racoma.com.phJ. Angelo Racoma on technology, economics, writing, problogging, and getting things done

And you thought it was the Oscar-winning movie Chicago, didn’t you?

I’m currently downloading via Torrent Chicago, the latest Prison Break episode, which is the 16th episode of Season 2. Wikipedia has the recap here (major spoiler alert!). Here’s the episode summary from Wikipedia’s complete episode list:

Michael and Sara have an intimate moment on a train as they head to Chicago with Lincoln and Kellerman. Mahone gets help from Bellick to find the fugitives. T-Bag keeps up appearances. Another fugitive goes down.

I’ve always thought Bellick won’t just end up as a prisoner back in Fox River after being framed up for Geary’s murder. In season 1, he was Scofield’s arch-nemesis. Bellick always seemed to figure something’s afoot with Scofield and company. Of course, in season 2, Scofield had an even more formidable nemesis in the person of Agent Mahone. But with Mahone and Bellick working together, things will get more interesting.

Download will be finished in about 5 hours. I can’t wait!

Okay, so it’s been about television shows lately here on the J Spot. But you can’t blame me on this one. With two preschool-aged kids at home all we get to watch is Disney Channel. And Kim Possible is one of ‘em shows that we get to see daily. And somehow each show that my kids take interest in, I take time to research online about.

The Disney Channel Original Movie Kim Possible: So the Drama was supposed to be the series finale. The series had run for a full three seasons, and one speculation as to why Disney was initially planning to end it at that point was because the lead characters’ relationships had developed into something more than friendship and crime-fighting-partnership by the end of the movie. But Disney shows usually last four seasons before they pull the plug, so I guess it’s inevitable that they would have to continue it. After all, Kim Possible is a good show, enjoyed by kids and, umm, grown-ups alike (as evident with myself and the kids). This is one of those shows supposedly for kids, but with lots of reference to more mature topics. The quick wit and humor also appeal to adults.

Anyway, It was either that Disney retcon the series with the upcoming season so that Ron and Kim remained friends (and nothing more), or that they consider the movie canon, and let them pursue the relationship. It seems they’re going the relationship way.

This is suspected by some fans to be a type of maxim communicating the idea a strong friendship should first precede romance. According to the series’ directors, Bob Schooley and Mark McCorkle, Kim and Ron will be dating in the upcoming fourth season. It is believed by some fans the addition of the element of romance will be a positive thing, while some others are opposed to it (they believe it may cause the show to jump the shark). Schooley and McCorkle have noted the potential risk, admitting that while Kim and Ron’s blossoming love has given them a chance to do something new with the characters, the relationship has to be handled delicately to avoid turning the series stale. – Wikipedia

Now that’s a good message, isn’t it?

Here’s a video of the ending part of So The Drama, in case you’re interested. The end credits features Could It Be, a song by Christy Carlson Romano (who voices Kim Possible).

Those of you who’ve been following my blog for some time now probably know I’m a _Smallville_ fan. I know, it probably sounds corny, but I do dig superhero stuff. And I do appreciate the producers of _Smallville_ have formatted the show such that it grows with its audience (when it first came out, the themes were about adolescent life; now it’s more mature).

Now however, I think I may have grown to be addicted with another television series: Prison Break!

The story basically revolves around how the protagonist gets himself imprisoned in order to break out his brother in death row for a crime he believes the brother is innocent of. And oh, how I love the twists. It’s not your run of the mill escape story. There are bigger things involved. This is a show that geeks would love.

Here’s why I dig _Prison Break_. (Warning: spoiler alerts!)

