Welcome, one and all, to the newly formatted K-Files. In the past two weeks, much time and effort has gone into this complete overhaul. Now, with this new format, the K-Files transformation is complete.

This week, the Top Story covers the former Canadian defense minister's UFO bombshell. Next, I present a bit of an update on what Uri Geller does as a day job. Finally, I give my opinion on the whipping horse of esoterica--spontaneous human combustion.

You'd better get ready, 'cause here come the snazzy new K-Files...Full Article.

Check out the full K-Files archive at BinnallofAmerica.com.

In the pecking order of gaming enthusiasts, I have mostly considered myself to be a so-called 'PC gamer.' Uninterested in the fan-boy war between the 3 consoles, I was satisfied with the collection of first person shooters available to the PC market. Therefore, in the months leading up to the release of Microsoft's next-generation Xbox 360, I tried to stay an impartial observer.

Fast forward to the morning of November 22, I found myself standing in a line at 3am in below freezing temperatures at a Minnesota Target store. There I was, a self-proclaimed PC gamer, rushing head-long into the next-generation console war, on the side of Microsoft. What I experienced in that line was nothing short of shocking.

Having waited in line for Black Friday deals and other one-day-only sales, I had some experience with the crowds at these events. Quite often there's a sense of competition and conflict between everyone. I was used to 'dog eat dog', 'better me than you' attitudes that can quickly turn into a mad-dash, push everyone down frenzy when the time finally comes. However, what I experienced at this Target Greatland store reaffirmed my belief in the goodness of humanity.

Arriving a little after 3am, there were already 17 people in front of me. After a bit of small talk and conversation, I learned that the bulk of them showed up at 10pm the night prior. They were all dutied up in sleeping bags, boots, blankets, etc., yet despite the temperature of around 20 degrees, they were all in such high spirits. Everyone had big smiles and were quite friendly in welcoming my arrival. The first two in line, a very nice young couple, took it upon themselves to greet every newcomer, offering them a notepad on which they were compiling a list of names and times of arrival.

The organization and civility of this crowd was like nothing I had ever experienced. There was a sense of camaraderie; despite not knowing anyone's name, we all came together to look out for one another. We were all just so willing to help each other out. A very kind mother, doing this for her kids, made several coffee runs to a nearby Starbucks, for instance. Likewise, a concerned Target employee took it upon herself to bring us heating pads, which she bought out of her own pocket, and to deliver free coffee she got by explaining the situation to the workers at Starbucks. Everyone was so selfless, and the experience was just touching.

At 6am, we all lined up (again, in a very civil, organized manner) in preparation for the handing out of tickets. When the target employees came out to dispense them, we showed them our list, made sure everyone had their ID's to verify it, and made sure no late arrivals could cut in line. I'm sure those Target employees were presently surprised, as we collectively turned what could have been an ugly situation into an orderly process.

Alright, so the moment of truth had arrived. Rumors had it that they had 20 or so of the Premium boxes. For those that didn't follow the 360 news, Microsoft released 2 different versions. The Core bundle had just the console and a wired controller, yet for $100 more, the Premium came with a 20GB hard drive, headset, remote control, and a wireless controller. My brother (who accompanied me to the release as co-investor) and I agreed before hand that if we didn't get the Premium, we would just leave.

There was a brief silence, a bundle of tickets in the Target employee's hand. "We don't have many of the premiums," he said hesitantly.

Everyone held their breath; time stopped.

"17."

With that, the crowd went nuts. After a few seconds of computation, it dawned on me that I was number 17/17 for the Premiums. The guy behind me arrived a mere 5 minutes after. YEAH RIGHT! I eagerly joined in the victory cheer.

5 hours in below freezing temperatures, and I finally had my hands on the 360. The feeling was indescribable, but more important than the mere material possession, I came away with a life-changing experience that I will never forget.

Now, stay tuned throughout the week as I give my $0.02 on the 360 and its next-generation games.

~Khyron

*Note* The webcam has officially been updated

Welcome back, faithful readers. It's been a couple weeks since any meaningful updates, but now with Thanksgiving and all of my archiving duties accomplished, KHYRON.NET is back and ready to go.

Here's what you can expect this week at KHYRON.NET...

.:Schedule:.

• Monday Night: As I hinted at in last week's mini K-Files, Khyron is indeed the proud owner of an Xbox 360. Much of this week will be focused on my experiences with Microsoft's next-generation console. First I will be describing my experience of waiting in line for its release. Unlike other more privileged reviewing sites, Khyron is a man of the people and had no quarrels standing in the cold amongst you.
  

