Showing posts with label podcast. Show all posts
Showing posts with label podcast. Show all posts
Monday, April 6, 2015
Tuesday, November 5, 2013
Weekend Review: Nov 2nd & 3rd
Every weekend there are new sights, sounds, and taste to consume. There are other sensory inputs that tickle my brain too, but saying there is stuff to feel sounds creepy. This is a weekly journal of my weekend endeavors. Enjoy!
Sawbones
Last years late September weekend review, included a podcast called Satellite Dish. A show about television from a husband and wife duo I was already familiar with. The show was rough around the edges and inconsistent when TV was inconsistent. Which was often. Thankfully the pair is back with a new podcast about medical history. This time around the humor is still very high and they have the content to match it. Focusing every week on a new subject they poke fun at often wild path that we have taken to get to modern medicine.
Pusha T - My Name Is My Name
Probably the biggest gap in my hip hop knowledge and appreciation is the Clipse. Their music is a total blind spot and they are from Virginia Beach. After just under a month of listening to the fantastic debut album from Pusha T, I am bound and determined to get up on the Clipse now. It is that damn good. Lots of great featured artist and an all-star listing of producers and beats. I posted the song Nosetalgia back in September and the full album lives up to it's potential.
Cycloramic
It is extremely rare these days for me to be surprised by technology. I'm increasingly becoming a cranky cynic in the space, especially when it comes to phones. Sure I will get a wow moment from the latest Boston Dynamics video, but what is surprising about more cores and higher megapixels? This weekend I saw something that actually blew my mind. If only a little. Cycloramic is an iPhone app for the 5 and 5s. It takes panoramic photos/videos and can do so completely hands free. Set your phone vertically on a smooth surface (e.g. dinning room table) and it will use the phones vibrate feature to rotate it around 360 degrees snapping photos along the way. What you get is less impressive. There have been apps for stitching together panoramas for years now. The novelty of seeing your little phone come alive however is totally worth sharing.
Sawbones
Last years late September weekend review, included a podcast called Satellite Dish. A show about television from a husband and wife duo I was already familiar with. The show was rough around the edges and inconsistent when TV was inconsistent. Which was often. Thankfully the pair is back with a new podcast about medical history. This time around the humor is still very high and they have the content to match it. Focusing every week on a new subject they poke fun at often wild path that we have taken to get to modern medicine.
Pusha T - My Name Is My Name
Probably the biggest gap in my hip hop knowledge and appreciation is the Clipse. Their music is a total blind spot and they are from Virginia Beach. After just under a month of listening to the fantastic debut album from Pusha T, I am bound and determined to get up on the Clipse now. It is that damn good. Lots of great featured artist and an all-star listing of producers and beats. I posted the song Nosetalgia back in September and the full album lives up to it's potential.
Cycloramic
It is extremely rare these days for me to be surprised by technology. I'm increasingly becoming a cranky cynic in the space, especially when it comes to phones. Sure I will get a wow moment from the latest Boston Dynamics video, but what is surprising about more cores and higher megapixels? This weekend I saw something that actually blew my mind. If only a little. Cycloramic is an iPhone app for the 5 and 5s. It takes panoramic photos/videos and can do so completely hands free. Set your phone vertically on a smooth surface (e.g. dinning room table) and it will use the phones vibrate feature to rotate it around 360 degrees snapping photos along the way. What you get is less impressive. There have been apps for stitching together panoramas for years now. The novelty of seeing your little phone come alive however is totally worth sharing.
Tuesday, July 9, 2013
R.I.P. Ryan Davis
I've made mention of the Giant Bombcast more than a number of times here in the past. I love it. By far my favorite gaming podcast and easily in my top three overall. Over the weekend the host, Ryan Davis, passed away. After spending nearly three hours a week since early 2009 with his voice and the rest of the GB crew it was a bit of a shock to see the news of his death. No clue how it happened, nor is it relevant, but he was 34 and I felt like I knew him just a bit. Sad times.
I got to meet him once in 2010 on the show floor at PAX East. He was clearly working. Moving fast, sweating and being followed by Vinny with a camera. When I called out his name and introduced myself he stopped and gave me his full attention. Chatted for and bit shook my hand and was on his way. He will be missed dearly by his friends and family for sure, but also by the hundreds of thousands of readers and listeners.
Monday, June 3, 2013
Weekend Review: June 1st & 2nd
Every weekend there are new sights, sounds, and taste to consume. There are other sensory inputs that tickle my brain too, but saying there is stuff to feel sounds creepy. This is a weekly journal of my weekend endeavors. Enjoy!
Call of Juarez: Gunslinger
I dig unreliable narrators. Usually that comes in the form of a book, comic or movie. It is rarely executed well in a game. Gunslinger is the 4th game in a series that has had a rocky past. Thankfully it is uncoupled from the triple A story line. It follows a retired bounty hunter sitting at a bar recounting the tales of his past. He forgets details, occasionally exaggerates the truth or gets questioned by his audience. All of these elements play out in the game visually. Someone might jump in with a "the way I heard it..." and you play out that alternate past, then the game rewinds and you play what actually happened. The environment shifts and changes in real time to suit the story. All that and it looks pretty too for $15.
99% Invisible
The guys from Tested made a reference to a podcast they both listened to late last week. It was the story of how basketball went from peach baskets to an open net. I downloaded the episode of 99% Invisible and really enjoyed it. Like really really enjoyed it. I listened to a backlog of 15 old episodes over the weekend. They are short, think 15 to 25 minutes and they cover design. A lot of which is architecture focused,but there are many like the basketball episode too. Ten episodes in, to my random selection, the host (Roman Mars) made mention that his podcast was heavily influenced by The Memory Palace. Another podcast I love, that covers history in a very similar format. So consider that two recommendations.
Warhammer Quest
In the last year I've occasionally day dreamed of a mobile game that captured some of the joy that is table top gaming. Not dice rolls and beers with friends, but at least the dungeon crawling grid-ed maps. Then someone made just that. Warhammer Quest is a top down, turn based, dungeon crawler that lets you control a party of four. It dabbles a bit with a story, but the meat and potatoes is the tactical game play. Enter a dungeon, clear out the baddies and collect the loot. Of course there is an leveling system, loot upgrades and a handful of other mechanics too. It is pretty well rounded, but fells a bit repetitive already. Probably because I've spent too much time grinding on side quest. It is still worth $5 and your time.
Call of Juarez: Gunslinger
I dig unreliable narrators. Usually that comes in the form of a book, comic or movie. It is rarely executed well in a game. Gunslinger is the 4th game in a series that has had a rocky past. Thankfully it is uncoupled from the triple A story line. It follows a retired bounty hunter sitting at a bar recounting the tales of his past. He forgets details, occasionally exaggerates the truth or gets questioned by his audience. All of these elements play out in the game visually. Someone might jump in with a "the way I heard it..." and you play out that alternate past, then the game rewinds and you play what actually happened. The environment shifts and changes in real time to suit the story. All that and it looks pretty too for $15.
