Shadow of Mordor and a Rambling Lemming

(From Monolith Productions, Behaviour Interactive, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment; via Steam; used w/o permission.)
Middle-earth™: Shadow of Mordor™
Steam (steampowered.com)

"Fight through Mordor and uncover the truth of the spirit that compels you, discover the origins of the Rings of Power, build your legend and ultimately confront the evil of Sauron in this new chronicle of Middle-earth."
User reviews: Very Positive (6,301 reviews)
Release Date: Sep 30, 2014

Apparently Shadow of Mordor was released on September 30 of this year, except for folks in Australia, where they had to wait until Wednesday this week.

Actually, it's the game Shadow of Mordor that was released. As far as the Lemming knows, not shadows from Mordor have actually been released: nor are likely to be, since Mordor doesn't exist outside J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle Earth. At least, that's what the Lemming's read.

Shadow of Mordor: Premium and Otherwise

Folks can probably buy Shadow of Mordor elsewhere, but the Lemming only checked prices at Steam. There, it's $49.99 for the game. Spend $74.99 for the "Premium Edition" and you'll get items: Middle-earth™: Shadow of Mordor™, Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor - Season Pass.

Here's why Steam says you should get the "Premium Edition:"

"Upgrade to the Premium Edition to receive a digital download copy of Shadow of Mordor and Season Pass. The Season Pass gives you access to future content including campaign missions, additional challenge modes, quests, skins, and runes."

The Season Pass by itself goes for $24.99 — which is $24.99 more than the Lemming has to spend on entertainment just now. Travel — being a flannel-wearing lemmings has its advantages, and that's another topic.

Acclaimed by (some) Critics

Apparently Shadow of Mordor is a AAA game: big studio; big budget; big expectations. Wikipedia has a pretty good page about the game, including this excerpt:

"...The story involves the Rings of Power, but the story is separate from The Lord of the Rings canon. The Monolith team is working with Middle-earth Enterprises, Peter Jackson, and the artists at the Weta Workshop to make sure that the settings, characters, and story align within canon. Tolkien stated that, aside from Beren, dead men did not return to life in Middle-earth. The beginning of the game is set during abandonment of the watch on the Black Gate, despite that watch ending some 1,300 years prior to the game's start date.

"Plot

"Talion, a ranger captain, is part of a Gondor garrison stationed at the Black Gate. The garrison is attacked by Sauron's Uruk forces led by 3 Black Númenórean captains; the Hammer of Sauron, the Tower of Sauron, and their leader the Black Hand of Sauron (Nolan North). Talion, his wife Ioreth, and his son Dirhael are captured and ritually sacrificed by the Black Hand in an attempt to summon the wraith of the Elf Lord Celebrimbor. However, Celebrimbor (who suffers from amnesia due to his status as a wraith) instead ends up merging with Talion, saving him from death. The two of them set out to uncover Celebrimbor's identity as well as to avenge the death of Talion's family...."

Not surprisingly, Shadow of Mordor has been "acclaimed by critics," and other critics haven't been quite so enthusiastic. If the Lemming looked around, there's probably someone who utterly despises the game because it doesn't mention Space Pirate Captain Harlock. Not once.

Speaking of Space Pirate Captain Harlock, apathy is still rampant: but nobody cares.

That was a great deal funnier a few decades back. It wasn't particularly funny then, but moreso than it is now. Probably. Your experience may vary. For external use only. Not approved for off-road travel. Caution: may contain peanuts. Seriously, does anyone really think daft warning labels are a good idea? And that's yet another topic.

More than you may want to know about this game:

• Shadow of Mordor
  official site
• Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor
  Wikipedia

Vaguely-related posts:

• "King's Quest, Doom, and Candy Land: The Lemming Opines"
  (September 19, 2014)
• "Five Strange Video Games"
  (September 8, 2010)
• "Wolfenstein 3D - 18 Years Old, and Now an Online Game"
  (January 7, 2010)
• "Big Digital Game Show in - Where Else? - Tokyo"
  (September 27, 2009)
• "Microsoft, Windows, Internet Explorer, "Mere Anarchy is Loosed Upon the World," and All That"
  (May 11, 2012)

King's Quest, Doom, and Candy Land: The Lemming Opines

(From Activision/Sierra, via gameinformer, used w/o permission.)
(King's Quest Returns.)

