1. High Def Audio & Video: I don't see much of a point to HD unless it's for Imax or those huge screen TVs that were made in the '90s. Truth is, I can't tell the difference between a 224-350 Kbit per second song from regular 96-192 aside from the former having much larger files. Plus, I'm also tired of seeing movies and game presented in High-Def when they don't really need it. In other words, I'd rather watch/listen/play something great in standard def over something shitty in HD.
2. Digital Distribution & Online Shopping: Look, I may agree that this has made it easier for newcomers and hard-to-find stuff to get noticed. However, I prefer a physical release of a game/movie/album/book over a digital release for very good reasons.
-I'm more into actual stores than Ebay, iTunes, Amazon, etc.
-Having an actual book/game/CD/DVD just gives me a sensation of achievement over the aforementioned.
-When a digital release gets pulled from the market, it's gone for good unless you turn to the black market.
To put it another way, digital distribution should stay in the world of freeware and shareware.
3. Johnathan Wrathborne: It's nice to see him back on here, because I thought he was funny and talented. All that time he spent posting on YouTube hasn't done him much good considering that:
A) Most people on there do nothing but goof off.
B) Nobody posts comments that are worthwhile.
I think there are a few things that he can improve upon in spite of his talents, such as better posing for example. That and he should stop using 4Chan memes as gag material. (He's funny without them.)
4. Apple Computer: Not to hate on Steve Jobs, but I'm sick of these damnable iPod variants and the competitors they have spawned. I mean, there's hardly any difference between the iPhone & iPad from their old PDA, the Newton aside from being spliced with aforementioned iPod with cell phones. Plus, the touchscreen interface is not very intuitive and I would prefer actual buttons/keyboard. Then again, I do like the Macs to an extent, but am not keen on buying one for the following reasons:
I. You can't custom build a Mac like you could a PC.
II. PCs have a much larger software library.
III. The userbase's majority reminds me of most (but not all) Firefox users: stupid and conceited.
I haven't tried Safari yet, so I can't comment on that.
5. Micwizard: I didn't get to review this when it first came out, but loved what Miccool did. Seriously, why do people bother with After Effects & ToonBoom* considering that all of this cartoon's effects that were done with just flash? (*=If it were for a school project or a 3D animation, I would be for that.) Aside from the already mentioned effecs, the animation and direction were of that ideal quality that many try to imitate, but only a few can achieve. However, if there is one thing I didn't like, it would be the music; Cage the Elephants doesn't belong in a movie like that.
6. Lucky Day Forever: I know a lot of people will hate me for this, but this wasn't very good. I believe that not everything needs to be 100 percent original, yet that doesn't excuse how boring and bland this was. The plot was extremely dull, the characters were a joke, the animation was inconsistent in quality (decent frame-by-frame offset by very seamy tweening), and the same goes for the voicework (Good voices by Sardonic Samurai with sub-par Polish voices). While it did have good direction and tech design, but the bad eclipsed those merits. In short, effort and original characters don't matter if the content sucks.
7. Old Cartoons: It's surprising that most channels these days don't air the golden age cartoons from the late '20s up until the early '50s aside from rare occasions. I get more enjoyment out of Fleischer's Popeye, Bob Clampett, Tex Avery, '40s Chuck Jones, early Hanna Barbera, Old Disney, Walter Lantz, Terrytoons to an extent, Jay Ward (George of the Jungle, Rocky & Bullwinkle), Van Beuren, and what Bill Melendez did with Charles Schultz over the majority of cartoons made throughout the past 35 years. Of course, there's DVD and Blu-Ray, but it would be nice if they properly restored them instead of screwing with the colors, needlessly cropping the top part off, etc. Finally, as said before, I think that people on here can learn something from these. (Read: the principles that went into them.)
8. FL Studio, Cubase, and Reason: I want to get an music making program that isn't completely reliant upon loops and default MIDI sounds. (Especially considering the Audio mods can't stand that shit.) Which one to get is what I'm trying to figure out, but I'm leaning towards Cubase at the moment. If anyone from the audio portal can help me out, it would be very appreciated.
