The Kingdom of Retarsia

Music Sharing

2008-12-22T21:24:00.002-05:00

So as somebody who really enjoys listening to a large, diverse amount of music I'm always looking for new tunes to listen to. One of the things I miss about having moved away from most of my friends (growing up is a bitch, right?) is the suggestions we'd used to make to each other. You know, simple "hey, did you hear that song?" or "you've got to check this album out". One thing I've never really been able to find is a decent way to share recommendations and music with friends, but I think I've finally found a decent system. So the purpose of this note is to share the ways I like to discover new music, how I like to share my music, and a few other random things. This might be a long post, so bear with me (or just tune out).

First off, how I find new tunes - The Discovery Process:

Last.FM
Last.fm is best described as a social website, much like facebook, digg, or twitter, but its main purpose is the sharing and discovery of music. So once you sign up for a free account, one of the first things that Last.FM asks you to do is to upload your iTunes library (if you're an iTunes user on Windows/OSX) or other music library. What it does then is take your 'Played Tracks' info and builds a profile based on what you've listened to. For example, mine is here: cataphoresis at last.fm

Now that your information has been all compiled and thrown together, last.fm creates a few custom radio stations based on what you've listened to - a radio station based on your library. You then have the option to install the last.fm client, which sits in the background of your favorite music player (iTunes, Windows Media Player, Winamp, etc) and submits what you listen to so that it can further add to your custom station. In addition, you can indicate that you "Love" certain tracks, which further tailors your music.

Now once you've formed this music profile, you can add your friends - and they get the benefit of being able to listen to your custom stations and you can listen to theirs as well. You can see what your buddies are listening to, comment on tracks, recommend tracks to others (I'd like to take the time to recommend In Vein by Alkaline Trio) which they can often listen to in the flash player built into the website. The recommendations are a great feature.

If you don't feel like listening to a station based off your profile's music, other stations include 'My Recommendations' which offers tracks that you might like based on your past listening history, 'My Neighbors' which offers tracks that people with similar profiles to you have listened to, and you can always enter an Artist or Song title and get a radio station based off similar artists/songs. Admittedly, this last option is much better when left to Pandora, which I'll talk about next.

Another one of the reasons that I love the site is that I'm a statistics junkie - I love seeing charts of what I listen to. I know it's nerdy, but it's neat for me to be able to see from week-to-week what I listened to much. So if that's something that interests you too (you nerd) then this is a great site for you.

So go make a profile there, and add me.

Pandora
Pandora is probably the best-known of the internet radio stations. Using Pandora is simple - you type in the name of a song you like or an artist and up pops up a station based on that information. For the most part, the stations do a pretty good job - you can skip bad songs (but not too many skips) and if you create a profile at the website, you can save the better stations to your profile and listen to them again later. Oh, and of course it's free.

Metacritic Music Reviews
There's no shortage of people willing to offer their opinion about anything online and music is no exception. Instead of going to 20 different music review websites just to find consensus about a new album, you can go to Metacritic which is an aggregator of various review sites (they do music as well as movies, games, and TV). So I periodically look at the reviews, look for the ones that score well across the board, and listen to a few of them (last.fm is great for this). Now sometimes the critics love what I absolutely can't stand, sometimes they hate stuff that I love. I just like to use it as a way to keep up with new releases and some new stuff that might've slipped right by me. Neat site.

Okay, now that I've found the music, how do I share it?

First off, I've mentioned last.fm. So what else?

I've toyed around with different ways to share my music library over the internet for years. Shoutcast streaming internet music stations were neat but didn't offer the user any control. So they got nixed. I also tried a variety of iTunes sharing programs (such as Mojo) but most of them had their flaws. Finally I found a pretty good one.

Simplify Media
Simplify Media is a free application for Windows, Mac, and Linux that allow you to share you music libraries with other registered users over the internet. Being a Mac user, I primarily use iTunes, but have no trouble sharing music with friends using Windows Media Player in Vista. You sign up for a free account, let it index your music library, and once it's finished you can add your friends in the application and share your tunes and play theirs. Great stuff. Another plus is that if you have an iPod Touch or an iPhone, you can connect to your computer's music library when you're away from home. Cool stuff. So if you give it a shot, add me.

I much prefer this method versus just sending albums over AOL Instant Messenger. Far less illegal, and plus it saves on disk space.

Hope some of this was interesting - if not, then I congratulate myself for having stolen a few minutes of your life that you're never getting back. Hooray for me!

2008-11-25T16:52:00.001-05:00

This thing is a neat idea but damned expensive: http://ping.fm/MLN3o

Giving Finetune a chance

2008-06-19T00:17:00.002-04:00

This is a "mix" I threw together on Finetune. Apparently you can't set the order (lame!) but you can pick the songs. So enjoy, I suppose - though if you don't like punk or rock, you're gonna hate it.

[EDIT]

One for the rap fans out there.

Explaining my Fandom or, "Why do you root for them?"

2008-06-18T00:53:00.007-04:00

I've been asked enough times why I pull for certain teams in certain sports that I felt a need to put some words down to try and explain why my fandom is all over the board. The first thing you need to know is that I grew up in Tallahassee, Florida, a place devoid of professional sports. The closest team to us in my childhood was either the Atlanta Braves or the Orlando Magic, only to be replaced by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the early 90s. So growing up in such a place and not say, Chicago or New York, I wasn't immediately drawn to follow the local team. The only 'local team' we had was Florida State, which I was an avid fan of for my first 18 years.

So here's the breakdown, by sport. I'll try to list my favorite team as well as any teams I might also pull for sometimes:

College Sports: Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
Why: Simple enough - I went there from 1999-2003 and am a proud alum.
How I'd describe being a GT fan: A constant roller-coaster of excitement and disappointment - teams show quite a bit of promise but almost always finish middle-of-the-line in the ACC in both football and basketball. Sure, we're good for one outrageous win a year, but that's always coupled with 2-3 absolutely terrible freaking losses (Duke in football, FSU basketball, etc) every single season.
Best moment(s): 2004 NCAA Basketball tournament runners-up. It was an incredible, nerve-wracking run to the finals that all started with a shocking Preseason NIT blowout of then #1 Connecticut. Too bad UConn got their revenge.

2nd Favorite: Florida State Seminoles
Why: I grew up in the shadow of the university and was thus a die-hard fan until matriculating at GT. Oh, and I also got a bachelor's degree from the school in 2007, so I'm also a proud alum there too.
How I'd describe being an FSU fan: Spoiled until recently. If FSU loses 2 games in football, it's a wash of a season. Thankfully, they've usually been mediocre in basketball, so whenever they're not people have a reason to get excited - but to be honest, I never feel a need to root for FSU basketball, only football, baseball, and women's soccer.
Best moment(s): Winning the Orange Bowl in 1993 for the school's 1st national title and being a traveling tutor for the 2007 FSU Women's soccer team.

NFL: Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Why: I liked Vinny Testaverde growing up, but I didn't consider myself an avid Bucs fan until the team dramatically retooled in the early 90s and started drafting FSU/UF/Miami superstars like Derrick Brooks, Warren Sapp, etc. Growing up in Florida you were pretty much either a Bucs fan or a Dolphins fan, and for some reason Tallahassee is Bucs territory.
How I'd describe being a Bucs fan: Pretty good, honestly. The 2003 Super Bowl was freaking incredible, and while I was really sad to see Tony Dungy go (I can't stand Jon Gruden) I loved what he did with the staggering defenses. I miss those teams.
Best moment: The one-sided ass-beating that was the Super Bowl over the over-hyped Raiders back in 2003.

2nd Favorite: New York Jets
Why: Again, blame Vinny. I loved the early 2000s teams with Keyshawn, etc. I wouldn't exactly call myself a true Jets fan, I just pull for them in passing.
How I'd describe being a Jets fan: They're such a distant 2nd in my book, I don't really know. I guess "infuriating" would be appropriate for a true Jets fan.
Best moment: Curtis Martin's career. I loved that guy.

MLB: Boston Red Sox
Why: I never could get into the Atlanta Braves (the nearest team growing up) even though I was a huge baseball fan. Watching a young Rocket (before he was a dirty cheater) was great, but I didn't really become a hardcore Chowder Head until 1997 or 1998, late in high school. I got really damned tired of the Yankees and their obnoxious fans, and somehow I just decided that it was time to really get behind the Sox. I got my first (annual) Red Sox hat, and it was history from there.
How I'd describe being a Red Sox fan: Before 2004 it was that same terrible lament that the Sox were known for - the perennial runners-up, the suffering fan. Since then they've been arguably the best team in baseball and while it's incredible to see my team play so well and be so successful, the bandwagon fans have gotten just as bad as the bandwagon Yankee fans were in the 90s.
Best moment(s): Dave Roberts' stolen base in Game 5 of the 2004 ALCS and a July 2001 Red Sox v. Atlanta Braves game at Turner Field. The stolen base led the way to the epic turnaround and eventual drought-ending World Series win and helped validate years of fandom. The game in mention was just a regular season interleague game, but things turned amazing. The Braves were up 2 in the 7th or 8th when rain hit and caused a delay. Most Braves fans went home, leaving a decidedly pro-Red Sox crowd in the stands when the game resumed. A cheer of "LET'S GO RED SOX" could clearly be heard in the stadium and the Sox rallied, forced extras, and put up 10 runs in the top of the 10th to crush the hometown Braves.

2nd Favorite: Tampa Bay Rays
Why: While it may seem like a big no-no to like another team in the same division, I moved to the Tampa Bay area in 2007 and something clicked. I listened to their games on the AM Sports Radio station here, and liked what I heard and saw out of the team. Oh, and any team willing to give the Yankees as much hell as the Sox do are okay in my book.
What it's like to be a Rays fan: Rare. There's not too many out there, even here in Tampa Bay.
Best moment: The 2008 spring training brawl with the Yankees. It set the tone for what's been an incredible season so far.

NHL: Atlanta Thrashers
Why: Going to college in Atlanta, I'd go to Thrashers games pretty frequently with my friends. I didn't really identify a whole lot with any NHL team (I was a very 'mild' San Jose Sharks fan, see below) but the more I kept going to games, the more I found myself loving the team.
What it's like to be a Thrashers fan: Annoying and lonely. The team has had years with a lot of great promise, and then just completely suck it up the next year. The management just seems to let good players go, to make mediocre trades (can we get a freaking goalie?!), and sits there and lets Ilya's great years go wasting away.
Best moment: Winning the Southeast division last year.

2nd Favorite: San Jose Sharks
Why: I randomly got a Sharks hat back when the team entered the league and since I didn't have any interest in the NHL previously, I started rooting for them. Of course I grew up in the land of football and baseball, so I really didn't follow the Sharks too closely. But I still have some sort of fondness for them.
What it's like to be a Sharks fan: Lately it's been good, they've put together some really solid teams.
Best moment: Knocking #1 Detroit out of the playoffs as a #8 seed.

NBA: Boston Celtics
Why: Larry Bird. I loved something about his lanky, precision shooting ways. I always admired other teams of the age - Magic's Lakers, Jordan's Bulls, Isiah's Pistons - but when it came down to it I'd always find myself pulling for the Celts. I grew a distaste for pro basketball in the post-Jordan era (never was big on the Kobe/Shaq years) but found myself intensely following the 2008 Celtics team from the get-go. It may seem like fairweather-ism, but there's nothing wrong in my book with a good team reigniting an old interest.
What it's like to be a Celtics fan: As of about 3 hours ago, incredible. Getting Garnett just seemed like the beginning of something great, and here's to hoping we rack up some more Larry O'Brien trophies.
Best moment: Either the 2008 team's steamrolling of the Lakers in game 6 (way to show up, Kobe) or the 1992 Dream Team. While yes, I know that wasn't a 'Celtics' moment, it was hands-down my favorite pro basketball moment.

2nd Favorite: Phoenix Suns
Why: Blame Charles Barkley. I love that guy. When he went to Phoenix I started pulling for them, loving the Thunder Dan and KJ years. The recent fun-and-gun years have been really enjoyable to watch, even though I still can't understand the whole Shaq trade.
What it's like to be a Suns fan: Frustrating. The team has talent, but can't get over the hump.
Best moment: The Barkley trade. I mean, how can you not love Chuck?

So there you have it. I don't really follow too many other pro sports leagues (MLS, Euro soccer, etc) though I do say I'll pull for Tony Stewart in NASCAR, and for the following teams (in order) in international soccer play: USA, England, and the Netherlands.

The 2008 Crapshoot Special

2008-03-13T13:28:00.004-04:00

It's March, so it's time for my random terrible guesses at NCAA Basketball tournaments. First up, this week's ACC tourney:
My 2008 ACC Men's Basketball Tournament Bracket [click to enlarge]

Finding my Place in the Diary of Jane

2008-03-06T00:05:00.001-05:00

Good lord it's been a while since I wrote here, but the amount of work I've had to do and the amount of free time I (haven't) had reflects the volume of posts here. Free time usually has to be scheduled these days, as appalling as that sounds.

Last night I did just that, roped Tiffany in, and headed up to Tampa to see a concert for a bunch of bands that admittedly aren't normal fixtures in my musical rotation - Breaking Benjamin, Three Days Grace, Seether, and Hurt. The latter two opened the night - a night where rain threatened all night but thankfully never came - and they both did a pretty good job. Some of the usuals for a rock show were there: the sea of young whites wearing black and/or denim, the occasional group of burnouts with their hippie lettuce, obnoxious drunken idiots, overly short skirts, and a few girls who haven't quite mastered the whole cleavage thing. But with my $8 beer in hand and a cute girl by my side (the four bands are four of her favorites) I knew I was gonna have a great time.

Breaking Benjamin did not disappoint - music is always better live and they put on one hell of a show. Three Days Grace lived up to the hype too, and any band that does an acoustic cover of Alice in Chains' "Rooster" gets points in my book. That song, by the way, helped me remeber how old I am - Tiff (22) hadn't even heard that song at all. I feel old now.

This coming Saturday, Ashley and I are heading to St. Pete to see Flogging Molly and I can't freaking wait. It's been way too long since my last punk show.

The best way to keep up with me these days is just to follow my pictures over at flickr. That or, you know, directly contacting me.

/mj out

2007.

2007-12-26T02:03:00.000-05:00

This past year has easily been the most eventful of my life to date, which explains the paucity of posts here. To pay my literary penance, I think I'll just compile the highlights (and some lowlighs) of the past 12 months here. Feel free to follow along. These aren't in any particular order, just as my brain remembers them.

Work in 2007 was relatively easy but very rewarding to me, yet also very frustrating. I worked as an MCAT instructor as well as a Tutor for the athletics department at Florida State. I'll talk about the former first.

January saw the first group of my MCAT students actually taking the test, and to mixed results. The problem I saw was that right off the bat, certain students had no interest in putting in the necessary effort to get the job done, something I found INCREDIBLY frustrating. No matter how much effort I put into my lectures, it didn't phase them. Fortunately, they weren't all my students. They weren't even the majority. It was the ones who did care, who attentively hung on my every word, who really wanted to bust their asses and do everything they could to do well on that test and make it into medical school - those were the kids that kept me going. The rewarding part was seeing some of them take their tests, do incredibly well, and land themselves slots in med schools.

Work also found me some travel opportunities in 2007, just like 2006. In 2006, I traveled with the FSU Women's Soccer team as the traveling tutor, which netted me trips to Raleigh, Boston, and DC. This year, work found me traveling to San Juan, Puerto Rico for two weekends in a row to teach Physics for two MCAT classes. Those kids were great, the island was a lot of fun, and my boss/host was incredible. I hope to go back some time, maybe next summer. My Spanish was good enough to get by (I took Spanish II in the spring, Spanish III in the summer) but was far from good enough to converse for a long time. Unfortunately not getting to use it much over the last 6 months hasn't helped. I really wanted to learn the language too. Damn.

Well the obvious big news of this year was my application to, interviewing at, acceptance to, and enrollment in medical school. I won't lie, I didn't end up at the school of my dreams, or even a school in the middle ranks of my list. I'm sure my past academic performance at a certain engineering school made it difficult for admissions counselors at those other schools to take a chance on me, but fortunately one did. The school's been great for me as it tends to focus in on a more independent learning style and doesn't force me to spend an eternity in the classroom. The fellow students are great, as is the vast majority of the faculty - but the institution and the administration, well, they're neither here nor there. That I can live with, though.

One thing I will say is that now, at 26, I feel like I'm finally learning for the first time in my life. Now granted, that might seem like an idiotic thing to say - obviously my years in public school, college, and even my time as a professional I learned many things. But it's only been in the past couple years with my return to school that I've really been able to focus, give my school work the requisite attention it's deserved for years (but never been given), and get the most out of my studies. I guess it comes with age, but I think it mainly comes with the maturity of finally knowing exactly what it is that I want to do with my life. When I first decided to enroll at FSU and take those necessary classes for medical school, I didn't think of getting a degree - but when I found out that the map I'd made for myself was only 4 classes away from a second Bachelor's degree, I decided to go for it. Why? What good was another degree gonna do for me? Why bother working for something that will serve no purpose other than looking pretty in a nice frame on my wall? I did it for me. As a reminder that I can not only do well in whatever I put my mind to, but also to keep focus. I've got one more of those fancy pieces of paper to hang in a nice frame yet to earn, after all.

Now one of the most terrifying things I've had to deal with in the past is picking up roots and going somewhere new. Like leaving for Atlanta, Knoxville, or Detroit in the past, this year I left a place where I had friends, was familiar with, and was incredibly comfortable in - all for something new and unfamiliar. I had been to Bradenton once, my interview in February, for a whopping 6 hours. I'd never met my roommate in person, never seen the apartment complex. But I figured if you leave yourself no other option, you've got no choice but to accept what you've got and make the best of it. Fortunately, everything turned out well. I ended up in a good apartment with a friendly roommate that I get along with, in a town that's boring yet manageable. Tallahassee isn't exactly the most exciting place in the world, but Bradenton sure as hell is no hotspot either. I like the close availability of the beach, but the fact that the entire town shuts down at 9pm is a wee bit annoying to a night owl like me.

The best part of medical school, other than finally getting to focus on one thing - the one thing that interests me, has been the friends I've met. I was paired up with 7 complete strangers and forced to work with them for the past half-year, and to my luck they were great. I've made some great friends down there, a few of which have made a tremendous impact on my life whether they know it or not. They've taught me to steal joy whenever I can, that even a smile can make an entire day worthwhile, that I shouldn't apologize for my beliefs but instead embrace them, that I should never be surprised with what life throws at me, and that when I least expect it, something incredible happens. I hope I keep some of these friends for the rest of my life - even though they've only been my friends for a matter of months, I feel like they're incredibly valuable parts of my life.

One of the most amazing things that I've ever seen actually happened early this week when I got to scrub in for an open heart surgery. While in anatomy, I got to look inside the cadavers and become familiar with where everything is in the body but it wasn't until I got to see a heart actually beating - something possible only after cutting through the chest, spreading the sternum, and opening the pericardium - that I understood how incredible what I was doing actually was. I saw the surgeon and his team stop the heart, cut open the aorta, and replace two valves. I actually got to look INSIDE a human heart, a live person's freaking heart. Absolutely incredible. You can look at all the x-rays, CTs, MRIs, and ultrasounds in the world to see inside a living person, but actually getting to see it with your own eyes? Wow.

I've picked up a few welcomed distractions this year. My Nintendo DS serves as brain relief in small spurts, but lately the combination of Rock Band and the two Guitar Hero games for the Xbox 360 have been the holiday du jour for my neurons. I brought the later games home for the break, and have had a blast with the family and friends in multiplayer mode. Hopefully I can rope in some of my classmates into blowing off some steam with it over at my place next semester.

In 2007 I also finally got my first new Mac, a black MacBook from the Apple Store in Tampa. While I'm far past the point in my life where I feel that a piece of electronics can "change my life", I've really enjoyed the machine. It's been a great little laptop. Also, I switched to a Treo 700p smartphone this year, something I never would've thought I would do.

2007 also found me making some political changes too. I ended my 8 year affiliation with the Republican party and joined its redheaded bastard stepbrother, the Libertarian party. Why? Because when I sat down and looked at it, they're the party that most exactly matched my beliefs. I don't have the religious fervor as my Republican compatriots (see below) but I am still a far cry from the liberalism of the Democratic party. Nothing trumps person freedoms in my book. Of course, the way that my life goes - I leave the Republican party and almost immediately fall for a Republican presidential candidate, congressman Ron Paul of Texas. The guy's a straight shooter, isn't full of shit, and know what? I actually really respect him. If you've got the time, and you possess the ability to sift through the mindless fanboy-isms and the bashers, hop on YouTube and hear some of the man's words. Maybe it'll make you look at your vote more carefully, maybe it won't.

Of course, one of the most substantial changes I made in my life this year was a complete overhaul of my spiritual philosophy. For 25 years I considered myself pious, a follower of the Lord. I was raised in the church, my family and friends were almost all Christian, and actually prayed every night before I went to bed. So what happened? I finally took a look at myself and asked one key question: "why do you believe?" The thing that surprised me is that I didn't have an answer. But the signs were there. I "believed" because I didn't want to face the obvious dissatisfaction with the answers I'd been given and the conclusions I'd already drawn. I stopped going to church at 16, when I was old enough to drive and given the opportunity to make my own choices about how I spent my Sunday mornings. I felt like I'd heard everything the preacher had to say, I lodged it in my mind, and didn't need to hear it again.

At first I thought my problem was just with organized religion. To say that all organized religion is a bad thing - that's idiotic. Organized religion has done many great things, but at the same time, countless wars and terrible deeds have been perpetrated in the name of religion. Is that the reason why I turned from the church? No. I did that because I felt like while the word of God was absolute and good, it was the forced interpretation of that word by man and the development of church policies that seemed to go against that very message they were trying to convey. That's why I still prayed at night, that's why I still thought I was religious.

That all changed though. I came to see my beliefs not as something that gave me strength or clarity, but as a crutch. I wasn't a Christian because I truly believed, I was one because I didn't want to address the questions I'd had all my life. I've never been one content with answers that came with a "just because" - faith was a concept that I could never fully comprehend. I'm not a man of faith, I'm a man of science. I woke up one day and I finally had clarity - I realized that I am an Atheist. With that, I felt a weight lifted - a sense of freedom from a self-administered mental oppression. But at the same time with this new-found intellectual enlightenment, I almost right away found a new form of oppression - a cultural stigma. All my friends are religious, including most of my new good friends from med school - and as the "atheist guy" I found myself looked at in a different way than I'd been looked at before. Would my lack of faith scare friends or perspective girlfriends away? What happens when I meet the most amazing woman in the world and while we're a perfect fit in almost every way, she can't make me any substantial part of her life because she's religious and I'm not? I guess that's a bridge I'll cross if it ever comes to that. Though I will say it's incredibly hard to find somebody in that same spiritual minority as me, especially here in the Bible Belt.

The year in sports was a bit sparse for me. The highlight was easily the Red Sox picking up their second World Series title in five years, looking incredibly dominant the entire season. Georgia Tech's big win over Notre Dame in South Bend was another highlight, but it was deceiving as GT went on to another lackluster season. Seeing my Thrashers and Bucs both with their respective divisions was nice, but without championships what does that really mean?

That's all I've got for now - the only other thing I've really got left to talk about are my albums of the year, which I'll get to some time in January (once the dust of 2007 settles).

I hope everybody out there has a wonderful, happy, and healthy New Year.

News from the Bay

2007-11-30T01:10:00.001-05:00

With a whopping three weeks left to go in my first semester in med school, telling you that things are starting to get hectic is a ridiculous understatement. Now don't get me wrong, it's absolutely nuts and I wouldn't have it any other way. To understand what life down here is like, I think I need to explain the way my school operates.

The vast majority of medical schools operate with the same lecture-oriented style that most undergraduate institutions do. Some professor or clinician sits in the front of the room, drolls on for hours, bores you to tears, etc. Well, we're a bit different down here.

Instead of being lecture-based, our curriculum is based on PBL, Problem Based Learning. Essentially, we use simulated clinical cases to guide and focus our learning of the applicable basic sciences that every med student has to know for their 2nd year boards.

An example: a recent case involved a child who presented with symptoms of cystic fibrosis. My group focused on the biochemistry, physiology, pathology, and genetics involved with the disorder. Other cases have seen us pick topics in anatomy, embryology, histology, and pharmacology. The unique thing is that each PBL group gets to pick their own learning issues (what we're tested on) so you can see, the process grants tons of independence. We have to learn the material ourselves, but for me, I prefer it.

More to come in the following days. I'd say more but my thumbs are getting tired of this tiny thumbpad.

Treo be damned!

2007-10-31T03:03:00.001-04:00

First off, if this comes out retarded (format-wise, not content-wise) I apologize - this is being painfully typed in on my Treo's thumbpad.

So I'm in month #3 of med school and things are going very well. We finished anatomy 2 weeks ago and just had our first major PBL exam on Monday morning - this one had embryology, biochemistry, physiology, genetics, and anatomy on it for my group (each group picks different topics and thus has a different test). It was a moderately difficult test for me, but maybe it's because I've developed a ridiculous work ethic here - something I lacked until about 2005 at FSU.

While med school doesn't leave much time for a social life, I'm doing my best to cut loose every once in a while. I've got a good group of friends and classmates and am very thankful for that. Plus, I've got a staple of cute girls to hit on down here, though most of that is directed at only one of them.

I've spent more money on books than I thought possible. Ouch. I do however buy the International editions (which say "Not to be sold outside of Bhutan, Bangladesh, ..." on their covers) to save some green and to get them in lighter softcover form. Thankfully the internet makes finding what I need a snap.

Okay, it's bed time now. If this worked, then I'll likely update more frequently.

-MJ out

How to Breathe While Buried in Books

2007-08-17T15:14:00.000-04:00

It's the last day of my third week of medical school, and I've finally gotten a moment to get on here and spit out some thoughts. Right now I'm sitting in a lecture hall watching a video on the gross anatomy of the upper limb, having just finished a lab with the cadavers about the same. The volume of the material has been staggering, but all pretty fascinating.

To be able to put together the pieces, why certain muscles are anchored here or there, why and what the various bones do, how everything works in concert to perform such incredibly smooth and complex motions - the human body is by far and away the most awe inspiring machine I've ever gotten to study. So while I'm working harder than I've ever worked (I'm at school either in class or studying for about 10 hours a day, 7 days a week) I've never been happier or more interested in what I've been doing.

During the first week I had some doubts as to whether or not I should be here. It's easy to have one of those "what the hell am I doing here" moments, because starting med school is a transition like none I've ever experienced. On day 1 we started with anatomy lectures, and learning anatomy is like learning a new language. You've got to memorize the structure, function, innervation, blood supply, and attachments for pretty much every muscle in the body as well as the corresponding bones. So not only am I learning a new language, I'm learning a complex 3D topography to mesh with it. While anatomy is fascinating, some aspects (histology mainly) are a bit tedious. Anatomy at the microscopic level isn't as interesting to me, but that's probably just personal preference.

We've started on the osteopathic manipulation course and being able to palpate different landmarks in the body. It's pretty neat to be able to look at a skeleton, see something like the radial tuberosity, and be able to go directly to a person and feel it. I can't wait until we can do the adjustments and treatments - that stuff looks incredible.

Also we've begun on clinical examination, primarily learning how to properly take a patient history. A good history is essential, and while emergency medicine interests me (ER doctors typically take vastly abbreviated histories and physical evals) I love this stuff. The thought of being able to sit down in front of somebody and be the doctor, the one they immediately look to when you enter a room - that's just incredibly cool to me.

I've met a pretty good group of friends here, and for the most part, my classmates are great. There are lots of hard workers, bright people, and considerate people always willing to help. I've been extremely pleased so far, but then again, being only 3 weeks in I've got a long way to go.

Alright, back to the books. So much for lazy Friday evenings.

Retarsia on Assignment: San Juan

2007-07-08T19:27:00.000-04:00

So the past two weekends I've woken up at the crack of dawn on Friday morning, schlepped my tail over to the Tallahassee airport, and flown to San Juan, Puerto Rico to teach some MCAT classes. Last weekend was a bit of a blur - due to flight delays (thanks, American Airlines!) I got into San Juan a scant 7 hours late and missed that day's class. The boss took me and one of the other teachers to an Italian restaurant, a place called Via Appia (which I've walked on, mind you) which was pretty good. I wasn't expecting good Italian food in Puerto Rico, but I was proven wrong twice. The next day I woke up, taught two lessons, then had to haul ass to the airport to make a 4pm flight. Total time in airports: 10 hours. Total time in San Juan: 20 hours. Weak.

Fortunately this past weekend I got to have a bit more extended visit. I again woke up and took the early flight from Tallahassee to Orlando, but this time there was a twist. I flew Continental into Orlando, but was scheduled to fly Delta out of Orlando. This is where I developed an intense hatred of the Orlando airport (MCO) - to understand why, you need to know a bit about how MCO is structured. There's two major terminals, and they're separated by a quarter-mile stretch of indoor shops, bars, etc. The big problem is that if you come in at one terminal and depart from the other one (like I had to do) you have to take the tram from your terminal to the main ticketing/baggage claim area, walk to the other terminal's entrance, GO THROUGH SECURITY AGAIN, and then take ANOTHER tram to the second terminal's departure gates. Freaking ridiculous. So thankfully I had a solid 2.5 hours to get from gate to gate, but if you're in a rush, forget about it.

So after that hassle, I got to the gate, grabbed some lunch, then was off to San Juan at the proper time. The flight was nice and uneventful, and for once I had a pretty good seat. At this time I feel its necessary to plug SeatGuru, a site which compiles "seat reviews" for just about every major airline. You pick what airline and which plane, and it tells you what the best seats are. I will never get on a plane again without consulting that site first. Brilliant stuff. Anyway, the flight was a good one - they showed "The Last Mimzy", a pretty decent (children's) movie.

