a cesspool of interwebness

Deep-Sixing

Posted by Unknown On 2010-12-30 3 comments

This is an older track, but I'm just toying with SoundCloud+Blogger integration for my coffee break, and thought I would see how it works. If you've never checked out this track, take a listen, I like this one almost as much as "Semjase". Kyro - Deep-Sixing by kyro

Wishes, wishes

Posted by Unknown On 2010-12-28 7 comments

It's a-me Mario! Fwoooooooosh!

Posted by pseudoRequiem On 2010-12-17 3 comments

Daft TRON

Posted by Unknown On 2010-12-16 0 comments

God, I've been DYING to write this, and with the midnight showing of TRON: Legacy tonight, I'm finally able to get it all out!

I've been thoroughly enjoying the music of Daft Punk in the run up to the midnight showing of the film and I can't wait. I thought I should post the "must-have" list of tracks that really show case why getting Daft Punk involved on this project was pure brilliance.

Recognizer (8.4/10)
A brooding track that really lets you know that this isn't going to be your typical garden variety ambient/orchestral blah blah blah soundtrack. The slightly distorted synth backing lines behind the orchestra are wonderful and the big punctuating drums let you know that it's on. When the theme line cuts in around 1:15 you can visualize the excitement.

The Game Has Changed (7.7/10)
The lowest scoring track on my "must have" because I feel it has the lowest re-listen value, but essential because of it's brilliant use of filtering and distortion.  Some very nice back-slipping sequences are used here to great effect.  The orchestral elements used elsewhere in the music are by now recognizable, but still very enjoyable.  As the songs climax begins cooking around 2:06, all you can do is hold on while it begins to build.  The ending leaves you craving just a bit more, but as you progress through the rest of the album you see the longer story being articulated, and you're not disappointed.

Adagio for TRON (8.1/10)
Ever since William Orbit's take on this classical technique I've been in love with the gentle flow of electronic fused pieces performed adagio.  This piece is heartfelt and executed expertly if not surprisingly.  The "fused" elements, an arpeggiation and synth pad, are used tastefully only really surfacing around 2:34 for emphasis.  Of all the songs, this is the only one that felt as though it hearkened back to the organ music used in the original film, a nice touch. A solid must for anybody looking to dig into the feeling of the whole series of tracks.

End of Line (9.4/10)
Okay, now we're into a "track" proper.  This is the kind of thing that hard core Daft Punker's were left craving more of when the soundtrack was released.  I get that.  Great use of layered heavy synths here and the choice of a slow down tempo are merged with highly interesting glitch work.  My main complaint, is that it's not longer, but even with its short playtime, I still love it when this track comes up in my Daft Tron playlist. 

Derezzed (and accompanying video) (9.8/10)
This is by far the most widely recognized song by the casual listener, made famous by the stunning promotional music video released along with it (perhaps more on that later).  If this song didn't make your hair stand on end when you first heard it then you probably didn't spend the three years immediately following the release of the original film dreaming about being in that neon highlighted world  with Tron, Ram and Sark when you were a youngster.  

Solar Sailer (8.3/10)
Another slow moody piece like the Adagio for TRON, but this one free of any conventions and all the better for it.  Not the most complicated song in the list, but one of the most emotionally satisfying.  Because of it's wider sonic pallet and less conventional execution, I found myself scoring it slightly higher than the Adagio.

TRON Legacy (End Titles) (9.5/10)
Delivers the final finishing blow to your mind, soul and body with its super retro acid TB-303 inspired bass/lead line.  It's unbelievable that Daft Punk breaks out an old school sound like this for the end credits, only they would have the balls and talent to pull it off.  At first, I was reluctant to like this song, offended even by the audacity of the 303 squelching, but as the acid line faded into the background and the orchestral theme emerged I was stunned.  This has become one of my favorite tracks of the entire playlist now, second only to Derezzed and is definitely a track you should put on your playlist.


Well, that wraps up my best of TRON: Legacy soundtrack by Daft Punk.  I hope you have a chance to check out these tracks and post any feedback here you might have.  Which track affected you?  Which ones did I miss?

Pay the writer

Posted by Unknown On 2 comments

God Bless Harlan Ellison....
(NSFW for bad language)

It's always the ***hole with the rocket launcher...

Posted by Unknown On 2010-12-14 1 comments

Gotta love Lego™

Sheila Fraser for Prime Minister

Posted by Unknown On 2010-12-11 1 comments

I'm so in love with this public servant, i pray to God that she has the guts and backing to run for Prime Minister.  Here's a lady that can get shit done.

I love what she's up to right now fixing the office for protecting whistle-blowers.  She rocks.  God bless.

Geek Kids Books

Posted by Unknown On 2010-12-10 4 comments

Imagine if some of your favourite sci-fi was re-imagined as kids books...






I can't wait till my little girl is old enough to appreciate this kind of shit!

Cylon Night, Holy Night

Posted by captainorange On 4 comments

I was playing around with my Pentax-A 50mm f2 as we set up our Christmas tree this year and came up with a fine picture

I didn't realize what I had done until I was reviewing my photos the next day. Perhaps not as sexy as Caprica 6 -- but, then again, Wendy and the girls might object if I had her tethered to the tree. 

Now there's an idea...

NZT - The Clear Pill

Posted by Unknown On 3 comments

You guys hear about this new drug yet?



Love the side effects!

Schitt-heads, Get Your Flame On!

Posted by Unknown On 2010-12-08 0 comments

Tis the season to get snapped! And then say things you later regret to your friends and family. Well, I say that if you are gonna get flamed, there may as well be some real flames in the mix.

Here is a link to a recipe for festive flaming punch, and I dare you to make it this holiday. And to invite me over to try it...

Season's Greetings!

Corporate Melancholy Stanza

Posted by Unknown On 2010-12-07 5 comments

It seems just an empty desk
But really it's a wound
The open floor plan waits for no man
Yet women and men both feel the absence

Soon a different mind will mind that space
And meet the team and smile and learn
And we'll turn the page and build something new
But time takes its due

We eat and play and work and win
Together
We push and pull and learn from one
Another
Collaborate, commiserate, celebrate
The team

And when we lose a mate, the cut is deep
And though we thrive on change
It's always strange
When we see that vacant seat

Share the Great Old Ones with your young ones!

