For over eight centuries, France has always had the Notre Dame Cathedral. It is one of the most remembered buildings and one of the longest lasting ones. The reason why I'm doing this blog on it is because of what happened back in April. As you may know, there was a massive fire that destroyed part of it and there is this push to get it back up and fully rebuilt within five years. I believe France has the 2024 Olympics, so the push could mean doing whatever they can.
One of the things I read a while back was whether to go with what the original architects in the 12th century did or to modernize it. It was one of the bigger fights. I think you have to go modern. To fix it with modern architecture would be a huge step up and keep it from having issues like it did a few months ago. It'd be nice to stick to how it was originally made, but it's a wooden building with tons of mortar and bricks. What they used back then may not be good in today's world. Add in heat waves going on right now, and the Cathedral could collapse at any moment.
There is still no official answer on what caused the fire. It could have been electrical. Could have been something from repairs. We don't know. But I'd be panicking if I'm France. Notre Dame is one of the most cherished buildings in the world and I doubt they are even close to figuring out what to do. But they better have an answer quick and soon. If they can't, then who knows if it will come crumbling down. There is a lot of history in that building. It would be a shame to see nothing down in the likelihood that it does collapse.
Sunday, July 28, 2019
Friday, July 26, 2019
Thursday, July 25, 2019
Butt Jets
You draft a quarterback high in the NFL draft, the expectation is either to start immediately, or get groomed to take over in a year or two. I call it desperation for the 2009 New York Jets when they got Mark Sanchez in the first round. With his retirement this week and heading into broadcasting, a lot of questions linger in what he could have done better.
It shouldn't be a surprise his first two years were his biggest moments when the Jets made the postseason. To beat San Diego in the 2009 season, knock off Indianapolis and New England in 2010. The New England game in Foxboro. A lot of it was that ground game, which was very strong and a smothering defense. But the decline came when Sanchez got better and was improving his stats and developing a bit better. His best year was 2011, throwing for 26 touchdowns and nearly 3500 yards. I'm not a Jet guy, but it was a step above Brett Favre and the injury prone Chad Pennington.
Of course, there's his regression in 2012, the year of the infamous butt fumble game on Thanksgiving. His year of 2013 being in injury and ousted from the Jets. The next year replacing Nick Foles in Philadelphia after he went down with injury. Both Sanchez and Foles shared similar stats, but it wasn't enough, even with 10 wins, to get into the postseason. Then there is bouncing around the last five years with various teams, usually with negative results whenever he was under center.
Unfortunately, guys that screw up will get remembered just as much as successful ones. Sanchez will never live down his butt fumble gaff. It's a shame, because what he was able to do his first two years shouldn't be forgotten. In that same breath, there leaves a lot to be desired. Who knows if the Jets still thought of him instead of Geno Smith. Maybe things could have changed for that team. I don't know. If you gave him the right offensive scheme and personnel, he could have thrived. Despite the four and four record, his numbers in Philly in 2014 are very good in yards, throwing for 2400.
Dysfunction is all I can say regarding wherever Sanchez went. There's a lot of things that you can say. It's all a what if thing on where he could have stood. He had chances and blew most of those opportunities. Maybe broadcasting will be a lot better, though not to the level of what Romo is doing.
It shouldn't be a surprise his first two years were his biggest moments when the Jets made the postseason. To beat San Diego in the 2009 season, knock off Indianapolis and New England in 2010. The New England game in Foxboro. A lot of it was that ground game, which was very strong and a smothering defense. But the decline came when Sanchez got better and was improving his stats and developing a bit better. His best year was 2011, throwing for 26 touchdowns and nearly 3500 yards. I'm not a Jet guy, but it was a step above Brett Favre and the injury prone Chad Pennington.
Of course, there's his regression in 2012, the year of the infamous butt fumble game on Thanksgiving. His year of 2013 being in injury and ousted from the Jets. The next year replacing Nick Foles in Philadelphia after he went down with injury. Both Sanchez and Foles shared similar stats, but it wasn't enough, even with 10 wins, to get into the postseason. Then there is bouncing around the last five years with various teams, usually with negative results whenever he was under center.
Unfortunately, guys that screw up will get remembered just as much as successful ones. Sanchez will never live down his butt fumble gaff. It's a shame, because what he was able to do his first two years shouldn't be forgotten. In that same breath, there leaves a lot to be desired. Who knows if the Jets still thought of him instead of Geno Smith. Maybe things could have changed for that team. I don't know. If you gave him the right offensive scheme and personnel, he could have thrived. Despite the four and four record, his numbers in Philly in 2014 are very good in yards, throwing for 2400.