Once in San Juan I used my primitive Spanish skills to grab a cab and zip over to the office. I held a review session, then closed down the office and walked to my hotel. Unfortunately this is where something bad happened - after checking into my room I pulled out my phone to call my family to let them know I'd gotten in okay, and the damned thing was broken. I checked everything I could - battery, charger, screen - to no avail. I was phone-less. This was a problem as I needed to stay in touch with the boss (who would be in and out of the office all day) so I decided that what I needed was one of those GoPhones, a pre-paid cell phone. I went to a couple stores asking for them (again, in my primitive but good enough Spanish) and eventually found one. Is it a cheap piece of crap? Yes. Do I now have a phone with a Puerto Rican 787 number? Yes. Did it do what I needed? Absolutely.

I had some drinks and dinner at a little Puerto Rican-style diner called "Bebo's Cafe", then settled in for the night. The next morning/afternoon I cranked out two more Physics lectures, wished the kids good luck, then went to old San Juan with my boss and another teacher. We walked around, saw some sights and snapped some pictures, then proceeded to get smashed at a bar called "El Batey" off of Calle de Cristo. It was a fantastic place - a dive bar with great music, cheap drinks, and a really cool bartender. I sat there and enjoyed the cool breeze, drank mojitos and sangria and margaritas and icy cold Medallas (Puerto Rico's major beer). Just sitting there, talking about music, movies, and our similar religious views (or lack thereof) with my coworkers was one of the most relaxed, chill moments I can remember in my life. In a lot of ways it felt like a blast from the past - I felt the same way hanging out and drinking with friends when I studied in England. There's something great about being in a foreign place and feeling totally at home.

I'll more than likely be going back to teach again. If any of my friends want to join me there, let me know! It's a hell of a trip.

Calle de Neon?
Originally uploaded by thekingofretarsia

If you want to see more, I've got a photoset up on Flickr: San Juan Trips 1 & 2. Check out my other flickr photos while you're there.

On my lunch break...

2007-07-05T17:30:00.000-04:00

Okay, just a brief anecdote from my lunch today:

I went into the Qdoba on Tennessee Street to get some lunch before work. For those of you not familiar with the place, it's a fast-food chain that specializes in those gigantic burritos and quesadillas. So I get to the end of the line, pay for my burrito, and ask the cashier guy if he can change one of the TVs to ESPN - nobody was paying much attention to that particular TV so I figured nobody would care. He said "no problem", I took my food to the table, and started eating.

Now about 10 minutes later two girls came through the line and this cashier, some smart-ass community college dropout, was laying on the game as best he could. I was within earshot so I could hear his vain attempts, all of which were hilariously bad. He then got the bright idea to "show off" for these girls. I heard him say "hey, watch this!" and he switched the TV over from ESPN to the Discovery Health channel. This normally wouldn't be a problem, but at the moment when he switched the channels there was a pretty graphic depiction of a slashed-open torso undergoing surgery. I looked up, thought "that sucks", shrugged, and went back to eating. (A couple years of working in the ER will do that to you - it's pretty hard to phase me.) Unfortunately for the table of women sitting a few feet from me, one of them couldn't handle the very graphic images and promptly vomited all over the table. Her friends then cursed a storm at the cashier kid, who looked like he wanted to curl up and die. I finished up and bailed - seeing the images on the TV and hearing/seeing the lady vomit wasn't enough to get to me, but nobody likes sitting around dealing with the smell of vomit.

Customer service is alive and kicking, I tell you!

The King's Favorite Racing Games

2007-06-23T16:23:00.000-04:00

Recently I've been driven (ha) back to play one of my favorite racers of all time, and I'm having a blast going back through and unlocking everything. So I figured now's as good a time as any to list what have been my favorite racing video games of all time.

Most important thing to note is that I prefer racing games to driving simulators. I don't care about tuning or tweaking my car, I just want to get out there, drive, drift, and in some cases, crash some cars. So if you're wondering where some of the heavy duty sims are, there's your answer. I enjoy PGR, Forza, GT, et al., but just not as much.

All images gratuitously yanked from Wikipedia.

10. Pole Position
Atari/Namco (1982)

I remember playing this in the arcade at a local pizza place in my early, early years. I had so much trouble taking those turns and hated that you could never see what was coming. When we got a copy of this for the Atari 2600 I loved playing it. Hell, I'll still pop in a quarter to give this a go if I ever see it around town.

9. Outrun
Sega (1986)

My first and likely only experience driving a Ferrari. I remember how awesome the car crashes were and how cool it was to sit in on that big arcade rig and really feel like you're driving a car. When you're 6 and a decade away from the real thing, this was driving at its finest.

8. Cruisn' USA
Midway/Nintendo (1994)

To tell the truth, I preferred this one far more on the N64 than in the arcade - maybe this was because I was a broke teenager at the time, but more than likely it was because of the fun multi-player carnage that went on. The boost trick still cracks me up every time, with the car tearing up off its front wheels...

7. F-Zero GX
Sega (2003)

This game captures the feeling of speed better than most racing games. I preferred this one over the SNES original because of the depth this game has - more tracks, more racers, a story mode, etc.

6. Daytona USA
Sega (1994)

This game was a blast in the arcade and at home on the Saturn. I remember countless hours of left turn glory in those damned clunky stock cars.

5. Mario Kart 64: Double Dash
Nintendo (2003)

This was the right game at the right time for me. I was living in Knoxville and multi-player gaming was something I got to do a lot of - so whenever the boys were all over we'd fire this up and slap turtle shells and bananas at each other until the early hours. I loved the dynamic of having two drivers with two distinct weapon styles.

4. Mario Kart DS
Nintendo (2005)

My favorite multi-player racer found its way to the Nintendo DS and boy was it a blast. I loved having courses from all the previous MK games (Baby Park!) but it was the ability to play internet games over WiFi that sealed it for me. I love the hell out of some wifi MK:DS.

3. Virtua Racing
Sega (1992)

This game justified owning a Sega 32X to me. I played the snot out of this game, from the stock cars to the formula one cars. Yes, there were a limited number of tracks with limited action, but I freaking loved it. In fact, I'm going to go play a game of it right now and get back to finishing this later.

2. R4: Ridge Racer Type 4
Namco (1999)

This is seriously fun arcade-style racing. It's not overtly challenging and there aren't a bevy of configuration options for each car - but I don't mind. This one was fun to just sling around the track a few times when I had a little down time between class and work back in the day. I still keep this one in my case with the PSOne.

1. Burnout 3: Takedown
EA (2004)

Everything about this game is perfect. From the ability to put whatever soundtrack you want (the default soundtracks is good, it's a nice mix of metal, punk, and emo) to the detailed race strategies needed to achieve victory on some of the tracks - this game just wrapped everything I'd wanted a racing game to be into one well-made package. You crash other cars to get boost, and that whole aspect on top of the usual racing strategies (pick the best lines, drifting, etc) will keep this one up at #1 in my book for a while. For some reason, I didn't like the sequel (Burnout Revenge) as much, but I did love the hell out of the PSP version of this game. In fact, that was probably the only PSP game I really liked. Probably why I sold the damned thing.

Break In Case of Boredom

2007-06-07T16:39:00.000-04:00

So I've been using this amalgamation of Buzz, the Georgia Tech Yellow Jacket, holding an FSU tomahawk with a head-dress as my icon:

About a week ago I got bored while using a South Park character creator, I made a doctor-looking character. I wanted to turn it into an engineering/doctor icon, so I fired up The GIMP and I added in a wrench, a hammer, and a stethoscope. Then of course, I changed the blue undershirt to be a Yellow Jacket, and here's what I ended up with:

For somebody with NO artistic talent whatsoever, I'm pleased.

Me divierten

2007-06-02T16:37:00.000-04:00

From a recent Spanish assignment:

Imagina que alguien va al consultorio del médico porque tiene dolores de estómago. Escribe un posible intercambio entre el médico y el paciente.

[Imagine that somebody goes to consult with a doctor about pain they have in their stomach. Write a possible exchange between the doctor and the patient.]

Here's how I answered it (translation in italics):

Médico: ¡Hola!
Hello!

Paciente: ¡Hola, doctor!
Hi, doc!

Médico: ¡Cuál es el motivo de su visita hoy?
What's the reason for your visit today?

Paciente: Me duele el estomago.
My stomach hurts.

Médico: ¿Comiste esa botella de veneno en su mano?
Did you eat that bottle of poison in your hand?

Paciente: Sí. Era muy delicioso.
Yes. It was very delicious.

Médico: ¿Conjectura que? ¡Tienes veinte minutos a vivir!
Guess what? You have twenty minutes to live!

Paciente: Mierde.
Shit.

Man, am I gonna be a great doctor or what?

Requiem for a Malibu

2007-05-27T18:46:00.001-04:00

So up until yesterday, this was my ride:

It's a 1999 Chevy Malibu. Killer wheels, for sure. This car's been great to me, driving me to and from Michigan, around Tennessee, and for the past couple years, here in Tallahassee. With 114k miles on it, I was wondering if it was going to make it through the next four years (my time in medical school) or if I was going to have to get a newer car. Fortunately an answer came to my question in the form of a car bought from my grandma:

It's a 1999 Pontiac Bonneville. Best part of the car is that there are only 40k miles on it, and that 70k difference is a HUGE deal. Now I don't have to worry about auto problems or anything like that, at least not for a few more years. So I'm in the unique predicament where I actually own two cars at once:

Granted, it's a great problem to have. I can sell the Malibu, which still works great, and use that money to help out with moving expenses, rent, books, etc. for med school and the move to Bradenton in July. Heck, even Mickey is admiring my good fortune:

Look at him gaze on the awesomeness of my two cars! In addition to the car (which will find its way to Craigslist as well as the Tallahassee Democrat classifieds) I'm dumping stuff on eBay. My childhood has a Buy It Now(tm) price!

In other news, I made a trip up to Charlotte to see my friend Laura and her family, and other than a trip I need to make to Ohio to see another friend (Amy) I am probably done with the trips for quite a while. I'm working just about every weekend and evening teaching MCAT, and during most days tutoring athletes. Classes are pretty easy (Advanced Analytical Chemistry and Spanish 3) so I'm looking forward to a challenge again. Med school will be good for that.

I'm such an addict to Web 2.0 stuff. I love using Digg and del.icio.us for online bookmarking, Last.FM for keeping track of my music, YouTube for posting and watching videos and even stuff like Wakoopa for keeping track of my software. I like the social aspect, the ability to compare my stuff to what others are doing. I'm a statistics junkie. I love seeing charts and graphs and figuring out where my tastes and habits fit in versus others.

So when Twitter popped up, I loved it. I've used the Away status message in AOL Instant Messenger for years to tell friends what I'm up to, and Twitter made it possible to do this in a wider way, one that didn't require access to AIM. Twitter's great, but I discovered a service called Jaiku which allows me to roll all my Web 2.0 stuff all together in one place. Twitter, YouTube, Last.FM, my blog posts here; all together in one convenient spot. It's the best way to keep track of what I'm up to.

If any of my friends ever started using any of those services it'd be great, but I understand that not everybody gets (or likes) the social aspect of some of these sites. Oh well.

For music, the new Apples In Stereo album is incredible.

I'll leave you with some more 11-Word Movie Reviews. Don't forget to check out the new link on the right which will always bring you to the 11-WMR page. Here goes:

Battle Royale II: Requiem (2003):
A steaming pile of anti-American boring propaganda. A real snoozer sequel.

The Fisher King (1991):
Bridges and Williams are incredible. This flick is really a gem.

The Jackal (1997):
Willis and Gere were great. I would watch this one again.

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005):
How did this awesome movie bypass my radar for so long?

Mad Max (1979):
Dubbed from Australian to American? Huh? Wouldn't call it a "classic".

Man on Fire (2004):
A fantastic performance by Denzel. One of my favorite revenge movies.

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (2007):
An hour too long, odd, but somewhat enjoyable. Keith Richards rocked.

School for Scoundrels (2006):
Funnier than I thought it was going to be. Thornton's hilarious.

Shrek the Third (2007):
I love these movies. All the pop culture references kill me.

Smokin' Aces (2007):
This one's worth skipping. Lame ass plot twist couldn't save it.

Spider-Man 3 (2007):
Wow, this movie was a turd. Lost the magic, Sam Raimi?

Fire Sale?

2007-05-01T22:36:00.000-04:00

I'm ditching town in a couple months (don't worry, this corner of the internet will follow me) for med school and I'm dumping CDs. $3 per disc, $6 for a double CD.

The List:


311 - 311
...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead - Source Tags & Codes
AFI - All Hallow's EP
AFI - Decemberunderground
AFI - Sing the Sorrow
Aimee Mann / Supertramp / Jon Brion - Magnolia: Music from the Motion Picture
American Lesion - American Lesion
Apollo 440 - Gettin High on Your Own Supply
Arcade Fire - Funeral
Architecture in Helsinki - In Case We Die
Ash - 1977
Ash - Meltdown
Ash - Trailer
At the Drive-In - Relationship of Command
Atari Teenage Riot - Burn, Berlin, Burn
Autopilot Off - Make a Sound
B-52's - Time Capsule: Songs For A Future Generation
Baccone Dolce - Barbecued Cats
Backstreet Boys - Millennium
Bad Religion - Against the Grain
Bad Religion - Broken
Bad Religion - Generator
Bad Religion - No Control
Bad Religion - No Substance
Bad Religion - Punk Rock Songs
Bad Religion - Recipe for Hate
Bad Religion - Stranger Than Fiction
Bad Religion - Suffer
Bad Religion - Tested
Bad Religion - The Empire Strikes First
Bad Religion - The Gray Race
Bad Religion - The New America
Bad Religion - The Process of Belief
Barenaked Ladies - Disc One: All Their Greatest Hits 1991-2001
Beastie Boys - Hello Nasty
Beck - Mellow Gold
Beck - Odelay
Better Than Ezra - Deluxe
Better Than Ezra - Friction, Baby
Better Than Ezra - How Does Your Garden Grow
Beulah - Demo
Beulah - Handsome Western States
Beulah - The Coast Is Never Clear
Beulah - When Your Heartstrings Break
Beulah - Yoko
Big Bad Voodoo Daddy - Big Bad Voodoo Daddy
Big Bad Voodoo Daddy - This Beautiful Life
Billy Joel - River of Dreams
Billy Talent - II
Blues Traveler - Four
Blur - The Best of Blur
Buckcherry - Buckcherry
Bush - Sixteen Stone
Cake - Prolonging the Magic
Cee-Lo - Cee-Lo Green and His Perfect Imperfections
Cherry Poppin' Daddies - Ferociously Stoned
Cherry Poppin' Daddies - Zoot Suit Riot: The Swingin' Hits of the Cherry Poppin' Daddies
Clipse - Lord Willin
Collective Soul - Collective Soul
Collective Soul - Hints Allegations and Things Left Unsaid
Counting Crows - August and Everything After
Counting Crows - Hard Candy: New UK Version
Coup - Steal This Double Album
Cursive - Art Is Hard
Cursive - Burst & Bloom
Cursive - Domestica
Cursive - The Recluse
Cursive - The Ugly Organ
Dave Matthews Band - Before These Crowded Streets
Dave Matthews Band - Crash
Dave Matthews Band - Under the Table and Dreaming
Death Cab for Cutie - Plans
Death Cab for Cutie - Transatlanticism
Deep Blue Something - Home
Defari - Focused Daily
Deftones - White Pony
Dilated Peoples - Expansion Team
Dover - Devil Came to Me
Dover - I Was Dead for 7 Weeks in the City of Angels
Dover - Late at Night
Dover - Sister
Dropkick Murphys - Do or Die
Dropkick Murphys - Sing Loud, Sing Proud
Dungeon Family - Even in Darkness
Duran Duran - Greatest
Elliott Smith - Figure 8
Elvis Presley - ELV1S 30 #1 Hits
Eminem - The Eminem Show
Enigma - The Cross of Changes
Evanescence - Fallen
Everclear - So Much for the Afterglow
Finley Quaye - Maverick A Strike
Fleetwood Mac - The Dance
Flogging Molly - Drunken Lullabies
Foo Fighters - The Colour and the Shape
Fountains of Wayne - Welcome Interstate Managers
Fugees (Refugee Camp) - The Score
Garbage - Version 2.0
Goldie - MTV's AMP 2
Green Day - Dookie
Incubus - Make Yourself
Incubus - S.C.I.E.N.C.E.
Iron & Wine - Our Endless Numbered Days
Iron & Wine - Passing Afternoon
Iron & Wine - Woman King
Jay-Z - MTV Unplugged
Jay-Z & Linkin Park - Collision Course (with DVD)
Jimi Hendrix Experience - The Ultimate Experience
Jimmy Eat World - Jimmy Eat World
John Williams / London Symphony Orchestra - Star Wars, A New Hope: The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Juno Reactor - Shango
Kanye West - The College Dropout
Korn - Follow The Leader
Lauryn Hill - The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill
Less Than Jake - Borders & Boundaries
Less Than Jake - Greased
Less Than Jake - Hello Rockview
Less Than Jake - Losing Streak
Less Than Jake - Pezcore
Less Than Jake - The Pez Collection
Linkin Park - Hybrid Theory
Linkin Park - Live in Texas
Linkin Park - Meteora [Special Edition w/ Bonus DVD]
Linkin Park - Reanimation (Dig)
Lionrock - An Instinct for Detection
Liszt / Scholz / Lfo - Symphonic Poems / Les Preludes / Orpheus
Live - Throwing Copper
Lo-Fidelity Allstars - How to Operate with a Blown Mind
Madonna - American Life
Marilyn Manson - Antichrist Superstar
Marilyn Manson - Mechanical Animals (Clean Cover)
Marilyn Manson - The Last Tour on Earth
MC Hammer - Please Hammer, Don't Hurt 'Em
Metallica - Metallica
Metallica - Reload
Millencolin - For Monkeys
Millencolin - Home from Home
Millencolin - Kingwood
Millencolin - Pennybridge Pioneers
Mindless Self Indulgence - Frankenstein Girls Will Seem Strangely Sexy
Modest Mouse - Good News For People Who Love Bad News
Mozart - The Essential Mozart
My Chemical Romance - Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge
My Superhero - Station One
N.E.R.D. - In Search Of…
Nada Surf - The Weight Is a Gift
Nellie McKay - Get Away from Me
Nelly - Country Grammar
Nelly - Nellyville
Nerf Herder - How to Meet Girls
Nerf Herder - Nerf Herder
New Order - The Best of New Order
Nine Inch Nails - And All That Could Have Been
Nine Inch Nails - Broken
Nine Inch Nails - Fixed
Nine Inch Nails - Pretty Hate Machine
Nine Inch Nails - The Day the World Went Away
Nine Inch Nails - The Downward Spiral
Nine Inch Nails - The Fragile
Nirvana - In Utero
Nirvana - MTV Unplugged in New York
Nirvana - Nevermind
No Doubt - Tragic Kingdom
NOFX - Punk in Drublic
NOFX - So Long & Thanks for All the Shoes
NOFX - The Decline
Oasis - (What's The Story) Morning Glory?
Obie Trice - Cheers
Offspring - Smash
OK Go - OK Go
Our Lady Peace - Clumsy
OutKast - Aquemini
Outkast - Land of a Million Drums
OutKast - Speakerboxxx/ The Love Below
OutKast - Stankonia
Pain - Full Speed Ahead
Pearl Jam - Ten
Pearl Jam - Vs.
Pennywise - Land of the Free
Pop Will Eat Itself - Dos Dedos Mis Amigos
Pop Will Eat Itself - This Is The Day...This Is The Hour... This Is This
Pop Will Eat Itself - Two Fingers, My Friends
Pras - Ghetto Supastar
Prodigy - Baby's Got a Temper
Prodigy - The Dirtchamber Sessions, Vol. 1
Queens of the Stone Age - Songs for the Deaf
R.E.M. - Monster
Radiohead - Amnesiac
Radiohead - OK Computer
Radiohead - The Bends
Rammstein - Sehnsucht
Red Hot Chili Peppers - Blood Sugar Sex Magik
Red Hot Chili Peppers - By the Way
Red Hot Chili Peppers - Californication
Red Hot Chili Peppers - Greatest Hits and Videos (CD & DVD)
Reel Big Fish - Cheer Up
Reel Big Fish - Keep Your Receipt EP
Reel Big Fish - Turn the Radio Off
Reel Big Fish - Why Do They Rock So Hard
Rob Zombie - Hellbilly Deluxe
Roots / The Roots - Phrenology
Shirley Walker - Batman: Mask Of The Phantasm - The Animated Movie, Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Slimm Calhoun - The Skinny
Smashing Pumpkins - Gish
Smashing Pumpkins - Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness
Smashing Pumpkins - Pisces Iscariot
Smashing Pumpkins - Siamese Dream
Soft Targets - Frequent Flyer
Soul Coughing - El Oso
Soundgarden - A-Sides
Spacehog - The Chinese Album
Spineshank - The Height of Callousness
Sponge - Wax Ecstatic
Squirrel Nut Zippers - Christmas Caravan
Squirrel Nut Zippers - Hot [ENHANCED CD]
Stabbing Westward - Wither Blister Burn & Peel
Stone Temple Pilots - Core
Stone Temple Pilots - Stone Temple Pilots - Purple
Sugar - File Under: Easy Listening
Sum 41 - Chuck
Sum 41 - Does This Look Infected [Limited Edition w/ Bonus DVD]
System of a Down - Hypnotize
System of a Down - Mezmerize
The (International Noise) Conspiracy - A New Morning, Changing Weather
The Afghan Whigs - 1965
The Amazing Royal Crowns - The Amazing Royal Crowns
The Apples In Stereo - Tone Soul Evolution
The Beatles - The Beatles 1
The Bloodhound Gang - Hooray for Boobies
The Bloodhound Gang - One Fierce Beer Coaster
The Chemical Brothers - Surrender
The Chieftains - The Best of the Chieftains
The Coral - The Coral
The Coup - Party Music
The Crimea - Lottery Winners On Acid
The Crystal Method - Vegas
The Epoxies - Stop the Future
The Faint - Danse Macabre
The Faint - Wet from Birth
The Good Life - Album of the Year
The Libertines - The Libertines
The Mars Volta - De-Loused in the Comatorium
The Mars Volta - Frances the Mute
The New Pornographers - Twin Cinema
The Offspring - Ixnay on the Hombre
The Postal Service - Give Up
The Postal Service - We Will Become Silhouettes
The Prodigy - The Fat of the Land
The Roots - The Roots Come Alive
The Smashing Pumpkins - Adore
The Smashing Pumpkins - MACHINA/The Machines of God
The Smashing Pumpkins - Smashing Pumpkins - Greatest Hits [Limited Edition]
The Specials - Stereo-Typical: A's, B's and Rarities
They Might Be Giants - Mink Car
They Might Be Giants - No!
They Might Be Giants - Severe Tire Damage
Third Eye Blind - Third Eye Blind
Various Artists - MTV's Amp
Various Artists - MTV's Amp 2
Various Artists - A Compilation of Warped Music
Various Artists - A Compilation of Warped Music II
Various Artists - Best of Ska
Various Artists - Empire Records: The Soundtrack
Various Artists - Give 'Em the Boot, Vol. 2
Various Artists - Irish Dringing Songs
Various Artists - Mailorder Is Still Fun
Various Artists - Saturday Morning Cartoons' Greatest Hits
Various Artists - Space Ghost's Musical Bar-B-Que: Featuring 25 Hickory-Smoked Harmonies 
Various Artists - Spanish Guitar Music
Various Artists - Tribute to Bad Religion V.2
Weezer - Maladroit
Weezer - Pinkerton
Weezer - Weezer (Green Album)
White Zombie - Astro Creep: 2000 -- Songs of Love, Destruction, and Other Synthetic Delusions of the Electric Head
Wyclef Jean - Presents the Carnival Featuring the Refugee Allstars
Wyclef Jean - The Ecleftic: 2 Sides II a Book

Drop me an IM or email if you're interested.

Edit [5/15/07]: Removed first batch sold

A Long Endless Game of Errors Repeated Again and Again

2007-04-29T23:25:00.000-04:00

Speaking of Pain, my head sure is killing me. A wedding and a bundle of graduation parties on the same day and I am paying for it today. I sat around on Saturday watching the first hour or so of the NFL Draft, when the City of Detroit had to punch me in the gut again; this time taking Calvin Johnson off the board before my Bucs could snag him. I wish him nothing but the best, but damn, would've liked to have had him on my team.

As promised, here are some more 11 Word Movie Reviews:

Battle Royale (2000):
A Japanese dystopian kill fest with non stop action; mindless entertainment.

The Cannonball Run (1981):
I love caper and race movies. This one is a riot.

Casino (1995):
Deniro and Pesci at their finest. A top tier crime movie.

Children of Men (2006):
Fantastic movie. What happens when the world begins to die? Chaos.

The Fountainhead (1949):
A good adaptation of my all-time favorite book. Howard Roark rules.

The Illusionist (2006):
A mediocre ending, but still a recommendable flick. Prestige was better.

Jackass Number Two (2006):
The first ten minutes had me crying with laughter; genius stuff.

The Last Kiss (2006):
A story of love gone completely wrong. Great characters and dialogue.

Little Children (2006):
An interesting look at the hypocracy of small town American life.

Little Miss Sunshine (2006):
Fantastically hilarious story of a family's trip for a beauty pageant.

Michael Moore Hates America (2004):
It's about time that somebody put that bastard in his place.

Panzer Dragoon OVA (1996):
Worst voice acting ever? Lame cartoon about a great video game.

Reign of the Gargoyles (2007):
Nazis animate stone gargoyles to do their bidding. Yes, it sucked.

Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970):
Best Pearl Harbor movie ever; shown from an interesting view point.

xXx (2002):
Hey, I've been to Prague! A pretty decent mindless action flick.

I've still got plenty of movies to watch, so expect more of these in the next week or so. Also, I've compiled all of them together (only two posting's worth so far, more will come) and put them here. I'll add a link to the sidebar (in "MJ's Albums" style) in the coming days to reference you right to there. It's no Rotten Tomatoes or Metacritic, but hey, my opinion counts far more to me than theirs do anyway.

11-Word Movie Reviews

2007-04-29T22:53:00.000-04:00

With this post, I'll keep a running list of my 11-Word Movie Reviews. Why 11? Beats me. I know it would be great if there was symbolic rationale for my picking the number eleven, but honestly, I've got nothing.

I'll try to keep these alphabetized, with the year and a link to the IMDB so you can learn more about the movies mentioned, as well as the date I originally posted the review. Don't agree with my opinion? Good! Think I'm repetitive? Probably! Eleven words is tough to work with!

Oh, and if you don't like the look of the list here, you can always check out cataphoresis.flixster.com, which has all the same reviews.

The List:

300 (2007):
Satisfies my bloodlust. Why is every Greek/Roman movie in sepia? [3/11/07]

Battle Royale (2000):
A Japanese dystopian kill fest with non stop action; mindless entertainment. [4/29/07]

Battle Royale II: Requiem (2003):
A steaming pile of anti-American boring propaganda. A real snoozer sequel. [5/27/07]

Blood Diamond (2006):
Really liked this flick. Leo made a despicable hero very believable. [3/11/07]

The Cannonball Run (1981):
I love caper and race movies. This one is a riot. [4/29/07]

Casino (1995):
Deniro and Pesci at their finest. A top tier crime movie. [4/29/07]

Casino Royale (2006):
Good movie. Broke from the formula, but that's not necessarily bad. [3/11/07]

Children of Men (2006):
Fantastic movie. What happens when the world begins to die? Chaos. [4/29/07]

Crank (2006):
Decent mindless action flick. Wouldn't dub this one a "must see." [3/11/07]

The Departed (2006):
As good as promised. Everybody comes through with some solid performances. [3/11/07]

Employee of the Month (2006):
Wouldn't bother seeing this one again. Dane Cook was astoundingly mediocre. [6/19/07]

Eragon (2006):
Probably my least favorite dragon movie to date. It wasn't terrible. [6/19/07]

Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007):
Another middle of the line comic book film rendition. Yet again. [7/11/07]

The Fisher King (1991):
Bridges and Williams are incredible. This flick is really a gem. [5/27/07]

The Fountain (2006):
Hauntingly good. One of the saddest, sweetest movies I've ever seen. [6/19/07]

The Fountainhead (1949):
A good adaptation of my all-time favorite book. Howard Roark rules. [4/29/07]

Ghost Rider (2007):
Yet another middle of the line comic book movie. Oh joy. [6/25/07]

Goodfellas (1990):
Another Scorsese masterpiece. A must see for any crime movie fan. [6/25/07]

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007):
This was good, but shrinking eight hundred pages inevitably loses depth. [7/11/07]

Hot Fuzz (2007):
Pretty funny and most definitely worth seeing. It's no "Shaun" though. [6/25/07]

The Illusionist (2006):
A mediocre ending, but still a recommendable flick. Prestige was better. [4/29/07]

The Jackal (1997):
Willis and Gere were great. I would watch this one again. [5/27/07]

Jackass Number Two (2006):
The first ten minutes had me crying with laughter; genius stuff. [4/29/07]

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005):
How did this awesome movie bypass my radar for so long? [5/27/07]

The Last King of Scotland (2006):
Whitaker is fantastic as Amin. Powerful and gripping the whole movie. [3/11/07]

The Last Kiss (2006):
A story of love gone completely wrong. Great characters and dialogue. [4/29/07]

The Last Mimzy (2007):
A great kids' movie, this captures the magic like ET did. [7/11/07]

Layer Cake (2004):
This one came out of nowhere and really pleased me. See it! [6/19/07]

Little Children (2006):
An interesting look at the hypocracy of small town American life. [4/29/07]

Little Miss Sunshine (2006):
Fantastically hilarious story of a family's trip for a beauty pageant. [4/29/07]

Mad Max (1979):
Dubbed from Australian to American? Huh? Wouldn't call it a "classic". [5/27/07]

Man on Fire (2004):
A fantastic performance by Denzel. One of my favorite revenge movies. [5/27/07]

Michael Moore Hates America (2004):
It's about time that somebody put that bastard in his place. [4/29/07]

Music and Lyrics (2006):
Yes, I saw this. Yes, I liked this. I heart Barrymore. [6/25/07]

Pan's Labyrinth (2006):
Fascinating, gripping story. I was proud I could understand the Spanish. [3/11/07]

Panzer Dragoon OVA (1996):
Worst voice acting ever? Lame cartoon about a great video game. [4/29/07]

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (2007):
An hour too long, odd, but somewhat enjoyable. Keith Richards rocked. [5/27/07]

A Prairie Home Companion (2006):
I loved the old-time radio feel and some great folksy tunes. [3/11/07]

The Prestige (2006):
Very interesting concept - I would recommend this for any magic fans. [3/11/07]

Reign of the Gargoyles (2007):
Nazis animate stone gargoyles to do their bidding. Yes, it sucked. [4/29/07]

Reno 911: Miami (2007):
I love the show, and this is essentially an extended episode. [6/25/07]

School for Scoundrels (2006):
Funnier than I thought it was going to be. Thornton's hilarious. [5/27/07]

The School of Rock (2003):
I have a mancrush on Jack Black - another freaking hilarious movie. [6/19/07]

Shrek the Third (2007):
I love these movies. All the pop culture references kill me. [5/27/07]

SiCKO (2007):
Shockingly, I loved this. Less propaganda, more serious journalism for once. [6/27/07]

Smokin' Aces (2007):
This one's worth skipping. Lame ass plot twist couldn't save it. [5/27/07]

Spider-Man 3 (2007):
Wow, this movie was a turd. Lost the magic, Sam Raimi? [5/27/07]

Stranger than Fiction (2006):
Surprisingly decent movie worth a few good laughs. Ferrell is great. [3/11/07]

Thank You For Smoking (2005):
A hysterical mockumentary. Aaron Eckhart was an incredibly despicable, likeable villain. [6/25/07]

Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970):
Best Pearl Harbor movie ever; shown from an interesting view point. [4/29/07]

Transformers (2007):
It's giant robots wrecking stuff! Michael Bay didn't ruin my memories! [7/3/07]

Wild Hogs (2007):
There wasn't anything special about this, but nothing too terrible either. [7/3/07]

xXx (2002):
Hey, I've been to Prague! A pretty decent mindless action flick. [4/29/07]

Dispatches from Tallahassee

2007-04-22T21:56:00.000-04:00

First off, I really feel for the friends and families of the victims of last week's shootings in Blacksburg, and to the entire Virginia Tech community. As somebody who knows and has worked with quite a few Hokies, I really feel for them all. Unfortunately, it seems like in the wake of any tragedy (such as this one) in the United States, that the news networks and newspapers - those that profit and thrive off of incidents such as these - are desperate to fill their time and end up putting complete and total assholes on the air.

