Importing for Noobz

GameSpot did a great article on this. Well done. HERE.

My wife kicks ass!

She's been loving the Nintendo DS and plays Brain Age every day. She absolutely digs the sudoku feature and tends to play that first.

And yes, her brain age is MUCH better than mine. She's at a 22 brain age. DAY-UM!

As for me, I played (and beat) the NES 'River City Ransom' again. I forgot how much fun it is! Truly one of my top 10 games for the NES of all time.

By the way... you HAVE to download Pirate Baby. Really. (although, in the middle,... it's really probably not safe for work in a few places unless you work at a place that likes the extreme Family Guy and South Park episodes). But Collin will L-O-V-E it! (zombies)

Great link from Paul: GREATEST GAMES OF ALL TIME.

Lastly, GO VOTE FOR ME AT KOTAKU!!!

1986 World Series NES style revisited.

Story HERE.

Arby's SUCKS ASS!! Brain Age Doesn't!!

Ok, so on Friday I made the mistake of eating Arby's. Long story short (too late) I got food poisoning. Bad bad stuff. I'm still feeling all in knots. Visiting the restroom ever hour (not even slightly joking here) is getting very old (and very painful) very fast.

On a lighter note (lord knows I need it) Brain Age releases tomorrow! A great link for you HERE.

Also, you may remember a blogging of mine a few weeks ago about a DS game that allowed a person to take one of 5 languages, point to the DS saying something in Japanese and then having the DS translate it perfectly? Great Japanese link about that HERE. The video's of a lady in Thailand buying a hat, and the second is her getting something to eat. Just let it load, and it'll play automatically. Then, click on the right arrow just below the movie and you'll see another short clip. It'd be so wonderful if they brought this out in the US.

And thanks to my mom for getting me Kingsdom Hearts II for my birthday and humoring me and watched the opening movie with me. You rock.

Laurie Anderson

This is the video that made me fall in love with her eclectic musical talents

Fat and Retarded

Heh... sorry.

Evil

Reminds me of the "Greg the Bunny" world.



Press play and once the 'loading' goes away, press pause and let it load fully before watching it.

Make yer own

http://logo54.com/game/nintendo/

35th Birthday

My aunt, uncle, and mother all called today at 7:00am to wish me a happy birthday. I love my family.

I'll be making the boxes tonight and taking pictures. Hopefully i'll get to put them up tonight as well, but i've been very busy last night and today getting the Japan trip planned. Much work.

Here's a very cool baseball/NES link. Someone re-enacted the 1986 World series (the last 8 minutes of it) using the NES baseball game.

Should'a guessed...

Also, what the Rocky Mountain News said about Brain Age.

Also, 20 Video Games That Changed the World.

NPR loves Nintendo too

Brain Age on NPR

I'm SO going to do this...

It will be my birthday prank. I'll post pictures this April 11th (my birthday).

"A YAM, I said.
A YAM, I cried.
But no-one heard a word my mouth's trapped inside."
-Neil Diamond

C.H.E.E.T. enters a contest

So I entered CHEET into a 'Best Gaming Room' contest on the Kotaku blog-board-thingy (see link to the lower right). Come April 15th go to Kotaku and VOTE FOR ME!!!

Image sent to Kotaku

Good gravy

This blog is starting to turn into a gaming blog... but that's just because of the times. It will soon turn into a Japan-trip blog as I get ready to go to Japan with my wife Jennifer.

Linking to last night's posting, I found a guy in Canada (NES Reproductions) that will put a legal NES rom onto a cartridge for you. You choose the game and buy a 'donor cart' and send it to him. He then puts the game onto the chip of the donor and puts on a NEW label and sends it back to you. All-in-all it costs $25 plus the cost of the donor cart. Pretty sweet deal considering there are roms of games that were never released in America, home-translated games never released in North America, and homebrew games! These are all legal!

I'm ordering Earthbound Zero (the original Mother for the NES that was never released) this Friday. If all goes smoothly, i'll be getting some more with future paycheques.

Here's a site that had 'virtual' students and they made some games. Interesting...

A NEW Sega Genesis game!!! ...well, kinda'...

...but it's still new.

There was a game for the Mega Drive/Genesis (in Japan) that was never translated. Well, some people got the rights for the game, translated it, and are now selling it.

This intrested me and I think I'll look for other 'new' and 'home-brew' games and post them here. Who knows, maybe i'll get some for the CHEET museum. Also, if you come across any sites let me know.

Found this (even though it's going to be a download and not an actual cart as I am looking for):

*Grand Theft-tendo

Very cool

Zelda/Pacman

Comedianne that loves video games... and making fun of those who play them

Great interview HERE.

Cool stuff time

Rise of the Mushroom Kingdom part 1

Rise of the Mushroom Kingdom part 2

Rise of the Mushroom Kingdom part 3

Rise of the Mushroom Kingdom part 4

I love my Nintendo DS...

Another Japanese game that I pray makes it to the US:

Tabi no Yubisashi Kaiwachou DS: DS Series 4 America

Ever wanted to travel to a foreign land but eventually steered away because of the language barrier? At the end of the month, Japanese citizens finally get a friendly and interactive way to "converse" in five different languages by way of five customized pieces of software which allow for point and tap conversation translation services.

For example, you're in South Korea and have just sat down inside a restaurant. You look at the menu but can't figure out what is what. You've heard of bulgogi (barbecued beef strips) but you're vegetarian. Instead of starving, flip open the NDS, boot the Korean phrasebook and direct the waiter's attention to your Nintendo DS. Click on the phrase which reads, "I am vegetarian" and wait as a voice emanates from the Nintendo DS which says "ch’aeshik juwi imnida" in perfect Korean. The waiter nods knowingly, disappears for a few minutes, and returns with a Todok salad followed by a heaping bowl of Bibimguksu noodles. After slurping, tap the "Thank you" phrase and listen as the NDS says "kamsa hamnida" to the waiter.

The five versions of Conversation Phrasebook DS support travel to the following lands: United States (titled: America), South Korea, Thailand, China, and Germany.

Metroid on your browser

http://pages.infinit.net/voxel/home.htm#Instructions

Metroid in THREEEEEEEE-DEEEEEEE!!!

