Ok, let's just get some links out of our systems today, okay? It's not quite yoga, but I'm pretty sure that it's better for you. Yep, gotta flush the ol' link system or you'll get lupus. Yeah, true story. A righteous dude told me that once before.
Links
- Apparently Chris Parnell and Finesse Mitchell are off the SNL island. Maya Rudolph and Darrell Hammond may be gone too.
- Further proof that the PS3 will go the way of the Neo-Geo - games will cost about $75-85 bucks.
- So cigarettes are hard to quit, right? Well, guess what? Bonus Round! People who smoke menthol cigarettes are 15% more likely NOT to quit smoking. There's actually some nifty science behind the entire article, worth a read.
For the record, the Champ Car Grand Prix at Road America last weekend was a blast. Sean and I had a great time both days (and his sister, Jen, even joined us on Sunday for the big showdown). Many brats were eaten. Your choices of weather included rainy or sunny/windy/cold. I wore five layers (undershirt, t-shirt, long sleeve shirt, sweater and windbreaker) and I still would have been cold if not for the scanner headset that Sean let me use (these are essential for Race Day). Hopefully Sean will post some pictures of the event. If he doesn't, I'll paint you a portrait of the even so vivid that you really wish Sean would just post some pictures on his blog instead. I'm talking way beyond stick figures here, people. I'm talking possible charcoal cave paintings with a hint of a third dimension. No color though, I’m an artist.
More sarcasm to follow.
Wednesday, September 27, 2006
Tuesday, September 26, 2006
Bad Blogger, Bad!
Yeah, wow, one week away after so few posts already in the can? That looks awful to me, but I can explain, Lucy! I can explain it all. It happened like this... It was a dark and stormy night of much to do about nothing when, suddenly like through the slurry night, I staggered upon these all consuming links:
- Pong wristwatch (homemade)
- Sony has a train wreck for a keynote at the Toyko Game Show
- But, not about to be undone, The Press pico-chat on their DS Lites before the event. Kind of funny that they were using a Nintendo mobile instead of a Sony one, eh?
- Willie Nelson was busted for drug possession, here’s what he and his four buddies had on the tour bus. (PICTURE)
I'm going to go easy on you now and just back away slowly. I'll talk to you again soon, just, please, keep the restraining orders at a minimum - I'm actually a nice guy once you get to know me. I have proof!
- Pong wristwatch (homemade)
- Sony has a train wreck for a keynote at the Toyko Game Show
- But, not about to be undone, The Press pico-chat on their DS Lites before the event. Kind of funny that they were using a Nintendo mobile instead of a Sony one, eh?
- Willie Nelson was busted for drug possession, here’s what he and his four buddies had on the tour bus. (PICTURE)
I'm going to go easy on you now and just back away slowly. I'll talk to you again soon, just, please, keep the restraining orders at a minimum - I'm actually a nice guy once you get to know me. I have proof!
Tuesday, September 19, 2006
Stick It to Me Tuesday
One step closer to Champ Car racing @ Road America this weekend!
And now for some dreadful news...
Shark found walking on its fins (video link). I thought I was supposed to be afraid of robots, but now I have to worry about sharks walking up to me in some dark alley and making me empty out my wallet then beating me savagely until I say, “Sharks are the coolest, humans suck!” Gez, life is getting tougher every day. At least robots are capable of logic, but sharks? When was the last time you considered sitting down and playing Jaws in a friendly game of chess? Never? No kidding! If he loses, he’s liable to make a light meal of your superior, chess brain. All praise our new shark masters!
And now for some happy news...
OLEDs are the future; they are the next plastics. Apparently they've figured out how to make two-way OLED displays that will show an image and act as a solar panel... so, in the future, your TV will require less power (if any) and run off of the sun's warm, happy rays. Until that day, tree huggers will have to stare at the sun to get their bio-fueled fun, so remember to wear UV protectin' sunglasses and carry around a camera obscura for those long, after work boob tube sessions. Imagine a world without The View. Sounds nice, right? Think about it, we'll talk later.
-neil
And now for some dreadful news...
