said in a serious voice, after glancing at his watch, “I hope not; it’s only 2130 now”.
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General
FM HEALTH FACTS Q: I’ve heard that cardiovascular exercise can prolong life; is this true? A: Your heart is only good for so many beats, and that’s it... don’t waste them on exercise. Everything wears out eventually. Speeding up your heart will not make you live longer; that’s like saying you can extend the life of your car by driving it faster. Want to live longer? Take a nap. Q: Should I cut down on meat and eat more fruit and vegetables? A: You must grasp logistical efficiencies. What does a cow eat? Hay and corn. And what are these? Vegetables. So a steak is nothing more than an efficient mechanism of delivering vegetables to your system. Need grain? Eat chicken. Beef is also a good source of field grass (green leafy vegetable). And a pork chop can give you 100% of your recommended daily allowance of vegetable products. Q: Should I reduce my alcohol intake? A: No, not at all. Wine is made from fruit. Brandy is distilled wine, which means they take the water out of the fruity bit so you get even more of the goodness that way. Beer is also made out of grain. Bottoms up! Q: How can I calculate my body/fat ratio? A: Well, if you have a body and you have fat, your ratio is one to one. If you have two bodies, your ratio is two to one, etc. Q: What are some of the advantages of participating in a regular exercise program? A: Can’t think of a single one, sorry. My philosophy is: No Pain...Good! Q: Aren’t fried foods bad for you? A: YOU’RE NOT LISTENING!!! .... Foods are fried these days in vegetable oil. In fact, they’re permeated in it. How could getting more vegetables be bad for you? Q: Will sit-ups help prevent me from getting a little soft around the middle? A: Definitely not! When you exercise a muscle, it gets bigger. You should only be doing sit-ups if you want a bigger stomach. Q: Is chocolate bad for me? A: Are you crazy? HELLO Cocoa beans! Another vegetable!!! It’s the best feel-good food around! Q: Is swimming good for your figure? A: If swimming is good for your figure, explain whales to me. Q: Is getting in-shape important for my lifestyle? A: Hey! ‘Round’ is a shape! Well, I hope this has cleared up any misconceptions you may have had about food and diets.
General
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Inflation By Seashock
OWING TO THE RECENT ECONOMIC CRISIS THAT HAS BEEN SHAKING UP THE ECONOMIES ALL OVER THE WORLD, INFLATION HAS BECOME THE NEW BUZZ WORD. ALMOST EVERY ECONOMY, DEVELOPED, DEVELOPING OR UNDERDEVELOPED, HAS FACED THIS PROBLEM AT ONE TIME OR ANOTHER. THE PURPOSE OF THIS ARTICLE IS TO INTRODUCE TO THE READER, THE BASIC FUNDAMENTALS OF INFLATION, ITS CAUSES AND GENERAL EFFECTS.
I
nflation is the sustained rise in the general price level as a result of an increase in demand without a corresponding increase in supply. Price instability is a common feature in any economy - developed, developing or underdeveloped. Fluctuations in price lead to an uncertain and unfavorable economic atmosphere. Such an atmosphere does not lend itself to any kind of development activity. Stability in prices is an important condition for efficient and stable economic activity.
Causes of inflation
While inflation is a common feature, there is no single cause or theory that explains it. Some economists attribute inflation to the excess in money supply which is a direct consequence of ever increasing deficit financing and a rise in demand for goods and services. Some others believe that inflation arises from supply inflexibilities, macroeconomic structural constraints and imbalances, etc. In a country, inflation is seen as a result of a combination of all these factors. A few of them are elaborated here.
Demand pull factors
In any economy, the expenditure generally rises as time progresses. From a few thousand million dollars in the 1950s, the government’s expenditure now runs into a few billion dollars. Continuous increase in expenditure has the effect of placing more economy in the hands of the general public. This in turn leads to a rise in purchasing power which drives up the demand for goods and services. In the short run, supply will not increase in proportion to demand, due to structural imbalances. Thus, the shortage in supply of goods in proportion to demand, results in a rise in price level i.e. inflation. Also, increasing government expenditure finances, in part, through deficits (also called deficit financing) directly pushes up the money supply. The huge increase in money supply in the economy, i.e. with the general public, has a direct bearing on demand for goods and services and therefore on price level. 24 \ theSCENE \ WAREZ-BB.ORG
Two other major demand pull factors include pressure of a rapidly rising population (which is common in countries like India and China), and widespread speculation and hoarding in the case of many essential goods (leading to shortage in supply).
