Really good show, Brass Kings

On Friday night, my best friend Bill and I filmed the Brass Kings performance at the Cedar Cultural Center. If you're wondering, the Brass Kings are a kick ass folkish band. They provided most of the music in our documentary Bill's Big Pumpkins. It was an incredible show.

What's really amazing about the Brass Kings is that they are three men. One plays guitar and sings, one plays washboard, and the other plays a gut-bucket, essentially a metal tub with a broom stick and a rope. Unique to say the least, but it sounds awesome.

I may not have mentioned it much in my other posts, but I'm an amateur filmmaker. This was our biggest shoot to date, using 5 cameras simultaneously. It went quite well. The only problems we had (that we know of thus far) were lighting, some camera settings (some interlaced, some 4/3) but nothing we can't work around. Fingers crossed.

DeVry GSP CIS170 C++ Programming

Just got done with the online final for CIS170, part of DeVry's Game and Simulation Programming (GSP) degree. I was disappointed with this class, since it was pretty much review for me. Hard to keep an open mind when I was unchallenged, only spending 2 hours a week doing the homework and quizzes. I'm registered for the next programming class which should prove a bit more engaging.

XNA coolness

A coworker and I went to the local XNA MN user group meeting last Wednesday. I have to say I'm pretty impressed. Sounds like it could be fun so we're getting into it. Homebrew 360 games sound like it could be a lot of fun too. Me, I'm just itching to start making a game.

The Zune news was also just released at GDC which is also pretty neat. Makes me want a Zune. Too bad the DRM crap sucks. I don't know if I want the thing if all it can play is WMVs. That sucks.

Fox news!

If you're a gamer at all I'm sure you've heard about the horrible reporting that occurred on Fox News regarding Mass Effect's sex scene. The thing is I really wanted to go off on this, but its such a stupid issue. People learned their lessons I think. It behooves us, as gamers and intelligent people, to move on.

Let Cooper Lawrence go. She made a massive mistake and she admits to it. She's wounded and dying (at least her books are at Amazon and other online stores where comments are allowed). The difference is she admits she was wrong, retracted her comments and apologized. If you posted an anonymous review of her book unjustified, remember that fairness goes both ways. She learned the lesson the hard way, that assumptions don't hold up to truth. The real culprit is Fox News.

These same anchors, who wish for days of Pac-Man, are supposedly on the knifes edge when it comes to news and opinion? Does that seem fair and balanced?

new irritative amused defiant game boy"s love.

Searching for some classic Zelda, I decided to look past ebay and try and find another auction site. After a brief 10 minute search I found one listing and the Engrish is amazing. I'm seld.

From the bidding site ePier, the Zelda Listing.

Wii Internet?

I've been on the internets before. I know the Google and I've played with a Yahoo, I know what I should be seeing and this isn't it.

We spent the $5 on the Wii internet and I have to say I'm not impressd.

Up to...

Not much really. Back to work after the big break. With XMas and New Year's I was able to pull off 11 day vacation with only 3 vacation days, so totally worth it.

I don't think I mentioned it before, but I got my grade for my class, an A as I expected. My next class, a intro to programming in C++ starts on the 7th so that should be exciting.

Me and a co-worker went to the local IGDA meeting last night and it was really interesting and fun. Now if I can just get him interested in making a game with me...

Now playing: Mario Galaxy, Call of Duty 3, Puzzle Quest and Dual Strike with a little Brain Age too. Playing too much.

My Wii Story

I got a Wii!

I went to Target with my 4 year old Aidan for a few supplies before our New Year's Party. We spent 10+ minutes looking for this special butter popping oil to the chagrin of my son and some more time getting other supplies. I'm wasting time inappropriately since there are things to do before guests arrive but I want to get certain things done. Anyway, we move on eventually to the video game isle, specifically the DS they have on display. I coerced Aidan to accompany me by promising he could play some video games. As we approach I do what I always do at Target, look at the Wii spot and see if any happen to be in stock. No dice.

So there we are, Aidan's playing some candy matching DS game and I'm waiting for the video game playing to get over with. Then something happened, a Target employee with a white box and keys. He goes to the glass doors and opens and puts the box in the Wii location. I'm totally stunned. I don't believe it. I manage to say: "Is that what I think it is?" To which he repplies something along the order of "Yes, we just got a big shipment in." My jaw still open, I inquire more and determine there are 30 units in the store at that moment. He walks away to get more, door open. I whip out my phone and call wife, she responds in this gosh!-leave-me-alone-quit-bothering-me-about-how-much-you-want -a-wii-and-just-get-it-already-you-fool way that makes me leap to the open cabinet, grab box and throw it on cart. That's when I realize the isle is slowly filling with people. At least two other men of similar age and likeness have gathered in the isle and are on their cells, presumably calling wife for purchase permission.

So my trip to Target yielded me a Wii in the most unexpected way. I also grabbed Mario Galaxy. Aidan refers to it as a WiiWii which was borderline inappropriate at the checkout. Wife taught him that to make fun of her brother's recent purchase at Thanksgiving.

As for my impression of the Wii however, I'm not all that impressed. It's not really my kind of gaming system since I like a little more violence, smashing, crashing and/or shooting with my video games. I primarily wanted a Wii for the family game system. Aidan is extremely excited about it and strangely better at the boxing than I am. Though I think a untrained monkey could do better than me at the boxing. For now though, I am much more happy playing baseball or whatever with the Wii than the games we have for the PS2. And I am little apprehensive of the 4 year old manhandling of my DS, so this is exciting.