Reading something about Comic-Con led to an article about shoes inspired by video games (check out the Street Fighter Dunks). This got me thinking about some sweet kicks that Firecracker George had. Turns out Reebok is set to release the Reebok Alien Stomper in two new colorways in Fall/Winter 2010. A quick search turned up Alien Stompers in all sorts of colors, grey/red, blue/white, black red, all gray, and reflector. I still like the classic grey/red.
The new trailer for Tron: Legacy was released at Comic-Con. I have a feeling that the crowd in San Diego erupted like a Yosemitebear choir watching double rainbows when this aired. Whoooooaaa!!! Oh my gah, oh my gah, oh my gahahahahaaaaa!!! What does this meeeeean?!
And for a little more of a tease, six tracks from the Tron: Legacy soundtrack by Daft Punk. This is like a geek's wet dream. Disney certainly knows how to build up some hype:
Daft Punk for Tron Legacy Soundtrack by Hypetrak
As much as I love Cheetos, you might be surprised that I never knew how Frito-Lay actually made them. Well, wonder no more because Wired magazine actually had a brief article about the how such cheesy goodness is created.
"The perfect reference Cheetos are sent from Frito-Lay headquarters."
There was a time in my youth when INXS was my favorite band and Kick was my favorite album, which makes this cover project by Beck and friends all the more cheesier. Check out the video below for a teaser, and Beck's Record Club for videos of them covering the rest of the album.
I know we have us some serious Predator fans on this blog. I personally am ready to build a time machine to fast forward to July to see this.
So apparently, today is Star Wars day (May the 4th be with you.)
Happy Star Wars day.
What better reason than this to have a bad day on the pitching mound:
This guys commentary is hilarious. Let's just hope the Indian food isn't coming from underneath the bridge.
For those that missed this new preview in 3D before Alice In Wonderland this weekend. And how incredible is that Daft Punk soundtrack going to be?
I have no background on Ironman other than the last movie and that Scratch had a collection. That being said the 2nd one looks pretty sweet.
That's a line from the first track from Middle Cyclone by Neko Case, as she sings from the point of view of a tornado. It's an almost violent kind of song that seems to capture the intensity of a tornado as a metaphor for passionate love. Given the experience we've had with growing up around tornadoes here at the Kool-Aid Gang, it was quite awesome to pick apart the words to this song.
Here's one for you Firecracker George. I can't remember where I found this picture.
I am a fan of both "The Big Lebowski" and Shakespeare. Adam Bertocci reworked the Big Lebowski script to Shakespearean. Examples of reworked characters:
The Dude becomes "The Knave"
Walter is "Sir Walter"
Jesus is "Joshua Quince, a pederast"
Good reading for this weekend.
find the adaptation at - http://runleiarun.com/lebowski/
Lebowski Line: "You see a wedding ring on my finger? Does this place look like I'm fucking married? The toilet seat's up man!"
Shakespearean version: "Zounds, man. Look at these unworthiest hands; no gaudy gold profanes my little hand. I have no honour to contain the ring. I am a bachelor in a wilderness. Behold this place; are these the towers where one may glimpse Geoffrey, the married man? Is this a court where mistresses of common sense are hid? Not for me to hang my bugle in an invisible baldric, sir; I am loathe to take a wife, or she to take me until men be made of some other mettle than earth. Hark, the seat of my commode be arisen!"
Lebowski Line - Jesus: "Let me tell you something, pendejo. You pull any your crazy sh*t with us, you flash a piece out on the lanes, I'll take it away from you and stick it up your ass and pull the f*cking trigger till it goes "click"."
Shakespearean version - Quince: "Well; but be forewarn’d. It reach’d mine ears That combustible Walter, o’ercome with rage Did shed good sense, and raise his sword in play. I fear not such jade’s tricks, an seeing ill, Would snatch the burden from the jealous knight And pierce his gizzard with the wrongful steel, Points up, as said of Coriolanus."
Lebowski line - Walter: "Is this your homework, Larry?"
Shakespearean version - Sir Walter: "Is this thy parchment, Laurence? "
Snoop Dogg and Martha Stewart in the kitchen making brownies. Now I know what she was doing to pass the time during all those days on house arrest.