Posted by Unknown On 2010-12-06 0 comments

The following article was copied from www.wired.com/geekdad for our amusement purposes only. I recommend this site for any parents in the group, and here's just one good reason why...

5 Ideas To Get Cthulhu into Your Christmas


The holiday season is a time when we all reflect of the important traditions and beliefs that we hold no matter what our religion or creed. So, as an avid fan of H.P.Lovecraft and in the interests of engaging with our readership who spend their days worshipping the Great Old Ones, I’d like to present five ideas for celebrating a Cthulhu Christmas.
Send a Card: But, as we all know the best cards are those we make ourselves and over at GiggedyGeekMom there is an excellent step-by-step blog post ion how to wish your friends and family a safe holiday season with the Great Cthulhu.
Hang a tree ornament: Last year, ThinkGeek offered us Cthulhu Christmas Decorations, and they are still available this year for those interested in a bit of prehistory on the Christmas Tree or mantelpiece. Perfect for when you invite the local Deep Ones over for a drink.
Sing a Cthulhu Carol: Nothing like a rousing rendition to stir the sanity and hail the names of the Great Old Ones. Bring Yog-Sothoth, the Wendigo or even him, yes the Unspeakable right into you living room or out and about on a neighborly caroling jaunt on Christmas eve. The folks at the HP Lovecraft Historical Society have all the lyrics you need.
Invite a Cthulu Elf into your home: Artist Amy Rawson continues her annual tradition of creating a Christmas Cthulhu. (see 2007, 2008, and 2009). She sells her wares through Rawson’s Etsy store.
Give a Gift (and lose some SAN): Of course, smartphones are all the rage and if something is all the rage then we should expect every good alien creature that dwells somewhere in the Pacific is working hard to control the mind and ways of some unsuspecting human and making sure they are a part of it. This is exactly what the Great Cthulhu has done, and you can purchase a Cthulhu Cellphone holder this year for your dearest loved ones.

Coolest Data Farm EVER!!!

Posted by Selbonaut On 2010-12-03 2 comments

Google has nothing on this place. By far the coolest place I have seen in a long time. It is a Data Storage facility in Stockholm.

Source Material

Posted by Unknown On 2010-12-01 4 comments

Hubble Advent Calendar

Posted by Selbonaut On 0 comments

For those of you that love Christmas and Space I bring you the Hubble Advent Calendar, thanks to those great guy's at boston.com

Here is your pic for the first of December... click the link to go right to the site and there is a write up for each of the pics as they are released.

Unbelievable Fan-Made Trailer

Posted by Unknown On 2010-11-30 7 comments

Some dude "re-rezzed" the Tron trailer, and it's just awesome!! So awesome that even the producer of the movie was impressed.



Really looking forward to this film!

and now I'm a lot giddy...

Posted by pseudoRequiem On 2010-11-24 2 comments

This one is making me wonder how a movie will ever impress me in the future. I think this combined with the potential of the up and coming Hack(slash)Slash movie will fill my movie requirements for a long while.



And then there's Green Lantern, Captain America, SkyLine (maybe, Kyro say bad things and from the preview it looks like it's the acting), Battle:Los Angeles (which looks like SkyLine done right or maybe a killzone movie), and maybe Four Lions. It never ends, but at least it's goodness that never ends.

2 lvls away from 100%ing Halo:Reach. Better game that I had hoped.

I'm a little giddy...

Posted by pseudoRequiem On 3 comments

I think it's like Red Dead Redemption meets war of the worlds, starring Han Solo and James Bond.



I haven't figured out whether I'm excited about it being good or excited that I'm going to watch it anyways and either love it or have a great time laughing at it :)

The Symphony of Science

Posted by Unknown On 2 comments

Track entitled: "A Wave of Reason"



I believe in science. I also believe, in the words of the bard, "There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are drempt of in your philosophy." But we can't start explaining the unexplained until we open our minds and look at the world in a new way, tempered with deductive reasoning and desire to simply understand.

Neo-pseudo-nazis

Posted by pseudoRequiem On 2010-11-22 2 comments

So I hear that Microsoft is banning Xbox Live users who have customized their Black Ops logo to include a swastika. Now, I don't disagree first of all, I just have a point to make. Players can play multiplayer as nazis. This has been possible for a long time in the call of duty franchise. MS seal of approval. Bam. So why is customization of an in-game icon considered a ban worthy offense? I'm not trying to say that those who proudly sport the swastika should have smiles and joy rained upon them but what of ignorance. A younger person may not be as educated as they could be on the topics of wars in the past and they play this game and in multiplayer, they enjoy the weapons of the nazi side better. They always play the german side. He sees the armband and recognizes it as the symbol of his preferred class. He puts it on his logo. Banned.

Now, lets get the other side. I laughed my ass off thinking of all the entitled examples of the greater internet dickwad theory. Those people who think their online selves can do what they want without consequence. The douche who put a swastika on his logo because he thought it was funny. That's the kind of person I love thinking about getting the ban hammer. I agree it's offensive to most people and I don't think an informed and intelligent individual would do this but anonymity plays it's hand and wins.

I see good and bad in this but most of all I find myself wondering whether MS is using the hammer liberally but they aren't taking the time to make it so games containing these symbols and issues are not brought to their console. And consider for me what a more offensive thing to do is. Pretending to be a nazi and killing americans in a game or adding a swastika to your logo in the same game. Maybe it's hypocrisy and maybe I'm just crazy. Both are highly likely.

Spent the last 3 days 100%ing free... getting the shakes.

The McGurk Effect

Posted by Unknown On 2010-11-19 2 comments

Yes, I know what it sounds like, but there is nothing sexual about this post. At all.
Instead, watch this neat video about how what we see affects what we hear. Then feel free to draw your own conclusions about how this relates to your relationships...

An important distinction...in some cases.