Shark found walking on its fins (video link). I thought I was supposed to be afraid of robots, but now I have to worry about sharks walking up to me in some dark alley and making me empty out my wallet then beating me savagely until I say, “Sharks are the coolest, humans suck!” Gez, life is getting tougher every day. At least robots are capable of logic, but sharks? When was the last time you considered sitting down and playing Jaws in a friendly game of chess? Never? No kidding! If he loses, he’s liable to make a light meal of your superior, chess brain. All praise our new shark masters!
And now for some happy news...
OLEDs are the future; they are the next plastics. Apparently they've figured out how to make two-way OLED displays that will show an image and act as a solar panel... so, in the future, your TV will require less power (if any) and run off of the sun's warm, happy rays. Until that day, tree huggers will have to stare at the sun to get their bio-fueled fun, so remember to wear UV protectin' sunglasses and carry around a camera obscura for those long, after work boob tube sessions. Imagine a world without The View. Sounds nice, right? Think about it, we'll talk later.
-neil
Monday, September 18, 2006
Link Day
Links
-While you’ve often heard of the crazy vending machines that exist in Japan, you’ve never seen them. Well, now you can! Photoman lives in Japan and has traveled extensively in search of these miracles of automated, self-help wonder! Seriously, this crap is fascinating to me. Why? Because they’re fast, convenient and just plain odd. They even have the creepy “used school girl” underwear vending machine that most people thought was just an urban legend. Well, guess what, when I happen to mention that something exists, even if I’m at a cocktail party and have drinks in both hands, I assure you that I am a reliable source of weird information. Believe it! I’m like Nostradamus that way… except my cult following is relegated to stuffed animals and my mom. Hi mom!
-President Bush loves Sharpie markers and gives them out as presents to “important aides” – Who do I contact about getting my wife a White House emblazoned marker pen? Do I have to go straight to my red, hotline phone or should I just check eBay. I’ll look into this and let you know.
-IGN got another hands-on taste of the new Zelda (more of the same since E3, but still, some more refinement coming in every day), and they said Zelda “is poised to be the best entry into the lucrative franchise yet.” DAMN! I will definitely preorder this game.
-Ok, Gizmodo tipped me off to an unnatural bit of architectural/interior design: Red Bull’s London HQ - huge photo spread.
-Apple still has refurbished stock of the previous generation to get out of the door though and they are selling them at some pretty hefty discounts:
60 gb video Ipod - $229 ($120 off)
30 gb video Ipod - $179 ($70 off)
2 gb Nano - $99 ($50 off)
-Dog The Bounty Hunter (of TV show fame) is in jail in Mexico for getting his man. The Smoking Gun has the details and it's interesting stuff - who knew he was the father of 12? Not me, but, honestly, good for him. TSG also says that Dog is 50+ years old, which just scares the crap out of me. Imagine that you're being chased down by this dude who looks like he just jumped off the set of an 80's hair metal video and then you realize that not only is he not a member of Twisted Sister, but he gets a senior discount at select locations... Yeah, you've just been busted by Grandpa. Good luck living that one down.
-While you’ve often heard of the crazy vending machines that exist in Japan, you’ve never seen them. Well, now you can! Photoman lives in Japan and has traveled extensively in search of these miracles of automated, self-help wonder! Seriously, this crap is fascinating to me. Why? Because they’re fast, convenient and just plain odd. They even have the creepy “used school girl” underwear vending machine that most people thought was just an urban legend. Well, guess what, when I happen to mention that something exists, even if I’m at a cocktail party and have drinks in both hands, I assure you that I am a reliable source of weird information. Believe it! I’m like Nostradamus that way… except my cult following is relegated to stuffed animals and my mom. Hi mom!
-President Bush loves Sharpie markers and gives them out as presents to “important aides” – Who do I contact about getting my wife a White House emblazoned marker pen? Do I have to go straight to my red, hotline phone or should I just check eBay. I’ll look into this and let you know.
-IGN got another hands-on taste of the new Zelda (more of the same since E3, but still, some more refinement coming in every day), and they said Zelda “is poised to be the best entry into the lucrative franchise yet.” DAMN! I will definitely preorder this game.
-Ok, Gizmodo tipped me off to an unnatural bit of architectural/interior design: Red Bull’s London HQ - huge photo spread.