I pass this building on my way home from work each night. The light in the sign has been out for at least a month now, and I'm surprised no one's bothered to fix it yet. I chuckle every time I see it:
Even with the convenience of laptops, iPhones, Kindles, and other gadgets, the experience of flipping through books and magazines still has not been replicated to a point that I actually enjoy using these devices for my reading. I still subscribe to a magazine or two, flip through the morning paper at work, and prefer buying a book at the bookstore over trying to read one on my iPhone. Apple is rumoured to be coming out with a tablet device in the coming months, though, and many magazine publishers are readying themselves for the eventual evolution of their medium to electronic displays. If they incorporate the design strategies outlined in this video, it might actually be another game-changer in how we consume information. I especially like how this guy has thought about the experience of a print magazine, and how it differs from what we get currently online through blogs and RSS feeds, apart from the obvious satisfaction of flipping through pages, and considering the magazine issue as a complete project with a beginning and an end rather than the endless stories we get through the Web.
Truth be told, I've never read Dune, but I enjoyed the movie adaptation directed by David Lynch. But could you imagine what Return of the Jedi would have been like with him at the helm?
A screen capture of a real page from Fox News (via The High Definite):
If we already didn't have plans... Flaming Lips will be covering Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon on New Years Eve.
"The Lips will be collaborating with the band Stardeath and White Dwarfs (who boast Wayne Coyne's nephew Dennis Coyne as a member), to perform their own version of Dark Side. Special appearances from Henry Rollins and Peaches are said to also be included."
I think enough years have gone by since Wayne's World killed this song for me that I can actually enjoy the updated version of this Queen classic by the Muppets:
Considering how much backstory has been created and is currently in print, you'd think they would have already made a Warhammer 40,000 movie by now. Better late than never, I guess. From their official website:
Codex Pictures revealed today the director and screenwriter for the forthcoming Warhammer 40,000 movie ULTRAMARINES.The director is Martyn Pick, whose credits include the 2009 film The Age of Stupid, on which he was animation director; London 2012, the promotional film commissioned by Film London and the London Development Agency which was premiered at the Beijing Olympics; the 2001 US Budweiser NBA commercial; and the celebrated BBC promotional trailers for the Euro 2004 soccer tournament. Martyn was chosen to direct Ultramarines for his renowned and highly distinctive ability to fuse live action and animation and the fluid, rich painterly style of his film-making.
The screenplay has been written by someone who needs no introduction to Warhammer 40,000 fans – best-selling author Dan Abnett. Dan has penned more than 25 books for Games Workshop’s Black Library, with total sales in excess of 1.2 million copies. He also works regularly for 2000 AD, Marvel Comics and DC Comics and has recently seen publication of the first of three novels for HarperCollins' new sci-fi, fantasy and horror imprint, Angry Robot.
ULTRAMARINES, a sci-fi thriller employing CGI and state-of-the-art production techniques, is being produced by Codex Pictures in association with Good Story Productions Ltd. The Canadian co-producer is POP6 Studios.
Don't know if you heard about this guy that crashed his $2 million Bugatti Veyron into a lagoon near Galveston. He initially claimed a low flying pelican distracted him. Unbeknownst to him, some admiring fans of the car were filming the whole thing:
I posted about the Tauntaun sleeping bag awhile back, but who knew it could substitute for a Snuggie?
If you've been wondering what Scott Baio has been up to then take a gander at this video.
A group of students at Carnegie Mellon University put together a modernized way of playing Dungeons & Dragons using the Microsoft Surface. Kind of makes you wonder what playing Battletech, Car Wars, or Warhammer 40,000 would have been like on this sort of gaming table. Definitely, would have saved a lot of paper. I'd still miss using my lucky set of dice, though.
This is how close I was.
I wish I had brought a proper camera. This was from my cell phone.
I love that the zipper pull that opens up the tauntaun is a lightsaber.
While on vacation for my birthday last week my Wife and I ate at the House Of Blues in Orlando and discovered much to my delight two of my favorite bands were playing that night. Tickets were cheap, the venue tiny, and the entertainment some of the best I've ever experienced. My great love of the Happy Mondays is no secret. As God says at the end of the brilliant film '24 Hour Party People' Shawn Ryder is the greatest poet since Yeats. I agree wholeheartedly. While his huge drug problems are well chronicled in the film, Shawn was clean and sober at the show and making jokes about his past problems with a closed mouth smile. Shawn admitted at one point during the show all of his teeth had fallen out from drugs and now when he smiles he "looks like a mother f***er." Though there were few original members of the band playing, I was there for Shawn. He did not dissapoint.
