A Different Point of View » Miscellaneous

TeeDee & some kooky college kids….

TD-0013 — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 06:07:29 +0000

Heyas, gang.Â Recently I was asked by the Lovely Emily of the “Cue The Film” podcast to sit in with her and a cast of other characters as they covered the entire Star Wars saga.Â The films, the games, and the books.Â Not every book, mind you.. Only the ones written by the brilliant trooper goddess, Karen Traviss.Â Yeah, I had to bring her up and spread the word.Â Anyhow, this is true to life, helmet off and hair down discussion about the Galaxy Far Far Away that we all know and love, so do yourself a favor and tune in for a listen.

This is the first of six episodes dedicated to Star Wars, so you’re in for a treat.

Cue the Film – Star Wars 1 of 6 – The Phantom Menace

One more thing…Â QT is a very important part of the goings on around here, and she’s been a bit out of sorts lately, so if you could all do me a favor and head over to her blog and give her some MUCH deserved love, I’d be quite grateful.Â Besides, being nice to QT could just save your life…..seriously.

Thoughts From a Droid – QT-3.14159

Go BUY it NOW.

TD-0013 — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 00:03:10 +0000

That’s right, kiddies!Â It is THAT day!Â The release day of the Trooper Goddess’ latest story about everyone’s favorite test tube babies, the Republic Commandos!Â See that picture to the left?Â Click on it RIGHT NOW to buy your copy of TRUE Star Wars lore.Â Not that asinine game that everyone’s gushin’ in thier pants about, and no, not the latest foray into theaters.Â These two subjects seem to be ALL anyone’s talking about, and that’s just plain sad and pathetic.Â You, my brave citzens have a duty to perform.Â Blog about Karen and her new book “Star Wars: Order 66 – A Republic Commando Novel”.Â Seriously.Â The woman is a real talent and we need more of her in the Star Wars universe, trust me.

So… GO.Â Do what you’re told.

Safe money is that by the time you’ve read through this post, QT has alreadyÂ devoured this new book.

Order “Star Wars: Order 66″ from Amazon.com

Finally…. My backup arrives.

TD-0013 — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 01:42:35 +0000

Well, news of my nomination for a Parsec award had gotten a unexpectedly enthusiastic response from Command.Â Apparently, the Empire is sending in Vader’s own troops to this little dustball to enjoy some much earned leave.Â While most of the Imperial forces will be converging at DragonCon in Atlanta, we do own the whole planet, so some troops are enjoying other destinations as well, such as San Francisco, CA.

I’ll be catching a lift with some the brave soldiers and sailors of the ISD Buckfutter to D*Con, so I’ll see you there!

Obsidian is coming…..

TD-0013 — Sat, 24 May 2008 04:03:54 +0000

On May 31st, podcast UBBER monkey J.C. Hutchins will be releasing the new Anthology Podcast, “7th Son: Obsidian“.Â For those of you who have no idea who J.C. Hutchins is, or have no clue what 7th Son is (Shame on you!), let me try to sum it up.Â 7th Soin is a podcast novel written and read by J.C. Hutchins.Â It is enjoyed by an audience somewhere in the 40,000+ range, and it’s the story of 7 clones out to stop John Alpha, who happens to be the very guy they were cloned from.Â It’s a modern day thriller with a healthy splash of Sci-Fi mixed in a pinch of some very terrifying prospects.

So, what does this have to do with yours truely?Â Well, months and months ago I was honored to be asked by J.C. to write a short story for the upcoming Anthology series based in the world of 7th Son.Â The story has been written, recorded, and it’s in J.C.’s hot little hands, ready to go.Â Â If you haven’t subscribed to J.C.’s feed, do so.Â You won’t regret it, believe me, plus you’ll get to hear my own attempt at yarn spinning as Obsidian roars into life.

Be sure to let me know what you think, and send much love to J.C. for showing me the love as well.Â I’ll be putting the promo for this ground breaker in the feed as soon as QT can get some technical SNAFUs to go away.

Howie doin’?

