Despicable, 'Pop Rapper' 50 Cent's upcoming movie Get Rich Or Die Tryin' has sparked outrage among Los Angeles community leaders, who are repulsed by the gun theme in advertisements for the film. Billboards, posters and other ads for the movie depict the rapper brandishing two handguns as a promotion for the movie, which is based on the complete fabrication that is sold as the star's real-life rise to musical success from the streets of New York City.
Website AllHipHop.com reports the campaign has led to a call for a boycott from a number of organisations. Najee Ali of Project Islamic Hope, says, "Gun violence is one of the leading causes of death for young black males in South Central Los Angeles and across urban America. It's irresponsible for Paramount Pictures to promote and market a movie that glorifies carrying guns. Guns are weapons of mass destruction that are used to kill people. We demand that Paramount Pictures remove these negative images of death and destruction, images that our young children are influenced by." The group is demanding that the ads showing weapons be immediately pulled from the marketplace.
'Fiddy' is also the endorser of a Playstation video game entitled 'Bulletproof' - in my opinion it would be of BENEFIT to the Black Community if indeed someone proved he was not. He is also the person who dismissed a criticising Black community as 'Haters' when they objected subsequent to the release of Eminem's racist tapes that insulted Black Women the world over as "Dumb Nigger Bitches".
For every time Fifty opens his mouth and spews his usual garbage, he sets the Black race back 5 years of achievement, civility and progression. Representatives for Paramount have yet to comment on the marketing of this travesty of a motion picture.
Wednesday, October 26, 2005
Once cant help but notice how The Sun (scum) newspaper have been proclaiming 'all-Anglo-Saxon hero' Robbie Williams as the new King of Pop.
Excuse me for being dumb, but I thought to be crowned 'King of Pop' the following criteria applied:
1) You had to outsell the REAL King of Pop, Michael Jackson - who to this day still has the greatest selling album of all time in 'Thriller'.
2) You had to have a broad international fanbase, or at least a market that extends beyond 'White people from the United Kingdom'.
3) You had to be talented or at the very minimum, be able to sing…
Oh well, at least Robbie serves as inspiration to all of the other trumped-up, glorified Saturday-night Karaoke singers out there - one day you too could be king!
Excuse me for being dumb, but I thought to be crowned 'King of Pop' the following criteria applied:
1) You had to outsell the REAL King of Pop, Michael Jackson - who to this day still has the greatest selling album of all time in 'Thriller'.
2) You had to have a broad international fanbase, or at least a market that extends beyond 'White people from the United Kingdom'.
3) You had to be talented or at the very minimum, be able to sing…
Oh well, at least Robbie serves as inspiration to all of the other trumped-up, glorified Saturday-night Karaoke singers out there - one day you too could be king!
Friday, October 21, 2005
As if skin lighting for Vanity Fair a'la Photoshop wasn't bad enough…
Am I the only one who gets slightly annoyed at the fact that in interviews, Beyonce Knowles always harps on about being some sort of song writing / production genius and the brains behind most of her and Destiny's Child's hits? Heck, even her father is receiving production 'credits'!
The reason why this irritates me is that this could not be further from the truth - Destiny's Child and/or Beyonce as solo have not brought released original in years, if at all. This really demonstrates the lazy rut the music industry at large is stuck in.All artists do these days is to sample the TRUE artists/musicians of the past, try to reheat it, make a hit and then say they've written it. Its sad but true.
So fire up Kazza folks!, search for these obscure tunes and see what I mean…
Crazy in Love = "Are You My Woman (Tell Me So)" by The Chi Lites
Baby Boy = "Here Comes the Hot Stepper" by Ini Kamoze
Naughty Girl = "Love to Love You Baby" by Donna Summer
Bootylicious = "Edge of Seventeen." by Stevie Nicks
*Bootylicious is of particular mention because of Beyonce Knowles specifically mentioning (in interview) of "coming up with the rhythm" on-flight while travelling.
Anyone care to contribute to this list?....
The reason why this irritates me is that this could not be further from the truth - Destiny's Child and/or Beyonce as solo have not brought released original in years, if at all. This really demonstrates the lazy rut the music industry at large is stuck in.All artists do these days is to sample the TRUE artists/musicians of the past, try to reheat it, make a hit and then say they've written it. Its sad but true.
