Hasta La Gadget!

If you were to forget your history, then it would be a very sad thing indeed. After all, even the greatest achievements do begin from humble beginnings, so never ever despise the day of small things. Having said that, World of Warcraft, the MMO that has gripped the imagination of many over the years and is still going strong despite a drop in subscribers over the years (which is a natural life cycle, actually), would need to run on servers, and what you see above happens to be a slice of gaming history. It is actually an original server blade from World of Warcraft, being a stark reminder that such hardware could handle the MMO boo back in the day, where it simply will not do in this day and age.

Apparently, each server was made up of a quartet of HP blades which would require a proprietary HP enclosure so that they can run, and not only that, they did not feature standard AC or Ethernet ports. Lilleaas, the owner of this particular WoW server blade, said that each blade was dedicated to the game’s continents (Eastern Kingdoms and Kalimdor), while the remaining two blades were dedicated to chat, and instances and raids.

Individual blades come with eight slots of RAM, and all of them hold ECC memory that was capable of locating and fixing data corruption. It made sense since one would want to avoid data corruption under the circumstances, otherwise a constantly corrupted server would result in subscribers living in large numbers due to the instability.

World Of Warcraft Server Blade Spotted

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Defying a lot of early expectations, five of the most oddball characters ever to gain a mass audience the newest superheroes of the Marvelverse and, in Guardians of the Galaxy, one of the biggest hit movies of the year. It’s as if five denizens of the Star Wars bar scene — a Terran con man who calls himself “Star Lord,” a slinky green-skinned assassin, a pumped-up maniac out for revenge, a talking raccoon with a very big gun and even bigger chip on his shoulder, and and walking, talking tree dealing mayhem and magic — were written into the center of the epic space opera instead of its sidebar.

Some spoilers follow.

It may seem longer now, but it’s really just a little over six years since what Marvel Studios calls the Marvel Cinematic Universe was launched with the fabulous first Iron Man. Longtime publishing giant Marvel Comics, under somewhat disastrous previous ownership, has licensed some of its best known properties, the X-Men and Spider-Man, to other studios, resulting in variously fascinating and foolhardy movies that Marvel itself had no control over. Then in May 2008, with an eye to an eventual Avengers team-up, it picked the little-known Iron Man to lead off a parade of four second-tier superheroes.

With the brilliant Robert Downey, Jr. now the top movie star in the world, it may not be easy to remember what a gamble it had been to risk the entire venture on a notoriously troubled, if wildly talented, actor not known for action, playing a spoiled billionaire arms inventor and arms dealer. But the first half of that first movie is as scintillating a piece of intelligent pop movie-making as you will see, lending the enterprise more than enough momentum to power past the semi-surprising wet firecracker of the much better known Incredible Hulk through very successful introductions of Thor and Captain America into the enormously successful mash-up that is The Avengers.

Bu when Marvel and studio partner Disney decided to branch out in a quirky new direction with Guardians of the Galaxy, many didn’t know what to think. “The who of the what?” GoG was a little-known title, its individual characters almost unknown. In comparison, Iron Man aka Tony Stark had practically been Batman.

Yet the big gamble has paid off, big time. As a result, this has turned into an absolute banner year for Marvel. So much for all the predictions of a backlash.

The brilliant and strikingly political Captain America: The Winter Soldier, released in April, stands as the number one movie of the year at the domestic box office and a global smash. Of the big summer movies, only Guardians of the Galaxy has a shot at overtaking it at the domestic box office.

Captain America 2 moved Cap up into the top tier of movie superheroes. So potent is it now that rival team-up DC Comics and Warner Bros. have just backed away from their plan to launch the follow-up to their successful Superman reboot, Batman v. Superman, on the same weekend in 2016.

Only Batman, Iron Man, and Spider-Man movie have grossed more domestically and worldwide than Cap 2, and the formerly scrawny Steve Rogers got the best of Peter Parker in this year’s box office face-off.

Now the pickup gang of misfits calling themselves Guardians of the Galaxy have been successfully launched as yet another crew of heroes.

How the heck did that happen?

