Ace Ventura 3!

http://movies.ign.com/articles/805/805623p1.html

What a disaster.

http://rawstory.com/news/afp/US_reversal_on_Iran_intel_reflects__12072007.html

Readin this makes me happy.

"But their willingness to set aside all previous assumptions flowed from a determination not to repeat the errors made in 2002, when bogus intelligence on Iraq's weapons of mass destruction set the United States on a course to war, they said.

And unlike 2002, when US intelligence officials complained of administration pressure to "cherry-pick" intelligence that supported going to war, the intelligence community this time has asserted its independence.

"This is ours," a senior intelligence official said this week, telling reporters that policymakers had no input in the conclusions of the National Intelligence Estimate, as the assessment is called."

--

Inefficiency and groupthink occur when people are afraid to question things. Religion, government... pretty much any organization will eventually fail or be overcome by the voice of one. And since the voice of one inevitably is corrupted, it's a negative consequence for all.

"He who joyfully marches in rank and file has already earned my contempt. He has been given a large brain by mistake, since for him the spinal cord would suffice. " - Einstein

If MGS4 goes multiplatform

If MGS4 goes multi-platform..

Metal Gear 4 must sell 1 Million in first day to justify cost

Then...

1)
it's over for PS3. Completely, utterly finished. They'll have nothing left to look forward to. They will literally start pitching the PS4 and swallow a multi-billion dollar loss.

If you know me, you know I am pretty optimistic about things that can be learned from mistakes, about creativity in general. That said, you probably don't know JUST how angry I get when I see colossal failure as a result of miscommunications and LACK OF LISTENING. I hate the idea of this juggernaut corporation of Kaz Hirai and his yesmen sitting in isolation saying YES, everyone will want a $600 console, YES all the publishers will come to us EVEN if our system costs too much for the mainstream consumer and is impossible to program for. I hate the idea that Kaz Hirai who is for all intents and purposes a dimwitted fellow has the power to try (and fail) to control the gaming experience of an entire generation.

They were so fucking retarded with the PS3. Let me just say first: it takes a genius to make something out of nothing, and they did with the Playstation 1. They beat N64 to the punch, made the system accessible and easy, and used the Sony name wisely. Then, with great wisdom, they marketed the hell out of PS2 to consumers and publishers, and timed the release well.

Now let me say: to MAINTAIN the type of juggernaut success experienced by the previous Playstations, it takes only one key component: ears. You have to listen to the world that is so different than it was when gaming stepped into 3d. You have to see what people want. Do they want more polygons? Do they really Kaz? What a moron. Blindsided by yesmen. That's my completely accurate and not up for discussion analysis of this situation.

Why did they insist on Blu-Ray? Why the fuck did they price it at fucking $600? Why is the online functionality terrible? Why is it tough to program? Kaz Hirai is RETARDED. Dead.


2)
It's GREAT for me. I've always wanted a Wii and X360.

Wii because there's no doubt that Mario Galaxy is a one of a kind experience on the Earth. Plain and simple, you're going to live inside the insane dreams of Miyamoto, the Japanese GODFATHER of games. There would be nothing without this guy, and he pretty much invented the controller to match his dreams. Talk about the dream life for a creative guy.

X360 because you just know nobody (except Google) would ever beat these guys at online integrated play. It's smooth, and easy to program for, so all kinds of developers will try new things. I would just have to pray that FF would jump over too, but Konami and Square have always sort of been buddies.

I'm not even going to talk about how two great Japanese companies will begrudgingly have to head over to America to sign up for the next big thing.

That Kaz Hirai guy could honestly, I"m not fuckin joking, be sniped, or forced to seppuku. This is THAT collosal of a failure. One of the biggest I"ve seen in my life.

Ahh that felt nice to write.
peace

Top 50 Women Entrepreneurs

http://www.entrepreneur.com/women50/index.html

Advice for getting into Gaming

I got an email the other day asking about how to get into gaming, and I wanted to post up the reply. Might as well do it here :)

--

I think a lot of people love to wax on how dificult it is to get into gaming, because the guys with the jobs want to add prestige to their position.

The truth is, it's quite simple. Make games now. Take a day, make a game just as you would dream of making it. A small text based game? A small fun physics engine? A card game? Talk about it on your cover letter.

Secondly, examine job postings. People want DirectX experience for Graphics Engine jobs, so write a paper on it for a work report this term, and tell them you did next term.

That's the plain and simple of it.

As for GDC, you just have to really dig into yourself to pull out something innovative to say. I talked about the reasons I found games to be on the verge of becoming interactive art, then cited examples like Half Life and Metal Gear.

Good luck, and keep me informed :)

p.s. Everybody wants to be heard, as evidenced by my long email. Write an article for the school paper, call EA, and say you're writing for a school paper and would like a 10 min interview with the head developer. Talk about ins :)

The Number One Issue This Election

Poll: Bullshit Is Most Important Issue For 2008 Voters

The Force Bii Wiith you

Wow, the quality of posts (and thought) has plunged to sub-tmac levels.

Wii Lightsaber Next Week

Les Choses Interessant

Coming back to this graveyard of a blog darkens even the remnants of my broken asparagus-based blood pumping organ. Since I last posted here, I was actually - believe it or not - shot by a bullet. A magic bullet. In the heart, by Lauren (the co-author of CD).





