Friday, January 27, 2012

Hell Yes Update 3.0

Kon'nichiwa min'na!

Wazzzzzzzzzup peoples!

So guess what? School is going good, work is flowing, projects are getting done and I'm gonna be writing for my school's (Dr. Johan Jurgens High School) Newspaper! But anyway, back to the matter at hand, I have drastically updated the layout and the interface of the blog, new background, new design flow, new everything!

Okay, so the Logo has been moved to the left, the slideshow has been moved to the left, and the "about me" too, oh, and the links hav also been moved to the left, while everything social (facebook, twitter) is being kept on the right along with the blog's followers and past blogs.

Upgrades are awesome!!!

Don't forget to check out the following links...
<= As well as the links to the left...

Official facebook fan page - ://HACKtheworld
Official twitter page - ://HACKtheworld

Hope everyone is having a great weekend so far!

Peace and LOVE!!!

://HACKtheworld by Matty~~ ^^,

Saturday, January 21, 2012

Ancient Books of Ys review by Matty~~ for anime-access.com

Kon'nichiwa min'na!


Okay, first off, I have not played the video games that this anime is based on, so I could not give a fair nor accurate comparison of the two, so this will be solely about the anime.

As this is based off of a game, it is clear from the beginning that it was written from a video game sense, and so it doesn't work completely well as an anime. The story and plot of the anime are solid and exactly spot on with the game. Although it must be said that this anime didn't keep me glued to the screen and could have had a more interesting plot or perhaps even a twist in the plot, but sadly it was quite monotonous.

Also, the action sequences are quite, well they're boring. For a fantasy anime set during a war with monsters, you would expect that it would be filled with non-stop action from start to finish. Action sequences are slow, slow to the point that it's rather like watching a ballet performance, but yet at the same time the action sequences are over extremely quickly. They only last from 3-7 minutes on average. One becomes bored with the stale dialogue between action sequences and resorts to drifting away.

Now, for the one good thing this anime has going for it, the animation! The art style used in this anime is amazing, every scene looks as if it has been painted by a master artist who has taken care to capture the beauty of his environment. That being said, with the stunning visuals, the lack of action is even more sad as the visuals of the short sequences are superb and really eye catching.

A lot of people who have played the original video game might enjoy this anime, but if I had to rate it I would give it a solid average. Maybe if the producers had extra time it might have been different, but sadly it isn't. It's mediocre.

By Matty~~ for anime-access.com

://HACKtheworld

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Abashiri Family Review By Matty~~ ^^,

Kon'nichiwa min'na


Okay guys, newest anime review!

The Abashiri Family

Wow, what can be said about this anime?

First off, it needs to be said that it is an absolute travesty that this series is only four episodes long. This could easily have been a 12 or 24 episode long series.
This is a classic anime, with what would be called by todays standards as "old". Maybe the animation style is a lot to be desired and that it could do with some new forms of animation, but that would also draw away from the fact that this is a balls to the wall crazy anime. It doesn't need flashy CGI graphics, of textured art styles, it just needs to do what it's doing.

The plot, especially in the first and las episodes are insane, you never know what to expect. The dialogue is an acquired taste and this isn't really an anime suited for children. It is action packed from start to finish with everything you would expect from an anime of this sort is included, action, violence, blood, pervertedness.
It might be an old anime, but it's something you should watch if you have an hour to spare as the episodes are about 16-20 minutes long. A must to watch!!!

By Matty~~ ^^,

Link to download here -» http://realitylapse.com/videos/abashiri-family.php

Saturday, January 14, 2012

Software Piracy

Kon'nichiwa min'na!


What is Software Piracy?



Piracy. No, not like Jack Sparrow. Software Piracy (Hereafter referred to as SP) is the illegal copying, downloading, uploading and general sharing of various types of software without the permission of the developers, producers or artists involved. In other words, SP is downloading a mp3 song, copying a CD for a friend or buying a DVD on the corner of the street. There’s no denying that at least once in your life you have participated in an act of piracy, whether on the receiving end or not.

