You may not know that nerdcore music rocks harder live. Before PAX, what I had listened to of Optimus Rhyme had only convinced me that, "Yeah, it's pretty neat." Now, I'm a believer. Part of this is the usual hit-or-miss problems that crop up when small independent groups enter the studio. The group goes in, records a good set, and then some damn fool says to themselves, "Hey, all of that RAWK is getting in the way of Count Lyle's mellifluous voice! I'd better fix that."
Meanwhile, M.C. Frontalot's studio works possess a superior studio mix, but I preferred his live backup to the rotating cast of starts he grabbed for his album. That said, I'm still happy to own both CD's, and not just because he gave me a free rubber band with my last purchase.
Meanwhile, Beefy Live is just as good as Beefy Not Live. This is probably because his backup band is an iPod.
On the other hand, I can pretty much take or leave people covering videogame music. There are still some standouts that grab my attention, but for the most part, I only find myself liking the songs I already know from playing the games they're attached to. My current theories as to why this might be the case:
1- As a child, I only played games with good music.
2- Most covers of videogame music drain the midi-styled charm that made them so catchy, while failing to inject their own flavor into it.
3- No, really, Final Fantasy music sucks.
Showing posts with label pax. Show all posts
Showing posts with label pax. Show all posts
Sunday, September 09, 2007
Thursday, August 30, 2007
PAX: Nsidious
Most of the contests at PAX were simple enough: You filled out a form, stuffed it in a box, and promptly forgot you had ever participated in it. A few others had some qualifications: Two Worlds demanded that you defeated someone in a wizardly duel first. Fun fact: Eldrich magic is no match for a brisk jog.
And then there was Nvidia's contest. You stood in a line. You picked up a shirt, and a button. The button had a number on it. Someone else in the convention would be wearing a button with a number identical to yours. All you had to do was to find that person, and the two of you might get to spin a wheel that offered everything from fifty dollars worth of stuff, to the latest and greatest of video cards, to a whole host of other items.
After receiving their badges, the participants would then realize how very poorly designed they were. The Nvidia logo was huge, but the five digit number was very tiny. In a constantly moving crowd of thousands, it would take a miracle to find the person who had their matching number.
Still, gamers are a crafty lot. Handmade signs were swiftly made. Then people realized that if wearing one sign was good, wearing two signs would be even better. But still, they worried. What if they never passed by their numerical soulmate? A nearby wall was commandeered, and numbers were scrawled over it, attached to contact information and pleas for help.
Some reasoned that even that might be insufficient, and stronger methods were required. Those looking for the easy way out would end their questions at a Q & A panel with, "and my Nvidia number is..." Others would spend their off-time standing in the middle of the room, holding up their sign, and turning slowly to show it off better. Their haunted eyes would stare through people, incapable of seeing anything but the numbers that could free them from their hellish existence.
Even sleep was put to a good use. No trip back down the escalators was complete without passing by a beanbag shantytown of slumbering souls, their signs propped up against their bodies. The tableau was one flaming oil barrel away from being the perfect blend of nerdcore and hobocore.
I'm just glad that I never got involved. There was too much to do at PAX, and too little time to do it in. Even without wearing a sign across my chest, just constantly checking the badge numbers of everyone would have been too much of a distraction to me. In the end, I wonder if the button design actually reinforced the message Nvidia was trying to put out. After all, everyone involved now has firsthand experience of poor graphics making a game tooth-grindingly difficult.
And then there was Nvidia's contest. You stood in a line. You picked up a shirt, and a button. The button had a number on it. Someone else in the convention would be wearing a button with a number identical to yours. All you had to do was to find that person, and the two of you might get to spin a wheel that offered everything from fifty dollars worth of stuff, to the latest and greatest of video cards, to a whole host of other items.
After receiving their badges, the participants would then realize how very poorly designed they were. The Nvidia logo was huge, but the five digit number was very tiny. In a constantly moving crowd of thousands, it would take a miracle to find the person who had their matching number.
Still, gamers are a crafty lot. Handmade signs were swiftly made. Then people realized that if wearing one sign was good, wearing two signs would be even better. But still, they worried. What if they never passed by their numerical soulmate? A nearby wall was commandeered, and numbers were scrawled over it, attached to contact information and pleas for help.
