It seems that my DDR series was one of the most popular things on Videolamer in quite some time. How do I try to top such a ridiculous work? By doing something even more stupid; reviewing Killer 7. Its up for you to read. Try not to laugh too hard.
I went to another Rockies game this weekend. This time I took pictures. Lots of them. Hopefully I can get them on Flickr or something by Wednsday, otherwise I'll have to wait over a week to get access to my relative's camera. Hopefully by Friday I'll have my own one of those, which will save me quite a lot of hassle (fun fact: This will be the first camera I've ever owned in my entire life. Most high schoolers would laugh at me for that. Talk about anti social).
Being a hopeless gamer who loves things shiny and rare, as well as a fighting game fan who couldn't fight his way out of a paper bag, I went out and bought one of those Street Fighter Anniversary 6 button game pads. I tried to justify the purchase by telling myself it would actually improve my game. Turns out it actually did! I can actually combo a jump-in into a super, and do most special moves on command without screw ups. Not much to brag about in reality, but its still progress. Plus I can actually play King of Fighters games the way they were meant to be played (even fireball motions don't register well on the dual shock).
So far it all comes down to the circular d-pad, which might not be as precise as a stick, but won't destroy your thumb like a dual shock. You can actually spend long periods of time practicing without any discomfort. I've also learned to hold the controller differently. It sits on my right leg, and I rest my entire hand above the six buttons, for instant access to any move. Its actually easy to adjust to this type of play, and now I can't see how I did so well hitting attacks with just my thumb.
The controller also happens to be a spiffy package for just 20 bucks. The box is sturdy, with some beautiful artwork on it. Inside is a certificate of authenticity, and a mini Street Fighter comic book. The controller itself isn't too shabby; light without feeling cheep, with very solid buttons. The colors are a little garish (mine is the red and yellow Ken version), but I'll live with that. In fact, I might go back later this summer and pick up the only reamining Ryu version, even if it has a broken box.
Some links are in order methinks:
Warren Buffet is giving away more money than you'll ever see to Bill Gate's mega charity foundation. The amount of good that they can do with this kind of cash is staggering, and the fact that Bill is taking off to work on this full time is actually pretty exciting now.
What is sad, however, is the amazing number of Slashdot geeks who are finding ways to put this event in a terrible light. "Rich people donating their money at the last minute means nothing". "If they didn't have the money, then it'd be in all of our pockets instead." "The money is being wasted. We should devote more of it to things like AI research"
I just can't comprehend how self centered and bitter these people are, just because they had a few bad experiences with Windows products. Too bad MS is not the same as Bill's foundation. And AI research? What the hell? I can see hte argument for connecting third world children to the internet, but AI? Just, no... these are geeks wanting money for their pet projects, too far removed from the world to think about starving children and cures to deadly diseases. This one slashdot comment actually says it best:
"Great, then please go ahead and do that: earn your own billions to spend on your own monumental projects.
To impress future generations, make sure to engrave your achievements. Something along the lines of:
'My name is Ozymandias, king of kings: Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair!'
While you're doing that, I'm glad someone is humble enough to spend resources on mundane problems like world pandemics, disaster prevention and recovery, ineffective education systems, and other issues that cripple long term development (economic and otherwise).
You know, the kind whose solutions will be required to make the achievements you propose into sustainable contributions to the advancement of humankind, instead of an excercise in the comparative studies of metaphorical male genitalia."
Discovery Channel news says that university life nad increasing years in college is creating adults who lack mental the true mental maturity of adulthood. I would happen to agree. In college I've learned to do a lot of things in order to take care of myself. But if I'm going to graduate, get a job and live completely on my own, I still have a lot of things I need to learn, and actions to take care of on my own without fear of the consequences. While I know I'll fare better having gone to college than if I had not, the sheltered, "bubble" atmosphere and lessened but still present help from home can slow down one's ability to take care of themselves or others, and to be socially and morally responsible. I'm still amazed at how many students are more concerned with short lived trends and reality tv than with their own education or finding a job. I particularly like the part about academics and professors sometimes being the same way. It is interesting to see the contrast between profs. who have been in academia most of their lives giving lectures and doing research, and the ones who do the same, but come from a backround in business and industry. I can't tell if one is better than the other, but both sides can have some intersesting differences.
Lots of flooding back in the Maryland/DC area. To all my friends out there; donate some H20 to the Rocky Mountains. I've had 3 straight weeks of 90+ degree weather and sun. It is dry as a bone in Colorado. Just once I'd like to walk out into the rain and get a good, cool soaking. Help a brother out?
Tuesday, June 27, 2006
Tuesday, June 20, 2006
Links
Just a lot of good stuff to link to today, with my patented punk ass commentary:
-The final part of my DDR feature is up. I've gotten a lot of fantastic comments about it, some posted at the site and some said to me in person. So far the comments have given me even more insight into what different people think about the music genre. Thanks a million to anyone who took some time to read this stuff. Hopefully I can do an even bettter job next time.
-An article on why used games are good for the industry. I happen to agree and disagree. I've saved a ton of money on used games in the past, but only when they've been on the market for quite some time. Newer used games barely cost less than a new copy, and unless you get the warranty you can't be sure a game will work, even if inspect the disc and it looks proper. Used games can be a big help for a lot of players, but it would work even better if EB and Gamestop didn't use them to try and extort consumers.
Also, I'm apparently not "core gamer" because I don't run out and buy every game as a new release. I've already discussed this kind of silly name game in the past, but its good to know that the industry is judging its core base on how much money someone has, rather than even what it is they buy.
