Whispers of the Muse

Frak, When Do We Get More Battlestar?

nobody@vox.com(Dylan) — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 19:44:06 -0600

L and I just finished caught the most recent Battlestar Galactica episode, "Revelations", over at my favorite TV-on-the-Internet website, Hulu.com. This was the last episode created before the Writer's Strike started, meaning we won't be getting any new Battlestar Galactica until 2009 at the earliest.

Just what the frak do they expect us to do? Do any other TV shows really compare with the awesomeness that is the new Battlestar Galactica? Maybe we'll take Anthony up on his offer to rewatch the Terminator movies, which might inspire us to watch the Sarah Connor Chronicles. I still have to get L through the last two seasons of Six Feet Under, but I don't think that will take us long. (And there's still season five of Babylon 5, but it's tough to watch since it pales in comparison to the rest of the seasons of that great scifi epic.)

So, any suggestions on TV shows we might try watching? We tend to prefer serial-type shows, rather than episodic ones, as we prefer our storylines to be long and complicated, but I'm game for any suggestions. I guess what I'm saying is: has anyone seen anything good lately?

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O'Reilly PWNED

nobody@vox.com(Dylan) — Wed, 09 May 2007 23:18:06 -0600

The Coolest 8 Year Old In The World Talks About O'Reilly

So it's really a talented young actress playing a character for a commercial for a band called The Bastard Fairies, but that doesn't diminish the truthiness of it. Blaming video games and music for societal problems is an easy cop-out and a tactic that shouldn't be worth the credibility it usually receives from society at large.

Unfortunately, we're all looking for easy targets. (Including some rather cheap shots at mainstream religion in this very commercial.) Admitting that society is fucked up because of other more complicated and less easily pinpointed factors just doesn't get you any airtime. The easy answer trumps the right one any day of the week.

(Via StumbleVideo on the Nintendo Wii.)

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Civic Duty

nobody@vox.com(Dylan) — Wed, 02 May 2007 22:24:40 -0600

Civic Duty

Why do the frickin'-awesome-looking movies always have a limited release? First it was Kinsey, then it was Confederate States of America, and now it's the upcoming Civic Duty. The fact that one of my favorite actors from Six Feet Under (Peter Kraus) is starring in it adds further insult to injury.

Damn you, Boise, and your lack of limited release films that I really want to see! I'll probably have to wait for The Flicks to pick it up sometime around 2008. So it's up to all of you that don't live in Boise (I'm looking at you, Jay and Emily) to go see this and blog about it in order that I might live vicariously until then.

(Thanks to my rockin' brother Drew for cluing me into this movie and thereby frustrating me with my inability to see it anytime soon.)

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My Pokemans

nobody@vox.com(Dylan) — Fri, 27 Apr 2007 14:35:05 -0600

My Pokemans

That's right, Erin. You're gonna have to start asking, "Let me see your ur Pokemans," each time you see me, because my copy of Pokemon Diamond has arrived.

Of course, my response will be totally like that gray cat on the right. Except way more snarky. Way.

But if any of you non-Erin people have Pokemon Diamond/Pearl, then I guess I'll show you my Pokemans. (My friend code is 0902 9257 8247; leave yours in a comment.)

But you have to promise not to show them to Erin. And you can't let Bilbo snuffle them either. (Even if he is way cuter than Pikachu.)

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Candy-Coated Chocobo Crack

nobody@vox.com(Dylan) — Tue, 24 Apr 2007 11:11:42 -0600

Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo Tales

Chocobo

L recently observed that her and I have more or less swapped the standard gaming stereotypes. She likes first-person shooters (like Halo) and "adult" RPGs (like Oblivion, Jade Empire, KOTOR) more than I do, which are traditionally thought of as "male" games. On the other hand, I prefer cutesy, simpler "E" rated titles (like Pokemon) far more than she does.

In that vein, I recently picked up a new game so sugar-coated and sickeningly cute that Ernie and L couldn't help but make cooing noises when I showed it to them. I'm talking about Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo Tales, which has all the trappings of a real winner for me:

Minigames? Check!
Microgames? Check!
Trading Card Game? Check!
Final Fantasy themed? Check!
A splash of humor and plot? Check!

Seven hours in and I've been getting a huge kick out of the game the whole ride. I hope I'll get to try out the WiFi multiplayer at some point, since this game seems really built for it! (My friend code is 386645-058467.)

My Pokemans

In related news, I gave in further to my weakness for cute, addictive games and placed an order for the brand spankin' new Pokemon Diamond. (Ernie's already insisted that she'll disown me for as long as the game's in my DS.) I haven't played a true Pokemon game since Pokemon Blue, so I'm already anticipating that 350+ of the poke-critters will be completely unfamiliar. At least I might finally be able to keep up with the kids at work!