What the hell is going on in these videos? Do they live in some sort of commune? "Good morning Berman!", some woman exclaims as Berman apparently wakes up off the couch. Who makes these? And that woman with the cigarette? She's just smoking indoors while they make fruit smoothies? This is the best stuff ever.

Also, here is a link to a bunch of the best moments from "Whose Line Is It Anyway?"

http://dailywtf.net/2007/09/25/best-whose-line-is-it-anyway-moments/

Peace,
Neil

Ill music videos

Kanye West: Can't tell me nothin'



TV on the Radio: I was a lover



Bob Dylan: (clip from No Direction Home)

Haloid: Two Worlds Collide

If you play games, check out the best fan-made animation I have ever seen.

http://www.gametrailers.com/umwatcher.php?id=57998

What would you do with $39.99?

...probably something a lot farther from brilliant than me.

Because for exactly that amount, I just picked up a small plastic case of magnetic tape off TSN (The Shopping Network). It's probably in the top ten "discoveries by Neil for the human race".

After buying the tape, I stuck it in my magnetic tape detection translation device and then copied the data to my binary information machine. I then made my small digital communications device pump out ones and zeroes corresponding to the intial magnetic data onto another computer accessible to anybody on Earth with a similar binary machine



I knew this video was legit when I saw the scrolling text that advertised purchasing it within the movie itself. Either this movie had a theatrical release (more than likely) or they know that most people who see this need two copies: one to watch and one to cherish.

Keep keepin' on, Keepon!

New Keepon/Spoon video!! Great synthesis of Japan + robots + rock music in this video:


Keepon is a Japanese Robot "designed to perform emotive and attentive exchange with human interactants (especially children)". If you want to see the original Keepon/Spoon video, click here. Also, this one is neat.

Edit: Just found an interesting article about this robot here. Apparently the robot runs software which can pick out the main beat in a piece of music, and it moves to that beat; i.e. it is not pre-programmed! Actual quote from article: "Robots that dance have enormous amusement potential."

Democracy gets a facelift from its billionaire buddie, capitalism

Democracy and capitalism have always been pals. They formed their friendship over shared respect for the voice of the people and the brave notion that an individual can make a difference and succeed based on his or her natural abilities. Today, an experiment will commence to see how these two political and economic ideologies can fuse to become more than just vague ideals and rallying points for proponents of "freedom".

No longer will we walk away from the poll booths shaking our heads in mild wonder, dumbfounded at the political jargon that attempts to sway us into believing that our one vote will make a difference. One voice, one vote. Equality. But doesn't capitalism teach us that the most enterprising, the most innovative, the most strategically adept participant will be rewarded with the most wealth and power? Does the idea that each vote is equal, regardless of the mental capability or the level of apathy of the individual, really jive with a system that rewards excellence? Democracy champions rights and freedoms distributed with equality and equity to the entire population, while capitalism throws its clout behind the best and the brightest. Can these two ideas be reconciled?

What is your vote really worth?

We here at creepydudesfromthebasement are going to test exactly that: the economic value of a single vote.

An IRL friend of the creepydudes has been a staunch non-voter since turning of age, much to the dismay of the author, and after being repeatedly bashed over the head with arguments from all sides as to why his apathy gunked up the democratic system we all know and love, he has decided to sell his vote for the next federal election!

So let the bidding commence. Can both of our systems exist in terms of the other? Democracy in terms of capitalism, votes for money... in the perfect system of supply and demand, which governs itself based on sellers having an abundance of something and buyers being in want, wouldn't it make sense that the votes would transfer from the hands of those who are politically apathetic or ignorant and do not care to have a vote to those who are passionate and politically educated and who deserve a louder voice?

I start the bidding at $1 CAD.

Cowabunga

-L.

August 6, 2007: Humans are Forever Changed

August 6, 2007. We all change today! This is fuckin' real boys, move your folks out of the cities, we're about to get smoked, and I'm not talking about Bohemia, I'm talking Brohemian Snapsody!



-Pierri J. Blige

r-p-o-p-h-e-s-s-a-g-r by E. E. Cummings

---

I propose that e.e.cummings is likely the granddaddy of "l33t h4x0r sp33k". And, to me, he makes infinitely more sense than a lot of the internet gibberish i read online, like web2.0?! wtf... and cookies? i mean come on, all i want to do is scarf down some mr christie when i hear that. srsly folks, this is synth poetry combining meticulous engineering of syntactical and cerebral aesthetics at its best. rspkt.

-L.

Interesting New Appendage to English!

Reuters, Dublin --A group of professors (pictured left) from the University of Dublin announced this week that they intend to introduce an appendage to the English language. Triggered by the proliferation of what's known to Internet discussion forum users and bloggers as "elitespeak", the group announced that several of the machinations could easily, and should be, applied to use in the English language.

To add to the issue, the group also introduced a new innovation that they created themselves. Termed the queston, the new method of ending question-based sentences shortens the entire length of novels by up to 300 characters, thereby saving paper.

Basically, the queston involves ending a question-based sentence with a capital letter rather than a question mark. For instance : How do I feel about reading this far into this articlE

Early adopters indicate stupidity.

