Talking about fanboys, I think.
We’re all guilty, but I find that the discussion going on on Amazon about the Clone Wars DVD is insane. 2,170 reviews as of this posting. We had seen a commercial only advertising Blu-Ray and On Demand, and my wife was worried that Blu-Ray had taken over.
Not even close.
To put it into context, check out the number of reviews for Star Trek items. Merchandise Wars Trek.
Hey. At least it’s not Aquaman.
Marc Ecko, purveyor of all things hip and/or rhino-related, has come out with a new branch of his clothing line:
Click here to see more.
My thoughts? Well, for the stormtrooper hoodie, let’s do a comparison:
$98
$10 Wal-Mart
$0.99 (Also from Wal-Mart)
Total cost: $10.99 vs. $98
And yet in both scenarios, you look like a doofus.
But the Mandalorian hoodie? I would walk up to the florist, buy flowers for my wife, and ask, “Will they survive transport? They’re no good to me dead.”
My wife wants this one:
but I told her to hold out for it in pink. And not $98.
This one = what?
I first heard about this from Scott Kurtz, but I’ve also followed up on Scott McCloud and some other artists.
24 Hour Comics Day is where a group of artists/storytellers get together in one location and bust out 24 comics, one per hour. (I wonder if that’s how so many Marmaduke comics get made. Can you imagine if Gary Larson had done this?)
I can predict that they’d get pretty loopy pretty quickly. Here’s my attempt at the comics:
Hour 1
Click for full view
Hour 2
Click for full view
Here you can see the loopiness set in. I crunched 23 comics into one. There’s a ninja dinosaur bowling, taunted by a zombie robot, while being encouraged by a manga Cheshire cat. Yeah, we moved our drummer today. I got kinda tired. Maybe next year I’ll be more prepared, with the Wacom tablet instead of a Sharpie and a piece of printer paper.
Do my longtime readers remember my stealth plane?
Go find the dog in the backyard. Ever see Chevy Chase’s Funny Farm?
Yep. And there’s also a distinct lack of stucco/adobe/mud houses.
We’re staying in a basement that is larger than our original apartment my wife and I had when we first got married. It’s been a great retreat for me. Lots of journaling/Vanguarding going on.
And the notorious uncle is still Lord of Catan. His citadel (blue) was mighty. My sheep empire (yellow) was just in its infancy when the Ore Baron crushed my wife’s Road to Nowhere (red).
I’m starting to develop a twang. My oldest is developing other rogue-ish abilities:
Lots of fun in the outdoors:
My youngest has a fun cousin to play with, too:
Being entertained by my oldest
Although we should cut back before the flight on her General MacArthur corncob pipe:
Just so you know, North Carolina has Princess Parking:
Her cousin and her are having fun dressing up in frilly dresses and driving monster trucks. Did I mention that we’re in the South?
Other nerd news:
I will be watching Heroes hours before you mere West Coasters even dream of the show. I should make some “predictions”. And then next Monday I, too, shall have my powers stripped. But I will say this: our basement apartment has an HD big screen TV.
And the iQ, the 56 mpg Toyota? Yeah, it’ll be a Scion.
Here’s the larger size for printing:
Droids vote poster
Rachel, meet Sauron. Sauron, Rachel. Now come up with a fruit that starts with the same letter as your name. I’ll start. Booyor…Bananas
And yes…still there.
For Jeremy…Two words: Trajan Pro
I decided to do some campaigning of my own:
My daughters and I had so much fun putting these up, we shared the love:
Shhh. Don’t tell them we did it.
New tag.
Brown Squadron, here are some Ruing Resources:
Sauron Poster
Palpatine Poster
Hey…has anyone else seen the keyed parent controls on new Fords?
Sure, there’s going to be an HD Wii in 2011, or there are new Conduit videos up at IGN (What, High Voltage, you’re not just phoning it in? You’re going to do something no one’s done for years: try?).
Or a new Punch-out?
But the biggest news of all?
My Wii Fit trainer got a haircut. He lost his Highlander/Padawan knobby ponytail and instead has a haircut very similar to a certain ensign.
Mad Monster Party?
“All these nasty monsters…and Phyllis Diller!”
Considering that invertebrates are in a state of open revolt and it has and always will be our firm policy to smash any invertebrate insurgents, this one got off easy.
We had hoped that perhaps the mantis would be lured by a garden. (For some reason it reminds me of Dustin Hoffman.)
The mantis must have spent significant time in Flagstaff to realize not to trust a home-grown herb garden sitting in a windowsill. (Have you seen what those “Elfin knight herbs” could mean in that song?)
My daughter was the keen observer to notice the self-righteous intruder today. (With my artsy wife catching the photos.) I should mention that something crawled on my toes while I slept last night.
While I was safe in my library, my wife and oldest approached the abomination with terms of its surrender. Certain conditions were met: the mantis was taken outside on a piece of cardboard and we would not terminate its existence, as per my wishes in accordance with the Demosthenes Treaty (it was fortunate that I’ve read more Orson Scott Card and not as much Robert Heinlein.)