The Psychedelic Furs have been on the top of my favorite bands list since seeing the film 'Pretty In Pink' in 1986. They were a band I thought I'd never see live though as they broke up long ago and seemed to want to stay that way. Richard Butler was famous as one of the most entertaning front men of the New Wave era. Even 20 years later it held true. Their sound was superb and all of the songs had been updated for a more modern feel, but leaving none of the old charm behind. I was front and center against the barrier for the entire show and the intimacy of the club mixed so well with the vibe of these two bands I thought I'd never see live that it combined into the best night of what was already the greatest vacation I've had. The chances of these two bands playing while I was there could have been serendipity, or luck, or maybe karma. Whatever it was all I know is it was one of the greatest birthday presents I've ever had.
The Longhorns looked pretty mortal yesterday, but a win is a win, I guess. Sergio Kindle showed some flashes of dominance, however, keeping the run in check and giving the quarterback enormous amounts of pressure. And how awesome was this hit on Taylor Potts? I seriously wondered for a split second whether that guy's head was still in that helmet rolling on the ground:
Admit it. If you had money and your wife or significant other didn't have objections or decorating ideas of her own, you'd furnish your pad like this guy's apartment, too. See more photos at Gizmodo:
That could sound a bit ominous, depending on your political leanings. Saw this on kottke.org, a slightly Photoshopped picture of the President playing around with the U.S. Olympic fencing team during their recent visit to the White House. Your political affiliations probably influence whether this looks like Barack Obama as a Jedi, a Sith Lord, or just an inexperienced Padawan. Either way, you have to admit, this picture is pretty cool:
I read this segment from an article on cracked.com. Holy crap it's funny (yet tragic).
John Watson established the entire psychological field of behaviorism by gallantly conducting experiments on babies. Evidently, getting a baby to work on back in the 20s was easy: You just grabbed one that belonged to one of the hospital's employees... an employee who, it should be noted, was not involved in the experiment. Apart from their relationship to the subject/lab rat, of course.
For this particular experiment, Watson took a baby named Albert and exposed him to rats, monkey masks and burning newspaper. Then he stopped fucking around and began the actual experiment.
Little Albert would be introduced to a series of fluffy white objects, such as a white rat, a white rabbit and a swatch of white fur. Initially, Albert possessed no fear of these things. During subsequent exposures to the same objects, Watson would hammer a steel bar, creating a terrifying racket. In time, whenever Albert saw anything white and fluffy he cried with fear. This is science.
Watson's goal was, of course, to see if it was possible to condition fear in an infant. You know, because prior to this infants were regarded as cold, unfeeling machines, incapable of emotion.
Working tirelessly alongside his assistants, he scared a child for 31 days before returning it to the hospital drenched in terrified excrement (evidently it was just a rental). Unfortunately, Watson spent the entire experiment scaring the shit out of Albert with the hammer of Thor and never got around to actually correcting any of the tremendous psychological damage he was causing, thereby dooming Albert to grow up as a man who pissed his pants at the sight of a cotton ball.
As if this wasn't enough, it turns out Watson had wanted to do more. He lamented that he didn't have the time to condition both fear and arousal in Albert by stimulating the child's erogenous zones during the experiments, because back then getting an infant to shit all over his own boner was considered the pinnacle of behavioral research.
It's being hailed as the single best licensed game ever made. Or my favorite quote from Joystiq.Com's review "It will birth you anew in its magnificence." It's got the Joker voiced by Mark Hamill. It's got Batman in his truest comic form as I imagine him in my head. I don't even have it yet and I'm already giddy. By the way I ordered the limited edition that comes with a real batarang. You never know when you'll need it.
Usain Bolt shattered yet another of his world records at the world championships in Berlin by recording a time of 19.19 seconds in the 200 meter sprint. Watching the video, I'm still amazed at how completely relaxed he looks before and during the race in comparison to his competitors. And the margin of victory is freakin' insane!
As Bolt said, "I'm on my way to being a legend."
Women in bikinis reciting lines from Star Wars seemed like a good idea...until you actually watch it. "Even I get boarded sometimes" has taken a whole new meaning in my head for some reason now.