Is this blasphemY

Kojima's Final, Legendary Tale - The Guns of the Patriots

In 1987, in a fit of creative frustration and inspiration, a young Japanese game developer named Hideo Kojima decided that the Famicom Entertainment System was capable of delivering video games as an artform rather than a simple pastime. Scouring his own passions and dreams, he emerged with a simple idea: intelligence. He felt that intelligence was completely absent from the gamut of twitchy arcade-based shooting games that dominated the Famicom at the time. Fusing his uncanny knowledge of fun with his desire for complexity, Kojima conceived of a new, artistic video game experience with intelligence, depth and precision. This Famicom game would be called Metal Gear, and would later be released in America for the Nintendo Entertainment System to critical acclaim.

Mashing together a globe-spanning plotline with the personal story of a soldier, Kojima's first masterpiece augmented truly revolutionary gameplay with the passion of a single man. The story revolved around Solid Snake, a United States Foxhound Secret Operations unit rookie embarking upon his first mission into Outer Heaven. Through the twists and turns of his story, he emerges to find that Outer Heaven is the realization of the dreams of renegade soldiers worldwide: a land where war is the rule. A place where warriors could reject those in the lands of peace who had rejected them. Where they could use the skills that had grown unnecessary during these global ceasefires. Penetrating further into this twisted oasis, Snake emerges to find that Outer Heaven is in fact the dream of his own mentor at Foxhound: Grey Fox. The game closes with their final, epic hand to hand duel in a disintegrating Outer Heaven. Among other things, Kojima paints the battle as the one between justice and freedom.

Over the course of 20 years and 4 sequels, Kojima has expanded his tale to encompass many themes: honor, nationalism, freedom and love among others. Expertly weaving the tale of the individual through the tale of nations, Kojima has brought the character of Solid Snake through the many epiphanies of life that the author himself must have had.

Finally, next year, Solid Snake, his predecessors and descendants have finally come to see their conclusion in Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots. Genetic clones, the nature of identity, the corruptibility of government power, the value of our DNA, family and death are a few of the ideas that Kojima is to imbue into this final tale. Armored walking tanks fused with biologically grown legs (show above), robotic viruses with the power to eliminate infected people at the push of a button, hormone-controlling microchips, war nations (similar to Outer Heaven) and walking Nuclear Tanks are his modest contributions to the world of stealth gameplay.

To me, the man's a genius.

To see a cinematic trailer for Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, click here. To see a high quality version of the first gameplay movie for this radical new game, click here.

iPhone NES Emulator w/ Contra

Imagine you had a device that could do everything? It probably couldn't do this. Therefore, this blows away your imagination.

Jim Cramer Rules

He's right. Nobody understands the nature of the new market.




Edit:

I asked my dad (www.valuesciences.com) to sum up what he's saying in lay man's terms.

"He is saying that the government should bail out all the people who cant afford to pay the money they borrowed to buy high priced homes in the U.S."

"...this trend has caused the banks who lent the money to run into trouble with
the people they borrowed money from."

"His solution is to flush the system with cheap money (lower rates) so that stock market will stop going down and everyone will be happy, particularly Jim himself because most of what he has been recommending is losing money and soon his show will be up in flames if not him personally as well. Fast world, this one of finance..."

"Chocolate Rain" Original Song by Tay Zonday

Real Time Music

Under the pressure of mind-crushers Rage Against the Machine, my entire concert history flashes before my eyes. I see every live band that ever had the heart and guts to flood my and my friends' ears with their message. Peace, Love, Drugs, Death, Pantslessness (Louis XIV)... It's all a ball to me. I got into concerts only a few years ago, around 2003, and it's easily the realest, most mysterious exchange of energy that I've ever come across in this life.

Here's a list of every show that's ever moved me. I started writing it for myself, but I thought I'd post it and see what you guys had to say about your favourite concert, or concerts in general.

• Kasabian at Club Soda, Montreal
• Shout Out Out Out Out at Main Hall, Montreal
• Green Day at Phoenix (along w/ 500 people to first debut American Idiot)
• Green Day in ??? (the big show)
• Sum 41 in London
• The Killers at Kool Haus
• The Killers at Molson Amphitheatre
• Oasis at Molson Amphitheatre
• Louis XIV at Mod Club
• OK Go + Kaiser Chiefs @ Mod Club
• Rage Against the Machine at Randall's Island, New York
• Foo Fighters @ Molson Amphitheatre, Toronto
• Black Rebel Motorcycle Club @ Kool Haus
• Danko Jones @ Les Saints, Montreal
• Billy Talent @ the UBC Pub, Vancouver
• Metallica in Vancouver Hockey Arena
• The Strokes at Toronto Ricoh Colliseum
• The Strokes outdoors at Plaza of Nations, Vancouver
• The Living End, The Vines & Jet at Commodore Ballroom, Vancouver
• Hawksley Workman at the Commodore Ballroom, Vancouver
• Hawksley Workman at some performance hall in Hamilton
• Mistakes in NYC
• Incubus at Copps Collisseum
• Psychotic 4 at Main Hall
• Death from Above 1979 @ The Horseshoe Tavern
• The White Stripes at the Molson Amphitheatre
• Wu-Tang Clan, Cypress Hill & Public Enemy at Randall's Island, NYC
• Nobuo Uematsu @ Jump Festa 2004, Makuhari Messe, Tokyo
• The Trews @ Element Nightclub, Kitchener

My Still-to-See List:

• The Hives
• AC/DC
• Wolfmother
• Muse
• Arctic Monkeys
• Velvet Revolver
• The Bravery naked

My Biggest Regrets:

• Missing Muse on a rainy day at the Montreal Island to sleep in and get in a fight w/ my ex!
• Missing The Music as openers for Incubus at Copps Colliseum (thx 2 tim)
• Missing the opening song, American Idiot, TWICE (at both Green Day shows I saw) (thx 2 tim)

