Friday, June 11, 2010
The best trailer for a video game movie ever
Movies made of the goo of video games are notoriously bad. With few exceptions, Hollywood has only shown how bereft of ideas it is when it tries to attempt to get some of that video game money. And when I heard that Glitter City was gonna take a shot at not only making another Game Film, but a REBOOT OF MORTAL KOMBAT no less. The failure of the same treatment of Street Fighter wasn't proof enough?
But then I saw the following trailer / intro short for it, and admittedly had to pick my jaw up off the floor. If this film is shit, the folks that made the trailer need to get an Oscar.
Damn.
But then I saw the following trailer / intro short for it, and admittedly had to pick my jaw up off the floor. If this film is shit, the folks that made the trailer need to get an Oscar.
Damn.
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Yob's Steaming Pile of Awesome!
Why, hello there! And welcome to the inaugural edition of Yob's Steaming Pile of Awesome!
I'm your host... Yob. ...get how this works?
In my little corner of Emp-Ego, I pledge to bring you the internet.
No, not the WHOLE internet, that would be absurd! No, just the really funny parts. And not just the old, crusty, used-up funny from yesterday. I'm talking Grade A, Prime Cut, Top Shelf, Freshly-Shat, Steaming Piles of Awesome!
In honor of those who've come before me, I may, from time to time, highlight some of their work here as well, but only when they really deserve it. After all, even the greats can't make funny all the time, and I don't aim to just regurgitate crap from the big boys. I can make funny all on my own, dammit.
Soooo.... off we go!
Steamer #1 comes to us from, hell, God knows where. Looks like some Canadian guy named Frankie. Now, to be fair, Frankie is probably a really sweet kid, but damn if this isn't the funniest freakin' thing I've seen in at LEAST 2 days. (Hey, the net moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you might miss it.)
Anyway, I'll let Frankie do the *ahem* talking:
#2 has been making the rounds on the old intertubers today, and I conclude it might very well be the most honest, compelling and accurate account of the BP Gulf of Mexico oil spill to date. I mean, the attention to detail, the way the actors get inside the heads of the key players involved, hell the overall production value here is incredible. Truly a work of art. ...Oh, who the hell am I kidding?
And finally, #3 comes to us from Tosh.0. Now, like I said, normally I don't regurgitate shit from the big boys. I only make exceptions when it's particularly funny. Why is this funny? I really have no idea! It's an enigma. I just giggled my ass off when I saw it, so now I'm subjecting you to it too. Ain't life grand?!
To quote their original write-up, "I'm not sure where this image originally came from, but if I had to guess, I would guess somewhere fucking awesome."
And that does it for today's Steaming Pile of Awesome! Tune in... whenever I damn well feel like it... for more hard-hitting journa-.... ugh. To hell with that. I bring the funny. You laugh. Deal?
I'm your host... Yob. ...get how this works?
In my little corner of Emp-Ego, I pledge to bring you the internet.
No, not the WHOLE internet, that would be absurd! No, just the really funny parts. And not just the old, crusty, used-up funny from yesterday. I'm talking Grade A, Prime Cut, Top Shelf, Freshly-Shat, Steaming Piles of Awesome!
In honor of those who've come before me, I may, from time to time, highlight some of their work here as well, but only when they really deserve it. After all, even the greats can't make funny all the time, and I don't aim to just regurgitate crap from the big boys. I can make funny all on my own, dammit.
Soooo.... off we go!
Steamer #1 comes to us from, hell, God knows where. Looks like some Canadian guy named Frankie. Now, to be fair, Frankie is probably a really sweet kid, but damn if this isn't the funniest freakin' thing I've seen in at LEAST 2 days. (Hey, the net moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you might miss it.)
Anyway, I'll let Frankie do the *ahem* talking:
#2 has been making the rounds on the old intertubers today, and I conclude it might very well be the most honest, compelling and accurate account of the BP Gulf of Mexico oil spill to date. I mean, the attention to detail, the way the actors get inside the heads of the key players involved, hell the overall production value here is incredible. Truly a work of art. ...Oh, who the hell am I kidding?
And finally, #3 comes to us from Tosh.0. Now, like I said, normally I don't regurgitate shit from the big boys. I only make exceptions when it's particularly funny. Why is this funny? I really have no idea! It's an enigma. I just giggled my ass off when I saw it, so now I'm subjecting you to it too. Ain't life grand?!
