Showing posts with label brain fart. Show all posts
Showing posts with label brain fart. Show all posts
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Welcome!
Hey, look. It's a new URL for the blog that I rarely update. Hooray! Note the new name for this enterprise: beebooblog.
Friday, June 05, 2009
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Linguistic Pet Peeves
Grammar patrol top three:
- "on accident"
- "anyways"
- saying "unsatisfied" when you mean "dissatisfied"
Grrr.
- "on accident"
- "anyways"
- saying "unsatisfied" when you mean "dissatisfied"
Grrr.
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Friday, December 19, 2008
FYI, Intelligentsia
Well, the New Yorker has really beefed up its web offerings, including a complete digital version of the magazine every week. Too bad the user experience TOTALLY SUCKS ASS. Take that, snobs!
Friday, July 11, 2008
Love Question
Okay so regarding Love's seminal 60s album "Forever Changes" -- is the "changes" in the title a noun? As in, "These aren't just regular changes. These are forever changes." Or is it a verb? As in, "Don't worry, kiddo. Forever doesn't stay the same. Forever changes."
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Out of the Demo
Today I am officially outside the 18-34 demographic. Sigh. The ad sales community finds me to be completely worthless.
Friday, February 08, 2008
Sigh...FINE
Okay so I set up a Facebook profile. Happy now? Can't wait until it becomes obsolete so I can set up another stupid profile. Oh yeah, and don't forget to read this.
Thursday, December 27, 2007
Cleaning Up
Today I am at work cleaning up my work space. It is an absolute mess of papers and toys and magazines and crap. I hope I can be a bit more productive in 2008 if I have a cleaner work area. While I was organizing/trashing, I found the scraps of a script idea that I had. This was supposed to remind me what the plot points were so I would not forget, because I clearly did not have enough time to get all my thoughts down. I reproduce it here verbatim:
truck - load, drive, girlI'm sure this is absolutely brilliant, but I have no idea what it means. Actually, I think it might be the bullet points for my killer bee movie, entitled "Swarm". (I'm being totally serious. Tagline: "Bee Afraid.") Maybe one day it will come back to me.
stops - stolen, shot, dumped
villain - pays guy, corn
broker - brewer, vibration, bees
camp - kids, cars
villain - returns
Friday, December 21, 2007
New Netflix Record
So Netflix shipped the movie "Babel" to me on June 26, 2007. I finally got around to watching it last night. It only took about six months! (Note: Amitai arrived on July 14, 2007.) Anyway, I thought the movie was fantastic.
Some critics found the movie's message ("We're all connected!") to be too simplistic or straightforward. Sure, it's "a small world after all" but if that's all you take from the movie, I think you missed the point. I was impressed with the different levels of meaning to the intertwining stories, with the common theme of communication (or lack thereof) tying the whole thing together. The performances were excellent and it is always refreshing to see unique characters that don't step out of central casting. I can't think of another movie to feature a deaf-mute Japanese teenager, can you?
So, it was worth the wait. Now let's see when we get around to viewing "The Lives of Others".
Some critics found the movie's message ("We're all connected!") to be too simplistic or straightforward. Sure, it's "a small world after all" but if that's all you take from the movie, I think you missed the point. I was impressed with the different levels of meaning to the intertwining stories, with the common theme of communication (or lack thereof) tying the whole thing together. The performances were excellent and it is always refreshing to see unique characters that don't step out of central casting. I can't think of another movie to feature a deaf-mute Japanese teenager, can you?
So, it was worth the wait. Now let's see when we get around to viewing "The Lives of Others".
Wednesday, October 03, 2007
Top 5 Consoles
As I was drifting off to sleep last night, I started to think about the best gaming console systems EVAR. Why? Dunno.
1. SNES - The apex of 2D gaming and features some of Nintendo's finest first-party titles ever.
2. PLAYSTATION 2 - Seriously, how many games have been released for this thing? Something like 124,000? The best value bar none, and still going.
3. ATARI 2600 - Gaming in its purest form, when graphics didn't matter and it was all about gameplay. Not to mention the fond gaming memories.
4. DREAMCAST - Poor, poor Dreamcast. You were so much better than the PS1! And you had some great games! And a fine controller, too.
