Finally! Street Fighter IV in motion... commence drooling with cautious optimism.
Lupe Fiasco raps about video games.
Is it also a social commentary about violence and gaming?
Some may think so but I don't.
As for the song, the chorus is kinda lame, I may not own anything from Lupe, but I like his style.
Is it also a social commentary about violence and gaming?
Some may think so but I don't.
As for the song, the chorus is kinda lame, I may not own anything from Lupe, but I like his style.
Christmas Time is Here
Ever since we were kids, my family honored the tradition of unwrapping the gifts midnight Christmas Eve. I guess most Filipinos do it, and some other countries too, but I never knew why. Can someone tell me?
My oldest sister Maureen (who probably loves Christmas more than the kids), and Kenny (left), and Ricky
My mom
Christmas morning:
with breakfast cookin'
time for some cartoons
Uh oh, NBA today! maybe a little nap before the Lakers and Suns game...
My oldest sister Maureen (who probably loves Christmas more than the kids), and Kenny (left), and Ricky
My dad and lil' Kenny
My other sis Myra and bro-in-law Phil
Half us wanted to do the gift unwrapping Christmas Eve, the half wanted to do it Christmas morning, so we compromised and decided to half and half it. Especially because my sister and brother-in-law went to the Chargers game, and my niece and nephew were getting cranky but were too excited to sleep.
My other sis Myra and bro-in-law Phil
My momChristmas morning:
with breakfast cookin'
time for some cartoonsUh oh, NBA today! maybe a little nap before the Lakers and Suns game...
Just finished reading Dan Simmons' The Terror, an historical fiction novel about the ill-fated 1845 Franklin Expedition, in which the crew of nearly 130 men died after the ships, the Erebus and the Terror, found themselves stuck in Arctic pack ice and was forced to abandon both ships; lead by the more capable captain of the Terror Francis Crozier (the main protagonist), than the more decorated and unworthy Sir John Franklin. They left behind only few washed up pieces of wood, bone fragments, written notes and an oral account from the Inuit tribe in their wake. To this day, there are still archaeologists and history buffs trying to piece together the events.
This expedition is rife with mystery, and provided ample room for Simmons to plug in his own interpretation of what went wrong on the ice. Using Inuit folklore, a giant polar beast, and the pure human instinct to survive by whatever means necessary, he managed to keep me engaged throughout the whole 766 pages.
I think what I liked most of of all was his use of chapters and the passage of time. Each chapter is broken up into mini-episodes, featuring the various characters points of view, and jumping from the next day to even a month after the last chapter, leaving a space in time that we are not privy to until a character flashes back to a significant event. It immediately reminded me of a mini series on television, perhaps best suited for HBO.
The length of the book certainly can become a daunting affair though, as I can see how one can become a bit impatient. The level of detail is quite overwhelming, especially for someone like me who lacks any previous knowledge of anything nautical. But the characters are all interesting enough- from the timid Dr. Goodsir, the conniving Hickey, to the sad, washed-up drunkard Capt. Crozier. The pacing is done very well, and the turn the book takes in the last 200 pages or so caps off the conclusion rather satisfactorily.
It has even sparked in me enough interest to do further research on the Franklin Expedition and Inuit culture.
Blast yourself a merry little Christmas
New map for the game Call of Duty 4 (PC version only, as far as I know).
I was never big on these virtual or robo-pet things, why get a fake pet when you can just adopt a real live animal? But after seeing Pleo at play on the latest 1up Show episode, I want one!!!
They sell for $349 at Amazon.
Oh, and to Kathleen Sanders and her dog Minnie, I will miss seeing you on the 1up Show. Good luck in your new job!
Edit: took out that annoying autoplay vid and subbed it for a youtube one instead.
They sell for $349 at Amazon.
Oh, and to Kathleen Sanders and her dog Minnie, I will miss seeing you on the 1up Show. Good luck in your new job!
Edit: took out that annoying autoplay vid and subbed it for a youtube one instead.