Posted by pseudoRequiem On 2010-11-17 4 comments


I'm on a fence. It's a fence that some didn't take the time to look at before they jumped over and I'm one of those people. I've since then slunk back to it and perched atop it hoping that no one has noticed that I was already on the other side. This particular fence is that oh so controversial topic of piracy. Most pointedly piracy in software, music and other digital media.

I've thought through some points for both sides that make a lot of sense when they deal with particular circumstances but I'd prefer some thoughts first. No need to divulge any info on whether you do or do not participate. I'm just looking for some solid arguments both for and against. Particularly with respect to consumer financial state, company profits, financial support for the medium, artistic appreciation, creator success, etc...

1 comment due by next week. Have a good week class.

Finished 100%ing Mass Effect on Insane. Easier than I thought it would be. And yes the picture is just to stir the pot a bit.

Kinect for not games...

Posted by pseudoRequiem On 2010-11-16 2 comments

Now I'm starting to see potential in use of Kinect hardware in the development of future tech like 3d holograms. Quite a cool video. Not earth shattering but the potential is what is getting me interested. Too bad it's not potential in gaming... :( I'd still love to see a program handle and process a multi-angle case of this situation and consolidate into an actual true to life 3d video with moving camera. Imagine the movie tech you could make with that 8-) Just geekgasmed a little.

Geek Birth Control

Posted by Unknown On 2010-11-10 1 comments

Let the safe Light Saber jokes begin!

Obsessed with Data

Posted by Unknown On 2010-11-09 0 comments

data chart

Despite the obsession with data, 61% of respondents believe that the data deluge creates fundamental problems in the way their businesses operate and only 46% believe that it creates a " strategic differentiator" for their businesses. This seems to indicate a disconnect between the desire to acquire data and the ability to manage and apply it.

Does Death wear blue?

Posted by pseudoRequiem On 2 comments

And on a lighter note. This is for all you Mega Man 2 fans. I heart Overclocked Remix!

The Redshore Area

Posted by Unknown On 2 comments

So, after some muddling in photoshop...


This is just a small zoomed in area where I intend to do some detailing.  My approach here is going to be to detail as far as story calls for, and leave most of the wilderness uncharted until it matters.

Opinion vs Fact - Opinion wins!

Posted by pseudoRequiem On 4 comments

Yesterday was a frustrating day for me. Work was not going as planned and once things got straightened out enough for me to take my lunch break, I was disappointed further during my downtime. It began when I watched this last weeks Extra Credit on the Escapist and realized how right he is. And how spineless everyone in our the gaming industry is when it comes to facing adversity and worse, controversy.

Since I have difficulty just letting things go when they bother me, I did some more research on the topic. Around 7pm last night I was well into searching for videos on how the media deals with video games and the surrounding issues with violence, sexuality, mature situations and the desensitization of all these. Now, you've likely all played Mass Effect and remember the sideboob, ass, ok it's over sex scene from it. This video is pretty much how the media handles video games. Watch it first then read on.

Let's set the stage. You're a video game reporter named Jeff Keely. You're sitting there waiting to be introduced and you realize that not only have they chosen the ditzy blonde anchor to do the interview but they've also brought in a female psychologist. Then the intros start. The blonde introduces the psychologist first, names her full formal title, her accomplishments and her new book (with 'Perfection' in the title). She then introduces you second as a game expert on Spike TV. You say to yourself "at least she said expert". (pause the video at 1:22 and you can see he knows he's about to lose face).

Now you wish you could see the title of the story below your face as you say hello. Because the title reading " Se-Xbox - New Video Game Shows Full Digital Nudity and Sex" would never be there if you had been consulted before being brought on the show. And it only gets worse from there. The anchor and psychologist start tearing things apart instantly. You immediately think to yourself "well, these two never bothered to play the game or even watch the sex scene at all. You just sensationalized the story and are now ACTUALLY PICKING SIDES." And you still haven't spoken yet.

The psychologist ignores the fact that the games are rated by a board completely separate from the video game creators. Her primary arguments are that the games rated for 18+ will still be played by younger ones as if parents aren't responsible for their own kids. She quotes from research papers and studies that say generic things about desensitization and objectification.

And you're so unfocused about everything that's said that you lose composure for an instant. But you say it. "Well, that's completely incorrect". You say it again. You explain using facts and reason and most importantly experience Actually Playing The Game. And as this occurs to you, you decide to ask the psychologist if she's ever played the game. She laughs. That fucking bitch laughs as if you're a retarded monkey and you actually watch as your credibility with non-gamers is thrown off a building by a tiny pink shirted demon. "Right well, ...." and you continue to point out facts.

After cutting you off, the anchor tries to recover some professional credibility lost by her other guest while laughing in your face by stating how much research she put into this story by looking at videos, on the website. And her big point she hits on is that there is nothing graphic online and that the site is easy to access..... "WTF? Is there a question in there I have to answer.... No. Ok, back to my original line of thought. Thanks for the useless interruption bimbo" More facts and reasoning... Openly mocked by the pink demon. Factual arguments. "She called me darlin' ". Shut down by the anchor. Go to panel of useless twats.

"Luke Skywalker meets Debbie Does Dallas"
Fuck you!

"Play my Dad's Video Game!!!"
Fuck you, that's the parents fault. Hide your mature games or better, play them WITH your kid

"Bad stuff coming through the internet and video games. Can't be censored by the government. So it's up to the parents to deal with this."
Only intelligent thing said in the entire interview.

Jeff mentions many times during the interview that for those who have "played the game" the experience is not so dramatic or incredible. I respect the Jeff Keely. He is one to honor and to follow. Stand up for our favorite pastime and better yet, stand up for the factual representation of our media. Anyways, I could write about this one for hours so I hope this was enough therapy for now.

Will I travel space, yes. Will I meet new and interesting life, yes. Will I kill them, yes. Will I see sideboob and ass one more time, probably. So suck it blonde Fox News anchor and pink psycho demon. Objectification is up to the objectifier.

In honor of this video I started Mass Effect again and am currently 100%ing it on INSANE!

Doppelgänger!!