5. NES - Not only did the NES bring gaming back from the dead, it had River City Ransom. That alone puts it in the Top 5.
Creeping up: the Nintendo DS is my current favorite platform. It's so sassy!
1. SNES - The apex of 2D gaming and features some of Nintendo's finest first-party titles ever.
2. PLAYSTATION 2 - Seriously, how many games have been released for this thing? Something like 124,000? The best value bar none, and still going.
3. ATARI 2600 - Gaming in its purest form, when graphics didn't matter and it was all about gameplay. Not to mention the fond gaming memories.
4. DREAMCAST - Poor, poor Dreamcast. You were so much better than the PS1! And you had some great games! And a fine controller, too.
5. NES - Not only did the NES bring gaming back from the dead, it had River City Ransom. That alone puts it in the Top 5.
Creeping up: the Nintendo DS is my current favorite platform. It's so sassy!
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Space Plague!
Straight out of an episode of X-Files, a meteor strikes a remote Peruvian village and the locals come down with a strange disease. That's seriously weird!
Friday, August 31, 2007
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
An Endorsement of Licensed Games
Last week, I picked up a copy of the PS2 version of Peter Jackson's King Kong for the PS2, which is the "official game of the movie". I had recently watched the film again, which despite its faults, has some of the best action sequences ever put on celluloid. (Specifically, the battle in the insect pit is just about one of the coolest/scariest/awesomest things ever.) So when I saw the game for ten bucks at Best Buy, I decided to check it out. The game has a stellar pedigree, with both Peter Jackson and Michel Ancel (Rayman, Beyond Good and Evil, etc.) directly involved in the design. Sounds great, but don't most "offical" movie tie-in games suck balls? Not always, rabbit. Try King Kong for yourself, I'm sure Best Buy still has copies. All I can say is: wow. Again, the low expectations thing wins again: the game totally blew me away. It's sort of a mish-mash of action, survival horror, FPS and beat-em-up. The atmospherics are amazing, the level design is clever, and just about every sequence has something that makes you lean forward in your chair. (The monsters are especially cool!) The game is basically a bunch of action setpieces strung together...in many ways, just like the movie. Though the story is a departure from the film narrative, it doesn't matter or take away from enjoyment of the game. In fact, it gives you a newfound appreciation of how carefully thought out Peter Jackson's film environments are, and how this attention to detail translates directly to the game world.
I thought to myself, how is this possible? This game came and went as quickly as the movie. And what did the critics have to say? (Turns out, they really loved it, much to my surprise.) When it comes to licensed games, the critics can't win...if they give a movie game a good score, I simply assume they are doing the mouthpiece work of the movie studio. If they give the game a bad score, well, they quickly reinforce what we already know: licensed games suck!
But do they? As King Kong proves, not always. In fact, I would wager that a good licensed game can stand head-and-shoulders above any original IP out there. The problem is that games featuring licensed characters are usually a quick cash-in for the game publisher, providing a low-risk opporunity to get a decent return on their investment. (Kids' titles are particulary guilty of this crime, probably because kids have even lower expectations than grown-ups.) If the profit is virtually guaranteed, what is the company's motivation to spend money on the front-end to make a good game? Unfortunately, not much...
But then again, look at King Kong. The game is excellent. I have no idea if this translated into sales, but I have to assume it did. Isn't cash the best motivator around? Make a good game, and the audience will come. Is it really that simple? The stigma associated with licensed games is unfortunate, as many people (myself included) will turn up their nose at an "officially licensed" product and move on to something else. But as franchise lovers, aren't we all dying to play a great Batman game, or Battlestar Galactica game, or Transformers game? Wouldn't we buy them by the truckloads if they were actually any good? I would say, without a doubt, YES. Audiences are already invested in the characters and settings of licensed properties, and for good reason: they are usually much more interesting than original IP. However, when the licensed games fail to live up audience expectations (as they so often do), players get used to the disappointment and quickly move on. Let me give a personal example: having really enjoyed the X-Men action RPGs from Activision, I finally checked out Marvel Ultimate Alliance recently. Though the opening cinematics are spectacular, the game under the hood is simply awful. Not only is the battle system repetitive, but the characters are remarkably interchangeable. And the story? Wait a minute...I'm fighting Winter Soldier and Radioactive Man on a SHIELD Heli-Carrier? You make no sense. Goodbye.