These assholes get on TV mere hours after a brutal incident and spout their partisan garbage, always trying to promote whatever agenda they're big on. Gun control, anti-gun control, stricter privacy laws, video game violence, television violence - each one of those was purported to be the cause of these killings by some asshole who's trying to push across their personal agenda. The killer can't be an evil, twisted being - no, that would be too simple. TV made him do it. Or Playstation. Or the "lax" gun control laws in Virginia.

All of which, of course, is complete and total bullshit.

Over on the spectacular BoingBoing.net, they brought up a post-9/11 article entitled "Why the Bombings Mean That We Must Support My Politics" from Adequacy.org; a fitting article for the crap that filled the airwaves in the hours and days after what happened in Virginia. Using the pain and suffering of others as a catalyst to promote your own agenda - it's just so incredibly scummy. I've got no insult terrible enough to be appropriate for these assholes.

In other news, if you want something to smile about (and you like beer), then you should try Samuel Adams' new Cherry Wheat beer. It's sweet, it's light, and it tastes incredible. In a very short amount of time it has become my favorite beer, even if it is a pain in the ass finding it in Tallahassee.

From a nerd standpoint, I recently did some (financial) damage at one of FSU's surplus auctions, buying 5 laptops, 4 Apple PowerBooks (G3) and 1 old Sony Vaio. The Vaio was a somewhat curious buy for me - it's a Pentium II (366MHz) - a nine-year-old laptop that is considered a dinosaur by today's computing standards. So why buy it? Because it is one of the tiniest laptops I've ever seen - a 12" subnotebook with a scant 3.5lb weight. Per FSU requirements, these systems do not come pre-loaded with an operating system; this proved to be quite a pain in the ass for me as the notebook didn't come with a CD-ROM or a Floppy drive, and these are the two easiest ways to load an operating system. So what did I do? I disassembled the laptop, put its hard drive in one of my desktop towers, installed an operating system (Xubuntu Linux 7.04), put the hard drive back in the laptop, and booted it up. I don't know how it worked, but it did. This ancient laptop had no problem getting online with an old wireless card, opened applications (Firefox and OpenOffice.org to name a couple) pretty quickly, and even had no trouble playing music (Last.FM or local/network MP3s) or movies (streamed XviD files), something that wouldn't be possible if I had installed Windows 98 on the machine.

In case you mentally checked out when I went into geek mode there, I apologize. This week is finals week at FSU, where I'm wrapping up the next-to-last undergraduate semester in my 2nd degree. This week will be chock full of studying and tutoring my students for their finals, but next week I've got a whole lot of nothing to do. Look for the return of more 11-Word Movie Reviews and hopefully a recap of my favorite albums of the year so far.

Oh, and if you haven't seen it, check out this PSA created by the Cliff Freeman agency for the Youth AIDS foundation. I think this does an incredible job of expressing a message in a way that catches your attention:

[Image gratuitously stolen from stirlingmclaughlin.com]

Do you use Twitter, Digg, or del.icio.us? Let me know! I'm always looking for people to add to my friend list on those websites. If you haven't heard of OpenID, it's an interesting concept. Theoretically you'll be able to log into multiple websites by using only one login/password, solving the age-old problem of trying to manage having tons and tons of usernames and passwords. The problem with having so many usernames is that most people tend to just pick a password and use it for everything, making them somewhat prone to identity theft if somebody can get a hold of your usernames. What I like to do is use the wonderful open source KeePass, (also available in a portable version) which stores and maintains an encrypted list of passwords. If you're using Firefox, the built-in password manager in Firefox is a great alternative, but please go to Tools -> Options -> Security -> Password and select "Use Master Password" - if not, whenever somebody has physical access to your computer they'd have complete access to any account with a stored password. If you want to see my OpenID site, head over to http://claimid.com/cataphoresis and see.

In the world of sports, I've enjoyed the Red Sox winning this weekend's series against the Bronx Bombers; especially lighting up Mariano Rivera on Friday and the 4 HR in back-to-back-to-back-to-back fashion in tonight's game. Last night's fight (UFC 70) was pretty tame with exception being the main event, where Mirko "Cro Cop" was obliterated by a high kick to the temple by Gonzaga. What a ridiculously surprising ending to that fight; some gave the guy a chance, but nobody thought it would end like that.

Summer Plans

2007-04-03T22:19:00.000-04:00

So a few words to update things are probably in order - it has been a while since I last posted.

The most pertinent news regarding me and my future is that I've been offered a place in the Lake Erie class of 2011, and I've accepted. So I was wrong about what I predicted before: it won't be M.D. Jordan, M.D.; it'll be M.D. Jordan D.O. If you're unfamiliar with osteopathic medicine, the related Wikipedia article is a decent starting point, though it can be a bit biased (as the article was likely written by allopathic med students). I think as of right this second I'm thinking about Emergency medicine, but I don't know yet. I plan on going in with an open mind and figuring out during 3rd and 4th year rotations exactly what interests me the most. The way that LECOM works is that for the first two years you're in Bradenton, following their "Problem Based Learning (PBL) Pathway" where you are put in small groups and proceed to work (over 2 years) on a couple hundred cases, each of which requires you to go and learn on your own. I think such an individualistic approach will work pretty well for me - I'm certainly motivated.

Speaking of motivation, I should be lacking it right now - at least from a school standpoint. Lake Erie starts in June or July (I don't know which), which means that I won't end up finishing my Chemistry degree at FSU. At the end of this semester I'll be two classes short of the degree - Advanced Analytical Chemistry and Spanish III. So that means right now I'm taking classes for a degree I won't get. Realistically there's no reason I should care about doing well, but I guess I'm not wired like that. For starters, in the case that I might someday come back and finish this degree it'd be dumb to do anything but put in my best effort. Also, I'm doing well enough in these classes that there's no reason to give up now.

Shifting to the social side, working two jobs and going to school full time has pretty much swallowed up all my time. I think that I probably won't see much of a difference in my day-to-day free time when I get to med school - I'd just switch my current work hours for study hours. I really can't wait to get started. Playing "hurry up and wait" for the last two years got old about a year and a half ago, so the mere prospect of finally getting to do what I want to do will be a welcomed change.

Since classes end for me at the end of April and I'll likely start med school in June (or July, I don't know yet) that leaves me some time to hopefully travel and see some friends before I'm stuck with my nose to the med-school grindstone for the next two years. If you're game for a visit, let me know.

In a more humorous note, if after med school I ever decided to further my engineering licensing, I could attain the illustrious title "Matthew Jordan, D.O. P.E." which is probably the greatest title ever. I'd be a professional D.O.P.E.

[Update: 4/8/2007]

So, I got a letter from LECOM the other day stating that I needed to be there on July 30th for the first day of orientation (school starts a few days later); this falls on the last week of classes for the Summer semester at FSU. What does that mean? Well, since all I need to do to get this degree is simply pass these classes, I might be able to swing this 2nd degree after all. That's great news to me, as getting 95% through with a degree only to fall short is none-too-appealing. Now I've just got to see if this will actually work.

GDC 2007

2007-03-11T04:19:00.000-04:00

One of the few big events a year for a video gamer like me is the Game Development Conference where this year some pretty hot new videos came out. First off is one that blew me away, a cooperative platformer called "Little Big Planet" for the Sony PlayStation 3. It looks phenomenal:

Wow. I had no desire for a PS3, but now I do. Of course that game won't land until 2008, and I'd need more than 1 good game to buy a system (unless that game's Zelda) and so far there aren't any other PS3 titles that interest me. Of course when you talk about the Wii, Super Mario Galaxy had a good showing:

Oh, and I NEED Super Paper Mario. This game looks ridiculous. The ability to turn the 2d plane around? Killer! Check a look:

And of course as soon as Zelda: Phantom Hourglass drops for DS, I'm on it.

A Titanic Bore, A Guide for Stalkers, and 11-Word Movie Reviews

2007-03-11T03:02:00.000-04:00

Tonight the fam and I went to check out the latest revolving door spectacle at the Tallahassee-Leon County Civic Center (I still can't get used to calling it the Donald L. Tucker Center) - we went and saw the Tallahassee Titans, an arena football team which apparently is a member of something called AIFA, the American Indoor Football Association. So yeah, that makes this minor league arena football - and judging by the talent, VERY minor league.

For those not familiar with Tallahassee's sports history let me break it down for you: Florida State is king by far and away. FSU men's football, basketball, and baseball are and probably will always be the #1, #2, and #4 ticket draws in the city, with only the occasional Florida A&M football game (#3) rivaling them. The owners of the Civic Center, the town's largest non-stadium arena/venue, have tried to bring in various minor league professional sports teams to town in the hopes of making a few bucks. Problem is, every single time they half-ass the job, the marketing is non-existent or the product sucks, and accordingly attendance rapidly drops causing the team to fold or move. The first folly was probably the most successful, the Tallahassee Tiger Sharks, which played in the East Coast Hockey League.

Tiger Sharks games were a blast to go to, but as the novelty wore off there were just too few hockey fans in Tallahassee to sustain the team. That and the management essentially gave up on the team on day one, caring little about quality of play and only on attendance - not realizing that the two are DIRECTLY PROPORTIONAL. The geniuses in the TLCCC decided that hey, we've already got a hockey rink setup, so why not bring an indoor soccer team to town? So in come the Tallahassee Scorpions, who played as a member of the EISL, the Eastern Indoor Soccer League.

Due to the abysmal attendance for all EISL games (the league average was 1000-1200 per game) the league was forced to fold after two years. Once the Scorpions and Tiger Sharks folded, the powers-that-be decided that since FSU football was so successful, why not try arena football? A few years later we got the Tallahassee Thunder, a team playing in the horribly named league "arenafootball2." Check out this killer logo designed by I assume some kid at a local elementary school:

Once people realized that dressing some ex-FSU and ex-FAMU scrubs up in pretty new uniforms and put them on a smaller field did not translate into an enjoyable product, the team was financially doomed. I don't remember, know, or care if the team was contracted, folded, or moved. I just know that they managed to take the somewhat exciting sport of arena football and dull it up some.

Which brings me to tonight, and the latest incarnation of arena football in Tallahassee - the Titans. First off, before the game even started I had some issues with the team. Who designed the logo? Why does it look so much like a rip off of the Toronto Argonauts (of the Canadian Football League) and Tennessee Titans (of the NFL) logos? Judge for yourself:

Toronto Argonauts

Tennessee Titans

=

Tallahassee Titans?

That said, the opening cheerleader sequence was awful. The cheerleaders are all FSU/TCC/FAMU students who in all fairness are probably trying to make a few bucks and relive past high-school-cheerleader glory days. The outfits made them all look like they had guts, and the knee-high go-go boots were just hilarious. Once the team was announced and the game started, that is where the pain began.

"Real" arena football, the kind that actual "pros" play, is a fast game with a constantly running clock. This was not the case tonight. The 1st 15 minutes of the game took 1 hour and 5 minutes to play. Why? Because of the 30 or so plays in the 1st quarter, the referees called around 25 penalties. You can imagine this destroyed any semblance of flow and rhythm. Oh and the playcalling! You seriously could get away with calling 3 plays total: swing pass, QB sweep, and FB up the middle. They should have a contest where some 7 year old gets to call plays for a half - that would be far more interesting than watching that sad example of a football game. We mercifully left at halftime. Again, putting scrubs from FSU and FAMU on a small field does NOT make your product a good one.

For the stalkers out there, or at least the stalkers with an RSS fancy, I've put together a feed that takes my internet life and packages it in one nice syndicated list. It's got my blog posts, my bookmarked sites from del.icio.us, the stories I've digged, my music plays from last.fm, my status updates from twitter, any videos I've put up on youtube, any instructables I've made, and other stuff. If you want the subscribe link, click one of the buttons below:

I've seen a lot of movies this spring break, and since I'm too lazy to write full reviews of each, you get 11-Word Movie Reviews:

300: Pretty damned good. Why is every Greek/Roman movie in sepia?
Blood Diamond: Really liked this flick. Leo made a despicable hero very believable.
Casino Royale: Good movie. Broke from the formula, but that's not necessarily bad.
The Last King of Scotland: Whitaker is fantastic as Amin. Powerful and gripping the whole movie.
Stranger than Fiction: Surprisingly decent movie worth a few good laughs. Ferrell is great.
The Prestige: Very interesting concept - I would recommend this for any magic fans.
A Prairie Home Companion: I loved the old-time radio feel and some great folksy tunes.
Crank: Decent mindless action flick. Wouldn't dub this one a "must see."
Pan's Labyrinth: Fascinating, gripping story. I was proud I could understand the Spanish.
The Departed: As good as promised. Everybody comes through with some solid performances.

In music, I'm working my way through the latest albums from The Arcade Fire, The Shins, and Air. I'll report back when I'm through 'em.

Oh, and big ups to Dan Henderson and Randy Couture for winning their respective championships. Great fights to watch.

Crapshoot Spectacular 2007

2007-03-07T21:35:00.000-05:00

March means one thing to a sports fan: wild-ass guesses about college basketball.

As per usual, we start this crapshoot with a link to my old brackets from 2000-2006.

Since the brackets aren't announced until Sunday, I figured I'd get this shindig started with a little ACC predictive mojo. Here's my 2007 ACC Tournament bracket. Of no surprise I went out on a limb and picked UNC to win it all, though it very well may be Maryland.

My 2007 ACC Tournament Bracket [click to enlarge]

Here's what I'm thinking coming into the ACC tourny: Maryland scares me. They're hotter than any team in the league and they could easily win it all. Problem is, they've got to get through a very good UNC team. VT, BC, UVA, and Duke are all good but beatable, and I believe that if GT can get their heads straight they can do some serious damage in the tournament. Clemson has owned FSU this year, and the game is a bad matchup for the Noles. Wake, Miami, NCSU, and FSU will probably be non-factors, though if FSU or Clemson can win 2, they might be dancing come Sunday night.

Stay tuned for NCAA and NIT picks once the brackets are announced.

[Update: 3/12/07]

Wow, I got SLAUGHTERED in the ACC Tournament. The NCAA and NIT fields have been announced. I've finished my NIT bracket, I'll get my NCAA one up later.

My 2007 Postseason NIT Bracket [click to enlarge]

My 2007 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament Bracket [click to enlarge]

Twitter, Twilight, and Thumbdrives

2007-02-28T22:01:00.000-05:00

After hearing Leo Laporte rave about it on This Week in Tech, one of many podcasts I listen to, I headed over to twitter and opened myself an account. I think Leo described it best - twitter is like the away message functionality in many instant messenger clients, but without the messaging. Why would you want to use that? Well, my primary use for IM for the past few years has been as a textual answering machine, allowing others to see my status while accepting messages from others if need be (though email's better for that). My twitter page shows updates, so you can bookmark it if you're interested. I think it's a neat service, and if you join up, send me a link and I can add you to my friends list. You can update your twitter status via IM (AOL, Google, others), SMS message from your cell phone, or from the web interface at their website.

I'm almost finished with Twilight Princess on the Wii and I have to say that it might be my favorite one to date. Ocarina of Time gives it a run for its money, but I just love the control scheme in place in TP. I really wish that the OoT that's available on the Wii's Virtual Console service could adapt the same Wiimote based controller scheme, but I'll settle with using my Wavebird.

I recently went through and re-tweaked the software I'm carrying on my thumbdrives (I keep a 1gb in my school bag and a 256mb with my lecture info in my work bag). Portable Firefox is a necessity (along with a select few extensions), but also portable gaim and a couple others. In fact, since I'd been having stability issues with Gaim (and miranda) for Windows I actually switched from using the normal full-install version and am using the version of Portable Gaim (from Portable Apps) as my main IM client on my machine. Why not just use the official AIM client? For one I don't like the ads, but I also use Google Talk, yahoo, and MSN for various friends. To tell the truth, the only IM client that I really like is Adium for OS X, but since I'm currently latched to XP, Gaim will have to do.

I've got no plans for Spring Break next week, so if anybody has any good ideas for places I should either go or things I should do then send me an email or an IM.

It worked!

2007-02-07T21:49:00.000-05:00

My 360 came in!

Read the older post to read the details!

Wii Quest: Mission Accomplished

2007-02-03T12:28:00.000-05:00

Friday before I left work I realized that for the first time in about a month, I had a weekend entirely free and to myself. So I pulled up the Video Game Deal Forum over at CheapAssGamer to see if there were any good deals on games. I noticed KMart was having a huge clearance, so I printed a list of games I was interested in and headed over to the local store.

Now for anybody not in Tallahassee, the only KMart we have left is best described as a "complete and total shitstorm" - the place looks like a tornado went through a Walmart back in 1990. I meander over to the electronics section only to find out that all the PS2, Xbox, and Gamecube games are neatly strewn out all over the bottom of the display cases where you can pretty much only see the game in front. I did see copies of Zelda: Wind Waker and Luigi's Mansion for pretty cheap so I went to flag down an electronics employee to open the case. Problem was, there was NOBODY around. Nobody in housewares, nobody in toys, nobody in automotive. So I found this old lady stocking boxes of cereal in the front of the store and she told me she'd come unlock the cabinet for me.

A couple of minutes later, and after five overhead pages and phone calls to find out who has the keys to the game cabinets, I've got my two Gamecube games and am ready to check out. On a whim, I ask her: "Do you know if you've got any Nintendo Wiis in?"

She replies: "Oh, sure honey. We got four of them in yesterday. Do you want one?"

[At this point I'm thinking that a) she either doesn't know what the hell I'm talking about or b) that it's my lucky day.]

One phone call to an assistant manager and 5 minutes later and I'm holding a small, white, rectangular box with the picture of my long-desired Wii on the front. Of course this meant another quick trip back to the games case for Zelda: Twilight Princess and Trauma Center: Second Opinion, as well as an additional Wiimote and Nunchuck. After this and a quick stop by Target to get a Classic controller and a carrying case my wallet felt substantially lighter, but then again, so did my heart.

That being said, I currently suffer from the problem of having too many games that I just haven't played. So for my own personal reference, here's the list of games in order that I will play to completion for the first part of 2007.

1. Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (Wii)
2. Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (Xbox Live)
3. God of War (PS2)
4. Ico (PS2)
5. Shadow of the Colossus (PS2)
6. Trauma Center: Second Opinion (Wii)
7. Prey (Xbox 360)
8. Stubbs the Zombie (Xbox)
9. Psychonauts (PS2) [again]
10. Peter Jackson's King Kong (Xbox 360)

Other small distractions will be Uno (Xbox Live), NHL2K6 and College Hoops 2K6 (360), Katamari Damacy (PS2), Frequency (PS2), Amplitude (PS2), and of course, the Halo 3 Beta that I got into (360). All bets are also off on April 3rd, when Guitar Hero 2 drops for Xbox 360. I briefly owned the PS2 version, beat it through on easy, medium, and halfway through hard but decided to sell it and put that towards the 360 version. One day after I sold it they pushed back the release from March to April. Awesome.

Anyway, I guess I should go get some lunch and start on Zelda.

For anybody else out there with a Wii, add me: 2667 9944 0557 6418

Yet Another Harebrained Scheme

2007-01-24T22:23:00.000-05:00

So if you were around last spring, you might've read about one of my exploits: scamming the scammers and getting an iPod nano for a net cost (to me) of about $13. I loved the whole process for a couple reasons: 1) I got a dirt cheap iPod Nano and 2) it was nice to stick it to people notorious for taking advantage of others on the internet. This year I was thinking about repeating the process for a near free Nintendo Wii, but while reading one of my favorite websites, Engadget, I had another idea.

Last November I purchased an Xbox 360, and have loved it so far. SO of course I keep up with Xbox news, and this article caught my eye: "Microsoft offering free repairs for all 2005 Xbox 360s" and boy, that got me thinking. I was thrilled that my current Xbox 360 had its manufacturer's warranty extended from 90 days to a full year, but I was willing to bet that there were plenty of people out there who don't keep up with the news.

So what's this scheme, you ask? Buy a broken Xbox 360 manufactured in 2005, return it to Microsoft for its free repairs, and either keep it or (more likely) turn around and sell it on eBay and hopefully make a profit decent enough to take a good chunk out of the price of a Wii. Not as good as a free Wii, but it seems more legit and a lot less of a hassle.

Let's see how this all turned out:

January 16th: Time to get a busted 360

Of course the most logical place to scope out a busted Xbox 360 would be eBay. A notorious problem plaguing early Xbox 360s is the "red ring of death" - a case where the Xbox has something wrong and displays 3 red lights around the power button; so I figured that would be a good place to begin my search.

Going into this I had three criteria for any Xbox I wanted to buy:

1) It MUST have a manufacture date before 1/1/2006. Now, 90% of auctions don't mention the manufacture date, but you can always use eBay's "ask seller a question" feature and most people will be more than happy to provide the date for you.
2) While we're on the asking seller a question bit, you also MUST find out if the console has ever been opened or previously repaired. Why? Because sometimes these things can void Microsoft's factory warranty. If the warranty's shot, don't buy it.
3) The price had to be reasonable. I set a maximum of $140 for myself including shipping, which I knew would be moderately expensive.

With those things in mind, I found an auction for a 360 made in 11/2005 at a decent price. A day and a half and $134 (after shipping) later, I was the proud "winner" of a used, broken Xbox 360. Note that it was at this point that I had my first thought of "Good lord, Matt. What are you doing?!" But none the less, I kept going.

Now as soon as the auction ended and I had paid for my Xbox, I sent an email asking the guy (or girl, heh) for the Manufacturer's Date as well as the Serial number from the label on the back of the 360 before he mailed it off. He complied, and with that info in hand, it was time to turn to Microsoft.

After doing some hunting around, I found the customer service number: 1-800-4MY-XBOX. I called up and was greeted by some automated crap with an overly chippy guy who let me through some common troubleshooting techniques. After (oddly enough) nothing worked, I was transferred to "Susan Jones" who I assume was in sunny Bangalore, India. Ugh. I gave her the information regarding my newly purchased Xbox, and also after going through ALL the same steps again she informed me that my Xbox
indeed would be repaired for no charge, and that Microsoft would be sending me a box.

So I had two things incoming, a box from Redmond and a busted Xbox from eBay. Time to play the waiting game.

January 24th: Well, well - that was fast

(A view from the cave that is my room. 2 TVs - 1HD, 1 old ass 11"; Dreamcast hooked to HDTV via VGA, 2 Xbox 360s (functional one to HDTV via component), original Xbox hooked up via component, and a hacked series2 TiVo running through S-Video)

So I get home today and find not one but two boxes outside of my front door. One's my "brand new" Xbox (the one on top with the white tray is the older, busted 360; the functional one has the chrome tray):

...and the other is just a box from Microsoft, complete with a return label and detailed packing instructions:

At this point I'm feeling a lot better - this crap might work! I packed up the busted console and sent it on its merry way. Stay tuned to see if this ends up working!

February 6th: Holy Crap, it Worked

Wow, this stupid idea actually worked! Now I'm in possession of 2 Xbox 360s, one which I paid entirely too much for (retail), the other, not so much. Microsoft sent me a replacement 360, and with a manufacture date of 11/2006 I'm pretty sure they just sent a new unit. The box just had the 360 and a note telling me about the process:

So now that I have two 360s, what should I do now?

Oh yeah. That. Anybody feel like buying an Xbox 360?

Best Albums of 2006

2007-01-15T03:45:00.002-05:00

2006 was a decent year for music, but it was a lot harder to rank the albums this year than last year. No album blew me away like the tops of the lists have the past few years. Granted there were a good number of excellent albums, there were also a few huge disappointments (I'm looking at you, Outkast). The list this year began with 97 albums, and I've narrowed it down to these below.

I've put together a playlist on finetune that has some of the songs featured in this list - give it a listen while you read through and let me know what you think!

On to the list...

28. Eyes to the Telescope - KT Tunstall
Reflections: This is a pretty decent pop album. Everybody's heard "Black Horse" on the radio, and like me, I'm sure that most of you were at least the slightest bit intrigued. There was something different, something interesting. I listened to this album on a whim and discovered that it indeed was pretty good. Nothing revolutionary, just decent music.
Best tracks: Suddenly I See, Black Horse and the Cherry Tree, Other Side of the World

27. The Arockalypse - Lordi
Reflections: For those unfamiliar with Lordi, they're metal in the style of Gwar - borderline silly lyrics, loud-ass guitars and drums, and costumes! This album is great for what it tries to be - really, really over-the-top metal. It's hilarious, huge, and fun.
Best tracks: Bringing Back the Balls to Rock, The Kids Who Wanna Play with the Dead, Hard Rock Hallelujah

26. St. Elsewhere - Gnarls Barkley
Reflections: I have to admit, after the initial 1-2 punch of "Go-Go Gadget Gospel" and "Crazy" I had this album penned at #1 for the year, but the rest of the album just couldn't keep up the intensity. I love Cee-Lo Green (as noted in the past) so I was eager to hear how he and DangerMouse would work together, and the results are a mixed bag. The highs are incredible, the lows downright forgettable. There are some great singles on this album at least.
Best tracks: Crazy, Go-Go Gadget Gospel, Gone Daddy Gone

25. Garden Ruin - Calexico
Reflections: I really got into Calexico after hearing their split with Iron and Wine last year and have fallen in love with the band. This album is in a style a lot more subdued than their past efforts which bordered on modern indie-mariachi. This album still feels like a product of the Southwest and is a refreshing change of pace from most of the music I hear. "Roka" is a song that everybody should hear - it's incredibly sweet and seductive.
Best tracks: Roka, Panic Open String

24. Let's Get Out of this Country - Camera Obscura
Reflections: This is great poppy music. The lyrics are good, the melodies are light - this is a perfect album to have on in the background to brighten your day. If you like feel-good happy-go-lucky music, this is an album for you.
Best tracks: Lloyd I'm Ready to Be Heartbroken, Dory Previn, If Looks Could Kill

23. A City by the Light Divided - Thursday
Reflections: I was never a huge fan of Thursday, but the more I listen to them, the more I understand. This album is my favorite Thursday disc to date - the energy is great to start, but sadly falls off. I guess it might be my love of punk, but I like the harder, rougher Thursday a lot more than the softer stuff.
Best tracks: The Other Side of the Crash / Over and Out (of Control), Counting 5-4-3-2-1, Sugar in the Sacrament, At This Velocity

22. Stadium Arcadium - Red Hot Chili Peppers
Reflections: First off, I can't stand that this is a double album. Second, the track order is atrocious - it's like they put in a disc with all the tracks, hit 'shuffle' and let that stand as the final track list. This album has no continuity, no flow, and trying to stomach 28 tracks of RHCP is a bit too much for one sitting for me. That said, this album easily has some of the best singles of the year. I find myself liking the softer, more melodic Chili Pepper (like those from Californication and By the Way) songs now, and just can't stand the pseudo-rap songs that they feel a need to put on every disc. The other filler tracks water this release down - if it was only one disc of the best 13 or so songs this could be in the top 5.
Best tracks: Snow (Hey Oh), Slow Cheetah, Wet Sand, Strip My Mind

21. King - T.I.
Reflections: This is grungy southern rap at its finest. The King of the South puts up yet another quality album full of great beats, good rhymes, and I just love how T.I.'s attitude is so unapologetic about how incredible he is. His ego is incredible.
Best tracks: What You Know, Why You Wanna, Get It

20. Never Trust a Hippy - NOFX
Reflections: When I heard this EP I was really, really excited for the next NOFX album (2006's "Wolf in Wolves Clothing) but unfortunately the album couldn't match the intensity of this EP. This is 13 minutes of blast-you-in-the-face punk rock at its best. The cover of the Pat Smear track "Golden Boys" is great. Of course this EP keeps up the typical NOFX humor, including saying that "Jesus Christ is coming back/He wants to kick Mel Gibson's ass". Great stuff.
Best tracks: Seeing Double at the Triple Rock, Golden Boys, I'm Going to Hell for This One

19. At War with the Mystics - The Flaming Lips
Reflections: I loved the last Flaming Lips album, and am just as pleased with this one. I love how guitars play a bigger part on this album. The disc opens with a bang ("Yeah Yeah Yeah") and is just a fun ride from start to finish. In the vein of the Dark Side of the Moon/Wizard of Oz mashup, some enterprising stoners have figured out that "At War with the Mystics" syncs up with the 1982 Ron Fricke film "Baraka" and have posted a movie file of the two combined. Go to At War with Baraka and download it. You'll love it. If not, I'll refund your $0 purchase.
Best tracks: The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song (With All Your Power), The Sound of Failure /It's Dark...Is It Always This Dark??, It Overtakes Me/The Stars are So Big...I am So Small...Do I Stand a Change?