TD-0013 — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 17:48:09 +0000

Â You know, if turning the hit TV game show Dead or No Deal into aÂ 2 hour long, Star Wars event unto itself is supposed to make me finally tune into to this show…

…we have a Deal.

Yes, admittedly, this show is anything but a true game show because there’s absolutely ZERO skill or intelligence required or involved.Â It’s all luck of the draw and if you pick the right case, you win.Â Simple as that.Â Hence, why I’ve never watched it longer then maybe fifteen minutes, despite a bevvy of beautiful young ladies in the stage.Â Yeah, I’ll be watching this train wrenck happen because it might be fun, plus the Man in Black is running things.Â The boss steps in as the “Banker” and is there to crush dreams like he crushes throats.Â Gotta love that, right?Â Add to it the case holders are now my own brothers in arms (I’m suspecting 501st involvment here) and it was enough to push me to 75% interest.Â The Deal Maker?Â Two words, my friends….

Metal Bikinis.

The show airs Monday, April 28 (NBC, 8 pm/ET).

Here’s the original article at TV Guide

Allow me to pull off my helmet here a moment…

TD-0013 — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 06:00:21 +0000

Today a story on Gizmodo was brought to my attention.Â Here it is, shamlessly ripped off from Gizmodo.Â Meet you at the bottom of it…
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A drunk guy dressed as Darth Vader, wielding a metal crutch, and probably making sounds like *swwoooshh* and *pew*pew*, assaulted and effectively kicked the ass of the founder of the first Jedi Church of England. The dork, a hairdresser called Barney Jones whose Jedi name is Master Hehol, was beaten down in his garden by the anonymous Vader while he was being interviewed for a documentary. Really. We mean this.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Now, I’m willing to bet that many of you are thinking that I’m going to be all for this sort of thing.Â I hate “the Jedi”.Â This is no secret and everyone pretty much know how I feel about that whole character type.

Well, this story sickened me.Â No really.Â It outraged and sickened me.Â I’m willing to bet that the “Vader” in question wasn’t a real costumer, let alone a member of the 501st, because, simply put, we DON’T do this sort of thing.Â This was some scrotum-sack who wanted to get his jollys off by persecuting and assaulting someone based on their religious preference.Â You heard me right.Â This was a bully (likely a school athlete of some kind) who targetted this man simply because to the ignorant savage, he was a “Star Wars Geek”.Â

This monkey’s ass needs to be prosecuted for what it is.Â A hate crime.Â The attack was based on the victim’s religious beliefs, was it not?Â It was, and therefore, the bastard with the crutch needs to have it put in a place where even surgery can’t remove it.Â

I know that we all yuk it up here at ADPoV with me ranting on about Rebs, Jedis, etc, but I know that you, my intelligent and faithful few understand that this is all done with tongue planted firmly in cheek,Â and we all understand that it’sÂ fictional.

I do not condone this sort of behavior, and if I was witness to it, I’d flatten the offender toot-sweet.

Let’s all send some good thoughts to our Jedi faithful across the pond, because I have a feeling this is just the first of many slings they’re going to have to face as they practice their faith.

iTunes Reviews… Yeah, I’d like some.

TD-0013 — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 06:25:48 +0000

Heyas, gang.Â See this button below?Â It’ll take you directly to the ADPoV screen on iTunes where you can subscribe to the feed and write a review.Â See, I’m really wanting the reviews, because the more favorable reviews I get, the higher the feed goes up on their listings, and the more people see it, and therefore, thoereticly subscribe to the podcast.

Do me a favor and take a few minutes to write up a quick review on ADPoV, eh?

Thanks heaps.

Can you hear me?

TD-0013 — Sat, 08 Mar 2008 00:05:31 +0000

Indeed you can, folks… so long as you’re looking in the right places.Â As you know, I posted a new ADPoV a few weeks ago, and so far, that’s gotten some good responses.Â Of course, It’d be really keen if you folks would give me some love on iTunes and write up a quick review, praising the glory that is me, and my sheer brilliance.

Anyhow, I mentioned looking in the right places… well, I’ve been doing a bit of moonlighting as far as voice work goes, so I thought I’d let you all know where you can find my melodious tones.