-Despite the long, PC sounding name "Playstation 2 Computer Entertainment System", the PS2 is not a computer. Sony seems to be just like their fans sometimes, in that they insist on looking more mature than they really are. Its a game system that plugs into your TV guys, not a workstation.
- My buddy Fifthturtle links to this crazy anti piracy ad from Microsoft. I'm liking the fact that the software comes from the Middle East (def. not stereotyping), and according to Microsoft you can't trust any piece of software that isn't Windows Genuine.
Screw it , this can't be real. I can't believe that something this stupid, and with such poor grammar, could be a real Microsoft ad. I'll have to look further into this.
-Try as I might to get over it, I can't stopped feeling pissed at some of the things I see in this Gamespot article. Apparently "gurl gamer" Carrie Gouskos owns two Dragon Quests, Earthbound and the original Suikodens, yet she hasn't played any of them because they "aren't Final Fantasy". The only reason she has them is for bragging rights. That's a murderer's row of RPGS, and many gamers would clamour for the chance to own such originals. And she won't play them because it isn't "final fantasy" (I have more choice words in my mind, but I'll be a gentleman). You can call her a journalist if you want, but no one should ever call her a gamer.
-The final part of my DDR feature is up. I've gotten a lot of fantastic comments about it, some posted at the site and some said to me in person. So far the comments have given me even more insight into what different people think about the music genre. Thanks a million to anyone who took some time to read this stuff. Hopefully I can do an even bettter job next time.
-An article on why used games are good for the industry. I happen to agree and disagree. I've saved a ton of money on used games in the past, but only when they've been on the market for quite some time. Newer used games barely cost less than a new copy, and unless you get the warranty you can't be sure a game will work, even if inspect the disc and it looks proper. Used games can be a big help for a lot of players, but it would work even better if EB and Gamestop didn't use them to try and extort consumers.
Also, I'm apparently not "core gamer" because I don't run out and buy every game as a new release. I've already discussed this kind of silly name game in the past, but its good to know that the industry is judging its core base on how much money someone has, rather than even what it is they buy.
-Despite the long, PC sounding name "Playstation 2 Computer Entertainment System", the PS2 is not a computer. Sony seems to be just like their fans sometimes, in that they insist on looking more mature than they really are. Its a game system that plugs into your TV guys, not a workstation.
- My buddy Fifthturtle links to this crazy anti piracy ad from Microsoft. I'm liking the fact that the software comes from the Middle East (def. not stereotyping), and according to Microsoft you can't trust any piece of software that isn't Windows Genuine.
Screw it , this can't be real. I can't believe that something this stupid, and with such poor grammar, could be a real Microsoft ad. I'll have to look further into this.
-Try as I might to get over it, I can't stopped feeling pissed at some of the things I see in this Gamespot article. Apparently "gurl gamer" Carrie Gouskos owns two Dragon Quests, Earthbound and the original Suikodens, yet she hasn't played any of them because they "aren't Final Fantasy". The only reason she has them is for bragging rights. That's a murderer's row of RPGS, and many gamers would clamour for the chance to own such originals. And she won't play them because it isn't "final fantasy" (I have more choice words in my mind, but I'll be a gentleman). You can call her a journalist if you want, but no one should ever call her a gamer.
Sunday, June 18, 2006
Father's Day
So the Cherry Blossom Festival was a complete waste. Granted, I was there for no more than an hour, but of the part of it I did see, it was nothing more than lots of shops set up in the street selling all kinds of Japanese wares (yes, including anime). No cherry blossoms, only one performance way in the back, and thankfully, no cosplayers like my brother falsely predicted (though many people in kimonos and robes, mostly of the geek type, eyeing pocky and other such bullshit. I guess he was half right). Still, better than Otacon by a long shot.
I've got my big, maybe bold DDR essay up at videolamer. I wont' provide a link ehre because it is in two parts and I'm lazy, but you should be able to find it on the main page. Ah what the hell, here's the intro, and part 1. I was really nervous about writing this thing, because while I genuinely am interested in the music genre and its future, I was afraid my writing would come off as nothing more than an ex DDR player with a chip on his shoulder. Maybe it still does. Any and all feedback, via comments or by email, would be very much appreciated. I love to do this stuff reardless, but I also hope to get better at it as time goes on, so don't be afraid to tell me like it is.
You know, when a $2 million dollar car turns out to be a piece of crap, it makes you wonder about your own ride.
Finally, today is Father's Day. Go have a catch with your pop. If that isn't your thing, have a beer with him. And if you're underage, just give him a big ol' hug.
I've got my big, maybe bold DDR essay up at videolamer. I wont' provide a link ehre because it is in two parts and I'm lazy, but you should be able to find it on the main page. Ah what the hell, here's the intro, and part 1. I was really nervous about writing this thing, because while I genuinely am interested in the music genre and its future, I was afraid my writing would come off as nothing more than an ex DDR player with a chip on his shoulder. Maybe it still does. Any and all feedback, via comments or by email, would be very much appreciated. I love to do this stuff reardless, but I also hope to get better at it as time goes on, so don't be afraid to tell me like it is.
You know, when a $2 million dollar car turns out to be a piece of crap, it makes you wonder about your own ride.
Finally, today is Father's Day. Go have a catch with your pop. If that isn't your thing, have a beer with him. And if you're underage, just give him a big ol' hug.
Thursday, June 15, 2006
Alpha Anthology
Here's a brief rundown of the game so far. Don't be shocked to see some of this recycled in the review.