What motivates a person to commit SP??



What are the factors that motivate a person to copying a file, buying a pirated DVD or downloading files from the internet? There are many factors, too many to list however so I’ll be going over the top three reasons why people commit SP.

Pricing – Some people are simply not willing enough to pay, or are unable to pay, the high price that distributors and retailers are asking for the legal copies. Pirated goods are at a basic level cheaper than the regular product. For example, a CD costs R150 in store, but any person with a cell phone can easily go onto any file sharing site, and download all the songs off the CD at no charge, save for network costs.

Unavailability – The product in question might be region Specific in that it is only released to the public in a certain country and/or for a limited time. Therefore people who would like to use the desired product have to resort to piracy as online purchasing and distribution can be costly which ties in with the first factor of pricing. A product could already have been withdrawn from circulation and is no longer produced, and the only remnants of the product are pirated versions.

Usefulness – Most legitimate products come with certain restrictions, for example, DVDs which are region locked can be played only in one part of the world, whereas a downloaded .avi format film can be played anywhere in the world provided you have the appropriate media player with ease. Pirated goods, especially software downloaded from the internet can be accessed in a matter of minutes, a simple google.com search for a product can return results in seconds.

 What are the advantages and disadvantages of SP?

There are a number of both advantages and disadvantages to the end-user. One of the major advantages as stated above is the ease in which a person can gain access to and use pirated goods. Downloading, purchasing, and file-sharing at LANs are three of the easiest ways to acquire software. Another advantage of SP is that it’s extremely cost effective. The biggest and perhaps most important disadvantage of SP is that it is ILLEGAL in all aspects. There is not one shred of legality in the pirating of software save for loopholes. Less advertised, but equally important is the fact that pirated software poses a risk to the end users PC, CD player and/or DVD player. Pirated goods may cause software crashes, corrupt files or even deletion of important system files. The consumer also has no access to online help, upgrades or consultation when they use pirated goods as the developers do not recognize the pirated software.

Bill Gates


"As long as they are going to steal it, we want them to steal ours. They’ll get sort of addicted, and then we’ll somehow figure out how to collect sometime in the next decade."
-         Bill Gates

So yes, there are both advantages and disadvantages to SP, but what of the rumour’s of developers, production companies and artists losing money due to SP?

From 2007 to 2008 software piracy rose from 38% to 41% worldwide despite successes in fighting piracy in China  and Russia. It is stated that an estimated $53 billion were lost by companies around the world.

John Gantz


“Lowering software piracy by just 10 percentage points during the next four years would create nearly 500 000 new jobs and pump $140 billion into ailing economies.”
-         John Gantz, chief research officer at IDC

But here’s a thought for all of you out there, say for example a musician produces 100 000 copies of his/her CD and in turn sells all 100 000 copies, they have gained all of the money that they expected to haven’t they? So what if 250 000 illegal copies were downloaded, the artist has already sold all 100 000 expected copies. This begs the question, are companies and artists really losing revenue, or is that just something they say to boost publicity?

"Notch"


Recently, a fan on twitter said to Notch (Developer of Minecraft, Google it), “I really like the game but lack the money to buy it. I thought I might at least ask for a free account before piracy.” Notch’s response? “Just pirate it. If you still like it when you can afford it in the future, buy it then. Also don’t forget to feel bad. ;)”
4 million copies of Minecraft have been sold, so I’m sure he won’t mind about one pirate.

What of the repercussions?

Punishment of copyright infringement varies case-by-case across countries. Convictions may include jail time and/or severe fines for each instance of copyright infringement. In the United States, willful copyright infringement carries a maximum penalty of $150 000 per instance.

ROMs

Read - Only Memory or ROM is a type of pirated software created to work in an emulator (More info into Emulators and ROMs in an upcoming blog). A ROM is a dump of a disc used on a PC, for example, a ROM of a PS2 game would be used on a PS2 emulator which would then allow you to play PS2 games on your PC. But now back to the topic, a ROM is “technically” legal in the sense that if you actually own the physical copy of the game it is perfectly fine for you to have a backed-up ROM. It’s legal, but very unethical in that people download ROMs even when they do not own the original disc.

