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3 Examples Of The Most Awkward Fan Fiction Found Online

Joshua Lockhart — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 00:30:42 +0000

We all know about fanfic, and there are generally two sides to it – you either love it or you hate it. However, when I first sat down to write this thing, I asked myself, “How would I feel if someone published my articles on a Top Worst list?” Then I realized I wouldn’t exactly care if it really was that bad (but that was after taking into consideration the fact that the lot of these fan fiction writers are apparent trolls.)

However, a lot of bad fan fiction isn’t popular because it’s simply bad. A lot of the time, it’s because it’s actually kind of awkward (and funny). So load up your fan wikis, because MUO is about to destroy everything you’ve ever known about story canon.

Doom: Repercussions Of Evil

Here we have it – the legendary origins of the meme-ified phrases “No, John. You are the demons” as well as “And then John was a zombie”. Written by self-confessed lulz-seeker Peter Chimera, Repercussions Of Evil was originally posted on FanFiction.net as an “attempt” at writing a story set in the video game world of Doom. From what I can tell, the story is about a marine – John – and his trials and tribulations fighting the demons with his “plasma rifle”. Oh, and he becomes a zombie. Somehow. For a more dramatic interpretation of the classic tale, watch the video below.

Halo: Halos In Space

Truth be told, I’m a hardcore Halo fan (but not-so-much a hardcore Halo player). However, Halo: Halos In Spa ce somewhat put a weird taste in my mouth over the whole Bungie creation. The story is about Master Chief John-117′s apparent brother, Joe Chief, and his attempts to fight the Covenant. With epic moments in which “Joe Chief shot like ‘bang bang bang’” and the two soldiers who “when they left a ship landed and skwashed them”, I just didn’t really know how to take it.

As a note, this isn’t author Squirrelking’s only game-inspired fanfic. Fortunately for you, he has quite a few others, and there’s even a sequel to Halos In Space! As with Repercussions Of Evil, MUO has taken the privilege of presenting you with the film version of this classic tale.

Goku/Anne Frank: Until the End of Time

Yeah. Just look at this title –Goku/Anne Frank: Until the End of Time. Somehow, an author by the name of Gofer-Chan decided to create a Dragon Ball Z – Anne Frank crossover fanfic. On the webpage in which this is posted, he simply states that it was his brother’s idea, and that he’s a fan of both Anne and DBZ.

Assuming this is a pseudonym of a writer who is just trying to pull a fast one on us all, I can kind of appreciate it. However, if this isn’t the case, someone might want to explain to him that Anne Frank was real, or in a much more worse situation, someone might want to explain to him that DBZ isn’t real.

The plot-line is relatively straight-forward (as with most fan fiction). Goku simply ends up in Anne’s time due to a time portal mishap, and he has to wait on his power cells to recharge. In the meantime, he recognizes she is beautiful, but he also makes it clear that he is married and can’t stray from his spouse. Anne, however, swoons over his wit and charm, but almost as quickly as he arrives, Goku leaves. (Sadly, I actually think this one has a lot of potential, and I never even watched DBZ as a kid.)

Conclusion

There are dozens upon dozens of different examples of awkward fanfic that I found online. However, these three seemed about the most family-friendly options available out there. For the record, there’s a really messed up Harry Potter tale that you might be able to find simply by doing a little Googling, but I couldn’t put it on here. It’s just a little too racy, but it definitely fits the bill of being awkward.

What other fanfics do you know about? Would you consider posting your own dramatic readings right here in the comments? Tell us all about your fanfic findings.

Image Credit: dave

Why Windows Is The Way To Go: A Microsoft Fanboy’s Perspective [Opinion]

Erez Zukerman — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 22:31:03 +0000

Everywhere I look these days, I see people proclaiming the wonders of Mac and Linux. Well, I’m a die-hard Windows user, and have been one ever since the days of Windows for Workgroups 3.11 .

One kind of blog post I don’t really see often enough is “why Windows rocks”. I’m going to try to explain why exactly I stick with Windows, even though I can easily switch to Mac or Linux.

It’s Ubiquitous

Windows is everywhere. In a time where everybody is so focused on the mobile space and on watching the tight competition between iOS and Android, it’s easy to forget that Windows is by far the most popular operating system in the world. Sure, there are some specific environments (colleges maybe, and graphic design houses) where Macs seem to be the order of the day. But most everywhere else, Windows is the prevalent OS.

