em:two; the musings of a casual geek

As a designer and developer of websites I've had the same problem that everyone else had, trying to test my websites in IE6 as well as the standard Vista install of IE7, and more recently I've had to test in IE8 beta too. That on top of Safari, Netscape, Opera, good old Firefox and now Chrome. Headache!

As anyone with Vista knows, IE6 just won't run on the OS, it's like getting me to swim more than one length; reasonably impossible. The old solution back in XP days was to use the powerhouse that was http://tredosoft.com/Multiple_IE but again, Vista kicks it out and doesn't like it.

So, the options?  Well you can always reinstall XP, but personally (get ready, I'll get a right pasting for this) I actually like Vista. I'm runing a machine wealthy of resource so I hear what people say about it being slow on some machines but if you have the power then use it I say. You never saw Lion-o having a word with Tigra along the lines of "nah, today I'll not use the sword, I'll just do it with the old fisticuffs" did you? Put those tools to work I say, here here.

So anyway, back to the options.

For a good while I was using the greatly received Microsoft Virtual PC solution which did work well, but it was awkward to set it up to receive a local connection (for testing from your local IIS or whatever development server you use) and it was a sap on the old pc resources. Still if you want to try it:

Microsoft Virtual PC download: http://www.microsoft.com/windows/downloads/virtualpc/default.mspx

Virtual Hard Drives (including IE6, 7 and 8): http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=21eabb90-958f-4b64-b5f1-73d0a413c8ef&displaylang=en

How to network it up: http://pingv.com/blog/glhines/200712/browser-testing-ie6  

So, I figured that option was workable but not ideal and I refuse to buy another machine to do the IE6 testing on.  Whilst I was digging around I found a nifty little solution for testing multiple IE versions in a browser (http://ipinfo.info/netrenderer/) but it only serves up results from an online webpage, not a local host.

Finally after surfing around for a good while I found and installed this: http://www.my-debugbar.com/wiki/IETester/HomePage which appears to have solved all my problems!

IETester lets you open up several tabs within one browser window with each tab representing any IE browser from IE5.5 right up to IE8 Beta 2, and to be fair it does seem to faithfully represent the way each browser natively renders any given webpage and it's CSS.  I'd even go so far as to say it works with Javascript fairly well too based on that fact that this here blog site of mine uses jQuery and jQuery corners for the rounded divs and it renders fine in all except IE5.5, which is to be expected.

So, this is easily the best solution that I've found after my time consuming searching and I'd urge anyone that needs to test multiple versions of IE under a Vista OS to give it a shot.

Well, I've been thinking about this since Warner Bros announced they were rebooting the Superman film franchise and basically disregarding Bryan Singer's 2006 "Superman Returns".

A good idea? I know people who would disagree but my gut is saying no, it isn't a good idea. Only just.  But why? Here's what I think.

I recently watched Returns to refresh my memory and on the whole it's a good film. Bryan Singer did a good job of being faithful to the Donner legacy whilst introducing the big man back into the cinema for the younger generation.  I want to say this now, this is not a review, there's too much in the film to write about. But here goes my shot at summing up what I thought.

Alot about this film works really really well. I'll cover the main points later but even the tiny things such as the tips of the hat to the Superman history make a big difference, things like the references to Lex having been in the Fortress of Solitude before, the flight over the city with Lois and the subtle yet oh so noticeable nod to the cover of Action Comics #1 during Superman's first night rounds when he saves Kitty from her cut car brakes. Look: 

On the whole it feels like the first two films did, which in my mind is brilliant. I loved them, so much so that i still get the same tingle in my spine as I did when I was 5 and I heard the famous music kicking in. Awesome.

Here's what I thought of the main aspects of the film:

Superman / Clark Kent - Brandon Routh obviously bears a striking resemblance to one Christopher Reeve, which lends a hand in when it comes to carrying on Donner's legacy. To be fair, he does a great job of portraying the big man and I did believe in him as a character. He was maybe a tad too fresh faced to wholly convince me but I'd love to see a slightly older Routh in a new film.  As Clark Kent he pulled it off too, a little cheesy at times I  know but let's be honest, it's the farmboy Clark playing a clumsy character isn't it. So, I'll let that one go.

Lois Lane - I'm a fan of a strong brassy and outspoken Lois and whilst Kate Bosworth is a good actress, she just didn't cut it for me I'm afraid. My preference for the Lois character is one such as is played by Erica Durance in Smallville and even the sassy Teri Hatcher version from '93s Lois & Clark. Again, she's a touch too young to be playing this character I think. It just didn't feel right. Plus, I don't think that the chemistry between Bosworth and Routh was particularly effective either.

Lex Luthor - Hmmmm I'm torn here. I think Kevin Spacey is a great actor, course he is, we all knew that anyway. Was annoys me most though about this version of Lex is that he's obviously a continuation of Gene Hackman's slightly hammy interpretation from the Donner legacy. Given what I've said above I suppose this is to be expected. I think where this goes wrong is that he's just not near menacing enough (with the exception of sticking Supes with the Kryptonite shard, I'll give that one). I concur that he is obviously screwed up and Spacey plays what he's been given very well but having seen Michael Rosenbaum's turn as Lex in Smallville, and even John Shea in L&C, it's hard to go back to seeing the character as a land obsessed maniac when he's had so much more to his arsenal in the other incarnations.

