Monthly Archives: March 2009

The Apple team bombs, too

Posted on by
Reply

The Woz:

As in, “What in the name of Oz is wrong with you?”

Give him a break. This guy helped bring you Oregon Trail by providing cheap Apples to your elementary labs.

Weird dream last night (not involving Wozniak):
It was a commercial. The song “Shout to the Lord” was playing but on the screen was a Madden game with a Green Bay Packer on the cover morphing over the years, uniforms from the 60s to modern day. The voice-over then said, “Let your daughters know that you’ll always love them. EA Sports. It’s in the game.”

I feel like this guy:

Let’s see what tonight brings.

Ohm, is your team ready?

Posted on by
Reply

Cornhusker? Cornflickr? I think I’m related to a cornhicker…

Here’s what the Yahoo tech guy says to prevent damage from the Conficker virus:

Microsoft offers a web-based scanner (note that some users have reported it crashed their machines; I had no trouble with it), so you might try one of these downloadable options instead: Symantec’s Conficker (aka Downadup) tool, Trend Micro’s Cleanup Engine, or Malwarebytes.

And then he has to add:

And yes, Macs are immune this time out.

Game – Starring some Milo Ventimiglia guy

Posted on by
4

I got an invitation to a focus group to watch a new movie called Game. It’s this Tuesday and I’m leading my small group that night, so I can’t go. First person to comment, message, call, tweet me gets two tickets to…The Game (or is it just Game?) It’s at Harkins Chandler Fashion 20 on Tuesday, March 31st, and you have to be there at 6:45pm. (Oh…you also have to be between the ages of 17 and 34…sorry, Dad.)

Here’s an excerpt from the description:

You and a guest are invited to preview GAME, a non-stop action
thriller from the writers/directors of CRANK. GAME stars Gerard
Butler (300), Michael C. Hall (DEXTER), John Leguizamo
(RIGHTEOUS KILL, ASSAULT ON PRECINCT 13), Milo Ventimiglia
(HEROES), Amber Valletta (TRANSPORTER 2), Ludacris (CRASH,
HUSTLE & FLOW), and Kyra Sedgwick (THE CLOSER).

Game is a high-concept action thriller that set in the near future, a
time when mind-control technology has taken society by storm.
Humans control other humans in a mass-scale, multiplayer online
game. Reclusive billionaire Ken Castle (Michael C. Hall) has created
the controversial form of entertainment, “Slayers,” a hugely popular
game that allows millions to act out their innermost desires and
fantasies – online – in front of a global audience. Gaming has evolved
into a terrifying new dimension… mind control… manipulation…
people playing people!

At the center is Kable (300′s Gerard Butler), the superstar and cult
hero of “Slayers,” the savage, ultraviolent first person shooter
game. Kable is controlled by Simon, a young gamer with rock star
status who continues to defy all odds by guiding Kable to victory
each week. Taken from his family, imprisoned and forced to fight
against his will, the modern day gladiator must survive long enough
to escape the game to free his family, regain his identity and to save
mankind from Castle’s ruthless technology.

Recombinant Results

Posted on by
1

I’m almost done with Max Ride 5, so it’s fitting that we have our results of the survey:

If you were forced to be a part of a mad scientist’s recombinant DNA experiment, which creature would you want your DNA mixed with?

45% Koala
36% Chinchilla
9% Manatee
9% Matt Lauer

Let’s pause for a minute while we contemplate Matt Lauer tying in votes with a manatee.

Expect a review of Max within the next few days. Mike, still working on the video. Slade, when April 18 rolls around those zombies will have me to fear. My encouraging fans, we’re on page 90 of Vanguard.

Have you seen the information TurboTax puts out about deductions? I’m curious about the depreciation of my MacBook, DVD burner, and printer based on how many things got booyored in 2008.

Checking Craigslist Gigs for Supplemental Income

Posted on by
1

Here’s one that I found this morning:

I GIVE UP!!! I AM GOING TO BREAK SOMETHING!!!!

I WILL PAY YOU $10 to log-on to my xbox 360 LIVE account and sing ONE SONG on expert. You have to complete it only. I don’t care about the stars. I just want the achievement.

The song is Boston’s Foreplay/Long Time.

I have completed every other song on expert already. I cannot get past this one. I am going to break another controller if I try it myself again. Is 5 minutes of your time worth $10? It’s yours if you can do it.

Blast from the Past

Posted on by
Reply

Editor’s note: Slade, have you seen how quickly this video has spread? I received three e-mails today from different people about the video. I think it’s because they saw your article.

With over 900,000 views in the past week, I’ll take this guy over any current politician in congress with the exception of Jon Kyl and Mitch McConnell.

The Emancipator

Posted on by
Reply

Don’t forget to vote on recombinant DNA and learn Idaho potato peeling tips from Mary Ann. I’ll announce the survey results at the end of the week.

