Here are my entries for the Overclockers Australia MSI contest.

The contest asks to see some MSI products amusingly or cleverly inserted into iconic or famous pictures, or famous places, historic moments, scenes from movies, etc with the following high res pics:

Z68A-GD80; http://media.msi.com/main.php?g2_itemId=64090
580 Lightning: http://media.msi.com/main.php?g2_itemId=62586
6970 Lightning; http://media.msi.com/main.php?g2_itemId=62532
Big Bang Marshal: http://media.msi.com/main.php?g2_itemId=59752

These are rough.

Behold the mighty MSI N580GTX Lightning

Introducing the New MSI Type R6970 Daleks

Choose Life, Choose MSI

I came top 5 which was a pleasant surprise!

Here are some pics of the prizes:

The MSI Chopper

The MSI Gamer Bag

Prepare for Take Off

Mog Hunting

Ordering and buying things online, I do it all the time and never really have issues in doing so.... That was until I decided to place an order for a phone online via the Telstra shop website.  Warning, this is a bit of a rant, though it would be interesting to hear of any other similar experiences.  It really shouldn't be that difficult.

My Telstra HTC Desire online Purchase Experience

Last week I bought a phone online, payed the $70 and nominated the Chirnside Park store to pick it up. Received email saying it would be available within 2 days.

I got there last Thursday after and was told they can't find my order no. After being shocked that you could actually order a mobile online. After an hour they tracked it down and said they are couriering it from Hawthorn and should be there later in the day.

Went back Friday night, got the phone and went home only to find no sim card and still not linked to my existing account, I should have just got it sent to my house, only issue is I always miss courier.

Went back to the Chirnside Telsta shop store Saturday and asked for the simpack I should have received with my order, after waiting an hour and watching some rather abusive Telstra reps serve people I finally saw someone who said "We are a private Telstra Shop, can't help you" I mean What the Hell???

I showed them my online receipt and said I was picking up the phone from here as I am not usually home work hours but was pretty much told to go away until I told them you already gave me the phone yesterday.....

They then demanded the phone back – something I already paid for online and then threatened me with the POLICE after I said I need to get personal data off the phone which needed to be done on the PC.
It appears they did not have my phone and were trying to just sign me up themselves, but stuffed something up on the way.

I negotiated with the Chirnside Park store to re order the phone this Monday and when they receive the order, they will add the phone I currently have to the plan and keep the new one.

I get an email today saying my order has been cancelled due to technical difficulties.

So in 2 weeks I have no Telstra plan though have a new Desire phone and have been threated by some Telstra reps and the complaints department does nothing.

I have been having issues with most Telstra departments in general, its like they are all part of a separate entity. I have contacted the Complaints department on numerous occasions and they have just hand passed me on to some one else.

If the Government wanted to Split Telstra as a singular entitiy they have done an excellent job.

/rant

The recent E3 Valve and Sony Entertainment surprise has been an absolute gaming mind explosion.  Who would have thought that the once anti Sony Cell architecture bashing PC gaming elemental, Valves very own Gabe Newell, would be announcing his new found love for the "now?" Open Playstation 3?

www.youtube.com/watch?v=ijBSX9a-0Pw

Hang on a minute, didn't Sony just remove the ability to install Linux onto its console due to the potential open hackability presented by an individual named Geohot?

Regardless of recent events, the clues into this current gaming evolution, have been manifesting themselves for quite some time.  A few thoughts on the topic:

I can see some sort of PSN and Steam crossover deal happening. Sony and relative parties on Steam via the PC and Steam and relative parties via PSN. The PC still owns the MMORPG market which is simply THE most profitable gaming genre on the planet at this time - Sony obviously understands this. Gabe has shown his love for the MMORPG numerous times so it pretty much makes perfect sense for the grand master of Valve also.

The Mac entry just strikes me as bizarre as most Mac users are definitely not gamers and appears to be more a one finger salute directed towards Microsoft, well lets face it, they give their biggest platform not much gaming love due to their 360 interests. Windows Live is a mere stop gap in the scheme of gaming and not very good.

As Gabe recently said, the Mac as a so called open platform for gaming - This just strikes me as a generic and pointless marketing exercise due to the completely un-open nature of Apple hardware and the profit fueled philosophy behind it. Why would you pay double for hardware which is older and less powerful and completely restrictive than the alternative?