DS Helps the elderly

I'm re-printing a very cool report here. I found it at THIS WEBSITE. I have the game they're talking about, but it's in Japanese... it comes out in America on April 17th.
************
************

Video games for the elderly: an answer to dementia or a marketing tool?

Nintendo product proves addictive to over-45s anxious to ward-off effects of old age

Justin McCurry in Tokyo
Tuesday March 7, 2006
The Guardian

Forget the idea that being good at computer games is a sign of a misspent youth. If millions of Japanese are to be believed, it is the secret to a happy and healthy old age as millions of them take up brain training, the country's latest computer game craze that is due to arrive in Britain by the summer.

Designed by a prominent neuroscientist, Brain Training for Adults, a package of cerebral workouts aimed at the over-45s by the Japanese game console and software maker Nintendo, is said to improve mental agility and even slow the onset of dementia and Alzheimer's disease.

Players have to complete puzzles as quickly and accurately as possible, including reading literary classics aloud, doing simple arithmetic, drawing, and responding rapidly to deceptively easy teasers using voice-recognition software. The player's "brain age" is then determined. A physically fit, yet cerebrally past-it 30-year-old might be told after his first few attempts that his brain is into its 50s; a retired woman could, over time, end up with a brain age 20 years her junior.

The challenge, to reduce one's brain age, is proving addictive among Japan's baby boomers, many of whom say their only contact with game consoles was limited to bemused glances over the shoulders of grandchildren.

Targeting grey gamers is proving a smart move by Nintendo as software makers try to wean themselves off the shrinking teen market. About 20% of Japan's 127 million people are 65 and older, and the number is expected to rise to almost 30% by 2025. More than 3.3m of the games have been sold in Japan since they went on sale in May, with the second package in the series selling 500,000 units in the first week.

The first in the English-language series of games, Brain Age, is due for its US release on April 17, followed by Big Brain Academy in May. The games are expected to go on sale in Europe in June.

In Britain, Nintendo is reportedly gearing up for a £2m advertising campaign that will include adverts in Saga magazine, and promotions through Mensa. The game is expected to feature all of the exercises popular in Japan, as well as the sudoku number puzzle.

The game's success has taken even its maker by surprise. Soaring demand is behind Nintendo's struggle to produce enough of its new dual-screen DS game consoles. A new batch is not expected in shops for two weeks.

Brain Age (known in Japan as Brain Training) was part-developed by Ryuta Kawashima, a 46-year-old professor of neuroscience at Tohoku University, who has spent years studying the possible cerebral benefits of solving straightforward mathematical and other problems. His series of No o Kotaeru (brain training) books, first published in 2003, quickly became bestsellers, and were followed by a glut of TV shows and board games all extolling the supposed virtues of regular mental workouts.

Some commentators say that Japan's elderly people have seized on the fun and easy-to-use consoles to confront fears that without mental, as well as physical, well-being, they can expect to spend their twilight years miserable and lonely. "The idea of training the brain gives us hope," Rika Kayama, a psychiatrist, told the Asahi Shimbun newspaper. "I think many of us are overly frightened of getting old, or even refuse to admit it."

Prof Kawashima says he has proof that a few minutes every day spent exercising a particular part of the brain brings improvements. During research he captured images of various brain functions and found the organ functions better when confronted with simple calculations than when multi-tasking during a conventional computer game.

In his learning therapy experiments, he claims to have seen marked improvements in people with dementia who are set simple mental tasks that require them to use the prefrontal cortex to restore brain function. "In future, those with Alzheimer's disease may not have to take drugs to delay the symptoms if they keep up with the learning therapy," he said during a recent interview.

Brain Age-equipped consoles are even available in waiting rooms and wards of several hospitals, including Uchida hospital in Kyoto, which runs a memory loss clinic for people with dementia. "The game won't cure dementia, but it's a good form of stimulation, especially for old people living alone," Takeshi Kihara, a neuropsychiatrist at the hospital, told the Associated Press.

Some researchers are sceptical. "There's not a single study that they can rely on showing this," said Torkel Klingberg, a neuroscientist at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm. His research has shown that training "working memory" - like remembering phone numbers for a short time - can bring benefits. But he added: "That doesn't mean every kind of cognitive activity improves the brain in some kind of general way."

Another problem is whether the training helps with other tasks. "You might get better at sudoku, but you don't get better at much else," said Guy Claxton, a learning expert at Bristol University. "This has kind of been swept under the carpet by people who sell intelligence-improving devices."

Exercise your mind ...

Mozart, sudoku, chess, a good book, a walk, a good sleep - all are claimed to help turn your brain from jumble to genius, but which ones work?

Memory tasks
Torkel Klingberg and his team at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm gave 50 children five weeks training on either easy or hard "working memory" tasks - such as memorising phone numbers for short periods. Only the tough training brought a general improvement in attention and problem solving. But the training has to be intensive and prolonged, he said.

Routine change
Some researchers suggest tricking your brain with a new routine improves cognitive abilities, for example by brushing your teeth with the "wrong" hand or by taking a different route to work. There's no evidence this actually works. "Is it enough of a challenge to give you a training effect? That's a totally open question," said Prof Klingberg.

Playing the violin
One study of nearly 500 Americans aged over 75 found playing a musical instrument, reading, board games and dancing were associated with a reduced risk of dementia. The study recorded each subject's activities over five years and associated their leisure time with whether they developed Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia. Only regular, intensive activities were beneficial.

Exercise
A stint in the gym can boost your brain as well as biceps. Studies suggest walking for half an hour three times a week boosts mental abilities such as abstract reasoning by 15%.

Mozart
One famous study suggested Mozart boosts mental abilities - even rats find their way around a maze faster. But not all follow-up studies have replicated the effect. It seems the benefit, if there is one, is due to the relaxing and stimulating effects of music. People who feel better perform better in mental tasks.

For Grace

Preview of the PS3.

Preview of the Revolution.

"Ken Kutaragi, President and CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment, has gone on record to say several times that PS3 will be expensive, stating "our goal for PlayStation 3 is for consumers to think to themselves, "I will work more hours to buy one"."

