DD Download - Thieves and Villains

Thieves and Villains are an American indie rock band from the Hudson Valley region of New York who have one album out (2008's Movement) and are about to release another, South America, on August 3rd.

These guys remind me of a more over the top version of My Chemical Romance with the lyrical sensibility of Coheed and Cambria.  Their music is really fun to listen to!

Below is the first single from the new album called "Virginia Woolf."

DD Download - The Ghost Inside

The Ghost Inside is a Metalcore / Melodic hardcore band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 2006. As A Dying Dream, they released an EP, Now Or Never.

Not long after, they changed their name to The Ghost Inside, and released a full length studio album entitled Fury and The Fallen Ones.

Their long awaited sophomore release titled Returners came out on June 8th, 2010.

If you like screaming in your music, this is the band for you.  But for those who prefer it a little more melodic, they do that too.  The band's music is actually very addicting and party going on in the video below looks like a lot of fun.

You can learn more about The Ghost Inside and how to get their music at http://www.myspace.com/theghostinside

Fishville For Facebook

I am not a Facebook gamer.  There are plenty of people who are but don't count me as one of them.  Well Dave, you may be asking yourself, then why are you writing about a Facebook game?  Because there's tons of users out there and I consider myself a friend of all technology.  Even the kind I never use.

This may become a regular feature so keep coming back please.

Today we're talking about Fishville.  And, you guessed it, the game comes from the same folks who brought you Farmville, Zynga.

In the game you raise baby fish, feed them as they grow, and decorate your fish tanks with friends!

Like I said at the top, I'm not a gamer so probably won't be playing it so you'll have to try it for yourself.  Here's the link.

Pod Storming

Yeah, the title is lame, I KNOW!  Naming these blogs is not my strong suit but you'll get why it's called Pod Storming in a second.  Just hang on!

I've been wanting to start doing a podcast for a while now but for the life of me I haven't been able to come up with a concept for one so this is what I'm writing about today.

It's a podcast theme brainstorming session.  Do you get the title now?

Yeah, still lame!

With any brainstorming there's bound to be crazy over the top and just plain supid ideas so here we go.

The Frogcast

During each episode we discuss frogs.  The different kinds, their behavior, habitats, etc.  There's over 5,000 separate species so there wouldn't be a lack of material.

Dave's Family

It's the world's only podcast where you'll hear nothing but news about my family.  What my sisters and brother are up to.  Mom's latest recipe.  Uncle Jim's favorite cat-hating joke and more!

Foods I Hate

This one is pretty self explanatory.  There aren't a lot of different food I like.  It's pretty much pizza, cheese burgers and pretzels for me.  That means plenty of new foods to discuss that I don't like.  Riveting huh?

Patent Pending Podcast

Another one that doesn't need much description.  We basically take a look at a handful of patents that are pending during each show.

Who's Feces Is It Anyway

Um.....Maybe not.

So there you have it, the best podcast ideas I've come up with.  If you can think of any better ones, please leave them in the comments section below and I'll make sure to credit you on each episode.

Thanks!

E3 Or Not To E3?

I really tried to avoid talking about E3, which for those who don't know is the Electronic Entertainment Expo, an annual trade show for the computer and video games industry going on this week in California.

But, since I'm the self-anointed tech blogger for The Buzz it's kind of hard not to write SOMETHING up on the subject.  I was hesitant to say anything on the subject because I'm not the most knowledgeable person when it comes to gaming.

This is what I've decided to do instead.  Post on here links to people and websites that actually know what they're talking about.

Here's what I do know concerning E3 this year.

The new XBox 360 was announced.

Microsoft's Kinect motion control system was unveiled.

And, that's about it.

That brings us back to my original point, I have no idea what I'm talking about so here's some helpful websites in case you are curious about what's happening at E3.

Just click on the logos.

And last but not least, you can always go to the official E3 website.  Here's the LINK.

Sacrificed SciFi Shows

Have you ever had a TV show that you really, really liked but then all of a sudden, out of the blue the network cancels it?

Well, that's happened to me time and time again!  And you know why?  Because I'm a science fiction fan and for some reason it's not a very popular genre.

Anyway, this blog is all about some of my favorite shows that have ended way too early.

Here's the top 3.  Feel free to add your own in the comment section below.

Space: Above And Beyond - 1995, 96

A show set in the years 2063–2064 which focused on a group of United States Marine Corps Space Aviators. The "Wildcards" which they were known as, are based on the space carrier USS Saratoga, and act as infantry and pilots to fight a race of aliens known as "Chigs."  It was very character-driven with numerous sub-plots which made the series deep and compelling.  I feel like there was so much more they could've done with the story lines.

Defying Gravity - 2009

A space travel series set in the year 2052 which follows eight astronauts on a six-year mission through the Solar System while their lives are being constantly recorded and broadcast back to Earth as part of an ongoing documentary. In spite of a libido-suppressing device worn by each crew member, romantic entanglements develop. Further complicating their lives is a mysterious storage pod which contains something referred to as Beta.