99% Invisible
The guys from Tested made a reference to a podcast they both listened to late last week. It was the story of how basketball went from peach baskets to an open net. I downloaded the episode of 99% Invisible and really enjoyed it. Like really really enjoyed it. I listened to a backlog of 15 old episodes over the weekend. They are short, think 15 to 25 minutes and they cover design. A lot of which is architecture focused,but there are many like the basketball episode too. Ten episodes in, to my random selection, the host (Roman Mars) made mention that his podcast was heavily influenced by The Memory Palace. Another podcast I love, that covers history in a very similar format. So consider that two recommendations.
Warhammer Quest
In the last year I've occasionally day dreamed of a mobile game that captured some of the joy that is table top gaming. Not dice rolls and beers with friends, but at least the dungeon crawling grid-ed maps. Then someone made just that. Warhammer Quest is a top down, turn based, dungeon crawler that lets you control a party of four. It dabbles a bit with a story, but the meat and potatoes is the tactical game play. Enter a dungeon, clear out the baddies and collect the loot. Of course there is an leveling system, loot upgrades and a handful of other mechanics too. It is pretty well rounded, but fells a bit repetitive already. Probably because I've spent too much time grinding on side quest. It is still worth $5 and your time.
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
Planet Money T-Shirt
Great concept that was an easy choice to back. It will make for
Monday, April 22, 2013
Weekend Review: Apr 20th & 21st
Every weekend there are new sights, sounds, and taste to consume. There are other sensory inputs that tickle my brain too, but saying there is stuff to feel sounds creepy. This is a weekly journal of my weekend endeavors. Enjoy!
Django Unchained
Another film we didn't make time for in 2012. What a shame, because I love 99% of Tarantino's work and this one was no exception. It was violent, dealt with race in sometimes uncomfortable, but direct ways and was crammed full of humor to take the edge off. The dialogue is top tier work, Waltz and Sam Jackson execute it masterfully. The soundtrack was killer. Evoking an audible cheer of glee (from me) when a Rick Ross track came on half way through the film, that was otherwise full of great spaghetti western style tracks.
Fire Pit
We had a new patio put in last weekend. We've spent nearly every night the past week hanging out and grilling on it. This weekend we sprung for a fire pit to add to our new outdoor living area. I like a good camp fire and this is a great alternative to building an actual stone pit (which was a consideration). Plus I get to secretly burn up all the branches that I end up piling up over the course of a year. Like a prisoner dumping dirt in the yard. Plus, burning stuff is totally cool.
D&D Podcast: Mines of Madness
Post Eberron game night, I haven't quite been feeling table top gaming. Nothing has gotten me excited to do it again this year or at least go through the preparation time. I needed a muse and got one this weekend. Like the Penny Arcade episodes of the past I wanted to grab some friends, dice and a table and throw down right then and there. The Mines of Madness is an adventure written by Chris Perkins and Scott Kurtz for this years PAX East. The podcast is Kurtz and friends playing through the adventure and it is pretty great.
Django Unchained
Another film we didn't make time for in 2012. What a shame, because I love 99% of Tarantino's work and this one was no exception. It was violent, dealt with race in sometimes uncomfortable, but direct ways and was crammed full of humor to take the edge off. The dialogue is top tier work, Waltz and Sam Jackson execute it masterfully. The soundtrack was killer. Evoking an audible cheer of glee (from me) when a Rick Ross track came on half way through the film, that was otherwise full of great spaghetti western style tracks.
Fire Pit
We had a new patio put in last weekend. We've spent nearly every night the past week hanging out and grilling on it. This weekend we sprung for a fire pit to add to our new outdoor living area. I like a good camp fire and this is a great alternative to building an actual stone pit (which was a consideration). Plus I get to secretly burn up all the branches that I end up piling up over the course of a year. Like a prisoner dumping dirt in the yard. Plus, burning stuff is totally cool.
D&D Podcast: Mines of Madness
Post Eberron game night, I haven't quite been feeling table top gaming. Nothing has gotten me excited to do it again this year or at least go through the preparation time. I needed a muse and got one this weekend. Like the Penny Arcade episodes of the past I wanted to grab some friends, dice and a table and throw down right then and there. The Mines of Madness is an adventure written by Chris Perkins and Scott Kurtz for this years PAX East. The podcast is Kurtz and friends playing through the adventure and it is pretty great.
Friday, April 19, 2013
Weekend Review: Apr 13th & 14th
Every weekend there are new sights, sounds, and taste to consume. There are other sensory inputs that tickle my brain too, but saying there is stuff to feel sounds creepy. This is a weekly journal of my weekend endeavors. Enjoy!
Monument 10k
Success! 48:10 is right down the middle on my goal time of 47 to 49 minutes. I started the morning by picking up Mike and his bike. For the second year in a row we parked 30 some blocks from the start line and road our bikes in. We avoid the traffic/parking nightmare and get a nice warm up in before we have to run. At the start line I was a ball of adrenaline, coming out at 7:15 in the first mile. I settled in at around 7:45 per for the next two and put in a split time of 23:52. Faster than I wanted for the first half and I suffered on the back half because of it. Five to Six was a wall of pain and exhaustion and the last quarter mile sprint was agony (pictured). Then it was over, I ate a banana, a sugary sports drink or two and I felt fine. I was really happy with my effort and credit all of it to the Advanced 10k team. I have the Hardywood 4 Miler in less than two weeks and the Carytown 10k in three. I don't plan to beat my new PR, but who knows. I'm in the best running shape of my life and only spent two nights chugging beers and eating cake post Monument.