*cough*sonysucks*cough*

Famitsu Top 100 Games of All Time

Famitsu is THE Japanese gaming magazine. It not only comvers Nintendo, but all game systems. In its history it has only give 6 perfect scores of '40'. Games have lived and died by its reviews, I kid you not. It has been around forever.

Now. I told you that to tell you this.

Recently it has posted its Top 100 games of all-time. I don't know how they came to this list, but wow! What a list! It gives me a good list to work on. (bolded items are in the C.H.E.E.T. museum):

1. Final Fantasy X (2001)
2. Final Fantasy VII (1997)
3. Dragon Quest III (1988)
4. Dragon Quest VIII (2004)
5. Machi (1998)
6. Final Fantasy IV (1991)
7. Tactics Ogre (1995)
8. Final Fantasy III (1990)
9. Dragon Quest VII (2000)
10. Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (1998)

11. Dragon Quest V (1992)
12. Far East of Eden 2 (1992)
13. Sakura Taisen (1996)
14. Dragon Quest IV (1990)
15. Final Fantasy V (1992)
16. Xenogears (1998)
17. Dragon Quest II (1987)
18. Sakura Taisen III (2002)
19. Kingdom Hearts (2002)
20. Streetfighter II (1992)

21. Super Mario Bros (1985)
22. Final Fantasy VIII (1999)
23. Tokimeki Memorial (1995)
24. Final Fantasy IX (2000)
25. Final Fantasy VI(1994)
26. Metal Gear Solid 3 (2004)
27. Valkyrie Profile (1999)
28. Chrono Trigger (1995)
29. Kingdom Hearts II (2005)
30. Dragon Quest (1986)

31. Zelda 3 (1991)
32. Final Fantasy X-2 (2003)
33. Resident Evil (1996)
34. Dragon Quest VI (1995)
35. F-Zero (1990)
36. Sakura Taisen II (1998)
37. Mother 2 (1994)
38. Mother (1989)
39. Virtua Fighter (1994)
40. Dragon Quest 5 (PS2 remake) 2004

41. Zelda Windwaker (2002)
42. Metal Gear Solid 2 (2001)
43. Animal Crossing (DS) 2005
44. Tales of the Abyss (2005)
45. Ogre Battle (1993)
46. Legend of Zelda (1986)
47. Virtua Fighter 2 (1995)
48. Mysterious Dungeon 2 (1995)
49. Sonic the Hedgehog (1991)
50. Metal Gear Solid (1998)

51. Pokemon Red and Green (1996)
52. Y's 1 and 2 (1989)
53. Romancing Saga (1992)
54. Tokimeki Memorial (PC Engine) 94
55. Super Robot Taisen Alpha (2000)
56. Resident Evil 2 (1998)
57. Tales of Eternia (2000)
58. Digital Devil Story Megami Tensei II (1990)
59. Shin Megami Tensei (1992)
60. Final Fantasy II (1988)

61. Super Mario World (1990)
62. To Heart II (2004)
63. Final Fantasy (1987)
64. Puyo Puyo (1992)
65. Family Stadium Pro Baseball (1986)
66. Wizardry (1987)
67. Hokkaido Murder Mystery (1987)
68. Fire Emblem (1994)
69. Super Mario Kart (1992)
70. Dynasty Warriors 4 (2003)

71. Monster Hunter (2004)
72. Best Play Pro Baseball (1988)
73. Grandia (1997)
74. Resident Evil 4 (GC) 2005
75. Gran Turismo 4 (2004)
76. GTA: Vice City (2004)
77. Super Monaco GP (1990)
78. Torneko Mysterious Dungeon (1993)
79. Tales of Destiny (1997)
80. Streetfighter 2 Turbo (1993)

81. Dynasty Warriors III (2001)
82. Final Fight (1990)
83. Monster Hunter Portable (2005)
84. Final Fantasy Tactics (1997)
85. Monster Hunter G (2005)
86. Mysterious Dungeon 2 (2000)
87. Kung Fu (1985)
88. Tokimeki Memorial (Saturn) (1996)
89. Tales of Destiny II (2002)
90. Kamaitachi No Yoru (1994)

91. Sakura Taisen IV (2002)
92. Tales of Rebirth (2004)
93. Sim City (1991)
94. Saga 2 (1990)
95. Pro Baseball Family Stadium 87
96. Tetris (Gameboy) (1989)
97. Secret of Mana (SNES)(1993)
98. Gradius (1986)
99. Super Mario Bros III (1988)
100. Resident Evil IV (PS2) 2005

Listen. Now.

The Protomen

Nintendo Links

Super Princess Peach Commercial


Super Mario Race

Visiting the gamer's "MECCA"

Mario Commercial Compilation

Another reason to own a DS

When they applied for the patent... they had to have a drawing. Here's the REVOLUTION!

Illustration Friday: TEA

Click the image to see it bigger.

Jeez... haven't done a still-life in YEARS!

Darren McGavin 1922-2006

Christmas won't be the same, this year.

Don Knotts 1924 - 2006

You kin take the bullet outta yer pocket now, Barn. Duty's over.

Reason #14 why I am a Nintendo boy.

ARTICLE

I got in.

Dear noriaki_kakyouin,

Congrats, you've been approved for combat. Be sure to read up on the rules as
e tend to update them from time to time. You will have the opportunity to update or change your fighter's poses, headshot and bio at any time through the manager. You now have 3 months to enter into a fight, if you have not entered a battle at that time, your fighter will be retired. To view battles that are currently under way in VOID City use this link: http://www.entervoid.com/battles.php

This is what the Approval Commitee had to say about your character:
Hiemie » You know what. This is good enough. It's cleaned up, and new outfit, the story was fine. Good to go I say.

Accept.

Toast » I still wish there was more to the backgrounds, but there's one thing that bugs me... in the last panel of the first page, we're looking into the corner of the room, but there's no vertical line where the two walls come together.

anyway, just wanted to get you approved before heading off to Florida. Have fun

VOIDCouncil

Second try

I'm really proud of this next try.

NEW design sheet

NEW win

NEW lose

NEW intro page 1

NEW intro page 2

STAGE 3!!! GAH!

http://www.sgcartoon.com/cartoon/?EP=2

Rejected... 5 to 1

(sigh) But the good thing is that they (the VOID Council) said that with a little work I could get in easilly. So, i'm re-doing the character and making some changes. As I am doing so I am seeing the problems they had with him... so perhaps this time i'll get in. He should be ready for upload to their site by tomorrow evening.

