Monthly Archives: May 2012
The “Neo Geo X” Portable is One Tiny System of AWESOME!!
When I first read this story on my Google Reader feed a few months ago, I rubbed our eyes a little, read it again to be absolutely sure, and let out a high-pitched squeal in total giddiness like a little schoolgirl. My friends, this is the new handheld Neo Geo console, dubbed the Neo Geo X. If you’re familiar with the company behind the Neo Geo, SNK, and their history of quality controllers, publishing it’s game library on other gaming platforms, and even manufacturing handhelds before (R.I.P. Neo Geo Pocket and Pocket Color), but nothing quite as epic as this. However, still no word on a solid release date (other than a Q2 2012 release) nor a price, but this is definitely on my wish list.
The Architecture of “Metropolis (1927)”
The classic 1927 silent, black-and-white film Metropolis, from German director Fritz Lang, showcases a look decades ahead where futuristic urban dystopia cities are designed and built in vertical layers (rather than horizontally) based upon reflecting the varied social statuses in society. The film’s plot involves a futuristic city that is sharply divided between the working class and the city planners, and the son of the city’s mastermind falls in love with a working class prophet who predicts the coming of a savior to mediate their social class differences. The architecture of Metropolis could pretty easily be seen and recognized in several major cities across the world today, and shows influences from a number of architectural styles, including (but not limited to): Futurist, Art Deco, and Gothic.
“ECW Unreleased, Volume 1″ in stores June 5th
After catching wind of the news that ECW Unreleased, Volume 1 was coming out on DVD very soon (like June 5th, very soon) and saw the trailer (after the break), the first thing I did was pump my fists in the air and quietly chant to myself: “E-C-W!! E-C-W!! E-C-W!! E-C-W!! E-C-W!! E-C-W!! E-C-W!!”
Those were the chants heard at every show Extreme Championship Wrestling held, and still at times is heard in current matches today involving wrestlers who were once part of the organization. Since its founding in 1992 as Eastern Championship Wrestling, ECW became popular and revered for showcasing reality-based stories and characters and various international styles of professional wrestling, ranging from Spanish-style lucha libre to Japanese-style puroresu to hardcore wrestling, when no other promotion in America was doing it. Even after its demise in early 2001 (not including the rebirth WWE-run program from 2006 to 2010), ECW is still looked on with much respect from current wrestlers and fans.
Lifehacker Debunks Popular 10 Tech Rumors; Still No Bigfoot Coverage
Also, Unicorns Poop iPhone 5′s…
We’ve all heard, talked about, and even fell for these assumptions/myths concerning computers, the internet, smartphones, and various other gadgets. Thankfully, the wonderful crew at Lifehacker has put together a list with supplemental information that takes ten of those tech rumors down a peg. Hopefully, after reading their list, you will all be able to enjoy your techno-gizmos and whosey-whatsits without feeling duped and unprotected.
The list includes some favorites, such as: fully discharging your battery to prolong its life, jailbreaking and/or rooting your phone is illegal, wait for the newest processor since it’ll be “so much faster,” Macs are 100% safe from malware/viruses, public wifi is always safe, those “download this to make your computer run faster” programs, and those pesky retail store extended warranties. In reality, these myths just result in wasting your time, money, and risk messing up your precious gadgets. Click the link below, and check out Lifehacker’s top ten worst offenders in consumer technology myths.
[Thanks "Top 10 Pervasive Tech Myths That Are Only Wasting Your Time"]
The Censorship Towel Blurs Out Your Naughty Bits
Ah yes, nudity; the one thing that can make things awkward and uncomfortable in the gym sauna & showers (or a “too-close” incident at a pool party; I’ll leave it at that), plus the FCC doesn’t think too highly of it, either. However, we must remember that nudity can be very funny as well, especially when haphazard pixelation just increases the humor based on its design absurdity or the given fact that we ALL know what’s being covered up. Thankfully the Carmichael Collective, a Minnesota-based group, understands that humor and came up with the Censorship Towel, bringing to life that all-but-familiar, basic cable, blocky blur used to conceal any frontal or rear nudity on television.
Unfortunately, the censorship towel is only in its conceptual phase. The Carmichael Collective is well-known for coming up with merchandise that showcases “creativity for creativity’s sake,” which is fancy-talk for saying that many of the cool ideas they come up with don’t necessarily turn into real, tangible products. I guess I can deal with by boring, single-colored, prank-free linens for the time being. I’ll be waiting for this though….
[Thanks BuzzFeed & Carmichael Collective]
Frank Gehry’s Residence, 2012 AIA 25-Year Award Winner; Can You See The House?
I hope you can see it; it should be the easiest Where’s Waldo puzzle you’ve ever come across (remember Waldo kids?). The American Institute of Architects (remember them) conducted an interview with famed architect Frank Gehry — the recipient of the 2012 25-Year Award and architect of the Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial project — to talk about his unorthodox residence in Santa Monica that has hugely impacted and influenced architectural practice and theory in the last 30+ years. Plus, there’s a story that the Homeowner’s Association forced Gehry to put a chain link fence on the property, so he did; by incorporating it INTO the house itself. Now that’s what we, on the internet, call “pwnage.” Check out more about the house (and a video; ooh-la-la) after the break.