Tribute to GOB

Some clips featuring GOB, the eldest Bluth child (the "matriarch" if you will):

NASCAR Coach Reveals Strategy: "Drive Fast, Turn Left"

NASCAR Coach Reveals Winning Strategy: 'Drive Fast'



ONN is a great site, and is sure to gain more and more momentum in the time to come, just as TheOnion.com did years ago. I'm consistently shocked at how strong the satire is over there. I wonder who runs it.

cruelty, compassion and the chance for change

Her lips are pulled back in a snarl as she circles the quivering mass of sinew, blood and tangled fur on the cement floor. The lightbulb in the centre of the room moves back and forth with the rippled momentum of the recently expended energy below. Its harsh light is reflected in her teeth - the teeth speckled with saliva and blood, the teeth that are about to meet in a rattling throat, the teeth with the power to extinguish life. Having just dealt a whiplash blow to the broken dog's right flank with her powerful forearm, she growls low, the flavour of victory on her hot breath. Her broad, heaving chest swells as the men around her roar for blood, more blood and not her blood.

She tenses. Leaps. Not even a sigh leaves the shattered throat of the nameless one as she rips its life from its already fading form. Back and forth she shakes the limp body, spraying the cracked grey walls with warm reds and sending the men nearest to her reeling back in gleeful disgust. The crowd erupts in shouts of victory or disbelief, money is violently shoved from one palm to another, but the dog notices none of it. With crazed thirst she vaults over the unidentifiable mess at her feet, careening towards the top of the dull, thick walls surrounding the ring of death. The belching perpetrators leaning on the barricade have no time to drop their beers before the wild beast is upon them. Her ears scream with muffled silence as her brain roars for blood, more blood and not her blood...

Recently indicted NFL superstar Michael Vick has been accused of participating in the extremely violent torture of animals; specifically dogs, destined to be used in dogfights. He has been hosting, funding and betting on these deathly matches for years as the case by the prosecutors will claim, and had even been present (and perhaps the hand behind) the drowning, hanging or electrocution of dogs which did not perform up to specific standards. Michael and three of his co-accused entered a plea of not guilty on July 26, while one of the accused is expected to plead guilty on Monday.

This disgusting practice is apparently a multi-million dollar illegal industry in the United States that sees the death and torture of uncountable, innocent animals for entertainment and gambling purposes.

I ask of you what I hope to be a rhetorical question: Is this right? Can this be justified in any way?

Dogs are bred to be killing machines. They live lives of darkness and violence, before they are shoved into a ring and ordered to kill or be killed. They are tools of bored, mindless people (or monsters if you prefer: one can hardly call individuals who thrive on such violence people in light of the moral connotations this word should carry with it) who exist outside the realm of rationality and compassion, and whose pathetic existence is given some illusory purpose through witnessing two animals disembowel each other.

This is a disgusting practice. I sincerely hope you all agree.

Imagine having lived your life without experiencing joy, peace, freedom, love, compassion. Every day darker than the last. Wire mesh, dull cement and hatred enclosing you in a cage you were born, raised, and will eventually die in.

Is it any better for a cow, a pig or a chicken to be mentally and physically broken for the pleasure of society than it is for a dog to be subjected to such horrors?



Whether the end result is a 5:1 win on a dogfight or a $6.95 cut of grade A beef, there is no justification for supporting intensive cruelty to our fellow creatures. Animals are not goods. They are not items. Their existence here on earth is not for the sole purpose of satisfying our insatiable appetite for entertainment or gluttony.

"The animals of the world exist for their own reasons. They were not made for humans any more than black people were made for white, or women created for men."

- Alice Walker

For more information on how easy it is to begin the transition to a cruelty-free lifestyle, visit PETA or The Global Action Network .



- L.

name that album cover!

Alright, so if you guys have been keeping up on the news in the past few months, you might've noticed that NASA has been getting a lot of flack for numerous issues (stalkers, sabotage, missing millions... all the makings for a smash summer intrigue flick). Aaaand the most recent debacle this highly-funded brain trust has had to face? Drunk flying. Seriously. A couple of astronauts flew/ attempted to fly a multi-billion dollar piece of irreplaceable equipment today, totally smashed and against the protest of fellow co-workers and doctors.

I believe this calls for an acronym-oriented organization to spring up under the wings of MADD (possibly called CRAAZIES - Citizens Reacting Against AstronautZ' Inebriated Explorations in Space) or *gasp* a look by the American public into how the 16++ billion dollar funding that this organization gets each year could be better spent to prevent the mental break that had to have occurred in these otherwise brilliant individuals. Really, there is no way that a person with a strong grasp on reality would get behind the wheel of the Endeavour spacecraft, a vehicle worth roughly 18,000 times a Porsche 911 Turbo (some really cool, really expensive car...thank you wikipedia) completely sloshed out of their minds.

Almost as a side note to this story (as reported on the CBC the National today) was the final quote, "Alcohol is not allowed on the International Space Station. The Russians have proposed lifting the ban.", along the bottom of a hastily done, clip-art intensive image of a wine bottle floating through space with NASA on the side...classy :P

Cheers comrades!


- L.

Rock the Bells in New York City

With an exam approaching in only a week, I find myself in possession of a ticket to Rock the Bells featuring none other than Rage Against the Machine.