It Has a Bazillion Apps

As a result of being so commonplace, Windows has far, far more applications than anything else on the market really. If you’re looking for an application to do anything specific, chances are there’s a Windows version of that application.

In case you think “numerous applications” correlates with “low quality”, a quick stroll through our Best of Windows page quickly reveals the wealth of awesome apps out there. True, these are “only” the 117 best ones, but you can easily think back to your own Web browsing and try to recall; you will see that Windows applications are by far the most common applications out there.

It’s Backwards Compatible

With Windows 7, Microsoft went to great lengths to make sure every Windows program out there could run. It went so far as to include a virtual machine running Windows XP (“Windows XP Mode”) so that even ancient applications could run. One of the common complaints against Windows is that it contains oodles of legacy code, and that’s true. But the flip side of this coin is that Windows has excellent backwards compatibility. You don’t have to take your pick only out of applications coded in the last year or two when those coded even ten years ago would still run just fine on any modern Windows PC.

It’s Reliable

Ah, the venerable BSOD, that much-celebrated sign of Windows system instability. For the past three years, I got to see it maybe once – and this is when logging approximately eighty hours of Windows time per week on two different computers. Today’s Windows is an extremely reliable OS, with uptimes that easily compete with Linux (in a consumer setting at least, which is what this post is all about).

It’s Secure

The battle-cry of many Linux and Mac enthusiasts is that “Windows is insecure”. I say a properly patched copy of Windows 7 is as secure as anything, especially if you don’t do anything dumb with it, like download potentially-infected software from dubious websites.

Microsoft Security Essentials is a very highly-regarded security solution, and is only one of many free antivirus tools for Windows. I’ve been using Windows for years, and installing numerous software applications in my role as a software blogger, and have never once caught a virus. Some would say those are famous last words – I say this is the mark of a secure operating system.

It Has Fantastic Developer Tools

With tools like free Visual Basic Express, Microsoft makes it very easy to start developing modern Windows applications. You don’t need to spend any money to enjoy a fantastic IDE and debugging tools. If you’re trying to put a startup together for developing Windows software, Microsoft’s BizSpark plan would happily set you up with full, free licenses to a huge array of Windows tools, including a professional version of Visual Studio, and multiple versions of Windows itself.

The Apple Tax

Outside of the United States and Europe, Apple computers are expensive. As a result of Apple’s commercial policy in Israel, there is just one exclusive distributor, and they set whatever prices they feel like setting.

As a result, an 11″ 64GB MacBook Air costs $1,386 here, compared to $999 in the online US Apple Store. Some would say this is an isolated problem, but I say this reflects Apple’s commercial policy in many small territories (and some which are not so small, too).

Windows Keeps Getting Better

Microsoft is far from complacent these days, and is working hard to make Windows 8 a big success. Unlike Apple’s notoriously secretive development process, Microsoft is going out of its way to be as open as possible about Windows 8, with lots of official videos (such as the one embedded above) showing the OS far ahead of time, to get as much community feedback as possible and make it a hit.

Bottom Line

I’ve tried Linux before, and liked it, but not enough to stick with it. I’ve never tried using a Mac before, because I just don’t feel the need – Windows gives me everything I need, is far less expensive, and runs on any hardware I want to run it. I know I can build a Hackintosh on my own, but in Apple’s eyes, that would make me a criminal. So for me, it’s Windows all the way.

Now it’s your turn to say your piece; I won’t necessarily reply to every comment, but I can assure you I will be reading them all.

Image Credits : Shutterstock, markldiaz, Shutterstock

Super Mario Brothers X: The Best Fan-Made Mario Game Ever [Windows]

Justin Pot — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 19:31:56 +0000

Check out the ultimate in fan-created Mario goodness: Super Mario Brothers X. This game combines elements from every Mario game ever made into one, and the result is a lot of fun. While the level design is far from perfect you shouldn’t miss out on this free download for Windows.

Whether you know it or not, you want to play new 2D Mario levels. Nintendo takes its dear sweet time putting such levels out, so if you need something to hold you over until the inevitable release of New Super Mario Brothers Wii 2, I highly recommend you check out this unofficial fan-built game. It’s free, so you have nothing to lose by trying it out. You might even find things here you like better than Nintendo’s own projects.

The Game

I could tell you a lot about this game, but why don’t you see for yourself. Here’s a video with highlights :

Find that interesting? Then head on over the Super Mario Brothers X download page on CNETto get started. You’ll find the game there. Windows only; sorry Mac and Linux users.