Their email to me:
Dear noriaki_kakyouin,

You've been declined for the reasons listed below, but you can update your poses or submit an entirely new Fighter at any time.

comments:
Zato-2TWO » The story itself has a very interesting premise, and there is plenty of room here for a healthy development. I only wish you did a bit more with his character design to make him seem more interesting; granted, he's not supposed to be anything special, but the lack of defining features makes him look blank and incomplete (especially in his face). It's like, there's the framework for a character here with nothing on it. I'm also a bit uneasy about his name. Why is he called T-Square aside from the obvious gag ? I'm sure he should have a real name, and frankly I'd be able to relate to this character a little better if he had a name to call himself instead of just having a blank slate for a head/face and a nickname instead of a name. On a more technical note, I'd have to decline you for your win/lose poses, they just look unfinished. I recommend you ink them or at least photoshop them up to make them look presentable. Your intro story is pretty decent, and unlike most entries you do show a bit of understanding of space and environments, but I can't help feeling uneasy about the lack of backgrounds you have for a lot of panels. I'd also suggest you be a bit more daring with your camera angles, most of them you have are rather static.

I vote decline, but if you polish this guy up and REALLY work to make your intro story pop, you can definately get in.

Wei Ingnan » More polish.....try and re-work and re-submit....you obviously have the ability..... both the design and the intro seem kinda dull....put some zing into the character design and the intro

DECLINE for now

Hiemie » I also agree on the design being dull. Although he is very identifiable looking at him (Even with the influx of noseless guys....), His clothes aren't anything special. The oriental shirt seems forced.

I love your writing. I have a great sense of dialouge from what I can see, just of a sense of feeling natural.

Everything looks very rough though. If you want hard lines, I would reccomend pen over pencil.

Decline for now, but I could see you getting in with more effort.

northern_raven » I am not as hung up on the appearance of your character as the other guys were. However I have to agree with them about the penciling - everything but the design sheet look painfully hurried which is really a stark contrast against your wonderful story telling prowess.

However, you've met the submission requirements, and you've put some real effort in to the Introduction Story (comic). I don't see anything here that couldn't be worked out through a few battles.

I vote Accept However: please do try to tighten up your penciling, or try to ink instead.

skullcapCOMIX » Im gonna have to say Decline also, but you could get in VERY easily. You sort of set a standard with your design sheets quality, and never met it again, making all the rest of your pages look kinda rushed.... and rushed is bad. The story is very good, and the way you tell it is very good also. This just needs to be polished up so we have nothing but your best efforts here, and you'd be in just like that.

Decline for now, but this could very easily be made into an acceptable entry.

Toast » This is a bit tough, but I think I'm going to go with a decline as well...

Let me first start by saying I love your design sheet. It's clean, clear, and shows us everything we need. Unfortunately, the rest of the submission isn't the same level of cleanliness, and that hurts you because we know you're capable of better. I'm not saying you have to color everything, but for the Win and Lose Poses, I would like to see them cleaned up to the same level as the Design Sheet as been. Sketch lines and phantom erasures are still visible in some areas.

The Intro has the same cleanliness issue, though to a lesser degree. My main problem there is backgrounds. Half of your panels have gray fill or two-tone gray fills for a background. Your ability leaps off the page, but I'm not seeing it in your backgrounds. Panel layout and pacing are good, so I've got no problems there. And it's especially evident in the Intro that you can show emotion though body language and facial expressions, and that's a fantastic skill.

Some of the others have complained about the name or design, but I honestly don't care about either. I wouldn't hold you back for something like that. I think the simplicity of his design is the POINT and the name I assumed was something he took up upon arrival in VOID, but I could always be wrong.

I feel bad about doing this because it's obvious you've got the talent to get in, but I'd like to see you push just a little harder.

VOIDCouncil

These past few weeks I have sketched and created mor edrawings than I have in quite some time. So, I decided to start a deviant art site (I hear it's what all the cool kids are doing these days).

So the link is to the side. I have little to nothing right now, but we'll see if I can't put up a lot of stuff this weekend. I still haven't shown off the tarot cards I started in 1992... let's see what things I can display.

Perhaps you have turned on SPIKE TV and seen a show called "MXC"? Well, it was a program created by comedian Takeshi Kitano (a.k.a. Beat Takeshi).

Well today I was looking at games I would like to buy (but am holding off until after my Japan trip in September) (sigh) and found a game with his name: Takeshi no Chousenjou (Takeshi's Challenge). Sounded interesting. So I Google'd it and found a wikipedia entry for it. Very cool. So I read it.

Wow. He's a dick! (laughs)

Illustration Friday: Simple

Go is wood and stone.
Go is square and round.
Go is black, white, and brown.
Simple.

In all honesty, it took me a long time to come up with this 'simple' design.

AGH! The suspence is KILLING ME!

I submitted my artwork to VOID last night at 11:00pm... and I must say that I have had my firefox open to my email account and the VOID site all day. Not browsing, mind you... just refreshing every 1/2 hour waiting for their 'yay' or 'nay'.

And tonight I will upload the Illustration Friday pic.

2 page intro

So last night I finished (mostly) the 2 page intro comic for VOID. Tell me what ya think.

Page 1

Page 2

And yes, I AM doing this weeks' Illustration Friday (laughs). SHEESH!

My pokemon brings all the nerds to the yard. And they're like, "You wanna trade cards?" Damn right, I wanna trade cards. I'll trade this, but not my charizard.

VOID

Well, here's some of the images I have finished for my character for the VOID website. So far I have posted these on their FORUMS and received a very good response. And a BIIIIG thanks to Collin for helpin' me with Photoshop 6.0. You rock.

WIN pose

LOSE pose

Diagram

VOID City // Global Comic Jam

And yet another artist thing to do... thanks to Collin who sent this to me. Wow... i'm really getting inspired to draw more nowadays. I wonder what character I would make? Perhaps "The Artistic Mouse" character I did in 1992 for the Colorado Comic Book Artist's contest. There were 100 winners... but the contest managers really messed everything up and nobody got their prises.