"[Update] Sierra's New King's Quest Won't Be Point-And-Click, Will Be Adventure"
Mike Futter, gameinformer (August 16, 2014)

"Update: The Odd Gentlemen, the developer working on the new King's Quest game, reached out to clarify an aspect of its still mysterious project.

"The game won't be a point-and-click title in the traditional sense, but it will retain King's Quest's adventure roots. Below, you will find our conversation with Activision's MacLean Marshall about reviving Sierra and King's Quest.

"Original Story:

"One of the more surprising announcements during Gamescom was Activision's revival of the classic Sierra brand. The original Sierra, founded by Ken and Roberta Williams in 1979, was known for the King's Quest, Space Quest, and Police Quest series (among many others). Activision has big plans for the brand that include classic franchises and brand new creations...."

Apparently the Sierra brand was owned by Vivendi, which was acquired by Activision.

Instead of fussing about corporate greed, why nobody should use Microsoft, or the sky being the wrong color: the Lemming takes this opportunity to ramble on about creativity and all that.

Creativity will be involved in the Sierra reboot, since The Odd Gentlemen will be "...doing a contemporary reboot of King's Quest...."

At least that's what Mike Futter says The Odd Gentlemen said.

The good news is that someone will be thinking about the new-and-improved King's Quest.

'The Lemming doesn't know yet' news is that someone other than the original creators will be doing the reboot.

If The Odd Gentlemen is/are smart, creative, and have tastes that correspond to those of a flannel-wearing Lemming, the results could be quite satisfactory. To the Lemming.

On the other hand — Roberta Williams, who designed the original King's Quest series, understood storytelling. She had a particular style that shows in the original series. The games had 'personality.'

So, for that matter, did id Software's Doom. The Lemming enjoyed playing Doom: and King's Quest.

But think about it: what if someone decided to reboot Doom with a Super Mario Bros. feel? Or Candy Land with Doom-inspired graphics?

The Lemming thinks these posts are related — your experience may vary:

• "Roomba Review, and Dancing Robots"
  (August 17, 2012)
• "Nifty Screensavers: An Old Review, Micro-Reviewed"
  (March 8, 2011)
• "Farfel!"
  (February 6, 2011)
• "Five Strange Video Games"
  (September 8, 2010)
• "Pushpin Mario: New Dimensions in Cork Board Art?"
  (January 5, 2009)

Farfel!

"Farfel"
Farfel Puppets, Dogs, TVAcres.com

"Farfel - A friendly, floppy-eared hound dog puppet of wooden dummy Danny O'Day who was created and operated by ventriloquist, Jimmy Nelson.

"Talking with a sleepy drone, Farfel appeared in a series of Nestlés Quik chocolate commercials from 1953-65.

"After the little jingle of 'N-E-S-T-L-E-S, Nestlés tastes the very best,' Farfel in an extended yawn delivered the closing line 'CH-A-A-A-W-CLIT.'

"The distinctive snapping shut of Farfel's jaws after saying "CH-A-A-AW-CLIT" initially happened by accident during rehearsals for the Nestle's commercials when Nelson's sweaty hands caused his finger to slip inside the puppet. Luckily, the folks at Nestles liked it and the rest is history...."

There's more, about Farfel's ad-lib beginnings in Wichita, Kansas; Danny O'Day (puppet); Frank Marshall (not a puppet); and the Texaco Star Theater.

For the Lemming, this page was a short trip down Memory Lane. Your experience may vary. Particularly if you're under the age of, say, 25.

Think about it, though: 50 years from now, the AFLAC duck and today's version of Tony the Tiger may not seem quite as fresh and - sophisticated?? - as they do today.

