Nintendo Classics Mini Family Computer... The Japanese Twin Brother of the NES Classic Edition

By now, you've probably heard about this.  Little miniature NES, preloaded with 30 classic Nintendo games.... Racking up so much $$$ for the scalpers on eBay:

I scoffed at the 30 titles preloaded in the NES CE(Classic Edition).  "If it came with 100 games, maybe!" I said.  Then the hype.  When I found out how Nintendo was releasing the Japanese version in Japan, I was starting to get interested.  

Japanese "NES" was called Nintendo "Family Computer", or Famicom for short(pronounced 'famicon').  It was better than the NES.  Okay, maybe that's my nationalism talking, but srsly, it was much cooler:

Famicom came wired with two controllers, with two slots where you can rest the controllers when not in use.  Player 2 controller also had built-in mic, which was very rarely used.  Okay, maybe it was kinda lame.  lol  While I still have one of the full-size originals that was given to me, when I saw the mini classic edition of the Famicon appeared online, I had to order one!

When I discovered that this little thing priced at roughly $65(before shipping) came without the power adapter, I wanted to rage-quit even before I got the darn thing(if you don't know what rage-quit is, go play Call of Duty online please).  Good news: It comes with the USB cable that serves as the adapter.  Besides, I think the American NES CE comes only with one controller?  Two controller's a good deal.  Maybe I'll let my nephew play with me, as long as he doesn't make fun of the cutting edge 8-bit graphics from 1980's. lol

DVD.COM Rental(Netflix DVD): Daylight's End

Not bad for cheap rental!

So, it's actually a vampire movie, not zombie.  It still moves like a zombie flick.  Reminded me little bit of 28 Days Later, i.e., monsters move fast.  Cheap production, acting's sometimes good, sometimes bad.... I thought the dialogues were really cheesy.  Still, if you like zombies, nothing you couldn't overlook.  I recommend this one.

What surprised me was the gun play & tactical moves.  I know next to nothing about SWAT, or military, but the good guys really seemed like they knew what they were doing, with how they cleared buildings, or where they were pointing the firearms doing it.  I don't know, it looked authentic.

Really light on the script, heavy on the action.

New Zombie Flick on Netflix: "What We Become"

It's subtitled, but don't let that scare you!

For zombie flicks, I don't know about you, but I lower the bar.  Unfortunately, zombie movies generally feature lower production value compared to mainstream.  But just for being a zombie flick, I tack on a extra star when rating one.

What We Became is a really cool zombie film.  For most, it maybe a 3-star film.  For me, it's somewhere between a 4 & 5.  Cliche' zombie weapons, check(bat, crowbar, rifles, etc.).  Realistic military intervention, check..... Actually, that's enough for me to add another star on a zombie flick.  lol

Well acted, above average production value.  Character development was to the point that its 1 hour 20 minute runtime actually feels too short.  To me, it had enough here to easily fill twelve 1-hour episodes if it was a TV series.  However, it doesn't necessarily mean that "it was so good, it was too short."  In my opinion, they either didn't have enough scenes/footage shot to pace the film properly, or that whomever edited this thing chopped the movie in half.  Maybe in the second half of the film, especially towards the end, everything just happened too fast, like 3X too fast.  Had this film been say two hours long, it might've been a true five-star zombie film.  

Trailer:

Another Netflix win.  They sure know what we like!

My New E.D.C. Knife: HK Axis by Benchmade

My last two EDC knives been by Benchmade.  First was the Griptilian.  First quality pocket knife I ever purchased.  I had long envied automatic knives, spring-assisted knives, so after several years, I decided to go for the HK Entourage.  Two issues: To me, it didn't feel as tough as Griptilian.  Secondly, I loathed the texture of the handle.  If what it felt like was a sound, it had little bit of the nail on the chalkboard thing going.  *shudders*

Anywho, I went back to carrying my old Griptilian & I loved it even more than before. I sold the HK Entourage to my coworker, another Benchmade carrying dude. 

Few weeks ago, I started seeing this HK "Axis" knife online...  I caught the bug.  I finally ordered one few days ago.  First impression:  It's heavier than Griptilian, and it feels more solid.  I can't quite "flick" the blade in/out effortlessly yet, but I'm sure that'll come as I get used to the design more, and knife loosen up over time.  Pics:

Handle is open on both front & back, so you can see right through between the grips.  Not used to that, but it's cool & should be easier to clean.  Steel liner runs the whole way through, which was one of the selling point I liked about this knife over my Griptilian.  Liner in Griptilian is much narrower & shorter.

Good looking knife!

