PAX East 2011 Afterthoughts

PAX East 2011 was my first official PAX and what an amazing time it was. It became such an incredibly memorable experience not because of the new games and free shirts but instead because of the fans and exhibitors that were there. Everyone from Tim Schafer to the guy in line with me at the Duke Nukem Forever booth won me over multiple times.

My friend Ryan and I headed out at 4 A.M. from our little town on Long Island and headed out with our sights firmly set on Boston. I had absolutely no sleep from the night before and had just got done working a seven hour shift which ended at midnight...and I was driving. The drive there was rough but luckily the overwhelming feeling that PAX exuded upon me when I first walked into the BCEC was enough to wash away all of my tiredness, mostly. We made our way around the enormous line of literally thousands to wait with what seemed like all of PAX to see Jane McGonigal, the author of Reality is Broken. We filed in and sat down for an amazing keynote speach, Jane was amazing period.

Now, on to what made PAX East so special. The games were undoubtedly incredible to play and watch. Seeing footage of Battlefield 3, Duke Nukem Forever, Portal 2, and others was a gift like no other. But being able to talk to fans of video games who were completely judgement free of everyone around them was unbelievable. It was easily the most comfortable feeling in the world to walk around the show floor and know that everyone was totally cool with whatever it was you were into. No one here was made fun of for liking WoW or Pokemon, instead they were considered the vast majority. I talked with so many awesome people who just wanted to voice how much they loved games and what games they were looking forward to.

Even the exhibitors were passionate and friendly. Their wasn't a vibe of "play it and go" instead it was play this game while I tell you its features and then tell me what you like and what you don't like. For them it's free beta testing and for us it's a chance to talk to people like Tim Schafer about Double Fine's awesome ideas when it comes to developing games and handing off projects to those who deserve it.

PAX East 2011 was beyond memorable for me. It was a birthday gift like no other and a memory I can't possibly forget. I highly urge anyone who even remotely enjoys video games to try and make it to a PAX event or even a similar video game trade show near you in order to experience the most passionate and kind people along with the most amazing and entertaining video games.

Thank you PAX.

So Damn Busy

School and work are combining forces to eat away at the small, and continually shrinking,entity that is my free time. As of late I haven't written anything because there has been nothing cool to write about to be honest. Besides working nights and getting a crap ton of work done for school before working those nights I haven't had much free time. But, there has been some time to watch some cool shows, finish a book, and see a great comedy show, guess I'll write about it.

I recently found that Anthony Bourdain's television show, No Reservations, has multiple seasons available for streaming through Netflix. I highly recommend checking out this series if you have Netflix and enjoy travel shows without the fluff and tourist stuff. Bourdain is a very likable host who has 28 years of cooking experience under his belt, multiple published books, and now his own show. The premise is simple and that is what makes the show so fascinating. Bourdain goes somewhere, he immerses himself in the local culture, and learns to eat and have fun like the locals do. That is the big message of the show, traveling somewhere and doing what locals do not tourist type activities. For instance, when Bourdain goes to Vegas he doesn't hang out on the strip he goes into Old Vegas or checks out up and coming restaurants. It's a great show and I highly recommend watching it for a different look at traveling.

As I mentioned I managed to find time to finish Motherless Brooklyn. The story was great, filled to the brim with twists and turns that were unexpected and deeply thought out. However, the most interesting and grasping part of the book was the main character Lionel. Watching Lionel and his outbursts due to Tourette's Syndrome makes the story completely unique. The character is so well developed and the tension is built very well due to his disorder. Parts of the book that would be boring and predictable are made tense and scatterbrained simply because Lionel is the main character. At one point he is sitting quietly in a Zen meditation session and certain elements of the story are coming together.

In a normal story it would be tense but not as tense as it is for Lionel who must suppress his urge to scream out the flow of words that stampede his mind during this peaceful meditation. It isn't just that the reader knows Lionel wants to burst out, instead you read each individual thought he wants to scream. It's truly an excellent and unique read.

To keep this post from going on too long I'll just post a video of Jimmy Fallon, who was at Hofstra on September 25th. He was great, big props to him for getting Hofstra's president to say "Balls in your mouth", and was incredibly down to earth as well.