Well, last night the internetz essploded. At least with us videogame aficionados who care about what happens within the industry. But the ramifications from all the hoopla may just affect all journalistic publications.
It all started with a comic piece by the guys at Penny Arcade about a rumor that Jeff Gerstmann, editorial director of Gamespot and 10 year vet in the industry, was fired over his scathing review of Eidos' new release Kane & Lynch.
Within a few short hours, forums across the universe lit aflame, calling for the heads of Gamespot for firing Gerstmann, Cnet (the parent company of Gamespot) for giving into the pressure of game publisher Eidos and its deep pockets invested in the advertisements for said game. Eidos reportedly threatened to pull its adverts from the Gamespot site, which would cause Cnet to lose hundreds of thousands of dollars in revenue, because they did not like the tone of Gerstmann's review of the game, especially his video review which was pretty damn harsh. Members of Gamespot's paid gold subscription service threatened or canceled their memberships in retaliation, and the Eidos forums erupted in hate-filled threads, vowing to never purchase or support any Eidos release from here on out, while posting atrocious pictures of scat-fetishes, dismembered corpses, and furry porn.
Certainly the fallout from all this ruckus would be the ethical dilemma that numerous other gaming journalist sites will suffer. The nagging question about the honesty and validity of game reviews would be at the back of everybody's mind who reads them. Who paid off whom this time? How much did reviewer X get for this glowing praise? This practice isn't certainly new by any means, but it has now just given a huge black eye to not only the companies involved in this case, but to the gaming industry itself. As young as it is, the gaming community has been forced to grow up very fast, still struggling with how to govern itself and the products that it creates, and now, how to balance its own creative integrity against the ever influential greenback.
If today, a game publisher can expect to receive a score of 8.5 or higher just by buying some real estate on a reviewer's website, how far will that publisher push to get that score? How much leverage do they really have to get that review rewritten to their liking, or in this case, an individual fired, simply because they did not agree to his/her opinion of that game?
Well, now we can ask Jeff.
And at the same time, if you don't want your game to get a bad review, how about making it a good game? Hmm, thought of that Eidos? I am only speculating, but I am pretty sure Eidos expected this game to be the forerunner of a much bigger franchise, with sequels, movie deals, and comic books all touting the incredible universe that Kan & Lynch has to offer. Considering the average of scores for this game tallied by Metacritic, that wasn't going to happen anyways.
As all three companies try to save face from this debacle, by either denying, retracting, or no commenting, time will only tell how far the arm of big companies can reach, and how far the consumers are willing to grab a fork and stab it.
Best of luck to Jeff Gerstmann, he's probably better off anyway.
It all started with a comic piece by the guys at Penny Arcade about a rumor that Jeff Gerstmann, editorial director of Gamespot and 10 year vet in the industry, was fired over his scathing review of Eidos' new release Kane & Lynch.
Within a few short hours, forums across the universe lit aflame, calling for the heads of Gamespot for firing Gerstmann, Cnet (the parent company of Gamespot) for giving into the pressure of game publisher Eidos and its deep pockets invested in the advertisements for said game. Eidos reportedly threatened to pull its adverts from the Gamespot site, which would cause Cnet to lose hundreds of thousands of dollars in revenue, because they did not like the tone of Gerstmann's review of the game, especially his video review which was pretty damn harsh. Members of Gamespot's paid gold subscription service threatened or canceled their memberships in retaliation, and the Eidos forums erupted in hate-filled threads, vowing to never purchase or support any Eidos release from here on out, while posting atrocious pictures of scat-fetishes, dismembered corpses, and furry porn.
Certainly the fallout from all this ruckus would be the ethical dilemma that numerous other gaming journalist sites will suffer. The nagging question about the honesty and validity of game reviews would be at the back of everybody's mind who reads them. Who paid off whom this time? How much did reviewer X get for this glowing praise? This practice isn't certainly new by any means, but it has now just given a huge black eye to not only the companies involved in this case, but to the gaming industry itself. As young as it is, the gaming community has been forced to grow up very fast, still struggling with how to govern itself and the products that it creates, and now, how to balance its own creative integrity against the ever influential greenback.