Some reasoned that even that might be insufficient, and stronger methods were required. Those looking for the easy way out would end their questions at a Q & A panel with, "and my Nvidia number is..." Others would spend their off-time standing in the middle of the room, holding up their sign, and turning slowly to show it off better. Their haunted eyes would stare through people, incapable of seeing anything but the numbers that could free them from their hellish existence.
Even sleep was put to a good use. No trip back down the escalators was complete without passing by a beanbag shantytown of slumbering souls, their signs propped up against their bodies. The tableau was one flaming oil barrel away from being the perfect blend of nerdcore and hobocore.
I'm just glad that I never got involved. There was too much to do at PAX, and too little time to do it in. Even without wearing a sign across my chest, just constantly checking the badge numbers of everyone would have been too much of a distraction to me. In the end, I wonder if the button design actually reinforced the message Nvidia was trying to put out. After all, everyone involved now has firsthand experience of poor graphics making a game tooth-grindingly difficult.
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
PAX 2007: Between Medium And Xtra Large
One of my goals at PAX was to pick up more T-shirts. Not counting my hoodie though, which is fairly useless for an East Coaster in Los Angeles, I already have three Penny Arcade shirts. As much as I'd like to hail ball, I'd feel like a tool if I could outfit myself courtesy of Kiko all week. So other than picking up a PAX '07 tee, my intent was to diversify.
In all, I acquired four new T-shirts. Two were purchased with cash. Another was given to me in return for a charitable donation. I won the last in a Chow-Yun Fat trivia contest.
Me: The Corrupter!
Stranglehold Guy: Give that man a T-shirt.
Stranglehold Woman: You're a Medium?
Me: I taste dead people.
Stranglehold Woman: I have Large and Xtra large.
Me: Uh, maybe it will shrink in the wash?
Stranglehold Guy: What do John Woo, Brian DePalma, and J.J. Abrams have in common?
Me: Mission: Impossible!
Stranglehold Guy: Sir, you've already got your over-sized night shirt. No shot glass for you.
The Stranglehold T-shirts were designed solely for the development team on the video game. Also, it was white, so it wasn't like I'd be inclined to wear it anyway. Overall, a minor disappointment compared to the Large T-shirt I bought from The NESkimos.
I knew it would be too big for me. It always is when whoever is at the merch table says, "Maybe it will shrink in the wash." But I felt bad for them. They had to play after Freezepop, and other than rocking the entire soundtrack to Castlevania II, their set was weak. A guy I met last year at the post-PAX nerdcore night walked out. I'm sorry, dude. I was embarrassed, too.
I felt I'd look like a dick if I asked the ECA representative at PAX for a raincheck on a T-shirt I could actually wear. I'll do it through e-mail instead. I'll even return the one they gave me and pay for postage. It's for a good cause.
Which leaves me with one T-shirt that almost fits.
I know this seems unusually "You own a dog and you feed it" for our blog, but I am going somewhere with this. I just never gained respect for the academic approach to thesis statements. When the authors of Freakonomics or Richistan blow their "In conclusion" load in the first 15 pages, why do I need to read the rest of the book? Give me an anecdote instead, and save the sound bites for page 220.
In all, I acquired four new T-shirts. Two were purchased with cash. Another was given to me in return for a charitable donation. I won the last in a Chow-Yun Fat trivia contest.
Me: The Corrupter!
Stranglehold Guy: Give that man a T-shirt.
Stranglehold Woman: You're a Medium?
Me: I taste dead people.
Stranglehold Woman: I have Large and Xtra large.
Me: Uh, maybe it will shrink in the wash?
Stranglehold Guy: What do John Woo, Brian DePalma, and J.J. Abrams have in common?
Me: Mission: Impossible!
Stranglehold Guy: Sir, you've already got your over-sized night shirt. No shot glass for you.
The Stranglehold T-shirts were designed solely for the development team on the video game. Also, it was white, so it wasn't like I'd be inclined to wear it anyway. Overall, a minor disappointment compared to the Large T-shirt I bought from The NESkimos.
I knew it would be too big for me. It always is when whoever is at the merch table says, "Maybe it will shrink in the wash." But I felt bad for them. They had to play after Freezepop, and other than rocking the entire soundtrack to Castlevania II, their set was weak. A guy I met last year at the post-PAX nerdcore night walked out. I'm sorry, dude. I was embarrassed, too.
