Wii are Curious...

So, Nintendo has finally revealed the official name for their new console - Wii. Pronounced "we", the "ii" is supposed to represent the nunchaku-style controller. Also, the "we" is supposed to represent some sort of relationship between the makers of games and the gamers...or something like that. Sounds more like a collective to me. A potentially perverted collective.

"Wii are the Borg..."
"Hey, want to come play with the Wii with me?"

Eh, what's in a name? Remember the Dolphin? The Starcube? The ULTRA 64? Well, that's it for the moment. Just felt the need to get the word out.

Oh, it's not quite it. I beat Ape Escape 3 (well, first run-through) today. Imagine my surprise when I heard the last stage music - it was none other than Gustav Holst's "Mars, the Bringer of War." A nice end of the world sort of theme. Afterwards, I was treated to Mesal Gear Solid...that's right, you, as a monkey must rescue Solid Snake. With a Banana Pistol. I'm not even kidding.

Now it's definitely it. For this post, anyway.

Super Leafage

So, I think I know a thing or two about Japanese mythology. I'm at least aware of some of the creation myths and mythical creatures such as the kappa and kitsune. Today, I read up on the wonderful creature called the tanuki. Before today, I knew it was a dog/raccoon-like being who (according to legend) utilizes leaves to cast spells, shapeshift, and generally be a magical raccoon. AFTER today, I learned that they have enormous testicles.


















Holy crap. Those are huge. I also learned there's an old Japanese schoolyard song that goes a little something like this...

Tan Tan Tanuki no kintama wa
Kaze mo nai no ni
Bura bura bura

Translated, it says "Tanuki's testicles swing back and forth even when there is no wind blowing."

You Japanese...I salute you.

There's a Smell in the Air...

And that smell is of cookie. It seems that my roommate has baked cookies and set them out on a platter on my side of the dresser. I'm sure that they are there for the purpose of cooling...but I can't help but ponder the possibility that perhaps they are some sort of offering to me. They are, after all, stacked in a nice pyramid of doughy goodness.

They sit...taunting me...

I've been tossing around some ideas for the Friday tunes blog. I couldn't decide to do a theme or what. Spurred by the find of "The Ballad of Barry Allen" I was considering doing a playlist involving superheroes. Unfortunately, that turns into a list of about 7 Superman-related songs, 1 Flash-related song, and a CD's worth of wacky 60s Justice League recordings by Arthur Korb. Still not sure what will be coming...

It just occurred to me that this Friday is the LAST Friday tunes blog while I'm here at BSU. FUBSU! Don't worry, they'll still be coming fairly regularly in the summer (though I can't promise one two weeks from tomorrow).

The joys of a slightly slushy 20 oz. of Coke (my first soda of the day!). Never was there anything more delicious while being so precarious. You've gotta watch out and make sure that the releasing gas doesn't cause the Coke to expand past the lip of the bottle. Else you'll make a mess.

Advent Children: It has come out. I must see it (again, though this time in English). Perhaps this weekend...perhaps...

Now, however, it is time for some of that luscious Street Fighter action.

SHOURYUUKEN!!!

The Ballad of Barry Allen

And you say the world goes rushing by
but it seems so slow to me
and you see a blur around you fly
but it takes too long
it seems so slow to me

So, I'm roaming Wikipedia today like I so often do. I then felt the usual urge to read some random wiki articles on random superheroes and I happened to notice that on the bottom of the Flash page that there's been a song created entitled "The Ballad of Barry Allen." I did some searching and found the song for sale on iTunes so I promptly downloaded it. Well, promptly is the wrong word - you see iTunes likes to be painfully sluggish here at BSU (it just gives up on large podcasts completely - no TWiT for me). The song is quite good and offers an interesting perspective on the character of the Flash. Lyrics can be found here.

Is it just me or does Jon Stewart do that little slow eye close thing a tad too much on the Daily Show previews? Just a random thought.

