Buy The Way

Valkyria Chronicles II for rhe PSP comes out tomorrow!

"Don't worry, Anna. I'm sure they'll release it on UMD."

Tomorrow is day 1 and I will be there.

Marwencol

Marwencol is a documentary about Mark Hogancamp and the strange world he has created.

In 2000 Hogancamp was nearly beaten to death outside a bar in Kingston, New York. He suffered brain damage, losing most of his memories.

As personal therapy he began building a 1/6 scale WWII-era village called Marwencol, which he populated with characters inspired by the people he knew. He then photographed the dioramas, creating a dramatic visual narrative using the figurines.

The documentary opens in Minneapolis this December.

OMG

I might be way out of line here. Although I highly doubt it.
I followed a link from Penny-Arcade today and found this picture:

I'm going to try and say something nice. "Well, at least they were able to quit worshipping that organ for one Sunday." Or maybe, "Just think of all the scripture we could wrap up in a flag that size!" How about, "You know, I never fully understood all of those hundreds of verses about idolatry until I saw this."

It isn't working.

Swarmation

Swarmation may or may not give you insight into the nature of human relationships and cooperation. Additional discussion here.

Excerpts From H.P. Lovecraft's Yelp Page

"While plodding down the streets of madness I came upon The Cupcake Place, its wares laid out in the window as they were the eyes of a transdimensional fear-beast coated with the unblinking frosting of eternal torment."

Link

this too shall pass

It worked... but sadly, it all went tits up in the end.

Kagematsu-the RPG



You know I'm in; too bad it is sold out.

Game play reports here.
(IGOTY 2009)

A Tangential Right Turn from DockCon.

Interest in this specfic flavor of the subject 'hipster' may be minimal in our group but I just spent the afternoon laughing, feeling uncomfortable and/or thinking, "Oh, SNAP!" (BTW, none of it ironicly.)

Take the quiz and share your scores - yes, this time for the irony.

I'm going to buy the book (even though the guy has an unfortunate last name.)

if Gus can post that...

...then i can post this.

who's your favorite sci fi author? hers is Ray Bradbury:

in space, no one can hear you scream

even if your luke skywalker in cloud city, no one can hear you

Pop Song Of The Year

The back-up singers make it.

Happy Birthday, Don Schlitz!

Well, it is almost his birthday; it is coming up on August, 29th. Also, what a name! Schlitz - Jr. even.

"Wait wait wait," you're probably saying, "Don who? Don why?"

Hey, thanks for asking. Don Schlitz is the writer of one of the best songs to ever come out of the good ol' United States of America. Hmm, but it's not actually just a song. It is a lyrical masterpiece; probably the best metaphor offered since, well, since Jesus put some out there. And much like those parables a ton of people don't get 'The Gambler' either. Of they take it and run some terrible place with it. But anyway ...

Check out this part of the song's wiki, "Rogers' rendition on the Muppet Show (see below) indicates the Gambler actually dies." Really? You think? I've been around the block a few times now so I should know better but somewhere at sometime people weren't sure the gambler died? What the shit? Come on, people! They probably shouldn't have been watching The Muppet Show either because that was an awfully smart show. - Now I have to convince myself that I don't want to know what terrible things stupid people did with that American gem as well. Damn it ...

Maybe I will feel better if we take a look at the imagery of the intro and pretend the stupid people never happened: "on a train bound for nowhere" and "out the window at the darkness" What a way and place to start a story. These guys aren't just on a train they are already nowhere and lost and alone in this thing called life. ("Hang on a second. Aren't they playing Poker at a bar or something?") Ahhhhhh ...

It's not working. Excuse me while I go lock myself in my car and listen to Mike Doughty's cover.

Again.

Power

Let's pretend its the summer of '07 again. Here's some new Kanye. Watch in HD for best results.

when I grow up

I think I finally found what I want to be when I grow up. Ok ok, if. I wasn't looking so it must be fate.

MN Twins MLB Official photo site.

MLB Official photo site.

How cool of a job would that be? How much cool-er of a job could there be?

(no pics for post; all shots protected from DL)

Winter is Coming... sometime.

For those interested in the current state of casting on HBO's A Game of Thrones, this is a nice summary, broken down by House.

don't look into laser beam with your remaining eye

turns out those inexpensive green laser pointers can be a hazard.

however, one co-worker says it probably isn't as bad as they say it is. 1064 nm infrared light has quite a long absorption length in your flesh or braiiiiiin. he is doubtful that enough infrared light can be absorbed by your retina to cause permanent damage.

still, it could pay to remember the old maxim: cat toys are only fun 'til someone loses an eye.

souls worth £5

careful with those EULAs. you never know what you are signing away.

Two Headed Boy

The Swell Season covers Neutral Milk Hotel

As covered by The Swell Season -- part of the A.V. Club's "Uncover" series.

robots. why'd it have to be robots?

skynet is a kitten compared to our future overlords.

The Arcade Fire -- Suburbs

Listen to the new hotness at NPR.

Stuck on LIMBO

LIMBO

Traditionally Limbo is a spiritual state of being, born of bad religion, consisting of equal parts ‘fear of the unknown’ and, even more unfortunate, ‘fear of what was thought to be known.’ In the XBLA game this place called LIMBO is assumed, a given reality even. It is within this conundrum that you are asked what you would go through in order to rest assured on the eternal fate of your young sister and ultimately tasked with going through it. You shouldn't be caught unawares that a Platforming Puzzle set upon the edge of Hell would soon cease being clever and reveal itself as devilish.

The game LIMBO can appropriately be compared to and described as a ‘dark’ Portal (AKA GOTY 2007). Plunged into and immersed* with atmosphere you feel out the ways of LIMBO’s obstacles in slow motion. Immediately following you are forced through them again in fast forward; pressed on by and at the behest of even more atmosphere. This game, presented only in black and white, is the most beautiful to grace screens this year. As if time still exists.

. . .

To be continued. I actually have some work today.

* Baptist joke. Just for me.