365 Days of Tang

Exhaustion in the Best Way [Otakon 2011]

2011-08-03T00:03:00.002-04:00

I had so much fun this year at Otakon. The convention seems to get just a bit more enjoyable every year, and I'm sure it's due to me getting to know more and more people at the con. I met up with about half of my high school anime fans, some of my college friends surprised me with their appearance, and I spent this year at a hotel thanks to Neo and his family.

As usual, time to tally up the viewings and goods! If there's a star next to it, expect a full review of it soon on the site.

Media Watched:

Kanon (UGUUUUU~!)
K-ON! (Yes, I've avoided this one. I'll remedy that soon, practically no choice now.)
Hoshi o Ou Kodomo* (Absolutely beautiful animation, interesting storyline as well.)
The Disappearance Of Haruhi Suzumiya* (Can't believe I watched this before Neo did. :D)
Bible Black (Yes, I know. I'm terrible. But it was dubbed. DUBBED, I TELL YOU!! Only Fan Parodies made me laugh harder this con.)

New Games Played:

KOF XIII (I SUCK at this game. Ugh. That being said, looks gloriously, plays gloriously)
Drummania 8 (Again, suck. Still fun, though.)
Sin & Punishment (WHY did this game not come out in the States until so recently?)
Sonic the Fighters (Bad fighting engine, but a good guilty pleasure)

Swag: As some of you may know, I'm a Redditor. So, in an effort to get up a swag thread ASAP, I made this thread all on my phone. Feel free to post your swag listings in the comments or at the Reddit thread!

The CD is Sophisticated Insanity, signed by Hiro Yura*
2 LoZ mangas based on Link to the Past and The Minish Cap (guilty pleasures.)
Gundam is a 1/144 00 Raiser (I still haven't built up my God Gundam from last year...)
Scrolls are FMA Brotherhood and GitS: SAC.
And lastly, a TF2 Heavy T-Shirt from Glitch. (SO MUCH BLOOD)

About $120. Kinda bummed I didn't get as much free swag as last year (bad timing), but was a very good, if crowded, con this year. Free swag was a Last Exile poster, Paper S. Sayian Hair, and JList paper eye-glasses.

I did miss out on several showings due to them filling up, as well as several free swag moments since I failed to make it to the industry panels. Neo has a much better swag list to post when he gets the chance.

I'm still kinda recovering from Otakon, and the realization that I go back to school very soon. I won't leave anyone hanging, however. Pictures and clips will be up soon!

The Plan

2011-07-27T23:59:00.000-04:00

1. Get picked up by friend, head to Neo's.
2. Pile in, head to Pre-Reg.
3. Hop into line. Wait 2 hours.
4. Pick up tickets, dance like a mad man.
5. Head back to Neo's for anime moviethon until midnight.
6. ???
7. Profit.

PS: Ha! It's up before Thursday! Awesome!

Reloading!

2011-07-24T20:05:00.001-04:00

Why hello there! Zero here!

I'm back...again. I know, it's really bad that I haven't posted since January, and it's completely my fault. Simply lost interests and will; I seem to be slowly losing my ability to multitask, and college is not a good time to lose it. That being said, I'm going to try again here on 365 Days of Te-

...Tang? Tang. Tang!

I feel like "365 Days of Tech" isn't fair anymore. I do a lot more than Tech, and have done so from the get go. So, let's be honest here. That being said, I had to think of a word other than "tech." I ran across "tang" in the thesaurus (yes, seriously), and ran with it. (Great title origin, eh?)

First major posts will come Wednesday, as I plan out the week ahead. Because it's Otakon Time! I've got a basic schedule down already, so this is gonna be goooood.

Zero, out! }-

After These Messages...

2011-01-15T15:40:00.002-05:00

Hello everyone! I know I left you all hanging a while back. I'm still in the middle of changing up how I do stuff around here. The most prominent change will be that I'll have a new PC in my hands.

I already have it built, with pics and everything. That'll be up when I confirm that the computer is working...which it isn't yet... completely. I'm having random and differing blue screens that, so far, tell me nothing of what the actual problem is. A list of the BSOD bug check screens and their driver sources so far:

CACHE_MANAGER | ntoskrnl.exe
NTFS_FILE_SYSTEM | Ntfs.sys
BAD_POOL_HEADER | fileinfo.sys
BUGCODE_USB_DRIVER | USBPORT.SYS
MEMORY_MANAGEMENT | ntoskrnl.exe
SYSTEM_SERVICE_EXCEPTION | Ntfs.sys
*New* SYSTEM_SERVICE_EXCEPTION | atikmdag.sys
*New* BAD_POOL_HEADER | ntoskrnl.exe
*New* MEMORY_MANAGEMENT ntoskrnl.exe
*New* BAD_POOL_CALLER | ntoskrnl.exe

...Yeah. Now for a list of stuff that I've tried to remedy the situation:

Ran MemTest-86 on my ram, in sets of 2 and all 4 sticks for several cycles; no errors.
Ran Samsung's HDD diagnostic tool; no errors.
Updated the Video Card driver, though I'm not sure if this'll have any influence on the issue considering what caused the blue screen.
Updated the Motherboard BIOS.
Updated several other drivers involving Realtek (Audio, LAN, etc.). Still not sure if I've gotten all of my drivers updated. Is there a program that can help out with this?
Moved locations. There's no outside power loss.

If I get another blue screen, I'll update this post. I'm half-hoping it's the fact that I'm using 64-bit Windows 7, and a reinstall will fix the issue. If that's not the issue, though, that's another 30 minutes I'd have wasted, so I'd like to find out if it's actually a hardware issue so I can prepare to return some of the hardware when I get back to my dorm.

Oh, and so that everyone knows my hardware specs:

GIGABYTE GA-880GMA-UD2H AM3 AMD 880G SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 HDMI Micro ATX AMD Motherboard
GeIL Value PLUS 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10660) Desktop Memory Model GVP34GB1333C9DC x2

[8GB of RAM] (Aw, the price for this RAM just went down!)

Antec EarthWatts EA750 750W Continuous Power ATX12V version 2.3 SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC "compatible with Core i7/Core i5" Power Supply

(Could it be that my Power Supply isn't powerful enough? I'm pretty sure my components are under the threshold.)

AMD Phenom II X4 970 Black Edition Deneb 3.5GHz 4 x 512KB L2 Cache 6MB L3 Cache Socket AM3 125W Quad-Core Desktop Processor HDZ970FBGMBOX
ASUS EAH6850 DirectCU/2DIS/1GD5 Radeon HD 6850 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card with Eyefinity
Samsung Internal Half Height DVD-W Supermulti SATA 22X Lightscribe
Samsung SpinPoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB SATA2 7200rpm 32MB Hard Drive
All inside a NZXT M59 - 001BK Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

Update: Just now added 4 more BSODS, all occurring today. All of them are referring to the kernel. So, gonna reinstall the OS and see if this isn't the magic cure-all solution. I just installed Civ 4, too...

FINAL Update (Hopefully): Reinstalled Windows 7. I still got a BSOD or two. Thankfully, I came across someone who told me about Memtest86+. Used it, and found out exactly which stick was messing up. I'm running on 4GB right now, but so far I've only had one screwup occur, and it wasn't a BSOD. I think a program just froze. No issues beyond that, and it has been running for quite a time since without one.

I'll give myself one more week or so to get stuff together; I'm in another semester of classes, and this one's gonna be tricky. Updates kick off once again in February!

Video of the Week: Fortress Bebop

2010-07-18T22:27:00.000-04:00

If Team Fortress 2 had a game opening, I'd mod it so that this played instead. Brilliant.

Forgive the Silence

2010-07-12T21:31:00.003-04:00

...for I have an internship and driving school. Back next week. :D

Games to Wait For: Ni no Kuni (The Another World), PS3

2010-06-29T01:19:00.000-04:00

So a friend of mine asks me on Facebook,

So as an artist I think Im SUPPOSED to be hype for this game...but I fail to see what all the fuss is about. Explain plox?