Comics have been on my mind today. Things are just changing so rapidly in the comic world. A new Blue Beetle, a new Atom, Booster taking a starring role...it's just crazy! I'm eager to see where DC takes us, though.

Prommy prom prom. Last weekend was SHS's prom and I attended that happy little gig with my Jennifer. Pre-prom, we headed to Ruth's Chris Steakhouse. Expensive? Yes. Delicious? YES! Best restaurant steak I've ever consumed.

Prom itself was very very good. Fun times for all! Dancing and TyTy. What more do you need?

Not much more to report...
All quiet on the western front...

Thank You Bleward

We have Blaire to thank for this additional Friday post. Why credit Blaire? These...are his creations. He gifted me with these last May for graduation and I promised I'd put them up online. Well, it's nearly a year later...but better late than never! Enjoy these wonderful checks made out to me by Blaire.










And then you have the back.











Hope you loved it. I know I did.

It's like..umm...that...what?

I picked and picked at my brain (figuratively) and I could not come up with an idea for this post. Not even a post TITLE came to mind. I thought...hey, why not a First 10 Friday? I decided I wasn't feeling it. How about a themed Friday? Ah, good idea! But...what theme? Album review/comment! Umm...which one?

You see, I am very indecisive at the moment.

Let it Begin...

So, I've signed up with YouTube. What does this mean to you? Why, it means imbedded video posts of course! Don't expect anything amazing anytime soon. But in celebration of joining YouTube...here is Disco Jason. Enjoy.

Thy Game is Over

Take THAT comm 210 class! I completed my final speech presentation today, and I don't think I could feel much better. Sure, I was a tad monotone throughout it...but it's OVER! And I'm quite confident that I passed.

Now what else to go on about? Ah - a buddy o' mine, name of Kirk, is part of a wacky group dubbed Oily Chicken. I've watched some of their work and I must say...it's quite bizarre. And lovely. Here's a trailer for a project they're cooking up this summer...enjoy a preview of - The Township!



Ah...methinks I should get a YouTube account. I've been playing with iMovie a bit and just messing around with some video I have stored away on the Mac. I have a feeling that there will someday be a nice little video post soon. Yessss...YES!!!

Only a week and 2 days before I have to square off against the Final Bosses! Sorry for the short post with little or no point. No wait, I'm not - not at all. Hoohah! Perhaps another post will arise in the evening.

Perhaps...perhaps not...

Themed First 10 Friday - My Face Hurts

So, somebody has pissed in our trash room. These amazing BSU students never cease to amaze me. Hoo boy...I'm trying something different with the First 10 Friday today. I've picked a random phrase and searched for each word in the phrase with iTunes. The result? The "My Face Hurts" playlist! Alright! I don't know how some of these songs wound up on the list...but we'll let it go.

1) If You Don't Love Me (I'll Kill Myself) - Pete Droge
Interesting little song featured in the Dumb and Dumber soundtrack. Nothing too amazing here, just your standard mid-90's rock I suppose. Enjoyable.

2) All in My Head - Shawn Mullins
Whoa there, Mr. CheaterCheaterFaceEater. This was mentioned in last week's Music from Scrubs bit. What do you know? The song hasn't changed since then.

3) Be My Yoko Ono - Barenaked Ladies
WONDERFUL! I love this song...it's silly and at the same time a bit lovey. It has a really nifty, upbeat sound to it. The iTunes originals version features an extended little "Yoko Ono scream/singing" segment which is..uhm....interesting.

4) Penny Lane - The Beatles
This appared solely based on the album name (Magical Mystery Tour). So, technically it shouldn't be on the My Face Hurts list. But oh well. You probably know this one. If not, make an attempt to. It's...okay.

5) That Face - John Pizzarelli
Not an excellent post-speech class song. A smooth quiet jazz song. I don't recall a lot of it...I think it may have lulled me into a walking sleep. I think it warrants a re-listen, but not right now. I've no time to dilly-dally.