Street Fighter Alpha 1: Old as dirt, and obviously a rushed product. The sprites look as nice as in the other two games, but they're missing quite a bit of animation in some instances. Furthermore, while some of the background look real sharp (Sagat's is the best by far), most are poorly detailed and are obviously missing the finishing touches. If you ask me, they look worse than the ones in SF2. The roster is smal and the gameplay is slow and stiff in nature. Sound is tinny and muffled. Hell, they couldn't even fix the typos in the dialogue. The only nice thing I can say about it is that the slowness actually makes it very good as a training game. You can actually point out and see a character do a cross up, and you have a generous amount of time to punish someone who whiffs an anti-air attack. I might actually play this one even after beating it with all of the characters, simply in order to hone my skills for the better and faster paced games on this disc. As an overall package however, this is only interesting for historical purposes.
Alpha 2: Many people prefer this over the third game, and I can see why. The smaller, more fluid sprites are much nicer, and the higher res backgrounds are some of the best in the series. The gameplay is also much faster and more responsive than in Alpha, with a respectable roster this time around. I haven't played around much with the custom combo system that is oh so deadly in this iteration, though I'm glad that the CC's aren't the only option for supers (I thought they were for all these years). You can tell that this is what they really wanted to make with Alpha 1 (the menus are very, very similar, as is the style of play), only this time they actually nailed it. This looks to be the pinnacle of old school style Street Fighter gameplay, all polished up and tweaked out. Can't wait to sink my teeth even further.
Alpha 2 Gold: An improved Alpha 2. With Cammy! I like it as much as the original one!
Alpha 3: Ah yes, the game that brought me into the 2d fighter fold. I loved this to death on the Dreamcast for quite some time, until eventually my fighter library expanded and I found what I considered even better games (Mark of the Wolves, Third Strike). After that I started to look at Alpha 3 with some form of contempt due to its washed out graphics and what seemed to be a focus on sheer content over quality. I havent' played it since.
Doing research on the Anthology, I learned that the Dreamcast version, both visually and gameplay wise, was an upgraded version of the Playstation edition (and was a sloppy port to boot). That means smaller sprites, poorer scrolling, and pixellation that caused the game to look far uglier than it should have.
In order to verify that this is in fact true, all one needs to do is look at the arcade perfect Alpha 3 found in the Anthology. The sprites are bigger and move smoothly. Everything looks crisper and cleaner. If just feels so much better to play than I remember. I'm really excited about this one, even moreso than Alpha 2, for maybe now I can really dig deeper into the game that started it all for me.
Puzzle Fighter: Played it for 5 minutes. Chibi characters and silly moves means this is a simple, joke centered game. Might be decent as a distraction.
As you can probably tell, I'm a very pleased with this game. Capcom has finally made a complete and well produced Street Fighter compilation that gives fans just about everything they wanted (there's quite a lot more to the game than I have mentioned. Wait for the review).
Street Fighter Alpha 1: Old as dirt, and obviously a rushed product. The sprites look as nice as in the other two games, but they're missing quite a bit of animation in some instances. Furthermore, while some of the background look real sharp (Sagat's is the best by far), most are poorly detailed and are obviously missing the finishing touches. If you ask me, they look worse than the ones in SF2. The roster is smal and the gameplay is slow and stiff in nature. Sound is tinny and muffled. Hell, they couldn't even fix the typos in the dialogue. The only nice thing I can say about it is that the slowness actually makes it very good as a training game. You can actually point out and see a character do a cross up, and you have a generous amount of time to punish someone who whiffs an anti-air attack. I might actually play this one even after beating it with all of the characters, simply in order to hone my skills for the better and faster paced games on this disc. As an overall package however, this is only interesting for historical purposes.
Alpha 2: Many people prefer this over the third game, and I can see why. The smaller, more fluid sprites are much nicer, and the higher res backgrounds are some of the best in the series. The gameplay is also much faster and more responsive than in Alpha, with a respectable roster this time around. I haven't played around much with the custom combo system that is oh so deadly in this iteration, though I'm glad that the CC's aren't the only option for supers (I thought they were for all these years). You can tell that this is what they really wanted to make with Alpha 1 (the menus are very, very similar, as is the style of play), only this time they actually nailed it. This looks to be the pinnacle of old school style Street Fighter gameplay, all polished up and tweaked out. Can't wait to sink my teeth even further.
Alpha 2 Gold: An improved Alpha 2. With Cammy! I like it as much as the original one!
Alpha 3: Ah yes, the game that brought me into the 2d fighter fold. I loved this to death on the Dreamcast for quite some time, until eventually my fighter library expanded and I found what I considered even better games (Mark of the Wolves, Third Strike). After that I started to look at Alpha 3 with some form of contempt due to its washed out graphics and what seemed to be a focus on sheer content over quality. I havent' played it since.
Doing research on the Anthology, I learned that the Dreamcast version, both visually and gameplay wise, was an upgraded version of the Playstation edition (and was a sloppy port to boot). That means smaller sprites, poorer scrolling, and pixellation that caused the game to look far uglier than it should have.
In order to verify that this is in fact true, all one needs to do is look at the arcade perfect Alpha 3 found in the Anthology. The sprites are bigger and move smoothly. Everything looks crisper and cleaner. If just feels so much better to play than I remember. I'm really excited about this one, even moreso than Alpha 2, for maybe now I can really dig deeper into the game that started it all for me.
Puzzle Fighter: Played it for 5 minutes. Chibi characters and silly moves means this is a simple, joke centered game. Might be decent as a distraction.
As you can probably tell, I'm a very pleased with this game. Capcom has finally made a complete and well produced Street Fighter compilation that gives fans just about everything they wanted (there's quite a lot more to the game than I have mentioned. Wait for the review).
