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August 31, 2007
Giving the gift of alcohol
Les does not need any things as gifts for his birthday. However I did know that he likes a good White Russian and fun conversation. So I just brought all the fixing for that cocktail and a bunch of funny stories to share.
We ended up getting real drunk and having a lot of fun. Good thing I had Cap to drive me home.
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Party all weekend
I have been invited to a party all weekend. So you may not hear from me in the next few days.
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August 30, 2007
Still playing Metroid
I'm still playing Metroid and not doing too much else.
I forgot to mention the Medaverse picked up a new programer on Tuesday. He is a student who has worked on some of his own game projects in the past. I am very excited to start working with him.
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August 29, 2007
Metroid Prime 3 ... all night long
Last night I did something I have not done in a long time. I said up all night playing a video game. Not just any game but Metroid Prime 3: Corruption. This game is fantastic, here is my early review: Beautiful graphic. best FPS control on a console ever. Classic Metroid Prime gamely with changing puzzles and bosses. A perfectly refined pace that keeps me from putting the controller even after playing for 12 hours.
Posted by binhqx at 11:05 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
August 28, 2007
Medaverse gets some press with Gravitronix
Last night, Medaverse sent out as press release announcing their WiiWare game called Gravitronix. This set off a flurry of activity throughout the Nintendo community. Check out this thread in the forums keeping track of all the news sites carrying the news. It is so cool to see this happening.
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August 27, 2007
Conditions of Life
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August 26, 2007
A new place and tatoo for Jack.
Jack has got himself a new place in town just a block from our place. It is a great two bedroom apartment up on the third floor near downtown. Being up on the third gives a great view of town but it does make moving in on a hot day a real workout.
Here is a picture out the door. There is something about it that just felt homely.
After moving most of Jack's stuff into the apartment we went to get his tatoo done. He has been wanting to get one for years. Now with his newly freed life style, there in no excuse to get one. The coolest thing about his new tatoo, is it is a exact match to the the one his brother has. Here are the two of them standing side by side.
The brothers Anderson!
Jacks is still a bit red and sore because this picture was taken minutes after getting him inked.
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August 25, 2007
The return of Window Pain
After a eight month hiatus, Window Pain returned to the stage at the Dover Brick House. Back in January, Window Pain planned to take a two month break to do work on independent projects and some new songs. But one event after another transpired to delay their return. During this delay drummer Scott Murphy left Window Pain to be the lead vocalist of Sake of Reason. Now Andy Cacarillo has taken up the positions as the drummer and he is doing a excellent job.
Now Window Pain is back and they have brought in some new songs to mix with our favorite classics. It was a great show with great energy.
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August 24, 2007
Going out to celebrate
Jack just finished his first week at his new job. What better reason to go out and celebrate?
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August 23, 2007
Sometime I am just too weird for most girls.
Tonight was PeacheZ first show at Mojitos. The show did not start till late so there was plenty of time to just chill out and talk with the other people there. One person I was talking with was a new waitress that was working there tonight.
It is hip hop night, so the conversation go that way. She said that she liked hip hop music at Mojitos. I replied with, the fact that I only recently started listening to hip hop. It was not till I examined the context that hip hop formed in that it started to understand it. Hip hop follows in the tradition of using music to express socioeconomic or environmental grievances. Just look at the racial equality movements that is expressed in early blues. Or the folk music created in the 60's by Bob Dylan as a responds to a unfair political environment. Hip hop music is the contemporary extension of this tradition. Each artiest expresses the difficulties of their life through riming lyrics. For example a hip hop song from this area would be about the harsh winter or the difficulties of buying fuel on a fixed income.
At this point she stopped talking to me and wondered away. However, I did get my comeuppance when one of the rappers from Wells Maine and a song about having to spend all winter inside playing video games because it is too expensive to go out.
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August 22, 2007
Boring Kind of Guy at the Brick House.
Tonight was metal night down at the Dover Brick House. Boring Kind of Guy played along with Sudden Death and Wreckoning .
image courtesy of http://www.returntothepit.com
I love a good metal show. When it comes to performing metal, the key ingredient is energy. That is what separates those who play metal for those who are metal. I have to say that Boring Kind of Guy (BKOG) has that energy. That is what really made the difference between BKOG and the other performances that night. Sudden Death and Wreckoning had a excellent performances. They have refined and well rehearsed sound, but they did not have the energy BKOG brought to the stage.
A band is only as good as the artist that make it up. BKOG has pulled together some some individuals who talent mesh together well.
Jeromy leads the group with is unrelenting vocals and animated stage presence. He will mosh around the stage, throw kung-fu moves and even jump over the other performers without dropping a single lyric. Keeping pace with Jeromy are Aaron and Rick on guitars. Their skills bring the the electric roar the makes amps cry and fans scream for more. Laying down a fat base line is Matt. He jams away keeping the whole thing solid. At the heart of the band, Jamie drums a beat that drives the metal machine.
