I remember when I was at TechTv, I used to see Sarah looking into her webcam and addressing the public. Sometimes it was direct (most of the time is was pretty indirect or “fishbowl communication”) but I knew it was very popular. With the advent of Flip video camcorders and Qik for mobiles it seems that almost every Tom, Dick and Horatio is livecasting to anyone who will watch. There is no shortage of sites enabling this lifestyle like Livestream [formerly Mogulus], Seesmic, Justin.TV, and Ustream. I have started using Ustream and enjoy livestreaming in a controlled manner so far.

I liked Ustream above the rest for one simple reason–the number of “creepy people” seems to be surprisingly low. I tried Justin.TV last year for research purposes and once I hit broadcast, there were already five creepy strangers in the chat room talking about getting my number. I’ve only broadcasted with UStream three times, but each time my viewers were either Twitter followers or at least knew who I was. The amount of inappropriate comments was low, which continues to motivate me to do it more often. Video chatting live with people who watch my work was great and it was nice to hear someone saying that they liked seeing my “more low-key and natural” side. I also made sure to reaffirm I was a dork [for anyone thinking otherwise] by showing off my Mr. Potato collection, all Star Wars, Spider-man and Transformers themed!

Ustreaming was probably easier for me than some of my predecessors since I already have a good repertoire with my participants, thanks to Twitter. Technically speaking, I think that Ustream worked pretty well except for it dropping my video every few minutes. The sound quality was good from what I heard and the video quality [when it was up] was fine. I plan on scheduling a Ustream sometime soon as they recommend that for more viewership. I do appreciate that people wanted to spend their Friday night watching me chat about Street Fighter IV or just answering questions they may have for me. If you were skeptical like me before, I would recommend giving livestreaming a second try as it’s a whole new level to communication which I like. Will I be taping a camera to my head any time soon? Nope. But I will show you my Mary Jane Barbie doll the next time you stop by NehaLive!

That was my first inkling of curiosity for the LG Xenon GR500, a slider cell phone which doubles as a fun smartphone. When my Blackberry’s charger port lost a couple pins [plug in your mobiles with care!], it was impossible to charge/sync and as good as gone. I quickly needed a new phone, and after having the Blackberry Pearl for a few years, I figured trying something new wouldn’t hurt. At first, I wanted to try the Samsung BlackJack II as I thought it would be an easy switch from Blackberry. Because the price was important to me [hello, recession], I decided to go with the more modestly priced and fresh on the market mobile, the LG Xenon. Plus, the LG Xenon is rumored to be an incarnation of the flashy LG Prada phone which was the hot item a couple of years ago. What’s not to like about Prada?

With a novel touch screen interface and a much cheaper data plan with AT&T, the LG Xenon has so far been a welcome change. I don’t miss the SIM Card Error message that I would frequently get on my Pearl and I really love the smooth QWERTY keyboard on the slider. As I was discussing with my friend Erica a couple of weeks ago, LG phones tend to have a nice spring tension with their keys [she owns an LG enV]. I also like how the picture can rotate on the screen when I am looking at any media or when I open up the slider to compose and email or text. The touch screen is different than the Apple iPhone or the Google Android. Xenon’s touch screen is a little more jerky and not as sensitive as the aforementioned phones. It does, however, provide the same wonderful make-up sponge capability as the iPhone and Android. Another drawback is detailed selections on the screen [i.e. links, buttons, etc.]; if you have fingernails or small fingertips, maneuvering through the web, menus and address book may not pose a challenge. If not, you may want to invest in a stylus.

For a price point of under $100, I would recommend the Xenon to any data lite consumer. It’s adequate for emails, chatting, texting, Twittering, and visiting basic websites. It also has a microSD slot that supports and additional 16GB, 2MP Camera with VGA capabilities, MP3 player, and applications that can be useful. I’ve had the Xenon for almost a month now and I am happy overall with its performance. The LG Xenon is more cost efficient than most smartphones on the market, and may not have full smart capabilities, but is close enough for this (former) Blackberry girl.

Along came J.J. Abrams with his big ideas to revamp the sci-fi classic, a risky move by my account. I have always felt that Star Trek had a very unique tone, something that has never been replaced by any new space travel show, and quite possibly one reason I have never gotten into series like Battlestar Galactica. Star Trek is the epitome space travel drama and Abrams did a brilliant job of maintaining that level of class.

There are many reasons why Star Trek went beyond my expectations as I was slightly skeptical going in to the film. Here are the top 5 reasons why you should go see it and rest assured that our beloved franchise is in good hands [In no particular order]:

5. New faces: Sure, who doesn’t love Matthew McConaughey’s mug? Although seeing well-known, established actors can sometimes be a comfort, it can also become stale. Star Trek has an ensemble with some who are recognizable, but many who are fresh to the big screen and a large audience. One of my main worries about Abram’s film were how well the characters I have become attached to would be cast. After seeing the film, I have no doubt that he did an excellent job as did the actors in studying their characters. There is little to no annoying factor with this group of talented players.