18. Pretty Little Head - Nellie McKay
Reflections: I have to admit, I love the stuff Nellie McKay is doing. I don't know what it is about her music, I just enjoy listening. Not too many people can put out such a nutty album. The first track is a pep-rally-in-disguise for gay marriage and there are plenty of other hard-hitting social topics, but all are wrapped in a sweet, innocent girlish tone.
Best tracks: Cupcake, I Am Nothing, Swept Away

17. Whiskey on a Sunday - Flogging Molly
Reflections: This is primarily a live FM album, which came bundled with a DVD containing a documentary on the band and its travels. Why put a live disc in the list? First off, the intensity and raw energy of Flogging Molly live is absolutely incredible on this disc. I can't compare it to the real thing as I sadly haven't gotten to see them live as of yet. There's also one in-studio track, which had only been released as a live track B-side. I have a sentimental attachment to that song, as it reminds me of somebody near and dear to my heart. The rendition of "Black Friday Rule" is mind blowing, as are the acoustic versions of some FM classics.
Best tracks: Black Friday Rule (Live), Drunken Lullabies (Acoustic), Laura, What's Left of the Flag (Live)

16. Gulag Orkestar - Beirut
Reflections: Wow, this album came out of nowhere. I love Slavic sounding music, and this album delivers in a big way. It's grandiose, dreary, and absolutely stunning. Reminds me of my time walking around Prague.
Best tracks: Postcards From Italy, Prenzlauerberg, Rhineland (Heartland), The Gulag Orkestar

15. Fox Confessor Brings the Flood - Neko Case
Reflections: I'm no lover of country music, but Neko Case (whom I loved with The New Pornographers) does it right. This is a great sounding album, but as beautiful as it is I find myself losing focus about halfway through. Too much of the same stuff, I guess. The stuff that's there is great though!
Best tracks: Hold On, Hold On, Maybe Sparrow

14. Hip Hop is Dead - Nas
Reflections: Nas comes out of nowhere to drop the best of his career. He's raw and unrefined, but his rhymes have never been better. This album is hard hitting and put together so well that I couldn't help but love it. Oh, and the collaboration with Jay-Z, "Black Republican" is the best song I've heard all year. The use of "Marcia Religiosa" from Godfather 2 as the hook is sheer genius - the track feels symphonic and expansive. Great track.
Best tracks: Hip Hop is Dead, Black Republican (with Jay-Z), You Can't Kill Me

13. Inhuman Rampage - DragonForce
Reflections: While this on first listen sounded like trashy metal, the retardedly fast guitar playing met with the really out-there fantasy lyrics (most of the songs are about dragons, princesses, other mythical creatures) and something just struck a chord with me. Watch the videos on YouTube to see some awesome guitar playing.
Best tracks: Through the Fire and the Flames, Operation Ground and Pound, Body Breakdown

12. Black Holes & Revelations - Muse
Reflections: I came across this album late in the year but it has really grown on me. It's space pop meets Ziggy Stardust meets Radiohead. I don't really know another way to describe other than to say that it's really damned good. Everybody should at least listen to "Knights of Cydonia."
Best tracks: Knights of Cydonia, Supermassive Black Hole, Map of the Problematique

11. Phobia - Breaking Benjamin
Reflections: I didn't really get into this album until late 2007, when I got tickets to go see them live and decided to check out their old stuff before the concert. I ended up really liking this album - it's a good catchy rock album. Sure, the album does get a bit repetitive, but it's still good.
Best tracks: The Diary of Jane, Breath, Evil Angel, Dance With The Devil

10. FutureSex/LoveSounds - Justin Timberlake
Reflections: I make no apologies for the fact that I have a man-crush on JT. I loved "Justified" and this album did not disappoint. From the mind-blowingly good "My Love" with T.I. to Three-6 Mafia's appearance on "Chop Me Up", JT gets the best out of his contributors. One of my favorite tracks on the disc, "Losing My Way", is a sad tale of a man who loses everything due to a drug addiction - it's just done so incredibly well. This album is not your typical top-40 garbage. It's a gem.
Best tracks: My Love, Sexyback, Losing My Way, Summer Love, Chop Me Up

9. Game Theory - The Roots
Reflections: The first few tracks are chaos, and things are muddled - right into the third track, which a minute in explodes with Black Thought and Malik B's incredible raps. For anybody who's into The Roots (and really, everybody should be) this is an album you need. Without a doubt the best hip-hop album of the year. "Game Theory", the title track, is one hell of a ride.
Best tracks: Game Theory, Clock With No Hands, Baby, Don't Feel Right, Here I Come

8. The Black Parade - My Chemical Romance
Reflections: First off, this album isn't as good as "Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge" for one reason - there's too many slower, boring tracks. MCR is best when they're trying to rock the doors off the building, not making sappy pseudo-goth ballads. The songs that rock on here do live up to their billing though. "The Sharpest Lives" and "This is How I Disappear" are great. I applaud the band's rather bold decision to make a theme-based album, and I think it worked out pretty well. I could just do without the tear-jerking goth crap.
Best tracks: This is How I Disappear, The Sharpest Lives, House of Wolves, Mama, The End, Dead!

7. II - Billy Talent
Reflections: This was easily the most anticipated album of the year for me, as after discovering the band's first album I fell in love. Billy Talent is the best that pop-punk has to offer (not that pop-punk really offers all that much). The album rocks from start to finish. There's not much else I could've asked for, to tell the truth. A solid sophomore effort.
Best tracks: Red Flag, Worker Bees, Pins and Needles, Surrender, Perfect World, Devil in a Midnight Mass

6. For Blood & Empire - Anti-Flag
Reflections: Yes, I know. Anti-Flag is best known as the far-Left leaning punk band, and this album is an obvious jab at the Bush administration and a proclamation of the band's anti-war, anti-corporate views. No, I might not fit into those categories, but this is punk music at its finest. Fast guitars, smart lyrics, and energy - energy that isn't matched on any other disc this year. These guys are passionate, and it shows in their music.
Best tracks: I'd Tell You But..., The Press Corpse, Confessions of an Economic Hit Man, War Sucks Let's Party!, The W.T.O. Kills Farmers

5. Happy Hollow - Cursive
Reflections: After "The Ugly Organ" I was worried if Cursive could ever live up to their past glory, and "Happy Hollow" sure did deliver. What's interesting this time around is that the album takes a thematic approach, with each of the songs representing a "hymn" describing some sin or wayward act, and the album serving as the "hymnal". The songs run the range of taboo topics from homosexuality in the church, to mindless daydreaming, to questioning God, and the frustration of feeling you've been abandoned by God. The album does have a decidedly sarcastic and irreverant approach to religion, and it's interesting to hear.
Best tracks: Dorothy at Forty, Flag and Family, Dorothy Dreams of Tornadoes, Rise Up! Rise Up!

4. Decemberunderground - AFI
Reflections: The opening, "Prelude 12/21", is haunting and sets the mood for the album brilliantly. It took me a while to come around to this album but in due time it surpassed its predecessor in my mind. It's dark, moody, melodic, and at times, raw. When Davey Havok goes from singing sweetly to screaming his heart out, you can't help but feel it too. On "Endlessly, She Said" he describes the pain of heartbreak, and when he screams out in pain, it gets me.
Best tracks: Endlessly, She said, Love Like Winter, Summer Shudder, Kiss and Control

3. Dog Problems - The Format
Reflections: I want to stop right here and give credit on this one to Zack Brown. He pointed this album out to me and I absolutely fell in love with it. It's sweet, melodic pop that is just infectious. The ditties on this album have a knack for getting stuck in my head, but in this case, that's a good thing. The first four tracks knock the ball out of the park and the rest of the album keeps up the pace. So can we take the next hour and talk about me?
Best tracks: I'm Actual, The Compromise, Matches, Time Bomb, Snails, Dog Problems

2. The Crane Wife - The Decemberists
Reflections: In what should be a shock to absolutely nobody at this point, The Decemberists return and put up another stunning album. They tell incredible stories in beautiful ways. Each song is like a miniature play, acted out in song over the course of a few (or 12) minutes. I love this band. I love this album. This would've been my album for the year until #1 came into my life in 2007...
Best tracks: O Valencia!, Summersong, Shankill Butchers, The Island: Come and See/The Landlord's Daughter/You'll Not Feel the Drowning

1. The Sufferer & the Witness - Rise Against
Reflections: My friend Ashley got me turned onto her favorite band, Rise Against, and after a while I took her advice and gave this album a listen. What happened was that I found possibly the greatest punk album I've ever heard - I love every single song, the energy is crazy, and even after about 200+ listen-throughs in 2007 alone I'm still not even remotely tired of it. This is currently sitting at #1 in my all-time favorite album list. No song gets me pumped like 'Injection' does.
Best tracks: Injection, Prayer of the Refugee, Worth Dying For, The Good Left Undone

[EDIT: 2 more added 7/08, along with FineTunes Playlist]

Go back to the main page

Best Songs of 2006

2007-01-14T00:22:00.000-05:00

Like any top 10 list, this is always subject to change. Here's my list and a brief rundown of why for each one:

10. Steady, as She Goes - The Raconteurs
Rationale: I'm not a huge White Stripes fan, but I really liked the sound and feel of this really laid back song. I think that most nerdy guys can relate to this song - we've all been pegged as just "a friend" by a girl we've liked. This song is about the ineptness of that situation.
Favorite line: Well here we go again, you've found yourself a friend, that knows you well / But no matter what you do, you'll always feel as though you tripped and fell

9. Laura - Flogging Molly
Rationale: A song about a lost love, a lover's lament. It's heartbreaking, really. You really get the feeling of longing, of the pain in such a loss. I also like this song for other reasons. At the time of writing this, this CD's been in my alarm clock, so the first 30 seconds have been what's woken me up every day for the past two weeks. Not a bad way to start the day.
Favorite line: And I, I could've walked on the Sun / But my world came undone

8. O Valencia! - The Decemberists
Rationale: This song is peppy and I love the instrumentation. The story of a forbidden love and a tragic ending. It's dramatic and tragic - a three minute Romeo and Juliet, set in Spain, all nice and neat for your ears.
Favorite line: When we first laid eyes / I swore to no compromise / 'Til I felt my caress on your skin

7. I'd Tell You But... - Anti-Flag
Rationale: This track kicks off the album with one hell of a jumpstart. You can feel the outrage in their music - Anti-Flag is not happy with the state of affairs in the USA and they are going to let you know. This is 2:10 of incredible punk rock.
Favorite line: Your killing of my family / Did not make a fan out of me

6. Crazy - Gnarls Barkley
Rationale: The first time I heard this song I knew it was going to be one of my favorites. The opening is genius, and Cee-Lo's bellowing choruses give this song something unique, something that other song's don't replicate. I love the man's voice.
Favorite line: I remember when I lost my mind / There was something so pleasant about that place

5. The Compromise - The Format
Rationale: This song must be effective, as it always makes me want to dance. The Format created an incredible gem with this song - it's boiling over with happiness.
Favorite line: So meet me in the middle / Well come on let's make up a dance / And we'll agree to call it The Compromise

4. My Love (featuring T.I.) - Justin Timberlake
Rationale: Everything about this song is perfect - the beats, Justin's high, delicate vocals, T.I.'s swank rhymes - I really just can't complain about this song. It's even better when paired with the intro from the previous song. There's nothing wrong with this song at all.
Favorite line: I can see us holding hands / Walking on the beach, our toes in the sand / I can see us on the country side / Sitting on the grass, laying side-by-side

3. This Is How I Disappear - My Chemical Romance
Rationale: The hardest rocking song of the year for me, this song just gets me going. It's dark and loud, it's bleak in message, but it's incredible. I love it.
Favorite line: And without you is how I disappear

2. Rise Up! Rise Up! - Cursive
Rationale: This song musically is great, but it's the lyrics that really top the charts for me. It's a song about a man questioning religion, refusing to accept that which he's been told. He's troubled, and it shows in his desperate grasp to get others to join him and "rise up" in leaving religion behind him. A brilliantly constructed song.
Favorite line: I wasted half my life on the thought that I'd live forever / I wasn't taught to seize the day, but to work and worship / 'Cause "he that liveth and believeth" supposedly never dies

1. Black Republican (featuring Jay-Z) - Nas
Rationale: Jay-Z and Nas come together on the most grandiose rap track I can ever remember hearing. The sample used is from The Godfather II's "Marcia Religiosa" and it provides the stage for a song full of pomp, power, and importance. Nas and Jay-Z put some of the tightest rhymes of their careers on this track - if only Jay-Z could've put some of this on his terrible album this year ("Kingdom Come").
Favorite line: When you put in the game at age sixteen / Then you mix things like cars, jewelry and Miss Thing / Jealousy, ego, and pride this thing brings

Culture Clash

2007-01-07T04:06:00.000-05:00

While watching "The Fountainhead" on my HDTV through my Xbox 360 today, I realized the inherently ridiculous nature of the setup. There's something about watching an old black and white movie, full of its flickering errors, bits and pops, on a DVD upscaled on a big, clear screen. What made things even worse was that in the middle of the movie, my 360 popped up with a message informing me that "NHL2K7 Demo download is complete" - old meets new.

I'm working on my Best Albums of 2006 list, along with a Best Songs of 2006. While the list is limited to releases in the calendar year 2006, the album I probably listened to the most last year was "Gypsy Punks: Underdog World Strike" by Gogol Bordello. Do I expect that you'll like it? Maybe. I've really only met a handful of people who had a taste in music that has significant overlap with mine - most people either they really like the indie stuff and hate the punk, like the punk but hate the rap, love the rap but hate the rock, can't stand opera or classical but love pop - and though I've come to the realization that I'll probably never meet anybody who likes all the same stuff I do, I don't mind it at all. Just as long as my friends (and if I weren't so ridiculously single, girlfriend) are willing to put up with my diverse taste in music.

2006 was a fantastic year for video games. While I don't have a Wii (damn you, launch day woes!) as of yet, I did pick up 4 new consoles and ditched 1 in the last calendar year. I happily ditched my PSP on eBay en route to buying a new laptop as I never played the damned thing and didn't like the games anyway. The highlights for me were picking up a 360 and a DS, both of which have given me a great number of great gaming experiences. The best game I played all year, by a close margin over Gears of War, was Psychonauts for the original Xbox. It's a hilarious, fun adventure game that you can tell was written for smart people with a good sense of humor to enjoy. I am not one of those guys who strives for 100% completion of a game - to get every little bit and piece - but Psychonauts drove me to that. It was that good. Other games, when I finish them, I put them back on the shelf and pick them up later - this game I sat through over a series of days and knocked out all 100%. Go ahead and chalk Psychonauts in my all-time Top 5.

This is not to take away from the ridiculously superb Gears of War, which achieves the oddity of creating the environment of beautiful carnage. Sure it's a game full of fast-paced action, where you practically bathe in the blood of your foes - but its hauntingly beautiful. I'm not trying to get all artsy, but the game truly was an experience different from just about every game I've ever played. I've never played a Resident Evil game (even though I own one for the Dreamcast) and I've heard that Resident Evil 4 instilled many of the same emotions, but I can't comment on that. I can say that the closest that any game I've ever played has come was Eternal Darkness back on the Gamecube - which is also in my all-time Top 10 games list.

Okay, enough mentioning it, here's my Top 10 Video Games list as-of-right-this-second which of course, is subject to change at any moment:

1. Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time (N64)
2. Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (PS1)
3. Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (SNES)
4. MegaMan 2 (NES)
5. Psychonauts (Xbox)
6. Metroid Prime (Gamecube)
7. Gears of War (Xbox 360)
8. Beyond Good and Evil (Gamecube)
9. Gunstar Heroes (Genesis)
10. Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem (Gamecube)

The close calls: Zelda: Wind Waker (Gamecube), Mario and Luigi (GBA), Sonic CD (Sega CD), Ikaruga (Gamecube), Final Fantasy VIII (PS1), Secret of Mana (SNES), Marvel vs. Capcom 2 (Dreamcast)

I'm not going to get into the 2006 GT football season. I'll miss Calvin.

Oh, and feel free to go to Half.com and buy my stuff. Because I really have too much stuff.

Mad World

2006-11-28T23:45:00.000-05:00

Well, things didn't go exactly as I had planned on November 19th. Instead of buying a Nintendo Wii, I opted to buy an Xbox 360, and so far I'm loving it. What made me buy the Xbox instead? Gears of War - it's easily one of the most incredible games I've played in a long time. I'd seen plenty of video of the game and wanted to play it, but to tell the truth, of all things a commercial set me over the edge. Who would've thought I'd be such a sucker to advertising? I'll admit though, this is one of my favorite ads of all time (right up there with Burger King's "Tendercrisp Bacon Cheddar Ranch"). It's directed by David Fincher (of Fight Club fame) and is 60 seconds of in-game video set to Gary Jules' remake of the Tears for Fears song "Mad World" - if you haven't seen it (you should see "Borat", this trailer airs before it in theaters), then you can watch below:

Yes, that's the song from Donnie Darko. My film-elitist friends say that the commercial is awful because it shouldn't use a song that's so reserved for Donnie Darko, but that's just dumb. If it fits, it fits. So I now own an Xbox 360, Gears of War, and the three $3.99 Burger King Xbox 360 games (which are all actually pretty fun). I've posted my gamertag off to the right, feel free to add me.

Me and the family all headed to Vegas for Thanksgiving and other than losing money (stupid Gators) the trip was a lot of fun. Only gripes were that 5 days in Vegas was a bit much, and the flight schedule on the way home sucked (I flew out of McCarran at 11:45 PM PST, got into Orlando at 6:45 AM EST, then a 9:30 AM flight to Tallahassee - that made for a nasty day).

Things are winding down for the semester, which I'm thankful for, but this has been a very good semester. Congrats to the FSU Women's soccer squad who will make their second trip in a row to the College Cup, facing Notre Dame this Friday. I'll be with them in spirit. I'm hoping they can win a national title on the same weekend my Yellow Jackets fight for an ACC title. I'm not positive after that awful UGA game, but I think the boys can still do it.

So, party on?

A Quick Guide for Falling Off the Face of the Planet

2006-10-17T22:33:00.000-04:00

Yes, I know that I haven't updated this thing in forever, but there's a good reason for that. For the last couple months I've been knee deep in school as well as working two jobs - a combination which leaves me about half an hour of free time per day. I've also been away from home quite a bit. This coming weekend will be my first one at home in almost a month, as the last few have been spent in D.C., Boston, Raleigh/Durham, and Orlando. Why so much travel? Well, I somehow got named the travelling tutor for the FSU Women's soccer team, so I've accompanied them on their past two road trips - but due to a slight snafu I'm not heading with them this weekend (something that the girls apparently were NOT happy about).

School's been going well. Biochemistry 2 eats up about 95% of my brain power, but the combination of Organic Chem Lab and Freshman Composition (I'll explain) seem to eat up most of my time. Admittedly, I spend very little time on Genetics.

So why am I taking a Freshman Composition class as a 45th year senior? Well, some medical schools require 6 hours of English at the college level and don't accept AP credit. I only took 3 hours at GT (because AP got me out of 3) so I am 3 hours short. Which is why I'm in the class now. Sure seems easy.

Ah, medical school you say - how goes it? Well, it's hit a bit of a stall point. I've had all of my secondaries turned in for about a month, but was waiting on my last letter of recommendation to arrive. That letter still hasn't gotten to FSU (as of today) so as soon as it gets to FSU I'll be able to send them off to every school, and then it will be wait-for-interview-date times. Good times, no?

The MCAT teaching job has been going well, and I'm fully certified to teach both general chemistry and physics. Preparing two lectures a week has been an interesting change of pace, as I haven't had to do that in a while. So I tutor at FSU in the mornings, then go through my day of class, and teach MCAT classes at night. This of course makes for some very long days - I leave for FSU around 8am and don't usually get home until well after 10pm. Needless to say, "blog updating" is very low on my priority list.

Hope everybody out there is doing well, and expect the updates to be far more numerous once I get some free time.

2006-7 Georgia Tech Football Preview

2006-08-24T02:40:00.000-04:00

It's that time again, boys and girls! Toe meets leather next weekend at Bobby Dodd and before we get all started up, it's time for me to put my foot where my mouth is and make some predictions. Before I get into the schedule, let's look at the team.

The Coach: Chan Gailey has been decent in his four years at Tech, racking up 7 wins a year and keeping the bowl streak alive, but it's time to get past that mark - the faithful in Gold and White are looking for progress. I think he's a good coach, a consistent one, but he is not all that great at getting his players motivated for some games. Case and point, the Emerald Nuts Bowl last year. Instead of ending the season with a bang the Jackets got their asses handed to them by the Fightin' Utes. Wow. That was a hell of a day. Somebody want to block LaTendresse?

The Offense: The loss of some O-linemen and P.J. Daniels won't hurt too badly, as Tashard Choice has been looking good at RB. Reggie's got another year under his belt and has that "Big Game" experience. You can't mention GT's offense without mentioning Calvin Johnson - he's poised for another great year. The WR corps look good, and if Reggie can get the pigskin out on the flats, the offense shouldn't be too bad. We won't blow anybody away, but we'll keep up with people.

The Defense: The D-Line is good and the linebackers a bit better - the biggest question is whether the secondary will be up to snuff. We've got some young guys back there as well as a converted WR. We'll find out in Game 1 if they can hang.

Overall: The team's decent and could shake things up this year, but then again, that's what GT fans have said for the past 3 years. Reggie's gone after this year and more than likely, Calvin is too. Either they get it done this year or it'll be a couple years. I believe we'll knock off one of the big boys and of course, lose a close game that we shouldn't. Wouldn't be GT without at least one heartpounding win and one heartbreaking loss a year.

Now, on to the schedule.

September 2nd: Georgia Tech vs. Notre Dame
The first big nationally televised game of the year, this one should be one hell of a game. Reggie always seems to shine in these early season big games (ask Auburn) so who knows what's gonna happen in this one. Nobody seems to think the Irish will run away with this one - obviously I agree, but I think a lot of people are underestimating Tech. Choice really is a good RB - the question will be whether Notre Dame's defense will be able to shut him down and force Reggie through the air. The Irish can move the ball and put up points but I believe that Tech can shut down the run and force Brady Quinn to win the game. Unfortunately, we all know that he can still do that. I believe that Tech can put it all together and muster the signature big win of the season here. Predicted score: GT 24, ND 21.

September 9th: Georgia Tech vs. Samford
This one is clearly a "breather" game after the onslaught of the Irish. Tech should be able to steamroll Samford, a I-AA team who went a spectacular 4-4 in their conference last year. I would expect Choice and the Johnson boys (Calvin and James, no relation) to have big games. There's no reason to be scared of the Bulldogs, at least these Bulldogs, but I hope the Jackets will have the common sense to not overlook or underestimate these guys. It should be a walk in the park if Tech shows up to play. This will easily be the only time Tech cracks 40 points this year.Predicted score: GT 42, Samford 14.

September 16th: Georgia Tech vs. Troy
Troy's had a few shocking wins of their own in their brief time in I-A football. While nobody in their right mind would view Troy as a national football power they also shouldn't be overlooked as a piece of cake. Last year Troy had a good running attack and a decent defense and I honestly have no idea how this year's Trojan team will fare, but I would not be shocked if they gave Tech fits, at least early. This is game three of Tech's four game homestand to start the season, and I expect them to be at worst 2-1 after this game. If not, go ahead and ignore everything else in this post and check back for the 2007-8 Preview. Predicted score: GT 28, Troy 13.

September 21st: Georgia Tech vs. Virginia
General rule for figuring out who will win the annual battle between the Wahoos and the Wreck: who's the home team? This one has a double advantage for Tech - it's in Atlanta, and it's on a Thursday. ESPN must love GT because I can't remember a year since they started the Thursday night games where Tech hasn't played in at least one per season. Virginia's team isn't as good as they were last year but they always, always give Tech a fit. Last time these two met on a Thursday in Atlanta was a 35-0 drubbing at the hands of a George Godsey led swarm and while I would love a repeat performance I know I'm not going to get one. Predicted score: GT 17, UVA 10.

September 30th: Georgia Tech at Virginia Tech
And this is where 4-0 becomes 4-1. First off, it's total bullshit that this game is being played in Blacksburg for the second consecutive year. Nobody wants to go into that stadium more than they have to. VT's looking good this year (now that they excised the tumor that was Marcus Vick from the program) and I have to believe that they're still going to be too much for the Jackets. As much as I would love to predict victory here I just can't. Predicted score: GT 10, VT 35.

October 7th: Georgia Tech vs. Maryland
Ah, back to the flats of Historic Grant Field. Maryland's got a good running game, one which will give Tech some trouble, but I still think that GT has got a better squad on the field. Problem is, Maryland's got a better coach on the sidelines. Last time GT and Maryland hooked up, it was ugly. Maryland beat the snot out of my poor Jackets. I don't expect that this year. Predicted score: GT 23, MD 14.

October 21st: Georgia Tech at Clemson
After a one-week layoff, the Jackets make the trip up I-85 to Death Valley for what will probably be yet another excruciatingly close game. I think the game will be a bit more upbeat, as last year's 10-9 defensive slugfest didn't make for exciting football. Tech's plucked a few W's from their permanent ACC rivals in their last few visits to Clemson but I really think Clemson's going to show up for this game. I think GT is a better team, and this will be the inevitable game that GT will allow to slip from their hands. Predicted score: GT 14, Clemson 17.

October 28th: Georgia Tech vs. Miami
Wait, this is the Homecoming game? Last year I didn't think GT could beat Miami. Neither did Miami. Did Chan Gailey ever get that thank-you note from Frank Beamer for putting VT in the championship game? I think Miami's loaded this year and I don't see Tech beating them. Then again it's in Atlanta, and maybe the boys will pull off another shocker. I just don't see it happening. Predicted score: GT 17, Miami 31.

November 4th: Georgia Tech at NC State
Carter-Finley is another place where Tech has struggled over the years. After dropping two in a row, I believe that Tech will get their stuff together and beat a clearly rebuilding NCSU team. Georgia Tech has got a better team but that won't stop this one from being a dogfight. Predicted score: GT 13, NCSU 7.

November 11th: Georgia Tech at North Carolina
Week number two in the Triangle and I certainly like Tech's chances better this week. There's really nothing on Carolina's offense that scares me but you can never count out a team playing a home in November. Miami knows that. Should be a good game for Tech fans but this could also prove to be the disaster of the year. I'm not expecting it to though. Predicted score: GT 21, UNC 10.

November 18th: Georgia Tech vs. Duke
Tech wraps up its home slate against perennial whipping boys Duke. Duke got better, but better is relative. Slightly better crap is still crap. Tech rolls in this one and gets to spend a week busting ass getting ready for UGA. Predicted score: GT 31, Duke 10.

November 25th: Georgia Tech at Georgia
Thanksgiving Saturday means another trip between the hedges for the Jackets and I unfortunately think that even though this is the year that Tech should break the losing streak against the Dawgs, UGA will step it up and win. Ugh. I feel dirty for just thinking that. Predicted score: GT 17, UGA 20.

The Bowl Game: Probably the Continental Tire bowl. Charlotte ahoy! Not going to bother predicted this one.

So that's a regular season mark of 8-4, which should be good enough for 3rd in the Coastal Division behind VT and Miami, just like last year. I'd be happy with 8-4, though of course I want more.

Time Off?

2006-08-13T05:30:00.000-04:00

Okay, I've had the last week off (as well as the next two) and I've been keeping busy. I've written the majority of my application essays (if you're following the med school update, then you'd know that) but nobody can write all day long, so I've been catching up on a fair amount of TV, movies, and games. Of course, I've got a thing or two to say about each of them. First, the games.