I look at it, think about it for a bit, and black out. I wake up, and boom, text.
----

Have you ever seen a Studio Ghibli movie? Spirited Away? Princess Mononoke? Howl's Moving Castle? Glorious animations, immerse stories, that's one part of an RPG right there. The art style is in some ways the reverse of at least western RPGs that give people and creatures the realistic focus, in that the characters look simplistic and cartoony yet still carry great emotion, just like an animated film. This makes the setting seem all the more realistic in comparison, something Studio Ghibli does in all of their works. All at 60 FPS in 1020p HD quality.

The other, provided by Level 5, is meant to work somewhat like an RPG where gameplay is interactive, much like in Star Ocean or the Tales series (this is based on what I've seen in the videos, the DS version has different mechanics). The company has made games like Dark Cloud, Rogue Galaxy, Dragon Quest VIII and up, etc., many of which were extraordinary RPGs.

Also, if the game works anything like the DS one, you'll actually have to rely on a book that will come with the game, in order to advance in the story and use abilities. It's the same book that the main character gets, and you'll struggle unless you actually read.

Considering Level 5's previous works, I think this will be a better combination than Ghibli and Squeenix. Their previous work directions seem to coincide with each other, and the amount of time they've been working on this shows it.

----
The PS3 version hits Japan in 2011. Too long! Argh!

Video of the Week: Catocalypse (AKA Kittygeddon)

2010-06-27T17:39:00.000-04:00

LOL wut? Seriously, props to Thecorp303 (creator of this video, and supposedly the map itself) for this. Watch it and prepare some tissue, you may be in tears after this.

Hell of a Deal: Steam Summer Sales

2010-06-24T18:15:00.000-04:00

It's a sale on Steam. Now that you've read this, go buy stuff! Wanna know some deals? There are plenty more, like The Witcher and the Commandos collection, but here's some advice: wait until the last day to make purchases (July 4), except on deals that are on the Today Only section. Today's deals:

Overlord Complete Pack ($4.50)
Counter-Strike: Source ($6.80) [Recently updated]
Unreal Deal Pack ($13.60)
Aion Standard Edition ($19.99)
BioShock 2 ($14.99)
Trine ($4.00)
DiRT 2 ($10.00)
Killing Floor ($5.00)

Like any Steam sale, it's likely that games that are discounted now may be further discounted later. You will be pissed when this happens.

Custom Content: Ringtones - JAM Project | SOUL TAKER

2010-06-22T15:33:00.000-04:00

The Soul Taker by cric

SOUL TAKAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!

Love this song. JAM Project just sounds so freakin' bad-ass, and this song follows that trend. It's the opening theme to the aptly titled "SOUL TAKER" (yes, it is in all caps). Rock on. \m/

JAM Project - SOUL TAKER: soultaker.mp3; 454.5KB | Preview and Download from Box.net.

Zero's Rants: An Aside on Politics

2010-06-17T14:49:00.001-04:00

It's so weird that we can't trust those we appoint to represent us so often. All I seem to hear is how senator So-and-So and House Representative What's-His-Name aren't making the right choices for us as a nation. This organization says it does A but is doing B instead. How Republicans aren't doing it right, how Democrats aren't doing it right, how we need to get these people out of office, etc. It's not just big media saying it, either; jump onto /r/politics on reddit or the comments sections of Fox News posts and you hear the same things.

Is it that the representative system is that messed up, for whatever reason being?

Is it because we're just not content, whether we want more change or want things to stay the same?

Or do we just love stressing ourselves out over these matter, important they may be?

Whatever the case, I wish I could stop worrying about such things. But I can't, since I'll see posts on reddit that get my dander riled (even though I took /r/poltics off of the frontpage), or twitter posts or trends linking to some political news articles, or someone on Facebook posts some politics, or *gasp* my RSS feeds drop a political incident in my lap (even though I don't follow news feeds, much less political feeds), or I go to YouTube and a subscribed channel drops something, or I *gasp* actually go on Google News or I turn on the TV and there's some news on. Running sentence aside, I can't stop looking at this stuff. Don't say "Just stop using *blah*" or "don't watch *blah*", because then I'm cutting out a source of info or a service that I otherwise love to watch and/or use. I can't stop voting, because that's stupid; that's just letting everyone decide the future, with me having no say at all. No way am I going into politics, I'm too indecisive as it is. Besides, odds are at some point that I'd become one of those people or a part of an organization that "isn't doing it right."

So, all I can do is read, voice an opinion now and again and get practically yelled at by 0.001% of the internet, and move on whilst my conscious stresses over how screwed up the present is and how screwed up the future could be because of this legislation or that mandate or these taxes.

TL;DR: Guy whining on internet.

Muddy Liveblog: Sony E3 Conference.

2010-06-15T15:02:00.056-04:00

Watching E3 on G4. Figure I'd post something here as I experience it with those that are also watching.

3:03 They're boosting 3D. 20 titles by March 2011.

3:06 Killzone 3 in 3D. People are putting on their glasses, and it's a live demo.

3:12 Missing part of the experience w/o 3D. Meh on both the demo and the player; got whipped around a bit.

3:14 Sly Cooper HD collection! Yeah! And it's in 3D.

3:15 Regular content in 3D as well, it looks like. OK.

3:17 Dammit, why was Sly Cooper all slow-mo? Early demo, I suppose.

3:18 Sounds like they aren't killing the PS2 just yet.

3:20 Here comes Playstation Move. Forgot that you need the Playstation Eye to use the Move.

3:26 New game called Sorcery. Works w/ Playstation Move. Guarantee most of this came from early demos of EyeToy and Eye.

3:30 Fire Tornado! I can dig it.

3:32 Good tech demo; mixing elements rocks. Next up is Sports. Making a sandwich.

3:38 Golf bit's done.

3:39 Whoa. Wait, what? "Heroes on the Move," staring PS3 star characters. Uses the Move as well, from the looks of it.

3:41 Kevin Butler just hit the stage. Yes!

3:46 Wow, Butler just stole the show.

3:47 PS Move available September 19th, $49.99. Aw, the side controller is $29.99. Bundle at $99.99 has a PS Eye, a Move controller (not the side controller), and a tech demo game.

3:51 Just saw Time Crisis on the Move showoff video. Yes!

3:52 They're jumping to the PSP.

3:54 They brought that obnoxious kid from That's So Raven onto the PSP ad campaign. Not bueno.

3:56 Showing off God of War: Ghost of Sparta for PSP. CG Teaser, not much to see.

3:57 They just dropped a bunch of PSP game titles...but they sped through them. Here comes the showoff video for them. MGS: Peace Walker, ModNation Racers, Ace Combat: Joint Assault, Gravity Crush Portable, DBZ: Tenkaichi Tag Team, Hot Shots Tennis: Get a Grip, Madden 11, inviZimals, Patapon 3 (!!), Fat Princess, Tetris, EyePet, Piyotama, Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep, The 3rd Birthday (!!), Persona 3 Portable, Ys, Valkyria Chronicles II.

4:01 Playstation Network is up next. Showing off numbers.

4:03 Now I have a reason to get on Playstation Home. They copied their booth and put it on there. Maybe I'll take a look.

4:04 They acquired MediaMolecule, the company that does LBP and ModNation Racers. Showing off LBP2. LBP's pretty much become a user-friendly game maker.

4:10 I am loving the possibilities of LBP2.

4:11 Playstation Plus. Paid Network subscription. $49.99/year, $17.99/3 months. You get free stuff off the network, and discounts; no guarantees that you'll get access to new Network features like better user communications between games. That should hit regular PSN users as well if they come out, like a firmware update. It sounds like a Membership card for commercial stores like a GameStop card.

4:15 Metal of Honor's being showed off right now.

4:19 MoH's multiplayer looks amazing. The beta drops June 21st (my birthday). Game comes out October 21st, comes with MoH: Frontline on PS3.

4:20 Dead Space 2's on the floor now. The atmosphere is great. I need to run through the original at some point.

4:23 Limited Edition Dead Space 2; comes with the original game w/ Move capabilities. Huh, was just talking about it.

4:25 Wait, what? Valve!? Portal 2!? PS3!?

4:28 ...Oh yes. I like very much. Final Fantasy 14 up next.

