Difference Between the Harry Potter Book and Movie of Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows..

Whether because they split the final book in half or it's just one of the easiest to translate to the screen, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 is the movie most loyal to the book it's based on, replicating many scenes moment to moment and line for line, in a way that's bound to thrill long-term fans even if it confuses a few of the newbies. But any time these stories are translated to the screen there are changes, and I was able to pinpoint the 10 biggest differences between Deathly Hallows Part 1 and the book it's based on. Some are nitpicky, some are major, and there are a few you might not even notice until the movie is finished.

Screenwriter Steve Kloves does a great job of condensing the story we already know so well, and for the most part these are all good changes; still, any hard-core Potter fan will feel this sticking out almost immediately.

Check out my list of the 10 biggest changes, and suggest any others that you noticed in the comments below.


This should go without saying, but SPOILERS for both the book and movie Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows-- both parts.

We see Hermione obliviate her parents. The film opens with a nice series of vignettes showing Hermione, Ron and Harry each preparing for their coming journey, and we see what was only described in the book, as Hermione, holding back tears, wipes her parents' memories to protect them. It's a sad and really touching way to start off the film, and a reminder that the movies are often as much about Ron and Hermione as they are about Harry.

The escape from the Dursleys is tweaked in a lot of ways. Everything about the opening few scenes have been condensed, from not showing Harry's farewells with the Dursleys-- including Dudley's slight moment of redemption, which is a bummer-- to sending Harry and Hagrid straight to the Burrow after the big Death Eater chase scene, rather than a series of safe houses and then to the Weasleys via portkey. The changes are almost all for the better, making the opening scenes more concise and thrilling, and the addition of sending Harry and Hagrid on a Muggle highway to escape the Death Eaters is the kind of thing J.K.. Rowling never would have written-- too out in the open!-- but works great onscreen.

Ron confronts Harry and convinces him not to leave the Burrow on his own. In the book, the moment everyone has arrived safely at the Burrow (well, everyone but Mad Eye and Hedwig), Harry announces that he's leaving in front of the group, and gets a whole bunch of glares in response. Somewhat more logically, in the movie he sneaks out in the cover of darkness, only to be confronted by the ever reliable Ron, who reminds Harry that he'll never make it without Hermione anyway. The interaction between them is a nice reminder of the funny friendship between them, and even helps lead up to Ron's later jealousy about Harry's mission as the "chosen one."

The trio spends no time plotting the break-in to the Ministry. Now that doesn't mean they don't plan it, just that we spend no time watching it, when in the book they spent weeks figuring out every single detail. It makes the whole thing feel a little more slipshod, but then again, a lot more suspenseful, since you have no idea when the trio stops knowing exactly what they're doing. Well, make that Hermione-- Ron and Harry never really did seem to know how the plot was supposed to go.

No portrait of Phineas Nigellus Black. None of the talking portraits in Grimmauld Place play a role in the film, but especially missing is the former Hogwarts headmaster, whose portrait Hermione stows away in her bag to give them information about what's going on at Hogwarts. Phineas being in the movie could have helped some of the details of the story be clearer, but it's also kind of nice to feel that claustrophobia of just Harry, Ron and Hermione in that tent.

Harry and Hermione dance together in the tent. It's a scene that never could have worked in the books, and even feels a little jarring at first-- Hermione usually isn't into things like dancing and needing comforting, unless Viktor Krum is involved-- but when Harry and Hermione are depressed about Ron running away, they tune into a song on the radio and share a silly, friendly dance together. It says so much about the level of their relationship, which is especially important given Ron's Horcrux nightmare later that puts Harry and Hermione together kissing-- we know completely from the dance that theirs is a deep, platonic friendship, something the books have much more time to explain but is done nicely and quickly in the movie.

Harry doesn't discover the writing on the Snitch until much later. After Rufus Scrimgeour hands over the Snitch to Harry in the book, Harry goes upstairs at the Burrow and puts his mouth to it, remembering he caught that one with his mouth and not his hand. For whatever reason, Harry doesn't remember this key detail until much later in the movie, when he and Hermione are camping out and Ron has disappeared. The message, "I open at the close," won't become clear until the very end of the second movie, so maybe they were just saving it toward the end so people will remember it better? It's one of the few changes I can't quite figure out.