Also I got THIS from Collin too... man, I wish I were a better artist!

Anyone else want to join me?

And this is why we love KEPC

KEPC (89.7 fm) never ceases to give me great music. I was listening this morning and heard a great song, but the wrods were tough to understand. LUCKILLY there was a DJ this morning (it usually runs via computer) and they gave me the name at the break.

FRENCH DISKO by STEREOLAB

I found a great cover by The EDITORS for free download... but, alas, no free download of the original song.

Ze strongest von zurvives...

I cringed at the horror of the three things this person put the systems through... eew... but, the strongest one survived... can you guess which one?

HERE

Illustration Friday

MAKING LIFE


This is going to be my weekly submission to both Illustration Friday and my comic based on Go/Baduk/Wei'Qi called Making Life

Links to Derek's... and Collin's submissions

AGH! IS HE DEAD?!

No, it's just an old Russian space suit. On Friday they are dumping it out of the space station after making it a short-time radio satellite! After several weeks it will burn up in the atmosphere.

Suit sat will be over Colorado Springs on:
Feb 3: 2:04am - 2:18am (yup... in the morning)
Feb 3: 4:47am - 4:49am
Feb 4: 3:28am - 3:38am
Feb 5: 1:16am - 1:30am
Feb 5: 3:52am - 4:02am
Feb 6: 1:41am - 1:55am (optimal time)
Feb 12: 6:44am - 6:55am (even better)

Why I am excited about the NINTENDO REVOLUTION

I am a Nintendo slave. Yes, I love the company. Company loyalty, if you want to call it that... even though I never really worked for them. I am one of those who say "BAH!" to the X-Cube 360... I say "Pffft!" to the PS3... I say "Nay!" to the PSP... no, I have tiny Mario and Luigis (well, and Warios too) in my blood... (no really! It freaked out several nurses at Memorial Hospital one time while giving blood!).

So, why am I excited about the new console known as The Revolution?
6) The controller is, as the kids say, SICK!
5) No. Really. It's too groovy for it's own good!
4) It'll be cheaper than the X-Box 360 core system... IN YOUR FACE, GATES! EAT IT!
3) You can download games from previous Nintendo consoles!
Nintendo announced at E3 2005 that Revolution would be able to go online wirelessly and download classic Nintendo games. Nintendo has not yet announced what titles will be available for download. However, it has confirmed that Revolution owners could theoretically download every NES, Super-NES and Nintendo 64 game ever made. The publisher is reportedly already working with third party publisher to ensure that popular third party games are also available to download.

At E3 2005, Shigeru Miyamoto said: "We have not set a price or determined a list of software for the Nintendo Revolution download service. But, we're looking at this as a consumer service and not so much from the business end. What we want to do is provide the product that is going to make the Revolution the console that people want in their homes. So it actually might be driven from the consumer end rather than from us. You know, the games that they most want might be the ones that we do. From a technological point, we can do any of them. It's just, we haven't determined which ones we'll do yet."
2) Everyone can play it... even the handicapped.
1) America, NOT Japan, will get it FIRST!!!

Finally!

I was watching MTV2 this morning before I went to work and who should I see at #5 but the hasidic reggae singer MATISYAHU! COOL! Finally I can say that I was a fan of SOMETHING before it became popular!

Making Life // Illustration Friday

Well, i'm back on the ball. I'm gonna be (hopefully) updating the Making Life page every week. There's a website called 'Illustration Friday' that sends ideas every week and then posts your link to your image that i'm gonna use. I'm going to be posting it here and at Making Life.

So now that i'll get weekly subject matter I think I can give it a shot. It'll probably be in a different format (perhaps one large panel) but it'll be good to draw a web-comic on a regular basis again... and a great challenge to make the topic fit 'Go/Baduk somehow.

Be posting this week's topic (glamour) before Thursday.

Ever see AKIRA?

Someone made a WORKING BIKE!

IT'S IN POST-PRODUCTION!!!

The Gamers: Dorkness Rising

This is the sequel to 'The Gamers'. A great movie... I own it. You must see it if you have ever EVER role-played.

Links attack!

Some links from Collin that I forgot to put up last week.

Ten free things to do in Tokyo

Making a wireless GUITAR HERO guitar (got Collin and Heather hooked last week)

PBS presents the Video Game Revolution

Kids in The Hall Blog

Real Insults in Japanese

And then a link or two that I found: JERK IT OUT! (the VERY un-official oriental video)

Truth, Justin, and the American Way (because the hero is always named 'Justin')

Stuff for the new year

Well, Jen and I have been trying to find our niche. We try things and see how they work for us and if they don't, then we pass it off as a learning experience. Well I have decided (with Jen's ok) to drop cable tv. We watch it SO MUCH and I barely read books anymore (something I love) or watch our DVDs... so that'll be gone at the end of the month. I'll miss Comedy Central, Food Network, and wrastling on USA Network, but it's getting pretty dumb right now... so I don't think i'll miss much.

I'll also be doing the 'Illustration Friday' thing. Derek and Collin are doing it so I thought I would put in myself. But, to keep the Go comic going, i'm going to make it 'Go' related and post it on the Making Life area and here (making my wife very happy).

I'm also going to cut out drinking sodas for the whole year. Booze, water, fruit drinks and stuff are still ok, but sodas are out. Hopefully this will help my pocketbook as well as my health.

I'll post more as I think of it. (laughs)

Squirrel PLEASE!

It's like a nut you can play with outside.

Portable carpet

I'm list'ning to cheese!

HELLS YEAH!

Who stole the soul?

The question for today: Who stole the soul?
Who turned this special delivery into a box of assorted chocolates?
Sometimes I wish Al was still Green.
Oh, I sound like my momma:
"Boy, put that Teddy Pendergrass on and take off that noise you list'nin to."
And me and Chuck Steel wanna know,
Who took the sunshine and turned it into microwavable popcorn for profit?
And I am by no means anti pop music....
But what blares through my box is hollow.
Do you actually think Marvin would be gay if he heard what I hear through the grapevine?
Empty minded music.
In fact it's so empty that if you glared into an R&B ear,
The only benefit would be the wall on the other side.