If today, a game publisher can expect to receive a score of 8.5 or higher just by buying some real estate on a reviewer's website, how far will that publisher push to get that score? How much leverage do they really have to get that review rewritten to their liking, or in this case, an individual fired, simply because they did not agree to his/her opinion of that game?
Well, now we can ask Jeff.
And at the same time, if you don't want your game to get a bad review, how about making it a good game? Hmm, thought of that Eidos? I am only speculating, but I am pretty sure Eidos expected this game to be the forerunner of a much bigger franchise, with sequels, movie deals, and comic books all touting the incredible universe that Kan & Lynch has to offer. Considering the average of scores for this game tallied by Metacritic, that wasn't going to happen anyways.
As all three companies try to save face from this debacle, by either denying, retracting, or no commenting, time will only tell how far the arm of big companies can reach, and how far the consumers are willing to grab a fork and stab it.
Best of luck to Jeff Gerstmann, he's probably better off anyway.
News tonight: The La Jolla children's pool may be dredged up and "returned to the people."
I cannot describe how insane that line sounds, nor can I believe how absurdly selfish people can be.
OK, first off, to say that a small piece of La Jolla beach has for several years been a refuge for seals and their pups can now be destroyed and "returned to the people" is crazy. I put this phrase in quotes because I cannot seriously believe the lack of consideration for animals that have already been displaced from their natural habitat, who are forced to compete in an ever shrinking ecosystem, and have found a nice spot to raise their babies away from natural predators, all while bringing in tourists who just like to watch nature be, well, nature.
Here's a little history behind the pool itself. The pool was built from the donations from Ellen Browning Scripps sometime in the late 1800s or early 1900s. That same Ellen Browning Scripps also gave us, among other things, the Scripps Institute of Oceanography, and the Zoological Garden and Research Laboratory in Balboa Park ( aka the freakin' ZOO!!!!).
"A state appellate court yesterday upheld a judge's 2005 order requiring the city to restore water quality to Children's Pool beach in La Jolla by dredging the bacteria-laden sand and shooing away a colony of harbor seals" (Terry Rodgers, Sept 8 2007).
I guess tonights news just sets this absurd plan closer to fruition.
Does no one take into consideration that 80% of San Diegans support seal protection at the pool, and has become quite the tourist destination for visitors, who in turn eat at the restaurants, buy at the souvenir shops, and eventually tell their friends to visit San Diego? I guess not, since upholding old crusty laws that do not change with the times or citizen opinion seems to me the only thing that works in the land of the free.If Ms. Scripps was alive today, I would think she would chastise such abhorrent ignorance and allow the seals to stay, and direct the kids to the ten other beaches that dot the coastline of San Diego county.
Please visit these sites if you are NOT a selfish, miserable, narrow-minded ass, and help those who are realize that the world does not end when they click the OFF button on their TV remotes.
http://www.aprl.org/
http://www.lajollaseals.com/
http://www.nwf.org/wildlife/
http://adbusters.org/home/
http://www.grassrootsonline.org/
San Diego on Fire day 3
We spent the night in a evacuation center here in Spring Valley and got a pretty good view of the Mt Miguel fire.
This morning I got a couple of more pics when I went back to the house to check up on it.
Luckily for us, the fire seemed to be burning itself off because of the dying winds, staying away from the new homes of the La Pointe neighborhood. Those houses were just built a couple of years ago, right on fire alley.
Much respects to the firefighters and police for keeping us safe.
San Diegans kick ass.
This morning I got a couple of more pics when I went back to the house to check up on it.
Luckily for us, the fire seemed to be burning itself off because of the dying winds, staying away from the new homes of the La Pointe neighborhood. Those houses were just built a couple of years ago, right on fire alley.
Much respects to the firefighters and police for keeping us safe.
San Diegans kick ass.
