Resurrection

It’s the Resurrection

I remember, the thunder

Around his boulder bolder

Ways of cutting through

My dead men ways,

I see purple chairs

And Seraphim stares

And the wheat and tares

That will soon split

Apart, I see the preacher

On stage I’ve always

Seen a pokadoted

Floor, a documented

Journal of Sunday’s

Ministry to those

Around me that slain

Stained the pokadotted

Floor, always more was

Better than the past days

Of fresh firing leadership

At the age of son ship

And the bar mittz vah

That passed so easily,

I appease certainly

The preacher on

Stage telling me

The page of

Resurrection

Fellowship

Every blog should have a theme song,

so here’s mine

It’s Rez and

“Love Comes Down”

Because when you lose you win!

In my last post I focused on some of the problems Urbanspoon will encounter as they launch their new online reservation service – Rez.  While the theme of the post is that Urbanspoon can’t take on OpenTable alone, there is still a lot of upside in the service from a restaurateur’s point of view.  In this post I’ll focus more on the positives of Rez and how they could potentially unseat OpenTable as the leader in online reservations.  Let’s take a look at a few key aspects of Rez:

1. From my understanding Rez was built for one purpose and one purpose only – to drive online reservations.  That being said, it doesn’t seem as if the folks at Urbanspoon will be building the ability to manage a restaurant’s floor plan within Rez’s module.  While that is an obvious chink in its armor, Rez is still the biggest threat to OpenTable on the market today.  Why?  Because OpenTable’s entire model is based on an absurdly high Pay Per Cover (not to be confused with Google’s PPC – pay per click) fee that it charges restaurants when the restaurant is sent “new” business.  Restaurants pay between a couple of hundred dollars to thousands of dollars per month for these online reservations!  If Rez can help diminish those costs than it’s already a leg up.

   

   Image via CrunchBase

2. No table management, No problem. From everything I’ve heard and read, Rez won’t offer a console to actually manage your restaurant’s books.  By not offering a floor management module, Urbanspoon leaves it up to the restaurant to determine which Table Management solution they’d like to use to run their restaurant.  While OpenTable does have a better functional dining room management system than most software on the market, there is software on the market that is exponentially cheaper and much better.  Henceforth, Rez’s flexibility is another benefit to their model.
3. Urbanspoon has the online traffic to pull this off.  While Urbanspoon doesn’t attract quite as many users as TripAdvisor or Yelp, it does attract exactly the same amount of users as OpenTable.com and should easily surpass them soon due to their array of iPhone apps and a much better functioning website.  In fact, Urbanspoon’s web traffic has increased by over 400% over the past year while OpenTable has only increased by 40% despite getting a lot of PR for their IPO in January. The graph below is pretty self-explanatory and indicates that Urbanspoon is making much larger strides than OpenTable when it comes to attracting users/diners.
4. Restaurants like saving money. If you’ve ever dealt with a restaurant you know that it can be maddening at times.  They are notorious for their negotiation tactics, and the industry as a whole has accepted this.  While vendors can give restaurant’s significant price breaks on beer, wine and food – OpenTable has not shown any interest in offering price breaks when dealing with online reservations.  Whether your restaurant gets 1 online reservation or 1,000 – you generally pay the same online booking fee (at least $1/cover).  I assume Rez will either be packaged together with other Urbanspoon online advertising fees or simply charged on a separate basis.  Either way, it has the potential to save a very busy restaurant thousands of dollars per month.

Over the last couple of months I’ve met with the top restaurateurs in the DC Metro area in regards to switching from OpenTable to a more advanced and economical Dining Room Management solution.  The one constant in the restaurant’s response was “how will leaving OpenTable affect my business?”.  The answer is it would affect it slightly, but not nearly as much as you would think.  The fact of the matter is that OpenTable books most of its diners either directly from a restaurant’s website or from a third-party website referral (eg: Zagat.com, Washingtonian.com, TripAdvisor, etc).  The only drop-off you should really expect are the client’s that OpenTable labels as VIP’s.  These are OpenTable power-users that make 12 or more online reservations per year.  The assumption is that if you’re not an OpenTable VIP, but booked a reservation through OpenTable.com than you already knew where you wanted to dine and OT merely facilitated the reservation.  OpenTable leads the restaurant to assume that the reservation originated from OpenTable.com, so the average restaurateur wrongly thinks that OpenTable is responsible for driving them all their reservations.  In reality those online reservation could have come from any one of the hundreds of affiliate websites that OpenTable has partnered with.

I think the key going forward for Rez is to make the system open-source so that developers can make a back-end specifically designed to help manage the restaurant’s floor plan.  If Urbanspoon is to take one lesson from the current OpenTable monopoly it should take a page from Google’s famous quote of “Don’t be Evil”, otherwise you’ll risk alienating the paying customers, which in this case is the restaurant.  OpenTable has created a monopoly in the hospitality industry over the last decade or so and from my earlier post you can see that this is wearing thin on restaurateurs.  Similar to the current theme of Microsoft vs. Google, the move of online reservations from OpenTable to Urbanspoon is just further proof that web-based software continues to overtake traditional software applications.  Expect this trend to continue..

