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Sure. Why not?
But it probably won't happen soon.
Sure. Why not?
But it probably won't happen soon.
Writer's Block: Happy, happy, joy, joy
Mar. 9th, 2011 08:48 pm[Error: unknown template qotd]
smile :)
smile :)
Writer's Block: Best new game
Dec. 27th, 2010 08:49 pm[Error: unknown template qotd]
LIMBO, LIMBO, LIMBO
Gorgeous, truly inventive graphics; so intuitive the game needs no instruction manual or tutorial; a near-perfect learning curve; excellent use of the normally stupid achievement mechanic to add difficulty and replay value without being discouraging; and what it does with symbolism - how the developers considered player interpretation and interaction, allowing a player to use their own experiences and knowledge to color the 'story' - look, let's just say that LIMBO is the only game that has left me *bawling*, despite having no cutscenes and no text aside from the XBL description:
Uncertain of his sister's fate, a boy enters Limbo.
I love this game like you wouldn't believe.
And this reminds me, I still have to write that "Why LIMBO is the best game ever" post, huh.
LIMBO, LIMBO, LIMBO
Gorgeous, truly inventive graphics; so intuitive the game needs no instruction manual or tutorial; a near-perfect learning curve; excellent use of the normally stupid achievement mechanic to add difficulty and replay value without being discouraging; and what it does with symbolism - how the developers considered player interpretation and interaction, allowing a player to use their own experiences and knowledge to color the 'story' - look, let's just say that LIMBO is the only game that has left me *bawling*, despite having no cutscenes and no text aside from the XBL description:
Uncertain of his sister's fate, a boy enters Limbo.
I love this game like you wouldn't believe.
And this reminds me, I still have to write that "Why LIMBO is the best game ever" post, huh.
perennially planning
Nov. 14th, 2010 11:58 pmSo my methodology for this "Blog once a day" thing goes like this:
1. Wait until 10pm or so
2. Realize I only have 2 hours (usually less) to post something mildly interesting
3. Waste 3/4 of the time left dicking around youtube/google looking for videos and pics which i ostensibly need for said post, but really don't
4. Vomit all over keyboard as time runs down in the hopes that, like monkeys flailing at typewriters, something profound will emerge
5. Click 'Post'
6. There is no number six
Clearly, I am the master ofunlocking weblogging.
When I first started, I had some vague idea of doing something more structured - there are a lot of things I want to blather on about in an extremely pretentious manner, like uh I dunno, "Games: Potential for Artistic Expression" or "Evolutionary Psychology: Everything everyone says is wrong, unless I say it" or "Dear Fandom: Stop offering so much fucking advice" or...
Well.
Obviously I haven't written about any of these things. Mostly because it's like, all hard and stuff to properly wank about these not particularly important things, especially when you are trying to write it in fifteen minutes or less.
I think I need to tackle this with a more structured plan than 'Open LJ, think about something for 10 minutes then write about it in 5.' So - more for me than anything else - here is a list of things I want to blog about.
( Format: Colons followed by too-long descriptions )
I probably won't get around to any of these topics, but I have them in the back of my mind...at least...
Who am I kidding, I am just going to post pictures of crap around my house or internet memes for the rest of the month. :Db
1. Wait until 10pm or so
2. Realize I only have 2 hours (usually less) to post something mildly interesting
3. Waste 3/4 of the time left dicking around youtube/google looking for videos and pics which i ostensibly need for said post, but really don't
4. Vomit all over keyboard as time runs down in the hopes that, like monkeys flailing at typewriters, something profound will emerge
5. Click 'Post'
6. There is no number six
Clearly, I am the master of
When I first started, I had some vague idea of doing something more structured - there are a lot of things I want to blather on about in an extremely pretentious manner, like uh I dunno, "Games: Potential for Artistic Expression" or "Evolutionary Psychology: Everything everyone says is wrong, unless I say it" or "Dear Fandom: Stop offering so much fucking advice" or...
Well.
Obviously I haven't written about any of these things. Mostly because it's like, all hard and stuff to properly wank about these not particularly important things, especially when you are trying to write it in fifteen minutes or less.
I think I need to tackle this with a more structured plan than 'Open LJ, think about something for 10 minutes then write about it in 5.' So - more for me than anything else - here is a list of things I want to blog about.
( Format: Colons followed by too-long descriptions )
I probably won't get around to any of these topics, but I have them in the back of my mind...at least...