Dysfunction is all I can say regarding wherever Sanchez went. There's a lot of things that you can say. It's all a what if thing on where he could have stood. He had chances and blew most of those opportunities. Maybe broadcasting will be a lot better, though not to the level of what Romo is doing.
Wednesday, July 24, 2019
What Is LatinAutor?
This is why YouTube is sometimes bothersome. There are a lot of people like me who do these videos and don't even get a percent the views that the big names get. Unfortunately, there is always these companies, real or fake, that come in and claim videos. This LatinAutor seems like an excuse to cash in on hot properties.
A case in point is going after a few of my videos of The Lion King video games. What I wonder is why? It can't be Disney doing this because if they had an issue with it, then my Aladdin Genesis videos would be hit, too. There have been a number of claims people online have said involving LatinAutor and it involves mainly music. Cover versions to be exact. Also, a couple video game related things, too.
Some of the other copyright stuff from them include Warner Chappell, which makes no sense. Warner Brothers doesn't own The Lion King and I can't see the original songwriters working with that group since Disney would have the upper hand over Warner. Disney may be stupid with certain things, but I wouldn't see them being that overprotective involving video games from 25 years ago. This is on the frauds, and it doesn't get fixed on YouTube. I've said it on other blogs involving copyright, but there isn't any big alternatives.
The lifeblood of YouTube is the middle tiered and low tiered channels. Not just the big named ones. But they need to protect the former just as much as the latter. However, I don't think that will ever happen. The only hope I can think of for others is for this to die down and the frauds at LatinAutor to disappear. That's what's happened to me the last six years. People making false claims and then ceasing to exist, making the claims disappear. My patience is a bit higher compared to others, but the need to fix issues is now, but as I said, they won't do anything.
A case in point is going after a few of my videos of The Lion King video games. What I wonder is why? It can't be Disney doing this because if they had an issue with it, then my Aladdin Genesis videos would be hit, too. There have been a number of claims people online have said involving LatinAutor and it involves mainly music. Cover versions to be exact. Also, a couple video game related things, too.
Some of the other copyright stuff from them include Warner Chappell, which makes no sense. Warner Brothers doesn't own The Lion King and I can't see the original songwriters working with that group since Disney would have the upper hand over Warner. Disney may be stupid with certain things, but I wouldn't see them being that overprotective involving video games from 25 years ago. This is on the frauds, and it doesn't get fixed on YouTube. I've said it on other blogs involving copyright, but there isn't any big alternatives.
The lifeblood of YouTube is the middle tiered and low tiered channels. Not just the big named ones. But they need to protect the former just as much as the latter. However, I don't think that will ever happen. The only hope I can think of for others is for this to die down and the frauds at LatinAutor to disappear. That's what's happened to me the last six years. People making false claims and then ceasing to exist, making the claims disappear. My patience is a bit higher compared to others, but the need to fix issues is now, but as I said, they won't do anything.
Tuesday, July 23, 2019
The Lion King 2019 Review
The 90s animated features from Disney are mostly loved. With The Lion King, it's either very close or at the top for many. I'm going to say that most of these live action remakes don't interest me. In fact, Aladdin was the first one I saw of what the company is doing. Lion King made me curious, especially with the shelling it is getting from critics. I don't know what they are looking for. An exact copy of the animated one, which turned 25 back in June? I think there's enough merits to make it about close, if not, equal with it's cartoon counterpart.
Unlike Aladdin, the plot for The Lion King is mainly intact. The many animals of Africa witness young Simba, the son of Mufasa and Sarabi. Only Scar is angry about his nephew as he would take over as king instead of himself. So he plots to find ways to kill Simba and Mufasa and the former has these many adventures, both good and bad. For the most part, they don't deviate from the animated film. There are a couple parts they removed, and some of it wasn't necessary to have. One thing I'll give credit is their ability to address a couple plot points that weren't seen in the original.
Another thing is that it is very lively. You don't just see the main three hyenas in their scenes. You see a clan of them an it makes for some intense scenes. Same with Timon and Pumbaa. They live in a world populated with many others who live with no worries. But the attempt to give every character a bit of screen time and their chance to shine in scenes is very nice. It is a bit light on comic relief, surprisingly. A nice thing is Zazu the dodo not being a victim of pain and not being a hostage. The original had a few dark moments, but it isn't too bad with this one. This shouldn't scare kids.
