Transform and -- hiccup -- roll out!

Setting a grand example for impressionable teens everywhere, "Transformers" star Shia LaBeouf was arrested this week after he got into an accident while driving under the influence.

According to the Associated Press, LaBeouf was driving his pickup truck through a West Hollywood intersection at 3 a.m. Sunday when another vehicle ran a red light, colliding with LaBeouf and his passenger, "Transformers" co-star Isabel Lucas. Upon investigation, police arrested LaBeouf for misdemeanor DUI, and cited the other driver for running the light and triggering the collision.

Police were disappointingly quick to note the intoxicated actor was "not at fault" for the accident, and conveniently ignored the fact that LaBeouf had no business driving while intoxicated. What kind of implicit message is that? "Oh, it's OK that he was under the influence. He would have been just fine if that other guy hadn't come along."

Shame on LaBeouf for getting behind the wheel that night. Shame on Lucas for not taking the keys away. And shame on the police for essentially whitewashing the whole affair.

You all made Optimus Prime sad. And it takes a lot to make Optimus Prime sad.

My stream of consciousness still runneth over

I never promised I wouldn't be scatterbrained on this blog...

• The United States Postal Service staffer who taught me today how to use the postage machine instructed me, when finished, to take my envelope and "drop it like it's hot" in the bin. I wonder if that's standard operating procedure at all post offices?

• Despite what my sister says, iPods are wonderful toys. I especially am enjoying my new iPod Touch, which is thoroughly entertaining me with such simple games as "Aurora Feint" and "Tap Tap." And the fact that it lets me watch "Dr. Horrible" on the Metro is great.

• I'm torn on purchasing Wii Fit. On one hand, it's got my mother-in-law jazzed and exercising with a passion. On the other hand, a recent survey showed 64 percent of people who buy it abandon it after purchase. Those aren't good odds. Maybe I should just stuck with kung fu.

• The comic book industry is determined to get me to break my vow to scale back my purchases. Not only are Muppet comics on the horizon, not only is G.I. Joe getting a desperately needed relaunch, but author extraordinaire Neil Gaiman is writing two issues of Batman. Gah!

• Remember waaaaay back in January when I told you that Hasbro was thinking about shutting down Scrabulous, the popular Facebook game? Well, it's happened. Or is about to happen. I don't know. As busy as I've been lately, I haven't seen a Facebook page in weeks.

• Although I haven't read it in years, I was sad to learn this weekend that "Ultimate Fantastic Four" is ending. Why? Because I bear a resemblance to that book's rendition of Mr. Fantastic. And, you know, being likened to a super hero isn't exactly bad for one's ego.

• Speaking of super heroes, how about that new Batman film? Eh? Yes?

Watching "Aliens"

Still scary...even the seventh time.

Free games!

Are you interested in some free games? Yes? Well, then, here's the deal.

As we switch over to our MacBook Pro, we're finding that many of our classic, LucasArts games are not compatible with our new system. So rather than toss them into the garbage, we wanted to give you the opportunity to claim them. Here's what's available:

• The Curse of Monkey Island (Windows 95)
• Grim Fandango (Windows 95/98)
• Star Wars: Behind the Magic (Windows 95/98)
• Star Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds Saga (Windows 98/2000/Me/XP)

To claim any one game -- and just to be fair, it's one game per person -- post an answer to its specific question:

• To claim The Curse of Monkey Island: How does Guybrush Threepwood usually introduce himself?
• To claim Grim Fandango: On what current, popular sitcom does the man who voiced this game's main character currently appear?
• To claim Behind the Magic: Aside from Biggs Darklighter and Luke Skywalker, what was the name of any one character appearing in Episode IV's deleted Toshi Station scene?
• To claim Galactic Battlegrounds Saga: George Lucas is considering re-releasing the Star Wars films in 3D. True or False?

Let the games begin!

Dontcha wish your web writing was hot like mine?

You too can be a web content genius!

My friend Merry is offering another Writing and Editing for the Web class at the National Press Club here in Washington. It's a fantastic, 2-day course that's worth every penny.

It's coming Sept. 29-30, and here's what she says about it:

Make your site content dynamic and customer-focused!
If you're migrating content from print to web, moving your site to a CMS, developing a new architecture, or just need to make your content scannable and readable, this class is for you.