Posted by Unknown On 2010-11-07 4 comments

I submit to you that there is a living doppelganger running around hollywood.  While watching The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension this morning, I noticed one of Banzai's lieutenants... white hair... helter skelter expression... yep, definitely Guy Pearce.

Now, Guy Pearce is one of my favorite actors of all time.  There is a serious shortage of feature films staring him in the main role.  So, seeing him here in Banzai was really no surprise.  He shows up in tons of my absolute top sleeper movies (Memento, Count of Monte Cristo, Ravenous, The Hurt Locker, need I go on?).  But I was fishing on IMDB.com for the rest of the cast, trying to confirm the identity of the actress playing the floozie, when I noticed that his name was missing.

Must be an honest mistake yeah?
NO!  It's a godam doppelgänger!  EVIDENCE?

In each of these photos - which are Guy Pearce and which are NOT?





Okay, this last one is pretty obviously the double since it's right in the photograph.  It's a man who uses the alias "Lewis Smith".  My point?  None.  The evidence speaks for itself, you'll have to draw your own conclusions.

Buckaroo Banzai IS fucking awesome though.

5 Minutes Wasted Wisely!

Posted by Unknown On 2010-11-05 3 comments

Enjoy my friends, I did!

You Tell 'Em Bill... with a F*&#ing song?

Posted by Unknown On 3 comments

Guerilla Advertising with a BIG budget

Posted by Unknown On 2010-11-03 7 comments



This a brilliant little piece of PR. Expensive to plan and produce, but since they're leveraging YouTube the broadcast cost can be folded into the rest of the budget.

I hate to admit it, but I may have got a wee bit emotional at the end. Nice stuff.

must... nuke... soup......

Posted by Unknown On 2010-11-02 6 comments

The music link is irrelevant, the real meat of this post has to do with the meat.  Or more specifically lack of it.  This week I'm eating mostly according to The Game On Diet or "#tgodi" for short.  Small frequent meals with a reduction in portion sizes is the plan.

Day 1 - Meals 1 & 2
* half a turkey dog, thick slice of fresh pineapple, laughing cow cheese

Day 1 - Meals 3 & 4 (each)
* hot pot veggies with thinly sliced pork

Day 1 - Meals 5
* 4 meatballs, fresh spinach salad and olives

Day 2 - Meal 1
* 3 strips of Bacon, a whole banana and some nuts

Day 2 - Meal 2
* 2 chicken drumsticks, pineapple and some more nuts

Day 2 - Meals 3 & 4 (each)
* 4 meatballs, fresh spinach and mushrooms, olives / avocado

Day 2 - Meal 5
* I'm breaking down and microwaving some Clam Chowder here, definitely off the diet... but as you can see these tiny frequent meals are enough to kill a normal man.

I'm definitely eating some pizza on Thursday night and plan to go out for sushi at lunch on Friday.  As for the weekend, not sure if I'll make it.  The true game, and point scoring, starts on Monday.  Some stats:

CURRENT

  • 229 lbs
  • 0 -> 5 minutes of activity per day
  • around 9 hours of sleep per night

TARGET
  • 191 lbs
  • 25 minutes of activity per day
  • exactly 8 hours of sleep per night

With a little support from those around me I hope to make a go of this thing, so if you're so inclined you could wish me luck (or pray for my soul and survival) and we'll get through this thing.

You Lucky Sonofa...

Posted by Unknown On 2010-10-29 3 comments

The last one is the best!

The voice of games

Posted by pseudoRequiem On 2010-10-27 8 comments

I've agreed with Yahtzee Croshaw about many things he's said and one of the biggest ones I've noticed him being right about is big name voice acting in video games. I first noticed it in Oblivion where I loaded up the game and couldn't help but think "Tea, Earl Grey hot mother ****ers" when Patrick Stewart starting doing the opening narration. Since then there have been a few notable examples that got me a bit excited. Liam Neeson playing as your father in Fallout 3 was a big one for me as well as Nathan Fillion and some of the other Firefly cast in ODST. The problem with these examples for me has been, with the exception of ODST, the characters use has been extremely limited. Of course, both Oblivion and Fallout 3 are Bethesda games so maybe the fault is theirs. Either way, I'm happy to see that this trend is 'falling out'.

In fact, ODST can probably be used in the second part of this post as examples of games that are using the talent well. Hearing Fillion's voice, I've heard, set some people off as breaking the immersion of the game. The same has been suggested of Martin Sheen voicing "The Illusive Man". Some people suggest that they can't get into the game when they are thinking "Hey, that's Martin Sheen! So excited!". Well, personally, I never had that problem. I heard the voices, recognized them and at the same time, incorporated them into the story as if I were watching a movie with them as an actor. Not that hard people. But to move on, I'd like to say that I'm excited about the upcoming potential of Call of Duty : Black Ops in particular.

Adding professionals from the movie industry can't hurt your product. I understand that their time is likely more expensive than a lot of game companies would like, but the quality shows where they have left their mark. Black Ops is having it's script consulted on by
David Goyer and there are going to be NPCs voiced by Gary Oldman and Ed Harris. Also, as a franchise first, they are going to enrich the single player experience by giving the player character a name and a voice. And a plus for all you Avatar fans out there (and the lesser quantity of Terminator:Salvation fans) the role will be voiced by Sam Worthington.

Now if you want to play 6 degrees you can see that David Goyer knows Gary Oldman from the Batman movies starring Christain Bale who played alongside Sam Worthington in Terminator:Salvation. So the only question here is did one of the game producers cry during Armageddon or were they one of the three people in the world who knows that Ed Harris worked on the visual effects in Lost In Space another film which Gary Oldman starred (and incidentally alongside Joey from friends -Matt LeBlanc). Yay sidetrack.

Anyways, do the names and voices behind the games produce any meaning for you? I've been excited every time I was able to pick out a voice or recognize it's familiarity. It always forces me to wait until the credits scroll to figure out who that sensual female voice is that has been gently tonguing my cochlea all game. Except in gears of war 2, cause Carolyn Seymour didn't really get me going in game or afterward. Although it was cool to learn how much she has contributed to the voices in video games thus far. Anyways, I 100%ed this topic so now I need some opinions. Go forth my minions!