-Apple still has refurbished stock of the previous generation to get out of the door though and they are selling them at some pretty hefty discounts:
60 gb video Ipod - $229 ($120 off)
30 gb video Ipod - $179 ($70 off)
2 gb Nano - $99 ($50 off)
-Dog The Bounty Hunter (of TV show fame) is in jail in Mexico for getting his man. The Smoking Gun has the details and it's interesting stuff - who knew he was the father of 12? Not me, but, honestly, good for him. TSG also says that Dog is 50+ years old, which just scares the crap out of me. Imagine that you're being chased down by this dude who looks like he just jumped off the set of an 80's hair metal video and then you realize that not only is he not a member of Twisted Sister, but he gets a senior discount at select locations... Yeah, you've just been busted by Grandpa. Good luck living that one down.
Saturday, September 16, 2006
Early Saturday
Damn, damn, damn. Ok, Nintendo Fanboy is reporting it - the Wii will be region locked. Apparently the VP that I mentioned in the comments of an earlier post was drunk and didn't know what she was saying. I don't know what she was drinking, but the video that Nintendo Fanboy links to of her seems... well, I feel hung over just watching it. Wow, seriously, does anyone have a beer? I could use one, hair of the dog and all. No golden retrievers please though, they probably would just lick my face and what I need now is alcohol. Wow, people, let's pay attention here. Focus, team. Focus is key.
Friday, September 15, 2006
Ready for the Weekend
One of the *big* things that I realize that I forgot to post about the Wii that I think is awesome: Widescreen support on all first party titles. The Wii won't do any fancy 720p/1080p business, but it will do 480p. That should make it easier to read text and stuff, but I'm more pumped about the widescreen than anything. Down with 4:3!
The new Zelda game looks *A-M-A-Z-I-N-G*. I saw a video demo of the game, and it is righteous.
I'm off to go pick the wife up from work soon, so here are some fun links to get you through:
Links
- I always wanted a classy version of the TV from Pee Wee’s Playhouse (with a slight Scandinavian flare), and now someone’s made it. They also have a TV / toy fire engine combo going on for them... pretty cool if the fire engine is remote controlled and comes with little animatronic fire men, but otherwise not so cool. Funny, yes. Cool, no.
- A One-legged robot that jumps brought to you by Toyota (this is hilarious, right?) Well, guess what... it's even funnier: the entire robot is just ONE LEG.
"Next up in the One-Legged Butt Kicking Competition: Toyota."
I can see the protest groups forming now with placards that read, "Don't let a machine kick your butt!" T-shirts and political parties will follow.
-Pirate ship themed tree house for $20k. This may be an incredibly insane item, but I'd come over and hang out at your place if you had one... especially if you get the optional Fireman's pole - the Ghostbusters couldn't resist the pole, and I can't either. Don't bother with the optional cannon though, something tells me these wussies won't give you a working one, which really begs the questions: how am I going to loot and blunder without a big friggin' gun? Eye patches? Probably not.
The new Zelda game looks *A-M-A-Z-I-N-G*. I saw a video demo of the game, and it is righteous.
I'm off to go pick the wife up from work soon, so here are some fun links to get you through:
Links
- I always wanted a classy version of the TV from Pee Wee’s Playhouse (with a slight Scandinavian flare), and now someone’s made it. They also have a TV / toy fire engine combo going on for them... pretty cool if the fire engine is remote controlled and comes with little animatronic fire men, but otherwise not so cool. Funny, yes. Cool, no.
- A One-legged robot that jumps brought to you by Toyota (this is hilarious, right?) Well, guess what... it's even funnier: the entire robot is just ONE LEG.
"Next up in the One-Legged Butt Kicking Competition: Toyota."
I can see the protest groups forming now with placards that read, "Don't let a machine kick your butt!" T-shirts and political parties will follow.
-Pirate ship themed tree house for $20k. This may be an incredibly insane item, but I'd come over and hang out at your place if you had one... especially if you get the optional Fireman's pole - the Ghostbusters couldn't resist the pole, and I can't either. Don't bother with the optional cannon though, something tells me these wussies won't give you a working one, which really begs the questions: how am I going to loot and blunder without a big friggin' gun? Eye patches? Probably not.