• Two-days of working hands-on with content directly in a computer lab. 
• You'll be DOING what you're LEARNING in a fast-paced, skills-based workshop.
• Demos, exercises, site critiques and lively class discussion let you apply what you've learned to your site the very next day.

Learn more here.

"Ah, Moist has joined the crew on stage. Yay for Moist."

Haven't had a chance to read the whole thing yet (it's loooong) but here's a live blog of the Dr. Horrible panel from San Diego Comic Con. Enjoy.

Google is my homeboy

Google is adding public transit directions to Google Maps, AND is making it work with mobile devices. Squee!

Sadly they don't yet have public transit directions for D.C. (they're rolling out cities slowly...though I wonder why Missoula, Mont. beat us in the queue???). But soon! Soon!

In the not too distant future...

...we'll get a disappointing new MST3K boxed set.

Shout! Factory has had fans of Mystery Science Theater 3000 waiting on pins and needles for months, anticipating their first MST3K boxed set release, hailed as the "20th Anniversary Collection," after purchasing the license from Rhino Home Entertainment earlier in the year. They built up to a big announcement at San Diego Comic Con this weekend, with a huge number of original cast members in attendance.

The announcement just arrived, leaving me (along with many other fans) scratching my head, saying "THIS is what you got me all excited about?" The episodes to be included in this set (due to release Oct. 28) are:

211- First Spaceship on Venus
706- Laserblast
904- Werewolf
1004- Future War

Um...yay?

To put this in perspective, a great many key episodes from the series (including many of my favorites) have never made it to DVD (since episodes are each an hour and 20 minutes long, they can't exactly do season sets). Films from the "Gamera" series, for example, or the "Godzilla" series (one of which made it to DVD briefly before being yanked from the shelves several months ago due to copyright issues), or any of the Sandy Frank or Burt I. Gordon classics. My favorite episodes have yet to make it to DVD, either, including the Swedish fantasy "The Day the Earth Froze," Italian epic "Hercules" (with Steve Reeves!), or Pile-On Pete vehicle "Lassie: The Painted Hills."

Now the boxed set does come with some neat features to commemorate the 20th anniversary, the most exciting of which is an exclusive Crow T. Robot figurine (which will honestly be my motivation to purchase the set). They also include "lobby cards," all-new interviews with most of the cast members, and footage from the panel the crew is doing this weekend at Comic Con. The whole shebang is packaged in a collectable tin, which means it probably won't fit on my DVD shelf, but whatever.

But still...all those extras are cool, but the choice of episodes makes for a poor commemoration of the show's 20th anniversary.

(Note: This was actually posted by Annie, despite what the post label says.)

Girl gamer scholarship awarded

I reported on this earlier, and just found the Kotaku followup to announce the Sony girl game designer scholarship has been awarded! A hearty congrats to Julia Brasil of San Francisco, who was chosen to win a $10,000 scholarship at The Art Institute of California and a paid internship at Sony Online Entertainment.

We expect great things from you, Julia!

And now for something completely different.

In the words of KittyKittyBangBang..."World’s fastest, most aggro tortoise attempts to eff up fluffy kitteh (and then a not-so-fluffy kitteh)."


http://view.break.com/293055 - Watch more free videos

Word.

Amazingly, I'm not quoting my friend Nicole here, but NPH "The Man" himself, who did a chat on WashingtonPost.com today on HIMYM, Dr. Horrible, etc.

Indianapolis: How many times a day is your life interrupted by people saying "wait for it" or wanting to make a slap bet?

Neil Patrick Harris: Rarely "wait for it." Because I rarely do.

But I've been slapped probably 35 times in the last week. Total strangers.

Good times.

Comic Books 2.0?

You might expect a guy who works in the newspaper business to be a media traditionalist. And I am. But I'm not so blind that I can't appreciate new media.

The new "Watchmen Motion Comics" from Warner Premier, available this month for free from iTunes, represents an interesting leap forward for the comic book industry. It's a well-done adaptation of the classic tale's first chapter and very much worth your time. Penny pincher though I may be, I'm looking forward to purchasing the ensuing 11 chapters for $1.99 each, despite that total being more than the book's $20 suggested retail price.

