Stephen Janes Blog - 8 Bit Brains

Nothing Beats That Eight-Bit Charm

2012-01-25T15:18:00.000-08:00

In today's massive over-saturation of media and "innovations," it is very difficult to create or produce a product that sticks in the minds of many. It's even more difficult to create an everlasting impression on a culture.

When most people think of video games, many of the modern gamers think of high-definition graphics, beautiful environments, crisp and clean gameplay and of course, Nolan North. Twenty years ago, none of that existed (except Mr. North).

When I think of video games, I still think of that old-school eight-bit era where our graphics were nothing more than just blocks of color and jagged. I can't exactly explain why that is, but that's where my mind goes. Perhaps it's because those blocky pixels were the earliest memories I had of video games; staying up late with my father as he progressed through the Legend of Zelda, Solstice and Metal Gear (yeah, my dad beat all those, he's a gamer) and waiting for my turn.

In my mind, video games back then were under the challenge of creating a story (and gameplay) unique to itself with limited resources. When you think about it, most video games 'looked' very similar in terms of the eight-bit graphics, but we were still mesmerized by it all. The first time my father let me play Legend of Zelda all I could remember was staring at the television screen for as long as my parents would let me. Every opportunity I had to plug that cartridge into that nostalgic gray-and-black console was quickly seized.

Perhaps it's not exactly something that can be placed into words, like an affection or an explanation of why you broke your mom's vase...I love old-school, eight-bit graphics "because." It has that charm, that calming sense of a time when things were much simpler. I mean, seeing games like Uncharted 3, Batman Arkham City and Skyrim absolutely blow my mind away with those amazing graphics, but in some cases I still prefer that little choppy block to be my character.

Eight-bit games, to me, are still phenomenal as they were twenty-plus years ago when they were first introduced to the public. I still play many classic Nintendo titles even today because of the reasons I mentioned above. Even if the game is crappy I still find some enjoyment out of it. It's hard to improve upon the original, I feel.

Now, if there was a way to get Nolan North into those old eight-bit games...

[Quick Review] Assassin's Creed: Revelations

2011-11-28T12:07:00.001-08:00

Assassin's Creed Revelations perfectly closes the storylines of Master Assassin's Altair ibn La-Ahad and
Ezio Auditore da Firenze and (somewhat minor spoiler) sets the stage for Assassin's Creed III.

The game itself is nothing new from what we have seen in the previous versions of Assassin's Creed, however that is not necessarily a bad thing. The new mechanics like the hook blade and bomb crafting are welcome additions and add new dimensions to gameplay, while the idea of training Assassin's (an idea first presented in Assassin's Creed Brotherhood) has taken the next step and become a little more involving.

Fans of the Assassin's Creed franchise will find this game to be a satisfying conclusion to Ezio, but perhaps a taste for wanting more of Altair. As Ezio, you must travel around Constantinople (or Istanbul) finding five Masyaf keys, which will unlock access to "a weapon that will end the war forever." When you find one of these keys, you get to relive Altair's memories stored within the keys and play as the Assassin from the first game. While I enjoyed playing as Altair and discovering more details about his life post-AC1, it left me wanting to play as him more.

Thankfully, the PS3 version of AC:R comes with a downloadable copy of the first AC game.

It's tough to point out anything that I absolutely didn't like about the game. If anything, there are a few bugs and glitches that make the game frustrating at some points, including a few times where I had to reset my system in order to play, but nothing data threatening. Sometimes character animations look funky or act uncharacteristically, but those are minor.

I haven't gotten into the multiplayer aspect of the game yet, but from what I hear it's very refined and hours of fun.

Bottom line, Assassin's Creed Revelations is great for fans of the franchise, but might elude some anybody who isn't familiar with the line of games. One plus is that, as I said, the PS3 version comes with a free copy of the original Assassin's Creed so those unfamiliar (or need a revisit) with the story of Altair can replay through the game once more. If you have never played an AC game before, Ezio's story will not totally confuse you but you will be left in the dark on many aspects.

My recommendation; buy this game. If you haven't played the other AC games, do yourself a favor and shop on Amazon to get Assassin's Creed II and Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood.

Late To The Party

2011-11-14T18:20:00.001-08:00

In the late hours of the night, as I'm attempting to finish one last side quest on Rockstar Games stellar title Red Dead Redemption, I grip the controller a little tighter and take a deep breath to calm myself before the task at hand.

The task seems simple enough; kill a bear with a knife....but it isn't. Bears are bastards that want nothing more than to rip you limb from limb. Why am I doing this, you ask? The question can be answered with a simple phrase; Trophy Whore, and quite possibly the worst one at that.

Anyways, I set my marker, I ride out towards Tall Trees where there, in the distance, is the brown grizzly bastard himself. I unmount my trusty steed (who then runs away like a jerk) and equip my knife. As the bear comes charging at me, I get a better idea and quickly grab my handgun. I enter 'Dead-Eye' mode and pop four shots into the bears legs. I quickly re-equip my knife, let out a fast-jab and barrel roll away.

I turn around to see that the bear is wounded, but not giving up. Before he has a chance to charge again, I take another two stabs at the grizzly bastard. They both land, he growls to the heavens in defeat, then crashes towards the earth at my feet. I drop my controller out of pure euphoria.

It was done. I had slain the beast. However, there was another pressing matter that needed addressing...

...Red Dead Redemption came out in May of 2010. This bear was laid to rest on November 9, 2011.

I bring up this epicly-boring story because I see myself in the same predicament now. As I'm writing this, a slew of great games have been released with many more at the doorsteps. Titles such as Batman Arkham City, Uncharted 3, Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3, Battlefield 3, Skyrim and more have already hit the store shelves while Assassin's Creed Revelations, Legend of Zelda Skyward Sword and more are on the way.

How in the name of Odin am I supposed to play all of these games while they are still relevant?

Personally, I think there is no reason to be bothered or otherwise embarrassed to be playing games long after their expected cycle. For those looking to add to their virtual ego by the way of Trophies or Achievements, you might be hard pressed for that perfect score when nobody is available to play multiplayer with you, but you could always find some friends willing to help you out.

So, to keep it short since I'm already running pretty long here; this holiday season pick out a few games that you really want to play, go through those and play the rest. Recently, a friend and I have decided that we were going to cheat the system by each buying a different game, playing through it, then trading games with one another (this is how I acquired Red Dead Redemption). This would be a great way to cut costs on your gaming habits and to potentially play more games in the long run.

That's all for now, Nerds. I gotta go find and skin some more beavers. Yes, I am talking about Red Dead Redemption. No, I will not let you borrow it.