So fire up Kazza folks!, search for these obscure tunes and see what I mean…
Crazy in Love = "Are You My Woman (Tell Me So)" by The Chi Lites
Baby Boy = "Here Comes the Hot Stepper" by Ini Kamoze
Naughty Girl = "Love to Love You Baby" by Donna Summer
Bootylicious = "Edge of Seventeen." by Stevie Nicks
*Bootylicious is of particular mention because of Beyonce Knowles specifically mentioning (in interview) of "coming up with the rhythm" on-flight while travelling.
Anyone care to contribute to this list?....
Picked up this baby yesterday to compliment my Arcade. Got it from my local Argos, which set me back £27 after a small sale reduction.
Its a really gorgeous Bar Stool that suits my living room perfectly!
Now I can sit down, sit back, rest my feet, grab a beer and enjoy a few waves of Robotron without the leg cramps!
Its a really gorgeous Bar Stool that suits my living room perfectly!
Now I can sit down, sit back, rest my feet, grab a beer and enjoy a few waves of Robotron without the leg cramps!
Friday, October 14, 2005
For those of you who care, you can view a Flickr slidehow that chronicles the construction of my Arcade machine pictorially.
From two pieces of MDF to the slick, finished product - this one is worth a watch! Enjoy!!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/92651577@N00/sets/1138933/
From two pieces of MDF to the slick, finished product - this one is worth a watch! Enjoy!!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/92651577@N00/sets/1138933/
Thursday, October 13, 2005
Stalking Michael Jackson
I would like to express my utter DISGUST at the attitude of Michael Jackson fans who gathered outside the Dorchester yesterday evening. I'm not talking about all of them, im not even talking about 80's generation fans who grew up on the likes of Thriller and Bad, no. I'm talking about NEW fans, those aged around 16/17 who quite frankly appal me.
Yesterday afternoon I gathered outside the Dorchester on my lunch break hoping to catch a glimpse of Michael who was expected to leave for the afternoon. Alas, it was not meant to be, however I did meet a nice group of European fans who told me fondly of their experiences and how they hope to see Michael for the first time. Later, after work around 4.30pm I went again, the same group of adorable fans were there but there was another group, who although were there in the early afternoon, I did not pay them much attention until now. These were around 16/17 year olds, possibly younger - I prominently remember a skinny white effeminate looking male wearing Black and a short, large (in terms of weight and attitude) mixed race or fair-skinned Black girl. The guy was completely camp, a real diva while the female was bossy as hell. I tried to be friendly talk to them and things seemed quite okay. That’s when Kerry, Michael's chief bodyguard, showed up - he explained how the police have had a word with Michael about disturbances from fans, how if their presence is going to be required to restrain things then Michael may have to pay 100k per day and how they could charge him with instigating a disturbance if he continued to wave at windows etc.. Kerry then asked fans to show some restraint and act a bit more calm and MJ would try to find a time to appear and greet everyone. As Kerry was speaking, a few fans made comment and spoke to one another - what did the short mixed-race girl do? She rudely "Shoooosh"-ed! each and everyone who uttered a breath, it was if Kerry was speaking to her and her alone. She then fell into a hysterical mode about how she wanted to stay but did not want to get Michael into trouble - she was really concerned that she would get MJ arrested or something! Seemed a bit over the top if you ask me.
Later on she yelled at this young Black guy, who I presumed she knew. Accusing him of NOT being a Michael Jackson fan (despite the fact he was seen hanging round singing MJ songs) because he only showed up at 3pm!!
Later on, Kerry appeared by the front of the hotel in a suit, it was clear that MJ and his entourage were going out that evening. A few hours passed and MJs car was waiting by one of the side entrances (The Ballroom I think), obviously the fans crowded to that area with Cameras in tow. The mixed-race girl started to yell at everybody, "If ANYONE goes near MJ I'll fuckin flatten them!" At first I took this in jest, but when she said it repeatedly (and more aggressively each time) it annoyed me.
So after a 5 min wait, Grace (the Nanny to Michael's children) steps out and straight into the car. The car then waits a further 5 mins and pulls away to the next side entrance, for the hotel restaurant. Again the car waits and the fans follow, it seems that it all was a diversion as the car pulls away and drives off with no one else entering it. It seemed (According to Police) that MJ left the hotel ten minutes ago and disappeared from the garage or staff entrance on the opposite side of the hotel while everyone was distracted. Some fans start pulling out their mobile phones and ring various 'contacts' franticly. A group of friendly fans I was with actually said that MJ went to Harrods and that he was seen on the steps with photos being taken. I believed this considering Harrods was not far away at all from Park Lane. The friendly fans hailed a taxi and asked if I would like to join them. It was getting late, I had to go home so I decline and walked back towards Hyde Park Corner tube station.