Gabe also points out the stability of the Apple Mac in recent Steam collected Data - Maybe because Mac users are playing the 8 revision of the games available.

What also irks me is the target crowd Valve now seems to be directing their attention at.  The new TF2 startup screen reeks of pure consolification and Mac centric elements.  The dumbed down nature Valve Software is playing with in this regard is completely lost of fans such as myself,  I don't need cues on how to game with a simple FPS!  Considering your existing market has absolutely no use for this - At all.

Unfortunately I doubt this sort of simplification process will ever let up with todays game developers,  Valves emphasis on the excellent though also casual friendly Portal franchise, is evidence of this change, at a time when 90% of their fans were crying for the long awaited next chapter in the Half Life franchise.

You have probably scoured the net and read all the positive comments on the e-cig phenomena so are ready to buy an electronic cigarette?

If so, you are in for a treat as switching to this battery powered product is definitely a healthier and cleaner alternative to conventional cigarettes and other forms of tobacco smoking.  Personally, switching to e-cigs is one of the best things I have ever done.

What to buy for a first time e-cig purchase? Updated 13th November 2011

For a first time user I would definitely recommend a Joye 501 starter kit or a Ego / Riva starter kit which is similar to the Joy 501 but has a higher capacity battery.  You have a choice of manual and automatic types though I really recommend manual as you can control the vaping experience to suit and as previously discussed, the auto versions can have some serious issues.

JOYE 510, is one of the most popular types of electronic cigarettes.  The starter pack if ordered from a store like Health Cabin comes with 2 manual batteries, 2 atomizers, and 5 cartridges, everything you need in order to make the switch.

JOYE eGo, is a unique design incorporating easy charging with excellent long lasting battery life including 2 atomizers, 2 3.7V 650mAh rechargeable batteries, 2 Atomizer covers, a AC-USB Adapter(US or Euro Plug), a USB Charger, pouch and 5 Standard tobacco flavour cartridges.

JOYE eGo-T, The eGo-T is the first e-cigarette to apply the new tank system for dripping e-liquid directly into its tank cartridge without the use of tissue inside the tank. This new system makes dripping easier and less frustrating for consumers in general.  The eGo-T atomisers can work well on regular all ego batteries (650mah,900mah or 1000mah).

I personally recommend the LR(LOW RESISTANCE) Type B eGo-T over the type A though this is more personal preference than a definite recommendation.  If you can, get a pack of LR type Cartomizers which work well with the EGo type batteries.  A pack of LR cartomises costs around 4 to 5 dollars and this is what I use 90% of the time.

The Health Cabin Black JOYE ego Kit.

The standard Joye 510 e-cigs look a lot like an analogue cigarette, even including a LED tip to further stimulate the conventional smoking experience.  Most people after trialling the JOYE 510's usually upgrade to the higher capacity versions.  I get around 1 hour of vaping using the 510 between charges but get around 8 hours using the Joye and similar versions like the Riva.

E-juice/E-Liquid, sometimes referred to as nicotine juice, e-liquid, or smoke juice, is a cost effective way of extending the life of your cartridges.  Once your cartridge is empty, simply put a few drops of e-juice into your cartridge.  I smoked about 25 medium strength cigs a day, which were about 8mg rated and found that 18mg e-juice was perfect for my needs. Ecigs deliver nicotine differently to your body so using a higher mg strength juice than what you were normally smoking ends up being quite normal.  Tests have shown the body receives 5 times as less nicotine than the old tobacco ciggie, though compensates by producing a quicker hit of nicotine in the short term.

Whatever you do, don't rush out and buy an electronic cigarette from just any online store.

Not all e-cigarettes are created equal, there are copies, some good, some bad and new sites are appearing daily offering varying degrees of quality merchandise. Some users have issues ranging from simple mechanical failures like battery lifespans, atomizers that have been produced poorly causing them to either get clogged way too easily or arrive dead on delivery.  A dodgy atomizer produces poor vapor quality and lack of volume which could put off a potential tobacco smoking convert - Something I would hate to see happen.

The best way to avoid these problems is to educate yourself on the best models, brands and manufacturers of electronic cigarette products.  Recently a  vast majority of manufacturers are producing cheaply made inferior products which are blatant copies of the original.  The good news is that there are a handful of reputable companies with top of the line ecig goodness that will give you a realistic smoking experience which WILL help you make the switch.

