Pop Quiz!

This little quiz is for all you gamers out there. Identify the videogame from the sound clip. I will admit to a score of 14 out of 18. I really should have had 16, but ignored my gut instinct on a couple. Alas. I will try to apologize for my score by simply saying that I never owned an Atari or an NES, so my score is based strictly on playing games at other people's houses. So there.

Of course that probably makes me even more pathetic, but we'll ignore that won't we...

Before I forget

Great interview with Neal Stephenson over at /.

It's worth checking out even if you haven't read his stuff. It might spark your interest. I've read Snow Crash and Cryptonomicon. They were both entertaining for different reasons. I haven't tackled the new Baroque Cycle books and I only made it part way through The Diamond Age so he's not somebody that I've felt compelled to read completely but he's certainly talented and one of the better newer sci-fi writers.

Demon Children

Watched Godsend as part of the October movie marathon. Clever idea, only so-so execution. Which means it was perfect for our purposes. ^_^ Couple of jump moments but that was about it. Considering there were 4 alternate endings on the DVD it's pretty obvious they weren't sure how to end it. None of the endings are spectacular, but there were some decent ideas.

Next week may have to feature zombies. 28 Days Later or Night of the Living Dead or even the remake of Dawn of the Dead... Mmm brains...

Oh and reward for best demon children goes to Silent Hill in the videogame category. Cowboy Bebop episode 6, Sympathy for the Devil in the anime category. Possibly The Midwich Cuckoos in the book category. And as for movie? Hmm... I'll actually have to think about that.

Laziness

Today was a lazy day. Spent a little time playing with the RSS client I decided to try out. Nifty little gadget, but it will take some getting used to. I enjoyed browsing the sites directly and while using the aggregator is a little more convenient, it's still different. It is pretty cool having everything in one nifty little package though. Now if I can just start finding all the feeds I want. I've snagged several of them, but a few are elusive...

Spent a little time with Miranda tonight while the wife and McKenna were off elsewhere. She's so funny sometimes. She told an enchanting little story about a princess and a dance (which strangely coincided with the fact that she had just been dancing) and then proceeded to make sure that we danced as well. Ah the mysteries of the three year old mind. I'm just glad both girls seem to enjoy music. It's something I enjoy and it's always exciting to see little bits of yourself in your kids. Well, your good bits anyway...

Pumpkins

Before I forget, this is my seasonal link for this year. Despite my love of horror movies, I'm actually not the biggest Halloween fan. Don't care for costume parties much. Candy is fine, but I'm old enough now that I mostly just enjoy good chocolate on occasion as opposed to unadulterated sugar highs.

Still, the site is quite nice. My favorite is the Drowning in a bag pumpkin. Heh...

50s Flashback

So, I mentioned The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra last night pretty quickly. I just thought I'd take a moment and point out that they did a remarkable job of parodying/paying homage to old 50s sci-fi/horror movies. The acting was all in earnest, the dialogue was dreadful and the props were homemade. It's great. My favorite moment is probably the dinner sequence and Animala is probably my favorite character. And maybe the Skeleton. If you find yourself with a spare afternoon there are certainly worse ways to kill an hour and a half.

Some of the bonus features on the DVD were quite nice as well. There's a nice little featurette with the cast and crew (well the director anyway). And a Q&A session as well as a blooper reel. You can tell the director was a fan of films from that era as well as some of the other low budget horror films. He mentions Roger Corman specifically, but I suspect Sam Raimi would fall into the same camp.

Which allows a segue to Bruce Campbell's book If Chins Could Kill: Confessions of a "B" Movie Actor. If you like Campbell's films or are interested in creating your own low budget flick, give this a read. It will either help immensely or bring you back to your senses. Bruce has a really nice writing style and presents a lot of material in an anecdotal style that draws you in quickly. Great book, nice guy.

And that's about all I've got for a Sunday. I will warn you that White Knight/SpaceShipOne photos are imminent. We're getting our film developed finally and I'm going to have to put a couple pictures up.

Quick bits

The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra is truly excellent.

Heroscape looks like a nice introduction to the realm of the strategy game.

Klonoa and the Empire of Dreams is guaranteed to drive any platformer fanatic happy with desire and mad with frustration.

Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday to my wonderful wife. Love you sweetie!

Right at this very second

I really like the bass line in Cake's version of I Will Survive. It is the epitome of ROCK.

Really.

Oh go find something better to do.

Gaming thoughts

Don't really have much today. But since when has that ever stopped anybody from putting more random nonsense on the internet. So here's a little more.

I haven't really talked much about gaming lately. The news is starting to come in concerning the next gen systems from the big 3 (Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft for those that aren't paying attention). Next year's E3 will most likely be concerned with actual demo machines and then the next battle in the console wars will be joined.

