For those of you lacking in experience with seventies progressive rock, Yes is the place to be when delving into the genre. Coming from across the pond they brought with them a dynamic sense of what rock is all about. From their multi-movement songwriting style to their odd time signatures and instrumental virtuosity their approach is hard to mimic for both its simplicity and its infusion of raw talent.
I found out today that Yes makes for very good programming music when I finished off a project for my Applied Algorithms class to their Ultimate Yes CD. Even their greatest hits is composed as an album rather than as a collection of songs, kind of like Pink Floyd's Echoes. James really introduced me to them when he randomly started dancing to "Roundabout" one evening and then let me rip their album(s).
I go through moods every once in awhile where I just can't get enough of "Starship Trooper," "Your Move," "Time and a Word," et al.
I'm sorry for the boring blogging delay. Sometimes, I am too busy living life to actively talk about it. You should listen to Yes regardless of my boring thoughts.
Monday, September 10, 2007
Thursday, August 16, 2007
Dr. Teeth and The Electric Mayhem
For those of you who don't know, Jim Henson and the Muppets have a special place in my heart. I've been watching them in some form for most of my life since my parents first turned on Sesame Street for me. The colorful, animated characters have such an innocence in their character and their humor, and the effect they have on people reminds me a lot of the same way Charles Schulz was with his Peanuts. These simple characters reveal more about human nature and the meaning of life in the way they act and the jokes they tell than we are willing to admit sometimes, and it's very refreshing to me.
The Muppet Show was a television variety show hosted by some of Henson's most famous creations: Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Statler & Waldorf, and the like. It was much like the late night variety shows of its day and ours with the host having a skit or routine of some sort and then having celebrity guests come on to promote something or perform something or just get some exposure. Like other variety shows, the Muppet Show also had its own house band for keeping the audience entertained, interacting with the host, and backing up other musical performers who appear. Unlike other variety shows, each player was a send-up of some famous band, player, or personality in the business. Their collective name was: Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem.
The band was led by Dr Teeth, who was controlled by Henson and was a direct send-up of famous performer, Dr. John. It included Zoot, a mellow saxophone player; Janice, the hippie lead-guitarist and female hipster presence in the band; Sgt. Floyd Pepper, a pink-skinned bass player who was the show's king of cool (He was both a Pink Floyd and a Sgt. Pepper; hilarious!); and Animal, the id of every drummer with his out of control drum solos and rhythm patterns (He was played by Frank Oz, who also did Yoda in Star Wars; Wacky, no?).
Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem represent the amazing creativity and ingenuity of Jim Henson's creature shop and their presence in pop culture was even enough to warrant a Robot Chicken skit where there was a mock VH1 Behind the Music show was made about them.
The Muppet Show was a television variety show hosted by some of Henson's most famous creations: Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Statler & Waldorf, and the like. It was much like the late night variety shows of its day and ours with the host having a skit or routine of some sort and then having celebrity guests come on to promote something or perform something or just get some exposure. Like other variety shows, the Muppet Show also had its own house band for keeping the audience entertained, interacting with the host, and backing up other musical performers who appear. Unlike other variety shows, each player was a send-up of some famous band, player, or personality in the business. Their collective name was: Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem.
The band was led by Dr Teeth, who was controlled by Henson and was a direct send-up of famous performer, Dr. John. It included Zoot, a mellow saxophone player; Janice, the hippie lead-guitarist and female hipster presence in the band; Sgt. Floyd Pepper, a pink-skinned bass player who was the show's king of cool (He was both a Pink Floyd and a Sgt. Pepper; hilarious!); and Animal, the id of every drummer with his out of control drum solos and rhythm patterns (He was played by Frank Oz, who also did Yoda in Star Wars; Wacky, no?).
Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem represent the amazing creativity and ingenuity of Jim Henson's creature shop and their presence in pop culture was even enough to warrant a Robot Chicken skit where there was a mock VH1 Behind the Music show was made about them.
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Homestar Runner
Homestar Runner is one of the most brilliant flash animation sites to be spawned in the wild, overgrown creativity fields of the internet. It was originally a children's story idea by two very creative brothers from Atlanta, Mike and Matt Chapman, but it has grown far beyond its original scope to become its own little full-fledged universe with animated updates of some kind nearly every week.
The brilliance is truly centered on the characters. Each one is fully fleshed out and well-developed enough to host their own series on another site, but that doesn't stop the creators from using no less than a dozen of them regularly. You have your straight-man and resident idiot/athlete, Homestar Runner; your arch-rival and doer of no good, Strong Bad; your intelligent hippie and girlfriend of Homestar, Marzipan; your evil sidekick and small furry thing, the Cheat; and the list goes on and on. My personal favorite is a man in an orange shirt named Bubs who is a con-man capitalist to the core. He runs a local convenience store and is always trying to sell the locals' stuff back to them at inflated prices.
A big part of the site is a regular segment called Strong Bad Emails, where Strong Bad answers an email from the week in a humorous fashion. They almost always involve some clever animation and music to illustrate some side adventure that is spawned from the text the email. The most famous example is a music video about a dragon, Trogdor, that terrorizes a medieval town which was spawned from a request to Strong Bad to show how good of an artist he is.
I'm sure most of have run across this gem of a site at one point or another, but if you haven't ever been there, you should. These guys were good enough to turn down deals with both Cartoon Network and Comedy Central to keep complete control of their animation for their site.
The brilliance is truly centered on the characters. Each one is fully fleshed out and well-developed enough to host their own series on another site, but that doesn't stop the creators from using no less than a dozen of them regularly. You have your straight-man and resident idiot/athlete, Homestar Runner; your arch-rival and doer of no good, Strong Bad; your intelligent hippie and girlfriend of Homestar, Marzipan; your evil sidekick and small furry thing, the Cheat; and the list goes on and on. My personal favorite is a man in an orange shirt named Bubs who is a con-man capitalist to the core. He runs a local convenience store and is always trying to sell the locals' stuff back to them at inflated prices.
A big part of the site is a regular segment called Strong Bad Emails, where Strong Bad answers an email from the week in a humorous fashion. They almost always involve some clever animation and music to illustrate some side adventure that is spawned from the text the email. The most famous example is a music video about a dragon, Trogdor, that terrorizes a medieval town which was spawned from a request to Strong Bad to show how good of an artist he is.
I'm sure most of have run across this gem of a site at one point or another, but if you haven't ever been there, you should. These guys were good enough to turn down deals with both Cartoon Network and Comedy Central to keep complete control of their animation for their site.
Monday, August 13, 2007
Radical Evolution
As I sit here with my new external hard drive backing up my files, I'm going to try and bang out some thoughts about Radical Evolution.
To start off, it was a pretty good book. It was chock full of incredibly interesting information which will change the way you think about the world. I can not wait to discuss this book in class for I am sure it will spawn some excellent debates about the direction and future of what it means to be human. Technology is rapidly changing our definition of human with the advent of artificial intelligence, gene therapy, and other super technologies, and Mr. Garreau knows this and wants to tell you about it before its too late and your caught by the impending tidal wave of the technological revolution!
What Mr. Garreau does not know is how to stay on topic for more than a page or two. I was very interested in what he was writing, but he moved from one anecdote to another to another with seemingly no connection between them. It was difficult to stay interested for more than ten or fifteen pages at a time unfortunately, which was a shame considering the gravity of his message. I made it though, and I'm glad I persevered.
It actually feels good to do summer reading for a class, but it is now time to move on to something hopefully more entertaining. I've been avoiding reading Pride and Prejudice since I tried reading the first two chapters of it for class in the tenth grade. I still managed a strong B on all the tests and quizzes involving it, but I avoided reading it once I realized what it was about. Well, I'm back to it now. As a favor to Kelsey I am going to buck up and give it another go. I am reserving my impressions, thoughts, critiques, and judgments until it is completed, but I can already tell you I will be passionate one way or another about this book, and I am only ten chapters into it.
