I've been very critical about anime, and how the majority of the shows
are repetitive with no signs of creativity at all.  Once in
awhile, some anime will come out of nowhere and blow your mind.  "Paranoia Agent"
is one of those anime. At first when watching the first couple of
episodes of the show, you sense the dark disturbing feeling that the
show imbues. Then you are introduced to the mystery behind the cases of
people getting attacked by a roller blading kid with a bent baseball
bat. Confusion sets in and you start wondering what the hell you are
watching, especially considering that there's a talking stuffed animal
in the show.  But all in all there is a mystery that needs to be
solved, and if you've gone as far as the 4th episode, then you must be
dying to know how it's going to end. With no spoilers, I can safely say
that there is NO WAY you will guess how the mystery is concluded. Going through the beginnings of the show, and
then riding along the roller coaster of the last half of the series, will give you such the mind trip.
But just like a lot of anime that are of these variety, there is that
underlying message that the show will give the viewer by the end. 
It's just the way it's given in such an unconventional manner that will
please you.

If you liked anime like Perfect Dark, Boogiepop Phantom, or Serial Experiment Lain, then you should check Paranoia Agent out.

For gamers, we all have heard the recent news regarding Grand Theft Auto : San Andreas and the "hot coffee" controversy. 
At first it was more or less a "oh cool, check out what we found" kinda
deal, not thinking about any ramifications that this easter egg will
bring to the game.  I'm sure we thought that the ESRB rating would
end up going "AO" (adult only) from an "M" (mature) because of the
hidden mini-game, but did people really think that the game will be
removed from the shelves of stores?! I sure didn't think it would go
that far. Then the next reaction would be, well, I may not see it in
Walmart or Best Buy, but there's always game specific stores like
Gamestop or Electronic Boutique right? Nope, doesn't look like you'll
find it there either.

I went to a gamestop recently and I asked their store employee what
their policy about the game is.  They told me that all gamestop
stores will not carry the game anymore, and even indicated that sister
company Electronic Boutique is doing the same thing.  I asked what
stores would even carry the game anymore, and they said that probably
only the mom and pops or ebay. To make matters worse, I hear that since
stores are getting burned by the game going off the shelves, they might
not even consider supporting the "fixed" version of the game when it's
released weeks from now.

Grand Theft Auto is a HUGE game franchise and it's getting slammed hard
by the government and by the industry for it's harmless sex mini-game.
There's sooo many violent actions you can do in the game, but it was
accepted and allowed on store shelves. Yet when you're actually given
the option to have sex with a virtual consensual character, it's the
product of Satan!  For cryin out loud, there's worse things you
can download for free on the internet. But I guess if the government
had their way, they would regulate that too.

I suppose the question now will be, how will this affect the production
of the next Grand Theft Auto game? Will it completely be affected by this? Or howabout ANY future games? Heck, they are even attacking the Sims 2.
With the next-gen consoles around the corner, publishers and developers
are keeping their eyes and ears glued to any more revelations in the
case.

Move On Random

Peter Griffin? (link)

old men fight too (video)

ba-donka-donk mouse (link)

David Hasselhoff: hooked on a feeling (video)

it ain't just paint (link)

Harry Potter audio book (audio)

prom tux out of coke cans (link)

galvanize! (flash game)

Star Wars Revelations (link)

banned playstation2 commercial (video)

the At-At Gamecube (pics)

for the guys: it can be a bit hypnotizing to watch, yes? (video)

 

WooHoo! I just finished reading Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince! I know, it's a lot sooner than I originally thought I'd be done,
but I ended up spending all my free time reading it. It was a great
read and definitely did not disappoint.  Out of the six books
released so far, this may not be my most favorite (that goes to either the Goblet of Fire or the Prisoner of Azkaban),
but this is definitely worthy of the series. This is also the book that
rewards you the most for reading the previous five books, as several
events from those are clearly reflected in book six, and actually fills
in some of the puzzles.

Some quick non-spoiler comments...
I was actually surprised as to who the Half-Blood Prince was.
I love that the dark tone of the story has not let up with this book.
The fact I knew *that* big spoiler weeks prior to the book, thankfully
did not diminish my reaction to when it actually happened.

You can tell that J.K.Rowling's writing has improved tremendously, with
her ability to move the story along without overdoing it.  In fact, it
moved so fast, I couldn't tell when 100 pages have already gone by. If
anything else, I think this book would be translated to the movies
quite easily, with just some minor modified cuts.