If you've never read "Watchmen," or generally aren't into comics, I'd recommend you sample this download. You might find yourself intrigued by the story and method by which it's told. And even if you already know the story, give it a go. The inventive technique it uses could be the harbinger of Comic Books 2.0.

Don't Fear the (cell phone) Reaper

My mom, ever vigilant in health matters, yesterday sent me a link to this article about the risk of cell phone use.

The new article cautions that overuse is bad and cell phones might cause cancer. It's essentially the same thing we've been told for the last decade, except that Dr. Ronald Herberman, director of the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, is being a tad more alarmist than his colleagues have been.

Although unimpressive, the article spurred me to consider just how much I use my cell phone. It's a surprisingly easy number to quantify, as my Motorola tracks the phone's total call time. I summoned that number (199) and divided by the total months I've owned my phone (19). I then divided by 30, to see the approximate time I've spent each day on the phone. The answer: 21 minutes. Far from falling into the "overuse" category, the number was, to me, surprisingly small.

So I'm fairly certain I don't have anything to worry about. And that's good, because I've got plenty else on my mind right now.

A little workout triumph

Just wanted to share a little workout triumph with you all.

(E-mail subscribers, click the link to the post to see video).

Next up: Working with a vocal coach

"Ahh ha ha ha ha ha ha! Ahh ha ahha! Ahh ha ahha!"

Usually it's Annie who decrees Joss Whedon her master. But now it's my turn.

I am so smitten with "Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog" that I've decided to assemble a Dr. Horrible costume for use at Halloween and next year's CONvergence. The character, portrayed by Neil Patrick Harris, wears a variation of the classic mad scientist outfit you've seen in productions such as "Young Frankenstein" and "Robot Chicken." But there are some key differences that a fan site has documented.

Goggles
The good doctor's trademark welding goggles can be found here. They're a near perfect match and only need some simple paint applications to fully replicate the costume.

Boots
From the same retailer that offers the above goggles are these boots. Bought together, the goggles and boots exceed the retailer's $50 minimum order.

Gloves
And how will you hold the world in your clutches? With these gloves, which perfectly match Dr. Horrible's costume. The manufacturer's logo must be rubbed off or painted over, though, as was done with the actual costume.

Lab coat and pants
I'm still looking for these last two costume pieces. Some fans have suggested this coat, which isn't bad, but doesn't match as closely as the costume's other components. I'm also still trying to determine the best pants to buy. Does anyone have any suggestions?

I can't wait to assemble the entire outfit and start working with a vocal coach. A lot of guys ignore the laugh, and that's about standards. I mean, if you're going to get into the Evil League of Evil, you have to have a memorable laugh.

Metro = epic fail

It amazes me how Metro can constantly find new and more creative ways to disappoint its customers.

Washington's public transit system advertised this morning on the radio that it would give away $10 fare cards at noon outside the Metro Center station. Heartened by the news -- and because I work one block away from the station -- I decided to go there at noon to collect a free card.

As you might have guessed, I didn't get one.

It turns out that the people assigned to distribute the cards jumped the gun, began giving them away early, and had exhausted their supply even as people were still forming a line. All of the nearly 700 cards they had to distribute were gone just moments after the clock struck noon.

Sigh. If only Metro itself could operate with such efficiency.

You asked for it...

Our new baby.

The day we got it, this comic came to mind. Repeatedly.

(Tony, you're welcome.)

Visionaries: Al Gore and...KaBOOM!?

This is awesome.

If we can put 370 volunteers together on a very hot Saturday in July from very different backgrounds (rich, poor, black, white, young, old, military, civilian, very religious and not at all religious) then why can't we put the same community spirit together to save and produce energy? ... Former Vice President Al Gore is no more a wacko for his vision than is KaBoom! founder Darrell Hammond. Al Gore has a clear vision that will not only free our economy, it will also free us from needing to pander to oil-producing countries.

Read more
Learn more about KaBOOM!

Breakfast = Frosted Mini Cookie Wheats

Frosted Mini Wheats + Cookie Crisp = INFINITE HAPPINESS (previously only achieved by Pirates With Shiny Objects)

Mobile post sent by alynsen using Utterz.  Replies.

Wait, wasn't there a post...