Planet Money
For some reason I have been avoiding my next audio book (The Twelve) and listening to loads of podcast instead. Probably because once I get into it there will be no time for podcast. Planet Money is not new to me, but I eventually burned out on it when I was fully subscribed. This time around I have been selectively picking episodes that sound interesting. So far so good, some great examples follow:
Monument 10k
Success! 48:10 is right down the middle on my goal time of 47 to 49 minutes. I started the morning by picking up Mike and his bike. For the second year in a row we parked 30 some blocks from the start line and road our bikes in. We avoid the traffic/parking nightmare and get a nice warm up in before we have to run. At the start line I was a ball of adrenaline, coming out at 7:15 in the first mile. I settled in at around 7:45 per for the next two and put in a split time of 23:52. Faster than I wanted for the first half and I suffered on the back half because of it. Five to Six was a wall of pain and exhaustion and the last quarter mile sprint was agony (pictured). Then it was over, I ate a banana, a sugary sports drink or two and I felt fine. I was really happy with my effort and credit all of it to the Advanced 10k team. I have the Hardywood 4 Miler in less than two weeks and the Carytown 10k in three. I don't plan to beat my new PR, but who knows. I'm in the best running shape of my life and only spent two nights chugging beers and eating cake post Monument.Planet Money
For some reason I have been avoiding my next audio book (The Twelve) and listening to loads of podcast instead. Probably because once I get into it there will be no time for podcast. Planet Money is not new to me, but I eventually burned out on it when I was fully subscribed. This time around I have been selectively picking episodes that sound interesting. So far so good, some great examples follow:
- Ep. 449: Hidden Digital Wealth
- Ep. 290: North Korea's Illegal Economy
- Ep. 435: Why Buying A Car Is So Awful
Monday, January 21, 2013
Weekend Review: Jan 19th & 20th
Every weekend there are new sights, sounds, and taste to consume. There are other sensory inputs that tickle my brain too, but saying there is stuff to feel sounds creepy. This is a weekly journal of my weekend endeavors. Enjoy!
Long.Live.A$AP
After many delays, not uncommon for rap albums, A$AP Rocky's new jam dropped this past week. Being bitten by a number of sophomore efforts over the years, I was understandably skeptical of this one. No reason to doubt. I spun it exclusively on my trip up and back to Pittsburgh this weekend and it is fantastic. A lot of guest appearances and new beats, but enough of Clams Casino in the mix that it evoked what I loved about LiveLoveA$AP. Great second effort that will be in my rotation for much of 2013.
Bullseye: 2012 Comedy Special
This podcast/public radio show falls near the bottom of weekly listening and usually gets back logged behind other maximum fun joints. It is largely an interview show, though the guest culture/media recommendations are top notch (see: kottke and Noz). It hings on the interviewee being as good as the host, Jesse Thorn, who always brings it. That said the episode I listened to while traveling this weekend is a compilation of the best in comedy albums from 2012. It left my jaw sore from laughter and with a list of new, to me, comedians to follow up on.
The Sword
For Christmas this year I picked up the first two volumes of this book for Ethan. It was a comic I had heard recommendations for going on two years. I never got around to it, so I gave it to Ethan as a sort of holiday comic homework. He had never heard of it, but ended enjoying it a lot and let me borrow the present I gave him when he was done. I picked and wrapped up the fourth and final volume late this week and the book only got better. A great story (college kid gets super powers) that is wholly contained in a four trade arc. Really easy to recommend it.
Long.Live.A$AP
After many delays, not uncommon for rap albums, A$AP Rocky's new jam dropped this past week. Being bitten by a number of sophomore efforts over the years, I was understandably skeptical of this one. No reason to doubt. I spun it exclusively on my trip up and back to Pittsburgh this weekend and it is fantastic. A lot of guest appearances and new beats, but enough of Clams Casino in the mix that it evoked what I loved about LiveLoveA$AP. Great second effort that will be in my rotation for much of 2013.
Bullseye: 2012 Comedy Special
This podcast/public radio show falls near the bottom of weekly listening and usually gets back logged behind other maximum fun joints. It is largely an interview show, though the guest culture/media recommendations are top notch (see: kottke and Noz). It hings on the interviewee being as good as the host, Jesse Thorn, who always brings it. That said the episode I listened to while traveling this weekend is a compilation of the best in comedy albums from 2012. It left my jaw sore from laughter and with a list of new, to me, comedians to follow up on.
The Sword
For Christmas this year I picked up the first two volumes of this book for Ethan. It was a comic I had heard recommendations for going on two years. I never got around to it, so I gave it to Ethan as a sort of holiday comic homework. He had never heard of it, but ended enjoying it a lot and let me borrow the present I gave him when he was done. I picked and wrapped up the fourth and final volume late this week and the book only got better. A great story (college kid gets super powers) that is wholly contained in a four trade arc. Really easy to recommend it.
Monday, November 12, 2012
Weekend Review: Nov 10th & 11th
Every weekend there are new sights, sounds, and taste to consume. There are other sensory inputs that tickle my brain too, but saying there is stuff to feel sounds creepy. This is a weekly journal of my weekend endeavors. Enjoy!
Richmond Marathon 8k
I signed up for this event before Ward showed up. Back when I could get as much sleep as I wanted and plan a workout with relative ease. My training fell apart two months ago and I started regressing. Eating poorly, sleeping poorly and in general feeling poorly. Then I got sick Thursday night. I was all ready to pack it up and skip the whole thing. Except I had already paid and promised to drive Mike to the race. So I chugged NyQuil, went to bed early and reluctantly got up at 5:30a Saturday.
It was cold at 7a when we crossed the start line, but my legs felt surprisingly good. Mile one through three were easy, 3-4 torched me, but the home stretch was the best. One fourth of a mile before the finish was all downhill toward the James. I sucked cold air into burning lungs, as my jog transformed into a controlled sprint. Leaning all my weight into the descent as I started zipping past other runners. It took all of my concentration to not turn my sprint into a tumble of bloody limbs, but it worked. 41:17 at the line. 48th of 157 in my division. 8:15 a mile, my fastest pace in an event all year (prev. 8:25 and 8:20).
Wreck-It Ralph
Sunday afternoon was lazy recovery. Post Saturday run and Sunday morning ride (a poor choice), I took Kaden to see Wreck-It-Ralph. Pixar's newest film about the world of made up arcade game characters. I appreciated the video game references (they go to Tapper for happy hour) and he enjoyed the slap stick comedy. Overall it was not the strongest Pixar film I have seen, but that should not be a knock, they make good shows. He loved it though. I came home Saturday with a medal from the 8k that very much resembled the medal Ralph wants to win in the movie. We played all night. He has Ralph with the medal and I as Fix-It-Felix with a yellow Fisher Price otoscope standing in for my golden hammer.
Update
Thanks to Chuck for a major correction. The film was made by Disney, not Pixar. That explains why it felt more Cars 2 than Ratatouille. Subpar in the story department.
Good Job, Brain!
Not that I want for new Podcast, but somewhere in the 24 hours that were Octoberkast, Will, Norm and guest were discussing podcast they listen to. Good Job, Brain! was the only one that stuck with me. Part quiz show and part interesting fact/history lesson. The host are entertaining and funny. It may end up being something I download à la carte instead of subscribing to though. On a per topic basis. Podcast are getting me through these early baby months and it is nice to have a few extra around.
Richmond Marathon 8k
I signed up for this event before Ward showed up. Back when I could get as much sleep as I wanted and plan a workout with relative ease. My training fell apart two months ago and I started regressing. Eating poorly, sleeping poorly and in general feeling poorly. Then I got sick Thursday night. I was all ready to pack it up and skip the whole thing. Except I had already paid and promised to drive Mike to the race. So I chugged NyQuil, went to bed early and reluctantly got up at 5:30a Saturday.