Saw this on kottke.org, and thought it was hilarious. This story is pure gold. Give it a look if you've got a few minutes to spare:
G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra is in that category of films that's a bit hard to review. No one in their right mind is expecting greatness from a movie directed by Stephen Sommers (The Mummy), much less from a movie based on a line of toys. Still, Transformers and its sequel Revenge of the Fallen turned out to be a wonderful spectacle of CGI eye candy and quite entertaining. And considering I played with G.I. Joe way more than Transformers, I was hoping some nostalgia for one of my favorite toys as a kid would allow me to escape and have some fun with this in the same way. Even the actors themselves weren't kidding themselves into thinking this was some sort of genre defining movie. Back during production of the film adaptation of G.I. Joe in which she portrays the Baroness, Sienna Miller succintly summed up exactly what to expect: "Guns, tits, ass, and no acting!" And honestly, I think she was spot on.
The plot of G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra is pretty straightforward. Destro creates the ultimate terror weapon, his henchmen (Baroness, Storm Shadow, Zartan) steal it from NATO, and the G.I. Joe team (General Hawk, Heavy Duty, Snake Eyes, Scarlett, Breaker) along with their new recruits (Duke, Ripcord) are tasked to save the world from Destro's nefarious plan. In the background is the Doctor, who seems to be the real brains behind Destro's organization with a backstory that isn't all that hard to figure out before the "big" reveal towards the end of the film.
For the most part, I thought the casting of the film was actually quite good. Sienna Miller and Rachel Nichols look hot, Ray Park in his Snake Eyes outfit looks ninja cool and his moves are even cooler, and they don't give Channing Tatum too many big words to say. Wild Willie...er...I mean, Dennis Quaid pretty much calls in his performance, but he's not asked to do a whole lot either except look leader-ly and whoop and holler when the Joes win the final battle (that was pretty much a blatant knock-off of Star Wars--dogfights, sword fight between Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow, General Hawk at the main base with a big holographic globe watching the battle unfold).
Steven Sommers and the writers take the right approach in this movie by making it essentially an action-centric film with lots of explosions, high-tech gadgets, and fights that defy the laws of physics. I was pleased to see that they even tried to make some of the technology for G.I. Joe a bit believable using ideas that are in the early phases of development already today (e.g. invisibility cloak). The writers even manage to explain how Cobra manages to get all these nameless soldiers to fight their battles without complaint (i.e. nanomites that allow for mind control), which always perplexed me as a kid when I would watch cartoons--perhaps a bit silly, but explains a lot nonetheless. And in some sense, this movie felt a lot like the old cartoons, save for the fact that people actually die in this film rather than miraculously parachute out of danger. Whether you feel that's a good thing or bad, I leave that opinion to you.
It's when the film stops having fun, and tries to be serious when the film breaks down. Granted, the draw for me to G.I. Joe as a kid was always the backstories behind each character, but the way they sort of tried to incorporate flashbacks for each of the main characters really slowed the pace down, and didn't add much to the movie at all. The story itself hinges on the background between Duke, the Baroness, and Cobra Commander, which was kind of silly, and wasn't helped by the fact that Channing Tatum and Sienna Miller had absolutely no chemistry. And Zartan? He's still the dumbest villain ever. EVER!
In the wrong frame of an adult mind, this was probably a laughable film, best enjoyed at 2:00 AM with a few too many beers. But G.I. Joe was never really meant for adults. I think this movie targets exactly the right market--young boys who still play with toys. Had I been ten years old, I probably would have been talking about this movie for the next month. Do you need to go rung out and see this? No. But if you've got nothing to do on a weekend afternoon, or when it comes out on DVD, it's kind of fun. And in the end, this movie comes down to one question: Ninjas and hot chicks in tight leather--do you really need anything else? Just for that, I give it a...
So I'm moments from walking out the door on a date, and I'm stricken with diarrhea. So the question is do I call and cancel without providing a reason, or do I "suck it up" as it were.
I'm going for it. Wish me luck.
Oh no, were having Mexican food. :(
I think Wander posted this trailer for Halo 3 awhile back. Obviously, this game has been out for quite some time, so this isn't the reason why I'm posting the video again. I'm really just putting it up to remind us how awesome a big-screen version of Halo might have been with Neill Blomkamp directing a full-on movie since he was in charge of this trailer. And when you see his movie District 9 this weekend, you'll probably be cursing Microsoft even more for screwing the potential movie deal up a couple of years ago. Oh, what could have been.