My oldest had to go get her “watermelon hat” in order to protect herself. When they were carrying it outside, my daughter apprehensively told my wife, “It’s staring at me, Mom.”
Big day for all, including a second lost tooth (through age and not mantis-related causes):
And my wife and I watched Chuck Season 2, Chuck versus the First Date. “Sleeper has awakened” reference. Yay. (And Slade, you’ll appreciate that as Chuck alarm clock turns to from 6:59am to 7:00am, the radio starts playing “Power of Love”.)
Recently there was an article by Clive Thompson in Wired about how elections are very much like a video game, with certain rules and even legitimizing the slandering-pandering. The part I really dug (because I’m not a fan of non-representative candidates trash talking) was addressing people’s concerns about the electoral college. If we take it out, it would be like changing the damage modifiers for Force Lightning. It might totally make the game unbalanced. (Although if we were in a Republic of Sean or Benevolent Dictatorship of Devinistan we could craft some sufficient house rules.)
Favorite quote? “Democracy needs a patch.”
But if Election ’08 really is a game, I want to trade mine in at Bookman’s for the next New Jedi Order book.
If you haven’t already, check out the celebrations of Gabe’s birthday around the world.
1. Phoenix Mars Lander talks like a pirate
2. Lapti Nek playing over the speakers at a Nar Shadaa cantina in Force Unleashed. (And letting me now wear a Correllian flight suit as my outfit.)
I mean, what more do you need in a bloggh?
First, the quote
Donald Miller’s Blue Like Jazz. Yes, I’ve read it before. I’m re-reading it, and for a “I need to read the latest teen fiction” librarian that’s crazy because I can only think of three other times that has occurred: the multiple class readings of literature (16 times (3 block classes x 5 years + 1 on my own) worth of Diary of Anne Frank, The Outsiders, Watsons go to Birmingham, and multiple short stories)), stuff by C. S. Lewis, and To Kill a Mockingbird (okay, so through the big three of Shakespeare in, as well).
I guess it can be determined that I still read a lot. But Blue Like Jazz deserves coming back to.
Here’s a part of what I read today:
Loneliness is something that came with the fall. If loving other people is a bit of heaven then certainly isolation is a bit of hell, and to that degree, here on earth, we decide in which state we would like to live. Rick told me, a little later, I should be living in community. He said I should have people around bugging me and getting under my skin because without people I could not grow – I could not grow in God, and I could not grow as a human.
Pick up a copy. When I read the book, it feels like my soul is sitting in the perfect recliner eating a Hot Pocket*.
Thank you to the Star Wars guys, the sidewalk drivers, and my family. You are appreciated.
Next, the picture
Before I continue, you should know that I am feeding my youngest while snacking. I have to tell you that the new Batman fruit snacks are way cooler molding than the Spider-man and Transformers ones combined.
This one was sent in by Danjo today:
In our media-saturated world, polls and commentators and all that, have we matured much?
I, of bloggher persuasion, am the chief of sinners. Yet, one should know, I have hit information overload. I wonder how many of us in Generation Jaded (or whatever we are) are truly really excited and hopeful about the election results, either way.
And finally an ethical question
Wookiee Jedi (Force Warrior variant). (Yes, I know that’s not a question.)
Correct – this is a random picture from the Internet and not me.
Rage is a racial bonus. If my Wookiee is in the middle of combat and acts out of Rage, is he being tempted by the Dark Side? Is it in his nature as a Wookiee and he must fight it to hone his Force training or will he not gain any Dark Side points while adding +2 to damage and attack rolls?
No, I’m serious.
*Results may vary.
Half a decade ago my wife and I hung out with a Comedy Sports (I refuse to substitute the ‘Z’) crew. These people knew how to party – they brought out board games from all over the place. We loved this game where you had to build a tower from funky pieces. I like to call it Opposite Jenga but all of the local game/hobby shops called it What the Balderdash are you Talking About?
Now I come across the game looking at photos from the Penny Arcade Expo this year.
The circle is complete. Now I am…actually going to bed.
Of note: Our very own Flashlight Peter is having a discussion en masse on a Wired story.
Currently making final preparations for giant, living room-spanning combat between Vong, Chiss, Jedi, Republic and Scoundrel forces.
Paper (and pencil) beats console.
Updates:
Sean injures a superior Vong. Round 1 goes to the heroes.
Jesse force-gripping giant beast.
Vong cannon obliterates Republic troops after they rig the ship to explode.
Kraka ready to deflect as other Jedi gripping.
Triggerman broadcats showing up.
I guess the closing ceremonies were the definition of anticlimactic. I say “I guess” because I didn’t watch them yet. I hear that in comparison to the legions of trained pneumatic warriors (really, follow the link), the closing ceremonies are akin to kids performing the Dark Knight trailer.
