Nokia goes mystic - openatownrisk.com

Nokia is up to something. Take a look at OpenAtOwnRisk (dot)com (flash required). It’s a willfully obscure viral site that you have to open by aligning some symbols in a combination lock (don’t worry, it’s not hard). Link on picture.

Once you get through the ’security’ you will see some nicely done clockwork imagery, hear creepy music and read some rambling tosh about a bunch of royal types creating a clip of ‘grande weirdness’ (hundreds of years ago, before the invention of, er, movie clips) that they have placed in a box with four seals.

Clues to help you unlock the box have been hidden in important historical artifacts like Edison’s Lightbulb, Apollo Eleven and, er, the Nokia Download Store.

All will be revealed next Monday and you can sign up for an email alert to notify you as soon as the seals are cracked open.

What could it be? The Nokia Tube, perhaps? Doesn’t seem ‘grande weird’ enough, though - unless we have been WAY wrong about what the Tube will involve.

Blog entry from a person who claim to have broken the seals to the box.

After a bit of mucking about with the content in “The Box” on Download! on my Nokia N95 and interacting with the proper version of openatownrisk(.)com, I was able to break all four seals on the game. Surprisingly, it didn’t take me long to do. The weird clip is truly weird, but it will take more than this clip to drive me insane

Theoretically, it says I won a limited edition T-shirt. Wonder if my status as a Nokia employee makes me ineligible. Certainly the shirt won’t fit me, thanks to my horizontal challenges, but maybe someone else will want it?

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Hey what are you waiting for! Lets crack the seal and get some goodies from Nokia!

The Incredible Hulk - Movie

The first HULK movie effectively destroyed one of the greatest comic book characters ever created. It was an excellent visual example of how to take one of our favorite comic book characters and DESTROY it. So going into The Incredible Hulk which I constantly call HULK 2 I frankly had some concern. Edward Norton, Liv Tyler and writer Zak Penn but still.. I was worried. Well my friends after having just finished watching it I can say worry not. This movie is as Edward Norton has promised from the start. A movie for fans of the comics and action junkies alike. It is quite obvious that this movie ignores the first one completely. It starts out strong, rebuilds the entire story of how Banner became HULK and tosses you head long into the action.

Unlike the original HULK movie there is absolutely nothing nice about HULK. When hes green, hes mean and he kicks a whole lot of ass. He doesnt pussy foot around as a big green giant who is mean but really nice like the first movie. He kicks some serious ass and isnt out to 'bruise' you and run away. He maims, kills and destroys all those who stand between him and his freedom. Its bloody, all be it PG13 and its EXACTLY how the HULK should be done.

Although its action packed, the acting and the story telling are top notch. Although not quite on par with The Dark Knight which is still one of my top comic book movies The Incredible Hulk is night and day better then the first. Gone is the lame writing of the first film and the wierd comic book panels that irritated the shit out of comic book fans. In its place is some of the best looking CGI ever, a story that is compelling and characters you can believe in. Edward Norton although he did no get a writing credit deserves mad props for working with Zak Penn to write one of the best comic book movies we have seen in awhile.



The movie is ass kicking good fun and Tim Roth delivers along side Edward Norton bringing one of the most explosive and over the top action movies of the year. The big question I left the movie wondering was... who is Mr Blue? I was completely and utterly stumped by who this character is. Without spoiling the movie he has a key part in the movie and although I was convinced till I saw him that he was Captain America, hes not. Who is he? I have no clue!

Without question if you are a fan boy you need to see HULK. There are lots of little snippets in the movie including talk of the Super Soldier program, of course Captain America and a great cameo by Iron Man. HULK is well written, well shot, has top notch acting and is well worth the price of admission. Go see it! You might finally get the tainty taste of the first one out of your mouth.

Reviewed : Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules

In his latest book, Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules, Jeff Kinney nearly put me into the hospital. That man is going to have serious medical bills to pay if this keeps up. I almost busted a gut laughing out loud and almost aspirated my Diet Dr Pepper on a few occasions. And, yes, I hold him completely responsible.

