[VIDEO] I've never had an opportunity to own a Boosted Board, they're just a bit expensive for me. If only my blogging career could afford me one of these powered skateboards or even an electric scooter.
Well I'm mostly familiar with Boosted Boards from Casey Neistat's YouTube channel and it's his primary way of moving around NYC. Then we see one of his associates above Sam Sheffer talking about Boosted's demise. If you look on their website you aren't able to purchase any of their products.
Like I said I've never owned one, however, it would've been quite nifty to use one to get around Chicago especially to work or just after I get off the CTA. It's too bad that they seem to be shutting down operations. Although I do hope they get back into business soon.
[VIDEO] For the first time I've purchased a subscription to CBS All Access which streams a number of original programming in addition to a library of classic TV programming owned by CBS and Paramount. This enables me to watch episodes of the new Star Trek series about Captain Jean-Luc Picard.
Picard in this series is a retired starfleet admiral who finds himself trying to get back into the saddle. He mourns the death of a friend he served with as Captain of the USS Enterprise. If I had nostalgia for the adventures I often watched from Star Trek: The Next Generation on WPWR-TV 50 here in Chicago it came back. We only see a quick look at the USS Enterprise D in this series looking better than it had the last time we saw that ship in Star Trek: Generations where it was destroyed.
One disheartening thing about the first three episodes I watched over the weekend is that Picard is treated as a pariah. I'm sure there was a variety of disagreements that occurred that led to this development, however, a man of Picard's stature and legend shouldn't have been treated the way another starfleet admiral treated him as he sought to return to duty to the service he faithfully served.
This transmission from Junkball Media mentions at least the drama I mentioned. We get the good and bad and some of this I would agree. The melodrama between some of the characters on this show leaves us numb, however, I think this series has time to develop.
What has been established so far has me interested in what's next. The next episode drops tomorrow and hopefully it's a good one.
BTW, one thing noted concerns me although I wish I had read up on it more. Do the people who wrote and produced this program have any great knowledge of the United Federation of Planets and the Star Trek universe. Unless some research is down by the creative team behind this series I can only wonder if this series is doomed, especially for long time Star Trek fans like myself.
Finally, it's probably about time I catch up to Star Trek Discovery. I hadn't seen a full episode since the series premire actually aired on the CBS Network on a Sunday in Primetime in 2017.
[VIDEO] I missed this from last year. There was an episode of WWE Untold that explored the relauch of ECW as a brand with both RAW and SmackDown. It's akin to what's going on with NXT in the Wednesday nite wars against the emerging All Elite Wrestling.
ECW I only had three short years with the renegade promotion that was on the heels of both WCW and WWE (or WWF). The wrestling I saw was gritty and definitely didn't have the production values of both WCW or WWF. Somehow I admired that quality as the polished I expect from the other two companies.
What I do agree with as I continue to learn more about the impact of ECW is that they were the disruptors. If creatively WCW and WWF was in a rut, ECW was the guide out of it. And they had the fanbase to prove it as they were part of the episodes I saw on TV for those three short years. It will always be in my head how ECW fanatics would chant the three letters of their favorite promotions or pop huge for their favorite performers.
Another think that caught my attention with ECW is the violence. There was truly a form of anarchy in ECW although matches do end when a referee calls a submission or counts a pinfall. Beyond that the match could go all over the building and weapons could be used or even outside interference. The referees were said to wear costumes similar to the apparel of MMA referees. The action I saw as the WWF attitude era was in full swing was something different from the fare I would be treated to during the Monday nite wars.
Of course as happens, I came to the party late. When I discover ECW the ratings domination between WWF and WCW was beginning to turn. The NWO storyline was beginning to fizzle by 1999 and WWF as ascendant with the Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. Vince McMahon storyline. And by 2001 WCW would become a WWF property and also ECW was bankrupt.
Then by 2005 ECW would become a WWE property and while fans yearned for its return it was revived. Of course now that it was part of the establishment it became the one thing wrestling fans in the 1990s rebelled against. And that is the story you see in the video above.
I can see where the revival fell short of the original. I can also see that ECW as a third brand that aired on the former Sci-Fi (no SyFy) allowed some future WWE superstars to gain some exposure and get TV time.
If the ECW revival hadn't gotten the attention of advertisers and networks prompting the involvement of Vince McMahon, fans can only wonder the direction of the ECW revival with the leadership of yet another McMahon, Shane McMahon. Oh man another thought just hit me.
