Scratchskunk

How I spent my Saturday

nobody@vox.com(markpasc) — Sat, 10 May 2008 22:31:29 -0700

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Films upcoming

nobody@vox.com(markpasc) — Mon, 05 May 2008 09:44:11 -0700

I'm not sure what Beau saw, but there are some totally awesome-looking movies coming out this year. For one, there are finally movies opening this upcoming weekend at the Cameras to see!

Iron Man (well, it opened this past weekend, but I don't see movies opening weekend, and I haven't heard an ill word spoken for it so I might as well see it)
Redbelt (already mentioned)
Son of Rambow (looks cute but I might miss it)
Speed Racer!!
Standard Operating Procedure

Coming soon:

Blindness
The Happening (looks better than its title sounds)
Henry Poole is Here
War, Inc. (looks like Idiocracy × Southland Tales × Why We Fight—could be a complete failure, but I am optimistic)
Pineapple Express (see the R-rated trailer on the official site)
The Fall (which looks like it's going to actually come to theaters!)
Get Smart
The Tracey Fragments (could be good)
The Dark Knight!!

Also the new X-Files and possibly Babylon A.D., but they don't have trailers out yet. There was some other trailer I saw for a comedy that looked almost okay, but then the title was in big red block letters. Nn.

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7digital

nobody@vox.com(markpasc) — Thu, 01 May 2008 12:14:52 -0700

I already use Emusic, Amazon MP3, and iTunes Plus. While I need another music store like I need a second face, I found one in 7digital.

This Gift

Gone Ain't Gone

I heard about Glasgow band Sons & Daughters on this episode of Sound Opinions, and their album This Gift sounded totally awesome... but didn't appear to be out yet over here. It's on Amazon now, but when I looked, I couldn't find it in any of the other music stores I use. When I searched the web for mp3 downloads to buy, though, I found it on some store called 7digital.

Then the other day, in anticipation of his new album, I decided to buy Tim Fite's first album Gone Ain't Gone... but I could only find it on regular iTunes. I had almost decided to just buy and unlock the iTunes version, but first I searched the web for it, and lo and behold, it's on 7digital! Songs you get there are DRM-free in your choice of MP3, AAC, or WMA (or all three), so I wouldn't even have to unlock them.

I presume 7digital had those albums DRM-free because they're a UK site with UK distribution license. They were fine selling to me when I didn't tell them where I live and paid with Paypal, though. However that is the major downside: 7digital prices albums at a reasonable £8, which Paypal converts to a steep-feeling $15. But hey, they're DRM-free! It can be worth it!

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TV

nobody@vox.com(markpasc) — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 21:33:32 -0700

If you were still in suspense, I did get the TV I bought:

IMG_1315

which has dramatically increased the number of wires in my place. I made trips out both the weekend I got and the weekend after I received the TV, to buy cables for the

new Xbox 360 I bought when I decided to buy a tv (HDMI)
Wii I already had (proprietary ↔ component)
free upsampling DVD player that got me to buy the thing (HDMI)
MacBook Pro (DVI ↔ HDMI)
white iMac (mini-DVI ↔ DVI ↔ HDMI)

IMG_1304

plus the new Apple wireless keyboard that's all the rage, so I can type from the couch. I also bought a USB extension cable for my mouse, as I couldn't find a wireless mouse that didn't suck and I didn't realize those cables don't actually work (plus it's way too long, which only made it worse, I imagine). Instead I had to stretch the regular Mac keyboard with USB socket out to use it as an extension for the mouse cable... but at least I was able to enjoy the season finale of Sam & Max season 2 in big screen amaze-o-vision.

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Anxiously awaiting

nobody@vox.com(markpasc) — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 13:30:21 -0700

Persona-fez

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The World Ends With You

nobody@vox.com(markpasc) — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 13:26:30 -0700

Yay, my copy of The World Ends With You (which the manual deigns to call “WEWY” in a couple places) arrived, just in time for lots of trainriding. I played through the first 90 minutes and it's actually pretty nice (though Contact lost my interest after a while too--I'm not actually much of an RPGer).

Here's the 1up Show review that made me order it.

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A post about テルミンを演奏するネコ

nobody@vox.com(markpasc) — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 23:21:46 -0700

テルミンを演奏するネコ

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Glad my neighbors aren't crooks

nobody@vox.com(markpasc) — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 18:40:49 -0700

What did I find waiting for me when I got home?

IMG_1290

At least now I know I do, in fact, need to leave a note asking UPS to deliver packages to the office when I'm not here.

I'd hope they wouldn't leave a big screen TV on the doorstep, but I'm glad they're not delivering it anyway.

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Games

nobody@vox.com(markpasc) — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 09:26:36 -0700

I told Nick (and the internet) yesterday that this, Twenty Lines, is the best boring Tetris clone ever. However, that was before I saw Tetroid 2012, a creepy, mashed-up Tetris clone for Windows PC that's actually “intended to promote ‘experimental’ electronic music, by means of an addictive catalyst”—that is, it's a cool Tetris++ clone that has a v/a netlabel release built in. So now I'm not so sure.

NTT040large

2008-04-01_0919

Speaking of simple games performed with panache, I also only just saw Haxed by Megahurtz (here on Kongregate) the other day. I totally want to actually play on my Wii when my tv gets here.

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Sounds of success

nobody@vox.com(markpasc) — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 12:21:33 -0700

adamv: “Now if only I could get the ‘quiet home office’ CD for my cube.”

Dan Benjamin, in “Offices and the Creativity Zone:”

Most people’s work environments, most typical offices, are actually harmful to the ability of developers, designers, writers, and other creative people to get into The Zone...

Right outside my window:

IMG_1284

My life is arranged for maximum co-incidence. THANKS, INTERNET.

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