For the things in life which make me glad I'm not dead yet.
Film & TV
Before Netflix
I remember spending the first 30 seconds of many ad break trying to get the tape back to the exact point the show ended for a smooth transition.
Defeating Disney DRM
August 11, 2013
I've been busy converting my 800+ DVD collection to mkv and sticking them on my NAS over the past 6 months. DVDFab has handled pretty much everything I've thrown at it, however it didn't like the Disney X-project DRM.
It took a little research, there are plenty of commercial products that can get around this DRM, but I've already spent enough money buying all these DVDs I'm determined that my ripping software will be zero-cost.
What would we do about it?
Professor Bernard Quatermass: The will to survive is an odd phenomenon. Roney, if we found out our own world was doomed, say by climatic changes, what would we do about it?
Dr. Mathew Roney: Nothing, just go on squabbling like usual.
Professor Bernard Quatermass: Yes, but if we weren't men?
– Quatermass and the Pit (1967), Nigel Kneale
V (2009)
I finally finished the second (and final) season of V (2009). It's been a bit of a chore making it through this season to be honest and there wasn't really a pay off at the end to have made it worth it in my opinion. I had fond memories of the original V mini-series, having caught a re-run of it during my early teens. After 22 episodes I have to conclude that this is the most inept resistance movement in any TV series I have seen to date
Taken 2
The original Taken was a surprise favourite of mine, this sequel is only a pale imitation of that movie though. The story never really gets going here and the set pieces aren't half as good as those in the first movie. It's not bad by any stretch, but it barely scratched the surface of any of the characters this time around.
Ninja Turtles Tribute
I very much doubt the upcoming movie will engender as much goodwill among children of the 80s as this will do …
Adventures in RTP: Cheesecake Factory
First day at work in RTP felt somewhat like the first day of school. As we didn’t have security clearance I had arranged to meet Donald in the lobby at 8:30 and we spent the day as visitors, which meant we couldn’t get through any badge-locked doors without an escort during the day.
The “war room” [...]
The Great Mystery of the Universe
… time travelling is just too dangerous. Better that I devote myself to study the other great mystery of the universe: Women.
– Christopher Lloyd (Doc. Emmett Brown, Back to the Future part 2)
Big Brother
It seems there is hope for the British public after all as audience figures for Big Brother 5 halved after the launch night, maybe the last ever Friends episode had something to do with Friday night’s figures too. I admit I watched the first BB and that I enjoyed it .. but the subsequent shows [...]
Van Helsing
I went to see Van Helsing against my better judegment. I expected very little from the trailers I had seen, and amazingly the film was even worse than I had anticipated. It was a constant assault on my intelligence, I feel violated by the dumbed-downess of the entire film. Worse than The Hulk? [...]