Tag: Geek Alert

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

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So the first teaser trailer has just been released for Rogue One:A Star Wars Story. It’s the first movie since Disney bought Lucasfilm to be set in the Star Wars universe, but not actually part of the continuing saga of Luke Skywalker et al., and in my opinion it’s looking pretty bloody good.

It’ll be interesting to see how audiences engage with a Star Wars movie that doesn’t feature the characters they all know and love – although there are rumours the movie will feature a certain Jedi-gone-bad – and it’s obvious from the footage in the trailer there will be plenty of familiar elements to keep fans happy. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is due out on December 16th.

Liverpool Comic Con 2016

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Today my kids and I had our first Comic Con experience, at Liverpool Comic Con 2016. Considering I’ve had some very geeky tendencies for most of my life (which my kids both seem to have inherited) it’s kind of surprising we’ve never made it to a Comic Con before, but there’s a first time for everything.

First impressions weren’t great. Our first hour was spent slowly making our way along a very big queue. Once we finally got inside it felt like there were just too many people in the room to really make the most of everything on offer, although the sight of grown men and women strolling around dressed as superheroes and storm troopers like it was the most normal thing in the world soon took my mind off any minor issues I had with the event’s organisation. My kids, who both have less of an issue with crowded places than I do, had a great time, and my son made a video of the day. Well actually, Ben made a very shaky video of the journey there then got bored of holding the camera, so I did the rest…

Star Wars: The Force Awakens

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So it’s finally here. Brand new Star Wars. And tonight, three generations of Parker (me, my Dad and my son) saw it together. If you’re wondering why I’m talking about it in such grand terms, it’s because I’m a massive geek and, like many folks my age, the original Star Wars trilogy was a big part of my childhood. So getting to see a new entry in the series is kind of a big deal for me.

At this point, a couple of hours since the credits rolled, I’m still not sure exactly what I thought of it. I think it’s because, as it’s been a lifelong habit of mine to watch Star Wars movies over and over again, seeing a new one for the very first time is a bit strange. It’s like first listen of a new album you’ve been looking forward to hearing, the first pass is really just an introduction, the finer points only become evident further down the line. But I already know I like it more than all of the prequels, so that’s a good start… [update 30/12/15: just had a second viewing and I can confirm I absolutely love it]

Creating a watch face for Android Wear

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I recently picked up a Motorola 360 smartwatch, and after I worked out how to get a full day out of the battery (basically try not to use it much) the next thing I wanted to do was create my own watch face for it. One of the things I like most about Android is how you can tinker with the UI to your heart’s content (if you’re into that kind of thing), and Android Wear is no different.

A quick look on Google will tell you there are plenty of ways of creating your own faces for Android Wear, but the method I opted for was using an app called WearFaces. If you visit the app’s website you can download template images to get you started (square or round, depending on the watch you’re creating for) – although these are just for the face itself; separate image files need to be created for the dial and the hands. Once you’ve created your custom watch face (as a massive geek I had to go for a Star Wars theme) you need to load your images into the app – on your phone rather than the watch itself. Once you’ve added your images, hit the ‘Send to Wear’ button to send your custom watch face via bluetooth to your device.

wearfaces app on Android

If you happen to have an Android Wear watch with a round face and would like a Star Wars themed face for it, you can download my custom WearFaces pack here.