What if WWE had been able to properly relaunch the aforementioned WCW as another brand? Ah well for both we'll never know!.
[VIDEO] I'm sorry to have missed this Tuesday. WWE superstar Matt Hardy's YouTube channel finally got their silver award from the largest most important video site in the world. Although currently the subscriber count is at 261K, you're eligible to receive the silver plaque you see Hardy holding once you arrive at 100K subscribers.
Also at 1 million subscribers you get a larger gold plaque and at 10 million you get a diamond play button. There are other awards for becoming a YouTube channel with a large subscriber base as PewDiePie at 103 million subscribers has arrived at, but I won't mention that. It has to essentially be a stratospheric rise.
Congrats Marr Hardy, I hope that you will either return to the ring (and not to put someone over) or otherwise you find another role in wrestling. Hopefully you will continue to put out content on your channel. I've watched some of it and was greatly entertained.
[VIDEO] I can't believe it's 2020 and I probably said that about 2010. Ten years ago the first iPad was released and it was quite a boxy device. Perhaps one day I will show you the first iPad I bought which was actually the iPad 2 which isn't as boxy and the form factor I do miss these days.
It's amazing to see how the tech has evolved from the iPad to the iPhone for example and I've been thinking about showing you my favorite and first iPhone of all time. Interestingly for the iPhone I see there could be a return to the form factor that I do like from the various designs.
Either way I never owned the first iPad but it was a nifty device. As a consumer my first question ought to be what can I do with it? I know what I do with my iPad now which is basically surf the internet, check my social media, and my emails. Sometimes take photographs and video and more often use it for streaming.
To see this review brings back some memories of playing with this device at the Apple store on Michigan Avenue. However little did I know that I'd be playing with other devices in addition to an iPad from Apple Inc.
[VIDEO] I'm a few days late on this, but it should be noted that Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson's father - the legendary Rocky "Soul Man" Johnson passed away on Wednesday at 75.
Rocky Johnson who in a long ago match with the late Rowdy Roddy Piper was referred to as "Rock" by the legendary late Gorilla Monsoon was a bit ahead of my time. In that long ago match his footwork caught my attention and Johnsons background included being trained in boxing. That would definitely work if you're throwing "worked" punches so you have to do that theatrically anyway. [VIDEO]
The only way I knew of him was because of The Rock who when he started in the WWF was known as Rocky Maivia which is a merging of his father's name and his Samoan family name. Evidently for his son at one PPV during The Rock's initial run made the save for him using that amazing footwork. Indeed, if you want to see clips of this I recommend you check out Something Else to Wrestle With on the WWE Network. They look at the development of The Rock from his start in the USWA through his time in WWE (WWE=WWF got it).
Rocky Johnson helped to train The Rock for his wrestling career. Rocky Maivia was a third generation performer who's father was not only a legendary performer and soon to be WWE Hall of Famer, his Samoan family were in the business as well. In fact The Rock has several cousins in the business as well that includes The Usos and Roman Reigns. The Rock's contemporary Rikish Fatu was also a cousin.
Any I've talked very little of the father of the most electrifying man in sports entertainment. Like I said he was just a bit ahead of my time. I understand that he was one half of the first Black WWF world tag team champions with Tony Atlas. I also recognize that when he started in the business during the 1960s it was probably a very hard time to break into the business as a Black man. He's paid his dues and certainly paved the way for his very successful son who has even transcended wrestling into the world of movies.
I just had to share this a young Dwayne Johnson in the crowd watching his father perform [VIDEO]
[VIDEO] I saw the first World War drama 1917 on New Years Eve. It was a great movie that showed a lot of "no man's land" in between warring trenches during the so-called "war to end all wars".
The story is of two young lance corporals in the British army charged with sending a message to a unit who was about to engage in a major assault against the Germans. The Germans appeared to have retreated from their lines only to establish a new line designed to trap the British into attacking them. Thus if the British thinks that the Germans were on the run, then the Germans could turn around and decimate attacking British units.
One thing that's noted in the above video is the shooting of this film. It does appear to be one continuous shot and is explored by Insider. The film is directed by American Beauty & Skyfall director Sam Medes who dedicated this film to a forbear who fought in that century old conflict.
If you hadn't a chance to see this film please do so.