Words Cannot Describe....

Posted by pseudoRequiem On 3 comments

Fuck you lady! Just fuck you! Hope you get shivved day one. There is no need to explain...

OMFG: Geekgasm Part 2

Posted by Unknown On 2010-10-26 5 comments

OMFG: Geekgasm Part 1

Posted by Unknown On 5 comments

A Public Service Announcement for Vegans

Posted by Unknown On 2010-10-25 3 comments


Have a nice day!

Map Making 11010110101

Posted by Unknown On 3 comments

I'm going to take a crack at assembling a campaign map using photoshop, and thought I might seek out some advice from those who've tried.


Found a fella named Peter with some excellent advice for how to go about it:


why YOU should switch from depressant to stimulant

Posted by Unknown On 2010-10-23 0 comments



Bumped into this while researching my reply to the Kinect thread (not quite ready to post that comment yet).

Story Time

Posted by Selbonaut On 2010-10-22 4 comments

So I would like to try something a little bit different. We are all very imaginative people who read this blog, so I would like to put said imagination to the test. I would like for you to watch the below video (NSFWish) and in to comments write a story as to either the night before, or what he was thinking during the video.

Watch, and comment away.

Kinect anybody.... no not like that!

Posted by pseudoRequiem On 4 comments

I made this post on gametrailers.com in response to MilitiaMan trying to get people to buy Xbox Kinect. I thought it was worth throwing around to get an opinion or two.

MilitiaMan makes a point by saying that all launches are fairly weak due to the new tech being hard to develop for until people get the hang of it. I get that. I just can't agree with him/her that as time goes by that Kinect games will get any better.

One of my favorite things about games is that the control schemes are usually familiar from game to game. This makes them easy to pick up and play. Since the original Halo, left stick to move right stick to look has been a first person and third person staple. I personally have strong resistance to learning a new way to do the exact same things on the same console. That 'gimmick' should not sell anyone on the validity of this new peripheral. I will repeat what I've said many times already. Don't buy this for the gimmick or you'll use it as much as you do your Wii (casually I assume, so if you're a casual gamer ignore this post). Wait to see if they can actually pull off some new ideas for games or if the integration of the new 'controls', for lack of a better word, into existing game templates actually works.

Before the argument begins, I have a little homework for you. Assume all the voice and motion controls work perfectly ( and by perfectly, I mean better than any other voice system before it and much better motion capture than I've seen so far in the demos of Kinect.

1. How would you play a platformer? Actually jump every time you wanted to make a move and walk in place the rest of the time? If not this then think of what other actions could be used to do this. Keep this in mind.

2. How would you play an RTS using Kinect? How would you select a single unit or a group of individual units, pan the camera, select a unit type to build...

3. How would you play a FPS using Kinect? How would you aim your weapon or PAN THE CAMERA? (ok, if it worked perfectly, the camera would detect where a finger was pointing but....) How would you signal that you wanted to reload (would it be a different reload gesture for each type of weapon or the same one for all types), open a door, disarm a bomb, etc.... All these apply to 3rd person shooters as well.

4. How do you find the balance between the ease of pick up and play vs oversimplifying games? For example, the demos show driving games. Ok fine. That would probably be great, until your arms get tired but that's just nit picking. Now try to make a game one step up from that, like a Mario Kart style game. What do you do to throw and item forward, or backwards? Easy answer, just throwing a hand forward or backwards. Now step up one more level to a twisted metal style game. So many more controls are required that controls become too complex for people to actually want to learn unless they are hardcore gamers. So what does this mean for the platform?

I feel that this means everything Kinect is destined to be mini games and at best mario kart style games because that's the most complex controls their target audience are willing to learn to play. Yes, there will be some attempts at hardcore games and they will fail horribly like the original 'Red Steel' for Wii.

Bottom line, it doesn't make sense to argue that you should buy a Kinect because better games will come out for it later because you'll have to suffer through 4 years (Red Steel 2006 - Red Steel 2 2010) of crap before getting a sequel to a game that sucked that plays adequately. Don't buy a system that doesn't have any games you're dieing to play, it just encourages companies to make crap. Let the discourse begin...

I love you all, this is only my opinion as someone who has gamed since his thumbs developed and who's mother broke her wedding ring in half playing Dr. Mario :)

After I made my post the thread was closed by MilitiaMan....

Witness the Glory of the Ninja Biker!!

Posted by Unknown On 2010-10-21 5 comments

I am not worthy...

My Kind of Politician!

Posted by Unknown On 2010-10-20 2 comments



I may have to move to New York just to support this guy. I'd be this kind of politician, but with less coolness!

Tilt-Shift Your Perspective

Posted by Unknown On 2010-10-18 3 comments


Coachelletta from Sam O'Hare on Vimeo.

If you've never witnessed the neat effect of tilt-shift photography, you're in for a treat!
Check out the above video for tilt-shift in action. Better yet, hit the HD button and go full screen.
It's so pretty! 

Some things are happening...

Posted by Selbonaut On 6 comments

and I am not sure how I feel about them. Two things happened in the world of international politics over the past week that are leaving me unsettled.

The first is the new presidency of OPEC. Iran for the first time in 36 years is the new president of OPEC. OPEC nations account for two-thirds of the world's oil reserves, and, as of April 2009, 33.3% of the world's oil production. OPEC as an organization has huge control over oil prices and production globally. As an example when Brazil was asked to join OPEC in 2008, oil prices went to an all time high because of the amount of oil that Brazil produces. This joining would have given OPEC even more control over the oil. Brazil declined the offer to join however.

Normally a nation getting that seat wouldn't be a big deal, the problem is that it is Iran. More so it is that Iran's outward hostile view of other nations, such as Israel. Now the rest of this portion is speculation, but follow me down the rabbit hole if you will. Iran is now the leader of OPEC, single handedly the most powerful oil conglomerate in the world. The US doesn't like Iran to begin with, so if Iran who too doesn't like the US decided to play dirty with the US then I can see this going badly. The US is still and ever growingly dependent on oil, they drink that shit for breakfast. There is no proof that the war in Iraq (most resent) was because of oil, but it doesn't take much to see why they went there. The US is a major backer, still, to Israel, and again Iran doesn't like Israel. Iran having the seat just makes my stomach tingle, and not in the good way. I just hope that it stays business as usual.