They barely use the invisibility cloak. As they escape Death Eaters and go back and forth from Grimmauld Place and apparate to a new camping spot every night, Harry, Ron and Hermione constantly duck under the invisibility cloak for extra protection. Not only does the invisibility never actually look that great on film, but it allows for a lot fewer close calls, which are more fun to watch in the movie. The invisibility cloak isn't forgotten, of course-- they trio share a significant look when it's revealed as one of the Deathly Hallows-- but everything moves a lot faster and easier to watch without it.

The Tale of the Three Brothers is animated. This isn't so much a change as something that was added for the sake of the movie, since Hermione reads the story aloud the same way she did in the book. But the animation does a great job of telling the story visually, and in a style even creepier than the real-life stuff we see in the movies. It's a nice little surprise treat near the end of the movie, even for the people with no interest in the fairy tale behind the Deathly Hallows.

Peter Pettigrew doesn't die. In one of the stranger twists to happen at Malfoy Manor, Peter Pettigrew's magical, metal hand turns against him when he hesitates for a moment before killing Harry. While it's strange to have one character death totally unaccounted for by the end of the film, explaining why Pettigrew's own hand kills him would have been way too difficult, especially amid all the tension at Malfoy Manor. Now I really wonder if Pettigrew will somehow show up in the final film, or if he'll just fade away unexplained.

Fed Up with Wordpress? 25 Great Alternatives for Wordpress..Jump over Now..

 

Being the most popular blog publishing application, WordPress caters to all bloggers and web developers alike. As an open source Content Management System (CMS), powered by Php and MySQL it has many features including a plug-in architecture and a template system.   But it may not cater to some specific needs. There is no harm in trying a new software or cms so we should be open to other possibilities and try other alternatives and solutions to blogging.

So here, I will share other recommended CMS that would also allow you to use many options and features. But alongside before picking up a right CMS remember to carefully check out for pro’s and con’s of particular system which will be used for your blogging or business.

1. Tumblr

Pros: Clean, fast and easy-to-use. You can choose from the various prebuilt page themes, according to your taste. This “miniblog” features mobile posting and viewing, support for videos and several types of feeds.

Cons: No comment feature.

2. Expression Engine

Pros: intuitive back-end interface for easy content editing
Cons: templating system is a bit more development intensive than some others

3. FlatPress

Pros: Clear and simple. It does not require a DataBase Management System to work. You wont be needing MySQL because it stores all of its content on text files.

Cons: Few options, such as meta tags, etc. Post URL not (directly) configurable.

4. GetSimple CMS

Pros: Truly the simplest way to manage a small-business website. XML Based, which means it doesn’t use mySQL to store information.

Cons: Missing other features like multilevel page hierarchy, plugin capability, main menu nesting for sub-pages, administration panel theme changes & code clean up. (but then again, it’s a simple CMS)

5. LifeType

Pros: Single database with multiple user capability and mobile features. User friendly interface, built-in anti-spam filter, support for trackbacks, and integrated media management.

Cons: Interface at first seems to be confusing, but since it uses smarty templates it was fairly easy to insert hints that help users get around and familiarize themselves.

6. Habari

Pros: Cutting edge technology, PHP5.2 required. It supports  both MySQL and SQLite (PostgreSQL support is planned). Apache 2.0 license, following the meritocracy principles, and has support for Apache, Lighttp and Nginx serve as well. Core developers are well respected and blog experienced.

Cons: Very young community and software, only few themes and plugins available. Apache2.0 license: sometimes discussion, decision can take ages.

7. Drupal

Pros: It’s an open source (free) with very active community of contributors. It has lots of add ons, offers downlaodable and free themes available for customization.  And not to mention, it works on many Platforms (LAMP, MAMP,WAMP)

Cons: Could use a bit more documentation at times.

8. Frog CMS

Pros: If you want something that is light-weight, fast and simple to work with Frog is the rigth choice. It is a well documented CMS and because it’s based on the popular PHP language it will be easy for most people to implement.

