TV. nightmares and dreamscapes

a while ago TNT had a mini series based on the short stories of steven king in 'nightmares and dreamscapes'. i had never read any of the short stories, but i saw the cast of people who signed up to do this thing and figured id tune in to see what it was all about. it turned out to be 8 short stories, each adapted into a one hour drama/mystery. some of them were really bad (the ones with claire forlani, tom berenger, jeremy sisto, and steven webber), some of them were kind of interesting (the ones with william h macy and william hurt), and then there was one called "the end of the whole mess" with ron livingston and henry thomas which was mind-blowing! i had to watch it a second and third time just to totally appreciate the story and its implications. in fact, among my friends, it actually was a turning point in our discussions and understanding of goals and the future. 'true north' is now a standard part of our vocabulary.

i believe the whole mini series is out on dvd now. if you get the chance, track down that one episode. it is truly amazing.

TV. sci fi channel

lately the sci fi channel has been doing some pretty good stuff. i keep hearing from all the critics that battlestar galactica is really good, but im still not going to watch it. dont know why, just dont want to. but some of the other stuff on the network has blown me away.

first off, for some reason that i cannot explain, i have recently begun to really enjoy 'stargate sg1'. im not entirely sure why i have been enjoying it- perhaps its the empty spot in my heart now that all the star trek shows are off the air, or maybe its a love for macgyver that just never went away. im not sure why, but ive been watching episodes every once in a while and just totally impressed and surprised by the creative plots and the great sense of humor the caracters share.
another awesome show that was on this summer is called 'eureka'. i didnt put much stock in it at first. the premise is this: a down on his luck shariff stumbles upon a town that is home to the smarted people in america. they are all working for the government creating crazy new inventions like invisibility. sounds kind of silly to me. but it is done really well. the guy who plays the shariff (colin ferguson) is hilarious and plays it just right. all the crazy people and all the people of the town are ernest about their work, but the show is perfectly ballanced in that it doesnt take them too seriously. i hear that it will be back for another season in the spring. i look forward to it!

the latest mini series that they showed was called "the lost room" and it was really good. the story is about a guy who finds a key that can open any door, and on the other side is a hotel room. after in the room he can go anywhere he wants. he begins to be drawn into a group of people who are collecting all the different 'items' that were once in that hotel room. sounds wierd, but it was really cool. the main actor is peter krause (whom i have loved ever since he was casey on sports night) and he does a great job as a detective who loses his daughter in the hotel room and now must do what ever he can to get her back. i was impressed with the way they were able to draw me in and give me significant answers that actually made me care more (something 'lost' should learn from...) some of the ideas and directions of the story were so thought-provolking, that two weeks later im still caught up in the story. the ending was smaller than i expected, but it hit just the right notes to say that this story is over, but the room isnt done yet. i hope this is something that can turn into an ongoing series, or at least another mini series or two.

GAMES. wii!!!

finally!!! the wait is over, i am the proud owner of brand new nintendo wii!!! i would have posted about it earlier, but ive been too busy playing it!!!
first of all, i must start by saying that i am a total nintendo fanboy. secondly, i must tell you the kind of gamer i am: i love to play video games, but on my own i usually play for about a half hour, and then im ready to move onto something else. im not into the games that take a ton of time to play and involve a huge 20 hour long storyline. i want pick it up, play for a bit, then be on my way. and with that, let me tell you about the wii:
wow!!! i totally love it. when i first hooked it up i was greeted with a screen of different 'channels' to choose from. i first selected (by the way, just the fact that you can point the screen with the controller and a little pointy hand shows up that you can move around a rotate, was one of the coolest things ever!) the 'mii' channel where i could go through and create a cartoony little version of me to play around with. jeffry lee and rex helped me pick the features offered that looked most like me. once we had my little guy made, we went back and selected 'wii sports'. this is the game that comes with the system. its five different sport games specifically created to show some of the functions of the motion sensitive controller.
i started out with boxing. yikes! i didnt suspect that i would be building up a sweat and getting a work out while i played video games! after a fight in boxing my shoulders were actually aching! next i tried golf. the controller is held like a golf club and you have to swing it to get a hit. i was really impressed with this one. i swung once, but it was too light, so i tried again but felt like it was too hard- and the swing chart on screen said that it was too hard! wow, who ever developed this did a great job of getting the swings right! as i was playing this i thought 'even my dad would love this game!' tennis, baseball, and bowling were also a blast. each of the five games are very simple, but it seems that this game is more designed to teach us the basics of what the wii can do.
the game i bought it is 'excite truck' and it is really cool too! this one isnt so motion sensitive, rather, its tilt sensitive. the buttons are for gas, brake, and turbo, but the stearing is totally based on tilting the controller the way you want to go. its kind of like the first time you ever picked up a video game controller and with out thinking you would lift up your controller when you wanted to make mario jump, except that you are supossed to in this game! the learning curve on all these games is so easy that it only takes about 30 seconds to get to the point where it feels perfectly natural.
it is a totally awesome system, and a totally awesome next step in gaming. i think i will be playing more than 30 minutes a day for the next few months...