I will say one thing though, Mr. Bennett is the hero of the novel. If he does not wind up being the true hero, he will always be my hero.
To start off, it was a pretty good book. It was chock full of incredibly interesting information which will change the way you think about the world. I can not wait to discuss this book in class for I am sure it will spawn some excellent debates about the direction and future of what it means to be human. Technology is rapidly changing our definition of human with the advent of artificial intelligence, gene therapy, and other super technologies, and Mr. Garreau knows this and wants to tell you about it before its too late and your caught by the impending tidal wave of the technological revolution!
What Mr. Garreau does not know is how to stay on topic for more than a page or two. I was very interested in what he was writing, but he moved from one anecdote to another to another with seemingly no connection between them. It was difficult to stay interested for more than ten or fifteen pages at a time unfortunately, which was a shame considering the gravity of his message. I made it though, and I'm glad I persevered.
It actually feels good to do summer reading for a class, but it is now time to move on to something hopefully more entertaining. I've been avoiding reading Pride and Prejudice since I tried reading the first two chapters of it for class in the tenth grade. I still managed a strong B on all the tests and quizzes involving it, but I avoided reading it once I realized what it was about. Well, I'm back to it now. As a favor to Kelsey I am going to buck up and give it another go. I am reserving my impressions, thoughts, critiques, and judgments until it is completed, but I can already tell you I will be passionate one way or another about this book, and I am only ten chapters into it.
I will say one thing though, Mr. Bennett is the hero of the novel. If he does not wind up being the true hero, he will always be my hero.
Sunday, August 12, 2007
The Bourne Ultimatum
Summer is a great season to catch up on movies. I really enjoy going the theater with friends for the overall quality of the shared experience. Like any technophile, I love me some gorgeous, widescreen DLP projection and humongous digital surround sound systems, but I also love the joy of the shared experience; the banter, the thrills, the jokes, and being able to look over and have a shared "could you believe how amazing that was!?"
In short, The Bourne Ultimatum was the best of the series. I saw the Identity on DVD over at a friend's house, and really enjoyed it. Afterwards I went to the theaters and saw the Supremacy, and left feelig nauseous from the drunk they pulled off the street to operate the camera for the movie. The plot was as good as the first one, but all of the "pulse-pounding" action sequences were impossible to follow for the camera's out-of-focus jittering. The Ultimatum had the best plotline of the series, and they toned down the swaggering, hand-cam action enough to where the action scenes could be enjoyed without a side order of tylonal for the headache.
The conclusion was tense all the way to the thrilling end, and all loose ends were tied up much better than in other unmentionable movies *cough*Matrix*cough*. I've always liked some FBI/CIA intrigue and Jason Bourne did not disappoint.
I also finally finished Radical Evolution! W00t! With only one week to go until classes, my summer reading is finally done! I'll probably post my impressions of it next. Next on the reading list is Pride & Prejudice.
In short, The Bourne Ultimatum was the best of the series. I saw the Identity on DVD over at a friend's house, and really enjoyed it. Afterwards I went to the theaters and saw the Supremacy, and left feelig nauseous from the drunk they pulled off the street to operate the camera for the movie. The plot was as good as the first one, but all of the "pulse-pounding" action sequences were impossible to follow for the camera's out-of-focus jittering. The Ultimatum had the best plotline of the series, and they toned down the swaggering, hand-cam action enough to where the action scenes could be enjoyed without a side order of tylonal for the headache.
The conclusion was tense all the way to the thrilling end, and all loose ends were tied up much better than in other unmentionable movies *cough*Matrix*cough*. I've always liked some FBI/CIA intrigue and Jason Bourne did not disappoint.
I also finally finished Radical Evolution! W00t! With only one week to go until classes, my summer reading is finally done! I'll probably post my impressions of it next. Next on the reading list is Pride & Prejudice.
Friday, August 10, 2007
The Simpsons Movie
Last night, Brian and I went to see The Simpsons Movie. I was hoping that it would be as good as everyone has said its going to be, and I was not let down. The humor was nonstop and took many different forms. From sarcastic shots at the political process to bizarre sight-gags only possible in the cartoon medium, this movie was fully loaded with everything you could expect from the ever-witty cartoon. At an hour and a half, it was the perfect length to satisfy your humor pallet without leaving you bored before the end.
This is the movie that has endured such marketing hypes as officially declaring the state of residence of the town of Springfield (it's in Vermont, but in the vote Illinois ran a close second) and converting eleven 7-11s into fully functioning Kwik-E Marts, complete with Buzz Cola, KrustyO's, and Squishees. Clearly, this was not going to be an ordinary movie. When critics confirmed the validity of the enormous pitch given this movie with their 89% Rotten Tomatoes rating, you are looking at a movie you just can not miss if you've ever mildly enjoyed the cartoon.
Oh, and for the record, my favorite parts are always the ones that involve Homer and Bart. There is something magical about their send-up of an American father-and-son relationship that always makes me giggle, chuckle, or downright guffaw.
This is the movie that has endured such marketing hypes as officially declaring the state of residence of the town of Springfield (it's in Vermont, but in the vote Illinois ran a close second) and converting eleven 7-11s into fully functioning Kwik-E Marts, complete with Buzz Cola, KrustyO's, and Squishees. Clearly, this was not going to be an ordinary movie. When critics confirmed the validity of the enormous pitch given this movie with their 89% Rotten Tomatoes rating, you are looking at a movie you just can not miss if you've ever mildly enjoyed the cartoon.
Oh, and for the record, my favorite parts are always the ones that involve Homer and Bart. There is something magical about their send-up of an American father-and-son relationship that always makes me giggle, chuckle, or downright guffaw.
Thursday, August 9, 2007
756
So apparently, yesterday, Barry Bonds passed Hank Aaron's all-time record. Bud Selig and Hank Aaron weren't there. I guess people expected another slump like the one before number 755. I wonder how Mike Bacsik, the Nationals' pitcher who sent that poor fastball across the plate, is feeling right now. I don't think I would be feeling too badly if I was a major league pitcher, but I also would have walked Bonds on principle when he came up to the plate.
Beyond the actual breaking of the record, it makes you wonder what it really represents for the sport as a whole. The Onion, oddly enough, summed up my thoughts pretty well with its headline this morning: "Destruction Of National Pastime Given Two-Minute Standing Ovation." I don't appreciate what Barry Bonds represents to the sport of baseball. He is enhanced mechanically with his elbow pad which can perform a sort of physics magic trick to help him hit home runs, and he more than likely has been enhanced biologically with horse steroids which is evident when you track his stats and physique throughout the years.
You can call me a conservative loony and say that physical enhancements through technology is the future of humanity (Dr. Garner), but in the realm of sports, I believe technology should be highly regulated to ensure fairness and actual skill remain key factors in the competition. Beyond this, the sport becomes a three-ring circus where anyone with the money and the gumption can participate.
I honestly wish it could have been Griffey breaking the record right now. I've liked him nearly all of my life.
There is a silver lining though. A-Rod is on his way in a drug-free manner (for right now). As much as I despise rooting for the Yankees, I will gladly celebrate when Bonds is usurped by raw talent and incredible skill.
Beyond the actual breaking of the record, it makes you wonder what it really represents for the sport as a whole. The Onion, oddly enough, summed up my thoughts pretty well with its headline this morning: "Destruction Of National Pastime Given Two-Minute Standing Ovation." I don't appreciate what Barry Bonds represents to the sport of baseball. He is enhanced mechanically with his elbow pad which can perform a sort of physics magic trick to help him hit home runs, and he more than likely has been enhanced biologically with horse steroids which is evident when you track his stats and physique throughout the years.