Sort-of-related posts:

• "A Sentimental, Heartwarming Holiday Movie: Despicable Me"
  (December 20, 2010)
• "Roadside Attractions, Minnesota: Voyageurs and Nature; Animals and Birds; Fish and - Things"
  (April 14, 2010)
• "Yogi Yorgesson's "I Yust Go Nuts At Christmas" and the Hamms Bear"
  (December 15, 2009)
• "New Abraham Lincoln Statue Cheesy: Literally"
  (July 5, 2009)
• "How to Make Editors Hate You, Plus: Freelance Failure; and Writing Worser Than Nobidy"
  (January 12, 2008)

Christmas Lights & Music at Disneyworld

"Disneyworld Christmas Light Show"

camspeedy, YouTube (December 12, 2006)
video, 3:44

"Awesome Festival of Lights at Disneyworld"

A somewhat more conventional holiday light display, with Christmas music. There's quite a lot of crowd noise in the background - hardly surprising, considering the throng you see at the bottom of the screen.

This is clearly a 'home video' recorded with a hand-held camera.

I liked it. Enough to replay. A few times.

Oddly, the background sounds didn't bother me in this video, as they did in the one I micro-reviewed in today's earlier post. I suppose it could be because these people are moving around - and quite clearly in a normal - and festive - state of consciousness. Also, this video doesn't remind me quite so much of my 'good old days' in the sixties - which is a whole other topic.

Bottom line, watching this video probably isn't as much fun as a trip to Disneyworld: but it doesn't cost anywhere near as much, either.

Juggling Smorgasbord

"a juggling smorgasbord"

pogentertainment, YouTube (November 14, 2006)
video, 3:36

"A selection of some of our juggling takeouts and passing.

"For bookings or more info about circus performances and workshops, please visit http://www.circusentertainment.com.au"

Three - and, once, four - folks juggling Indian clubs. No food. Also no sound.

These folks definitely practiced before shooting the video: an impressive, if impassive, display.

Enjoy.

Carnival Splendor? Good News: They Didn't Get Sick; Bad News: There Was This Fire - - -

The Lemming has never had one of those cruise ship experiences: visiting colorful, exotic places while staying in the luxurious comfort of a floating hotel. Can't say I'm sorry about that, either.

Some of my kinsfolk have both the resources and preferences it takes to enjoy something like that: and it sounds fun. For them. The Lemming has been quite content to leave the 'cruise ship experience' in that voluminous list of 'maybe someday' things.

This week's news hasn't exactly been an incentive to change my policy:

"Passengers disembark stricken cruise ship"
Cruise/Travel on msnbc.com (November 11, 2010)

"The first of nearly 4,500 passengers and crew aboard a powerless cruise ship have disembarked in San Diego.

"A line of about 20 passengers of the Carnival Splendor wheeled suitcases down a ramp Thursday morning as a crowd waited at the dock.

"The ship's elevators are not working, and port officials estimated it would take about four hours to get everyone off the ship.

"The nearly 1,000-foot liner was hauled back by six tugs after an engine room fire Monday left it without power off the Mexican coast.

"Passengers have been waiting in line to eat sandwiches and other cold food since the fire. Navy helicopters flew in tons of food and supplies from an aircraft carrier that was diverted from maneuvers.

"Escorted by Coast Guard cutters, the 952-foot Carnival Splendor reached the dock at about 8:30 a.m. PST Thursday. About 100 people onshore cheered loudly as the ship reached shore, while all along the harbor tourists, joggers and fishermen stopped to snap photos.

" 'We're so happy to be getting off. Everybody's been cheering and clapping,' passenger Sahizah Alim, 26, of Sacramento, said by cell phone.

" 'It's been like a nightmare,' she said. 'There's been no food, no power, no electricity, no flushing toilets. I spent the night tossing and turning in my cabin in the dark.'..."

"...'We're eating spoiled turkey sandwiches and warm milk and warm yogurt,' passenger Joey Noriega told ABC's 'Good Morning America' on Thursday. 'Everything smells like it's spoiled. ... Nothing's cooked. It's all sandwich meat. It's disgusting. You're afraid to eat it 'cause it's been left out and touched by everybody else on the ship.'..."