So there you have it people, that’s my two cents on Software Piracy. I hope that everyone has learned something new and that you will try your best to buy original, it might be a bit more costly, but in the long run it will be better for your devices and your conscience.

Don’t forget to share this with all your friends, and to like the Official ://HACKtheworld facebook page, as well as to follow us on the Official Twitter account for ://HACKtheworld.

://HACKtheworld ^^,   

Stand up against rhino poaching!

Kon'nichiwa min'na!

Please do us, and yourselves a favour by checking out this video, and then sharing the following link with everybody you know, it's free to download and will really open your eyes to what's happening to our rhino's.


Here's the link to download the video, please share with everyone!!!

http://bit.ly/yr5jcg

Please guys, this really will raise awareness...

://HACKtheworld cares...

More Updates, Blog V2.0

Kon'nichiwa min'na!


Good afternoon world! I've been hard at work on the blog and I've finally fixed the damn slideshows, if you would like to see my Flickr account and see all the pics for the blog please visit this link. As you might have seen, I've also added a facebook feed of the official ://HACKtheworld facebook page as well as a like button which likes the page. Another element I added was a twitter feed for the official ://HACKtheworld twitter account as well as a follow button which allows you to follow us on twitter. I've also added a Links box which has a list of cool links that I think everyone should check it out, as I find new links I'll be sure to put them on the blog, and if you guys know of any cool links please email me at hacktheworldbymatty@gmail.com.

I will be whole heartedly updating the blog as much as I can, but as school starts next week Thursday, and it's my final year, school will be taking priority.

I hope everyone is having a great day!

://HACKtheworld ^^,

Akira Review - By Matty~~ on www.anime-access.com

Kon'nichiwa min'na!



Hello again guys!

I hope you all have been enjoying my blog!

Please follow the link bellow to read a review that I wrote about the anime film Akira on anime-access.com

http://anime-access.com/anime/A/Akira_(Movie)/reviews/id/16841#review

Could you also do me a favour by please going to this link

http://anime-access.com/anime/A/Akira_(Movie)/reviews/excellent

And click on the button that says "Yes" underneath "Did you find this review helpful"

Thanks a lot guys, I'll be posting another blog later on today so come back to check it out.

Oh, and one last thing, check out my friends blog at http://michellyqiitheblogbuster.blogspot.com for all the latest gossip about the stars and fashion news! She's awesome guys.

Don't forget to join my site on the right if you have a Google Account.

://HACKtheworld ^^,

Batman: Gotham Knight Review by Matty~~ ^^, for http://anime-access.com

Kon'nichiwa min'na!
Batman: Gotham Knight



Hey guys, new Anime review on anime-access.com, follow this link to check it out and support the anime community -> http://www.anime-access.com/anime/B/Batman:_Gotham_Knight_(Movie)/reviews/id/16979#review

This movie is a classic tale of Batman told through the styles of Japanese anime. This film is a nice stray away from the classical American cartoons that portray the character of Batman and the fact that it is produced in a Japanese animation styles makes it a nice change to see how Japanese anime artists depict The Dark Knight. Throughout the entire movie there are an uncountable amount of action sequences that really bring out the characteristics of classic Batman tales, as well as the amount of action sequences, it can also be said that the action never really dies down in that one action scene meshes beautifully into a more calm cinematographic scene which then in turn becomes another extreme action scene.
Concerning the dialogue depicted in the film it can be said that it is intriguing with not much being said about any specific topic, but let’s the viewer decide for himself what might be happening. Also, conversations between characters never becomes monotonous and is always changing in tone and style.

The visual styles used in the film are absolutely superb. The Japanese take on how classic Batman characters look is a welcome change and all the different styles of anime art bring a nice feel to the film in that the film never feels too set on one style of animation. Another great take on the Batman franchise is the different iterations of the Batman character, it allows the viewer to imagine different times and situations that these new versions of Batman could be appropriate.