6) Jimmy Olsen's Blues - Spin Doctors
Took me a second to figure out how this got on the list. Once again, it's a little faker "my" in Jimmy. Once again, a mid-90's song that most people would probably recall upon hearing it. It sounds very much like their other hit from the same CD, "Little Miss Can't Be Wrong." Not that there's anything wrong with that.

7) Sit on My Face - Monty Python
Wow. I was hoping this would pop up on the list. A very short (46 seconds) military march by none other than the members of Monty Python's Flying Circus. Yes, it's lewd. It's also hilarious.

8) Margaritaville - Jimmy Buffet
Accursed fakers! Another Jimmy cheating his way into the list. Oh well, this song reflects the weather we've been having, I suppose. Can't say I'm a huge Buffet fan, but...(insert something here).

9) Carry on My Wayward Son - Kansas
Ah, another very nice song. Ummm...that's it.

10) ******* - ***********
******** planes ***8* and the bright ********** will ********* eat every****** ****** *** **** *** ****. BUT, ******** **** *** *** * ** *****. Watch out, *******. ********* *** ** ******* ** ************ ****** ****** chickens.

Well, that's it for today. And now off to an evil evil weekend of calculus, computer science projects, a speech, and assisting with a video project. Oh, and getting up early Saturday and Sunday. Can't forget that. Luckily, one of my best friends is Red Bull. And tea. I like these. Short, choppy sentences that is. Yup.

Cranial Demons

Ghar! No, that's not a pirate grunt - I have head demons again. An evil pounding headache that just pushes me bit by bit...oh well, it will pass. I've been wanting to blog some today, but didn't really feel up to it. And now I do. Lucky you.

It seems that Attack of the Show is losing two of their hosts (co-hosts? umm...personalities. that works). Sarah Lane and Brendan Moran are heading out to...get married!? It's sad to see them go, just as it was when Kevin Rose went on to other things. I loved Sarah's Damn Good Downloads as well as the Gems of the Internet. And I loved Brendan's...uh...well, let's just say he may have been the most eccentric of the AOTS crew. They will both be missed, I'm sure. Good luck on your little marriage thingy. You're lucky I like Pereira...or else you'd be sorry. MUAHAHA!

I felt like there was possibly something else important to blog about. Perhaps I was wrong...you see the head demons have gummed up my thinkbox. If I recall something, don't worry your pretty little heads - I'll post it. And now off to do...something...or other. Oh yeah, by the way (in case)...it seems that listening to Journey alleviates headaches. At least it did for me. For a while anyway...

That's it for now.

First...2...Friday?

It went like this: I wake up, shower, and proceed to speech. What plays on the iPod on my jaunt? Nothing too exciting. In fact I already forget. See how great the random list was today? SO, I tried it again. I decided I'd give the random shuffle another shot on the way back from speech. Once again, nothing too exciting...SO, I gave up and just listened to what I wanted to listen to. And in doing so, I killed the First 10 Friday for today. BUT, don't fear...for I'm trying something daring and new today. Album reviews! Well, more like album comments. Yaaay...so, here you go. 2 albums: a commercial one and a free one (coincidentally a video game remix one).

The one you have to buy:
















Music from Scrubs. I looked at my various albums on iTunes, saw this, and said...eh, what the heck? It's an interesting mix of music, most of which is pretty enjoyable. Of course, the show's opener, Superman by Lazlo Blane, is present as is a tacked on instrumental credits closer. It's an excellent song and fits the show perfectly. Colin Hay, Shawn Mullins (remember him? "Lullaby"?), and John Cale are also on the list. Many of the songs have a regular guy loserism about them which is juuuust peachy. The only track I'm not fond of in his collection is "Hooch "by Everything. Gah, do not like that song much at all. My personal favorites from the CD are "Overkill" (acoustic) by Colin Hay, "New Slang" by the Shins, "Superman" by Lazlo Blane, and "Dracula from Houston" by the Butthole Surfers. This is definitely worth the purchase (if you can find it). Of course, you could always pick out the best tracks and purchase them on iTunes.