So who cares if I'm not playing a bunch of traditionally macho games? I'm secure enough in my masculinity to love the cutesy games and not be ashamed. (Besides, my wife kicks my ass at any of the shooters, so I've got to have at least one niche, right?)

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You Don't Know Jack is Back!

nobody@vox.com(Dylan) — Sat, 24 Mar 2007 11:42:55 -0600

The interactive trivia show where high culture and pop culture is back on the Internet tubes! That's right -- You Don't Know Jack! is once again heating up the web scene. If you've missed the clever, witty humor of this crazy trivia game, you just might want to take a look. (I still blame/thank Eclipse for introducing me to this crack in the first place!)

(Via All My Faves.)

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What We Are

nobody@vox.com(Dylan) — Sun, 18 Feb 2007 22:37:52 -0700

What We Are

Take four-minutes and watch this profound and hilarious look at what we are. "As you can see, these are some fucked up monkeys. These monkeys are at once the ugliest and most beautiful creatures on the planet."

Courtesy of Ernest Cline and you can find more of these provocative short spoken essays here.

(Via StumbleVideo on the Nintendo Wii.)

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The Wheel

nobody@vox.com(Dylan) — Sun, 18 Feb 2007 11:13:47 -0700

Roulette

Found a gem of a short story this morning while surfing the tubes. Ever wondered what it would have been like if your parents had relied on a d10 while raising you? That every good or bad deed you committed resulted in random punishments or rewards? Read on for a tale of child psychology gone wrong.

I still remember the night when The Wheel came home. It was a big, wooden thing, although looking back now at its charred remains, it seems much smaller, far too small to have the sort of impact that it did on our lives. The Wheel was similar to the wheel from Wheel of Fortune or that “pick a random beer” wheel you see in some bars with large selections. It had ten sections, six marked A, two B, one C, and one the dreaded D. Whenever my sister or I did anything that would warrant praise or punishment, my parents would Spin The Wheel then consult The Chart.
read more

Sure, it's not a YouTube video or mp3 audio, but it's not a long read either and it's worth your time. And maybe, just maybe, there are circumstances out there in life for which dice (or wheels) should not be relied upon.

(Via You're so smart you probably think this post is about you on MetaFilter.)

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Not Your Disney-fied Fairy Tales

nobody@vox.com(Dylan) — Thu, 08 Feb 2007 22:36:27 -0700

Fables Vol. 1: Legends in Exile

Bill Willingham

Major kudos to Sarah and Aaron for gifting me what is my latest graphic novel crack: Fables by Bill Willingham. Even though it hasn't even been two months since I was given the first volume (Legends in Exile), L and I have already devoured our way through everything up to volume five. (And now I'm eagerly awaiting my library holds on the three remaining volumes in print.)

Not since Sandman (which Emily graciously introduced me to back in college) have I encountered a comic / graphic novel series that has captivated this much. The characters are richly developed, spun from the fairy-tale characters we all think we know so well, but infused with an all-too-human element of tragedy. Placing these deceptively familiar characters in modern-day New York, fleeing from the conquest of their homelands, sets the backdrop for stories rich with drama, love and loss, and (like Sandman) how much individuals can or cannot change over the course of their lives.

One of the things I love most is that Willingham is not afraid to drastically change his series, killing off major characters or radically changing their situations. Too often, I feel, a series is treated as a static, unchangeable thing. Nothing ever really happens, as opposed to life, where things can change as slowly or quickly or unpredictably as they want. Series like Fables and Sandman and the new Battlestar Galactica portray life far more realistically in that major things change from time to time. The series evolves as life does.

Give Fables a read, I'm sure you'll be pleasantly surprised. Even with the amount of neutering that Disney has done to so many fairy tales, you'll find that these fables still have teeth. And they aren't afraid to use them.

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The Best Show You Aren't Watching

nobody@vox.com(Dylan) — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 22:08:08 -0700

Veronica Mars - The Complete First Season

On the surface, it looks like just another teenybopper show. But actually take the time to watch the acclaimed Veronica Mars and you'll find a whole lot more than you expected. Rife with heavy issues like the struggle between rich and poor, date rape, gang violence, alcoholism, single parents and a whole lot more, this ain't your ordinary teenager show.

The first season kicks off with the murder of Veronica's best friend which sets off a cascade of difficulties for her, including her mother's disappearance, her father losing his job as town sheriff and her boyfriend breaking up with her. Unfolding a piece at a time over the course of the first season, this show sucks you in and doesn't let go. The second season follows a similar pattern, but raises the stakes even further, challenging Veronica to solve the mystery of a bus crash that killed eight students.

Whether you want a smart, witty, funny, puzzling or downright poignant television series, Veronica Mars has it all. Give it a shot and you might just be surprised by this sophisticated show about teenagers and high-school with a twist. As for me, I'll be eagerly awaiting the release of season three on DVD.

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