Cons: Because it is very basic and simple, it may only be good for photography or small type of business.

9. Serendipity

A PHP-powered weblog application which gives the user an easy way to maintain an online diary, weblog or even a complete homepage. While the default package is designed for the casual blogger, Serendipity offers a flexible, expandable and easy-to-use framework with the power for professional applications.

10.  Contao

Pros:

Formerly named as Typo, now known as Contao – a very powerful, clean and well organized. One can make very elaborate and detailed page structures, content layouts and modules that can be positioned within the system. It has an extension manager that would allow you to browse and install extensions without leaving the back end.

Cons:

Because it is overwhelmingly powerful, the layout can get pretty confusing and heavy that would cause occasional hang ups. You have to maintain the links of the theme designer or pay extra to remove them. Themes doesn’t come for free.

11. Text Pattern

This is the type of CMS that focuses mainly on content. Creating a line between content and design, users delight less advanced clients with it’s simple back-ends. Read more reviews..

12. Melody

Derived from the blogging tool Movable type, this new type of CMS is for those who find value in belonging to, supporting and contributing to a community of helpful, passionate and devoted users, but it is also for people who want a secure, proven and high quality publishing environment for their personal web site or their business.  Read more review…

13. Joomla

This is the right CMS for people who knows less about programming. The latest product strengthen its positions by solving the problems of friendly links and languages version. Read more reviews…

14. Movable Type

This CMS lets you experience superior performance, quality spam protection & sturdy architecture that allows you to customize, manage, categorize your blog and archive your content. It has Easy-To-Use Tools that lets you control the conversation. Read more reviews…

15. B2evolution

b2evolution is the ideal CMS software for various types of advanced bloggers and professionals in a blog-centric organization. Used by selected, but enthusiastic group of bloggers, the community is active and vital. Read more reviews…

16. Radiant

With this type of CMS, managing your blog is simple and straightforward. You can create pages, snippets, and layouts to form the basis of your website. The core is kept simple but still allows others to add on with extensions. Read more reviews…

17. Symphony CMS

Symphony is an open source CMS that is not only flexible, but is also an open architecture with the power of XSLT to give users complete control over every aspect of their project, from its data structures to its templating layer and everything in between. Not to mention, it has a vibrant, responsive community and 24/7 commercial support. Which makes it as viable for the demanding corporate client as it is for the hobbyist. Read more reviews…

18. Cushy CMS

It’s a good solution for designers and users alike who are look for a blog easy to use. There requires almost no instruction for the client to use if they know how to use a word processor. It is something that you will probably continue to use on a case-by-case basis. Ultimately, it will be up to my clients and I as to what CMS solution will be best for them. Read more reviews…

19. Silverstripe

This CMS is used for creating and maintaining websites. It provides a web-based administration panel that enables users to make modifications to parts of the website. This panel includes a WYSIWYG website editor. Read more reviews…

20. Concrete 5

If you want a CMS that’s super easy and functional, then this is what you need.  It’s as easy to use as WordPress, with the added bonus of being able to customize the look. Read more reviews..

21. Nucleus CMS

Nucleus CMS is an open-source blog software that is used to manage Web content that updates frequently. It’s written in PHP, and it uses a MySQL backend. Nucleus has strong core features and many plugins available for extra features. Read more reviews…

22. Posterous

Easy – the word to best describe this online micro-blogging platform and web publishing service, with an easy sign-up process and social networking for users. It also supports most of the file formats and features mobile blogging . Now blogging is breezy like sending out an email.  Read more reviews…

23. LiveJournal

This CMS lets you choose from numerous templates and lets you add your own custom CSS style sheet if you want. It also supports some changes to the HTML code in the templates if you want to customize your blog.  You can also embed your journal into your own website or create a blog from scratch. This blog service accepts posts from email enabled cell phones and from instant messaging services. You can also upload video and images. Read more reviews…

24. Blogger

Pros:

- Super Easy to use – just like sending email

- Mobile blogging, you can write articles though e-mail or your mobile.

- Upload your videos on Blogger.

- More intuitive interface (dummy proof)

- free to set up

- Easily customizable without hand coding- you can change background colors and position easily without programming knowledge

- You can earn money with the “free” blog too. (Unlike wordpress)

- Links with your Gmail account, so you don’t have to create a new account.