The older Cannon brother (voice actor, stand-up comedian, puppeteer) has been putting up a constant stream of amazing caricatures on Facebook that would make Al Hirschfeld proud. He’s been drawing the presidents of the United States and I’m going to see what it would take to decorate my library in them.

I’ve also been inspired for another drawing of my own. You can probably tell I’ve got other things on my mind, as well.
Photobucket
I drew this in the van on the way over to our small group tonight. Lots of fun.

Pop Quiz 4: Recombinant DNA and From My Inbox

Posted on by
2

From my Inbox:
I get lots of e-mail, some from readers, some from Nigerian royalty, and some from people who need their own blogs so they stop forwarding me messages about $250 cookie recipes or what an 8th grade education was like back in A.D. 600 for the Celts (actually, that does intrigue me)(like an albino deer).

The first link comes from the first category of e-mail. Thanks for the link, Ohm. I know that the parents/grandparents of pre-schoolers will like to see that their condition is more universal than they realize:
Tiny Art Director

The second link comes from the last category of e-mail. Usually I get forwards about why voting for voting is bad because it’s too votey (or whatever), but now I give you the new way to peel potatoes, as presented by Mary Ann, Minnow passenger and spokesperson for Idaho:


Now you don’t have to peel potatoes ever again. I would imagine this works on peaches, yams, and other skin-type foods.

Embedding a video

Posted on by
Reply

I’ve been asked to put up instructions on how to embed a YouTube video

1. Find the video that you want, preferably one with cats or anime characters.
2. Copy the code for the embedded video, not the URL.

3. Paste the code into the editor. For The BLOGgh, make sure it’s in HTML and not Visual.

4. The full embed code is in the picture. If you don’t have both object codes, one at the start and one at the end, you didn’t copy the entire code.

Garage Sale – Day 1

Posted on by
3

Photobucket
We started out with ducks in the neighbor’s pool. Imagine me, before the sun was up, hearing loud quacking and thrashing behind me.

And the cat gangs were in full swing.

Photobucket
We sold some stuff from college. The Cowden Conglomerate should recognize this vintage item. The woman who bought it couldn’t understand why it had a face on it. She kept peeking under the construction paper, thinking we were hiding a defect.

Imagine if I tried to explain the arms.

Photobucket
Pure class.

Photobucket
We decided to bring out the big guns once Vader was sold.

Photobucket
A little bit into the morning even our street sweeper parked to get out and browse. It amazes me that many people will get out and leave their cars (or street sweepermobiles) running.

Photobucket

I really miss my grandpa. Much love to you tonight, Slade.

Syfy – I don’t think that means what you think it means

Posted on by
11


I had heard about this from Flashlight Peter and I cringed. If you’re not familiar with the news, the Sci Fi channel is having a mid-life crisis. It will now buy an expensive, Italian spaceship and ditch the Lifetime channel for a younger network.

Tim Brooks, one of the guys who helped launch the Sci Fi channel when he worked at USA, is quoted as saying:

The name Sci Fi has been associated with geeks and dysfunctional, antisocial boys in their basements with video games and stuff like that, as opposed to the general public and the female audience in particular

Ouch. I may be antisocial, and I may be obsessed with video games, but I do not have a basement! (But if I had one I would transfer the Star Wars room there.)

Here’s another gem:

We spent a lot of time in the ’90s trying to distance the network from science fiction, which is largely why it’s called Sci Fi

I really don’t think you’re fooling anyone, Mr. Brooks. Mr. Howe, the guy that currently runs the Sci Fi channel (I refuse to say ‘Syfy‘), has this to say:

We need an umbrella brand we can attach to new businesses: Sci Fi games, Sci Fi kids. It does no use to attach ‘Sci Fi’ because there’s hundreds of sci-fi Web sites and sci-fi publications. So it’s changing your name without changing your name

Then he goes on to talk about how they’re working on a show that also will have a subscription-based MMORPG. I remember the good ol’ days when it was the movie and then the spin-off marketing.

Did you know that not once are the words ‘TIE Bomber’ or ‘Palpatine’ used in the dialogue or the script for the original Star Wars trilogy? Check out the proof that Lucas is a marketing genius.

Syfy? That’s your marketing genius? And you say that you don’t want to focus on space or aliens? Because that hasn’t been their focus, right? [cough] Cylons [/cough]

I must admit that I am intrigued by an MMORPG that updates with the events of the show, but I don’t have time for that. I know that there’s all this stuff about Heroes or Lost, but I don’t have time to check that out.

Who has that time?

geeks and dysfunctional, antisocial boys in their basements with video games and stuff like that, as opposed to the general public and the female audience in particular


The Facepalm v. 1.2

And to save you the trouble, Wookieburger, I point towards what Syfy looks like an abbreviation for.