(Granted, I think Activision bit off a little more than they could chew with that game. All those characters!)
What I keep returning to is: quality control. To make licensed games better, bring the production in-house. As the mighty "old media" entertainment companies become bigger and bigger, with more pronounced interest in digital media (read: games), I think we will see this happening more in the future. LucasArts is a great example: though I know many of their Star Wars titles are licensed out to third-party development houses, they keep a clampdown on the quality of the games. By and large, this works. Generally speaking, the majority of Star Wars games are pretty good, with the occasional clunker here and there -- but some are real winners. (No one can hit it out of the park all the time, and sometimes a base hit on the PSP is all you really need.) Audiences love a good game based on their favorite comic/movie/TV show, so why can't the publishers see that delivering on this promise equals a win-win situation for all?
On a personal note, our Cartoon Network game is being produced internally (but being developed in Korea). We can give it the kind of attention that no third-party ever could, and I think players will see this when the game releases. And hopefully, we will all reap the rewards!
(Damn, that was a ramble.)
I thought to myself, how is this possible? This game came and went as quickly as the movie. And what did the critics have to say? (Turns out, they really loved it, much to my surprise.) When it comes to licensed games, the critics can't win...if they give a movie game a good score, I simply assume they are doing the mouthpiece work of the movie studio. If they give the game a bad score, well, they quickly reinforce what we already know: licensed games suck!
But do they? As King Kong proves, not always. In fact, I would wager that a good licensed game can stand head-and-shoulders above any original IP out there. The problem is that games featuring licensed characters are usually a quick cash-in for the game publisher, providing a low-risk opporunity to get a decent return on their investment. (Kids' titles are particulary guilty of this crime, probably because kids have even lower expectations than grown-ups.) If the profit is virtually guaranteed, what is the company's motivation to spend money on the front-end to make a good game? Unfortunately, not much...
But then again, look at King Kong. The game is excellent. I have no idea if this translated into sales, but I have to assume it did. Isn't cash the best motivator around? Make a good game, and the audience will come. Is it really that simple? The stigma associated with licensed games is unfortunate, as many people (myself included) will turn up their nose at an "officially licensed" product and move on to something else. But as franchise lovers, aren't we all dying to play a great Batman game, or Battlestar Galactica game, or Transformers game? Wouldn't we buy them by the truckloads if they were actually any good? I would say, without a doubt, YES. Audiences are already invested in the characters and settings of licensed properties, and for good reason: they are usually much more interesting than original IP. However, when the licensed games fail to live up audience expectations (as they so often do), players get used to the disappointment and quickly move on. Let me give a personal example: having really enjoyed the X-Men action RPGs from Activision, I finally checked out Marvel Ultimate Alliance recently. Though the opening cinematics are spectacular, the game under the hood is simply awful. Not only is the battle system repetitive, but the characters are remarkably interchangeable. And the story? Wait a minute...I'm fighting Winter Soldier and Radioactive Man on a SHIELD Heli-Carrier? You make no sense. Goodbye.
(Granted, I think Activision bit off a little more than they could chew with that game. All those characters!)
What I keep returning to is: quality control. To make licensed games better, bring the production in-house. As the mighty "old media" entertainment companies become bigger and bigger, with more pronounced interest in digital media (read: games), I think we will see this happening more in the future. LucasArts is a great example: though I know many of their Star Wars titles are licensed out to third-party development houses, they keep a clampdown on the quality of the games. By and large, this works. Generally speaking, the majority of Star Wars games are pretty good, with the occasional clunker here and there -- but some are real winners. (No one can hit it out of the park all the time, and sometimes a base hit on the PSP is all you really need.) Audiences love a good game based on their favorite comic/movie/TV show, so why can't the publishers see that delivering on this promise equals a win-win situation for all?
On a personal note, our Cartoon Network game is being produced internally (but being developed in Korea). We can give it the kind of attention that no third-party ever could, and I think players will see this when the game releases. And hopefully, we will all reap the rewards!
(Damn, that was a ramble.)