I'm Not Gaming, I'm Curing AIDS

2011-09-20T11:05:00.000-07:00

Whenever my girlfriend and her mother get into an argument about whose work schedule is more strenuous and who had a harder day at work, I always chime in like a child begging for his parents attention with any random fact that he can come up with.

"Well, neither of you saved the world by defeating a giant robot dinosaur with a missile launcher, did you? I didn't think so. Now, if you ladies will excuse me, I'm grabbing a beer in celebration for my hard work."

I get blank stares, an expletive or two and end up sleeping on the couch. The worst part? My Playstation 3 is in my room.

All kidding aside, a recent news story came up that might cause Jack Thompson to further prove that his mother didn't love him enough. Scientists have been studying an enzyme of an AIDS-like virus for some time now, only to come up with nothing. There is no fault on the scientists part, however, as they simply haven't been able to correctly study the enzyme due to their lack in ability and equipment. They have only been able to look at the enzyme (which are essentially proteins) from a 2D perspective. They have only been able to experience Super Mario Bros. 3, when Super Mario 64 was not accessible to them.

Now I imagine the comic book heroes 'The Avengers' and their trademark phrase, except changed to "Nerds, Assemble!"

A video game called 'Foldit,' which was, "Developed in 2008 by the University of Washington, it is a fun-for-purpose video game in which gamers, divided into competing groups, compete to unfold chains of amino acids -- the building blocks of proteins -- using a set of online tools."

Thanks to the technology and the abilities of Foldit, gamers were able to produce an "accurate model" of the enzyme M-PMV (which is linked to an AIDS-like virus) in just ten days. Scientists now have more information at their access than they previously had, and it's all thanks to some people who spend their Saturday nights playing Warcraft and drinking a gallon of Mountain Dew.

Some people are still having a hard time comprehending this new find. However, Seth Cooper, one of Foldit's creators, has a more simple explanation.

"People have spatial reasoning skills, something computers are not yet good at," he said.

"Games provide a framework for bringing together the strengths of computers and humans. The results in this week's paper show that gaming, science and computation can be combined to make advances that were not possible before."

I will predict right now, that a lot of anti-gamers will not view this with the same vigor as myself or other gamers out there. That is expected, however there is no reason for anybody to continue hampering what us gamers are doing, especially since some of them are putting their skills and knowledge to good use. Sure, nobody has cured AIDS yet and yes, we still might be years away from doing so, but think of this; we are closer than we ever were.

When you're playing Call of Duty, you still are wasting your time and not being physically productive. However, we can take solace in knowing that, as gamers, we contributed to the world. It'll be interesting to see how many people form more positive opinions of video games after this hits the big time, especially after hearing reports that the Nintendo Wii is being used to help people who suffer from Alzheimer's improve their conditions. What I find sad and almost pathetic, though, is there will probably be a 'Grand Theft Auto' related death in the upcoming weeks that will put games back into the negative; nevermind we put scientists on the right path to curing a disease that could potentially save millions of lives (or even more if this is applied to others like cancer or AIDS itself), because one immature moron ran his sister over in his parents car games are all of a sudden a poison to everybody's mind.

I've never thought of running my sisters over in my parents car, by the way.

Take it for what it is, but this is a major victory in the eyes of gamers. Hopefully I will open the Internet one day to find the headline, "Gamer Cure's Cancer," but that might take some time.

For now, be good Nerds.

Everything Old is New Again, and $40 More

2011-07-11T11:16:00.000-07:00

Who would, in their right mind, pay money to purchase the same game multiple times? Apparently, everybody.

Nintendo has made a living in the last few years by advertising their hit console, the Wii, to children and grandmothers and basically giving the middle finger to it's dedicated (hardcore) audience. Although they will deny this is the case until the day they go Dreamcast on us, everybody can't help but notice this being true. In addition to this, Nintendo is at it again by rehashing old games and making them 'new' again...by adding an updated price tag of fifty dollars.

In recent memory, the Ocarina of Time 3DS remake is blaring in the minds of everybody. Sure, it's one of the greatest games of all time re-mastered with updated graphics and mechanics, but that still doesn't hide the fact that this game has already been released and re-released before. I can understand Nintendo's concept of maybe marketing the game to players who never had the chance to play Ocarina of Time [OOT] when it was originally out, but what about somebody who owned the original gold cartridge release on the N64, the GameCube remake (with Master Quest) and owns it on WiiWare? Do I really need another copy of the same game?

Sticking with the Zelda theme, Nintendo has already tried something similar back in the GameBoy Advanced days (possibly my favorite handheld, for the record). Around the time the GBA was rumored to be replaced with the new, at the time not publicly announced Nintendo DS, the big-N decided to release it's classic edition of games for the GBA. This included, among other titles, both Legend of Zelda games from the NES, Super Mario Bros. 2 and 3, Metroid and other games. I had already owned most of these games back in the day, but it was the nostalgia of the fact that forced me to buy them again...and then again on the WiiWare.

So quick recap; let's say I purchased the original version of Ocarina of Time for $40 (I cannot for the life of me remember how much games cost back then) for arguments sake. Add that to the cost of the OOT remake for GameCube, which cost roughly $50 (even more depending on where you bought it), and let's estimate the retail price of the new OOT3DS remake for another $50. That alone, is almost $200 spent on THE SAME GAME, not to mention the price for each console as needed. So, is Nintendo an evil genius or am I that stupid?

The answer is both, actually. You see, a game like OOT is so great that people will flock to buy it again and again. Hell, I'm willing to bet this game will be remade in ten years on the future Nintendo console, the Wii-U-N-I-PLAII (yes, that is my prediction). The funny thing is that it will still continue to sell like crazy and we as consumers will probably praise and complain about it in the same breath. In a sense, it's a pretty cheap way to produce 'new' material for the masses while raking in a large sum of cash, or at least I assume it could be. Granted there is some recoding required to update the game itself, but I'm sure that process is a lot cheaper than making a game from scratch.

This is not just an anti-Nintendo rant, because other companies are guilty of this as well. Sony has the "Remastered Collection," which is a group of PS2 games remastered in high-definition with trophy support (God of War Collection, Sly Cooper Collection and the future Metal Gear Solid Collection are examples). Plus, a lot of big games on the PSP are coming to the PS3 as a re-bundled package as well (God of War Origins, Monster Hunter 3). Microsoft usually sells old gen-1 Xbox titles on their X-box Marketplace, but they aren't considered as guilty in my eyes of the same thing, but they are getting there.