I personally recommend Health Cabin for purchases requiring nicotine, price and quality is top notch, and if you require non nicotine purchases, Ecigz Australia is another local place I frequent for my ecig goods and has a top level of support. For other Quality overseas vendors which sell nicotine based ecig products you could try Heaven Gifts and Eastmall.

It is illegal In Australia to sell nicotine products, so most reputable local suppliers only sell non nicotine products in regards to their electronic cigarette wares, it is however fine to import nicotine ecig products for personal use from stores like Health Cabin.

Health Cabin can deliver to most countries.

Ecigz Australia, One of the best Aussie suppliers.

You can also find Electronic Cigarette Coupon Codes at EcigCodes.

Warning, Contains Lost Final Episode Spoilers.

After watching the Lost finale I have a few mixed emotions in regards to the outcome of the last episode.  It wasn't bad by any stretch of the imagination, it just failed to explain the very concept and nature of the island.  Something I really wanted to see, though deep down I knew it was never going to happen.  One thing is clear though, and that is:

The Final Lost episode only wrapped up the Season 6 sideways flash – nothing else.

As a whole, I actually didn't mind the wrap up,  the character interaction and intense romantic and abundant sentimental nature of the episode was actually quite powerful.   Considering the character driven nature of the show, it was rather a fitting way to end the Losties journey through life.  As for the island and surrounding mythology, we are none the wiser.

There are a few points that may or should have been touched on from my perspective, but at the end of the day creating your own concept of the show in regards to the island, light and the Dharma initiative, is the only thing that can happen at this stage:

• Desmond was seemingly aware of purgatory whilst on the Island which is an interesting revelation and leaving the Island unexplained is probably due to the ABC wanting that side of the plot left open.

• The artifacts around the light source are interesting – Possible Mayan ancient Astronaut type stuff.

• Desmond is/was also able to move between reality and purgatory thereby making the island a gateway of sorts.

• The island is not bound by the law of time hence disrupting the light source causes the island to jump in time. The light conduits through the island giving matter and living things special properties.

• Normal people are unable to passthough the gateway making Desmond unique and probably half Alien or Angelic.

I guess since us Lost fans are making up our own island concepts, I'll just settle on Aliens and the light being a terraforming device originally used on Earth by God who is infact a group of advanced Aliens not bound by our theory of time and relative dimensions in space.

If it sounds like Doctor Who then maybe Desmond is his grandson....

Also in Australia, Channel 9 leaking the plot on TV before 7 screens the show on Wednesday is just pure nasty and a complete disregard for your viewers and peers.  Channel 9 you have just given your audience the ultimate reason to torrent media.  Your wrap-up wasn't even accurate and quite laughable at best.  Poor form 9!

This is an apparent explanation from someone within Bad Robot, the production company owned by J.J. Abrams;  At this time the source is not verified:

The Island:

It was real. Everything that happened on the island that we saw throughout the 6 seasons was real. Forget the final image of the plane crash, it was put in purposely to f*&k with people's heads and show how far the show had come. They really crashed. They really survived. They really discovered Dharma and the Others. The Island keeps the balance of good and evil in the world. It always has and always will perform that role. And the Island will always need a "Protector". Jacob wasn't the first, Hurley won't be the last. However, Jacob had to deal with a malevolent force (MIB) that his mother, nor Hurley had to deal with. He created the devil and had to find a way to kill him — even though the rules prevented him from actually doing so.

Thus began Jacob's plan to bring candidates to the Island to do the one thing he couldn't do. Kill the MIB. He had a huge list of candidates that spanned generations. Yet everytime he brought people there, the MIB corrupted them and caused them to kill one another. That was until Richard came along and helped Jacob understand that if he didn't take a more active role, then his plan would never work.

Enter Dharma — which I'm not sure why John is having such a hard time grasping. Dharma, like the countless scores of people that were brought to the island before, were brought there by Jacob as part of his plan to kill the MIB. However, the MIB was aware of this plan and interferred by "corrupting" Ben. Making Ben believe he was doing the work of Jacob when in reality he was doing the work of the MIB. This carried over into all of Ben's "off-island" activities. He was the leader. He spoke for Jacob as far as they were concerned. So the "Others" killed Dharma and later were actively trying to kill Jack, Kate, Sawyer, Hurley and all the candidates because that's what the MIB wanted. And what he couldn't do for himself.

