One thing that I’ve found interesting (and Chuckles touched on it with talk of WoW zombies over at Freelance Genius) in the past several years is the introduction of holiday specific events and themes in online games/downloadable content.

Since internal system clocks were added to video game systems, changes in games for a particular day or event have started popping up.  The first case I can think of is Christmas Nights, a special mode in the Sega Saturn game Nights that’s only available on Christmas.

As games have become more network connected (with the original Xbox and MMO’s on the PC).  The idea of themed events have become more and more common.  World of Warcraft does Christmas-esque stuff each year (I’m sure in China they have New Year themed stuff as well) as I’m sure Everquest and other stable MMO’s.

What’s interesting is that even games that don’t really take place in a persistent online world have started taking advantage of this.  Last year Halo 3 introduced more ‘Infection’ style gameplay as Halloween neared.  And at Christmas last year, Activision released a free Christmas song for Guitar Hero.  Even on April Fool’s day there is ‘humorous’ content being released.

It’s really interesting how companies are expecting persistent communities and trying to take advantage of time sensitive events in the real world like Holidays or this year the Election.  Xbox Live has had plenty of Election-themed content.  My main reason for even posting this was the realization that Rock Band is going to have special Presidents of the United States of America track pack available on Election Day (Nov. 4 if you were hiding out in your spider hole).

Anyway, I just think it’s interesting the way that a connected environment has made gaming a much more organic and changing environment.  I do have to say that the lack of themed content for all the Jewish holidays we just passed was disappointing.  Oh well, not my problem!

Ok, while the post yesterday probably should have fallen in this category, it’s kind of hard to joke about stuff that really pisses you off.  Don’t even ask me about the robocall from Giuliani (I imagine some sort of Giuliani/Robocop hybrid making the call … Murphy, it’s you!).

Anywho, something a bit more terrifying, my GF decided that we needed to put our cat (his name: Max Nacho) in a costume that properly depicts his personality.  I would feel bad for him if he weren’t such a crazy monster all the time.  Oh well, it’s the internet and this is a picture of a cat looking ridiculous.  Enjoy.

Hey guys, I’m not voting for the old dude or the crazy lady.  And these mailers just make me donate more money to Obama, you’d probably be better off not sending them to me.

If on Nov. 5 you’re not elected (PLEASE let this be the case).  Have fun looking at your legacy.  Obama’s been pretty straight up and classy during this deal and you’ve been doing this kind of bullshit.  I’d been trying to avoid putting politics out there that much but this kind of stuff is crap.

Another, equally ridiculous mailer in full post … (more…)

I was cruising the music review websites that were previously part of our linky love list when I found a post about Ben Sollee on Aurgasm.  Normally, I peruse all the posts while downloading every mp3 hosted.  I don’t  have any restrictions and download everything I see, even Fluxblog’s infrequent over-produced rap superstar links, because I figure that I can always delete the stuff I don’t like but always find something new to pique my interest.  Contrary to the trend of everyone I know, I still buy albums in the physical format, but almost all of these purchases are influenced by mp3s like the two I downloaded from that post about Ben Sollee.

Though the entire album wanders between bluegrass, folk and jazz, his deep Southern influence is unmistakable.

Given my current musical proclivities, this sentence is like High Fructose Corn Syrup on the cake.  If I weren’t stuck in a miniature version of the national recession, I would be marching out to buy this album down at my local.  The two songs are further reason for me.

Cello Pop?

How can that not grab you and make you say, “wait, did that guy really just bring a cello on stage?”  Let me tell you that a cello blends marvelously with an acoustic guitar.  The cello brings a deeper resonance* that grounds the normally airy and light acoustic guitar.  I have heard an impromptu song at Iota on a First Monday that consisted of a cello and a guitar and was surprised by both how mesmerizing the sound was and also by how frigging quiet the crowd became once the two gents started playing.

*Look at the big words on that guy.  Is that even an appropriate word?  Writing about music makes me feel awkward.

These are the only known images of a recent outbreak of the Solanum virus at an IKEA store in the DC Metro area.  WRN cautions you that the images you are about to see are disturbing and should not be viewed by children, the elderly, and anyone with a heart condition or lack of a humorous bone.

I’m playing around with Google Chrome a bit at the moment (I have an intense desire for Google to track EVERY WEB PAGE I’VE EVER BEEN TO EVER).  And apparently it loads/looks fine on here.

If anyone hates their privacy so much as to use this browser consistently please feel free to let me know if you have any problems.

The Velvet Lounge schedule is chock full of shows I want to see.  Or maybe it’s chock a block full.  Regardless, I’ve got to find some way to go to these shows:

Thursday, Wise Light Born (mem. of Barkitecture/Meadows/Antlers/Baby Killer Estelle), Adventure (Carpark), EAR PWR (Asheville electro-pop), this show raises my eyebrows of doom and makes me scratch my chin.  And it’s only $7!