TV. studio 60 on the sunset strip

i finally caught up with the show. i watched the first two episodes when they were first on, and really loved them. but since then ive been saving them up for just the right time. it seems that this week was that time!
this show is written by aaron sorkin, who also wrote 'west wing', and 'sports night' (which if you know anything about me, you know that i am totally obsessed with that show!) and he writes in a very unique style. his characters are fast talking and the pacing on the conversations does not stop! the characters love to walk and talk, usually through the sets quickly. also, they always seem to wait until the most stressful moments of the day to talk about their personal stuff. the writing is very witty and always takes three to four seemingly unrelated subplots and ties them with a strong theme that he wraps together at the end of the episode is a way that you probably never saw coming. very unique, and completely amazing!
with this show he does it again. its no sports night, but the seeds of greatness are there. sometimes the stories dont come together quite as strongly as they did on previous shows, but the characters are interesting, and the relationships are growing more and more fun to see unfold. and really, who doesnt love matthew perry?

GAMES. wii countdown

only one week left. seven more days. a whole week. dang, i am loosing my patience- i want it now! (im as bad as cartman...)
far too much of my thoughts lately have been taken up with the wii. i even made a special trip to target this week because i heard they had some wii related merch. they did, they had a bunch of wii magnets, so i bought them. (i am such a fanboy...) i am planning on standing in line saturday night to get it, but i didnt preorder it, so we will see how well that goes...
all this past week i have been plotting and planning what exactly im going to get with the system. it comes with wii sports, which has generic versions of tennis, golf, baseball, boxing, and golf. so, i know there will be tons of fun just playing with that, but i would like to get another game right away too. almost everyone will be anticipating the new zelda and picking it up, but i dont really care for those games. the last zelda game i really got into was the first one. almost twenty years ago. i am thinking instead of of getting exite truck. its a racing game, and those usually keep their replay value. and the idea of moving the controller like its a steering wheel sounds totally cool!
something that i just saw today in the newspaper ad for meijers showed that they are going to have a good deal on buying a second controller and getting the nunchuck attachment for free (worth 20 bucks), so i think if we can buy the system there, then i will get that second controller too.
how much time till it comes out now? shoot. still seven days. dang.

TV. lost

lately ive gotten into the habit of not watching shows for a few weeks, and then all in one night binging on all the latest episodes i have saved in one sitting. last night i did just that with lost. i hadnt seen any episodes since the season premiere this year.
now that im all caught up i have just one question: why should i still care?!? ive been watching this show since its first episode, but im starting to wonder why. the first season was really great, i loved the mystery, the questions, the cool flashbacks (especially the one with locke). last season i still enjoyed it, but it seemed like they lost their way a bit with the story. they have fallen into the habit of asking new questions and beginning new mysteries, but they kind of forget to finish up the last one, or answer any questions. at all.
and now this season they seemed to have just plain given up! they probably said to themselves 'so, heres what weve got so far: where did the polar bear come from? what huge thing ate someone in the plane wreckage? what was that crazy black smoke monster? whats with those numbers anyway? why do they have to keep pushing the button? whats that whole dharma thing about? why cant anyone leave the island? whats with the four toed statue? how come everyone seems to have interacted with each other before they got to the island?' and after asking all those questions, i assume they answered with 'screw it, lets just ignore all that and instead introduce 10 more main characters to our show. im sure no one will mind.'
this show quickly went from 'must see', to 'dont really care'. pretty sad because it was such a cool set-up.

TV. the exodus decoded

about a month ago the history channel had a new special on about the exodus. when i saw an ad i figured 'oh great, another documentary trying to explain away God. ive seen a lot of these types of specials and they allthink that they have come up with a new way to explain what happened and then they dismiss God because theyve figured out how it could have been done naturally.
this one was different though. it actually made the point, several times, that all of these explinations they are sharing instead prove just how God made it happen. the narrator makes the point "God does not work in spite of nature, rather He works with nature to achieve His ends." wow! i was quite surprised that they were giving God credit instead of trying to rip it way from Him. knowing that, i took the rest of the documentary more seriously instead of dismissing it they way they often dismiss God.
the guy behind this show takes the idea that a huge volcanic explosion in greece at the mountain of santarini was actually the cause of the plagues. he went through and showed a passage in egyptian hyrogliphs that talks about the gods fighting and destruction, which could be an account from their perspective. he uses an example of a lake in northern africa that actually turned red and eventually killed all the animals and some of the people. and this is a well documented event- it happened back in the 1980s. after going through those explinations, he then goes on to figure out where the real mount sinai is located, and also he claims to have an actual engraving of the ark of the covenant! all of it is really well done, they didnt skimp out on the special effects or anything- its even presented by james camron!
if you get the chance to see this on repeats or anything, i would strongly recommend it! i think im going to purchase it from the history channel website so i can use bits of it in class.

