Deal's Notes

Why I Love Wikipedia, Part XII

In the ongoing saga of Why I Love Wikipedia, Keg Stands.

My Super-Evil Plan

New York vs. California

A Comparison of New York and California

via six-word reviews of sxsw tracks, via waxy.

Hello motherfucker!!!
Kalashnikov`s a legendary portuguese band, pioneer of wartime rock `n roll: the music made for the battlefield. Born in Lisbon in 1996 soon they start to play in war scenarios to motivate the men to slaughter. From Bosnia to Colombia, from Afeghanistan to Tchetchenia, from Liberia to Iraq wherever`s war it can be heard the Kalashnikov sound. With over 2000 concerts given they are one of the most experienced bands in the world. Hate, destruction and violence are the inspirations of this band that will take your breath away. After all this years they finally recorded their first cd: Oh Yeah Motherfucker!!! One Thing is certain: you never heard nothing like this!!!

Stranger Than Fiction

Caught Stranger Than Fiction tonight after a late night finishing a build for QA. I felt that the movie suffered from its ending, and find that odd, as it's in keeping with the plot. The initial infographics reminded me of Nicholas Felton's wonderful annual reports, but without quite the same level of genius. Nevertheless, I loved the movie; it was able to keep me giggling the whole way through.

4/5 for the movie, 13/15 for the soundtrack.

Times Change

Oh, hey, lookee there. DST starts on March 9.

Where I Get Gaming Info

Most of my friends know me as a veritable encyclopedia of past and present videogame lore. Going to work at a predominantly male establishment has certainly blunted that reputation, but it still exists among my friends, and I still like to think that it's merited.

I subscribe to a lot of feeds, including Kotaku, Joystiq, Destructoid, GameSetWatch, Level Up, MTV's Multiplayer Blog, and other major gaming news aggregators; though they are largely redundant (especially the first three), they each bring a unique perspective to news I can use to inform my own.

But the major source of my gaming industry knowledge, and my major entertainment events of each week, comes from 1Up's podcasts, specifically 1Up Yours and GFW Radio. I've been listening to them for so long now that it's strange to think I don't know the hosts personally. Luke Smith was a favorite of mine; though I thought he might be an asshole in person, I appreciated his insight and humor. Shawn Elliot is my current favorite on both podcasts, for his sense of humor and perspective on narrative vs. story. Shane Bettanhausen is a douche, but a welcome one, as he provides most of the conflict that keeps the show interesting (when a developer isn't on; whenever I hear Denis Dyack, I know I'm in for a developer circle-jerk).

But my favorite was always John Davison, the former Editorial Director. His dulcet tones and even temper are sorely missed on the current 1Up Yours lineup (though Shawn is close). He left to found What They Play, which is a fantastic resource for understanding what kids want to play. And he has a great blog.

I'm finding Nearly Free Speech to be an absolutely wonderful web host. As I was preparing my minor-league prank, Nick Main Cannot Draw, I discovered them via an Ask Metafilter post, and they are simply the best, fairest web host I could possibly imagine. I might have more to say after more than three days, but for now, I wholeheartedly endorse them.

Passage didn't make me cry, but it did impress me with its simple interface and ability to generate complex reflections (aging, regret, and choices) through gameplay. I don't think Gravitation is as powerful, but it is still great. I enjoyed playing with my daughter much more than exploring, and spent most of the time jumping to hit the ball in mid-air.

I've been learning an awful lot about Flash and AS3 of late, and am really itching to find a good application. I simply cannot get on board with the idea of a Flash-based blog.