It was cold at 7a when we crossed the start line, but my legs felt surprisingly good. Mile one through three were easy, 3-4 torched me, but the home stretch was the best. One fourth of a mile before the finish was all downhill toward the James. I sucked cold air into burning lungs, as my jog transformed into a controlled sprint. Leaning all my weight into the descent as I started zipping past other runners. It took all of my concentration to not turn my sprint into a tumble of bloody limbs, but it worked. 41:17 at the line. 48th of 157 in my division. 8:15 a mile, my fastest pace in an event all year (prev. 8:25 and 8:20).
Wreck-It Ralph
Sunday afternoon was lazy recovery. Post Saturday run and Sunday morning ride (a poor choice), I took Kaden to see Wreck-It-Ralph. Pixar's newest film about the world of made up arcade game characters. I appreciated the video game references (they go to Tapper for happy hour) and he enjoyed the slap stick comedy. Overall it was not the strongest Pixar film I have seen, but that should not be a knock, they make good shows. He loved it though. I came home Saturday with a medal from the 8k that very much resembled the medal Ralph wants to win in the movie. We played all night. He has Ralph with the medal and I as Fix-It-Felix with a yellow Fisher Price otoscope standing in for my golden hammer.
Update
Thanks to Chuck for a major correction. The film was made by Disney, not Pixar. That explains why it felt more Cars 2 than Ratatouille. Subpar in the story department.
Good Job, Brain!
Not that I want for new Podcast, but somewhere in the 24 hours that were Octoberkast, Will, Norm and guest were discussing podcast they listen to. Good Job, Brain! was the only one that stuck with me. Part quiz show and part interesting fact/history lesson. The host are entertaining and funny. It may end up being something I download à la carte instead of subscribing to though. On a per topic basis. Podcast are getting me through these early baby months and it is nice to have a few extra around.
Monday, September 24, 2012
Weekend Review: Sept 22nd & 23rd
Every weekend there are new sights, sounds, and taste to consume. There are other sensory inputs that tickle my brain too, but saying there is stuff to feel sounds creepy. This is a weekly journal of my weekend endeavors. Enjoy!
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Apple Picking
For 4-5 years now we have been going up to Carter Mountain to haul down apples. The first time, pre-kids, it was a great mid-week date trip. Now it is a family tradition. After mountain biking all morning Sunday I got home and wanted a nap in the worst way. My pregnant wife and three year old son played their apple picking hand masterfully though. By noon we were on the road to Charlottesville. Every year it seems to get a little more crowded. We have not had a pickin' stick in 3 years, but there are always enough apples in tip toe range to fill your bags. Oh and apple doughnuts and cider are bomb. It's a good time, every time. Apple pies may be in next weeks review.
Borderlands 2
In 2009 I was pleasantly surprised by Borderlands
the First. It was a game that at one point was marketed on it's trillion gun feature and that struggled to establish it's art direction. It turned out to be really good. One of the best coop games I ever played in fact. I bought it twice (PC and 360), I bought all the DLC and I played through it completely three times with three sets of friends. So buying Borderlands 2 was a given. Thankfully they recaptured most of the magic that got me the first time. The PC version got all the bells and whistles this time too. Tons of settings to tweak, menus that are not built for controllers (but work with them) and no port forwarding. It's great!
UFC 152
The main event was an incredible fight. Jones was the closest he has ever been to being finished, in the form of a first round arm bar attempt. I thought it was over. His arm popped, but did not break and he shook off Belfort. After that it was all Jones. In the stand up he had the reach and speed. When it went to the ground, Belfort started pulling guard oddly, he was defending the arm bar and beating up "The Phenom" in the process. The flyweight (125lbs) championship was not incredible. It pitted a heavy handed, but slower wrestler in Benavidez against an elusive, fast, volume puncher in Johnson. It was a formula made for a boring decision. If you gave them 5 more rounds you still wouldn't see the match up ended.
Satellite Dish
Apparently I have a creative man crush on Justin McElroy. From discovering his work at Joystiq, to following him to Polygon and everything in between. The Satellite Dish is a podcast about TV that he and his wife produce. Television usual falls to the very bottom rung of how I want to use my leisure time. A podcast about TV, that is funny leap frogs the leisure time competition though. Most of the shows they discuss hold little interest for me, but occasionally there is some overlap. Which makes those moments that much better. It is thanks to them that I forced my wife to watch an episode of Here Comes Honey Boo Boo. A show she hated and that I delighted in watching her hate. So there is that. Thanks. I guess?
.JPG)
Apple Picking
For 4-5 years now we have been going up to Carter Mountain to haul down apples. The first time, pre-kids, it was a great mid-week date trip. Now it is a family tradition. After mountain biking all morning Sunday I got home and wanted a nap in the worst way. My pregnant wife and three year old son played their apple picking hand masterfully though. By noon we were on the road to Charlottesville. Every year it seems to get a little more crowded. We have not had a pickin' stick in 3 years, but there are always enough apples in tip toe range to fill your bags. Oh and apple doughnuts and cider are bomb. It's a good time, every time. Apple pies may be in next weeks review.
Borderlands 2
In 2009 I was pleasantly surprised by Borderlands
the First. It was a game that at one point was marketed on it's trillion gun feature and that struggled to establish it's art direction. It turned out to be really good. One of the best coop games I ever played in fact. I bought it twice (PC and 360), I bought all the DLC and I played through it completely three times with three sets of friends. So buying Borderlands 2 was a given. Thankfully they recaptured most of the magic that got me the first time. The PC version got all the bells and whistles this time too. Tons of settings to tweak, menus that are not built for controllers (but work with them) and no port forwarding. It's great!UFC 152
The main event was an incredible fight. Jones was the closest he has ever been to being finished, in the form of a first round arm bar attempt. I thought it was over. His arm popped, but did not break and he shook off Belfort. After that it was all Jones. In the stand up he had the reach and speed. When it went to the ground, Belfort started pulling guard oddly, he was defending the arm bar and beating up "The Phenom" in the process. The flyweight (125lbs) championship was not incredible. It pitted a heavy handed, but slower wrestler in Benavidez against an elusive, fast, volume puncher in Johnson. It was a formula made for a boring decision. If you gave them 5 more rounds you still wouldn't see the match up ended.
Satellite Dish
Apparently I have a creative man crush on Justin McElroy. From discovering his work at Joystiq, to following him to Polygon and everything in between. The Satellite Dish is a podcast about TV that he and his wife produce. Television usual falls to the very bottom rung of how I want to use my leisure time. A podcast about TV, that is funny leap frogs the leisure time competition though. Most of the shows they discuss hold little interest for me, but occasionally there is some overlap. Which makes those moments that much better. It is thanks to them that I forced my wife to watch an episode of Here Comes Honey Boo Boo. A show she hated and that I delighted in watching her hate. So there is that. Thanks. I guess?