I would have once sat and debated about whether to go, seeing as exams are so close, but with friends like Lauren, Tim and Ryan, I have seen the light (p.s. who needs enemies?). In any case, I'm trekking to see the spark of rebellion. To all the haters, I have to say:

Even in its distilled form, no matter where he has been, I am certain that the spark that drives Zack de la Rocha can not be extinguished. It may change incarnations, but it doesn't die. Read anything the guy ever said, watch any documentary. He wants change and it hasn't hit yet.

When I return I may post a few of my favourite parts of the show, but look elsewhere for a 'critique', because anybody who chimes in to tell you who wasn't 'up to par' at a rock concert left their balls in their Fallout Boy custom backpack (w/ Stickers omg).

Clark & Michael - Episode 2

Like the spirits of Jack Lemon and Walter Matthau embodied in awkward teenage bodies. I'm obsessed with Clark & Michael's quest to make their television debut. If you enjoy it, check out the site.

I'm personally a big fan of this new crop of online only, short-length episodic comedy. Clark & Michael, 28 Day Slater, Ross Has Herps: writers are forced to condense the best elements of their writing and therefore significantly up the LPM (laughs per minute, it's industry buzz talk, page me if you need to know more).

For example, an average episode of Roseanne has 0.01 LPM, with all jokes pertaining to "kicking Darlene's butt", while Ross Has Herps has approximately 1,500 LPM, each laugh carefully crafted by "Black People w/ Lots of Time" to be a masterpiece. The best thing about LPM is that it's completely objective.

Transformers: The Review (by a reviewer who believes in the adage "better late than never" :P)

Two creepy dudes emerged from the cavernous dark today to metaphorically pinch themselves and make sure the world was still there beyond the wall of scrambled text, definitions, equations and graphs that had been building over the past few days. Study breaks call for mindless fun, and what better than the movies! As a study break goes, Transformers was like ordering a single, medium pizza and getting a double sized fun-za with extra cheese and dipping sauce on the side delivered to your door instead. While not breaking any barriers, it nonetheless paired breathtaking, larger-than-life CGI with a straightforward plot and characters with some depth. The scenes were smashed together with furious control by director Michael Bay, creating action sequences epic enough to make even the most jaded of you catch your breath, at least once :P The dialogue on the part of the hero, if no one else, was layered with wit and an affable rapport with his father and "the love interest".

To make a long story short, go see it! ...and as I am fully aware it came out two weeks ago and I am probably one of the last people on earth to witness its glory, see it again, perhaps with an "enhanced" state of mind, and do it soon

- L.

Rolling Stone - The Record Industry's Decline

If there was one thing I learned about the music industry during my yearlong foray into its rigors, it's that -- just as in every area of business I've ever researched -- only a handful of people have any idea what the fuck is going on. From the retail manager to the label CEOs, from the artist & repertoire to the artist themselves, from rock n' roll to drum n' bass, from compact disc to mp3, there is only one solid, ubiquitous piece of information: I know I have no idea what will happen to this industry tomorrow.

Ever since vinyl demolished the first established music industry monopoly, which at the time was sheet music, music sales systems have taken on the characteristic of perpetual reincarnation. While unpredictable, it is today's major label heads who deeply understood this unpredictability, and were the ones who, despite their age and apathy to the cause (and probably music in general), understood how important it was to put Kurt Cobain's face on MTV.

But a new era has emerged. And in this period of change, the nature of music sales (and music itself, in fact) has become too turbulent to predict. The sales model has shifted. There is no more need for a deliberate campaign to get people into record stores. Every second online is another possible sale to a customer. There is no reason for anyone to buy more than a single track, unless the album is an absolute opus, beginning to end, track by track.

So in this time of change, where do we look to predict the future? As music lovers of course, please continue to not give a fuck about the future, and fuck this article, go put on The Hives real loud. That's what I'm going to do.

But...

If you're interested in what is happening, and what has happened to the most recent of music industry phenomenon, I present The Rolling Stone's latest article on the industry, entitled Rolling Stone: The Record Industry's Decline. Die, All Right!

If...

If it bothers you that our cultural landscape is being reshaped by faceless media and corporate giants, take action.

If it scares you that nearly every click of your mouse or word typed on the keyboard in front of you is watched, recorded, stored and analyzed by corporations and governments, take action.

If it pulls at your heartstrings to think of the children working tirelessly to make the shoes on your feet, calloused fingers pulling the strings of thread through an infinite number of leather slabs they will never see any profit from, take action.

If you've ever wondered why your stomach growls, moans, complains and cries out after you've just eaten a money-friendly but nutritionally devoid meal at a fast food restaurant, take action.

If it is unsettling to you to see 10 year old girls mimicking the perfect, plastic, unattainable woman by ignorantly embracing mini skirts, eyeshadow and eating disorders, take action.

If you've ever felt short of breath outside for no apparent reason, then looked to the sky and saw only a dense smog of pollution, take action.


If you care about anything at all, do something. Write a letter. Join a protest. Shop smart. Walk, don't drive. Research. Stop and think. Question. Be critical. Support what you believe in. Jam the system with the choices you make in your daily life and watch the world change.

Take action.

- L.

When the world gets you down

Just remember, there is art and beauty everywhere... even in the grime on the back of your car ;) (Click the pic to check out some more dusty art)

muses on: missing having cable...

