http://www.ocmodshop.com/ The best technology news and reviews en-US © OCModShop (www.ocmodshop.com) alanm@ocmodshop.com (Alan McCloskey) alan@ocmodshop.com(OCModShop (www.ocmodshop.com)) Computers Modification Technology http://www.ocmodshop.com/images/ocm/newsnav/ocms.gif http://www.ocmodshop.com/news/annoucements.asp Rarely is 3D animation viewed as something that is easy to use. Many of the programs out there that claim to be “user-friendly” and “easy to use” are hardly that. Not so with iClone2. Just load a photo, follow the steps to lining up your facial features with the program's key points, and you're set. You now have an authentic 3D interpretation of your head. Now all you have to do is load or create an avatar, put your head on it, and you have quite possibly created the ugliest 3D character ever created. It takes a while to adjust to iClone's menus, but after reading the Instruction Book included with the software and a little practice, you will be making Real-Time 3D films in not time at all. You can even add your own voice and using the compatible software, CrazyTalk, you can modify facial movement and expression to go along with prerecorded audio tracks. And this is all a consumer oriented process, rather than commercial. Meaning it was meant for you, but good enough for them. And the system requirements are right up most any consumer's alley as well: ]]> Fri, 25 Jul 2008 07:36:00 PST http://www.ocmodshop.com/ocmodshop.aspx?a=1077 It has been over six years since the popular and groundbreaking series, “The X-Files” went off the air leaving some of the series biggest questions unresolved. There was always talk that future films would resolve the alien conspiracy and invasion plotline that fueled the nine seasons of the show, but as time went on, many fans began to wonder if that storyline like so many of the cases Mulder and Scully investigated would remain unanswered. The film picks up years after the series and finds both Mulder (David Duchovny), and Scully (Gillian Anderson), living with one another in a remote home in a rural area. The fact that Mulder is still a wanted man has forced him to lead a life of seclusion, but he still collects newspaper clippings related to bizarre happenings to feed his fascination with the supernatural. ]]> Fri, 25 Jul 2008 00:01:00 PST http://www.ocmodshop.com/ocmodshop.aspx?a=1288 The Otterbox Defender Series case for the iPod nano offers some of the best protection out there. The Defender Series not only looks sleek, but keeps the grime and scratches of everyday wear and tear off of your iPod nano. There is the added bonus of protection during drops, saving you an embarrassing trip to the Apple store. This special version, the “Strength” case, is pink in color and was exclusively designed for the Avon Breast Cancer Crusade. Ten percent of the purchase price is donated to the crusade, with a focus on the helping the medically underserved. ]]> Thu, 24 Jul 2008 03:18:00 PST http://www.ocmodshop.com/ocmodshop.aspx?a=1285 With a remake on the way along with a sequel, it got me to reminiscing. Not on what old school remakes were, but when Bionic Commando was Bionic F**KING Commando. Even if you didn’t have this game, someone nearby did, and every kid in school had played it. Upon starting the first stage there was always the classic question: “How the hell do you jump?” This was why Bionic Commando is such a classic though. In an 8-bit world leaned on Mario and virtually every game having an option to jump, Bionic Commando ditched the whole idea and gave you a grappling hook. With this hook was how you got to ledges, hopped over enemies, and proceeded through the levels. By the second area you are so accustomed to the controls you forget that you can’t jump-that’s good controls right there. ]]> Wed, 23 Jul 2008 15:03:00 PST http://www.ocmodshop.com/ocmodshop.aspx?a=1286 It’s a known fact that the general public loves their music. Anyone can see the success of car audio, satellite radio, MP3 players, CD’s, records, and the like. Only recently has music become portable in a format that works for everyone from athletes to outdoor enthusiasts. One group of people has been consistently left out though – people who love water sports and recreation. You can’t take an iPod and traditional headphones underwater, and God forbid you drop your iPod into Puget Sound while kayaking. Now there is an alternative for the rest of us… ]]> Sun, 20 