Dharma was originally brought in to be good. But was turned bad by MIB's corruption and eventually destroyed by his pawn Ben. Now, was Dharma only brought there to help Jack and the other Canditates on their overall quest to kill Smokey? Or did Jacob have another list of Canidates from the Dharma group that we were never aware of? That's a question that is purposley not answered because whatever answer the writers came up with would be worse than the one you come up with for yourself. Still ... Dharma's purpose is not "pointless" or even vague. Hell, it's pretty blantent.

Still, despite his grand plan, Jacob wanted to give his "candidates" (our Lostaways) the one thing he, nor his brother, were ever afforded: free will. Hence him bringing a host of "candidates" through the decades and letting them "choose" which one would actually do the job in the end. Maybe he knew Jack would be the one to kill Flocke and that Hurley would be the protector in the end. Maybe he didn't. But that was always the key question of the show: Fate vs Free-will. Science vs Faith. Personally I think Jacob knew from the beginning what was going to happen and that everyone played a part over 6 seasons in helping Jack get to the point where he needed to be to kill Smokey and make Hurley the protector — I know that's how a lot of the writers viewed it. But again, they won't answer that (nor should they) because that ruins the fun.

In the end, Jack got to do what he always wanted to do from the very first episode of the show: Save his fellow Lostaways. He got Kate and Sawyer off the island and he gave Hurley the purpose in life he'd always been missing. And, in Sideways world (which we'll get to next) he in fact saved everyone by helping them all move on ...

Now...

Sideways World:

Sideways world is where it gets really cool in terms of theology and metaphysical discussion (for me at least — because I love history/religion theories and loved all the talks in the writer's room about it). Basically what the show is proposing is that we're all linked to certain people during our lives. Call them soulmates (though it's not exactly the best word). But these people we're linked to are with us duing "the most important moments of our lives" as Christian said. These are the people we move through the universe with from lifetime to lifetime. It's loosely based in Hinduisim with large doses of western religion thrown into the mix.

The conceit that the writers created, basing it off these religious philosophies, was that as a group, the Lostaways subconsciously created this "sideways" world where they exist in purgatory until they are "awakened" and find one another. Once they all find one another, they can then move on and move forward. In essence, this is the show's concept of the afterlife. According to the show, everyone creates their own "Sideways" purgatory with their "soulmates" throughout their lives and exist there until they all move on together. That's a beautiful notion. Even if you aren't religious or even spirtual, the idea that we live AND die together is deeply profound and moving.

It's a really cool and spirtual concept that fits the whole tone and subtext the show has had from the beginning. These people were SUPPOSED to be together on that plane. They were supposed to live through these events — not JUST because of Jacob. But because that's what the universe or God (depending on how religious you wish to get) wanted to happen. The show was always about science vs faith — and it ultimately came down on the side of faith. It answered THE core question of the series. The one question that has been at the root of every island mystery, every character backstory, every plot twist. That, by itself, is quite an accomplishment.

How much you want to extrapolate from that is up to you as the viewer. Think about season 1 when we first found the Hatch. Everyone thought that's THE answer! Whatever is down there is the answer! Then, as we discovered it was just one station of many. One link in a very long chain that kept revealing more, and more of a larger mosiac.

But the writer's took it even further this season by contrasting this Sideways "purgatory" with the Island itself. Remember when Michael appeared to Hurley, he said he was not allowed to leave the Island. Just like the MIB. He wasn't allowed into this sideways world and thus, was not afforded the opportunity to move on. Why? Because he had proven himself to be unworthy with his actions on the Island. He failed the test. The others, passed. They made it into Sideways world when they died — some before Jack, some years later. In Hurley's case, maybe centuries later. They exist in this sideways world until they are "awakened" and they can only move on TOGETHER because they are linked. They are destined to be together for eternity. That was their destiny.

They were NOT linked to Anna Lucia, Daniel, Roussou, Alex, Miles, Lupidis, (and all the rest who weren't in the chuch — basically everyone who wasn't in season 1). Yet those people exist in Sideways world. Why? Well again, here's where they leave it up to you to decide. The way I like to think about it, is that those people who were left behind in Sideways world have to find their own soulmates before they can wake up. It's possible that those links aren't people from the island but from their other life (Anna's parnter, the guy she shot --- Roussou's husband, etc etc).