4:29 Blarg, more FF XIV CG; slight gameplay bits, from the look of it.

4:30 Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood has exclusive PS3 content, and Multiplayer. Here's a trailer. I'm liking how it looks; multiplayer looks very interesting. Beta's coming to PS3 soon.

4:33 More showcase video. Socom 4, Mafia II, Madden 11, NBA 2K11, The Fight: Lights Out, NCAA Football 11, EyePet, Start the Party, The Shoot, Echochrome II, MotorStorm: Apocalypce, True Crime, MvC3, PixelJunk Shooters 2, Mortal Combat, Castlevania, Dead Nation, DC Universe, Tron Evolution.

4:37 Gran Turismo 5. I'll believe this game is out when I can put a copy of it in my hand. They're pulling The Test Track from TopGear. I'll admit, it looks beautiful. November 2, 2010. THERE WE GO. Finally, a date.

4:40 Infamous 2. Oh, he has a weapon...and ice powers.

4:43 TWISTED METAL! YES YES YES A THOUSAND TIMES, YES! 2011. It looks amazing. Objective-based gameplay. Faction systems, huge maps...First day buy.

4:51 Show's over. Huge drops.

Video of the (Last) Week:

2010-06-14T03:58:00.000-04:00

Griefing never gets old. So, for your entertainment, we're jumping back to CounterStrike!

Bonus Weegee:

Custom Content: Ringtones - Castlevania

2010-06-10T20:57:00.000-04:00

I've got premium-cut versions of Vampire Killer (Castlevania, NES) and Bloody Tears (Castlevania II, NES) right here and waiting. Come and get some! *whips*

Castlevania Ringtones: cv.zip; 890.4 KB | Preview and Download from Box.net.

Video of the Week: Oblivion Game Flaws

2010-06-06T15:21:00.000-04:00

If you've ever played Oblivion, you know that the game has some balance issues, weird AI, and very funny bugs. Someone's done a live parody of it, and it really does a good job of pointing them out.

What I See: THUNDERCATS ARE LOOSE.

2010-06-03T01:26:00.000-04:00

Spotted on Kotaku.

ThunderCats! HOOOOOO! The series is getting a rehash, on Cartoon Network nonetheless! This is one series that I approve getting a rehash, as I honestly don't remember too much about the series beyond the characters and the sword. Looking at the press release, it seems that CN is trying to get an older age group back to watching, with The Loony Toon Show (considering how cartoon violence like in classic Loony Toons skits are generally hated by overprotective parents...we can only hope it's good), another season of Batman: the Brave and the Bold (not that bad of a show, honestly; goes back to a more light-hearted Batman), Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated (another Scooby Doo rehash?), and Young Justice (hell if I know).

...but THUNDERCATS!

Video of the Week: Rifftrax vs Metroid

2010-05-30T17:26:00.000-04:00

SPOILERS: If you haven't played through the Metroid Prime trilogy, you may not want to watch this one. Admittedly, I haven't either, but I saw it after the fact.

Rifftrax is MST3K for modern folks. Someone pulled some audio bits from some of the videos and plops them behind some Metroid Prime scenes. It works brilliantly.

What I See: Half-Life 2 Episode 3? [RUMOR]

2010-05-30T16:04:00.001-04:00

Found this screenshot on Reddit. Most likely, it's a mock-up, but considering it hasn't reached the major channels yet, I figured I'd get the drop down, just in case. I honestly do think it's a real image, but again, it's better to take this with a huge grain of salt.

What I See: New Marvel vs Capcom 3 Screens!

2010-05-27T04:38:00.002-04:00

Spotted on Destructoid.

As I code away in the dead of...dawn, MvC3 Screenshots appear! And they look gorgeous! Check Destructoid's post and gallery for the rest of the images, all at high resolution. Oh, and because I haven't posted it yet, take a look at the trailer. If you've seen it, look again, dammit!

POLL POSITION: Zero's "Let's Play..."?

2010-05-25T16:11:00.000-04:00

There are several "Let's Play..." videos on YouTube. Of course, that makes me want to try it too. Question is, should I? Should I devote time to playing and recording (older) games? Let me know in the Polls!

Video of the Week: Smash Eater 2

2010-05-22T23:54:00.000-04:00

I'm making a list of MADs, and this is one of my favorites. Someone did a remake of the Soul Eater 2nd opening. First, watch the opening...

Now, watch the remake.

Best mashup I've seen in a long time. Very well done.

Custom Content: Ringtones - Seiken Densetsu 3 (Secret of Mana 3)

2010-05-18T20:40:00.000-04:00

YOSH! This game rocks, and its music rocks! I made ringtones from SD3...probably about a year ago at this point. So yeah, been hiding the goods, besides those who know me, but here they are finally out of the backlog.

Also, I've really been piling on the Custom Content feature. I need to review a game or something.

Seiken Densetsu 3 Ringtones: sd3.zip; 1.5MB | Preview and Download from Box.net.

Video of the Week: Way of the Bonk

2010-05-15T15:21:00.000-04:00

Sun shines, grass grows, and Bruce Lee hurts people.

Video of the Week: Ryu Montage

2010-05-08T12:29:00.000-04:00

I've been in a fighting game mode lately, maybe due to the frustrations of Finals Week. Just wanna punch something. Well, I got handed this one through a friend of mine on Facebook. It's a really well done montage of Ryu from Street Fighter, in every game he's been in...which is every game. Matter of fact, he really has been in any game with a Street Fighter character in it...that was a fighting game, anyway.

Still Frame: Webcomics, Vol. 3

2010-05-03T09:41:00.000-04:00

These are some of my "sillies," comics that often have little to no plot, and are really just for stupid humor. It still works quite well, though. It's the quirks with these comics that grab my attention. They also seem to update when the artists feels like beyond one exception, so forgive the loose update information.

Nedroid | nedroid.com/
By Anthony Clark
Genre: Humor
Updates: Multiple Updates Weekly
[The sheer randomness of some of these comics somehow keeps my attention. I'm serious; read a couple and see what I mean. It's something along a comedian/straight-man skit, except they're both slightly mental.]

Cyanide & Dynamite | www.explosm.net/comics/
By Kris Wilson, Rob DenBleyker, Matt Melvin, & Dave McElfatrick
Genre: Dark Humor, Satire
Updates: Daily
[These are comics that sometimes make me wish I didn't laugh at them...and then I laugh again and get over it. 2000+ comics, flash animations, and millions of hits daily...these guys are rolling in it, on 3-shape characters, nonetheless.]

GunShow | http://gunshowcomic.com/
By KC Green
Genre: Humor, Satire
Updates: Weekly (sometimes more)
[There's the occasional plot and reoccurring character (the Anime Club being the most popular at this time), and that really suits the random structure of the comic; bring some kinda structure to some of the random stuff that Green puts in.]

Pictures for Sad Children | http://www.picturesforsadchildren.com/
By John Campbell
Genre: Dark Humor, Satire
Updates: Weekly
[The drawing style is jarringly simplistic, yet meshes so well with the dark humor just about every comic has. It's like a 10-year old emo kid draws these. That kid would get a gold star from me.]

AmazingSuperPowers | http://www.amazingsuperpowers.com/
By Wes & Tony (Can't find their real names anywhere)
Genre: Humor, Satire
Updates: Twice a Week
[Simple drawings, great material. It's tastes, though, are a bit limited; this feels like a niche comedy webcomic.]

Video of the Week: BO BLOCKING POWEEEERRRR

2010-05-01T02:56:00.000-04:00

Yeah, you may have already seen this collection already, but for those of you who don't:

See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.

Here's the real treat, though.

Custom Content: Ringtone - See-Saw | Obsession [.hack//SIGN]

2010-04-28T12:44:00.000-04:00

Another one of those ringtones that just clicked when I thought of it. It's a 30-second cut from the TV Opening of .hack//sign, the anime featuring more plot lines than an MMO should be able to handle! The timing of the cut I grabbed was perfect, all the way up to the ending shout that fades out at the end of the tone. Take a listen, you'll figure out what I mean.

See-Saw - Obsession: obsession.mp3; 509.9KB | Preview and Download from Box.net.

