Twang of the Void: 2009-02-08

Saturday, February 14

There is another...

Happy Valentine's Day all!

(via Neatorama)

Friday, February 13

David After The Divorce

By Adam Pally & Chris Kula

Again, I know talented very funny people.

Happy Valentine's Day. Be safe.

Sebastian's Voodoo

From aniboom.com's short film contest.

(via I Am Bored via Neatorama)

Hello Zombie Kitty Cake

(via Hello Kitty Hell via Great White Shark)

Victorian Marvel Action Figure

The League of Marvels.

More pics here, here and here.

(via Topless Robot)

Half-Life: Escape from City 17

I like fan-films for the most part. Most of them are people playing tribute to something they love and also teaching themselves the craft of film making. But, let's be fare, most of them suck. Badly acted, low production values, and just experiments of wish fullfillment.

Sometimes, though, you get something like the below. It makes more sense if you've played Half-Life 2 but it is not needed. It is also violent.

I am looking forward to future episodes.

(via Kotaku)

Thursday, February 12

A-Rod circa 1993

(via Katey)

Overheard, Blue Marble Ice Cream

Father: What was your favorite part of the Science Museum?

Son (age 5): I'm not sure.

Father: Pick something.

Son: I liked the big bathroom.

Father: The bathroom? That was your favorite part?

Son: Yep. I didn't like the big machine that made noise when you put your hands near it.

Father: Was that an exhibit or in the bathroom?

Son: The bathroom.

Father: The hand dryer?

Son: Yeah. I didn't use it. I only used the hand sanitizer. That was my favorite part of the whole museum!

Father: The hand sanitizer in the bathroom?

Son: Yes!

Multi Color Flickr Search

This is really pretty amazing. Linkage.

(via claspy)

"Oh great! The pot of gold is in the middle of I-95!"

(via Arbroath)

Wednesday, February 11

Konflikt

In case the last video was too cute for you.

(You might want to turn on the English subtitles.)

Kittens. Inspired by Kittens.

At that is the final word on internet cute. Everyone else can go home now. It's over.

(via Boing Boing)

Meat Ship!

From This Is Why You're Fat.

(via John Robert Wilson)

Candy

Too much candy from Capucha on Vimeo.

Tuesday, February 10

Revelation

"SexyBack" will be the song that gets all the parents on the dance floors at weddings in 20 years.

If I Were a Bro'

So so well done.

If I Were A Bro'

(via Skinner who does the beautiful vocals)

Masstransiscope

I can't remember when I first noticed this, but has been one of those little thinks that makes being in New York such a happy thing.

The Masstransiscope on the Q/B line.

(via Kate Likes You)

Mainstreaming

Pat Baer has an interesting post about the new reality tv show WCG Ultimate Gamer.

Pat makes the point that it upsets him that video gaming isn't appreciated for being good enough by itself, that they are forced to also to do things in the "real world" (play a real guitar after playing Rock Band, drive a car on a stunt course, etc.).

I'd argue that competitive gaming is pretty damn dull on tv. Oh, I've been waiting for someone to do it right, but seeing people sit on a couch and play is, well, boring. And it is that image that is more harmful. "Gamers can do nothing BUT sit and play games." That is the joke. Watching videogames being played is snoresville for most of the population, but more and more that is changing. And that is the key. To keep presenting the old images ignores the new place gaming is taking.

There is a rich a deep gaming culture that does get ignored (or at least mocked). I am not sure that a competitive gaming show needs to pay honor to that part of the culture.

The other thing is that this is a reality show, not actual competitive gaming. Hell's Kitchen or even Iron Chef are not about (at least fully) cooking. It is about entertainment. Project Runway is not about fashion. But these shows do make those world seem interesting and exciting, something gaming could use.

The fact that gaming is given the "reality show" treatment is a good sign to me. It is not being presented as a joke here. They could easily have gone The Beauty & The Geek route. "How many Hot Pockets can you eat?" "Socialize at a fancy dress ball." I think that is a good step.

I'm not really advocating this show. It does heighten the weird sci-fi/tech trappings of gaming (the white room). And god knows playing a guitar after playing Rock Band is ridiculous (drums would have been a more interesting challenge). I have a bigger problem with how they dress some of the contestants (school girl's uniform? sideways baseball cap?).

All of this goes to my feeling that videogaming is taking baby steps into being an appreciated art form. My argument that the Grand Theft Autos of the world are the equivalent of EC comics in the 50s and that flash gaming is like the underground comics of the late 60s and 70s is all part of this.

Bits and pieces. Bits and pieces.

"I walked into a door."

There is a Lime-A-Way commercial on the air right now that involves a woman with a child going about town with her arm in a sling. She keeps telling people different reasons that she got hurt - roller skating, skiing, etc.. At the end she runs into another woman with her arm in a sling and they both admit it was from scrubbing.

Now, I assume the point is (1) Lime-A-Way takes the hard work out of scrubbing and (2) a scrubbing injury is boring.

But my immediate response when I see a young mother with a broken arm obviously lying as to what caused it, is that she is being beaten by her spouse. So now I associate Lime-A-Way with domestic violence.