* The protagonist, Michael Scofield is a very intelligent and well-educated individual. He uses his expertise in structural engineering, keen observation and analytical skills to carry out his plan. He researches well into every detail of his plan, from the prison blueprints, to escape routes, and individuals’ personalities, and is usually able to things off–sometimes due to sheer luck! How’s that for geek supremacy.
* The “bigger things” involved would be the big conspiracy. The first few episodes of the show only imply a frame-up, but boy are the characters in for a surprise when the conspiracy is unraveled to have actually come from the top: the office of the US President itself! And the twists are never-ending. You never know whom to trust.
* It’s a story of *social engineering*! The execution of the prison break (and the succeeding activities like the escape and the retrieval of stashed goods) involved a lot of social engineering.
* It’s also a story of code-breaking. Some messages are sent via code. Actually, a lot. Even the way that the protagonist planned the break-out and escape (tattooed on his entire torso and arms) was in code. In fact, at one point, the characters supposedly used an online forum ( europeangoldfinch.net ) to exchange messages by code.
* There’s no black and white. This isn’t a story about good versus evil. The moral lines are often crossed–it’s difficult to determine what’s good and what’s bad. The main theme, though, is whether the _end_ can justify the _means_.
* Lots of gore (though not too much). Name it: head shots, torture, extremities being cut off. _Prison Break_ has it!
* Prison Break has a collection of interesting characters, including individuals seemingly pre-disposed to crime (like T-Bag), government agents who will kill in cold blood without question just to protect secrets (like Agent Kellerman), and clueless individuals who eventually realize what’s really happening and decide to get ahead with the game. Oh, and there are also those characters you would love to hate (like Agent Kim).
* It’s a story about having to do some nasty things because you don’t have a choice (as with Agent Mahone), or the alternative would hurt those close to you.
* It’s a story about family and families. And it’s not your usual ideal family set-up. Sometimes it’s complicated. Just like in the real world.
* The lighter side–can’t live without it.

Can’t wait to download!

I got hooked since I started watching some episodes of the current season (Season 2) at my in-laws’ place. Now I usually just download episodes off BitTorrent. I know, that’s not actually legal, but the local television airings here are really late (still in the first season, I believe). I’ve actually finished watching the entire second season up to the latest episode so far (season 2, episode 14: John Doe), but I’m still backtracking through the first season.

If you’re interested about episode recaps, Wikipedia has them here. If you’d like to know how (and where) to download episodes, do give me a buzz and I’ll be glad to help out. I’ll probably also be writing episode reviews and recaps here once in a while.

I just finished watching Episode 4 of Smallville Season 6. Arrow is, IMHO, one of the more exciting Smallville episodes because it doesn’t deal with a meteor FOTW (freak of the week), and because it tries to explore the beginnings of what would be the future Justice League (sneak peeks were also shown when Aquaman and the Flash guested in earlier seasons).

This time, the guest hero is Oliver Queen, a.k.a. the Green Arrow. Oliver Queen’s character will be around for quite some time in this season as I’m looking forward to more action. Guys will love Ollie’s gadgets and vehicles, while girls will, well, probably love Justin Hartley.

I was able to find YouTube uploads of Smallville’s Season 6 Premiere, Zod. Episode 2, Sneeze, wasn’t available on YouTube yet, though since it just came out last Thursday on the CW network. I hear Studio 23 probably won’t be showing it here in the Philippines until a few months after.

The solution: BitTorrent.

In this episode, Clark catches a cold, probably from his vulnerability in the Phantom Zone (where Zod sent him in the Season 5 Finalé) and exposure to Kryptonian viruses (Yes, Superman is vulnerable to Kryptonian sickness and Kryptonian weapons). While trying to help out with reconstruction efforts in Metropolis, he kind of runs out of super-speed and super-powers. And, of course there’s the super sneeze, from which he learns (with the help of Chloe) that he can use his super breath to blow the hell out of things.

Some Screencaps

Lex is abducted by people wanting to learn his secret of super-strength. “An alien from another dimension possessed me!”

Clark uses his super breath to blow a hole in the wall. “Gezundheit.”

Where To Get It

You can download the episode’s torrent here, and load it up on your Torrent client, which will download bits and pieces of the 370+ Megabyte DivX AVI file from various seeders around the world. If you don’t have a BitTorrent client, download Azureus here. Windoze, OS X and Linux versions are available.