So again, are game companies strategically evil for doing something like this? I've already admitted that I purchase these games regardless of how many times they have been released before, but do we as gamers need to be smarter about our purchases? If we keep buying these remakes, will companies continue to churn them out (whether the same game or not) and we will just continue to buy them? Regardless, money is being spent as evident by my bank account, but what about the rest of the world? What do you nerds think?

Why The Crappy Games Get To Us

2011-06-09T11:21:00.000-07:00

Recently I've been unable to put down the game TRON: Evolution. It's not because the game is astounding and so much fun, oh no. It's kind of hard to explain, but let me try my best. Basically, TRON: Evolution isn't that 'terrible' of a game, but because the developers jacked-up the difficulty so much, an otherwise decent game turns into a frustrating adventure, albeit with pretty good visuals and an ok story.

Basically, TRON: Evolution takes place before the movie TRON: Legacy. If you haven't seen the movie, I don't want to discuss any plot points for spoiler reasons, but it pretty much explains how the Legacy film was set-up. But that's not what I want to talk about.

So I bought the game because I'm a fan of the TRON series and wanted to play something TRON related. The graphics are actually very nice and the story fits in with the TRON universe pretty well. However, what really gets me is the gameplay, especially when at any given time you have at least five enemies on screen at once, each with their own weakness that needs to be exploited in order for them to be defeated. You have various combos and additional weapons that you can use, but more often than not you end up button-mashing your way through hordes of enemies.

In addition to the redundant combat, the health and energy system is kind of weird. In order to regain health, you need to find blue panels around the Grid and run against them. Very rare do you see a health panel on the floor, so you need to actually run up a wall or jump across a gap to replenish your health. This wouldn't be such a chore normally (think games based on demolition derbys and the like) but the health panels are usually so far away from the combat that you have to break away from what you are doing just to replenish yourself. Furthermore, when you play on the more difficult settings and you try to find a health panel, the enemies just start taking pot-shots at you, normally killing you in three hits or less. Total bullshit.

It is a very frustrating game mostly for the combat, as I mentioned. However, here is what really gets to me; the fact that I paid money for this game, I would feel guilty if I were to just let it sit and collect dust over time, so I feel obligated to play it. It's like going over to your best friends place but having to put up with their annoying child or controlling girlfriend, what fun is that? So every day when I come home and I think about what game to play, I cringe because I have yet to complete TRON: Evolution and I want to be done with it, not to say I completed a fun and entertaining adventure, but so I don't feel obligated to play it anymore. Oh, and you throw in the fact that I want to collect all the trophies for this game and you've got the biggest masochist on the planet. That's me.

Bottom line; this game isn't terrible, but it's not good. Most ratings or reviews I have seen hover around the '70 percent' or 'C' average for this game, which I find to be pretty accurate I think. There are a lot of other complaints and praises that I have for this game, but I like to keep these posts short so I don't want to get into it too much. I really wanted to talk about this game because it's just so funny that a not-so-good game can have the same "I DONT WANT TO PUT IT DOWN" effect as a great game. For instance, games like Uncharted, inFamous, Assassin's Creed, God of War and Metal Gear Solid never got a break when I purchased them, but those were all great games (in my own mind, of course). TRON: Evolution has that same effect as those previously mentioned but doesn't necessarily belong in the same category.

I just can't wait until I finish the game so I don't feel compelled to play it again. I still have the Sly Cooper HD Collection I have yet to play, so those might be my palette cleansers.

It's Always One Idiot Who Ruins It For Us All

2011-04-28T12:47:00.000-07:00

Whatever the case, it seems that there is always one moron who ruins it for everybody else.

In case you didn't know, somebody hacked into the Playstation Network and, apparently, compromised some data that didn't belong to them. As of now, nobody has come out to take claim and Sony is attempting to rewrite the infrastructure of their online network. For now (as of April 28), nobody can access their PSN accounts, sync trophies, download games or even play games online.

The system that only does everything has suffered a major setback.

A lot of the information is very technical and confuses me, so I don't want to get into that so much. What I do know is that it much suck something awful for those who bought Mortal Kombat, Portal 2 or SOCOM 4 in recent weeks. All three games have online multiplayer that people have been looking forward to for sometime now, and now they can't play it because of this situation.

Sony addressed the situation and said that some credit card information was encrypted and safe, such as security codes and expiration dates. They didn't say how many people might have their basic contact info and email addresses out in the open They did say, however, that you should not respond to any email claiming to be from Sony regarding the issue, since they will not be sending out emails to anybody.

It really sucks that this happened to the PS3, especially because they were gaining so much ground on the Xbox 360 and a couple of big games just came out. If you are wondering what you can do to prevent any type of identity theft, I think the simplest thing to do is keep checking your bank statements. I, for one, will now only purchase PSN Gift Cards and only enter that information as opposed to having my credit card information up.

Listen To The Whiny Fanboys...They're Right!

2011-04-20T09:54:00.000-07:00

I could care less that I'm talking about and playing a game that game out a while ago. Sometimes you just don't have the time, you know?

Recently I traded my copy of Batman: Arkham Asylum with my friend in Baltimore (thanks to David Wertheimer @themightyspitz) and got Assassin's Creed 2 in return. I had played the first one when it originally came out and really enjoyed the story and gameplay, so I was pretty excited to continue the storyline.

I was expecting a game to kill some time with. What I got was an adventure that totally sucked me into the world itself. In fact, I've even been doing research in my spare time (that is, work) about many of the characters and events that take place during the game. I won't get into too many specifics; you can easily look up the game for yourself if you haven't played it already. That's not what I'm here to talk about.

In the first Assassin's Creed, there were many features that, not hampered, but hurt the game in different ways. For instance, the typical 'collecting item side missions' were very out-stretched and tedious, the actual assassination missions were all very black and white and let's not forget the lack of variety in gameplay. Overall, AC1 was a good game but it had the same complaints from user to user.

Now enter AC2. The developers actually took what the community didn't like about the first game and made drastic changes. For instance, the actual story missions have a lot of variety to them and are actually vastly different from each other. Again, I don't want to get into too many specifics since all of this is easily accessible online. What I wanted to do was praise the developers/publisher/creators for actually doing something about it.

As I said, many of the complaints about AC1 were the same and were seen on every message board possible. What doesn't normally happen, though, is a game company actually doing something about it. Usually they come out and say, "Oh well we did it because we like, there is nothing wrong blahblah." Ubisoft Montreal, Gameloft and Griptonite Games (developers) all went back to the board and made the necessary adjustments for AC2.