If not for Kinney’s dry wit, keen insight into the lives of elementary school boys (especially their rationalization for EVERYTHING), and fantastic line drawing on nearly every page, I wouldn’t have had so many close brushes with death in his latest book. But he put me there time and time again. Even when I thought I had things figured out (because I was once an elementary school boy with a wild imagination without a governor), Jeff would throw a wrinkle at me that I didn’t see coming. He ambushed me with regularity throughout the pages.

But it’s not just me that Jeff has his merciless sights on. He’s taking out EVERYBODY. My wife teaches elementary school and Jeff’s books are all the rage among the students. I have to admit to adding to that bonfire because I talk about his books all the time (and I have to admit that I haven’t quite become the responsible adult either, because I’ll rile my wife’s fourth grade class up and take my leave — taking her out to dinner usually gets me off the hook and my cool points go up with the kids).

Parents have become interested in the books and I’ve told them they need to keep up with what their kids are reading. After all, they’re supposed to be responsible parents. (I, myself, have been known to buy extra copies of Jeff’s books and give out as gifts – some parents have accused me of inciting subversion, but I point out that Jeff’s first book was a New York Times bestseller and that is a far better recommendation than I could ever make. Except the Times doesn’t give away Jeff’s books as gifts that I know of. That’s why they hold me more accountable.)

But when I recommend the books to parents, I issue a stern warning. I call it the PYP warning. I especially give it to pregnant mothers and people with weak bladders who read in public places. PYP is Pee Your Pants. The books are just that funny. You’re reading along, and the next thing you know, WHAM! — you’re laughing so hard you’re peeing your pants.

The funniest thing about Jeff’s humor, and the life of his main character, Greg Heffley, is that everything in the book COULD BE COMPLETELY TRUE. Speaking from experience, a lot of what’s between those pages has been true. But I’m not going to incriminate myself now when I got away with those things all those years ago. And there should be some kind of time statute on most of them. I still don’t want my mom to know, however.

Greg is THE man when it comes to taking a boring day and turning it upside down. People who underestimate the creativity of a bored child are simply asking for trouble. Nuclear war pales by comparison.

And Greg has an excuse – or a rationalization – for everything he does. Worse than that, half the time I get sucked in and totally buy into his point of view. Because, upon occasion, that point of view has been mine as well (or at least my defense). That’s where Jeff’s magic truly lies: he’s never lost touch with his inner child. And boy, his wife must be mad and his kids must be terrified!

In this second book, I was totally blown away yet again. Greg is a middle kid, which means that his life is made miserable from both ends of the spectrum – from his older brother Rodrick and his younger brother Manny. Rodrick is the sulky teen with a band called Loded Diper. And their music stinks, so they’re appropriately named. Manny is three and gets into all of Greg’s stuff.

I love how Jeff sets something up in the books and continues to play off of it at appropriate times. His sense of pacing is fantastic. The work of “art” Manny creates out of toothpicks and aluminum foil is great, and I’ve seen that done, actually. Greg’s mom tells Greg he should keep it around and he does – until it impales Greg’s semi-best friend Rowley.

Another sequence in the book focuses on Greg’s ringleader abilities. Kids will follow anyone with a semi-great idea. Or at least one that will bring pain or embarrassment to another kid. See, Greg is NOT hero material. At least, not yet. He does show some potential, but it’s really far into the future.

One of those ideas involved making believe one of the other kids didn’t exist. Following Greg’s lead, the rest of the class pretends the kid doesn’t exist so much that Greg gets called into the principal’s office, then gets read the riot act by his parents.

I loved when Greg gets involved in the role-playing game Magic and Monsters and his mom becomes concerned. She decides to show up and play with them. And her rules don’t involve all the violence and bloodshed all the kids are used to enjoying. Worst of all, some of Greg’s friends start liking the way his mom plays!

Another instance is when the parents leave for a weekend trip and put Rodrick in charge. They’re no sooner gone than Rodrick is on the phone calling people over for a party. Madness ensues. A door gets painted with permanent marker. Rodrick gets Greg to help him change out doors so the parents don’t find out. Later, when they’re punished, Rodrick says he’s going to study the effects of decompression of the spine suffered by astronauts during prolonged weightlessness. He does this by sacking out on the couch and sleeping all the time while he’s grounded.