An Otaku's Interests: Onemanga.com

2010-04-26T12:52:00.001-04:00

One Manga has become one of my favorite manga-reading sites around. Like many other sites, manga gets uploaded here for all to read. Beyond the fact that they have pretty good uptime and a nice interface (use arrow keys to change pages, chapter & page jumps, etc), it's recently started public Beta testing of a user-based system. Now, instead of bookmarking all of the manga I've been reading individually in my browser, I can bookmark them via the site itself and click "My Manga." Bam, all of the manga I'm reading/read is there, and even has what chapter I've read up to. A quick click and I can read the latest manga chapter, or come back to where I was reading. They update daily, have a huge archive of manga of so many genres, and are generally stable outside of the Beta service. They even have a Random button to pull out a random manga title from their selection; I've found a couple of titles I'd never heard of, like The Legend of Maian, Genshiken, and Highschool of the Dead (can't believe I didn't know about that one sooner), thanks to that feature. The forums are...meh, in my opinion, but I don't use them too often in the first place, so I won't judge them further.

If you don't already have a favorite place to read manga, make One Manga your choice. Beyond the occasional odd ad, they're the best service I've come across.

Video of the Week: Mega Wicker Man

2010-04-25T13:23:00.000-04:00

THEY'RE IN MY EYES!

Never did play this game, didn't know such enemies existed.

Video of the Week: 99 Problems, But a Glitch Ain't One

2010-04-17T19:42:00.000-04:00

Love this flash animation done by StudioJOHO. If saving the princess ends the game, let's not save the princess! ENDLESS GAME!

Video of the Week: SSF4, Rap Edition

2010-04-11T15:43:00.000-04:00

Spotted on Capcom-Unity.

So glad I missed the Saturday update. This number deserves VotW. Above is an ad for SSF4 by Just Blaze. Sick sounding beat, but that's pretty much it. Well, someone put lyrics to it.

This is Redrapper putting some sweet rhymes to a sweet beat. Sounds glorious. This should be put in another ad, and he should be getting paid for this (if he didn't get something already).

Custom Content: Marvel vs. Capcom 2 - Player Select (Take You For a Ride)

2010-04-09T14:46:00.000-04:00

Guess what? Rumor mill's stirring about a new MvC game! JOY! From the same person that gave rumors that Super Street Fighter 4 was coming, and nailed every single new character appearing in it, we get word that MvC3 will drop "in the coming months." Hopefully before the year ends. I loves me some MvC, so in honor of even hearing a rumor, new ringtone! I can't believe I didn't think of it sooner, it's perfect for phones. Now you can annoy the hell out of anyone near you with "I WANNA TAKE YOU FOR A RIDE!"

Marvel vs Capcom 2 - Player Select: PlayerSelect.mp3; 125.8KB | Preview and Download from Box.net.

Video of the Week: Calbee is Crazy.

2010-04-03T18:51:00.003-04:00

Huge WTF commercial, as usual from Japan.

Edit: Fixed the video link. I've had a huge white space on my page for close to a week now. ^_^; Here, have a bonus video.

Daily Scribbles: Nothing to See Here...

2010-03-29T09:34:00.000-04:00

Don't mind me, I'm screwing with the template (for once).

Video of the Week: Bushmaster ACR...IN MSPAINT

2010-03-28T17:27:00.000-04:00

5+ Hours on this one, according to uploader FuggedabouditNL. The final piece looks great, and the source material (it's inspired by Modern Warfare 2) matches. But JESUS! MS PAINT! Imagine what he could pull off with better software? He probably already has it and is just showing off...and it worked.

Daily Scribbles: New Game, and New Tech.

2010-03-26T02:51:00.000-04:00

Forgive the lack of posting...again. I've been playing Battlefield: Bad Company 2 in my spare time instead of writing more blog posts. The assignment load has also stacked on me a bit (700+ word essay and a tedious CS project), which is why I'm up at 2:30am not gaming. If I get the time, I'll have a review up by next week.

That aside, I also purchased a nice new mouse. A Logitech V220 Wireless Mouse for Notebooks, refurbished and on sale, of course (cheap bastard that I am). Haven't really gotten a chance to use it too much, but it's a perfect excuse to get back to using my rechargeable batteries that I've been essentially charging and not using for months now...then again, maybe I should just get new ones...

Hell of a Deal: Amazon's Gold Box Deals, PS3 Edition

2010-03-22T13:27:00.000-04:00

Amazon's running a Gold Box sale on PS3 games. Currently, Tekken 6 is $18. I was so tempted to buy this game, but I'm waiting for SSF4. Oh so tempted. There's hints relating to an RPG, a Lego game, some accessory, and a UFC title still upcoming.

Video of the Week: Video Game Bosses' Lament

2010-03-20T12:39:00.001-04:00

Yep. I think the video speaks for itself here.

See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.

Daily Scribbles: Snagged BF:BC2...But Did I Do It Wrong?

2010-03-19T18:42:00.002-04:00

Finally decided to get out and get Battlefield: Bad Company 2. Closest GameStop was at the Christansburg Mall, so I had to take the Two Town Trolly to get there. It only runs its route once an hour, so I time it and get to the stop with minutes to spare. Too bad the bus wasn't there; I was working off of last year's bus schedule, so I didn't know that the bus stop had moved. So I head to where the bus would stop at...misinterpreting where the pickup for the bus was. The stop moved to the other side of the building that I was near, where I was thinking it was near Main Street. Noes, I'm gonna miss the bus! Good thing the TTT actually stops at other stops on Main Street now (beforehand it was that stop or bust off of campus).

I get on and wait. Looking outside, eventually we pass near where construction on a building was taking place...except it was done...and there was a GameStop sign over it. WAT. It's only a 15-minute bike ride away from me, and that's cake! Screw this, I get off at the next stop...which was a whole shopping area away from me (10-minute walk). Only after the bus pulls out do I actually think about whether the store was even open yet; I go past this building every so often, so it just suddenly being open was a surprise. Luckily, it was open...Just yesterday. Holy hell, I'm on a roll.

So I hop in, grab BC2 and get ready to pay (I have a $50 gift card from doing surveys for a year...yeah, I prepared for this moment). One of the guys at the counter (think his name was Max) pointed me to a pre-owned copy of the Limited Edition. Holy sh*t. Grabbed, bought, walked out happy. Got back on the bus and came back to the dorm. Walking back, though, it occurs to me that the "Free DLC" only works for new copies of the game, and you need to use the code inside the case to get it. Luckily, the code's still there, but if it's been used, I'll have to pony up $15 to get it all. I haven't put the disk in yet, so I'll update when I do.

Update: IT WORKS! LUCKIEST DAY OF YEAR CONFIRMED.

Custom Content: Ringtone - DMC4 Battle!

2010-03-17T13:01:00.002-04:00

An awesome and memorable guitar piece as a ringtone. It's the start of DMC4's "The Time Has Come," Niero's battle theme. The natural fade-in also means you'll have time to silence your phone before people start wondering why your hand started glowing...or something like that. It's been in my back-log for a while now, as a matter of fact. Enjoy!

Devil May Cry 4 - The Time Has Come: TheTimeHasCome.mp3; 505.1KB | Preview and Download from Box.net.

Video of the Week: Hokuto Musuo

2010-03-15T00:47:00.000-04:00

Sorry for the lack of posts. Spring Break, I just lounged around too much. In other news, YOU'RE ALREADY DEAD.

Video of the Week: The Disappearance of Hatsune Miku

2010-03-07T19:43:00.000-05:00

I actually had an emotional response from this. The apparent storyline in this song is really strong. With all the personification of the Vocaloids, it's still a program, and it's as if a person is being depicted as being less than human. Something like this would piss me off (and I guess that's where the response came from), but then I thought "...but she is only a program." The song made me feel for a program. Oh, I'll be screwed when AI develops to the point of having human emotions.

POLL POSITION: Going to Otakon?

2010-03-03T17:09:00.000-05:00

Let me know in the sidebar at the right. Just want to build a simple tally, maybe I can meet some of our readers there!