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• Are Restaurant Managers Monitoring the Web? (socialmediatoday.com)

sometimes i just really have a hard time living here in uganda.  everything about it remains so foreign and distant from what i’ve always know in my life.  i get lonely.  always having to adjust to fit how things are here becomes wearisome.  it can be like i am living someone else’s life sometimes, and i am just watching it happen.  i’m sure that doesn’t make sense.

but, lately i have so wanted to just hop on plane, go get pippo, and bee-line it back to the rez.  i want to remember the sound of friends’ laughter because i actually get to hear it.  i want to walk in stillness and quiet.  i want to not be stared at.  i want to blend in with everyone else.  oh to curl up with a fire in the woodstove. 

i know i am “ok” and that all will be alright and all that.  but, i just want to have a normal life sometimes.  play games with people, go hang out somewhere, pick up the phone and talk without it costing $30/45 minutes, be able to just share everyday things with people as people do, live a real life with real people who even know me a little bit.

i suppose this is all just a bit selfish.  “i want” this and that.  but, that’s just how it is today.  this is just more of a psalm 88 phase than a psalm 100 phase i guess. 

why do i share it here?  just cause.  cause sometimes life isn’t always pretty.  and i don’t figure anyone is really reading this anyway. ha.  and i am not always this strong, courageous person some think.  actually, i kind of never am.  in my weakness he is strong.  that is so true.  may that be true.

Rez är ett av Segas mest udda spel, och Tjerk Otten har gjort en minst lika annorlunda kreation baserad på titeln.

“The story on this trailer is about humanity trying to hack into creation itself. We try to unravel the great mystery of life itself all the time. We are creations on our own and we try to expand our lifecycle in many different ways and try to know the human itself.”

“This teaser is about us trying to hack into our own dna creation systems. We create and develop many great tools, but what is inside our cells and how people can have dreams and develop creation is still a mystery.”

Lika mystiska ord som spelet självt, så det passar sig alldeles utmärkt. Stilen och de visuella delarna är minst sagt enastående.

Ok, enough about the sadness of being home, it’s time to talk about the happy stuff, like FROSH WEEK <3

I know, I’m like a month late but hey better than nothing. Oh man, that was the best week of my lifeeee ever! I still have the frosh schedule on my dashboard!! It takes up half of my screen lol but I just love it so much that I don’t even wanna remove it. I wish I could elaborate in details of every day of frosh but unfortunately, I didn’t have internet for a few days and I was way too tired to do anything other than go back to my room to shower and sleep.

I still remember move in day. I was so nervous about everything! After getting my room keys from Housing, I arrived at the driveway of Winters with my sister and her fiance. That was when I saw “Jake”! Oh my god, I could hardly believe that it was happening. I was so in love with him ever since I saw him for the very first time on day 2 of orientation. While on my way to York, I even wrote in a text document about hoping to see him or have him help me move in (cuz that’s what he told us on orientation day). Excerpt: “Sigh, at least let me meet that frosh leader again! [...] Oh well.. I doubt I’ll meet him again anyway :/” Omg, are you kidding me? I saw him like 30 minutes after I wrote that thing lol. I nearly died of happiness when I saw him walk towards our van HAHAHA. We made eye contact and he asked me what my room number was. I told him, and then he shouted out to other bunch of frosh bosses and then I think he was the first one to grab something from the trunk. Ahh I don’t know what he grabbed though! And then he disappeared. But no fear, I saw him again during the first event “Icebreakers and Winters Cheers”. I was so in love with him for the most part of frosh week. Haha good times, good times <3

This is the end of day 1 at 3:26am, view from my bed:

Omfg can’t write about every day of frosh cuz that’d be too much and I’d fall asleep here writing. But in short..
Day 2: Value Village shopping for the “Dejected Clowns” quad party was so fun LOL I went as a retro pink-from-head-to-toe girl. And then some of us went to East Side Mario’s for dinner~ Jake was one of the three bosses who “chaperoned” us there lol <3
Day 3: Condom Olympics!!! This was when I got some epic photos of him!! Dang he was so hot  pouring pitchers of water into those condoms LOL workin’ those life guard musclesss = HOT HOT HOT! Oh and I happen to get a straight on shot of Jude for some reason… I do not know how the hell that happened.. nor do I remember when it happened.. cuz my attention was fully at Jake at that time. It wasn’t until later that I started to pay less attention to Jake and more to Jude.
Day 4: Downtown tour! We were kinda upset that Jake wasn’t there that morning so I was like, screw that shit, Jude’s kinda hot! No, wrong, Jude is VERY hot and sexy! That was when I started to catch more glimpses of him lol. My goodness, he cannot sing at all. He is so off tune a;lkdhgds so terrible at it! Jake, on the other hand, is pretty good! I can totally see him act in something like Glee LOL errr that dancing guy in the It’s my life / my confession scene in episode six really looks like/reminds me of him.
Day 5-7: Not much happened other than random small events in the night. Jake and I danced beside each other at day 6 night though hehe <3
Day 8: BOAT CRUISE, BABY! SO FUCKING INTENSE! JUDE WAS SO FUCKING DELICIOUS!!!!!!!!!!!! HOT HOT HOTHOTHOTHLKAH’DSLGHASKDLGHALKDHG every single friggin time I think about it, I get so angry about it :@ why did he look so hot?!?!??! Hot hair, sexy jawline, slender and tall, aviator shades, and chewing-gum-ness…….holy moly, it was intensely, unbearably, over the top hot………………….): it is unfair that such human being exists! Especially when you live at the same damn floor like less than 50 meters away! Anyway lol I got to line up behind him when we grabbed food that was on purpose obviously lol. And then Jake was behind us when we went for desserts. But he’s an awkward boy (long story). Finally, it was midnight time. In other words, TIME TO STRIP DOWN TO YOUR UNDERPANTS!!!! Yeah for real. In bras and panties and boxers, on a ghetto pirate boat, at midnight, by Lake Ontario, dancing for 2 hours. LOL. THAT’S WINTERS IN A NUTSHELL FOR YA! (not to mention Jake’s really nice life guard body and Jude’s.. well not as nice but sexy snail trail <3 HAHAHAHHA)

Oh how I miss frosh so much <3 Waking up to megaphones screaming “WAAAAAAAAAAKE UUUUPPP FROOOOOOOSH!” at 10am and sleeping at 4 or 5am. Ahhhhhhadkghasdghs I WANNA RELIVE IT!

