More stuff on my desk

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Originally uploaded by Annie the Random

Here's my little menagerie on my CPU...my "Client Services" ducky (because he has a headset), that weird quasi-seahorse thing I mentioned in an earlier entry, an alligator my friend Emily gave me, Cha-Cha from the Rainforest Cafe (the first gift I got from one of my best friends - he's been on every work computer I've had since college), a couple other frogs, and my Utterz cow.

Stuff on my desk

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Originally uploaded by Annie the Random

Some new additions to my desk at work...you'll note that Crow T. Robot and two pirates have joined the crew of Zidane, Garnet, Vivi, Black Canary and Huntress (though you can't see the latter two in this picture).

Also, that googly-eyed pen has brought me way too much amusement of late.

Moment of Zen

As I take one last look back at the chaos that was 2008, these are some of the thoughts floating through my mind...

• I'm glad that Annie continues to enjoy her job at KaBOOM. I'm also glad that the reporters I now supervise at the Blade continue to indulge this rookie supervisor and have not yet banded together to overthrow me.

• I'm disappointed that both our jobs have recently demanded some particularly late hours. Here's hoping that things will ease a bit for both of us in this new year.

• I'm glad that I advanced two levels in kung fu. I reluctantly left the class when the economy collapsed and we had to trim expenses, but the memories I hold are fond.

• I'm disappointed that despite my yearlong commitment to fitness and wellness, I don't look like an underwear model. But at least I'm in the best shape of my life.

• I'm glad that many of the minor annoyances that I blogged about in 2008 are essentially meaningless distractions in the scheme of things. Principles are important, but so is perspective.

• I'm disappointed that the world is becoming increasingly, unpredictably hostile. And with the economy showing few signs of improvement, I fear the situation may get worse before it gets better.

• Finally, I'm glad that our midyear vacation in Minnesota was so enjoyable. It was great to see family and friends, but please forgive us if we thin our agenda when we return to the Land of 10,000 Lakes for CONvergence 2009.

Iz Sweepy

From I Can Haz Cheezburger

From 'dead to me' to 'on notice'

That sure didn't last long, did it?

Marvel Comics, which I earlier this month effectively placed in the "dead to me" category, has been given a reprieve and is now merely "on notice." The reason for the quick turnaround? The absolutely spectacular first issue of "Marvels: Eye of the Camera." Annie gifted me for Christmas the first issue of the sequel to my all-time favorite comic work -- and it was wonderful. Kurt Busiek, the writer, slid comfortably back into a world he debuted in 1994 alongside artist Alex Ross. Although not along for the sequel, Ross is succeeded by the skilled Jay Anacleto, who masterfully maintains the tone Ross set during the first series.

Longtime readers know my adoration of "Marvels" is nothing new. In fact, my profession of love for the original series seeped into this blog's sixth post. So this project was perhaps the only effort that could have made me reconsider the hate I developed toward Marvel after recently reading "Civil War." And I'm happy to subscribe to the series for the remaining five issues.

Beyond that, though, Marvel should consider itself on notice.

Sexism is alive and well

I just purchased a trade paperback for Josh from Devil's Due Publishing.

I have to say, I've never been insulted by an order form before, but I suppose there's a first time for everything.

I'm filling out the contact form, and I get to the "title" section. I am presented with the following options:



Where the HELL is the option for "Ms."? Heck, even "Miss" is missing. So basically you're a married woman or you don't exist, according to this form. (Or, in Josh's words, maybe they just assume really well-educated women shop there, since "Dr." and "Prof" are options.)

I'm a "Ms." all the way. Though I'm very happily married, "Mrs." has always sounded weird to me and I've never used it. (I even jump a bit when I see notes addressed to me as "Mrs. Lynsen" in the mail.)

I almost stopped the order process right there. Sheesh.

UPDATE: Devil's Due president Josh Blaylock (!) emailed me almost immediately after this post and promised quick attention to the matter. He also said, "Please accept our apology and do not take this as sexism, more than someone carelessly omitting option fields from the store. A huge majority of our readership is female. We've had this shopping cart for almost two years and I'm positive the Ms. category was there before." Fair enough. Hopefully this situation will be resolved quickly so future female shoppers aren't taken aback as I was. Big props to Devil's Due for this response!

Chicken with Shallots and Thyme

Yay! My first attempt at non-recipe-based cooking thanks to The Flavor Bible was a complete and utter success! Here's the recipe I created based on the suggested complementary flavors in the book:

Chicken with Shallots and Thyme

2 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
3 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp chopped shallots
A few sprigs of fresh thyme
Dash of salt

Procedure:

1. Melt butter in skillet over medium heat. Add olive oil and shallots; saute until shallots are tender.
2. Sprinkle chicken with salt on both sides and add to skillet.
3. Remove leaves from thyme sprigs and sprinkle on top of chicken while it cooks.
4. Once chicken is browned on one side, turn. Sprinkle with thyme leaves on the other side and continue cooking until chicken is no longer pink in center. Serve.