Cost-push factors
Some economists attribute inflation to cost-push factors like volatile fluctuations in output (as in food grain production), upward revision of administered prices (as for LPG, petrol) and external factors like oil prices and global inflation. In an economy, supply shocks in terms of changes in output and supply, play an important role in exacerbating the costpush inflation. Two other factors which could be mentioned here are: (a) continuously rising prices of imports, and (b) increasing tax rates, especially indirect taxation. When the cost of imports rise (like a rise in oil import bill because of an increase in global oil prices), the cost of production also rises, pushing up the price level. Secondly, governments increasingly rely on indirect taxes to mop up its revenues. Indirect taxes (like service tax) give an opportunity to business firms to raise prices.
How does inflation affect the common man?
Rapidly rising inflation leads to a fall in the purchasing power of money. In other words, the value of money comes down during an inflationary situation. So, goods and commodities cost more than they are normally worth, resulting in decreased value for the money the consumer pays. Though some economists argue that there can also be positive effects of inflation, a high degree of inflation generally has a harmful effect on the economy of a country. YAW N. / L AYOU T DESIG N
General
Flying Thoughts Illustration by RED.PANTHER Layout by Soumyadeep
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General
iPhone Firmware 3.0
Article by: LewisBeechey layout by: surfedud3
As a registered iPhone Developer, I was very interested to get my hands on the new iPhone 3.0 Firmware. The features, which were announced at the Preview Event held by Apple, had many people on the edge of their seats, waiting for three highly anticipated features. Those are; ‘Cut, Copy, and Paste’, MMS Functionality (Audio, Photos, Contacts and Location) and to be able to Read and Compose Emails and SMS messages in Landscape mode. Fortunately, Apple delivered. Never before have I known a company be able to get so many thousands of people so hyped up over basic computing functions that have been around for somewhat over half a decade on other mobile devices. This type of functionality is definitely going to push the iPhone that one step further forward. This release is unfortunately only available to Officially Registered iPhone Developers, which I am lucky to be a part of, but will be available for a paid download later this summer for the one-off price of $19.99. Let’s break down the main features talked about at the Preview Event.
Cut, Copy and Paste Apple announced that they had added Cut, Copy, and Paste functionality into the iPhone OS 3.0. A lot of iPhone fans had a slight hint that this was coming in the 3.0 releases, but to hear it ‘from the horse’s mouth’, so to speak, gave everyone at the conference and around the globe a sigh of relief. Now, that’s all well and good, but how does it work? Well, let me show you. For the sake of easy understanding, I’ll use the iPhone’s Native Application “Notes”. As you can see from the screenshot below, I have typed in some text. Pretty generic, but this is what I will be demonstrating with.
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Tech
Cut, Copy and Paste - Continued If I were to double-tap on a word (Warez-bb.org, for example), I’d be presented with the following:
As you can see, there are two blue markers that mark the beginning and end of the segment of text I would like to copy. I am able to drag the markers to wrap around the Warez-bb.org text. I can now continue to tap the ‘Copy’ bubble above the selected text. That’s it! The text is now copied and can now be pasted in any other application that supports text input functionality. It’s as easy as that. Other applications allow you to ‘Select’, ‘Select All’ and ‘Paste’ text. If ‘Select’ is tapped, then you are presented with the two blue markers again, if you tap ‘Select All’, then obviously all of your text will be selected and you are able to choose to either Cut, Copy or Paste. Such simple functions have been such a missed out item on the iPhone, and now we all get to experience it. Oh, you can also shake the iPhone to undo text. ;-)
MMS and Multiple File Emailing Another new feature is MMS, but due to my carrier not supporting this on the iPhone package just yet, my demonstration of this may vary from the final product. As a downside, MMS will only be available for the iPhone 3G (and presumably upward models). This works in the same way as the Copy and Paste function for text. You simply tap Photos, select your chosen album, and click the icon in the bottom left. From there you can tap any photos in your album and select either to Share, Copy or Delete them. After, you can open up your Messaging App and simply double-tap and hit Paste. The images are then inserted into an MMS message and you may send it from there. To send multiple photos in an email, tap “Share” and hit “Email”. Simple!
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Landscape Mode Now if you’re like me and hate having to use the portrait keyboard because you just keep tapping the wrong keys, then 3.0 is definitely for you. Simply tilt the iPhone 90° in a native iPhone app, which allows user input, and feel the benefits of a much larger keyboard.