T.M.Z. is reporting that Michael Jackson’s latest single ”This is It” is a direct rip-off of a Paul Anka song. John Branca, the special administrator for Michael Jackson’s estate tells TMZ Paul Anka is right — “This Is It” was not written by MJ alone, it was co-written with Paul Anka”…

Branca and his people are negotiating a settlement with Paul Anka’s lawyer.

Branca tells TMZ, “We acknowledge that Michael and Paul wrote this song together.”

As we first reported, the other special administrator, John McClain, told Anka “We’ll give you whatever you want, whatever it takes we’ll do the right thing.”

Read more: http://www.tmz.com/#ixzz0TlX7Q1IG

People need to realize, once and for all, as illustrated by this case, that copyright infringement is bad for business.

If you are caught stealing a fellow artist work, then the best thing for your business is to ”pay” whatever the correct percentage is for the contribution of the plagiarised work, and partner up with the artist that you tried to steal from,…and everyone can get paid, and participate in a positive way, in the promotion of the production…

I am sure this was an innocent mix-up, due to the death of M.J.because he was always fair, and a strong advocate for fellow artist and entertainers, especially when it came down to intellectual property rights.

In my career, I have had an intimate confrontation with protecting and maintaining a fellow artist and entertainer’s copyright to his original works.As reported in the Random House, David A. Price book,” The Pixar Touch”, without my knowledge or consent, I am a strong advocate for artist copyright protection.

http://books.google.com/books?id=6ium9aok5yMC&pg=RA2-PA205&lpg=RA2-PA205&dq=jerrry+lee+brice&source=bl&ots=5nM-Xc2ahm&sig=U-yKaS1oTQqS12uHHVLVZ9QIsHM&hl=en&ei=S7jTStWRDoyoMPHhqZUD&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=8&ved=0CCIQ6AEwBw#v=onepage&q=&f=false

My efforts and discovery won this case, and protected a fellow artist copyright, from the infringement of a major corporation. Mouse’s Grateful Dead album covers are iconic, and have influenced the spirit of a lot of young artist out there, as well as me.

If I were their attorney, I would have told them to settle immediately, they got Jerry Brice investigating the case. Funny part about all of this, is that I wanted to keep it a secret, because it is embarrassing for the losers of the case, but somehow this book was released with all of my words in print, and I am not even mentioned as the author in the bibliography, just the index, unlike what he did for the idiot’s that Pixar/Disney hired…

Basically, if you settle for over a million dollars, you stole the work, but you did not hear that from me….lmao….you definetly read it here.

This case between M. J.’s estate and Paul Anka will go away, and let’s just hope that the executors and brilliant attorneys that are handling the estate, as well as the entire Sony music and film company, can be more thorough in the future. I want to see all of his children benefit from this, as well as Paul Ankas’.

http://www.tmz.com/2009/10/12/michael-jackson-paul-anka-this-is-it-john-branca-settlement/

For more information on Paul Anka, here is a link to Wikipedia, please support them…

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Anka

More info on Plaigiarist, and the case I won, click here-

http://www.famousplagiarists.com/popfiction.htm

http://www.shlaw.com/news/item.php?item_id=000030

http://blog.mises.org/archives/009285.asp

Guess Who This Is...

Guess who this is, and comment on this post,if possible. Remember…the truth is always stranger than fiction.

UPDATE…. Paul Anka gets Half, as he should….DISNEY/PIXAR…are you listening….lol.

http://www.tmz.com/#ixzz0TlX7Q1IG

Life is sad at the moment, shockingly…

Why?

It was a lovely Saturday afternoon. I walk out of rez with 3 heavy bags embracing the breeze and sunshine, ready to take the bus and go home. But apparently, 196A is never so on schedule during weekends.. OK, so I take 196 instead and transfer on to 84 to get to Sheppard/Yonge. No problem! I was in no rush at all. So I arrived at the front of my house, and I thought “what’s up with the rolls of yellowed newspaper on the ground?” but I proceeded anyway.

This is when it starts to get sad. Nobody was home–well, my brother was, but he was not awake. I was so hungry cuz I didn’t eat anything yet so I charged to the kitchen hoping to see some food after dropping my bags off in my room. Oh, how depressing.. the dining table is messy with dirty dishes, newspaper, and takeout boxes. Sigh, we still didn’t get a new fridge.. so I looked in the other fridge, but all I saw was raw meat, uncooked veggies, frozen packs of dumplings, new box of mooncake, and orange juice. Being disappointed, I checked the snacks cupboard but it’s even worse: it looked the same as when I left a month ago. That sucked, you know? I came home hoping to finally have some good food but I saw nothing good. Ok, maybe the mooncake but what the hell, where is the damn food?! With a small pack of mooncake in my hand, I went up to my room. I devoured the only thing I could eat as I waste away my next 5 hours until people came home (or so I thought..)