Put this on your radar

If you're unfamiliar with "Waltz with Bashir," please visit this link to see the film's trailer.

Annie and I saw the captivating trailer for this movie in front of "Milk," and it's got both of us far more interested in the first Lebanon War than we ever thought possible. "Waltz with Bashir" reaches impressive heights using no more than $2 million and Flash animation.

Of course, it's the trappings of this film than rivets us both, but this is one glorious gainesburger to deliver the pill that is foreign conflict. I hope the movie soon comes to a theater near me.

And I thought the book was convoluted

It seems the brilliant but convoluted "Watchmen" story is nothing next to the legal drama revolving around the "Watchmen" film. And a court ruling on the matter last week isn't making things any easier.

ICv2 reports that the judge presiding over the battle between Warner Bros. and 20th Century Fox for rights to the film took the unexpected step of declaring Fox to have at least some ownership in the heretofore exclusively Warner film. So what does that mean? It means that unless the two studios can reach some agreement, the film might not be in theaters for its scheduled March release.

You can read more about the situation here, but the short version is that Fox has won the right to distribute the "Watchmen" film that Warner made. Warner can, of course, appeal the decision, but that could lead to a protracted legal fight, and would almost certainly force the film's March 6 debut to be rescheduled. Not only does that suck for "Watchmen" fans such as myself, but it also could prove a risky financial gamble by Warner. Can the studio afford to play that game during a recession?

In his ruling, the judge advises both studios "to turn their efforts from preparing for trial to negotiating a resolution of this dispute." As someone who's eagerly awaiting this film, I couldn't agree more.

Wii Fit is teh awesomes

I'll admit that I was skeptical when Nintendo unveiled Wii Fit.

I'd seen game platforms offer exercise programs before and I was less than impressed with the results. But after seeing some positive reviews for Wii Fit, I requested it for Christmas. I received it -- thanks Mom and Dad! -- and am very impressed with the product. It hasn't replaced my daily workout routine, but Wii Fit nicely complements my aerobic and resistance training.

Sporting an impressive array of strength training, aerobic and yoga exercises, Wii Fit makes every effort to balance the training it offers. Also included are several balance games for use with the included hardware. I've experimented with all four pillars daily since I first fired up Wii Fit -- logging 2 hours in playtime to date -- and have found them to nicely complement each other. I've had great fun doing 30 minutes of Wii Fit exercise the last four days, even if it does take about 50 minutes to log an actual half hour of exercise. (A daily body test is strongly recommended, and simply switching between exercises slows things a bit.) But no matter. I'm willing to make the commitment. Wii Fit is that addictive.

If you own a Wii, you should definitely give Wii Fit a try. Heck, you can even come over and try using my copy. I promise I won't laugh the first time you shake your hips for the Hoola Hoop game...

How to recycle your Christmas cards

Now that the holiday season is coming to a close, many of you are probably looking at a stack of Christmas cards and, having read and enjoyed them, are wondering what to do with them. If, like us, you live in a tiny apartment, saving them as keepsakes really isn't an option. But throwing them away feels wasteful.

Fortunately, there's a wonderful greeting card recycling program run by St. Jude's Ranch for Children.

"The children participate in making the new recycled cards by removing the front and attaching a new back made with recycled paper," says the St. Jude's website. "The new card is a beautiful, 'green' card made by the children and volunteers. The benefits are two-fold: customers receive 'green' holiday cards for use and the children receive payment for their work and learn the benefits and importance of 'going green.'"

Simply cut the fronts off your cards and mail them to:

St. Jude's Ranch for Children
Card Recycling Program
100 St. Jude's Street
Boulder City, NV 89005

Goodbye, Eartha Kitt

I was sad to hear about Eartha Kitt's passing yesterday. Many people of my generation (and generations before) will remember her as one of the three women who played Catwoman on the 1960s Batman TV series (the other two being Lee Merriweather and Julie Newmar).

I will miss Eartha Kitt's fun spirit, especially when I remember her on "Space Ghost: Coast to Coast."

Wonderful quotes about cooking

From The Flavor Bible I got for Christmas.

"When we no longer have good cooking in the world, we will have no literature, nor high and sharp intelligence, nor friendly gatherings, nor social harmony."
-Marie-Antoine Carême, Chef (1784-1833

"You have to love either what you are going to eat, or the person you are cooking for. Then you have to give yourself up to cooking. Cuisine is an act of love."
-Alain Chapel, Chef (1937-1990)

Merry Christmas!

