On Your Random Speakers

making the Rock Band (video)

get RockBand/GuitarHero3 delivered by a hot Santa's helper (link)

Vassar Quidditch Team (video)

new K.I.T.T. for Knight Rider is a Mustang (pic)

Italian Spider-Man (video)

video games benefiting from Toy recall scares (link)

simroid the dentist training robot (video)

South Park, all online, all free (link)

Trannies vs McDonalds (video)

the CNN/Youtube Republican debate (link)

I've been watching movies in theaters again lately, and I'll be posting some reviews over the weekend. Most notably though, besides seeing "Beowulf" last week with friends, I once again went back in the groove of going by myself. Ofcourse I usually end up going by myself because honestly if I had to wait to go to the movies with my friends, I'll hardly ever get to see all the films I want to see. That's the truth. I question sometimes if it's kinda sad that I have to go see a movie by myself, but the truth of the matter is that it's not really an issue at all. So those people out there who can't find themselves going to the movies alone, if you love watching movies in the first place, then it shouldn't bother you at all.

The cats at work were driving me insane. When I say "cats" I don't mean guys, but actual four legged fanged animal cats creatures. They would roam around the road I would travel at work, and I would see them off to the side. As soon as my vehicle goes nearby, what do they do? Ofcourse they immediately jump out in front of me, forcing me to break hard. At one point, I once again saw one at the side, but this time I slowed down to a stop. When I did that, the cat just casually walks in front of me, taking it's sweet time. I swear, I had an encounter with the cats practically every hour, it's unbelievable. If I had my dogs with me....

On another note, it must be because of the colder season or something, but I think my fingers are shrinking a bit. I noticed this, because my wedding ring is very loose on my ring finger, and I almost lost it twice already. It just fell *plop* off my finger like it was buttered. I have to be more conscious now to make sure it stays on, even when I'm doing very mundane things.

With that, my wife is finally returning home from Taiwan today. Yesterday, I received an e-mail from her telling me what flight and what time she will be arriving. On that e-mail she mentioned "tonight" several times. Well... I was reading that e-mail on a Monday afternoon, and I could have sworn that I was suppose to pick her up Tuesday night. Because of the time difference though, I'm sure it was because she sent that e-mail Tuesday morning Taiwan time. At least I hope that made sense, because if not, then she's awfully patient waiting at the airport for almost 10 hours now as I write this.

Stabbed In The Random Heart

quick glimpse of the Cloverfield monster (video)

25 most baffling toys from around the world (link)

new World of Warcraft ads recruit Mr.T and William Shatner (video)

happy slip - tanks (video)

will it blend? guitar hero (video)

William Spencer Hollarado! (video)

10 Famous Product Failures (video)

Dramatic 911 call from right before shooting released (video)

spin (video)

throughout time - women in film (video)

After several days of playing Harmonix' music game "Rock Band," I can easily say that it's going down as one of my favorite games of the year; if not of all time. This game is just a blast, and it's pretty much something like a three games in one set, being that you get the guitar game, drum game, and singing game all in one. Sure it's closer to the $200 price tag for full admission, but I feel that it's completely worth the money. You can play as a four person set, or choose one instrument and play by yourself. You can even play online with people over the internet, if you are unable to locally play with other people. You also get to download additional songs to add to the roster of songs in the game, and ofcourse I immediately got the available downloadable songs by Metallica.

The closest comparison to the game is ofcourse Guitar Hero; which by the way was created by the people behind Rock Band. Technically speaking, Guitar Hero has harder songs to play, while Rock Band tends to be more on the easier side. However, easy or not, it's the songs that matter, and currently right now GH is more towards the hard rock genres while RB is more on the classic rock stuff. Preference is key here. As for the guitars' themselves, despite the fact that Rock Band's Fender Stratocaster looks cooler and has more functionality (five way sound key and five additional fret buttons), Guitar Hero's Gibson guitars are still proving themselves to be some well made controllers. My Rock Band guitar is actually defective already, so I had to switch to my GH2 X-Plorer guitar to continue playing. I did request for a free replacement that will be arriving in a few days, but right now I'm able to do a little quick trick to make it work for the time being. I read online that other people are also having problems with their guitars and drum sets.

The drums themselves are pretty cool, although being that I'm a novice with that instrument, it's currently a challenge using both my arms and one leg to play the game. The songs themselves, even on easy are pretty hard to play on drums. In time I'm sure I'll improve on my skills. The singing portion is ofcourse pretty much karaoke, except that you actually have to attempt to sing properly to get further in the game. I also recently finally played a session with a group of my friends to create the full four piece band. It was good times indeed, except that with several different tastes in music, it was sometimes hard to choose a song to actually play. The future of Rock Band is only going to be better than it is now, what with (hopefully) sturdier instruments, and more additional songs to download.

It's been almost three days now since my wife went to Taiwan per her parent's request. For the most part it still hasn't completely clicked with me that she isn't home. In a way I'm kinda just waiting for her to return from a long day at work or something. I did have to bust out the Trillian instant messaging program for AIM and Yahoo IM, so that we could chat, or at least find out if the other is available for an international phone call. I wonder if the dogs realize that she isn't around...

What Random We Came Here For

Study: Internet could run out of capacity in two years (link)

first trailer for that Jet Li / Jackie Chan movie (video)

here comes a family guy beer (link)

super man-rio kart (video)

7 Incredible Natural Phenomena (link)

bouncy ball senior prank (video)

25 hot women who deserve a record contract (link)

king of fighter flip book (video)

Rock Band / Guitar Hero III comparisons (link)

air guitar hero (video)

movie I've seen recently....

Beowulf - in IMAX 3D   (2007)  B+

Ambitious is one word to describe "Beowulf." The decision to do the whole movie in CGI isn't necessarily appealing to most people. Applying 3D to the whole movie in some screenings is also questionable. Coming out in a year that had the popular movie "300" will undoubtedly garner unwanted comparisons. To top it off, this movie is adapting an old 8th - 11th century english poem. A lot can go wrong with "Beowulf," but fortunately the movie works splendidly. This is all thanks to the direction by Robert Zemeckis and the screenplay by Neil Gaiman and Roger Avary.

The motion capture work used to bring actors like Ray Winstone, Anthony Hopkins, Robin Wright Penn, or Angelina Jolie to life in a computer animated movie is extraordinary. It was very easy for me to get caught up in the moment, that at times it did feel like I was watching a live action movie. Beowulf is also the best 3D experience I ever had in a movie (saw it in imax), making it even more immersive than ever. Sure the CGI and 3D may be spectacular, but they still show signs for improvement.

The story itself seems deceptively simple enough, like the action-fest of "300." However in Beowulf, there is a subtle engaging depth in the characters and the story, that it's no wonder the tale has stood the test of time. I left the movie definitely wanting to see more of the story and the characters. Considering the original poem has influenced many modern day tales, the problem that some people might have is that the plot is more or less familiar overall; despite the movie having it's own unique flavor to things.

"Beowulf" is something that has to be experienced. It truly gives us a glimpse of what the future of movies can be visually, and it is quite exciting.