...with a picture of this giant American flag hanging over a shopping center's food court? Yeah, there was. And then I deleted it.

The post in question came across far more obtuse than intended. I didn't want my reference to "Team America" to be misinterpreted, and since it was spurring more head scratching than laughter, I deleted the post. No big.

Anyway... Who likes cute bunnies?

Macheads in Love

Going to the Dark Side

I'm a winner! Again!

July 2008 is becoming an incredible month for me! I learned yesterday that I'd won a first-place award in the National Newspaper Association's Better Newspaper Contest.

I won best feature story in the non-daily division for my March 2007 article about Eric Alva, a retired Marine staff sergeant and the first U.S. service member injured in the Iraq war. Alva, who is gay, now speaks out against "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." If you missed the article, which garnered national attention when it was published, you can read it here.

The National Newspaper Association has not yet publicly announced contest winners, but the Blade was given an early heads up about my win. I understand there's an awards ceremony later this year in St. Paul where the winners apparently get some type of "crystal award." I'm not sure what that's all about, but I'll share more as it becomes available.

As always, thanks to everyone for their continued interest and support!

Watch the 'Watchmen'

The first trailer for the upcoming "Watchmen" movie has been released. You can see it here.

My initial reaction? The good: Huge props for their inspired use of "The End is the Beginning is the End" by the Smashing Pumpkins. The bad: The trailer is simply too busy, trying to be many things to the many devoted "Watchmen" fans. The ugly: The special effects representing Dr. Manhattan in some scenes need work. Badly.

But don't take my word for it. Watch it online at Apple Trailers, or see it attached to "The Dark Knight," the new Batman film that hits theaters today.

Seven flavors of AWESOME: Dr. Horrible's Sing-A-Long Blog

Episodes one and two of three are now available - episode three comes out Saturday!

drhorrible.com/

Both Neil Patrick Harris and Nathan Fillion star...as arch-rivals. The story is great, the writing is Joss-Whedon-snappy, and the music is shockingly good and catchy. And an appearance from one of our favorite actors from "The Big Bang Theory" doesn't hurt, either!

Seven. Flavors. Of. Awesome.

Josh's articles from last week

Black opposition to gay marriage remains strong
Research shows opinions stubbornly unchanged despite growing mainstream acceptance

‘Ardent homophobe’ Jesse Helms is dead
Senator remembered as stalwart opponent of HIV fight, gay rights

Judge rejects summary judgment in DNC case
Mediation next in gay discrimination suit

E3 = meh

When will I finally learn? Each year, I get jazzed for the annual Electronic Entertainment Expo. And each year, I'm somehow disappointed. This year was no different.

Despite rumors that Nintendo would finally placate the rabid demands of hardcore gamers -- perhaps by revealing a new "Metroid" or "F-Zero" game, or reinvigorating the "Kid Icarus" franchise -- none of that came to pass. Instead, we were told to get excited about uninspired new "Animal Crossing" and "Pokemon" games. And the company's big surprise was nothing more than "Wii Music," a game that's been on the back burner for years and I remain unconvinced is anything approaching cool.

Far more intriguing than Nintendo's lineup were the offerings of other publishers. I submit for your consideration the following games that were discussed this week at E3:

• "Retro Game Challenge" for Nintendo DS. This mock retro compilation challenges players to excel at several different 8-bit style games. And just like "Nintendo Power" did back in the day, fake magazines that can be read within the game offer cheat codes and other tidbits. Now that's cool.

• "Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure" for Nintendo DS. This innovative role-playing game is really a musical in disguise, complete with musical numbers and vocals. It might sound odd, but this fan of "Into the Woods" is more than ready to give the quirky offering a try.

• "Sam & Max: Season One" for Nintendo Wii. If you fondly remember those classic point-and-click adventures like "Maniac Mansion" and "Curse of Monkey Island," this game is right up your alley. I can't wait to see how naturally the genre migrates to the Wii.

• "My Aquarium" for Nintendo Wii. Looking like the perfect way to chill after a hectic day, "My Aquarium" turns your television screen into a digital aquarium. Assuming the sounds are as soothing as the visuals, I can see myself falling soundly asleep to this.

