TNL Fail Compilation For November 2012

     I'm a little late posting the TNL video this month but it's always better late than never!

Trap: Volume One

     I just played this game over on NOTDOPPLER and it's pretty damn cool. Check it out. It's a good way to waste some time!

Trap: Volume One - Play it on Not Doppler

World War Z Trailer

     The new trailer for next summer's adaptation of Max Brooks' book World War Z was just released. It looks like it will be a good one!

Dragon Baby

     The little guy has some serious moves!

Nuclear Bomb Testing

     So many nukes tested over the years! I had no idea.

Riding Hills In Toronto

     Now that the cycling season in Toronto is almost over and it's time to get the trainer out of storage I just found a great list of hills for cyclists in Toronto! Toronto is a mostly flat city so it's great to know where the hills are. The list was published by BlogTO in 2009 but it should be pretty up to date because I don't think that the city has grown any new mountains since then. I guess I now have a list to try and tackle next year when it's fun to ride outside again!

Check out the BlogTO list of "The Best (Or Worst!) Hills For Cyclists In Toronto" Here

     Be sure to read all the comments too because there are a few more hills mentioned that aren't included in the body of the list. I still get nightmares about riding up Rattlesnake Point (the last hill on the list) because it totally kicked my ass!

New Video For Cauldron's Nitebreaker!

          Toronto metal band Cauldron has released a new music video to celebrate Halloween! Check out the song Nitebreaker from their recently released album Tomorrow's Lost.

     Might as well watch some of their other videos while you're rocking out  ;)

Fail Compilation For October 2012

     It's been a while since I've posted anything but I have a couple of things lined up so you can look for some new content and reviews soon! In the meantime sit back, relax, and enjoy the October fail compilation from TNL. This shit's fifteen minutes long!!!

 

GoPro Hero3

     The new GoPro action sports camera is now available for pre-order. The GoPro website says:

"The Wi-Fi enabled HERO3: Black Edition is the most advanced GoPro, ever. No expense was spared during its development, resulting in a GoPro that is 30% smaller, 25% lighter and 2x more powerful than previous models. Wearable and gear mountable, waterproof to 197' (60m), capable of capturing ultra-wide 1440p 48fps, 1080p 60 fps and 720p 120 fps video and 12MP photos at a rate of 30 photos per second, the HERO3: Black Edition is the world's most versatile camera."

     Check out the awesome promotional video that was shot completely with the Hero3.

Stunt Riding On A Dogma!

     This guy has some skills...

Free Peloton Digital Magazine

     Free digital subscriptions to Peloton magazine are available at the link below! It's a good cycling magazine with lots of pretty pictures so there's no reason not to subscribe.

Free Digital Peloton Magazine Subscription Link

Spider-Men 1-5

     Recently the Spider-Men miniseries (written by Brian Michael Bendis and pencilled by Sara Pichelli) from Marvel came to a close. The story featured a team-up of the current Ultimate universe Spider-Man (Miles Morales) and the regular series Spider-Man (Peter Parker).

     While fighting Mysterio, Peter Parker is thrown into the alternate dimension that is the Marvel Ultimate universe. In the Ultimate reality Peter Parker was killed by the Green Goblin while still a teenager. 13 year old Miles Morales winds up with similar spider powers and assumes the mantle of Spider-Man. The story of Spider-Men revolves around Parker trying to get back home and experiencing the alternate reality where he is dead and everybody knows his name. The comics are beautifully illustrated and the story is often funny. It turns out many of the characters are just interested in what their alternate universe selves are like. I give the five issue series a 7.5/10

The Destroyer

     This five issue comic series was published under the Marvel Max imprint (basically the R rated Marvel) in 2009. The story was written by Robert Kirkman (Astounding Wolf-Man, Invincible and The Walking Dead) and illustrated by Cory Walker (Invincible) and features an elderly Keene Marlow as The Destroyer.

     The character of The Destroyer first appeared in the 1940's and this newer Marvel Max version picks up as though the original series never ended making Keene almost 100 years old. In the comic Marlow finds out from a doctor that his heart is bad and he doesn't have much longer to live. Destroyer sets out to kill all of his remaining enemies so that his wife and family can be safe when he is gone.