4. Strong plot: Whether you are into space travel or not, a strong story line can go a long way in a film. The Star Trek movies in general have done well with having some solid plot direction [Insurrection excluded], and this is no different. There were little to no holes in the story and the actual premise was very interesting. The way the movie was stacked as far as plot elements was logically and creatively executed.

3. References galore: What would a new Star Trek movie be without the old phraseology? References run rampant in this film and are done in a beautiful and sometimes touching way. Abrams knew his audience had a relationship with the old story lines and cast members, so he brought all those little quirks back in this film. The dialogue in Star Trek was well written and said by each character and the references were just the cherry on top. Each throwback appears naturally and as a viewer, you can only *nerd snort* all along the way!

2. Spectacular special effects: ILM did a masterful job with the special effects in Star Trek. The USS Enterprise has never looked as sexy and I could only imagine how thrilling some of those Intergalactic battles looked on IMAX. The action sequences were a good balance between old styles and new technology and was overall thrilling. Also, the costumes and makeup are all expertly done which transport the viewer into the time and place.

**Warning Spoiler Ahead**


1. A very special cameo: The Wrath of Kahn and The Search for Spock are easily on my short list of favorite Star Trek films. There is a singular reason: Spock. Ironically, the half-Vulcan, half-human character that struggles between emotion and emotionless expels the most feeling from viewers. This all comes down to the last few scenes in Wrath and what happens on Planet Genesis thereafter. While watching Star Trek, I wondered if I would see cameos from any of the original cast. I was excited and touched that it was Spock (Leonard Nimoy) that came on screen. Spock Prime plays an influential role in this film; this pays homage to how much he has done in the Star Trek universe in the story, as a character, and off screen as an executive producer. “Live long and prosper” has never sounded as good as it did in this Star Trek film.

Another brief reason to see the movie is the soundtrack, as Star Trek films always have passionate scores. Michael Giacchino modernizes James Horner’s classic Star Trek tunes without losing the gusto of the originals. It is well-paired music for the tone of the film and compliments the viewers experience of the movie.

As far as summer movies go, Star Trek is an enjoyable watch for the hardcore Trekkie and average movie-goer alike. Aside from Spock, the rest of the reasons are what make any film a summer hit. I will be seeing it in IMAX next week and would suggest that everyone check out this film. You would be “out of your Vulcan mind” to miss this!

Rad on the Web airs every Thursday on DL.TV. This time, we have a special early offering of Rad so check it out. Our segment of the show will always live on http://radontheweb.mevio.com so please bookmark it and check back often. Also, we almost always include a blooper so stay through the end of the video.

Also, make sure to follow DL.TV and MevioTech on Twitter so you know when it is released. Any feedback that you guys have would be great–I would love to hear what you think!

Simply on a the level of basic film mechanics, Origins is sloppy and has many shoddy elements. The editing is choppy and it seems almost as if the editor did not have enough time or attention to weave the story together in a cohesive manner. Besides the inaccurate plot points [which will be discussed later], the film’s focus is lost as the direction is muddled by the interjected cameos of other mutant stars. All of the characters, including that of Wolverine (Hugh Jackman), are not developed completely and appear to be half-baked. Even for a sharp viewer, these elements are distracting and take away from the complete movie going experience.

Unlike DC, Marvel is often known for their use of humor in the comic books as well as the films. While these conventions were strong in films like Spider-Man, Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk, there is simply a lack of connection with the audience in Origins. The use of classic Wolverine phraseology is contrived and ill-placed; it seems as if the writers were begrudgingly forced to put those words in the script.

If you are a X-Men comics reader, disappointment is unavoidable simply because of the detraction from the original story. Each of these straying factors create a weaker more sensitive Wolverine character that is not true to the comic book. The story starts off in a with the classic tone of the X-Men movies, with a past anecdote. This plot line unnecessarily links two characters who, although have similar ties, are not linked by blood.

**WARNING: Spoilers ahead**

Wolverine and his arch-nemesis Sabretooth (Liev Schreiber) do have a long history, but by no means are brothers [though it has been implied, but never concretely established in the comics]. Since they are depicted as brothers in the film, Wolverine has a very soft corner for Sabretooth which eventually does not override his hate. Film and comic book fans alike know that Logan is a warrior; he wears dog tags and has the classic loaner soldier persona. In the movie, Wolverine is shown as less of a soldier but more as a compassionate individual. Sure, Wolverine always has the internal struggle between man and animal, however, it is a well known fact that Wolverine does not become less of an animal until he is under the guidance of Professor Charles Xavier. In Origins, it almost makes it seem as if Wolverine was more of a man prior to this encounter which just is not accurate. He was a ruthless soldier, more similar to Sabretooth’s character than different.