As I mentioned earlier, it's very rare that game companies actually listen to their fans complaints and make the adjustments. In this case, the adjustments made were welcomed warmly. Take a look at the two games on IGN.com, or any other game reviewing site for that matter. The average score for Assassin's Creed seems to be in the 7 area, where Assassin's Creed II hovers close to the 9 mark. It's not a coincidence.

Nerds Will Never Go Out of Business

2011-03-29T09:56:00.000-07:00

Business be 'a boomin' here.

When you think about it, there is some actual logic to be said here. If you lost your job and had an entire day to do whatever you want, what would you do? Many, like myself, would probably start to play video games or watch those movies I've been meaning to see. In theory, it's less expensive than any alternative; a game can keep you occupied for hours, days even, where watching TV or any type of activity wears you down after a while.

Now lately, the video game industry has seen a slight dip in sales, but nobody is too concerned. New peripherals like the Microsoft Kinect and the Playstation Move have piqued new interest in people who wouldn't normally be the gaming type, and the biggest titles have yet to be released (Gears of War 3, Mass Effect 3, Uncharted 3...a lot of threes). Bottom line, this year is shaping out to be a great year for games and nerds alike.

This is not to say that the economy failing is a lie or anything; we have seen companies like Circuit City, Blockbuster, Anchor Blue, Pontiac and MGM (to name a few) who have gone under because of these bad times. You have to think what makes video games so special and why haven't they been affected as much by these troubled times?

As I mentioned earlier; the game industry is having a harder time 'failing' because of its following, and its potential followers. Going to Best Buy and purchasing a game for $60 can bring you hours of entertainment, especially if you are buying a Call of Duty-like game that provides online multiplayer, then your game seemingly has no expiration date.

Now with all of that said, take a look at the pictures that I provided. More proof that the 'Nerd Culture' will never go away and why video games in general won't fail at any time. There will always be a demand for Nerds like myself to show-off who we are at every turn. I spent a good ten dollars on Mjolnir (Thor's Hammer) just so I can show it off proudly. It's like faithful followers of the KISS army. It really doesn't matter what Gene Simmons puts his face on (ahem, condoms), people will still buy it because they are fans of the material. The same can be said about video games and their culture.

By the way, that Legend of Zelda pack is a rarity and can be purchased from sites like ebay for over two-hundred dollars. I got mine for twenty.

NERD ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: Custom Hard Drive

2011-03-24T09:31:00.000-07:00

[click on title for pics]

I got bored, so I did something about it.

The other day I decided it would be cool to decorate my office with video game and nerd culture. I looked for some DIY projects online that I could do in my spare time until I came across the "Turn Your NES Game Into a HDD" project. So, I did some research and went on my merry little way.

Luckily I had several copies of Super Mario Bros/Duck Hunt, so I took one and decided to use that for the drive enclosure. I've seen people do this same project with rare, collectabile games (such as the original Zelda in its gold casing), but I figured the original Super Mario Bros. would be a great selection.

As you can see, the SATA to USB bridge that I had did not fit properly in the NES cartridge. In the near future, I hope to get something a bit smaller so the USB will fit on the side. It would just look a little nicer and adds a little more security for the HDD so it doesn't slide around or anything. Plus, with this layout you can keep the original NES chip inside the cartridge and have a hard drive that DOUBLES as a NES game. Yes please!

Do it Yourself projects are really fun. In fact, my next project (when the funds are available) will be to turn an original NES console into a working computer. I thought it would be pretty epic if I could make the NES-Computer my main audio recording rig, but I think I'll stick with it being a emulator/arcade cabinet that goes anywhere I go.

For the record, this new hard drive I put together is currently my gaming drive. Meaning I have emulators (legal of course) and various games installed on it, making the NES cover even more perfect for the occasion.

If you are interested in making your own NES HDD, there are several tutorials online, you just have to have the will to go to google and search for yourself. If you aren't willing to do the deed yourself, you can go to , where you can purchase hard drives, clocks, mouse pads and more; all based on classic video games (I think I might purchase one of the GameBoy Advanced USB flash drives at some point). This custom job really doesn't require that much skill at all, just some patience and the will to do so.

AND IT STARTS...AGAIN

2011-01-24T12:37:00.000-08:00

My lazy ass is doing this again, here's hoping I can stay consistent with it this time. I'm also trying out a new format, tell me what you think.

GAMES
Duke Nukem Forever has been given a time and day, May 3rd to be exact. This is a game that has taken over fourteen years to be released, so it's not hard to see why some people are scoffing at this newest date. There are a lot of people going online making remarks and complaints about how they will wait fourteen years to play this game and stuff like that, but here's the truth. Everybody and their mother will play this game. End of story. This game has been talked about for far too long NOT to at least try it out in some fashion. Do yourself a favor; pick up a copy of Duke Nukem Forever on May 3rd. If you can honestly say you have never played a Duke Nukem game before, have you been living under a rock?

Mortal Kombat 9 is another game that has been getting that has been receiving a lot of attention lately. The game is going back to what made it so controversial; by adding a lot of blood, guts and gore. The fatalities are making a huge comeback, and I cannot wait to see what they will look like in high-definition. The graphics and gameplay look simply amazing with (what looks like) over twenty playable characters, not to mention a special addition of God of War's Kratos in the PS3 version.

SHOWBIZ
I have seen two movies recently, and I recommend both of them. First, Black Swan was simply amazing. Natalie Portman deserves every and all awards she is nominated for. In addition, Mila Kunis also did a wonderful job portraying a mirror opposite to Natalie Portman's character. You want the short version review, here it is: go see it. It's not just about dancing as there are many thriller/psychedelic themes to go with it. It's one of the best movies of the year.

No Strings Attached (also starring Natalie Portman) is a rom/com with Ashton Kutcher. I was a little skeptical about this at first, but it ended up being surprisingly funny. It has some good laughs and a decent enough storyline to keep you going, albeit rather predictable. It certainly isn't the funniest movie I have ever seen, but it's definitely worth your over priced movie ticket in this awful economy. I would recommend this for those that want a good enough laugh to sustain them through the day.

That's all I have for now. Until next time, be good nerds.

The Androids are taking over

2010-12-13T13:20:00.000-08:00

I'm not talking about the T-1000 models sent by Skynet, although I'm sure they are not far behind.

About two years ago, Google released a little phone called the G1 from Google. It was a smart phone that was supposed to revolutionize the way we do things, similar to the promises that the iPhone had when it first came out, and before that the Blackberry and before that the Palm Pilot. The big difference, however, was the fact that Android was to be an open source system to provide an experience like no other.

I bought the G1 the first chance I had, and never looked back.

