Month: September 2008
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Okay, what ELSE you got?
A few years ago, my friend Alex recommended I read Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace. I filed away the suggestion but never acted on it, for any one of a dozen stupid reasons. I wouldn’t have the attention span to read a 1000-page book I liked, much less one without spaceships. I wasn’t that…
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The Spy Who Didn’t Have Enough Sense to Come In From the Cold
Burn After Reading and the Coen Brothers’ populism
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Wakarimasen
Earlier I mentioned being a big fan of the Japanese game show “Nounai Este IQ Supplement” (that link is to a Japanese-language website). Above is my favorite puzzle from the show, because it’s the only one I’ve been able to figure out before hearing or seeing the answer. (Since they insist on talking in Japanese…
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Literacy 2008: Exhibition Round 2: Yokai Attack!
There’s no way I’m going to finish my resolution to read 26 books by the end of 2008, but even out of desperation I can’t in good conscience include this book to pad out the list. But it’s still neat enough to be worth an exhibition round. Book Yokai Attack!: The Japanese Monster Survival Guide…
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Sweet Recently Divorced Lady Freedom!
I’ve been so busy with the videogame-making and occasionally -playing that I’ve been negligent in the videogame-promoting. Strong Bad’s Cool Game for Attractive People has two episodes out for WiiWare and PC, and the second episode, “Strong Badia the Free” came out last Monday. As you might imagine, it’s a thoughtful and provocative examination of…
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Intelligent Design
I finally got to play some of Spore tonight, ending up just partway through the tribal phase. I’m in danger of overusing the word, but I can’t think of a better one to describe it than “wonderful.” (I could be biased, since several of my friends are on the team, but then we’re not that…
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Beat Bachs
A post on Boing Boing was the first I’d heard of Omodaka, a collaboration from a Japanese electronic musician putting out some of the most amazing videos I’ve ever seen. (You can read more about the artist on this modern Japanese music guide). He’s got six videos available on YouTube, and pretty much every one…
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Smile on your brother
I’ve been thinking more last night and today about PAX and the “corporeal internet.” Specifically, wondering why going to a convention about videogames can renew my interest and surround me with a warm glow, while reading about videogames on the internet makes me want to punch people in the kidneys. It’s definitely not for the…
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It’s Over!
I’m not sure how they pulled it off, but PAX was loud, crowded, and packed with people trying to sell things, and it still managed to be pretty damn cool. I’m so used to leaving videogame-related trade shows and conventions with my will completely drained, convinced that I’ve made a horrible career choice — it’s…