Retooling
Okay, I’ll go ahead and say it: This site is not dead.
How often have you stumbled across a website with that title (in CAPS) on one of its posts and thought, “Yeah, it’s not dead…yet?” Me too. But I promise, it isn’t—at least, not because I have abandoned it. Since my last post, I’ve been thinking of ways to revive it…while feverishly working on my other blog, Una di Noi.
I had a reason for my concept. I wanted to be random because people are random, completely unpredictable. We have some many different sides to us, like a dice has more than one faces. But I became discouraged when I found this article that talked about narrowing your focus to one topic:
…its very important that you stay on a specific topic on your blog. If you’re interested in more than one topic, then you need to start more than one blog…A blog with only one post a day that’s on one topic, is much more likely to attract a reader than a blog with 5 different posts about 5 different subjects.
I understand his point, but who really wants to manage five different blogs? I already have three!
I’m working on rethinking Prattler’s Paradise. I may ignore this man’s advice and make the site reflect more of myself. I don’t want to split myself up into domains, but I do want you, the reader, to enjoy this blog. If the randomness is hurting it, I may have no choice.
So, if you’ve stuck around all this time, thank you. There’s just a little trouble in paradise. Don’t worry—I’ll take care of it.
Software Scam: 3DMagix = Blender
Blender is one of the most popular open-source 3D modeling programs available. However, someone has been selling the application under the name “3DMagix.” This is technically legal under the GNU General Public License, but redistributing copyrighted artwork and removing identification (splash screens, copyright notices, etc.), as the seller(s) reportedly did, is forbidden. If you paid for a copy of 3DMagix, you have been scammed. I want to tell you to ask for a refund, but 3DMagix’s website is curiously not working anymore.
You can download the original program for free at www.blender.org. The program is currently at version 2.49. For more information on the 3DMagix scam, visit these sites:
Re-branding Blender (Blender)
3DMagix: re-branding and selling the free software Blender (Blender Nation)
Prattler’s Paradise May Be Moving Soon
I’m not completely happy with WordPress.com, so I’m experimenting with some free hosting sites to see if I can get something good going. I want better layouts, for one thing. This means this blog may be moving soon. Currently, I’m looking into Yola.com and 000webhost.com, but I’ll be keeping my options open.
FUNimation’s “Digimon” Fail Corrected
If you haven’t heard, FUNimation is streaming Japanese episodes of Digimon Adventure 02. The current description of the series reads:
Three years have passed since Taichi, Takeru and Hikari’s original adventure, but a new threat arrives in the peaceful DigiWorld – the Digimon Emperor intent on enslaving the Digimon for his own purposes. Two of the original DigiDestined, Hikari and Takeru, return joined by three newcomers: Daisuke, Miyako and lori. Together they go to the DigiWorld and with their Digimon partners Gatomon, Patamon, Veemon, Hawkmon and Armadillomon fight the new menace to save the DigiWorld they love.
Thankfully, someone changed it since I last visited the site on May 13th. Then, it said:
Three years has past from Taichi’s adventure, but a new virus arrives in the peaceful DigiWorld. Due to the virus’ special power, Agumon and others can’t evolve. At the time, Veemon, one of the new type Digimon who is able to evolve into many types of Digimon using a Digi-Egg. Newcomer Hikari is partnered with Veemon, and along with her friends Takeru and Daisuke they venture into the DigiWorld.
Um…no. There’s no virus attacking the Digital World, Hikari (Kari) is a season one veteran, and Daisuke (Davis) is the newbie partnered with Veemon. The new summary is right, except that it blends the language versions. Gatomon, Veemon, and Armadillomon’s Japanese names are Tailmon, V-mon, and Armadimon, respectively, and the Digimon Emperor is called the Digimon Kaiser. Also, the original version uses the terms “chosen children” (選ばれし子供 erabareshi kodomo) and “Digital World” instead of “Digi-Destined” and “Digi-World” (the dubbers were obsessed with putting digi in front of everything).
Pickiness aside, I am thrilled that a company like FUNimation has an interest in Digimon. Maybe they have some other plans for the series…
“Digimon Data Squad” Boxset May Already Be Out
Retailers said it wouldn’t be available until May 26th, but I bought my copy today. So, Digimon fans, call or visit your neighborhood Wal-Mart, Target, Best Buy, etc. to see if they already have it in stock. (I paid $30, but Target has it for $20. If you like buying online, Amazon also has it for $20. Comparison shopping works.) As expected, it has three DVDs and a booklet with information about the DATS members and summaries of the thirteen episodes.
I noticed a couple interesting things on the jacket. Fans have been talking about the product description on the publisher’s website (Well Go USA). The last sentence says, “Experience the final Digimon series like never before.” That line, along with the lack of news for a year or two, confirmed for most of us that Digimon is done. However, the boxset itself says, “Experience the newest Digimon series like never before.” (Here’s the proof—sorry about the quality.) Why the change? An error? A cover-up? A glimmer of hope for a season six, perhaps? The show’s still popular. (Why else would they be bringing Digimon RPG to North America and making a sequel?)
The other thing I saw gave me a nice laugh. The image on the back shows Marcus, Agumon, and GeoGreymon, but the picture is…incomplete. I know a Digimon and its partner are joined at the hip, but…
Anyway, I won’t be able to watch the DVDs until Wednesday or Thursday (at the earliest), so that’s when I’ll tell you about the menu, any extras, and things like that. Of course, you may have bought it yourself by then! If so, enjoy!
Friends or Entourage?
