Android development log 1

I’ve just recently setup my work space in Eclipse for developing android applications.  It’s been a while since I’ve used Java and it’s actually the first time I’m going to use Eclipse.  So far, I am still exploring how to further organize my code in Eclipse.  Because from my previous experience, I’ve used folder hierarchy to organize my source files.  I haven’t found a way yet to organize my files in the same manner.

For now, Cocos2D for the engine and Subclipse for SVN.  I also need to get a device soon.

Captain America: The First Avenger

I wasn’t really a fan of Captain America before, but my opinion changed after watching the film.  When I was a boy, I remember watching a movie entitled “Captain America”.  I later found out that it was one of the two earlier Captain America film adaptations of the comic book super hero.  The two previous movies didn’t do any justice to the character;  It’s probably one of the reasons why I wasn’t a fan of Captain America in the first place.  And now this is the third Captain America movie and it is definitely better than the previous ones.

The film is good mix of action, comedy, adventure and tragedy.  The film did a good job of showing how life in America was back in the 1940s, when the story took place.  One thing I found odd though is that the German characters spoke in English, even with each other.  Chris Evan looks good in the role and he looks convincingly like a nice guy in the film.

The film did a good job to please both fans and moviegoers alike.  Comic book fans will see a lot of familiar characters and references.  Likewise, those not familiar with Captain America will be able to learn his story.  The story and the good balance between action and comedy keeps you interested in the movie and leaves you wanting more.

Also, those who stick around until after the end credits will get a nice treat.

Captain America is my favorite American Superhero

With Captain America: The First Avenger about to be shown, I’d like to some stuff about Captain America.

My favorite Captain America moment would have to be in his debut issue: punching Hitler at the cover.

Captain America Issue #1

This is the comic that started it all; how Cap became a superhero and fought bad guys.  If you compare Cap to other superheroes, you’d notice that Cap actually fought real life bad guys instead of just other costumed bad guys.  Look at how Captain America punches that old dictator in the face at the cover of issue number one!  

Captain America beating up other characters in Marvel Vs. Capcom 3:

I guess that video shows my second favorite Captain America moment: beating other characters senseless with his inescapable combos.

That about wraps up my favorite Captain America moments and I can’t wait to watch the film as well as The Avengers film which is coming next year.

For more promos and updates Like them on Facebookhttp://www.facebook.com/captamericaph and visit http://www.theavengersassembled.com

The Avengers film leaked trailer

This so called leaked trailer has been spreading across the internet lately.  There’s word going around that this trailer will be shown as a stinger to the Captain America film.  The video looks like it was captured by people who went to watch the screening of the Captain America film.  In my opinion, it’s good publicity for the Captain America film.  Those who want to see the trailer in it’s full glory would have to watch the Captain America film and wait for the credits to finish.  I originally had no intention of watching Captain America on the big screen, but the chance to see the Avengers film trailer is enough reason for me to do so.

 

UPDATE: it seems that the leaked trailer has been pulled off youtube

Transformers: Dark of the Moon

My initial impression of Transformers: Dark of the Moon, DotM, was that it was going to be a film about giant robots beating each other up with an irrelevant storyline.  My initial impression was based on what I have seen so far in the Transformers film series.  After watching it, my impression changed only a bit.

The film boasts amazing graphics and visual effects.  The film was shown in 3D, but I watched it in a 2D cinema.  However, I did notice some scenes that may have been placed to take advantage of the 3D gimmick.  For me, the robot designs were good, except for the “wreckers team”.  I just don’t like how they were designed to be based on some stereotypes again just like in Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.

There were a lot of new characters for the Autobots, but there were not much new Decepticons.  Well, there was this army of Decepticons but none of them were given any development at all.  On the human side, they replaced Megan Fox as lead female with Rosie Huntington-Whiteley.  She was pretty much the same as Megan Fox in her role in the film series.  I guess it’s a staple for the Transformers film series to have a sexy female character showing her sexiness.

I enjoyed the film since I never expected it to have any decent story anyway, although I did get confused in some parts of the story.  Even though the film had a lot of action, I got bored in some parts and it made the film feel longer.  At least there were funny moments that made me laugh.  Another thing I noticed is that film feels like a big commercial for several products.  You’d notice immediately that they are advertising the products since they show the brands on screen unsubtly.

In the end, Transformers: Dark of the Moon left me with a feeling of nostalgia.  The nonsensical storyline, the cheesy characters, and the product placements are all reminiscent of the classic cartoon series.  As the story is my only complaint, Transformers: Dark of the Moon is a good popcorn movie full of action and explosions.

Gotta love BBM

BlackBerry phones are currently one of the most popular smart phones around. One of it’s primary features is the BlackBerry Messenger. I found the video above about BlackBerry Messenger and it got me interested in what it had to offer. Check out it’s special features:

• Send and receive messages with unlimited character length.
• Choose your own BBM display picture.
• Get real-time confirmations when messages are delivered and read.
• Share photos, videos and more with multiple contacts at once.
• Add your contacts by scanning barcodes or sharing PINs.
• Reveal the music that’s playing on your smartphone.

It’s amazing how much BlackBerry Messenger, or BBM for short, allows you to express yourself with your contacts. The video shows how different people, with different interests, have already used BBM in their way of life. Then I started thinking about how much BBM can change my life for the better. Here are three different ways that BBM could affect my life:

1. No need to depend on the computer to chat with buddies

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Chatting with friends online is great, but I can only do so in front of the computer. It’s quite troublesome to have to rent a computer every time I’m at the mall and I want to chat with my friends. A laptop is too big for a ‘travel light’ kind of guy like me. Good thing BBM has a great way of keeping us connected on the go. So a BlackBerry Phone, like a BlackBerry Bold 9780, with BBM is the best way to go.

2. Easier for friends to buy stuff for you or vice versa

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Observe this scenario:

- A friend sends SMS to you informing you that he/she has found the item you’ve been looking for.
- You ask friend to describe said item.
- The friend describes it and you were satisfied.
- The friend buys you the item.
- You met up with the friend only to find out that it was the wrong item.

There are several different ways to prevent this problem. But I feel that BBM helps solve this problem easily:

- A friend finds the item you’ve been looking for.
- The friend takes a picture of the item.
- The friend sends the picture to you via BBM.
- You check the picture whether or not it is the right item and confirm the purchase.

3. Send pictures to express yourself

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The picture caption says it all. I’m a guy of a few words and a picture is worth a thousand. So I have the habit of just sending pics to express myself. So far only chat programs, e-mails and forums have been able to help me express this way. That is where BBM comes in! I can share pictures with my friends through BBM’s features and I can express myself the way I want to: with pictures .

If you had Blackberry Messenger

I feel like I have just scratched the surface on BBM’s potential and more discoveries are underway. The features are just great and are useful in various situations. There’s even a video out there showing us how BBM can also be used for flirting! BBM certainly has something for everybody no matter how different their lives may be.

Toycon 2011 at Megamall

This year’s Toycon has been the biggest one that I’ve visited so far. I went on day 2, but it was still filled with toys and other collectibles. I’m glad we came just after lunch since a line had started to build up at the ticket booth right when we left.

My only haul for the day

They decided to split up the event into different sections. There was an area designated for sellers, an area for the gallery, an area for the cosplayers, etc. It felt great to visit such an event and still had room to breath. There were a lot of toys, figures, etc. It was the first time that I saw video games though. If you think about it, video games are like toys anyway. There were also comic books, clothes and other miscellaneous merchandise.

Overall, a great but tiring experience. This year has been the biggest one yet and I hope that it only gets better next year.

I kill you!