The second thing that happened is that for the first time EVER in the history of the UN, Canada did not get a seat on the Security Council. Canada has had a seat on it since its inception 64 years ago, but this year lost out to Portugal. There is a slew of reasons that we didn't get it, and all of them have to do with our governments foreign affairs policies and how they represent us in the global community. I am embarrassed and enraged that this has happened. This is a black mark on our governments record that I hope that they do not walk away unscathed from. How can you fuck things up that bad? We were part of the origins of the UN and now we can't even hold our seat. We are a G8 country that the world no longer looks to for help and safety. It is going to be a long road ahead to regain the faith of the world, and I think it should start with the outing of the current government. Harper has always been weak on the international front, and this is the exclamation point on that. This, I am sure, will have far reaching consequences when it comes to future diplomacy and trade.

Thank you for your time.

Inital Thoughts: Fallout New Vegas

Posted by Unknown On 2010-10-17 4 comments

If you've been thinking about possibly picking up Fallout: New Vegas... 
This one is a sure bet!!
I started playing the game Thursday night in the rare downtime I have nowadays (babies do that to you), and I'm thrilled to say that it's fantastic. So far.

I should include the caveat that if you didn't like the last game, Fallout 3, you won't like this one. But if you, like me, loved the huge open-post-apocalyptic-world of Fallout 3 then you're in for another, slightly different, dose of the same awesomeness.

This time you're in Nevada, and there's a lot more wilderness, but so far that hasn't been a bother as there are little settlements scattered all about. Haven't actually made it to Vegas yet, but I am looking forward to it! 

There's been some nice tweaks to gameplay, making the perks (many of which remain) and the VATS system a little better balanced. They've added elements that encourage you to pick up the oodles of random shit you see so that you can use it to make useful stuff (similar to the potion and magic item making skills in Oblivion, also made by Bethesda). Also added is Traits, which add both an advantage and disadvantage at the same time, and the moral decisions in the storyline aren't quite so clear cut. 

I've barely scratched the surface of this ginormous game, but first impressions are that it's exactly what I was waiting for. If you're sitting on the fence regarding this game, then consider this the first of many reccommendations you are sure to see.
Now I'm gonna go kill me some convicts and mutants. Viva Los Freaking Vegas!

Random Banner Images

Posted by Unknown On 2010-10-15 4 comments

I'll get this working over the weekend.
No, really.

Even if I buy an iPh4...

Posted by Unknown On 2010-10-09 5 comments


It wouldn't work in Vanscoy anyway - notice how the yellow balloon around Saskatoon doesn't _quite_ make it to where I live?

Game Photo Albums

Posted by Unknown On 3 comments

Creationary Game (from LEGO)

Talisman (4th Edition from Fantasy Flight Game)


The super close-up hi-res photos of the Talisman minis make them seem a lot less impressive than they are when actually playing the game.  They beat the hell out of little grey bits of plastic at least.  I plan to squeeze in some more games this weekend.  Both video and board.  Anybody else free on either Sunday or Monday this Thanksgiving weekend?  I'm itching to roll (dice) both nights.

Who needs a Death Star

Posted by Selbonaut On 2010-10-08 4 comments

So here we have mankind again trying to meddle in shit that we just shouldn't. I present to you the National Ignition Facility in all of its glory. The idea here is they are going to take 192 really powerful lasers, and shoot all of them at a bit of hydrogen fuel ( or whatever gives them the biggest bang). The idea is that by doing so the nuclei of the atoms of the fuel inside the target capsule are made to fuse together releasing tremendous energy. Now, I am not a pessimist and am all for scientific discoveries, but I think that there is a limit on what we should be trying to stick together. Last I was taught was that fusion is what causes things like the sun.

Now, I admit that out friends over in Switzerland haven't created a black hole yet like everyone said that they would, so perhaps we won't have a small sun in our back yard too soon either.

I love innovation in science, and know that these types of experiments will lead to a better future. I am just not sure where the line is. Is there a line, who gets to decide. I do think that 3.5 BILLION DOLLARS is a bit much, granted it was over the past 13 years so really it is only 269 MILLION a year to develop a theoretical device to produce energy that may or may not be able to be tapped once it is created. I mean, really. 269 Million a year is a small price to pay for the advancement of... of... I am still having a hard time figuring out who is going to benefit from this.

I offer you no solutions to the problem of where to invest money, everyone has their hands out these days so perhaps this will pay off. Time will tell. But for now, FUCK ME 3.5 Billion...

Will Ferrell

Posted by Unknown On 4 comments

Is suddenly waaaaaay cooler in my books.

An Alternative to Castle Ravenloft?

Posted by Unknown On 2010-10-03 0 comments

Mansion of Madness

In a previous post, I alluded to the fact that I was a little let down with Castle Ravenloft now that I've seen game play video. Mansion of Madness looks to have the same dynamic/changing game board as BaHotH and CR, but will have it's own separate proprietary game mechanic.

I've played a number of Fantasy Flight games over the years (the best of which are Arkham Horror and A Game of Thrones, each for totally different reasons) and I'm generally a big fan of their well thought out, thoroughly play tested game mechanics and polish.

Any game that opens up with a letter: "by the time you read this I'm probably dead..." sounds pretty neat to me. Also going for this game is a fresh take on some familiar monster tropes instead of a simplification (or straight up regurgitation) of 4th Edition monsters and character villains that I'm already familiar with.

I came across the Fantasy Flight splash page for this new game while looking up some minutia of the rules for Arkham Horror, as I'm playing a solitaire game at home this weekend. The Fantasy Flight site is very well laid out and I was able to find what I was looking for super quickly. I think Mansion of Madness could be a huge winner.

Release date is Christmas 2010. I think I know what I'll be asking Santa for!