Monday, September 10, 2012
Weekend Review: Sept 8th & 9th
Every weekend there are new sights, sounds, and taste to consume. There are other sensory inputs that tickle my brain too, but saying there is stuff to feel sounds creepy. This is a weekly journal of my weekend endeavors. Enjoy!
Mark of the Ninja
On Friday Mark of the Ninja silently released to Xbox Live. With what seemed like little fanfare from Microsoft (their latest dash is terrible). Thankfully ever game news site I follow fell in love with it. A 20 minute demo later and I was cramming credits into my account. I like stealth games a lot, but many titles get lost in the weeds when stealth becomes hard to convey. MotN sticks to it's guns. It has fantastic visual cues and offers up enough tweaks to the game play from start to finish that it remains interesting. Oh and it has a good story too. Game of the year contender for me and only $15.
Locke & Key: Clockworks
I devoured the first four trades of Locke & Key when I finally got around to reading it earlier this year. Then I fell off for some reason. I went back to the well this weekend and loved the continuation of the story. It wraps up this fall with the final arc and that has me really excited and already a little depressed it will be over.
Stop Podcasting Yourself
When My Brother, My Brother and Me made the jump to the Maximum Fun family of podcast I was introduced to a grip of new shows. Most everyone has been great, but the one I've enjoyed the most is Stop Podcasting Yourself. The host are two stand ups who live in Vancouver and bring on a different guest every week (pretty standard format). They revel in silly humor and constantly make each other and their guest laugh. They have lots of great guest, but I'd suggest going back in the archive and scoping up ever Paul F Tompkins episode.
40k Painting
I picked up my brushes again early last week and finally started up on my Sons of Medusa army. Which has been on my hobby table untouched for six months. The catalyst for my return was a game my three year old refers to as "Dice Game". We set up five marines each on his Lego table and take turns moving them around the battlefield. We resolve conflicts with d6 rolls and I get him to count up both dice and tell me who won. It is a lot of fun as is, but I am already thinking of modifications to the system. Letter identification for combat advantage and setting up Lego cover.
Monday, August 20, 2012
Weekend Review: August 18th & 19th
Every weekend there are new sights, sounds, and taste to consume. There are other sensory inputs that tickle my brain too, but saying there is stuff to feel sounds creepy. This is a journal of my weekend endeavors. Enjoy!
Darksiders II
The first Darksiders
game was a surprise hit. It aped many of the tropes found in the modern Zelda series and liberally borrowed from from a few other titles too (e.g. God of War
and Portal
). It did so without out feeling sleazy though. The story was over the top, violent and a bit self serious, but never reached a point where it tipped over to being bad. It was an incredible game that I played two years after it's release for a criminally cheap price on the PC. Now the second game it out. I got on board mid week and played a bunch this weekend. It is equally as great, well worth the price of admission.
The Besties
More podcast goodness this weekend with a contender for my favorite video game podcast. Giant Bomb is still right up there, but I love the shorter format of Polygon's podcast. They cover almost no news, but all 4 members bring a new game every week and (regardless of it's quality) argue why it should be the game of the year. One game rises to the top and then faces off with the current champ. It is novel if not silly way to review games, but it's a good laugh and covers most new games that come out. It is under an hour too, so it wins on that front too.
Flatbush Zombies (NSFW)
A$AP Mob put out a new single a few weeks ago as a preview for a mixtape they plan to release sometime in the future. Featured on the track was Flatbush Zombies. I went down the path a little further and download their mixtape. Face-Off and Thug Waffle really get it done. Love almost all of it and hope to hear more from them.
Iron Brigade
I played the demo for this game on my Xbox ages ago, I enjoyed it, but never pulled the trigger on it. It came out on Steam last week and was on sale. Times have been tough for video games this summer so this was glass of ice water in a desert wasteland. It is great, third person mech fighting and tower defense. It is coop (4 player) too, but no one else has bit yet. I need to get my game friends on board.
Adventure Time #6
My son got his first comic two months ago, Justice League Unlimited #1 and has talked about it incessantly since. After SotJ Saturday morning, he and I stopped at Stories. I was planning to get him something super hero based, but nothing kid friendly was jumping off the shelf at us. His other favorite thing to talk about right now is Adventure Time
. So when he saw Jake and Finn on the cover he knew what he was getting. We have read it 6 times since then. The writing feels just like the show, which send him into giggle fits and the art holds up just as well.
Darksiders II
The first Darksiders
game was a surprise hit. It aped many of the tropes found in the modern Zelda series and liberally borrowed from from a few other titles too (e.g. God of War
and Portal
). It did so without out feeling sleazy though. The story was over the top, violent and a bit self serious, but never reached a point where it tipped over to being bad. It was an incredible game that I played two years after it's release for a criminally cheap price on the PC. Now the second game it out. I got on board mid week and played a bunch this weekend. It is equally as great, well worth the price of admission.The Besties
More podcast goodness this weekend with a contender for my favorite video game podcast. Giant Bomb is still right up there, but I love the shorter format of Polygon's podcast. They cover almost no news, but all 4 members bring a new game every week and (regardless of it's quality) argue why it should be the game of the year. One game rises to the top and then faces off with the current champ. It is novel if not silly way to review games, but it's a good laugh and covers most new games that come out. It is under an hour too, so it wins on that front too.
Flatbush Zombies (NSFW)
A$AP Mob put out a new single a few weeks ago as a preview for a mixtape they plan to release sometime in the future. Featured on the track was Flatbush Zombies. I went down the path a little further and download their mixtape. Face-Off and Thug Waffle really get it done. Love almost all of it and hope to hear more from them.
Iron Brigade
I played the demo for this game on my Xbox ages ago, I enjoyed it, but never pulled the trigger on it. It came out on Steam last week and was on sale. Times have been tough for video games this summer so this was glass of ice water in a desert wasteland. It is great, third person mech fighting and tower defense. It is coop (4 player) too, but no one else has bit yet. I need to get my game friends on board.
Adventure Time #6
My son got his first comic two months ago, Justice League Unlimited #1 and has talked about it incessantly since. After SotJ Saturday morning, he and I stopped at Stories. I was planning to get him something super hero based, but nothing kid friendly was jumping off the shelf at us. His other favorite thing to talk about right now is Adventure Time
. So when he saw Jake and Finn on the cover he knew what he was getting. We have read it 6 times since then. The writing feels just like the show, which send him into giggle fits and the art holds up just as well.