Karma's Revenge
The first few paragraphs of my last post were not for your eyes. That random shit about Killer 7 is an early draft of my review for the game (I write stuff down before I'm finished in order to keep from forgetting major ideas or points, then change it if need be). It was included in the file I wrote the post in, and was accidentally pasted here. I've removed it now, so things should make some more sense (and don't worry, you'll still see that stuff again if it interested you. Just wait for the actual review :p).
My computer monitor was acting very screwy yesterday. I honestly thought I was suffering a computer crash or something of the sort, until I calmed down and figured out the source of the trouble. Its working fine now though, which makes me wonder what happened (and if it will occur again). If something is busted, I hope it is the monitor. That means I there won't be any data loss or mucking around with the rest of the hardware. Even better would be to not have to replace anything at all. I almost think it was karma coming full circle after some laziness on my part during the week.
Sticking with the karma thing, I got my copy of Street Fighter Alpha Anthology today. Apparently the 13th was the ship date. Anyway, this was the first game I've ever preordered (unless you count buying Half Life 2 online a month before release), and it turns out that was a good idea. Reports on shoryuken.com were indicating that the game was selling out quick, and it that it is getting hard to find a copy without a preorder. Turns out that of the two copies my local EB had left, one didnt' actually seem to exist, and the other had my preorder ticket taped to the case. Lucky man I guess.
Or was I? For as I was driving home, I decided to open up a leftover bottle of Coke from work. The result was the worst coke explosion I've ever witnessed. I had to drvie over 40 minutes with my arms and entire car interior soaked in sticky cola, in traffic, and weather that apparently peaked past 100 degrees. Then I had to clean it out when I got home (I had flashbacks of Pulp Fiction the entire time). I guess Buddha decided I had to earn that copy of Alpha.
By the way, there's no humidity here in Colorado. That means that I was able to drive in that 100 or so degree weather today with the window down, with no AC (which was my choice; AC takes too long to get cold), and only feel mildly hot and sweaty. My extended family thinks I'm nuts, but its true. Without the mugginess and stickiness of the east coast to drain you of energy, it is both possible and enjoyable to live in such extreme temperatures.
Finally, some people I know from college have bragged to me in the past about their chance to attend Otacon this summer. The event is like a rite of passage for serious otaku, and they'll be going in full throttle with Cosplay and everything. They feel bad that I won't be able to attend this bastarization of Japanese culture brought to us by the rose tinted lenses of the American anime fan. Instead I have to settle for going to the Denver Cherry Blossom Festival this weekend, which celebrates real, authentic Japanese culture in a variety of ways. Too bad I can't spend a weekend at a convention/hotel filled with sweaty, property damaging geeks wearing ridiculous costumes who think they are "Japanese in spirit" because they can utter a few phrases in their "native" tongue. These are the sacrifices one must make .
My computer monitor was acting very screwy yesterday. I honestly thought I was suffering a computer crash or something of the sort, until I calmed down and figured out the source of the trouble. Its working fine now though, which makes me wonder what happened (and if it will occur again). If something is busted, I hope it is the monitor. That means I there won't be any data loss or mucking around with the rest of the hardware. Even better would be to not have to replace anything at all. I almost think it was karma coming full circle after some laziness on my part during the week.
Sticking with the karma thing, I got my copy of Street Fighter Alpha Anthology today. Apparently the 13th was the ship date. Anyway, this was the first game I've ever preordered (unless you count buying Half Life 2 online a month before release), and it turns out that was a good idea. Reports on shoryuken.com were indicating that the game was selling out quick, and it that it is getting hard to find a copy without a preorder. Turns out that of the two copies my local EB had left, one didnt' actually seem to exist, and the other had my preorder ticket taped to the case. Lucky man I guess.
Or was I? For as I was driving home, I decided to open up a leftover bottle of Coke from work. The result was the worst coke explosion I've ever witnessed. I had to drvie over 40 minutes with my arms and entire car interior soaked in sticky cola, in traffic, and weather that apparently peaked past 100 degrees. Then I had to clean it out when I got home (I had flashbacks of Pulp Fiction the entire time). I guess Buddha decided I had to earn that copy of Alpha.
By the way, there's no humidity here in Colorado. That means that I was able to drive in that 100 or so degree weather today with the window down, with no AC (which was my choice; AC takes too long to get cold), and only feel mildly hot and sweaty. My extended family thinks I'm nuts, but its true. Without the mugginess and stickiness of the east coast to drain you of energy, it is both possible and enjoyable to live in such extreme temperatures.
Finally, some people I know from college have bragged to me in the past about their chance to attend Otacon this summer. The event is like a rite of passage for serious otaku, and they'll be going in full throttle with Cosplay and everything. They feel bad that I won't be able to attend this bastarization of Japanese culture brought to us by the rose tinted lenses of the American anime fan. Instead I have to settle for going to the Denver Cherry Blossom Festival this weekend, which celebrates real, authentic Japanese culture in a variety of ways. Too bad I can't spend a weekend at a convention/hotel filled with sweaty, property damaging geeks wearing ridiculous costumes who think they are "Japanese in spirit" because they can utter a few phrases in their "native" tongue. These are the sacrifices one must make .
Monday, June 12, 2006
Toasty
This post was originally meant to be posted early this morning (or late this morning for all of you. Stupid Mountain Time Zone). That was a lie! Or rather, I couldn't compile competent sentences at 10:30 in the evening becuase of fatigue. Since when does 10:30 make you tired? My college powers are diminishing. I must be like Birdman, only instead of needing the sun to replenish my strength, I require a case of Miller Lite and an 11:00 class.