Bringing back the Swastika

Posted by pseudoRequiem On 2010-09-29 1 comments

Today I had the chance to browse the internet for 5 minutes and found that when I'm stressed and inconsolable, I gravitate towards aggression. I found myself attempting to calm myself searching for Buddhist symbolism on google image search. Much was my confusion when right there next to the symbol for eternity I saw my favorite thing to shoot at, the swastika. Guess evil dictators have a way of ruining everything they touch. I can see why some people say Hitler was a genius when it came to manipulating the people.

Got a new 360 for free from my brother, let the 100 percenting commence (when I'm done with renos, and all the horrid amounts of work)

Cthulhu Needs Hugs To!

Posted by Unknown On 2010-09-28 3 comments

It's a good time to be a geek parent! The above Cthulhu Needs Hugs To! t-shirt is one of many awesome options for baby clothing offered at thinkgeek.com - any true Gnoschitter knows this website.

It's a good time to be a geek with a kid. Now, if mine would just get here, I could dress her in some of this fine, fine geek-apparel. 

Its all a matter of scale

Posted by ScrewLoose On 2010-09-27 3 comments

I am sure you have all seen video that zooms from a galactic view down to a microscopic level. This on the other hand is a little flash app that lets you manually zoom through these levels with many more points of reference than I have seen before.

Castle Ravenloft - On the Fence

Posted by Unknown On 2010-09-25 0 comments

So, I was super pumped to pick up a copy of this:



but after seeing this video, I'm not certain.  One of the things I've always loved about Betrayal at House on the Hill is that it's NOT using D&D combat mechanics (i.e. d20).  I've played enough 4th edition to get my fill of that At-Will / Encounter / Daily mechanic.  Adding that to the dynamic board mechanism of BaHotH isn't, in my opinion, a strong reason to buy this game.

I've now had Warhammer Quest suggested to me on a BGG forum as something which might be more what I'm looking for.  Anybody out there in board game land heard about WHQ?

The Han Solo Theme Song

Posted by Unknown On 2010-09-24 1 comments

He's Han F'ing Solo - Damn straight he gets his own theme song...




Yeah, on second thought, I think one of you Schittheads could do better. What'cha say boys, you up to the challenge?

All That America Has Left

Posted by Selbonaut On 1 comments

I know things are tough for our cousins down south, but I am saddened to see that there are no more "experts" in any field that are willing to step up. Thank god we have people that love the US enough to come under the fire of the US congress and answer those hard hitting questions.

Long Live American Politics, for without it we would have anything to scoff at.

Me too

Posted by Unknown On 2010-09-23 1 comments

Unreal Street Performer

Posted by Selbonaut On 2010-09-22 5 comments

Need Assistance

Posted by Selbonaut On 2 comments

Hey everyone. I am in need of assistance from your collective minds. I am needing some computer network support and would like to know what you all think might be my best remedy.

I have two mac laptops, one media PC (xp) and a PS3 all on my wireless network at home.

Right now I have the PC and PS3 connected to through my TV. They are talking through PS3 media server on the pc where I can stream video and music from my PC to the PS3.

Where I need help is I want my macs to be able to join the party. Mainly I want to be able to transfer files from my mac to pc and visa versa. For sure I would like it on my network at home, but if I can do it over the internet as well that would be the icing.

Ok, Go.....

teH Haloz

Posted by pseudoRequiem On 2010-09-17 2 comments

I like this blog. It's restricted to people with intelligence. I was recently browsing some forums for a few intelligently written reviews of the Halo:Reach single player with the hopes of figuring out whether the co-op campaign was actually worth it. And after a solid hour, I gave up. It was like going to a coffee shop and asking how the cappuccino is. Only instead of an answer of "meh", "great" or "try again tomorrow", someone rushes from their seat and beats me over the head with a wooden sign scrawled hastily with hate speech and praise for "teh mocha". Followed shortly by someone else bursting through the window to beat the first sign bearer with his own sign spouting similar hate speech and praise for "teh cappuccino".

I'm so fed up with the internet enabling people to do things this ridiculous. Visualize that scenario and think about what opinion you form for both people and the camps they represent. I am done with people of questionable intelligence. So I need your help people. Tell me if you've played Halo:Reach, if you enjoyed the single and co-op campaign, and if the survival and mp modes are interesting enough for a buy. I've played a bit of H3 multiplayer and found it a bit shallow but always enjoy the single player games :) Tanks and bombs.

Xbox is questionable... going to play Dragon Age on PC instead... and you can forget about 100 percenting that game...

teh ReQuiEmZ

Boobs can sell anything (to men).

Posted by Unknown On 2010-09-16 2 comments

Just doing some research on what ads are out there at the moment (it's called "professional development" on my timesheet) and I ran across a bunch of fun Euro and Russian ads. You can get away with damn near anything over there, and a big selling point seems to be titties. Even if your product has absolutely nothing to do with breasts - like car insurance...

 

Redemption tastes like cake!

Posted by pseudoRequiem On 3 comments

I know it's not like the world view has gone from negative to positive when it comes to video games, especially violent ones. It is nice to see, however, people out there doing actual research to show that there are benefits to my favorite pastime. I don't know how popular the National Post is but it's good to see the media covering something over than a video game induced killing rampage. :)

Did the Q-tip trick to make my Xbox playable for a bit longer. 100 percenting commencing....

The new Great Old Spice commercial...

Posted by Unknown On 2010-09-15 2 comments

He's not on a horse, but there is a certain... something about the new Old Spice pitchman...

Extra Credit without the messy cleanup!

Posted by pseudoRequiem On 0 comments

I have to say, life as we know it is very simplistic. I just signed the final papers to buy a house that I don't have the money to pay for and it's no big deal. I have a job that frustrates me into boredom some days and drives nails of fear and deadlines into my brain the next. And yet, I get paid the same amount of money for both days worked. The reason I say this is because of the most recent video of "Extra Credits" posted on The Escapist. I love the epic questions posed by games that force the player to actually think a bit. I remember taking time to determine how I felt about the same situation they refer to in their Enriching Lives video. Watch it and ask if you cared or just swept past it.