The game itself combines elements from all the different Mario games in history. For example, there’s a world map reminiscent of Super Mario World for the Super Nintendo:

Other maps look more like they belong in Super Mario Three. Gameplay is similarly mixed. Some of the levels look like they belong in Super Mario 2, that odd Mario game famous for its throwable onions:

Other levels look more like Super Mario 3 or Super Mario World:

Even more levels mix and match elements from all of the different games in the series history. The result is kind of weird but a lot of fun. Heck, the occasional level looks nothing like a Mario level, instead borrowing from other video game series. You’ll have to play to find out what I mean.

There are a variety of powerups from throughout the series, and more than a few created just for this game. The music comes from a variety of eras too, but all of it will make you feel nostalgic.

The levels aren’t as consistent as ones put out by Nintendo; I’d be lying if I said they were. Some are really easy, some are frustratingly difficult, and they don’t always seem to be in any sort of logical order. Having said that, there’s a good blend here of challenge and progress. Mario fans will enjoy themselves.

Note that you can play as Mario or as a few other players. Most unusual is the inclusion of Link, from the Zelda series. This gives the game a bit of a Super Mario Crossover feel, which isn’t a bad thing.

Other Level Sets

Did you beat the default level sets too quickly? Don’t worry; there’s more. On this download page you’ll find additional levels. Unzip these files and add them to the “worlds” folder wherever you installed Super Mario Brothers X and you can start playing these levels right away. There are four extra campaigns right now; presumably more will show up, so keep watching the download page.

Design Your Own Levels

Beat all of those levels too? Wow, you’ve got a lot of time on your hands. So much time in fact, that you should probably start building your own levels. There’s a built-in tool here for doing just that, and it requires no programming ability:

You won’t make a masterpiece overnight, but with a little work and a lot of time you’ll have a Mario game to call your own. Brilliant.

Conclusion

Is this game legal? Probably not, in the strictest sense. Whatever the case may be though, it’s clear the creators of Super Mario Brothers X love the company that made the original Mario games. This message shows up every time you launch the game:

A nice sentiment, to be sure. Shutting down this game is probably within Nintendo’s rights, but a message like this makes me wonder if it would be in their best interests.

This is probably the best fan-made Mario Brothers games I’ve ever seen, but it’s not the only one. Be sure to check out our list of the best free web Mario games and our writeup of Super Mario War, the ultimate multi-player Mario game.

Also feel free to share any other great Mario fan games in the comments below!

10 Websites For The Beatles Fan & His Beatlemania

Saikat Basu — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 18:31:42 +0000

They survived names like “The Crickets”, “Johnny and the Moondogs”, and even “The Silver Beatles” to finally gain recognition as the most popular rock band of all time. From The Beatles has come the craze called “Beatlemania”. Their enduring fame continues to this day, nearly 40 years after they split. Their generation bridging appeal is what has made “The Fab Four” live on either through their songs or through their legend.

Their demigod status probably rivals that of Elvis Presley. On second thoughts, if we take Beatlemania and John Lennon seriously, then The Beatles were “more popular than Jesus now”. That could be taken as heresy, but the fact remains that The Beatles have had a large role to play in pop-culture and setting off the counterculture movement. We hear its tuneful echoes even today.

Beatlemania as a fad is forever. In the 60′s you couldn’t go online to feed it. Now you can, with the help of the web.

The Beatles

Apple has the rights to sell digital Beatles track and you can find all indications of it on this flagship site. Not all of us will bite into the Apple, so there’s loads of information that you can just browse through. I really like the collage of album covers on the site that links you to all the data on that album. The collage of images is the second place for a nostalgic trip. The films, videos, the articles section and The Beatles fan community should keep you occupied for some time.

The Internet Beatles Album

No, they haven’t got back together to cut an album for the digital age. The website takes off where the earlier one lets off. Biographical information on The Fab Four and others around the group comes with a few sound clips. For instance, read and hear why Pete Best remained best known as “˜The Fifth Beatle’. The Beatles Recordings page is also a history lesson in itself with lots of track listings and behind the scenes facts.

BeatlesNews

This Beatles “˜daily’ is a sister site of the previous one and it helps to keep you in the know with what’s still happening in the name of the group. It appears that it’s lots as the site has dedicated channels on each member of the group and a blog to boot.