TV. random summer stuff

due to the fact that i havent been posting for a couple months, i just wanted to write a few things about summer stuff, please indulge me.
over the summer i did a bit of tv watching, and since most of the shows i like to watch are not new at this time, i have to be creative and find new things to watch. some of them are as follows:

last comic standing- i was glad to see it back, i really liked this show last time it was on. its kind of an american idol type show, except its better because you dont have to see mediocre singers sing karioke of old songs. instead, you get to hear some funny jokes and actually be entertained! some of the comics were really funny, but i was quite disappointed with the final winner. the guy who won suffered from some spinal problem that affected the use of his limbs. sure, he was pretty funny, but it really felt like a pitty win. the other two guys were funnier, and didnt just rely on the one note joke 'look at me, im crippled, isnt that funny!' like he did.

rockstar: supernova- ya, i know, this one pretty much is mediocre singers singing karioke of old songs, but its at least a bit more rockin. i really dug this show last year and looked forward to what this year would hold. it turns out that it didnt hold much. there were a couple stand-out singers, but the band decided on one of the worst to be their new lead singer. oh well. i guess thats a good thing, because the really talented singers wont be trapped down by a contract to have to play with these has-beens.

blade- wow! i really liked some of the movies (as expressed here), and was very interested to see what spike tv would do with an ongoing series. the character is cool, the background for his world is cool, i guess i figured they would screw it up royally. looks like i was wrong! the whole season was really great- the story was gripping, the twists were unexpected (in a good way), and the effects were top notch. i was very very surprised that it had the quality it did. this could have been a quick cash-in on the character, but it actually turned out to be an incredibly interesting journey into the world of blade and his mission to kill all vampires. i am really hoping that they renew this show for another season!

TV. its always sunny in philadelphia

i cant remember why i decided to give this show a shot. it was probably because its summer and there arent that many new episodes of my favorite shows. maybe i felt compelled to watch it after i heard how it came into being (a bunch of friends got together and made a pilot and brought it to the president of the fx channel, and he liked it so much he bought it and have them a quarter million to make a whole season. how cool is that?).
im not sure why, but im glad i did give it a try. this show is hilarious! its about three guys, a sister and dad, and all the crazy situations they get themselves in. now, i should warn you, this show is not for the faint of heart. they drop swear words like its going out of style, and the decisions they make are very bad and stupid.
what makes it funny though is that they go for it. if the characters come up with an idea, no matter how bad it is, they justify it and do it. for example: they want to get free money on wellfare, so they decide to become crack addicts. or, they pretend to be disabled to try and get chicks. absurd stuff, but thats part of the fun. also, no matter how much trouble they get into, the next episode has them all back to normal, cartoon style!
the actors are great too. the three friends are so mean with each other, they are actually more like brothers who like to annoy each other, actually. and some how they actually got danny da vito to play the father!
if you dont mind being offended, this show is really funny.

ps. dordt people: doesnt the guy on the far left totally look like ben visser?

TV. long way round

over the weekend i happened to catch this great show. here is the set up: ewan mcgregor and his buddy charley boorman decide they want to go around the world on motorcycles. this series captures their adventure starting in london and follows them through europe into kazakhstan, mongolia, russia, then on a plane to alaska, through canada, and finally ending up in new york. i remember hearing about this on the news when it was happening, so it was kind of cool to just happen to catch it on tv (they were showing a marathon of the whole series, so i missed the first one).
it was really fun to watch, to see the places they drove through, and also the people that they met. they would usually rely on the kindness of strangers for a place to stay for the night, which leads to some very interesting encounters... we also see all the hardships and struggles these guys had to go through. there were motorcycle problems, injuries, even times when they were faced with the fact that a road is covered in five feet of running gushing water. one fo the best parts of the show was just to see these two guys living out this fun journey. it is very obvious that they are very good friends and genuinely love and respect each other. their optimistic attitudes and sharp sense of humor keep the show entertaining and lively. by the final episode i was sad to see it come to an end (as were the two of them). i hear that there is a longer version of the show coming out on dvd that includes about three more hours of their trip. ill have to keep my eyes out for that.