To quickly summarize, the Android platform is great because anybody can develop applications or code for it, very similar to how Linux and their operating system (in fact, Android is based on the Linux distro, in case you didn't know already). This meant that you didn't have to sign up to be a developer like Apple or RIM, you just had to do a quick search for the code and get to work.

Getting back to the task at hand, I wanted to write this quick post because I recently purcahsed the myTouch 4G from T-Mobile and am in love with it. I had been playing around with an iPod touch for new games and 'state of the art' apps to whet my appetite, but having the newest flavor of Android (Froyo) and a super quick processor, I have to ask who would want to still have an iPhone to this day?

Almost every review that I have seen of Android phones in the last three months have out-performed the Apple flagship device in every way, not to mention the fact that Android has the partnership of one of the most influential and well-known names in Google.

But seriously, I can still see that the iPhone app store has more apps in it that Android, plus I think the Android marketplace is still lacking in the games department, but when you have a phone that has pretty much hit its peak versus a phone that has just started to climb to the top? Why are people still buying iPhone's other than the namesake?

The attached link pretty much explains exactly what I'm feeling in this case.

Time To Kick-Ass and Chew some Bubble Gum...

2010-09-27T14:43:00.000-07:00

...and I'm all out of gum.

Seriously, it's been forty (40) hours since I started playing Dragon Age:Origins and all I have to show for it is 30-percent of the trophies. This is only one play-through, and I still need to play the game twice more to get some other trophies.

But before you start screaming about how power-hungry I am for virtual milestones that do nothing but boost ego, let me ask this: what is the longest you have ever played a single file of one game before losing interest in it? For me, the previous record was Kingdom Hearts and Kingdom Hearts II, both of which I logged well over 65+ hours just exploring, leveling up, getting all the secrets and extra items and what-have-you. That was probably more than I spent studying for Chemistry back in high-school (and yet I still got a B+).

Here's the point; Dragon Age:Origins is a game so intricate and so 'complete' that I still haven't really lost interest in the game. My goal is to go for the platinum trophy (100% completion) on this game and even though it will take a while, I know that the game will be a different experience the next few play-throughs. I won't get into too much detail, but if you are somewhat familiar with the game then you should have an idea for what I'm babbling about.

Anyways, I'm very surprised that this game is capable of holding somebody for so long. I still feel like I have a lot to discover in DA:O even though I've already completed the game and have seen almost everything. I know that games like Halo, Call of Duty and Battlefield have online elements that make the game have a ridiculous amount of replay value, but DA:O doesn't have anything in the way of playable online content. Sure you can add more missions and the like through DLC, but the game doesn't have that extra element as the previous games I mentioned.

I just wanted to take the time to show appreciation for a game that really captures the gamer's mind and occupies his or her time by coming up with a game that has a lot of replay value. I recently finished the game as a human warrior, now I am debating to start my elf as a rogue or a mage for the next game. If I figure it out, I'll let you know.

Happy Gaming, people.

If Only It Were As Simple As Logic...

2010-07-02T15:30:00.000-07:00

As an aspiring audio engineer, I have heard my shares of what's good and bad, in a personal matter of course.

For example, there are two major audio software's that everybody knows of; Digidesign (or Avid) Pro Tools and Apple Logic. Pro Tools has been the industry standard for sometime now, but Logic looks to make a run for it with their ever-adapting system. I would bet that a majority of the studios use Pro Tools and it's not without reason. Pro Tools is a great system that offers everything you need in a Digital Audio Workstation (or DAW).

Logic, while being a great program, just doesn't see the same popularity because it isn't as "simple" to grasp as Pro Tools. Personally, I find Logic to be my DAW of choice simply because I like the layout and editing features a lot more, but I am probably more familiar with Pro Tools because it's what everybody uses.

Why do I bring this up? That is a good question.

I was working on my senior project in college. The project required myself and my group members (Hot Seat Productions FTW) to record four audio tracks and create a DVD with special features and whatnot. It was a fun project, but back to the explanation: our group got the resident video student to help with our project by shooting a music video for our band. I met up with the video guru one day and went with him to his studio, or video dungeon as we called it.

He showed me the updated version of the music video and it looked great. Out of everything I saw, I happened to notice that he was using Adobe Premiere (CS3) to edit and digitize the video. Out of curiosity, I had to ask why he would be using a program that technically fails in comparison to Final Cut Pro or Avid.

His response? "You're only as good as the program you use," he said. "If you know how to use Premiere, then you'll be better there than in Final Cut or Avid. Bottom line, they are all just editing software, and if you know how to edit, the skills are transferrable."

He could not have been more right. For at the time I was jockeying with my own video software to find one that I was comfortable with. While I use FCP occasionally at one of my jobs, I find I can work my way around video much quicker in Adobe Premiere, since that is what I am accustomed to.

Back to the DAW debate. While I probably know more about Pro Tools than I do Logic, I simply just prefer Logic because I feel it can offer me so much more. Now, just because I stray from the pack and prefer Logic doesn't mean I'm a bad engineer by any means. I believe I know more about Logic than some know their Pro Tools, but again that doesn't make any of us better than the others per se, it just means we have different preferences.

I bring this up because it has been a central argument between me and many of my digital media friends. I have some friends who go total "fanboy-arrogant" and choose their software (and even their hardware) based on what the professionals use, not what they want to use. This really bugs me because their reasonings are simply, "If that's what Hollywood uses then that's what I'll use." Wonderful, but the physics of Kool-Aid don't apply to tasks such as audio or video production. You can't just get all the necessary parts and combine them to make greatness, you still have to learn how to culminate the ingredients in order to create a sensational victory.

Bottom line is this: if you're doing YouTube videos for fun and you need a good video-editing software, don't pick up FCP unless you're sure it's the right program for you. Try Avid to see if the complexity is something you're willing to tackle, try Premiere to see if the simplicity works in your favor, hell even try Sony Vegas to see if you can figure out what the hell is going on there. Just do yourself a favor and get the trial versions of each program and see what fits your style best. Some programs run better on other machines, which also might play a part in what you decide on.

If you want my personal opinion, here are links to the individual websites for my favorite software, both audio and video.

AUDIO (in order of preference)
Logic Pro
Pro Tools (LE for small projects, HD for professional studios)
Cubase

VIDEO (in order of preference)
Adobe Premiere
Final Cut Pro
Avid

↑ ↑ ↓ ↓ ← → ← → B A

2010-06-14T15:58:00.000-07:00

I want to keep this short and relatively informative, E3 has just started and my relationship with video games has been renewed.

I have been playing video games since I was three-years old. There was nothing like grabbing that candy-bar controller and taking the reins of Link's first adventure through Hyrule, commanding Mario to stomp on every goomba in the Mushroom Kingdom or even attempting to destroy Dracula once and for all as Simon Belmont.

