Entertainment

I the non-musical snobberist

Entertainment, music

You know that look that some hipster kid gives you when he asks you what kind of music you like and you tell him “A little bit of everything”? Well next time punch him in the face. I honestly do like everything or at least pieces of everything. Terrence (the guy in the cube next to mine.) asked my what kind of music I listen to so I told him what’s on my playlist right now.

Here’s what’s on Poddington Jr. (my shuffle) right now.

  • Kittie
    An all-girl hardcore metal band
  • Fallout Boy
    A pop-rock band
  • Dixie Chicks
    An all-girl country group
  • Lost Prophets
    A pop-rock band, but ‘cooler’ than FOB
  • De La Soul
    A pioneering 80’s/90’s hip hop group
  • Best of Bootie 2006
    A compilation of the best Mash-ups of last year

I think this is an accurate portrait of my musical tastes. 3/6 rock, 2/3 of that pop-rock. 2/6 hip-hop or hip-hop influenced. 1/6 country, (that’s actually a little high) and 2/6 groups with girl singer.

I do like everything. So screw you with your hipster jean jacket and ironic nintendo belt buckle.

I read book.

Entertainment, Random

So the other day I was reading some posts on Boing-Boing about new/old graphic novels that are supposed to be good. I was looking to get into another one because I’ve caught up to ‘Y the last man’ and I hate to be waiting 6 months in between sets. (yes I know I could get the individual issues, but they wouldn’t look as good on my shelf.) So I went a little crazy on Amazon and ordered issue one of 3 titles. DMZ, about a second civil war in america set in present day. Fables, about famous fairy tale characters living in NYC in present day. Transmetropolitain, which I honestly forget what is about, but it looked good at the time. I’m about halfway through the Fables book, it seems to be written well. I’ll get to the others sometime.

But the book I really really like, doesn’t have pictures in it at all (shocker!). It’s ‘World War Z : An Oral History of the Zombie War’ and it is totally bas ass. It’s set 12 years after VZ (Victory over Zombies) day, this reporter is traveling around interviewing survivors, through their stories you learn how it went down.

I’ve always been a fan of Zombie movies, it’s no secret. The George A. Romero ones have always been my favorites, even the remakes. The difference in this book is the scope, this is the Gettysburg of Zombie stories. After watching the original ‘Dawn of the Dead’ I always wondered how other places around the world/country would react to the coming of the UnDead. Even though it was mostly terrible ‘Land of the Dead’ did shed light on some of those things. So far I’m only about 1/3 through the book and every chapter brings something that I’d never thought of before. For instance: How the plague was partly spread when zombies fell off boats and then eventually just walked out of the water hundreds of miles later. How ineffective conventional military strategies would be against an horde of a million zombies pouring out of New York City.

Every chapter in the book would make an awesome scene in a movie, luckily for me I also heard that they’re going to make it. I wouldn’t want to be the one deciding what parts have to get cut. But at this point with Brad Pitt in talks to star, hopefully they’ll have the budget to keep the good ones.

I read book!
Mark

Deathcab for Prozac

Entertainment, music

I once wrote a post about how I need my music to have a beat or at least get me pumped. I’m reconsidering that a little now. I like different music sometimes, here are some of the artists that I’ve added in the last few months. Lily Allen, Switchfoot, Thousand Foot Krutch, Kittie, Garth Brooks, Gorillaz, and Quarashi. If that’s not an ecclectic mix I don’t know what is. When I tell people that I like everything I really mean it!
So this leads me to my point. I don’t think I’ll ever be so depressed that I properly enjoy Deathcab for Cutie. I heard one of their songs on the radio the other day (94.7 the globe) and I really liked it, I thought maybe I’ll give them another chance. It turns out that this is the only song I like on the whole album. The rest of the songs sound like they all should be crying and kill themselves in the end. Not shoot themselves (that would require too much effort) but like stand on the edge of a building and just collapse over the edge.

But in case you’re wondering the song was “Soul Meets Body” from Plans.

Seriously… I could watch them make doughnuts for hours.

Entertainment, Random

Thank you, Anson Gregory… the man who invented the hole in the doughnut.

I was watching Modern Marvels tonight, one about snack food or something. (I don’t know what reall they all seem to blend together.) It’s kind of like guy porn… oh wait, that’s real porn. Well that phrase goes so well with everything else, I guess you’d call it porn for fat robots. But I just love the little doughnuts travelling on their little journey, on little conveyor belts, on to a little lazy river… of boiling hot grease. But then they hit a bump and flip. I love watching repetitive mechanized equipment, but the doughnut line is the best.

Like that monkey in the commercial…I’m Tried

Later

Next Gen has made me it’s bitch.

Entertainment, Random

So even though Greg had an Xbox 360 in the house for probably 6 months now I was never really excited about it. It’s not that I didn’t think the games looked great. It’s just that graphics aren’t the biggest selling feature for me. I needed a great game to make me want to spend the money on it. When Brian brought over Gears of War I thought it was the game I needed. (and really it was, because Jesse and I went halvsies on one)

I think that Microsoft has been coasting this whole year on brand name and mediocre games. Which is kind of amazing because they’ve sold a lot of consoles. With Sony and Nintendo coming out I think they’re really bringing out the big guns. G.O.W. is the first game that I really think looks next-gen, and plays like it too. My pick Xbox ftw over PS3.

But what really gets me excited is Tony Hawk’s project 8. This probably won’t figure into the console wars because it’s coming out on both consoles. But DAMN SON, this game is amazing. There hasn’t been an innovation like this in THPS since they learned how to manual in THPS2. It’s called NAIL THE TRICK, it’s like a skateboarding simulator. You click both thumbsticks and it goes into this slow motion mode where all you see is your feet. The thumbsticks then control each foot independently. YOU HAVE TO FLICK THE TRICKS YOURSELF! I can’t emphasize this enough, this is so awesome. This impression is from 30 minutes in the demo, instant classic.

I for one welcome our Next Gen overlords.

The Gears of the War.

Entertainment, Random

So Steckle has been all excited about this new game for the 360, Gears of War. I knew it was going to be a good game but I really wasn’t that excited about it. So he brings it up to the house last night with the 360 and the high def cables to debut it on the money TV in the basement. We jacked up the surround sound to 11 and let it rip.

Let me tell you, This was probably the coolest game I’ve played in a Loooooong time. We played 2 player co-op on the first couple levels. First of all these levels are the levels that should have been in Halo 2, burnt out city levels, Really cool lighting. The guns are balanced, shotguns blow the crap out of anything, machine guns are effective, sniper rifles pop alien heads from 100 yards. And seriously it’s the scariest game I’ve played since Doom 2 all by myself in the dark. But not in a cheap way, like oooh look at this scary monster eating someone, like a really exiting movie. You just get sucked into the action.

I think the best part was the cover system. This game does not play exactly like Halo, if you don’t find cover you will die. It takes a few minutes to get used to but when you do, you’ll wonder how you ever played any other way. you’ll be ducking behind cars shooting your gun over the edge, bouncing grenades around corners, and doing crazy backwards dives for cover. It’s exactly how you really would fight in a warzone.

It is soooooooo MONEY

Jesse and I had a blast running from some giant smelly monster trying to get her to blast through doors for us. It was amazing. It is the first game that really makes me want to get a 360. Until Halo 3, this is it, and maybe after!

Later!