I felt I'd look like a dick if I asked the ECA representative at PAX for a raincheck on a T-shirt I could actually wear. I'll do it through e-mail instead. I'll even return the one they gave me and pay for postage. It's for a good cause.
Which leaves me with one T-shirt that almost fits.
I know this seems unusually "You own a dog and you feed it" for our blog, but I am going somewhere with this. I just never gained respect for the academic approach to thesis statements. When the authors of Freakonomics or Richistan blow their "In conclusion" load in the first 15 pages, why do I need to read the rest of the book? Give me an anecdote instead, and save the sound bites for page 220.
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
PAX 2007: Your Demo Sucks
Pheonix Wright had already left PAX by Sunday afternoon, in order to engage in a tedious amount of backtracking. Luckily, Miles Edgeworth was more than ready to prove that he is made of sterner stuff.
And yes, as fun as PAX was, there were some things to find objectionable about it. Most of these were the audience participation part of the show, where people wandering the exhibition hall were suddenly grabbed by burly men, and forced to play demos for card games of varying collectability. Still, such tragic occurrences can teach a person a lot. For example, I walked away with a newfound wealth of knowledge about how not to present a demonstration of a game.
- Promising to teach a game in five minutes is just a bad idea. For example, I was taught that in the Hero Card System, your character has a thing, a thing, and another thing. You can play three things a turn, and three identically named things that modify these things. Then, remove three things, and your turn ends. Logically, this easily lends itself to games based around metaphysical dream combat, stealing treasure from orcs, and hacking the planet.
- Lying about how a card game works just confuses everyone. The Ultimate Fighting System presents a card game with a host of rules, most of which were only revealed to the players halfway through the game. On paper, this makes the game a bit easier to digest on the players. In reality, the people involved may very well feel like the game they're playing has an infinite number of rules... especially when rules that would have altered the game from the beginning are not announced until after it ends.
- If a collectable card game is not going to give away a free demo deck after the game ends, there is no damn reason why both players' decks should be as boring as humanly possible. As far as we could tell, World Of Warcraft: The CCG is a dull game with no redeeming qualities whatsoever. Worse, we realized this within the first ten minutes of a game that took half an hour to finish.
The last game especially seemed weak when compared to The Spoils. There, the demonstration of it was well run, with an able description of how to play in the beginning, with no crucial rules left out. The games goals were adjusted downwards, so that the players could get back to the convention. And afterwords, the players had a nice, tournament legal deck of cards to keep... and add to, of course.
And yes, as fun as PAX was, there were some things to find objectionable about it. Most of these were the audience participation part of the show, where people wandering the exhibition hall were suddenly grabbed by burly men, and forced to play demos for card games of varying collectability. Still, such tragic occurrences can teach a person a lot. For example, I walked away with a newfound wealth of knowledge about how not to present a demonstration of a game.
- Promising to teach a game in five minutes is just a bad idea. For example, I was taught that in the Hero Card System, your character has a thing, a thing, and another thing. You can play three things a turn, and three identically named things that modify these things. Then, remove three things, and your turn ends. Logically, this easily lends itself to games based around metaphysical dream combat, stealing treasure from orcs, and hacking the planet.
- Lying about how a card game works just confuses everyone. The Ultimate Fighting System presents a card game with a host of rules, most of which were only revealed to the players halfway through the game. On paper, this makes the game a bit easier to digest on the players. In reality, the people involved may very well feel like the game they're playing has an infinite number of rules... especially when rules that would have altered the game from the beginning are not announced until after it ends.
- If a collectable card game is not going to give away a free demo deck after the game ends, there is no damn reason why both players' decks should be as boring as humanly possible. As far as we could tell, World Of Warcraft: The CCG is a dull game with no redeeming qualities whatsoever. Worse, we realized this within the first ten minutes of a game that took half an hour to finish.
The last game especially seemed weak when compared to The Spoils. There, the demonstration of it was well run, with an able description of how to play in the beginning, with no crucial rules left out. The games goals were adjusted downwards, so that the players could get back to the convention. And afterwords, the players had a nice, tournament legal deck of cards to keep... and add to, of course.