A lot of people have been talking about Ben and why he didn't go into the Church. And if you think of Sideways world in this way, then it gives you the answer to that very question. Ben can't move on yet because he hasn't connected with the people he needs to. It's going to be his job to awaken Roussou, Alex, Anna Lucia (maybe), Ethan, Goodspeed, his father and the rest. He has to attone for his sins more than he did by being Hurley's number two. He has to do what Hurley and Desmond did for our Lostaways with his own people. He has to help them connect. And he can only move on when all the links in his chain are ready to. Same can be said for Faraday, Charlotte, Whidmore, Hawkins etc. It's really a neat, and cool concept. At least to me.

But, from a more "behind the scenes" note: the reason Ben's not in the church, and the reason no one is in the church but for Season 1 people is because they wrote the ending to the show after writing the pilot. And never changed it. The writers always said (and many didn't believe them) that they knew their ending from the very first episode. I applaud them for that. It's pretty fantastic. Originally Ben was supposed to have a 3 episode arc and be done. But he became a big part of the show. They could have easily changed their ending and put him in the church — but instead they problem solved it. Gave him a BRILLIANT moment with Locke outside the church ... and then that was it. I loved that. For those that wonder — the original ending started the moment Jack walked into the church and touches the casket to Jack closing his eyes as the other plane flies away. That was always JJ's ending. And they kept it.

For me the ending of this show means a lot. Not only because I worked on it, but because as a writer it inspired me in a way the medium had never done before. I've been inspired to write by great films. Maybe too many to count. And there have been amazing TV shows that I've loved (X-Files, 24, Sopranos, countless ½ hour shows). But none did what LOST did for me. None showed me that you could take huge risks (writing a show about faith for network TV) and stick to your creative guns and STILL please the audience. I learned a lot from the show as a writer. I learned even more from being around the incredible writers, producers, PAs, interns and everyone else who slaved on the show for 6 years.

In the end, for me, LOST was a touchstone show that dealt with faith, the afterlife, and all these big, spirtual questions that most shows don't touch. And to me, they never once waivered from their core story — even with all the sci-fi elements they mixed in. To walk that long and daunting of a creative tightrope and survive is simply astounding.

Well it has been 7 days now without a traditional analogue cigarette and I am feeling fantastic.  I first bought a Joye 501 e-cig starter kit a few months ago and slowly reduced my cigarette intake over the coarse of 2 months and finally removed tobacco from my system just before the recent Australian Cig Tax hike.

If you are a smoker, seriously try these devices.  Along with the natural chemicals in tobacco created from combustion (burning of the cig) there are almost 600 man made artificial additives in them approved by our very own government.

In Australia, tobacco is not actually classified as a food or a drug and so there are no standards or controls on what may be used or left on tobacco, including agricultural chemicals and additives.

I have been smoking tobacco for a long time and during the last 2 years I have tried on numerous occasions to stop smoking or even cut down my daily intake.  I tried the patches which did nothing for me, the gum which made me nauseous and going Cold Turkey.  The problem is that Cigarettes hook people in different ways, for me it is probably the routine and the hit of dense smoke in my mouth.  Being a fan of the internet in general I remember last year reading about the electronic cigarette, I initially discounted due to the seemingly absurd nature of the device.  The e-cig (popular term) is supposed to be able to deliver a realistic smoking experience for a long time smoker – Does it actually deliver?

Even before I tried an e-cigarette I was extremely skeptical and no doubt if you are reading this, you’re also wondering “how close to a real fag is it?”

Smokers enjoy their cigarettes. If you smoke then you know what I’m talking about. For many smokers it is a love hate relationship. You know it’s bad for you but you enjoy the sensation and the actual ritual of smoking. That’s why nicotine delivery alternatives like gum and the patch don’t cut it… they don’t simulate the actual smoking experience.

This is where the e-cigarette comes in. It claims to replicate a real smoking experience but without the same health risks and other drawbacks of smoking tobacco. And you know what? It does a pretty good job. It may not be exactly the same but the similarities are great enough to satisfy most smokers.

The parts of a common electronic cig:

A. LED light cover
B. battery (also houses circuitry)
C. atomizer (heating element)
D. cartridge (mouthpiece).

When I first read about electric smoking I thought it was more a novelty than an actual healthier replacement to traditional cigs. Replacing your smoking addiction with a  battery powered cigarette sounds ridiculous.  It wasn’t until a week ago that I finally decided to try these E-Cigs myself.