Who am I kidding, I am just going to post pictures of crap around my house or internet memes for the rest of the month. :Db
Writer's Block: Cover me
Nov. 11th, 2010 11:33 pm[Error: unknown template qotd]
I had a really hard time with this one - there are a lot of covers I prefer over the originals, but I'm not sure I'd go so far as to call them better. The covers that I like listening to are the ones that do something completely different in sound and interpretation when compared to the original, and I feel picking one over the other is...missing the point.
For a cover to be better than the original song, I think it needs to keep close to the original version in arrangement and interpretation while surpassing it in technical performance. Basically, it does what the original did (or wanted to do) but...better. Obvious, but many covers are intentionally performed with the idea of answering, changing or rebutting the intent of the original song. The quality of the new version is tied to the old one in a way that makes it hard to choose one over the other.
Anyway, the point of that pretentious verbal vomit is to say: Mary J. Blige's cover of Stevie Wonder's Overjoyed knocks Stevie's version out of the park.
The thing is, the MJB version is practically identical to the Stevie Wonder version. She just sings it so much better. Part of it is that the song as-is plays very well to Mary J's vocal strengths, but also...the Stevie Wonder version is just too sweet and syrupy to be more than pleasant background music. There's something in Mary J Blige's voice that makes me feel like she's gone through absolute hell just before coming into the absolute best time of her life through the song. The Stevie Wonder version, by contrast, sounds like he's going from 'okay' to 'yay!' which is....nice.
Another cover I really enjoy (though I hesitate to call it better) is Raphael Saadiq's version of The Spinners' It's A Shame. I absolutely adore both versions of this song - I think they both showcase the best qualities of 70's soul - but I lean towards Raphael Saadiq's cover a little more. I think part of it might just be because it's NEW AND SHINY, but more seriously, the increased prominence of the bass and the clarity of Saadiq's voice (particularly in the lower registers) makes the song pop in the way the Spinners' version doesn't.
Also I might have a huge, embarrassing music crush on Raphael's voice/bass playing skills, and unashamedly love any and everything he does. ^___^;;
Whatever, I'll just post both versions and let y'all decide which is better. :D
Just in time for my not-at-all serious deadline, again! I feel mildly accomplished!
I had a really hard time with this one - there are a lot of covers I prefer over the originals, but I'm not sure I'd go so far as to call them better. The covers that I like listening to are the ones that do something completely different in sound and interpretation when compared to the original, and I feel picking one over the other is...missing the point.
For a cover to be better than the original song, I think it needs to keep close to the original version in arrangement and interpretation while surpassing it in technical performance. Basically, it does what the original did (or wanted to do) but...better. Obvious, but many covers are intentionally performed with the idea of answering, changing or rebutting the intent of the original song. The quality of the new version is tied to the old one in a way that makes it hard to choose one over the other.
Anyway, the point of that pretentious verbal vomit is to say: Mary J. Blige's cover of Stevie Wonder's Overjoyed knocks Stevie's version out of the park.
The thing is, the MJB version is practically identical to the Stevie Wonder version. She just sings it so much better. Part of it is that the song as-is plays very well to Mary J's vocal strengths, but also...the Stevie Wonder version is just too sweet and syrupy to be more than pleasant background music. There's something in Mary J Blige's voice that makes me feel like she's gone through absolute hell just before coming into the absolute best time of her life through the song. The Stevie Wonder version, by contrast, sounds like he's going from 'okay' to 'yay!' which is....nice.
Another cover I really enjoy (though I hesitate to call it better) is Raphael Saadiq's version of The Spinners' It's A Shame. I absolutely adore both versions of this song - I think they both showcase the best qualities of 70's soul - but I lean towards Raphael Saadiq's cover a little more. I think part of it might just be because it's NEW AND SHINY, but more seriously, the increased prominence of the bass and the clarity of Saadiq's voice (particularly in the lower registers) makes the song pop in the way the Spinners' version doesn't.
Also I might have a huge, embarrassing music crush on Raphael's voice/bass playing skills, and unashamedly love any and everything he does. ^___^;;
Whatever, I'll just post both versions and let y'all decide which is better. :D
Just in time for my not-at-all serious deadline, again! I feel mildly accomplished!