Beatles Discography

As the name says, this website is a rich nugget of information on all Beatles songs and albums recorded in their entire history. For instance, you have a day-by-day account from their early Quarrymen days to their disbanding in 1970. Similarly, you can go song-by-song and record-by-record through the years. At the end of all that reading, you can play The Beatles Quiz or get a shot of The Beatles pub trivia.

Beatles Radio

You will see a lot of commercial links in and around the site, but you can disregard all those and listen to the songs being aired. The audio stream from Beatles Radio is provided free around the world 24/7 to anyone with an Internet connection. A lot of them are also random solos by other artistes mixed with the original recordings. You just have to pick your choice of media player. In the background, there are loads of Beatles Brain Buster quizzes.

BeatlesTube

This blog has done the hard work of picking up many Beatles songs that have video clips associated with them. They may be tribute performances, amateur fan videos, or cover songs. You won’t find all of them, but the site has done a great job of collating and indexing Beatles related videos from the many video hosting sites on the web like YouTube and Metacafe.

John Lennon

You can have a slight idea of John Lennon’s popularity by looking the member count of this site’s Facebook group. The official website documents the life and work of The Beatles singer-songwriter. Browse through news, John Lennon’s biography, slideshow of images, few videos, an awaiting drawings section, and the discography. Access to The John Lennon Universe which charts his life on a timeline is “˜access denied’ until you buy a product.

The official sites of the other band members are :

Paul McCartney
George Harrison
Ringo Starr

Beatle Money

You can take your Beatles fan fervor to the next level by sifting through what each of the Fab Four spent, and other interesting nuggets of information (Like Aunt Mimi’s remark – “the guitar’s all right for a hobby, John, but it won’t earn you any money”). The What if The Beatles Had Released Albums in the 70′s makes interesting reading.

Beatles Lane

This is a nicely compiled fan site with videos, articles, quotes from The Fab Four, wallpapers, and avatars for download. You can play a lot of embedded audio files from their albums on the site and admire John Lennon’s witticism on the quotes page.

Charting The Beatles

I am not sure how this collaborative project will end up as it is still at the starter blocks. It sounds interesting when you think about exploring the music of the Beatles through information graphics. The small public Flickr group and the infographic samples make for an interesting browse.

The best way to feed your Beatlemania is through their songs. These websites help to fan the flames. Then, we have already covered some ground with you music lovers with these posts:

7 Websites Where You Can Listen To A Live Music Band by Ryan
10 Music Trivia Sites To Test Your Musical Knowledge by Saikat
3 Sources To Stream Or Download Live Music for Free by Tina

Let us know if you are a Beatles fan and what online Beatles resources you know of.

Image Credit: Shutterstock

Watch 5 Cool Fan Films Online & Keep Track Of Other Upcoming Fan Productions

Saikat Basu — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 19:31:16 +0000

Thanks to mediums like YouTube and other free video hosting sites like Daily Motion and Vimeo, it’s easy to showcase a fan film. The making of a fan film is another story however. A casual YouTube search will reveal a lot which border on the ridiculous and some which go over even that edge.

But for every dark side, there’s the good one as well. When you take a look at few of the better ones below, you can fault them only for not having the length of a full feature, the sci-fi slickness, or the starry razzmatazz.

If you go in with low expectations, you will be pleasantly surprised by the passion and the creativity. Heck, scratch that. Go in with high ones, you will be surprised anyway.

The Hunt for Gollum

The original Lord of The Rings trilogy’s production costs and grosses could have paid off the debt of a couple of nations. Then we come to this ‘prequel’ of LOTR that cost probably what it took to make Gandalf’s beard in the original. At $5,000, the ode to LOTR is unofficial and unauthorized. But with 5.5 million views on YouTube, you can’t argue with the appeal of this 40 minute long fan film shot in high definition.

Check out the trailers and the film’s website. You will be fooled into thinking of this as a major Hollywood release.

Star Wars

Picking the best Star Wars fan film from the hundreds that dot the Star Wars galaxy is best left to George Lucas himself. Lucas Films has an official Star Wars Fan Movie Challenge where they hand out awards to the best fan film that goes over to the Star Wars side. So, to be on the safe side I have just picked one from the hat. You can check out the other really good ones under the link on the line above. This one got the Audience Choice Award this year. But the one which is usually considered the best Star Wars fan film is Troops.