Clearing out Google Reader

Do you remember the love for Google Reader that I professed back in August? Yeah, strike that. Google Reader recently went through an overhaul and it's buggy and malfunctioning. But before I close my account, I want to clear out the backlog of geeky news items I'd meant to share with you. So here goes...

• An unexpected casualty in Nintendo's shift toward casual games is this United Kingdom magazine. N•Revolution has closed its doors because the demographics associated with Nintendo's best-selling titles, such as "Wii Fit" and "Brain Age," are not the same demographics that purchase gaming magazines. It'll be interesting to see if Nintendo's stateside magazine, Nintendo Power, can navigate these choppy waters.

• One of the most creative video-game designers is turning his attention to the Wii. Tetsuya Mizuguchi, who's best known for such quirky music games as "Rez" and "Lumines," is working with Atari to bring his next music game to the Wii. And as an added bonus, Atari is going to publish a compilation disc of his past works. The most awesome preorder bonus ever? I can hope.

• If you're already mourning the imminent end of "Battlestar Galactica," shed no more tears. Taking a cue from George Lucas, the Sci-Fi Channel recently announced it was preparing a prequel series to air. "Caprica" reportedly will follow two rival families and center around the implications of the advances in artificial intelligence and robotics. It sounds interesting, but I'll only jump aboard if the series can air with greater frequency than the chronically delayed "Battlestar Galactica."

• Trend watchers should pay close attention to the upcoming "Final Fantasy" game on the Wii. "Crystal Chronicles: Echoes of Time" will attempt an ambitious mechanism by which people who buy the game on both the Wii and DS can transfer their Wii characters to the DS and level them up on the go. It's an expensive prospect to be sure, but if this goes over well, I wouldn't be surprised to see future RPGs implement similar systems.

• I've never been into massively multiple online RPGs, but even I was tempted by recent upgrades to the "Star Wars Galaxies" servers. Now available are levels that emulate the Battle of Hoth, also known as the Awesome Battle at the Start of Episode V. Sure, "Star Wars Galaxies" went out of style about five years ago and there are far better "Star Wars" games available, but dude! AT-ATs! Snowtroopes! Snowspeeders! Did I mention AT-ATs?!

And with that, I bid adieu to Google Reader and I wish you a merry Christmas eve.

Wheaton is so off my Christmas card list

A shooting outside Westfield Wheaton Shopping Centre? Seriously? Two days before Christmas? Don't gang members have something better to do than terrify last-minute Christmas shoppers?

Sigh. I don't care that the mall is just two stops up the Red Line. Wheaton is so off my Christmas card list.

I'm still waiting...

...for that killer iPod Touch app that's going to make me open my wallet.

It certainly wasn't among the Top 10 apps from 2008. (I wouldn't pay 8¢ for "Super Monkey Ball," let alone $8.) It's certainly not the buggy "I Love Katamari" game. And it's not the unimpressive "Metal Gear Solid Touch" game slated for early next year. If I want to play a variation of "Duck Hunt," I've got "Wii Play" for that.

The two iPod Touch apps that have most captured my attention -- a "Monopoly" game and "Crystal Defenders" -- remain absent or untried. ("Crystal Defenders" went up on iTunes yesterday and I haven't yet had a chance to try the free demo.) And in the meantime, my adoration of "Aurora Feint" has abated. A robust free game to be sure, there's only so many hours you can log with it before it loses its luster.

I know it takes time to create top-tier games for a platform, but come on, folks, the iPod Touch has been around for more than a year now. Where's my remake or port of the original "Grand Theft Auto" game? Where's a "Star Wars" game that I can take seriously? And why have I still heard nothing about seeing "Maniac Mansion" on this system?

Here's hoping that 2009 gives my iPod Touch a bit more to upload.

Horrifying or amusing? ...I'm going with horrifying.

I will never for the life of me understand people who do things like this to their pets.



More pics here.

Falling on deaf ears

Comic Book Resources, one of my favorite comic book news web sites, has eviscerated Frank Miller's rendition of "The Spirit," which opens in theaters this week.

Using words like "unbalanced" and "radical" to describe the film, the review headbuts Miller for taking "extreme departures from the source material." In paragraph after paragraph of complaints, the reviewer notes that only the basic setting and character names are in common with the comic and "virtually nothing else" resembles Will Eisner's comic, which was the basis for Miller's movie. Check out this excerpt from the review by Josh Wigler...