Sour Grapes and Tainted Food

As far as the Lemming knows, there weren't literally sour grapes on the Carnival Splendor. It's a reference to "The Fox and the Grapes," and that's another topic. Sort of.

Considering what's happening in Haiti, complaining about plumbing problems and warm milk may seem trivial, even 'insensitive.' That business about not liking food that was "touched by everybody else on the ship?" With a running start, the Lemming could probably make that sound like a prissy objection by some spoiled rich person.

That's not gonna happen.

The Lemming remembers the sixties, and thought some of the groovy ideas actually made sense. Like poor people being as important as rich people. What made me something of a misfit is that I took that sort of thing seriously - and think rich people are as important as poor people. Which is another topic, for another blog. (A Catholic Citizen in America (November 9, 2010))

Not that everybody on a cruise ship is rich. Folks who are on the crew are there to make a living - and some of the 'rich' passengers can afford their tickets because they've saved money over the last few decades for one-shot luxuries like this.

While the Lemming's ranting about money, folks helping the folks in Haiti could use some. List of charities. I've written about this before. "Haiti: About the Earthquake, Relief, and Related Topics."

Where was I? Cruise ship. Fire. Evolving turkey sandwiches. Right.

The Carnival Splendor folks didn't, apparently, get sick. Or haven't started showing symptoms yet. Let's keep a positive outlook. They didn't, apparently, get sick: and the fire only stopped the ship. It didn't kill anybody.

It's quite possible that the folks running these ocean cruises smelled the bacon, so to speak, and cleaned up their act. Or, more to the point, their food service and sanitary procedures.

Remember "cruise ship disease?"

"Cruise Ship Gastroenteritis Outbreaks Show Sharp Increase Since 2001"
Medical News Today (March 4, 2006)

"Cases of diarrheal disease in passengers on cruise ships increased during 2001 through 2004, despite good results from environmental health sanitation inspection of the ships, a new study has found.

"Researchers led by Elaine H. Cramer, M.D., analyzed cases of gastroenteritis reported on cruise ships calling on U.S. ports for a four-year period, in a study in the March issue of American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

"The study showed that gastroenteritis outbreaks per 1,000 cruises increased overall from 0.65 in 2001 to 5.46 in 2004. However, ship environmental inspection scores were high during this period, with an average of 95 on a 100-point scale.

"Noroviruses are the likely suspects, according to Cramer, medical epidemiologist with the Vessel Sanitation Program at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 'Since the introduction of more advanced laboratory techniques that can positively identify noroviruses, these viruses have increasingly been identified as associated with cruise ship outbreaks,' Cramer said...."

Bottom line? The Lemming's glad that nobody got killed: and hopes that there isn't too much fallout - medical or financial - from this SNAFU.

"World of Color" at Disney: Sounds Cool (and Count the Buzzwords)

"World of Color offers private event for group meetings"
Chip & Company (August 28, 2010)

"Groups can elevate their next event experience at the Disneyland Resort to magical proportions with 'World of Color,' a new nighttime spectacular at Disney California Adventure theme park.

" 'World of Color' is a 25-minute visual symphony choreographed with revolutionary technology that takes attendees on a fascinating journey of Disney stories - charming and adventurous - in a whole new way. Created with groups in mind, the show offers a variety of private viewing locations that can accommodate everything from small executive groups to opening/closing galas of up to 6,000 attendees. Buy-outs are also available, which enables event organizers to customize the show with organization logos and other features...."

There's quite a bit more, written in the same press-release style, plus this photo:


See more images here..

Hats off to the Disney Company, by the way, for allowing folks to embed that image in posts like this. The "more images" in that required link are mostly icons for Disney Company promotionals, and a Pixie Hollow promo video. No problems with that: it's a commercial website, and that's how they make money.

About the "World of Color" article/press release: I haven't done this, but someone could play 'spot that buzzword' with it.

Still, that's a neat photo: and the Lemming's guess is that a show there would be fun.

How to Set Up Your Speakers

"Set Up Your Speakers"
Wired How-to Wiki

"Whether you've got the same cheap system you rocked in college or 10 grand's worth of high-fidelity frivolity, one of the most important factors in how good your audio system sounds is where you put the speakers.