If you want, you can even read the books for free on the internet. Just go to Funbrain-dot-com to read them. One of the most interesting things about Jeff’s books is that they’re given away for free and STILL sold enough to make it to the top of the New York Times bestseller list.

You see, Jeff wants everyone to read his books that wants to. However, kids want books they can hold in their hands, share with friends, and put on a shelf. Plus, it’s kind of hard to take your computer and internet along when you’re stuck in the car on a family trip or out with a parent at a doctor’s appointment or a shopping spree.

One of the best features about Jeff’s books after you put them in your kids’ hands is that you don’t have to worry about batteries going dead. They’re kid powered: fueled by imagination and driven by humor. They’re good for the environment. Except for that whole PYP warning.

Jeff’s books are hilarious. I just can’t recommend them enough. Call me subversive if you want.

27 Dresses - The Movie Review

She's always a bridesmaid and never a bride, dreaming of finding a guy to sweep her off her feet and give her the storybook romance she's longed for most of her life. He's a cynic, announcing he doesn't believe in love but secretly hiding a deep-seated optimism that true love is out there somewhere. Can they get past their external differences and discover they're meant to be together? Every bit of 27 Dresses is formula, from the characters and their arcs to the plot that brings in complications up until its final act where everyone lives happily ever after.

It's as predictable as the answer to that question, and yet, I'm recommending it. The reason is simple: The cast makes it work. There's no way to be surprised by what happens in the film or even how it all happens, but what is surprising is the level of ease with which these actors manage to help us forget for a large chunk of the movie's running time that they are playing basic character types, set up solely as tools of a formula script. That the script doesn't overdo the complications helps, too, and it somehow works.

Ever since attending her first wedding at the age of eight where she helped the bride fix a torn dress, Jane (Katherine Heigl) has known that helping people at their weddings is what she wants to do, and all the while, she "couldn't wait for [her] own special day." Now in her late twenties, Jane is still helping friends and family with their weddings, up to attending two weddings as a bridesmaid in one night. While partying at one of those weddings, Kevin (James Marsden), a wedding writer for a New York newspaper, notices Jane occasionally ducking out, and when Jane is knocked down and out in the scuffle for the bouquet, he helps her out.

While sharing a cab, he discovers her two-wedding shuffle, and they learn they are polar opposites when it comes to their feelings on love and marriage. Jane accidentally leaves her schedule in the taxi, and Kevin, being the nosy reporter he is, takes a gander through it, finding out she has a string of weddings she's attended. At work, Jane has a major crush on her boss George (Edward Burns) but hasn't said anything to him. After all, she is his assistant.

To complicate matters for our already lonely heroine, Jane's sister Tess (Malin Akerman) arrives in town and starts a whirlwind romance with George under false pretenses based on information Jane gave her baby sister about her crush. Meanwhile, Kevin sees Jane as the potential subject for a legitimate story�a piece that could jump-start his career. There's nothing new to this story, but screenwriter Aline Brosh McKenna does take enough time setting up Jane's perpetual romantic misery, her willingness to do anything for a friend (let alone a sister), and her hope for a love to call her own to make her a sympathetic character.

Katherine Heigl is endearing in the role, and while every move of her character's arc is based on the necessities and complications of the plot, she manages to make us care enough about Jane to ignore it. Take the scene in which she watches as Tess and George start their relationship. She's just gotten up the courage to talk to him at a club (after thinking he sent her flowers), and as she approaches, she watches in devastated acceptance as Tess and George meet (after which she learns it was the dry cleaning bill he left on Jane's desk).

Heigl is solid here, but so is James Marsden as the determined but charming Kevin, who, of course, has a secret to hide about his romantic history to explain his misogamy. Malin Akerman is cute, difficult, and then surprisingly vulnerable as Tess has to live up to her sister's example only to find herself falling incredibly short, and Edward Burns is confident without being cocky. Even Judy Greer manages to pull off what is the most obvious formula character�that of the heroine's snarky, sex-loving friend. A story like this is usually full of complications up until the ultimate get-together of the leads, but McKenna's script is thankfully underwritten, allowing the initial obstacles to serve as the basis for Jane's own personal troubles.