If you haven't played Mass Effect 2 it has a few spoilers but even if you haven't it's worth a watch. These videos are intriguing to me because they make me think about the gaming medium in ways that I wouldn't have dreamed of. Watch em and tell me what you think. Do you think they're actually a good look at games or am I just easily impressed?

- Xbox broken with E-74 (single red light, lower right) so my 100 percenting is paused for now...
*mauthaphukin requiem for my xbox

WTF? The Tool Guy Makes Wine!?

Posted by Unknown On 1 comments

I'm not sure why I'm surprised (the day after Dan Aykroyd was shilling his wine and vodka at the University Heights liquor board store), but when I saw the above poster for a documentary about Tool frontman Maynard James Keenan's winery it just stopped me in my tracks.

I mean, anyone who has listened to Tool knows just how emotionally f'ed up this guy is, and the thought of him actually making (with his own two hands no less) a good wine just flabbergasted me. Celebs throw their names on crap all the time, but here is a guy I never expected to go down this road.

After watching the trailer for the film I have a different perspective on Maynard, and I'm gonna track down this film to watch it and see what happens when he puts his passion into creating something other than music. 

Anyone else receive a pleasant surprise from a celebrity lately?

Wesley MF Crusher's Sweet-Ass Boufant

Posted by Unknown On 4 comments

I just saw this on Wil Wheaton's blog and it made me snort coffee out my nose.

 Right on! 
Also, Wheaton is a kick-ass writer and more-or-less the Secretary of Geekdom in the US. Worth your time to check out his blog every now and then.

Left 4 Dead 2

Posted by Unknown On 2010-09-13 3 comments


Spent a good part of the weekend slaughtering hordes of fast moving zombies in Left4Dead and it's sequel, moreOfTheSame part 2.  I mock it a bit, but in actuality I really loved the intensity of the game play.  The sequel features more of the same good stuff from the first installment, plus a smidgen of little additions that just improve the experience.

I'm particularly a big fan of the new incendiary ammo.

I'm wondering what people think of the new paradigm of 'fast-zombies' in general.  This weekend I was also playing some Resident Evil 3 which is the exact opposite of L4D.  It was intriguing gameplay focused around problem solving rather than pinpoint shooting.  I'm going to take another crack at Resident Evil 5 on console as I had totally written it off after playing the demo on my PS3, but now I'm thinking I should return and give it a second look.

Do you have L4D 1/2?  Do you have an XBox360?  Do you want to play some online?  If you've answered yes to all three of these AND have received an "Add Friend" from a certain LincoLn ToasT which you've subsequently ignored, you're a son-of-a-bitch.

In other news: life without contractions would suck gigantic goat balls.  No, seriously.

and F* the Fan

Posted by Selbonaut On 2010-09-10 5 comments

F* the unicorn

Posted by Selbonaut On 4 comments

Hobo... With... A... Shotgun

Posted by SoulTrain On 2010-09-07 2 comments

Maybe the best part of Tarantino and Rodriguez' Grindhouse pairing is the films now being made from the fake trailers that played along with them. Machete is out now, and others are rumoured. But this is... something special.

Lost in Translation

Posted by Unknown On 2 comments

While working on changes to the About page at lunch today, I was reminiscing about pictures and links from around the time GnoSchitt got off the ground.


I thought this image from was from a previous post of ours but I couldn't locate it in the history.  Thankfully, the internet is made of tiny faeries and magical creatures that can locate anything by careful keyword searching...


(she is so proud in this picture, and he has NO fucking idea)

Gears of Confetti

Posted by pseudoRequiem On 2 comments

Ok, to start, I started playing 360 on a friends box. I had an account and played all his games. Hell, I even bought a few just so I could play them on his machine. Then the dreaded day arrived. University ended and I had money that I could actually spend. Crazy, I know.

So a 360 elite with headset and 250 G hard drive came my way. A memory unit purchased to transfer my existing account from my friends box to my shiny new one. And in all my blessed new-found glory I plugged in to play Gears. I am now ready to rehash all that.

Oh Gears, how you've kept me through the years. Yes it rhymes. Deal with it. Screw poetry it's time to chainsaw things. Kyro's new to the Xbox exclusives and I plan on walking him through the magic of Dom and Marcus. Woe be to everyone not us.

(Gno) Handlebars

Posted by Unknown On 2010-08-29 3 comments

I know this is old news, but I had never seen the video for it until tonight.  It's pretty politically charged, I'm a big fan of the way it ends.

Back on my radar (octaNe)

Posted by Unknown On 2010-08-21 2 comments


I'm interested in doing a couple sessions of this with some drinking.  A sorta 'party-game' for the RPG crowd if you know what I mean.  More details to follow this fall....

My 20's Were NOT Time Well Wasted...

Posted by Unknown On 2010-08-20 2 comments

...At least according to some totally awesome scientists, who state, "that countless studies show that hallucinogens promote healthy neural activity in the brain."
Hell yes! I wasn't tripping, I was finding oneness and promoting my mental well-being!
Here's a chart, a real official-looking one!This shows my, er, subjects states of mind when on LSD or Ketamine. Turns out that Vitamin K is good for depression, and Acid is very helpful treating OCD.

I am so proud of myself right now for the responsible decisions I made in my younger days!

Inter-ception

Posted by km_f5 On 2010-08-19 3 comments

Before the Lord scoops this one ;)

This has been killing me for months

Posted by Unknown On 2010-08-18 3 comments


10.4: A simple way to copy the path to a file or folder
Authored by: jhaslam on Jan 04, '08 03:24:34PM
Don't know if this works in 10.4 but it seems to work in 10.5:  works like a charm

1. Click on the file or folder you want the path for
2. Click on 'Finder' in the menu bar
3. 'Services'
4. 'TextEdit'
5. 'New Window containing Selection'

A TextEdit window opens with the text (hyperlink) of the path, e.g. /Users/Jim/Music/file.mp3

Quite quick and easy!

---
2.4GHz MacBookPro, 4GB DDR, 10.5.8