BOOKS. the last days of socrates

this weekend i found myself just hanging out alot in my bedroom (mostly because its the only room in my house with air conditioning to fight off the 95 degree swelter). as i was chillin on the bed i was scanning the bookshelves to see if there was something that would hold my attention for a while while i cooled down. i came across this ragged old book. why do i have this book? well, let me tell you: i stole it from my brother. (this is going to be awkward if he were to ever read this. oops, i guess i should have thought that one through...) he was always really into philosophy and stuff, but growing up i never understood why, so i decided to find out. i took the book when i was in junior high or high school. i paged through it, but was quickly confused and tossed it aside. for some reason i held on to it, and all these years later i decided to pick it up and give it a look through.
i have studied socrates before, in college and on my own, but i didnt take that step of actually reading his stuff. im aware of his approach to logic and understanding, so that made the read even more interesting. i read the first section, a discussion with euthrypho, and began reading his apology before the court. it was really interesting to read through an example of his method in use. he would take every assumption that the speaker would have and then ask little questions that the other guy would agree to. each question a little baby step. he would add up those baby steps and by the end he would prove that what you are agreeing to now is in direct oppositon to your original claim. dang, that must have pissed of the people he would talk to, huh?
my brother was always really good at this. and yes, i did piss me off all the time.

TV. wakko's wish

i just so happened to notice this past weekend that i had free HBO for a few days. i looked at the schedule to see if there was going to be any good movies i could tivo, and i came across this: wakko's wish. my heart started to flutter! could it be?!? is it really what i think it is?!? could this really be a movie witht the characters from my favorite tv show growing up?!? i investigated further and discovered all of my wildest dreams had come true: there was an animaniacs movie!!! how this happened without my noticing is the biggest stunner of all. so i watched it and was not dissappointed.
the story revolves around a small town that is being taxed too much and everyone is about to lose their land. wakko decided to wish apon a star for some help. the star falls to earth and the first person to touch it gets their wish fulfilled. a race to the star ensues. the story was standard, but the great part was that almost the whole story is done in song! (which was one of the best parts of the show) and all the old cast was there! everyone from yakko wakko and dot, the goodfeathers, dr. scratchandsniff and hello nurse,pinky and the brain, mindy and buttons, the mime, they even had chicken boo! the best was a brief appearance by the jerry lewis character (oh, nice lady!)
now my excitement level is back up for this show, and just a little while ago i found out that the show is finally being released on dvd in july a day before my birthday (hint hint)! happy days are here again.

GAMES. why do i care?

i cant exactly explain why, but for some reason i have been come completely obsessed about the video game industry. which, really doesnt make sense, because i hardly ever play them. there are very few of them i actually like.
being a nintendo fanboy i am required to love all mario games (which i actually do), but i dont much care for any of the rest. the last zelda came i liked was actually the first zelda game for the nes! the only metroid game i like is metroid pinball for ds. i have no interest in war sim games, i certainly dont like first person shooters, and strategy games and role playing games are just too complicated or boring for me, i have no interest in sports, so i know i wouldnt care for a sports game, and id never even bother with an mmo because i dont have an extra three hundred hours of my life to invest in getting a level 40 whatsit.
i guess that just brings me back to mario games. oh, and i like puzzle games too. give me tetris on a desert island and id be all set. and for some reason i cant really explain i really like the ssx series. and thats about it.
for liking so few games, my new obsession over the game industry doesnt really make a whole lot of sense. i probably play only about 20-30 minutes of video games per week. but for some reason, i am hooked on hearing the latest about the new systems and newest games coming out, even though i know full well that i will never actually be interested in playing about 90% of them.

GAMES. nintendo wii (again)

ok, i think ive had enough time to think it over. ive decided that i love it.

GAMES. nintendo Wii

this is not exactly what i expected. when i heard that nintendo had finally announced the name of their latest console, i quickly hunted down the websites to hear the latest news. and this is what they announce: the nintendo revolution will now be called the nintendo wii.
hmm, really?!? i wasnt quite sure what to think. at first i wondered how one would go about saying 'wii'. is it like 'we', or is it like 'why'? after reading a bit more i saw that its pronounced 'we'.
its still i bit shocking to me. ive been really pumped about this console for a long time now (yes, i am a major nintendo fanboy) and each new surprise they announce has left me very stunned. the ideas they are coming up with are just so different that it takes a while for them to sink in. the first sight of the box itself, the first look at the controller, and now this.
im not really going to make a judgement on the name itself, yet. when i first saw the controller it took me a few days to understand what it could mean and the changes in would allow. i hated it at first and thought nintendo had blown it, but i quickly began to understand and get really excited about it. im thinking i should wait and allow this name to sink in as well.
i need to try it on for a few days and see if it fits.