Spotlight for iPhone All Mac users should be familiar with Spotlight. It’s the extra-powerful search utility built into every Mac OS X computer. Well, it has now been ported over to the iPhone. Sporting its own home screen, the Spotlight feature is a novel little function. Simply flick left and you’ll be presented with Spotlight. As you can see, it searches through various Applications for the term I have typed in the top search box and displays them in order of Application. Very handy if you need to find something without having to rummage through each individual application. Search functions are now included in all native iPhone Applications for ease of searching. Simple features like this which the iPhone was lacking before have really pushed it up that extra notch and definitely set back a few of its competitors such as the Palm Pre (which was set to be the iPhone killer). These, of course, aren’t the only additional features being added to the 3.0 Firmware. There are literally hundreds of new features, including the following: New Voice Memo Application, AutoFill and Anti-Phishing for Safari, Push Notifications (Be alerted if your application needs your attention), Improved YouTube application (Watch new videos from those who you are subscribed to, also rate and comment on videos) and “Shake to Shuffle” (Shake your device when in the iPod application to enable shuffle).
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Spotlight for iPhone - Cont. There are so many more features and updates that have been added in Firmware version 3.0 – too many to list here. This definitely seems like a step up for Apple and a step down for other iPhone competitor phones. Although, it has had its bad times. The first Developer Release of the OS was very laggy, buggy and often crashed and required a hard reboot of the device in order to get it to respond again. I particularly had trouble in a certain Twitter application, TwitterFon and primarily Facebook and Safari. Yesterday however, Apple released the BETA 2 of the software, which has rectified these issues and seems to be running as stable as Version 2.2. Well-done Apple!
Of course, another huge advantage to the new firmware means a brand new SDK release. A huge amount of API’s have been unlocked for 3.0, so have no doubt that there will be a tonne of nice new shiny applications waiting for you when the public release comes out this coming summer, so I’d definitely recommend looking out for those!
Conclusion In conclusion, the iPhone 3.0 release sports a whole host of new features and functionality, some of which will revolutionize the iPhone and all handheld devices as we know it. Despite the drawbacks explained above, the firmware was still incredibly great to work with, and now with the latest version installed, it’s even better. I’m really looking forward to seeing the developers’ next generation applications for the iPhone, taking advantage of everything that has been unlocked, giving the user more functions to work with, and a major interactivity boost. The OS was incredibly easy to install, and just required me to download it and add my Device ID to my developer account to activate the install. Very painless and an absolute breeze.
Usability: Features: Applications: Overall:
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ello my fellow members and welcome to another issue of theSCENE. First of all I would like to thank every reader for his/her support. Without you, we wouldn’t exist: you are what made the magazine what it is today. So the press team members owe you a big thank you from the bottom of our hearts. Review by .:Nvidia:. Layout by Leroy44
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s many of you have suggested, I’ve decided to write a hardware review. Frankly, it’s been quite a while since I did one. But no worries, from now on I’ll try to review a new component every issue as many of you seem to like it. Today we are going to take a deep look at eVGA’s new high-end mother board: The x58 SLI Classified. Pretty cool name, don’t you think! Now many of you must be asking why I picked this motherboard when there are a lot of x58 motherboards out there. Yes there are, but they do not offer the same neat features as this baby does. Read on and you’ll see what I’m talking about. If you do not know, or haven’t heard about eVGA before, it’s a well known company famous for its high-end PC components from GPUs to motherboards. They’ve been in the business for quite some time now. I personally never had a problem with one of their products and this motherboard is no exception.
The x58 is the latest chipset from Intel and is currently the only chipset compatible with the new i7 CPUs. It uses the LGA1366 socket (aka Socket B). While it comes with some new features such as Intel QuickPath Interconnect (QPI) and support for both SLI and Crossfire, it will cost you money to upgrade. But it’s worth it!