Monday, July 30, 2012
Weekend Review: July 28th & 29nd
Every weekend there are new sights, sounds, and taste to consume. There are other sensory inputs that tickle my brain too, but saying there is stuff to feel sounds creepy. This is a journal of my weekend endeavors. Enjoy!
Lockout
When the opening ceremony failed to catch my attention on three different attempts I looked toward other media when the DVR ran out of the Daily Show. Lockout was merely a blip on the radar back in April of this year and will most likely be yet another blip post this month (DVD release). Rightfully so I'm afraid, it was awful. Horrible special effects, writing, acting. The whole lot was rubbish, I don't know what I expected from a space prison movie. Epicness?
Chew
I read the first trade of Chew maybe a year ago and was underwhelmed, given the hype that surrounded it. I re-read the first trade and second trade on Sunday and was stunned at my change in opinion. I loved it. The writing was great, the premise was refreshing (chicken is outlawed and the FDA act as poultry prohibition officers) and the art has grown on me. Could not recommend it more.
Solo Cycling
I've posted many moons ago that I don't particularly care for solo cycling. I think of cycling as a social activity as much as I do a good form of exercise. Sunday my party of four turned into a party of me when everyone bailed. I was already packed up though so I went out for 28.8 miles of solo spinning. It was nice to have some quiet, just me and the bike. Oh and three deer, they were totally cool though.
Dickey's Barbecue Pit
I won't say much here, because it feels like cheating, but the meats were tender and tasty. Plus free ice cream, pickles and souvenir cups. The sides were mostly a bust, but everything else gets a thumbs up. Expect a longer review on 52L in the near-ish future.
The Bugle
Saturday, I spent the whole day painting the boys room (8+ hours). It sucked, but I got to catch up on loads of podcast in my Downcast back log. The best of which was three episodes of the Bugle. John Oliver and Andy Zaltzman's weekly podcast, lampooning world news. Like the Daily Show, but with more puns, more English accents and more dick jokes.
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
PAX East 2011: Day One
Bright and early Friday morning we awoke to make what is now an annualized trip to PAX. The flight out of Richmond was uneventful, save a bit of delayed landing due to a storm front moving into Boston. It was that very same storm that pushed our day one plans indoors. Friday was supposed to be our bean town tour, but because of the rain we ended up at PAX a day early.
Before we made it to nerd Mecca though, we grabbed a bite at Caffe Nuovo for breakfast. I had the seafood omelette (yum) and Crystal had waffles with fresh fruit (burnt). Stomachs full we trudged through the rain to our hotel. It was nice, but it was not Mandarin Oriental nice. It was about a fourth of the cost though, so it all worked out. We dropped off our bags, were back down stairs and on the T to the Boston Convention Center in no time. A venue that felt double or even triple the size of last years spot.
The expo floor reflected that increased size. I immediately felt lost in a sea of blinking lights and nerd stink. There was so much to see and do that we ended up taking a break after seeing half of it to play some board games. We picked up Gloom and it only took us about hour to learn and play it. It's a card game that is one part strategy and two parts dark humor story telling. It is something I'd definitely consider buying in the near future.
Back in the expo hall it was on to touring the rest of the games on offer. We still want a Geek Chic table in our dinning room, but will have to wait till we get a new house. Those things are massive and wicked cool. The lines to play Portal 2 and Star Wars: The Old Republic were epically long, but I wish I could have tried them. Red Faction looks like it will capture everything I loved about the last game in the series minus a sledge hammer. Machine Gun Jetpack made me want an iPad more than the game itself, but it seems cool in it's own right too.
What can best be described as life sized D&D was a highlight of the show floor for us. A party of six, picked characters in the form of laminated simplified character sheets on lanyards. Crystal was a Warlock and took the Cleric. Each party member had two powers to give you an idea of how simple we are talking. We faced off against 6ft tall cardboard cut out monsters (Strahd). Rolling basketball sized rubber dice to see if we would hit. I think every group conquered the encounter, but ours did so with style. I got the killing blow from a flank.
Board game and expo hall'ed out we grabbed some dinner. Pizza and mountain dew for +5 nerd points and then went to sit in line for the Joystiq Podcast. Last year Crystal had never heard the boys from Joystiq, but walked away really enjoying the mix of humor and game talk. This year was more of the same with Bob Ball cruising the crowd in a dinosaur costume the whole evening before revealing himself (giggle) to read an email.
After Joystiq let out we rushed over to the line for the Giant Bombcast. Crystal enjoyed this panel less and ended up playing Sudoku for most of it. I explained after the fact that Giant Bomb is my go to voice for video game opinions. That their podcast is usually funny too, but it can go long and get really into game talk. After the Bombcast panel we hitched a taxi ride back to the hotel. Hitting the bed hard for some much needed sleep.
Up Next: Boston/PAX Day 2, Sam Adams and the trip we didn't take the the Boston Aquarium
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Wreck Awards 2010
I did this thing last year, the year before that and the year before that, it is an official annualized tradition now. So without further ado, the Wreck Awards 2010...
Game of the Year: Mass Effect 2
Nothing came close to the story or world that BioWare crafted in their sequel to Mass Effect this year. All of the things that bugged me about the first game were either fixed, removed or sanded to a dull point. No more crappy vehicle combat and no more frustrating inventory management. Everything that could be was streamlined in service of the story they wanted to tell. The combat was more fun and as a shooter it felt less random. Overall it was leaps and bounds ahead of any game this year.
Runner Up: Limbo
Nothing came close to the story or world that BioWare crafted in their sequel to Mass Effect this year. All of the things that bugged me about the first game were either fixed, removed or sanded to a dull point. No more crappy vehicle combat and no more frustrating inventory management. Everything that could be was streamlined in service of the story they wanted to tell. The combat was more fun and as a shooter it felt less random. Overall it was leaps and bounds ahead of any game this year.
Runner Up: Limbo
Game I should have played: Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood
What I presumed was going to be a cash grab quick follow up to a great game from 2009 apparently wasn't. I skipped it because I was done with Italy as a location for Assassin's Creed. Where is my feudal Japan game?Oh and multi-player crammed into a great single player experience. Yeah like that will work. It did work and quiet well by most accounts. Crap I really need to play this game.
Runner Up: Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit
Movie of the Year: The Town
What I presumed was going to be a cash grab quick follow up to a great game from 2009 apparently wasn't. I skipped it because I was done with Italy as a location for Assassin's Creed. Where is my feudal Japan game?Oh and multi-player crammed into a great single player experience. Yeah like that will work. It did work and quiet well by most accounts. Crap I really need to play this game.
Runner Up: Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit
Movie of the Year: The Town
I heart a good bank robbery film (See: my unhealthy crush on Point Break) and The Town is that and much more. It was beautifully shot, written and directed. The acting was stand out from all involved and specially Jeremy Renner did an amazing job. A great film a great year for movies. See all the ones I didn't pick below...