The actors sing.
The singers act.
Please choose a career and stick to it, polishing it before moving on.
Sam & Dave would roll over tenfold in their graves
If they knew that their sweet soul music evolved into sour sexual practices.
Young men rushing to prison to prove their manhood lacking father figures.
And this is surely not the same do-wop that Sam Cook and Aretha Franklin mixed with gospel.
Who stole the soul?

Engrish... but for stupid Americans!

http://www.hanzismatter.com/

I live in two towns now...

Ok. So I have yet another new addiction: Animal Crossing DS! GAH! I hate to love it so!

So I belong to a message board where people plan to meet and exchange gifts and do things in their virtual worlds. Very creepy, but so much fun. One guy even made a banner for me to post so people can know my 'world' information (shown below).

Also, here's some fun comics from VG Cats.

HERE, and HERE.

Wrastlin'

Lipstick and Dynamite

An NPR Report on the movie 'Lipstick & Dynamite'

Lucha Loco

Michael Vale passes

You can sleep in. You've done enough work. We'll make the doughnuts now.

10 + 1 New Asian Movies Worth Seeing

Full Report with images HERE.

Howl's Moving Castle

"Hayao Miyazaki is arguably the greatest director currently working in feature-length animation."

Aegis

"Aegis ably demonstrates that it isn't just Hollywood heroes who can kick ass."

Neighbor #13

"Neighbor #13 plays like a cross between Ichi The Killer and Fight Club, with a healthy dose of Kill Bill/Oldboy-style revenge thrown in."

The Myth

"Seeing Jackie Chan in a Hong Kong (read: not Hollywood) movie is reason enough for anyone to see The Myth..."

Election

"Box office numbers in Hong Kong are usually reserved for fluffy commercial films starring a pair of girls who aren't really twins, so the success of Election is more than surprising."

Wait 'Til You're Older / All About Love

"The attraction here: Andy Lau...plus Andy Lau and Andy Lau."

Everlasting Regret

"Everlasting Regret challenges the veteran starlet to actually act, and her performance was subjected to a Hong Kong media microscope unlike any other."

Sympathy for Lady Vengeance

"...a brilliant and darkly funny movie about grudges held, redemption sought, and the most important thing of all: good pastry."

April Snow

"Bae Yong Joon is at his most resplendently romantic in April Snow - especially during the famously hot love scene with Son Ye Jin."

Welcome to Dongmakgol

"Welcome to Dongmakgol could be the Korean film people talk about well into 2006."

Vincent Schiavelli

Sad holiday season...



Vincent Schiavelli died of lung cancer Monday at age 57 in Italy. Schiavelli had memorable turns as a mental-ward patient in One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest and as a science teacher in Fast Times at Ridgemont High. In 1997, Vanity Fair named him one of America's best character actors. He also wrote three cookbooks.

CHRISTMASTIME

Smashing Pumpkins

We miss your group Billy...

Chrismahannakwanzaka

Hope you all had a great Christmas or Hanukkah and I hope to see you all very soon.

My Gawd... this is funny!

Yup... from NPR again. HERE.

NES // Illustration Friday // Latkes // Holiday Songs

Well, Collin does it again! He sends me two kickin' links that I have to share.

The first if a Nintendo link... well, kinda'. GAH! Muuust haaave.

The second is Illustration Friday. Kinda' like Derek's Phrickin' Photoblog Phriday... but drawn. This site collects some of the better ones. Let's see if I can do this starting next year...

Also, an NPR link to Latkes. You don't need to be jewish to enjoy them. YUM!

And here's another NPR link to some good holiday songs! Reverand Horton Heat, The LeeVees, Sammy Davis Jr., Tiny Tim, Ricky Skaggs and more!

Since you've been gone...

WOW! I have been out of bloggin' for a while. Sorry about that folks (well, the five of you who read this). I've been really swamped at work. I'll try to get in a post or two later this week. Thanks for your patience.

But to hold you over... here's a very interesting NPR story.

How to talk to humans

http://paulenglish.com/ivr/

Another opinion... while i'm at it...

My opinion...

Indy Music makes it big

NPR had a great story about an indy band.

Listen to the NPR story HERE.

For the 'All Songs Considered' webcast, it's HERE.

Visit the band's site HERE.

Waxing off for the last time...

1932-2005

Brickquest

Collin, thank you. This friggin' ROCKS!!!

CCC

I put up his blog link to the side. This DJ mixes songs to make a new sounding song. Some of them are not the best, but they are ALL interesting. Some are just simply fantastic. Give 'em a listen! They're all free downloads. His "Beatles album" was removed, but it was truly some great music.

I really like 'Lust Train'. Very innovative.

WAH-HA-HA!!!

http://gprime.net/video.php/getalife

Sing... sing a song...

This Swedish site allows you to type in your message and it will "sing" it back to you using fragments of well-known songs. Give it a try. You can even email the message to someone else.

http://www.sr.se/p1/src/sing/index.htm#

This I believe:

Penn Jillette gives his 'This I Believe' essay on today's NPR Morning Edition. It is well written and interesting food for thought. He's a very 'realistic' person.

Remembering Eddie

*********************

*********************
R.I.P EDDIE GUERRERO - 1967-2005
They had a fantastic show dedicated to him on Monday. Jen and I were pretty teary-eyed the whole show (well... more than teary-eyed). His death surprised everyone. They all were pretty torn up... and it was a great show. Everyone did their very best that night. I wish I had recorded it... great show.

WWE.com spoke with Eddie’s widow, Vickie Guerrero: “It was heart failure. It was from his past – the drinking and the drug abuse. They found signs of heart disease. She (the examiner) said that the blood vessels were very worn and narrow, and that just showed all the abuse from the scheduling of work and his past. And Eddie just worked out like crazy all the time. It made his heart grow bigger and work harder and the vessels were getting smaller, and that’s what caused the heart failure. He went into a deep sleep.

As soon as they saw his heart, they saw the lining of his heart already had the heart disease. There was no trauma, and Eddie hadn’t hurt himself in any way. It answered a lot of questions. I knew Eddie wasn’t feeling very good for the last week. He was home and kept saying he wasn’t feeling good and we thought it was just “road tired.” So we thought he just had to rest. It answered a lot of my questions, too, because he was just so exhausted. She said it was normal because the heart was working so hard."