"Sound can trip over objects, bounce off walls, get lost in a big fluffy couch, or fall to any number of other physical impediments. Poor locations will spoil the sound, while careful placement will bring out the best in your gear.

"Be prepared to consider and experiment with even the oddest position —- it could be your perfect solution. And make sure to read any documentation that came with your rig. Some speakers are designed to sit up against the wall, for instance, and knowing as much could cut out hours of pointless tweaking...."

There's quite a bit of text, describing a four-step process:

1. Pick a test track
2. Pick the right spot
3. Dial it in
4. Configure the whole room

If you think you've got a better idea, you're free to share it. Wired points out that their page is "a wiki anyone can edit."

It seems to be pretty much common-sense advice. Like "Pick a test track:" making sure it's music that you like, and don't mind hearing over and over (and over) again. It's not particularly technical, so you don't need to be an audio engineer to understand what's being said.

And, best of all from my point of view, the wiki doesn't assume that you've got all the latest state-of-the-art audio gear.

The Origin of Señor Senior Senior - Kim Possible Episode

"Episode 3 Kim Possible - The new Ron (1/3)"

RonBWL, YouTube (June 2, 2008)
video, 9:37

"If one day you think your friend should change his appearance, what will you do?

"Episode 3 Kim Possible - The new Ron

"[Content]

"Welcome to the new Ron! Today, Kim will give him a free haircut...."

If you like the Kim Possible series, enjoy.

If not, well, there's always the next post in Apathetic Lemming of the North.

Me? I enjoy the animated series.

This is an episode I haven't seen before - for reasons which will become clear when you view it. Briefly, it's the one where we meet Señor Senior Senior. And learn what happened to transform Señor Senior Senior from an eccentric "simple multi-billionaire" to an evil genius. Or, perhaps more accurately, who.

And a glimpse at the enigmatic Pinkie Joe.

Then there's Totally Spies - but I'm getting off-topic.

"Monkey See, Monkey Blue" - Who Knows? Somebody May Try This

"Monkey cops, when it's a jungle out there!"
Oddly Enough, Reuters blog (April 1, 2010)

"Okay boys, prepare yourselves for the new smash hit series of the fall TV season. This is the kind of high concept creativity that made network programming what it is today.

"It's about this small town that can't afford to fund its police force, so a bunch of monkeys come out of the jungle and take over the cop duties. Is that brilliant, or what?

"We're calling it 'Monkey See, Monkey Blue.'

"Imagine the possibilities! Milk come out of my nose when I think of monkey cops driving patrol cars, shooting at bad guys, eating doughnuts all the time….

"In the teaser a monkey cop handcuffs a robber, see, and then he takes out his Miranda card, we zoom in on his face, and he just grins and says, “Ooh ooh ooh..."

What's a little scary is that I can imagine a studio trying something like that. When you think about it, the premise isn't all that much less reasonable than many that have been made.

Besides: the 'Monkey cop' is real. He's not actually a law enforcement officer, though: more of a mascot.

Peter Graves, Mission Impossible, and All That

"Peter Graves"
Telegraph.co.uk (March 15, 2010)

"Peter Graves, who died on March 14 aged 83, appeared in a multitude of films and television shows during a career which spanned nearly 60 years, but will be remembered principally for his roles as a spymaster in the TV series Mission: Impossible and as a pilot in the spoof disaster movie Airplane! (1980)."

"In 'Mission: Impossible' he was Jim Phelps, leader of a special unit of spies and saboteurs. Each episode began with agent Phelps listening to a tape-recording of instructions which detailed his unit's latest mission; if any member of the team were captured, it said, the government would 'disavow any knowledge of your actions'. The tape self-destructed within seconds of being played...."

I was (and am) a fan of "Mission Impossible." It'll never eclipse, say, the works of Shakespeare in English drama: but it was fun to watch.

Peter Graves was on the screen or the voice we heard quite a bit: from Winning Your Wings (1942) to Darkstar (2010). That's according to the IMDB.com filmography of Graves.