And now, the free album:












Okay, I cropped that image from the homepage banner of joecam.net. Hope no lawsuits ensue...this is an EXCELLENT collaboration of remixers. Dhsu, Mustin and the OneUps, virt, and Dale North are just a few of the names connected to this 31-track project. For those that enjoy quirky music or may be interested in entering the world of video game remixes this is the place to start. Of course, Earthbound fans are "bound" (heh heh...) to love this. Check it out at http://earthbound.joecam.net/

I think there were a few news bits I wanted to touch on...OH YES! Lionhead studios was acquired by Microsoft. Though this is excellent news for Lionhead, this means that these games will only appear on Xbox 360 and PC, must like Rare games. I admit I haven't seriously played a game by Peter Molyneaux (head of Lionhead) for a while, I greatly enjoyed his work at Bullfrog. That seemed important enough to me to mention. So there you have it.

The weather's beautiful, and so too are shiny things. My good buddy Kasey (Wil Hawk) is back! In celebration, we may eat a wheel of shrimp and down much Wal*Mart tea. This weekend will be great. Hope it goes the same for all of you. Take care, everybody.

Marry me with my money...

Here's that meaningful post I promised. Recently I've been going back through some of my MAME games and playing some good arcade games. Now, among the games I generally play (Capcom's fighting games) there are a few true gems of the arcade world. Not least of which is Sunset Riders.

This amazing game was a product before widespread video game political correctness. It was a time when cowboys mowed down virtual Injuns with extreme prejudice (and glowing bullets). A time when Mexicans fired unlimited pink bursts of grapeshot (which matched their ridiculous sombreros and panchos). I present to you...my personal hero of Sunset Riders: Cormano.














There he is, doing what he does best - swiping booze and uh...being cool. Marvel as he pays the rustler no mind, despite the imminent gunshot.














Ooh, action shot! Don't you hate it when Western outlaws set barrels of oil on fire? Well, Cormano scoffs as he SINGLE-HANDEDLY traverses the rope.














The bosses in this game were something. That's Dark Horse, who is also apparently a firefighter/male stripper. Good thing his horse is covered.














Spearking of the bosses, check out the middle guy. Chief Scalpem. I'm not even making this up...














Yay Cormano! Keep up the good work and keep the Wild West safe! Gotta love a pale Mexican in a pink/bright red getup.

And now, I bring you something amazing from another side-scrolling beat 'em up. This is from Knights of the Round, so you could probably predict the playable characters: Sir Lancelot, King Arthur, and Perceval (maybe you wouldn't have guessed him right off the bat). But what's this? Is it really King Arthur? Or is it - OH MY GOSH!














Perhaps you need a closer look and a side-by-side comparison...








It's Chuck Norris! I KNEW he was the King of the Britons in some way or another. Wow...screenshots are fun. Hold on to your spats gang! I have a feeling more will be coming.

Have a nice remainder of your Thursday, everyone. Tune in...er...click in tomorrow for the First 10 Friday.

The Fell Beast

I just returned from vanquishing a rather tedious calculus exam. The test wasn't too hard, but it was incredibly long. As in hour and a half long. And I was among the first handful that completed it. I really hope that this doesn't indicate the length of the final exam, because if so...we're looking at a 3 hour exam. Ah, I'm sure it won't last THAT long.

I've been wanting to write lately, but I'm not quite sure what about. Here I am, still at a loss as to what the subject of this post could be. Let's brainstorm shall we? Hmmm...

Bizarre dreams, end of school, Will Wright, MAME, food, "If you're not laughing, you're not living", Peter Molyneaux, Medea, picross, Revolution, Pineapple Upsidedown Soda, persuasive speech, Stephen Colbert, MGS3: Subsistence, Kingdom Hearts 2, stupid people, OYL, ummm...there are many more things. And you know what? I don't have the drive to post about any of them.

SO, that's it for this post. Yes, this waste of online space. Not to mention your time. Perhaps tomorrow, we'll have a more meaningful post. If that doesn't happen to be the case, you can always look forward to the First 10 Friday.

That's it for now. I think.