I've been a gamer for quite a while. Started with board games, moved on to pen and paper RPGs, then spent far too much money in the arcades. Didn't really ever have a home system until I got married and picked up a Playstation. I started off a fan of Sony's little system and picked up a PS2 on launch day. Lately though my devotion has changed over to Nintendo's offerings. Mostly because I enjoy playing games with family and friends and quite frankly the Gamecube is just about the best system to do that on. The Mario games are perfect for playing with the girls and there are other options for when I want something a little different. Sony still manages to put out the odd quirky title, but Nintendo does that and occasionally takes the old flagship titles in new directions (I really want to pick up the new Paper Mario game).

So this next skirmish in the ongoing battle for entertainment dominance will probably be marked by a non Sony purchase. And I won't join the fray right away either. Time to sit back and watch them rant and rave for a while and then swoop in when things get a little cheaper and there's a bit of a library built up...

Music and the Savage Movie

Ok, in some ways, it's better that I put off Watcher in the Woods until today. Mostly because The Howling V suffered from a couple of the same problems. But we'll get there in a moment. Watcher in the Woods wasn't too bad and was at just the right level of spookiness for the girls. We could tell they were pretty tense over the course of the movie wondering what was going to happen, but by the end McKenna was ready to watch it again.

It was a decent ghost story with the usual Disney tweaking and ending. I'm pretty sure I've seen the same ground in tales like Ghost Story by Straub and, uh, those other stories featuring groups of people tortured by some secret act from their past. I Know What You Did Last Summer type fare. It was fun mostly because we included the girls, but there was a nice bit of tension to it and it wasn't any worse than any other cheap horror flick.

An in a like manner, The Howling V actually hasn't aged too badly. The story (as mentioned Ten Little Indians with werewolf trappings) is serviceable and the twists still work. My wife suffered through it patiently and didn't run from the room screaming at the hour and a half she'd just lost.

But both movies suffered from some stilted acting and music that tried way too hard. Music can be a great influence in horror movies, but subtlety is the key. Sure you can have some shock moments that punch a little harder with a musical spike, but Watcher in the Woods came out swinging in the first seconds of the film. Really not the way to go. The Howling V also opted for a score that was more brawn than brain. But hey, cheap horror. ^_^ Oddly, the younger sister in Watcher did a better acting job when she was possessed than when she was supposed to be just a plain, little girl...

In other news, the new Azumanga disc is out and it's a little slice of heaven. A country of Chiyos! Field trips! Sakaki and a different cat! And that's just the first couple episodes.

So that wraps up a couple thoughts on October movies. Now if that second issue of Daisy Kutter would just show up...

Lazy Monday

I meant to type up a few thoughts on Watcher in the Woods. And possibly a random bit about High School and road trips. You get neither. Because instead, I'm going to kick back and watch The Howling V. It's Ten Little Indians dressed up as a werewolf piece, but it's fun and I'm going to watch it. So there. Plus I get the added benefit of putting my wife through aforementioned werewolf movie. It's good to be me...

I'll do the other stuff later. Really.

Weekend

Watched The Minus Man last night. Owen Wilson was perfect for that part. The funny thing is that, in my opinion, most of Owen Wilson's acting talent lies with his voice. The way he delivers lines is what makes him so interesting to watch. The movie was an interesting look at the life of a serial killer. Mostly becuase it tries to focus on the worldview of the killer, not the acts of the killer. In a lot of ways the body count is secondary to what is being explored by the rest of the movie. And it's a low body count, and they've opted for a much more passive style of serial killer (he favors poison over more bloody methods).

It's a somewhat slow paced movie, but it is certainly interesting to watch and think about. There were several great performances in the movie, in fact the entire cast does quite a good job. You can just feel the pain and sadness in the lives of the couple that Owen is boarding with. Just as you can sense the loneliness in Janeane Garofalo's character. The trailer for the movie does a good job of showing how this movie may affect you. It opted not to show anything about the movie, but instead focused on a couple discussing the movie throughout the night. And then added a nice twist/nod to the movie as the girl realizes she's late for work - as a lifeguard where a couple people have drowned due to her negligence. If you can track down a copy of the trailer it's worth seeing.

So that is one down for Halloween movie viewing. We've also got a copy of The Howling V for Werewolves and Watcher in the Woods for, actually I'm not sure. We borrowed it from a friend and will most likely give it a go in a little bit. Good old October. Any excuse to force those around me to watch fun, silly, creepy movies is a Good Thing (TM).

Oddly enough...

I am a hybrid of: Indie Girl Girl Next Door Click on the pictures below to read more: Take the 'What Kind of Girl Are You?' quiz at CookingToHookup.com

I really am... Despite the whole lack of being a girl thing.

Long day...

Reorgs suck.

Here are some great shots from the Monday SpaceShipOne launch. (Found via Boing Boing)

Just finished watching all the commentary episodes of Firefly. It's truly a shame that that show isn't still on the air. The commentaries were all pretty interesting. It's rare (I suspect) that a cast gets along so well and embodies the thing they're portraying...