You can call me a conservative loony and say that physical enhancements through technology is the future of humanity (Dr. Garner), but in the realm of sports, I believe technology should be highly regulated to ensure fairness and actual skill remain key factors in the competition. Beyond this, the sport becomes a three-ring circus where anyone with the money and the gumption can participate.
I honestly wish it could have been Griffey breaking the record right now. I've liked him nearly all of my life.
There is a silver lining though. A-Rod is on his way in a drug-free manner (for right now). As much as I despise rooting for the Yankees, I will gladly celebrate when Bonds is usurped by raw talent and incredible skill.
The Movies
The Movies isn't trying to convey any moral message like our previous entry, the apocalyptic Defcon. Instead it seeks to show you the dynamics of running your own movie studio, starting in circa 1925. You must construct business buildings, sets, and other supporting facilities and use them to hire your writers, directors, cast, crew, and supporting staff. Then you direct your staff to make the aforementioned movies in one of five genres: action, horror, sci-fi, romance, and comedy.
Movie quality, and how well it does in the box office and the awards ceremonies, is determined by how good the script is, how skilled the actors and directors are in the genre, how good the actors' and directors' relationships are with each other, how big a star the actors and director are, how skilled the crew is, how well repaired the set is, how much interest the audience has in the genre, and how novel the set or genre is. Quite a lot, huh? It allows you to use several different means to achieve making a good movie.
Actors and directors are interesting creatures in and of themselves. Their appeal is based on their image (fashion, looks, physique), star power, and salary. Interestingly enough, it is not based on their talent in various genres, talent just serves as a means to gain star power which is received upon making a good movie. This, I think, is pretty good commentary on the status of Hollywood today.
There's more than I can really cover in a blog post. The game has several more features which I could go into detail on, including the ability to allow you to make and upload your own movies to the internet, and the ability to customize the costumes and appearance of your actors and directors. It all reminds me a bit of the Sims, but instead of being so open-ended, it gives you a goal to work towards and many different ways to get there.
Once again, its another very tempting $20 game.
Movie quality, and how well it does in the box office and the awards ceremonies, is determined by how good the script is, how skilled the actors and directors are in the genre, how good the actors' and directors' relationships are with each other, how big a star the actors and director are, how skilled the crew is, how well repaired the set is, how much interest the audience has in the genre, and how novel the set or genre is. Quite a lot, huh? It allows you to use several different means to achieve making a good movie.
Actors and directors are interesting creatures in and of themselves. Their appeal is based on their image (fashion, looks, physique), star power, and salary. Interestingly enough, it is not based on their talent in various genres, talent just serves as a means to gain star power which is received upon making a good movie. This, I think, is pretty good commentary on the status of Hollywood today.
There's more than I can really cover in a blog post. The game has several more features which I could go into detail on, including the ability to allow you to make and upload your own movies to the internet, and the ability to customize the costumes and appearance of your actors and directors. It all reminds me a bit of the Sims, but instead of being so open-ended, it gives you a goal to work towards and many different ways to get there.
Once again, its another very tempting $20 game.
Wednesday, August 8, 2007
Defcon
Another one of the computer game demos I played that was among the cream of the crop was Defcon, a quirky little game where you re-enact the 1980's movie, Wargames. In the game you must take control your world superpowers strategic nuclear weapons in an escalating struggle to annihilate as much of the opposing superpowers' population as you can while defending your own precious civilians. The game progresses in a series of stages ranging from the peaceful Defcon 5, wherein you merely deploy your units and jockey for alliances, to the chaotic Defcon 1, in which LRBMs, Long-Range-Ballistic-Missiles, can finally be fired from your missile silos to attack any spot on the map.
Strategic forces at your command include the aforementioned missile silos, airbases where you from which you can launch nuke-carrying bombers or scout/patrol/intercept fighters, radar facilities for easily locating units attacking your territory, and naval fleets which in themselves contain a mixed bag of battleships (ship/air attack/defense), missile subs (Medium-Range-Ballistic-Missile Launchers), and aircraft carriers (mobile, water-born airbases which also have sub-hunting capabilities).
The elements of this game are simple and easy to learn, but the dynamics of play, even against an AI opponent, are incredible to watch unfold. I am sorely tempted to buy the full version so that I can play against up to six opponents (North America, South America, Africa, Europe, Soviet Union, Middle-East/East Asia) in a game of worldwide nuclear conflict.
This game obviously is walking a fine line in between being a strategic masterpiece and depicting a human tragedy on a level unseen in the annals of history in a manner just a little too realistically for some people. I am of the opinion that it is a gem of a game, but I understand the validity of the other side's argument. Fortunately, nothing like this has happened in the past, and hopefully nothing ever will in the future.
The icing on the cake is an advertised mode called Office mode, in which the game plays out over an extremely slow time scale. Unlike the regular 45 minutes to an hour and a half, the game takes place over the span of eight to nine hours and allows you to make key strategic decisions by only checking for a minute every fifteen to thirty minutes. The realistic time frame and long thinking times make this mode a hardcore strategist's wet dream. I only wish I could be in an environment where I could play a game properly in that mode.
Strategic forces at your command include the aforementioned missile silos, airbases where you from which you can launch nuke-carrying bombers or scout/patrol/intercept fighters, radar facilities for easily locating units attacking your territory, and naval fleets which in themselves contain a mixed bag of battleships (ship/air attack/defense), missile subs (Medium-Range-Ballistic-Missile Launchers), and aircraft carriers (mobile, water-born airbases which also have sub-hunting capabilities).
The elements of this game are simple and easy to learn, but the dynamics of play, even against an AI opponent, are incredible to watch unfold. I am sorely tempted to buy the full version so that I can play against up to six opponents (North America, South America, Africa, Europe, Soviet Union, Middle-East/East Asia) in a game of worldwide nuclear conflict.
This game obviously is walking a fine line in between being a strategic masterpiece and depicting a human tragedy on a level unseen in the annals of history in a manner just a little too realistically for some people. I am of the opinion that it is a gem of a game, but I understand the validity of the other side's argument. Fortunately, nothing like this has happened in the past, and hopefully nothing ever will in the future.
The icing on the cake is an advertised mode called Office mode, in which the game plays out over an extremely slow time scale. Unlike the regular 45 minutes to an hour and a half, the game takes place over the span of eight to nine hours and allows you to make key strategic decisions by only checking for a minute every fifteen to thirty minutes. The realistic time frame and long thinking times make this mode a hardcore strategist's wet dream. I only wish I could be in an environment where I could play a game properly in that mode.
Tuesday, August 7, 2007
Psychonauts
I'm sorry for the brief delay. I've become enraptured with the new video card I just installed. It is the first time I've played video games on my computer since the beginning of summer, and what fun it was!
Via the wonders of the Steam delivery service, I downloaded eight game demos to sample and play to wet my appetite for serious gaming again. I downloaded those games that people always told me were good, but that I never had time to check out. They will probably make for a series of posts.
One of the best of them, was the action/adventure/platformer Psychonauts. It is a game by legendary designer Tim Schafer whose credits include several huge hits from the golden era of adventure gaming: Grim Fandango, the Full Throttle series, and the Adventure Island series. Now I am a fan of old school adventure games because they combine two of my favorite aspects of entertainment: extremely humorous and well-written plotlines and puzzle-solving. Psychonauts isn't quite along those lines, but it is a gem in its own right. It is a 3d platformer with an incredibly creative plotline and a beautiful environment. In the game you play the role of a talented psychonaut, Raz (short for Rasputin), who is charged with diving into other people's minds and helping them sort out their mental problems. Along the way you become a more powerful psychonaut and gain access to new abilities which help you complete each level, collecting all of the various doodads and achievements along the way.