Mad Men Season 1 Early Thoughts

I had heard a lot about how amazing the award winning show Mad Men was since it first debuted in June of 2007. The hype around the show and the astounding number of positive reviews made me want to start watching it but something always seemed to get in the way. The other day, to my surprise, Mad Men Season 1 disc 1 was in my mailbox from Netflix. Today I popped it into the DVD player and checked out the first two episodes, and I was utterly impressed.

The setting is 1960 in an advertising firm on Madison Avenue in New York City. The show's first episode starts by letting the viewers know that these advertisers were given the name "Mad Men" in the 50's and it was they who coined the term. Right off the bat you get a feel for the time period, dialog, motivations, ideals, and everything that matters to the characters.

There's Peggy, the new girl, who seems to be a lot more playful then she lets on. Peter Campbell, a privileged upstart who is poised to take the top spot in the ad firm. And Don Draper, the hot shot who claims that top spot and does so with all the style in the world.

Characters smoke often and give off a vibe as if they know viewers know it's bad yet they know their time period is just beginning to realize that. Some lines do feel forced as if edited to fit the idea of the time frame instead of written to feel comfortable. But overall it is a killer show with an absolutely commanding presence. Everything from the dialog, to the acting, to the costumes is top notch.

I've only seen the first two episodes and Mad Men has already won me over with its charm and style. I'm sure I'll be catching up in the upcoming months and hopefully it'll stay as incredible as the first episodes have been.

Here's a trailer for season 1 to give you a quick idea of the show



Line of the century: (Said by Don Draper to Pete Campbell in regards to his horny demeanor and young and reckless mindset.)
"I bet the world looks like one big brazer strap just waiting to be snapped to you..."

First and Last Post about Jack Johnson...ever

So we had to do a paper about something we didn't like and how it can be enjoyed even if we don't like it. The following is a paper on Jack Johnson, I don't even like that I did a paper about him. Regardless, here it is.

When Jack Johnson’s music comes on the radio, at a party, or on someone’s playlist it is usually a good time to leave the room. The no effort music coupled with the boring and pointless lyrics that make up 90% of music now a days along with a beach vibe that is supposed to be a memento to hanging on the beach is just unimpressive. Perhaps it is the fact that Johnson’s music is synonymous with the “bro” mentality of hanging out, pretending to talk like a surfer, and being self absorbed. Perhaps it’s the fact that the lyrics to the majority of his songs are lazily written and poorly received when you actually think about whatever it is he is singing about. Or perhaps it is the fact that he’s just a shameless knock off of much more impressive talent like Radiohead, Bob Dylan, A Tribe Called Quest, and The Beatles. Whatever the reason Johnson’s music is hard for me to appreciate and I don’t think it’ll ever reach any sort of pinnacle in my musical tastes, but understanding why people enjoy it is certainly possible.


Jack Johnson’s music is carefree and easy to listen to without a doubt. His songs and melodies are simple and approachable and his lyrics remain easy to remember. The music gives of a natural vibe, one that doesn’t need the extra additives of ambient sound, manipulated noises, bizarre twists, or even basic electric features typically found in today’s music. His songs are, mostly, acoustic and give off a purely natural sound that couple with his very smooth voice to provide a sound that is very easy to fall into and relax with. Johnson’s inspirations definitely bleed through when it comes to his music as certain notions of Dylan and The Beatles are brought to a forefront when he plays. That’s certainly a key to Johnson’s music, it plays off the popularity of music that people liked before and simply reinvents it for a different age group. It’s as if someone took Bob Dylan’s politically fueled and insanely creative lyrics and smashed them into basic language that could simply relay the message “chill man we’re on the beach”.


Listeners and fans of Johnson also have that instant bond that comes with listening to music that is considered massively popular but not overplayed. Johnson isn’t on the popular radio stations as much as GaGa and Miley so his music has a certain sacredness to it without going to far into the world of music that isn’t played on the radio at all. Johnson’s music appeals to those who don’t want difficult music or music that makes you think when you listen to it. It’s music that makes your mind go blank and your body go lax. Johnson’s music is music meant for a generation that wants to not worry about the future, there is nothing to get and nothing deep to understand. You don’t have to tilt your head sideways, place your hand beneath your chin, or use your ability of perception to figure anything out. The music is simply there, like a stack of banana pancakes, waiting to be enjoyed. It’s simple, it’s catchy, and it’s popular.