Also, anyone have some ideas for cosplay for me? If I don't get a summer job, I'll probably devote 2 weeks or so to make it if needed. I really wanna do it this time, after seeing my friend Bruce in one.

My Favorite Gaming Moments: Warhawk

2010-03-01T13:48:00.000-05:00

This was going to be a Daily Scribble, but I figured, "Why not? This is supposed to be a blog, anyway." So new segment!

Remember my Warhawk review? Yeah, way far back, I know, but I really do want to start playing again. There was one match that I truly enjoyed (though I enjoyed many others beforehand), that will really stay with me. It pretty much made Warhawk for me, despite the fact that it wasn't actually in one of the planes. It was a capture the flag map, and I was in one of the jeeps. Time running out, and the game is tied (sounds like a bad sports movie). I drive all the way from the farthest base (the maps are pretty damn big), with 1 guy in the passenger seat. We rush the enemy base, getting some back up as we kill half the enemy team. Our jeep was totaled though, so...we steal an enemy jeep.

From then on, it's a freakin' movie chase scene, swerving past tanks, rockets, and Warhawk fire, all while trying to get back to the allied base. I mean literally swerving, I could see the damn explosions. I somehow do a perfect job taking the fastest route and making it all the way back to the base. And then my partner dies, and the flag is dropped. Screw that. I pick up the flag and score the winning point. I then exhaled and stopped my face from turning purple.

Rarely happens, but moments like that make multiplayer games for me. It's the "DID I JUST DO THAT? AWESOME!" factor of it all.

Video of the Week: Smooth Touhou

2010-02-27T16:06:00.000-05:00

Touhou + Micheal Jackson = Win.

What did it take to come up with this idea?

Video of the Week: ...With my Benelli Shotgun.

2010-02-19T00:54:00.000-05:00

I CALL HAX!

This is just too great. And the way he's still advertising his gun...Meme potential off the scale.

Games to Wait For: Super Street Fighter IV

2010-02-17T22:15:00.000-05:00

Capcom nailed this roster! I truly can't wait for this game to come out. They've also hinted at a new character, Hakan, who's supposed to be an Arabic grappler. Really can't wait to see him.

On top of the new roster, the bonus games from the original Street Fighter II are coming back, new special finishers, new costumes I think, and a much better online mode. So glad I held back on the original...though if you have the original you can unlock other things for SSFIV. Hopefully I can get my hands on a borrowed copy to grab the content, if possible.

Game comes out April 27. I'm pre-ordering this sucker.

Also, there was leaked information on the roster beforehand that started as a rumor. The info nailed every single new character, including Hakan. That guy needs a raise, because he got the hype machine going really early, and the pay-off is great.

Daily Scribbles: Wordpress Designin'

2010-02-16T17:40:00.000-05:00

Some of you know that I'm the Web Designer and Site Manager for Virginia Tech's Silhouette Literary and Art Magazine...and if you didn't know, ya do now. I did the original site in plain HTML and CSS because of a lack of time, but now I'm putting the site on Wordpress. Designing a theme...is a bit trickier than I expected. I'm doing a modification of the free public theme "Sidebarssuck" by Lifecheater, because for this site, sidebars do suck. Practical, yes, but not good-looking enough for what I was going for. As much as I hate to say that...I really like practical, so I'm out of my comfort zone.

However, I had loads of fun figuring out how to work theme editing. It's going to make life so much easier and better for Silhouette once this gets up. If it wasn't for the fact that I don't have my own personal server, I think I'd move 365DT to a Wordpress installation. Every time I try to theme Blogger, I stop because it's just too damn hard without having your own server to work on. Some day...

Video of the Week: Osaka Bang!

2010-02-13T19:54:00.000-05:00

This only makes me want to go to Japan more.

Hell of a Deal: flOw (PS3) for FREE!

2010-02-13T14:57:00.000-05:00

Spotted on Joystiq.

Yep. Free. Nothing. Nada. Zip. Zada. Zero. Zilch. Not a penny. I think that's all the incentive you'll need to get this game. Grab it off the PSN to own ThatGameCompany's beautiful and artistic game for the low price of $0.

Do it fast, though, this deal expires at midnight EST. Looks like it also only applies to US and Canada. Sorry to anyone not in North America.

Custom Content: Ringtone - BASARA KO!

2010-02-12T10:36:00.000-05:00

I'll admit, I'm kinda cheating with this one. Forgive me, though, Wednesdays are the bane of my existence on this class schedule I have right now, so this is all I could get up for today. This tune is from Sengoku Basara X ; not only is it the opening theme to the game, but when you use a character's special finishing blow, it kicks up as background music. It's an awesome tune from a supposedly awesome fighting game. I only wish I could play it.

Sengoku Basara X - Crosswire (Basara KO!): BasaraKO.mp3; 397.1kB | Preview and Download from Box.net.

Programs for $0: KeePass

2010-02-08T11:58:00.002-05:00

If you have passwords, especially passwords for really important stuff like bank accounts, you practically need this program. KeePass keeps track of any and all passwords you may need to store, and in many ways. Using a master key, a key file, your Windows user account, or any combination of the three, you log in to or create a password database. Easy to use catagorization, auto-generate passwords via several methods...It's really user-friendly.

Beyond passwords, though, I also really like keeping software keys, and any other sensitive information that I may need in here. It's really the best way to store your passwords. Stop using text files and sticky notes! It's only $0!

EDIT: Silly me, I forgot to, you know, post the link to the program's site. Here ya go.

Video of the Week / Game to Try: GNILLEY!!!!!!!!11!

2010-02-05T20:39:00.000-05:00

GNILLEY is an indie game made by Glen Forrester. It's basic premise is using volume to change the environment and defeat enemies to move on. So more often than not, the louder you are, the better you'll do. It won the Most Original award at Game Jam Sydney, and for good reason. Check out the demo below, which deserves Video of the Week, and then try the game. Show your support for the Aussies! They kinda need it.

Custom Content: Ringtones - Sailor Moon [ENG]

2010-02-05T12:11:00.001-05:00

I try to appease my entire audience. Yep, I made Sailor Moon ringtones, specifically from the English DiC dub. The Japanese Dub has some weird disco music. I've got the first season transformations and Sailor Moon's attack in this pack, in a ZIP file as usual for these packs (usual being that I've done one other at this point).

Sailor Moon Ringtones: SailorMoonTones.zip; 1.4MB | Preview and Download from Box.net.

What I See: Naruto Ultimate Ninja Storm 2!

2010-02-03T13:24:00.000-05:00

Still Frame: Webcomics, Vol. 2

2010-02-03T12:56:00.000-05:00

These are some of my personal favorites. They've been bookmarked a long time for me.

8-Bit Theater | http://www.nuklearpower.com/8-bit-theater/
By Brian Clevinger
Genre: Humor, Fantasy
Updates Tu, Th, Sat
[Currently beyond 1200 strips, The insane plot and often physical comedy are refreshing, despite it being a sprite comic. I almost tried to start my own sprite comic because of Clevinger's work...Then I came to my senses.]

El Goonish Shive | http://www.egscomics.com/
By Dan Shive
Genre: Action, Drama, Humor
Updates ~Tu, Th
[The plot is a bit "everywhere," but Shive's comic world is fleshed out quite well as a result. Do not read from the middle, you will have no clue what's what and you won't get any enjoyment out of it. Classy TF fan-service abound.]

Order of the Stick | http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots.html
By Rich Burlew
Genre: Adventure, Fantasy, Humor
Updates Weekly (day varies)
[Thank my brother for this one. He's a huge D&D fan (got me making a campaign), and there's a lot of referential humor in this comic for it. The 4th wall breakage is priceless when it happens.]

Sabrina Online | http://www.sabrina-online.com/
By Eric W. Schwartz
Genre: Humor
Updates Monthly
[It kinda sucks that we get about 3 comics a month from him, but they're all very funny and advance the plot surprisingly well. It's the web equivalent of a newspaper's Sunday comic strip, but actually funny. It's not only for fur fans, despite what others may say...Transformer fans will like it too. :P]

Candi | http://www.candicomics.com/
By Starline Hodge
Genre: Drama
Updates M-Tu, Th-F
[This is my "One Tree Hill," of webcomics, I suppose. Teenage drama abound, though there's enough comedy to keep me entertained otherwise. Also, there's a talking, flying ferret. Gotta get the surreal fans somehow, and that's not a bad thing in my opinion.]