1. “What a bunch of a-holes” … The killer first trailer. Your would-be superheroes are a bunch of little-known misfits? No problem. Create a trailer introducing them as, well, just that. This highly irreverent, knowing piece of film introducing our five anti-heroes in a prison line-up hit a perfect offbeat tone, quickly positioning GoG as a very different breed of cat. And there was that damn song.

2. “Ooga-chukka, ooga, ooga, ooga-chukka …” The delirious soundtrack. The late and unlamented Blue Swede’s 40-year old hit Hooked On A Feeling, the goofball anthem of this blissed-out flick, sure wouldn’t be on my desert island list. But it certainly is on Peter Quill aka “Star Lord’s” list. He’s obsessed with a mix tape of cheeseball rock hits from his late mom back on Earth. In this movie, they achieve a cockeyed magnificence, just like our cast of cut-ups. The soundtrack, incidentally, is one of the top-selling albums in the country.

3. “The stuff that dreams are made of …” Peter all but calls the Orb that everybody is after a Hitchcock-stule McGuffin, referring to it as an Ark of the Covenant/Maltese Falcon kinda deal. And so it is triggering the delirious action comedy that ensues. But, in a great twist, it turns out to be something so very important, tying back to the Marvel universe we’ve seen with The Avengers. It’s the third of six powerful Infinity Stones, the first two of which have nearly caused the destruction of Earth and Asgard.

4. The big surprise and freshness factor. Only a churl would say that that the Marvel Cinematic Universe has become dull or stale. But GoG is a great change-up, coming at a good time with the Avengers side of things getting more and more serious.

5. Guardians of the Galaxy at once spoofs and reaffirms the superhero genre. The Marvel flicks have never taken themselves as seriously as Christopher Nolan’s mostly brilliant Dark Knight trilogy of Batman / Bruce Wayne pictures. Humor has been a big part of the Marvelverse, with Robert Downey, Jr. a master at turning on a dime from comedy to drama and back again, leading the way as Tony Stark. But the Avengers, odd and flawed though they are, are all folks with a history of big accomplishments.

The idea that the misfit bunch of semi-losers pretentiously calling themselves the Guardians of the Galaxy can be big heroes seems like a bad joke, a ridiculous put-on. Then they pull it off.

6. Marvelous misfits. The Guardians characters are so absurd that that they’re great. That’s especially so with Rocket Raccoon and Groot. Excuse me, a talking trigger happy raccoon inspired by a Beatles song and a walking, talking tree commando who only says four words in the entire movie? Talk about a disaster waiting to happen.

7. Spot-on casting and performances. The Marvel pictures have been mostly, and frequently counter-intuitively, marvelously cast. RDJ as an action hero?! Really? So it is here.

TV comedy star Chris Pratt, once a doughy slacker type, looks like he’s been reading Arnold Schwarzenegger’s bodybuilding guides. And he’s channeling early Harrison For with his sleazier, more childish take on Han Solo as the self-styled Star Lord.

Muscleman Dave Bautista, as the very literal-minded Drax the Destroyer, brings both heart and surprising comic timing.

Stars Brad Cooper and Vin Diesel voicing the CGI characters Rocket Raccoon and Groot, turn in unexpected performances. Sounding nothing like himself, Oscar nominee Cooper locates the anger and hurt in the much experimented on little creature, then layers the comedy and action atop that. As for Diesel, he’s surprisingly soulful, even sweet, as the surpassingly essential tree creature.

Only Zoe Saldana, fast becoming the queen of scifi cinema with her starring roles in the Star Trek and Avatar universes, is obvious casting as Gamora, the slinky uber-assassin adopted daughter of ultimate super-villain Thanos. (He was behind a lot of what happened in The Avengers.) The sensational Saldana — I was impressed when her Uhura made her prancing bar entrance in the 2009 Star Trek reboot — is merely letter perfect.

8. The blend of humor and heart, snark and straight talk, comedy and action. It’s not easy to balance all that, especially in a big-budgeted would-be tentpole picture, but director James Gunn pulls it off in his first try as massive movie-making. The constant change of pace results in a terrific change-of-pace picture.