Runner(s) Up: Toy Story 3, Inception, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World
Movie I should have seen: True Grit
Missing Coen brother films is a cardinal sin for me. Unfortunately this one came out a week before the end of the year. Everyone I know has seen it and is raving about it. Getting a free weekend to see it before it is out of theaters is a top priority in the coming weeks. Wish me luck.
Runner Up: Exit Through the Gift Shop
Movie I should have seen: True Grit
Missing Coen brother films is a cardinal sin for me. Unfortunately this one came out a week before the end of the year. Everyone I know has seen it and is raving about it. Getting a free weekend to see it before it is out of theaters is a top priority in the coming weeks. Wish me luck.
Runner Up: Exit Through the Gift Shop
TV show of the Year: Boardwalk Empire
In a year where I though the Walking Dead would be an open and shut favorite for me I was surprised by how much I loved Boardwalk Empire. The twenties are an era rarely visited in modern story telling. That may be for a reason, but this show captured it and made it damn entertaining while doing so. Buscemi's performance is outstanding and the cast around him plays out at the same level and in some cases even better. In total it was the best story I watched this year.
Runners Up: The Walking Dead & Spartacus: Blood and Sand
In a year where I though the Walking Dead would be an open and shut favorite for me I was surprised by how much I loved Boardwalk Empire. The twenties are an era rarely visited in modern story telling. That may be for a reason, but this show captured it and made it damn entertaining while doing so. Buscemi's performance is outstanding and the cast around him plays out at the same level and in some cases even better. In total it was the best story I watched this year.
Runners Up: The Walking Dead & Spartacus: Blood and Sand
Podcast of the Year: Smodcast
In a year where I have listened to more podcast than ever this was probably the hardest category to pick. Smodcast is Kevin Smith and Scott Mosier's podcast where they mostly just shoot the shit and comment on interesting news articles. It makes me consistently laugh out loud though. I knew it was going to win my heart when I took 4 episodes to Libya with me this summer and ended up downloading 4 more from the slow as all get out third world wifi at my uncles house. It is that good.
Runner Up: My Brother, My Brother and Me
Comic/Book of the Year: Planetary
Yes a series that ran from 1999 to 2009 is my 2010 book of the year. It is when I read it though that matters. I can't imagine reading only 27 issues over the course of ten years, but the story as a whole delivers. Not being a comics guy in the past some of the references were lost on me early on. Some had to be explained while others took longer that it would for most to get. The package as a whole is stellar though, really glad I got to read it.
Runner Up: Atomic Robo
Recipe of the Year: Talapia Fish Sticks
While probably not the best dish I served up all year it wins with its consistency, healthiness and taste. I'll expound on my original post and say that is still not easy to get an almost two year old to heat a healthy meal. His go to answer is "hot dog" no matter how you ask the question of what he wants to eat. So having this one in my back pocket every week is a the kind of trait that wins you awards. Your invisible placard is in the mail.
Runner Up: Scratch-Made Brownies
Friday, May 7, 2010
MBMBaM
My heart knows what it wants most days. The Joystiq podcast has been mentioned here often enough that I hope someone knows I take a shinning to it. It is with great sadness then, that I confess my moonlighting with a new podcast. My Brother, My Brother and Me (MBMBaM) is the product of Joystiq's Justin McElroy, Griffin McElroy and their brother Travis McElroy. It is an advice show that has me cracking up uncontrollably every where I've listened to it. Sorry JP, I have 3 of your podcast collecting dust in my tracklist, while I listen to episode 4 of MBMBaM.
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Daily Affirmation
After attending the Scott Kurtz panel at PAX East I've become a huge fan boy. In that vein, I hunted down the podcast he and Kris Straub started back in 2007, Daily Affirmation. I have been listening from episode one onward since Sunday and I am loving them. I've had to stiffle more laughs than I can count with fake coughs at my desk. Discovering the podcast also brought Kris to my attention, Chainsawsuit is now a part of my daily internet routine. That is all, go listen and read comics!
Thursday, April 15, 2010
PAX East: Day Two
And now the thrilling conclusion of our tale...
Saturday morning we took the rare opportunity to sleep in, without child and in a city far from our own the Z's came easily. "Sleep in" is a bit of a misnomer I'm afraid, when you have been waking up for a year at 6 or 7 anything beyond that is gravy. We were up, showered and in a Dunkin Donuts by 9am. A Boston cream in Boston tasted the same as one Richmond, but the pleasure centers of my mind were all hands on deck just at the thought.
No repeats of our day one e-celebrity sitings at the repository of confectionery toruses, sadly. Upon entering the convention center at 10am though we saw the Tycho Brahe (Jerry Holkins). I was giddy and Crystal was more amused with my amusement than anything else. For the better part of the rest of the morning we toured the expo hall. The first place we went was to the Geek Chic booth to get a brief demonstration and pitch on the Emissary. An object I thought ownership of would be pure fantasy for the entirity of my mortal life, but was left in open mouthed amazement when Crystal expressed interest in it as our new dinning room table. I won't believe it till we are eating a meal at it, but there now exist hope.
There were tons of games to see in the expo hall as well. Split Second (pic) was a fun mix of Mario Kart and Burnout that will probably end up on my shopping list. Joe Danger (pic) caught Crystal's interest as a mix of Excite Bike and Trials HD with a cartoon aesthetic. Shank is a beat'em up that looks flipping incredible and will be mine on XBLA this year hopefully. Seeing Puzzle Quest 2 inspired Crystal to start playing the first game for the rest of the weekend. AaaaaAAaaaAAAaaAAAAaAAAAA!!! (pic) was a game I had read about a number of times, but never played, I remedied that on Saturday. Finally, I played in (pic) a mini MW2 tourney and did horrible with default controls and free for all.
After a quick lunch in the mall it was back to the convention center to see even more. The board game rooms were packed (pic) with folks playing all kinds of games. Before we could checkout a game though I was drawn to the siren song of Surfacescapes. Simply put it is D&D 4th edition played on the interactive screen of a Microsoft Surface. Impressive stuff for sure, but better expressed through their videos. Drooling complete we played a quick demo of Zombie Dice (pic) and then checked out Ninja vs Ninja. Being two folks of limited time, NvN was a great game for us to cut our teeth on. Next we played Zombie Fluxx and were sold pretty quick on it. We ended up playing for more than an hour and then hunting for a set to buy. They were sold out, but I have since ordered it online.
Dinner was more of the same, a trip to the food court and then right back to PAX to get in line for the live Joystiq Podcast. We ended up waiting in line for an hour and a half (pic). Thankfully the time was spent sitting and playing our DSes. We were rewarded for our wait though, as the first 10 or so rows of seats (pics) had video games waiting for their recipients. Crystal got a copy of Tropico 3 and I the Force Unleashed: Sith Edition. The live cast (pic) was great, my face hurt from smiling and laughing through the whole hour.