I received my 501 startup kit with great enthusiasm, Gadget freaks will love these things and it wasn’t long before I tried my first puff.

The sensation of the vapor is incredibly similar to real cigarette smoke. The vapor has a warmth to it and it feels like real smoke when you inhale. You also get that immediate nicotine sensation which is very satisfying.

The taste is very similar to tobacco but it isn’t exactly the same.  The vapor is a bit smoother and cleaner tasting and after a few hours I actually preferred the sensation over regular smokes.  My first purchase  included some other flavors like Pepsi, Whiskey, Coffee and vanilla and Double Mint – I must admit, Double Mint is fantastic with a morning coffee.

When you blow out the vapor you see a cloud that looks exactly like smoke but without the lingering smell. As a matter of fact the vapor is nearly odorless and the cloud (which is just vaporized water and nicotine) quickly disappears without a trace. The fact that the breath, hands, hair and clothes don’t stink is a huge plus!  I was having the Double Mint near my sister who commented that it smelt like breath freshener.

I terms of pricing, if you are a pack a day smoker expect to save over $300 a month if you make the conversion to electronic cigarettes – even more in various regions as a pack of cigarettes in Australia is now over $11.  A single nicotine cartridge for most brands of electronic cigarettes is around 25c to $2.00 and is the equivalent of about 30+ cigarettes.

Cigarette smoking is bad, we have all seen the adds and media propaganda, but at least now there is a healthier and more cost efficient alternative.  My positive Electronic cigarette experience motivated me to create this E-Cig post and create a blog here and I hope my experience helps you decide if this is something that may benefit you or someone you love.  Coming from a hardcore Ex analog ciggie smoker, I can honestly recommend giving the electronic cigarette a try… you may find yourself throwing out the tobacco cigs only after a few days – It really does work!

Yesterday I received my Eastmall Riva, so I haven't had much time with the device but so far I am actually quite impressed.   Considering the price in comparison to other Ego models, the EM Riva Kit would make a great impact for anyone wanting to give up traditional tobacco smoking and has struggled using the old 501 ecig brands.

The EM Riva is Eastmalls version of the ever popular EGo with similar but slightly improved specs, most notably the battery which has been going for 8 hours of normal use so far:

Riva Specs

M-Riva is a specially made product for Eastmall .

• No issues with the manual button .
• Better battery quality
• The shape for Riva is better looking than similiar ones.
• You saved at least $18 from any other sellers

Starter kit includes:

• 2 pcs of 510 atomizer
• 2 pcs of 750mah battery
• 1 pc fast charger (only takes 2 and a half hours to fully charge the batts) plus Wall charger
• 10 pcs blank cart
• 1 pc cone

Eastmall will give 6 months on warranty for the RiVa kit and 3 months on the battery.

Compared to my HG 501's the quality of the Riva is substantially better, it doesn't feel cheap at all.
Thank god it doesn't have the LED at the end – just the button glows blue making stealth vaping a whole lot easier.  It also stands upright with no issue because of the flat tip.

I couldn't calculate charge time as the two batteries only took 10 minutes to charge indicating they were pre-charged at the factory though I will post more thoughts on this device after some more use.

Obligatory Box Shot

Front of the Riva Box, it is magnetic.

Inside the Riva Box, nicely packed!

All the contents of the EM-Riva with bonus Large Atty

The Riva Blue Led Button

The EM Riva assembled

A possible Lost inspiration and platform for story development is the Journal titled "The Jinn of the Time Machine: Non-trivial Self-Consistent Solutions" by Russian physicists Igor Novikov and Andrei concerning and hypothesising about various theoretical issues in time travel.

The jinn essentially move in a circular timespace which at some point make them appear to move against the second law of thermodynamics. As they move forward in time they self-organize and instead of gaining entropy, they lose entropy.

The Genie references throughout the series of Lost still lead me to thinking Jacob, MiB and others are part of the Jinn, a race higher evolved than humans though under the concept of Angelic life as made popular in various religions.  In other words they are Genies.