As I approach the subway just before the station, I see a group of fans, leaded by the short mixed-race girl and the effeminate White guy - as I approach them I hear someone say "shooooosh!", I greeted them with a smile and said "I'm beat, I suppose you guys are off to Harrods then" - I get NO response. Fine I thought, they didn’t hear me. I stepped closer to them again with a smile saying, "you off to Harrods then, its only up the road.." again nothing, not only was I blanked but they walked straight past me like I was dog shit.
Now why did I deserve this treatment? Its because this 'new-generation' of MJ fan is selfish, deluded and thinks that they OWN him. I tell you what, knowing the type of man that Michael Jackson is, he would be ASHAMED to have 'fans' like this. They act childish and weirdly possessive. The MJ fans I remember from the 1980s had a sense of community, they sang and danced together and dressed like MJ together. Never would I have been subjected to such treatment in the golden days.
The ironic thing is that I was an MJ fan before these morons were even born. Heck, I don’t even think they were alive when Bad was released! I have been to all three of MJs solo world tours and they have probably been to none. Biggest difference between me and them? - They are psychotic, I am NOT.
Rant Over! - Let me know your thoughts on this.
Yesterday afternoon I gathered outside the Dorchester on my lunch break hoping to catch a glimpse of Michael who was expected to leave for the afternoon. Alas, it was not meant to be, however I did meet a nice group of European fans who told me fondly of their experiences and how they hope to see Michael for the first time. Later, after work around 4.30pm I went again, the same group of adorable fans were there but there was another group, who although were there in the early afternoon, I did not pay them much attention until now. These were around 16/17 year olds, possibly younger - I prominently remember a skinny white effeminate looking male wearing Black and a short, large (in terms of weight and attitude) mixed race or fair-skinned Black girl. The guy was completely camp, a real diva while the female was bossy as hell. I tried to be friendly talk to them and things seemed quite okay. That’s when Kerry, Michael's chief bodyguard, showed up - he explained how the police have had a word with Michael about disturbances from fans, how if their presence is going to be required to restrain things then Michael may have to pay 100k per day and how they could charge him with instigating a disturbance if he continued to wave at windows etc.. Kerry then asked fans to show some restraint and act a bit more calm and MJ would try to find a time to appear and greet everyone. As Kerry was speaking, a few fans made comment and spoke to one another - what did the short mixed-race girl do? She rudely "Shoooosh"-ed! each and everyone who uttered a breath, it was if Kerry was speaking to her and her alone. She then fell into a hysterical mode about how she wanted to stay but did not want to get Michael into trouble - she was really concerned that she would get MJ arrested or something! Seemed a bit over the top if you ask me.
Later on she yelled at this young Black guy, who I presumed she knew. Accusing him of NOT being a Michael Jackson fan (despite the fact he was seen hanging round singing MJ songs) because he only showed up at 3pm!!
Later on, Kerry appeared by the front of the hotel in a suit, it was clear that MJ and his entourage were going out that evening. A few hours passed and MJs car was waiting by one of the side entrances (The Ballroom I think), obviously the fans crowded to that area with Cameras in tow. The mixed-race girl started to yell at everybody, "If ANYONE goes near MJ I'll fuckin flatten them!" At first I took this in jest, but when she said it repeatedly (and more aggressively each time) it annoyed me.
So after a 5 min wait, Grace (the Nanny to Michael's children) steps out and straight into the car. The car then waits a further 5 mins and pulls away to the next side entrance, for the hotel restaurant. Again the car waits and the fans follow, it seems that it all was a diversion as the car pulls away and drives off with no one else entering it. It seemed (According to Police) that MJ left the hotel ten minutes ago and disappeared from the garage or staff entrance on the opposite side of the hotel while everyone was distracted. Some fans start pulling out their mobile phones and ring various 'contacts' franticly. A group of friendly fans I was with actually said that MJ went to Harrods and that he was seen on the steps with photos being taken. I believed this considering Harrods was not far away at all from Park Lane. The friendly fans hailed a taxi and asked if I would like to join them. It was getting late, I had to go home so I decline and walked back towards Hyde Park Corner tube station.