Star Trek Hidden Frontier

If Star Wars is there then the fans of Star Trek will not be far behind. The number of Star Trek fan shot films (88) are not as numerous as Star Wars (317) but unlike it, many of them are made in the format of episodes just like the original series. So, let’s start with the one that almost got its own cult status in the fan film genre. The videos on the main site seem to be down for now, so head over to Vimeo to catch the 50 episodes on the crew of USS Excelsior and their deep space adventures. Hidden Frontier also has a channel on YouTube.

The Star Trek Universe expands with another fans series, Star Trek: Phase II. The creators aim to release one episode every year and five episodes have been uploaded so far. You can choose to watch them online or download them to your computer.

Batman Dead End

For interest value I would go with Batman Dead End. How would The Caped Crusader fare against the Joker, Predator, and the Alien? It would take two Hollywood studios lots of dollars to tell us. But Sandy Collora says it with $30,000 and in eight minutes. Batman is a bit stocky, but the dark alley and hoarse voice gives the whole fan film the Christopher Nolan treatment. But of course, Nolan’s take came two years down the line to this one.

If you want more of Batman, don’t miss City of Scars (also uploaded on YouTube in two parts). It runs for nearly half an hour and is in HD with crisp production values. This short film explores the dark psyche of Batman/Bruce Wayne.

Dr. Who ““ Time and Again

The British sc-fi series has a huge following around the world and its popularity is assured when you know that the central character of Dr. Who has appeared on stage, TV, film, comics, novels, and everything in between. Fan films are one of the things that falls in between all the regular channels. There are a whopping 145 of them as listed by Fanfilms.net. The advantage Dr. Who has over the others is that you don’t need to spend a dime on special effects or detailed getups. It’s difficult to pick out one, but I will go with Time and Again.

Is that all there is to it? You bet not. Here are a few links where you can follow your favorites and keep track of fan productions when they release:

Comic Book Bin (Fan Films)

The Raider

Making your own fan film is the ultimate height to reach for in all of fandom. Do you give fan films a second glance? Tell us about your favorites fan made movies.

Image: Shutterstock

The 10 Best Sites To Go On A Star Trek & Become A Trekkie

Saikat Basu — Tue, 07 Dec 2010 19:31:33 +0000

Why are we talking about an entertainment series here?

Well, if you like sci-fi and love anything that has to do with space exploration, there’s a fair chance the seeds of it were sown by this icon of pop culture. Then, if you like gadgets, you might have heard about Star Trek and the technology ideas it spawned which we take for granted today: from the cell phone to the iPad.

Star Trek is a cultural phenomenon. Its impact on interstellar exploration can be compared with the moon landings. NASA named its first Space Shuttle Orbiter Enterprise, after the starship in the show. Among Star Trek fans or Trekkies you can count astronauts, astronomers, inventors, and of course dreamers like you and me who still hope of going where man has never gone before.

Outer space is still far away. Let’s live the dream within the other universe we know ““ the World Wide Web and see what it offers the Trekkie and their love for Star Trek.

Star Trek Official Site

If it’s official Starfleet business, then you know that you have to head here. The official website covers everything on Star Trek’s six television series and eleven movies. The site encourages participation and you can go from an ‘Ensign’ to a ‘Fleet Admiral’ depending on your level. You can take part in the message boards, upload images, or comment on various posts.

The video section has lots of exclusives on behind the scenes work as well as scenes that never got to the screens. You can also watch full episodes in HD. The site is really a fan’s delight and did I forget to mention that it’s designed on the lines of the touch screen interface (PADD) from Star Trek.

Memory Alpha

Memory Alpha is a seriously authored and moderated wiki on everything and anything that’s Star Trek. Think of it as a collaborative encyclopedia (32,427 pages) on Star Trek. The name is taken from the Federation’s library of knowledge. You can browse the different portals that cover people, technology, arts”¦the entire Star Trek universe.

Memory Alpha also publishes breaking news and if you aren’t careful, you may be hit with a spoiler or two.

TrekWeb

Going back to 1996, it is one of the oldest Star Trek fansites on the web. The site has episode information, galleries, biographies, polls, breaking news, merchandise information, reviews of all kinds, and one of the largest gatherings of Trekkies you can find in one place.

Being one of the oldest sites, it also has one of the largest collections of original interview features with the famous Trek personalities, the Mission Logs. You can also chat with other Trekkies.

