"I Am Number Four" Trailer

Plot Summary: Three are dead. Who is Number Four? D.J. Caruso ("Eagle Eye," "Disturbia") helms an action-packed thriller about an extraordinary teen, John Smith (Alex Pettyfer), who is a fugitive on the run from ruthless enemies sent to destroy him. Changing his identity, moving from town to town with his guardian Henri (Timothy Olyphant), John is always the new kid with no ties to his past. In the small Ohio town he now calls home, John encounters unexpected, life-changing events—his first love (Dianna Agron), powerful new abilities and a connection to the others who share his incredible destiny.

"Monocycle" Fine balancing bike

This is the world’s first self balancing cycle which can be said to be a unique blend of machine and human balancing. Its call "Monocycle"

The Monocycle also features advanced devices, including accelerometers and gyroscopes. Blending machine and human balancing together, the cycle is fully controlled by the body balance of the rider. While the rider leans forward, it gives momentum to the bike, whereas, putting the body weight backward slows down and stops the bike.

The Monocycle is a perfect city bike that can be used for short distance travels and can be parked in the least available of spaces. Moreover, the bicycle comes with a strong electric motor to support the riders, so they need not push too hard to speed up the bike

Designer: Harald Palma






If you liked this bicycle, you would also be interested in:
www.tuvie.com

Book Review: "The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms" by N.K. Jemisin

I've been in a reading rut. I'm sure you know what I'm talking about. I pick up a book, read half, and then lose interest. The books I've been trying to read have been good too-- really good. Sometimes, though, it just doesn't matter. The mind doesn't quiet and just finishing something, anything, seems like a massive hurdle. So it was a relief to pick up N.K. Jemisin's debut novel, The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, and find a book that broke through my funk and jump-started my reading back into first gear.

Following the murder of her mother, Yeine Darr is summoned to the city of Sky by her grandfather and told that she is now in contention for the throne. Sky is the seat of the powerful Arameri family who rule The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms with the power of captive Gods at their disposal. Following the Gods' war the Arameri became the chosen people of Itempas, currently the most powerful of the Gods. They also gained custody of the imprisoned Nightlord (Nahadoth), the God who lost the war and has been imprisoned in a human shell for thousands of years. Barely sane, Nahadoth is chained to the Arameri family and has destroyed entire nations at their command.

Yeine knows little of the world she is forced into. Her mother gave up the throne before Yeine was born and Dekarta, Yeine's grandfather, never forgave her for leaving. Yeine not only walks into the usual palace intrigues and debauchery, but has to navigate a world of mad gods and jealous magicians while trying to find out who murdered her mother.

I've read some reviews that say "The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms" is fairly standard fantasy due to the well trod storyline of powerful families and living Gods. But I think to say that is to miss what the book is about entirely. "The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms" is a book about how people connect and the needs that tie us together; and ultimately the main character, Yeine, is the heart of "The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms"-- everything flows through her. Early on we're introduced to Nahadoth and a couple other minor gods (known as "godlings") who are tied to and live in the Sky castle. My favorite thing about "The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms" has to be the various Gods and the prominent place they have in the story. Rarely have I read a fantasy that allows the Gods to be main characters without humanizing them too much, but here they are alternatively intriguing, alien and frightening in the way that Gods should be.

One critique that is valid of "The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms" is that the villains are rather boilerplate. They possess the kind of cruelty and indifference that are common to most 'bad-guy' characters. We're given enough background to understand that they have become that way thanks to unlimited power and no consequences. And the narrative does falter when Yeine comes to Sky and has the potential to upend the status quo and offer an alternative to generations of abuse-- and no one really seizes the opportunity. But there is a soulfulness to "The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms" that kind of transcends most of these considerations because, again, it's the feelings the characters evoke and the relationships that develop that mattered to me more than anything else. It's not the e-vil-ness of the villainy that we should be focusing on, but how it affects those it touches.

I really connected to "The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms." It may not be for everyone due to its unusual style. Jemisin opens each chapter with a a kind of stream-of-consciousness narration that doesn't make a whole lot of sense at first, but becomes clear as the story progresses. But I liked it because it's a nice change between that and the first person recounting of events by Yeine. I loved the feel of "The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms." Jemisin captures raw emotion in a way that worked for me and had many small moments that I thought were genuinely touching. There are times when the story can seem a bit convoluted but it never really strays into overly-complicated territory. It has it's fair share of suspense and mystery, but ultimately I'd recommend it for its soul.

4 out of 5 stars.

Oh. Hell. No.

A Carl's Jr. ad? As if I didn't already feel like someone was missing the point when they cast Seth Rogen... Can you see the Dark Knight doing this?

"Inception" in Real-Time

Image from a remake I didn't even know was being made~ Who can keep track of them all?

Apparently Karl Urban (my favorite thing about "Star Trek") is making a new version of Sylvester Stallone's old movie "Judge Dredd." Here's the first image to be released.

DREDD takes us to the wild streets of Mega City One, the lone oasis of quasi-civilization on Cursed Earth. Judge Dredd (Karl Urban) is the most feared of elite Street Judges, with the power to enforce the law, sentence offenders and execute them on the spot – if necessary. The endlessly inventive mind of writer Alex Garland and the frenetic vision of director Peter Travis bring DREDD to life as a futuristic neo-noir action film that returns the celebrated character to the dark, visceral incarnation from John Wagner and Carlos Ezquerra’s revered comic strip.

10 Minute Video From "Game of Thrones"

Lots of new stuff here. Very excited!