At that point, I realized that being home already sucked a hell lot. I was so freaking bored! There was nothing to do! The house was dead silent, even worse than the silence in rez on Friday night when (almost) everyone went home. I was so bored that I had to watch TV as a last resort to kill some time till dinner time. I fell asleep on the couch for maybe an hour or two? Can’t remember, but I know that I was freezing my ass off when I woke up. This house is so damn cold. It’s always been so damn cold! Heater’s on 22C but I don’t feel the 22Cness. I feel 17C ok? I wanted to back in rez sooo much. I miss my warm little room, the convenience of everything, and that I’m surrounded by people whom I chill with pretty much whenever (and Jude too, but that’s not much of a big reason in this case). Then finally, I heard the door open and I was so happy hoping to see my parents come home. Oh, wut? It’s just my dad. Ok, hello dad long time no see! Ok, maybe mom is coming home a bit later then.. ok. Then came dinner. What? 2 pairs of chopsticks?! What the hell?! So I asked, “where’s mom?” and you know what I heard? YOU KNOW WHAT I FREAKING HEARD?!

“Huh? She went back to China!”

WHAT. THE. HELL. I WAS NEVER INFORMED OF THIS! WUUUUUT WUUUUUUUUT. WHAT THE HELL! APPARENTLY SHE WENT BACK 2 WEEKS AGO, AND NOBODY TOLD ME THIS???? Wow, I felt so… Hurt? Not being cared about? I don’t even know. Alright, I understand that I have been busy for the past 2-3 weeks and that we’ve only phoned once which was last Saturday.. hey hey hey, could’ve told me then, right??? Ughhhhh. You know what it means when mom is gone for a month? HOUSEWORK TAIM YAY! That was when I realized why the house was so untidy… Right, of course!

Sigh.. I want to go back to rez. I think I will, on Wednesday or Thursday or something. I feel more lonely than I was at rez when people went home. Being home really sucks right now–1. nobody’s home; 2. there’s no food. it’s worse than rez; 3. there’s nothing to do! 4. the house is freezing! 5. cat hair everywhere and it gives me stuffy nose and makes me sneeze like there’s no tomorrow.

This concludes my depressing life at the moment.

<tada> micluses are awesome
<tada> the way they fart out 9 medals and then fart so hard they explode

So this morning, having woken up super-early on a whim (a little before 5 AM), I decided on some pre-sunrise shmupping. Loaded up RFA and decided to play a round of Jet or two. <cough>on normal</cough> <cough>dammit success why did you make a “normal” difficulty level that’s below arcade difficulty</cough>

I’ve had RFA for two months now and since then I’ve been able to confidently trigger the gold medals in Sim 01. Just now I’ve started triggering the turret Micluses in Sim 05. My knowledge of Micluses past Sim 05 is still totally blank, however. I managed to pull off 44 million. I may not be Twiddle or TWD, but I can always break my own personal records.

Also, goddammit Rez HD make my lasers hit the enemies faster so I don’t get shortchanged of points just because I decided to be a little patient and wait for 8 enemies to appear on the screen. Yeah, I play Rez for score, so what? Can’t I have my sensory overload and challenge gamer ways at the same time? I also need to get around to reconnecting my 360 to the intertubes (no I am not getting an overpriced wireless adapter) so I can actually have leaderboards again. I once hit #1 on the weekly leaderboards for Area 4, and I’d like to nail #1 on the overall leaderboards get within the top 30 scores on the overall leaderboards someday.

too bad rez hd has boss milking and other boring tactics that i need to do to maximize my score

How many new blogs can someone start before they realize that they’re being rather ridiculous? OR maybe that it’s not the “blog style” to blame for their lack of writer’s creativity, maybe it’s actually… the writer’s lack of creativity.  And then the follow-up question: why this lack?

Still trying to figuring that one out.

Munching on a nut’n'fruit mix at my favorite Buck of Stars, which conveniently spoils me with random free drinks and the best service in the area.  I love ‘em.  : ) My new  laptop makes me want to scream with mobile joy – being able to take my ridiculously awesome home computer (Bob the Bomb) in mini form with me in ambulant fashion.  School being all online, I now have the capability of taking every single one of my current tethers wherever I go.  For the most part, I see this as a very good thing, in the same way I see it beneficial (and almost necessary) to carry around a toothbrush and toothpaste in my purse.  Life throws so many unexpected curveballs, it’s almost always better to be essentially prepared than not.  This is also true in World of Warcraft! although I am often accused of  “pulling a Meg” because I forget that some circumstances actually benefit from the lack of things I drag with me.  And now that I’m thinking about the subject, I see that my blue jean purse could really use a cleaning-out.  That collection of Starbucks napkins and receipts is creating a padded bottom to an otherwise free-form bag, and in no symmetrical way whatsoever.

So  rezzing.  That wonderful option we are given when we forget to put our pets on passive and bring an entire wing’s worth of trash to the fighting table for a very quick wipe.  That glimmer of hope we grasp on to when our healer dies in the middle of a ferocious fight against an unusually large, bitter and physchologically challenged boss, knowing self-rez is but a moment away. The power behind the  energizer bunny , to keep going, and going, and going… I think we take it for granted, I do.  I’m not suggesting we’re a thankless bunch and owe our holy men more gratitude for this fantastic feature (it’s not like they really had anything to do with the aquisition of such a power, it comes with the territory).  I’m rather suggesting we contemplate the purpose, the reason, it’s even needed – hA! you died! - and find our appreciation in the chances to start over.  I was thinking about this the other day, the difference between Meg on September 13, 2009 vs. the Meg a year ago on September 13, 2008.  I had reached my point of death in 2008, death to a lot of things, death due to a lot of trash that overwhelmed me and quickly wiped my heart.  9 months into 2009 finds me a few steps into the process of starting over, almost from scratch, and even seeing a little wiggle of life in that heart of mine.   Another chance to get this thing right.  Another opportunity to fight this boss, hopefully having learned from my previous mistakes and mishaps.  It’s a choice, too, a choice of focus in game or in real life: are we going to focus on the wipe and let it ruin the rest of our experiences, or will we focus on the amazing talent called rezzing, the chance to start over and to learn from our past mistakes?  I think we take it for granted.  I think we come to expect a start-over, and that expectation takes the place of appreciation and puts our focus on the deaths, the causes, prompting ridiculously crappy moods.  Oh for the days of old school video games, when the death of a character meant  “Game Over” , not, “Oh, you fucked up royally, but here, have another chance”!     Ok, not really.    I rather like the option of pressing “Restart”.  All you rezzing classes, keep up the good work!  Without that ability, we’d all be screwed.