As far as voice acting, they got it nailed down well with the characters. Given the CGI with doing this stuff, it looks believable for the most part. A lot of the shots in the movie really capture the essence of Africa in the good and bad times. The songs are left mostly intact. Be Prepared only has a small minute of it, but it is good that they didn't completely omit it from the film as it is one of the original's most beloved songs despite the good and bad parts in it. It's not a long movie, but not short either. Ignoring trailers, this is a good hour 40, hour 45 before the credits are seen.
I don't know what critics were expecting. As far as The Lion King goes, you should be checking this out in the theater. As I said, there's enough to make it close or at leas equal with the original. However, I do think Disney should calm down a little bit with these live action remakes. Too many in a year and it will hurt them a lot more than they realize.
Score: 8 out of 10
Monday, July 22, 2019
Dan Le Moron Show
When you discuss stuff on a sports network, it should be sports. You don't talk about politics. Anybody will try anything to discuss the stuff that Trump does. Too bad idiots like Dan Le Batard wouldn't want to discuss what goes on in baseball, college sports for a network like ESPN.
All this involves is that "send her back" message from last week. What does it have to do with sports? Nothing. It would have meaning if a sports star had something to say on the matter, but it wasn't. A couple years ago, there was enough brewing controversy and ratings declines for ESPN. Part of it was their personalities and attempting to appeal to people who wanted more political themed stories involving sports. That's not what makes people watch the network.
You watch ESPN to see stats. You want to catch a glimpse of some highlights and blunders that occur in the sports that are covered. Of course, there's the broadcasts of whatever sport is current and college sports. Le Batard should understand that and with not doing his show today, it may mean his ties with the network are unwinding and could mean an exit from it.You want a political story, go find them on the four or five channels that cover political news. Get the pure politics off of stuff like ESPN. That may be the only way the channel recovers.
All this involves is that "send her back" message from last week. What does it have to do with sports? Nothing. It would have meaning if a sports star had something to say on the matter, but it wasn't. A couple years ago, there was enough brewing controversy and ratings declines for ESPN. Part of it was their personalities and attempting to appeal to people who wanted more political themed stories involving sports. That's not what makes people watch the network.
You watch ESPN to see stats. You want to catch a glimpse of some highlights and blunders that occur in the sports that are covered. Of course, there's the broadcasts of whatever sport is current and college sports. Le Batard should understand that and with not doing his show today, it may mean his ties with the network are unwinding and could mean an exit from it.You want a political story, go find them on the four or five channels that cover political news. Get the pure politics off of stuff like ESPN. That may be the only way the channel recovers.
Friday, July 19, 2019
Thursday, July 18, 2019
Turbografx Mini
There are a number of older systems I would love to get my hands on. Sega CD, Dreamcast, 3DO, and the point of this topic, the Turbografx-16. It didn't amount to anything in America because of Nintendo's illegal monopoly and Sega pulling ahead with better marketing, support, and library. But it did sport a decently unique set of titles. That's where the Mini makes a little bit of sense.
It's a little over 40 games with titles like Bonk, Dungeon Explorer and a number of arcade titles, originals, and shoot em ups (shmups). The price is set for 100 dollars, but whether there's additional costs, it wouldn't surprise me if there was. A lack of certain titles is always notable. I hear complaints about no Splatterhouse. One, it's a Namco game. Two, it's also a game that warrants an M rating. The system was finished before the ESRB formed, but a lot of the games would either be E or T rated. Having something like Splatterhouse would make it a prohibitive buy for kids.
There isn't much else to discuss. Maybe it is fitting as it turns 30 along with the Sega Genesis. Both Konami and Sega have their Minis set for this year. It's a sense of knowing that they can stand out amongst the other systems getting miniaturized. The Turbo should get quite a bit of respect and sell decently. A lot more knowledge is seen on it and it falls into the underrated areas of gaming.
I hope it does well, because this is a system that would get people into the Turbo.
Wednesday, July 17, 2019
32 Nods
This is a lot. Beating out NYPD Blue, a rookie show that got 27 Emmy nods in 1994. Game of Thrones seems like it was more entertaining for critics in its final season than it was with fans.
I'm not sure where this all comes from. Maybe it's the fact that it's ending at the perfect time where oversaturation doesn't come into play unlike The Walking Dead. Maybe there's a love for a number of other characters beyond the main cast. Who knows? But it seems likely that it will nab a lot in its final awards season.