• Wednesday: Taking a break from the 360, the K-Files will be returning with three new articles, the brand new logo, and a yet to be seen new format.
  

• Thursday: Review: Xbox 360. It's here, Khyron's got it, now find out if its worth nearly $1,000 to get this hot commodity. I've got a new Phillips 32" LCD TV to go along with it, so expect plenty of info about what HD does for gaming.

• Friday - Saturday: Review central. I'll give my take on three of the 360's launch titles in mini reviews for "Kameo: Elements of Power", "Call of Duty 2", and "Condemned: Criminal Origins".

.:Webcam:.

It has been far too long without an update, so I will be posting some photographic proof of my 360 ownership and of my TV setup at some point during the week. Keep yours eyes peeled.

Plan your internet surfing accordingly. Thank you.

~Khyron

We have a winner!

7 full days have passed, thus ending the vote for the new K-Files logo. The competition was heavy, with Logo 1 and 2 staying pretty much neck and neck throughout. There was a temporary lull in the voting earlier today that made it seem as if prototype 2 was the winner. However, in the last minutes of voting, prototype 1 fans made their voice heard.

In a very close conclusion, prototype 1 is the winner by 1 vote. Here's the breakdown:

Prototype 1: 15
Prototype 2: 14
Prototype 3: 8
Prototype 4: 2

Now that the new logo has been decided, all that remains is to reveal the brand spankin' new format. Due to Thanksgiving and the release of the Xbox 360 (more on that later), The K-Files will be returning in its full form next week.

Until then, happy Thanksgiving everyone. I'd like to give personal thanks to everyone that voted, I appreciate your continuing support for The K-Files.

~Khyron

Alright, it has now been 4 weeks since the Ghost Files was transformed into the K-Files. Each week I've presented to you a new prototype logo. Now it is up to you to vote for which one you think is the best.

The voting will be available for 1 week. The winner will then be announced in next week's all NEW K-Files. You can only vote once, so make it count.

Which prototype logo do you like the best? Number 1 Number 2 Number 3 Number 4

Thank you for supporting KHYRON.NET.

~Khyron

Here's what you can expect this week at KHYRON.NET...

.:Schedule:.

Khyron.net will be essentially update free this week as I reorganize the site and add all of the new reviews to the archives.

However, this is the voting week for the new logo for the K-Files. I will release all of the information on Wednesday, so stay tuned.

Plan your internet surfing accordingly. Thank you.

~Khyron

For horror fans, last week was big for high-caliber DVD releases. For veterans, the 4th installment in George A. Romero's zombie franchise, Land of the Dead, is graced with a special edition DVD. Meanwhile the new-comer shocker Saw gets a long awaited director's cut.

So which one is worth your money? Khyron dishes out the goods with a dual DVD review:

George A. Romero's Land of the Dead (Unrated Edition) (DVD)

Alright, here we go, Land of the Dead without the confines of the MPAA. If there's one thing George Romero is known for, it's gore. Imaginative, sickening, occasionally funny gore. The 'R' version released to theatres was pretty hardcore, but when compared to the previous Day of the Dead, it left something to be desired.

So how much extra footage was added? Only a couple of minutes. Unfortunately, much of this addition is a lone scene that Romero cut because he was unsatisfied with it--and for good reason. The scene really kills the flow of the film. The reminder of the added scenes are second-long additions to gore shots. There's nothing terribly violent or original, save for a gag with a zombie ripping the face off a poor sap. Reminded me of a classic Savini stunt.

As far as the DVD transfer, the film looks great. Colors are bold and defined, with much of the film tinted to make a dark, gritty appearance. Blood runs smooth and looks slick, making this the most polished of the Dead franchise.

The extra features are all pretty standard, including commentary and several making-of's. There's also a rather funny documentary by Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright (the minds behind Shaun of the Dead) detailing their meet with Romero and filming their cameo appearance. However, the lackluster extra scenes still left me let down.

Rating: 3/5

Saw (Uncut Edition) (DVD)

The first thing that jumps out with this DVD is its very unique case. The original edition featured a clear plastic package, now this one builds on that by adding fake blood in a sealed pouch on the cover. It's a hard effect to describe, but makes for a very cool collector piece.