And I, for one, am grateful I get another chance to experience life.    Rez  ftw !

I love me some Underworld, though I’m honestly not overly familiar with them. What I have heard I love, though. Ya dig?

Rez:

And the Trainspotting version of Born Slippy:

Wow! Two years in SL!

I cannot believe how quickly two years has flown by, really.

I hadn’t even heard of Second Life and then caught wind by way of a recommendation by a Real Life friend and suddenly.. Whoosh!

A lot has changed in my life since I found Second Life, and all for the better. Two years ago I was in a relationship that to the outside world looked perfect. Inside, however, was a completely different story of abuse. I had lost all my friends, I wasn’t allowed to see anyone, make new friends, I was stuck in a dead end job. I logged into Second Life for the first time around 6pm, on September 9th, 2007, and I have never looked back.

Second Life has helped me realise that I am a lot stronger than to stand for that sort of thing, although it took me over a year to get out of that relationship, find a great job and move on with my life. Now, I am in a job I enjoy, although it is not a career, and I am with the man of my dreams in RL. Second Life made me start my life new, fresh and get started with getting on with the rest of it happier than I ever was!!

This time last year, I celebrated my rezzday not only in world, but in Real Life, in Real Life Dublin, with a group of the fantastic people I have met in world. That weekend was amazing, one that I am dying to repeat so we can all have a good ol catchup. This year, rather more lowkey – I don’t even think I will celebrate it other than having a nice glass of wine tonight, in Celebration of how far my life has come in two years, in both worlds.

On this, my second Rezzday, I just want to say Thank You. Thank you to the strong, kind and amazing souls I have met in world. Thank you for listening to me cry, laugh, whinge and love the past two years. Thank you for being there for me when I had nobody. Thank you for Dublin last year. Thank you for the music you have introduced me to, art, drama, life!!!

Most of all… Thank you for being my friends.

Here’s to more Rezzday Celebrations in the coming years.

Kezzy

xo

by xeroxeroxero

One criticism of music based games is that they are all the same. Activision’s constant interation of the Guitar Hero franchise has simultaneously popularised rhythm action games and yet ensured that gamers have grown bored of the genre within just a small number of years of it’s dominance at the top of the sales charts. With so many music games out there, it’s time to explore a few of the best alternatives to RockBand, what they are, how to get hold of them, and if they’re worth your time. 

Beatmania -  DJ Hero may be a sure hit if the continued sales of Beatmania are anything to go by (in Japan at least). A DJ turntable game from Konami focusing on lining up samples to dance music, J-Rock and awkwardly aged pop classics. Released primarily for the Playstation and PS2 the game plays out very much like Guitar Hero, the player hitting ’notes’ when they pass a specific line as they descend from the top of the screen. A perfect title then for players wanting a similar but different experience to Guitar Hero. Notably, many of Konami’s rhythm action games follow a similar structure of play, including guitar driven game pioneer Guitar Freaks where, arguably, all of this interest in music games has arisen. Obtain the European version first (it’s cheap and easy to get hold of) to see if you like Beatmania’s stylings, then if the mood takes you, mod your aging, unloved PS2 and import the rest from Japan and the United States.

Dancing Stage – The original ‘make a tit of yourself infront of your mates’ simulator, Dancing Stage is a pop culture icon now, seemingly having conquered the arcade scene the world over with it’s anyone can play attitude and easy to learn, difficult to master difficulty curve. It’s simplicity is it’s greatest asset certainly, even those with little musical knowledge (or knowledge at all) know their lefts and rights, their ups and downs. The skill needed quickly ramps up though, so whilst anyone can step to the earlier tracks, only hardened veterans with hundreds of hours of practice can achieve the illusive AAA rank at higher levels. Featuring a cheesy but furiously fast selection of tunes, Dancing Stage is like Betty Boop having rough sex with Ron Jeremy; in places it’s cute, in places it’s weird but ultimately it’s hardcore all over. Those wanting to try their hand (or, more accurately, their feet) at Dancing Stage should find a copy of the game no problem, but the real trick is getting the right play mat. Try it out at an arcade first and if you really like it splash out on a really great quality, £80 stage to play it on your last generation console of choice.

Parappa The Rapper – Perhaps responsible for sparking interest in music games in the West and released by quirky developer Nana On Sha, Parappa’s story is one of a rapping dog that has just ‘gotta believe’. You could be forgiven for dismissing it as just another weird game from the East, but it’s far more than that, it’s a well constructed, very accessible music action game with a strong if bizarre plot and some of the most memorable, characterful tunes to grace the humble PSX. Sequelised for the PS2 and re-released for the PSP, it’s easy to get into Parappa’s world to see what started this rocking revolution, but what’s best is that there’s no need for another plastic peripheral in your life, it utilises the Playstation controller to it’s fullest, requiring a different kind of gaming dexterity.