Monday, August 27, 2007
PAX 2007: Not A Live Blog
Let me get this out of the way first. I don't know how widely it's been reported, but the Penny Arcade game On The Rain-Slick Precipice Of Darkness is a old-school graphic adventure with turn-based combat. I have seen it with my own eyes while holding several others' eyes in my hands. I had never imagined such a thing. It looks glorious.
We've been off the grid for several days in Seattle, soaking in PAX. On the spot reports are available at 1UP, with varying excesses in punctuation. Not that I blame anyone. Where else can you go from Wil Wheaton decrying government interference in video games to Uwe Boll ranting about foreign policy in less than 3 hours? Nowhere else on Friday, August 24th, 2007, that's where.
We'll be going into more intimate detail throughout the week. Rather than taking a "Day One, 1400 hours" approach, we'll dissect certain aspects of the experience to present a slice of life tableaux. Or at least I will, and I'll remove Mr. Bile's posts if he tries to do otherwise. We may not get to everything before deciding it's completely dated though, so allow me to single out some highlights:
More on that last bullet point later this week. Also, the story of PAX as told through T-shirts, a numerical photo essay, we interrogate a poor guy at the Wizards of the Coast booth about D&D 4th edition, and we almost get free drinks and sandwiches twice. What more could you ask for?
Maybe a picture of this guy. I'm sorry. I left my camera in the hotel room most of the weekend, and I didn't realize who he was until it was too late. Mr. Bile, I don't suppose you managed to track down Phoenix Wright and his archenemy in the waning hours of PAX?
We've been off the grid for several days in Seattle, soaking in PAX. On the spot reports are available at 1UP, with varying excesses in punctuation. Not that I blame anyone. Where else can you go from Wil Wheaton decrying government interference in video games to Uwe Boll ranting about foreign policy in less than 3 hours? Nowhere else on Friday, August 24th, 2007, that's where.
We'll be going into more intimate detail throughout the week. Rather than taking a "Day One, 1400 hours" approach, we'll dissect certain aspects of the experience to present a slice of life tableaux. Or at least I will, and I'll remove Mr. Bile's posts if he tries to do otherwise. We may not get to everything before deciding it's completely dated though, so allow me to single out some highlights:
- A day before the convention had even begun, I saw a furry.
- Over the course of three days, I was mistaken for an indie musician, a rock star, and a woman.
- I not only rode three escalators in succession with MC Frontalot, I saw his band demo "Creep" on Rock Band.
- Three people who I met last year at PAX, who I had not heard from since, came up to me and said, "Hey, it's you!" That was neat.
- I met two more nice people at the 1UP panel who might remember me next year.
- I sat through the entire surprise guest panel with Uwe Boll as he dissembled under questioning and, other than the woman who called him out for making racist shit (I think I'm paraphrasing, but I'm sure both those words were used), those who didn't leave the theater backed away from making the honest, incendiary comments they've freely printed anonymously on the Internet since House of the Dead.
- I got a complimentary spongy baseball from ITT Tech, and entered to win my weight in ramen noodles.
- I pwned Mr. Bile in Puzzle Fighter.
- I learned the difference between geeks and hipsters.
More on that last bullet point later this week. Also, the story of PAX as told through T-shirts, a numerical photo essay, we interrogate a poor guy at the Wizards of the Coast booth about D&D 4th edition, and we almost get free drinks and sandwiches twice. What more could you ask for?
Maybe a picture of this guy. I'm sorry. I left my camera in the hotel room most of the weekend, and I didn't realize who he was until it was too late. Mr. Bile, I don't suppose you managed to track down Phoenix Wright and his archenemy in the waning hours of PAX?
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
What I Haven't Been Blogging About
It can be tough being Midboss. The daily grind of random guilds attempting to level-grind their way through me has taken its toll this summer. I am running out of magical drops. I currently find myself hurtling towards a climactic raid encounter with tanks and DPS'ers of significantly higher levels than me and my mobs. Posts will be light until PAX.
Here's what I would be blogging about, if I had the mana to post:
Beefy: I know I've brought the name up before, but he has a new song on his MySpace. It's very sweet. If you are a gamer, either lapsed or hardcore, you owe it to yourself to check out "Play With Me" just for the chorus. Bethzilla is teh hawt, as the nerds used to say. (Someone update me on what the nerds say now. Thanks.)
