Smartphone Technology and More

A Phone in Name Only

Even-though smartphones have the word "phone" in their names, being able to make and receive phone calls is only one function they can perform.  Every successive model of smartphone has more and more features added to it and there seems to be no limit to the amount of functions it can or will be able to perform. There are people that still resist the urge to buy a smartphone but it really is the most useful piece of technology that exists today and can actually save you money by replacing other devices.  Some of the problem with smartphones is that there are so many features that not many people utilize them all.  In this article we examine what devices have been replaced, will be replaced and features you might not know you could use.

Fallout 4 Review and Some Tips

Does It Live Up to the Hype

Perhaps one of the most anticipated new releases in years, Fallout 4 has been teased and talked about like no other game. Even when it was in the development stage rumours were flying about any new update to the game like the location, the main character and any other game mechanic.  Now its finally here and people are deciding if it live up to the hype or not.

First of all your character is the "Sole Survivor" who was the only one to survive his vault experience except that your infant son survived as well but only because he was kidnapped for some reason.  That is left for you to find out. That being said lets find out what set this game apart from its predecessors.

13 Classic Board/Card Games For Your Phone

It's All Going Digital

Classic board and card games are getting harder and harder to find since the popularity of digital media.  Most people that still have some of these games find they are missing pieces and are falling apart.  For people that want to play these classic games still you can find most of them for your phone and a lot of them are free.  So here is a list of 13 classics that will keep you occupied for a long time to come.

Book Review: Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy

Bring a Dictionary

Blood Meridian is Cormac McCarthy's fifth novel and was originally published in 1985.  At the time it didn't receive much acclaim but is now considered one of his best works.  It should be required reading for anyone who wants to pick up something from McCarthy's body of work.  Be sure to have a dictionary on hand though because there are a lot of underused and antiquated words and terms used.

Blood Meridian takes place in Southern California, New Mexico and at one point crosses over the Mexican border.  The books timeline takes place from roughly 1877-1887 with the epilogue being set 10 years after the events in the book.

6 Documentaries Every Man Should Watch

Just like with autobiographies there is a documentary for virtually every topic.  Documentaries are great for learning and if you enjoy the topic then they can be entertaining as well.  So, we have compiled a list of some great documentaries that cover some great stories and are very well done.

Album Review: Disturbed - Immortalized

Back Again After Five Years

For me, Disturbed has been one of those bands that has really put out solid albums everytime.  It seems their sound is their own and they haven't deviated from it by experimenting like other bands do.  They have something that works and are sticking to it.  I feel a lot of bands go "off the rails" when they try to branch out with their music too much.  Disturbed continues to put out great music by with their new album Immortalized, staying true to their music.  This album is no different.

Album Review: Fear Factory - Genexus

Fear Factory has just release their ninth studio album on August 7th called Genexus.  The new album includes 10 tracks all with a cyber metal theme.

Im personally a big fan of Fear Factory.  Mostly the older stuff like "Descent" and "Edgecrusher" so I was pretty excited to listen to this album.

Album Review: Southpaw Soundtrack - Various Artists

To accompany the new movie Southpaw starring Jake Gyllenhaal two soundtracks were released.  One soundtrack is the score used in the movie.  The other is songs that appear or are inspired by the movie.  The second is various artists including Eminem, 50 Cent and The Weeknd.  The second album is what we will be taking a listen to this week.

Throwback Thursday Video Game: Fallout 1

A Classic That Spawned a String of Classics

When someone poses the question of naming most popular video game franchise currently being released, there are a few that come to mind such as Mass effect, Elder Scrolls or Assassins Creed.  Another one that always gets mentioned is the Fallout franchise.  When Fallout 3 was released on consoles it was a tremendous success.  The releases after were also huge hits and now it’s one of the most anticipated titles as far as new releases go.

Album Review: Chemical Brothers - Born in the Echoes

The Chemical Brothers have been around a long time, longer than most "Electronica" acts and on July 17, 2015 they came out with their eighth studio album called Born in the Echoes.  The album features 11 tracks and 15 tracks if you get the deluxe edition.  Half the tracks have guest vocalists on them such as Beck and Q-Tip.