Elite Beat Agents (Ouendan) – Similar to Parappa The Rapper in terms of it’s play structure but not in it’s actual mechanics, EBA features an organisation of male cheerleaders setting out to right the social wrongs of a colourful alternative to the real world. What most people don’t give EBA credit for is it’s fairly powerful plot. It’s fairly irreverant and it certainly isn’t Shakespeare, but towards the end the developers try some interesting narrative techniques you wouldn’t expect from the average music game. Luckily it’s pretty easy and inexpensive to get hold of a copy of the Western release, but Ouendan (the Japanese original with J-Pop soundtrack) is slightly more expensive and slightly less prevelent in the game shops of the British Isles. Still, the DS is region free so importing shouldn’t be a problem, and the entirely stylus driven gameplay transends language, culture and age; anyone at all can, and should, experience this musical classic.

Rez – A music game, but with the traditional mechanic of rhythm action reversed. Instead of timing your button presses to specific notes, Rez makes you create the soundscape, rewarding your musical talent with stunning polygonal neon explosions. You see Rez is also a rail shooter in the vein of Panzer Dragoon, but it is the music that drives the player forward, the sleek presentation and technical glitchy trance giving way to a synaesthesia experience still unparalled today. Having received a high definition update, the next gen version is a must buy for serious music fans, but if you have a little cash kicking about, it’s worth investigating the Dreamcast and PS2 iterations. The less said about the optional vibration controller though, the better…

There we have it then, a few choice musical cuts from video gaming’s back catalogue. Know any more quality titles that deserve a mention? Why not leave them in the comments section below?

Can Ethical Foie Gras Happen in America? Really, really cool chart: caffeine vs calories.  An American Indian’s Journey in the Land of Indian Casinos.

Link to review

Drum and Bass rail shooter gets a healthy Rezurrection…

To prevent a supercomputer from collapsing within itself you, an unnamed hacker take on the system Eden to make your way through the programs to save it and take out any firewalls and virus’s on your way.

The game has received a major enhancement in graphics and really makes having a HD TV to flaunt its full potential an enjoyment to experience. The graphics really add to the feel the game creates with its visual style and connections with the music.

To those unfamiliar with Rez’s style of gameplay here’s a quick intro to it. The game style is a simple rail shooter progressing through levels of enemies with a boss at the end. Each level is split into 10 sections where you must eliminate all enemies and shoot at an item to progress to the next section. Now, here is where we take your usual expectations and jumble it up a bit.

The games main focus is around the music featured in it. These tracks are drum and bass/trance tracks which start off rather simple but as you progress to the next levels the sounds become more complex and interesting. Along with this, the sounds of shooting and eliminating enemies is also timed with the music, the destruction of an enemy results in sounds like drum beats and other trance sounds ultimately building up on the song.

Your avatar and background also pulsate to the beat of the music along with the vibration of the pad in time as well. This though in words may not sound like much of an effect but whilst in play can really give a feel of involvement in the game even in a sub conscious kind of level. The songs are all different for each level and are really well made as well as good to listen to, even on a casual level.

The game has 4 official levels with extra levels and game types to unlock. Those who really enjoy the game and play it a lot get rewarded with extra features that the game doesn’t boast about. If a lot of people knew more about these extras people would know to play it for longer.

It’s good to see the games making a comeback and ultimately a brilliant visual feast for your HD TV to lap up. Even those without a HD TV will enjoy its visual style. And even if you’re a d’n’b/trance fan you’ll probably like this game more than you’d think. However with bringing it to the Xbox Live Arcade something like a multiplayer or online would have been nice.

Rating: 7.5

Published by: Q Entertainment
Developed by: HexaDrive / Q Entertainment
Genre: Shooter
Number of Players: 1
Features: 16:9 Support, 720p Support, Dolby Digital 5.1

Ein Sommergericht

Die Hälfte einer Avocado in 4 Spalten schneiden und jeweils mit Prosciutto umwickeln. Dann in einer Pfanne mit ein wenig Olivenöl nur ganz kurz auf jeder Seite braten. Derweil Salat nach Geschmack anrichten. Am Besten passt Rucola, dazu vielleicht Radieschen, in diesem Fall mit Tomaten und einer Zitronen-Öl Marinade, Salz und Pfeffer. Angeblich auch sehr gut mit dem Saft einer Grapefruit.

Jede Person bekommt dann zwei Avocado-spalten, ich empfehle diese Menge einzuhalten, sonst wirds deftig und wirklich zuviel!! Ich spreche aus Erfahrung. Wenn man dann noch Hunger hat, kann man ja ein Käsebrot essen. Aber 4 Spalten Avocado hauen einen um.

01.08.09

I am currently in Pine Ridge South Dakota working on a video documentary.  I have been shooting more video than stills but here are a couple of images.  There will be more soon.

Votre groupe/raid wipe. Vous revenez à pied avec plusieurs autres joueurs pour constater à l’arrivée qu’un ou plusieurs autres joueurs attendent gentiment qu’on les rez. C’est très irrespecteux pour ceux qui font l’effort (normal) de revenir. Lorsque vous les voyez gisant sur le sol (ou mendiant leur rez), signalez simplement que vous faites un break le temps de leur retour à pied. Dites “afk bio pendant que tu reviens“.