• "Marvel Ultimate Alliance II: Fusion" for PlayStation 2. Finally confirmed, the sequel to one of my favorite PS2 games has potential, assuming it doesn't get too mired in new mechanics that allow players to fuse the powers of two heroes. But whatever. It doesn't hit stores until 2009, anyway.

So there were some diamonds in the rough that was E3. But overall, this year's show was decidedly meh. I mean, it's a sad day when I'm more excited to turn my television into a digital aquarium than play anything Nintendo is touting.

One nation under Cobra?

Hallelujah! I need no longer pin all my hopes for a decent "G.I. Joe" production on the forthcoming film.

Stealing a page from the "Star Wars" playbook, "G.I. Joe" owners Hasbro have begun work on several animated shorts. Similar in structure to the "Clone Wars" shorts that aired a few years back on Cartoon Network, this effort will debut early next year online before hitting DVD.

Written by Warren Ellis, "G.I. Joe: Resolute" tells its stories through 10 installments, each five minutes in length, except for the final, double-length chapter. Initial reports say the shorts will be rated PG-13, bullets will fly and major characters could die.

I'm all the more excited about this effort because Ellis is among my favorite comic book writers. He masterminded the grand and all too underappreciated "One Nation Under Doom" story 13 years ago for Marvel's now defunct 2099 comic line. I can't wait to see what the man who wrote about Dr. Doom's conquering of America does when given access to Cobra Commander...

UPDATE: Warren Ellis wrote about the project today at his blog. For a good laugh, check it out.

For shame.

In a moment of frustration at the technology at work today, I created the Penguin of Shame.

The first recipient? Nicole, for letting me win at foosball.

For shame.

(Doesn't this penguin look like he's judging you?)

Mobile post sent by alynsen using Utterz. Replies.

Would you pay $3,500 for a notebook?

No? What if it was the notebook of "Captain America" writer Ed Brubaker and it contained the plot outline to his award-winning run on the book?

Yeah, I can't afford it, either. But it's still a pretty sweet deal.

To benefit the Hero Initiative, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to helping comic book creators in need, Brubaker has auctioned his original "Captain America" notebook. The winner also got a copy of his original story pitch, plus an autographed copy of the "Captain America Omnibus," which reprints the first 25 issues of his acclaimed run.

In the charity auction that concluded last night, the whole shebang went for $3,550. Far too rich for my blood, the auction is nonetheless cool because the money goes to such a good cause. Well done, Brubaker!

All this makes me think that I should try selling one of my reporter's notebooks for charity. Who wants to read my notes from the strangest press conference I've ever attended? Anyone? Do I hear ten dollars? Five?

One?

From bang to bust

I love "The Big Bang Theory." I truly do. But I'm not going to purchase it on DVD.

It was recently confirmed that, as feared, the one and only special feature on the upcoming first season set is some behind-the-scenes featurette. Something lamely described as their "look into geek chic," no less.

Woop dee do. I'm sorry, but I'm not going to buy the first 17 episodes on DVD after Annie and I have purchased several of them on iTunes. I'd rather finish of our digital copies of the series so we have them in portable format than repurchase episodes in some uninspired DVD set.

Seriously, CBS. What. The. Heck? Are you trying to send this release directly to the clearance bin?

Best of CONvergence: Part 2

This is the second (and probably final) CONvergence highlights reel.

Best panels:
Cereal Mascot Smackdown: The Smackdowns are always inspired -- the last one we saw, "Superhero Smackdown," was seriously hilarious and awesome -- and this one was no exception. Check out some of the fun here (thanks Elkman!):

Cereal Smackdown Part 1 (Boo-Berry vs. Cap'n Crunch)
Cereal Smackdown Part 2 (Toucan Sam from Froot Loops vs. Sonny from Cocoa Puffs).

Titan Tower Under Crisis: Focusing on Marv Wolfman, creator of the New Teen Titans and author of Crisis on Infinite Earths, this panel yielded many interesting tidbits. Did you know that Marv doesn't think his unfinished Titans graphic novel, "Games," will ever be released? Or that he sees no reason for Cyborg to join the Justice League of America? You do now.

MST3K: The Local Legacy (Trace Beaulieu Q&A): This was your classic, freewheelin' Q&A with the guy who played Dr. Forrester and Crow on Mystery Science Theater 3000 (arguably Annie's favorite show of all time...she personally credits it with helping her survive junior high without going stark raving mad). Trace was funny, genuine, informative, and casual.