Friday, Girl Loves Distortion (CD release!), Relay (shoegaze/psych-pop from Philly, Bubblecore), Timberwolf Division (ex-Ropers/Sounds of Kaleidoscope/Fretblanket/Owls & Crows), Himalaya (ex-Three Four Tens, NYC shoegaze/ psych-rock), how can a guy miss this show?  The sheer number of explanations and genres mentioned would probably rouse even fulsome from his decades-long hibernation.  All this for $8!

Next week, Stella Schindler, Rose, and the Blueheels are playing on the 3rd.  Two women I have been hoping would play a show together have responded to my subconscious wishes.  I hadn’t heard of the Blueheels until tonight, but damn, I like their music.  If I lived in Madison, Wis, I would be going to their show on the Memorial Union Terrace on the 31st of August.  I guess you call the sound alternative country or indie american or some shitty description for music that always seems to fail at describing music I like.

Also up next week, First Monday of the Month at Iota Club and Cafe.

I’m pretty broke, so if people could put Chuckles on the list at the Velvet Lounge, I’ll blog about your show.

So I started my new classes yesterday and it turns out that the Basic Design class I’m taking DOESN’T INVOLVE COMPUTERS.  I’m freaking out because, how can I do something that isn’t on a computer.  It just seems really weird.

And the class it was supposed to be filling in for was supposed to be a computer based class so I think I’m not sure that it’s even what I’m supposed to be taking.

It was just kind of hilarious because I could feel myself starting to get really nervous once I found out that it wasn’t on a PC.  “What do I do?”  “How am I going to function with this class not involving computers at all?”

They gave us this list of supplies that was like an 8.5″ x 11″ sheet of paper long and I was like, “Now I have to buy all this crap?”  I’m debating just dropping it and pretending I know enough to start taking classes next semester.

We’ll have to see what the ol’ advisor has to say about the whole thing.

On some level though, I just want to keep taking it since I realized it was not what I was expecting.  I kind of have this aversion to doing things that I don’t know ahead of time that I’m going to be successful at and this really seems like one of those scenarios.

[Update]

Just got an email back from my advisor saying that it would be good to get the basic design stuff in and learn the tools later so I guess I’ll keep this course (the realization that it was going to cost me 20% of the tuition to drop it may also have something to do with me continuing to take the course).

Sigh, this means I’ll have to pick up all the ridiculous supplies they listed.  Ah well.

[Update x2]

Turns out that my stats class starts at 7PM and not 7:30 like I thought.  Note to self, make sure you put your things in your calendar for the correct time.  At least I won’t be late for the next class.

I guess I am supposed to be excited about this movie? It’s supposed to be funny, and maybe have some nudity, I guess?  I feel a little burned out on Apatow related stuff, I mean, he’s funny or whatever you would use for the comedic version of Luc Besson, but I just have trouble getting out of my seat for his crew.  I mean, who isn’t on the Apatow crew?  All of the comedic actor-writers out there today are connected/indebted to Judd Freaking Apatow.

Wait.

Kevin Smith is directing this?  If this is funny, I am going to hate Kevin Smith even more.  That fucking sell out.  I wonder how much of his remaining soul he had to leverage to Apatow to get Seth Rogen and Elizabeth Banks away from the money train.

In a release dated August 20, 2008, the United States Department of Treasury has released the following:

“The current crisis environment of world terrorism, massive debt, and general shittiness of economy has caused great concern in the Department of Treasury. As many of you are no doubt aware, we like to be simultaneously on the cusp of world events and digging into history which is why we commissioned the State Quarters, Sacagawea Dollar, the President Dollars, the First Spouse Coins, the Legacy of Great Eleanor Roosevelt Impersonators Coins, and also why we pawn off more recent events on the Franklin Mint and Liberia.  The U.S. Mint strives to provide the great American public a fantastic source of collectibles that have utterly no connection to Star Trek or George Lucas.  We feel that the Hojillion Dollar bank note will satisfy both collectors and consumers, especially at the gas pump.  Jesus Christ, I mean shit!  I drive a freaking hybrid and I PRINT MONEY FOR THE UNITED STATES and I still can’t afford to drive anywhere.  We hope that this new note will speed transactions everywhere, so that more people can fill up their tanks faster at the cheap place in town.”

*In all semi-seriousness, the upcoming coins are pretty darn sweet looking.  I have two of the new President dollars and none of the First Spouses.  I didn’t even know they were minting those, but I was going to insert a joke about them until I saw that they were real.  And yeah, I do actually collect coins.