Make no mistake: this is not a translation of Eisner's work, but a complete overhaul of the revolutionary series. From the opening frame, this is undoubtedly Frank Miller's "The Spirit."

As someone who's still trying to digest those two "Fantastic Four" films that were released earlier this decade, I can empathize with scored fans. But did the reviewer, who presumably saw the highly stylized trailer for "The Spirit," truly expect anything other than the trappings of "Sin City" reapplied to this movie? I guess he did...

If Miller's mission was to emulate Eisner, he failed miserably. If his mission was to provide an exciting new take on the Spirit, then he fared marginally better. Viewers unfamiliar with the comics might enjoy "The Spirit" as an entertaining popcorn flick. Fans of Eisner's work, however, are in for a major disappointment and should brace themselves for a cheese-fest more along the lines of "Sin City" or even "Starship Troopers" than the original comic book series.

OK, so maybe this movie is nothing like "The Spirit" comics. Maybe it's enough to make Will Eisner spin in his grave. But as someone who knows zilch about the franchise and loves the "Sin City" movie, I think "The Spirit" movie and I are going to get along just fine.

And, hey, if Miller can pull this off, I'll happily see his adaptation of "Buck Rogers."

A sad story

The video below is something Blade staff produced this week at work. The format and text comes from me. The video recording and splicing was done by Aram Vartian. I'd be curious to know what you think about the final product and whether this is an effective way to tell a story.

Ridiculously overpriced? Yes

Nintendo's new customer loyalty program, Club Nintendo, debuted this month with all sorts of prizes ready for the taking. There's just one problem. The prizes are ridiculously overpriced.

The program was established to reward customers who buy Nintendo games for the Wii and DS systems. By inputting a code that comes with select games, customers earn anywhere from 30 to 80 coins after completing a brief survey. It's quick, it's easy and it's fun to give some feedback to the Big N. And the more coins you amass, the more prizes you qualify to receive.

Unfortunately, the prices attached to the top-tier prizes are rather steep. To get the "Game & Watch Collection" or a deck of rather sweet-looking hanafuda cards, you must earn 800 coins. That's the equivalent of buying 16 Wii games. And not just any Wii games. Qualifying Wii games.

The next tier lets customers with 600 coins obtain one of three Nintendo DS Game Card & Stylus sets, a Nintendo DS Game Card Case or the Mario Nintendo DS Game Rack. Less ambitious folks can claim for 500 coins one of two playing card decks. For 400 coins, you can get a Nintendo DS Lite Case, and for 300 points, you earn a Wii Remote Holder.

Granted, there are incentives for Club Nintendo participants beyond the prizes listed above. Nintendo has revealed that customers reaching gold status by earning 300 coins or platinum status by earning 600 coins will receive special prizes sometime next year. These unannounced prizes could be pretty cool if they're anything like what Club Nintendo gave away in Japan.

But even with these added incentives, I find myself left with mixed feelings about this program. It's nice that Nintendo is going above and beyond to reward loyal customers. But methinks this would all go over better if Nintendo was a tad more generous and the prizes a tad less overpriced.

A Mortgage Banker In Amish Country

One of my favorite podcasts is NPR's Most Emailed Stories. I like it because it's essentially a daily grab bag of random news, features, and trivia. You never know what you're going to get or what's coming next.

Recently they featured this fascinating story about a mortgage banker in Amish country. Doesn't sound like something that would normally captivate me, but the story of a guy who's responsible for $100 million in loans almost exclusively to people who he only meets with in person (since they can't do Internet banking, obviously)...well, it was really interesting. Here's a snippet, but I encourage you to listen to it.

...most Amish don't have much debt at all. They don't use credit cards, instead paying for everything with cash or check.

About the only time the Amish use credit is when they buy a farm. Such a large purchase requires bargaining, and means working with a banker. There are no Amish bankers, no Amish-owned banks, so they turn to local banks for help. In this community, one banker stands above all others: Bill O'Brien.

O'Brien says 95 percent of his customers at the Hometowne Heritage Bank are Amish. As the head of agricultural lending, he's responsible for about $100 million in loans. O'Brien, who's not Amish himself, meets with his Amish customers only face-to-face.

Darn right.

From Engrish

Whoa. Dude.

Disco tub!



Yep, it's an actual product. Super, super cool. I'm not ashamed to admit I have an irrational desire for this product.

Cannot... Compute

ICv2 reports that Majel Barrett Roddenberry, the widow of Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry and the voice of the U.S.S. Enterprise computer in nearly every iteration of "Star Trek," has died. She was 76.

In her memory, I jumped over to the Internet Movie Database to find some notable quotable she uttered as the Enterprise computer. There's a whole page, but the one that made me laugh out loud was this exchange from the "Next Generation" episode titled "Where Silence Has Lease."