Thursday, September 14, 2006
So, the official Nintendo Wii channel is up and running now, which is very nice. What’s not so nice is the price and release date for the Wii: $249.99 on November 19th. Boy was I wrong. Does anyone else feel like they’ve been kicked in the nuts by that price? The Big N came out awhile ago and said that the system would be under $250, but the fact that they then made it one cent less just reeks of corporate altruism. I understand that $249.99 < $250, but, after numerous reports came out saying that the Wii was going to be around $150 - $170, I feel kind of let down. Don’t even get me started on the analyst reports that said that Nintendo could sell the thing for $170 (because of the increase in its stock due to fanboy support of the new console) or I may start to cry.
Good new things to come out of Nintendo Wii US launch details:
- Wii will be region-free (1st party titles guaranteed)
- Wii Sports included ($50 value)
- Wii Channels seem nifty
- Expert Mode on Metroid Prime: Corruption is supposed to be the best interface for a FPS outside of a PC according to IGN
Bad new things to come out of Nintendo Wii US launch details:
- Price: $249
- Launch Date: November 19th US launch (two days after the PS3 launches)
- One controller included
- Complete (Wiimote + Nunchuck) controllers are $60
- Only color available at launch: White (has Steve Jobs taken over?)
- Metroid Prime: Corruption has been delayed until early 2007
I feel better knowing that the XBOX 360 controllers cost $50 a piece and aren’t nearly as tech heavy as the Wii controllers, but, still, $60 for a controller? Ouch! Now you will all know how much I value your friendship by how deep the line is to play a game.
"Back behind the velvet rope, you!" *whip crack*
"Back, back I say!"
*whip crack*
The launch date does have a nice silver lining for Nintendo though: only 400k units of the PS3 will ship to the US, but 1 million units of the Wii will be here two days later. The PS3 shortage will be the Wii’s gain, but the fanboy in me wants it now! You remember those commercial for Life cereal back in the day? Where they showed a grown-up eating the cereal saying how good it was for you, then a kid version of the adult would pop into place (in the adult’s now baggy clothing and all) and say how much they loved the brown sugar taste... yeah, I’m a split personality on the entire Wii issue at the moment. I'm still going to pre-order, but I feel like a little love was lost in the course of one day. That hurts, Ninty. That hurts on the inside. *sniff*
-neil
Good new things to come out of Nintendo Wii US launch details:
- Wii will be region-free (1st party titles guaranteed)
- Wii Sports included ($50 value)
- Wii Channels seem nifty
- Expert Mode on Metroid Prime: Corruption is supposed to be the best interface for a FPS outside of a PC according to IGN
Bad new things to come out of Nintendo Wii US launch details:
- Price: $249
- Launch Date: November 19th US launch (two days after the PS3 launches)
- One controller included
- Complete (Wiimote + Nunchuck) controllers are $60
- Only color available at launch: White (has Steve Jobs taken over?)
- Metroid Prime: Corruption has been delayed until early 2007
I feel better knowing that the XBOX 360 controllers cost $50 a piece and aren’t nearly as tech heavy as the Wii controllers, but, still, $60 for a controller? Ouch! Now you will all know how much I value your friendship by how deep the line is to play a game.
"Back behind the velvet rope, you!" *whip crack*
"Back, back I say!"
*whip crack*
The launch date does have a nice silver lining for Nintendo though: only 400k units of the PS3 will ship to the US, but 1 million units of the Wii will be here two days later. The PS3 shortage will be the Wii’s gain, but the fanboy in me wants it now! You remember those commercial for Life cereal back in the day? Where they showed a grown-up eating the cereal saying how good it was for you, then a kid version of the adult would pop into place (in the adult’s now baggy clothing and all) and say how much they loved the brown sugar taste... yeah, I’m a split personality on the entire Wii issue at the moment. I'm still going to pre-order, but I feel like a little love was lost in the course of one day. That hurts, Ninty. That hurts on the inside. *sniff*
-neil
Wednesday, September 13, 2006
Post Number Two: The Moment of Truth
What's up with the revenge killings of stingrays? Steve Irwin's death was tragic, but the man wrestled with life on the toothy, mean edge. I don't think it's the stingrays fault; it's commonly known that stingrays only get aggressive when they feel threatened and if Steve Irwin would have come over to my apartment, innocuously hid behind the papasan for awhile before lunging at me, I would have freaked out and knocked him out cold with one of my many heavy Literature books. Or maybe the stingray just saw the South Park episode where Irwin puts his thumb up animal's butts and, because it wasn't due for a prostate exam for a good twenty or so years, decided that it wasn't going to go down like that. I've been in the wild with manta rays and I've even touched one (they are velvety smooth on top - think watery silk), and I got nothing against them.