It's good to be a Harry Potter fan.

What I'm listening to this week...

1) Hot Hot Heat - elevator
2) various artists - Look at all the love we found : A tribute to Sublime
3) Killswitch Engage - The End of Heartache (special edition)
4) The Vanity Project - self-titled
5) various artists - A Punk Tribute to Metallica

The Keys to Your Heart

You are attracted to those who are unbridled, untrammeled, and free.

In love, you feel the most alive when things are straight-forward, and you're told that you're loved.

You'd like to your lover to think you are loyal and faithful... that you'll never change.

You would be forced to break up with someone who was emotional, moody, and difficult to please.

Your ideal relationship is lasting. You want a relationship that looks to the future... one you can grow with.

Your risk of cheating is zero. You care about society and morality. You would never break a commitment.

You think of marriage as something that will confine you. You are afraid of marriage.

In this moment, you think of love as commitment. Love only works when both people are totally devoted.

Recently, you must have noticed that there are a lot of reality TV
shows available to us.  Years ago, we all thought that it was
simply a fad but now it's; for lack of a better word, reality. Now,
these shows would never, could never be popular if it wasn't for the
large audience that they draw in.  More viewers means more money
ofcourse. 

So blame the audience right? What is the facination with watching
people in these reality shows? Why even be interested? Somebody brought
up the comparison of the Gladiator era of Roman times.  Back then,
people would flock to these colloseums to see people fight each other
or against animals, to see how they live or die. There's that curiosity
to see what these gladiators are going to do. To put it simply, it's
like seeing an ant squirm under your magnifying glass.

That's what the people in reality TV shows are, ANTS! We love to see
them squirm, act crazy, fall in love, etc... as if they are our pets.
Seeing these reality TV stars "grow" in front of you, gives you that
extra sensation like you are a part of their lives. It's almost like a
sick obsessional fascination.

You damn rubber neckers!

Get What Random You Need

amazing basketball video (video)

why dogs and tv don't mix (video)

just curious, strangers helping strangers (link)

AIM fight (flash)

avoider (flash game)

talk about your HOT proposals (link)

hamburger magic trick (video)

Yoda + Britney Spears (video)

comparison shopping by mobilephone (link)

girls of comic-con 2005 (video)

bubble fun (flash game)

too pretty for jail (link)

adopt your own virtual pet!

I'm a third through reading Harry Potter and the Half-blood Prince,
and so far I'm really enjoying it. I wish I could just do a marathon
session like some people did when the book was released on July 16, but
unfortunately I have somewhat of a life and don't have that luck. I'm
hoping to be done two weeks from now though.

A lot of things have already occured in just the first ten chapters,
introducing new characters and plot possibilities that I'm left with
just guesses at what will occur (except for that huge spoiler I read a
month or so back). That's the great thing about the Harry Potter books,
it's the unpredictability of the story.  I'm sure we all have an
idea at the direction the series is going, but it's the question of HOW
it gets there that still gives me surprises.

J.K. Rowling so far has
done a great job at keeping the universe she created really fresh and
rich of memorable characters and situations. To think that there's only
one more book left in the series after this one is a little
disheartening, because I'd honestly like to see this keep going for
much longer.

damn weather.  Hot and muggy, then chilling cold air conditioning,
it's enough to make me go insane. The AC wouldn't even be a problem if
it wasn't for the fact that I work in a place that has it on. When I
turn it off, there's people that want it on. Heck, I think I'm starting
or am already sick.  I feel hot yet cold at the same time. 
Yeah, bad sign. I hope I get better by tomorrow.

On a side note, it looks like I left my mark on http://fazed.net with my very first submission.

Look What Random Done

Grand Theft Auto: SA gets "Adults Only" rating (link)

giant gummy bear (pics)

profiting off of MMO gold (link)

prowlies at the river (flash)

so you wanna make your own pizza? (link)

too much counterstrike (video)

the media is too obsessed with videogame violence (link)

planarity (flash game)

pistake urinal (link)

grandma plays video games (link)

only in Kenya - animated (flash)

Only in Kenya - LIVE (flash)

from Doberman to Poodle (link)

...all your base rhapsody (flash)

got an NES belt buckle on you? (pics)

deere john (video)

can't find on google (link)

robocup 2005 (link)

a one-act interactive drama (game download)

eets (game download)