The article that Kevin is writing hangs over the script as a potential, forced relationship-destroyer, and while the film's final act certainly follows through on that promise for a clich�d and strained footfall in Jane and Kevin's relationship, beforehand, we get an enjoyable scene of the two drunkenly trying to figure out the lyrics to "Bennie and the Jets" ("She's got electric boobs?"). Kevin also helps Jane grow a spine, and after everything hits the fan, she might have grown too much of one.

The movie is an undemanding romantic comedy, and I am not suggesting it's anything more or less than that. I wasn't bothered by its over-reliance on formula until after it was over, and the actors make the transparent examples forgivable. 27 Dresses does what it needs to do and is enjoyable in the process; there's not much else for which to ask.

Stupidest things to do!!!

As you probably already know, the Darwin awards are awarded annually

for the most extreme act of (occasionally terminal) stupidity - these
were for 2003.

RUNNER-UP The chef at a hotel in Switzerland lost a finger in a meat
cutting machine and, after a little hopping around, submitted a claim
to his insurance company. The company, suspecting negligence, sent out
one of its men to have a look for himself. He tried the machine out
and lost a finger. The chef's claim was approved.

RUNNER-UP A man who shoveled snow for an hour to clear a space for
his car during a blizzard in Chicago returned with his vehicle to find
a woman had taken the space for her car. Understandably, he shot her.

RUNNER-UP After stopping for drinks at an illegal bar, a Zimbabwean
bus driver found that the 20 mental patients he was supposed to be
transporting from Harare to Beltway had escaped. Not wanting to admit
his incompetence, the driver went to a nearby bus stop and offered
everyone waiting there a free ride. He then delivered the passengers
to the mental hospital, telling the staff that the patients were very
excitable and prone to bizarre fantasies. The deception wasn't
discovered for 3 days.

RUNNER-UP An American teenager was in the hospital yesterday
recovering from serious head wounds received from an oncoming train.
When asked how he received the injuries, the lad told police that he
was simply trying to see how close he could get his head to a moving
train before he was hit.

RUNNER-UP A man walked into a Louisiana Circle-K, put a $20 bill on
the counter, and asked for change. When the clerk opened the cash
drawer, the man pulled a gun and asked for all the cash in the
register, which he clerk promptly provided. The man took the cash from
the clerk and fled, leaving the $20 bill on the counter. The total
amount of cash he got from the drawer? $15. (If someone points a gun
at you and gives you money, was a crime committed?)

RUNNER-UP Seems this Arkansas guy wanted some beer pretty badly. He
decided that he'd just throw a cinder block through a liquor store
window, grab some booze, and run. So he lifted the cinder block and
heaved it over his head at the window. The cinder block bounced back
and hit the would-be thief on the head, knocking him unconscious.
Seems the liquor store window was made of Plexiglas. The whole event
was caught on videotape.

RUNNER-UP As a female shopper exited a New York convenience store; a
man grabbed her purse and ran. The clerk called 911 immediately, and
the woman was able to give them a detailed description of the
snatcher. Within minutes, the police apprehended the snatcher. They
put him in the car and drove back to the store. The thief was then
taken out of the car and told to stand there for a positive ID. To
which he replied, "Yes, officer, that's her. That's the lady I stole
the purse from."

RUNNER-UP The Ann Arbor News crime column reported that a man walked
into a Burger King in Ypsilanti, Michigan, at 5 a.m., flashed a gun,
and demanded cash. The clerk turned him down because he said he
couldn't open the cash register without a food order. When the man
ordered onion rings, the clerk said they weren't available for
breakfast. The man, frustrated, walked away.

RUNNER-UP Kentucky Two men tried to pull the front off a cash machine
by running a chain from the machine to the bumper of their pickup
truck. Instead of pulling the front panel off the machine, though,
they pulled the bumper off their truck. Scared, they left the scene
and drove home. With the chain still attached to the machine. With
their bumper still attached to the chain. With their vehicle's license
plate still attached to the bumper. They were quickly arrested.


DARWIN WINNER, 2003. When his .38-caliber Revolver failed to fire at
his intended victim during a hold-up in Long Beach, California,
would-be robber James Elliot did something that can only inspire
wonder: He peered down the barrel and tried the trigger again. This
time it worked.