Psychonauts (Xbox): This is easily the best game I've played since Metroid Prime 2 a few years ago, and has found its place in my Top 10 games all time. This game is just pure genius. The dialogue is incredible - it's witty and hilarious, and the story is both gripping and a joy to play. The game is an adventure game - you play as Raz (short for Razputin), a kid who crashes a secret government camp used to train psychic warriors for the military - to turn them into Psychonauts. The majority of the game is spent in the minds of others and the level design is just crazy. If you're a fan of well made, artistically brilliant games, you need to play this. It's by the same designer of other Top 10 favorite Grim Fandango, as well as the hilarious Monkey Island series. I feel confident calling this the best game on the original Xbox platform.
Rating: Hot Shit

Star Wars Battlefront (Xbox): I've had this game for a while but never got into it until I finished Psychonauts. I thought "oh boy, another crappy Star Wars game" at first but after playing through this game I really enjoyed it. The premise of the game is that you relive (fight) the big ground-based battles of the six Star Wars movies (well, make it 5, nothing from Episode III in here due to the date the movie was released) from either the Empire/Rebel or CIS/Republic [Clone] Army sides. Each map contained many Command Points and you needed to capture them to assure your side's victory - an odd combination of capture the flag and king of the hill, but with laser guns and AT-STs. Strategy was necessary to win, but even with the game at its most challenging difficulty level I found victory pretty easy to attain. A couple levels required multiple tries, but never more than a couple. The Historical Campaigns were the game's highlight, as the Galactic Conquest Mode was boring - fight to win planets, then blow them up with the Death Star. Lately Star Wars games have actually been good. Coupled with the two Lego Star Wars games and KotOR (which I never got into), the Xbox has been kind to George Lucas. Now, on to Battlefront II.
Rating: Hot Shit

The video games have been good to me, but I've seen a handful of pretty awful movies (in due fairness, also quite a few good ones) in the past couple weeks or so. I guess that about even things up. Here's the rundown of the bad ones:

The Descent: This movie got rave reviews for its innovative approach to the horror genre. It's monsters in a cave. How in the hell is this "innovative"? This movie was excruciatingly boring. I can't remember the finer plot details because they were either non-existant or I was too busy playing Tony Hawk's American Sk8land on my DS while this movie was on. One of the two.

Jet Li's Fearless: Matt Jordan's Boredom. Five minutes of action, 90 minutes of boring Chinese pseudo-history, and then five minutes of action to close the movie along with a really cinematic death. Like every other movie in this genre.

Miami Vice: Pretty looking movie. Pretty boring plot. Seriously, this movie had one weak, weak plot. Pass on this one.

Hostel: I got exactly what I expected in this movie, a lackluster horror flick. Gory, bloody, some nudity, and sheer boredom.

I'll run down the good movies after I get a chance to see a few more.

NCAA 07, Song-and-Dance TV: Completely Worthless

2006-07-28T02:22:00.000-04:00

So I've been playing EA Sports' NCAA Football 07 on my Xbox for the past week or so, and have decided that I'm just not going to bother with EA Sports games for a while. NCAA 07 is just 06 with roster updates and a different "focus". Last year the game was based around winning the Heisman trophy with your user-created player, this year you try to make him the Big Man on Campus. Graphics are fine, the rosters are all updated, but really, those are the only two good points. The same tired, lame banter from Corso and Herbstreit is back (how many years will they use the same old samples?) and it is lamer than ever. EA kept up the tradition of their yearly "screw with the kicking game", creating a lame 3rd-person camera for punt returns and making placekicking entirely controlled by the right analog joystick. I really wish this game had a decent AI for the off-the-field aspects.

For example, if my team (Georgia Tech, of course) is 11-0, has scored 1500 more points than any team in the nation, and has never even been trailing in a game, how in the world am I ranked #2 behind Texas Christian? How is TCU even 11-0 anyway? Where's the realism in that? How did in my two seasons I've played so far did Duke manage to beat Virginia Tech both times? Oh, and don't even get me started on the Heisman balloting in the game. Calvin Johnson, my team's All-American WR with his meager 4000+ receiving yards and 52 touchdowns isn't the Heisman winner? How in the hell is that possible?

The game's playable, and fun I'm sure with a group of friends around. I'm more of a single-player guy so frankly, there's nothing new to offer me in NCAA 07. I do however appreciate that EA got things right and made #21 the best receiver in the game. Honestly, he's too good. Guy never drops anything.

I think I'll rate this following the rating system I set up back in January. Oh, and go ahead and apply this same rating to Madden 07. I'm not going to even bother with that game either.
Rating: Nothing Spectacular

While we're on video games, my latest favorite is Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventure for the Gamecube. I absolutely love the single-player mode, where you can control your four Links and set them in formation to perform various tasks and solve puzzles. It's the puzzle solving aspect of the game that I love the most. Well, that coupled with the always-enthralling adventure aspects of any Zelda title. The graphics are fun, a mix of Link to the Past and Wind Waker. While I'm sure it would be fun with three friends and the GBA link (and it is, I've played it that way), I appreciate that Nintendo took the time to creatively convert an all-multiplayer game to a worthwhile single-player quest. That, and since the game is $20 now, how could you pass it up? Oh yeah. If you're like me and broke. That's how. Good thing I had a gift card left over from Christmas.
Rating: Hot shit

The other gaming fix I've had lately is for Xbox ports of older games, namely the Quake series, Doom series, Hexen and Heretic, Duke Nukem 3D, and a few others. I found an Xbox port of M.U.G.E.N., a 2D fighting engine that allows users to create their own characters, stages, and moves and fight them against each other. Check out this video on YouTube that shows a sample of what the game has to offer. The other Xbox port I've really enjoyed is Beats of Rage, which is a freeware 2D beat-em-up engine, similar to older games like Streets of Rage, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Arcade, and The Simpsons Arcade games. What kid growing up in the 1980s didn't at one point blow through $5 beating The Simpsons or X-Men or TMNT in the arcade? Those were the days. I used to love going to the arcade with my Dad and Sister. Now it seems like everything's either a driving game or a shooting game, and at least $1 to play. It all went downhill after Mortal Kombat II. At least Silent Scope was fun.

Clerks II was funny. Not quite Mallrats funny, but definitely worth seeing. The movie feels more grown up than it's prequel, but then again it should be - we're looking at the characters a decade later. I have openly professed my man-love for Kevin Smith and his movies, so you knew I was going to see this movie sooner rather than later. I highly recommend it. Can't wait for next week's prime offering, Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby. Looks hilarious.

The more I think about it, Sufjan Stevens' "Illinois" might be the best album I've ever heard. I've listend to it a few more times this past week and just can't get over how good it is. That, and "Twin Cinema" by The New Pornographers too. There really were some great albums last year. This year's been decent, but no show-stopper like those guys. The Shins have a new album due soon. Wonder if that'll take the cake.

Oh, and has anybody else been watching the NBC show Treasure Hunters? I enjoy the premise of the show, but really, I can't stand one huge aspect of it. When a team arrives at a certain juncture, they get a "Motorola Message" - a video clue that plays on their cell phone. NBC runs the video of the message, usually some terribly boring info and the clue that teams need to figure out. I don't have a problem with NBC running this clue when the first team arrives, but the geniuses at NBC must believe that Americans really do have the attention span of 3-year-olds and they proceed to replay the clue in its entirety with the arrival of EVERY OTHER TEAM. If there are five teams and they arrive at different times, you're gonna hear the clue FIVE FREAKING TIMES. Good lord. Oh, and where did they get these contestants? I swear, there's about two decent teams, and the rest are complete and total idiots, including the team of so-called "Geniuses". I enjoy the basic premise of the show - a treasure hunt through America - but it needs some fine tuning if it's going to be successful past season 1. A tip to producers: turn to Game Show Network and watch some old re-runs of The Amazing Race. Now that is an adventure show done properly.

Yes, while I was a proponent of hating reality shows in the past, over the past two years I have found myself watching more and more of them. Why? Because the good ones make for great television, and I just ignore the bad ones. I think I've lumped every reality show into one of these categories:

1) Song and Dance
I really can't stand these overblown Karaoke singing shows. I've watched maybe two episodes of American Idol and I really just don't see its allure. I can't for the life of me understand why America would want to watch "really good karaoke" on national TV for three hours a week. I avoid this category of reality shows like the plague. Examples of these worthless shows include American Idol, So You Think You Can Dance, and Rockstar.

2) Action and Adventure
By far and away, these are the most appealing to me. They offer quite a bit of excitement and the travel involved usually is pretty impressive. I like seeing all the exotic locales that some of these games are filmed in. Examples include Survivor, The Amazing Race, and Treasure Hunters.

3) People In Confined Spaces that Will Eventually Hate Each Other Having to Do Things
Ah, here we always get to see the finer sides of humanity. What happens when you shove a bunch of people into a house? Somebody inevitably gets pissed off. I like these shows when the housemates also have to compete for something, because who doesn't love seeing toxic chemistry between people unfurl? These shows satisfy everybody's primal insticts to just snap at that coworker who keeps bugging you, or that neighbor who you can't stand. Examples include The Ultimate Fighter, The Real World, Big Brother, The Apprentice, and Project Runway.

4) All the Muck That's Fit to Rake
These are all the other shows that simply don't fit in anywhere else. Some are fun, some are garbage. It really just all depends. Examples include Last Comic Standing, America's Got Talent, and Iron Chef America.

Yes, I watch too much TV. Thanks. Now move along.

The Med School Update Post

2006-07-24T03:50:00.000-04:00

Keep this page bookmarked, as I'll update my progress here.

Schools I've Applied To:

The University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine
Got Secondary?
Yes (6/29)
Secondary Submitted?
Yes (9/1)
Got Interview?
No dice (12/1)
Accepted?
No final verdict yet, but "outlook grim"

Emory University School of Medicine
Got Secondary?
Yes (8/14)
Secondary Submitted?
Yes (10/1)
Got Interview?
No (2/26)
Accepted?
No (2/26)

The University of Florida College of Medicine
Got Secondary?
Yes (7/17)
Secondary Submitted?
Yes (9/1)
Got Interview?
Nope.
Accepted?
No Dice. Undergrad GPA was too much for them. (11/23)

Florida State University College of Medicine
Got Secondary?
Yes (8/3)
Secondary Submitted?
Yes (8/9)
Got Interview?
Still waiting to hear.
Interview Completed?
Not yet
Accepted?
No verdict yet

The University of Miami Miller College of Medicine
Got Secondary?
Yes (7/24)
Secondary Submitted?
Yes (8/9)
Got Interview?
Still waiting to hear.
Interview Completed?
Not yet
Accepted?
No verdict yet

Tulane University School of Medicine
Got Secondary?
Yes (6/20)
Secondary Submitted?
No, I withdrew my application.

Keck School of Medicine of USC
Got Secondary?
Yes (7/21)
Secondary Submitted?
Yes (10/1)
Got Interview?
Still waiting to hear.
Interview Completed?
Not yet
Accepted?
No verdict yet

University of South Florida College of Medicine
Got Secondary?
Yes (8/3)
Secondary Submitted?
Yes (10/1)
Got Interview?
Still waiting to hear
Interview Completed?
Not yet
Accepted?
No verdict yet

Wake Forest University School of Medicine
Got Secondary?
Yes (7/26)
Secondary Submitted?
Yes (7/26), though they didn't get my letters until 10/1
Got Interview?
Still waiting to hear
Interview Completed?
Not yet
Accepted?
No verdict yet

Addition #1: After being convinced by Jen Srygley

Harvard University Medical School
Got Secondary?
Yes (7/27)
Secondary Submitted?
Yes (10/1)
Got Interview?
Still waiting to hear.
Interview Completed?
Not yet
Accepted?
No verdict yet

Addition #2: Expanding my options

Temple University School of Medicine

Got Secondary?
Yes (12/7)
Secondary Submitted?
Yes (12/8)
Got Interview?
No (2/26)
Accepted?
No (2/26)

Saint Louis University School of Medicine

Got Secondary?
Yes (12/7)
Secondary Submitted?
No, withdrew application (2/15)

Oklahoma State University College of Osteopathic Medicine

Got Secondary?
Yes (2/5)
Secondary Submitted?
Yes (2/8)
Got Interview?
Not yet
Interview Completed?
Not yet
Accepted?
No verdict yet

Nova Southeastern University College of Osteopathic Medicine

Got Secondary?
Yes (2/5)
Secondary Submitted?
Yes (2/8)
Got Interview?
Not yet
Interview Completed?
Not yet
Accepted?
No verdict yet

Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine - Bradenton, FL Campus

Got Secondary?
Yes (2/5)
Secondary Submitted?
Yes (2/8)
Got Interview?
Yes (2/14)
Interview Completed?
Yes (2/20)
Accepted?
No verdict yet

The Process:
For those not familiar with the med school application process, here's a quick guide of what you have to do:

1) Take the MCAT. Much grueling study and sleep deprivation is involved in this step. Avoid if at all possible. If you do poorly on step #1, repeat a few months later, remit $300, do not pass Go.

2) Submit an application to AMCAS, the American Medical College Application Service, in which you designate which schools you're interested in applying to. This step is either the "AMCAS" step or the "Primary" step. You submit a personal statement, as well as an unofficial transcript where you list every class you've ever taken and the corresponding grade earned. Yes, that step did take a while, especially when you're sitting on 180+ undergraduate credit hours like this fool is. In addition, you must submit official transcripts from each school you've taken classes at.

3) Your AMCAS must then be verified, which means that somebody sits there with the grades you reported and the grades from your transcript, and makes sure they agree. If not, you've got trouble. Luckily, this went through without a hitch here. Guess I'm that honest.

4) The verified AMCAS is sent to the schools you indicated, and at this point the schools themselves can elect to do one of three things: to offer you a university-specific application (the most common step, these are called "Secondary" applications), to deny you admission completely (which would suck), or the very rare case of inviting you for an interview.

5) Secondaries are then completed and submitted along with the required letters of recommendation. Admissions boards then can either invite you for an interview or again, deny you admission. For those at home, that's weed-out step #2.

6) After completing an interview (usually a face-to-face interview on campus, though some do it by phone - which is odd), boards will only then make the final decision to accept, deny, or wait-list a potential student.

Now do you understand why this is such a long, drawn-out process? Lots of work to do in there. Lots of time and lots of decisions to be made.

The Updates:

Update: 7/24/2006
Today I got my Miami secondary, after apparently meeting their GPA requirements. My AMCAS application was marked as verified some time last week, and the dates listed above note the date of the last email I've gotten from each school. The only schools I have yet to hear anything from at this point are Wake Forest and Tulane, who apparently does not contact students but does have their Secondary online for all to download and complete. USF, FSU, and Emory have all expressed that my secondary application packages are on the way. I've secured three of my necessary letters of recommendation (2 science professors and 1 professional evaluation so far, need 1 non-science professor and 1 peer evaluation), but as of right now only one has been submitted. That's entirely my fault, as I just got the letter packages out to three of my (potential) letter writers. My goal for now is to have my Secondaries all submitted the first weekend of September, after financial aid comes in (to pay for the applications). I'll keep you posted.

Oh and JS, yes, I know - I'm leaving something out. Don't worry though, it's there.

Update: 7/26/2006
Got and submitted my WFU application today. Interesting thing about WFU is their application comes with a very strict time limit - it must be completed within 3 weeks of reception. So regardless of my early September goals, looks like this one was going to beat that mark by quite a while. It's been interesting to see how these different institutions can vary so much in their applications. Not that I expected things to be any different, that is.

Update: 8/1/2006
Emails from both FSU and Emory indicate that due to technical issues, no secondaries have gone out yet. No word from USF in a while. Emory indicated at first that they expected to have the secondary website up by the end of July, but that's been pushed back to mid-August. Neither of these really disturb me, as I've got enough on my plate for the next few weeks anyway. Hopefully they'll come online just as I'm wrapping up my other applications. Summer semester ends on Friday so I don't expect that I'll be doing much application work this week - I mean, I'm always thinking of the essays on some level, but I think I'll devote the majority of thought to finishing physiology and psychology this week.

Update: 8/3-4/2006
FSU and USF secondaries arrived today, leaving only Emory is left. Secured my final letter of recommendation writer, and added the "schools that have invited me to apply" section above after receiving emails from Michigan and the NY College of Podiatry. Of note: I have no desire to do podiatry. Just to clear up any confusion. School has ended for the summer semester, and I've got 24 days to finish my applications before the fall semester stars. Well, make it 23. I'm not going to be productive today.

Update: 8/9/2006
It's been a very productive week so far. I've finished applications for Chicago, UF, FSU, and Miami. So far, only FSU, Miami, and Wake Forest have been submitted, as I have to wait until financial aid money comes in to send in the application fees. Still need to finish USF, USC, and Tulane. That, and hope that my letters of recommendation all get done in a timely fashion.

Update: 12/8/2006
Funny how that whole "school and 3 jobs" things tends to get in the way of the updates. So far, the news has not been positive - I'm out at two of my original 9 (since I decided against applying to Tulane). Today however was a bit of a big day, as I decided to fill out the AACOMAS for application to Osteopathic medical schools, as well as added St. Louis U and Temple to my AMCAS. That's 5 new schools, just trying to give myself some more options. I've thought about what Plan B would be right now if this whole "doctorin'" thing doesn't work out, and I'm not a fan of any option I've proposed so far. So let's hope I can crank out an acceptance somewhere - it's just that low undergrad GPA from GT holding me back. Oh, and in other news, I might be getting a biochem degree from FSU afterall. Details to come on that after next Friday when I'm done with exams.

Update: 2/22/2007
Okay, so a lot has happened since the last update. The AACOMAS service took forever to "certify" my application, and as a result, I just barely beat the deadlines for application to the 3 Osteopathic schools I applied to. I decided not to pursue SLU any further, and opted out of completing their secondary. I received all three of the Osteopathic applications on 2/5, and had them all out 3 days later. Within 1 day of receiving my application, LECOM called to schedule me for an interview - due to a cancellation they told me there was an available slot this past Tuesday (2/20), so I took it. [The other option was to wait until the next slot at 3/15]

I drove down Monday night (after teaching) and stayed in Sarasota with my friend Jeanette, and headed off to the interview early Tuesday morning. Due to awful directions from Mapquest (Google Maps were just as bad) I was a bit late, missing the Dean's introduction (doh!) but from then on the rest of the day went great. I met with two faculty members, answered their questions as well and as honestly as I could, and I don't things could've gone better. The rest of the day was filled out with a tour and various other presentations. The admissions committee met on 2/21 to mail out acceptance letters, but even if I did get accepted, mine might be held as they're still waiting on one letter of recommendation from a D.O. that I know. I'll keep you posted.

Update: 2/28/2007
Well, LECOM still hasn't gotten my DO letter, so I'm still waiting for the admission decision. Not really fun times for me. Also, I heard word from both Emory and Temple that I'm a no-go at both schools. As we get closer to the middle of March I suspect I'll see quite a few more of those types of letters from the MD schools. Looks like MDJDO is going to be more probable than MDJMD. Good thing I didn't splurge on monogramming or anything.

The Great Mix-Tape Throwdown: 1997

2006-07-16T17:29:00.000-04:00

In a rather bored state last week, I came up with an idea for a friendly competition. Proposed to and accepted by both Zack and Adam, we've engaged in a Mix-Tape Throwdown. We put 15 playing cards in a pile, assigned each one a year between 1991 and 2006, and took turns drawing cards until only one was left - 1997 - the year this first competition would be based on.

The Rules:
1) All songs MUST be from albums/EPs released in 1997.
2) Mixes MUST be longer than 50 minutes but no longer than 60 minutes.
3) Rereleases, compilations, soundtracks, live albums, etc. are not valid, unless they are the only place a song was ever released.
4) Covers of older songs are not permitted.
5) All year-of-release disputes will be settled via AllMusicGuide [allmusic.com]
6) Contestants have exactly two weeks to put together their mix.

The Judges:
For the first contest, Lacey and Jen volunteered, and Drew was nominated. The three will judge based on flow and overall opinion. Judges will hear the mixes in a randomly determined order, and will not know whose mix they are listening to while judging (unless they're clever and just figure it out).

The Bounty:
The winner will receive one twelve pack of beer of his choice purchased by the losers, as well as a dinner grilled for him by the losers.

Should be fun. We all did agree that 1997's a tough year. I'll post updates with playlists and results later. I've got to get started on a mix...

$1 TV DVDs, or How To Take My Money

2006-07-15T15:48:00.000-04:00

I admit that I'm a hopeless TV junkie, and I always have been. Specifically, I've always liked cartoons, and superhero cartoons have always been my favorite. I was crazy about Wonder Friends growing up and I really loved the old Max Fleischer Superman cartoons of the 1930s-1940s. The neat thing is that a lot of these older TV shows are now entering the public domain, meaning that their copyright has expired and anybody who wants to can freely distribute them. Some enterprising people have quickly churned out DVDs of these old TV shows and have priced them at ridiculously low levels - usually $1 or cheaper. Unfortunately for my poor wallet, that's the perfect price point. $1 for 10 Max Fleischer Superman cartoons? Yes, please. $1 for 6 epsiodes of Mighty Mouse? Sold. Even older movies are now finding their way to the $1 rack. $1 for the original "Night of the Living Dead"? Here you go.

Here's what I've collected over the course of the past year. All of these were bought at either Wal-Mart, Walgreens, Target, or CVS:

The problem with these DVDs is that they're of varying quality in both production values (and quality of restoration/picture) and of packaging values. For example, the two DVDs that I bought from Target, Dragnet and Superman, are the best looking in terms of picture quality, but leave a lot to be desired in the packaging department:

Seriously. What the hell is that? They just used some cheap tack and taped it on the inside of a very flimsy cardboard box. How pray tell is one supposed to keep this DVD in their collection and store it? Though I guess for $1, they figure many will just watch it and toss it. From any $1 disc you buy, just be warned that the picture quality will probably suck (most of them do) and if you don't know the material, some of it is awful bland (they had a bland sense of humor in the 1930s), but hey, you get what you pay for.

In other news, I requested that Facebook merge my GT and FSU accounts. Normally, they delete one and merge its information with the other. In my case, they deleted both. That's right, I'm now off Facebook. No big loss. Not with Facebook's ties to the CIA as a data mining operation. Sure, that might sound a bit "tinfoil hat-like", but I never really got the purpose of the site anyway. I still for the life of me can't understand MySpace. No, I still don't want to join. Stop asking.

I shaved my head on July 4th. If you haven't seen it, you'd be amused.

Pirates of the Caribbean 2 was a good setup for PotC3. I've seen it twice now, and while I did like the humor, it did seem a bit long. I did enjoy it though. It was better than the also-good-but-too-long Superman Returns.

White Bread

2006-06-28T22:57:00.000-04:00

First off, the photo blog is gone. It was just a terribly inefficient way of hosting/storing pictures and I'm investigating other means (either flickr or Google's PicasaWeb) - so don't worry, I'll have pictures online in a while. Of course, I'd rather just pay for some decent webhosting and load Gallery on it.

Alright, it's been a while since any non-World Cup material's been posted here - time to get down to business. I've got lots of junk to talk about.

The other night I couldn't fall asleep, so I ended up watching a rerun of the Food Network Las Vegas Pastry Battle. Essentially the tournament was 8 confectioners who had 7 hours to create gigantic sculptures out of sugar and sugar alone. I was pretty amazed by the things these guys (and gals) created. Interesting career.

MCAT scores are in, and I did pretty well. Unless you post a 45, you always have those small nags "I could've done better" and I'm no exception. Getting into a med school will be no walk in the park - it's gonna take work - but I don't see matriculation as an insurmountable goal. I'll get in. It's just going to take the usual - hard work, a little good fortune, and a strong showing during interviews.

The list of med schools I applied to are finalized, as I sent off my AMCAS last week. The contenders are Tulane University (New Orleans), Emory University (Atlanta), University of Chicago, University of Southern California (LA), Wake Forest University (Winston-Salem, NC), Florida State University (here), University of Florida (Gainesville), University of South Florida (Tampa), and the University of Miami (FL). All I need is to get into one. I'd be happy with any of them, and I think it's a good list of schools.

Lately I've been running Ubuntu 5.10 on the laptop (as Ubuntu 6.06 did not play nicely with any of the 3 wireless adapters I had around the house). Great stuff. I can see myself migrating away from Windows if the need ever arises (Vista/DRM hell) but there's still a few apps that I really prefer in the Windows world. On the other hand, I would love to see Amarok, a Linux-based audio jukebox that I personally think destroys iTunes, ported to Windows - but that apparently isn't going to happen any time soon according to the developers. If only I could code well enough...

My latest strike of nerddom has been total infatuation with the DC Animated Universe and the Marvel Animated Universe. The DCAU and MAU are just the continuity of all the two companies' animated series. The DCAU started with Batman: The Animated Series and also includes Superman, Justice League (Unlimited), Batman Beyond, Static Shock, and the Zeta Project. MAU was bigger in the 90s, with X-Men, Spider-Man, Avengers, Hulk, Iron Man, and a couple others. I've managed to get ahold of most of the episodes and am geeking out watching them all. I never could afford comic books growing up, so consider this making up for lost time.

I honestly think that "Batman: The Animated Series" might be my favorite TV show of all time. I don't care how nerdy that sounds.

Oh, and while watching these shows, since I didn't read comics growing up I find myself having to look up characters and their backstories, and I swear that Wikipedia is THE goldmine for such comics information. I love that site.

I've been playing a lot of golf recently. Unfortunately Dad and I always seem to decide to play golf some time in the afternoon and end up playing during the hottest part of the day. Golf in 97 degrees is fun, but exhausting.

I haven't worn a pair of Nike shoes in forever (except for my crappy $15 Nike sandals) but I have to admit that I'm a bit intrigued by the Nike+iPod setup. For those in the dark, Nike and Apple announced a product that integrates Apple's iPod Nano with Nike shoes. The Nano has an attachment plugged into it that wirelessly interfaces with a sensor in the toe of the Nike shoe, and the Nano supposedly keeps track of your running. I'll need to see it in action before dropping the change, after all, a new pair of New Balances and a fancy podometer are still cheaper. At least I need new shoes anyway.

Whirlwind movie review!
Cars: I loved it. Sure it's just Doc Hollywood with Cars, but it was a good story, told well, and honestly done better than Doc Hollywood anyway. The end credits were pure genius.
X-3: Decent. I prefer more Juggernaut. He's my favorite (Marvel) villain.
The Breakup: Had some great one-liners. If you're a girl you'll hate the ending.
Superman Returns: A big long, but good. Would've been better with AC in the theater. (Grr!)

Movies I need to still see: Art School Confidential, Inside Man, Nacho Libre

Music!
Billy Talent II: Not quite the first album, but still a very good album. It grows on me with each playthrough. I give it love.
AFI's Decemberunderground: What happened? Sing the Sorrow was so good! This album is hopelessly bland. There's some bright points here and there, but overall, Bland City.

After listening to their split with Iron and Wine last year, I really wanted to get into the band Calexico. I listened to their new release, Garden Ruin, and was honestly not all that pleased with it. Only then did I learn that the one album I pick to start listening to them with is self-described by the band as "a departure from our norm". Two hours and one Soulseek session later, I had a few of their older albums, most notably 2003's "Feast of Wire". Wow. Now this is what I've been looking for in an album for a while, since last year's top albums. I'm going to listen to it a bit more, then I'll more than likely have to go back and edit 2003's top albums list. It's that good.

My latest obsession has been Donkey Konga 2 on the Gamecube. Maybe it's because I have some terrible addiction to crazy video game controllers. Maybe it's because the game is just terrifyingly addictive. Either way, I love it. That, and playing The Typing of the Dead on my Dreamcast with the keyboard and mouse I bought a month or two back. Again, crazy controllers. I'm going to need a very large closet and a very tolerant wife someday with all the video game junk I've got. I mean, the Virtual Boy has to go somewhere, right?

Before the Cup kicked off, I had to familiarize myself with the teams in World Cup 2006 for the Xbox. The game mechanics weren't stellar, but my real gripe is with the AI. It didn't take long on any difficulty level before I swas stomping the CPU to bits. Oh well.

How nobody had introduced me to the wonderfulness that is USA's "The 4400" is beyond me. Only since I started Tivoing "Monk" and seeing the ads for the show did I get interested. So I downloaded the first two seasons, and to my shock, watched them all in under 48 hours. The show is incredible.

Somebody asked what sites I visit everyday. Here goes: Fark, Slashdot, Digg, Lifehacker, BoingBoing, Memepool, del.icio.us, SomethingAwful, 4ColorRebellion, Kotaku, Joystiq, ESPN, BensBargains, X-Entertainment, Penny Arcade, Make, HackADay, Instructables, Engadget, Woot. My friend Google can provide links, as I'm too tired/lazy to do so now.

FIFA World Cup 2006 Reflections

2006-06-09T21:35:00.000-04:00

Okay, I'm going to attempt the absolute lunacy that is watching every single minute of football from the World Cup in Germany this year. Of course I've got a life, and other things to do, so this wouldn't be possible without my trusty friend TiVo. Good thing most shows are in summer re-runs, affording me plenty of time. That, and the lack of both money and a social life. Expect this post to be edited in the neighborhood of 30 times, if not more.

Day 1: Friday 6/9/06

Germany 4:2 Costa Rica
This was a damned entertaining match. I didn't think the Germans would be so dominant in this one, but it was really their game from start to finish. The whole game was a pretty stark contrast of styles - the Germans were constantly attacking Los Ticos, and it was only on a couple breakdowns in defense that allowed the Costa Ricans any opportunity to score. CRC only put up 4 shots in the whole match. I was damned impressed by a Michael Ballack-less German squad. They looked good.

Ecuador 2:0 Poland
This game came as somewhat of a shock to both me and the ESPN announcers. I thought Poland had a pretty decent team, but they just looked on the pitch. Contrast that with the Tricolor, who were running almost non-stop. Ecuador's intensity and their ability to constantly penetrate Poland's suspect defense gave them a good win. I predicted that Ecuador would finish last in Group A, but after one day, I should've swapped Ecuador and Costa Rica in my predictions. Better luck tomorrow I guess.

Prediction record after Day 1: 1-1-0 [0.500]

Day 2: Saturday 6/10/06

England 1:0 Paraguay
What a boring game. Other than Beckham's great curving free kick early in the game (that resulted in the OG, the only goal of the game) this was a snoozefest. England looked good in the first half, but seemed to have no fire in the 2nd half. I thought that after subbing out Owens that they'd get something going, but the Three Lions just couldn't muster much of an attack anywhere. Beckham was almost a non-factor other than the goal and the corners. The officiating was crazy, with 6'7" Crouch picking up a yellow and 6-7 fouls - it was almost like the refs were targeting him. (By the way, getting a yellow for arguing is the dumbest thing ever. What a lame way to hurt your team). Oh, and Paraguay didn't show any offensive spark at all, which may be a tribute to England's only high point - their back 4, but Paraguay's defensive backfield sure did look good. I'm not totally sold on England. When's Rooney coming back?