I think as a younger child, we are drawn to video games because of what they stand for; a virtual escape from our real life counterparts and a glimpse in the life of a hero. Because let's face it, what did we want to be growing up? A great warrior who saves the land from a legendary evil? The strongest wizard known to man? Mega Man? The answer is yes, by the way.

Now I'm a 23-year old working two (sometimes more) jobs just to make a living. Yet still, video games remain one of my favorite escapes from the real world to just "relax." However, the last few years have been really different for me. I don't have the option to play games as much as I would like (unfortunately), but when I do I thoroughly enjoy the adventure and the thrill these games bring.

So I do I feel more distant from them today?

I think now that I am getting older and learning to take care of myself, what money I had left over usually goes to gas for my car, food or bills. By the end of the day, I just don't have the resources to go out and buy a couple of games every month and enjoy them like I used to.

Thanks to E3, however, my excitement for video games has reached an all-time high. Today was just day one and I feel like I have a new understanding and appreciation for games and their publishers. Just today I watched the Microsoft conference and even though I don't own an Xbox 360 anymore, I was impressed with a lot of their new features (mainly Kinect previously known as Project Natal) and the new Halo Reach.

I will be eagerly awaiting Sony and, to a lesser extent, Nintendo tomorrow. I own a PS3 and want to see what games/hardware will be in store for me in the near future. I also still have a soft spot for Nintendo. After all, Nintendo is responsible for me being a gamer today, regardless of how their recent systems have fared in comparison to the competition.

Last year I blogged about all the companies and I reviewed them from a consumer stand-point. I might do that again this year, but possibly not in as much detail. I think I took up five (5) posts last year for E3, and I might just condense everything into one post this year if I even decide to do this.

I will continue to see if these feelings reside or flourish at the end of E3.

My Generation, Part II

2010-02-04T23:11:00.000-08:00

So, here's the exciting conclusion.

One more argument I was pelted with was as follows; "Newer artists are just an image and require studio magic to be talented." I have to say, talent today is totally different than the talent of yesterday. To me, talent is being able to sound amazing live while reproducing the feel of your album; it's being able to pull off an amazing guitar solo while keeping in-tune the entire time. However, that is what I feel is talent. That's not to say I don't think there is any talent today, I just feel today's definition of talent is totally different from yesterday's talent, as I said earlier. Lil Wayne has some serious talent because he never writes his lyrics, everything is said and done on-location. will.I.am has talent because everything he produces turns gold or platinum, which is a very good problem to have. Usher has talent because he's a very good dancer and has the make-up and quality to be the next Michael Jackson. The problem with an argument like this is you can't define talent. Every generation is different. The fact of the matter is nobody wants to listen to the same style of music forever. I enjoy listening to a little bit of everything, even if I'm not familiar with a certain genre or style. I don't mind hearing Power 106 or KISS FM once in a while because it gives me an opportunity to listen to something new. It keeps my mind fresh and my knowledge of what's out there at a high.

His other comment about artists being images...Haven't we known that since The Beatles?

Finally, the last argument that struck a nerve with me and is it a good one. Is having one or two good songs on an album a good thing or a bad thing? Well in short, it's a good thing AND a bad thing. Take again the Flo Rida example I used earlier. His album sales are, in the best euphemism I can find, poor. However, he has three singles that have sold very well and will continue to make him money in the future. How much money exactly that he earned for these individual songs is something I cannot find legally, however. But keep this in mind; if the Flo Rida single "Low" sold over five-million copies, multiplied by the average cost of an iTunes music download ($0.99), you have nearly $5-million. I don't know about you, The Reader, but I know that I would LOVE to have that much money for one entity of work. This figure does not include his other very-popular singles such as Right Round, In The Ayer and Sugar, which is just more money in the bank. Now if you were to imagine all five-million copies sold were apart of an album sold, times that by roughly $13 and you have yourself a payroll that should keep you fed for several years. I think you see my point after giving both examples.

To sumarize everything, the music industry is still booming. The digital era has propelled the industry to a new level and devices such as the iPod and Zune are really helping music sales. I hope this post sheds some light to the music industry and how it really isn't failing as some people want to think. Digital downloads are helping the industry, whether it be legal or not, and that's the final word.

My Generation, part I

2010-01-26T01:16:00.000-08:00

I’m going to start titling my blogs after songs. I won’t reveal the band name, so it’ll be a fun little game for you, The Reader, to play.

I recently got into a very heated discussion over the music industry. It basically started over a FaceBook comment that one of my “friends” posted. Long story short, he thinks the music industry is doomed for several reasons and its potential demise is the rationality that he is using for his switch to video. I don’t knock him down for switching sides, because there are a lot of jobs to be had in the video department. I’m here to argue that the music industry isn’t in such a bad place as he claims it to be.

First off, he believes that downloads are causing the industry to crumble, and that they don’t affect the movie industry as much as music. It’s pretty much a known fact that nearly 95 percent of music was illegally downloaded in the year 2008, which is alarming in itself. That number is way too high, however, the music industry also saw a 25 percent revenue increase in the same year. There is, no real explanation for this. It seems that the same people downloading the music illegally are also putting the most money into the industry via CD purchases and legal downloading, such as iTunes and Amazon MP3. Most analysts believe that these pirates will download the album as a “preview,” before purchasing the album in its entirety on either a digital distribution medium (like iTunes or Amazon, or even Walmart) or in physical format (CD, vinyl). SO as it seems, the pirates are actually HELPING the music industry. This may be hard to understand, so take a deep breath and read slowly…

Most of the the music purchasing “ideas” I get are from friends (I say ideas because I wasn’t sure how else to say it). Whenever I hear new music, it is often from the speakers of a friends iPod or computer. Since it is very rare for two people to have the exact same taste in music, there are bound to be some variable differences. A recent example would be Wolfmother for me. I heard some of their songs being played by my co-worker and it instantly stuck in my head. It’s not the greatest thing I have ever heard, but it’s damn good, so my next step was to listen to them online thanks to YouTube and Pandora, and finally purchase their album Cosmic Egg. I bring this little story up because, it wasn’t until after I purchased the album did my friend mention that he downloaded the album and was willing to give me a copy. This was after I purchased the album at Best Buy for $13 and told three of my friends to also buy the album. Even though he downloaded the album, I bought it; as did three of my friends. In this story, the piracy of one album let to the purchase of four albums. Make sense?