Variant Frequencies – Murphy’s War
This was a lot of work for me, and I ended up recording it, not once, but twice.Â The first go at it was horrible on my part, and I felt that the story, and the folks at Variant Frequencies deserved much better, so I took another swing.Â I think it’s a hit, but I’ll let you decide.Â Just remember to leave comments on their site, huh?Â I was honored to be part of such an amazingly good podcast, as I’ve been a big fan of them since I got hooked by “the Failed Cities Monologes“.Â You owe to yourself to not only check them out, but subscribe to their feed.Â It’s good.

Sci-Phi Journal -Issue One -Â Requiem for a Silent Planet, A Look at Lookism, What is Sci-Phi?
I read three pieces for this audio magazine, and managed to bumble my way through a lot of big words.Â I’ve come out of it unscathed.Â The articles?Â Not so much.Â Still, despite my tripping around, the issue is a great collection of articles and stories that revolve around Science Fiction and philosophy.Â Give them a shot, eh?

501stCast – Intro, outro, and repeats of ADPoVs from the past
The official Podcast of the Fighting 501st Legion, otherwise known as “Vader’s Fist”.Â Ever wonder what goes on behind the scenes of the world’s largest Star Wars costuming organization?Â This is the show for you, trust me.Â I also do mission reports on the show for the Dune Sea Garrison from time to time.

Upcoming projects -

The Metamor City – Making the Cut
I have been cast as the Vampire Prince and crimelord, Malcolm ard’Valos.Â This has been a lot of fun to do so far, as it’s not a lot like what most people are thinking of, when they think of me.Â New waters I tread, and believe me, you want to be there for it.Â Come for the TeeDee, but stay for some excelent story crafting by Chris Lester.Â You won’t regret it. The story is chugging along as we speak, and Malcolm hasn’t made his presence known yet, but he will soon.

7th Son – Obsidian
Yes, that’s right.Â You’re not seeing things.Â After the success of my reading “the story so far” for Book Three: Chapter 26, the book’s author, J.C. Hutchins has asked me to take part in a new event he’s throwing together.Â He’s asking the podosphere’s most talented and influencial podcasters and authors (Michael A. Stackpole, Scott Sigler, Tee Morris, Mur Lafferty, Evo Terra, and Matt Wallace to name a few) to write and record short stories inside the 7th Son Universe.Â And he asked me to do so as well.Â To be assembled with this bunch of powerhouse talent has me in a daze, and I’m honored and terrified.

If you’ve been under a rock for the past two years and have no idea what 7th Son is, then you really need to subscribe to it and listen to all three books.Â Seriously, go NOW.

In fact, go subscribe to EVERYTHING I’ve just mentioned.Â You’ll thank me for it.

And if you don’t, then you’re damned ingrate.

Training for the future….

TD-0013 — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 01:44:36 +0000

Okay, so there I am, minding my own business on patrol when I’m approached by this doey-eyed young officer in my Unit, TD-9285.Â The kid’s got a decent head on his shoulders, so I stop Stewie, nod in greeting, and hear what he has to say.

He says there’s going to be some sort of Public Relations thing coming to our neck of the dunes soon, and that the ISO is going to be here.Â I blink.Â The ISO, if you’ve never heard of it, is the Empire’s answer to the USO, and it’s filled with some gorgeous gals who serve the Empire by making certain troopers keep a smile on our faces while we’re kicking down doors… Not that I don’t already usually have a smile on my face when I’m kicking down a door, but still.Â The chance to see the ISO girls always gets my attention.Â So now I’m practically drooling in my bucket when TD-9285 drops a bomb on me.

In order to get to see the girls, I have to show that I’m a positive influence on the locals, and a good upstanding representative of the Imperial fighting man.Â Well, duh.Â This is ME we’re talking about here.Â A good representative of the Empire?Â Hell, I AM the Empire as far as most are concerned!Â He recognizes the blank stare I give him as my silent testimony to this fact and explains that com kills aren’t what he means.