I've seen him in earlier films: in one (I saw it well over 40 years ago, and the thing was best forgotten) he displayed some of the least-plausible and inspired acting I've seen. That may have been the direction. The impression left in my mind by the film is that it was one of those cinematic works with a budget just a little over what the studio executive spent on a night out, and about a week to slap the thing together.

Don't get me wrong: I think Peter Graves was a pretty good actor. Which may help explain how long he managed to stay in the business. Six decades is a long career.

Obituaries don't, as a rule, say bad things about the deceased. Even allowing for that, though, it sounds like Mr. Graves was easy to work with. In an industry with a reputation for being infested with self-centered, demanding, irresponsible prima donnas - and primo uomos - that must have been refreshing.

I suspect that Mr. Graves' willingness to take parts that weren't terribly fraught with artistic worth and social relevance may have helped him, too.

Somebody's got to make those pot-boilers, you know.

"The A-Team" is Back - With Pretty Good Casting

"The A-Team - Movie Trailer (2010) 'Official Trailer' "
[Embedding disabled by request]
M0vi3Tr4il3R, YouTube (January 08, 2010)
video, 1:35

"Date: 1/ 8/ 10 Carnahan and the Scott brothers say they will use the original premise of the series as the template for an action film. In the original, four Vietnam vets convicted of...."

I don't know how "official" this trailer really is, but it's one minute and 35 seconds of pretty good video.

I'm a fan of the original A-Team, and was reassured by one of my daughters that the movie makers could have done much worse on casting. I'll say this: I recognized who the characters were supposed to be.

H.M. "Mad Dog" Murdoch, as played by Dwight Schultz, was - unique. But the actor playing Murdoch this time around does a pretty good job. Good lines help: "If you look out right-hand side of the aircraft, you'll notice that the right wing is on fire." As delivered, that's unquestionably "Mad Dog" Murdoch.

---

A tip of the hat to one of my daughters, who gave me the heads-up on this video. (You know who you are!)

Wizards in Winter Light Show With Christmas Lights

"Frisco Christmas Lights - Wizards in Winter"

trykoski, YouTube (August 18, 2006)
video, 3:19

"The song is Wizards in Winter by the Trans-Siberian Orchestra...."

I like the music - and the light show is technically impressive. I particularly like the way the choreographer(?) had the display's wire-frame animals and the snowman popping in and out of sight. That, and wiring the entire lawn with a light matrix.

The Lemming micro-reviewed a video with the same music, but a somewhat more eldritch display a Sunday:

• "Extravagant Christmas Display - or - Oh, Wow: The House is Staring at Me!"
  (December 6, 2009)

More:

• "- - - Videos of Christmas Lights, Holiday Lights, and Music"

Cinderella Castle Christmas Lights, 2008: Pretty Cool

"Cinderella Castle Christmas Lights in Magic Kingdom® -- at Walt Disney World®"

DisneyParks, YouTube (December 7, 2008)
video, 2:15

"Everywhere you look in Walt Disney World, the holidays are coming to life, starting with the 200,000 lights that decorate Cinderella Castle in the Magic Kingdom and cover it with sparkling...."

This is a sort of short infomercial for Wald Disney World®. Turns out, the Cinderella Castle lights take about as much power as three clothes drivers. The fellow didn't say how big the clothes dryers would be: but LED lighting is quite energy-efficient.

Bottom line? Short, fun, informative.

More:

• "- - - Videos of Christmas Lights, Holiday Lights, and Music"

And Now, for Something Completely Different: Wine Angels?!

"Wine angels: wenches on winches?"
Oddly Enough, Reuters Blog (December 1, 2009)

"Blog Guy, many college seniors depend on you for career advice. Are there any new opportunities out there? I am a woman with a creative writing major. I enjoy swinging from ropes and being around alcoholic beverages. Any advice?

"Yes. Look into the exciting field of 'wine angelry.' Apparently some hotels and restaurants are now storing their huge wine collections vertically, several stories high, and 'wine angels' are sent up to retrieve bottles that are ordered, to entertain diners.

"What kind of system raises and lowers these angels?

"It's a series of tubes...."