Facebook: a great way to stay in touch with the people you love. But social networking has a deceptive touch.
Most people have Facebook accounts and the Friends List included with them. (And even if you don’t have a Facebook, you’ve probably heard of this anyway.) If you’re out of this loop, here’s a lesson on becoming friends on Facebook:
- Find someone you know, someone who knows someone you know, someone who shares your interests, someone who looks interesting, etc.
- Click on their name, and in the next dialog box, click “Add as Friend” to send them a “friend request.”
- If they accept your request, you’ll get a notification saying, “John Smith has accepted your friend request.”
- Congratulations! You are now friends forever!
Don’t you wish relationships were this easy to start and maintain outside the Net?
That’s the superficiality of Facebook. Your “friends” could be the super fan who faints at your concerts, the girl in your school you’ve never met (but who requested you because you attend the same school), a random person in Brazil who thinks you have a cutest smile, or the man who’s trying to get into the Guinness Book of World Records for the longest Friends List. Do those connections really mean anything?
How many “friends” do you have? Ten? Fifty? Five hundred? Well, aren’t you a star? But how many of them talk to you more than once a month? What are your conversations about? How many of your “friends” know you, instead of knowing about you? Have you met them all in person? Most importantly, how many of them truly love you?
The list shrinks, doesn’t it? Maybe ten people out of a thousand. The other 990 rot on your Friends page; they’re nothing more than your entourage. You may even have forgotten each other.
So, tell me. Who are your real friends?
The Queen of England Says, “We Would Like to Play”
And I thought an iPod was the strangest thing the Obamas could have given the Queen, but the game company THQ has topped them. They have presented Her Majesty with a Nintendo Wii. Yes, a game console! For the Queen of England! But this is not your standard, pearly white Wii—the console, the nunchuk, and the Wiimote are gold plated.
A gracious gift…or a shameless plug?
Mike Krumbholtz, writer for the video game blog “Plugged in” on Yahoo.com, cites another blog, Geek.com, that reveals a possible second motive for THQ: the promotion of a new game called Big Family Games, a sports mini-game collection. “For a game that is meant to include the whole family from kids to grandparents,” the article states, “what better family to send it to than The Royal Family in England?”
Good point, but…the Queen of England?
Well, she may have wanted the console. Krumbholtz writes that “she was ‘addicted’ to playing Prince William’s Wii last Christmas.” The speculation begins. Will Her Highness stick to sports games, or will she move to hard-core games like Guitar Hero and Rock Band?
Diet Alfredo? Mamma Mia!
I watched a show on the CW called Better for the first time yesterday. Pam Anderson, author of the book The Perfect Recipe for Losing Weight and Eating Great, shared her recipe for a healthier fettuccine alfredo. The main ingredients for the sauce: flour, butter, 2% evaporated milk, chicken broth, and garlic. No heavy cream needed! Sound good? Check out this video to see how she makes it:
DWTS: Favorite Dances of Season Eight
Season eight is history. Congratulations to the winners, Shawn and Mark, and to all the finalists. This was a spectacular season, and I’m sure everyone is looking forward to season nine in September.
My top three dances of the season are shown here, and I’ve posted links to a few special mentions.
In first place is Li’l Kim and Derek’s “Jailhouse Rock” jive (week 6). It was also the best dance of that night. Derek, you’re under arrest for stealing my heart!
My second favorite is Shawn and Mark’s freestyle. Energetic and kissed with Mark’s quirkiness—wonderful! Some people say it’s the dance that won Team Shark the trophy.
Third place: Gilles and Cheryl’s quickstep to “Kryptonite” (week 2). Yes, everyone talks about their Argentine tango, but I never forgot this routine. Gilles, you really are Superman!
What are your top three?
Here are a couple other of my favorites:
“The Quintessential Latin Lover”: Gilles and Cheryl’s jaw-dropping Argentine tango (week 4)
You Ain’t Never Had a Friend Like Me: Shawn and Mark’s Aladdin quickstep (week 9)
And let’s not forget the most memorable samba of the season, provided by Steve and Karina. It takes a lot of work to earn a 10…total…
On that note, thanks to the entire Dancing cast for a great season, and congratulations once again to Shawn and Mark!
Team Shark Wins “Dancing with the Stars”
Olympic gymnast Shawn Johnson now has Dancing’s “coveted mirror ball trophy” to add to her medal collection. The seventeen-year-old and her professional partner Mark Ballas beat Sex and the City star Gilles Marini and The Bachelor contestant Melissa Rycroft in the show’s closest ever finish, with less than 1% of the votes separating first and second place.
Monday night, Shawn and Mark (a.k.a. “Team Shark”) performed the only perfect-scoring freestyle number, a combination of all the dances learned this season plus some youthful tricks. Judge Bruno Tonioli enjoyed it so much that he pretended to give a score of eleven. Despite the acclaim, the Sharks finished in a tie at fifty-eight points with runners-up Gilles and Cheryl. Melissa and her partner Tony Dovolani claimed third place both that night and overall.
Shawn Johnson is the third Olympian to win the show, joining Apolo Anton Ohno (season four) and another of Mark Ballas’ partners, Kristi Yamaguchi (season six). Tonight, the now two-time winner Mark seemed shocked to hear host Tom Bergeron call his and Shawn’s names.
All six finalists will appear tomorrow on Good Morning America.
The results of the first-ever Pro Dancer Competition were also announced tonight. Anna Demidova defeated Mayo Alanen for the chance to dance with a celebrity next season.