Jul 2008 13:15:00 PST http://www.ocmodshop.com/ocmodshop.aspx?a=1283 Introduced by NTI (NewTech Infosystems) the Media Maker 8 package has just about everything you need to capture, edit, burn and enjoy music, photos and videos. We enjoyed using the company’s CD & DVD Maker which has been one of the most reliable, versatile disc burning packages we’ve found so getting the more robust suite seemed like a sure thing. First thing you notice when you open the suite is that there is nothing intimidating about the NTI product. The opening user interface screen is so unintimidating you feel you’re going to have a great user experience…and you will. ]]> Sat, 19 Jul 2008 04:10:00 PST http://www.ocmodshop.com/ocmodshop.aspx?a=1279 Riding a wave a fan expectations and anticipation as well as surrounding by the tragic death of Heath Ledger, the latest installment in Writer/Director Christopher Nolan’s Batman Series, “The Dark Knight”, has arrived. Christian Bale once again stars in the dual role of troubled billionaire playboy Bruce Wayne and the masked avenger Batman, as he attempts to bring order to Gotham City. The film picks up shortly after the events of “Batman Begins” and finds Bruce and his trusty sidekick Alfred (Michael Caine), splitting their time between a lofty penthouse and a secret lair while Wayne Manor is being rebuilt. The streets of Gotham have become safer as thanks to Batman many of the bad elements of the city have either been arrested or driven off. ]]> Fri, 18 Jul 2008 07:20:00 PST http://www.ocmodshop.com/ocmodshop.aspx?a=1282 Enter the Corsair TX Series 750W Power Supply. Like that very forgettable guy from that very forgettable show said way to often: More Power! This baby offers all the power you could need and then some, with enough connectors, including four for video cards, to make you think this thing is the offspring of some unknown species of squid. But enough euphemisms, let's get down to the nitty gritty... The TX750 currently has the highest wattage for Corsair, and still carrying the guarantee of 50º C under the heaviest of loads. And the suspects behind this cat's coolness? A 140-mm fan, high efficiency and active PFC. And this is part of the new series from Corsair garnishes the use of a single high current +12 V rail instead of several virtual rails with lower currents. Previous models used three rails with lower currents. ]]> Fri, 18 Jul 2008 04:36:00 PST http://www.ocmodshop.com/ocmodshop.aspx?a=1280 Manufacturers are working hard to make these new PC cases look like traditional Home Theater equipment. The cases are built with anodized aluminum, come with authentic HT feet, and are adorned with volume knobs, media controls, stealthed DVD bays, and display readouts. One of the latest (and coolest) display readouts is a large LCD touchscreen that allows the user to operate the PC completely without a remote control. The DH-102 Home Theater Case is Thermaltake's flagship case that comes with a large 7" touchscreen LCD, media controls and knobs, and is certainly worthy of being included in any elite home theater rack. ]]> Thu, 17 Jul 2008 00:47:00 PST http://www.ocmodshop.com/ocmodshop.aspx?a=1218 Simply deleting the contents of a hard disk is not enough to ensure that they are not recovered. In fact, there are software utilities that allow the recovery of deleted data. This possibility is because when a file is deleted, it is not actually overwritten or removed from the hard disk. Instead, a marker is just associated with the file to say that it has been deleted, and the space it occupies on the disk is marked available for use. This means that the data in the file remains on the disk for the knowledgeable hacker to extract and view. ]]> Wed, 16 Jul 2008 15:26:00 PST http://www.ocmodshop.com/ocmodshop.aspx?a=1266 It has finally arrived. A little belated but the third release of Mozilla's much-acclaimed Firefox 3 has finally been released. Those who fell in love with how fast a browser could be were deeply disappointed when Firefox 2, with its memory hogging bare bones interface, became available to the world. It seemed a step backward for the innovator of today's web browser. Those who switched to another browser still longed for the multitude of extensions and add-ons that were available to Firefox users. First, a little background on the first two Firefoxes. F1, which premiered as "Phoenix" way back in 2002, officially became known as Firefox