I knew this show was doomed from the start, pretty much because it was being aired on one of the major networks.  Let's see, has that ever worked?  Nope!  They actually released the complete first season/series on DVD with the rest of the un-aired episodes but I've been unable to watch them knowing that there could've been so much more!

Journeyman - 2007



This is kind of the odd man out on my list because it doesn't take place in space.

The plot centers around Dan Vasser, a San Francisco reporter who involuntarily travels through time.  He soon learns that each series of jumps follows the life of a person whose destiny he seems meant to change. Dan's jumping affects his family life and his job, and instills suspicion in his brother Jack, a police detective. While in the past, Dan reconnects with his ex-fiancée, Livia, whom he had believed was killed in a plane crash but is actually a time traveler like him.

It really reminded me of shows like Quantum Leap and Sliders, which wasn't a time travel but an alternate Earth travel program.  I'm a sucker for a series that shows what could've been or other possibilities and was really looking forward to seeing more of Dan's travels but that was not too be.

Like I said at the top, if you have suggestions for SciFi shows that ended too early, leave them in the comment section below.

Thanks for reading!

My Summer Scifi Guide

Now that the "regular" television season has come to a close, a small crop of "summer" shows are about to start airing.  Okay, I'll stop with the quotations.

I'm sorry to say, there isn't a whole lot out there! Mainly a bunch of reality-based programs.  Even less of a choice if you're a sci fi fan like me.  Stargate Universe is ending for now but that just makes way for the long-awaited return of Warehouse 13.  What else is out there you may ask.  Well, here's a "filtered" list of programs picked by me.  Woops, there I go again with the quotations!  Sorry about that.

By the way, we're just sticking with Sci Fi themed shows here.  Well, that, Last Comic standing and Ghost Hunters Academy, which in mind are the only watchable reality shows.  That is, until they bring back Rock Star (?), Who Wants To Be A Superhero, American Inventor or On The Lot.

Alright, no more rambling and on with the list.

Ghost Hunters Academy (June 2nd on Syfy)

This paranormal reality series makes it's return tonight!  In case you don't know the premise, TAPS members Steve Gonsalves and Dave Tango lead a group of prospective investigators on various ghost hunting cases.  And in this, the second season they're joined by TAPS founder Jason Hawes as the ultimate judge, voting a different contestant off the show every week.

Also premiering on July 14th is Ghost Hunters International

The Gates (June 20th on ABC)

Yuck!  I can't stand undead-based shows but like I said at the top, the pickings are pretty thin so any port in the storm right?

This show explores the supernatural elements that lurk behind the shadows of a gated communited aptly named "The Gates."  By the way, given ABC's history with Sci Fi over the last couple of years (Defying Gravity, Flashback, etc) I really don't blame them for going the easy, vampirish way out.

Warehouse 13 (July 6th on Syfy)

It'll be almost a full year since the show premiered and fans are more than ready for season 2!  This program, which has been Syfy's most successful series to date, follows U.S. Secret Service agents Myka and Peter Lattimer as they are reassigned to the government's secret Warehouse 13, which houses supernatural objects. They are tasked to retrieve missing objects and investigate reports of new ones.

Haven (July 9th on Syfy)

Based on Stephen King's novella The Colorado Kid, this series follows FBI agent Audrey Parker who arrives in the small town of Haven, Maine, to solve the murder of a local ex-con, only to discover that the place is a longtime refuge for people with supernatural powers, and holds a lot of secrets, including links to her own past.

So, that's it.  Quite the letdown aint it?

Sh** My Dad Says

I was listening to the Bob and Tom Show this morning and they had a news story about a new television show called Sh** My Dad Says starring William "The Shat" Shatner as The Dad.

This television program is awesome on a couple levels.  First, the obvious, it's got Captain Kirk!  Second, it's the very first TV sitcom to be based on tweets.  In case you don't know, a tweet is the short 140 character messages people post to the popular social networking site Twitter.

Here's the story.  A guy by the name of Justin Halpern moves from Los Angeles, back to his parents' house in San Diego.  Shortly after he starts a Twitter feed called Sh** My Dad Says which is a series of quotes made by Halpern's father, Sam, regarding random subjects.  Justin started tweeting on the account on August 3rd, 2009 and within less than a month, the page was featured on The Daily Show, a popular San Francisco blog called Laughing Squid and on Forgetting Sarah Marshall star Kristen Bell's Twitter feed. As of April 2010, Sh** My Dad Says has about 1,260,000 followers.

A book was released based on the feed and has reached #8 on the New York times best seller list for hardcover nonfiction.  And, that led to the television sitcom starring William Shatner. 

Obviously they've had to change the name and according to sources the pilot episode has been shot and will air this fall on CBS. 

Dangerous Dave

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