Quelques exceptions à cette règle : les tanks ou les raid leaders qui cherchent une solution au wipe qui vient d’arriver. Habituellement ces personnes ne reviennent pas à pied pour gagner du temps, ils sont actifs et cherchent à faire progresser le groupe/raid. Ne soyez pas non plus une sorte de trou du cul intolérant : faites aussi le rez du compagnon qui revient habituellement à pied avec vous. Mais pour tous les autres…

La règle est la suivante : si le résurrecteur meurt, tout le monde revient à pied avec lui. Si le résurrecteur survit, tout le monde attend son rez.

C’est très grossier de la part des joueurs de World of Warcraft de ne pas revenir à pied parce-qu’ils sont trop paresseux pour le faire. N’encouragez pas leur grossièreté, faites-les revenir par leurs propres moyens ou bien facturez-leur 100 PO le rez. S’ils refusent de revenir seuls, /kick et remplacez-les. C’est de l’amour vache, mais de l’amour quand même.

Welcome to boot soldier/ warrior/ mage! Below you will find a list of basic social terms and abbreviations found in most MMO games. Study them. Familiarize yourself with them. There will be a test following the ten mile hike. DISMISSED!

* Terms and abbreviations may vary from game to game.

** This is by no means a definitive list of MMO terms and abbreviations. Got something to add? Comment below!

As some of you have noticed I reviewed Change’s The Stimulus Plan and the album is featured on this podcast along with other tracks that a dark sound production wise, but a very strong message lyrically…I call it The Lyrical Stimulus Plan! Take A Listen!!!

Click To Download

Track (Artist)- Album

Family Ties produced by Anno Domini (Change)- The Stimulus Plan

Crippling feat. R.U.S.H (Cas Metah)- Providence Road

If I Don’t Make (DeepSpace5)- Unique Just Like Everyone Else

Mama Don’t Cry (Surreal)- Pardon My Dust

Savior (Change)- Same As It Never Was

Dedication feat. Praverb (Change)- The Stimulus Plan

Inside Out (Mars ILL)- Backbreakanomics

Remember (The Tunnel Rats)- Tunnel Vision

American Fado feat. Renee Alston (The Procussions)- 5 Sparrows for 2 Cents

Forgive Me (Sharlok Poems)- Blooming Sounds

An Excellent Few feat. Sintax and ManChild produced by Mouf Warren (Change)- The Stimulus Plan

Perspective (TheBreax)- Restocked

Girl, Interrupted produced by Flynn (L.A Symphony)- Unleashed

Together (Theory Hazit)- Lord Fire produced by Vintage

Bonus Track feat. 3rd Degree (Cas Metah)- Guest Room

Seasons produced by JustMe (Motion Plus)- The Sound Protest

Not A Stranger feat. Elias (Change)- The Stimulus Plan

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#10 – Tekken 5 (Namco, 2005)

Ainda me lembro de ler uma das melhores análises que me passaram pelos olhos, escrita por um colega de paixão e afinco na saudosa revista espanhola Hobby Consolas. O título do texto, gordo e orgulhoso, gritava – “No diga lucha, diga Tekken 3“. O auge criativo da Namco, na era dourada da PlayStation, atingia o pico qualitativo com a terceira edição de Tekken; uma obra bem polida e tecnicamente evoluída que refastelou o departamento financeiro da empresa nipónica. Contudo, afectado por hormonas pacificas e alguma imaturidade de escolha, continuei a apreciar o repasto doutras ofertas da época.
Tekken nunca me roubou muito interesse, mesmo depois de ter investido em Tekken Advance e Tekken Tag Tournament. Anos (e centenas de experiências digitais) depois, já carregado de certeza e apego aos fighters 3D (a saga Virtua Fighter acompanha-me desde os tempos da acne e ranho a pingar), lá chegou o derradeiro título da afamada série – Tekken 5. Em 2005, o charme da produção da Namco era inegável, tanto que a obra se viria a tornar numa das mais importantes e divertidas experiências que tive ao comando da máquina de sonhos da Sony. A mecânica musculada e incrivelmente flexível apoiou-se no ambiente muito próprio de Tekken, criando um produto de valia indiscutível e louvável. As dezenas de personagens carismáticas no elenco de Tekken 5 oferecem outras tantas competências técnicas e apelos de combate. Do pugilista Steve Fox, à brasileira Christie Monteiro, passando pelos lendários Jin Kazama e Kazuya Mishima, encontrei a ‘minha’ lutadora digital de referência, que ainda hoje me acompanha nas combates ocasionais de arcada – Asuka Kazama. A fluidez do motor da Namco é visceral e suficiente para me encantar com o potencial dos quatro botões de face (típicos na série Tekken). Para embelezar a receita, a Namco decidiu trabalhar no músculo gráfico do título ao dotar Tekken 5 com uma apresentação imponente a nível técnico e artístico. O pacote final transformou-se num ponto de referência para o escriba de serviço, um investimento de centenas de horas para dominar a arte de Tekken. Com esse objectivo (quase) cumprido, honro Tekken 5 com um lugar nesta lista de emoções.