Let's move on to today's topic; sandwiches. Specifically fast food sandwiches. Everybody's doing them these days. If you're on the road and need something to eat, reccomending McDonald's or any other burger joint is a sin. People are "tired of that unhealthy crap." Nowadays they want to eat healthy. They want to eat fresh. They have made it so that the farther west I drove, the more Subway restaurants were on any given main street. Subway is anywhere and everywhere, and I for one hate it.
That isn't to say that I will never go to Subway. Hell, I just went there on Saturday evening. But I don't for the life of me understand why its become the equivalent of Krispy Kreme in the fast food world, in that everyone seems to insist that it is the best choice. For one, their sandwiches are as anemic on the ingredients as you can get. You pretty much have to get the works if you want to end up being full. Loyola College may suck when it comes to food prices, but at least their subs get piled high (at least compared to subway). And as for the toasted subs, damn. I didn't know sticking a footlong under a toaster oven for thirty seconds made it toasty. At best the cheese actually melts, but usually it just makes the bread kinda warm. And why is it that the only time I was asked if I wanted to make mine a combo meal was the one time I didn't need one? Getting a bill at Subway is like playing craps, so random does it seem to be.
My biggest peeve with Subway's popualirty is its motto of "eating fresh", and how so many people buy into it. I mean, I can't be the only one who sees them come out with a stack a pre-sliced meats that are vaccum packed in plastic wrap and have been frozen for lord knows how long. Right? Everything they serve is pre- made and prepared. Its the only way they can possibly supply so many stores around the world. It can't be any fresher than the stuff at McD's, it just isn't loaded with grease. But does that make it any fresher? I don't think so.
And that's it for Subway. Jared and crew can shove it for all I care. The only time they'll see me in there is when I have no other fast food choice. Let's move on to some other joints.
Panera: Best friggin meals of the bunch, but you have to be careful here. When you're a geek like me and you don't have trendy apple hardware, it is essential to travel in groups, otherwise you may get enough strange looks by yuppies, teenagers and hipsters that you have to leave on principle alone. The place sometimes seems to beat starbucks at its own game of hippy foodstuffs. As long as they provide Jone's soda, however, they'll get my business. I just make sure to wear my Mets cap and stop shaving a couple days. Then I fit right in.
Quiznos: I just went to one for the first time this month. Holy Shit. They may not let you customize a sandwich like Subway, but damn is it good. I mean really good. A flavor taste explosion that I did not expect. These people actually know how to make a toasted sub toasted, and I expect to be stopping by many more times in the future. Even those shitty old commercials with the singing rat type things (you know, from the bowels of the internet) could not drive me away from this place. Pepper Bar indeed....
I'm almost done playing Killer 7, and I do not lie when I say that it has been a long, strange trip. The review on this one actually won't be too hard. I pretty much know everything I want to say about it, which is really a surprise.
I also have a copy of Street Fighter Alpha Anthology pre-ordered for tomorrow. I don't know why I pre-ordered it; though the game may be hard to come around in EBs and Gamestops (which only carry as many copies of obscure games as they have orders for), but Wal-Mart and the like should have piles of them. I know they did for the Anniversary Collection a year back. Needless to say, impressions abound tomorrow, provided I get off my PS2 playing ass when I'm not at work.
One of the papers in Colorado has a Tokyopop published, American made (I think) manga called Peach Fuzz in the Sunday comics. At first it was a giant wtf moment for me, until I saw that the Boondocks is still on reruns, and every other comic is still using the same tired jokes. Now I think, "why the hell not? The kids do love their mangas nowasays"
PS - I pronounce the word manga as "mon-ja" with the sole intention of aggravating hardcore otaku. Unless that's the way its meant to be said. Son of a bitch, I need to do some research....
PPS - Apparently there's someone at my job who's name is Gil Farmer. FF joke + 1?
Let's move on to today's topic; sandwiches. Specifically fast food sandwiches. Everybody's doing them these days. If you're on the road and need something to eat, reccomending McDonald's or any other burger joint is a sin. People are "tired of that unhealthy crap." Nowadays they want to eat healthy. They want to eat fresh. They have made it so that the farther west I drove, the more Subway restaurants were on any given main street. Subway is anywhere and everywhere, and I for one hate it.
That isn't to say that I will never go to Subway. Hell, I just went there on Saturday evening. But I don't for the life of me understand why its become the equivalent of Krispy Kreme in the fast food world, in that everyone seems to insist that it is the best choice. For one, their sandwiches are as anemic on the ingredients as you can get. You pretty much have to get the works if you want to end up being full. Loyola College may suck when it comes to food prices, but at least their subs get piled high (at least compared to subway). And as for the toasted subs, damn. I didn't know sticking a footlong under a toaster oven for thirty seconds made it toasty. At best the cheese actually melts, but usually it just makes the bread kinda warm. And why is it that the only time I was asked if I wanted to make mine a combo meal was the one time I didn't need one? Getting a bill at Subway is like playing craps, so random does it seem to be.
My biggest peeve with Subway's popualirty is its motto of "eating fresh", and how so many people buy into it. I mean, I can't be the only one who sees them come out with a stack a pre-sliced meats that are vaccum packed in plastic wrap and have been frozen for lord knows how long. Right? Everything they serve is pre- made and prepared. Its the only way they can possibly supply so many stores around the world. It can't be any fresher than the stuff at McD's, it just isn't loaded with grease. But does that make it any fresher? I don't think so.
And that's it for Subway. Jared and crew can shove it for all I care. The only time they'll see me in there is when I have no other fast food choice. Let's move on to some other joints.
