Archive for April, 2010

Beware of Clever Malware

Lately, PC malware creators have been getting very creative and sneaky in their efforts to infect thousands of computers with their own types of spyware. Just today, it was reported by TUAW that a new type of spyware is disguising itself as an iTunes update for PC’s. However, the update comes in the form of an email, supposedly from Apple, with a link to the update. If you happen to get such an email, delete it. Apple, nor any other reputable software company, will never email updates to its customers. Most modern programs will check for and update themselves periodically. Case in point, Apple’s Software Update service which comes packaged with all of their software and updates them on its own.

Another example of clever malware came last week, when a new type of malware targeted users of Bit Torrent programs. According to TorrentFreak, once installed, the malware presents the user with a “Copyright Violation” screen, warning that the infringing content found on the system could result in a $250,000 fine and 5 years in prison. The user is given the option to pass the case to court, but is encouraged to settle the case in pre-trial order. If the latter option is chosen, the user must provide the program with their personal information (name, address, credit card #) and will then be charged a $400 ‘fine’. If the prior option is chose, a warning screen appears stating that the data gathered will be passed along to the court and other copyright protection organizations. Suffice it to say, the whole thing is a scam. The malware has no connection to the RIAA, MPAA, US courts, or any other copyright protection organization, despite its claims.

Be smart when roaming the ‘Net, and don’t let scammers runaway with your personal infoz.

2010
04/26
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Movie Review: Kick-Ass

About a month ago, I was completely unfamiliar with Kick-Ass and the comic book mini-series this film is based on. I later found out that the story involves a high school loser who gets sick of being unnoticed and beat up all the time, and decides to develop a superhero persona named Kick-Ass to deal with these issues.  After a Youtube clip of Kick-Ass fighting off a three man gang gains mass popularity, the other masked vigilantes come out of the shadows, namely Red Mist, Big Daddy, and Hit-Girl.

When developing a comic book franchise into a movie, most directors tend to take their own creative liberties with it in order to gain mass appeal. However, Director Matthew Vaughn has done his best to stay as true to the original source material as possible, and it shows. Those that have read the Kick-Ass comics will not be disappointed by what they see on the screen. In fact, this movie can be seen as a more visual version of what’s in the comics.  On top of that, all of the fights are amazingly fun to watch since there’s plenty of surprising “Oh Shit!” moments to keep the audience cheering.

I personally enjoyed this movie a lot, for more reasons than one. My favorite part of this movie is the story, because I was able to relate to what Dave Lizewski was going through in life. In fact, I too have fantasized about what it would be like to become a superhero but, unlike Dave, I never acted on those fantasies. I also really liked Red Mist’s “Mistmobile”, which is a lame name but it’s an awesomely tricked-out Ford Mustang, complete with a body kit, engine mist, and interior lighting. My favorite hero was surprisingly Hit-Girl, because she was the only skilled fighter and pulled off a lot of crazy moves. I also really liked how Damon Macready’s comic told the story of how he became Big Daddy. Subtle things like the comic-book style transitions (i.e Meanwhile…) also caught my attention and made the movie feel more authentic.

Aaron Johnson plays the title character, Kick-Ass / Dave Lizewski, who is more of an underdog than a hero. However, Kick-Ass definitely becomes more of a hero by the end of the movie. While he is the title character, Kick-Ass isn’t the movies only hero. Chloe G. Moretz plays Hit-Girl / Mindy Macready, who is surprisingly acrobatic for such a young girl. She’s also the one who kicks the most ass in the movie, by taking down an entire New York City mafia on her own, for the most part. Christopher Mintz-Plasse, who most would know as McLovin from Superbad, plays Red Mist / Chris D’Amico, and does a fantastic job of pulling off the rich, villainous character. Lastly, Nicolas Cage does a great job as Big Daddy / Damon Macready, a man with a vendetta against mob boss Frank D’Amico.

Whether or not you have read the comics Kick-Ass is based on, definitely go check out this movie in theaters. You won’t regret it. Before you do though, check out it’s trailer below:

2010
04/16
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The 3D Epidemic in Hollywood

Ever since the worldwide gross of James Cameron’s Avatar broke the $1 Billion mark, every Hollywood studio has wanted to recreate that success. The reason Avatar is such a visually immersive film is because James Cameron filmed it using two cameras, one for each eye. Obviously, when th equipment is doubled, the crew that operates that equipment must also be doubled. This means that James Cameron’s technique for filming  in 3D is very expensive. Knowing this, many big Hollywood executives have decided to keep their costs down by taking movies that were filmed in the traditional manner, with one camera, and convert it to 3D during the final stage of post-production. When a movie is filmed in 2D, which is how it has been done traditionally, it is meant to be seen in 2D. However, by converting movies such as Alice in Wonderland and Clash of the Titans, which were filmed in 2D, to 3D, the Hollywood studios have an excuse to charge the consumer $15 for admission. Doing so ends up ripping the consumer off because the end product is nothing more than a gimmick that may diminish the overall experience. Roger Ebert, a well-known skeptic of the 3D conversion technique, said this about Clash of the Titans: “I saw it in 2D, and let me tell you, it looked terrific.” In order to stop this epidemic, the consumer should read some reviews of a film before they go out to see it. Movie reviews will often reveal whether a particular movie was filmed in 3D or uses 3D as a price-hiking gimmick. Most of the time it will be the latter, and in those cases consumers should opt to see the 2D version, as the films director intended.

2010
04/07
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Apple iPad: Is It Worth It?

The answer to that question depends on how the device will be used. The iPad is a phenomenal media consumption device. However, it is a horrible productivity device. Apple’s recently released gadget measures 7.5 inches X 9.5 inches (W X H) and weighs 1.5 lbs. As such it is light enough to hold with one hand and large enough to comfortably view videos, full websites, and books, among other types of media. Unfortunately, the on-screen keyboard is not suitable for extended use, such as creating documents or large emails. Using a Bluetooth keyboard paired with the iPad is also cumbersome since the device does not include a stand of any sort. On top of that, Apple’s iWork productivity suite for the iPad simply cannot be relied on to do the same type of work as Microsoft Office, or even its own standard variety, because the touch-based user interfaces in those programs are not intuitive enough for most people. At $499 for its lowest-end model (16GB Wifi), the iPad simply may not be worth it for most people who already have a means of mobile media consumption. For those that do take the plunge, it will serve their needs remarkably with its 3000+ iPad-exclusive apps.

2010
04/07
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