Ex Astris Scientia

The phrase stands for – From the stars, knowledge. The site’s main focus is on the technology that propels Star Trek (Treknology) as well as the other creative aspects of the franchise. So, you get to go through a Starship Database, Starship Articles, Fleet Charts, Treknology Encyclopedia and the treatises on Time Travel and Investigations.

Some of the pictures and scans are exclusively available on this website. You can also take a detailed look at all the classes of starships in the fleet.

Star Trek Minutiae

The Star Trek fan site is a compilation of little known nuggets of Star Trek information along with regular doses of articles. Check out The Humor Archive which looks at the funny stuff inspired by the series.

TrekCore

This Star Trek website is the ultimate resource for HD screencaps (300,000+), sounds, and other multimedia tidbits. Check out the Specials section for offbeat and rare photos related to Star Trek. TrekCore also has a YouTube channel with loads of episode trailers.

Sector001

With an AOL or AIM account you can join The United Space Federation, a Star Trek based role playing and SIM group. You basically play by “˜simulating’ yourself as a Starfleet officer on a ship and live the experiences. The SIM game has 20+ separate Star Trek simulations that you can take part in. The SIM guide takes you through all the role playing requirements.

Star Trek Freedom

Like the earlier chat based role playing game, this one uses email for the role-play. Five ships with ten people each interact in the role of characters from the Federation. Initially, each new user is assigned to the Star Fleet Academy were grammar skills are checked.

Hailing Frequency

The podcast site covers all industry related news on Star Trek gaming. Catch the trailers and sneak previews covering the Star Trek MMORPG happenings. The podcasts are released every two weeks. But every day you can catch news and interviews with personalities from the Star Trek universe.

Star Trek Animated

The animated series has a fan following among the younger Trekkies. This site is worth a look for the free Star Trek greeting cards you can send and the five little Star Trek games you can play online.

The Star Trek universe is a gigantic federation of likeminded souls. We have two Trekkies amongst us who brought out Star Trek themed posts a while back. Check them out too ““

Watch Full Star Trek Episodes Online on YouTube
Get Yourself Star Trek Computer Sounds

Also, if just one social network is a measure, Facebook alone has nearly 600,000 Trekkies. Are you one of them? Make it so!

Image: andrewrennie

Top Five Superhero Fan Web Sites

Guy McDowell — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 19:01:03 +0000

Doesn’t it seem like the world could use a superhero right now? One who would do what they said they’d do. One who would help end wars and roust out the real criminals; not just the street-level punks, but the people that turn the world upside down daily. We have the super villains, but where are the superheroes?

I’m not the only one who dreams of such a person coming along and righting wrongs. Millions flock to a long list of top sites for superheroes, perhaps dreaming of having that courage, or power to make a change in the world. Of course, we all can, however it’s nice to think of being able to do it with a cape on. Up, up and….ah, you get the picture.

5. Kade: The Gothic Demon Hunter

Yeah, I haven’t heard of Kade either. Yet, according to Alexa, this is the most popular superhero website. Seriously. Kade apparently can’t feel – not the edge of a sword or his mother’s caress. Awww… poor Kade. Wouldn’t that make doing anything kind of hard? Try holding a sword, or urinating. Would he feel that he has to go to the bathroom? I’m sorry, but this character makes about as much sense as the Twilight movies. Oh wait – same audience – brooding teenagers who think they are the first generation to ever go through their teens. That being said, I’ll probably give into suspension of disbelief and read a few anyway. As a bonus, it is kind of cool that this is a Canadian website.

4. Silver-Surfer Homepage

This is one superhero I never really understood. He’s silver and surfs through space. Did you ever get the feeling that Stan Lee and the crew at Marvel maybe did some pharmaceutical experimentation. Can you imagine the meeting that spawned this guy?

The website itself appears to be influenced by mind-altering substances. Sometimes there is red text on a star-field background. Sometimes the text is yellow. Either way, the content is interesting and a testament to this persons obsession with a boogie-boarding metalloid.

3. Incredible Hulk Online

Weighing in at number 3 and some 900 to 1040 pounds, the original green machine! At Incredible Hulk Online, you’ll find that there are at least 7 incarnations of the Hulk. Beats me. When I stopped buying comics, there was still just one Hulk. The site is a bit light on content, but is pretty interesting nonetheless. It’s a pretty decent fan site, especially if you’re into collecting Hulk toys.

2. SpiderFan

I am so not a fan of spiders, however if I could become Spiderman by letting a radioactive one bite me, I’d be all over that like a web that catches flies. Look out! Here comes the Spider Guy!