He wants me to pay a visit to the Stormtrooper Training Academy to look over the troops and say a few words of encouragment, so I do…..

Stormtrooper Training Camp – PCC 2008

You can never have enough friends….

TD-0013 — Sat, 09 Feb 2008 05:52:41 +0000

Â See that picture?Â You are going to click it, and you’re going to add James to your friend list on MySpace.

No really.Â You are gonna do it, or I’m gonna blast ya.Â Me an QT have already added him, and we want you to do your part, so get clicking.

“This is me with my son James who i worship. James has recently been diagnosed with Leukaemia and we decided to set up this account to see how many new friends we could make. James has Acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) which is a form of cancer that affects the lymphocyte-producing cells in the bone marrow. Lymphocytes are white blood cells that produce antibodies and are vital parts of the bodys immune system. WWW.CANCERRESEARCHUK.ORG WWW.LRF.ORG.UK WWW.STJUDES.ORG “

One more jackbooted step closer….

TD-0013 — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 07:40:23 +0000

Â I happen to like armor.Â Sue me.

Click pic for article and truely moronic comments from people I -hope- get beaten to a pulp by these kind of hard working troopers.

One more step closer to an Imperial Walker.

TD-0013 — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 04:00:06 +0000

Okay… this is just plain cool, and I don’t care how you comb your hair.Â There are multi-legged MT-ATs, and this little gem is damned close.Â With some better traction on the foot pads, this thing looks as if it would flat out haul buttocks.

Spider-walker

The art of the Sword….

TD-0013 — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 06:26:33 +0000

It has often been said that Jedi are very similar to your planet’s own Samurai from history, and that the saber styles are also almost parallel.Â Â That being said, I guess it was only matter of time before the art of the “saber” was truely introduced to the art of the sword, and Namco/Bandai are bridging the gap in this year’s upcoming incarnation of “Soul Calibur”.

No really…Â I’m not kidding….

Watch.

Rick Schroeder, friend of the Empire…

TD-0013 — Sat, 22 Dec 2007 17:20:42 +0000

Â …and here’s the proof!Â He’s the little Sandtrooper in training playing with the Dewback in this vintage toy commercial.

I knew there was a reason I always liked this guy.

Here’s the commercial!

Last Minute Holiday Gift Ideas….

TD-0013 — Sat, 22 Dec 2007 06:34:15 +0000

It’s that time of year when every child sucks up to the fat guy in the red suit. No.Â Not THIS Fat Guy in a red suit…Â Santa Claus.Â Need some ideas for gifts for that special child, or SW geek?Â Look no further then this brilliant catalog of toys from mcmorran.org.

The race for my personal favorite is a close one, but the Planet Alderaan just barely nudges out the dead Ewok… Just barely.Â Had it been a squished Ewok with an AT-ST footprint on it, it would have won, but hey, bits of rock from a former Rebel stronghold?Â Priceless.

Yeah, I’m well aware that others have brought these up on their blogs already, but I post things when I’m damned good and ready, so deal.

Learn to draw one of the Empire’s finest…

TD-0013 — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 02:41:22 +0000

On Starwars.com there’s a series called “How to Draw Star Wars” which is a great little deal for children… and those who wish to learn how to draw Star Wars stuff.Â I’m posting about the following link, not just because I think everyone can benefit from such lessons, or even because it’s an Imperial, but because of the website that decided to repost it.

TeamSugar is “the place for you to meet friends, discuss the latest gossip, share online shopping finds, dish on fashion, learn beauty secrets, swap delicious recipes, blog about your day and much, much more. There are currently 38,071 people online. ”

To me,Â the websiteÂ appears to aimed at members of the fairer, and much more desirable sex.Â Women/Girls/Grrls.Â QT will undoubtedly fall in love with the place.

I guess the fact that such a website wants to show it’s members how to draw Biker Scouts just tickles me, so go check it out.

How to Draw a Biker Scout

Star Wars Dorks? The Hell you say….