by the way, here is what Nintendo has to say about the new name:

Introducing ... Wii.As in "we."
While the code-name "Revolution" expressed our direction, Wii represents the answer.
Wii will break down that wall that separates video game players from everybody else.Wii will put people more in touch with their games ... and each other. But you're probably asking: What does the name mean?Wii sounds like "we," which emphasizes this console is for everyone.Wii can easily be remembered by people around the world, no matter what language they speak. No confusion. No need to abbreviate. Just Wii.Wii has a distinctive "ii" spelling that symbolizes both the unique controllers and the image of people gathering to play.And Wii, as a name and a console, brings something revolutionary to the world of video games that sets it apart from the crowd.So that's Wii. But now Nintendo needs you.Because, it's really not about you or me.It's about Wii.And together, Wii will change everything.

COMIC BOOKS. understanding comics

i just rediscovered a website that i used to visit fairly regularly. back when i used to teach art this one came in handy a lot for coming up with new ideas and interesting concepts.
its the homepage of a guy named scott mccloud. he is a comic book writer and illustrator who wrote a book called 'understanding comics'. it is a really amazing book, it looks at the structure and rules of the comic book art form. what makes it even more fun, is that it is actually a comic book itself! scott mccloud draws himself to the book as a guide through the world of comic art, its really quite ingenious! he goes into a bit of depth about the history of the illustrated cartoon. he discusses the real definition of art. he breaks down the rules of comic books, such as pacing, iconography, what happens between the panels, etc. it is an incredibly interesting read. it will totally change your view of what a comic book is and what it can be. in fact, when i used to teach art i would do a unit on comic books and i would use a chapter out of this book as a textbook of sorts.

TV. the office

i totally love this show, and just yesterday i discovered this. it is a bobblehead of dwight schrute. for sale here.
must purchase now...

TV. american inventor

man, this show really sucks. ive watched it a few times hoping that it would get better, but it doesnt, it just keeps sucking.
the show has such a great premise, the idea of finding the next great invention. when i first heard about the show i was excited because i thought it might be cool to see new crazy inventions or fun new gadgets and stuff. thats what i hoped for, but that is not what the show gives us. here is the problem: instead of focusing on the cool inventions they focus on the sad story of the person who created it. the show is just one big long sob fest with short breaks to take a second or two to show the invention. and dont even get me started on the judges... they seem to be looking for a sad story to sell instead of a good invention that they could make money on. im sorry, but i dont buy a product because the guy who made it gets choked up and cries like a wussy when he talks about how excited he is to share his invention. just give me a show about the cool stuff being invented and leave the emotional manipulation to extreme makeover: home edition.

TV. attack of the show

i know most of you have never heard of 'attack of the show,' but its one of my favorites. and last week there was quite a shocker! for clarifications sake, let me explain the show: its an hour long show about the latest tech, gaming, and internet news. it covers movies, comics, and music too. its just an all around pop culture news type show. and on the show there are a few hosts. my favorite is kevin pereira, but i also really like sarah lane, brendan moran, and will oneal. the four of them are quite witty, really funny, and have a great chemistry together. but on thursday that all came to an end. sarah and brendan announced that they are leaving the show. it turns out sarah and brendan got engaged (i had heard they were dating, but they never let on on the show) and decided that they are going to take a year off and travel the world. crazy...
i guess its really great for them and i know they will have a great life, but what about the show!?! i know kevin can handle himself, but i wonder how much things will change? guess i could just watch it when it comes on in about an hour and find out for myself. yeah, i think ill give that a try.

GAMES. settlers of catan

ive never much liked strategy games. for me, 'risk' is about as complicated as i like to get. some of my friends in high school would always like to play axis and allies but i was never interested. another game they would play was settlers of catan. i figured this one was to complex for me too so i never tried it.
this weekend robb convinced me to give it a shot. i really liked it! i was wrong, this game isnt complex at all, it just looks like it is. in case youve never played, ill give you a quick rundown: you need to try and build towns, roads, and cities by collecting cards with different materials like clay and wood. its very fun and the gameboard changes each game which allows for a totally different game each time you play.