They'll be showing the SMACKDOWN show tonight... they're dedicating it to him tonight as well.

Getting lectured tonight...

Going to Denver to go to a lecture about samurai and seppuku (ritual suicide). Promises to be interesting.

I would also like to get together with Heather & Collin to go to Denver for the Egyptian exibit.

ALL IS NOT LOST!!!

So last night I was uploading my backup for the jojopedia.com website and I made the grizzly discovery that my files were gone. Not the images (for some weird reason) just the HTML scripts. I was 2 seconds away from just canning the whole thing and saying "well, it was good while it lasted".

I put out an S.O.S. on the Jojo message board to ask people who visited my site to look on their computers in the cache files to see if they had any of the html pages they could send me.

Then, a guy mentioned "archive.org". It doesn't have all the files, but is has most of them.

So now I go through the painstaking task of re-creating the files I can find on archive.org ... wow. What a life-saver.

For my wife

Jennifer mentioned on her blog that she would like to hear more J-Pop music as she thinks it's the future of good music. I agree. Here's a link for you all to try out. Feel free to add your own links if you have any.

Melanie-chan's music

NEW MUSIC

Playing the GUITAR HERO game I got, I unlocked some music... one of which I particularly like.

It's a song called "Even Rats" by a group called "The Slip". Check them out.

You can visit their "MY SPACE" site and listen to a song fer free too...

Stuff

Not much going on this week. Been pretty busy with work and then I come home tired.

Anyhoo, I re-modded my links to the right. I added the CHEET museum's IGN list. It's missing only Japanese games. It lists 383 games where there are actually 443.

I also added some Japanese-weird sites (anticipating Jen and my trip next year).

Pop'n images & shots

Today I post cute gifs from the Pop'n games.



And HERE'S an article about producing the best Jell-O shot using SCIENCE!

There is no God

All the proof I need:

http://www.mothergooserocks.com/frerejacque.html

http://www.mothergooserocks.com/headandshoulders.html

PROJECT: COMPLETE

So, I finished my project (for the most part) yesterday and spent a great deal of the afternoon 'playtesting' it. It works like a charm and plays very well. It is a LOT different to play on this than it is the mini or even the PS2 controller. In many ways it is EASIER to play this ASC contraption. I am excited to get it painted and adorned with images.

Once again, you can visit the site HERE.

Also, i'll be doing a demo for the GUITAR HERO game this Wednesday (hopefully) at the EB Games on Platte from 5:30-7:00. I say hopefully because they might not be releasing the game until November 8th (next week). I'll keep you posted here.

Also, here are some images from around the web. I guess actual musicians are using the GUITAR HERO guitar in their concerts. This is good news for the game as it means people will be buying the game simply because the musicians are using them.





Here's a complete track listing for the game:

Ace of Spades, Bark at the Moon, Cochise, Cowboys From Hell, Crossroads, Fat Lip, Frankenstein, Godzilla, Heart Full of Black, Hey You, Higher Ground, I Love Rock and Roll, I Wanna Be Sedated, Infected, Iron Man, Killer Queen, More Than A Feeling, No One Knows, Sharp Dressed Man, Smoke on the Water, Spanish Castle Magic, Stellar, Symphony of Destruction, Take It Off, Take Me Out, Texas Flood, Thunderkiss 65, Unsung, You Got Another Thing Comin, Ziggy Stardust

You can hear clips HERE. The company producing this game is unfortunately using a house band to record the songs... but damn if they aren't good! A few songs I can't tell the difference between the house band and the real band.

I'd be interested in hearing what Derek thinks of these samples...

And a big "thank you"....

I just wanted to post a really quick 'THANK YOU' to my friends who had concern for me last week. I really do appreciate it. I love you guys and gals.

My grandmother had a special ability to tell who were good people and who weren't. I have been luck in that she always told me that I had good taste in friends. She could always tell who the good ones were.

Thanks gang.

My buttons came in!

http://www.geocities.com/noriaki_kakyouin/day8.html

Getting ready to complete my controller...

Hey-o Captain Jack... time to rest now...

If you have DDR... dance a song for him.

http://www.captain-jack.de/PAGES/0HOME.htm

http://ripcaptjack.ytmnd.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francisco_Alejandro_Gutierrez

http://www.flashflashrevolution.com/

Phriday Phunnies

If ya don't see the images... Geocities hates me. (sigh) I miss my freepgs.com account. Try back in an hour or so.

Now, look closely to this one...
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YO BUTT AIN'T MADE FO DAT!

Oh, southern baptist preachers are funny...

Thanks to RAZMA for the link.

Wow. I suck!

First, an apology: I am sorry I was in SUCH a bad mood yesterday. I really honest and for true had a very good reason for it....

Next, an explanation:
1) On Tuesday my wife's car went kaput in Pueblo to the tune of $800 +$50 a day for a rental (which she returns today).
2) Yesterday morning on my way to work I smelled coolant and drove to work (20 min) breathing in the stuff. My car was towed and fixed to the tune of $400. It doesn't help that I just went to the doctor last Thursday for an upper-resperatory infection (the anti-boitics are not working). I still smell coolant in my nose and breath and clothes even today. It permeated my body and lungs.
3) These two expenses plus the refrigerator being replaced last month dips deep into savings for our trip to Japan which we might not be able to take now.
4) The people who own free.pgs.com (the site that had my Jojopedia.com site) had a fire and lost everything. I have backups (old ones), but they don't know when they will be back in service.

I really am sorry I got into such a funk. Thanks for being there for me.
*****
Now for the daily 'home-made' site: here's a guy who took a Pop'n Music controller from RANSAI and modded it to use lights.

To quote Lewis Black

"Giant frogs, giant frogs, what can I say.............back to you!"

Crap day today. Crap. Absolutely crap.

Here's your f%$@*'in website!

HACK-A-DAY

Home-Made is better!

Much thanks to Collin for this. Since i'm making a controller I think he sent me this link... so for the next week or two i'll feature home-made electronics stuff.

Home-Made NES Micro!

Also, here's the website for my controller. I need to make a banner... and a background.... (sigh) so much to do...