This is a gorgeous and mostly overlooked game from the past few years which I am contemplating going back to play more than just the demo. I would need a good gamepad, but the cost on Steam was only $20 to download and play without the CD.
Of course, none of this could happen without Harding being kind enough to start allowing Steam through their firewall last year. Before that, I don't know what I would've done.
Via the wonders of the Steam delivery service, I downloaded eight game demos to sample and play to wet my appetite for serious gaming again. I downloaded those games that people always told me were good, but that I never had time to check out. They will probably make for a series of posts.
One of the best of them, was the action/adventure/platformer Psychonauts. It is a game by legendary designer Tim Schafer whose credits include several huge hits from the golden era of adventure gaming: Grim Fandango, the Full Throttle series, and the Adventure Island series. Now I am a fan of old school adventure games because they combine two of my favorite aspects of entertainment: extremely humorous and well-written plotlines and puzzle-solving. Psychonauts isn't quite along those lines, but it is a gem in its own right. It is a 3d platformer with an incredibly creative plotline and a beautiful environment. In the game you play the role of a talented psychonaut, Raz (short for Rasputin), who is charged with diving into other people's minds and helping them sort out their mental problems. Along the way you become a more powerful psychonaut and gain access to new abilities which help you complete each level, collecting all of the various doodads and achievements along the way.
This is a gorgeous and mostly overlooked game from the past few years which I am contemplating going back to play more than just the demo. I would need a good gamepad, but the cost on Steam was only $20 to download and play without the CD.
Of course, none of this could happen without Harding being kind enough to start allowing Steam through their firewall last year. Before that, I don't know what I would've done.
Friday, August 3, 2007
Weekly World News News
As a follow-up to my previous post mentioning the Weekly World News, here is an update on the WWN. It seems as if the Weekly World News will have to be signing off after its colored (black-and-white actually, but you know what I mean), 28-year history. To quote one headline writer, "Weekly World News Faces Own Apocalypse!"
While most of the world thinks that is about the correct level of sentiment for the occasion, I will truly miss the WWN. I will probably have to ceremonially buy the last issue at the end of August to commemorate such a fine establishment of the printed press. It has entertained me for years in supermarket checkout isles, always providing a bright and cheery face compared to the trashy celebrity tabloids. It was a tabloid with heart, and I will miss its weekly updates on such riveting stories such as the antics of live, dead, or undead Elvis, or new sitings of religious figures in everyday objects, or the progress of Batboy in his hunt for Osama Bin Laden.
R.I.P. WWN
While most of the world thinks that is about the correct level of sentiment for the occasion, I will truly miss the WWN. I will probably have to ceremonially buy the last issue at the end of August to commemorate such a fine establishment of the printed press. It has entertained me for years in supermarket checkout isles, always providing a bright and cheery face compared to the trashy celebrity tabloids. It was a tabloid with heart, and I will miss its weekly updates on such riveting stories such as the antics of live, dead, or undead Elvis, or new sitings of religious figures in everyday objects, or the progress of Batboy in his hunt for Osama Bin Laden.
R.I.P. WWN
Thursday, August 2, 2007
This American Life
Podcasting truly is a weakness of mine. I have downloaded way more podcasts than I will ever be able to listen to, but I have a terrible time convincing myself to erase them from my hard drive. Sampling various podcasts has been a wonderful experience though, and it makes me sad for the poor, forgotten genre of the radio show. They used to be the big thing for people to listen to, but ever since the television was invented, they have slowly been dying off.
A good example of a podcast that really makes me appreciate the genre is the podcast of This American Life. This American Life is produced in Chicago and distributed as part of the NPR network. It is a weekly, hour-long program which tells the types of story that you never hear about in the mainstream news. It tells stories and gives biographies of individuals who don't seek to have their story told and usually gain little attention in life outside of their daily hustle and bustle.
I have only listened to two episodes, but already I am addicted to this podcast. The first episode was about the developmentally disabled. They told the story of a group that teaches the mentally handicapped how to be journalists and takes them on a cross-country road trip interviewing anyone they could find. They also told the story of a small child with multiple personality disorder that alternated between being the sweetest child you could find and a little devil, wanton for destruction. The way they conducted their interviews and played archival recordings for you painted very vivid pictures of these peoples' lives, and they made you think very hard about your own in the process.
The first episode really wet my appetite for another, and the second episode did not let me down. It was titled Man versus History and told another two stories about incredible individuals. One of them was about an ordinary citizen who traveled to Iraq on his own time and money and met with local leaders trying to broke a peace between Coalition and Resistance forces. He had no experience in diplomacy or policy-making, he was just a concerned citizen doing what he could to help his nation. The second story was even better than the first. It was about a CIA operative working undercover in Cold War Czechoslovakia. He becomes the interest of a woman in a bar one night and he quickly discovers that she is a Czech secret service worker for the Communist party. Their respective agencies play them against one another trying to gather useful intelligence while they are forced to confront the fact that there may be something actually happening between them besides well-scripted scenarios of their personal lives being played out on hidden infrared cameras and tape recorders. It was a very moving story and it had me hooked all the way through the end in a way that television rarely gets to me.
I don't know what it is about Cold War spy love stories. Barring James Bond, I think they are some of the coolest stories told because of their many social, emotional, and psychological facets. It makes me hope that the Cold War era spy will become as wonderfully romanticized as the quintessential pirate, ninja, robot, dinosaur, or some combination thereof.
You really should try to listen to this show at least once. It is incredibly good, and it would be well worth your time.
A good example of a podcast that really makes me appreciate the genre is the podcast of This American Life. This American Life is produced in Chicago and distributed as part of the NPR network. It is a weekly, hour-long program which tells the types of story that you never hear about in the mainstream news. It tells stories and gives biographies of individuals who don't seek to have their story told and usually gain little attention in life outside of their daily hustle and bustle.
I have only listened to two episodes, but already I am addicted to this podcast. The first episode was about the developmentally disabled. They told the story of a group that teaches the mentally handicapped how to be journalists and takes them on a cross-country road trip interviewing anyone they could find. They also told the story of a small child with multiple personality disorder that alternated between being the sweetest child you could find and a little devil, wanton for destruction. The way they conducted their interviews and played archival recordings for you painted very vivid pictures of these peoples' lives, and they made you think very hard about your own in the process.
The first episode really wet my appetite for another, and the second episode did not let me down. It was titled Man versus History and told another two stories about incredible individuals. One of them was about an ordinary citizen who traveled to Iraq on his own time and money and met with local leaders trying to broke a peace between Coalition and Resistance forces. He had no experience in diplomacy or policy-making, he was just a concerned citizen doing what he could to help his nation. The second story was even better than the first. It was about a CIA operative working undercover in Cold War Czechoslovakia. He becomes the interest of a woman in a bar one night and he quickly discovers that she is a Czech secret service worker for the Communist party. Their respective agencies play them against one another trying to gather useful intelligence while they are forced to confront the fact that there may be something actually happening between them besides well-scripted scenarios of their personal lives being played out on hidden infrared cameras and tape recorders. It was a very moving story and it had me hooked all the way through the end in a way that television rarely gets to me.
I don't know what it is about Cold War spy love stories. Barring James Bond, I think they are some of the coolest stories told because of their many social, emotional, and psychological facets. It makes me hope that the Cold War era spy will become as wonderfully romanticized as the quintessential pirate, ninja, robot, dinosaur, or some combination thereof.
You really should try to listen to this show at least once. It is incredibly good, and it would be well worth your time.