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
Zombies On The Brain
I can't stop thinking about zombies...I'm reading World War Z, I've just subscribed to Image's Walking Dead, zombies haunt my dreams...and I cant get 28 Days Later out of my head.
Well, 28 Weeks Later is coming out soon, and there's a Resident Evil sequel on the way as well. (Let's hope it is better than the above.) And I just heard about a new version of "The Plague" starring James Van Der Beek! Whee! Brains!
Well, 28 Weeks Later is coming out soon, and there's a Resident Evil sequel on the way as well. (Let's hope it is better than the above.) And I just heard about a new version of "The Plague" starring James Van Der Beek! Whee! Brains!
Monday, March 26, 2007
What I'm Watching, Playing, Hearing, Reading
As an avid consumer of all things media en masse, I am pleased to report that I have recently had a lot on my plate to enjoy. Sure, there are always good TV shows to watch, movies to see, games to play, etc. -- but there's also a lot of crap out there, making it challenging to find the good stuff. Since I don't have all the free time I used to have, getting stuck with a stinker is often a big disappointment. Fortunately, the last few weeks have been host to a parade of fun happy goodtimes, and I've been itching to report my findings here:
Movie: 300 -- Oh, you would be a fool indeed if you missed this one in the theater. I'm not saying it was Shakespeare or anything (even though Frank Miller would probably like you to think so), but what a spectacle! Really just one of the best recent examples of pure cinematic entertainment. The director (Zach Snyder?) uses the medium to its full advantage here...might I say that it is one of the finest comic-to-film translations ever? I might, rabbit. I might. Oh, and the giant rampaging rhino is totally historically accurate, too!
Movie: The Illusionist -- Where did the filmmakers go wrong? I ask this question because somehow this movie was ignored as a "best of 2006" entry. Was it even noiminated for any awards? I haven't a clue, but it should have. Another fine piece of entertainment...great cast, beautiful production design and cinematography, an airtight script, I could go on. Even the gimmicky ending was brilliant! And Jessica Biel is hawt! Seriously, this was like a little character play/mystery starring four actors, a old theater and the city of Vienna. Just perfect. What happened?
Game: Titan Quest -- Kill. Loot. Repeat. An action RPG of the finest order. The developer, Iron Lore, (I believe) was the toast of GDC, receiving kudos from their fellow developers at the "choice" awards. Deservedly so. What a great game. The item management is fun, not tedious. The voice acting is good, not annoying. The weapons and powers are familiar, yet original. And it's like playing in your very own Harryhausen movie. What could be better?
Game: Rogue Galaxy -- Okay, I just don't have the time to slog through a Japanese RPG. But this one is worth the effort. It was a little slow to get going, and the learning curve is rather steep. But I'm having a lot of fun with it. And the storyline, characters and cut-scenes are actually entertaining! Gadzooks! If anything, the co-op AI of your party members is pretty weak, making the real-time battles a little unfair at times. But I am enjoying the weapons and abilities and switching between characters. And the graphics! Why buy a PS3? Seriously.
Television: Battlestar Galactica -- I stayed up past my bedtime to watch the final two episodes of season three last night. This is a damn fine show. and the producers really know how to leave us hanging! Season four can't come fast enough. I'm reading the blogs...everyone thinks we've seen four of the "final five" Cylons, but I'm not convinced. Theories from clever viewers suggest that our "watchtower" friends are not Cylons at all. Seriously, could Tigh be a Cylon and keep his dignity? Doubtful. Starbuck's return was also welcome, and expected. Hopefully the rumor of a mid-break summer movie will help with the agony of waiting...
Movie: Idiocracy -- Okay, the movie doesn't really live up to the brilliance of its premise, but there are so many LOL moments here. "Excape!" The House of Representin'. Law degrees from COSTCO. And so on and so forth. Mike Judge should make more movies.
Comic: The Walking Dead -- Chris lent me the first five trades, and I am hooked. You know how like at the end of a zombie movie, you want to know what happens next? This comic tells you.
MC: Royce the 5'9" -- So I got the album "Death Is Certain" when I was in San Fran, and I can't stop listening to it. This guy is criminally overlooked, but then again, maybe he should stay underground. I think his busted friendship with Eminem might have actually been a good thing. Cold raps, indeed!