AUDIO BOOKS. teeth of the tiger

another book on cd i listened to on my trip to minnisota was 'teeth of the tiger' by tom clancy. i dont have any particular interest in clancys books, but i picked this one up for a different reason. one of the most important parts of a book on cd is the reader. the reader has to be good- after all, im going to be listening to his voice for the next six hours! one of the first books on cd i had ever heard was read by a guy named stephen lang and i really loved his voice. now i go to the library looking for what ever he read- not even caring who wrote it or what its about! if you dont know who stephen lang is, let me tell you: he played pickett in the movie gettysburg, and he was 'stonewall' jackson in gods and generals (both of which i really loved).
anyway, about the book: it was pretty good. i havent really kept up with the story of jack ryan at all, but the last book on cd of his that i heard (also read by stephen lang, go figure) jack was about to become the president of the united states. this one talkes place a few years after ryan is already out of office. the main characters are two of jack ryans nephews and jacks son (which i didnt even know he had one). it was about a group of terrorists who plan four attacks on middle america to scare us, and the three guys try to track down who was responsible and take them down. the story was interesting and kept me awake- which is really what it was for...
the one annoyance is that the book ended before the story did. but, i guess thats how tom clancy keeps people buying his next book.

AUDIO BOOKS. nothing's sacred

i did a bit of traveling over the weekend. i was planning ahead and figured id get a few books on cd at the library (it always makes driving time just fly by). the selection was limited, but i did find the book 'nothing's sacred' by lewis black. about my only familiarity with lewis black is from his occasional segments 'back in black' on the daily show. i really like his bits on that show and i figured id give it a shot. also, the book is read by lewis himself, which is absolutely necessary- most of the humor in his jokes comes from his delivery.
the book was quite interesting. its more of a biography/opinion type of book. he goes into the people in his family as well as his life in college and theater, but he also digs into his opinion about everything from religion to candy corn (the bit about candy corn is hands-down the funniest part of the whole book!). now, i dont often agree with his opinions, but his perspective is certainly unique and interesting. it made for many laughs, some thoughtful insight, and a very quick drive to minnisota, what more could i ask?

WEBSITE. catapultmagazine.com

this is a very cool site. its kind of an online magazine, and its a big forum for discussion. the site is created and run by a couple of people who i got to know in college. i got to know them a little bit, but after freshman year (i think) they left, so its been a while...
the 'magazine' is called catapult and features alot of great articles on that months theme. most of the articles are well written and thought provolking. another aspect of the website is the forum called 'culture is not optional' which is a phrase lifted from the advertising we used for a play i was in at college (called 'nobody move, and nobody gets hurt'). the forum is great. it is quite extensive and covers any topic you can imagine. the posts are usually insightful and interesting. many of the people who post are people i knew back from college, so its especially fun to catch up with them and read their thoughts.

GAMES. new name?

ive had my eye on the next generation nintendo console since it was first announced a while ago. this whole time it has always been called the 'revolution', but that has only been its code name. today there has been some buzz on the internet that there is now a new official name for the system: Nintendo Go
its interesting. im still not sure what to think of it, if its actually the legit name. i think i like it though. the one problem is that you would always have to call it the 'nintendo go', because just calling it 'go' sounds really wierd!
im a little hesitant though because there have been so many false rumors going around about this system that im not going to assume that this one is true. yet.

TV. how i met your mother

its always nice when a show you root for turns out to be worth it.
last year my friend and i rented the dvds from the show 'freaks and geeks'. i had never seen it, but she had told me, from what she remembered, it was good. so we thought we would give it a try. we both fell in love with it and immediately started looking to see what the cast was up to now. as it turned out two of the cast members had been cast in two new comedies this season. once i realized that i was all over it. i started getting really excited about seeing these shows. the first one was 'kitchen confindential' and it had the little brother geek from the 'freaks and geeks' in it. it was a bit of fun, but we all know what happened to that show...
the other one is 'how i met your mother' and has the character marshal, played by the druggie guy in 'freaks and geeks' who liked the main character. its nice to see that one of the two turned out to be something really special. although i think 'mother' is popular more for neil patrick harris' barney character. i totally love the show, its so witty and silly, and barney is just so outragously corporate america that it is great fun to watch. the dumb litttle phrases he uses are the perfect examples of frat boy mentality: 'suit up!' 'the lemon law' 'steaksauce'!
this show is quickly turning into one of my favorites.

BOOKS. paul, a novel

Paul: A Novel, by walter wangerin jr. this is an amzing book. it took me a while to get into it (roughly 8 years...) but once i got the premise it totally clicked! i recieved this book from my aunt for my high school graduation. i gave it a try, but the first chapter is kind of oddly written, so i gave up and put it away. all these years ive kept it, but never gave it another look. well, last year i decided to try again- and boy what a reward! ive never had a book move me to laughter and then tears before.
heres the set up: the book is a novelization of the book of Acts. it is the story of pauls conversion and three missionary journeys. but here is what makes it so unique: we dont really ever get inside pauls head, instead the book is writen from the perspective of all those around paul. some chapters are written from the point of view of barnabas, or james, or timothy, or titus, etc. all of these people give their side of what they think of paul and his actions. i teach the book of acts to middle schoolers, so this book has really come in handy for making the stories come alive. there are a few days where i read sections straight out of the book. the kids love it because its alot more personal than the straight narrative of acts.
the author of the book has done this with other books as well, he did a novelization of the old testament called 'the book of God'. i picked that one up, but it fails at exactly what made the paul book so great- it is very cold and just a basic narrative. he recently released a novelization of the gospels and recounts the life of Jesus. i havent read it, but i probably will.