In times like this, it's helpful to turn to Yoda and ask, "What would Yoda do?" He'd probably steal my Twix and run off laughing into the swamp, but if that bastard thinks he can get away with that crap one more time then he's going to be awfully surprised when my droidekas (I made them out of roombas - they weren't that deadly until I added the lasers) make green slurry out of his ears. Yoda Soup, anyone?
Important bits:
- The US launch date and price for the Nintendo Wii are expected to be announced tomorrow at 8am ET in NYC. I am positively quivering with antici... pation!
--- Anticipated launch date is October 2nd (the day before my birthday!)
--- Anticipated price is $150 - $170
Cool gadgets:
- 3D Displays To Make Their Way To Portable Devices?
Interesting stuff:
- Ice Rocks: pre-packaged purity
- French Youth Take Up British-Style Binge Drinking
Really, so what? French teenagers are getting hammered more often instead of consistently getting a buzz on?
haiku
I see the decline
of the sidewalk café in
big letters today
In times like this, it's helpful to turn to Yoda and ask, "What would Yoda do?" He'd probably steal my Twix and run off laughing into the swamp, but if that bastard thinks he can get away with that crap one more time then he's going to be awfully surprised when my droidekas (I made them out of roombas - they weren't that deadly until I added the lasers) make green slurry out of his ears. Yoda Soup, anyone?
Important bits:
- The US launch date and price for the Nintendo Wii are expected to be announced tomorrow at 8am ET in NYC. I am positively quivering with antici... pation!
--- Anticipated launch date is October 2nd (the day before my birthday!)
--- Anticipated price is $150 - $170
Cool gadgets:
- 3D Displays To Make Their Way To Portable Devices?
Interesting stuff:
- Ice Rocks: pre-packaged purity
- French Youth Take Up British-Style Binge Drinking
Really, so what? French teenagers are getting hammered more often instead of consistently getting a buzz on?
haiku
I see the decline
of the sidewalk café in
big letters today
Tuesday, September 12, 2006
Day One - All Quiet on the Western Front
Hey everybody! My name is Neil and my blog is about cool gadgets, funny stories and just having a good time. We can have fun with this, so let's stay positive. And we're walking, we're walking...
Ok, I'm just going to through out some of my favorite links right away so you can just go ahead and judge me. They are in no particular order.
my homepage, and, yes, I read it every time.
Penny Arcade
gadgets
Gizmodo
Engadget
video games
Joystiq
Nintendo Wii Fanboy
IGN
pc nerd stuff
Arstechnica
other
Sean's blog Seriously, this is all his fault. Blame him.
I really don't have much else to say right now, so I'm going to reward myself for this sweaty, sweaty work down in the "Internet" (a series of tubes, I say! TUBES!) by playing some Warcraft 3. I play DOTA (3.7 and DH), and it's been good to me. I recommend that you check it out immediately.
take it easy,
neil
Ok, I'm just going to through out some of my favorite links right away so you can just go ahead and judge me. They are in no particular order.
my homepage, and, yes, I read it every time.
Penny Arcade
gadgets
Gizmodo
Engadget
video games
Joystiq
Nintendo Wii Fanboy
IGN
pc nerd stuff
Arstechnica
other
Sean's blog Seriously, this is all his fault. Blame him.
I really don't have much else to say right now, so I'm going to reward myself for this sweaty, sweaty work down in the "Internet" (a series of tubes, I say! TUBES!) by playing some Warcraft 3. I play DOTA (3.7 and DH), and it's been good to me. I recommend that you check it out immediately.
take it easy,
neil
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