11 Podcasts for Men

There are so many podcasts out there its crazy.  You could spend more time just searching for one under the many categories and never get to listening.  That's why is best to find some top 10 or top 25 lists of podcasts that others recommend.  I've tried to put together a list that appeals to men as far as self improvement but also entertainment and knowledge.  Podcasts are the new media with which to get information out to the masses and smart men should know how to harness the huge amount of knowledge being disseminated these days.

Album Review: Lindemann

Fans of the German heavy-metal band Rammstein will be happy to know that the lead singer, Till Lindemann has embarked on a solo project.  He has just recently released his first solo album called Skills in Pills under the name Lindemann.  Lindemann has teamed up with Swedish heavy metal musician Peter Tägtgren who produces and plays for several heavy metal and death metal bands.

Throwback Thursday Movie: Cyborg

Way back in 1988 there was a movie made called Bloodsport starring a little known actor name Jean- Claude Van Damme.  This movie arguably made Van Damme a star and while I love old action movies, its the movie Van Damme made one year later that would stick with me the most.  That movie was called Cyborg.

Fallout 4 Anouncement and Mini-Game Review

This year at the E3 conference, game studio, Bethesda announced the release of Fallout 4 in Nov. 2015.  The game will be a massive open world, twice as big as their previous release, Skyrim.  Normally, I try to steer clear of news updates on here but Bethesda also released a Fallout mini-game called Fallout: Shelter to try and tide people over until November.  I love the Fallout franchise so I downloaded the mini-game and have been playing it.  Which means I can post a proper review for it here.

3 Must Read Comic Mini-Series

When You Don't Feel Like Reading a Novel

Comics sometimes get a bad rap for being for kids and many people will urge you to read novels instead which I do here.  Comics have come a long way since their inception.  No longer are superhero comics as popular but people are looking for quality writing these days.  These are 3 mini-series that are in a class by the,selves as a few of the very best ever written and are just as great as any novel.

Book Review: The Sirens of Titan

Classic Sci-Fi

The Sirens of Titan is a sci-fi novel by Kurt Vonnegut who is one of the most famous sci-fi authors ever.  Sirens was his second book, originally published in 1959.  Its still is one of those books that stands the test of time and is still considered a classic by many.

The story is complex and wide-ranging taking place on different planets in the solar system.  Its one of those novels that everyone should read at some point in there lives.

4 Great Autobiographies and Why You Should Read Them

There are a lot of autobiographies out there.  Pretty much every celebrity, politician and sports star has one but how do you navigate through them all and pick one that you will enjoy.  Some biographies are great with interesting stories, unknown facts and loads of information.  Some are terrible, boring, self-absorbed and meaningless.  Some even have much of the content fabricated, not unlike what happened with Burt Ward's book about his time playing Robin from the Batman TV show in the 60's.  Here is some good ones that cover a wide range of interests.

Preview of Upcoming Summer Movies for 2015

Summer is fast approaching and with it the release of the summer the big blockbusters.  Here is a short list of some of the biggest and most anticipated ones.  I'll try and see as many as I can and do reviews but for now you can read this list and find something that interests you.  I have also left The Avengers: Age of Ultron off the list because I already talked about it in a previous post.

The Twilight Zone

Now I know there was a revival of the twilight zone in 1985 and in 2005 but they pale in comparison the the original series that started in 1959.  That's what I will be referring to in this article.

The Twilight Zone was created and narrated by Rod Serling.  There were many writers and directors that worked on the series too but Serling was the man behind the show.

Book Review: Dr. Who: Engines of War

Every year the BBC releases novels based on the Dr. Who television series. This summer, starting in June they have done it again releasing a series of novels based on the 11th and 12th Doctors played by Matt Smith and Peter Capaldi respectively. This time they have also released a book based on the Doctor from The Great Time War which happened between the classic and the modern series. Known as The War Doctor and played by John Hurt who appeared in 3 episodes of the television show the reader gets to see a much more fleshed out character than before.