You can listen to some of BKOG repertoire at their myspace, but it does not do justice to their stage performance. To get the full BKOG experience, you must attend one of there shows.
Lets not forget about the fans. BKOG has managed to pull together a dedicated group of supporters. They make sure that all the BKOG shows are well attended and reflect the energy of the stage performance. The BKOG fans make sure that every show is as much fun as posable.
BKOG is still a new band so they have not written many songs. Some people may not find anything that they like in the set. However, I suspect over time more songs will be written and the BKOG sound will be increasingly refined. They have energy, talent and dedication need to become a big in the metal scene.
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August 21, 2007
Late night on a Wednesday.
Today was the first evening I actually spent time down at the Meda office working. After work we stopped off at Mojitos for a bit. Tuesday nights at Mojitos are surprisingly lively. They have open mic night and a good deal on drinks.
While there I met up with Dakota. She is a class mate of mine from high school. We chatted for a bit, but eventually it became obvious that she had to many to drink. I kept a eye on here till closing. Then I drove her truck home. Opa followed me in his car and drove me back to dover.
As he put it, that was our paladin training for the night. I ended up getting home very late, but it was to help a friend.
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August 20, 2007
Motivational Poster: Recourse
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August 19, 2007
Party at Les's house
Les had a party at his place. These are great parties because the food Les cooks is magnificent and wondrous. Today was no different. He cooked up oxtail and venison as well as Caribbean spiced spinach rice and chicken.
Oh man did we pig out.
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August 18, 2007
Best day of the summer
Today is just perfect weather. It is sunny, cool. and slightly windy. I can just open up all the windows in my room and just practice the guitar all day. Perhaps later I will take a nap.
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Hanging out with Dad for breakfast
My Dad was driving through town on his way home. So he stopped by for breakfast and we went out to Harvey's Bakeries. I had not been there before, but I had heard that they make good breakfast.
I was in tough shape when my dad rolled up. I drank recklessly the night before and now I was hung over. So a real breakfast was about the best thing ever. It was a great morning of catching up with my dad and recovering.
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August 17, 2007
Friday night is a blur
On Friday night I went down to Kelly's for a beer with Bob and Jack. There was good music and high spirits there and it did not take long to start having a real good time. John and Darrel showed up a bit later. But then things start getting a little blurry. I remember someone buying me tequila shots, playing the cow bell, and spilling a beer on a large angry man. The memories are not an any order or narrative. I will need to catch up with some other people who where around to find out what happened.
Posted by binhqx at 11:18 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
August 16, 2007
Disappointed by F.E.A.R.
F.E.A.R. is a fist-person shooter that combines tactical game play with Japanese inspired horror elements. While the story and horror parts of the game make it fun, the level design and pacing drag the whole thing down.
The levels are the most uninspired I have seen since Halo 1, THey just drag on and on through repetitive meaningless. The first area the game presents the player with is a generic industrial building near some docks. It is just filled with nondescript concrete rooms with no apparent meaning. Eventually you are taken from the industrial building and drop into a office building. It is just a maze of offices and cubicles. Everywhere are posted the same memos and same five magazines. But fear not! Once you finish with the mundane office you will go the the adjoining lab building. It is like the office but has lab equipment. This is about the halfway point in the game.
As the player passes through the brain numbing repetitiveness, they will often find themselves lost. Now they will have to backtrack around to figure where to go next. The game has no map or goal indicator, so wandering around looking for the next area is just par for the course.
The only thing that keeps this going is occasional spooky stuff and unrolling a mystery by listening to peoples voicemail.
So I am not sure why this game got such high critical acclaim.
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August 15, 2007
Wrong turn cat
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August 14, 2007
The cracked cup
There once was a cracked cup. It would slowly leak whenever it was filled. However the cup always wanted to be full, being empty feels so bad. So the cup would stay near a friendly pitcher who would always keep the cup full.
Eventually the pitcher became tired of keeping the cracked cup full and stopped filling it. The cup left the pitcher and for the first time it had to deal with the prospect of being empty. It used all of its strength to hold the crack closed and prevent the water from escaping.
The world is full of friendly pitchers and while the cup was holding itself together it happened across another one. It was all to happy to lift the cups burden and keep it full. Once again the cup could be full and happy without needing to use any of its own strength....
Posted by binhqx at 1:47 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
August 13, 2007
Blumberg’s Music Theory Cipher
I found this interesting new take on music theory called Cipher System . It removes the old vestigial names and music notation and replaces it with a simple mathematical counting system. For a person who is engineering minded like myself, Cipher makes a lot more since.
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August 12, 2007
How to tell if you are getting old.