Yet another horror movie restricted by the MPAA's 'R' rating, the original Saw was edited not only for content, but the lighting and music was altered to make it less intense. There are a few extra seconds of gore, but this edition is most clearly different in the sound. The pounding score during the violent scenes is so blissfully loud and unnerving, it's like watching a whole different movie. Likewise, the sound effects are bit more...revealing. Where as the original left much of the sounds to your imagination, this cut brings on the squishing and crunching when skulls are bashed in and feet are sawed off. All very shocking.

Visually, the Saw uncut edition is much more artistic and stunning. The blue tint of the bathroom scenes is now much more intense, while the green tint of the crime scenes is much more sickening. The transfer is of great quality, as well, being noticeably more resolute in certain scenes when compared to the original DVD.

Of the special features, a new commentary by Director James Wan, writer/star Leigh Whannell and star Carey Elwes is the most entertaining. Their comments are as revealing as they are funny. There's also a spoiling sneak-peak of the opener to Saw II.

If you cant get enough of Saw, this DVD will certainly keep you satisfied until the second one makes it to DVD.

Rating: 4/5

Welcome to week 4 of this revamped paranormal review now called The K-Files. This week I present to you prototype logo #4. This will be the last new logo, so get ready to vote for which one is your favorite.

This week, the Top Story changes the subject with a look into alien abductions and the media. Next, I present a bit of background for a common ghost-hunting tool. Finally, in an odd story, I give my take on a so-called ‘money pit.’

Prepare yourself; here come the K-Files…Full Article.

Check out the full Ghost Files/K-Files archive at BinnallofAmerica.com.

Here's what you can expect this week at KHYRON.NET...

.:Schedule:.

• Wednesday: The K-Files returns with three more stories and a new prototype logo.
  

• Thursday: Khyron pulls double duty in a dual DVD review for George A. Romero's Land of the Dead and the Saw Unrated Director's Cut.

• Friday - Saturday: TBA. Possible review for SOCOM: US Navy SEALs Fireteam Bravo for the Playstation Portable.

Plan your internet surfing accordingly. Thank you.

~Khyron

Friday night marked the end of my first week being evil in the new MMORPG, City of Villains. It's been a wild ride thus far, even though I've only scratched the surface of this game's content. Here are my impressions of the first week, broken down into level ranges.

Level 1-5:

The first 4 levels felt like every other MMORPG I've played in the past. You start out in a beginning area with NPC contacts that will give you the vital information needed to play the game. Taking the villain aspect to heart, in CoV, this area is represented by a prison break. You spawn in a hallway of jail-cells with guards and prisoners running everywhere. There's an overhead siren that helps create a sense of urgency. The first few missions are easy enough; essentially tasking you with simple 'gopher' tasks and reading text how-to's.

After finally leaving the prison, you are sent to a courtyard where you can flex your combat muscles. Before you can enter the full game, you have to prove yourself worthy by killing a few unlucky guards and prisoners (it's up to you to chose--a nice touch). The difficulty level here is very low, allowing the training to go by relatively fast.

Once the training is complete you are sent to the beginning zone named 'Mercy Island.' There you talk to the NPC Kalinda. She will provide you with your starting missions. None of them are particularity difficult, and I had no problems completing them solo. Most involve killing snake-men in caves beneath the city. Once completed, I had reached level 5--time to move on.

Level 5-12

After you complete all of Kalinda's tasks, she refers you to a new contact, Mongoose. He supplies you with more snake killing missions, but first he sends you on a very entertaining bank robbery. There's nothing like killing guards amid panicking civilians to make you feel like a bad guy.

It's at this level range that I needed to reach out to the other players. The missions you are given become increasingly difficult and the experience required to level up continues to grow, so finding a group of fellow villains in order to more quickly complete them is the best bet. It's easy enough to find a group, and in many cases they will seek you out. When in a team, missions increase in difficulty, but with enough teammates, that just means more enemies to kill and gain experience from. Reaching level 10 in this way seemed rather fast.

It was during this time that I also became part of a Super Group. Several players in one of the groups I was invited to banded together to create the 'Scarlet Tears.' The benefits of belonging to a Super Group include a dedicated chat-line between members and a more willing pool from which to create mission teams, but most importantly, it gives you some people to talk to. Games like these can get pretty boring if you try to go solo, and with so many start-up Super Groups actively seeking membership, there's really no excuse not to join one.

Level 13+

At last login, I was half-way to level 14. As far as first weeks go (and considering my other obligations) I feel the level pace was just about right. It wasn't too fast to zoom through all the content (of which there is a great deal), but it was speedy enough to keep me interested and eager.