The features While many motherboards offer nice features, I always found that the x58 SLI Classified had more potential than its competitors. Here is a complete list of all features: - CPU Socket Type: LGA 1366 (i7 CPUs). - Chipset: Intel X58 (with Intel ICH10R technology). - Memory: 6 DDR3 DIMM Slots. Yep, this monster supports up to 12 GB of RAM, with Triple channel configuration. - 4 (PCIe 2.0 x16) slots. You read that right. It means, whether you use SLI or would like to go crazy with a 3 Way SLI, the x58 classified can do it all, even 4 GPUs. The motherboard also comes with 1 PCIe (1.x) x1 slot and 1 PCI Slot 2.2. - Dual Realtek RTL8111C PCIe Gigabit Ethernet Controllers. If you are fond of networking or use a lot of network resources, eVGA has put a lot features at your disposal. -Realtek ALC 889 /8 Channel HD audio codec: this sound card does its best in terms of sound quality. However, if you happen to be a sound enthusiast like me, I suggest you get a Creative sound card (Blaster/Xtreme Gamers Edition), as these will give you the best sound quality out there. There’s a huge difference, trust me. - SATA/RAID: The x58 Classified comes with 6 (3.0Gbps) Ports and supports RAID 0, 1, 5 RAID 0+1 as well as Intel Matrix Technology. Pretty neat, don’t you think? - Power Connectors: Dual 8-pin ATX 12V, ATX 24-pin. The motherboard can deliver up to 600 Watts of CPU power. - Onboard clear CMOS button: This great feature will make your life easier; you can clear your CMOS by a touch of a button without going through any jumper. - Onboard diagnostics LED: This is very useful in case of a problem, as it will help you identify the source of it. - On board reset/power button: As the name suggests, this allows you to easily reboot/power up your system, and it also comes with HDD status monitoring.
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The Package Now that we have gone through the “basic” features, we are going to take a look at some “Classified only” features. Upon unpacking the motherboard, you will see that eVGA has done a great job here. Seriously, you feel like everything is high quality. After all, you get what you pay for: all the necessary cables, SLI connectors (SLI and 3 Way SLI), driver CD etc. Not to mention the user manual, it’s well written and everything is explained in detail. Finally eVGA also supplied a nice certificate labeled “classified”.
ECP EVGA Control Panel This is the most neat feature that eVGA supplied with the box, although installing it is not necessary. It will come in handy for extreme overclockers. The ECP is a small PCB that offers important features that can not be done unless you unplug some of the components: you can for instance reset power up, clear your CMOS, or even adjust the VCore. It also comes with an onboard LED display for hex diagnostic POST code.
The Design The x58 Classified is a good looking motherboard. The designers did a great job mixing the black PCB with some red slots and mirror like pipes. The best neat design feature is the red LED light fading on/off on the Northbridge passive cooler.
The BIOS The BIOS is where this main board shows its real potential: OVERCLOCKING! You can check everything: Fans RPM (you can either set a manual speed or the BIOS can do it automatically), PC health status… The BIOS also offers a Dummy OC function: with this option you can, with a press of a button, set the CPU speed to 3.6 GHz. If you plan on going manual (which you should, otherwise what’s the point of buying this motherboard?), the x58 classified gives you the ability to save up to 7 profiles. Plus there are a lot of security features that will make sure you don’t mess everything up.
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As I mentioned before, overclocking is what this motherboard does best. With that said, I managed to get my i7 to 4 GHz on air. I wanted to go further, but the system started crashing. Of course this is due to my rather poor cooling for more than 4 GHz clock. But, I’ve seen people getting as high as 5.1 GHz with water cooling.
Power Consumption
If you are on an overclocked system (More than 4 Ghz), the CPU alone will eat up to 450 Watts at full load and around 160 at idle. Of course the motherboard can handle this perfectly. But you need to make sure you have a PSU strong enough, especially if you have other high end components like Dual/Triple GPUs and 4 or 5 HDDs.
Overall Performance There is no surprise here. After overclocking my CPU I got a noticeable boost in overall performance. A huge boost in gaming as well. Movie encoding is a LOT faster. All I can say is that with such a nice motherboard and great CPU your rig will be flying high, really high.
What can I say? I’m speechless, amazed… The x58 SLI Classified Motherboard is just one of a kind. To be honest, it does cost a lot ($450). But frankly, this is not a motherboard for a normal PC user or every gamer out there. It’s for those who are willing to take performance to the next level, those who want to get the most out of their hardware. eVGA has really thought of every single option an extreme overclocker might need, and put it in this beast, and this is what makes it stand out of the crowd. Finally, if your budget isn’t a problem, and you are looking for the best motherboard out there with ALL features, the eVGA SLI Classified Motherboard is for you, it won’t let you down!
Tech
-A little bit overpriced. -Northbridge gets too hot after a while (Recommends installing a 40mm fan).
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Thank you for reading theSCENE issue 18. We look forward to seeing you again next time!