[the Enterprise is set to auto destruct and time is running out]
Computer: Ten seconds to auto-destruct.
Commander William T. Riker: [worried] Captain?
Capt. Picard: Abort auto-destruct sequence!
Computer: Riker, William T., do you concur?
Commander William T. Riker: Yes, absolutely, I do indeed concur wholeheartedly!
Computer: Auto-destruct canceled.
[everyone breathes a huge sigh of relief]
Capt. Picard: A simple "yes" would have sufficed, Number One.
Commander William T. Riker: I didn't want there to be any chance of misunderstanding.

Thanks for the fun times, Majel. Safe journey.

Marvel's 'Civil War' is the new 'Clone Saga'

There are times when I weep for the state of the comics industry.

Sometimes my tears are for the mistreatment of customers. Other times my tears are for the death of small shops that form the industry's backbone. But increasingly, my tears are shed for the horrible stories that are being told. And you can add to that list of horrible stories Marvel's 2006 miniseries "Civil War."

I'm late to review this tale for a variety of reasons, but the timing of this post is unimportant. What is important is that I caution you against reading a story that should have never made it past the proposal stage. It's that flawed, that poorly executed and that offensive to readers.

I consider "Civil War" as fundamentally flawed as the abhorrent "Clone Saga" story that Marvel wove through its Spider-Man comics during the mid 1990s. Here's why...

1. "Civil War" was a bad idea from the start. The very idea that Marvel's noble heroes would come to blows simply because the U.S. government wants them to become licensed operatives is ridiculous. Some characters would resent such a move, and others would doubtlessly run rogue, but to think that this would divide the community down the middle is absurd. Heroes back the law, they don't break it.

2. "Civil War" lazily changed characters to fit the story. Captain America, who's fought for decades to preserve the American Way, would not so abruptly rally his friends against the U.S. government. Spider-Man, who's gone to excruciating lengths to protect his identity, would not suddenly reveal it to the world. And Mr. Fantastic, who's known to deftly balance ethics and science, would not do half the things attributed to him in the story.

3. "Civil War" was offensively political. I am weary of the Orwellian, post-9/11 stories that some comic book writers have thrust upon us. What was once contemporary is now simply clichéd. I need not another allegorical tale that rhetorically asks how many freedoms we're willing to sacrifice to maintain security. I expected something different from writer Mark Millar, who previously posed these questions in his politically charged "Ultimates." For him to retread this path in "Civil War" was uninspired and disappointing.

4. "Civil War" did not form a coherent, standalone story. I understand that Marvel's intent was to hook readers with the main "Civil War" series, then pilfer their pocketbooks as they sought "the rest of the story" via its many crossovers. But that should not preclude the company from telling a solid story to those that spend $24.99 to read the seven main chapters. Unfortunately, it did. To truly understand plot points and character motivations that are given egregiously short shrift in the keystone volume, readers must buy many other books.

5. "Civil War" suffered egregious pacing problems. As noted above, too many details that are central to the "Civil War" story are given short shrift. This is apparently done so that the main series can focus on more knock-down, drag-out fights. But this slicing and dicing of the "Civil War" plot incurs serious pacing problems that would make any Hollywood film editor cringe. Moments that could have provided readers with a much stronger emotional punch, for example, are over as quickly as they began. It's an amateurish mistake.

6. "Civil War" inexplicably ignored super villains. Perhaps somewhere in the myriad "Civil War" crossovers is an explanation as to why Dr. Doom, Red Skull, Magneto, Kingpin and any number of other villains did not exploit the tumultuous environment and strike while the heroes were in disarray. But such an obvious and important point is not addressed in the main story.

7. "Civil War" ended with a whimper, not a bang. For a story that began in such a literally explosive way, the deus ex machina ending to "Civil War" was inadequate and unsatisfactory. Captain America's sudden realization that he was wrong to endanger his fellow citizens through an unnecessary struggle shortchanges readers and violates one of the basic rules of major comic book crossovers. Big battles require big climaxes. Instead, this tale merely yielded a broken universe and dispirited characters.

8. "Civil War" failed to include its most important and lasting event in the main series: the death of Captain America. Told instead in a "Civil War" epilogue issue within the main "Captain America" series, the death of Captain America was among the few significant changes "Civil War" made to the Marvel universe that has not yet been undone. That the best thing to come of "Civil War" was something that did not happen in "Civil War" is an irony not lost on me.