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Which sci-fi crew would you best fit in with? (pics) created with QuizFarm.com | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| You scored as Babylon 5 (Babylon 5) The universe is erupting into war and your government picks the wrong side. How much worse could things get? It doesn’t matter, because no matter what you have your friends and you'll do the right thing. In the end that will be all that matters. Now if only the Psi Cops would leave you alone.
|
Another reason to blame video games
When I woke up this morning, I flipped on the TV and channel surfed for a moment, making my way to Cartoon Network when a report about street racing caught my attention on Fox News. It was about something called "cutting the gap" or "cut the gap", where racers would swerve in and out of traffic. Obviously this is as stupid as street racing is anyways, but the NHRA rep being interviewed on FOX called the act something akin to a video game, where kids want that "need for speed", probably taking shot at the EA game Need For Speed franchise, where gamers race against each other and sometimes the police. The Fox News reporter asked him again about this new dangerous act in the racing culture and how games are to be blamed, probably wanting him to say it again, egging him on to get another anti-video game quote for their website, but he used the "need for speed" quote again, avoiding the issue this time.
Of course I don't believe video games are the cause of this new, extremely dangerous and idiotic act in street racing, and if someone wants to race, do it on a legally sanctioned race track, where your real skills are put to the test. Nor should I be surprised that Fox News, or any mass media circuit, would want to, again, accuse a new entertainment form of ruining American lives. It's just how quick they are to point fingers at the entertainment industry, than they are to dig deep at the real issue of kids given free reign to do whatever they want, without learning beforehand the risks they are taking within our public streets.
Of course I don't believe video games are the cause of this new, extremely dangerous and idiotic act in street racing, and if someone wants to race, do it on a legally sanctioned race track, where your real skills are put to the test. Nor should I be surprised that Fox News, or any mass media circuit, would want to, again, accuse a new entertainment form of ruining American lives. It's just how quick they are to point fingers at the entertainment industry, than they are to dig deep at the real issue of kids given free reign to do whatever they want, without learning beforehand the risks they are taking within our public streets.
Pacman won!!!
YAY!!! JOY!!!
It was my first time watching a Paquiao fight live, so it was extra cool. The fight was pretty good, as Pacman showed little signs of fatigue in his rematch against Barrera. It was obvious Barrera's strategy of waiting out Pacman's super quick combos was not working, and by the time of the ninth or tenth round, his heavy handed right swings kept missing. Sure he had a few good lands, not counting that cheap swing he took at Pac with the ref trying to break them up, but he was losing his cool and didn't want to go out like a chump, or get knocked down again like he was in their first bout against each other. I hope to catch some more of his fights before his retirement.
About that counter down there, I'm still not sure why it's still going, or what timezone it's set at. Oh well, click on it and it will take you to Pac's cool Nike website. Does anybody know where I can get that cool Paquiao tee they have? I might have to bum them off my cousin's in PI. I want them now!
 You scored as Existentialist, Existentialism emphasizes human capability. There is no greater power interfering with life and thus it is up to us to make things happen. Sometimes considered a negative and depressing world view, your optimism towards human accomplishment is immense. Mankind is condemned to be free and must accept the responsibility.
What is Your World View? created with QuizFarm.com |
Robo-post
Lost my sunglasses at Borders today. Really pissed me off. They weren't anything special, only a pair of $15 Dockers sunglasses, but I liked them. Oh well, here some sketches for a robot animation assignment I had to do. The sketches came out cool, and I decided to use the big robot with the wheels instead of the kid-bot one you see below.
Robo faces
Kid-type robot
Big Wheels-bot
Robo faces
Kid-type robot
Big Wheels-bot
new blog
Hello. Just moved in from MSN's not so friendly spaces.live.com site. I will still have that up since it has quite a few of stuff in it already, but I will surely make this my main site for the foreseeable future. I want to use this site mainly to post my art since MSN's is kinda shitty. So to start it off is some old stuff right here:
oh btw, my other site is artkills. spaces.live.com
oh btw, my other site is artkills. spaces.live.com
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