    
     The comic is well written (as usual for Kirkman) and the art is clean and violent. I would recommend this to anybody who may have missed in back in 2009. I give The Destroyer a 9/10. I wish it were a continuing series.

Judge Dredd 3D Review

     About a week after it's release on September 21'st I got to see Dredd 3D. Being a huge fan of the 2000AD comic series I had high hopes for the film and I wasn't let down. The movie is simple and to the point just like Dredd himself. There are copious amounts of brutal violence for the gore hounds and plenty of inside visual references for the comic fans (like the Fatties).

     I've already written about Dredd and the movie Here and Here so I won't repeat myself. If you're looking for a fun movie to see and don't mind a little bit of brutality, Dredd 3D is a great choice. I give the movie a 8/10.

     If they ever do a sequel I hope we get to see the Dark Judges or Chopper!

Danko Jones - Rock And Roll Is Black And Blue

     I recently got my European version of Danko Jones' 7th and newest album, Rock And Roll Is Black And Blue. I had to order one from over seas because it doesn't come out till October 9th in Canada and I didn't want to wait that long.

     I don't think Danko Jones has made a bad album yet, and this one just continues his streak of being awesome. There are 14 tracks (including the bonus track "In Your Arms") and after only a few times listening through the album they are all quite strong. Some stand out tracks for me include Terrified, Get up, Legs, Just A Beautiful Day, I Don't Care, You Wear Me Down, Type Of Girl, Always Away, Conceited, Don't Do This, The Masochist, I Believed in God and In Your Arms (Oh damn I guess that's all of them!).

     I give the album a 9.5/10. I'd give him twenty more points if they would put the song Mountain on one of their albums!

     Buy the new album and check them out when they come by on tour. You won't be disappointed. Upcoming tour dates can be found HERE. I also read that Danko Jones has recently been added as a columnist for The Huffington Post if his podcast and radio show aren't enough Danko to get you through the day.

September Fail Video

     It's almost October so it's time for another TNL fail video.

Mill St. Brewery Seasonal Sampler

     I was out looking to pick up some beer when I saw the Seasonal Sampler (I'm assuming the summer season) from Mill St. sitting on the shelf at the LCBO. I was familiar with all the beer in the six pack except for the Walker's Blueberry Wheat and the Ambre De La Chaudiere. Two new beers? I had to buy it.

     The Seasonal Sampler six pack was made up of Tankhouse Ale, Stock Ale, Original Organic Lager, Lemon Tea Beer and the previously mentioned Blueberry Wheat and Ambre De La Chaudiere. For the sake of brevity I'll just review the two new beers.

     Walker's Blueberry Wheat was decidedly un-blueberry flavoured. I had to really use my imagination to taste any blueberries. Other than the misleading name the 5% beer was light to medium bodied with a dry finish. I give this wheaty beer a 6.5/10

     The Mill St. Ambre De La Chaudiere is a fairly potent beer at 7%. The medium carbonated Biere De Garde was somewhat hazy and had a nice medium body. It had a malty, bready favour with some fruit taste at the end. I enjoyed the beer quite a bit and it's unfortunate that it is no longer available from the brewery. I give the beer a 8/10

ExpoCycle Canada 2012

     Today was the public access day for ExpoCycle. It was held at the Direct Energy Centre on CNE grounds and featured a large number of distributors showing off products for the 2013 season. Here are some of the products I got to see today:

Helmets


Giro Air Attack available in spring 2013. It was very light and looked kind of cool. I'd like one painted in a Judge Dredd helmet scheme.



Wall of Catlike helmets

Catlike Whisper Plus (on left) and Chrono (on right)



Interior structure of the helmet

 Wheels

ENVE wheels. Handmade in the USA. They also had some cool road forks (some equipped for road bikes with disk brakes!)

Lightweight wheels

Cole wheels

Contact Points

Cinelli Ram integrated handlebars and full carbon saddle.

Prologo saddles

Clothing

Absolutely awesome Sugoi jerseys! If anybody I know is looking at this these are an awesome gift idea lol.