To a person not familiar with the Batman universe this anime can be quite confusing as the film is not a set plot, but involves a number of different plots depending on the visual style. Another downside to the film is the “flashbacks”, some plots are pure story where others are seemingly portrayed as memories, another factor that could confuse people who have not read the original comics or watched the American cartoons and films.
At the end of the day, this is most definitely a film to be watched by those who are devout Batman fans as they can experience a “new” Batman, as well as by fans of Japanese anime as the film blends the various types of animation beautifully.

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

New Facebook Fan Page

Kon'nichiwa min'na!

Hello fellow fans! :P

This will be the only post for today, but I just wanted to tell everyone that I have created a new Facebook Fan Page and I would really appreciate it if everyone would follow this link and like the page!

Oh yes, school in a week, and as I'm in my final year, and I need to put a lot of effort in, posts will be limited to 1 or 2 posts a week as I will undoubtedly need to do homework, projects, etc. as well as I will need time to study!

Hope everyone is having a fantastic day! Peace out!

://HACKtheworld

Monday, January 09, 2012

No posts for a while... :(

Kon'nichiwa min'na!

Hey everyone... I have some sad news... :(

I won't be posting on my blog for a while... I had to do a Security Wipe on my blackberry, and unfortunately all the articles I had written ready to post were saved in my notes and got deleted. So I'll have to spend the next few days re-researching and rewriting them...

I hope everyone has a good week, I know I'll be very busy writing to get you guys what you want. Please let me know of any topics you would like to see by adding me on BBM ~» 27660566 or by sending me a message on facebook ~» www.fb.com/matthew.loom or by sending me an email @ loommatthew1@gmail.com

://HACKtheworld ^^,

Sunday, January 08, 2012

Update...

Kon'nichiwa min'na!

Hey guys, well just wanted to post an update and let everyone know that I've been busy writing some interesting articles and will be posting them online soon... Nothing new today though, so check back in the future. Unless something groundbreaking happens of course. ^^, Anyway, I've been asked what "Kon'nichiwa min'na!" means.. Well.. It means "Hey Guys!" Haha.. So there, now you know.

Hope everyone has a great day, keep safe!

://HACKtheworld

Saturday, January 07, 2012

What can we expect from the big screen in 2012?

Kon'nichiwa min'na!

What can we expect from 2012...

...in the world of film!

So... Movies... We all love them, some more than others, like me, but we've all watched at least one film in our lives. Whether it be a Horror, Thriller, Comedy, Romance or Action flick, there will always be that one movie we never forget. It might not be your favourite movie, it might even be your most hated film, but it always stirs up memories when you catch a glimpse of it, or hear the dialogue.

But onto the matter at hand. What cinematic films can you expect to see in 2012? Well I'm here to provide you with a list of a few that I think are extremely notable.

1. Beauty and the Beast 3D
This is a remake of Disney's 1991 classic Beauty and the Beast. If you have seen the original, this remake is sure to bring back old memories, but if you have not been fortunate enough to watch the original, this stereoscopic 3D remake will definitely create some memories.

2. Underworld: Awakening (3D)
This will surely make the blood of many vampire fans boil. The second sequel in the Underworld series. Scheduled for release on January 20th. On April 4, 2011, Screen Gems released the following synopsis:

"Kate Beckinsale, star of the first two films, returns in her lead role as the vampire warrioress Selene, who escapes imprisonment to find herself in a world where humans have discovered the existence of both Vampire and Lycan clans, and are conducting an all-out war to eradicate both immortal species."

3. Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance (3D)
This is the sequel to the awesome Ghost Rider. Actor Nicolas Cage however is adamant that it is not a sequel, what does Nick know that we don't? The plot as yet is unknown, but it is most definitely going to be epic. I mean, it's Nicolas Cage!

4. Titanic 3D
It's a the conversion of Titanic in 3D. IN 3D!!! There is no other explanation necessary. It is going to be awesome.