StarkPower JumpBox V8 Pro 600

So I picked up one of these.  It's a portable battery you can jump start your vehicles with..... or also charge your electronics with.  I wasn't worried about my vehicle, but the prepper in me got it for the latter.  lol  

Okay, I'm not a prepper, but we do occasionally get power outages during winter, and with the smartphones taking care of so many things these days, I wanted a way to be able to recharge my phone + whatever that came up that needed charging.

It came with not just the jumper cables, but also connectors for phones, USBs, etc.  More info on their website.  According to the manual, it will hold charge for 3-years!  It also recommended that battery be recharged every six months for optimum performance.  Its life expectancy is estimated to be 8 to 10 years.  Sounds good to me.

I didn't want to wait for actual power outage to test results on this gadget, so last couple of days, I tested the sucker out charging my phone. 

After recharging the unit fully, I kept track of how many % the charger used to charge how many % on my phone.  After three charges, according to my calculation, it charged 191% on my phone.  To do this, it used up 92% of the charge on the charger.  

I don't know how accurate these battery life readouts from the phone & charger are, but going by those numbers, basically, two full charge on my SONY Xperia T2 would just about completely deplete the charge stored on the charger.  I'm not gonna lie, I was underwhelmed.  I thought it would do at least three, or four full charges.  I was hoping for even more than that.

Still, the length of period it claims to hold its charge is impressive.  3-years, charge every 6 months to top it off.  Most power outages in my area only last several hours at most anyway.  It's really compact, too.  It's heavier & thicker, but barely bigger than my phablet.  I think I like this as a power outage insurance.  I would need something drastically better in case of the zombie apocalypse though.

Back to Plinking...

Went shooting today.  First time since the accident.  Still lacking confidence, especially with the new replacement H&K USP handgun.  It did go okay, but I'm not gonna lie, I found myself enjoying the .22's more.

My shooting/outdoor watch.  My Luminox Navy SEALS watch looks nice, but I think it'd break if I was to bump it into something.  Casio G-Shock's built with real toughness.  This one's solar powered + compass.  

I went postal on this box.  Later, with 12-gauge slugs.  :D

They clear-cut the area right behind our spot.  I'd like to try some long range shooting out there next time.  :)

Young Adult Sci-Fi turns Young Adult... Zombie

Rented the first Maze Runner while back from Netflix.  It was alright.  Sort of original, but it clearly targeted younger audience.  I'm a fan of Sci-Fi anything, so when it ended on a cliffhanger I was willing to rent the sequel.  I was pleased.  Zombies.  Sort of.

Part II is called "Scorch Trials", and it's A LOT like Resident Evil series with Milla Jovovich.  It's the post-zombie apocalypse world, bad guys with hi-tech facilities & zombies with weird tentacle-things growing out of them.  They were calling these things "Cranks".

  

To me, Scorch Trials qualifies as a zombie flick.  Rent them both, you decide.

Zombie Survival Sheet 5.0

I don't know where this sheet came from, or what it's for, other than just for fun.  

My answer/response is 100% authentic with the exception aircraft carrier, Terminator & Hillary Clinton.  I'm just sorry I couldn't also fit my 870 tactical shotgun in it.... then again, I probably don't want to carry two long guns & another set of ammunition.  :p

Last Zombie Flick I Saw: Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse

I remembered reading about this film looong time ago.  Title got my attention, but I forgot all about it.  Then recently, I read, or heard something about it, so I got a Blu-ray copy from Netflix.  

First thing I saw was the title screen, same pic as the above poster.  I was bracing for another bad zombie movie.  Instead, what I got was poor man's Zombieland(classic):

Don't let the trailer fool you, gags are funny in context & story is well crafted.  It's rare for me to laugh at jokes in films, let alone zombie flicks, but this one had me laughing in more than couple scenes. Characters are likable, and that pretty much makes any movie at least watchable.

I even watched the "making of" feature on the disc. That would only mean that this movie earned the grade "A".  :D

Diversify, Diversify...

Initially, I put together this "gun" blog to record & share my experience after my H&K USP handgun blew up in my hands(I suspect overcharged ammo).  I've done very little with the blog since, because I really don't shoot a whole lot.

Over the weekend, I saw a zombie movie called "Scouts Guide to Zombie Apocalypse".  It was a decent zombie flick, which in itself says a lot right there, but it was also put together really well, and a super hilarious one. 

That's when it hit me.  Guns & zombies/hand-in-hand!  lol

Dawn of the Dead (2004)

New page design, new name, welcome to the guns, zombies & whatever blog.  Likely to feature more zombies than guns.  :D