Miscelaneous

Arundel bottle cages, Bonk Breaker energy bars and K-Edge stuff

Lezyne tools for pumping your tires

Pretty Lezyne tools

Prototype Yakima fork mount bike rack that matches the Whispbar

Dura-Ace 9000 11 Speed

Dura-Ace 9000 cassette

Bikes

Storck with Xentis wheelset

Stunning frames from Stage Race distributing. The same owner also owns Blacksmith Cycles on Queen St W.

More from Stage Race

Van Dessel frame

Merckx frames

EMX-3

Merckx headtube badge

Ridley Noah

Masi Evoluzione bikes

Felt

Surly Pugsley. The large volume wheels allow you to ride through some normally unrideable terrain line sand and mud

Surly Troll all packed up and ready to go

Time NXRS. Love the angles

Marin Stelvio

Look 595 frames

Canada themed Look 695 Premium Collection

A Look frame that I can't identify but it had a crazy integrated stem.
Update: Big thanks to markie for identifying the frame as the 675!

Closer look at the integrated stem

Brodie road bikes from Vancouver. I had a nice talk with one of the reps and the bikes seem like a good deal.

My favourite bike of the show. The Masi Gran Criterium was a great looking steel frame. A bit expensive at over $2000 for a 105 equipped bike though.

Closer look at the Gran Criterium downtube

     Overall ExpoCycle was a worthwhile trip. I got to see some of the products and trends making it to the stores over the coming year. The big trend in bikes seems to be towards electronic shifting, mat paint jobs and high prices.

Toronto After Dark Film Festival 2012

     A couple of months ago I went to a special summer screening put on by the Toronto After Dark Film Festival for the movie VHS. Today I received an Email listing the first ten films announced for this year's festival taking place October 18-26.

   The trailers for the first ten films are available in THIS YOUTUBE PLAYLIST. The selected moves are:

REC 3: GENESIS (Spain) 
An official selection of the SXSW Film Festival, the latest instalment of the hit Spanish zombie movie series relocates the action to a lavish wedding where the guests - including the bride wielding a chainsaw - try to survive a terrifying outbreak of the undead! 

EXCISION (USA)
A disturbed teenager (AnnaLynne McCord) deals with the stresses of her home and school life by escaping into a world of bloody fantasies where she performs surgeries on herself and and those around her. A major hit at Sundance, the film co-stars cult icons John Waters, Traci Lords and Malcolm McDowell. 

GRABBERS (Ireland) 
In this Sundance audience crowd-pleaser in the mould of TREMORS, when a small Irish town is invaded by bloodsucking tentacled aliens, the locals discover that getting drunk may be their only way to survive as it gives them some resistance to the creatures!

A FANTASTIC FEAR OF EVERYTHING (UK)
A dark and quirky comedy about a very nervous writer played by fan favourite Simon Pegg (SHUAN OF THE DEAD, HOT FUZZ, STAR TREK, SPACED) struggling with a slew of mental demons while working on a new novel about Victorian serial killers.

DEAD SUSHI (Japan)
A vacation resort faces an attack of killer sushi in this outrageous horror comedy from the same deliciously deranged Japanese filmmakers who brought you MACHINE GIRL and TOKYO GORE POLICE!

LLOYD THE CONQUEROR (Canada)
A crowd-pleasing fantasy comedy about three male college students who are roped into battle with Derek the Unholy, a dark wizard who is determined to hold onto his title as champion of the Larpers. Co-stars Mike Smith (aka “Bubbles” from TRAILER PARK BOYS), Harland Williams (DUMB & DUMBER) and Brian Posehn (SARAH SILVERMAN PROGRAM). 

DOOMSDAY BOOK (Korea)
Winner of Fantasia Film Festival’s Best Film Award, this trio of apocalyptic tales features the rise of sentient robots, a zombie virus outbreak and an asteroid on a fatal collision course with earth. Co-directed by acclaimed Korean filmmaker Jee-woon Kim (I SAW THE DEVIL, THE GOOD THE BAD AND THE WEIRD,  A TALE OF TWO SISTERS) 

SUSHI GIRL (USA)
A reunion dinner for a gang of vicious criminals reopens old wounds with deadly consequences. This stylish, ultraviolent crime film in the mould of Tarantino’s RESERVOIR DOGS features a genre cast to die for including Tony Todd (CANDYMAN),  Michael Biehn (TERMINATOR), Danny Trejo (MACHETE), Sonny Chiba (KILL BILL) and Luke Skywalker himself, Mark Hamill! 