- No advertisements (Until you want them to be there)

- You can buy a domain and host it on blogger itself.

Cons:

- Tags indexing in search engine- the categories would not be followed by the search engines.

- The list of posts under the page is like older and newer, instead of “paging” in WordPress 1,2,3,4,5,6……100

- No related posts widget, hacks are available but no easy way.

- The navigation bar may not look so good. (Though you can remove it using CSS)

- Customization of the widgets a little complex, especially for the new user.

- No definitive way to host blogger local system.

25. Croogo

Another promising type of open source CMS with very outstanding features. It allows users to create their own type of content (default: blog, page, node), categorize contents, customize fields, manage files and attachments – to name a few. The community behind it is starting to contribute plugins and themes helping extend the core. Read more reviews…

Top 10 Interesting Facts on Las Vegas.The City of Luxury..

A wealth of unique curiosities can be discovered throughout Sin City for those travelers who like to stray off the beaten path. Below are 10 of the most offbeat attractions in Las Vegas…at least in my opinion.

ATOMIC TESTING MUSEUM
755 East Flamingo Road
The 8,000-square-foot Atomic Testing Museum traces the role the state played in the development of the United States’ atomic energy program at the Nevada Test Site. View a wealth of artifacts in the exhibition hall, check out the “Ground Zero Theater” and view vintage atomic testing film clips.

BUGSY SIEGEL MEMORIAL
Flamingo Las Vegas, 3555 Las Vegas Boulevard South
A bronze plaque memorial to legendary gangster Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel can be found in the garden at the Flamingo Las Vegas. Siegel, who founded the original Flamingo Hotel in 1946, was “whacked” in his Beverly Hills mansion in 1947.

CRAZY GIRLS SCULPTURE
Riviera Hotel & Casino, 2901 Las Vegas Boulevard South
The award-winning, “cast-from-life” bronze Crazy Girls sculpture at the entrance to the Riviera Hotel & Casino showcases the best “assets” of the talented performers who make up “Las Vegas’ Sexiest Topless Revue.” The Crazy Girls sculpture has evolved over the years into one of the most popular photo ops in Las Vegas.

KING TUT’S TOMB
Luxor Las Vegas, 3900 South Las Vegas Boulevard
Within the luxurious Luxor Las Vegas lies an exact replica of King Tutankhamun’s tomb, which was discovered by British archaeologist Howard Carter in 1922. Numerous Egyptian artifacts also can be viewed during the 15-minute self-guided walking tour.

LIBERACE MUSEUM
1775 East Tropicana Avenue
Founded in 1979, the Liberace Museum celebrates the life and music of the late, flamboyant entertainer (full name: Wladziu Valentino Liberace), who was known as “Mr. Showmanship.” View Liberace’s pianos, jewelry, costumes, custom car collection (including a hand-painted, red, white and blue Rolls-Royce convertible!), awards, antiques and more.

NEON MUSEUM
425 Fremont Street
Many of the legendary neon signs that once lined the Las Vegas Strip are on display at this fascinating outdoor museum, which lies adjacent to the Fremont Street Experience in downtown Las Vegas.

PINBALL HALL OF FAME
3330 East Tropicana Avenue
Operated by members of the Las Vegas Pinball Collectors Club, the Pinball Hall of Fame houses one of the world’s largest pinball collections. All pinball machines, which range from the 1960s to the present, are available to play (bring your quarters).

STAR TREK: THE EXPERIENCE
Las Vegas Hilton, 3000 Paradise Road
Trekkies, Klingon impersonators and thrill seekers alike will want to check out the interactive Star Trek: The Experience, which includes two lively attractions, BORG Invasion 4D and Klingon Encounter, as well as the History of the Future Museum, Quark’s Bar & Restaurant and a specialty store full of tons of collectibles and memorabilia.

WORLD’S LARGEST GAMBLING SUPERSTORE
800 South Main Street
Take home a unique souvenir of your trip to Las Vegas with a visit to the 8,000-square-foot Gamblers General Store, which features personalized poker chips, roulette wheels, blackjack tables, pai gow sets, dice, playing cards, used slot machines and much more.