The chase scene for this must have been amusing to watch:
Man gets DUI riding lawnmower for beer
ASSOCIATED PRESS
08/04/2009
BELLEVILLE— With a revoked license because of a previous drunken-driving conviction, Dennis Cretton shouldn't drive.
But authorities say that didn't stop the 49-year-old Belleville-area man from drunkenly driving up to a gas station for more beer --on his yellow riding lawnmower.
Cretton has been charged with felony aggravated driving under the influence after neighbors reported he was weaving in and out of traffic on his lawnmower Friday night.
When deputies tried to stop him, authorities say Bretton drove the mower into his home's front yard, his 12-pack of Milwaukee's Best spilling onto the ground along the way.
Cretton is free on $10,000 bond. Calls to his home went unanswered Tuesday.
You were my favorite comedy writer and one of the best directors in the game. Your films defined my life. Thank you.
Bacon Lip Balm seemed like a good idea when I first read about it, but then after I thought about this concept for awhile, it occurred to me that this might give the sensation of spreading bacon fat on your lips all day. That could get kind of gross.
Conventional wisdom says that hot women marry rich and successful men. Not necessarily rich, hot men. Just rich men. How else to explain visually odd pairings such as Donald Trump and his trophy wives or Ric Ocasek and Paulina Porizkova? From an evolutionary perspective, this sort of makes sense. Women want men who are successful so that they may provide for their children. So how do women ensure that their offspring are well cared for and their genes survive? According to a recent study from the University of Helsinki, they have lots of hot daughters. From The Times:
In a study released last week, Markus Jokela, a researcher at the University of Helsinki, found beautiful women had up to 16% more children than their plainer counterparts. He used data gathered in America, in which 1,244 women and 997 men were followed through four decades of life. Their attractiveness was assessed from photographs taken during the study, which also collected data on the number of children they had.And not just daughters--hotter and hotter daughters:
This builds on previous work by Satoshi Kanazawa, an evolutionary psychologist at the London School of Economics, who found that good-looking parents were far more likely to conceive daughters.
Kanazawa said: “Physical attractiveness is a highly heritable trait, which disproportionately increases the reproductive success of daughters much more than that of sons.
“If more attractive parents have more daughters and if physical attractiveness is heritable, it logically follows that women over many generations gradually become more physically attractive on average than men.”
Depending on how you look at it, this could bode well for future males, and may give them a bit more impetus to strive for greatness.
During my recent trip to Los Angeles, I skipped the FM radio and kept the tunes streaming in from the satellite via Sirius XM U. Phoenix, which Firecracker George posted about awhile back got some pretty heavy play, as did plenty of other slightly less mainstream bands including this group, Animal Collective. I downloaded the rest of the album, Merriweather Post Pavilion, at it's got some pretty awesome tracks that incorporate that synthesized wall of sound rave-like kind of atmosphere. Kind of interesting to me that we're getting back to that 80's style of processed electronica after a decade or so of acoustic, "unplugged" music in the 90's.
Anywho, give this album a listen if you get the chance. Apparently, it's already been out for a few months. By the time I catch up with all these new bands, the pendulum will swing back to bare folk music. I am so not hip.
So I keep telling these early 20 somethings at work that they are the forgotten generation. It really seems to me that almost every movie, game, toy, or book being created right now is a throw back to our glorious childhoods. Amazing new Star Wars stuff constantly? Check. TMNT alive and well? Check. Robotech huge? check. Battletech? Check. Transformers and G.I. Joe the biggest things in the world? Check. What's missing? Hey, Firecracker remember when my cousin Dick snuck us into that one films last showing opening day that scared the hell out of us and pretty much sealed itself as one of our favorite films ever? No, not Labyrinth. How about 3 new games coming out all related to that film reimagining the ending or recreating the story? No kidding, a Colonial Marines game, a new ALiens v. Predator, and and an Alien vrpg all coming in the next year, all claiming to be based on the Alien franchise in the 80's when it was good. Wasn't everything better in the 80's?
The trailer premiered at Comic-Con yesterday introduced by Jeff Bridges. I've waited 27 years for this. In fact, I haven't had a computer password my entire life that didn't reference the original Tron in some way. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go change all my passwords because I have a big mouth.