9. "Civil War," just like "Clone Saga," spurred me to stop reading Marvel. If this is the publisher's creme de la creme, there is no reason for me to abide increasing cover prices and other pains that returning customers suffer. I have on DVD-ROM a treasure trove of old Spider-Man, Fantastic Four and Avengers stories. It's high time that I looked to those archived tales for my escapist enjoyment. Call me old fashioned, but I hold the small fraction of these issues that I've read in far higher regard than "Civil War."

At the end of the day, I simply find it unfortunate that Marvel allowed one man to so completely sully their universe. I would say this should be a lesson to Marvel going forward, but history shows the company is rather stubborn in this regard.

Wierdest Christmas Cake Ever

"The mind, it boggles. Is this a frilly white Santa caterpillar, crawling up a red boulder? Or has Santa sampled some Wonka chewing gum (with cherry pie dessert)?"

You can see more Christmas wrecks at CakeWrecks.

Nerds! I command you...

...to read today's xkcd comic. (It's too big to fit in this space.)

Report back when you are done.

That is all.

Haunted Mansion awesomeness

I make no secret of my love for Walt Disney World's Haunted Mansion. Whether it's the ride itself or material inspired by it, I just adore the concept. So it might go without saying that my jaw dropped when I saw the video below, but I'll say it anyway: My jaw dropped when I saw the video below.



Using a "Counter-Strike" game editor, someone named NIPPER recreated with incredible accuracy the Haunted Mansion ride. From the stretching room to the hitchhiking ghosts, it's all there. If you've ever enjoyed the ride, the five-minute video will leave you wowed. And if you've not yet seen the Haunted Mansion, this is a great way to experience it without flying to Florida.

This squirrel is awesome.

apsies:

Every year when squirrels start preparing for winter, gathering nuts, wearing scarves, planning the eventual take over of the world, I like to … wait a minute, wearing scarves? Saw this squirrel wearing a bright orange scarf the other day near my house and was patient enough for me to run inside and grab a camera. It looks like the scarf may actually be one of those orange ties that they put on stakes for marking construction areas but the story behind his wardrobe decision is unknown. Fortunately it wasn’t one those penguins caught in a plastic 6-pack tie situation, it looked pretty loose. I’m guessing by the attention he is getting from me and probably other squirrels, he made the decision that orange is the new brown in squirrel fashion circles. -Daniel Mears: DETNEWS: Photo Blog

Thanks, kittykittybangbang!

Press A to select?

Consider A pressed. I want these Nike shoes based on the classic Nintendo colors, but they're hard to find. Anyone have any advice?

WANT: Tetris ice cube tray

From ThinkGeek

Gotta catch 'em all!

Or not. Admittedly, I'm much less passionate about collectibles than I used to be. But these new Burger King kids meal bonuses are kinda eyecatching.

The rather shameless promotion -- which might help explain how Nintendo sold more than 2 million Wii consoles last month -- offers simple toys that interact with tiny replicas of the Wii remote. A golden star lights up when attached to one remote. A smiling ghost is magnetically pushed forward by another remote. They might not be the best toys ever conceived, but they're not bad.

And if you're looking for a cheap stocking stuffer for the tiny gamer in your life, you could do worse than a Nintendo-branded goodie.

Tickle him!

I logged more than a few hours in arcades during my high school years. And while that was part of the reason I was dateless for 99 percent of my teenage years, it did give me an appreciation for a well-earned cry of "finish him!"

If you're unfamiliar with the phrase, it comes from "Mortal Kombat," a once-controversial video game series that was chided for showing pixelated blood. At the end of every death match, a rather enthusiastic announcer would tell the victor to finish their opponent by pushing a complex button combination. If entered correctly, the finishing move would trigger an unintentionally laughable animation sequence whereby one character would punch off the other's head, or something similar.

Anyway... Maxim magazine recently caught up with the aforementioned announcer and recorded his take on some newer colloquialisms. Among the phrases you can here him say here are "epic fail" and "tickle him!" Give it a spin. It's worth a laugh.

Delicious chocolate pretzel things

I got this recipe on Twitter, of all places. I made them on a lark for a recent party and they were a huge hit. I'm going to make more for a party at work this week.

1 bag square (grid) pretzels
2 pkgs. Dove promises (I grabbed one milk chocolate and one dark chocolate) or Hershey Kisses
M&Ms (I used the dark chocolate kind)

(I used a Silpat on my cookie sheet for easy cleanup, but parchment paper would work, too.)

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Place pretzels in a single layer on cookie sheet - no need to space them more than 1/2 inch apart or so. Top each pretzel with a Dove Promise and pop into the oven for 3 minutes. (Yep, just 3.)

Remove from oven and press one M&M on top of each chocolate, which should be a bit melty at this point. Chill until firm.

(BTW if you wanna follow me on Twitter, you can find me here.)

