9-29-08

"I don't think I'll ever become an American, Mom. I don't think I'll ever forget Russian. And the main reason I'll never become an American is, because I don't like pizza."

-- Me, when I was 6.

Well, I still remember a little Russian, but I do like my pizza.

9-28-08

"Money can't buy you love, but love can bring you money. In software the only sustainable way to earn money is by first creating love, and then hoping that some folks want to demonstrate that love with their dollars.

The cheddary 'Free to Play' is not just a cheesy marketing slogan, but a shift in assumptions; it costs approaching nothing to give away some bits, or let people play Puzzle Pirates for free. Every player, free or paid, adds value to the community and excitement for other players. Free players are the content, context and society that encourages a small fraction of the audience to willingly pay more than enough to subsidize the rest.

'Not fair', the vendor of music or packaged software cries. Well, tough shit. Nobody added your business to the list of protected species, despite what your lobbyists and lawyers say. Find a business model that's actually appropriate to the 21st century."

-- Daniel James, at Penny Arcade

9-27-08

The farmers' market in Madison is the largest in the country.

9-26-08

Paul Newman died today.

9-25-08

Quick-change artists.

9-24-08

I generally try to keep this blog free of porn, but...I can't resist SFW Porn.

9-23-08

In Iceland, tipping is an insult.

9-22-08

Batteries don't have a constant charge.

9-21-08

Facebook borrowed a line from Google and introduced a Pirate language. It does make Facebook vastly more interesting.

9-20-08

Mario Paint Composer.

9-19-08

Speaking of new versions of classic games, Desktop Tower Defense has been upgraded too. There are new towers now as well as various challenge modes. Unfortunately, the old scoreboards have been cleared, so my mazes are gone forever and I'm going to have to relearn the game.

9-18-08

I don't know when this happened, but there's an expanded version of Stick RPG. That mall thing that was closed before is open now, and you can do crazy things like upgrade your house and play in the stock market.

The best way to make money is still just to max intelligence, though.

9-17-08

Monster's Den.

9-16-08

So Rock Band 2 came out and, honestly, it appears to be crap. The song list is lame and there's nothing new except a handful of completely unnecessary interface changes. I swore off the Guitar Hero series after witnessing the abomination that was GH3, but Guitar Hero: World Tour actually looks a lot more exciting.

9-15-08

Bioware is making a new RPG!!

9-14-08

Which is cooler: ninja dog or ninja cat? I think the cat is a little cooler.

9-13-08

"That's the kind of person that, even if there's no God, they're going to hell."

-- Sam, on Feng Shui consultants

9-12-08

I finally tried a burger at Culver's, the local fan favorite burger joint. It was pretty bad.

9-11-08

Officials: Burglar wakes men with spice rub, sausage whack.

9-10-08

Sam's Club is owned by Walmart.

9-9-08

When you take the GMAT, instead of scratch paper, you get a dry-erase board. Which you're not allowed to erase.

9-8-08

Incident

Once riding in old Baltimore,
Heart-filled, head-filled with glee;
I saw a Baltimorean
Keep looking straight at me.

Now I was eight and very small,
And he was no whit bigger,
And so I smiled, but he poked out
His tongue, and called me, "Nigger."

I saw the whole of Balimore
From May until December;
Of all the things that happened there
That's all that I remember.

-- Countée Cullen

9-7-08

I'm not sure what it is with me and pictures that are used as jokes in forums.

9-6-08

Imperius: I fully expect to meet you at the Pearly Gates, little thief, and don't you dare disappoint me.
Phillipe: I'll meet you there, Father... even if I have to pick the lock.

This is a line by Matthew Broderick's character in the 1985 movie Ladyhawke. Awesome line. Shitty movie.

9-5-08

Spaghetti Cat.

9-4-08

Amazons cut off their right boob so they could shoot a bow better.

9-3-08

Cool educational video about spiders.

9-2-08

Soul Calibur now has Mortal Kombat-style fatalities. What is this, 1992?

9-1-08

The new Firefox is ugly. My god, it is ugly.

8-31-08

Really, I'm not sure what to think.