The Daily Show and the Colbert Report are two intelligent, entertaining avenues for getting in touch with the world around you... now if only there was a Canadian parody, eh?

-L.

*edit* thanks to my ghostlike friend Mladen (you can't fly, give it up) I have been informed that the above video has disappeared into the ethers of cyberspace... if it is still not working, move your mousey over here and click

**note: not the original video, deal with it :P

When Did it Become Acceptable to Progress in America by Refusing Competing Ideas to be Heard?

In a recent on-air Fox News segment regarding high school drug and sex education, a Colorado high school student's defense of in-class drug education bothered ultra-conservative republican host Bill O'Reilly enough for the host to became slanderous. O'Reilly, supporting the idea that open discussion of drugs and sex only leads to promiscuity and addiction, was infuriated by the idea that Boulder High student Jesse Lange felt he gained "good real-world advice" from a recent school-wide forum on the topics. Play the interview below.



In the video, as Jesse slowly presents a convincing display of calm rationale, O'Reilly begins to speak progressively louder, eventually starting to cut off the student's sentences before counter-points can be made. Then, in the piece de resistance, O'Reilly, representative of the show he runs on the network he owns, loses his remaining poise and yells Jesse down: "I know what you pinheads think".

The main issue to me: If O'Reilly is confident in the basis of his ideals, why is he constantly attempting to suppress the information of his opponents? Is this what his republican viewers -- Republican Americans -- condone and support? Is it acceptable to progress forward in America by refusing competing ideas to be heard at all? Because that is exactly the message that is being delivered to millions of Fox News viewers every day.

Think this is a one-time occurrence? An over-reaction? After all, O'Reilly did bring Jesse on to speak his opinion on the show, right? Wrong. They're constantly up to sophisticated spin work. Don't take my word for it: NewsHounds.us and FoxAttacks.com fight tirelessly every day to bring attention to the horrifying techniques now regularly employed by Fox News. On any given issue, the network will occasionally bring in a single voice of opposition (up against two competing conservative voices), and upon inspection it's clear that the ultimate purpose in this 'debate' is to lynch the opponent, thereby strengthening the resolve of the conservative ideal. When stronger debaters begin to challenge the agenda, Fox pulls the plug: "Shut Up", "Turn his mic off" and the mid-sentence "Thanks for your time" have become staples of the network. Play this video below for a collage of their best work.

But as is human nature in our new high-speed information world, the obscenity of this censorship quickly piques our concern and just as quickly fades away; the heart of the problem for which this is a symptom escapes unscathed. I'm asking: what exactly is the root of this repeated censorship, and why is it tolerated by the viewers of Fox News? Is it accepted out of fear? Ignorance? Aggression? Patriotism?

I contest that misinformation and the suppression of any average American's point of view is becoming an accepted and desired method of maintaining the order of the existing conservative ideals.

I contest that in the face of the rational disciplines of science and democracy (and the least popular campaign in Presidential history), conservative proponents are beginning to exhibit a cornered-dog mentality, and those that feel threatened will do anything to defend themselves from a perceived loss of power.

I contest that the few who have the most to lose by the progress of diplomatic peace and capitalistic new enterprise actively and knowingly use their power (through private media outlets, for instance) to persuade the less fortunate to feel that they will also lose in a new America.

I contest that these same less fortunate conservatives are never even remotely exposed to the science, democracy and diplomacy that aims to strengthen America in the inevitable global fight for social and economic progress.

I contest that most people at Fox News feel that they're contributing to the safety and success of America, while they simply protect the bank account of the handful of people who run the station.

I submit that in these changing times, those in power callously believe that the only path that will lead back to a conservative Republican Christian America is to ensure with full force that competing ideas are suppressed and remain unheard, regardless of the long term consequences.

Finally, I genuinely hoped that this insecurity-driven, groupthink method of 'progress' would not be reflected in the direction of the upcoming new generation of the Republican Party, but if you've at all been following the GOP Republican Debates...



... then I have to say that a preemptive nuclear strike on a country sounds no different to me than a preemptive verbal strike on a person's opinion.

Your Personal Communication Supplement

WordWeb 5.0 is my personal choice for supplementing my daily browse (and daily write). It's a dictionary, thesaurus and encyclopedia that will tell you anything about any word in any program. Simply highlight the word, hit "ctrl+alt+w" and you've got a lightning quick dictionary reference. If you need more information, there are tabs for wikipedia and a fantastic thesaurus.

I was hesitant to give away the secrets to my esoterism (WordWeb is informing me that this isn't a word) but seeing as I'm often incorrect I figure I should give the power to he/she who can properly harness it's potential.

Download it for free here.

Justin Timberlake - LoveStoned

Sexy video, sexy song.

http://stage6.divx.com/user/dentotune/video/1324815/Justin-Timberlake---Lovestoned-(NEW)

Game: Cat with Crossbow Golf

Cat With Crossbow Golf.

What blows my mind is that the Spiderman 3 game cost about half a million dollars to create and this free flash game completely annihilates it. There's no simple formula for fun.

i think i must interject here...

as a proud parent watches their progeny stand up on two legs and take their first wobbly, usually failed, steps, so too have i watched this blog flourish with the random thoughts bursting forth from my wall buddy's mind.

this webmistress has apparently abandoned her creation, but has not been ignoring it my dear friends, oh no...

just one thing needs to be said before neil takes up the mantle once more:

robert plant is god. his spirit flows through time, bits and pieces of his genius surfacing in the greater parts of isaac newton and shakira alike (no jokes, a friend was convinced that a plant wallpaper of mine was shakira... it must be the curves). have you experienced the way of the plant? all answers about life, love, loss and licks can be found by following the path of plant, or by clicking here.

embrace your inner plant, live long and prosper.