"...Would I have to say anything?

"Just the odd phrase like, 'Table four, think fast!'..."

I'm an American citizen, and sort of like it when new, innovative, ideas get implemented in this country. In this case, it looks like the Swiss beat us in the wine angel race. The photos (there's another one in the post) were taken at the Radisson Blu Hotel at Zurich airport, a luxury hotel in Switzerland.

Finally, I'm inclined to agree with the blogger: a half-century back, something like this would have made a great "I Love Lucy episode.

Take a line through the 'candy factory' vignette:
"Lucy, Lucy, Lucy"

Plymer1258, YouTube (August 4, 2006)
video, 2:57

Christmas Lights: Holiday Lights, Anyway

"42,000 Christmas LED Lights Dance to Coca Cola Holiday Song"

jeffostroff, YouTube (December 7, 2007)
video, 1:15

"Our LauderdaleChristmas.com 42,000 LED holiday lights display with 112 channels from 7 computerized lighting controllers. I act as orchestrater, tell the lights when to turn on or off, fade...."

That's a pretty cool light show. And catchy music.

"Coca Cola Christmas Trucks Long Version"

bizkittoby, YouTube (December 31, 2006)
video, 1:00
"Holidays are comming !!"

No, really: the description read, "comming !!" It's an easy typo to make.

This is one of my favorite Coca Cola holiday season ads: right up there with their 'polar bear' sequence.

What, No Diatribe About the Crass Commercialization of a Holy Season?!

First of all, for me and my house, Christmas is more than 42,000 LED lights flashing on 112 channels from 7 computerized lighting controllers. I'll get back to that - in another post, maybe in another blog.

That said, I don't mind the annual Coca Cola ad campaigns that come during this season. In fact, I enjoy them: There's some serious talent and production values involved there.

And the LauderdaleChristmas.com display is (literally) flashy and fun to experience.

I'll probably find more cool (and, quite possibly, weird) holiday season displays to highlight this year.

Do I think that there's too much emphasis on the commercial aspects of Christmas? Yeah, probably: in America, at least. Other countries I don't know enough about to form an opinion. But hey: you'll get that harangue from someone else, unless things have changed a lot in the last few years.

The holiday display and television advertisement that I've micro-reviewed (mini-micro-reviewed, really - I was positively terse) are, as far as I'm concerned, okay.

Granted, lauderdalechristmas.com's logo says "Putting Christ Back in Christmas" - right next to "61,165 Lights, all 100% LEDs!" The website bills itself as "Your Destination for Animated Christmas Lighting Display Advice." I'm not savvy enough on the technical side of lighting displays to tell how accurate that self-assessment is: but the photos they show are cool.

Still, I'll take "100% LEDs!" over the seemingly-unending stream of more-or-less schmaltzy Christmas specials I remember from my childhood and youth. Almost without exception, they seemed to end with something like "and the True Meaning Of Christmas is feeling all warm and fuzzy inside."

That I could rant about: but won't. It's more fun to watch the pretty flashing lights.

Enjoy.

Delayed Gratification? What a Counter-Cultural Concept!

"Alt Text: New Cult Spares Members From Early Adopters' Pain"
Underwire, Wired (October 23, 2009)

"There are many strange religions in this mixed-up, modern world — Discordianism, Pastafarianism, the Church of the Subgenius — but one of strangest and most popular is the Cult of the New.

"People will pay more than twice as much to see a first-run movie compared to seeing it in a second-run theater or renting it and watching it at home. They'll pay $50 for a videogame that will clearly be a $20 'greatest hits' game before too long.

"They buy novels in hardback, comic books in their original run rather than waiting for the anthology. And then there are all those people paying $600 for video cards that, six months from now, will cost less than the shiny, full-bleed folding pamphlets currently being used to advertise the hardware.

"It seems to me that the best way to instantly raise your standard of living is to live in the past...."

"Live in the past"? Sort of: The author suggests picking up entertainment content two years after its release, and running it on the older equipment it was designed for. That's pretty counter-intuitive for many Americans, but I see Lore Sjoberg's point.

The article is light reading, with a good, common-sense message. And funny examples. Like "...it gets tiring listening to people rave about people playing Onechanbara: Bikini Samurai Squad on the Xbox 360 when you haven't finished The History Channel: Battle for the Pacific yet...."

I thought Sjoberg might have made up that title. But now, Onechanbara: Bikini Samurai Squad actually exists. And, judging by the review, is as tacky as the name suggests.

Exercising patience and restraint? I know: it's radically counter-cultural. But in this case, going against the flow seems to make sense.

A Marriage Proposal in a Video Game: No Kidding

"The Fallout 3 Marriage Proposal Mod"
the escapist (September 3, 2009)
(Includes embedded YouTube video, 8:17)

"A woman looking for a unique way to propose marriage to a hardcore Fallout 3 fan came up with an unusual but rather cool idea: She talked the community into making a mod for her.

"The plan started all the way back in June, when Bethesda forum user PuffyPuppy asked if there was any possible way she could propose to her boyfriend from within Fallout 3. After a few twists and turns it was suggested that a mod for the PC version of the game would be the way to go and, modding types being what they are, the game was soon afoot...."

A cool idea, indeed! The embedded video runs the viewer though a (probably-optimized) traverse of the Fallout 3 scenario. I haven't played any of the Fallout series, but have a passing familiarity with Doom. And, to date myself even more, I've played a 3D fist-person shooter called Castle Wolfenstein - which predated the 2001 "Return to Castle Wolfenstein" featured in Wikipedia.

The video had the violence which, in this context, doesn't bother me - and the drearily familiar crude language I've learned to expect. Again in context, the language actually is appropriate: not the 'I'm using naught words, so I'm real grown-up' relevance of an earlier and more dreamily idealistic age.

The idea of putting a marriage proposal in a video game is ingenious, the execution both technically and aesthetically showed good craftsmanship - at a minimum.

Now, if putting a marriage proposal in Fallout 3 was the only way of getting this chap's attention; and offering to be his "love slave:" Forgive me if I question the young lady's prudence. On the other hand, she did seem to specify a married relationship - and I certainly don't have enough information to form a reasoned opinion.

Again, technically: This is pretty good.

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A tip of the hat to #1 daughter, for the heads-up on this article.

Big Digital Game Show in - Where Else? - Tokyo

"Hands-On With Tokyo Game Show’s Hottest New Games"
Game | Life, Wired (September 25, 2009)

"Each year, the Tokyo Game Show lets rabid gamers get their hands on new titles months before the videogames hit store shelves.

"The allure of the sneak peek proves to be a powerful draw: Gamers stream in through the doors early in the morning and wait in line, sometimes for hours, for a chance to play what might be the next big thing...."

The Wired article starts out with Final Fantasy XIII ("Final"? "XIII"?!!); and ends with Professor Layton 4 and Ni no Kuni Shine: which probably means a great more to dedicated gamers than it does to me. I do recognize the Ghibli name, though: I'm not that out of touch with contemporary culture.

Gamers, and people trying to make sense of what they're talking about, might find this article helpful.

"Your Guide to Forgotten Restaurants in Columbus Ohio"

ColumbusRestaurantHistory.com
"Your Guide to Forgotten Restaurants in Columbus Ohio"

This site has been around since May 13, 1997 - and, judging by the counter at the bottom of the home page, I'm the 9,057th person to visit.

It's a treasure-trove of trivia - and a timeline - about the history of restaurants in Columbus, Ohio. And, if you don't find what you're looking for here: the webmaster's put links to other websites about Columbus restaurant history.

Odds are that you'll learn something if you visit this site. For example, I didn't know that the first White Castle in Columbus opened in 1929; and that the bar at Little Brother's (1100 N High Street) is not only long and made of cherry wood, but "was salvaged from another bygone Columbus institution, the Jai Lai restaurant."

ColumbusRestaurantHistory.com isn't the most polished and sophisticated website you'll ever visit. But it looks like a pretty good source for information - there's more than the 'White Castle' stuff I mentioned - and it's being maintained. The last update seems to have been September 3, 2009, about a week and a half ago.