Wall E - The Movie

What if mankind had to leave Earth, and somebody forgot to turn the last robot off? After hundreds of lonely years of doing what he was built for, WALL*E (short for Waste Allocation Load Lifter Earth-Class) discovers a new purpose in life (besides collecting knick-knacks) when he meets a sleek search robot named EVE. EVE comes to realize that WALL*E has inadvertently stumbled upon the key to the planet's future, and races back to space to report her findings to the humans (who have been eagerly awaiting word that it is safe to return home). Meanwhile, WALL*E chases EVE across the galaxy and sets an adventure into motion. Joining WALL*E on his journey across the universe is a cast of characters including a pet cockroach and a heroic team of malfunctioning misfit robots.

The Ad of the year ;-)

Hi there, Fun blog is now taken over by Neowebarts. We are giving a new life to your favourite fun blog. Make sure that you subscribe for our feed via mail so that you don't miss out the fun.

This is a picture i came across yesterday. I felt it quite interesting. So do you think apple is now strong enough to keep away Microsoft? Share your views as comments.

Isn't it cool? I don't think its an official Ad but it is worth a laugh.

Harry Potter, Bond, Narnia;Top Our Most-Anticipated Sequels:08 Movie Preview

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If you've been having that weird feeling of déjà vu lately, it's not because you're trapped in the Matrix. John Rambo is once again at war, James Bond is back in the tux, and Harold and Kumar are about to indulge in some secondhand smoke. Welcome to 2008, folks, where even Mulder and Scully are returning to a megaplex near you.
With that in mind, here's a list of the top 10 sequels (not including Indy and Batman — check back for those Thursday, when we unveil our list of 2008's most-anticipated movies) that already have us smelling the popcorn.

10. "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2" (August 8)To speak in a vernacular easily understood by the film's target audience: First I was like, "Huh?" Then I was like, "Why?" Then I thought, "OMG, Ugly Betty is a big star now, so maybe it'll be better and make me LOL!" Then I realized I'd better stop drinking the Haterade, get jiggy with a sequel storyline that reunites Amber Tamblyn, America Ferrera, Alexis Bledel and Blake Lively (a BFF ever since "Gossip Girl"!), and get excited about the sequel. Because one thing's for sure: These pants ain't slowing down.

9. "The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor" (August 1)After two movies, a spinoff, a seven-year sabbatical and the exodus of Rachel Weisz, some fans will undoubtedly claim that the only thing "Dragon" is the Mummy series itself. But Brendan Fraser is back to play the most beloved treasure hunter not named Indiana Jones or Ben Gates, and high-adrenaline filmmaker Rob Cohen is onboard to make sure the film is both fast and furious. On top of that, Jet Li is joining the cast and apparently promising for the 10th time that we'll be watching his last action film. Aside from the swirling sand and the Rock's face on a CGI scorpion, the most memorable thing about the old movies was people constantly underestimating their box-office clout; we won't make the same mistake this time.

8. "Saw V" (October 24)Look around this site — or anywhere else on the Internet, for that matter — and you'll see that few critics have spewed as many words in defense of this series as yours truly. But frankly, after "Saw IV," I'm ready to throw in my bloody towel. If it's Halloween, it must be "Saw" — and if it's 2008, it must be the next far-fetched attempt to keep Tobin Bell in the picture even though he died two movies ago. Without the veteran actor as Jigsaw, the series would undoubtedly die a more painful death than Cary Elwes; with him, the masochistic coincidence-dependent machinations make you long for the relative plausibility of "Alvin and the Chipmunks." Nevertheless, there's still no horror series I'd rather peek at through my clenched fingers.

7. "Rambo" (January 25)This is the only sequel on this list that I've already seen, and I can definitely make one safe statement: "Rambo" is to John Rambo what "Rocky Balboa" was to ... Rocky Balboa. (Note to Sly: Get more creative with these sequel names!) In the '80s, people would get stabbed; now they're sliced in half. Previously, the crazed Vietnam vet would strangle somebody to death; now he rips out the guy's Adam's apple with his bare hands. The script, which catches up with Stallone's iconic character as he shuttles aid workers into Burma, won't be confused with "Citizen Kane" anytime soon. Nevertheless, if you're still aboard the Rambo train after 26 years of bloodshed and bad puns, you'll find it a worthy final act for one of Hollywood's all-time greatest heroes.

