It’s been awhile since I’ve posted here on CounterAgent, but I’ve been busy working on this web project called the SuperLame! Comic Balloon Engine. We’ve just launched it in a public Beta. So, let me take a few moments to explain what it is that’s taken up most of my time as of late.

What is SuperLame? Well, I’m glad you asked. You may have heard the saying, “a picture is worth a thousand words”. So, if a picture alone is worth that much, how much more can you say with a picture that actually has words too? I’m betting at least a few more than a thousand.

You may have noticed a number of word balloon pictures on this site, amoung others. Before the SuperLame word balloon image creator web app this was a time consuming process. Enter SuperLame and the Comic Balloon Engine. Basically, it’s a simple web tool that gives users the power to easily and quickly add word balloons, speech bubbles, thought bubbles, whatever you want to call them, to your pictures.

Best of all, the entire tool is free for anyone to use. However, if you would like to donate to the SuperLame cause, we wouldn’t turn you down, of course, and hey, it’s a tax right off, right?

The above picture is an example of what you can do at SuperLame. But, don’t take my word for it, check out the SuperLame Word Balloon Web Tool for yourself. Enjoy.

Boom!

Back in episode 18 of the CounterAgent podcast we were asked the above question: “How Does the Internet Work?”, by Tenzin. If you don’t like to read you can just listen to that episode of the podcast for the answer, however, I figured I’d also post the answer here for all to literate internet users with questions about the “tubes”. Here goes.

The simple answer is, it’s magic. The internet has a couple names that actually help explain how it works. The first being WWW, or World Wide Web. It refers to the internet as a spider’s web. Not only can a spider quickly create a complex series of web connections (one point to another), but all of the lines connect to each other in some way or another.

Another name you might be familiar with is the Information Super Highway. This refers to how the internet works the way a highway system works. Roads extend from one land to another, point to point. However, just like a spider web (although much uglier and complicated), highways also connect at various points in-between. This allows us to go to exactly where we want.

The internet works in a similar way. It all starts when you type in a URL (Uniform Resource Locator) in your browser’s address bar. The term URL has deprecated for the more correct term URI (Uniform Resource Identifier). If you’ve ever planned a road trip, this is the part where you choose where you want to go. Once you’ve entered your destination, the magic starts. The process starts by looking up the name you’ve entered and finding the associated IP (Internet Protocol) address. The way it does this is by pre-chewing your data, or breaking it up into tiny snack size morsels called packets, in a process call packet switching. Packet switching is a process in which packets (tiny blocks of data) are routed/sent between nodes, comes from a root word in latin meaning “knot” (a point in a network where lines intersect, this can be something like a computer terminal where packets are created, received, or sent). In each network node, the packets are queued or buffered (kinda like a traffic light), resulting in, well traffic, and delays. That’s why sometimes, even when you may have a fast connection, the site you’re trying to visit doesn’t, and you have to wait for them to catch up. Packets don’t travel alone. They have a bunch of friends. Once it gets to it’s destination, each packet waits for it’s friends. Then Voltron style, they join back together to form some usable data, such as a query, or in this case, the IP address you’re trying to reach.

Once everything is put back together at it’s destination, the process is started all over again, but this time in reverse. Now that the data has asked it’s question and received it’s answer, it begins it’s trip back home to where it all started. The data is broken back up into packets and sent back home, to your browser.

And that’s how babies are made.

Boom!

Let’s see, what can’t Microsoft get to work right? Well, there’s the Xbox 360’s and their red ring on death. Window’s Vista is the biggest disappointment of the year [PC World]. Internet Explorer continues to suck, as does the Zune. We can officially add Xbox Live to that crap list. Seems they can’t keep it working.

Epic Fail indeed. I’m not the only one that, for a second week in a row has experience problems playing games on Xbox Live, let alone getting online at all with Live. I thought we’re paying for a service for a reason, right? I mean, it would be one thing if it was a free service and it went down a time or two, whatever. But anyone who plays games online with Xbox Live is paying for the service to work.

Here’s what Microsoft can do to fix the problem. First, they could start with fixing the problem, that is giving us the service we pay for. They could also, oh, I don’t know, give us free stuff. Maybe a few thousand MS points, an Arcade game or two, of our choosing. A free year of Xbox Live. Anything more than the official response of “We’re working night and day”, blah, blah, blah.

Here are some other reports on the issue: Engadget 1, Engadget 2, Engadget 3, Engadget 4, Engadget 5, Joystiq, Major Nelson

Let us know what you think. Have you had any problems this past weekend or the last with Xbox Live? Comment Below.

Boom!

Digg the song. Or is it Digg this song? Whatever it is it’s not bad. Performed by Kina Grannis. This isn’t the first song she’s done. Just the most internet related. Check out some of Kina’s other songs on her YouTube page here.

So, the story doesn’t end here. She’s looking to make it to the Super Bowl. In a contest from Doritos. You play it. We air it.