Panera: Best friggin meals of the bunch, but you have to be careful here. When you're a geek like me and you don't have trendy apple hardware, it is essential to travel in groups, otherwise you may get enough strange looks by yuppies, teenagers and hipsters that you have to leave on principle alone. The place sometimes seems to beat starbucks at its own game of hippy foodstuffs. As long as they provide Jone's soda, however, they'll get my business. I just make sure to wear my Mets cap and stop shaving a couple days. Then I fit right in.
Quiznos: I just went to one for the first time this month. Holy Shit. They may not let you customize a sandwich like Subway, but damn is it good. I mean really good. A flavor taste explosion that I did not expect. These people actually know how to make a toasted sub toasted, and I expect to be stopping by many more times in the future. Even those shitty old commercials with the singing rat type things (you know, from the bowels of the internet) could not drive me away from this place. Pepper Bar indeed....
I'm almost done playing Killer 7, and I do not lie when I say that it has been a long, strange trip. The review on this one actually won't be too hard. I pretty much know everything I want to say about it, which is really a surprise.
I also have a copy of Street Fighter Alpha Anthology pre-ordered for tomorrow. I don't know why I pre-ordered it; though the game may be hard to come around in EBs and Gamestops (which only carry as many copies of obscure games as they have orders for), but Wal-Mart and the like should have piles of them. I know they did for the Anniversary Collection a year back. Needless to say, impressions abound tomorrow, provided I get off my PS2 playing ass when I'm not at work.
One of the papers in Colorado has a Tokyopop published, American made (I think) manga called Peach Fuzz in the Sunday comics. At first it was a giant wtf moment for me, until I saw that the Boondocks is still on reruns, and every other comic is still using the same tired jokes. Now I think, "why the hell not? The kids do love their mangas nowasays"
PS - I pronounce the word manga as "mon-ja" with the sole intention of aggravating hardcore otaku. Unless that's the way its meant to be said. Son of a bitch, I need to do some research....
PPS - Apparently there's someone at my job who's name is Gil Farmer. FF joke + 1?
Tuesday, June 06, 2006
Chapter 1?
Since it has been more than a week since the last update, I once again have tons of things to write about. This time I think I'll break it into several smaller posts, organized by topic, so people don't get bored reading through what is essentially a book chapter (I know I would). The only difference is that this first post is on top, and if you want to read the content you'll have to scroll down to the next three posts. Backwards, I know, but bear with me on this one. Think of it as a game even.
Life (AKA silly LJ-esque stuff)
Over a week since last post? Crikey. I really need to do something about my time management in the afternoon and evening. I usually get home from work around the 5:00 hour, yet my free time seems to go by so quickly that I have twice forgotten to do laundry and still haven't organized my room to any sort of neatness (it took me a week to unpack clothing...) In fact, I can't even tell you what it is I've been doing that wastes the time away, save for no more than an hour of gaming in the evening. Time to go back to sticky notes.
I went camping this weekend. Yes, the big ol' geek went out in the woods for two days of biking and fishing. It has been years upon years since I did any sort of camping, but I had a good time. I realized that despite my love of electricity and its gifts, I can enjoy nature as well. This still doesn't explain my aversion to it back home, where the outdoors are essentially my backyard. Maybe it is just the east coast forests, or the fact that you never appreciate what you have. Maybe you just have to camp with the right people. Who knows. I also got two good pictures out there, one of which will become my Facebook picture once I pull it off of the digital camera. Hopefully I can get it up soon enough.
At the same time I was out in the woods stealing railroad spikes, my cousin was having her wedding back in New York. I was really looking forward to the event, so much so that it was probably number one on the "cool things I'll miss out on to go to Colorado" list, beating out Senior Week by a hefty margin. Apologies to my Loyola friends, but when the cousin you lived next door to for half your life gets hitched to a supremely cool man, its a pretty big deal. Also, watching my brother get drunk never gets old (plus my 17 year old bro got fed Heinekens all night. I wanted to scout out his tolerance so I know what to expect when he comes to Loyola this year.... :) ) Thankfully, this was the last of the items on the Big List, so from here on out it is time to stop thinking and start finding some fun in Denver.
Finally, I've passed yet another trial on the path to true adulthood; I've become addicted to my morning coffee. I've always drank it on occasion, but it is increasingly become less of a choice and more of a neccesity. For all those with me, raise your mugs for a toast. For all of those who find it sad to see me rejoice in an addiction, piss off. Its all Zen and self control until you're waking up at 4:20-5:20 in the morning for work five days a week. We'll see how well your body functions then without the assistance of 100% pure Colombian goodness. Unless you want to go to bed at 9:00 at night, in which case I'd rather suck down caffeine than be a square.
Oh, and its 6-6-6. Go play some Iron Maiden and drink a beer. That's a far better way to salute Hell then all of that silly goth stuff.
I went camping this weekend. Yes, the big ol' geek went out in the woods for two days of biking and fishing. It has been years upon years since I did any sort of camping, but I had a good time. I realized that despite my love of electricity and its gifts, I can enjoy nature as well. This still doesn't explain my aversion to it back home, where the outdoors are essentially my backyard. Maybe it is just the east coast forests, or the fact that you never appreciate what you have. Maybe you just have to camp with the right people. Who knows. I also got two good pictures out there, one of which will become my Facebook picture once I pull it off of the digital camera. Hopefully I can get it up soon enough.