5. Scary Movie 5
Scary Movie 5. Anyone who has seen the first four movies will know the awesomeness and hilarity that is Scary Movie (Although Scary Movie 4 sucked). Not much is known about the movie yet, but expect a release towards the middle of the year.

6. Men in Black III
Guns. Aliens. Men. In. Black. Agent J (Will Smith) time-travels back to the 1960s, where an alien with its sights set on the younger version of Agent K (Tommy Lee Jones) poses a threat to the future of the MIB organization -- and the existence of humankind. Another movie that I can't wait to be released! In 3D no less...

7. The Amazing Spider-Man
This is the fourth Columbia Pictures film based on that Marvel Comics character, and the first film in a rebooted Spider-Man film franchise. Not much is known about the plot, but as the title poster suggests, this is "The Untold Story".

8. The Dark Knight Rises
This is the upcoming sequel to Batman Begins and The Dark Knight. This film is set 8 years after The Dark Knight and introduces two new villains from the Batman Universe, Selina Kyle and Bane, played by Anne Hathaway and Tom Hardy respectively. A fanboys dream.

9. Resident Evil: Retribution
ZOMG! Zombies!!! Kill it with fire!!! This is the fifth film in the Resident Evil film series with many returning actors from the previous films as well as introducing new characters from the Resident Evil video game series. KILL THE ZOMBIES!

And last, but not least.

10. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
This is the film adaptation of the book of the same name by author J.R.R. Tolkien. It is also a prequel of sorts to The Lord of The Rings film series. The adventure follows the journey of title character Bilbo Baggins, who is swept into an epic quest to reclaim the lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor from the fearsome dragon Smaug. Nerd boys and geek chicks around the world unite for this upcoming flick.

So there you have it guys and girls, my top 10 films for 2012. If you get the chance you really should go out and watch them. Take the family with too!

Also, today is my amazing nephew Sebastian Nicholson's birthday, he's turning 3 today, I love you li'l Crab Man! Happy Birthday!!!

://HACKtheworld

Blog upgrading!

Kon'nichiwa min'na!

I've been really busy writing articles and posts for the blog and I've also been fiddling with the layout of the overall interface. I've added a slideshow panel on the side that will be cycling through random anime, gaming and other pop-culture images. I hope you guys enjoy!

://HACKtheworld
Kon'nichiwa min'na!

Friday, January 06, 2012

Kon'nichiwa min'na!

This just in!!!

I repeat, breaking news!!!

A UK games industry outlet MCV has just reported that both the PlayStation 4 and the next Xbox console (rumoured to be called Xbox 720) will be shown at E3 2012!

Granted this isn't the first time in recent months a publication has made such a statement but with MCV's credibility it's hard not to believe it this time.

MCV's online editor Ben Parfitt posted on Twitter "Obviously we can't reveal our sources. But you have my personal word on this - the source is exemplary, 100% concrete, ultra high level."

Even if we don't see the outright release date and/or price of the hardware, an official announcement to the development of the consoles is a huge step forward.

If Sony and Microsoft do reveal their consoles now, at the same time as the already announced Nintendo Wii U, E3 2012 could well be the biggest and most attended E3 in history.

Is this going to be the new Tri-Force? Who will win between the battle of the consoles? We'll have to wait and see...

://HACKtheworld

Playing with HTML language V1.0

I'm starting to learn the HTML language. This is my first try.

10 clicks on this button and I get free advertising for my blog!!!!!

Blogarama - The Blog Directory

It's sad... :(

Okay guys, G'morning...

So unfortunately due to certain circumstances (i.e. I'm blogging off of my BlackBerry) I won't be able to post Pics and/or Videos with my blogs. But nonetheless, I will post links to pics of the subject concerned.