Book: Cartoon Modern -- An amazing overview of 1950s animation, when people started smoking dope and listening to jazz and getting all freaked out, man!
Movie: Monsters, Inc. -- Okay, an older movie, but Aviella can't stop watching it. (And as a result, neither can I.) Having now seen the thing about a dozen times, I can say without a doubt that it is tied with "The Incredibles" as PIXAR's finest hour.
Okay, I'm done. I really have to get to work now.
Movie: 300 -- Oh, you would be a fool indeed if you missed this one in the theater. I'm not saying it was Shakespeare or anything (even though Frank Miller would probably like you to think so), but what a spectacle! Really just one of the best recent examples of pure cinematic entertainment. The director (Zach Snyder?) uses the medium to its full advantage here...might I say that it is one of the finest comic-to-film translations ever? I might, rabbit. I might. Oh, and the giant rampaging rhino is totally historically accurate, too!
Movie: The Illusionist -- Where did the filmmakers go wrong? I ask this question because somehow this movie was ignored as a "best of 2006" entry. Was it even noiminated for any awards? I haven't a clue, but it should have. Another fine piece of entertainment...great cast, beautiful production design and cinematography, an airtight script, I could go on. Even the gimmicky ending was brilliant! And Jessica Biel is hawt! Seriously, this was like a little character play/mystery starring four actors, a old theater and the city of Vienna. Just perfect. What happened?
Game: Titan Quest -- Kill. Loot. Repeat. An action RPG of the finest order. The developer, Iron Lore, (I believe) was the toast of GDC, receiving kudos from their fellow developers at the "choice" awards. Deservedly so. What a great game. The item management is fun, not tedious. The voice acting is good, not annoying. The weapons and powers are familiar, yet original. And it's like playing in your very own Harryhausen movie. What could be better?
Game: Rogue Galaxy -- Okay, I just don't have the time to slog through a Japanese RPG. But this one is worth the effort. It was a little slow to get going, and the learning curve is rather steep. But I'm having a lot of fun with it. And the storyline, characters and cut-scenes are actually entertaining! Gadzooks! If anything, the co-op AI of your party members is pretty weak, making the real-time battles a little unfair at times. But I am enjoying the weapons and abilities and switching between characters. And the graphics! Why buy a PS3? Seriously.
Television: Battlestar Galactica -- I stayed up past my bedtime to watch the final two episodes of season three last night. This is a damn fine show. and the producers really know how to leave us hanging! Season four can't come fast enough. I'm reading the blogs...everyone thinks we've seen four of the "final five" Cylons, but I'm not convinced. Theories from clever viewers suggest that our "watchtower" friends are not Cylons at all. Seriously, could Tigh be a Cylon and keep his dignity? Doubtful. Starbuck's return was also welcome, and expected. Hopefully the rumor of a mid-break summer movie will help with the agony of waiting...
Movie: Idiocracy -- Okay, the movie doesn't really live up to the brilliance of its premise, but there are so many LOL moments here. "Excape!" The House of Representin'. Law degrees from COSTCO. And so on and so forth. Mike Judge should make more movies.
Comic: The Walking Dead -- Chris lent me the first five trades, and I am hooked. You know how like at the end of a zombie movie, you want to know what happens next? This comic tells you.
MC: Royce the 5'9" -- So I got the album "Death Is Certain" when I was in San Fran, and I can't stop listening to it. This guy is criminally overlooked, but then again, maybe he should stay underground. I think his busted friendship with Eminem might have actually been a good thing. Cold raps, indeed!
Book: Cartoon Modern -- An amazing overview of 1950s animation, when people started smoking dope and listening to jazz and getting all freaked out, man!
Movie: Monsters, Inc. -- Okay, an older movie, but Aviella can't stop watching it. (And as a result, neither can I.) Having now seen the thing about a dozen times, I can say without a doubt that it is tied with "The Incredibles" as PIXAR's finest hour.
Okay, I'm done. I really have to get to work now.
Friday, March 16, 2007
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Gahhh
How does one go from relaxed and happy to be back at work to completely overwhelmed and stressed within a 24-hour time span? Crap. Well, that was fun while it lasted.
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