Ok, I think I know how to tell if a person is getting "old." It is the belief that the best things in life happened in the past. When people start saying things like:
" _______ was better when I was a kid. Now it is just garbage."
or
"It used to be that __________ but now it just stinks."
or
"They should do it more like __________. It was better back then."
I know people who are physically younger then I am who already say this. Somehow they have already become "old".
One's mental age is only a product of their perspective. Ever hear of "You are only as old as you feel." Perhaps things in the past where the same as now, You, the observer, are the one who has changed.
That is how I plan to say young forever. By always believing that the best parts of life are the bits yet to come.
Posted by binhqx at 2:19 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
August 11, 2007
Sake of Reason rocks out at the Cafe @ The Governors Inn
The Cafe @ The Governors Inn is a cool outdoor venue tucked way in the woods behind the Governors Inn in Rochester. Basically it is a lawn with a stage that connects to a little Cafe.
I am guessing that the venue is usually used for acoustic and bluegrass music. However, tonight Sake of Reason rocked the stage. Literally, the small stage could barely contain the band and it was rocking back and forth. That is what I call good energy.
As usual, the set sounded great. I think it helps a lot when the fans come out to show their support.
I was happy to hear that Sake of Reason will get more of their songs recorded in the future. The three that they on the myspace are good, but I want to hear more.
Shameless plug: Sake of Reason has a online store. So go there and buy something.
Posted by binhqx at 3:48 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
August 10, 2007
Stardust
Tonight the guys went to see Stardust. Right off the bat it has the feeling of a whimsical fantasy story of magic and kings. Best of all it does it with a sense of humor. The movie can best be compared to the The Princess Bride.
You wont find anything new or revolutionary on the film. But you can just sit back and enjoy the simple but exciting story and characters.
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August 9, 2007
Open Mic night at the Old Oak Tavern
Every thursday night at the Old Oak Tavern is open mic night. It is a exciting place on these nights. The Old Oak Tavern is a small bar and they pack people in there until it reaches what fire code will allow. There is a wide range of talent that play on these nights. Some are very good, and other are not. Of course the biggest draw of the night is the one dollar light beers. These make sure that everyone is having a good time no matter how bad the music is.
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August 8, 2007
Life is like climbing a muddy slope.
You reach and grab handful after handful wet sticky earth, pulling them down in a vain attempt to climb higher. The harder one grabs, the more mud will slip through finger and pull away from the wall. You may be pushing dirt down but that does not mean that you are getting any further up the slope. Never stop climbing. Of you stop for even a second, gravity will pull you right back down to the bottom.
So that is what you do: struggle. Put in twice as much energy to get half as far.
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August 7, 2007
Nightmare City
Here are two great flash animations:
Nightmare City
Nightmare City: Catastrophe
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August 6, 2007
To be fond of learning is near to wisdom
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August 5, 2007
Relentless Game Day
Relentless Game Day is the name of our local RPGA gaming events. These are run by Opa who organizes and judges the game tables.
This week, Devin joined our Living Greyhawk game with his new dwarf barbarian named Ba'alchrak. The first half of the game went slowly. We spent the first two hours in combat with one pesky necromancer. Eventually we got the swing of the game and had a lot of fun through the rest of it.
It is unfortunate that we do not have another Relentless Game Day scheduled till September.
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August 4, 2007
Cookout day!
Jack is back and we are having a cook out thanks the the generous donations of the Anderson clan. This is the works: hamburgers, hot-dogs, chips, soda, etc. We have tons of food and the funny thing is only about ten people are attending (bad timing I guess).
Well, I am off to eat and have some fun.
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August 3, 2007
Weekend ahead
So its Friday and now is the time to plan the weekend ahead. Right now the schedule looks like the following.
Friday: Party
Saturday: Cookout / Party
Sunday: DnD game / Party
So there we go. It is possible to get everything done with a nice tight schedule.
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August 2, 2007
I think I am going emo
I was feeling a bit down at the end of the day today. Suddenly I was compelled to pick up the guitar and strum the few chords I know. As I played I thought about how tiny movements along the frets could bring clean harmonic into the air and a few more movements could produce a ear scratching disharmony.
Life is like that. It is the little movements that change a life in harmony into something unpleasant.
Posted by binhqx at 2:21 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
August 1, 2007
Wet basement
Since this spring the basement of LaTour has become increasingly wetter. Lately, a spot on the wall has started flowing with water after every rainstorm. Today we when to investigate the reason behind this leak.
We found a pit had been eroded beneath the back stairs. This pit is just above the place where the water is entering the basement. I figure that water is collecting in the pit and putting water pressure on the backside of the foundation. Eventually the water works it's way through the wall and causes the pit to erode even more.
So I need a shovel and some good clay soil to plug up this pit. Our landlord gave us a can if wall sealant to paint on the inside. I hope that these to solutions fix the problem.
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