9. The “Up-wing” theme. That’s my term for a political perspective neither left-wing nor right-wing but focused on future-oriented civilizational uplift using technology. That’s a hallmark of the Marvel movies, showing how advanced technology can have a liberating effect. Yet the dark side is also present, here in the form of Rocket’s misery from experimentation.

10. The Marvel brand. In Marvel we trust? So it would seem. The Marvel brand was very prominent in selling this film, along with reminders that GoG is from the producers of The Avengers, Iron Man, Thor, and Captain America. Uber-producer Kevin Feige and his associates have, on balance, something very special here. Coming up next? The second Avengers movie in the spring.

As for the Guardians, they’ll be back in 2017. And that will be a very welcome return. Even if it doesn’t include their actual sixth member in the later comic books. Who’s that, you ask? Tony Stark.

William Bradley Archive

Few comedic actors possess the capability to cheer us up when we’re feeling down, fall off our chairs laughing and remind us of our social responsibility to help others. Robin Williams was one and now he’s gone.

Many Boomers came of age virtually the same time as Robin. At 63 he was right in the middle of the first wave and so many of us enjoyed his “breathless” manic humor. His performance co-hosting HBO’s first “Comic Relief” broadcast in 1986 along with contemporaries Billy Crystal and Whoopi Goldberg will long be remembered.

My first encounter with his humor was on the sitcom Mork and Mindy. It was different than so many other shows of the period. I wasn’t surprised when he became a big talent, and always felt good about the camaraderie he seemed to share with Billy and Whoopi. They were part of my generation… indirectly I was part of their special group.

I always enjoyed his movies and particularly recall Dead Poets Society, One Hour Photo, Moscow On The Hudson and Good Morning Vietnam.

His personality was electric and the quick wit and repartee a joy to behold. I’ve always had great respect for those whose thought process is lightning quick and addresses topical issues as well as the array of idiosyncrasies of life. Robin’s humor had the ability to transcend age, gender and virtually any boundaries.

As we get older it’s difficult to see others we care about exit our lives. However we often become inured to it. When someone as gregarious and outgoing as Robin Williams goes before his time it’s especially disturbing. For many of us it’s as if a close friend has passed away. He and his cohorts are inextricably woven into the fabric of our lives.

While the cause of his death has not been determined precisely, his publicist issued a statement that he had been battling severe depression.

This should give all of use cause to pause and introspect a bit. There’s no question that depression plays a major role in aging. Yet unless it manifests in a major fashion we tend to live with and ignore it. But we really shouldn’t.

Many of us come from an age when emotional problems were not focused upon and often considered a sign of weakness. Yet the enlightened know this is not so. And the truth is that there are countless Baby Boomers among others who live their lives suffering from some level of depression.

Robin Williams death is a wake-up call to us all. Depression should not be ignored or passed over lightly. It’s important to acknowledge when we suffer and to seek out help. It’s a sign of strength whenever one looks for counsel to make positive change in their life.

Thousands of articles have been written on the subject and yet still so many suffer. One can’t help but wonder about the extent of Robin Williams depression. It’s only human to think that if an incredibly talented star with virtually unlimited resources could succumb, then what about ourselves.

Let’s not let his passing be simply another “news cycle” that eventually recedes into the recesses of our consciousness.

Now might be a good time for some introspection and perhaps dedication to addressing and recognizing depression in our own lives as well as those whom we care about. Depression is a debilitating illness that can be dealt with effectively and successfully. But only if we make the effort.

I’m a believer of celebration rather than mourning. I choose to recall all the joy and laughter Robin Williams brought to my life as well as his touching cinematic performances that seemed to resonate with me.

For right now I simply choose to remember Robin Williams fondly and enjoy the fruits of his labor. I’m going to watch my favorite performance of his as Vladimir Ivanoff in Moscow On The Hudson and relive the pleasure he brought into my life.

Harold Bloom wrote a book some years ago, titled Hamlet: Poem Unlimited. The book might also have been titled, Hamlet: Character Unlimited, for the Prince of Denmark, like Shakespeare’s tragedy itself, cannot be reduced to anything.