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Numb3rs
Pretty much the only network television show that I watch with any regularity is Friday night's Numb3rs. Despite the minor aggravation of typing a numeric digit into the title of the show, it has captured my attention and warmed over the cockles of my heart. The basis of the show is the relationship between two brothers. The first one, Don Eppes, is an FBI agent who fights crime with his gun and his wits. The second one, Charlie Eppes, is a math professor at CalSci who fights crime with his chalkboard and his brains. Together with their retired father, Alan Eppes, they make up an eccentric, humorous, and brilliant family.
Besides the family dynamics, the true shining aspect of this show, is the way it presents its mathematical side. Charlie's work is actual math that is being portrayed in a realistic manner! I have seen almost all of the episodes of the first three seasons (my parents are kind enough to buy them for me on DVD when they come out every year), and I find the unique blend of crime drama, nerdy antics, and character humor to be as seductive as when I first heard about the show.
I do have one complaint though, and that is that they got rid of my favorite character, Charlie's intellectual cohort, physicist Larry Fleinart. Larry is the epitome of an entertaining and well-developed side character. He is a physicist, but he always voices his belief that the universe and existance is much bigger than the science we currently use to describe it. He gets motion sickness and believes in eating all-white food for aesthetic reasons, yet he also took up living in between his car and the sewer system of CalSci at one point. Larry provided of semi-foil to Charlie's exuberant empiricism. He was his colleague and his friend and often helped him with a human insight that Charlie was over-looking in his rush to solve the problem.
They eventually wrote Larry off of the show by sending him into space on the show. Not being content with just having him mysteriously disappear, they sent him him into orbit in style, with the help of two famous Johns. Guest star, John Glenn, was called in to escort him from the FBI building to the NASA training facility and a few strains of Elton John's timeless classic "Rocketman" were used in an emotional scene where the characters watch the space shuttle supposedly carrying eccentric Larry Fleinart on his existential mission to slip the surly bonds of earth and somehow touch the face of God. It was quite beautiful.
If you even remotely have an interest in math or crime dramas and you have never seen this show, I heartily recommend it.
Besides the family dynamics, the true shining aspect of this show, is the way it presents its mathematical side. Charlie's work is actual math that is being portrayed in a realistic manner! I have seen almost all of the episodes of the first three seasons (my parents are kind enough to buy them for me on DVD when they come out every year), and I find the unique blend of crime drama, nerdy antics, and character humor to be as seductive as when I first heard about the show.
I do have one complaint though, and that is that they got rid of my favorite character, Charlie's intellectual cohort, physicist Larry Fleinart. Larry is the epitome of an entertaining and well-developed side character. He is a physicist, but he always voices his belief that the universe and existance is much bigger than the science we currently use to describe it. He gets motion sickness and believes in eating all-white food for aesthetic reasons, yet he also took up living in between his car and the sewer system of CalSci at one point. Larry provided of semi-foil to Charlie's exuberant empiricism. He was his colleague and his friend and often helped him with a human insight that Charlie was over-looking in his rush to solve the problem.
They eventually wrote Larry off of the show by sending him into space on the show. Not being content with just having him mysteriously disappear, they sent him him into orbit in style, with the help of two famous Johns. Guest star, John Glenn, was called in to escort him from the FBI building to the NASA training facility and a few strains of Elton John's timeless classic "Rocketman" were used in an emotional scene where the characters watch the space shuttle supposedly carrying eccentric Larry Fleinart on his existential mission to slip the surly bonds of earth and somehow touch the face of God. It was quite beautiful.
If you even remotely have an interest in math or crime dramas and you have never seen this show, I heartily recommend it.
Empire at War
Last night, I got to go back and play one of my favorite computer games of all time, Star Wars: Empire at War. It is a real-time strategy game (RTS) where you build and manage units of troops or ships, telling them to attack enemies, defend positions, scout for resources, or other various commands. What makes Empire at War so great, is that it is Star Wars, and it is done correctly. It was made by a group of guys called Petroglyph who used to work for Westwood studios on the Command and Conquer games. They brought Empire at War to a level of class and polish that was previously unseen in other Star Wars RTS titles.
The reason this game is so much fun, is because it feels like Star Wars. The space combat segment (what I played last night) has a simple strategy system that is lots of fun to execute. Fighters beat Capitol Ships, Capitol Ships beat Picket Ships, and Picket Ships beat Fighters. However, numerous little intricacies make the game come alive. Rebel capitol ships have the ability to augment their shields at a time of need, Imperial Capitol Ships have a tractor beam that keeps picket ships from running away, Rebel fighters can increase their speed temporarily at the cost of their firepower, and so on. All-in-all, this makes for a very dynamic battle.
Other than playing this addicting game, what sweetened the deal was getting to do so with my former and future roommate, James. We worked together as a team to bring down multiple AI opponents and had a lot of fun in the process. Of course at the same time we shot the breeze and caught up on how each other had been doing the last few weeks. What a great bonding experience it is to annihilate electronic star ships while talking about life!
This game makes me happy, because it makes up for previous Star Wars RTS semi-failures: Rebellion, Force Commander, and most notably Galactic Battlegrounds. Rebellion was great because you got to manage the entire galaxy, but it had a very poor combat system. Force Commander was an interesting game with some unique mechanics, but it was very difficult to control and poorly balanced. Galactic Battlegrounds was a fine game, but it was a direct rip-off of Age of Empires 2, and therefore didn't feel very much like Star Wars. I had fun with each of these, but they all also left me feeling a little empty inside. I'm glad that emptiness has finally been filled with the wonderfulness of Empire at War.
The reason this game is so much fun, is because it feels like Star Wars. The space combat segment (what I played last night) has a simple strategy system that is lots of fun to execute. Fighters beat Capitol Ships, Capitol Ships beat Picket Ships, and Picket Ships beat Fighters. However, numerous little intricacies make the game come alive. Rebel capitol ships have the ability to augment their shields at a time of need, Imperial Capitol Ships have a tractor beam that keeps picket ships from running away, Rebel fighters can increase their speed temporarily at the cost of their firepower, and so on. All-in-all, this makes for a very dynamic battle.
Other than playing this addicting game, what sweetened the deal was getting to do so with my former and future roommate, James. We worked together as a team to bring down multiple AI opponents and had a lot of fun in the process. Of course at the same time we shot the breeze and caught up on how each other had been doing the last few weeks. What a great bonding experience it is to annihilate electronic star ships while talking about life!
This game makes me happy, because it makes up for previous Star Wars RTS semi-failures: Rebellion, Force Commander, and most notably Galactic Battlegrounds. Rebellion was great because you got to manage the entire galaxy, but it had a very poor combat system. Force Commander was an interesting game with some unique mechanics, but it was very difficult to control and poorly balanced. Galactic Battlegrounds was a fine game, but it was a direct rip-off of Age of Empires 2, and therefore didn't feel very much like Star Wars. I had fun with each of these, but they all also left me feeling a little empty inside. I'm glad that emptiness has finally been filled with the wonderfulness of Empire at War.
Monday, July 30, 2007
Pool
I took Sunday off to go see Kelsey all day. This will have to be a normal occurrence for the summer. I was busy all day in Searcy and was exhausted and went straight to bed when I got home. That will be that.
On to something with more substance, hopefully. My parents have a pool table upstairs, which I really enjoy playing on. Sometimes I will put on my iPod and listen to podcasts will just shooting a round or two with myself. It really helps my mind and body relax, and it makes for good practice when friends come over. I've found pool to be an interesting game. It is one of the last survivors of an old form of entertainment called parlor games. Before the dawn of the electronic age, the radios and televisions and computers, people needed simpler games to entertain company and relieve boredom, and pool was one of the best.
