Sunday Links for October 2

Happy October everyone! Here is some of the big news of the week.

Dan Didio decided to answer some canon questions this week by saying that the Crisis events just didn't happen in the New DCU. To be honest, I'm not surprised by this. With all the changes, we should all just assume everything is up for grabs.
(via Bleeding Cool)

NBC announced that Chuck and Grimm premieres will be pushed back a week for a two-day Halloween block. While I'm sad that I have to wait a week for Chuck, I'm super excited to see what Community does!
(via Deadline)

Pottermore opened up to a lot of beta testers this week.  Our own Wysefyre made it in! Check out her first impressions.
(via [insertgeekhere])

The Comics Code Authority is back and better than ever! No, really! Now the seal is owned by CBLDF to help fight censorship and injustice towards comic creators. Hopefully this will also help in their fundraising efforts.
(via Newsarama)

Until next week....

Like what you just read? Let us know in the comments below and keep up to date by following us on Twitter, Facebook and Tumblr!

The Wait for Pottermore is Over!

I was feeling done in... couldn't win, then I checked my email and saw this, "Your Pottermore account is ready! Step this way..." Can you guess what I did next? If you guessed that I spent the next several hours exploring Pottermore then 5 points for your house. Aw heck, let's make it 10. I'm feeling generous.


So, how is it, you ask? It is not the be-all-end-all, greatest, revolutionary online experience ever, but it is pretty darn good. The graphics are exquisite. The first book is the only one available right now, but I can't wait for the others, just for the graphics. You never clearly see the main characters, but the impression is that of a hybrid between what the actors look like and the book art. Then it looks like it was painted and magically put online. (I know it's taken hours and hours of painstaking hard work but allow me my fantasy.)


You're taken through the Philosopher's Stone from beginning to end, chapter by chapter. You can collect cards, galleons, objects, books, and potion ingredients. For each chapter, you can zoom in to see more of the scene and unlock different information. For a couple of them, you have to do things like do a spell in order to progress. It's a lot of fun. 


The background information JK Rowling provides is interesting, but I have to admit, I did not read it all because I wanted to finish the story. But there are a lot of good nuggets of info. I particularly liked reading about Petunia and Vernon's courtship.

Diagon Alley is pretty great. You get to go into several different stores to purchase your supplies. After you do that, you get your wand. You're asked a bunch of questions, that to me make little sense, and then it's chosen for you. Mine is 12 3/4 inches, made of Sycamore with a dragon core and surprisingly swishy. 


Now, the moment everyone wants and waits for - The Sorting Ceremony. You have to wait until chapter seven before you get sorted. Then you answer some questions and get placed. I ended up in Slytherin; I'm a little surprised by that. I almost wish there was an option to say, "Not in Slytherin" if it was between that and Gryffindor, but alas, there's not, so a Slytherin I shall be (insert melodramatic music here). 


From then on, your house is your house. You get a welcome letter and get to see the common room. It's just a room that shows the points leader board and allows you to comment or chat with other Slytherins. It really does not affect how you progress in the story.


Unfortunately, Pottermore is not without its faults. I know the site is still in beta so there are bugs but some are just a little too problematic right now. The biggest one is the inability to handle the amount of traffic the site is getting. I've been getting a message saying, "unavailable, come back later", or " too much traffic, come back later." It's not even open to the public yet! This needs to be fixed ASAP. This is Harry Potter. You don't put something together that's this awesome and not make sure as many people as humanly and inhumanely possible get use it.


Another problem is you can cast spells, make potions, and duel with other people, yet the dueling is currently done and making potions is nearly impossible. I don't know what is needed, whether a mouse instead of a track pad or something else, but I have tried to make a cure for boils at least five times and each time something went wrong, particularly with my wand. I can't tell if it was me or the site, but it did not work and it is driving me crazy. Doing the spells is much easier than potions, but still very hard. Speaking of spells, if anyone knows how to unlock the other spells, please let me know!


Finally, it is also a little difficult to connect with friends on Pottermore. You can give permission to Facebook, and they will find everyone but only if those friends have connected to Facebook too. Also, since you have to choose a family friendly username, it is hard to know who is who. Through the Facebook Connect, I found some friends and sent them requests but when they accepted it didn't say, "Bob accepted." It said, "LeviosaFlight360 accepted." It is hard to be social when you do not have any kind of clue as to who is on the other end. 


Overall, I believe Pottermore has the potential to be something really special, but it still has a lot of work to do and it really needs to get the other books involved. But if you are a Potter fan then this is a great place for you to come, learn more about the universe, have some fun and maybe make a few new online friends. 


By the way, I'm PurpleBronze180, if you want to hang. 

Sunday Links for August 21

Baltimore Comic-Con is this weekend, and last night was the Harvey Awards. Congrats to all of the winners!
(via The Beat)

Need a bit more horror in your life? Then check out this trailer for American Horror Story. The trailer isn't too creepy but this is a phenomenal cast, so I will definitely give it a shot.
(via TVLine)

Bryan Young got to be one of the lucky few that made it into the first round of beta testers for the elusive and secretive Pottermore. I admit, I wasn't excited until I read this sneak peek.
(via Huffington Post)

A new teaser image from Marvel came out....any guesses about "Who are the Forgiven?"
(via iFanboy)

Finally, are you going to SXSW 2012? Well, if you are, then here is your chance to pick your panels. Go check put the panel potentials and submit your votes!  If you have a potential panel on the list, let us know in the comments below!
(via SXSW)


Until next week....


Like what you just read? Let us know in the comments below and keep up to date by following [insertgeekhere] on Twitter, Facebook and Tumblr!

Goodbye Mr. Potter, for now

This weekend brings the culmination of a story that started with a boy staring at a spider that entranced the world.  With it all getting ready to end, I am faced with a deluge of emotions.  Part of me is excited to see this film, the last one in a long line of films.  Part of me is even glad to see the Pottermania end, if only to let something new and exciting fill its void, and part of me is understandable sad to lose something that has been a part of me for a decade.  It feels like we are graduating with the Hogwarts Class of 2011.

For me, it all started in 2001, when my mom, the librarian, told me I had to read these books during my college break. I was a little hesitant to read what I thought were children's books but rather than listen to her nag, I read them. It was all downhill from there.  All of my friends read them, and we started attending the midnight releases. When the candy came out, Getsuyobi and I sat in Dunkin Donuts in the middle of the night, sorting out and trying each Bertie Botts flavor we had. I bought my mom a replica wand for her birthday, and of course, I went to midnight movie premieres.

The movies were the Potter thing I attached to the least at first. With the tremendous detail of the books, why bother getting too excited with the films? Of course, I was wrong again. These films stand on their own right and need to be seen as such. Once I was able to separate the two, I truly enjoyed them. Now, I am more excited to see how it all ends on film. I am even avoiding spoilers because if there are any changes from the book, I want to be surprised, even though I am always rereading the books.

So, until Pottermore releases, this is the end of new Harry Potter tales.  At least, I can revisit Harry, Ron and Hermione at Hogwarts every time I read the book or watch a movie. Because even if the story doesn't continue, I am content to go back to visit this fantastic world that J.K. Rowling created.

Let us know your favorite Harry moment in the comments!


Like what you just read? Let us know in the comments below and keep up to date by following us on Twitter, Facebook and Tumblr!