What I mean by that is that when artistic directors of repertory theaters attempt to limit Hamlet, to depict him, as, for instance, a man who simply has an Oedipal complex, or as a mama’s boy, or as an over-the-top and antiquated notion of a schizophrenic who speaks in two voices, they fail not only the audience, they fail Shakespeare. And they fail Hamlet.

That is because Hamlet is the most paradoxical character ever written in the history of Western literature. He is as much a hero as he is a coward, as given to impulse as to introspection, as full of vitality as he is of melancholy.

I was thinking about this tonight as I was trying to process the tragic death and apparent suicide of Robin Williams, the brilliant actor, who had rare gifts for improvisation and spontaneity and who may be as well remembered for his dramatic turns in Good Will Hunting and Dead Poets Society as for his comic roles.

Time and time again, Wolf Blitzer and Don Lemon asked their guests on CNN how it was possible that a man who seemed so alive and who was so successful could also feel so much torment.

It is understandable that most people cannot fathom what leads a gifted person to take his life. It is mysterious indeed.

But it gets back to the issue of paradox.

Hamlet is well-known for being depressed. He is also quite possibly psychotic. The Prince of Denmark is the only character in the play who can speak to the ghost of his father. And there is no denying that Hamlet is suicidal, although those who view the “To Be or Not to Be” speech as being only about suicide are mistaken. They are once again trying to limit an unlimited character.

Still, it is clear that Hamlet has gotten a glimpse at the “undiscovered country,” and he has concluded that he would “rather bear those ills we have than fly to others we know not of.”

There is a wisdom there that I wish all suicidal people would consider. As bad as things may be in a person’s life on this planet, nothing is worse than suicide. It wreaks havoc with families and may very well wreak havoc with one’s soul, if one believes in such things.

I have witnessed up close the multigenerational repercussions of suicide in my family. My grandfather’s suicide traumatized my father, whom I love, and that in turn has affected his parenting of me.

Though Hamlet suffers from feelings of worthlessness, as Robin Williams very well may have, he is also not unlike Williams in being among the most vibrant characters one will ever encounter.

While Hamlet does not engage in the kind of stream-of-consciousness rants that Williams was known for, he exhibits pure delight when he learns that the Players are coming to perform at Elsinore. Consider how he joyfully instructs the members of the troupe to “speak the speech trippingly on the tongue.”

And consider the unwavering love and loyalty he expresses for Horatio, his only real friend.

It is obvious that Hamlet is not only a depressive. He is also a man who loves to play, who embraces so many aspects of life, who duels with Laertes with the zest of a swashbuckler, who flashes his wit on poor Polonius, Osric and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern.

Robin Williams was by all accounts a sweet and generous soul, who had well-documented substance abuse problems in addition to bouts with major depression.

It is unlikely that he ever showed the cruelty that Hamlet inflicts upon Ophelia or the destructive rashness that leads Hamlet to kill Polonius by stabbing him through the arras.

Like most people suffering from major depression, Williams probably felt hopeless at times, as I did in 1997, when I had my first psychotic break, a subject I wrote about recently.

After driving around the streets of Marina del Rey and failing to find a hotel room, from which I could jump out a window, I returned to my apartment and called my mother.

As I have written elsewhere, although I did not know it at the time, I had beaten down the immediate threat to my life by reaching out to a loved one.

The suicidal person should never be alone. He or she should be with a friend, should call 911, or should check into a psychiatric ward or emergency room.

As I have written many times before, suicidal ideation abates for most people, who can go on to lead long and productive lives. This has been demonstrated by a 1978 Cal-Berkeley study, which indicated that more than 90% of survivors of suicide attempts on the Golden Gate Bridge were still alive many years later.

The key for the suicidal person is to reach out to others so that one can get through those times when one’s life is most at risk.

As to why Robin Williams reportedly committed suicide, there is never any one reason why a person takes his or her life.

As Hamlet says, “There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.”

Need help? In the U.S., call 1-800-273-8255 for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.

Here’s one more thing you can add to all the awesome things you can do with a Chromecast: cast your Google+ stream directly from the app to your Chromecast-connected TV set to view posts, pictures and videos in full HD glory. This only works if you’re on Android, for now, but you have to think that this is coming to iOS devices sooner or later.

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