Trinidad and Tobago 0:0 Sweden
What a game! Match of the tourney so far! Trinidad played great! The duo of Ibrahimovic and Larson seemed to be attacking the goal nearly non-stop and to the Soca Warriors' credit, they did a good job of matching up against the Swedes. When Avery John got his 2nd yellow in the 46th minute and was sent off (on what I think was a terrible call - it was a foul but he WAS going for the ball) you had to think that was going to hurt TnT. I mean, you're already underdogs, and now you're playing short a man? But no! TnT played even better! Oh and by the way Hislop, the TnT GK, played out of his mind. A late pencil-in, he came in and made some outstanding saves. That guy was a legend on the pitch today. It wasn't that Sweden played poorly - they didn't - it was that Hislop and the TnT defense were good enough to avoid the Sverige attack. This game is an example of why I love the World Cup so much.

Argentina 2:1 Ivory Coast
I really couldn't get into this game. Granted, Argentina is on my "Anybody but them!" list as to who I don't want to win the Cup (along with France, Portugual, Spain, Italy, and Mexico) so I was heartily pulling for the Ivory Coast. I will grant that Argentina played a great game. They were constantly on the attack, and their attackers looked good, not flat like those of England and Sweden earlier in the day. For CIV, Drogba looked really good. Granted I don't think that the Ivory Coast will be able to advance through this round (all depends on the Dutch) but they had a decent performance tonight.

Prediction record after Day 2: 3-1-1 [.750]

Day 3: Sunday 6/11/06

Netherlands 1:0 Serbia and Montenegro
I thought that the Oranje would win, but in a more convincing fashion. I know that Serbia and Montenegro have put up a few clean sheets in a row in Cup qualifying, but the Dutch have what I thought was one of the best sets of strikers in the world. Van Nistelrooy wasn't as big of a factor as I thought he was going to be. The first half of this game was enjoyable, but I honestly got bored at about the 70 minute mark. Only when van der Sar got hurt late I thought things might heat up, but he stayed in the game, and not much of anything came of it. I was really impressed with how well the Netherlands pass the ball - better than any team I'd seen so far. It seems near impossible to dig yourself out of a hole against the Dutch as they keep the ball in their posession for what seems like the entire game. One thing I did love was the abundance of Yellow cards in the 2nd half for pretty much everything you can get one for - hard fouls, dissent, and time wasting. It started to get pretty dirty around the 80th minute. Robben had a good game, but whenever your teammates label you a ball-hog, there's trouble at home. Perhaps picking the Dutch through to the finals was a bad choice.

Mexico 3:1 Iran
This is easily the first game in the tourney in which I could honestly not pick a team to root for. I'm no fan of Mexico, but I sure don't like Iran either (and apparently, neither did the German fans who booed the hell out of the team when they entered the pitch, were announced, and first touched the ball). I thought this was Mexico's time to shine, but I underestimated Iran's squad. After a well played Mexican goal, Iran answered right back off an equally well played corner kick. I was surprised that Mexico took a gamble and substituted two in at the half, only to have to use his last sub when Borgetti tweaked a hamstring about five minutes later. I was not very impressed my Mexico on the set-pieces, Pardo couldn't seem to put anything much of anywhere missing free kicks badly and his corner kicks were flat. The game was even for 74 minutes, but then you could see the wheels falling off for Iran. Mexico's go-ahead goal in the 75th minute was a good one, but can totally be attributed to a terrible breakdown and series of mistakes by the Iranians. The third goal on the other hand was damned pretty - a great cross followed by a beautiful header to put the ball in the back of the net. Exciting last 15 minutes of play.

Portugual 1:0 Angola
Wow does this match have some serious undertones. Angola was oppressed by a Portuguese ncolonial government until the 1950s, and the last time these two teams played 4 Red cards were given and the came stopped in the 68th minute. I'm no fan of the Portuguese (after their comments/attitudes before the 2002 World Cup) so pulling for the underdogs was easy for me to do. However, Portugual just looked so much better than Angola. Portugual came out fierce, putting up a near-goal shot in the first 14 seconds, and after a great pass from Figo, Pauleta put a goal in the back of the net in the 4th minute. After that, I think they must've just gotten a flat tire. Portugual looked tired and indifferent for the remainder of the 1st half and the entire 2nd half. Angola played well, but just couldn't muster a strike. The 2nd half was probably the most boring of the Cup so far. Portugual just sat back and played possession.

Prediction record after Day 3: 6-1-1 [.857] (pretty good so far)

Day 4: Monday 6/12/06

Australia 3:1 Japan
Today was the first day where I had to rely on watching all my games via Tivo (as I was in class/work all day). Unfortunately, people with loud mouths blabbed both the score of this game and the USA game before I got a chance to see it, so going into this game, I knew the end result. Boo. On to the break-down. I thought this game was going to be a walk for Japan and it was anything but that. Australia ted Japan's third, with the Socceroos putting up a massive 22 shots, 11 on goal. The Japanese strikers played decent, but just couldn't convert on anything other than the goal in the 25th minute - the UGLIEST goal of the tournament. The goalie claimed foul (a call which he should've gotten) as Schwartzer was picked by Takahara. The goal was thus just an ugly floater. A complete BS goal - the Aussies should've had a clean sheet. The real story of this game is the persistence of the Aussie strikers, who along with their midfielders were semmingly attacking Japan deep the entire game. Their persistence paid off late. I used the metaphor about the wheels falling off the bus in the Mexico/Iran game, but this game was a far more suited application. Japan, holding a frail 1-0 lead, gives up not one, but THREE goals in the final five minutes to blow a lead and find themselves sitting at the bottom of Group E with a -2 goal differential. What an incredibly exciting last five minutes. I didn't predict this one, but then again, who did? I love how the ESPN announcers were playing kiss-ass on the Japanese team the entire 2nd half, and how quickly they jumped on the Aussie bandwagon.

Czech Republic 3:0 United States
Ouch. All along I thought the Czechs would win this game, because I thought they were the better team. Granted I thought this would be a close game, and despite two goals in the first half, it was a fairly close game. Koller must've been called for being offsides 7 times in the first half. One huge problem was Reyna, who did not command the midfield like he needed to. Onyewu's yellow card in the 4th minute sucked, and you had to know that a defender that big was going to pick a YC up at some point. Koller's goal in the same minute was a pretty one, an EASY header off a cross. With his huge height advantage over Eddie Pope, there really was no chance. The American offense was atrocious. Donovan got a few looks, but McBride and Beasley weren't in the game at all. The Americans had some terrible fouls in the game, stupid fouls. The 2nd goal by the Czechs was just an unstoppable bullet, though I can't help but wonder why Reyna put in such a terrible effort on marking his man. Koller's injury may hurt the Czechs in their upcoming matches, which we'll have to wait and see. Claudio Reyna's yellow card was a hard, foul. The Czechs really ted the midfield, and I can't blame anybody but Reyna. Bringing in Eddie Johnson didn't give the spark that the US needed, and after Rosicky put in the third goal, the American team just basically gave up. Rosicky was wide open ALL DAY. I was extremely disappointed in the American defense, the American midfield, and the American strikers. Better pick your asses off the ground and beat Italy, or it's 1998 all over again. Losing the game wasn't a terrible thing, but now the USA is sitting at last place in the group, with a TERRIBLE -3 goal differential. Damnit. Why was Beasley on his unnatural side? Why put Convey and Lewis on the same side when neither is known for their defense? UGH.

Italy 2:0 Ghana
The first half-hour was back and forth affair, with both teams missing on early chances. Ghana certainly played well to keep with Italy for so long. The Azzurri were on the attack at every chance that afforded them, which unfortunately for Ghana, was pretty often. How Toni's ball didn't go in after a thunderous shot in the 27th minute was beyond me, but Pirlo's scorcher in the 40th minute made up for it. Ghana continued to play strong, coming close to equalizing the game on many occations. It wasn't until a mistake on defense in the 83rd minute allowed for the second Italian goal. A half-assed clear back to the goalie was intercepted, and Iaquinta barely had to work for his goal as he simply dribbled past the goalie and dumped it into the empty net. A good game for Ghana, and without one stupid mistake, it could've been a one-goal game.

Prediction record after Day 4: 8-2-1 [.800] (coming back to Earth...)

Day 5: Tuesday 6/13/06

South Korea 2:1 Togo
This was a well played game. Both the Togolese and the Koreans were more than willing to throw attackers in numbers at the opposition, which makes for enjoyable football. We had Tommy Smythe's crew on ESPN, so the countless England/Ireland bashing kept going back and forth - especially since the ref was English - and it was hilarious. I wish these guys could do every game. The Taeguk Warriors controlled the ball very well when they had it, with some good, on-point passing. The Togolese goal in the 31st minute was a result of of a well placed pass and a well placed strike. The goal seemingly came out of nowhere, catching the Koreans obviously by surprise. I wonder if the announcers could possibly mention any more that a) that no African or Asian team has won so far this World Cup or b) that the Koreans have never won a WC match off Asian soil. Togo stormed off at the half with a 1-0 lead, but credit the Koreans for storming back late and take command in the second half - of course this was made easier by a much deserved Togolese red card eight minutes into the second half. The Koreans were able to equalize on the resulting free kick over a Togolese wall, making the loss of a man even that much more devastating. Togo had a great chance in the 63rd minute, but Salifou hurried the shot and sailed it into the stands. At this point, I guess the Koreans smelled in the water, and kept sending the ball deep over and over again. They got the go-ahead in the 72nd minute, a blast from outside the box set up by some patient, precise passing. At about the 81st minute, Togo basically gave up on defending and threw as many people forward to catch up and equalize, but the game ended 2-1, Korea.

Switzerland 0:0 France
Before first touch, I couldn't help note that the French uniforms look really uncomfortable. Just saying. I assumed, after the year that Henry's had and the emotional return of Zidane, that the loaded French squad would make up for 2002's debacle. I would at least assume they'd break their 3-game World Cup scoreless streak. Surprisingly, I was wrong. France's striking force was pretty good, but tseries of near-misses were the story of the game. Henry had a great chance in the 5th minute but misjumped on a header chance, his good cross in the 21st minute with nobody to take it, Ribery missing from point blank (or is it Blanc?) in the 30th, and Henry's ball taking a mysterious deflection in the 37th (which they wanted a handball called for and should've gotten, but the problem is Ribery should've shot it) - the French just couldn't get it done. I will give credit for the Swiss defense and goaltending, because they were excellent. Posting a clean sheet against such an impressive veteran attack deserves recognition. Of course, if they haven't scored a game in almost 8 years, is it their attack that impressive? Perhaps the French held the ball far too long - the younger, faster Swiss team attacked the ball holding French and were able to easily disrupt France's entire offensive strategy. France did te in the midfield though, as the Swiss barely could get the ball through to mount any form of an attack. In fact, I'd say the Swiss probably only had one legitimate chance to score, in the 64th minute after a French yellow card. Speaking of, Abidal's yellow card in the 63rd minute for kicking the ball way into the stands after play was stopped - that took the cake as the DUMBEST booking of the tourney, hands down. A near header into the goal for the Swiss in the 65th was easily stopped, and the rest of the game was a series of squandered opportunites for both sides, most notably France's blast from substitute Dhorasoo in the 89th minute that just slipped wide of the post. A good game for the Swiss, terrible for France. You have to think now, after 4 WC games with 0 goals, that the French team is going to start feeling some pressure from the fans and press back home. The Swiss fans, by the way, were incredible. An extremely loud sea of Red and White seemed to encircle three-quarters of the stadium. Gotta love all the French Boo-Birds flying at the end of the game.

Brazil : Croatia
Ah finally, the world gets to watch the Brazilians play. One thing I'll remark for this game is that despite being called "defensive backs", the Brazilian defenders are all incredible attackers. And oh my lord, Ronaldinho is SICK when it comes to dribbling circles around people. He may look half horse, half Jar Jar Binks, but he is easily the best player in the tournament from a pure skill standpoint. They showed a shot of the Croat fans, and the sea of white and red checkers - man, that hurt my eyes. Croatia wins the "worst uniform" awards in my book. A couple of early chances for each team were broken up either by great defending or offsides calls and honestly, I was more impressed by the Croatians the first ten minutes. The Brazilians play with the most blistering pace I've seen all tournament, turning a counter-attack on any Croatian attack almost at a second's notice. Prso for Croatia should not hang his head, as his strikes early kept Brazil on their toes. Roberto Carlos and Kaka have both got cannons for legs, and Carlos nearly landed a few strikes in. Ronaldinho almost put one in net in the 16th minute, but the goalie just got fingers on it at the last second. The amazing thing about this game is that the Croats held the Brazilians to only 13 shots. For some teams that's no big deal but against Brazil, that's pretty good. The Croatians are a very tough team and certainly gave their all. I could easily see them moving on to the knockout stages. We'll see how the Japanese respond to their terrible loss yesterday. Kaka, easily the man of the match, put a beautiful curling left-footer into the top left hand corner of the net with one minute to go in the 1st half. The second half was a good watch, but the Croatians couldn't get the ball past Dida. Both teams looked pretty good in this opening match. Coming away with only a -1 goal differential after playing Brazil, that's something the Croatians can't fell too bad about.

Prediction record after Day 5: 10-2-2 [.833]

Day 6: Wednesday 6/14/06

Spain 4:0 Ukraine
This game was no contest from start to finish. The Ukrainians had precious few chances, and they couldn't take advantage of any of them. The Spaniards were faster, could easily move the ball up and down the field, and were able to get back and defend and cut off any Ukranian advances off at the pass. Spain struck early off a corner in the 12th minute, and then again four minutes later off a free kick just outside the penalty box. Spain completely ted the first half, and made the team many (not me!) favored to be the second team out of the group stage look like 11 monkeys on the field. Shevchenko, the stud Ukranian striker, was a non-factor - completely shut down by the Spanish backfield. The Ukrainians caught a terrible break, an undeserved red card in the box in the 48th minute which resulted in a PK goal and put Spain up 3-0. At this point the game was over and done, with Spain dropping a fourth in net in the 81st minute just to add insult to injury. I don't think the Spanish could've dreamt a better opening game.

Saudi Arabia 2:2 Tunisia
The Saudis opened 2002's cup getting blasted 8-0 by Germany, and you had to figure that they were much relieved to be playing an easier foe. The Tunisians came out quick and strong, and it took a good 20 minutes for the Saudis to get into their rhythm, but once they did they played great. After being denied what I thought should've been a Tunisian penalty kick, the Elephants of Carthage had a little trouble pushing the ball forward during a good 20 minute stretch. Taking advantage of a terrible clear after a prayer of a free kick, Tunisia struck first in the 23rd minute. The Saudi clear was half-hearted, and Jaziri for Tunisia crushed a ball out of the air and into the net. The 37th minute brought us the wonderful "Encroachment" yellow card for the Tunisian captain, but the goalie made an easy save on the free kick. In the second half, Saudi Arabia had a great opportunity in the 47th minute to score after a broken defensive play but couldn't get enough foot on the ball. Saudi Arabia definitely came out of the locker room looking to push their offense forward, and the first fifteen minutes of the second half saw countless strikes. Saudi Arabia was able to equalize in the 57th minute on an absolutely beautiful finish to a perfectly placed cross - you couldn't see a better one-timer. The next twenty minutes were primarily ball control, as neither team could mount a serious offensive. In the 84th minute the Saudis broke the stalemate on a fantastic breakaway, fueled by some great passing. I honestly thought that the Saudis would hold strong, but in stoppage time the Tunisians were able to fight back and tie it up. The game ended a hard fought 2-2 tie for each side. With the Ukraine getting blasted with a -4 differential early in the day, you have to feel that both of these squads must feel good about their chances moving forward.

Germany 1:0 Poland
These two teams apparently do not like each other. The game was physical almost to a point of being dirty. Five minutes into the game and I'm already predicting at LEAST one red card today. Poland looked flat against Ecuador, but played surprisingly fierce and inspired against Germany. Maybe it's that whole September 1, 1939 bit all over again. Jens Lehmann finally decided to step up and play goal today, unlike his horrific 2 save in 4 shot performance against Costa Rica last week (much to the joy of my fantasy World Cup team). The German defense wasn't any better than they were in their last match, but the Poles couldn't put a good shot on goal that really challenged Lehmann. The Germans were denied in the 10th minute after Klose was stopped close, in the 21st minute again by Klose's missed header, Ballack's wide shot in the 30th minute, and an amazing save off Lahm's quick turnaround shot in the 35th minute. Germany's defenders might not be that great, but the team sure has no deficiency in strikers. The half ended with a 0-0 score. At around the 57th minute, the German fans really unload on the Polish GK for stalling on a goal kick, with that whole angsty European whistling thing. I don't get it, personally - guess it's just a culture thing. Boruc made a tremendous save off a cannonball from Klose inside the box in the 65th minute - it really should've been a goal. In the 75th minute my prior prediction came true, with Sobolewski picking up yellow number two and its corresponding red. The one-man advantage appeared to have a strategic effect throughout the rest of regulation, with Poland playing back for the draw, and Germany constantly attacking. I have never heard a stadium get as loud as when Germany scored in the 91st minute to take the lead - I got chills. Seriously. A perfect goal, you could see the despair on the faces of the Polish players and fans. What a heartbreaker.

Prediction record after Day 6: 12-2-3 [.857]

Day 7: Thursday 6/15/06

Ecuador 3:0 Costa Rica
I underestimated Ecuador before the tourney started, but I was much wiser going into this match, and thought they would be able to beat Costa Rica. 8 minutes in, the Tricolor put in the go-ahead goal off a great header and started with a 1-0 lead before the Ticos had any idea what was going on. For the next thirty minutes, Ecuador looked like a team on a mission. Costa Rica played well in the closing minutes of the first half and the opening ten minutes of the second half, with Paulo Wanchoppe missing on a few good opportunities. The 54th minute rolled around, and off a throw-in and corner, Delgado destroyed the ball past the Costa Rican goalie to assume a commanding 2-0 lead. The rest of the game was a series of Ecuadorean strikes, finally connecting for goal number three of the day in extra time. This game wasn't even as close as the score might hint. It was all Ecuador from start to finish. I can't wait to see the Ecuador/Germany match next week to see who will walk away with first in the group - the second place team likely will play England in the round of 16.

England 2:0 Trinidad and Tobago
The Soca Warriors played a solid game, but England proved too much. TnT never really could mount a serious offensive save a few sparse chances. Starkly contrast that to the English, who had possession the vast majority of the game (65%) and was in the TnT third for most of the second half. After so many near-misses from the English (if the goal was a foot taller they would've had 6-7 goals) I figured it was only a matter of time before the dam broke and England would be able to sneak one past Hislop and the TnT defense. Substitutes Glen (for TnT) and Rooney (England) sparked both of their teams around the 60th minute, with both having great runs at goal but neither converting. The English back line was outstanding, in particular John Terry who single-handedly stopped two goals from going into the open net. Around the 75th minute, the English finally got into a decent rhythm on offense - Crouch and Rooney actually worked together (unlike the earlier oil and water mix of Crouch and Owens) and made some good passes to get other people open. The Trinidad players must've been fatigued, as nobody was marking their man in the 83rd minute and Peter Crouch was able to head one in on a spectacular cross from David Beckham. TnT looked beat at this point, and the English put up a goal in extra time to put it out of reach. England was not ting, and English fans should be a bit concerned. And a side note: Julie Foudy (of the US Women's national team) is quite the hottie. I never realized!

Sweden 1:0 Paraguay
The first thirty-five minutes of this match was like watching a tennis match - Paraguay on the offensive, then Sweden, then Paraguay, then Sweden - rinse and repeat. Shots were all either off-target or trivial stops for the goalies. The Paraguayans came into the match facing elimination with a loss, and the Swedes were also desperate for points. For the vast majority of the match Sweden's strikers were ice cold. Even after pulling Ibrahimovic at intermission, the yellow and blue couldn't get anything until the 88th minute. Credit needs to go to Paraguay for what I think was the play of the tournament: the Paraguayan GK was out too far to cut off a Swedish striker, the striker chipped the ball over his head, and before he could tip it into the net for an easy goal a Paraguayan defender came out of nowhere to clear the ball to safety. You're going to need to go to the WC website and see that clip. Incredible stuff. The best thing about this result is that TnT stay alive and can advance with a win over Paraguay coupled with a Swedish loss to England, but the Swedes currently have a 3 goal lead in differential.

Prediction record after Day 7: 13-4-3 [0.765]

Day 8: Friday 6/16/06

Argentina 6:0 Serbia and Montenegro
In what surely will be THE definitive rout of the tournament, there really isn't too much to write about this game. It was all Argentina, all game. Not one minute of this game passed where I thought Serbia was in control - the Argentines were simply that nt. In what was supposed to be a "Group of " two of the teams, Serbia and Ivory Coast sure didn't make an appearance. This game had some beautiful goals and it's most definitely worth watching the replays over on the offical World Cup site.

Netherlands 2:1 Ivory Coast
[only saw first half]

Angola 0:0 Mexico
Where were the Mexicans? Because they sure didn't show up for this game. The Angolans played with crazy energy, and very nearly got the game winner a couple times in the second half. As a friend pointed out, the announcers kept picking on the lethargic Mexican team, using everything he could short of calling them "lazy", which they clearly were. They weren't running out plays, they were haphazard on their defense, and by only sheer luck did they manage to hold Angola to a draw. This was one hell of a match to watch, especially if you're not a big fan of Mexico (which would be me).

Prediction record after Day 8: 15-4-4 [0.789]

Day 9: Saturday 6/17/06

Ghana 2:0 Czech Republic
WOW! For the second day in a row, an African nation has made a huge impact on the World Cup standings. The Black Stars of Ghana sure did shine in this game, and their brutal speed was too much for the larger, more physical Czech team to handle. I think one major difference in the Czech's play in this game versus their drubbing of the USA was the lack of their huge striker Jan Koller - his prescence was dearly missed as the Czechs couldn't muster a great offense. Credit the Ghana defense for playing an exceptional game, and the Ghana strikers for their impeccable breakaways up the field. An excellent start to an excellent day of soccer.

United States 1:1 Italy
Without a doubt, I'm willing to say that this game was and will be the most physical game played in this year's World Cup. This was a brilliant strategy of Bruce Arena's American squad - we knocked the Italians around (starting with Mastroeni's clattering tackle on Totti a few minutes in) and really threw them off their game plan. The American squad that played today was worthy of that high FIFA ranking, they were inspired, played their hearts out, and left it all out there on the field. Not to say the US squad is without some due criticism - the red card dished out to De Rossi (ITA) after the equalizing US goal was well warranted (an elbow that would make Ron Artest proud), but the US should've seen that the ref was on a zero-tolerance policy for the rest of the game. Mastroeni's red card producing foul just gave the ref a reason to even things out. Pope's second yellow and ejecting red were dumb, dumb moves - if you're already toting a yellow you know you can't try to tackle from behind like that. It might sound bad, but I'm glad that Pope won't be playing in the game against Ghana - I felt like that in the last two games he's been beaten soundly, over and over again by countless opposing strikers and midfielders. I like the guy, but he is NOT getting it done. If the US advances, I'd like to see somebody else start in his place. Oh, and starting Clint Dempsey (and subbing in Run DMB later) was just what the USA needed in terms of offensive sparks. Dempsey made some great shots early, and Beasley did the same in the 2nd half. Brilliant game to watch, the best of the tournament - even the FIFA guys agree with me. Kasey Keller was OUTSTANDING.

Monday 6/19/06
At this point I fell too far behind, with the daunting task of having 11 games on the TiVo to watch on Monday afternoon. Life caught up to me, two exams and a decent work schedule just wouldn't let me watch every game like I wanted to. The fact that I did manage to catch as many games as I did was incredible to me. I'll try to watch every knockout stage match, so I'll be back with that.

FIFA World Cup 2006 Predictions (or an exercise in American Predictive Futility)

2006-05-24T01:48:00.000-04:00

RECORD TO DATE: 18-6-7 [.750]

As testament to the ultimate hubris that all us Americans apparently exhibit, I've decided that I am going to put myself out there and try to predict the outcome of every single game in this summer's World Cup from Germany. That's right - an American who admittedly follows very little soccer (though I did watch the UEFA Final last week and it was great) is going to try to predict the outcomes. I'll start by trying to predict from the first game through the final, but once pool play actually ends, I'll put up a second set of predictions for that point on. I will consider this experiment a success if I can break 40% correct.

Predicted winner is BOLD AND CAPS, actual winner is Underlined. Final score in standard [Home:Away] format. First team listed is Home team. I'm not going to predict ties, because that's lame. Ties won't count as right as wrong.

Stage 1: Pool Play

Pool A:
GERMANY vs. Costa Rica [4:2]
POLAND vs. Ecuador [0:2]
GERMANY vs. Poland [1:0]
Ecuador vs. COSTA RICA [3:0] (POL/CRC eliminated, GER/ECU advance)
Ecuador vs. GERMANY
COSTA RICA vs. Poland

Predicted Finish:
1. Germany
2. Costa Rica
3. Poland
4. Ecuador

Pool B:
ENGLAND vs. Paraguay [1:0]
Trinidad and Tobago vs. SWEDEN [0:0]
ENGLAND vs. Trinidad and Tobago [2:0] (ENG advances)
Sweden vs. PARAGUAY [1:0] (PAR eliminated)
SWEDEN vs. England
PARAGUAY vs. Trinidad and Tobago

Predicted Finish: (after tiebreakers)
1. England
2. Sweden
3. Paraguay
4. Trinidad and Tobago

Pool C:
ARGENTINA vs. Ivory Coast [2:1]
Serbia and Montenegro vs. NETHERLANDS [0:1]
ARGENTINA vs. Serbia and Montenegro [6:0]
NETHERLANDS vs. Ivory Coast [2:1] (CIV and SMT eliminated)
NETHERLANDS vs. Argentina
IVORY COAST vs. Serbia and Montenegro

Predicted Finish:
1. Netherlands
2. Argentina
3. Ivory Coast
4. Serbia and Montenegro

Pool D:
MEXICO vs. Iran 3:1
Angola vs. PORTUGUAL [0:1]
MEXICO vs. Angola [0:0]
PORTUGUAL vs. Iran [2:0]
Portugual vs. MEXICO
IRAN vs. Angola

Predicted Finish:
1. Mexico
2. Portugual
3. Iran
4. Angola

Pool E:
ITALY vs. Ghana [2:0]
United States vs. CZECH REPUBLIC [0:3]
Italy vs. UNITED STATES [1:1]
CZECH REPUBLIC vs. Ghana [0:2]
CZECH REPUBLIC vs. Italy
Ghana vs. UNITED STATES

Predicted Finish:
1. Czech Republic
2. United States
3. Italy
4. Ghana

Pool F:
BRAZIL vs. Croatia [1:0]
Australia vs. JAPAN [3:1]
BRAZIL vs. Australia [2:0]
JAPAN vs. Croatia [0:0]
Japan vs. BRAZIL
CROATIA vs. Australia

Predicted Finish:
1. Brazil
2. Japan
3. Croatia
4. Australia

Pool G:
FRANCE vs. Switzerland [0:0]
SOUTH KOREA vs. Togo [2:1]
FRANCE vs. South Korea [2:2]
Togo vs. SWITZERLAND [0:2]
Togo vs. FRANCE
Switzerland vs. SOUTH KOREA

Predicted Finish:
1. France
2. South Korea
3. Switzerland
4. Togo

Pool H:
SPAIN vs. Ukraine [4:0]
TUNISIA vs. Saudi Arabia [2:2]
Spain vs. TUNISIA
SAUDI ARABIA vs. Ukraine [0:4]
Saudi Arabia vs. SPAIN
Ukraine vs. TUNISIA

Predicted Finish:
1. Tunisia
2. Spain
3. Saudi Arabia
4. Ukraine

Stage 2: Knockout Stages

Round of 16:
1A vs. 2B: GERMANY vs. Sweden
1C vs. 2D: NETHERLANDS vs. Portugual
1B vs. 2A: ENGLAND vs. Costa Rica
1D vs. 2C: MEXICO vs. Argentina
1E vs. 2F: CZECH REPUBLIC vs. Japan
1G vs. 2H: France vs. SPAIN
1F vs. 2E: BRAZIL vs. United States
1H vs. 2G: Tunisia vs. SOUTH KOREA

Quarterfinals:
Germany vs. NETHERLANDS
CZECH REPUBLIC vs. Spain
England vs. MEXICO
BRAZIL vs. South Korea

Semifinals:
NETHERLANDS vs. Czech Republic
Mexico vs. BRAZIL

Final:
Netherlands vs. BRAZIL

Yeah, I know - really going out on a limb picking Brazil, eh? Well, they're the overwhelming favorites for a reason. That team is freaking LOADED. This should be interesting to see how this all turns out. I didn't realize that the USA got such a terrible draw.

California Uber Alles

2006-05-23T17:01:00.000-04:00

The Da Vinci Code hit theaters this past weekend, and since I absolutely hate the hell out of dealing with opening weekend crowds (or just movie theater crowds in general - stop talking during the movie, assholes!) I waited until yesterday to go see it. Verdict? I thought it was a dull interpretation of what I thought was a very exciting, fun book. I also wasn't one of the lucky 10,000 who were finalists in Google's DVC contest, but at least it was fun.

I decided to finally use Yahoo's avatar maker and after a minute or two kicking it around, this is what I came up with:

Let's see, unicorn? Check. Skulls? Check. Red long johns? Check. Angel wings? Check. And last of all, blue motorcycle helmet? Check. Perfect!

While browsing 4CR I found a link to a video of somebody cheating at online Tetris DS. Is there anything lamer than cheating? At Tetris no less? Hella weak.