Casino Royale: Ow! My balls! Pretty to look at, but too long. Certain Cold War conceits don't adapt well to more modern political conflicts. An acceptable and grounded franchise reboot/origin story. I hope Hollywood makes further use of Mads Mikkelsen, believable bad guy and "sexiest guy" from Denmark.
The Dark River by John Twelve Hawks: Great listen thanks to the vocal talent of Scott Brick. As in book one, The Traveler, characters may have seemed a bit bland without his inflections. But considering this is the second cliff-hanger in a row, and the final book won't be out for another two years, I don't see the point in recommending it until 2009. It's not a Sopranos ending, but an epilogue would have gone a long way towards making this a more satisfying read/listen.
Gametap: Is the reason I now have an Xbox 360 controller. Now if only Tomb Raider Anniversary (which is awesome) recognized that I had it plugged in and gave me gamepad tips as opposed to keyboard instructions. Things crash, I have to run Overlord in a disappointing resolution, and with I through IV available, I'm not sure I can tell what the best version of Heroes of Might and Magic is. But it's made me feel like a gamer again right when I needed it.
Guitar Hero '80s: I borrowed this from a friend out of sense of obligation to Oingo Boingo. The critical consensus is right on the mark. The '80s didn't rock as much as I thought they did. Medium's a drag. Hard is a bit more tolerable than GH2, but sucks when you get to songs you've never heard before. I'll admit that I'm curious enough to get to other actual fun songs to beat Balls To Teh Wall, but in the age of iTunes, I don't understand why I can't just pick the songs I want to play and rock out.
Harry Potter and the Whatsits by JK Rowling: I will save my final thoughts until Mr. Bile finishes the book. No point speaking into a vacuum on my own blog. When he is done, we will go at it Instant Messenger style. Only one can blog while the other still reads. Ginny is a whorecrux.
Ooky Spooky by Voltaire: It's finally out. I'm sure it's a great album if you haven't seen him perform live since Boo Hoo was released. If you have, the only real improvement with accompaniment is "Dead." "Hell In A Handbasket" is better live, and as Mr. Bile mentioned some time ago, the one song everyone wanted is not included on the latest album. TF?
Porn: The more time passes, the longer my thesis becomes. I will get to this soon, I promise.
Roky Erickson: Apparently, he's more than just a guy who wrote a song I bought on iTunes over a year ago. He is a real person who founded psychedelic rock and was horribly scarred by the time he spent in mental institutions. I suggest you check out his library. I'm partial to "I Have Always Been Here Before" myself. If I had heard it before, I would have requested it at my wedding.
Here's what I would be blogging about, if I had the mana to post:
Beefy: I know I've brought the name up before, but he has a new song on his MySpace. It's very sweet. If you are a gamer, either lapsed or hardcore, you owe it to yourself to check out "Play With Me" just for the chorus. Bethzilla is teh hawt, as the nerds used to say. (Someone update me on what the nerds say now. Thanks.)
Casino Royale: Ow! My balls! Pretty to look at, but too long. Certain Cold War conceits don't adapt well to more modern political conflicts. An acceptable and grounded franchise reboot/origin story. I hope Hollywood makes further use of Mads Mikkelsen, believable bad guy and "sexiest guy" from Denmark.
The Dark River by John Twelve Hawks: Great listen thanks to the vocal talent of Scott Brick. As in book one, The Traveler, characters may have seemed a bit bland without his inflections. But considering this is the second cliff-hanger in a row, and the final book won't be out for another two years, I don't see the point in recommending it until 2009. It's not a Sopranos ending, but an epilogue would have gone a long way towards making this a more satisfying read/listen.
Gametap: Is the reason I now have an Xbox 360 controller. Now if only Tomb Raider Anniversary (which is awesome) recognized that I had it plugged in and gave me gamepad tips as opposed to keyboard instructions. Things crash, I have to run Overlord in a disappointing resolution, and with I through IV available, I'm not sure I can tell what the best version of Heroes of Might and Magic is. But it's made me feel like a gamer again right when I needed it.