WRONG (USA)
A hit at Sundance, fans of David Lynch and the Coen Brothers will delight in this latest cinematic oddity from the deranged mind of Quentin Dupieux (RUBBER): an absurd crime thriller about a man and the very strange things that happen to him as he tries to track down his kidnapped dog. 

UNIVERSAL SOLDIER: DAY OF RECKONING (USA)
Action legends Dolph Lundgren and Jean-Claude Van Damme reunite in the latest bone-crunching chapter of the popular Universal Soldier sci-fi action movie series. Joining them is Scott Adkins (EXPENDABLES 2). This time to survive, the Unisols must battle anarchy amongst their order, weeding out the weak, and testing their strongest warriors in brutal, life-or-death combat!

     The list looks good to me and I would totally be interested in checking out Grabbers, A Fantastic Fear Of Everything, Doomsday Book and Universal Solider: Day Of Reckoning! There are ten more movies to be announced at the end of September and I'll be sure to post them up here when the list becomes available.

     200 all-access passes are available for purchase now. For $168  (40% less than buying the tickets individually) you get admission for all the films and priority access (they let you enter the theatre first).

Yanjing Beer

     I was in the LCBO the other day looking for some new beer to try and I wound up buying a six pack of First Draft Lager which I will review in the future and a single 500ml can of Yanjing beer.

     The can proudly proclaims that it is the "No.1 Beer From China". I don't know how true that statement is but I can't think of any other Chinese beers off the top of my head so it might as well read "Only Beer From China".

     The beer was clean, crisp and refreshing. It was easy to drink and I think it would make a great choice to bring along to a party. You'd probably be the only person there with a six pack of Yanjing so there would be no confusion in the fridge. While obviously not the best beer in the world (I'm still looking for that one), it is quite drinkable and I give it a 8/10.

Chinese Carbon Bikes - Paint

     So now you have your perfect bike size figured out and you've placed your order for a bike frame but you want it painted or finished in your own custom design. What do you do?

     All the Chinese carbon frame distributors offer custom finishing options which vary from copying real paint and decal schemes (to make a counterfeit bike), creating custom designs for the customer, using custom designs from the customer, and finishing options like matt or glossy. With the FM098 frame I ordered from DengFu through the Velobuild group buy #7 I have selected a custom two colour design that I will send to them.

     On the group buy ordering page there is a paragraph that explains that to submit a design you must select the colours from Pantone that you would like to use, create a .JPG, and Email it along to the company's representative, Lucky.

     My favourite car is the Ford GT40, and I have always loved the Gulf Oil livery colours of powder blue and orange. I decided that I would have my frame painted in a similar scheme.

     The livery also looks sweet on a Porsche.

     After some searching on the Internet I found a Baum Coretto with a paint design that I liked and after some more searching I actually found one in the Gulf livery colours!

     I applied the Coretto paint scheme to the FM098 by using pencil crayons and submitted my drawing, the above images of the Baum bicycle and an image of the Ford GT40 so they could see the inspiration. I had determined that the proper colours to use would be PMS 290 (for the powder blue) and PMS 165 (for the orange).

     After less than 24 hours Lucky responded with a mock up of my design on a photo of the FM098. She said that they do not have the two colours that I had requested and wanted to know if the alternatives they use were acceptable. Upon looking up PT2975C (blue) and YS7871 (orange) both colours looked alright to me.

     There were two small changes that I wanted made to the DengFu design so I used my weak GIMP skills to edit their image and sent the requested changes along to Lucky.

     The next evening I received a reply with my requested changes and I accepted the modified design by Email.

     The black portions on the frame are a clear coat over UD carbon weave. They will be filled with custom decals that I will have made up. I will be describing the decal ordering process in a future post because I need to have the physical dimensions of the spaces before I can begin designing that portion of the frame.

     Now I wait for the group buy on Velobuild to close and for delivery of my custom painted frame.