At the same time I was out in the woods stealing railroad spikes, my cousin was having her wedding back in New York. I was really looking forward to the event, so much so that it was probably number one on the "cool things I'll miss out on to go to Colorado" list, beating out Senior Week by a hefty margin. Apologies to my Loyola friends, but when the cousin you lived next door to for half your life gets hitched to a supremely cool man, its a pretty big deal. Also, watching my brother get drunk never gets old (plus my 17 year old bro got fed Heinekens all night. I wanted to scout out his tolerance so I know what to expect when he comes to Loyola this year.... :) ) Thankfully, this was the last of the items on the Big List, so from here on out it is time to stop thinking and start finding some fun in Denver.
Finally, I've passed yet another trial on the path to true adulthood; I've become addicted to my morning coffee. I've always drank it on occasion, but it is increasingly become less of a choice and more of a neccesity. For all those with me, raise your mugs for a toast. For all of those who find it sad to see me rejoice in an addiction, piss off. Its all Zen and self control until you're waking up at 4:20-5:20 in the morning for work five days a week. We'll see how well your body functions then without the assistance of 100% pure Colombian goodness. Unless you want to go to bed at 9:00 at night, in which case I'd rather suck down caffeine than be a square.
Oh, and its 6-6-6. Go play some Iron Maiden and drink a beer. That's a far better way to salute Hell then all of that silly goth stuff.
Gaming (AKA .... Gaming)
I have Steambot Chronicles, but haven't gotten too far into it, having no time to play over the weekend. I have played it however, and so far the only
real statement I can make about it is that this isn't some tragic, woefully ignored masterpiece that more people need to play (like Fumito Ueda's stuff). Instead, I consider this to be (so far) a thoroughly enjoyable game that was made for the hardcore, by the hardcore. If you can't stand bad graphics and slowdown, if you've never played or had interest in Virtual On, or can't fathom a "sandbox", GTA-style game without rampant violence and destruction, then I would not at all reccomend this game to you. Of course, if any of that applies to you, don't think of yourself to be any less of a gamer because you might not enjoy Steambot. On the contrary, I sometimes wonder if there is something wrong with me when a game netting 7.0-8.0 review scores is shaping
up to be a potential game of the year candidate for me. Obscure gamers ho!
Actual, detailed impressions later, when I've gotten more than 3 hours of play under my belt.
There are still a lot of good games out or coming out this month, which is all the better that I'm getting paid this weekend. I still need to get Half Life Episode 1 (and I'd like to get Sin, but that can wait), and Street Figher Alpha Anthology is only approaching nearer. I also found out that GTA: Liberty City Stories is making its PS2 debut today. Friends of mine who know my stance on GTA might be thinking me crazy of wanting this game, but it actually makes sense.
Yes, I don't consider it the greatest series out there, and yes, I couldn't stand San Andreas for more than two hours. But GTA 3, both in scope (big but not too big) and style (NYC baby) is my favorite entry in the series, so the thought of playing a new, simpler GTA set in Liberty City, with Tony Cipriatti as the hero (and one of my favorite GTA 3 characters), and costing only 20 bucks is a very tempting offer for me. The only thing that would be a hindrance is the PS2
controller. I've gotten accustomed to playing GTA on a keyboard and mouse, and without them the games just don't seem the same.
There might be a new review of mine up at Videolamer this week. I say might becasue it isn't a very good one, and it isn't for a good game, so I instructed Site-master Jay to use his iscretion and good taste, and only post it if he really likes it. Regradless, I should have a long, quality, most likely assholeish review of Dragon Quest 8 in the near future. All I can say is that in its current, early version, it is very harsh toward certain Square games and their fans (in relation to Enix and Dragon Quest). Part of me hopes Jay reads it and tones down the final version, but another part of my mind is sitting there, finger on the button, with a strange
desire to piss off a large group of gamers (many of which I'm friends with) and see what happens.
Edit: Look for the review on Thursday.
real statement I can make about it is that this isn't some tragic, woefully ignored masterpiece that more people need to play (like Fumito Ueda's stuff). Instead, I consider this to be (so far) a thoroughly enjoyable game that was made for the hardcore, by the hardcore. If you can't stand bad graphics and slowdown, if you've never played or had interest in Virtual On, or can't fathom a "sandbox", GTA-style game without rampant violence and destruction, then I would not at all reccomend this game to you. Of course, if any of that applies to you, don't think of yourself to be any less of a gamer because you might not enjoy Steambot. On the contrary, I sometimes wonder if there is something wrong with me when a game netting 7.0-8.0 review scores is shaping
up to be a potential game of the year candidate for me. Obscure gamers ho!
Actual, detailed impressions later, when I've gotten more than 3 hours of play under my belt.
There are still a lot of good games out or coming out this month, which is all the better that I'm getting paid this weekend. I still need to get Half Life Episode 1 (and I'd like to get Sin, but that can wait), and Street Figher Alpha Anthology is only approaching nearer. I also found out that GTA: Liberty City Stories is making its PS2 debut today. Friends of mine who know my stance on GTA might be thinking me crazy of wanting this game, but it actually makes sense.
Yes, I don't consider it the greatest series out there, and yes, I couldn't stand San Andreas for more than two hours. But GTA 3, both in scope (big but not too big) and style (NYC baby) is my favorite entry in the series, so the thought of playing a new, simpler GTA set in Liberty City, with Tony Cipriatti as the hero (and one of my favorite GTA 3 characters), and costing only 20 bucks is a very tempting offer for me. The only thing that would be a hindrance is the PS2
controller. I've gotten accustomed to playing GTA on a keyboard and mouse, and without them the games just don't seem the same.