when version 0.8 came around. It was fast, it was sleek, and it got the job done: bells and whistles included. And then came Firefox 2. A flat-out memory muncher, a horrid interface, and for some reason had the browsing speed of IE with all the toolbars activated. It was a sad day for the devoted Mozilla users worldwide. I have been using Firefox since it first became available. I switched to Firefox 2 when the upgrade hit the Mozilla site, and now I will give F3 a test drive. ]]> Mon, 14 Jul 2008 15:41:00 PST http://www.ocmodshop.com/ocmodshop.aspx?a=1195 To function properly, a fiber optic cable link must be "continuous", meaning no breakage, either within the fiber cable or in the fiber connectors, should exist. The simplest and least expensive way to check is to inject some visual light into one fiber end and check the light coming out from the other end. To perform this task, two types of fiber testers are available: a fiber optic continuity tester or a laser visual fault locator. ]]> Sun, 13 Jul 2008 16:55:00 PST http://www.ocmodshop.com/ocmodshop.aspx?a=1241 Many PC enthusiasts play video games and do regular computing on the same machine, and we all know that the more software you add, the more cluttered and unstable your computer becomes. Imagine batching up a bunch of videos for compression, and then getting online for some fragging without any slowdown or distractions. Historically, KVM switches have been relatively light on features, but now they come with DVI video, USB 2.0, and even audio switching support. ATEN introduces their CS1782 dual-DVI USB 2.0 KVMP switch, which should entice PC gamers and media enthusiasts with its Dual-link DVI support and 7.1 audio switching capabilities. Now PC enthusiasts can instantly switch between a seperate gaming or media computer with very little hassle. ]]> Sat, 12 Jul 2008 15:02:00 PST http://www.ocmodshop.com/ocmodshop.aspx?a=1217 I added to my collection of 3D glasses this week, again courtesy of Disney. The glasses were similar to those from “Meet the Robinsons” but maybe a little cooler, a little better constructed. I just wish I could say the same about the movie, “Journey to the Center of the Earth 3D.” Brendan Fraser of “The Mummy” fame plays Trevor Anderson, a scientist professor whose theories on ..okay, I don’t remember. I could cheat and look it up on IMDB, maybe do some research, but really, you just want to know if this movie is good, right? It’s good. It’s enjoyable. But you have to watch it in 3D. Otherwise, there’s really no point. The special effects are what make this movie interesting. ]]> Sat, 12 Jul 2008 12:07:00 PST http://www.ocmodshop.com/ocmodshop.aspx?a=1216 Hollywood is often littered with decisions that in hindsight seem to be utterly insane. For all of the big budgeted films that go on to do huge business, there are films such as “Waterworld”, “Howard The Duck”, “Hudson Hawk”, and countless others that make you scratch your head and wonder who thought they were worth the investment of millions of dollars that were needed to bring them to the big screen. One such decision that will undoubtedly look bad with the passage of time, was the decision for Columbia not to continue the “Hellboy” film series and allow it to walk away to find a home elsewhere. ]]> Fri, 11 Jul 2008 11:17:00 PST http://www.ocmodshop.com/ocmodshop.aspx?a=1215 We went straight to the source and got confirmation that Randy will play the leader of a Gay Biker Gang. If you think Marlon Brando in the Wild One, I was told Randy would be the Marlon Brando to the Gay Biker Gang.

check postal prices ]]> Fri, 11 Jul 2008 09:55:00 PST Most PC gamers play with a keyboard and mouse, frankly because most PC gamers are either casual gamers or are playing First-Person-Shooters at their local LAN party. But there are times when you need a custom controller for a particular type of game. For PC gamers, an Xbox 360 controller works just great (read our review here) when a keyboard just won't do. One prime example where a real flight stick comes in handy is in Battlefield 2, UT3, or Quake Wars. When in walking mode nothing can really beat the tried-and-true keyboard+mouse, but when you enter a vehicle things can change quickly. Helicopters (or futuristic vehicles that work like them) are particularly difficult to control unless you have a gamepad or flight stick. ]]> Thu, 10 Jul 2008 23:15:00 PST http://www.ocmodshop.com/ocmodshop.aspx?a=1214