The FX - Not a major thing but I just wanted to note that I loved the effects in Returns. The plane scene and the part of the film where he's stopping the destruction of the city following the creation of the landmass were outstanding, as was the retrieval of the ship. 

The plot - I can see where Michael Dougherty & Dan Harris wre going with the story, and again it serves as a good continuation to the Donner films. The thing that annoyed me most with it though was the fact that it never quite felt as if it'd got going. It was almost like there was something big coming that somehow stayed just out of reach.  There were also a few bits in particular that I didn't like, I'm talking little things here; why did the fantastically advanced scientific mind of Jor-El make it so easy for a blatant imposter to access ALL the information in the Fortress, and then steal a crystal! Come on.

A strong focus of the plot was obviously the fact that Supes has to deal with the changed relationships of the people around him. The main point of this being the story between him and Lois, who is now a mum to a 5 year old boy and engaged to Richard White. I didn't buy for one second the part of Clark that was trying to edge his way back into Lois' affections (remember the scene outside the Planet where he asks her to join him for a bite to eat?). I just don't think someone of Clark's morals would try to do something like that. He's got alot of pent up feeling's already in there and he deals well with it, it's what he does, it's part of him being Superman. He'd just keep his feeling's locked away because his morals would force him to. I appreciate that Clark has feelings for Lois and Routh plays this well but leave it at the angst ridden looks over the office and the awkward interactions between the two, don't make Superman the relationship breaker.

So, why a reboot? - Personally the ONLY reason I'd ever want to see a reboot is because of the "Superman has a son" scenario that was left set up at the end of Returns. I really don't think that was a good way to go and I don't think they can really retcon that. But, that's only my opinion.

Bryan Singer had already promised more action and some meatier villains for the big man to go toe to toe with (which is exactly what we want to see, Superman let loose) so the only reason that I can think of for a reboot in the eyes of Warner's is a financial one. Returns was made for round $209 million and grossed $391,081,192 on it's release. Not bad really (well I don't think so) but if you compare it (as WB have obviously done) to the juggernaut that was the outstanding "The Dark Knight" which was made for $185 million and grossed nearly 1 billion at the box office I guess you can see where they're coming from.

The trouble with that is the gut reaction for any WB exec is to instantly say "right let's make Superman darker". No Warner, don't. Please do not. Stick to what makes Superman Superman, play on his strengths and his fantastic powers and if you want to make something dark then give him a villain that's worthy of being able to stand up to him.  Oh and don't kop out and make a movie version of "The Death of Superman", leave that to the animation guys.

I'd like to see Bryan Singer stay on as director and if they do insist on bringing a new writing team on board then I say give the comic world's golden boy Mark Millar a chance.

As a final thought I don't think they'll ever make a Superman film that collectively pleases the masses like the 1978 film did and I don't envy the guy trying! 

Well it's been a few days since I've on tinterthreat to post a blog. Thought I'd have a bit of a blog sesh whilst I wait for this iTunes "Genius Bar" to update my music library. Geeky that innit.

Been a bit of a bizarre week, kinda quiet but busy if that makes any sense at all.  We've not done anything with Green Ball Flyers for a couple of weeks, I was away working then had our youth's birthday doo so 2 lots of practices got cancelled. Boo. We were supposed to have a gig for some charity thing on Saturday 27th but the plug got pulled on that by the council, for supposed health and safety resons. They do say charity starts at home. They were probably just annoyed cos they weren't making any money out of it, in fact I'm surprised they didn't tax us for playing. That seems to be the answer to everything days. I think I'm getting old.  Worse still, with me doing this blog thing I'm turning into Bris. Oh crap.

That said I dont post poetry, tell you how I'm feeling deep inside (urgh) or pretend to do things that I've never done (good drumming dude) so I can't be all that Bris.

Hmmm, so yeah been busy. Mainly with work. We're just moving into some new premises and I'm sorting out my first employee (eventual partner) which is a pain in the ass but also awesome at the same time. Scary really cos it's the first time I've actually had to find the work myself. Course, I've been contracting for a good few years now but even in that environment your're still getting paid on a schedule. It's all very scary.  But something we've got to try.

Anyway, I can't be arsed writing anymore cos I need a brew.

Now then

I've just finished reading a fairly short little novel written by Richard Bachman, the "dark" half of a certain Stephen King.  It's a very tightly written piece that was supposedly rediscovered and release by King last year.

I don't have it in me today to be able to write a "review" as such but I was so impressed by the book that I wanted to give it a mention.

The basic premise is that of a low level criminal and con artist, Clayton "Blaze" Blaisdell Jnr, who is in for the fabled "one last big job" followed by a retirement in Haiti or somewhere. He's accompanied by his dead partner George. Yes, dead. I won't say anything else in case you read it.

It's a book that emotes a hell of a lot in a very short space of time. It moves at a blistering pace and as the story of Blaze's childhood and the way he deals with the "one last big job" unravels you actually begin to will Blaze on to success. A very odd, unexpected turn of thought.  I've read alot of King's work, even his work as Bachman and this short novel, to me, is up there in terms of quality, story telling and character substance with such classics as The Stand, Needful Things and The Dead Zone. And that's quite a statement, as any fan of King's will tell you.

I got the book for about 4 quid in a WH Smiths whilst I was waiting for a train and it's very lucky purchase. I'd urge anyone to head over to Amazon and get a copy. Here, there's even a link for you: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Blaze-Stephen-King/dp/0340952245/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1221472260&sr=1-1

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GBF