In other news, rumours are abound about a new Nintendo 3DS lite console. Having recently bought a Nintendo 3DS (Review coming soon) I find this news a little annoying, the 3DS was released less than a year ago and as with Nintendo tradition they're bringing out said 3DS lite within months. The new console is rumoured to be lighter with an increased battery power. Whether or not this is true remains to be seen, but guaranteed there are people out there willing to buy the new console as the 3DS has broken a few records inside as well as outside Japan. In a related note, another Nintendo rumour going around is that there is a new Pokémon game dubbed Pokémon Gray in the works. With the success of Pokémon Black & White and the tradition of bringing out a third game (Red & Blue, Yellow as well as Gold & Silver, Crystal) this rumour is looking to be more than possible. But we'll just have to wait and see, I'm excited for Pokémon Gray as I'd like a 3D Pokémon game for my 3DS.

Hope you guys all have an amazing day and keep safe...:)

Thursday, January 05, 2012

Guide to downloading large files on a BlackBerry

A lot of people have asked me how I download TV
series, Japanese anime and Movies on my
BlackBerry. So I've dicided to publish a guide on
how I do it.

What you will need:
--------------------------
• A BlackBerry phone, preferabbly with 3G. I use a
BlackBerry Curve 3G 9300. (BlackBerry Curve 8520
will not work as it has a download cap of about
25mb and will fail the download.)
• BlackBerry Browser (preinstalled)
• Opera Mini Browser Latest version (download
available at http://www.mini.opera.com )
• A PC or Laptop to watch the shows, movies,
anime etc.
• BlackBerry USB Link cable to connect your phone
to your PC or Laptop.

Okay, so what usually happens with the BlackBerry
browser is that when you try to open a non-mobile
website (i.e. a website specifically for a PC) the
browser will take so long that you get timed-out or
a pop-up message states "Sorry, this page is taking
too long to load, closing browser" or whatever. The
reason it does this is because the file size of the
page is too large compared to a mobile page which
has a relatively small file size. So what do you do?!

1. Open Opera Mini and go to the desired webpage
(Links at bottom)
2. Select the show, movie etc. that you wish to
download.
3. Make sure you have the right link to the file
(that's the link that if you click on it the download
starts).
4. DO NOT start the download in Opera Mini, it will
fail. Instead scroll over the link, push 1 on the
keypad and select "Open in new tab".
5. Open the tab, cancel the Opera download. The
tab should still be open with the exact download
link.
6. Push the menu button, go to the address bar
and select and COPY the link.
7. Back to the BlackBerry browser. Where it says
"type search or address" PASTE the link you
copied.
8. Save the file to a place you will remember or to
the default file.
9. Be sure to put your phone in a spot that has full
3G as the download will go quicker.
10. Once the download is complete, connect your
phone to your PC or Laptop and copy the file to
somewhere on your HDD (Hard Drive).
11. Unplug your phone, sit back and watch your
newly downloaded movie or episode. :)

Some links:
---------------
http://www.anime-access.com (needs registration
but absolutely free)
http://www.realitylapse.com
http://www.fztvseries.mobi (does not require opera
mini as it is a mobile site)
http://www.fzc.me
http://www.animecrazy.net

Guide brought to you by me, Matty.

Need help? Comment below.

Need info on another BlackBerry related issue?

Comment below and I'll see what I can do.

Hope you enjoy all your new movies and shows!

.//HACKtheworld

2012

Helllllllllllooooooo everybody!!!! Happy New year!
It's officially 2012, a year for new possibilities and
great adventures.

Okay, so this is my new blog. My name is Matthew
Loom, but everyone just calls me Matty. I started
this blog because as I enter into my final year of
high school I'm seriously thinking about a career
in journalism, and so I'm using this as a way to
get out there. As the title of the blog suggests it's
all about my "Marvel's", too be honest it's nothing
about me. Matty's Marvels was just catchy. What
I'll really be posting on this blog is news about
current events, be it technological such as the
arrival of the new PlayStation Vita (EXCITE) or be
it they found luminous monkey's living on Mars.
It'll vary.

As we enter 2012 with expectations and
anticipation (and hoping we won't die come 21st
Dec) we all have the chance to start fresh. I'm
taking that opportunity this year and I hope that
everyone else will too.

Happy holidays from me Matty~~ and good luck
to all the Matriculants of 2012, we'll make this
year rock!

://HACKtheworld