TD-0013 — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 04:59:54 +0000

I’ve noticed over the years that on your planet has had two major factions inÂ sci-fi genre fandom.Â Star Wars fans, and Star Trek fans.Â I do tend to poke fun at the latter of these two groups, and who can blame me?Â It’s easy pickins!Â But…that being said, I must be fair and share this with you all.

This is something QT brought to my attention.Â I have no idea what the source is, but this is the quote, nonetheless….

#827518 +(1745)- [X]

i want to go out with a girl
and lay in the field
real romatic like
and just stare at the full moon
and she’ll say something along the lines of “the moon’s so beautiful tonight”
and i’ll just be like
“that’s no moon… THAT’S A BATTLESTATION!!!”
and then run to the car and leave her ass there
wow

Wow indeed.

I like the boss, but the price is Wii-tarded…

TD-0013 — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 01:38:31 +0000

As if the Wii isn’t rare enough already, Nintendo is releasing a special Star WarsÂ limited edition WiiÂ system.Â Or…this is just an elaborate hoax… Honestly, I have no idea, nor do I really care.Â That being said, yes, it looks way cool in black with red lights.Â Yes, that’s a great shot of the “man in Black” on the side of the unit. but the $15,000 price tag is 100% grade Z Bantha crap.

Okay… Yes, it was an eBay auction (the scurge of the galaxy as far as I’m concerned), but honestly.Â To even put up that price tag is a slap in the face of every fan of the saga, and therefore, a hefty junk-kick is in order.

Here’s a much more reasonable alternative for classing up your Wii.

Both Tragic and Amazing to see…

TD-0013 — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 05:19:13 +0000

The wasÂ a contest recently for model builders, both amatuer and professional alike.Â The theme?Â Wrecked Sci-Fi Models.Â Many are phenominal and some appeared to have missed the entire point of the theme, but the one that stands out is of course, the poor abandoned piece of Imperial Hardware.

The AT-AT model’s creator, professional model maker Dimitri Kaliviotis, is interviewed on Gizmodo, which also hosts many photos from this contest.Â

Â Special mention goes to the Batmobile model, whichÂ a lot of completeÂ morons are calling “Drunken Batman“, thus missing the joke entirely.Â I won’t tell you what it is though.Â You have to figure it out for yourself.

Bonus Points to the first person (not you, QT!) who tells me what the model represents.

Gizmodo’s Pics of the Sci-Fi Wrecks

A Presidential candidate I can stand behind….

TD-0013 — Sat, 08 Dec 2007 04:36:20 +0000

With the elections coming up in 11 months or so, Polticians seem to be everywhere, promising the world.Â They all make me ill with these false promises, because nobody can give you the world, but there’s one guy who can easily take it from you.

If you’re smart, you’ll be voting for the “Man in Black”.

The fate of your world could really depend on it.

Campaign Commercial #1

They are FAST… I am slow.

TD-0013 — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 02:45:30 +0000

Back in 2005 (see?Â Slow to talk about this) Red Bull RacingÂ joined forces with LucasFilm to help promote Episode III.Â Normally, I’d say, “Big whoop.Â More Promotional fodder.” but in this instance, I must acknowledge and pay tribute to Red Bull Racing on this one.Â NasCar did alright by having members of the 501st present at the unveiling of the two Star Wars themed M&M Racing cars, but after the big reveal, that was it.Â No more troopers and other folks around.Â Just a couple of painted cars.Â Nice, but this is where Red Bull’s F1Â Racing Team took the lead and won this race, of sorts.Â For the 2005 season the entire pit crew had trooper themed uniforms.Â They even had one of them in a Vader themed getup as well.Â

Here’s a link to an article and some more photos of the Red Bull team during the 2005 season.

The Star Wars Red Bull F1 Promotion – gizmag artice

Just plain cool.

The Trooper Goddess has bestowed upon you all another gift…

TD-0013 — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 05:13:21 +0000

…and QT has already finished her copy… Hell, she may have read it three times now.Â I can’t say I blame her, because Karen Traviss knows her stuff, especially about troopers, be they clone or otherwise.Â True Colors continues the story of the galaxy’s favorite test-tube babies and other great individuals such as Kal,Â Ordo and the rest of the Nulls, as well as Vau, Mird, and their video game money makers, Delta squad.