The first real anti-hero, or at least unwilling hero, is arguably the second most popular superhero of all time. From humble beginnings at an upstart comic book company to cheesy Saturday morning cartoons with recycled cels to blockbuster action extravaganzas. Spiderfan tracks it all! Even the promo items given by fast food joints. Did you know there was a villain called Chicken Cow? Somehow it all fits together….

1. Superman Homepage

Was there any doubt that Kal El would top the list of superheroes? Of course not. The first, and the greatest superhero of all time has had this site dedicated to him since 1994. As the logo says, they have everything you ever wanted to know about superman. Seriously. I started to get seriously sidetracked as I wandered through the decades of information, artwork and trivia about Clark Kent, Superman and all of his enemies and acquaintances. Remember Krypto? The super dog? How about Comet the super horse? It’s all there.

Weird huh? No X-Men. Oddly enough, based on my research into web statistics on superhero sites these are your top 5. I would have thought for sure there would be Wolverine or Batman (although technically not a superhero) or Wonder Woman (I still have a puppy crush on Lynda Carter). Nope, not there. If you know of a great website dedicated to a superhero, we’d all be glad if you shared it in the comments. Especially if it features Lynda Carter.

Image Credit: DuckBrown

5 Sites To Spread The Love For Google Doodle Pictures

Saikat Basu — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 22:00:51 +0000

There’s nothing really eye catching on the simple white page of Google. Except, the Google Doodle pictures. Google has always found a way to make a signature statement using special logos for special moments. The homepage logos have become a part of internet folklore. Going by strict logo definitions, the “˜Google’ we see is a wordmark. But come any special occasion or a festival, the logo transforms into special characters and that’s what has become known as Google Doodles. They are also called Holiday Logos.

The latest one by the way is a celebration of the barcodes birthday (check the thumbnail on top). The now commonplace barcode was patented on October 7th, 1952 and Google marks the commemoration by tweaking its logo.

Some doodles are for selected countries. As an Indian, I especially remember the tweak on October 2. Google honored the man who led India’s independence movement. Google replaced its “˜G’ with a line drawing of the national icon’s face. So the Google Doodle pictures are also gentle reminders of the significant days in our busy lives. I caught that one but I missed the one they did as a tribute to Michael Jackson.

It is a very minor thing, but it’s an oddity. And it’s oddities like Google Doodles that make for collectors items. A Google Doodle picture may be nonphysical for the real world but it is a curiosity nonetheless. So where does one go to see the graphic magic that Google is doing with its logo? The fan pages, of course!

The Official Google Holiday Logos Page

Google has an obscure page devoted to its art form. The page is a comprehensive listing of all logos going right back to the first one in 1988. The Burning Man festival was the first one (see pic).

Apart from the holiday logos, you can also check out the Fan Logos link which is a showcase of Google buffs getting inspired and amok on their graphic programs. If you are looking for a particular logo, use the keyword in the search box. And if you are that keen, using the RSS feed on the page would be a good option.

Doodle Source

A beta site which has the avowed aim of gathering all Google Doodle pictures and building an archive of them. It’s fairly new with all the recent listings going back to August of this year. So don’t expect a huge collection just yet. The site though lists the logos categorized by countries. You can also use the search link to search by keyword, country or date. The site has a sister website at Doodlerepository.com.

Perfnova.com

Almost resembling a mirror site of the official Google site with its date linked holiday logo listings. The Google style logos’ online museum is a fan site and as much a comprehensive display going right back to the beginning.

Google Logos Collection

A blog style site built on the appreciation of Google art work. The amount of logos showcased here are around 222. The author also lists his favorite Top official Google logos.

Logoogle

Just to break the same-old-thing yawn, check out the collection of fake Google inspired holiday logos. All created by Google devotees from around the world. You have a whole series of logos poking fun at the Google logo. Think of it as an off-handed compliment. But check out the linked interview (featured in Korean Herald) with Dennis Hwang, the hand behind the real Google logos.

Here’s more from Dennis Hwang and his thoughts on oodles of doodles.

Though there are few more fan sites expressing love for the Google logo, these five should hold our interest. With their complete collection, they should be adequate reference points in case you miss the point of a certain logo.

For example, did you know that Google holds a competition for K-12 students to re-imagine Google’s homepage logo? The Doodle 4 Google 2009 winner, Christin Engelberth’s winning entry is below ““

As I said, there’s a little story behind each logo. Call it clever branding or just call it fun, Google gets its doodles right.