RUN!

Thanks, kittykittybangbang!

No, really, TCELES B HSUP

Games today are all about fancy graphics and motion-detecting controllers. Bah. I remember when games showed their true colors through a bit of witty writing. Like when the original "Final Fantasy" game advised you to "TCELES B HSUP." Those were the days.

You can see what I'm talking about here. Have a great Saturday and enjoy the trip down memory lane.

Thumbs Up, Thumbs Down: Comic Movies Again

Darn you, Hollywood! You just keep enticing me to see your films.

• Thumbs Up to Fan Service: As one who usually doesn't go for those wacky X-Men, I have heretofore had little interest in seeing a movie dedicated to Wolverine. But the upcoming "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" includes some of my favorite characters from the franchise: Gambit and Deadpool. It looks like I'll be $10 poorer come May 1.

• Thumbs Down to Poor Priorities: Wait. One. Minute. DC Comics is putting a "Captain Marvel" story to film ahead of Wonder Woman? Ahead of The Flash? Ahead of Green Lantern? Ahead of the Justice League? Seriously? What are they thinking?

• Thumbs (cautiously) Up to My Captain: The man who directed "The Rocketeer" and "October Sky," which were great films full of wonderment, is slated to direct the new "Captain America" film. But Joe Johnston also directed "Jumanji" and "Jurassic Park III," so I'm a bit worried. I'm hoping for the best.

• Thumbs Down to Stage Fright: Why the director of "The Dark Knight" is nervous about doing a third Batman film is beyond me. But nervous he is, USA Today reports. I just hope he gets over himself, because if he doesn't make a third installment, you know Warner Bros. will just give the job to someone else.

• Thumbs Up to New Joys: I know very little about "The Spirit" as a comic, but if it's anywhere near as awesome as the trailers for the upcoming film, I may have to check out the hardcover anthology volume Dark Horse comic is publishing in March.

How you know your impending wedding is merely an excuse for your co-workers to eat cake

From CakeWrecks

Bye bye, KB

I've always found KB Toys overpriced, underwhelming and rather purposeless. And apparently I'm not alone.

The chain I best remember for providing many of my "Transformers" toys when I was young is reportedly in its final days. The Wall Street Journal says the chain, crumbling beneath the foul economy, faces liquidation. Geeky news site ICv2 casts things in somewhat more dramatic terms -- blaring a "Sayonara KB Toys!" headline -- but the bottom line is the same all around. KB Toys might not live to see Christmas, and it certainly won't live to see 2009.

There's a small part of me that will miss the chain. Someone needs to compete with Toys R Us and Wal-Mart. But there's a larger part of me that's already waving farewell. KB Toys represents the largely bygone era of specialty boutique stores. For better or worse, Big Boxes and Internet Retailers are the future.

That KB Toys managed to survive this long is impressive. But its time has come. Bye bye, KB. I'll thank you for the memories, but not the full, suggested-retail prices.

And I want this t-shirt.

From this place.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!

Creepy Santa brought to you by CakeWrecks

Two things

Earlier this week, the inner fanboy won and I finally purchased "Transformers" on DVD. Yes, Michael Bay's "Transformers." The one I can't decide if I enjoy (as I did when I saw it in the theater) or loathe (as I did when I watched it again at home with Annie). But since it was only $5 at Best Buy, I decided to transform and roll out a third time.

Anyway, the purchase got me thinking about the state of DVD releases. Here are two thoughts that came to mind:

1. I applaud the industry's offering of cheap, featureless DVDs alongside more robust releases. I think it's great that Dreamworks gave consumers the option to buy a single-disc version of "Transformers" rather than forcing all to buy a two-disc version bogged down with marginally interesting bonus material. So long as I can buy the slimmed down releases for less than $10 -- that's right, I said less than $10, Mr. Stark -- I think they're a great option.

2. I was pleasantly surprised to see that the DVD of "Transformers," one the top releases of 2007, did not agitate me with an onslaught of commercials. The disc went directly from the Dreamworks logo to the menu. More studios need to adopt this plug-and-play approach to releases. Do you hear me, Disney? I'm looking at you.

So score one for the studios. Oh, and I'll be sure to let you know what my final verdict is on "Transformers" after I see it a third time. Anyone wanna place bets?

An actual conversation...with myself

I gotta blog something.

But what???

Aaaaa...

Cute bunny picture time!

*quick Google search*

AWWWWW!

Success!

*Josh begins laughing*

Josh's newest editorial

"Stop the vilification" was written in response to a Washington Post column published last week. You'll also see on the linked page a new video project that we're introducing. Let me know what you think.