So far, I’m into chapter three and I’m digging it greatly. Hey, I’m a slow reader… Bite me, ya hump.Â Anyhow, you need to get off your butt and buy this book NOW.Â Seriously, if you’re a fan of all things armored white, then you owe it to yourself to get educated by the galaxy’s second best teacher. (The first being yours truly, duh.)

More to come when I finish this beauty of a yarn.

Star Wars: Republic Commando – True Colors

501st enters the battlefield…..

TD-0013 — Sat, 17 Nov 2007 18:22:10 +0000

Â Â Â Â Â The 501st has entered the Podosphere with thier new podcast, the 501stCast.Â They recently released the second episode of the show and I think the tech bugs that always plague new shows are rapidly being taken care of.Â I’m just thankful I have QT to help in those areas, or I’d go certifiably nuts.

You’ll hear me here and there throughout thier show, as I lended a hand and my smooth, melodious voice to it.Â Each episode also has an ADPoV segment tossed in for good measure, but don’t get too excited about that.Â They’re older segments, but still… You shouldn’t be listening the show to hear me anyhow.Â Hey, they’re the Empire, and they do good work, so how could I say no to my brothers and sisters in arms, right?Â The 501st is a top notch Unit and anything they have to say should be heard.Â Follow?

If you’ve found your way here via the 501stCast, be sure to give us a comment and say hi, and welcome to the frey.Â Remember, wear a helmet, kiddies, because it can get ugly in here from time to time.

If you’d like to comment on the ADPoV segments you heard in the 501stCast, feel free to do so here, or swing by our forums, start a thread, and speak up.

Happy Halloween!

TD-0013 — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 18:35:55 +0000

Well, once agin it’s that time of year where people on your little rock put on silly costumes and act rediculous.Â No, it’s not a Star Trek Convention, it’s Halloween.Â So, bring out yer dead!!

And I thought batton twirling was bad….

TD-0013 — Fri, 12 Oct 2007 23:22:18 +0000

There comes a time in girlâ€™s life when she stands on the precipice, looking out into an adoring, but very judgmental crowd. For this pagent participant, it is that most harrowing time, but instead of cowering in fear, terrorized, she fires a shot that is certain to have left quite a wake of destruction in her path.

Hell hath no fury like that of a trumpet playerâ€¦.except a woman who mearly thinks sheâ€™s a trumpet player.

Bring the Pain…Star Wars Style.

Rebel Engineering at it’s finest….

TD-0013 — Mon, 08 Oct 2007 07:11:52 +0000

Well, I could wax on and on about how Imperial Enigineering is far superior to the garbage that the Rebellion is fielding, but I think this video pretty much sums it up nicely.

Rebel Test Flight

MS Walk… AGAIN ALREADY??

TD-0013 — Sun, 23 Sep 2007 09:40:04 +0000

Yup….Â I know it seems like we -just- went through all this, but the local chapter of the MS Society decided to move the date of the event from spring to fall, which means on October 20, 2007, I’ll be at it again.Â If anyone can spare anything, I’d appreciate it, but honestly, I feel odd even asking you all for help again so soon.

Donate to the MS Society on behalf of TD-0013

Putting the best face forward…..

TD-0013 — Sun, 09 Sep 2007 13:09:05 +0000

If you want to increase sales of your magazine, you do an Issue dedicated to the Empire.Â If you want to make sales go through the roof, you use my picture to sell said issues.

Star Wars Insider #96

HAIL TODD!!!

TD-0013 — Thu, 19 Jul 2007 02:41:55 +0000

Emperor Todd Spengo beats the crap out of no talent hack, Andy Dick.

Good for you Emperor Spengo!Â ThatÂ moronÂ hasÂ been needing a beating for years now, and I’m glad you were the one to pummel him.Â Saves me the effort of finding him myself.

Danny Boyle is an ass.

TD-0013 — Wed, 18 Jul 2007 01:22:48 +0000

Just needed to be said.