To quote their original write-up, "I'm not sure where this image originally came from, but if I had to guess, I would guess somewhere fucking awesome."
And that does it for today's Steaming Pile of Awesome! Tune in... whenever I damn well feel like it... for more hard-hitting journa-.... ugh. To hell with that. I bring the funny. You laugh. Deal?
Podcasts you should know (part 2)
Out of sheer laziness I'm going to copy Shenanigans's idea and post about my favorite podcasts. I'm lucky enough to have a job where I can put on the headphones and consume mass quantities of audio input while still managing to squeak out a couple hours of productivity a day. I've discovered most of my podcasts through friendly recommendations and podcast cross-overs. Occasionally I go out on a limb and search for something new in iTunes. Over time my podcast subscription library has grown to an unwieldy size and I can't get through them all during the week. I may have to start listening to them at home while I play WoW just to stay up to date!
Today I went through and pared down the podcasts that have pod-faded or that I've lost interest in and I'm still sitting at 53 subscriptions. I'd say about half of them are on a weekly release schedule. Most of them are around 30 to 45 minutes each. Some of them are 1 to 2 hour long shows. In general I'm looking at about 30 hours of content to listen to each week! It's a tough job and I don't even get paid for it.
My purpose here is to shed some light on a few unique podcasts that I think should get more play and that you've never heard of and are worth the time. Shenanigans and I have similar tastes and it shows in our subscription libraries so I can highly recommend everything he's already pimped. I've added the "100 objects" show to my own list recently due to his recommendation. Now I know all about the importance of Korean roof tiles!
On to the podcasts...
Beware the Hairy Mango: I have to admit, the odd title is a large part of the appeal of this podcast. This is a pure shot of bizarre humor in a small bite-sized dose. It's like Being John Malkovich, but instead you're stuck in a fever dream of Matthew Sandborn Smith's.
The Drabblecast: Another bizarre collection of short stories, but this one is an anthology collected from amateur authors. I love this podcast. Norm Sherman is a fantastic host and narrator and the sound engineering is top quality. It is very professionally done and the topics are always outlandish, often humorous, and occasionally horrific. You'll hear Norm Sherman on other podcasts like Pseudopod, EscapePod, and PodCastle. I also recommend his solo album which you can preview and download. Support independent artists!
Geologic Podcast: No, this is not a podcast about earth science. This is a one-man hour long radio show performed by musician and satirist George Hrab and produced by his partner in crime Ms. Information. George got his start doing a college radio show and the podcast has that same appeal with regular segments and "guests", but he often strays from the script and does unique and unexpected things. It is a combination of advice column, comedy skits, musical interludes, science news and skepticism. Check out episodes 31.1, 52.1, 72, and 159 for some highlights and examples of how wildly different the show can be. Also you can check out his albums here.
Quackcast: Mark Crislip is an infectious disease doctor in Portland, Oregon, who uses this show as a cathartic outlet for airing his frustrations about the various scams and frauds of the "alternative medicine" movement. I love his dry witticisms and scathing comments. He's the medical equivalent of Brian Dunning of the Skeptoid podcast.
Reasonable Doubts: A trio of highly, potentially over-educated intellectuals discussing and debating religious beliefs in a skeptical light. Most of these guys either went to seminary or were religious at one point in their lives and then "saw the light" of science and atheism. Now they use their experience and knowledge to construct arguments to counter religious apologists. These guys know their bible and their "On the Origin of Species". I recommend it for everyone, it will challenge you regardless of your position.
Skeptics' Guide 5x5: A short format companion of the equally awesome Skeptics' Guide to the Universe. Short and sweet, one topic, staying on-topic, and an introduction to the skeptical rogues who host the main show. Learn something new.
The SubGenius Hour of Slack: On the other end of the spectrum, pure parody and satire of religion, the cult of the SubGenius is a smattering of conspiracy theories, cryptozoology, and pure hedonism. This rambling radio show usually has unique music inspired by the likes of other notable SubGeni like DEVO and Weird Al, along with culture-jamming news and TV mash-ups as well as the usual hosts' improvisational rants. Pure mindless excrameditation.
That's it for now. Check them out and let me know what you think.