New Tech: The Apple iPad

2010-02-01T00:39:00.000-05:00

No, I'm not doing any previews or specs on it. Anyone who wants to know about the iPad already knows about it at this point. What I will be doing is pointing you to Philip Defranco's previewof the iPad. It's a segment of LikeTotallyAwesome, a tech/movie/game review show he started up in the fall. I think it does a pretty good job at communicating all the info you may or may not want to know about.

Personally, I was kinda excited for it...but then I remembered I have a Tablet PC. I'd rather pay $70 for a new battery than $499 for an enlarged iPod.

Video of the Week: HITLER'S REVENGE [NES]

2010-01-30T12:48:00.000-05:00

Fake game? Yes.
Would I play it? Yes. Just because it's there.

Hell of a Deal: Psychonauts for $2 on Steam!

2010-01-26T15:24:00.000-05:00

Disappointed in Tim Schafer's Brutal Legend? Grab his better work, Psychonauts, for $2! I just grabbed it myself, but from what I've heard it was worth the purchase years ago. Now it's $2? BUY BUY BUY!

What I See: Pie in a Jar!

2010-01-25T12:59:00.000-05:00

Spotted on Lifehacker.

I lurves me some Pah, but I would love to make some of these. They're single-serving pies that you bake in the jar. I can so imagine heating up one of these after a long school day. You can find the recipies and more about them at Our Best Bites.

Video of the Week: Chun Li 3D Animation

2010-01-23T11:59:00.000-05:00

Found this number a couple of days ago. It's a home-made Chun Li animation, done very well in my opinion. I'd imagine this to be used in a Street Fighter EX game, and I'd really like it.

Yeah, Street Fighter EX+Alpha was a guilty pleasure for me. Second-best full-3D fighting game I've seen from Capcom, best being Rival Schools.

New Tech: Nokia Launches Free GPS Service

2010-01-22T12:11:00.001-05:00

Spotted on Engadget.

If you've got an applicable phone (most likely one that needs a data plan), you can now get Turn-by-Turn navigation for free. Google did this for Android phones, but Nokia has more influence with more phones. Very smart, it's definitely got me thinking about getting a Nokia again. Check out more details about the service on Engadget, and grab the app if your phone's good for it here.

Daily Scribbles: Freezing Rain & You

2010-01-21T15:15:00.000-05:00

It's nothing but sleet down here right now, and VT freaked out about it. Campus closes at 3:30PM, classes after then are canceled. My CS lab starts at 2:30, though, so does this apply to me? I check on the class forums at about 1:56, a mere 5 minutes after finding out. No update. I make a post asking. Wait until 2:15 for some response...nothing. "Ok, guess classes are going. Now to bike my way there."

Yeah, bike. And with nothing to cover my face, I'm looking down 3/4ths of the time to protect my eyes from falling ice (which always hit my eyes). Finally get there about 5 minutes before class, just to see everyone start to walk out. Yep, lab just got canceled.

Hell of a Deal: Left 4 Dead 2 @ Amazon

2010-01-21T11:50:00.002-05:00

Amazon's got its Deal of the Day going, and it's worth every penny. L4D2's on sale, $35 for Xbox, $28 for PC. If you haven't bought it by now, you will regret not jumping on this deal. Regret, I say! REGRET!

Daily Scribbles: Back to School Again

2010-01-17T13:39:00.000-05:00

Yep, it's about that time. And man, my schedule is not looking at me too kindly this semester.

I'll keep updating, though, and more than I have been. I need some web presence, and I'm not going to get it with a Video of the Week and no other content every week. Wish me luck. :D

Video of the Week: SNORLAX OWNZ!

2010-01-16T16:17:00.000-05:00

Yo, I'm done with this guy.

Still Frame: Webcomics, Vol. 1

2010-01-15T13:18:00.000-05:00

I've been trying to do reviews for the webcomics that I've been following, but at this point I have well over 70. It's just not feasible anymore. So instead, I'll post about 5 new webcomics that I follow or have begun following, along with a snippet of what the comic is about, either from the site itself or by me. So, here's the first installment for ya. These guys are pretty out there, often recognizable by many simply by uttering the comic name.

xkcd | http://www.xkcd.com/
"A webcomic of romance, sarcasm, math, and language."
By Randall Munroe
Genre: Humor
Updates M, W, F

[The place where stick-figure artwork comes to shine. Munroe is as funny as he is intelligent, and considering his popularity, he has both in spades.]

Questionable Content | http://www.questionablecontent.net/
"...an online comic strip that is ostensibly about romance, indie rock, little robots, and the problems people have."
By Jeph Jacques
Genre: Drama, Humor
Updates M-F
[Jacques has a tendency to be outright random in both his comics and his comments. You can't help but laugh with him. His art style is simplistic yet very detailed; he does these comics in a couple of hours the day before he posts. How awesome is that?]

Penny Arcade | http://www.penny-arcade.com/
"Equal parts comics and commentary, Penny Arcade features Tycho and Gabe, the alter egos of creators Mike Krahulik and Jerry Holkins."
By Mike Krahulik and Jerry Holkins
Genre: Humor, Video Games
Updates M, W, F
[If you're a gamer, 9 times out of 10 you know of these guys already. Great strip-style gaming comedy mixed in with a funny blog, 2 conventions, charity, scholarships...Wow, and all of this stemming from good artwork on a webcomic?]

AppleGeeks | http://www.applegeeks.com/
Art by Mohammad Haque, written by Ananth Panagariya
Genre: Sci-Fi, Humor
Updates ~M, Th
[I'll be honest, I haven't kept up with this series. I really like the art style, though, and the writing is good even though I can't really judge too well since I'm behind on it. ...WINDOWS IS BETTER. Ok, got that off my chest.]

Ctrl+Alt+Del | http://www.cad-comic.com/
By Tim Buckley
Genre: Video Games, Humor, (Drama?)
Updates M, W, F
[Another very popular gaming comic, Buckley's given his comic an actual plot to follow. While he's gotten some flak for it, I think it's all for the better. He still does little stints outside continuity, and has a side comic as well.]

Custom Content: Ringtones - G Gundam

2010-01-13T17:59:00.001-05:00

I've been waiting for this one, honestly. Once I got it in my head to do G Gundam ringtones, I went straight to work. Just finished, really. This is a collection of 3 different themes, 4 MP3s in total. The file labeled Shining_Finger_overflow.mp3 is the Shining Finger theme, in my opinion, at its best as a shortened clip, but it goes over the 30-40 second limit I use in my cuts. I think the Burning Finger theme is my favorite, though. This collection will be in a zip file, just so you know.

G Gundam Ringtones: GGundam_Tones.zip; 2.3MB | Preview and Download from Box.net.

An Otaku's Interests: Otakon 2010 Announced!

2010-01-12T17:20:00.000-05:00

Oh yeah, it's that time of year again. Spring school semester!

...

...WAIT, NO, NOT THAT TIME! I just made myself sad. And probably half my readers. Sorry.

No, it's time to pre-order those Otakon tickets! Otakon 2010 is set for July 30-August 1. Anyone reading here already know that they're going? If so, are you cosplaying? Let the comments fly!

Video of the Week: YEAH! TOAST!

2010-01-09T12:53:00.000-05:00

Really well-done machinema music video (I'm assuming using Garry's Mod 9). I think I lost it most around the spy popping up.

That toast is a spy!

Custom Content: Ringtone - Vim | No

2010-01-08T12:30:00.000-05:00

Here's a nice little number from an artist named Vim. It's digitally created, sounds a lot like something from a video game; the whole song is pretty good. The intro, though, rocks as a ringtone, in my opinion. Be sure to hit the preview in the link, since it's not as instantly recognizable, though you may have heard it if you follow Eddsworld on Youtube.

Vim - No: Vim_no1.mp3; 489.5 kb | Preview and Download from Box.net.