It's not just Game of Thrones as HBO has a number of nominations. Veep could make history for its lead actress, Julia Louis-Dreyfus. Barry has a lot of nominations. Both shows have won a bit in their runs. The idea that the network could sweep and clean house in awards is not out of the realm of impossibility. And that's including a lot of Netflix and Amazon shows getting nods.
If anything, this will be the peak of HBO for Emmy nods and possibly wins. It's a high that won't be replicated anytime soon, but it will pave the way for other shows on other networks and streaming sites. And I say that as someone that doesn't watch HBO or that much streaming. Enjoy the high while it lasts because it will be tough to replace a few of those programs.
I'm not sure where this all comes from. Maybe it's the fact that it's ending at the perfect time where oversaturation doesn't come into play unlike The Walking Dead. Maybe there's a love for a number of other characters beyond the main cast. Who knows? But it seems likely that it will nab a lot in its final awards season.
It's not just Game of Thrones as HBO has a number of nominations. Veep could make history for its lead actress, Julia Louis-Dreyfus. Barry has a lot of nominations. Both shows have won a bit in their runs. The idea that the network could sweep and clean house in awards is not out of the realm of impossibility. And that's including a lot of Netflix and Amazon shows getting nods.
If anything, this will be the peak of HBO for Emmy nods and possibly wins. It's a high that won't be replicated anytime soon, but it will pave the way for other shows on other networks and streaming sites. And I say that as someone that doesn't watch HBO or that much streaming. Enjoy the high while it lasts because it will be tough to replace a few of those programs.
Monday, July 15, 2019
Geek Love Now, Forgettable Later
I can appreciate certain aspects of geek culture. It's nice to see it get appreciated compared to ones that had to suffer 30 years ago or earlier. We have a multitude of comic book related stuff, movies that non-geeks can enjoy. Television that incorporates geeky material. But are they memorable?
I'll say this for certain. A number of stuff we have seen in the last 10 to 12 years will not be remembered fondly. My main aim is the Marvel movies. A lot of people will not look at them fondly in 15 to 20 years. What I attribute it to is that they are making so many every year that a problem many look at is that they are all the same. Sure, there are a couple things different in each one, but it doesn't mean anything. They are low grade brain dead popcorn flicks that are enjoyed now, but will not hold up in 20 years compared to other comic book movies like 1989 Batman, the Raimi Spider-Man movies.
Certainly, there is love for The Walking Dead. I tired its first season and hated it. But I know people that are hardcore into it. But I do see the problem of it overstaying its welcome. I'm not sure how much it follows the comics, but the losing of important characters and being on for eight or nine seasons has hurt them a lot more than they realize. I'm no expert, but a zombie show can only take you so far.
There's other stuff. Nobody will remember The Big Bang Theory in 20 years. Anime shows are still underground to non-geeks, but it's not something to be afraid of. Gaming has been bigger with each passing year. But I think the love affair of geek culture will die off soon and still be appreciated, but not in that hardcore sense. I would love to see what the 2020s bring and whether it will be different compared to this last decade of geek culture.
Overall, the love will still be there. But holding up in certain aspects, not so much.
I'll say this for certain. A number of stuff we have seen in the last 10 to 12 years will not be remembered fondly. My main aim is the Marvel movies. A lot of people will not look at them fondly in 15 to 20 years. What I attribute it to is that they are making so many every year that a problem many look at is that they are all the same. Sure, there are a couple things different in each one, but it doesn't mean anything. They are low grade brain dead popcorn flicks that are enjoyed now, but will not hold up in 20 years compared to other comic book movies like 1989 Batman, the Raimi Spider-Man movies.
Certainly, there is love for The Walking Dead. I tired its first season and hated it. But I know people that are hardcore into it. But I do see the problem of it overstaying its welcome. I'm not sure how much it follows the comics, but the losing of important characters and being on for eight or nine seasons has hurt them a lot more than they realize. I'm no expert, but a zombie show can only take you so far.
There's other stuff. Nobody will remember The Big Bang Theory in 20 years. Anime shows are still underground to non-geeks, but it's not something to be afraid of. Gaming has been bigger with each passing year. But I think the love affair of geek culture will die off soon and still be appreciated, but not in that hardcore sense. I would love to see what the 2020s bring and whether it will be different compared to this last decade of geek culture.
Overall, the love will still be there. But holding up in certain aspects, not so much.
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