After catching up on season 2 of House, I'm pretty sure it's the greatest show on TV. A friend pointed out that it's rather formulaic, and sure, I'll grant that. Why? Because medicine is formulaic in nature - you follow the same basic procedure (differential diagnosis, run tests, test hypotheses, find an answer, treat) every time. So why should a show about medicine be any different? And when did all the good shows become medical shows? Scrubs is great, and I even like Grey's Anatomy despite the fact that Meredith Grey is possibly the worst character on television.

Considering myself somewhat of a scientist, I always loving seeing Quack science proven wrong. Apparently some types of air purifiers ("Ionic air cleaners") "purify" the air via the process of ozonolysis, an organic chemistry process by which alkenes (unsaturated hydrocarbons) are broken down into ketones and aldehydes (see my buddy Wikipedia for the info) - these ozonlysis "purifiers" actually end up contributing way too much ozone to the air, at some pretty nasty levels. So checking the scoreboard, that's Real Science 1, Pseudoscience Quackery 0. Party!

I had to watch a video about Dowsing the other day in psychology class. Before watching the video the teacher asked who thought the process was a bunch of hooey, and only me and two other people raised our hands. That means more than 90% of the class actually believes that you can take a coat hanger and a fine tuned ESP and find not only where water is located underground, but how deep the water is and the flow rate of the water. All I could do was shake my head in disbelief.

Speaking of psychology, the class I'm taking requires a minimum of 7 hours of participation in psych experiments of our choosing. That's right, the grad students don't get willing volunteers, they get conscripts. If I were a grad student I would be kinda ticked off - I mean, every experimental result I get was collected under duress. I tried to have as much fun as I could, but the setups didn't always permit that. Picture this: I walk in and there's an absolutely beautiful little redhead with a thick southern drawl. We talk while she's setting things up and waiting for the other participants to show up. Then when it's time to start, the REAL fun starts. The experiment was to try and link personality with genes, so they needed a DNA sample from each of us, and their method of choice was saliva. Kicker is, they needed a container the size of a small Dixie cup's worth of spit. That's a freaking lot of spit. So there I am, in front of this very cute girl, contorting my face and trying to muster a cup full of spit so that I could get this thing done. Worst thing was that after you thought you'd given enough, you'd have to have her come and check the level to make sure it's enough. Once given the green light, it was off to the computer to fill out a 300 question "personality" test, of which probably 295 questions were about suicidal ideations and personal perception. One tends to get a bit defensive after being asked 200+ times if he wants to up and off himself. One question's options were "I'm indifferent with my life", "I'm not happy with my life", and "I'm miserable with my life", and we were to "pick the most applicable statement". Awful grim, right? Where's the "I'm happy with my life", you dreary bastards? I sure felt happy after that! Oh, and part two (minus the spit, I hope) is on Tuesday. Hot. Damn.

Still waiting on MCAT scores. Mid-June is just so far away.

I found this amusing: a car in Ohio recently "flew" farther than the Wright Brothers original flight. An Aston-Martin inadvertantly launched off the track and "flew" 142 feet, a flight 22 feet further than the Wright Brothers back in 1903. Crazy.

Oh, even though I've never heard of the show (probably because I'm not a Briton) I've got crazy respect for Craig Robins, who did something amazing. A show he really loved, "Joking Apart" which aired on BBC2, had no slate for DVD release - the BBC was essentially sitting on it and doing nothing. So what did he do? He bought the rights to the show and put it out on DVD himself. Awesome. There are plenty of great shows (and I'm sure we've all liked one or two on the list) that have been cancelled before their time, and nothing happened to them because the network owning the property decided just not to waste any more time/money. I know I've got some favorites on such a list. Carnivale, John Doe, Arrested Development, Firefly...to name a few. Some of those had DVD releases, yes, but new shows can't be made because the networks responsible won't sell the show's rights. Man, I forgot how much I miss Carnivale. Damn that was a good show.

I've got a lot of new albums, I'll get back to you on how they are. I really wish somebody put out the full soundtrack for Tony Hawk's American Wasteland. Great game soundtrack.

Oh, and Happy 21st to my little sister, and happy 2nd to this humble blog. That's two years of worthless text down, a few more to go!

Welcome Back, Coxer

2006-05-10T00:01:00.000-04:00

My home entertainment system is a lot closer to being done. I picked up a Dual Tuner Tivo last week, and even though we've had a Tivo in the house for a year or two, the dual-tuner option is incredible. I finally can record both House and Scrubs at the same time. I fear my ass will somehow become glued to my recliner. A recliner which as of right this minute, is broken and is being held together by a wood screw an inch too short and three specifically bent Altoids tins. Quality, I know.

So when wading through CompUSA yesterday, I wandered over to the Xbox 360 display and tried my hand at EA's Fight Night Round 3, and I was blown away. The graphics were almost flawless, the mechanics of the game were great, and it was really just a fun time. This reminded me that I haven't really just sat down and spent a lot of time on a game in a while. The majority of my gaming has been in 10-30 minute intervals on the DS, whenever I get a free minute. So today I sat down with Tony Hawk's American Wasteland on the Xbox and managed to get almost all the way through the game in 6 hours. It's a great game, even if I can't manage to boneless completely over those damned stairs in Santa Monica. Grumble grumble.

Mission Impossible 3 was a lot better than I thought it was going to be. The script was surprisingly good for an action movie, and the thing I appreciate most is that the writers didn't settle for a murky plot, some crazy unpredictable turn of events, and then everything perfectly falling into place.

New TV addition: Thief on FX. Great show. Sopranos season 6 has been a bit lame so far, so Thief and season two of House are my favorites right now. Lost and Prison Break have both been excellent as well.

NHL Playoffs: The acquisition of Joe Thornton by the Sharks has got to be the best move of the entire year. The Sharks looked great late in the season and are on a tear in the playoffs. Carolina, after dropping two against Montreal, has gotten what can only be called "shit hot", racking up 6 Ws in a row including a 6-0 thrashing of the Devils in Game 1 of the 2nd round.

Why does it seem like everybody has a RAZR? I can't go anywhere without seeing one of those. Oh and those stupid Bluetooth earpieces too - they're everywhere. Why? Hell if I know. Perhaps because holding that ultra-heavy 7oz. RAZR up to their ears is just too much work for people. I want one because it's neat technology, yet will never get one because it's just retarded and I'd never use it. In fact, I need to renegotiate my cell plan for LESS minutes. I never break 300 anytime minutes. Or maybe I need more of a social life.

My psych teacher, a masters student, is younger than me. I officially feel old now.

Burger showdown: The Hardee's 1/3 lb. Philly Cheesesteak Thickburger was decent. For those who don't know, this is one of the Angus thickburger patties topped with essentially a cheesesteak sandwich - cheesesteak, melted cheddar cheese, onions, and peppers. I know, it's ridiculous. It was worth trying once but I doubt I'd get it again. The Burger King Texas Double Whopper was just a double whopper with bacon, jalapenos, and cheese - and it's a good burger. Better alternative: just get a double Whataburger and add the above three items. That's just me though.

14-3. way to go Sox. Keep blastin the Yanks.

Cheap Seats on ESPN Classic is a great show. I always meant to watch it more - not a problem now that it's got a Season Pass on the Tivo. Big thumbs up for a good marriage of comedy and sports.

To the Man Who Would Be King

2006-05-02T02:48:00.000-04:00

It's been a while, got a lot to catch up on.

First, this past weekend Steven Colbert was a speaker at the White House Correspondent's Dinner - and it has to be seen. Head over to Crooks and Liars to see the vast majority of the speech. I love his show, it's great. I love the way he can rip at somebody and so excellently cover it with a comedy veil. I'm a registered Republican, but like most of the country, can't stand what's going on right now. I'm ashamed to be affiliated with a party that just seems to be feeding on corruption and greed. I know that when the Republicans took Washington years back that they had the right ideals, but that's sure as hell not the case now. Big business's deep pockets have influenced far too many votes and dictated policy. Constituent interest has far been snubbed for special interest. Now I'm not here to rip Bush or the entire Republican party - the Democrats are just as corrupt. Case in point is the Hollywood lobby, which has been pushing anti-American laws like the DMCA and the Broadcast Flag for years under both Democratic and Republican leadership. I really hope that there are some people in my generation that are watching all this and getting sick, and sick to the point of actually getting out there, running for office, and reforming this system.

Alright, enough heavy stuff, let's get lighter-hearted.

School is done for the semester, GPA took a slight hit due to my devotion of gobs of time to the MCAT. I did somehow manage to get a 110 on my Biochem exam last Monday, but probably at the expense of my Animal Diversity final later that day. Oh well. Summer semester starts up a week from today, and I have no clue what I'm going to take. Maybe Vertebrate Physiology and Organic Chem Lab. Or Psychology. Though I'd really like to take a Math class. Any suggestions for somebody who's taken Calc 1-3, DiffEq, and Prob/Stat? Something fun and not ball-breaking hard would be nice. (Yes, I must be sick to want to take a math class).

The Sox/Yankees game tonight was sick. Ortiz hitting a HR to ice the game? I love it.

Movies!

Arsene Lupin (1932): I love this old movie. A story of a clever thief and his capture. I've seen this movie quite a few times - try to catch it on AMC or TMC one night.

The Ninth Gate (1999): This movie, along with Stigmata and Stir of Echoes, make up a trifecta of 1999 movies that once I start watching, cannot leave and must watch the whole thing. Depp is amazing in this one, and since it's a story involving religious and demonic rites, ancient literature, strange symbols - those things pretty much will guarantee I'll go see a movie. Hell, I saw 13 Ghosts (ugh). Probably a reason why I loved Dan Brown's "Angels and Demons" and "The DaVinci Code" so much. Can't wait for the movie.

Speaking of DVC, check out the game that is on Google. Google for it. Neat puzzles, get them all and you're entered to win a trip. They're pretty easy but require a bit of (shock) Googling.

There is NOTHING on TV at 315 in the morning. Except Distraction on Comedy Central. Thank goodness for that.

Oh, I've got to chime in Nintendo renaming their new console from its codename "Revolution" to the actual product name "Wii". Frankly, I don't care. Some people are getting their panties in a tremendous twist but me, I don't care what it's called. Yes, I will pay for Wii. And probably laugh when I do. I will invite friends over to play with my Wii. Want to see my Wii? Just come up to my room. Yeah, the jokes are endless, but the product should still be good.

I really really can't wait for The New Super Mario Brothers on the DS later this month. That, and I want a DS Lite. Come on, first sidescrolling SMB since SMB3? How can you not get that? Easy choice here. I've been loving Tony Hawk on the DS, far more than the Tony Hawk I had when I owned a PSP. Glad to have that brick out of the house.

Speaking of getting things out of the house, the old laptop is up on Ebay. If I can swing $280 then my new computer from earlier this year will be all paid for via selling older stuff. Which is a sweet deal. Next computer purchase will be a Mac Mini duo core some time right before I start med school. I'm still trying to think of how many/which of my computers are going with me. Considering that at the moment, I've got 2 PC towers, a G3 Mac tower, 2 laptops (one after next weekend), and 2 Xboxes. Yay computing power.

Still have to wait until sometime in late June for my MCAT scores. Hurry up and wait indeed.

Now to music. Up to this point, I hadn't really heard too many 2006 albums that have taken hold of me other than the admittedly far-too-whiny Panic at the Disco album which actually was released in September of last year. So I went looking for some real new releases.

"Educated Horses" by Rob Zombie: Typical Zombie horror rock. Sure there are some great tracks on here, but it's no "Sinister Urge" or "Hellbilly Deluxe".

"For Blood and Empire" by Anti-Flag: Best album of the year for me so far. A good punk album with great harmonies and intelligent lyrics. An example from a song about the terrible job the press is doing: "They don't want to talk about it/they want to tip-toe walk around it/wave the flag and mindlessly salute". Great punk rock. Easily Anti-Flag's best yet.

"Donuts" by Jay Dee (JDilla): This is not so much an album as it is a collection of various beats and hooks that Dee put together in the years up to his death. Sure, there's some sick talent here, but this just wasn't listenable for me. Minute and a half long drum and vocal loops just isn't enough substance.

"Garden Ruin" by Calexico: For a band known primarily for being an "indie mariachi" band, Calexico sure doesn't sound like it on this record. I loved the split with Iron and Wine last year, and this doesn't disappoint either. "Roka" is to die for.

"Keep Your Heart" by The Loved Ones: Decent punk, but nothing particularly special or something I haven't heard before. Good harmonies on most songs, but some songs just seem boring. "Arsenic" is a great track though.

"Never Trust a Hippy" by NOFX: An EP put out earlier in the year, this is a rockin' 6 tracks in typical NOFX style. "Golden Boys" is an old Pat Smear song, and NOFX does it pretty well. "Everything in Moderation (Especially Moderation)" is quite possibly one of my favorite song titles ever. Overall this EP is great, better than the album that followed, but not quite up to the level of 2003's "War on Errorism"

"Wolves in Wolves' Clothing" by NOFX: The album that followed the above EP one month later, this album starts really strong and then just loses something along the way. I mean, I enjoyed it, but I don't know if it'll really break into my NOFX rotation all that much. "Punk in Drublic", "War on Errorism", "The Decline", and "White Trash, Two Heebs and a Bean" are pretty well locked-in.

"Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not" by The Arctic Monkeys: Ugh, another bland, cocky sounding British band. I've heard it before, and it sounded better from Franz Ferdinand, The Libertines, Bloc Party, and hell, even The Strokes whom I don't particularly like. Sure this has some good tracks, but I can't force myself to listen to it. I just get bored. What's the big fuss over this band anyway?

I've been watching a lot of podcasts lately, and one of my favorites is Liam Lynch's Lynchland. That guy is so talented it's just sick. Songwriter, illustrator, TV host - it's just a treat to watch that man's genius at work. Go check it out.

Oh, I tried out the Mont Blanc pen "hack" over at Instructables and I'm somewhat impressed by the quality that my altered G2 now writes with. For those too lazy to click the link, all you do is buy a Pilot G2 rollerball pen and a Mont Blanc rollerball refill, remove the original G2 ink, trim 1/8" off the plastic end of the MB refill, and put the MB refill in the G2. Writes beautifully, end result a $7 pen that writes like a $200 Mont Blanc. Why any pen in the world is worth $200 is beyond me. Personally the G2 is my favorite pen in the world, but one huge advantage I see with the MB refill is that it doesn't smear like the G2 does (especially when the ink is still wet). Very useful in legal and hospital situations. No wonder so many lawyers and doctors use those things.

At last!

2006-04-22T18:08:00.000-04:00

The MCAT is done! Now to wait 60 days for the results. (Grumble)

Only 36 hours until my Biochemistry exam! Damnit!

Vi Veri Veniversum Vivus Vici

2006-04-14T22:13:00.000-04:00

So earlier today I went and finally saw "V for Vendetta", and I really liked it. I didn't come into it expecting much, but I really enjoyed it. I remember from European History the story of the Gunpowder Plot, and it always captivated me. I mean, an assassination attempt involving blowing up a major building? It's just so over-the-top that it was ingenious. Nobody expects that, you know. But back to the movie - while I'd heard some criticisms about the fact that the pertinent facts are beat into your head over and over (and this is true, but not to a huge extent - about as much as any other movie) as a whole I thought the story was well written, well acted, and overall a very good movie. Easily the best of the limited lot I've seen in 2006, but May's trifecta of X-Men 3, MI3, and The DaVinci Code all look promising.

When will people ever learn how to use their turn signals? I think my most hated "use" of the turn signal is when people finally turn on their signal in the middle of a turn, while they're already turning. Why bother? I mean, the whole point is to tell me, the other driver, that you're going to turn. When you're already turning, I KNOW you're turning. Last time I checked, blind people don't drive.

Animal Crossing: Wild World has been a lot of fun so far. Who would have thought that gardening, fishing, and foresting could be so interesting? Yes, I know that sounds terribly wimpy. Fortunately I don't really care. Fun is fun, no matter how unmanly it may be dressed up.

Next week is the last week of classes and Saturday's the big day. I'm not overly concerned with school or my MCAT prep, but I'd always like to do better. Can't wait for two weeks from today though - the summer should be a lot less stressful.

A couple weeks back I had a nasty run in with Office Depot and some customer service issues. I fired off a letter to OD customer service, and today got an apology...and a $100 giftcard. Crazy. Kudos to Office Depot for owning up to their mistakes - you've kept my business.

Boston has to do something about Boomer Wells. He looked absolutely terrible the other night, struggling to get out of the 2nd. Schilling and Beckett have looked incredible while Wakes and Clement have each had a good and a bad outing. I say trade Wells (to the Yankees, hell, that's where he wants to be) and sign Clemens. I would kill for Rocket to don the Red Sox uniform one more time. Here's to hoping.

While NFL draft talks have been hot lately, I have heard absolutely nothing about what my Buccaneers are going to do. I've got no problem with that as Gruden has been a drafting machine. Cadillac sure worked out. Here's to hoping this year's pick will be a good one.

I hate pro basketball. Just sayin'.

Since I'm touching all the sports here, I'm sure hoping my Thrashers can pull it off and get that 8th slot in the east. I don't think they will, but they sure came close. One of these years it's gonna happen. I still need to get a Thrashers jersey someday.

You'll Never Even Make a Sound

2006-04-09T00:50:00.000-04:00

Another school week has come to a close, but more importantly, another week of potential MCAT studying is gone. April 22nd, two weeks from yesterday, and I'm feeling very prepared. My scores are at a good point, and I'm just hoping that I can squeeze another point or two from each of the disciplines. My Bio/Physiology scores have finally caught up to my Chem/Physics scores, which is quite suprising. Guess that studying's paid off. Makes me wish I would've done more, sooner - but I'm not going to complain. The social life has taken an obvious hit, but that's a necessary evil. "You've got the GPA, but where is the dirty love?" [Oh Nerf Herder, you're so right]

I tried Atlanta's new gimmick, Coca Cola Blak [note the absence of a c] which is a coffee flavored Coke beverage. So how does it taste? Like Coke and coffee, at the same time. Two very distinct flavors. Not terrible, but probably not something I'd drink on a regular basis either - mainly for the fact that I'm not really a coffee drinker.

After digging through the old hack-a-day archives, I stumbled across this article about hacking together a virtual machine using VMWare's free player. So I decided I'd have some fun with that and installed FreeDOS and some old DOS games. No, I know it serves absolutely no purpose, but I don't care.

I've gotten OS 10.4.5 running on my laptop, with everything but wireless working. Whenever I can get the whole thing working, it'll be awful tempting to just boot into Mac-mode every time. Let me tell you, running OSX on my laptop is so damned much faster than my ancient G3, but I'm in no hurry to ditch the old tower - it serves its purpose as a good IM/browser/server box. Though I probably do need to bump it up to 1Gb of RAM one of these days.

I picked up Animal Crossing: Wild World for my DS, a game I'd been meaning to play in its Gamecube form for a couple years now. It's not a game with a defined purpose, or even a guide as to what you should do. I love the open ended nature of it, but I don't like how your townies will harp on you if you're gone for a few days. I have a feeling that I'll just have to wash my hands of my current character and start a new one once I have some free time after the MCAT.

After a good deal of studying on Friday I went digging through my DVDs for something to watch, and ended up watching the 4-hour marathon that was Stephen King's 1994 movie "The Stand", a classic good vs. evil end of the world movie. I remember watching the first 2 hours when it came on TV back in the day, but never saw the ending. I have to say I enjoyed the flick, though Molly Ringwald's looked better.

Red Sox are looking good this year - Schilling's a solid 2-0, and Papelbon looked good the other night closing. Team's got real promise. The defensive moves made in the offseason were great, I just hope the offense doesn't struggle. Varitek, keep those boys focused on another trophy.

The more I read about the Revolution, the more psyched I am. Nintendo site 4 Color Rebellion has become a daily gaming read of mine (along with Penny Arcade, Joystiq, and Slashdot Games) and one article the other day caught my eye. "Red Steel" is a new game by Ubisoft for the Revo, and it looks absolutely ridiculous. I mean, just look at the scans. I can't wait to see what developers end up doing with the new controller scheme. Cool stuff.

I watched that new show Teachers on NBC the other night. Seems too contrived, too desperate for laughs. They better not pre-empt The Office for that garbage again.

I Write Sins Not Tragedies

2006-04-02T03:03:00.000-04:00

So when reading Lifehacker the other day, I came across a snippet that AllOfMP3.com had released a new version of their download client, conspicuously called AllTunes. If you're not familiar with AllOfMP3, think iTunes, but instead of paying $0.99 per song, you pay $0.02 per megabyte, so that averages to about $0.10 per song. Oh, and there's no DRM restrictions, the files are just pure ol' MP3 goodness. Here's me buying an old Misfits album:

Quick review of Tetris DS: It rocks my soul. Online 4-player Tetris is incredible, and not since my old Tetrinet days has a multiplayer puzzle game been so good. I entered a tourney over at 4ColorRebellion, but got bounced in the 3rd round. I got 4 Tetrises in a row and still lost. I call bullshit. I've managed to clear marathon mode (200 lines) and got to 351 lines in endless before my hands were about ready to fall off. One of these days I'll crack 1M points.

Saw 1984 and Sahara tonight. 1984 was great, Sahara mildly amusing.

T-minus 3 weeks for the MCAT. Took a full length practice test today and did quite well. I'm not at all frightened that I won't get in, I would just rather study more to firmly cement it so.

If you've glanced at my Last.FM chart you'd see that this week I've pretty much been rocking out to Panic! at the Disco's new album all freaking week. I initially thought it would be just another fluff pop-punk album, but I got hooked. They've been described as "the Faint meets the Postal Service with the pop sensibilities of Blink-182" - which I have no clue about. Think Fall-Out Boy, but not shitty. That's Panic.

Fantasy Baseball draft was last night, and I think I fared well. Or at least better than last year - though there's not much worse you can do than 11th out of 12th.

Aftermathmatics

2006-03-25T20:59:00.000-05:00

First off, I apologize for that excuse of a bracket I put up last weekend. Up through the sweet 16 it was decent, but after BC and Duke made early exits it was wrecked. That's what I get for having an ACC bias.

I bought a new computer, an Averatec 3715-EH1 laptop. Some quick pros and cons:

Pro: light, fast, good price, 80gb HDD, DVD burner
Cons: keyboard placement was designed by morons, terribly placed touch pad is "the devil"

After blasting terrible XP Home off and putting XP Pro the machine's been treating me better. I tried my hardest to get OSX on here, but it's been an uphill battle. I'll stick to Windows for now. This thing looks like an iBook (which honestly, I would rather have - but I'll wait till the 2nd generation Intel ones) and weighs 3.8 pounds, a good 5 pounds less than my old Dell Inspiron 1100.

In order to finance this operation, I turned to eBay. To raise the 850 so far I've sold an old cable box, a GPS device, an old pocket pc, a bluetooth presenter, and (good riddance) my PSP - I'm strictly a DS man now. The old Dell laptop will follow once I've got all my crap unloaded off it, shred the HD, reload windows and office - THEN I'll list it. I'm $300 short of the goal so far, but I should be able to get that much for the laptop.

Speaking of DS, I picked up Metroid Prime Hunters and Tetris DS today. I'll let you know how they are once I play 'em more.

I'm pretty sure I've got an unhealthy addiction to watching that Shakira/Wyclef "My Hips Don't Lie" music video. I've seen it WAY too many times. Can't help it though - Shakira is ridiculously hot and the song is a good one too. Yes, I like her music. Bite me.

Hotter beat conundrum: Dr. Dre's "Still D.R.E." (with the pianos) or Ciara's "1,2-Step" (with the synth). Tough call, but when I hear "D.R.E." start it just does something to me. I guess it's just still Dre Day.

Movies I have watched since the last time I posted:

Domino (2005): This movie wasn't the complete and total garbage that it was made out to be. It wasn't a great movie, but was mildly decent. One of those "comes on USA or TBS late night and I guess I'll watch it because there isn't shit on and I'm bored and too lazy to get off my ass and do something better" type movies. Come on, you know you've sat through some bad movies on late-night TV too. We're all guilty.

Bloodrayne (2005): DING DING DING! We have a winner! This trash has proudly bumped "House of 1000 Corpses" from my All-Time Bottom 5 Movies list. I can't even describe how much I hated this terrible movie. Sure, there was one fairly hot (but honestly it was really weird/funny) sex scene, but that doesn't make up for the rest of the movie being complete garbage. Oh, and it had Meat Loaf and Michelle Rodriguez (whom I can't stand) - now what kind of an on-screen dynamic can you expect with a cast that has those two? Exactly. Garbage.

The Island (2005): Not as bad as the reviews said. A good watch, a fairly mindless but good action flick.

Walk The Line (2005): Now I like Johnny Cash, so I really liked this movie. Reminded me a lot of "Ray" (both are music-based bio-pics) but I liked "Ray" too. This movie comes highly recommended.

Munich (2005): Another good movie, tells the story of 5 Israelis charged with assassinating the masterminds of the 1972 Munich Olympics tragedy. A good, compelling story with a decent ending - something I honestly didn't know that Spielberg knew how to do. (Yes, I'm still mad that he brutally butchered A.I.)

Just Friends (2005): a decent comedy. Rentable or tv-able for a few good laughs. No need to buy the DVD for this one though, it wasn't that good.

The MCAT is April 22nd, a month from today, and I'm feeling pretty ready for it. Still a bit lacking in physiology and I need to review some biology, but I'm ready to go in physics and general and organic chemistry. Verbal reasoning section shouldn't be too bad either.

{This computer's retarded placement of the Control and Shift keys is killing me, but I guess that all laptops have a learning curve when it comes to the keyboards as none are the same. Dammit. I made like 5 corrections in that last sentence.}

Anybody been watching Sopranos? Great show. I missed it.

5 Songs that I haven't been able to stop listening to lately:
1. Dead Prez - Turn off the Radio
2. Shakira - My Hips Don't Lie (featuring Wyclef Jean)
3. Ciara - 1,2-Step (featuring Missy Elliott)
4. Nine Inch Nails - March of the Pigs [possibly my favorite song of all time]
5. Metallica - Die, Die My Darling

[Quick shout out to Kelli, Sugar Britches, and the rest of my old ER peeps]

Oh, and anybody seen "V for Vendetta" yet? I need to get off my ass and go see it. Maybe I'll do that later tonight.

[LSU over Villanova for the national title. That's what I'm picking right now, before Nova/UF and UConn/GMU have played]

Bracketville Returns

2006-03-14T19:00:00.000-05:00

First off, a link to my old brackets [2000-2005].

So I filled out this year's NCAA and NIT brackets. Admittedly it was a little tougher this year, as I didn't follow college basketball as intently as I have the past few years. Why? Because my interest in college basketball is directly proportional with how well GT is doing. If GT is doing well, I'll watch other (non-ACC) games to see how the future competition in the tourney is doing. This year - well I just watched football.

My 2006 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament Bracket [click to enlarge]

Picking upsets was hard this year, and I struggled on whether to buy the hype and pick either Oral Robers or Winthrop, but I just couldn't. That, and I had to prevent myself from picking 3 ACC teams in the Final Four. Oh and somehow, I know I'm gonna regret not picking UConn to win it all.

While I was at it, I participated in the annual crapshoot that is filling out the NIT bracket. You never know if teams are gonna show up or not. I never seem to pick the NIT even remotely right.

My 2006 Postseason NIT Bracket [click to enlarge]

We'll check back in a week to see how my Sweet Sixteen shapes out. No, I don't need for you to point out my OBVIOUS huge ACC bias. Check my old brackets.

Sucker MCs Should Call Me Sire

2006-03-09T23:32:00.000-05:00

Georgia Tech's basketball season mercifully came to an end tonight. I could only stand to watch the first 10 minutes or so - and I'm as die-hard as they come. Tech was just throwing airballs left and right, not even TRYING to get the ball inside, and started the game 0-9 from the 3pt line and not surprisingly GT found itself down 16-32 before they knew what hit them. I know it's a young team, but they just need to pick up on the fundamentals. You've got a few months, Coach Hewitt. Get them boys in shape.

While we're on the ACC Tournament, I've got to blast FSU's 2nd half performance against Wake Forest. Wake played like they wanted to win, I'll give them that. FSU on the other hand played like they had a 35 point lead, when they were really only up a handful. The last 10 minutes of the game the Noles showed NO signs of life. If they're left out on Selection Sunday, losing by 12 to the doorstop of the league should be the sole reason why.

I just read this article over at SomethingAwful and nearly died laughing. It's a great mockery of all the Japo-philes out there - if you hang out with nerds you know AT LEAST one of these people. Hilarious stuff.

Now that I've got a pair of iPods and a Mac, I figured it was time to try out some of the features that Apple's been promoting for a while. First off was Front Row. I used Front Row Enabler [google for it] to allow my old G3 to run the free application. Great app. While it won't be taking the place of my XBMC any time soon, I do see the appeal. A killer setup: the new Mac Mini, Front Row, DTV (the Mac version of the killer Democracy Player), a torrent app - that would be slick.

I'd been wanting to get into podcasting for a while, but it was a pain in the ass before iTunes made it all easy to sync with my iPod. I love the hell out of podcasting. Listening to the ESPN Radio podcast in the morning (along with the New York Times front page and possibly the BEST podcast, The Onion Radio News) has made my commute excellent [I would just listen to ESPN Radio live, but my damned AM radio doesn't work in my car.] A short list of the podcasts I'm currently subscribed to:
The Onion Radio News, ESPN Radio, New York Times Daily, Diggnation (video), This Week in Tech (TWiT), hak.5 (video), Infected with Martin Sargent, Ask a Ninja, Strongbad Emails, Systm, and a couple others. Great stuff. I've got my networking set to where I can watch the shows on my Xbox if I feel so inclined.

If you haven't seen Ask a Ninja, go there now.

I can't believe that I'd never visited LifeHacker before, but it is a GREAT site. For sure a daily read from now on, along with Digg, Slashdot, Engadget, Fark, hackaday, and Make.