Programs for $0: CCleaner

2010-01-05T19:25:00.001-05:00

CCleaner, also known as Crap Cleaner (which I prefer, honestly), is a temporary file removal program, as well as other operations. It'll remove the temporary files from your PC, freeing you of possibly gigabytes of space. Web browser cashes, your Recycle Bin, etcetera. It can also clear out registry remnants and errors, making everything just work better overall. Uninstaller manager, startup manager, and system restore manager included. I live by this program to quickly grab some space and speed up the laptop, and it doesn't take up more than a couple of megabytes. Also, $0. Enjoy, and keep that PC clean.

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Video of the Week: RAGING WILL SMITH

2010-01-02T20:54:00.000-05:00

Yeah, so I was going to post a Battlefield 2 video based on this week's Custom Content, but apparently I already posted it before. So, RANDOM WILL SMITH MOMENT.

Custom Content: Ringtone - Battlefield 1942 Theme

2010-01-02T00:28:00.000-05:00

I literally made this one in the past 5 minutes, but when I got the idea in my head, I had to make it and share it. If you've ever played a Battlefield game, this will mean something to you. Otherwise, it is a pretty bad-ass military tune, for those who like that kinda thing. Also, this set's up the Video of the Week perfectly.

Battlefield 1942 Main Theme: BF1942.mp3, 540.0 KB | Preview and Download from Box.net.

Video of the Week: Easter Bunny Hates You

2009-12-26T23:57:00.000-05:00

You celebrated Xmas? You're on his hitlist!

Daily Scribbles: Holiday Hijinks

2009-12-24T23:30:00.000-05:00

So today, we decorated the tree and the house, I traded gifts with a couple of friends, and I accidentally wiped my laptop's hard drive. All in all, a pretty good day, I suppose.

Happy Holidays, everyone. :D

Hell of a Deal: Steam's Epic Christmas Sale

2009-12-23T12:40:00.000-05:00

If you've been following the Twitter account, you'll know Steam's holding a huge sale on just about its whole inventory. I actually mentioned it last year, where I purchased several great games. Once again, they're holding their sale, and you owe it to yourself to buy something from there, or at least for your friends. Mirror's Edge for $4.99, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. for $2 (both for today, at least), The Unreal Deal Pack for $11, and even Champions Online for about $10 if you wanted to start playing (hint, hint, viewers). Oh, and Peggle is included in the sales, a perfect game for non-gamers or the casual type.

Video of the Week: 5-Year Old Owning DDR

2009-12-19T20:36:00.002-05:00

I don't know how the Japanese do it. Seriously, it's like being able to play video games expertly is built into their DNA code. Why can't I play like that?

Daily Scribbles: Twas the Week before Christmas...

2009-12-18T17:40:00.000-05:00

Finals are over, and I'm heading back to Baltimore...just as soon as my friend gets here. Friday Holiday Rush Hour DC Traffic...Holy Hell...

Anyway, Christmas comes in one week! YAY! Time to buy presents for everyone! BOO! Time to get presents! YAY! What is everyone wishing for Christmas this year?

Video of the Week: Screw You, (Tetris) God!

2009-12-12T19:03:00.000-05:00

I think this is kinda warranted.

Video of the Week: GEESE!

2009-12-05T17:20:00.000-05:00

...I absolutely love this video. Came out of nowhere thanks to a random tweet I made and a friend catching it on Facebook.

Custom Content: Ringtone - SINISTAR!

2009-12-03T14:43:00.000-05:00

BEWARE, I LIVE.

RUN, COWARD.

RUN RUN RUN!

GRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRGH!!!

I AM SINISTAR.

Sinistar Voice Clip: sinistar.mp3; 341.3 KB | Preview and Download from Box.net.

New Tech: Traffic Lights w/ Progress Bars

2009-12-01T17:43:00.000-05:00

Spotted on Infosthetics.com.

It's a real shame, but I've yet to get my driver's license. I keep putting it off and I can't get practice. Eventually...
I'd like for these to be on the road when I get on the road. They're called Eko Lights, traffic lights with a progress bar surrounding the red stop light, telling drivers when the light will change. You can actually prep your car for a long light wait for once, improving gas mileage, reducing emissions, and supposedly reducing stress from said long light as a result. Though I suppose stoplight dragsters would love these, and a comment made on the page does make a good point:

Drivers may prepare to take off at great speed by anticipating the green and hit unwary pedestrians chancing a "no walk" sign.

Then again, if you're actually driving right, this shouldn't be a problem, as well as if you're obeying the "look both ways" rule as a pedestrian. There's more info on the Eko Light from their designers at relogik.com (who have several other nice product designs, if you browse a bit).

Video of the Week: Wasted Tech

2009-11-30T10:35:00.000-05:00

Spotted on Destructoid.

...Goddammit.

Ya know, when I see technology get destroyed for pointless reasons, it really ticks me off. If it's an accident, fine, stuff happens. That's how I feel about my PSP right now. But to purposefully destroy well-maintained and operational technology over some stupid spat or argument is enraging. Thus, we come to this video.

I don't care if it's faked or whatever. If that 360 was actually working, there was no need to destroy it. Posted a comment on it on Destructoid in response to it:

Ugh, Bitch!

I really hate when people destroy technology over stupid shit like this. Just sell the damn thing, give it away, donate it or something! That 360 could have been used by a goddamn orphanage! SOMEBODY THINK OF THE CHILDREN!

So please, readers. Before you break that console, before you toss that cellphone, before you smash your computer or wreck your TV...before you destroy a piece of technology, whether it's yours or someone else's...use some common sense. Just think for a moment, calm down before you do something as drastic as this. There's no need, and there are better ways to get payback and maybe even a quick buck or two.

Video of the Week: Lack of Internets Edition

2009-11-23T20:24:00.000-05:00

Sorry for the late update, but with Verizon currently screwing me and my family over, I have no internet access at the house. So, instead I'm posting from the local college. Joy.

Neo got Left 4 Dead recently (not the sequel), and so I feel that this is appropriate. L4D Montage! Fear the AI Director!

All of these videos feature kilplixism and his gaming crew from Youtube.

Programs for $0: MyPhoneExplorer

2009-11-20T09:04:00.001-05:00

If you have a Sony Ericsson phone, basically any phone that is on this list, as well as some means of a connection to your phone, I'd recommend MyPhoneExplorer for the job. easily acts as a great organizer for your mobile phone.

Bluetooth connectivity, once you get it going (and it's surprisingly easy on Windows 7), makes life so much easier. Still works with a cable, as far as I can tell, so that's still an option as well. Once it's connected, you can view, create, and backup just about everything on your phone through this program. Contacts, calls, messages, individual files like ringtones, and so on. Just be careful with viewing files, though...sometimes the program crashes on that. The calendar feature works brilliantly, allowing a connection from your Outlook or even Google calendar directly to and from your phone, and many settings to customize said connection to what you want to happen.

Other features I'm starting to use is the actual live connection itself. If the phone is connected constantly, your PC pretty much can act as the interface; typing up text messages, changing settings, almost all of it can be done through MPE. If you've got the means, grab this program. It's only $0.00...though you could always donate. I'm sure the developers would appreciate it.

Grab MyPhoneExplorer at the developer's website, FJ Software Development.

Hell of a Deal: Logitech G9 Lazer Gaming Mouse for $35

2009-11-17T18:29:00.001-05:00

If you missed the mouse sale last week, or if you were looking for one with more customization, the $99.99 G9 just went half-off at HP. With an interchangeable weight system, different grips, and inboard mouse setting memory, you'll be gaming your own way. $50 off, plus the $15 coupon at LogicBuy gives you a lofty $35 purchase. Jump on it while it's there.

An Otaku's Interests: Honey the Bug

2009-11-16T19:19:00.001-05:00

Thanks to a Destructoid post, I'm kinda obsessing over this old anime.

The anime is called "Honey the Bug." It came out in 1986, and is based on the game Adventure Island on the Famicom. It went on for 51 episodes, got a movie, and it's own game. From the drawing style and the character interactions in the intro alone, it really seems like a kid's show, but for some reason I want to find out more about it. I like the simple animation style used for the show. Unfortunately, you can really only find the intro and endings to the show; I haven't found a full episode source yet.