McKenna gets to endure school pictures tomorrow. I shall have to torment you all with pictures of the girls soon as a couple rather cute candid shots got snapped the other day.

I need to be watching more horror movies (it is October after all). I was really hoping to snag the upcoming 13 Nights of Fright on the Fox Movie Channel as it combines horror movies and Neil Gaiman, but alas, I don't know anyone with the Fox Movie Channel. So I shall have to make due with my local video store and some gems from the past. I'm going to try and hit at least all of the major players - vampire, werewolf, zombie, ghost, etc. We shall see.

And with that, I'm off to bed.

Too tired

There is no blog.

Go find something here.

Cowboy Feng's

I forget exactly where I ran across the name Steven Brust. But I remember thinking it was a positive mention. So when the astounding library here in town had Cowboy Feng's Space Bar and Grille with the new books (it was published in 1990...) I picked it up.

Brust has a very pleasant narrative style that made reading through Cowboy Feng's relatively simple. Part conversation, part detective noir and maybe a touch of Spider Robinson. The book is broken up into the story itself and a series of Intermezzo chapters that delve a little deeper into the main characters and their motivations. The story follows Cowboy Feng's Bar and Grille as it travels through space and time courtesy of the most recent nuclear strike. Ostensibly a mystery the deeper story revolves around people and their ideals and prejudices. Considering the timing of the book, I suspect it's a fantasy/sci-fi parable about AIDS and the way it was viewed at the time (and to some extent still today). Fortunately the material isn't terribly preachy and the story is interesting enough that it's pretty easy to read in a couple sittings. I should note that there is quite a bit of talk about music throughout the book as several of the main characters comprise an Irish/blues/what have you band. Each chapter starts with a bit of lyric from an Irish folk song as well. It was a nice touch. But if you're not familiar with music to some extent, some of the passages will just blow right past you. The only truly odd thing about the book is the cover art. I was reading the trade paperback and the cover does a delightful job of portraying some other novel entirely... So strange.

I also feel the need at this point to state that the trade paperback is probably the best form of book in existence. Large enough to get a grip on and soft enough to be a real pleasure to read. So there you go.

SpaceShipOne Wins!

Here is the official press release concerning SpaceShipOne. And if you're quick (as in today the 4th of October) Google has a SpaceShipOne logo.

Congratulations to all involved. Wish I was out there with you Kit and Matt! I bet it feels pretty good right about now. ^_^ Thanks again for taking us around when we were out there. I'm going to get that picture of me sitting in White Knight up here as soon as we get that roll of film developed!

And on the anniversary of the Sputnik launch. Nice timing.

Random roundup

So. Banned Book Week draws to a close. I hope you all choose to read something. Anything. It's a healthy habit and as they say, "A little knowledge is a dangerous thing - Read a lot."

Alas, I broke my daily string of posting yesterday. Blame it on SSX Tricky and a trip to the library. And maybe The Nightmare Before Christmas. They were far too entertaining. Or something.

Tomorrow SpaceShipOne goes for the X Prize. We wish them well. Good luck again guys!

And finally I direct your attention here. Some of the other lists are quite amusing as well.

Bourne Supremacy

Finally got around to seeing The Bourne Supremacy this morning.

The Bourne Identity is a movie that I enjoy quite a bit. We missed it in the theater and caught it on DVD, but it ranks up there as one of my favorite action/spy flicks. It didn't follow the book, but it stood well enough on its own. They did a good job and told a good story.

So I was pretty excited about the fact that they were making the sequel. Then I heard about the camera work. I've read all the opinions on the matter and I can understand what they were going for. Can I appreciate it? No. But I can understand it. The camera is just as bad as you've heard (or more likely seen). But the story is a good one. Again they deviate wildly from the source material, but they pretty much had to and the books are still out there to be read. They've opted to go the vengeance route - hinted at at the end of the first movie. So Bourne is no longer the lost man, searching for some sense of himself, confused by the acts of violence he can so easily perpetrate. Instead he welcomes his obvious talents as they allow him to harm those who have harmed him. The amnesia that plagued him in the first movie is still a factor (in a much more limited form) but he's more certain of himself and is set on his course. Oddly enough the sense of identity that was such a mystery in the first film makes an appearance at the end of this one, so possibly the third film (finishing off the three Ludlum novels) will focus on that story. And maybe we'll even get glimpses of Carlos...

And I was pleased to hear Extreme Ways by Moby closing the film. Overall the music was well done and I was glad that some of the same theme music from the first film made its way into the second. It suited the mood of both films exceptionally well.

So, yes, it's worth seeing, just be prepared for a camera that gets progressively worse the closer to an action sequence you get.

Oh, one more thing: Best. Car. Chase. Ever.

Seriously.