Pool is such a uniquely fun game because it is quick and simple to learn, and playing provides a wide set of variations: Straight pool for marathon hangouts, nine ball for exposes of expertise, eight ball for the classic two-player version, and cut-throat for a killer three person game. It is extremely accessible and social, which makes a good pool table a very useful implement at a social gathering. It is also a universal games which makes it a great ice-breaker when at parties or social gatherings where you don't know many of the other guests.
And don't get me started on watching professionals play. Their precision makes the game seem more of a kinetic art form than a competition. Their pure manipulation of the laws of physics and the axioms of geometry transcend mere mathematics and become something truly extraordinary in form and function. I just lost twenty minutes watching breath-taking pool shots on youtube.
In short, I like pool. In long, you should probably like pool as well. It is not only fun, but it is also useful.
On to something with more substance, hopefully. My parents have a pool table upstairs, which I really enjoy playing on. Sometimes I will put on my iPod and listen to podcasts will just shooting a round or two with myself. It really helps my mind and body relax, and it makes for good practice when friends come over. I've found pool to be an interesting game. It is one of the last survivors of an old form of entertainment called parlor games. Before the dawn of the electronic age, the radios and televisions and computers, people needed simpler games to entertain company and relieve boredom, and pool was one of the best.
Pool is such a uniquely fun game because it is quick and simple to learn, and playing provides a wide set of variations: Straight pool for marathon hangouts, nine ball for exposes of expertise, eight ball for the classic two-player version, and cut-throat for a killer three person game. It is extremely accessible and social, which makes a good pool table a very useful implement at a social gathering. It is also a universal games which makes it a great ice-breaker when at parties or social gatherings where you don't know many of the other guests.
And don't get me started on watching professionals play. Their precision makes the game seem more of a kinetic art form than a competition. Their pure manipulation of the laws of physics and the axioms of geometry transcend mere mathematics and become something truly extraordinary in form and function. I just lost twenty minutes watching breath-taking pool shots on youtube.
In short, I like pool. In long, you should probably like pool as well. It is not only fun, but it is also useful.
Saturday, July 28, 2007
The Rocky Horror Show
Oh. My. Goodness. What an experience.
Jeremy, Matt, and I went to see the stage production, The Rocky Horror Show, last night. It was an experience that is hard to describe without using profanity of some sort, but I will give it my best shot. I am very glad that I was able to experience the Rocky Horror phenomenon in this medium for my "virgin" (yes, they really do call first-timers that) experience. Rocky Horror is an overly-sexualized send-up of old sci-fi and horror classics. Much as the original authors of works such as Frankenstein and Flash Gordon used the medium to present their progressive viewpoints about current events, Rocky Horror parodies those works to present its viewpoint of modern society in a very Alfred Kinsey manner.
It is one of the few shows outside of childrens' theater where audience participation is encouraged. Audience members are encouraged to act along during certain parts with their own props, costumes, and off-the-cuff lines to yell at the characters onstage. That part was quite raunchy, because all of the good examples I want to write down here are extremely vulgar, usually involving multiple f-bombs or extremely lurid details of human actions. Rest assured though, it fit in with the show and was extremely hilarious to be a part of.
I am also very glad that I did not view any form of this at a younger age than I am right now. There were very scandalous songs, costumes, and choreography, and there were multiple sex scenes. Yet, at no time did I ever think it was too wrong or out-of-control. It was actually very well done and extremely humorous and entertaining. It wasn't a gonzo affair, but more of a satirical one.
There was even an exposed male butt at one point. It had a large tatoo on it as well. I wasn't expecting that.
Besides the humor, the soundtrack was probably the best part. The songs were pretty campy, but they were also very catchy and lots of fun. I even still remember some of the lyrics.
In short, it is worth going to see, but you have to be prepared for what you are getting yourself into.
Jeremy, Matt, and I went to see the stage production, The Rocky Horror Show, last night. It was an experience that is hard to describe without using profanity of some sort, but I will give it my best shot. I am very glad that I was able to experience the Rocky Horror phenomenon in this medium for my "virgin" (yes, they really do call first-timers that) experience. Rocky Horror is an overly-sexualized send-up of old sci-fi and horror classics. Much as the original authors of works such as Frankenstein and Flash Gordon used the medium to present their progressive viewpoints about current events, Rocky Horror parodies those works to present its viewpoint of modern society in a very Alfred Kinsey manner.
It is one of the few shows outside of childrens' theater where audience participation is encouraged. Audience members are encouraged to act along during certain parts with their own props, costumes, and off-the-cuff lines to yell at the characters onstage. That part was quite raunchy, because all of the good examples I want to write down here are extremely vulgar, usually involving multiple f-bombs or extremely lurid details of human actions. Rest assured though, it fit in with the show and was extremely hilarious to be a part of.
I am also very glad that I did not view any form of this at a younger age than I am right now. There were very scandalous songs, costumes, and choreography, and there were multiple sex scenes. Yet, at no time did I ever think it was too wrong or out-of-control. It was actually very well done and extremely humorous and entertaining. It wasn't a gonzo affair, but more of a satirical one.
There was even an exposed male butt at one point. It had a large tatoo on it as well. I wasn't expecting that.
Besides the humor, the soundtrack was probably the best part. The songs were pretty campy, but they were also very catchy and lots of fun. I even still remember some of the lyrics.
In short, it is worth going to see, but you have to be prepared for what you are getting yourself into.
Friday, July 27, 2007
Prey
First off, I just want to say, Wow. I did not expect that book to end like it did. I won't spoil it for you, but the ending definitely gives a nice feeling of closure while raising some interesting questions about the overall themes of the book.
Oh, yeah, did I mention this book is about a flock of predatory nanites that are smaller several times smaller than a red blood cell? There are trillions of them in a "swarm" and they all act together using a limited but efficient intelligence; a hive mind. It truly makes for a creepy and gripping thriller. I've read Michael Crichton's most famous work, Jurassic Park, and I thoroughly enjoyed it and the ideas it presented on chaos and genetics. I do not think that Prey was darker or more chilling, I just believe it had more of a technological bent to it, a different kind of scariness if you will.
Crichton certainly knows how to write them though. I hope he is one of those writers that gets remembered favorably by academia studying American literature of the late twentieth century. You never know who is going to be remembered by scholars. I'm sure there are several people out there right now who I know nothing about who are going to be incredibly famous in retrospect in the future.
Prey was intelligent and gripping, but it is time for me to move on to Joel Garreau's Radical Evolution. I hope that it has some of the grip that Prey did, because I am going to need it to make it before the big back-to-school rush.
Oh, yeah, did I mention this book is about a flock of predatory nanites that are smaller several times smaller than a red blood cell? There are trillions of them in a "swarm" and they all act together using a limited but efficient intelligence; a hive mind. It truly makes for a creepy and gripping thriller. I've read Michael Crichton's most famous work, Jurassic Park, and I thoroughly enjoyed it and the ideas it presented on chaos and genetics. I do not think that Prey was darker or more chilling, I just believe it had more of a technological bent to it, a different kind of scariness if you will.
Crichton certainly knows how to write them though. I hope he is one of those writers that gets remembered favorably by academia studying American literature of the late twentieth century. You never know who is going to be remembered by scholars. I'm sure there are several people out there right now who I know nothing about who are going to be incredibly famous in retrospect in the future.
Prey was intelligent and gripping, but it is time for me to move on to Joel Garreau's Radical Evolution. I hope that it has some of the grip that Prey did, because I am going to need it to make it before the big back-to-school rush.
Cataan
Pronounced (unfortunately in my belief): Cu (as in cuff) - tan (as in unnaturally orange).
In my world, it would be pronounced more like the first part of the word katana, because I think that is more distinguished and cool-sounding.