TV. vw commercials

the first time i saw one of these crazy 'unpimp my volkswagen' commercials i thought it was totally stupid. but ive seen them a few more times now, and i have totally changed my mind- these commercials are great! ive only seen 2 or 3, but i think they are crazy and funny. i cant remember the name of the main actor, but he always plays the stranges of peole (the highlight certainly being in constantine when he played satan) and i like the idea of destrying all those stupid cars with the huge spoilers and spinner wheels and every other crappy car mods like in the fast and furious movies.

BOOKS. state of fear

ive written about this book before, but that was when i first picked it up, im a few hundred pages in now, so i figured id update my thoughts.
once again i am reminded how much i love michael crichtons writting style- its just so fluid and engaging. i just start reading, and before i know it an hour has passed!
anyway, im getting a better feel for the plot of the book. it has a lot to do with environmental stuff. one of the subplots has to do with a low land island wanting to sue amarica for causing so much pollution that the sea level is raising and the island will soon be under water. kind of an interesting plot point, but the majority of the book is all about pollution and environmental issues. but it actually tries to prove that all the environmenalists are wrong- the world is not warming at all, and in fact, the polar ice caps are actually getting bigger! the information is presented with such authority and with so much real world research behind it that i am actually wondering if the ideas in the book are true. the info is explained as accurate, and the writing is quite persuasive.
i think im going to have to look up some of the sources listed in the prefix of the book... that michael crichton, he sure can grab my interest!

TV. 24

ive really been getting into this show this season. ive never really been interested in the show before, but i deceided to give it a try this year. ive always liked kieffer sutherland (which is kind of wierd- i like him but i dont think ive ever seen him in a movie i liked. go figure...) and i think foxs promise of a continuous season with no repeats was what finally made me give it a try.
i have been enjoying it quite a bit. still not sure how these people can last a whole 24 hours with out having to use the bathroom, but i guess that wouldnt really make good television. one thing that has been cool is seeing some of the guest stars that show up. first we got to see sean astin, the guy who played sam on the lord of the rings movies, and just lately there has been a character played by peter weller- the one and only robocop! totally rad!!!
the best part is that the story has been continually filled with interesting twists and turns. they dont really have any fear of totally messing stuff up, or even killing off one of the main characters, as was shown this week.
the show is about half way through, and i am looking forward to what jack will do next!

WEBSITE. thinkwonder

back in college a friend of mine, mic, created this website called 'thinkwonder.com' and it was awesome. it had this whole non sequitur radiohead vibe to it. one of the best parts about it was the discussion board. it was always lively and the posts were always interesting.
recently another friend of mine, reuben, has resurrected the discussion board. it has been cool talking with those guys again and doing the discussion board again. i commend reuben on hosting the site and getting it started again, but heres the big problem: no one seems to have anything to say! discussion boards are only cool if people are actually having discussions! so, i am writting this post to invite you to sign up at the discussion board so that we can have more people involved who might actually post something... the link is here.

TV. attack of the show

dear attack of the show,

i really love your show and i watch it when ever i can. i enjoy the different segments that you have, and i really love the hosts kevin, brendan, sarah, and will. they are very entertaining to watch and fun to listen to.
the best part of your show each week is the tuesday episodes with the 'dvduesday' segment with chris gore. may i humbly make a suggestion? please expand this segment. actually, i think you should pull it out into a complete half hour show hosted by chris gore and shown every tuesday.
hey, it would be better than that 'cinematech' crap you put on now...

thank you.

ps- are you ever going to announce who won the cohost job? i assume it was will, but he wasnt really one of the choices...