As I approach the subway just before the station, I see a group of fans, leaded by the short mixed-race girl and the effeminate White guy - as I approach them I hear someone say "shooooosh!", I greeted them with a smile and said "I'm beat, I suppose you guys are off to Harrods then" - I get NO response. Fine I thought, they didn’t hear me. I stepped closer to them again with a smile saying, "you off to Harrods then, its only up the road.." again nothing, not only was I blanked but they walked straight past me like I was dog shit.
Now why did I deserve this treatment? Its because this 'new-generation' of MJ fan is selfish, deluded and thinks that they OWN him. I tell you what, knowing the type of man that Michael Jackson is, he would be ASHAMED to have 'fans' like this. They act childish and weirdly possessive. The MJ fans I remember from the 1980s had a sense of community, they sang and danced together and dressed like MJ together. Never would I have been subjected to such treatment in the golden days.
The ironic thing is that I was an MJ fan before these morons were even born. Heck, I don’t even think they were alive when Bad was released! I have been to all three of MJs solo world tours and they have probably been to none. Biggest difference between me and them? - They are psychotic, I am NOT.
Rant Over! - Let me know your thoughts on this.
Sunday, October 09, 2005
The Arcade is COMPLETED!
This is it! This is the day when I complete my three-month DIY project, Wildman's Arcade Classics!
First we sticked the adhiesive vinyl bezel onto the toughened glass that I ordered a week or so back. This is to disguse the fact that we are using a PC monitor as a, erm.. monitor(!) and will also display the operational controls for the arcade and its various emulated platforms.
The centre screen area of the bezel was still in tact and was simply a white square. We had to cut this away very slowly and very accurately using a fine blade.
Once cut, we peeled back the paper backing and applied the bezel onto the glass surface. As you can guess, there were air bubbles galore! A flat plastic card (like a credit card) and a sharp pin are your friends in this situation!
The finished glass bezel is place in the glass retainer (glazing strips) and fit tightly in place on the cabinet in front of the monitor. I applied some ultra-strong glue to secure the strips to the MDF surface with an instant bond upon contact. The glass is now firm and cannot be easily disturbed.
Next we move to the Marquee! I sandwiched the marquee artwork in between two clear sheets of stiff plastic. The plastic and marquee art is then retained with Black Plastic 'L' channels which are screwed onto the MDF surface of the arcade on the top, bottom and sides.
The bottom and the side screws would be visible, so once again we use Black plastic screwcaps for asthetic purposes. I think the visible caps compliment the overall design of the cabinet rather well!
Next we apply the vinyl Pacman decal onto the top sides of the cabinet and on the surface of the lower coin door. The idea behind this was largely to disguise traces of screws that recessed above the surface of the MDF prior to painting. Looked and worked a treat!
So, we finally reach the end, and the very last thing to do is to apply the side artwork onto the cabinet. This was relatively easy, as the artwork was printed on a rectangular sturdy vinyl sheet which would simply peel back and could be applied with ease and minimum fuss from airbubbles due to the strong adhiesive.
And voila! We have one FINISHED arcade!
I could not be more proud of this accomplishment, as it far exceeded my expectations being better than anything I thought I was capable of planning and constructing. It looks particularly beautiful when illuminated within its home in the corner of my lounge, and I look forward to both friends and family alike gaining maximum, nostalgic enjoyment from it! Sure it was expensive, hard work and incredibly time consuming - but it was worth it!
Since constuction completed, several of my friends suggested that one day I could sell it on ebay and gain a tidy profit. HELL NO! Too much of my sweat and tears have gone into this project for me to even think about that!!
Now for some Mortal Kombat!.....
First we sticked the adhiesive vinyl bezel onto the toughened glass that I ordered a week or so back. This is to disguse the fact that we are using a PC monitor as a, erm.. monitor(!) and will also display the operational controls for the arcade and its various emulated platforms.
The centre screen area of the bezel was still in tact and was simply a white square. We had to cut this away very slowly and very accurately using a fine blade.
Once cut, we peeled back the paper backing and applied the bezel onto the glass surface. As you can guess, there were air bubbles galore! A flat plastic card (like a credit card) and a sharp pin are your friends in this situation!
The finished glass bezel is place in the glass retainer (glazing strips) and fit tightly in place on the cabinet in front of the monitor. I applied some ultra-strong glue to secure the strips to the MDF surface with an instant bond upon contact. The glass is now firm and cannot be easily disturbed.
Next we move to the Marquee! I sandwiched the marquee artwork in between two clear sheets of stiff plastic. The plastic and marquee art is then retained with Black Plastic 'L' channels which are screwed onto the MDF surface of the arcade on the top, bottom and sides.