Another argument this “friend” threw out was his disbelief that artists such as Lil Wayne (mentioned specifically) could make millions without having any talent. Not to start any flame wars or anything, but I am not big into hip-hop. There are a few artists I can stand listening to, but nothing on an hourly basis so I can agree with him there. I do think, however, that hip-hop artists aren’t as “talentless” as he wants to believe. Many artists in the hippity-hoppity genre write their own music, produce their own beats, record, mix and engineer their own album as well as manage the promotional events that relate to said-album. While I won’t listen to guys like Dr. Dre for hours, I can and will respect the man for his effort and dedication. Hell, there are several classic-rock artists who made it big on somebody else’s music, whether that be covers or somebody writing music and lyrics for the band. To end this little statement, I do want to provide cover for Lil Wayne, who pretty much raps his entire album on the spot and refuses to write anything down. He’s taking improve to a whole new level and its reasons like that I respect him as a musician.

Argument Number 3: After some persuasion from fellow blogger and producer/director Tyler Leisher, our “friend” finally admits the music industry is up, but not as a whole. His claim is that artists back in the day (sounds like grandpa) would debut on the charts with hundreds of thousands of albums being sold on an instant, while today’s artists can’t accomplish this because people are downloading albums instead of buying them. While this statement is very true, he doesn’t realize that it’s not actually affecting anything. Singles are being sold at a ridiculous rate, which means it’s not entirely important that an album be sold out right away. Take for instance, Flo Rida. His debut album, Mail on Sunday, sold a meek 390,000 copies (as of May 2009) since it was released two years ago. This isn’t great by any means and it didn’t help that reviewers generally rated it pretty low (think three-out-of-ten stars), but that didn’t matter. The hit single, and the song that helped Flo Rida propel to stardom overnight, Low sold over three-million singles and over one-million digital ringtones. This was good enough to be certified platinum five times and sold well enough to be the number three single on the Billboard Top 100 of the Decade (200-2009) in just two years! He is currently receiving the same type of success with the singles Right Round and Sugar from his sophomore album “R.O.O.T.S.”

To summarize this third argument up, the digital era is pushing for these singles to be sold because that was the point in the first place. If an album doesn’t sell up to expectations, there is always the digital revenue. Look at Flo Rida and his sales; his albums haven’t sold well enough to be considered a success, but his strong and popular singles are easily carrying him. There are other examples that don’t quite fit this story, such as Lady GaGa, Taylor Swift and Rihanna, all of whom have exceptional album sales in addition to single sales.

I think that’ll be it for now. There are two more points I want to cover, but this post has already gone on long enough. The next post will feature more arguments from the “friend,” such as why he thinks newer artists don’t deserve anything they receive and how having one or two good songs per album is a bad thing.

Thanks for reading, Reader.

2010-01-25T09:25:00.001-08:00

Waiting for a 100+ page manual to print so I can fix our switchboard. The life of a radio programmer is sweet.

2010-01-24T22:03:00.001-08:00

Finally had a chance to finish Mass Effect, and just in time for Mass Effect 2 :p

2010-01-24T10:37:00.001-08:00

Colts and Saints, Colts and Saints.

2010-01-23T10:12:00.001-08:00

Tux fitting with @tleisher and @Kayla Layne and families. Imma be a Penguin!

2010-01-22T10:04:00.001-08:00

Does anybody have a Snow Leopard install disc I can borrow in the near future? Computer is being a little jerk-face and I need to teach it a lesson.

2010-01-21T22:06:00.001-08:00

Screw Mac and screw Windows. Linux is my new hero.

2010-01-21T17:51:00.001-08:00

Have you ever tried punching the rain? I did, and it didn't go so well.

2010-01-21T00:31:00.001-08:00

Last minute heroic FG by @tleisher and he wins, 19-17. Fun times. Good game, though.

2010-01-21T00:06:00.001-08:00

An interception makes it 13-10 @tleisher. Lag and bad decision led to that one.

2010-01-20T23:58:00.001-08:00

Playing @tleisher in Madden, his Jags versus my Colts, 10-6 going into half-time.

2010-01-20T11:37:00.001-08:00

Poker Face, Mario Paint style

http://ping.fm/iJb9A

2010-01-19T19:11:00.001-08:00

Where the deuce is my laptop charger!?

2010-01-19T14:52:00.001-08:00

Weird day. My Google account was frozen due to "suspicious activity," can't find my laptop charger still and now it looks like it never rained.

2010-01-18T12:52:00.001-08:00

View from the seats at yesterdays Chargers game

2010-01-18T12:38:00.001-08:00

Oh the weather outside is weather

2010-01-16T18:24:00.001-08:00

GO COLTS!

2010-01-16T12:45:00.001-08:00

Here's hoping Peyton tears that Ravens defense apart. Go Colts!

2010-01-15T22:45:00.001-08:00

Whose got two thumbs and pwnd at mini-golf? This guy! Suck it, @tleisher, @cmgskj625, Kayla

2010-01-14T13:18:00.001-08:00

Genius Bar...more like Morons R' Us http://tinyurl.com/ydxp3gs

2010-01-14T11:10:00.001-08:00

What do tigers dream of, when they're taking a tiger snooze?

2010-01-12T17:25:00.001-08:00

Watching Aladdin while taking care of sick girlie. Can't ask for much else in life :)

2010-01-11T18:04:00.001-08:00

made meself a bomb salad for dinner

2010-01-11T11:14:00.001-08:00

Why do they call them rufies? Your more likely to end up on the floor, how about floories? Or rapies?

2010-01-10T18:03:00.001-08:00

Sherlock Holmes was a great movie. Downey Jr did a fantastic job, loved it.

2010-01-10T09:02:00.001-08:00

Tram at Disneyland, and my personal bubble has ALREADY been invaded.

2010-01-09T18:15:00.001-08:00

Damn, Romo is on his game today.

2010-01-09T16:57:00.001-08:00

I want to see Romo cry by the end of today

2010-01-09T14:14:00.001-08:00

I would like to see the Jets and Eagles win today. you always go against Romo after what he did with Jessica Simspon, the jerk-ass.

2010-01-08T17:09:00.001-08:00

Littlefoot!

2010-01-06T17:20:00.001-08:00

oops, meant to attach this. www.ghostbusters5.com

2010-01-06T17:19:00.001-08:00

haha this is priceless

2010-01-04T16:52:00.001-08:00

Went to the Apple Store with gf to pick up a friend. Genius Bar is obviously an overstatement.

2010-01-03T10:26:00.001-08:00

Disneyland. Hot.

2010-01-02T08:51:00.001-08:00

NFL is throwing a hissy fit because some teams are benching their starters this week. I say who cares, the only whiners should be fantasy owners.