Cataan is an imaginary island that is the setting for a board game I've become addicted to over the summer. In this game, you (and two or three others) play a group of settlers who have just come to the island and are trying to take advantage of all of the opportunity in this resource-rich land. You compete against your fellow man to try and earn ten "victory points" by using the resources you are harvesting to build additional settlements, cities, and roads. Doing this allows you to harvest different types of resources and more of them and contributes to a snowball effect which will hopefully carry you to victory. The game is astutely titled, "Settlers of Cataan."
There are five different resources, wood, brick, wheat, sheep, and ore, and they are used in various combinations to build or buy different things. One of the hallmarks of this game (and why it is so awesome) is that the game board itself is different every time. Not only are resources in different locations, but they also have different values. This means that there are no hard-and-fast strategies or methods of play, because what works great one time may not work so great the next.
The other hallmark of this game, and probably its greatest feature, is the trading element. You can always trade with the bank (for a very bad deal), but you can also trade with your fellow players, which is much more interesting. Bartering can get pretty fierce and the judicious application of politics can edge you that much closer to victory.
All of these things serve to disguise the true nature of the game: math. It is fundamentally built on the principles of probability and ratio. It is very deceitful like that, and I find it utterly fascinating.
Victory can be achieved through strategy, luck, or politics, but it is usually the combination of all three that carries someone past the ten point marker. It's an easy game to pick up, and is completable in one to two hours, so it is a perfect balance between the casual players and the more hardcore ones.
In non-Cataan thoughts, I'm almost done with Prey. I would have been done last night had exhaustion not caught up with me. Probably a post forthcoming about it. Suffice to say, it is quite good.
In my world, it would be pronounced more like the first part of the word katana, because I think that is more distinguished and cool-sounding.
Cataan is an imaginary island that is the setting for a board game I've become addicted to over the summer. In this game, you (and two or three others) play a group of settlers who have just come to the island and are trying to take advantage of all of the opportunity in this resource-rich land. You compete against your fellow man to try and earn ten "victory points" by using the resources you are harvesting to build additional settlements, cities, and roads. Doing this allows you to harvest different types of resources and more of them and contributes to a snowball effect which will hopefully carry you to victory. The game is astutely titled, "Settlers of Cataan."
There are five different resources, wood, brick, wheat, sheep, and ore, and they are used in various combinations to build or buy different things. One of the hallmarks of this game (and why it is so awesome) is that the game board itself is different every time. Not only are resources in different locations, but they also have different values. This means that there are no hard-and-fast strategies or methods of play, because what works great one time may not work so great the next.
The other hallmark of this game, and probably its greatest feature, is the trading element. You can always trade with the bank (for a very bad deal), but you can also trade with your fellow players, which is much more interesting. Bartering can get pretty fierce and the judicious application of politics can edge you that much closer to victory.
All of these things serve to disguise the true nature of the game: math. It is fundamentally built on the principles of probability and ratio. It is very deceitful like that, and I find it utterly fascinating.
Victory can be achieved through strategy, luck, or politics, but it is usually the combination of all three that carries someone past the ten point marker. It's an easy game to pick up, and is completable in one to two hours, so it is a perfect balance between the casual players and the more hardcore ones.
In non-Cataan thoughts, I'm almost done with Prey. I would have been done last night had exhaustion not caught up with me. Probably a post forthcoming about it. Suffice to say, it is quite good.
Thursday, July 26, 2007
Transformers
Robots in disguise.
I went to see the movie, again. It was just as good the second time around as it was the first. I learned that the only non-GM "car" besides Optimus Prime was Barricade. I thought he was a Dodge Charger police cruiser, but in fact he was a Saleen Mustang police cruiser. I reaffirmed that even though I did not watch anything of the original cartoon or movie, Peter Cullen has one of the coolest voices ever, and it is hard for me to imagine anyone else being the voice of robot Jesus.
You did know that Optimus Prime pretty much represents Jesus, right?
And I know it's been said, but even when your token-black guy is a talking Pontiac Solstice, he still does not escape cliched death at the hands of the evil villain.
Other things about the movie I immensely enjoyed included the massive amounts of military hardware that were on display: the carrier fleet group, the numerous destroyed M-1 Abrams, A-10s and Yf-22s, and the coolest of the cool who gets almost no respect in movies, the C130 gunship. Yes we actually have those, and yes they are that awesome.
Just like I told my friend Dave, if I ever flew in the air force, it would be in an A-10, one of those lovely fixed-wing beasts with the two massive jet engines mounted high on either side of the body. They fly close ground support and they can carry quite an impressive armament. I figure that if you're going to fly, you might as well do it loud, low, locked, and loaded.
I don't think my parents are too hot on me joining the air force.
I went to see the movie, again. It was just as good the second time around as it was the first. I learned that the only non-GM "car" besides Optimus Prime was Barricade. I thought he was a Dodge Charger police cruiser, but in fact he was a Saleen Mustang police cruiser. I reaffirmed that even though I did not watch anything of the original cartoon or movie, Peter Cullen has one of the coolest voices ever, and it is hard for me to imagine anyone else being the voice of robot Jesus.
You did know that Optimus Prime pretty much represents Jesus, right?
And I know it's been said, but even when your token-black guy is a talking Pontiac Solstice, he still does not escape cliched death at the hands of the evil villain.
Other things about the movie I immensely enjoyed included the massive amounts of military hardware that were on display: the carrier fleet group, the numerous destroyed M-1 Abrams, A-10s and Yf-22s, and the coolest of the cool who gets almost no respect in movies, the C130 gunship. Yes we actually have those, and yes they are that awesome.
Just like I told my friend Dave, if I ever flew in the air force, it would be in an A-10, one of those lovely fixed-wing beasts with the two massive jet engines mounted high on either side of the body. They fly close ground support and they can carry quite an impressive armament. I figure that if you're going to fly, you might as well do it loud, low, locked, and loaded.
I don't think my parents are too hot on me joining the air force.
Dickey-Stephens Park
Good ole Dickey-Stephens. You have so many promotions and give away so much free stuff. That's really what minor league baseball is all about: rowdy fans getting to cheer and boo players and officials, and lots of silly promotional games between innings where free crap you never needed is given away. These two forces are what bring people to games and keep their butts in their seats long enough to buy overpriced food. I always have my fill before I go because I can't stand to drink a $3 coke.
The Springfield Cardinals rallied five runs in the first two innings to none put up by the Travelers. It was pretty disheartening because there was one dropped fly ball and one foul ball called fair that let in a few of those runs. The fans got rowdy and started booing players and officials. It seemed like the first of our two forces was going to dominate the game. True story: I was once at a Travs game where it was going so badly that they decided to sing the Seventh Inning Stretch in the middle of the fifth. But then, in the bottom of the second, the second of our two forces came into play. It was announced that this was the Shorty Smalls home run inning and that if a Travelers player hit a home run, we would all get coupons for free appetizers from Shorty Smalls. Right after the announcement was made, the first pitch was thrown, and Travs Shortstop, Sean Rodriguez, cranked it over the left field wall. Fans got on their feet and cheered and applauded his efforts in winning them free stuff, and abruptly the momentum took a swing for the Travelers. They wound up blowing the Springfield Cardinals out, 13-8.
As if not content with handing us multiple free appetizer coupons at the gate, we were also given complimentary loaves of bread. Even after sleeping on it, I still have no clue why.
Prey is getting harder and harder to put down. I can't wait to finish this book!