When do you know you've met "the one?" It is asked throughout the ages, yet I can't find anyone that can give a definitive answer to what seems like a simple question. Countless movies have been made about such feelings of destiny and fate. (500) Days of Summer adds to the catalog of these romantic comedies, but uses a somewhat unconventional way to get to the answer by telling us straight out at the beginning of the film--"You should know up front this is not a love story."
Tom (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is a hopeless romantic who believes in the classical Hollywood conceit of love at first sight. When he sees Summer (Zooey Deschanel), the new worker at the greeting card company where he works, he is instantly smitten and convinced he's met his soulmate. Summer seems oblivious to Tom's interests until her feelings are revealed in a makeout session in the copy room. From there, it's pure bliss for Tom, although we know unhappiness is likely on the horizon when Summer admits early on that she isn't a believer in true romance.
(500) Days of Summer skips back and forth in the timeline to give us various glimpses of what the 500 days of their relationship was like. But rather than being disjointed and confusing, this approach gives us a better understanding of events to compare and contrast. The peak of giddiness Tom feels after consumating their relationship is portrayed in a wonderful satire on a mainstay of the romantic comedy formula that combines a glimpse of Han Solo and a classic Hall and Oates track. Contrast to the loneliness and betrayal felt after their breakup when he is invited to a party thrown by Summer where he finds out some unsettling news. Casting Gordon-Levitt and Deschanel in the lead roles is wonderful. Although neither is what may be considered the epitome of beauty, they are mesmerizing, especially Zooey Deschanel whose blue eyes are enhanced by use of the color blue throughout the movie. The chemistry between the two is pitch-perfect as two individuals who seemed destined for each other and all the more painful to watch. We see the entire movie essentially from Tom's point of view, and sympathize completely with the heartbreak we know is about to unfold before our eyes.
So is this a downer of a film? Does this completely dispel the myth of fated love and destiny? Far from it, strangely enough. In deconstructing the relationship of Tom and Summer, we actually find some hope at the end of this movie that "the one" is truly out there somewhere.
So one of my tech pirate buddies gets a hold of The Watchmen director's cut the other night, and I stayed up way too late watching it. Unlike the deleted scenes in some movies that need deletion because they slowed the story, everything in Watchmen was not only okay to leave in, they made a great movie even better. I think that like the Lord of the Rings trilogy, this extended version of Watchmen will be the only version I watch from now on.
Of course, it's only on Blu-Ray, so I wont be watching it that much.
For those who wanted more then just the 10 second teaser viral video. I present the full official video for the new Mechwarrior game. May I offer a towel for your drool?
It's no secret that I'm a bit of an introvert. Actually, delete "a bit"--I'm an extreme introvert. I've often found it quite difficult to explain my personality, especially to a world where introversion is thought to be a bit weird and socially unacceptable. Which is why I was so happy to read this old article from The Atlantic titled "Caring for Your Introvert":
Do you know someone who needs hours alone every day? Who loves quiet conversations about feelings or ideas, and can give a dynamite presentation to a big audience, but seems awkward in groups and maladroit at small talk? Who has to be dragged to parties and then needs the rest of the day to recuperate? Who growls or scowls or grunts or winces when accosted with pleasantries by people who are just trying to be nice?If so, do you tell this person he is "too serious," or ask if he is okay? Regard him as aloof, arrogant, rude? Redouble your efforts to draw him out?
If you answered yes to these questions, chances are that you have an introvert on your hands—and that you aren't caring for him properly. Science has learned a good deal in recent years about the habits and requirements of introverts. It has even learned, by means of brain scans, that introverts process information differently from other people (I am not making this up). If you are behind the curve on this important matter, be reassured that you are not alone. Introverts may be common, but they are also among the most misunderstood and aggrieved groups in America, possibly the world.
Quite a bit of this article seemed to hit the nail on the head for me, and is worth a read.
I wanted more than just a foot. (Not even a whole foot, was it? Just a heel.) So I looked for similar videos at the bottom of the window and found this.
Pretty swanky. I'll have to check these guys out.
After nearly 10 years, Microsoft will annonce this week the return of the Mechwarrior series. Piranha Games, a newly formed company owned by Jordan Weisman the original creator of the Battletech games, has been working on it for some time for licensee owner Microsoft. The viral videos released the last few weeks are insanely beautiful. The Mechwarrior: Living Legends Battletech mod for the Crysis engine that I had been posting about over the last few years had been on hiatus while Microsoft decided if it would sue the guys working on it or not. Last week they dropped all lawsuits and gave the thumbs up to continue. Apperently, Microsoft is planning a big comeback for Mechwarrior games in the coming year. Mechwarrior has remained the number one most asked for returning game series among gamers the last 7 years, and the entire Mechwarrior series is only overshadowed by Halo for game sells among licenses owned by Microsoft to this date. I know I'm ready. And with Microsoft's Project: Natal just around the corner, the possibilities seem endless for fully interactive Mech games.