The bottom and the side screws would be visible, so once again we use Black plastic screwcaps for asthetic purposes. I think the visible caps compliment the overall design of the cabinet rather well!
Next we apply the vinyl Pacman decal onto the top sides of the cabinet and on the surface of the lower coin door. The idea behind this was largely to disguise traces of screws that recessed above the surface of the MDF prior to painting. Looked and worked a treat!
So, we finally reach the end, and the very last thing to do is to apply the side artwork onto the cabinet. This was relatively easy, as the artwork was printed on a rectangular sturdy vinyl sheet which would simply peel back and could be applied with ease and minimum fuss from airbubbles due to the strong adhiesive.
And voila! We have one FINISHED arcade!
I could not be more proud of this accomplishment, as it far exceeded my expectations being better than anything I thought I was capable of planning and constructing. It looks particularly beautiful when illuminated within its home in the corner of my lounge, and I look forward to both friends and family alike gaining maximum, nostalgic enjoyment from it! Sure it was expensive, hard work and incredibly time consuming - but it was worth it!
Since constuction completed, several of my friends suggested that one day I could sell it on ebay and gain a tidy profit. HELL NO! Too much of my sweat and tears have gone into this project for me to even think about that!!
Now for some Mortal Kombat!.....
Saturday, October 08, 2005
Started the completion stages of my arcade today. Here we attach the front door (which houses the Coin Door) onto the main cabinet build by screwing onto thick timber ledgers. As we screwed to the cabinet externally, we used black screw caps for aesthetic purposes.
Remember, the PC power-on button will be accessible via opening the coin door. So without the keys to the lock the arcade cannot be powered on or off.
Remember, the PC power-on button will be accessible via opening the coin door. So without the keys to the lock the arcade cannot be powered on or off.
I upgraded my mobile phone this weekend. Being a Sony Ericsson fan (and absolutely detesting Nokia) I opted for the gorgeous W800i, more fondly referred to as the 'Walkman phone'.
With an ultra crisp LCD screen, 2 megapixel camera (With light flash and autofocus), 512mb external memory (supplied), 100mb Internal memory and fantastic hi-end Sony headphones (which handle Bass and Treble tremendously), it is, in my opinion the BEST handset on the market!
Musole took out a T-Mobile contract for herself and got one too, so now we have a His&Her set. *Meh!*
Check out this review below for more details...
http://www.mobileburn.com/review.jsp?Id=1178&source=HOMETOP
Wednesday, October 05, 2005
Monday, October 03, 2005
I placed my glass order locally for a piece of clear toughened glass measuring 510 x 508mm. At a price of £11 with a lead-time of two days, I didnt think it was too bad of a deal!
Also ordered my arcade artwork today from mamemarquees.com. Scott, who runs the business from Miami Florida. Scott is pretty much the best out there for specialisation in printing Arcade Art, and is a true Gentleman to boot. Very honest and very helpful. He offered me a combo deal of my custom-designed marquee, Bezel and tough-vinyl sideart for around £70 total (a real bargain my my book, considering the quality) and even went out of his way to rectify some of the design mistakes I made within photoshop.
Also ordered my arcade artwork today from mamemarquees.com. Scott, who runs the business from Miami Florida. Scott is pretty much the best out there for specialisation in printing Arcade Art, and is a true Gentleman to boot. Very honest and very helpful. He offered me a combo deal of my custom-designed marquee, Bezel and tough-vinyl sideart for around £70 total (a real bargain my my book, considering the quality) and even went out of his way to rectify some of the design mistakes I made within photoshop.
Sunday, October 02, 2005
I have been having random restart and shutdown problems with the Arcade PC for a while now.
Diagnostic software indicates that there is nothing wrong with the RAM, and considering that the power LED to the X Arcade controller often craps-out, I figure its an issue with the power supply.
The current Power supply unit in the Arcade PC was 300w, so I went out to the Computer Fair and picked up a 550w unit for under £20. I put it in, connected it to motherboard and other hardware and have not had a shutdown/restart since!
Diagnostic software indicates that there is nothing wrong with the RAM, and considering that the power LED to the X Arcade controller often craps-out, I figure its an issue with the power supply.
The current Power supply unit in the Arcade PC was 300w, so I went out to the Computer Fair and picked up a 550w unit for under £20. I put it in, connected it to motherboard and other hardware and have not had a shutdown/restart since!
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