Along those same lines, there are a number of other plot hiccups which hinder the evolution of other Marvel characters. The mercenary Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) is correctly shown as another subject of the Weapon X Program, but his outcome is much different in the movie than in the comic book. Mutants were not captured to take their powers to create an ultimate fighting machine, the result being Deadpool. In the comic book, Wade Wilson volunteers for the Weapon X program in hopes of curing his terminal cancer. He does become outwardly disfigured as a result, but had amazing healing power, and his disease is cured. Wade gets the moniker Deadpool after being experimented on countless times after his Weapon X treatment, and surviving the process. The film cuts around this story and makes it seem as if Deadpool was more of a Frankenstein of mutant powers which is wrong.

Gambit a.k.a. Remy Lebeau (Taylor Kitsch) was another draw to see this movie. As a child, I loved The Uncanny X-Men cartoon and observing any character that I know by both comic and cartoon is a treat. Plus, there was little to no mention of Gambit in the past X-Men movies [except when Mystique is looking through mutant files in the first film, and "Remy Lebeau" is one of them]. As mentioned before, many of the mutants after our own hearts were given little play; Gambit falls into that category. He is thrown into the pot of the film with little regard to who he is or the role he later plays as an X-Men. This Marvel hero was always a little bit over-the-top and a showman whereas the Gambit in the film seems lukewarm and uninterested. His accent is not even close to that of a New Orleans native, and does not come across as the recognizable “Ragin’ Cajun.”

The film was strange in the sense as it seemed to transplant the Wolverine we left in X-Men: The Last Stand into his past. He seems very similar to that character even in the beginning of Origins which takes away any development that we may have thought he had in the past films. He is not the warrior Wolverine that comic-book-fan-turned-viewers may be expecting and instead is more of the same character that viewers learned to love in the past trilogy. This tactic, which was probably supposed to help the audience connect with the protagonist, hindered any hope of that happening. Conclusively, this movie needed to be strong in plot, character development, and direction since it is the beginning of Wolverine’s story but instead lost focus in a number of ways.

It is a Marvel movie so if you love the comic book you will probably go see it, just as you have seen Daredevil, The Hulk (2003), and maybe even Electra. Unfortunately, this film is not so much better than any of those and does not tap the echelon of quality established by the X-Men trilogy, Spider-Man films or any of the Marvel releases of last year. If you see X-Men Origins: Wolverine, do make sure to stay for the credits until the end. Two rotten Easter eggs for the price of one, however, still does not save this film from falling flat on its face.

I would still love to get a DSLR someday, but for now this solves my needs. Plus, it was a great price at Costco, a factor that won me over completely. I look forward to taking more snaps with my new Canon and sharing them with you on my Flickr. Thanks again for making such a great suggestion!

Hunch.com is another community-driven site with a rhyming name but different goal: to help people make better decisions. The site design of Hunch is nice and simple to navigate. The search bar is on the top right side and is where “What romantic movie should I watch?” or any query would be asked. A series of questions are asked which determine your top answers, like “What rating would you like?” and “What time period should the romance be set?”.

The top 4 are usually displayed with descriptions, in this case the plot, as are the pros and cons of each result written by fellow Hunch users. What I’ve noticed is that the top results are usually good, but sometimes items in the extended list are much better. For example, Big was suggested as #4 on my romantic movie list, where I would much rather see The Notebook which was #20. Hunch works on an algorithm created by the geniuses at MIT, but isn’t foolproof. Like every site under the sun, Hunch also has a networking aspect and option to add friends, as well a merit system where “banjos” [yes, like the instrument] are given for logging in and interacting as are badges symbolizing your additions to the community [i.e. teacher, philosopher, scientist, etc.]

Both are sites that could be successful if the communities they build are strong and active. I think that Lunch.com may have some stiffer competition as there are many sites that provide similar functions in a more simple manner [i.e. Yelp.com, Amazon.com, ePinions.com]. Hunch.com is a fun site to spend some time on and it does help make some decisions easier [e.g. "What city should I visit in China?"] Hunch reminds me a little of Mahalo.com, but is different primarily since the UI is worlds apart. If you were not one of the first 120 to request a beta code by emailing us at Dl.tv, try and sending them an email or tweet [follow Lunch or Hunch]and they should get back to you.

V01d is in pre-production and it’s a show that Colleen and I have been talking about for almost a year. Content will be based in hardware and software modding, but also include some web stuff and guests in the future. We are still working out the kinks and figuring out scheduling, but it should be a great show once it gets up and going!

I am also returning to DL.TV this week. I will be doing some segments, the first being co-anchored with Carlos Rodela of Mevio Tech. We’re basically going to talk about cool sites, so it should be fun and informative. It is kind of a new segment and I hope it goes well.

I will be updating you guys on the status of V01d here as I have it. I almost can’t believe that we let the cat out of the bag today on TWiT! As for DL.TV, you can catch me this week on the Thursday edition of the show. Thanks for all your support thus far and I hope that I can ask you all for feedback when the time comes.