Fan-Made “Tetris” Movie Trailer. Better than “Battleship”? Likely.
Okay class, raise your hands if you thought adapting the classic board game Battleship into a full-length motion picture was a great idea? Come on, Hasbro; at least Transformers had a STORY. At least if Battleship got the opportunity to become a film, what about other intellectual properties with no story? You know, I’ve recently given Tetris a little bit of love, so what about that?
Above is a fan-made trailer for a fictional live-action Tetris movie, made by Warialasky. The trailer sticks with the main essence of its gameplay, which is just about falling blocks and the ability to rotate and shift their direction. Interesting, because I thought an easy (and obvious) story to attempt to attach to giving Tetris ANY type of storyline would be to insinuate that an attack of the falling blocks are a ploy by remnants of the old USSR, aiming for complete and utter world domination.
Must Gain More Patience Points: My Top 3 Games that are Delayed
Patience is a virtue. The Bible says in Hebrews 6:11-12 that “we desire each one of you to show the same earnestness to have the full assurance of hope until the end, so that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.” Anything that we have to wait for is typically worth the waiting, and the same can be said for video game releases. We anticipate a new game, hear and/or read the official announcement, keep track through previews, screenshots, trailers, and gameplay footage, plop down cash to reserve said game, anticipate the coming release date, then BAM; the game’s delayed for a few more months! Check out the three games I was looking forward to playing this late-spring and fall that are now being delayed until next year after the break.
Charge you Cell Phone with FIRE (or candles) & SCIENCE!
For the second time in the last month, the transformer on my street went haywire and the power went out on our street for a few hours. Fortunately, we had plenty of flashlights and candles (old school FTW) to keep the house well-lit enough; unfortunatley, my phone’s battery is about to die, and there was no available power. DIY weblog Tinkernut shows us how to power your phone with the heat of one of those candles, thanks to thermodynamics, thermoelectric effects, and a Peltier effect device.
WWE.com’s Most Underrated Superstars
After one of Joey Styles’ Twitter followers suggested that WWE Classics should do a list on some of the most underrated superstars in WWE history over a month ago, the Classics’ department dabbled in the idea of a roundtable discussion with several editors and in-house Hall-of-Famer Howard Finkel. Ultimately, the decision was made to ask a group of people would would understand professional wrestling nowadays more than anyone else would — the current WWE superstars.
Moby Talks Los Angeles Architecture
Musician Moby is best known as, well, a musician, but he has recently been receiving a lot of attention for his architecture blog on Tumblr that is centered around his fascination with the architecture of Los Angeles, California . In an interview conducted by 1883 Magazine, Moby talks about his opinions on some his personal favorites buildings, and he starts off with the Ennis House by Frank Lloyd Wright. Moby depicts that house as an ancient Incan spaceship from 100,000 years ago; even though it is recognized as being an example of the Mayan Revival style of architecture from the 1920′s to 30′s, but that’s ok. Check out a picture of the Ennis House and a preview of the entire interview after the break.
Gizmodo’s List of the 12 Biggest Missed Opportunities in Tech
The world of technology is full of success, but is mostly filled with failed, struggling and missed opportunities. This list created by Seth Porges of Gizmodo contains some companies and their products that, at one time, were very successful & innovative, but lacked any type of follow-through. Many of the companies on this list had a great handle on a huge market or were the first to venture into a new one, and just let it slip away. Maybe they couldn’t expand fast enough, didn’t see that they were on to something huge, but somewhere along the way they tuned themselves out, and their ideas were scavenged and made successful by others.
Learn Geography….based on a possible Zombie Apocalypse!
Sorry fellow nerds, but no “The Great Gatsby” hat-trick/triple crown today. However, I think this will do just fine.
Hockey and horse-racing terms aside, when it comes to education in America, we certainly can do better; we are declining in science and math, and many of our citizens are unable to even point out familiar states, provinces and countries on a map. One could assume that this decline could in fact be the first step to a probable zombie apocalpse, and if so, thank goodness for educator David Hunter. Hunter, a fan of geography AND zombies, developed a full middle school geography curriculum taught in the context of a Zombie Apocalypse. His project combines textbooks, teaching plans, and creative role-playing simulation to engage learning. Teachers and students will be able to learn real world geographic concepts by learning and applying their knowledge to survive in a world flooded by zombies with help of the curriculum’s books and learning materials.
Play the “lost” NES videogame version of “The Great Gatsby.”
Wow, is this my SECOND “The Great Gatsby“-related post in a single day? Dang, I’m on a roll. Kaiser. Toasted. With butter. Anyway, with the release of the official trailer to the next film adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby” set to be released on Christmas Day this year, I figured that this would be a great time to revisit one of my favorite online flash games from the past few years. The game itself is an 8-bit version of The Great Gatsby, made as a tribute to old-school NES games, and was created and developed by Charlie Hoey and editor Pete Smith.