WORLD’S LARGEST GIFT SHOP
2440 Las Vegas Boulevard South
Just about every type of souvenir can be found at Bonanza Gifts, which bills itself as the “World’s Largest Gift Shop” (since Guinness World Records does not have such a category, we’ll just have to take their word for it!). Whether you’re looking for tacky T-shirts, Rat Pack postcards, Minnetonka moccasins, dice bracelets or classic dealer’s visors, you’ll find it here. Celebrities who have shopped at Bonanza Gifts include Nicholas Cage, Angelina Jolie, Michael Jackson and Carrot Top.

Oldest Doamin Names of the Internet History..

So..Folks,Interested in Old Domain Names..To satisfy my curiosity, I went in search of the earliest adopters of the World Wide Web as we know it today and to my surprise there were WWW dns entries that go back as far as 1985…can you believe that…now who was browsing the internet back in 1985 (other than Al Gore). Anyways, the list below represents the 100 first domains ever registered on the internet…it includes some expected names, some unexpected names and some notable missing names. (NB. Entries registered on the same days are in random order on that day.)

1. 15-Mar-1985 SYMBOLICS.COM
2. 24-Apr-1985 BBN.COM
3. 24-May-1985 THINK.COM
4. 11-Jul-1985 MCC.COM
5. 30-Sep-1985 DEC.COM
6. 07-Nov-1985 NORTHROP.COM
7. 09-Jan-1986 XEROX.COM
8. 17-Jan-1986 SRI.COM
9. 03-Mar-1986 HP.COM
10. 05-Mar-1986 BELLCORE.COM
11. 19-Mar-1986 IBM.COM
12. 19-Mar-1986 SUN.COM
13. 25-Mar-1986 INTEL.COM
14. 25-Mar-1986 TI.COM
15. 25-Apr-1986 ATT.COM
16. 08-May-1986 GMR.COM
17. 08-May-1986 TEK.COM
18. 10-Jul-1986 FMC.COM
19. 10-Jul-1986 UB.COM
20. 05-Aug-1986 BELL-ATL.COM
21. 05-Aug-1986 GE.COM
22. 05-Aug-1986 GREBYN.COM
23. 05-Aug-1986 ISC.COM
24. 05-Aug-1986 NSC.COM
25. 05-Aug-1986 STARGATE.COM
26. 02-Sep-1986 BOEING.COM
27. 18-Sep-1986 ITCORP.COM
28. 29-Sep-1986 SIEMENS.COM
29. 18-Oct-1986 PYRAMID.COM
30. 27-Oct-1986 ALPHACDC.COM
31. 27-Oct-1986 BDM.COM
32. 27-Oct-1986 FLUKE.COM
33. 27-Oct-1986 INMET.COM
34. 27-Oct-1986 KESMAI.COM
35. 7-Oct-1986 MENTOR.COM
36. 7-Oct-1986 NEC.COM
37. 27-Oct-1986 RAY.COM
38. 27-Oct-1986 ROSEMOUNT.COM
39. 27-Oct-1986 VORTEX.COM
40. 05-Nov-1986 ALCOA.COM
41. 05-Nov-1986 GTE.COM
42. 17-Nov-1986 ADOBE.COM
43. 17-Nov-1986 AMD.COM
44. 17-Nov-1986 DAS.COM
45. 17-Nov-1986 DATA-IO.COM
46. 17-Nov-1986 OCTOPUS.COM
47. 17-Nov-1986 PORTAL.COM
48. 17-Nov-1986 TELTONE.COM
49. 11-Dec-1986 3COM.COM
50. 11-Dec-1986 AMDAHL.COM
51. 11-Dec-1986 CCUR.COM
52. 11-Dec-1986 CI.COM
53. 11-Dec-1986 CONVERGENT.COM
54. 11-Dec-1986 DG.COM
55. 11-Dec-1986 PEREGRINE.COM
56. 11-Dec-1986 QUAD.COM
57. 11-Dec-1986 SQ.COM
58. 11-Dec-1986 TANDY.COM
59. 11-Dec-1986 TTI.COM
60. 11-Dec-1986 UNISYS.COM
61. 19-Jan-1987 CGI.COM
62. 19-Jan-1987 CTS.COM
63. 19-Jan-1987 SPDCC.COM
64. 19-Feb-1987 APPLE.COM
65. 04-Mar-1987 NMA.COM
66. 04-Mar-1987 PRIME.COM
67. 04-Apr-1987 PHILIPS.COM
68. 23-Apr-1987 DATACUBE.COM
69. 23-Apr-1987 KAI.COM
70. 23-Apr-1987 TIC.COM
71. 23-Apr-1987 VINE.COM
72. 30-Apr-1987 NCR.COM
73. 14-May-1987 CISCO.COM
74. 14-May-1987 RDL.COM
75. 20-May-1987 SLB.COM
76. 27-May-1987 PARCPLACE.COM
77. 27-May-1987 UTC.COM
78. 26-Jun-1987 IDE.COM
79. 09-Jul-1987 TRW.COM
80. 13-Jul-1987 UNIPRESS.COM
81. 27-Jul-1987 DUPONT.COM
82. 27-Jul-1987 LOCKHEED.COM
83. 28-Jul-1987 ROSETTA.COM
84. 18-Aug-1987 TOAD.COM
85. 31-Aug-1987 QUICK.COM
86. 03-Sep-1987 ALLIED.COM
87. 03-Sep-1987 DSC.COM
88. 03-Sep-1987 SCO.COM
89. 22-Sep-1987 GENE.COM
90. 22-Sep-1987 KCCS.COM
91. 22-Sep-1987 SPECTRA.COM
92. 22-Sep-1987 WLK.COM
93. 30-Sep-1987 MENTAT.COM
94. 14-Oct-1987 WYSE.COM
95. 02-Nov-1987 CFG.COM
96. 09-Nov-1987 MARBLE.COM
97. 16-Nov-1987 CAYMAN.COM
97. 16-Nov-1987 ENTITY.COM
99. 24-Nov-1987 KSR.COM
100. 30-Nov-1987 NYNEXST.COM