-L.

Gary Busey, Nick Nolte, and Kris Kristofferson in 1978

Live Action Starfox (w/ Spoilers)

Live Action StarFox w/ Spoilers... The music is what really blows me away so far.

Great Teacher Onizuka

GREAT TEACHER ONIZUKA EPISODE ONE

Face value: Gangster kid grows up and tries to become a public school teacher in contemporary Japan where a rebellion is currently underway.

Message: The story of the next generation of carefree unruly Japanese, crushed between the West and the East, freedom and conformity, and sometimes horrible acting.

Nintendo Power from 1989

Mega Man 2, River City... This brings back too many memories...



[edit: before u get on msn to tell me how many ways this is gay, this was just an experiment to learn how to make animated gifs. in the immortal words of Tenacious D's JB: "... You create something!"

Hilarious Battlez! Many Fan!

Many fan watch the battle. It is so funny! GET IT!! Video GETS!



These are two of my favourite comedians, who come from different comedy teams, but got together for the end of 2005 for the Warai no Saiten (obv).

I should probably say, they use this video as somewhat of an intelligence benchmark in Japan, i.e., laugh or you're going to have to stand in the corner after class, and Japanese teachers don't look anything like they do in the pornos (is what I heard from tmac).

Lex Luthor feat. Kaz Hirai

"You're The Man Now Dogg" = YTMND



Lex Luthor v. Kaz Hirai*

Gutsman's Ass

Where does this stuff come from?

Troll Profile: Gimmidamonii @ I-Mockery.com

CreepyDudes now presents a Troll Profile of GimmiDaMonii @ I-Mockery.com.


GimmiDaMonii
im me for e.z. hax :) !!

Biography:
Pretty much anytime there are ez hax, i was involved, i was part of NuTcRaCkErZ... I.M me

Where You Live:
Canada/Swortzugal

Job:
hax obv thx

Signature:
not tryin' to be cocky, but if u need e.z. hax, im pretty much the best in this nation, u can page me at 394-499-6890 or i.m me, ive got other hax than the ones i talk about in my posts usually


Sample Chat feat. Zelda, Executioneer and GimmiDaMonii:

Zelda: "Who the fuck are you, JP from Grandma's Boy?" (directed at GDM)
Executioneer: "gimme da money i'll give you a fist in the face how about that" (obv gay)

GimmiDaMonii (responding with subtle snark... not unlike James Bond I might add)

Zelda:
no, if u wanna flame me, come up with somethin better, like haxx my ip or somethin at least, p.s. do u need e.z. hax, if u do lets put our differences aside, u can page me at the # below

Executioneer:
ur all about the fistin, i'm pretty sure i saw some iranian dude pumpin another guy at redtube.com (i wasn't watchin it, ur mom was, i was lookin' over her shoulder), and the guy gettin pwned kept sayin "I'm executioneer at the i-mockery forums oh oh oh", so i'm pretty sure it was u, p.s. do u need hax


Epilogue: A Typical Response to a post by GimmiDaMonii
"One of the reasons this board is so good is because we don't always talk about "hax"." -rando

References:
admin discussing how many 'stalkers' he seems to notice at i-mockery

See all posts by Gimmidamonii @ I-Mockery.com
Gimmidamonii @ I-Mockery

With Great Power, Comes Great Responsibility

Sup now Joe, Link that Joe just sent me.

Check that shit, maybe one day you'll own a multi-million dollar news site like this, providing ppl with info about their lives, stuff like that, but until then, remember, to he with the reigns rains the crown.

Note to other ppl: Joe didn't post a comment, this is his punishment.

Top 10 Drunk Multiplayer Games

Sounds good eh? Here's the link @ Destructoid
http://www.destructoid.com/gaming-under-the-influence-top-10-drunk-multiplayer-games-32532.phtml

But I mean....Grand Theft Auto? I can't imagine my friends sitting around while one guy holds the controller and rides his bike into people. Or the Sims? How would beers and friends enhance the slow-moving rudimentary control of a functionally retarded robot? Maybe by 'top', this writer meant 'bring your night to a quick demise'. This list sux, I haxxed* in and made a new one.

1. Strip Pictionary w/ Japanese Blow Up Dolls
2. Family Feud (NES)
3. FlipCup (Phantom)
4. Dildo Licker (Real Life)
5. Guitar Hero
6. Bust-A-Move (PS1 Dancing Game)
7. Tank (QBasic)
7. See 1., w/ Anal

Now that's what I'm talking about, I'm so drunk right now that my list ends at 7... does that count as a game? Counting? Countin' these rocks, beyatch?


*If you're interested in EZ hax there's a guide at www.thecolouredlights.com/goodiggler.jpg

A message to me from my co-blogger.


"...ya and you will notice when one or two of them gets suddenly removed... but im not unjustly violent you know, i don't take vengeance until im provoked so the choice is yours as to how long you want to keep your appendages."

Pretty much explains this blog.

P.S. Get "Destroy Rock n' Roll" by Mylo and listen to "In My Arms"

Bullet In The Brain

For me, the feeling of creating a story is imbedded in this video. Creation is in fact an abstract, non-linear process, but at the same time it requires an organizational discipline to keep it coherent.