Which is your favorite Google logo? My favorite one was the “˜Unexplained Phenomenon’ on Sep 05, 2009.

Let us know yours, share them in the comments.

12 Best Websites For Nintendo Fanboys

John McClain — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 22:01:21 +0000

The Nintendo fanboy. It’s a peculiar breed of gamer exceedingly obsessed with all things Nintendo.

They’re people "who spend their free time (and probably their work time) talking about how great Nintendo is," according to Urban Dictionary, and they’ll defend the company to death.

Are you one of them? There could be one in your life, or maybe you’re loyal to the big N yourself. Where exactly do all these fanboys hang out on the Web? Let’s have a look-see at some of the best websites for Nintendo fanboys.

Club Nintendo

Club Nintendo is a loyalty program that offers members rewards for collecting points.

Once you join Club Nintendo, it’s simply, really. You register certain first-party hardware and software titles by Nintendo and complete surveys. In doing so, you’ll earn Coins that can be redeemed for products in the rewards catalog.

Nintendo8

Relive the magic of the good old NES days with Nintendo8.com.

With an array of classic Nintendo 8-bit games like the Super Mario Bros. series, Bomberman, Galaga, and Contra, no download is necessary. You just play your favorite titles right in your browser and it’s all free.

Learn more about how to play old school games on your computer here.

Nintendo Online Store

The official Nintendo Online Store offers anything a Nintendo gamer would need.

From parts, accessories, and manuals for your system, to magazines, player’s guides, and trading cards, and even toys, clothing, and gifts, the website is a Nintendo shopper’s paradise.

Miyamoto Shrine

Nintendo legend and fanboy heartthrob Shigeru Miyamoto has his own dedicated fan website. MiyamotoShrine.com is all about the creator of the franchises of Mario, Donkey Kong, The Legend of Zelda, and more.

As for why the website was ever created? "Because we find him sexy" is unsurprisingly one of the many reasons.

GoNintendo

GoNintendo is a popular one-stop shop for all the latest Nintendo scoops and news.

The website is continuously updated, making it a favorite destination to keep fans occupied and happy.

Nintendo Power

One of the longest running remaining video game publications, Nintendo Power is a monthly news and strategy magazine. You’ll have to check out the magazine itself for most of the content, but the website is worthwhile to catch a sneak peak at the latest issues, with sample pages routinely made available for free download.

Nintendo Papercraft

For those interested in paper models, there’s Nintendo Papercraft.

The website offers tons of free and downloadable guides to building papercrafts themed to Nintendo characters and games, including Animal Crossing, Kirby, Star Fox, and much more.

Iwata Asks

"Iwata Asks" interviews give fans a rare glimpse into what goes on inside the world of Nintendo. The big N’s president Satoru Iwata asks developers questions about upcoming games or products, and the whole transcript is published on official Nintendo websites.

Interviews have been done about the Nintendo DSi, Wii Fit, Wii MotionPlus, and most recently Wii Sports Resort.

Nintendo Comics System

The Nintendo Comics System was a short-lived series of comic books published by Valiant Comics between 1990 and 1991. The comics are hard to come by, but luckily, scans of the books are available for free online.

The series featured popular Nintendo characters and games, including Super Mario Bros., The Legend of Zelda, and Captain N: The Game Master.

VGMusic

Those classic Nintendo tunes can be heard once again with VGMusic.com. The website’s directory of Nintendo music has close to 4,000 MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) files to listen to, including a long list of sounds and music from classic titles.

For more gaming soundtracks, check out the top 3 sites for video game music.

Torrel

A $50 shirt may be a bit on the steep side, but for the Nintendo fanboy, money is certainly no object when it comes to Torpedo Ted or Bomb-omb.

Torrel is one of a limited number of companies that produce officially licensed Nintendo clothing, and their website offers a variety of urban wear, including shirts, hoodies, and jackets.

A full list of other Nintendo apparel manufacturers and their products is available here.

Nintendo Database

With everything from its classic arcade hits to the current generation, the Nintendo Database (NinDB) archives information on all the video games developed and published by Nintendo.

You’ll find titles from the home consoles of NES through Wii, portable systems from Virtual Boy to DS, and even classic arcade and Color TV Game systems. NinDB is a definitive resource for everything Nintendo.

If you have a favorite Nintendo website, be sure to let us know about it in the comments.

Image Credit : GameDaily