The Man With a Golden Voice.."The Story and Tragedy of Tred Williams"..

 

On Monday, a simple YouTube video of a panhandling homeless man was viewed 300 times. By Thursday, the video of the man “with a golden voice” had over 7.5 million hits.

Suddenly discovered and famous, with visits to the Today Show, Jay Leno, Jimmy Fallon, and Ellen, Ted Williams, the name behind the voice, was by all accounts very lucky. A well-spoken man in his fifties with a history of drug abuse and troubles with the law, Williams has been homeless since the early nineties, when he lost his job and could no longer contend with living in society.

Starting with his first arrest in 1995, his rap sheet grew through the years, with mug shots showing a gaunt and unkempt Williams. His arrest record is littered with a litany of thefts, forgery, drug possession, robbery and escape.

Since the story broke, Williams has been deluged with offers from the likes of the Cleveland Cavalier’s basketball team, Kraft Macaroni and Cheese, a multitude of voice-over offers from as far away as Hawaii, and an unexpected role to portray Wolf Man Jack in an upcoming movie.

Williams has already accepted the offer from the Cavaliers to be the team’s announcer, where along with salary, the team is offering a home mortgage. His own home, after all these years in homeless shelters, jail or a $5 tent he shared with his friend Vick, seems almost inconceivable to Williams. Not without a sense of humor, he joked that they were going to give him (LeBron) James’s old house.

It’s a rags-to-riches story that we all want to hear, hoping for his ultimate success, but with a background in addiction, the outcome is uncertain. Appearing on the Today Show, while speaking with a show-provided therapist, he asked, "Is there something I can take for my nerves?” Quickly realizing that, with his addictive behavior, this was not an option, the psychologist recommended he “meditate, not medicate.”

Williams, who hasn't seen his mother in over twenty years, was reunited with her for an emotional reunion on the Today Show, where he introduced the show with the trademark, "From NBC News, this is Today, live from studio 1A."  Welcome back to broadcasting, Mr. Williams.

Funny and Serious Ramp Walk Fails to Remember..The Shortcut to Success.