Writer's Block: Leftovers of leftovers
Jan. 22nd, 2010 04:53 pm[Error: unknown template qotd]
huummm. my mother is filipino, and i grew up in a very white-washed neighborhood, and a lot of dishes that i ate regularly tended to horrify everyone else i knew - especially snack foods.
being the only first grader bringing a bag of dried & salted sardines, not Fruit Roll-Ups, for snack time is an interesting experience.
anyway, stuff i sometimes eat that strikes other people as strange/exotic/gross:
isaw (seasoned & grilled chicken intestines)
chibab (fried pig intestines. it's a lot like pork rinds but the texture is a little different)
duck & quail eggs (i don't think it's that strange, but other people do, so.)
betamax (solid, salted chicken blood, it's cooked on a skewer)
and things i've tried once and probably won't anytime soon:
whole baby octopus
haggis (from what i can remember, it tastes a lot like meatloaf but has a grittier texture)
balut (not bad, but it's v. hard to get ahold of the eggs necessary in the states)
huummm. my mother is filipino, and i grew up in a very white-washed neighborhood, and a lot of dishes that i ate regularly tended to horrify everyone else i knew - especially snack foods.
being the only first grader bringing a bag of dried & salted sardines, not Fruit Roll-Ups, for snack time is an interesting experience.
anyway, stuff i sometimes eat that strikes other people as strange/exotic/gross:
isaw (seasoned & grilled chicken intestines)
chibab (fried pig intestines. it's a lot like pork rinds but the texture is a little different)
duck & quail eggs (i don't think it's that strange, but other people do, so.)
betamax (solid, salted chicken blood, it's cooked on a skewer)
and things i've tried once and probably won't anytime soon:
whole baby octopus
haggis (from what i can remember, it tastes a lot like meatloaf but has a grittier texture)
balut (not bad, but it's v. hard to get ahold of the eggs necessary in the states)
Writer's Block: Bite Me
Jul. 27th, 2009 09:57 pm[Error: unknown template qotd]
well i'm not that interested in being bitten by a vampire, might get in the way of me joining the inevitable zombie epidemic. BRAAAINS > blood
BUT if i had to choose...Mina Harker. (Murray if we're talking League of Extraordinary Gentlemen incarnation, which happens to be my favorite.) though, her 'vampire' status is questionable. still - sexy but modest Victorian schoolteacher who kicks intellectual ass? SIGN ME UP PLZ.
PS: people who do not who Mina Harker is must turn in their Vampire Fan card kthx.
well i'm not that interested in being bitten by a vampire, might get in the way of me joining the inevitable zombie epidemic. BRAAAINS > blood
BUT if i had to choose...Mina Harker. (Murray if we're talking League of Extraordinary Gentlemen incarnation, which happens to be my favorite.) though, her 'vampire' status is questionable. still - sexy but modest Victorian schoolteacher who kicks intellectual ass? SIGN ME UP PLZ.
PS: people who do not who Mina Harker is must turn in their Vampire Fan card kthx.
Writer's Block: Le Quatorze Juillet
Jul. 14th, 2009 07:14 pm[Error: unknown template qotd]
lets see, it's a toss-up between France's stellar contributions to satirical literature, Claude Debussy for Impressionist music, or...Tony Parker for being an awesome point guard on my NBA2K6 team. XD
lets see, it's a toss-up between France's stellar contributions to satirical literature, Claude Debussy for Impressionist music, or...Tony Parker for being an awesome point guard on my NBA2K6 team. XD
Writer's Block: Confidences
Apr. 11th, 2009 07:14 pm[Error: unknown template qotd]
as a general rule, strangers. i imagine part of this is due to the profession i'm in, where listening to other people's problems is common. the difficulty in confiding with family and friends is that they aren't unbiased parties - they have a vested interest in who you are, and what you think of them. their perceptions of who you are, and what they'd like you think (of themselves and of others) will influence how they help you with problems. this isn't always a negative thing, but it's something that i think about a lot and my personal tendency is to avoid talking to people who i see on a regular basis about major problems.
of course, strangers aren't perfectly objective confidants either - even if they do have your well-being at heart (and while i believe that's true of most health professionals, 'strangers' could mean anyone) no person is a completely honest confessor, and most people have a tendency avoid mentioning details that might be perceived as negative, so your confidant may not be able to see all sides of the issue.
as a general rule, strangers. i imagine part of this is due to the profession i'm in, where listening to other people's problems is common. the difficulty in confiding with family and friends is that they aren't unbiased parties - they have a vested interest in who you are, and what you think of them. their perceptions of who you are, and what they'd like you think (of themselves and of others) will influence how they help you with problems. this isn't always a negative thing, but it's something that i think about a lot and my personal tendency is to avoid talking to people who i see on a regular basis about major problems.
of course, strangers aren't perfectly objective confidants either - even if they do have your well-being at heart (and while i believe that's true of most health professionals, 'strangers' could mean anyone) no person is a completely honest confessor, and most people have a tendency avoid mentioning details that might be perceived as negative, so your confidant may not be able to see all sides of the issue.