Looking back at my posts lately, I'm realizing that I've fallen into a rut of endless YouTube videos rather than any meaningful written content. It seems my ability to write anything remotely insightful or clever has suffered as I get more busy and tired with work. So does that mean I'm going to write something insightful or clever right now? Heck no. I'm beat!
The first cinematic trailer for the new Star Wars MMO was realeased today. It doesn't show any actual in-game footage, but it is perhaps the finest piece of Star Wars action put on film in a very long time.
Just a little info on the game, it takes place about 1000 years before the films and focuses on the Sith/Jedi wars. No release date for the game yet, but rest assured I'll be keeping you ahead, abreast, and afoot of new info about it.
I'm not sure where this unaired episode of Tiny Toons came from, but I found it quite funny. Buster convinces Plucky and Hamton to join him in trying a beer resulting in the trio getting drunk of their asses...on one bottle of beer. I've heard of nursing a beer before, but how they manage to make this bottle last so long is amazing. And there's a part in this where Plucky comes across a police car they eventually steal that made me think he was about to say, "Oh, Maserati. Much better than my car. And what's this? Keys?!"
The bootleg copy of Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith (or in Chinese pirate language, Star War: The Backstroke of the West) some guy picked up in China ended up with some rather interesting subtitles. Below is what may be the greatest catchphrase since, "Boy, am I cool!" 
I didn't even know they were doing a remake. Some sci-fi fan I am. Some of you may remember the V role playing game I was creating using the old Star Wars D6 rules. I read every V novel to get the facts and lore straight. They were pretty good reads, the original novel especially. Here's hoping this V is good as well. Although the lack of Micheal Ironsides and Marc Singer is crippling it already for me.
I'm just loving these Nike MVPuppet ads. My wish is that the Lakers and Cavaliers go all the way so that these commercials may continue:
I don't know if you guys have seen this, but every year Redbull hosts a few soapbox derbies. This year they're in L.A. and Hotlanta. It looks like Atlanta still is taking submissions, which is basically a sketch of your soapbox racer. I had some ideas, and wanted to know if any of you wanted to do it.
Now I know all of our situations aren't ideal right now to go have a soap box race, but when I thought about it, they never are. Every so often, we need to do something goofy like this, so if anyone wants to try it out, let me know by email.
Check out the race particulars here.
Many people have seen and heard about the likeness of Jesus turning up in unlikely places. Now, one North Texas family says they found Jesus in a cheese snack.Dan Bell found his vision of Jesus last week at the gas station. "We were leaving town. I stopped by to fill up with gas and bought some snacks."Inside a 99-cent bag of Cheetos brand cheese snacks, Dan and his wife Sara found something unique.So my wife was flipping through channels and watched some movie with
Jessica Biel. Later, she asked me, "So is Justin Timberlake's
girlfriend Latino?"
"No. I don't think so. Why?"
"Because she was speaking such good Spanish in that movie." And then,
a short pause as her brain finally kicked in. "Oh, uh, actually,
nevermind."
"Why?" I asked.
"Oh, well, um...it was playing on the Spanish channel. No wonder she
sounded so fluent."
Sent from my iPhone
Not sure who caught the season finale of SNL hosted by Will Farrel last night, but it was classic through and through. In a night that saw more celebrity walk-ons then I could count, this sketch was still more then I could have hoped for.
The problem with having a DVR/TiVo is that you sometimes miss some pretty clever commercials. Still not a reason that I would give up skipping ads. Anywho, I saw this Nike commercial the other day and was laughing my ass off:
Saw a post about this on Pop Candy. As part of Empire magazine's 20th anniversary, they got the cast of The Goonies back together for a photo shoot. I found this especially nostalgic considering all of us here at the Kool-Aid Gang were probably about the same age as the Goonies when this movie came out.
I guess the release of the new Star Trek movie tonight has renewed the debate as to whether the Star Trek or Star Wars universe is king. A couple of videos may settle this one:
