I was supposed to go see Avatar 3D  with my department 2 weeks ago. Unfortunately I just got back from Egypt and had to stay very close to the bathroom if you know what I mean. Yesterday I had the opportunity to see the movie with friends. Also in 3D.  The 3D glasses is something I really need to get used to.  If you are wearing glasses yourself they can be a pain. Especially when the movie is 2+ hours.

Is it really a plus to watch a movie in 3D? I would say yes and no. It looks awesome in a lot of scenes when you pay attention. For example scenes like the jungle shots in Pandora. But when you are in a movie, you are in the movie. 2D or 3D to me it does not make a difference.

The movie itself was quite awesome. Something completely new to me.  A very good mix between animation and live acting. When you have a chance go watch it. 2D or 3D… whatever :-)

I just retrieved my copy of Call of Duty just in time. I was invited to a LAN-party 2 days later. We have been playing Call of Duty all day. I learned a lot. Sadly my laptop was giving my a higher ping than the rest. Resulting in me being owned by the rest of the group. Having low-end weapons on my low level does not help either. But it was lot of fun. The majority of lan parties goes along with pizza/chinese food and beer. Well we had the beer, but one of the participant’s main hobby is cooking. So we had a very delicious meal!  For everything a first time :-)

About the game it self. I focus on multiplayer. I have not played single player in years, so I probably will not start  with this game. I think this game provide a very good balance in casual players and hardcore players.  Counterstrike was terrible, I walked three meters and I died right away.  The idea whit CoD is to level up from level 1 with simple weapons to level 55 with top notch weapons. The start is hard because of all the high levels in the game, but when you have your first red dot scope on a weapon, the weapon difference is reduced. Then it depends on skill… and mine is not that good :-)

It has been a while I have been playing a game for a longer period besides World of Warcraft. But I really love this game. Specially when you have only half an hour to spare, just log on and shoot the bad guys (or the good guys depending on which team you are).

So I want along with this hype. With a friend I went to see The Dark Knight. Before the movie I was under the impression that the role of The Joker was played by Heath Ledger was just a bit too glorified. Instead of introducing a clown, Nolan (the director) made the Joker just a horrible  maniac. A role brilliantly played by the late Ledger. But also a Harvey Two-Face although his role as a bad guy is pretty small impressed me. Aaron Eckhart played him well, but also the visual effects of his evil face were just horrifying.

Bale as Batman was good, but not as good in my opinion as the villains. I just do not like the low voice he is using when he is Batman.

Two other things that I did not like:  Contains spoilers!

1. The “death” of commissioner Gordon was .. erm… not needed and vague. Did he wear a bullit proof vest or something?
2. A different actress (Maggie Gyllenhaal) that played Rachel was a shame. I preferred  Katie Holmes or just do not use Rachel in the movie at all.

All in all, it will definitely be in my DVD collection when it comes out. Best movie I saw in the cinema in ages.

As a nerd there are some books that should be read. Otherwise you are not a nerd. I finished Lord of the Rings a couple of years ago. (Yes while the film was in the cinema..). Another author I still had to read besides Tolkien was Isaac Asimov. So I finally got around to read The Complete Robot.

This book contains short stories about robots and specifically the three laws of robotics:

1. A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.
2. A robot must obey orders given to it by human beings, except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.
3. A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.

Each story was very well told, pointing out how a robot can function with these laws. Resulting in some weird situations which are completely logical when you apply the three laws. It also tells about the fear of having these robots among us on earth. Some stories are completely stand alone. Others are part of a long chain of stories with a handful characters returning from time to time like the robotpsychologist Susan Calvin (from a young woman to legend who has been dead for centuries) and some others.

All in all a very fun read.