"Wreck-it Ralph" Will NOT Wreck Your Opinion of Disney

“I’m gonna wreck it!”

After “The Princess and the Frog” and “Tangled”, another movie has been sprung out of the creative minds at the “happiest place on Earth”, otherwise known as Disney. On November 2, 2012, “Wreck-it Ralph” was released in theaters and Disney fanatics flocked to their local movie theaters, stocked up on popcorn and were more than ready for another Disney classic.

They were not disappointed. Chronicling the adventures of the “wreck-it guy”, Ralph, the newest Disney addition did not fail its high expectations. Everyone has played arcade games before, which usually consist of the player (on the good side, of course) trying to win or beat the “bad guy”. In “Wreck-it Ralph”, Ralph, who is the “bad guy” in his arcade game, “Fix-it Felix”, is sick and tired of being jeered and laughed at. It is his job to smash windows and destroy buildings, and it is his friend, Felix’s, job to fix everything. Yet, while Felix is applauded and congratulated, Ralph is forced to live in a trash dump, constantly being put down by the other members of his game. When Ralph stands up and decides to perform a good deed to be recognized, he is whisked on a journey full of fun and laughter. Along the way, he meets new friends (such as a delightful young girl named Vannelope von Schweetz) and realizes that his role in “Fix-it Felix” is bigger than it appears.

A wonderfully thought-out creation, Disney’s high quality animations and graphics are eye-catching and engaging. Bringing together characters such as Bowser and Blinky (from Pacman), “Wreck-it Ralph” is a trip down memory lane for adults. Throughout the movie, silly antics and arguments will keep kids entertained and laughing. As for the older audience members, they will find themselves pondering the deeper themes embedded throughout the movie. You might also find yourself trying to repeat “Vannelope von Schweetz” five times twice as fast. There’s no doubt about it: “Wreck-it Ralph” is a phenomenal hit in people of all ages, and will definitely become a Disney classic.

Read More

App of the Week #1

This week's app is the minimalist task manger, Clear. Praised for its intuitive gesture-driven interface, it is quite a steal at $2:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/clear/id493136154?mt=8

Full Review:
Pros: beautiful design, flawless syncing, simple, amazing Mac counterpart

Cons: lacks features like time and location based reminders, pinch and shake gestures are unreliable and unintutive, overpriced Mac counterpart, no iPad or Android versions

Final Verdict: Unlike other apps that allow you to sort tasks based on time, Clear only uses lists. Personally, I prefer this way as it takes less effort to maintain. Becuase I have a Mac, the iCloud Syncing is quite useful. All in all, I would give this app a 4 out of 5 star rating due to it's beautiful but sometimes confusing design paradimes.

Is this app for you?
If you have a Mac, are lazy with organization, and like to drool over beautiful designs, this app is perfect for you. Otherwise, try an alternative like Any.DO:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/any.do/id497328576

A little tip: The app has alot of hidden themes that can be unlocked by various download and actions. Two of them, Ultraviolet and Night Owl, require tasks to be completed at specific times. However, you can cheat just like you used to do in Pokemon by changing the time and date: Go to General -> Date and Time. Deselect the option to automatically set date and time and switch it to the required time. Make sure the theme is unlocked in settings before reenabling automatic time-setting.

Read More

Tomorrow's Apple Event

 A bunch of rumors have been flying around the internet lately about Apple's Oct 23rd event. So I decided to sort through them for you.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Definitely:
1. An apology about iOS 6 Maps
2. The new iMacs
3. The new Retina MacBook Pros
4. A lot of boring statistics that no one cares about
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Probably:
1. iBooks 3.0
2. New ways the iPad will be used in education
3. New Mac Minis
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Possibly:
1. The new iPad mini*
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Probably Not:
1. Apple TV
2. The iPad 4
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Post a comment below about what you think is going to happen.

* Personally, I don't believe that Apple will release a new, smaller iPad. I think it would be to much fragmentation. App sizes are already getting ridiculous, and we don't need another screen size to code. It also seems contrary to what Mr.Cook said at previous presentations

Read More

The iPhone 5: Could have been better?

    Though a man of incredible genius died,  Apple progresses in making the iPhone 5.
How is the iPhone 5 different from the iPhone 4S and 4? In many aspects, it's not a big change.  But a few are completely revolutionary.

     The new version is 7.6 mm deep. To make that possible,  the engineers of Apple had to  make a nano-SIM card, which happens to be fourty-four percent smaller than a micro-SIM card. They also used a different cellular technique- instead of voice and data being on two chips, they are both on one card on the iPhone 5.
        
    Apple has also introduced the Lightning Connector (in simpler words, a smaller, reversible charger) to go with the iPhone 5. Yet reviews on the Lightning Connector have been negative.
       "The main problem has been that the new connector doesn’t fit any of our old accessories. The $300 external speaker, the $150 battery charger, it's all a waste..."  PadGadget.com states.  Another review from WPTV.com says that  the "'Lightning' cable design will hurt possibility of cheaper knockoffs".
   
 On a brighter note, the iPhone 5 software is supposed to be more advanced. People can now carry their boarding passes, coupons, and gift cards  on the iPhone 5,  and the earbuds are supposed to be more "durable and comfortable". Reviews range from "better that $100 headphones" to just "average". However, one thing everyone can agree on is they are a huge improvements from the iCraps that came with the previous generation.Though the camera's quality is not as great as the iPhone 4S'.
Is iPhone 5 worth a buy (at $699 unlocked?!)? Your choice.

Editors note: Hi. I'm Gokul, the technology supervisor of The Tellury. I just wanted to put out my opinion regarding the iPhone 5. For me, the thing about technology is not the specs or the cost. It's how the product works and feels. I went and played around with one at an Apple Store last weekend. For me, the 4 and 4S felt like bricks. The iPhone 5 is crazy light. I can't believe how thin it is. The phone feels amazing in your hand. The new Earpods are really good, but probably not as good as Beats or Bose. Their mic is crystal clear. It's the fastest phone on the market. Best call quality too. However, it does stumble in a few areas. The camera and maps both suck alot. Like, really badly. The iPhone 5 isn't perfect, but something truly beautiful. However, don't take my word for it. Go to an Apple Store and play around with one. Then you can tell me it's not the best phone in the world.

Read More

Compute This

Many of you middle- and high-schoolers out there are part of the Science Olympiad Competition. Science Olympiad, affectionally referred to as SciOly, is a nation-wide competition that brings together bright minds from across the country to compete in a myriad of different events at assorted levels (regional, state, national). One of these events is called Compute This. This event teaches students how to search a webpage for specific information, how to use and format Excel Spreadsheets, as well as charts and graphs. The only thing that differentiates first and twentieth place is presentation. Attached to this post are some presentation tips learned from observing Steve Jobs (the late CEO of Apple). They will serve you well. Enjoy!

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/17375564/computethis.key

Read More