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Podcasts You Should Know (Part 1)
Over the last few years, podcasts have become completely essential to the soundtrack of my life. Actually, calling it part of the soundtrack isn't accurate; podcasts are more than emotional accents, but rather something marrying music and news, bullshit and schoolin'. Podcasts (herein called "pods") do exactly what traditional radio never truly could; be completely unrestricted and for the most part democratic. What's good gets popular, what's not isn't canceled.
At this point I've listened to quite possible 200 different pods, some for just a episode or two, some are the original discoveries that hooked me into this world. What's been interesting is to see how this revolutionary medium has crept into the broader culture, but yet still is in many ways unknown. In an effort to offer the uninitiated to some of my favorite gems, much like a shadowy dealer on a lamp-lit street corner, I give you a taste of what led me down the path I find myself on today.
Presented in no particular order (because any single episode can percolate its respective feed to the top of my list):
The Nerdist - Longtime stand-up talent Chris Hardwick may be familiar to some, either through his various random roles (such as the original host of MTV's Singled Out) or his semi-regular appearances on G4 hosting Web Soup or Attack of the Show. Essentially an interview show, but in a very loose, yet productive conversational tone. Guests chat about virtually anything. Interesting guests too; Weird Al, Ok Go!, Stan Lee, and even The Muppets have stopped by.
NPR's Wait Wait Don't Tell Me! - The pod of the seminal weekly Radio Game Show of current events trivia. One of the very few remaining throwbacks to the Age of Radio, the back and forth between the host and panelists if engrossing, and frequently hilarious.
A History of the World in 100 Objects - From the BBC, this series details objects from the British Museum that represent a chronology of Human History. Narrated by Neil MacGregor, Director of the Museum, the podcast is utterly captivating. Very well produced, and MacGregor's elegant eloquence with slight Scottish Storyteller accent locks me in with every episode.
Onion Radio News / Onion News Network - The audio and video pods (respectively) for the best fake news site out there The Onion, ORN is a short (about a minute!) daily delivery, while ONN is not much longer (about 5 min). Anyone ever see the movie?
Finally, I'm cheating here but I'm recommending the family of pods from HowStuffWorks.com. A collection of blogs presenting research articles on virtually any topic, and many that you never thought of, they publish a collection of pods based on themes. My personal favorites are Stuff You Should Know, Stuff You Missed in History Class, and Stuff Mom Never Told You. Interesting and often just fun chemistry between the paired commentators, and always good material.
That should get you started.
At this point I've listened to quite possible 200 different pods, some for just a episode or two, some are the original discoveries that hooked me into this world. What's been interesting is to see how this revolutionary medium has crept into the broader culture, but yet still is in many ways unknown. In an effort to offer the uninitiated to some of my favorite gems, much like a shadowy dealer on a lamp-lit street corner, I give you a taste of what led me down the path I find myself on today.
Presented in no particular order (because any single episode can percolate its respective feed to the top of my list):
The Nerdist - Longtime stand-up talent Chris Hardwick may be familiar to some, either through his various random roles (such as the original host of MTV's Singled Out) or his semi-regular appearances on G4 hosting Web Soup or Attack of the Show. Essentially an interview show, but in a very loose, yet productive conversational tone. Guests chat about virtually anything. Interesting guests too; Weird Al, Ok Go!, Stan Lee, and even The Muppets have stopped by.
NPR's Wait Wait Don't Tell Me! - The pod of the seminal weekly Radio Game Show of current events trivia. One of the very few remaining throwbacks to the Age of Radio, the back and forth between the host and panelists if engrossing, and frequently hilarious.
A History of the World in 100 Objects - From the BBC, this series details objects from the British Museum that represent a chronology of Human History. Narrated by Neil MacGregor, Director of the Museum, the podcast is utterly captivating. Very well produced, and MacGregor's elegant eloquence with slight Scottish Storyteller accent locks me in with every episode.
Onion Radio News / Onion News Network - The audio and video pods (respectively) for the best fake news site out there The Onion, ORN is a short (about a minute!) daily delivery, while ONN is not much longer (about 5 min). Anyone ever see the movie?
Finally, I'm cheating here but I'm recommending the family of pods from HowStuffWorks.com. A collection of blogs presenting research articles on virtually any topic, and many that you never thought of, they publish a collection of pods based on themes. My personal favorites are Stuff You Should Know, Stuff You Missed in History Class, and Stuff Mom Never Told You. Interesting and often just fun chemistry between the paired commentators, and always good material.
That should get you started.
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