Guitar Hero '80s: I borrowed this from a friend out of sense of obligation to Oingo Boingo. The critical consensus is right on the mark. The '80s didn't rock as much as I thought they did. Medium's a drag. Hard is a bit more tolerable than GH2, but sucks when you get to songs you've never heard before. I'll admit that I'm curious enough to get to other actual fun songs to beat Balls To Teh Wall, but in the age of iTunes, I don't understand why I can't just pick the songs I want to play and rock out.
Harry Potter and the Whatsits by JK Rowling: I will save my final thoughts until Mr. Bile finishes the book. No point speaking into a vacuum on my own blog. When he is done, we will go at it Instant Messenger style. Only one can blog while the other still reads. Ginny is a whorecrux.
Ooky Spooky by Voltaire: It's finally out. I'm sure it's a great album if you haven't seen him perform live since Boo Hoo was released. If you have, the only real improvement with accompaniment is "Dead." "Hell In A Handbasket" is better live, and as Mr. Bile mentioned some time ago, the one song everyone wanted is not included on the latest album. TF?
Porn: The more time passes, the longer my thesis becomes. I will get to this soon, I promise.
Roky Erickson: Apparently, he's more than just a guy who wrote a song I bought on iTunes over a year ago. He is a real person who founded psychedelic rock and was horribly scarred by the time he spent in mental institutions. I suggest you check out his library. I'm partial to "I Have Always Been Here Before" myself. If I had heard it before, I would have requested it at my wedding.
Monday, July 23, 2007
What I Should Have Wanted To Be When I Grew Up
I forget if I ever had any career goals as a kid. It's possible, but I mostly remember wondering when I would decide I wanted to be something. Instead, I drifted through my childhood thinking, "Well, I guess I'd like a job that paid me money. That would be nice."
Now, if someone had told me I could have a career that involved breaking into forgotten buildings and taking pictures of them, I know I would have applied myself. The threat of arrest seems like a small price to pay, really.
These days, I have no illusions that I can learn how to sneak past guards, let alone take a picture that dosen't dissapoint me. But that's okay, because I can practice my Jenga skills and train to become an Omeganaut. It's not happening this year, but some dreams die hard.
Now, if someone had told me I could have a career that involved breaking into forgotten buildings and taking pictures of them, I know I would have applied myself. The threat of arrest seems like a small price to pay, really.
These days, I have no illusions that I can learn how to sneak past guards, let alone take a picture that dosen't dissapoint me. But that's okay, because I can practice my Jenga skills and train to become an Omeganaut. It's not happening this year, but some dreams die hard.
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
How Come You Don't Post?
Despite our best intentions, posts continue to trickle in at a rate of two per week. Employment fluctuation (and perhaps even stagnation) is still a factor, as is the fear of becoming another irrelevant echo in the Internet chamber. Add in professional prohibitions ("All employees must agree to refrain from commenting on shower fixtures in print, podcast, and electronic media forms") and the fear of being yet another one of those sites that failed expectations and trails off with an ellipses of unlikely hope...
...yeah, things are looking bleak. But I still blame the green background.
Chances are Canned Food And Shotguns at Blogger will go out in a blaze of glory during PAX 2007 (assuming my wife lets me borrow her laptop and we can post from there). But in the proceeding weeks, we might as well make the most of it.
As for myself, I promise you this. If nothing else, this blog will not be put to rest until I deliver my long-promised report on the state of pornography.
...yeah, things are looking bleak. But I still blame the green background.
Chances are Canned Food And Shotguns at Blogger will go out in a blaze of glory during PAX 2007 (assuming my wife lets me borrow her laptop and we can post from there). But in the proceeding weeks, we might as well make the most of it.
As for myself, I promise you this. If nothing else, this blog will not be put to rest until I deliver my long-promised report on the state of pornography.
Monday, May 28, 2007
PAX?
Is anyone else going to the Penny Arcade Expo? If so, we need to talk before hotel reservations are finalized. Like, stat.
For those of you unfamiliar with the con, it's the annual gaming event put together by the guys at Penny Arcade. There are video game tournaments for those so inclined, and exhibitors offering first or second looks at their upcoming titles. But Mr. Bile and I are more about the music. In addition to PAX alumni MC Frontalot, the NESkimos, and Optimus Rhyme (non-embarrassing nerdcore hip-hop, heavy metal covers of video game music, and a rockin' live band, respectively), this year's lineup includes Freezepop, who you might know from bonus tracks on Guitar Hero I and II, and Jonathan Coulton, the man who brought you "Code Monkey", "Re: Your Brains," and a folk-rock cover of "Baby Got Back."