Mr. B's Improve Movie Theater: Though technically not a panel, per se, this MST3K-like event brought together some guests of honor as well as Con regulars to redub horrible old movies (i.e. Hercules vs. the Moon Men and The Giant Gila Monster and some 70s thing with Barbara Eden as a...space...woman?). It was awesome.

Other random cool stuff:
Having great friends from near and far at the Con: We were so happy to have our friends Matt (from Minnesota), Emily and Brian (from D.C.), Evan (from Portland) and Mark (from Rochester) join us at Con. Emily, Brian, and Mark were all new to CONvergence and all really enjoyed themselves; Emily has even pre-registered for next year already (which means we've got to get our act together, quick!).

Annie's "paparazzi" moment: I wandered by the exit of the Masquerade just as it was ending, and all kinds of folks were getting photos taken of their costumes. And then suddenly, the cameras turned on me and I had about twelve people rapidly snapping photos of me as Paine. I've only seen one of those photos on Flickr so far...so, blogosphere, post your links if you have any elsewhere. I'm curious to see where they ended up.

Connie's Space Lounge: Seriously good fruit smoothies and a great place to mellow out and recharge between parties. They even had blacklit minigolf!

Best of the bad situation

Refusing to return to bed angry after this morning's fire alarm, I decided to catch up on Google Reader. And in there I found something that lightened my mood. It seems that Cobra Commander is continuing his presidential campaign.



Good luck with the campaign, buddy. You're gonna need it.

So much for sleeping in

Thank you, o' wondrous fire alarm.

Thank you for rousing me from the sleep that I so dearly needed this morning. Thank you for blaring your obnoxious alert so loud and strong that you've given me a headache. Thank you for forcing me down stairs at a time when my body is exhausted trying to fight an illness. Thank you for ruining what should have been a fine morning.

Thank you for this false alarm, o' wondrous fire alarm. Thank you.

We interrupt this broadcast...

...to bring you a special announcement. It was announced at this morning's weekly editorial meeting that I will be the Washington Blade's next news editor. The promotion is effective Aug. 1.

I will succeed current news editor Joey DiGuglielmo, who is becoming the newspaper's new features editor. Joey is replacing current features editor Greg Marzullo, who is leaving the newspaper July 31.

I am very excited about this promotion and can't wait to begin my new role at the Blade. There will be some hectic weeks ahead for me as I prepare to make the supervisory leap, so if my blog updates are lacking, you can attribute it to this good fortune. But I do hope to continue blogging -- and I hope that you'll join me as I move onward and upward!

I HAZ A BOO-BOO

Cutting an avocado for guacamole tonight, my knife slipped and made a significant cut in my left thumb. I just got back from the ER where I got the first two stitches of my life (not counting the ones for my wisdom teeth, etc.) and a rather dispropotionately sized bandage.

Lemon Parsley Swordfish

I made this awhile back and kept meaning to share it. What a wonderful, flavorful fish recipe. Frozen swordfish steaks are surprisingly cheap at Trader Joe's, too.

Lemon Parsley Swordfish

Simple & Delicious

Prep/Total Time: 25 min.

Ingredients:

4 swordfish steaks (7 oz. each)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup minced fresh parsley, divided (or 1/4 c. dried parsley)
1/3 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Directions:
Place fish in a greased 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking dish; sprinkle with salt. Combine 1/4 cup parsley, oil, lemon juice, garlic and pepper flakes; spoon over fish.

Bake, uncovered, at 425° for 15-20 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork, basting occasionally. Sprinkle with remaining parsley. Yield: 4 servings.

Lemon Butter Salmon

I made this as our first "real homecooked meal" when Josh and I returned from CONvergence. Delicious! I served it with green beans, fruit salad, and basmati rice that I topped with just a little bit of French-fried onion, and spooned some of the extra sauce on top of both the fish and the rice. Yum! I will definitely make this again.

Lemon Butter Salmon

Simple & Delicious

Prep/Total Time: 20 min.