Some interesting Lost centricpoints on the Genie theory:

• Jinn are beings much like humans, possessing the ability to be good and bad. They have the power to transform into other animals and humans, and they are known to prefer the form of a snake.
• In Islam-associated mythology, the jinn were said to be controllable by magically binding them to objects, as Suleiman (Solomon) most famously did; the Spirit of the Lamp in the story of Aladdin was such a jinni, bound to an oil lamp.
• The Jinn will only grant "A wish" in turn for a specific favor – Looking at you Jacob....
• Evil beings from among the jinn are roughly equivalent to the demons of Christian lore. In mythology, Jinn have the ability to possess human beings, both in the sense that they persuade humans to perform actions, and like the Christian perception of demonic possession.
• It is said that by taking seven hairs out of the tail of a cat that was all black except for a white spot on the end of its tail, and then burning the hairs in a small closed room with the possessed—filling their nose with the scent—this would release them from the spell of the jinn inside them.
• Desmond is reading this book by British Indian writer Salman Rushdie. "It is a phantasmagorical story set in a city so old and ruinous that it has forgotten its name". It is an allegorical story about a 10 year old boy in an imaginary world called "Kahani" and his father is the story teller. After his mother leaves his father, the father is unable to tell stories anymore. There is a water genie who controls the Ocean of the Stream of Stories. Haroun is the Arabic for Aaron....
• Death to the Jinn is merely an obstacle (that can be over come) hence their indifference to it.

Human religions consider the Jinn to be Demonic yet the Jinn are merely 1 level more advanced than humans on the evolutionary scale of capability. The Jinn may seem devoid of emotion yet it is this factor that allows them to keep the real evil at bay.  Emotion based on life and death and emotive perception based on the concept of existence are very different when digested by human beings. Death to the Jinn could be considered as an altered state of being – Is Lost this advanced in this sort of storytelling?

The alternate reality may be the only reality and island events have created an event horizon whereby the island is stuck in a quantum parallax and the only way to fix it is by bringing both versions together.

If the Island is the focus and the core of the whole Lost premise, and control over the very concept of relative time is produced on the island, this would suggest that multiple possible realities have been envisioned though not yet been implemented – keeping current with the producers saying that the alternate reality is not an alternate reality but more a perceived existence. (inserted cool sounding scifi names)

The Broadcom Crystal HD Hardware decoder comes as a PCI Express Mini Card that enables support for H.264 and VC-1 video compression like the playback of Blu-ray discs and streaming 1080p high definition multimedia content. It is designed to reduce CPU utilization and allows for full HD real-time decoding support for mobile platform solutions and it is also the perfect solution for small form factor HTPC's running compatible software like the mighty XBMC.  There are solutions for Windows, Linux or OSX platforms.

The Windows driver binary and Linux source code for the driver and library can be found at the Broadcom web site. For OSX, the binaries and source codecan be found at google code. Users in the USA can purchase the Crystal HD mini PCIE card from Logic Supply for $69 though Ebay appears like the only solution for those outside the USA.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=dkhIZqOePps

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The PC game Omikron: The Nomad Soul is one of my all time favoritism games, not only did it feature David Bowie and a whole soundtrack of unique Bowie songs, it still ranks as one of the best multi genre games available.  Blending Adventure, fighting, RPG, FPS elements, the game had a unique body swapping ability it just reeked awesomeness.

When I heard years ago Quantic Dream were making another game I immediately took notice.  Unfortunately they have dropped the PC version (my fav platform) and made it a PS3 exclusive making it one of the most anticipated PS3 games waiting for release.

The tag line for the game goes: How Far Will You Go To Save Someone You Love? and promises to play like the ultimate movie - where you are part of the action.

Heavy Rain Australian Release 25th February 2010

Experience a gripping psychological thriller filled with innumerable twists and turns, where choices and actions can result in dramatic consequences. Spanning four days of mystery and suspense, the hunt is on for a murderer known only as the Origami Killer - named after his macabre calling card of leaving behind folded paper shapes at crime scenes. Four characters, each following their own leads and with their own motives, must take part in a desperate attempt to prevent the killer from claiming a new victim.

Key Features

• An evolving thriller in which you shape the story
• Mature content, reflecting a realistic world setting that explores powerful themes
• Stunning graphics, animation and technology support an emotionally driven experience
• Accessible gameplay via intuitive, contextual controls and interface

Cheapest preorder links for Heavy Rain:

Fishpond $89.99 with Free Delivery