Good stuff this weekend

I really wasn't expecting to find it, but this weekend while at Best Buy I found collections 1 & 2 of GATCHAMAN un-edited and in Japanese! It was only $22 so I got the first series.

Watching it took me back to when I was 8 and 9 years old and living in Boulder. Saturday mornings, I would race downstairs to watch my cartoons... and one of my favorites was 'Battle of the Planets'! And when I posted the theme song to Gatchaman on Friday it was because they had it on Pop'n Music!

And I have decided to make the Pop'n Music ASC controller. I'll set-up a page just like I did when I attempted to make my Iron Man Costume... but I won't set a deadline (you know me and deadlines).

Tonight I work on the new 'Go' comic. I have a promise to keep.

Make a Pop'n Music Controller

Thinkin' hard about doin' it! And with the prices today, I think I can make it for less.

Then again... I know what my wife is thinking as she's reading this ("Crap! ANOTHER project he'll work on for a few weeks and then abandon!

And where's this month's 'Go comic', eh?

And you said you'd bake us a cake!")...

Phrickin' Phriday W.T.PH?!?

(each link is different)

Dare da, dare da, dare da
Sora no kanata ni odoru kage
Shiroi tsubasa no Gatchaman
Inochi o kakete tobidaseba
Kagaku nimpo hinotori da

TOBE! tobe, tobe, Gatchaman
YUKE! Yuke, yuke, Gatchaman
Chikyu wa hitotsu, chikyu wa hitotsu
Ohh, Gatchaman, Gatchaman

Dare da, dare da, dare da
Umi no jigoku ni hisomu kage
Tsuyoi yuuki no Gatchaman
Arashi o saite kumo kireba
Kagaku nimpo hinotori da

TOBE! Tobe, tobe, Gatchaman
YUKE! Yuke, yuke, Gatchaman
Chikyu wa hitotsu, chikyu wa hitotsu
Ohh, Gatchaman, Gatchaman

***********
TRANSLATION
***********

Who is it, who is it, who is it
That shadow dancing in the sky
It's the white wings of Gatchaman
leaping on faith
in the science technique firebird

FLY! Fly, fly, Gatchaman
GO! Go, go, Gatchaman
The Earth is alone, the Earth is alone
Ohh, Gatchaman, Gatchaman

Who is it, who is it, who is it
Lurking in the shadows of ocean depths
The tremendous courage of Gatchaman
Slices through the clouds of raging storms
in the science technique firebird

FLY! Fly, fly, Gatchaman
GO! Go, go, Gatchaman
The Earth is alone, the Earth is alone
Ohh, Gatchaman, Gatchaman

Oldest Noodles (4,000 yrs) Found in China!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4335160.stm

Late Neolithic noodles: They may settle the origin debate

The remains of the world's oldest noodles have been unearthed in China.
The 50cm-long, yellow strands were found in a pot that had probably been buried during a catastrophic flood.

Radiocarbon dating of the material taken from the Lajia archaeological site on the Yellow River indicates the food was about 4,000 years old.

Scientists tell the journal Nature that the noodles were made using grains from millet grass - unlike modern noodles, which are made with wheat flour.

The discovery goes a long way to settling the old argument over who first created the string-like food.

Professor Houyuan Lu said: "Prior to the discovery of noodles at Lajia, the earliest written record of noodles is traced to a book written during the East Han Dynasty sometime between AD 25 and 220, although it remained a subject of debate whether the Chinese, the Italians, or the Arabs invented it first.

Lajia is a very interesting site; in a way, it is the Pompeii of China

Prof Kam-biu Liu
"Our discovery indicates that noodles were first produced in China," the researcher from the Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, explained to BBC News.

The professor's team tells Nature that the ancient settlement at Lajia was hit by a sudden catastrophe.

Among the remains are skeletons thrown into various abnormal postures, suggesting the inhabitants may have been trying to flee the disaster that was enveloping them.

"Based on the geological and archaeological evidence, there was a catastrophic earthquake and immediately following the quake, the site was subject to flooding by the river," explained co-author Professor Kam-biu Liu, from Louisiana State University, US.

"Lajia is a very interesting site; in a way, it is the Pompeii of China."

It was in amongst the human wreckage that scientists found an upturned earthenware bowl filled with brownish-yellow, fine clay.

When they lifted the inverted container, the noodles were found sitting proud on the cone of sediment left behind.

"It was this unique combination of factors that created a vacuum or empty space between the top of the sediment cone and the bottom of this bowl that allowed the noodles to be preserved," Professor Kam-biu Liu said.

The noodles resemble the La-Mian noodle, the team says; a traditional Chinese noodle that is made by repeatedly pulling and stretching the dough by hand.

There is evidence that a sudden calamity overtook the Lajia site.

To identify the plants from which the noodles were made, the team looked at the shape and patterning of starch grains and so-called seed-husk phytoliths in the bowl.

These were compared with modern crops. The analysis pointed to the use of foxtail millet (Setaria italica) and broomcorn millet (Panicum miliaceum)

"Our data demonstrate that noodles were probably initially made from species of domesticated grasses native to China. This is in sharp contrast to modern Chinese noodles or Italian pasta which are mostly made of wheat today," Professor Houyuan Lu said.

GUITAR HERO!

I collect many peripheral controllers for my video game museum... I have a taiko drum controller, maracas, keyboard (recently aquired), dj station, pop n' music button controller. Oh, and a guitar. I like the guitar. I like it a lot.

Now it's coming to America!

More Role-playing goodness!

How does that thing work?

The 8-Ball revealed!

Noriaki Kakyouin Cosplay

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Rock On!

Well, we have fantastic neighbors in the area that I live in. Not only do they look out for each other, but they are very friendly.

So today (posting on the weekend) I got to meet our next door neighbors to the north of us whom we have been meaning to introduce ourselves to for quite some time. They are really great people and have a band called 'Holiday Run'... and they crank out some seriously good tunes from their basement. Sometimes I will either sit outside and listen to it or turn down the TV and open the front door a bit. The song on their website is the one I hear the most... only I have never heard the vocals before. It's really great with vocals too.

As you all know i'm pretty eclectic in my musical tastes, but this is just good music. Check them out. They're super sweet people to boot (they gave me cookies).