Ingredients:

2 teaspoons minced garlic
1/2 cup butter, cubed
6 tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
5 salmon fillets or steaks (6 oz. each)

Directions:
In a small skillet, saute garlic in butter; whisk in the lemon juice, salt, pepper and pepper sauce. Transfer 2/3 cup to a serving bowl; set aside.

Place salmon in a greased 15-in. x 10-in. x 1-in. baking pan. Drizzle with remaining lemon butter.

Broil 4-6 in. from the heat for 10-15 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork. Serve with reserved lemon butter. Yield: 5 servings.

How's our blogging? June 2008

June 2008 stats for the Think Lynsen blog

Visits
Visits: 920
Visitors: 643
Pageviews: 1,361
Time on Site: 1:09

Top 5 states providing visitors:
Minnesota
Maryland
District of Columbia
Wisconsin
California

Top referrals (excluding email)
thinklynsen.com
images.google.com
Blogger
Google
friendfeed.com

Top web search terms
lynsen
go soak your head
think lynsen
piratz tavern
grasshopper fudge cake

Top posts
The Best Thing Ever
Now You Know
DiCaprioooooooooooooooooooooo!
Don't Walk Means Don't Walk
$50 for 500 > $30 for 50
Save "The Big Bang Theory"!

Mega fan service

Unlike some video game publishers, Capcom has no problem talking about its forthcoming releases. Specifically, it can't stop talking about "Mega Man 9." In the last few days, a flood of details have been unleashed. And the revelations have made me only more excited for this game. Among the highlights:

• The game, which is exclusive to the Nintendo Wii download service, will release in Japan in September. No stateside release date has yet been revealed.

• Bosses include Galaxy Man, Plug Man, Hornet Man, Jewel Man, Magma Man, Concrete Man, Tornado Man, and Splash Woman. Oh yes. You read that correctly. There's now a female boss. And she will school you.

• The game costs a paltry 1000 Wii points ($10). It also allows for downloadable content, although it's unknown what type or at what cost.

• Inspired most directly by "Mega Man 2," the new game will drop the enhanced combat features that were found in later games. So things like sliding were omitted in favor of "simplicity and fun."

• The game is fan service to the Nth degree. Seth Killian, senior manager of community at Capcom, was recently quoted as saying "without the kind of deep fan love for Mega Man, and Capcom’s respect for those feelings, an idea this crazy would have just been laughed out of the room."

He speaks the truth. This is crazy. Crazy awesome!

How did I do that to my hair?

When I decided to dress as Paine for CONvergence, one question was burning in my brain: How in God's name am I going to get my hair to do this?

I searched in vain for guides online, and ultimately, though trial and error, came up with something sorta close:

Here's how I got there, for those interested.

1. Rinse hair and comb back. Section off a square of hair at the crown of the head for spikes and clip away from rest of hair; comb everything else back.
   
2. Add gel to sides and back (I used "Got2B Glued") and bobby pin sides and back to lay flat. Spray sides and back with hairspray.
   
3. Take 1-inch square chunks of hair on the crown, add gel (again, I used "Got2B Glued") and twist straight up. Hold up and spray with hairspray. Continue to hold and blast with the blowdryer until dry. Let that chunk of hair fall and pick up the next chunk. Repeat.
   
4. When finished, spray with gray temporary hair color (I got mine at Sally's Beauty Supply - careful not to buy the glittery stuff) and then with another coat of hairspray to set.

Back to subtlety school for this ninja...

Mobile post sent by jlynsen using Utterz. Replies.

Best of CONvergence: Part 1

OK. Now we can process.

This is the first installment of a multi-part series celebrating the best of CONvergence 2008. Here are all the highlights, the great memories, and the stuff you missed (unless, of course, you were there).

Rockstar CON guest of honor: Wally Wingert
My first encounter with Wally was, oddly, in line waiting for Trace Beaulieu's signature. "A guest of honor waiting in line for the signature of another guest of honor?" I thought. Yeah. That's the kind of humble and awesome guy he is. We chatted a bit and he not only agreed to a brief interview for the blog, he also agreed to say hi to my friend Emily by phone (she was on the way to her hotel at the time, and is a huge fan of "Invader Zim," which he does a voice for). Later, I sat next to him at the Trace Beaulieu Q&A panel, and we had a great conversation, and then later still I encountered him at Mr. B's Improv Movie Show, which was hysterical, and chatted with him afterwards. All in all, he's a cool guy who was not only a feature at CON, but a participant, and that's the kind of attitude that makes CONvergence so much better than other cons I've been to.