We wrapped up our night with another line, for an hour this time, to see the Scott Kurtz's panel. A semi drunk Scott showed up on time and just started telling stories. He is an amazingly funny story teller, we laughed, things got emotional and we laughed some more. His panel ended up going an hour over and we did not get back to our hotel till 1am. A bit discouraging given our 5am wake up call for our flight, but well worth the lack of sleep.
Sunday was an early morning flight and reflection on a whirlwind weekend in Boston. We had a ton of fun in the city and even more at PAX. We are already planning to go at the very least to two days of PAX next year. Hopefully we can shoot for all three.
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
PAX East: Day One
As mentioned previously, at the end of March Crystal and I went to the first ever PAX East in Boston. So without further ado, our tale...
Arriving in Boston at 8:30am Friday morning to a snowy city, we made the worst mistake of the trip by choosing to take a taxi from the airport to the Museum of Fine Arts. Fifteen minutes and $48 later, we were at the museum doors only to find it didn't open till 10am. So we made do and found a place to grab a bite on the Northeastern University campus. Bellies full we went back to the museum and toured it for nearly two hours. The pictures we took can not do the art we saw justice I'm afraid, but they are worth a look all the same.
Following the museum we some how snaked a free ride on the subway north to the Freedom Trail and arrived just outside of a visitors center for a map. I mention the map briefly, as the travel apps I purchased for my iPod Touch were a colossal waste. I guess it is time for a real smart phone and a data plan later this Spring. Moving on, the trail was a great way to see a fairly concentrated portion of Boston's history and have a tasty seafood lunch near Faneuil Hall.
Our fill of history and our tired legs had us on the subway headed south to our hotel by 3pm. At our stop I took us on a two mile detour to the Sheraton. It wasn't fun getting kinda sorta lost, but we found a few options for dinner and saw the cast of the Joystiq Podcast in doing so. When we finally arrived at the hotel we were met with the news that they were overbooked, despite my booking the room two months in advance. Before we could get upset though, they were already describing the new arrangements they had made for us, all on their dime too.
We would be staying in a hotel just a hop skip and not even a jump from where we were. Slightly peeved and ready for a nap we cut through the mall that connects to the convention center and it's surrounding hotels and arrived at the Mandarin Oriental. Being unfamiliar with the company, were pleasantly surprised at the level of service and the incrediable room they put us in. It included a king sized bed, 42" LCD, office/living room area, a marble bathroom as big as the other areas combined and a great view of the city. A steak dinner and a trip to the Apple store later and we found out just how big an upgrade we had recieved. Where two nights at the Sheraton was going to cost us $400 the stay at the five star Mandarin Oriental was $1,250. I should say "would have been" as we paid zero dollars.
Tomorrow will be a retelling of our day at PAX, but I will leave you with pictures of the hotel rooms bathroom. Images Crystal wanted to capture for ideas for our next house. Note the rain forest shower head in the first picture, a pleasure I had never experienced before, but now demand as a matter of course. Picture 1 & Picture 2.
Arriving in Boston at 8:30am Friday morning to a snowy city, we made the worst mistake of the trip by choosing to take a taxi from the airport to the Museum of Fine Arts. Fifteen minutes and $48 later, we were at the museum doors only to find it didn't open till 10am. So we made do and found a place to grab a bite on the Northeastern University campus. Bellies full we went back to the museum and toured it for nearly two hours. The pictures we took can not do the art we saw justice I'm afraid, but they are worth a look all the same.
Following the museum we some how snaked a free ride on the subway north to the Freedom Trail and arrived just outside of a visitors center for a map. I mention the map briefly, as the travel apps I purchased for my iPod Touch were a colossal waste. I guess it is time for a real smart phone and a data plan later this Spring. Moving on, the trail was a great way to see a fairly concentrated portion of Boston's history and have a tasty seafood lunch near Faneuil Hall.
Our fill of history and our tired legs had us on the subway headed south to our hotel by 3pm. At our stop I took us on a two mile detour to the Sheraton. It wasn't fun getting kinda sorta lost, but we found a few options for dinner and saw the cast of the Joystiq Podcast in doing so. When we finally arrived at the hotel we were met with the news that they were overbooked, despite my booking the room two months in advance. Before we could get upset though, they were already describing the new arrangements they had made for us, all on their dime too.
We would be staying in a hotel just a hop skip and not even a jump from where we were. Slightly peeved and ready for a nap we cut through the mall that connects to the convention center and it's surrounding hotels and arrived at the Mandarin Oriental. Being unfamiliar with the company, were pleasantly surprised at the level of service and the incrediable room they put us in. It included a king sized bed, 42" LCD, office/living room area, a marble bathroom as big as the other areas combined and a great view of the city. A steak dinner and a trip to the Apple store later and we found out just how big an upgrade we had recieved. Where two nights at the Sheraton was going to cost us $400 the stay at the five star Mandarin Oriental was $1,250. I should say "would have been" as we paid zero dollars.
Tomorrow will be a retelling of our day at PAX, but I will leave you with pictures of the hotel rooms bathroom. Images Crystal wanted to capture for ideas for our next house. Note the rain forest shower head in the first picture, a pleasure I had never experienced before, but now demand as a matter of course. Picture 1 & Picture 2.
Thursday, March 18, 2010
I Hit It With My Axe - Ep1 Review
After our raid last night, I curled up to watch I Hit It With My Axe episode one. The first hurdle I encountered was the poor production quality though. Maybe my expectations were tarnished by watching Robot Chicken 19 & 20 first. They (RC) were filmed in HD, with multiple cameras and are mic'ed with lavalieres. By comparison IHiwMA (eww that's an ugly acronym) looks like a home movie. If you are going to film super attractive women (Mandy Morbid...yum), don't make me watch them on grainy video. It is not unwatchable, but they could use a few lights, another camera and a tripod. The audio was better than the video, but there was some occasional popping and feedback that made my skin crawl.While the audio and visual quality are important, content is king. Maybe it is the nature of the introduction show, but the whole thing seemed very disjointed. They introduced everyone, but there was no narrative. References were made to past in game events that were not explained and no topic broached was expounded upon (rolling their characters, the minis they would be using, character backgrounds, etc). Maybe it was the editing, but I have no clue what the overall game will be like from what I saw last night. Oh and we didn't meet the DM/Cameraman. I know the hook is that they are female porn stars playing D&D, but it would have been nice to meet the dude behind the camera and DM screen as well.
I think the next episode will be the make or break for me. If they dive into their game and take me from point a to b with the story I'm in. If it is more of the same from episode one, I'll take my time and attention elsewhere.
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