2010-01-01T15:25:00.001-08:00

Love the weather right now, and I don't care if that makes me sound like an emo child, or an AFI fan..same diff.

2009-12-31T23:26:00.001-08:00

Ghostbusters energy drink, yes please

2009-12-31T23:05:00.001-08:00

2010: Let's get it started hot, Let's get it started in here!

2009-12-31T16:33:00.001-08:00

Lesson learned; never trust James Woods. Thanks, Family Guy.

2009-12-31T16:24:00.001-08:00

Are you guys ready to let the dogs out?

2009-12-30T11:14:00.001-08:00

California Screaming in the rain is like thousands of beebee pellets crashing into your face all at once...ouch

2009-12-29T14:44:00.001-08:00

Week off=amazing. Good thing I have 4 new games to occupy me. Need to turn my brain into mush

2009-12-28T21:33:00.001-08:00

Nerd goal for the week: install GameBoy emulator on PSP and get some POKEMON!! POKE WITH THE MON AND THE GOO CACHOOCHOO!

2009-12-28T16:54:00.001-08:00

Its funny how Ramen noodle packaging shows meat and veggies. If I'm buying Ramen noodles, then I probably can't afford any of that stuff.

2009-12-27T13:20:00.001-08:00

My new mission in life is to punch anybody who wears Ed Hardy products...and go Colts.

2009-12-25T13:48:00.001-08:00

Awesome belt buckle given by @Courtney Gottron

2009-12-24T16:39:00.001-08:00

Correction: Everybody would be happier if my parents had an abortion instead of me. Merry Christmas.

2009-12-24T16:38:00.001-08:00

I think my parents would have been happier with an abortion instead of me. Merry Christmas.

2009-12-22T21:25:00.001-08:00

Brothers was amazing, Tobey Maguire should win best actor for that. And oh yeah...Natalie Portman=win still

2009-12-22T18:44:00.001-08:00

About to watch Brothers with the girl. Natalie Portman=win

2009-12-21T20:59:00.001-08:00

Flyleaf is amazing

2009-12-18T11:40:00.001-08:00

Todays job for stephen the intern...ship out 5 cases of the finest Cabo Wabo Tequila, signed by Hagar himself. Sweet-sauce.

2009-12-17T12:17:00.001-08:00

FASHION BUG

2009-12-16T15:12:00.001-08:00

Blah, I feel like I'm getting sick. I blame all of you.

2009-12-15T22:17:00.001-08:00

Dear Finals, lube up, because you're going to need it when I show up. Love, Stephen.

2009-12-14T19:14:00.001-08:00

I was having a great day until about an hour ago. All shit hit the fan and it went everywhere. Where's my whiskey?

2009-12-14T09:35:00.003-08:00

Sorry for the shameless plug, but you all know you love it!

2009-12-14T09:35:00.001-08:00

On today's agenda; write reports, organize KDHR's music, and update the resume. Love working at a radio station. www.kdhr.net

2009-12-13T16:56:00.001-08:00

X-Mas parade went pretty well, tired after the work but the paycheck will make me happy. Now time to organize the ol' iTunes.

2009-12-12T17:03:00.001-08:00

Ralphs is selling an Atari "throwback" console for $49.99, includes 40 games. DO WANT!

2009-12-07T18:35:00.001-08:00

There is nothing more soothing than your gf staring you in the eyes with the cutest smile and saying "I don't love you" :(

2009-12-06T14:08:00.001-08:00

Lady standing waaaay too close to me in line. I was very closed to being raped at Victoria's Secret...by She-Shrek!

2009-12-06T13:43:00.001-08:00

Just saw a lime-green truck with spinners mmatching interior and LED ticker on license plate...douchemuch?

2009-12-04T17:08:00.001-08:00

Traffic on the 5...GPS a bomb to my location and win a prize

2009-12-04T13:22:00.001-08:00

Ate healthy for a change. Sushi and iced tea is nomnomnomgood

2009-12-04T08:11:00.001-08:00

Interning it up at Fontana. I'm having withdrawals from not doing any audio editing, even though its been only 3hrs...

2009-12-03T14:18:00.001-08:00

Went 60+ hours without sleep, made up for it by sleeping 15 hours last night. Refreshed.

2009-12-02T17:27:00.001-08:00

Oh forgot to mention I've been awake for the duration of my stay. Ready for a nap and a beer.

2009-12-02T17:26:00.001-08:00

I arrived on campus at 8am Tuesday. I'm finally getting the chance to leave at 5:25pm Wednesday.

2009-12-02T10:48:00.001-08:00

Check out my Google Profile at http://ping.fm/naKQD you could help me get on Google Search Results!

2009-11-30T11:55:00.001-08:00

what's a starving college student to eat? cup o noodles and leftover turkey, that's what.

2009-11-26T10:38:00.001-08:00

It was the Washington Redskins vs the New England Patriots, and that's where babies come from.

2009-11-26T10:37:00.001-08:00

Happy Day of the Fatties. Squanto and Pilgrim Dan celebrated by tossing a pigskin.

2009-11-23T13:50:00.001-08:00

Lunchtime. Gonna refuel before I do anymore work.

2009-11-22T08:51:00.001-08:00

Bought my girl New Moon tix to say congrats for her work success. Now I get to see what all this "OMGtehhottness" talk is about

2009-11-21T20:16:00.001-08:00

Productive and fun studio session with Hammertime and THE John Garcia. Looking forward to tomorrows vocal tracking session.

2009-11-20T21:54:00.001-08:00

Every item of food should be served on a bread plate or in a bread bowl. Less dishes and more yumm.

2009-11-20T18:38:00.001-08:00

After a 2.5 hour drive, I FINALLY get to dland. Gonna pwn some turkeys at the Toy Story shooters. Mark it.

2009-11-18T18:08:00.001-08:00

Doesn't matter how many movies or features I watch on them, but the American Armed Forces, purely kick all kinds of ass.

2009-11-16T19:56:00.001-08:00

Do any bands or artists want to do some free recording? Engineer for hire right hrre, holla atcha boy!...der, hit me up.

2009-11-15T08:12:00.001-08:00

It would be a miracle if CSUDH Police show up at the time their supposed to. I'm freezing my nards off waiting for them!

2009-11-14T18:22:00.001-08:00

Trying out Netflix on the PS3. Really easy interface and you can literally watch all movies available. Pretty cool.

2009-11-13T12:02:00.001-08:00

Just set up Premium Pass for Disneyland. Woot! Mickeyland!

2009-11-13T00:46:00.001-08:00

Probably one of my most productive days in a while. also tons of fun at the studio with the Hammer and the...John Garcia XD