StumbleUpon & StumbleVideo

I can never adequately express the entertainment qualities found in StumbleUpon and StumbleVideo.


It's the simplest and most effective way of finding entertainment on the internet. For instance:

Red Team Impossible Brain Drain Game: Control Two Characters at Once

Hikaru Utada - Keep Tryin'

New Josh Hansen Poster

Made a new Josh Hansen poster, check it out.


Josh Hansen Poster (700 kB)

This is probably one of the better Josh posters out there, IMHO. :) Let me know what you think. Feel free to use it as your wallpaper.

How I Got To Be a Guest Creepy Dude

enter: young female haxxor covertly keying at a black laptop in the dead of night while NeilV sleeps only a few feet away. Her typing is narrated below and may or may not be sensical.


It all began when creepy neilv unsuspectingly moved his computer to my lap leaving his msn signed in. My first encounter as Fake NeilV was with a Mr. Tmac (whatever the hell that means, because thats the dumbest thing ever), a lonely internet blogger soul begging us creepy dudes to check his work.
The title of the blog was uninspiring (thxinfo.blogspot.com), but however proved to be an appropriate title for the blog itself. I have to admit that he provoked a thought or two, but it was from the stolen metaphor used and not the random narcissistic ranting of someone procrastinating while trying to finish a school report on the anatomy of frogs. Even I have to admit that my heartless criticism is somewhat unfounded, the writing was pretty good, it just needed something to fulfill my consumerist tendencies at the same time.

sound of keyboard crashing on
female haxxor's head, body falls unconscious


Although she said it herself, the previous content of this post was illegitimate and stolen, and may or may not properly reflect the views of Creepy Dudes from the basement. She is now unconscious in my room, solidifying that Creepy Dudes has real-world value in addition to supplementing your moral fiber.

I am strong in the belief that victims of blog identity theft need to unite and make our voices heard. I propose that we unite under my power, my first invitation goes out to "TMAC" (
whatever the hell that means, dumbest name ever) to be my second in command. What do you say?

Now, while it would make sense for me to delete the offending material in this post, that would ruin the narrative that she began, aaand if you're still reading, you're probably anxious to see how I'm going to narrate my first meeting of Blog Identity Theft Cooperative Order X (BitCox). And by not deleting her message, you see the kind of difficulties that come with BIT, and also serves to warn my buddy TMAC (worst name) who will likely soon get haxxed too.

I assure you that this identity theft wasn't staged. However, the haxx have a silver lining: I get the chance to honestly comment on thxinfo.blogspot.com.

IMHO, the idea of the moment can never be hammered hard enough into the dense shell of fear and complacency, and anybody who dedicates their time to kickin' more people into living for what they want is an honorary Creepy Dude to me.

READ IT!

McCain was probably that angry.

Had to post it.

Order among Chaos

Before I let her steal the show into the dark recesses of her twisted dreams, I now present the basis of the Creepy Dudes from the basement.

Basically, CDFTB involves the stranger stories that have come out of our time as a middly-respected middly-talented production assistant team out in California. We've been here for a while --I personally have been bouncing job-to-job here for about decade-- and I wouldn't trade it for anything. Don't get me wrong; it was good for me because I was realistic. I wasn't the wide-eyed Polly-Anne waiting to make my mark on the world. I was more along the lines of broke, curious and tired of New Jersey.

Anyway, like Lauren said, we're 'bout to lay down some dirt on Spiderman. Spiderman 3 to be precise. Some backstory:

In early 2004, our team landed our biggest break: we got the chance to work with Sam Raimi's cousin. Hooorah. We were responsible for all the incredible behind-the-scenes coffee and casting on TV's "The Shield". Besides the pleasure of watching Jim Budig double-fisting donuts all day, I often found myself invited to head up to one of Sam's infamous vista parties. The particular point of interest at a Sam Raimi party is his collection of film memorabilia: it truly is the stuff of Hollywood legend. But unlike Sylvester Stallone's set of Plaster Casters (Lauren seems to think this constitutes a legend), Raimi's vast array of technical equipment and marketing materials from the birthing days of film truly stands up (punintended) to the myth.

TBC...

THE SPIDERMAN COVERUP!

This, my friends, may just be the thing to take down the Whitehouse. Topple the entire Axis of Evil and then some. Bring the Ottoman Empire to its knees... damn that happened already. Well if it didn't then it would because of this.

The ultimate cover-up... EXPOSED!... by the sensational work of the CDFTB. Who Spiderman REALLY is. The role of power between Good, Evil, and... Mary Jane? What side is she on? Find out how centuries of ethnocentric thinking has produced the perfect comic grounds for a (thinly veiled) political theatre of SUPER proportions to be played out.

...to be continued when hazy sleep is less a reality and, at least temporarily, a dream...

welcome...

... to the dark abyss that is the basement of the little white house on the corner

here, creatures stumble forth from the dark, eyes blinking and curiosity sparking their thirsty minds, to shed light on the most pressing conundrums of our time. using all of the cunning of bruce campbell , and the insight of grissom on CSI (dude, some of his one-liners are just BANG on... "looks like she took a dirt nap!" re: the woman who died from asphyxiation due to a tonne of sand being dumped on her dozing body... sheer brilliance), these creatures will attempt to unravel some of the world's largest conspiracies, cover-ups and general BS starting with....