I absolutely refuse to put a picture of him on my blog,


I hate myself for this

Kinect

For those of you who like to game with the family and have a blast with drunken friends Microsoft's motion controlled device, the Kinect, is being released 11/4/10. The interesting part of this motion controlled gaming device is that it doesn't require any controllers at all. The device registers your body size and shape and you use movements as a way to navigate menus and play games. Games like Dance Central, Kinectimals, and the included Kinect Adventures! look like great family friendly games.


The Kinect is shipping for the Xbox 360 with a price of $149.99 which includes the sensor along with a game, Kinect Adventures!, and the Kinect is promised to work with every Xbox 360 as well. It looks like this will be the type of thing Microsoft hopes to capitalize on with the incoming holiday season. You can find tons of Kinect information all over the web, overall it looks really innovative and fun albeit a bit pricey.

Kindle Quickshot

I won't bother wasting your time or trying to write a lengthy review of a device that can be summed up so quickly. Honestly, if you're looking into e-readers and want to know what professionals think about the Kindle 3 go checkout reviews of it on the web.But if you just want to know the basics about the device without 3 pages of text hear they are.

1. The newest Kindle is incredibly light and easy to hold while reading.

2. It's access to Amazon is fast and easy to use and books are cheap to buy and quick to download.

3. The screen is beautiful and refreshes very quickly. (Yes it blinks like all e-readers, that's the e-ink technology)

4. The Kindle's access to blogs, magazines, and papers is extraordinary.

5. It costs $140 for the wi-fi only model and $180 for the wi-fi/3G model.

Basically it is cheap, slim, sexy, and easy to understand and use. If you like to read and want a device that will, in the long run, make reading cheaper and more compact go for a Kindle 3. If you already own a Kindle 2nd Generation I don't see any reason to upgrade but this was my first e-reader and I couldn't be more impressed with what I was able to get for the low price I paid. If reading is your thing in any measurable way I can honestly say a Kindle is well worth your time and money.

The Power of Language

I had a weird experience today while playing a game, Assassin's Creed 2, in Italian. The game, set in Italy, portrays the life of an angst fueled daredevil named Ezio. Assassin's Creed 2 is based in Renaissance Italy and tells a grand story of betrayal, revenge, and bloodshed...but that is neither here nor there. What was so astounding to me was how different the game is when it is played in Italian. I can only compare it to watching the movie Pan's Labyrinth in non-native English and then watching it in it's native tongue of Spanish. Regardless of one's ability to understand the language is not important, but the ability to understand human signs and meaning is. Understanding the words and the dialog is certainly important and even necessary at times but there is a universal language that can be understood without knowledge of all languages and without need for subtitles. It can be frustrating at times to not understand what is going on but I feel as though not being able to understand the language causes you to tune into the more intricate details of of human conversation.
Things like subtle eye movements, tone, physical reactions, and facial expressions are all lost when you focus on the language and try to hear every word that comes out of every person. But when all of that is stripped away you are much like a newborn child who is unable to understand the words being spoken around you. With those words taken away you tune into everything else, as if by instinct, to try and make sense of the situation. It's an interesting and exhilarating survival instinct that kicks in automatically as if your body is trying desperately to help you out. Without knowing a word of Italian it was clear to me the emotions and motivations of every character. My Spanish, being almost as bad as my Italian, made Pan's Labyrinth difficult to understand without subtitles but the overall message and plot was understandable after a bit of thinking. I'm not trying to downplay the importance of words, I'm a writer after all, but I am trying to show the amazing spectacle that is the human mind. The way it compensates for what you lack by making you notice things you've never paid attention to. What use is picking up on physical and emotional cues if every word is spoken out and every action planned and plotted? Give it a try, go check out a movie in another language or even more simply just try to have a conversation with someone and attempt to pick up on the cues and the emotions. See if you can reach into the conversation and garner more than what was said. It's an interesting challenge to try if nothing else.