(By the way, sorry for my recent absence from the blog. I haven't forgotten about you. I'll be back soon.)

Mario Kart LIVE

MARIO KART (REMI GAILLARD)
by nqtv

Thanks to madthoughts!

OK, I'll admit it.

After scoring $45 in Best Buy gift certificates (thank you, Reward Zone!), I finally broke down and bought the Mystery Science Theater 3000 20th Anniversary set.

While I stand by my earlier statement that the movies themselves are not memorable, I should amend my earlier statement of "meh" to that of understanding why some of these episodes were chosen.

"Laserblast" marks the end of MST3K's tenure on Comedy Central, as well as the end of Trace Beaulieu's run on the show as Dr. Forrester and Crow. It also features a supremely weird, "2001: A Space Odyssey" style ending.

"Future War" is the most recently-produced film ever featured in MST3K. It came out in 1997 and was simply AWFUL.

As for "First Spaceship on Venus," I guess I can say the host segments are pretty classic (especially Joel's "starter junk drawer" invention), and "Werewolf"...well, I'm not really sure why that one was included.

What's worth the price of admission, though, is the 90 minutes of "oral history" of MST3K, as told by all the key players from the show, even those who were only involved during the extremely experimental KTMA years that have never been rebroadcast or released on DVD. They really go in-depth, and I learned a LOT about the show. The only disappointment is how they gloss over the reasons Joel and Trace left the show - it's obvious there's MUCH more to the story than what they reveal in the 30 seconds devoted to each. But regardless...a great documentary that was long in the coming. There's also a (shockingly short, at 37 minutes long) recording of a panel the group did at San Diego Comic Con this year. Patton Oswalt does a fantastic job as moderator, asking questions I never would have thought of and keeping things interesting. Finally, there's a briefly-amusing compilation of all the theme songs they've ever had, played back-to-back. It's interesting to note the subtle differences.

So at the end of the day, while the movies themselves are kind of meh, the special features are well worth the price of admission, along with the statuette of Crow (now widely admired sitting on my desk at work) and cool lobby cards (one of which is also on display at work).

Shout! Factory has announced their next release already - containing "Mad Monster," "Soultaker," "Manhunt in Space," and "The Final Justice" (the latter of which is an episode featuring Joe Don Baker that's so bad even the riffs can't make it watchable). Special features include interviews with some of the movies' cast and crew, as well as an interview with Mike and the 'bots on an ESPN Show.

Again, the episode choices don't "wow" me. I really hope they're able to get a deal to put some of my favorite episodes on DVD, like:

• "Fugitive Alien"
• "Star Force: Fugitive Alien 2"
• "Monster A-Go-Go" (the first episode I ever saw)
• "The Day the Earth Froze"
• "The Attack of The The Eye Creatures" (yes, the second "the" was actually in the title)
• "Lassie: The Painted Hills"
• Any of the "Hercules," "Gamera," or "Godzilla" films. (I know, they had problems with "Godzilla v. Megalon" and had to pull it from the shelves. Sigh.)

It would also be nice if they pulled more from the earlier seasons of the show.

And as for future special features, a compilation of the classic "Turkey Day" shorts would be fun, as well as more behind-the-scenes footage if they've got it, or the live show (which yours truly attended, sitting in the front row, even!).

What would you like to see on future sets?

Oh, if only.

From xkcd

17 Fabulous Prequels To Broadway Musicals

1. Kate, We Haven’t Been Introduced
2. Bar Mitzvah of La Mancha
3. Sand And Primer Your Wagon
4. A Chorus Dot
5. Fiddler Borrows A Ladder
6. Little Business Plan of Horrors
7. A Star's Mom Allows A Handsome Stranger To Buy Her A Drink
8. Indian Territory!
9. The Guy Who Is A Little Intense But Keeps To Himself And Isn’t Really Bothering Anyone Of The Opera
10. Annie There’s A Waiting Period
11. Kittens
12. Brand New Acquaintance Joey
13. Handshake Of The Spider Woman
14. Jesus Christ Waiter
15. Starlight Right-of-Way Allocation And Environmental Impact Study
16. Vocal Warm-ups On A Cloudy Day
17. West Side Backstory

(Thanks, woot!)

Random goodness

Sorry for the lapse - it's been quite a week.

• Satellite News announced new MST3K swag, including several brand-new t-shirts and a calendar!
• Britney Spears is still the #1 name in Yahoo! search?! Didn't we have kind of an important election recently?
• Had we an insane (or...unlimited) amount of space, I'd love to get me an infinity bookcase.
• WANT: Self-inking "Fail" and "Win" stamps
• Pirate Santa!

The Fruit Hunters, AKA Annie's retirement career, perhaps?