There might be a new review of mine up at Videolamer this week. I say might becasue it isn't a very good one, and it isn't for a good game, so I instructed Site-master Jay to use his iscretion and good taste, and only post it if he really likes it. Regradless, I should have a long, quality, most likely assholeish review of Dragon Quest 8 in the near future. All I can say is that in its current, early version, it is very harsh toward certain Square games and their fans (in relation to Enix and Dragon Quest). Part of me hopes Jay reads it and tones down the final version, but another part of my mind is sitting there, finger on the button, with a strange
desire to piss off a large group of gamers (many of which I'm friends with) and see what happens.
Edit: Look for the review on Thursday.
Tech and Misc.
Ubuntu Linux has been upated to version Dapper Drake. The only issue I had while updating was when I tried to do it the night before release by poking around some config files and doing it the homebrew way. One reinstall of the old versoin later, I let the auto-updater handle things, and the rest was smooth as butter. Ubuntu literally upgrades itself to an entirely new version automatically, in the background while you do other things. One reboot later, and you're golden. No CD's to burn, no kernels to compile. Even better, it not only looks nicer, but works better too. It boots up faster, Mplayer installed from apt-get with no issues (I had to compile from source last time), and wireless now works out of the box. It has gotten to the point where I don't feel any need to boot back into Windows unless it involves loading up Steam.
This is a very strange sensation for me. I've always liked Linux for development purposes, but never did I imagine using it as a main, day to day OS. There seemed to be too many problems with it. Ubuntu, along with a new and improved version of GNOME, has changed all of that. This is not the stupid bullshit Linux I've known for three years. This is a working, stable OS that is both easy to use and powerful. It has a community of kind, helpful users. And the amount of good, useful programs it supports is staggering. It will be a while longer before Linux has a real strong presence on the desktop, but if the Ubuntu team keeps making updates like this, it will be a question of when, not if. So far this is the only distro I've seen that has a clue on how to make this an OS that doesn't just appeal to hackers and programmers, and I really respect that. If the rumors of Windows Vista requiring 10 gigs of drive space and ridiculous system requirements, then I would suggest Mark Shuttleworth spend some more coin and get some Ubuntu install discs in every Best Buy and CompUSA in America, each with a simple graphical install process. I know that as soon as my parents have an empty nest, its Dapper Drake that I'm installing on their old computer, and I would believe that many others would do the same if they could ditch Vista for a secure, fast, stable OS that runs for free and doesn't require a
CS bachelor's to run. You can do it guys. I believe in you.
Google is making an online spreadsheet thingie. I signed up for it, being a whore for google products. I hope they pick me for their team. Even if I don't need a new spreadsheet
program, I said the same thing about email and AIM not long ago, and now I can't live without the Google versions of each.
Edit: I got in. I'll take a look at it tonight.
Finally, any long time readers will remember that time where I went off of AIM for a week or so to see what happened. It was a fun experiment, and now I'm ready for a new one. This time, I'm going to spend a week (or two!) attempting to learn the Dvorak typing system. And I'm not even buying a special keyboard for it. Instead I'll just map the keys to my current keyboard and try to learn blind. Thankfully Ubuntu has a typing tutor for it, which may prove to be handy.
I'm not sure why I'm doing this experiment. I already know I won't like Dvorak, or even use it (since it doens't work for gaming, and many Unix commands were built for QWERTY). I suppose I'm tired of reading crazy testimonials from Dvorak users (possible hippies?) for a system that seems to have no real advantage, at least for a hardwired QWERTY user. The only way to prove or disprove the claims, however, is to investigate myself.
This is a very strange sensation for me. I've always liked Linux for development purposes, but never did I imagine using it as a main, day to day OS. There seemed to be too many problems with it. Ubuntu, along with a new and improved version of GNOME, has changed all of that. This is not the stupid bullshit Linux I've known for three years. This is a working, stable OS that is both easy to use and powerful. It has a community of kind, helpful users. And the amount of good, useful programs it supports is staggering. It will be a while longer before Linux has a real strong presence on the desktop, but if the Ubuntu team keeps making updates like this, it will be a question of when, not if. So far this is the only distro I've seen that has a clue on how to make this an OS that doesn't just appeal to hackers and programmers, and I really respect that. If the rumors of Windows Vista requiring 10 gigs of drive space and ridiculous system requirements, then I would suggest Mark Shuttleworth spend some more coin and get some Ubuntu install discs in every Best Buy and CompUSA in America, each with a simple graphical install process. I know that as soon as my parents have an empty nest, its Dapper Drake that I'm installing on their old computer, and I would believe that many others would do the same if they could ditch Vista for a secure, fast, stable OS that runs for free and doesn't require a
CS bachelor's to run. You can do it guys. I believe in you.
Google is making an online spreadsheet thingie. I signed up for it, being a whore for google products. I hope they pick me for their team. Even if I don't need a new spreadsheet
program, I said the same thing about email and AIM not long ago, and now I can't live without the Google versions of each.
Edit: I got in. I'll take a look at it tonight.
Finally, any long time readers will remember that time where I went off of AIM for a week or so to see what happened. It was a fun experiment, and now I'm ready for a new one. This time, I'm going to spend a week (or two!) attempting to learn the Dvorak typing system. And I'm not even buying a special keyboard for it. Instead I'll just map the keys to my current keyboard and try to learn blind. Thankfully Ubuntu has a typing tutor for it, which may prove to be handy.
I'm not sure why I'm doing this experiment. I already know I won't like Dvorak, or even use it (since it doens't work for gaming, and many Unix commands were built for QWERTY). I suppose I'm tired of reading crazy testimonials from Dvorak users (possible hippies?) for a system that seems to have no real advantage, at least for a hardwired QWERTY user. The only way to prove or disprove the claims, however, is to investigate myself.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)