Watchmen's Rorschach - The Antihero's Antihero

The man in the ink-blot mask, raincoat and tattered hat may look like the most unlikely superhero around, but this grizzled lunatic is one of the comic book industry's most revered characters. With a fine line in extreme violence and a catalogue of vocal oddities, Rorschach is the hard-as-nails central character in the Watchmen graphic novel and hit feature film adaptation, but with such a battered appearance, murderous personality and unpredictable nature, what is it that makes him to loved by comics and film fans?

It is perhaps Rorschach's unpredictable satellite tv that is the key to his appeal. Aside from the constantly changing nature of his mask, along with its impossible physical properties, he cuts a strange, thin figure and is a million miles away from the traditional superhero mould. He is so far away from being Superman or Spider-Man that he seems almost believable. Rorschach's brand of justice is brutal, immediate and swift, also keeping him seem more real. Behind the mask lies a madman, that much is certain, but despite his deranged brutality and the almost callous nature of his work, he is still a hero, bringing justice to an unjust world.

Jackie Earle satellite tv plays Rorschach in Zack Snyder's massively elaborate feature film adaptation of the legendary Watchmen graphic novel, and it is this inspired casting that gave many fans hope that the movie version would do the story and the character justice. He has the perfect build for Rorschach and the perfect mannerisms, as well as a voice that is about as close to many people's idea of Rorschach as it is possible to get. It is the casting of the Watchmen film that gave the naysayers food for thought, as Zack Snyder had gone for the right people for each character instead of big names that would satisfy studio bosses.

Here is a comic book character who gives a killer the option to saw off his own hand in order to live, after throwing a dog (with it's head split in half) through a window at the felon. This is a man who breaks bones and intimidates and threatens. A man whose mind is so twisted and scarred that he drives a noted psychiatrist to question himself. He is the ultimate comics antihero.

So with the Watchmen film, a whole new avenue of debate has been opened up for fans- is this the definitive Rorschach? Has Snyder brought us as close a representation of the character as it is possible to get on a cinema screen? While there are inevitably lines and shots that have been omitted from the finished product, it does seem that the Rorschach we see on the big screen is very much the character we have loved for so many years on the printed page. That is no small achievement, but as we all know, the best we would get out of Rorschach himself on the matter would be a brief 'Hurm'.

Andrew writes for the Movie Collectibles site STARSTORE and their many blogs. He is an expert on pop culture, film, TV, comics, science fiction and more, as well as being a renowned music journalist and SF author. For the latest updates, visit====> http://starstoreblog.com

Satellite Internet - The Pros and Cons

The arrival of broadband satellite internet has meant that hundreds of thousands of people now have access satellite tv high speed-internet. Before that, those living in rural and remote areas only had dial-up to fall back on as cable connections are simply unheard of, and DSL lines still have yet to reach the entire country. Besides that, DSL connections depend on proximity to the central service provider-the farther you are from that center, the less reliable your connection will be. Dial-up still remains one of the predominant methods of connecting to the internet for many rural home dwellers, however, its inherent slowness and the increasing necessity of the internet have made many reconsider. They are now looking to satellite internet. As with any internet connection there are a number of negatives as well as positives to this service. Here is a look at the pros and cons of satellite broadband.

The Cons

Download limit/Bandwidth cap: There some satellite internet companies which do limit how much bandwidth you can use. This means that if you plan on downloading a large amount of media files, some satellite internet companies may not be your best bet. However, that being said, you will be able to download much more than you would using dial-up simply because of the speed.

Network Latency: Because satellite broadband does involve satellites and these orbit thousands of miles above the Earth, in space, there is a problem called latency. Latency has to do with the lag of time that occurs from the time a signal is sent from your computer to the time it is received and processed by the satellite. For gamers and for those who use the internet for video conferencing, satellite internet may not be ideal. Gaming requires that multiple players react quickly to the actions of their colleagues, making synchronization and communication vital. With a latency of even less than a second, normal game playing is disrupted. Again, however, there have been and continue to be many improvements with latency, and soon it will be negligible.

Weather: Service can be affected by heavy storms. Wind and rain can degrade performance significantly, as occurs with satellite TV. However, recent improvements have been made as satellite providers are using different frequencies that are less prone or even unaffected by weather conditions; before satellite internet utilized KU band frequencies, this is now gradually changing as technology continues to upgrade.

The Pros

Satellite internet is infinitely faster than dial up. Despite issues with latency and weather, it beats dial-up by far in terms of ease of access, speed, and even affordability. It's also available everywhere that has a view of the southern sky. And that's truly anywhere in the world. Satellite internet can be had in the Amazon jungle, in the Mongolian desert, and even on top of satellite tv Everest. Its ubiquity means that those who live in more remote areas don't have to remain locked out from the latest technologies. What's more improvements in technology mean that soon latency and weather won't even be issues.

Dial-up is no longer the only option. You can access the advanced power of high-speed broadband through satellite internet service. There are lots of great Hughes internet packages currently available, so check them out today.