The Springfield Cardinals rallied five runs in the first two innings to none put up by the Travelers. It was pretty disheartening because there was one dropped fly ball and one foul ball called fair that let in a few of those runs. The fans got rowdy and started booing players and officials. It seemed like the first of our two forces was going to dominate the game. True story: I was once at a Travs game where it was going so badly that they decided to sing the Seventh Inning Stretch in the middle of the fifth. But then, in the bottom of the second, the second of our two forces came into play. It was announced that this was the Shorty Smalls home run inning and that if a Travelers player hit a home run, we would all get coupons for free appetizers from Shorty Smalls. Right after the announcement was made, the first pitch was thrown, and Travs Shortstop, Sean Rodriguez, cranked it over the left field wall. Fans got on their feet and cheered and applauded his efforts in winning them free stuff, and abruptly the momentum took a swing for the Travelers. They wound up blowing the Springfield Cardinals out, 13-8.
As if not content with handing us multiple free appetizer coupons at the gate, we were also given complimentary loaves of bread. Even after sleeping on it, I still have no clue why.
Prey is getting harder and harder to put down. I can't wait to finish this book!
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Ask-A-Ninja
Not feeling sufficient to just get caught up on my Onion podcast today, I also finished up my archival viewing of the brilliant podcast, Ask-A-Ninja. Ask-A-Ninja continues to be my favorite podcast of the video variety because of its lightning-quick sense of humor that mixes a healthy amount of pop (and not so pop) culture references with a light amount of the absurd. It's unique in that the only visible feature of our protagonist, the ninja, is his eyes, but he manages to convey lots of emotion through the combination of his speaking pattern and his wild hand gestures.
The comedic duo behind it have a very sweet setup, and their sharp wits and subtle-yet-effective editing skills make the ninja an internet force with which to be reckoned. He is a front-runner in defining ninja culture on the internet and a big talking point in the ongoing ninjas vs. pirates vs. robot dinosaurs with flamethrowers on their heads debate.
My big secret about Ask-A-Ninja? They make me want to become a professional movie editor. I like editing.
You can tell I stay quite busy at work. Prey is still very good. Going to the Travs game tonight.
The comedic duo behind it have a very sweet setup, and their sharp wits and subtle-yet-effective editing skills make the ninja an internet force with which to be reckoned. He is a front-runner in defining ninja culture on the internet and a big talking point in the ongoing ninjas vs. pirates vs. robot dinosaurs with flamethrowers on their heads debate.
My big secret about Ask-A-Ninja? They make me want to become a professional movie editor. I like editing.
You can tell I stay quite busy at work. Prey is still very good. Going to the Travs game tonight.
The Onion
This morning, I finished listening to my archive of Onion Radio News podcasts. I had about 100 of them backed up on my iPod from the last few months, and it felt good to finally be caught up on them. The Onion has such an incredible satire and wit about it, I must share some of the headlines by which I was just entertained.
"Army Of Dead has no Problem Meeting Recruitment Goals"
"Civil War Enthusiasts Burn Atlanta To Ground"
"GEICO Saves Fifteen Percent Or More By Discontinuing Advertising"
"Area Mom Freaking Out For No Reason"
"John Glenn Installed In Smithsonian"
"Google Steps In To Help U.S. With Google Navy"
The Onion usually contends with the Weekly World News for being my favorite publication to read idly. The entertainment value in each is beyond reproach with the Onion claiming to be "America's Finest News Source" and Weekly World News claiming to be "The World's Only Reliable Newspaper." Together, they represent my two favorite forms of humor: satire and the absurd.
Prey is very good. The introduction and first chapter alone kept me up a half hour longer than I thought I would be. I have a feeling I won't be able to put it down later today.
"Army Of Dead has no Problem Meeting Recruitment Goals"
"Civil War Enthusiasts Burn Atlanta To Ground"
"GEICO Saves Fifteen Percent Or More By Discontinuing Advertising"
"Area Mom Freaking Out For No Reason"
"John Glenn Installed In Smithsonian"
"Google Steps In To Help U.S. With Google Navy"
The Onion usually contends with the Weekly World News for being my favorite publication to read idly. The entertainment value in each is beyond reproach with the Onion claiming to be "America's Finest News Source" and Weekly World News claiming to be "The World's Only Reliable Newspaper." Together, they represent my two favorite forms of humor: satire and the absurd.
Prey is very good. The introduction and first chapter alone kept me up a half hour longer than I thought I would be. I have a feeling I won't be able to put it down later today.
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Technopoly
I just finished reading Neil Postman's Technopoly today. It was a very interesting read. It was also required read for Human Situations II with Dr. Garner this fall. Mr. Postman had a unique way of writing circles around what he wanted to say without actually saying it. What his message basically boils down to is that we are living in a society where unchecked technological progress has destroyed the moderating forces of religion and politics, replacing it instead with the worship and proliferation of unfiltered information.
If you combine this book's message with George Orwell's message in 1984, you have a very scary situation on your hands. A situation where information is the god that man worships, and whichever man has the greatest ability to manipulate information has the greatest potential to wield an authoritarian control over people's lives. Postman shares a lot of his ideas over the technical control of language with Orwell, such as its ability to limit the realm of people's thoughts. They both believe that a word like truth becomes warped in its meaning with the progress of society and that information glut has the power to change people's concepts of truth and by consequence, reality.
I still have to read Michael Crichton's Prey and Joel Garreau's Radical Evolution for this class. I have the feeling it will be one of the highlights of my next semester. I begin Prey tonight.
If you combine this book's message with George Orwell's message in 1984, you have a very scary situation on your hands. A situation where information is the god that man worships, and whichever man has the greatest ability to manipulate information has the greatest potential to wield an authoritarian control over people's lives. Postman shares a lot of his ideas over the technical control of language with Orwell, such as its ability to limit the realm of people's thoughts. They both believe that a word like truth becomes warped in its meaning with the progress of society and that information glut has the power to change people's concepts of truth and by consequence, reality.
I still have to read Michael Crichton's Prey and Joel Garreau's Radical Evolution for this class. I have the feeling it will be one of the highlights of my next semester. I begin Prey tonight.
The Culture Liveblog
So, I decided to start something beyond mere Xanga. We'll see how often it gets updated.
My goal and objective with this blog (I didn't bring order to a previously chaotic group of ones and zeros for no reason) is to have a place to write my thoughts and opinions about articles of culture as I experience them. This isn't the place for a topical survey of everything I've done today or a list of cool links I've been sitting on for awhile. Those (the few entries that they are) will go over on the Xanga page.
This is the space for any personal life experiences I deem a part or product of the various elements of culture I submerge myself in, such as television or video games or Facebook or physical books or family or classes or art or history or technology. The point is, it is whatever I am currently experiencing, hence the "live"blog aspect of it. My hope is that I will at least have something brief to update about every day. My second hope is that I will have something substantial to update about every week. I am going to try and blog about EVERY activity I deem significant, and I will try and provide some reason why I believe so, or some further account of this object if I have previously posted about it.
So with that being said, and a total readership of one, me, right now, I officially launch this blog. I will slowly tell people about it after I can steel my resolve and have a week's worth of updates on it.
My goal and objective with this blog (I didn't bring order to a previously chaotic group of ones and zeros for no reason) is to have a place to write my thoughts and opinions about articles of culture as I experience them. This isn't the place for a topical survey of everything I've done today or a list of cool links I've been sitting on for awhile. Those (the few entries that they are) will go over on the Xanga page.
This is the space for any personal life experiences I deem a part or product of the various elements of culture I submerge myself in, such as television or video games or Facebook or physical books or family or classes or art or history or technology. The point is, it is whatever I am currently experiencing, hence the "live"blog aspect of it. My hope is that I will at least have something brief to update about every day. My second hope is that I will have something substantial to update about every week. I am going to try and blog about EVERY activity I deem significant, and I will try and provide some reason why I believe so, or some further account of this object if I have previously posted about it.
So with that being said, and a total readership of one, me, right now, I officially launch this blog. I will slowly tell people about it after I can steel my resolve and have a week's worth of updates on it.
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