I was all psyched to watch the Olympics and then multiple people ruined the China versus USA basketball results (the only event I wanted to watch). I then read about the adult diapers that the drummers in the opening ceremonies had to wear and I checked out. It was fun to think of continuous coverage on my TV, but after a minute I would always get bored.
And hey…I read Siddhartha. I have an attention span.
I reserved my copy of Force Unleashed today. I don’t know if I could handle the Wii Fit shenanigans again. With Target you buy a $5 gift card to reserve a copy for seven days. That $5 gets applied to the purchase of the game…and a wall cling of a Sith apprentice! Where would I put that?
Oh. The Star Wars room.
Yep. Nerdy librarian. Generation Dead is right up your alley, Devin.
On Saturday we went to a friend’s birthday party and played Citadel. It’s a city building game where character cards give you special abilities. I was a fan of the Assassin and Tax Collector hanging out at my Docks and Fortress. Throw a Warlord into the mix if someone already grabbed one of my favorite characters and fun was had.
I also thought that it was funny that it’s possible to make an exact likeness of NAU:
Check this out from my trip home from work:
This thing was holding on until it crawled onto the roof. I was expecting to see it get tossed.
It “closing ceremonied” my expectations.
I was browsing where people access my site from:
View Larger Map
Deception Bay, Oceania
Population: Cutthroats, cutpurses, and CutCo reps
Established: AD 44 when a Roman centurion betrayed a dingo colony and was branded with the Crimson Paw and left for dead at an Outback restaraunt
Chief Export:Death
Chief Import:Bananas
I recall Brian’s RPG wiki- a predecessor to Kraka’s Holocam, obviously. It was a pretty cool idea, and one I’d like to work on at some point. But I’d never thought about using a wiki to plan my campaigns. Now that’s something I’m going to have to work with, given that my standard campaign includes excessively elaborate timelines and backstory that have little to no effect on the players, except for my wife, who gets to hear as much as I think I can get away with telling her without spoiling the story or boring her. however, since my general weakness as a GM is forgetting little details about things, this has some great potential.
Obsidian Portal looks promising- I’ve got a couple of campaign ideas I’ve been pondering, and this could be a great tool to organize those ideas.
You know what this world needs more of? Scorpion versus Superman:
Or maybe not.
This is what happens when two abused intellectual properties check in to the TMNT Clinic for Overused Trademarks.
I know that Superman is weak against magic (although are every one of a ninja’s kicks magical? (I just pictured cycle kicks to “Some Enchanted Evening”, Clark being across a crowded room)).
But does that make Batman a poor aim with the Bat-arang versus Sub-Zero?
Knocking someone through multiple walls of a building does look cool, though. Not cool enough to pine for a game, though.
In the category of Things Better Left Alone, Tony Almeida will be back on Season 7 of 24:
Update:
I guess we are all on the same wavelength. I’m going to keep up my post, even though Devin (who, in all fairness, introduced Dr. Horrible to the site while I was on vacation) schooled me. And Mike, with his text updates. Awesomeness!
Thanks to Mike’s keen sense of time zones, I was able to watch Act I of Dr. Horrible IN THE FUTURE!
“Muaha ha..Haaa. I’m working with a vocal coach.”
It’s on the main site but you can also download it to iTunes for all of your Apple TV needs (or iPod or new iPhone or whichever trendy friend of mine you are).
“Dude, you’re not my nemesis.”
Serial fiction is my prediction (borrowed from Stackpole and Gaiman (and Doctorow and Lessig)) for the new trend in entertainment as the Internet becomes even more intertwined in our lives. Do you remember dialing in to one of 8 phone lines to the CHHS BBS to play Wilderlands, VGA Planets, or Legend of the Red Dragon? Or am I just that old? (And nerdy?)
Well, I remember standing in line with my dad and uncle to watch Ghostbusters.
Okay, so the “How Many 5 Year-olds Can you Beat Up” was kinda funny but also disturbing.
I found the Create a Nation game on Devin’s profile and started Barbarian’s Realm:
Any citizen who owns land may participate in this country’s electoral process. Three ton computing systems are the crowning achievement of this country’s technological advancements. Advancement in medical practices has produced efficient health care practices, but only the privileged can afford the rising costs.
The citizens of Barbarians Realm follow a general rule to only pick fights with weaker individuals and stay out of the way of stronger individuals. Military in Barbarians Realm is completely voluntary and is made up primarily of boy and girl scouts seeking leadership badges. Religious practice and public observances are allowed, but no policies may be created to advance any given expression of religious thought. All children in Barbarians Realm ages five to thirteen are eligible for free placement testing to determine their proper schooling placement.
This country is beginning to adopt many environmentally responsible practices, although any company with enough money can buy the right to disregard any practice they deem appropriate. Privatization of corporations and free market are new concepts developing in this country, and citizens are free to demonstrate for increase of social freedoms, but government officials are instructed to only pay lip service, and no actual changes will be made.
The whole “own land to participate” thing we’re still working out the kinks on, but we should soon be able to pursue life, liberty, and estate.
D’oh! We’re not John Locke! I meant happiness, I swear.
