Simple Gaming Joy

So simple yet so fun. The game is called audiosurf. You pilot a space ship along a track trying to connect three or more same colored bricks together. Just that aspect alone it's an enjoyable time waster of a game. The developers though added a little something to put it over the top. The track bricks all coincide with whatever mp3 or song from a CD that you choose. It works really well. Just want something fun to kill a little time? Then play the game to a slower song. Want a challenge? Then select a faster song from your music collection. I could keep going on and on trying to describe it, but I think seeing the game in action will do a much better job.

Mr. Blue Sky: This is the first video I saw of the game. I love how the track bounces along.


Bohemian Rhapsody: The changes in the song make this a fun song to play.


Then there are leaderboards to see who has the best score on each song, and so on. Sometimes just a clever idea can make a game.

Your 2008 Carling Cup Winners!

Spurs obtained their first silverware in nine years by beating Chelsea 2-1. They outplayed Chelsea for practically the entire match. Still we had to come from behind and then win it in extra-time. Woodgate and King were marvelous in defense, but that didn't make those last fifteen minutes any less unbearable. I lost year at least of my life watching the match. I even got a little misty eyed seeing King kiss and raise the cup. Good things are certain to follow.

Glory, glory Tottenham Hotspur!

Ramblings (The Grindstone Edition)

Because of this throat ailment, I have not had a drink of Pepsi or caffeine of any kind for over a week. For the past three weeks I have drank what would equal about one can of Pepsi. All I have had to drink is water and a couple Gatorades. My body has no idea what is happening. Let me repeat that: Three weeks - one Pepsi.

In celebration of going back to work I purchased the drum set for Rock Band. I was doing fine till I got to the second tier on the hard difficulty. Now I'm all blisters and leg cramps. Being the compulsive person that I am, I've now watched drumming basic videos online, and practiced everywhere I go. Where was this dedication when I was young and learning an actual instrument?

We had the American Idol draft yesterday. I got all the contestants with crazy names:


I'm pretty happy with my picks at least with the two ladies. Still I can't complain that I have someone named Chikezie on my team.

For the record I'm glad the blond kid that sang in a fake British accent didn't make it. I don't care that he supposedly lives in a car. He got cocky, stunk it up, and then tried to cry his way back on. Good riddance.

Saw this on Engadget and it is full on creepy from Elmo to the crazy guy in the lab coat to the Russian Mob boss at the end of the clip.

We always thought when robots took over the world they would like Arnold. Clearly the real future will be much more frightening.

To Ring in My Return to Work

I offer you my first research question post strike: Is there a wedding veil made out of titanium or some other material that would cause a bullet to ricochet?

My Question: How much longer till our next hiatus?

Yes, I Am Back To Work...Amen.

A Little Reccomendation

Just saw a wonderful documentary tonight called "Confessions of a Superhero" that belongs in my Snobfest of 2007. It follows four people that work as superhero characters along Hollywood Blvd. It is a fascinating study of four people who only have their quest for fame and their job in common. There's Superman the veteran of boulevard and son of a former actress. The Hulk is portrayed by a man who came to LA during the riots and lived on the streets. A young Hollywood hopeful who married early plays Wonder Woman. Finally, there is the slightly frightening Batman who has a questionable background. This isn't made to laugh at these people that dress up, but to see why these people do it every day. The film then turns into something more as these people open their life to the cameras. I highly recommend this film.

Ramblings (The Week of Suck)

How about we get the suck part out of the way first. For the past two weeks I've been battling some weird throat infection. This isn't your normal sore throat or strep throat. Somehow my throat got some kind of bacteria or something below my Adam's apple, so I had the constant feeling of gag. Worse is that it would tease me by making me think it was going away only to have it come back stronger. Of course the doctor's remedy was antibiotics which you would think should be working by now. The worse is the lidocaine I was given to numb my throat. It's basically ectoplasm. Wretched tasting ectoplasm.

A side effect to this illness is that my schedule is now all thrown out of whack. With the fear of choking to death in my sleep, it has taken me till 6 or 7 in the morning for me to fall asleep. There's nothing like trying to fall asleep only to see the sunrise.

To top off this wonderful week, my Xbox 360 is once again on the fritz. This time it isn't a red ring of death but simply one blinking red light. If I spin in around on one foot three and a half times and then say "Microsoft Quality Control" backwards followed by the slaughtering of two silverfish I can usually get it to boot on the tenth try. But, that's three dead Xboxes in a little over one calendar year. Three! Why can't the PS3 have decent games?

Finally, my desktop is on death's door. It seems every week one more thing goes wrong with it. This week it has been my display driver.

It hasn't all been bad.

The Mets basically locked up the NL by trading nothing to the Twins for Johan Santana. He just happens to be the best pitcher in the last ten years. Wait no that sucks too for every other NL team. The Cubs need to trade for Bedard and even Roberts too. I'm tired of this thinking that once you make it to the playoffs anything can happen. Well, right now the AL is kicking the NL's ass. We need talent that competes with the AL and not just within the crappy NL central.

But really there is good news. The Tottenham Hotspurs actually got players in the transfer window that will finally help our defense. No more overpaid fourth strikers, but honest to goodness quality defenders. Sure there is now way we can get near the top now, but I think we now have a defense to support our attacking offense.

I picked up both Vampire Weekend's debut album and The Evangelicals album "The Evening Descends." Both are quite good. The Evangelicals is a little trippy, but I really like it for some reason.

I finally was able to survive Metallica's "One" on the hard difficulty in Guitar Hero 3. Really, you have no idea how thrilled I was by this. Maybe that's what killed my Xbox? Slayer's "Raining Blood" still kicks my ass. Stupid old fingers.