It’s only 3 days until the voting ends (December 31^st)! We are down to the top 10 bands. The winner will have their music video played during the super bowl AND a record deal with Interscope Records. So who should you vote for? Well, duh. The half Japanese(?) hot chick! Am I right? Kina Grannis is her name, being hot is her game. Really, she’s actually pretty talented. A guitar player and singer and did I say she was cute? She grew up in Mission Viejo, CA and recently moved to Austin, TX. Which by the way is only the best city EVER? So go already and check her out. Vote for her at www.crashthesuperbowl.com.

Well, I finally got into the Hulu.com beta. I haven’t been using it very long, but as far as tv on the internet is concerned, it ain’t bad. For one, the site and player actually work on browsers that aren’t Internet Explorer. Like Firefox and Opera. They’ve also allowed the movies and videos to be embed in your personal site or blog (see the clip from Family Guy above). One of the coolest things about embeding a clip is you can actually choose the time when you want it to start and end. That way you can use just a small clip of exactly what you want to share.

Okay, so it’s ad supported, how’s that? Well, I’m pretty sure the entire internet is ad supported and it seems to be working so far. As for Hulu, sometimes a show or movie will have a short ad before it plays to say “brought to you by such and such product for limited commercial interuption”. That’s fine with me, less commercials is always a good thing. What ’s funny is that most of the videos you watch actually have less commercials than when they aired on tv in the first place, far less.

So, when Hulu finally goes live for the public, I think it’s worth a look. They not only have plenty of great programing, like Heroes, Family Guy, The Simpsons, The Office, etc. And as long as they don’t go changing the current formula of ad to video ratio, or start making us pay for it, than it should be pretty successful.

Oh, and if you’ve never seen 24, they have the entire 1st and 6th seasons. I highly suggest watching the first season. You’ll be hooked.

Boom!

Xbox Live 12+1 Month Gold
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Oh yeah, and Free Shipping too!

Boom!

Can’t wait for Beowolf to see the new J.J. Abrams trailer for his super secret new movie Cloverfield? Well, now you don’t have to. Someone has graciously captured and posted the new trailer on YouTube for our viewing pleasure. I’m sure it has Mr. Abrams blessing, right? Well, we all know the internet can’t keep a secret. Oh well.

If you want to see it ahead of time and don’t want to pay $10 for a ticket just to see Angelina Jolie as a mostly nude CG character then this might be what you’re looking for. The sound from the trailer is really bad, but at least the video is crappy too. Maybe you can find a better version on the net. If you can, let me know and I’ll replace this one.

Boom!

Update: Apple has released the full trailer online in all it’s HD glory here.

Art by: Adi Granov, he’s got to be one of my favorite comic book cover artists, check out his site here.

Yesterday Marvel Comics revealed their full back catalog of comic books would be available on their site for your viewing pleasure. Well, that sounds nice and all, but if you actually try to access the site you’re in for a long wait. I have been trying and trying to load the site and it keeps stalling and timing out. Looks like the whole online comics things is a more popular idea than people thought.

So, if you are lucky enough to be able to view the site than here’s the details. At this moment and until the “Limited Time” expires, Marvel has 250 free samples of online comics for you to check out. All you have to do is sign up on their site (which is free). If you want access to all of the comics they’re offering than it’s gonna cost you, $5/month if you pay for the whole year up front, or $10/month if you aren’t sure how long this whole comic book trend is going to last.

Some of the comics in the collection include the original run of Uncanny X-Men from 1963 to the present, the first 100 issues of the Amazing Spider-man, Iron Man, Fantastic Four, and a bunch of other great comics.

If you’re interested in ordering comics online check out MailOrderComics.com and save up to 75% off new comics!

Boom!

Opera is now one of the best ways to get online and browse the world wide web. Not that this browser is new, but a lot of people are either still using Internet Explorer as their main browser or think Yahoo or Google is their browser. I’m just trying to spread the word on the stuff I use and love.

The good folks in Norway have made what I think is probably one of the best browsers out there, if not the best. These are the same people that created the web browser for the Nintendo Wii. Okay, so what makes this browser better than let’s say, oh I don’t know, Internet Explorer. Well, the simple fact that it’s not full of security holes and a complete piece of crap, just for starters. And then there’s Mozilla’s Firefox. Look, I have nothing but good to say about Firefox. I have it installed on all of my computers and use it quite frequently. It’s a very stable and capable browser, however, I find Opera a bit more fully featured.
More…

I was surfing as usual and found this pretty cool site: www.howitshouldhaveended.com. How’s that for a name? If you can’t tell by the address this site is about how some movies should have ended.Like Spiderman 3, LOTR, Underworld and my favorite….Superman, of course. “I’m Batman, that’s what I do.” LOL just can’t get enough. Per the website Spiderman HISHE has over a million hits on YouTube. Wow! That’s a lot. Daniel Baxter does the artwork and some of the character voices. Tommy Watson is the humor guy and Bryan English is the music guy. Check it out, I’m sure you’ll enjoy. If you have any cool sites you would like me to share with the rest of the class email me at contact@counteragent.com

Oh, and the guys running the site are also working on an alternate ending for Halo 3, coming soon.

Later, Veda