There's also a very friendly open-gaming room and the Omegathon, where randomly selected attendees compete in front of an audience of 20,000+ in tabletop and videogame challenges. Last year's contest included pre-release Guitar Hero II tracks and Tetris. I'm no prognosticator, but something tells me Carcassone or Catan might be involved this time around. At least, I hope so, because my name is in the hat.
Oh, and Will Wheaton will be there, if you're into that kind of thing. And by that kind of thing, I don't know what I mean. I can only assume that if an appearance by Will Wheaton whets your appetite, you have your reasons.
So there you have it. Several perfectly good reasons to vacation in Seattle the weekend before Labor Day, even if you've never heard of the Fruit Fucker 2000.
For those of you unfamiliar with the con, it's the annual gaming event put together by the guys at Penny Arcade. There are video game tournaments for those so inclined, and exhibitors offering first or second looks at their upcoming titles. But Mr. Bile and I are more about the music. In addition to PAX alumni MC Frontalot, the NESkimos, and Optimus Rhyme (non-embarrassing nerdcore hip-hop, heavy metal covers of video game music, and a rockin' live band, respectively), this year's lineup includes Freezepop, who you might know from bonus tracks on Guitar Hero I and II, and Jonathan Coulton, the man who brought you "Code Monkey", "Re: Your Brains," and a folk-rock cover of "Baby Got Back."
There's also a very friendly open-gaming room and the Omegathon, where randomly selected attendees compete in front of an audience of 20,000+ in tabletop and videogame challenges. Last year's contest included pre-release Guitar Hero II tracks and Tetris. I'm no prognosticator, but something tells me Carcassone or Catan might be involved this time around. At least, I hope so, because my name is in the hat.
Oh, and Will Wheaton will be there, if you're into that kind of thing. And by that kind of thing, I don't know what I mean. I can only assume that if an appearance by Will Wheaton whets your appetite, you have your reasons.
So there you have it. Several perfectly good reasons to vacation in Seattle the weekend before Labor Day, even if you've never heard of the Fruit Fucker 2000.
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
The Price Of Clean
Some time ago, my ceiling had an aneurysm, letting a rich spray of arterial roofwater into my apartment. Since then, I've been inspired to launch a number of cleaning assaults onto my already questionable carpet, in the hopes of reverting it from bad beige to good beige. My latest ploy to this end involved buying a mediocre steam cleaner, immediately losing the instruction manual, and improvising from there.
At first, the large tufts of pitch black hair that the cleaner kicked up delighted me. I didn't know where the hell they came from, but each one was proof that my house was getting incrementally better.
Then I heard the scratching coming from the attached water tank, and found out that I've got a damn ghost stuck in it. Not one of those mostly domesticated Midwest ghosts, either. I've got one of those Asian Longhairs that came over to America six years ago, before Customs learned to check shipments of imported Asian lumber for infestations. Without any unnatural predators to control them, the damn things are popping up everywhere.
I don't know to do about her, and I certainly don't know what she was doing in my carpet. The apartment's previous tenant has moved to Japan, and asking him over long distance if he happens to know why there's a dead girl in my room seems ill advised. Plus, the guidebooks agree that knowing a Longhair's secret past just pisses it off, anyway. What the guides don't agree on is a way to successfully get rid of a Longhair. I could just drop the water tank off at a landfill, but then I'd be out of a water tank, and constantly afraid that the ghost would go on an Incredible Journey back to my place.
The worst thing about the situation is her age. My apartment does have a contract that assures me that "Any spectral denizens within your apartment are all eighteen years of age or older, and do not represent any living or fictional characters." It would be a nice piece of CYA legalese, if it wasn't so obviously a pack of lies. The girl is...eight, perhaps. I'm willing to go so far as twelve. Either way, it looks bad, and I want her gone before my neighbors find out.