BOOKS. max lucado

you know what ticks me off? whores. i dont mean the prostitute kind (although i not a fan of them either...), i mean people who take advantage of their success by producing crap just so they can get more money.
the biggest culprit i can think of is max lucado. many people will be mad at me for saying this about him, but he is truly a book whore. if you dont know who he is then you obviously havent been anywhere near a christian bookstore. ever. let me tell you about him: he writes spirituality books that are at about a 4th grade reading level. the spirituality in them is very very shallow. he rarely tries to dig deep below the surface, he would rather just explain everything with 'warm fuzzies'. his style is all story based, no matter what he is talking about he always seems to have a story about someone who is down on their luck or just lost their child, and that person is miraculously made better and all their problems are solved because they said 'jesus'. seriously, thats about as deep as he gets. i have read a few of his books and i have found very little substance, rather, its filled with manipulative emotional garbage.
im sure the guy is nice and all, but you can tell he is writing for an audience of 60 year old women who collect 'precious moments' figurines.
but the thing that bugs me the most about him is the way he takes advantage of the 'christian scene'. (its actually sick that there has to bee a 'scene' at all. christ tells us to make an impact in this world and make disciples of all nations, but how are we going to do that if we live in our own 'christian' bubble and never participate in the real wold? sorry, a bit of a rant, let me get back on topic...) the crowd he is writing for are people who think buying a christian book and supporting the christian industry will somehow turn others to jesus. lucado takes advantage of this by flooding the market with product so people will think its their christian duty to buy it all.
have you seen the sheer amount of books this guy has published? i would dare say that he has a book, journal, study guide, or reissue released every single month of the year. and that goes double around christmas. every time he writes a book they release the book, a response journal, a study guide, a version for kids, a version for men, a version for women, a version for college kids, etc.
im not sure why i bring this up, i guess i was just walking through a christian book store this week and was really disgusted.

TV. an unexpected heart

tuesday i found myself moved by the most unexpected thing. i was catching up on my tivo watching and i spotted a new episode from monday of the late late show. i always love that show, craig ferguson makes me laugh hard.
i start it up expecting some of his trademark scottish humor, but things are a bit different tonight (i could tell right away- he was wearing a tie!) it turns out that over the weekend craigs father passed away. i guess it was reruns last week because craig said that he got to spend the week with his family and father in the hospital.
he spent the monologue talking about his fathers life and some of the things he remembered about him. it was really moving, actually. the rest of the show was devoted to his father. dr. drew was on to talk about grief and how we can heal and learn from it. then a traditional scottish band, called "wicked tinkers" played a song for his father. it was a bagpipe and a couple drums. the last guest was amy something-or-other... i dont remeber her last name, but she was the wife of john ritter before he died.
it struck me as really moving and cool that someone would want to go through the grieving process in such a public way. im sure many people found it helpful in understanding their own grief.
yet another reason why i love that show...

TV. lost (actually, not the one you are thinking...)

i have a tivo and periodically it will record shows as suggestions that it thinks i might like based on my recording history. usually i erase the suggestions right away because its for stupid shows, but every once in a while it will record something i didnt know about, but that i actually would like to watch. one example of this is a show on G4 called brainiac- its really great, but i had no idea about it until tivo introduced me.
yesterday, during the lazy sunday afternoon, i was checking out the suggestions and i saw the entry 'lost'. i thought this strange because it wasnt the abc show. actually, it was an old reality show that was on nbc back in 2001. the premise is that six people, three teams of two, are dropped in the middle of nowhere, blindfolded, and told they will win 100,000 dollars if they are the first team to make it to the statue of liberty. they are given basic suplies, and about 300 bucks, then sent off on their way to fend for themselves.
a really interesting premise and the show itself was actually really good! they had a marathon of the first season on sunday, so i got to see the whole trip in one afternoon and was really drawn in by the journey and people. they ended up being put in the middle of bolivia and struggled at every turn to afford transportation and food. as far as reality tv goes, it was really solid because they didnt try and streach the story out, it was only three episodes.
anyway, i was impressed.

GAMES. ssx on tour

i dont usually like sports games, but i do kind of dig 'extreme' sports games. my old roommate in utah turned me on to tony hawk and we had a great old time playing that for hours and hours. after i moved i was informed by him that i must buy a game called 'ssx tricky'. i wasnt quite sure what to expect. but i came across it new for only 8.99, so i figured i couldnt go wrong. what a surpise! that game rocked! then 'ssx3' came out and it was even better than 'tricky'!!! when i got it i would play an hour or two every night- i was obsessed! it is still one of my favorite games of all time. if i were stuck on a desert island and only had one video game i would take 'ssx3' because i could still sit and play that one for 3 or 4 hours at a time.
over christmas my parents got me the latest version- 'ssx on tour'. i havent had much of a chance to play it until last night. it is quite different than the last two, but that addictive fun of the series is still in full swing! some of the additions are fun like hand railing and other contests, but i miss a few of the aspects from 'ssx3' like being able to go down the hill in one fast run. an amusing little addition is the ability to play as mario or luigi- they even have the voices and coin noises. quite cool.
i think i will reserve my judgement on it until i have played a few more hours. i am hoping the new style and structure will grow on me as it has in the series before.