If anyone can get me some more info on this, or some clips (even better), please feel free to post. Here's some of the videogame footage, for both Adventure Island and Honey the Bee.

Daily Scribbles: ROCK THE DRAGON

2009-11-15T18:18:00.000-05:00

I always thought it was interesting how the DBZ intro grabbed most of its clips from the movies, and then shows Vegeta, Trunks, and Goku as Super Sayians. It took until the damn Frieza Saga for Goku to turn SS, and Trunks doesn't even show up until the Cell Saga. Every time I saw that intro, I'd always wonder who he was. If you never heard of the movies, you'd always think you missed an episode or something. Least I did.

Video of the Week: Valve Edition

2009-11-14T20:07:00.001-05:00

We've got a couple of clips that are somehow related to Valve games, and a bonus MW2 clip for those who haven't seen it yet. Go!

For future reference: the AI in L4D can be quite scary.

...Well, if you consider killing zombies to Counter-Strike, you must die pretty easily.

On that note, here's yet another person pissed off at CS.

BONUS: Awesome Modern Warfare 2 knife kill.

Custom Content: Ringtone - project-Delta | "Air Man Will Not Die"

2009-11-09T15:52:00.000-05:00

Kinda surprised I haven't posted on Air Man yet. If you've played Megaman 2, you know of the pain that Air man is typically. A Japanese group put that frustration into song, putting out Air Man ga Taosenai, or Air Man Will Not Die. The ringtone is taken from the intro rift, but I can easily make other cuts upon request. In the meantime, download the suffering of thousands below. Check out the music video as well. Love the drawing style.

project-Delta - Air Man ga Taosenai: AIRMAN.mp3; 409.5 kb | Preview and Download from Box.net.

Hell of a Deal: Razor Salmosa Gaming Mouse, $13.37

2009-11-08T01:42:00.001-05:00

I freakin' love Woot. Every day, a new deal, and when the tech stuff comes out, they're pretty good. That brings us to the new mouse on sale today. The Razor Salmosa Gaming Mouse.

I've got a nice Razor myself, and I purchased it from Woot as well. Love this thing. I'm sure the Salmosa is of similar quality, if lacking in comparison to my mouse. You've only got 2 main buttons and the scrolling wheel with this one, but again, the quality's there. Besides, I love the name. Sal-mos-a. Say it a couple of times. Sal-mos-a!

And yes, you are paying LEET for this mouse...+$5 Shipping. Grab it today, because it only lasts today.

Also, props to Neo for starting this new tag earlier with the Windows 7 deal.

Video of the Week: Wacky Japanese Dole Ads

2009-11-07T16:38:00.000-05:00

Given the craziness that comes out of Japan, I actually think these are a bit tame. Only a bit, though. It does, however, make me want to buy some bananas, so I suppose the ads are doing their jobs.

Custom Content: Ringtone - Cowboy Bebop's "Rain"

2009-10-30T07:44:00.002-04:00

Neo's gonna hate me for this one. Anyone remember Cowboy Bebop? I've got a perfect 30-second clip from the song "Walk in the Rain" for you all. Just try not to have your phone go off near Neo...he'd likely kill you, then me for it. Ask him for the details if you're brave enough (it's nothing serious...).

Cowboy Bebop - Walk In The Rain: cowboy bebop - rain.mp3; 518.5 kb | Preview and Download from Box.net.

Game to Try: Clockworks - Prelude

2009-10-26T10:27:00.000-04:00

Warning: This game is addictive. Prepare to lose several hours on it if you are not prepared.

Clockworks - Prelude is a word game backed by Dictionary.com. Essentially, you input words into a cannon that shoots and destroys mechanical spiders trying to steal your secrets. Letters that you type in can sometimes be special letters that do more damage when used; you collect, customize, and use them similar to a card game. You can also synthesize them, creating stronger letters and even letters with special effects.

Being backed by a dictionary-site, the game's word list is impeccable. Yes, "antidisestablishmentarianism" does work (and yes, I did have to use spell check for that). The gameplay is quick and rewarding, but also quite forgiving. There are 40 levels, and obviously they get harder, but if you're fast enough on the keyboard and have a good mental vocab (or enough words/objects surrounding you to fill in), you'll have a great time with this one. Can't wait until I hit level 40.

Play the Flash game now on Kongregate!

Custom Content: Ringtone - Fist of the North Star OP

2009-10-24T17:30:00.000-04:00

Yep, I've got a 30-second clip of Hokuto no Ken's 1st season opening. YOU WA SHOCK! I'll remember Fist of the North Star for a damn long time now. Just be prepared for a jump or two when it rings if the volume's up loud.

Hokuto no Ken - Ai Wo Torimodose: aiwotorimodose_short.mp3; 469.8 kb | Preview and Download from Box.net.

Video of the Week: The Pulp Fiction Google Wave.

2009-10-24T12:00:00.000-04:00

If you have no clue what Google Wave is, according to whatisgooglewave.com,

... a project announced by Google at the Google I/O conference on May 28, 2009 [see above video] It is a web application and computing platform designed to bring together e-mail, instant messaging, wiki, and social networking, with a strong collaborative focus, mixed with spellchecker and translator extensions, which are able to work in concert, in real-time. It is planned to be released later in 2009.

Still a bit confused? Maybe this video can demonstrate the power and capabilities of the upcoming app. Samuel Jackson approved.

Games to Wait for: September/October Edition

2009-10-21T12:33:00.000-04:00

I know I missed September's edition, so in return I'll throw in two recommendations here: Modern Warfare 2 and Bayonetta.

...Do I really need to go into detail with MW2? It's the freakin' sequel to Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, you're going to buy it nonetheless. Now, I may get show down for this, but I personally enjoyed COD: World at War more...the reason being that I could actually score pretty well in-game. The pace is slowed down, where Modern Warfare was always a bit too fast for me. Still, it ran on Modern Warfare's engine, so I fully expect Modern Warfare 2 to improve upon the engine and the gameplay as a whole for me. The campaign is based in a plot where the war comes home, and Washington D.C. is a battleground. Oh, it's a beaut, and I honestly enjoyed the prequel's campaign, so this shouldn't disappoint. Multiplayer looks to be what we know, but with more weapons and accessories, along with customizable kill-streak bonuses (and thus more varieties of bonuses). Maybe I'll actually be able to get some kills this time around. The game drops November 10 (11-10-09...brilliant) for the PC, 360, and PS3. I've got a campaign trailer and a multiplayer show for ya below.

Bayonetta looks to be a great action game, hovering on the guides of Devil May Cry. Though it's to be expected considering some DMC staff are actually working on the game. The deviously sexy Bayonetta combos her way through hordes of "Angels," often with her pistols in hand and leg. Yeah, she has guns on her feet.
Oh, also, her hair is controlled by her and powers some of her attacks.
Oh, and the more hair she uses, the more of her body is shown because her suit is made of said hair.

Giggety.

Haven't figured out the plot just yet, but I have played the demo, and if you're a fan of DMC, you are going to love this number. The reveal for the states is January 2010. Enjoy the trailer...just don't have too much fun.

What I See: Uruguay First Nation w/ Laptops for Primary School Students

2009-10-19T14:35:00.004-04:00

Spotted on Engadget.

Now this is just awesome. The One Laptop Per Child initiative has hit a true milestone with this bit of news. The title really speaks for itself, but you're going to love the cost of it. Overall, Uruguay used less than 5% of its education budget to fund this. Every child student has one of these for only that amount. Technology rocks.

Video of the Week: Gatsby

2009-10-18T03:22:00.000-04:00

Gatsby is a Japanese cosmetic company, and boy do they have some interesting advertisements. One of the best ads I've seen thus far would be the "Soul" commercials, as I've delightfully dubbed them. These commercials feature people with "great" hair dancing to a parody of The Stylistics' "I Can't Give You Anything But My Love." ...Yeah, parents loved that stuff, the knowledge rubbed off. Check out the crazy dance moves this guy pulls off.