I'm probably going to have to get Narraptor to deal with the damn thing. Longhairs are pretty damn instant that they get the last word in, but after his extra-strength exorcism of this blog, I'm pretty sure he can handle her. But that means I'll have to commit to PAX, and watch people play Dance Dance Revolution for cash and prizes. There are worse fates, but none of them involve complete strangers telling me how great The Minibosses are.
At first, the large tufts of pitch black hair that the cleaner kicked up delighted me. I didn't know where the hell they came from, but each one was proof that my house was getting incrementally better.
Then I heard the scratching coming from the attached water tank, and found out that I've got a damn ghost stuck in it. Not one of those mostly domesticated Midwest ghosts, either. I've got one of those Asian Longhairs that came over to America six years ago, before Customs learned to check shipments of imported Asian lumber for infestations. Without any unnatural predators to control them, the damn things are popping up everywhere.
I don't know to do about her, and I certainly don't know what she was doing in my carpet. The apartment's previous tenant has moved to Japan, and asking him over long distance if he happens to know why there's a dead girl in my room seems ill advised. Plus, the guidebooks agree that knowing a Longhair's secret past just pisses it off, anyway. What the guides don't agree on is a way to successfully get rid of a Longhair. I could just drop the water tank off at a landfill, but then I'd be out of a water tank, and constantly afraid that the ghost would go on an Incredible Journey back to my place.
The worst thing about the situation is her age. My apartment does have a contract that assures me that "Any spectral denizens within your apartment are all eighteen years of age or older, and do not represent any living or fictional characters." It would be a nice piece of CYA legalese, if it wasn't so obviously a pack of lies. The girl is...eight, perhaps. I'm willing to go so far as twelve. Either way, it looks bad, and I want her gone before my neighbors find out.
I'm probably going to have to get Narraptor to deal with the damn thing. Longhairs are pretty damn instant that they get the last word in, but after his extra-strength exorcism of this blog, I'm pretty sure he can handle her. But that means I'll have to commit to PAX, and watch people play Dance Dance Revolution for cash and prizes. There are worse fates, but none of them involve complete strangers telling me how great The Minibosses are.
Monday, January 29, 2007
Emilie Autumn
As promised, I will explain the title of my previous post.
I recently discovered a Chicago-based artist who goes by the name Emilie Autumn. And by discovered, I mean she had a cool track on a Dancing Ferret compilation I picked up at Hot Topic. In reality, Courtney Love got to her first.
Projekt seems to be sold out of her CDs, but a few are still available from Isolation Tank for a slightly higher price. She only has one album on iTunes, which contrary to what I told Tom Foolery, is not more fairy than her sample tracks on MySpace. (In this context, "fairy" means "something Neil Gaiman would listen to," and is not a pejorative--unless you hated Where's Neil When We Need Him?, in which case it is.) Having listened to Enchant several times now, I'd liken it more to Poe's last album, but goth. It's eclectic. A few tracks sound like Hungry Lucy with better lyrics. A couple are like Deine Lakaien with a hot chick. One song samples What Child Is This? In 14 tracks, she covers everything from gothaissance to R&B.
She has a very thorough list of her influences on her MySpace page. It seems pretty accurate.
I now have a reason to schedule my next tour date in Chicago. But not before Mr. Bile commits to PAX.
I recently discovered a Chicago-based artist who goes by the name Emilie Autumn. And by discovered, I mean she had a cool track on a Dancing Ferret compilation I picked up at Hot Topic. In reality, Courtney Love got to her first.
Projekt seems to be sold out of her CDs, but a few are still available from Isolation Tank for a slightly higher price. She only has one album on iTunes, which contrary to what I told Tom Foolery, is not more fairy than her sample tracks on MySpace. (In this context, "fairy" means "something Neil Gaiman would listen to," and is not a pejorative--unless you hated Where's Neil When We Need Him?, in which case it is.) Having listened to Enchant several times now, I'd liken it more to Poe's last album, but goth. It's eclectic. A few tracks sound like Hungry Lucy with better lyrics. A couple are like Deine Lakaien with a hot chick. One song samples What Child Is This? In 14 tracks, she covers everything from gothaissance to R&B.
She has a very thorough list of her influences on her MySpace page. It seems pretty accurate.
I now have a reason to schedule my next tour date in Chicago. But not before Mr. Bile commits to PAX.
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