6. "The X-Files 2" (July 25)One peek at the IMDb message-board thread titled "Who here's got a pet with an 'X-Files' related name?" and you know these folks are as hard-core as fans get. Still, the tagline for Mulder and Scully's first big-screen adventure could have been "Fight the Fans" instead of "Fight the Future," judging by the mediocre reviews and tepid box-office sales for a plot that too-often pandered to the uninitiated. Now, a decade later, the supernatural sleuths return to navigate a complicated, stand-alone story — as well as their even more complicated relationship. While the storyline remains as top secret as Area 51, this much is certain: I'll be at the theater on opening day, and I'll be sneaking in my adorable dog, the Well-Manicured Man.

5. "Hellboy II: The Golden Army" (July 11)When we visited this sequel's enormous Hungarian set, it looked hotter than an angry Liz Sherman. The recently released first trailer promises vast improvements over the series' 2004 film, as does the newly earned independence of "Pan's Labyrinth" director Guillermo del Toro. This time around, the world's greatest paranormal investigator (a returning Ron Perlman) finds himself facing an army of increasingly elaborate monsters (oh, how I wish I could tell you more). And if you thought the Pale Man from "Pan's" gave you sleepless nights, wait till you get a peek at Doug Jones as the Angel of Death.

4. "Harold & Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay" (April 25)H&K's trip to White Castle may have sold fewer tickets than O.J. Simpson at a kissing booth, but it turned out to be one of the funniest flicks of this decade. Now John Cho and Kal Penn are promising a worthy sequel — then again, a year ago Penn was saying the same thing about "Van Wilder 2: The Rise of Taj." The bottom line? If "Guantanamo" is half as hilarious as its predecessor, it could be the funniest movie of 2008. And with a timely plot that has our favorite stoners sent to the notoriously unfriendly holding facility — only to escape and smoke the proverbial peace pipe with George W. Bush himself — the movie might be good enough to make us quote their buddy Goldstein's review of a Katie Holmes nude scene: "You know the Holocaust? Well, picture the opposite of that!"

3. "The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian" (May 16)Rather than a weapons-wielding Santa Claus, we're getting a heartthrob with a sword. Instead of James McAvoy as a half-goat, we'll be seeing Peter Dinklage as rebellious wee man Trumpkin (we can only assume the Donald has already contacted Dunkin' Donuts about donut-hole product tie-ins). And instead of a snow-filled wonderland, Narnia is now a ruins-filled realm of fantasy. Quite a bit will be different when we return to Narnia 1,300 years later, but at least we'll still be accompanied by some familiar faces: The precocious Pevensie kids, ass-kicking Aslan and even the White Witch appear in the impressive new trailer. "Caspian" looks yummier than a batch of Turkish delights.

2. "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" (November 21)Harry's going to kiss Ginny! Ron's going to get an intimate whiff of Lavender Brown! Somebody really, really important will die! Although loyalists already know the major "Prince" plot points, all eyes are on director David Yates as he attempts to bring them to life while matching the book's emotional impact. Last year's "Order of the Phoenix" gave us darker imagery and dramatically heftier acting from the leads. Now, with the magical series winding down, could "Prince" be the film that finally stirs up Oscar buzz for Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and/or Emma Watson? With enormous sets like the underground cave that houses one of Voldemort's Horcruxes, and new characters that include Jim Broadbent's enigmatic potion master, Horace Slughorn, Yates certainly has his work cut out for him. If only there were a spell that could transport us to November.

1. "Bond 22" (November 7)One fact we can conclusively report about this November release is that it won't be called "Bond 22" (heck, most sequels don't even put "2" or "3" in their titles anymore). Another is that Daniel Craig will return as the manlier, deadlier, more Bourne-like superspy for a second adventure, which kicks off immediately after the "Casino Royale" takedown of Mr. White. Principal photography on the first-ever direct sequel to another Bond film begins this month, with slick "Kite Runner" director Marc Forster taking the wheel of filmdom's most durable franchise. Now that he's earned his "007" license, we fully expect Bond's follow-up flick to make a killing.