To gain experience, teams are now essential. My character (the evil alien named 'The Spaceman') is able enough to solo most of the available missions, but the time required prevents any kind of efficiency.

My Super Group has also built a base--another perk of joining a group. It is an instanced server made just for members where we can meet up and talk strategy. We've decorated it a few evil touches so far, including gargoyles, lanterns, and a long board room table. And although we haven't reached that point yet, eventually we will need to be ready to defend our base against raiding hero and villain teams. I can't wait for that to happen, because the PvP (player vs player) opportunities are just endless.

Final Thoughts

7 days and 13 levels later, I'm hooked. This game is so light-heartedly fun and enjoyable, it's fun to just pick up and play when I have a free hour. Unlike other MMORPG's I've played, it is very fast and easy to find a team, run a few missions, and call it a night. What I'm looking forward to now is bring the hurt to heroes in the dedicated PvP zones and learning the ability to fly.

Paragon City beware, The Spaceman cometh!

Saw II - Directed by Darren Lynn Bousman (2005)
Rated R for grisly violence and gore, terror, language and drug content.

Last Halloween, the low-budget, high-intensity Saw took audiences by surprise. Fiendishly graphic and very unique, this taught horror/thriller was an astounding success. So much so, that mere weeks after its initial release, distributor Lions Gate Films announced a sequel was in the works. Halloween has come again and with it the highly anticipated Saw II.

In Saw II, detective Eric Matthews (Donnie Wahlberg) is hot on the trails of the Jigsaw Killer (Tobin Bell). After he realizes an overlooked clue, the police raid the suspected base of the infamous Jigsaw. There, however, they bear witness to a grizzly game of life and death being played out on a set of computer monitors. Now, Matthews must force Jigsaw into giving up the game's location in order to save its participants, his son among them. But is Matthews in control? Or is it all a part of a much larger game?

What I liked the most about the original Saw was its originality. The horror movie industry has been in a slump lately, resorting to Japanese and John Carpenter remakes to fill seats. While not all of these movies are entirely bad, their lack of creativity and toned-down, PG-13 ratings leave much to be desired for many fans. Saw, on the other hand, was violent, thought provoking, and uncompromising. The low-budget feel gave it a sense of realism no longer common in modern cinema. Thankfully, Saw II passes the torch nicely.

Granted, there is a much greater budget this time around (evident in the larger cast, sets, and scope of the story), but the gritty realism and graphic content remained true to the original. Everything about this movie just seemed a little more polished than in Saw. The dialogue improved, the acting was a little better (fewer English accent slip-ups, anyway), and the plot had a few less holes. And although the larger cast takes away from the sense of confinement from the first one, the leading interactions between Jigsaw (Bell) and Matthews (Wahlberg) helps to keep the film localized and emotional.

The main device in the plot, Jigsaw's ironically ingenious death traps, remain intact and disgusting. Quite a bit of imagination has gone into thinking of different ways for people to kill themselves, making this movie as imaginative as it is sickening. And, as an added benefit, the blurry, super-fast motion set to hard rock music montages to show-off the traps have been reduced from the original. It still feels intense, but I think the effect was over-done in Saw.

Finally, as far as conclusions go, Saw succeeded in blowing away many a mind with its shock ending. Saw II had some pretty big shoes to fill, and although it may not have matched the pure stupefaction value of the original, it makes up for it in believability. For the hardcore fans this series now has, as well as new-comers, the last 10 minutes will leave you breathless.

The formula for Saw is so great and so open-ended, I predict this will become the Halloween and Friday the 13th of this new generation. Horror has finally returned to the big screen. I give Saw II 4 severed fingers out of 5.

Rating: 4/5 *Khyron's Choice*

Welcome to week 3 of this newly-named trip into the paranormal. This week brings three new articles for your consideration, as well as prototype logo #3. Again, for those unawares, once all prototype logos have been revealed, it will be up to you, the reader, to decide which one will stick.

This week, the Top Story continues and concludes (hopefully) my coverage of Loren Coleman and the infamous million dollar prize. Next, I present an interesting experiment that proves a blindness ‘sixth sense.’ Finally, I’ve got some rather thought provoking poll results regarding ghosts and God.

You’d better get ready, ‘cause here come K-Files…Full Article.

Check out the full Ghost Files/K-Files archive at BinnallofAmerica.com.