#9 – God of War (SCE Santa Monica, Sony, 2005)

Para muitos, o Olimpo simboliza pureza, sonho e grandeza. Para Kratos, personagem central de God of War, a divindade representa raiva, terror e vingança. Esta premissa trágica elevou a odisseia de Kratos ao grande plano da emotividade dos jogadores, introduzindo o afamado designer David Jaffe às luzes da ribalta da nossa indústria. Para mim, God of War foi um despertar para a criatividade ocidental assente na aposta certeira da Sony num título adulto, violento e marcante para a sua PlayStation 2. Aquando o lançamento do jogo, em 2005, já a cena do desenvolvimento mundial estava infestada por matrizes e conceitos monótonos, sem imaginação ou demasiadamente apoiada em sequelas; uma politica de continuidade capitalista que castrava a ambição de muitos artistas com talento e visão. A ascensão meteórica do polémico David Jaffe foi, portanto, sustentada pelo mérito próprio e capacidade em envolver o jogador num mundo, numa história credível e ambiciosa.
God of War é deliberadamente implacável, mas charmoso com quem comanda Kratos. A cena inicial da trama apresenta o soldado, entretanto caído em desgraça, a mergulhar sobre o mar da Grécia antiga. Toda a aventura exibe as acções que levam Kratos até àquele momento de desespero. O guião, elaborado pela equipa da Sony em Santa Monica, catalisa a sede de vingança de Kratos para a própria mecânica de jogo. O candidato a Deus da guerra recorre às lâminas gémeas, as Blades of Chaos, de Kratos para espalhar o pânico entre os monstros mitológicos presentes na obra, pintando o cenário a cor de sangue pelo caminho. Aliás, derrotar criaturas lendárias, como uma Hydra gigante e ameaçadora, é profundamente gratificante e visualmente espectacular. God of War é uma obra brutal onde a violência serve o propósito do conceito artístico apresentado; nada é gratuito, tudo é propositado. Até as celebres aparições de um par de senhoras sem grande apego a togas acabam por cair no mesmo contexto. Além disso, David Jaffe e os seus directores criativos foram honestos – o sexo e a violência vendem. Considere-se o exibicionismo gráfico da odisseia como equilibrado e justo, portanto.
A banda sonora imponente, que ainda hoje habita um lugar cimeiro na minha playlist musical de videojogos, seduz o jogador numa dança audiovisual de enorme encanto e brilhantismo. Toda a arquitectura, desenho técnico e músculo gráfico elevam os padrões visuais da PlayStation 2 a níveis inimagináveis à época, celebrando a criatividade única e louvável da SCE Santa Monica. Tudo isto é servido sobre uma travessa impressionante, recheada com mecânicas surpreendentes, livres e justificadamente violentas. Utilizar os feitiços dos Deuses do Olimpo e o metal das Blades of Chaos na demanda de Kratos contra o Deus Ares foi uma das experiências mais compensadoras e impressionantes que ganhei na minha PlayStation 2. God of War ganha pontos nesta lista, pela alma e diferença marcantes.

#8 – Psychonauts (Double Fine Productions/Budcat Creations, Majesco, 2006)

Ninguém ousa citar os méritos de Grim Fandango ou Monkey Island sem louvar a criatividade do norte-americano Tim Schafer. A mente de Schafer brotou títulos aclamados mundialmente, formando uma legião de seguidores entusiasmados com cada passo do artista. Quando deixou o seu empregador de sempre, a LucasArts, Tim apresentou a sua persona engravatada e de mala de couro na mão para fundar a Double Fine Productions, em 2000. A magia das suas criações ficou, no entanto, intacta. A obra original Psychonauts, o primeiro projecto da Double Fine, rejuvenesceu a minha fé pelos títulos de plataformas na geração 3D.

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The incoming class is already starting to filter in, their first official meeting is tonight.  The faculty is already there.  The rest of us will be filtering in as well, arriving in time for orientation just after lunch tomorrow. Time again for that thing we call “the res,” or simply “res,”

The Vermont College of Fine Arts MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults bi-annual residency!

So part of me wants to promise to keep regular updates, but I know that’s contingent on any number of factors.  Last time I managed to snag a solo room, so I was able to stay up late at night writing and blogging without worrying about keeping anyone else awake.  Single rooms are incredibly rare, but still, one can hope.

I suppose I could try and Tweet.  But that’s not what I feel like doing in the brief moments between faculty lectures and studetn lectures and all the other good stuff scheduled for the coming scant two weeks.  But all of that is still to come because, as of this moment, I am still maing lists of everything I need to do, and some last minute packing, and everything else I need to wedge into the day before a nice mellow pizza and movie night with my Suze before leaving early tomorrow morning.

It’s a little like camp, where you can’t wait to see the people you haven’t seen since the last time you were at camp.  It’s like summer camp but all the activities are indoor, because if we added outdoor activites we’d end up there for a month instead of two weeks.  It’s a summer camp with a graduation and a prom attached.  It’s a writer’s retreat, and a battery recharge, and a reunion with community, and dorms with cafeteria food.

And I am a little excited.  But not so you’d notice.

Eine Melanzani in 0,5- 1,0 cm dicke Streifen schneiden, mit Zitronensaft übergießen und in Mehl wenden. Auf kleiner Flamme auf beiden Seiten in Olivenöl braten, bis die Scheiben knusprig sind.

Nebenbei Reis kochen. (Erst in Öl wenden, dann Wasser zugeben, eine halbe Zwiebel und Salz geben Geschmack)

Rosa Sauce: Joghurt, Ketchup, zweierlei Senf und Gewürze zusammen mischen (siehe Shrimpsgericht)

Grüne Sauce: Avocado aus der Schale löffeln,  Zitronensaft einer halben Zitrone, Salz, Pfeffer und ein Schuss Schlagobers (dann wirds flaumig, ist aber nicht notwendig) in ein hohes Gefäß zum mixen geben, mit dem Stabmixer pürieren und voilá!

24.05.09

PS: sieht vielleicht nicht sooo lecker aus, ist es aber ; )