Best party food: Gaylaxicon. Let me count the ways: Hot cheese fondue with fresh-sliced baguette. Homemade ice cream. Chocolate cake. 1919 Root Beer on tap. Homemade ginger lemonade. Cocktail weenies. These guys went all out for not only party food, but classy party food that was delicious.

Runners up:
House of Toast: Need I say more?
The presidential voting one: They had cucumber and goat cheese sandwiches. Num.
The rice room at ConSuite: The rice was hot, sticky, and available with many toppings. I didn't even know there was such a thing as rice seasoning, but now I must have some for home.

Best party decor: Star Trek "Mirror Mirror" room. Dang did they go all out. Fake walls, arches...it was just like being on a really good set of the original "Trek."

Runner up:
The Dreaming. Again with the fake walls, this time covered in amazing Egyptian art. They offered pens for graffiti and I had fun writing "Rikku...-Paine" and "We have a plan...-Number Six."

Parties that inspired repeat visits: The Dreaming (nice wine selection and cool ambience), House of Toast (duh), and Wonka for President (nummy chocolate fountains!)

Biggest WTF moments:

1. The Joker winning the presidential election by five votes over Vizzini from The Princess Bride. Haven't you people read "The Killing Joke"?
2. The Darker Side of Henson party featuring Fraggle Rock as decor. That's dark?
3. The music at the "rave" - we heard the alternative remix of "You Spin Me 'Round (Like a Record)" immediately followed by "YMCA." And let me tell you, seeing a bunch of costumed geeks doing hand motions to a 1970s Village People song is a sight to behold

More to come.

Rate these playspaces!

In an earlier post, I mentioned my escapades finding playspaces in Rochester to add to the KaBOOM! Playspace Finder. My motivation? When I went to the KaBOOM! Playspace Finder I found only ONE playground listed in Rochester. I knew of lots more, so I made it my mission on vacation to increase that number.

Below are links to the playgrounds I found just within a few square miles. These are a lot of the ones I played on growing up (though, thankfully, the equipment has been updated since then).

Click the links, check them out, then rate and comment on them. (Note that you'll need to register for kaboom.org in order to rate and comment. Don't be scared; I promise we won't spam you.)

And wherever you live, I challenge you to add your local playgrounds, skateparks, and fields to the KaBOOM! Playspace Finder. It's fun and easy!

P.S. The slide pictured at the left is AWESOME.

Viola Heights Drive Playground ("One word: BEES!")
Jefferson Elementary School Playground ("the sandbox is just sad.")
Hoover Elementary School Playground ("amazing asphalt games")
Elton Hills Elementary School Playground ("the basketball court really needs to be resurfaced")
Cascade Street Playground ("It's pretty boring.")
Allendale Park Tennis Courts ("well-kept-up")
Allendale Park Playground ("a unique park with some fun features")
Allendale Park Baseball Field ("a pretty average baseball field")
Silver Lake Community Playground ("a fantastic, HUGE playground")
Silver Lake Skate Park ("I was really impressed with this skatepark")
Silver Lake Park ("a nice, well-kept-up playground")

Rumor mongering

Once little more than rumor, the "Marvel Ultimate Alliance" sequel is now all but officially confirmed. Two sources have independently quoted different people as verifying the game's existance.

Newsarama, covering a discussion panel at Chicago's recent comic book convention, got the first quote from Marvel editor and writer C.B. Cebulski. He said the game would indeed be based partially on the Civil War storyline.

ComicMix got the next quote from Marvel writer Brian Michael Bendis. He reiterated in an interview that Civil War "will be part of the next Ultimate Alliance."

So... Activision? Where's the official announcement? Even though I've yet to read Civil War, I loved the first game and am itching to play this game!

Josh and Annie in costume

Overview of the party area...and a Klingon tournament

I *heart* Tony Stark!

Evan and I in costume

Zelda! Behind you!

Yay! More Firefly characters!

Where in the world is...?

More of me as Number Six

T-E-E-N T-I-T-A-N-S, Teen Titans, let's go!