Oh, and I finally got off my ass and started using del.icio.us. Feel free to follow my feed if you feel so inclined. Speaking of feeds, the RSS link for this site is up on the right. Subscribe!

My PCMCIA cage crapped out, so I've moved onto a USB based WiFi solution, but while I was at it I picked up a USB bluetooth adapter. After some forum scrounging, a download of Motorola Mobile Phone Tools 4.0, and getting Alltel to add a non-advertised feature code [code "FST1" for any interested] I am now proud to say that I can use my Motorola v710 as a wireless modem via bluetooth, and I connect at around 120 kbps. Not stellar, but when I'm away from a wifi signal I can now access the net from wherever and all it uses is minutes. Swank.

They've Shown This on Both Screens

2006-03-03T19:56:00.000-05:00

So as Spring Break began today, I felt a need to do something fun - so I decided to go and see a movie. I couldn't decide which, so I headed over to Rotten Tomatoes and looked at the ratings. Dave Chappelle's movie had a stellar 98%, but I really wanted to see Ultraviolet. I hate making choices like this, so I checked the times. Lucky for me, both were short (1:42 for Dave and 1:25 for Ultraviolet) so I looked into the feasability of the ellusive double feature:

and boom:

So we were a go. Now I know that theater hopping is usually left to the younger crowd, but who doesn't like to do it every once in a while? Unfortunately, karma got the best of me. No, I didn't get caught. I just got screwed. Let me elaborate about the double feature.

Dave Chappelle's Block Party: This movie was GREAT. If you like Chappelle's comedy and great hip-hop, you're in for a treat. Now don't go into this thinking it's a comedy, it's not. It's a documentary by Michel Gondry, one of the best directors out there. It's a documentary about an incredible hip-hop concert in Brooklyn starring The Roots, Talib Kweli, Mos Def, Kanye West, Common, Big Daddy Kane, and the killer moment - the return of The Fugees. The music was incredible. Stir in great camera work with bits and pieces of Dave's comedy and you've got a great 2 hours of fun.

Ultraviolet: Holy crap. This movie...I don't know how to describe this steaming pile of shit. I can't accurately portray just how TERRIBLE this atrocity was. No story at all (so wait, they're vampires? Huh?), terrible CG (think pre-Harry Potter 1 CG - about as good as what you'd see in Half-Life back in 1999), and crappy "action" scenes. It's not a "fight" scene if all we see is everybody rush Milla, then we hear a sword being unsheathed and witness a pause, and the next thing you see is all the bad guys falling over dead. [And guys, to answer your question: no. There is no nudity.] This was a movie trying to be artsy and actiony and epic, and it successfully manages to brutally fail in each of these regards. This has got to be in my worst 5 movies of all time. I checked my watch at LEAST 8 times during this movie, and it's only 85 or so minutes long. Speaking of terrible though, here are the worst 5 movies that I can remember seeing at the theater:

1. Thirteen Ghosts
2. Ultraviolet
3. Rollerball
4. Street Fighter: The Movie
5. House of 1000 Corpses

Now a note about #5 there. I just saw the sequel, The Devil's Rejects, and I really enjoyed it. It'll take a hell of a flop to knock #1 from it's perch. I mean, what a terrible movie. How could you slum so much Shannon Elizabeth?!

Computer malfunction of the week: My damned PCMCIA port stopped working on my laptop, so I had to order a USB bluetooth and wifi adapter. Hella weak.

By the way, it's March 3rd. Look at this bullshit:

80 degrees at 7PM! How is that fair?!

Oh, I got my MCAT admission ticket today. It's getting ever closer to April 22nd. Took a practice today and got a 37. Missed 9 questions (out of 216) and somehow that translates to -8 overall. Scaled scores are the devil when you're dealing with the top-end. You can miss 5 or 6 in scores less than 10, but when you get to the teens, miss one and you drop a point. I'm targeting a 41, but I'll be happy with anything over 36.

CMT has shown Smokey and the Bandit a few times this weekend, so I tuned in once cause, hell - it's a great movie. "What we're dealing with here is a complete lack of respect for the law" - classic. I didn't remember Jackie Gleason was Buford T. Justice, but he was great. It was interesting to see what south Atlanta looked like in the early 1970s, and how much it's changed between then and when I lived there a few years back. Oh, and I now own 1 piece of NASCAR clothing. Let me know when I've crossed the threshold to "redneck", okay? [Go #20!]

Nintendo Power?

2006-02-23T16:47:00.000-05:00

I've been a console gamer for as long as I can remember, so the news that analysts predict the Nintendo Revolution will cost $150-200 at launch is great news for me. Now I won't lie, I use my Xbox far more than my Gamecube - but not to play games (thanks XBMC!). What system do I use to play games most? By far and away my Nintendo DS, for both DS and GBA games [I'm currently hopelessly addicted to Mario Power Tennis on the GBA] and when a big new game comes out I bust out the Gamecube. With the DS, I tend to play quick games (less than an hour), things like a circuit of Mario Kart, a round of Mario Golf, or a few matches in Mario Tennis. Nintendo makes brilliant games - a fact that you can't deny. If you survey the people of my generation and ask them what the greatest video games of their time are, I guarantee that Mario, Zelda, and Metroid all make the list in some way, shape, or form.

I'm not a Nintendo fanboy. If I could be accused of anything, I was a HUGE Sega fanboy for most of my life. My first system (that I bought) was a Sega Master System. I got a Genesis on launch day. I had a Sega CD and a 32x. I still own a Saturn. I bought a Dreamcast the week it came out - and I loved the hell out of it. I STILL don't own a PS2, and only got a PSOne about a two years ago. Sony and Microsoft arguably have more successful consoles (financially), but the games that those companies make are not the reason why. Microsoft's got a genuine hit in the Halo series, and Sony's adventure games are coming along (Ratchet and Clank, Jak and Daxter, Sly Cooper) but neither of those two have the 1st party allure that Nintendo has.

One thing that I've been surprised by recently is Nintendo's forays into the sports gaming genre. We know Nintendo can do action and adventure, but sports? Mario Golf, Mario Tennis, Super Mario Strikers - all extremely excellent games. Personally, I'd rather stick with those games and not need to pay EA's yearly tax for roster updates. Is anybody else as sick as Madden as I am?

One reason I love Nintendo's games is the feeling I get when I first start them. The feeling of awe, of giddy anticipation, of just happiness all blending into one. I'm sure everybody's had that feeling one time or another - like laying in bed in the early hours on Christmas morning, like going to Disney World as a young kid, like watching the opening credits roll on a movie you've been dying to see (Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, etc) - you just feel overwhelmed with excitement. I can remember many a game put out by Nintendo that's given me that same feeling, and these games truly are my favorites of all time. Games like the Legend of Zelda (both Ocarina of Time on N64 and The Wind Waker on Gamecube), Metroid Prime, Starfox 64, and possibly the greatest game of all time, Mario 64.

At this point I'll try to reiterate that this isn't meant to be a Nintendo slurpfest. I'm just pointing out the kind of personal enjoyment that I've had as a result of their products. Of course they haven't all been good games. I've played a Nintendo game or two that was a stinker, but for the most part they've been good to me. Even the lesser titles like Pikmin, Banjo and Kazooie (which I know technically is Rare), and Eternal Darkness have done me right. The only other Adventure game made by a 3rd party that I can remember liking nearly as much as a Nintendo was the extremely excellent Beyond Good and Evil by Ubisoft - a game that EVERYBODY should play. Truly brilliant storytelling, stunning visuals - just a great compelling game.

Now personally I'm not a huge fan of the constant Gameboy redesigns, though I will admit that every single time they do redesign the line the system gets better. The original GBA was pretty awful, but the SP design was an incredible step up. I love my DS, but my only gripe is that it's a bit on the large size. So what does Nintendo do? They listen to their fans, their paying customers. Enter this fall's DS Lite, a sleeker DS with an improved screen and stylus. I only wish they could improve the control scheme in Mario 64 DS.

One thing I'll give Microsoft and Nintendo credit for is that they understand the future of gaming - the internet. While there are some games that beg for multiplayer play (Mario Kart, sports games) I really don't want to see the game companies turn away from the single player experience. Sure, there are ways to integrate internet play into single player games (online unlockables, player rankings, etc) but I don't want to see companies overdo it. I do love how Nintendo is integrating WiFi into everything now - the DS and the Revolution both feature it. The WiFi play on the DS has blown me away so far, and I'm willing to bet the Revolution won't disappoint.

So Nintendo, I'm sold. For $200, I'm in. Just don't let the games go down the tube. I've already got a PSP - I can't afford to have another terrible waste of a couple hundred bucks.

Idiot's Guide to a Free (or heavily discounted) Lunch

2006-02-11T21:02:00.000-05:00

We've all seen them - pop-ups and banner ads telling us that if we just click and follow their link, that we're entitled to a free iPod. Well one day I decided that I was tired of the spammers, and it was time to get mine. I'd heard of people actually doing these things and getting iPods out of it, but it still seemed kinda shady. So I did some research, figured out the system, and how to say...get around it.

Before we get started, please allow me to cover my own ass: this guide is a purely a work of fiction written for your own amusement. If you choose to follow any of these steps or take any action, it's all on you. I take no responsibility for your actions. So if you end up losing a lot of money, don't come crying to me - because I'll just call you an idiot. If these steps do work and end up getting you something nice, then send me a card or something.

Okay, there are two types of "Free" Stuff sites out there, the referral sites and the offer sites. With the referral sites, you have to complete usually one offer, then convince [read: CON] some number of other people to sign up under your name, and each of them must complete one offer. Only then will you get your free gift. The number of referrals needed varies with the value of the gift. For the iPod nano example, that's 5 other people.

As an aside, you're probably asking what these "offers" are. Essentially, they're selling subscriptions. Subscriptions to things like Earthlink, AOL, TrimLife, etc. Also, a lot of these "Offers" are Credit Card sign-ups. I urge you right off the bat to stay the hell away from the Credit Card offers, as there's no point screwing up your credit on something silly like this.

Back to the point. The second type of site, one where you can complete all the offers yourself and not get your poor friends involved, is what we're going to look at today. But before we go off completing offers, let's see what all is involved in getting this done. You'll need the following [don't get them yet, we'll cover that in steps.]

1. Make two email accounts
2. A pre-paid Visa debit card and an address [duh]
3. An account at an Offer site
4. Patience and the ability to keep some things in order
5. A telephone, thick skin, and determination

All in all, this whole deal will probably cost you about 2-5 hours of your time, and somewhere between $0-30. But it's worth it.

Okay, now let's get into the nitty gritty. Steps that you need to take are in bold, the rest is all just text that explains why you're doing it. For the love of God, read the whole article a couple times before you do ANYTHING.

Why two email accounts? One's your normal email account which you check on a daily basis. We'll use this one to store all the account information, cancellation numbers, dates, and other pertinent information, and for the sake of the article, this is your PRIMARY email account. The other account we'll use for the offer site, to sign up with and to complete offers with. This should be a free email account [Yahoo, GMail, Hotmail, etc] and will be referred to as the SECONDARY account in this article.

1. Open the secondary email account at the free-email provider of your choice. IMPORTANT DETAIL: Pick a different name (ie one other than your own) to register this email under and keep the login name simple. Don't provide a home address if you don't have to. For example, you could chose to register the name "Albert Richardson", so a good login name would be "albertrichardson@[somesite].com". KISS: Keep It Simple, Stupid. Remember this name! This is the name we will be doing business under. So don't pick something dumb. You're going to probably have to say it on the phone a couple times. A name like "Larry Hugepenis" will probably raise eyebrows. The wrong eyebrows.

2. IMMEDIATELY record the login, password, account name, address, or whatever pertinent information about the two email accounts you just made into a text file or email. This email/text should be saved on your primary email account or anywhere else that you will be absolutely sure that you can keep safe. I highly recommend using Google's GMail for your primary here, as the search features will come in handy.

Now that we've got the email accounts and our name of choice all set up, time to move to big item #2.

A pre-paid Visa debit card:
This really is the brains behind making all this work. The way that these offer companies can afford to give you free iPods and Xboxes and the like is that companies pay them to get people to subscribe to their services. Usually under the auspices of a "Free Trial" period. Free for 30 days, and then they bitchslap you with $30/month, hoping that you forget to cancel. When you do call to cancel, they harass you to get you to try to stay - but we'll go over that later. So what is the point in the pre-paid Visa card? To keep your ass out of trouble. You will indeed call to cancel all these subscriptions in due time, but since about 100% of them require a Credit Card to sign up, something always feels a bit fishy. What if one of these companies is less than scruplous and tries to take your money DESPITE the fact that you've cancelled their services? Now you see the problem! We're dealing with people who pay spammers to push their material in a shady way. Why would you trust that? Exactly. So the pre-paid Visa card is our way of watching our own backs.

3. Order a pre-paid Visa debit card. I suggest one from Simon Malls. I picked an Indiana one. IMPORTANT DETAIL: Remember to use the NAME that you used in step #1 [in our case, Albert Richardson]. HOWEVER, use whatever address that you would want your prize [iPod/Xbox/whatever] mailed to. How much to put on? Personally, I think that $40 is a nice amount. Oh, and when you get to shipping options during checkout, make sure that you find the option to send it to the BUYER (that's you, with your real name, with your real address - which should be the SAME address for the card that you're ordering) and not to ship it to the RECIPIENT.

4. Again, IMMEDIATELY record all the details of this account [Name/Address/Birthdate/Phone #(use your cell phone if you have one)/etc] to your trusted primary email account. You're gonna need this stuff later.

So you're asking why so much money? Why waste $40 of your hard-earned dollars? Well, when you initially complete an offer, you can be charged anywhere from $1 [to check if the account is valid, usually on "Free" offers] to $15 for your subscriptions. Ideally you'll be able to get all of that back, but you should go into this fully aware that you could lose every penny of this money. Consider this your capital investment towards the future goal. Personally, a loss of up to $25 would seem fine to me.

You're going to have to wait a week or two for this card to come in the mail. Don't bother doing anything till it's in your hands. Come back when it's arrived.

[Pause a week.]

Okay, now you've gotten the hard copy of your pretty little prepaid Visa card, complete with your chosen name on it. Won't people think oddly of you that you're carrying a card with somebody else's name on it? Possibly. But I like to think that it adds a little mystery. Just don't go using it at the grocery store. The lady behind the register might just call the cops if you're trying to use the card, she asks for the ID, and discovers that [oops] you're not Albert Richardson. So keep the card in your wallet and use it online or in places where they don't look at the card.

An account at an Offer site
Okay, we've got our Visa card, we've got our email accounts, and we're ready to get this damned show on the road. Looking over the reward sites out there, one of the best is OnlineRewardCenter - it's probably sketchy as all hell, but it does allow us to complete all the offers ourselves.

5. Fire up your webbrowser and go to this link to sign up for OnlineRewardCenter. IMPORTANT DETAILS: Firefox guys, you're going to probably need to use Internet Explorer or Safari. You really can use anything you want, but you'll need to disable all pop-up blockers, all javascript blockers, ad-blockers, etc. Yes, I agree this part sucks.

So follow that link, put in your zip code, and on to the next page. Fill out all the contact info on this page, using YOUR REAL NAME and address. The reasons for this are two-fold: 1) providing false information to the gift company more than likely would violate their terms of service and give them an easy justification of cancelling your order and 2) when your gift ships (usually UPS or FedEx) you'll probably have to show ID and sign to accept a package. So make sure you register under your REAL NAME. Do this however with the SECONDARY EMAIL ADDRESS we made in step #1. Nobody said the email address had to be your primary address. We do this because that email address is probably going to get a metric shit-ton of spam, and nobody needs that cluttering up their primary email account.

Now you'll get to living hell: the survey pages. What do I suggest you do? Close that web browser window. You're not going to be signing up for any of those (they don't count towards your offer!). Instead, do the following. Point your browser to http://www.onlinerewardcenter.com and click on "Redeem your Prize". Input your email address [the one you signed up under] and it should bring you to a status page, telling you how many offers you need to complete to get your prize. For an iPod this should be between 4-10, for something larger, more.

Time to get started.

For most of these sites, the orders are broken up into a certain number of pages, each with a required number of offers. Example: some sites require 6 offers in total to be completed, 2 from the first presented page of offers, 2 from the second, and 2 from the third. Usually offers on the first pages are the "easy" offers, things that are free/quick like ISP trials, online services, etc. The last page is usually the "hard" offers, the things that will require a nasty financial contribution like credit cards and the like. We'll get around to this later.

Before we decide which offer we want to connect, check out Rate The Offers.com - a website created that lets users rate the offers that sites like this make available. RTO breaks down each offer based on average cost to user, time to credit, and a couple other things. So we'll pick the good ones. We go back to the offer site and select an offer. Sign up using the details of the name/address/information that our credit card is under, and using the same secondary email address from step #1. One extremely important thing is to ALWAYS ALWAYS look for the cancellation 1-800 number or cancellation URL. You MUST know how to cancel these services, if you want your money back. I suggest that immediately after doing one of these deals that you email your normal, primary email account with the Name/Account #/Transaction # (if you have one)/email/date and time account was created/login/password/security phrase/anything else pertinent related to the account. If they send your secondary account a confirmation email, forward it to your primary and stick that in some folder with all the other free-stuff emails/info/notes.

7. Complete offers.

This is by far the crappiest step of them all. You have to sit there and pick your offers, complete them, and wait for credit. To complete an offer, click on it [remember to have any pop-up blocking features/software disabled], follow the instructions EXACTLY, and be forwarded to the offer's website. We sign up using our Visa card's name/address, we complete all forms (be wary, don't ever sign up for extra stuff, like "free gifts" - nothing's free) and we remember to email ourselves with all the information, including the date/time that the transaction went down.

8. Check the site for credit. You're going to want to log back into the original site to see if you've gotten credit for your completed offer. If you have, great. Time to move on to the next step. If not, wait. It can take up to 2 weeks. If you have waited 2 weeks and still no credit, send an email stating the problem, and move onto the next step.

9. Cancelling your offers and getting your money back. This step also sucks. So assuming you've been credited for the offer and you HAVE NOT USED ANY OF THE SERVICES from the offer (which means if you signed up for AOL you never logged in, if you signed up for iTunes you didn't log in, if you signed up to Earthlink you didn't log in, etc) then you probably can get most if not all of your money back. Simply pick up your phone and dial the 1-800 number that you recorded earlier to cancel the service. Listen carefully to any automated menus, or if you're impatient, hit 0 or # a whole shitload of times until the system craps out and dumps you to a real person. From there, tell them you want to cancel. Here's the crappy part - most services (especially AOL) will give you a lot of grief about cancelling. They want your dough. Don't give in! Tell them no, cut them off if they aren't listening - in all, be firm - not a jackass - and hold your ground. You're cancelling and there's nothing they can do to stop you. ALWAYS record a transaction or cancellation number - if they don't give you one, ask for one. Also, ask for the agent's name/extension/ID number. This ensures that in the event of any possible disputes that you'll be able to get answers more readily. Keep this information (transaction/cancellation #, time/date of cancellation, agent's info) in the same primary email account as before. Just keeping things straight.

So when you've completed enough of the offers, you should see the status change to "Print Prize Voucher" on the rewards site. I printed mine, mailed it, and within a couple of weeks got my iPod nano. For OnlineRewardCenter, their HQ is located in Florida, not too far from me, so that's why I guess I got my prize so fast.

Big key: as long as you don't give fake info to the gift company or otherwise try to screw them (hacking, etc) they're not going to mess with you. They don't care if you're giving the pre-paid Visa to these companies, as the gift company gets paid just the same. They make money and you get a prize. It's a good thing. Just make sure you're vigilant in your cancellations (and checking the site for your reward status) and that you're organized and have all of your information in one, reliable place.

Oh, and stay away from the credit card offers. Just a tip.

[And I'm still not responsible for you losing money. If you're scared you might, then don't try any of this. I'm not to blame for your stupidity. In fact, I'll probably just mock you for it.]

We're Falling Apart to Half Time

2006-02-10T22:33:00.000-05:00

Tonight we said farewell to the amazing comedy series Arrested Development. Once again, the asshats at Fox have canned a truly great show before its time - AD joins the ranks of Firefly, Futurama, Family Guy, John Doe, and a couple others. At least the people at NBC are still being good to me. Scrubs, My Name is Earl, and The Office are probably the three funniest shows on TV now.

Speaking of funny, a guy named Eric Fensler redubbed the PSAs that aired at the end of GI Joe episodes, and the results are absolutely hilarious. Contemporary Insanity has all the files up for download (WMV and MOV, about 1Mb each) and I highly recommend watching them, especially "Pork Chop Sandwiches", "Nosebleed", "Belch", and "GI Gay". Great stuff.

After finishing off watching all the episodes of John Doe (which were great, by the way - download them or watch them on SciFi soon), I've gotten into Gundam Wing. I'm 40 or so episodes in now, and it's better than I remembered. Probably because I can watch many episodes in a row, and not have to deal with Cartoon Network's ridiculous airing schedule and pointless commercials.

Two quick observations about FSU for people who haven't been here:
1. I go to school with at least 10,000 girls who are trying their hardest to be Barbie. Who says women don't have positive role models?
2. Just about everybody (when not on their cell phone) walks with their head down. What's so interesting about the pavement? Do these people have no confidence? I walk with my head up, and admit I'm amused to see people occasionally glance up at me, see my eyes, have that awkward second of eye contact, and immediately resume staring at the ground. Since when did I become intimidating?

MCAT is April 22nd. Lots to learn. Stupid physiology!

I've been thinking about the best (and worst) electronics purchases I've made in the past few years, and here's what I've come up with.

The Best:
1. TI-89 Graphing Calculator ($150, 1998) - this thing helped me immensely through my math, science, and engineering courses. While I really have yet to need it in a class at FSU (who needs calculators in Chemistry anyway) it still gets used almost daily as I tutor lots of kids in calculus.

2. Microsoft Xbox ($120, 2004) - I admit, for a gamer, I rarely play games on this thing. Modded almost immediately after purchase, this thing is my media center. XBMC is the greatest software application ever.

3. Apple PowerMac G3 ($10, 2005) - for $10, this thing has been the best bargain on the list. Now my everyday computer (after a $40 RAM investment) this thing has been wonderful to me, and I really detest having to use Windows anymore.

4. Creative Nomad Zen Xtra 40GB ($230, 2003) - for the size and price of this MP3 player at the time, this was one hell of a steal. Sure it doesn't have a color screen or the best control system, but it worked and held a good portion of my massive music library. For anybody keeping score at home, I'm up to 75GB of space on my portable MP3 players. But nobody's keeping score. Regardless, this was a great buy.

5. AIWA Car MP3-CD Player ($300, 2000) - I've been huge on MP3s for a long time, and this made me love my car. I still use it daily. The ability to fill a CD full of mp3s (5-10 albums) and just rock one disc on a car ride is great. Plus, I rarely ever have real CDs in my car, so I don't worry about break-ins or damage or anything. Scratched disc? Burn another! While this machine is a bit outdated today, it does have one thing most CD players don't - an Auxiliary Input jack on the front, so I can hook up my other MP3 players and kick it through the stereo. Great buy. My sister got one too after seeing how cool mine was.

Worst Buys:
1. Compaq Aero 2100 Pocket PC ($400, 1999) - This is EASILY #1 on the worst buy list. Not that the device was bad, it was just a poor buy. Far too expensive, too heavy, too large, and too infrequently used. In fact, I probably used this like 10 times. I just don't like Pocket PCs or PDAs in general for that matter. Which makes #2 easy...

2. Handspring Visor Edge ($75, 2003) - I tried again with PDAs, but this time a very small model to keep my phone numbers in at work. Again, didn't use it much, waste of money, blah blah blah. About 2 months ago this thing somehow got cracked in my backpack. So I tossed it. Good riddance.

3. Sony PSP ($250, 2005) - it's official, this thing is a piece of junk. It can play music, video, and games worse than three other devices that I already own (iPod Nano/Video/Nintendo DS in that order). It looks pretty, and there are a few good games, but there's no way in hell this thing's worth 2x the price of a DS. Especially when you consider the new DS Lite that's coming out soon. I want a black one.

4. DeLorme Earthmate GPS ($89, 2003) - again, a dumb thing I bought for my old job. I thought that having a GPS device might be nice and useful when driving around the rural parts of Michigan, but soon discovered that Mapquest (this was pre-Google Maps) was good enough to meet my needs. I've still got the device. Maybe I'll use it some day for something. What? Hell if I know.

5. Dell Dimension 450 ($3000, 1999) - how in the hell I spent $3k for a PC for college still baffles me. First off, the fact that you can buy middle-of-the-line PCs (which my system was) for under a grand now kills me. I still just can't imagine how a 450MHz PIII with 256MB of RAM and a 20GB hdd was that damned expensive. Oh, I should've added my "Smart and Friendly Rocket 8x CD-Burner" to that best buy list. Even if it was $300 and SCSI and the terrible, crappy, cheap media was $1/each. Those were the days.

I still haven't seen Underworld 2. I need to get off my ass about that.

Georgia Tech basketball is killing me. 8 straight Ls? In ACC play? I'll give them a free pass, starting so many Sophomores and Freshmen, but pick it up for next year boys!

Work and school are going well. Nothing else to report there.

I finally got off my ass and bought a forum membership over at SomethingAwful, though I've only made a post or two. No biggie.

"Dance, Dance" by Fall Out Boy is a great song, but I've pretty much disliked everything else I've heard by them. Sorta like "The Art of Losing" and the All-American Rejects. Maybe I'm only allowed to like one song per pop-punk outfit. Who knows?

Oh, and kids: fraud is bad. Just a note from me to you. As a completely related aside, I'm going to be terrified of the shit that my kids will one day pull. Picture me, but younger, smarter, and more devious. I don't know if that last part is possible, but I just hope I've got a wife who won't disown the kids after they do something like flood the downstairs because they were interested in how a dishwasher operates.

Please God, give me nerd children. I will be the best nerd dad ever.

Out-of-town people: try to make your way to Tallahassee. Why? Because I'm practically chained here (til August) and I want to see you people. You're especially missed if you live in collegiate areas of Connecticut, southwest Virginia, or west-central North Carolina. Tallahassee's treating me well, but there's no doubt that I need out again. I can tolerate living here as long as need be, but my heart's somewhere else.

Speaking of hearts, February 14th is just around the bend. As a single male in my twenties, I think that I'm supposed to use this time to gripe about why it's such a miserable holiday and that it's so commercialized and other bitches and moans about why I have no reason to celebrate (quick answer: presently/persistently girlfriendless), but I won't. Instead, I'll wish all of you who do have a good reason to celebrate a Happy V day, and ladies, don't forget your men on March 14th. Seriously. They'll love you even more.

Do people actually like the taste of conversation hearts? My mom offered me some the other day - and (I swear to god) all I could think of was Calcium Carbonate. Which reminds me that I need to spend less time with my head deep in books about hydrocarbons and hormone structure. I'm spending 13+ hours at FSU at least 3 days a week, and probably 15-20 hours a week in the library. Being an A student sure is a hell of a lot less fun that being a C student was. I do however realize that this is just good preparation for the med school, where I again will have no social life. So barring any major miracle, I'll regain my normal social life in 2014, at the tender age of 33. So much for the good years.

Age. I turned a quarter-of-a-century last Wednesday, and celebrated with an early-morning Organic Chemistry test. Festivities were light compared to last year (check the photo blog's February 2005 archives for details), but I didn't expect much. Another year came and went so fast. My life better not be 33% done yet, dammit. [That figure is extremely optimistic, mind you.]

I built a digital picture frame out of my old Powerbook 540c. I'll post some pictures soon.

Also, check out the word verification/challenge that Google presented me when I went to submit this site under its new address [www.retarsia.com]:

Those are supposed to just be random letters. Juvenile humor at its best.

Leave comments, people! I love reading what you people have to say. Lord knows I don't get off my butt often and type here, but when I do, I love the feedback.

Look at me! I'm a winner!

2006-01-27T21:25:00.000-05:00

Alright, if I get one more email from somebody inviting me to join MySpace, I'm probably going to shoot somebody. It's not going to happen. Why exactly do I hate MySpace? Many reasons. First off, every single page makes my brain want to bleed. This occurs due to the unholy combination of terrible design (every MySpace page looks like it was designed as part of an 8th grade computer class...back in 1994. Seriously. Though my 8th grade webpage looked better than that shit.) coupled with a terrible void of intellect in the majority of the writing. Some of the stuff that people write actually terrifies me - these morons are someday going to be decision-makers in our society. For the most part, all these MySpace pages are exactly the same. Some kitchy photo, a brief list of their favorite bands, movies, and books (ha! as if people read now days) and all this is usually followed up with some mindless drivel that I have to strain my brain to comprehend. That, mixed with an amusing attempt to get people to love them by writing a description that portrays themselves as cool as humanly possible (in terribly broken English, mind you.)

I really don't get the "networking" aspect of it either. Apparently there are people out there who try to have as many "friends" as possible - like it's some kind of contest. To be fair, Facebook has this same problem. Every once in a while somebody I don't remotely know wants me to be their friend - and I'll just ignore them. I don't get the "Pokemon" mentality of some Facebook and MySpace users, the desire to "catch 'em all" and have seemingly 400+ friends. Nobody in the world has 400+ friends. You might have 400+ acquaintences, but you sure don't have 400+ friends. I know I sure as hell don't. I suppose those people are just crying out for attention. I think there's a term for that now: "MySpace Whore". Big Daddy's in Tallahassee even sells T-Shirts with that slogan. Fitting.

As somebody said on Fark.com, "Nothing quite reverses the feminism movement than giving young females the ability to talk and post pictures." Seriously. Now I'm not being sexist - young males probably shouldn't have that right either. I look back at some of the things that I said (in yearbooks, chats, etc) and drew back in my younger years, and now a decade later I sure as hell wouldn't want that out on the web for the rest of the world to see. When you're young, you're stupid(er), and nobody needs to hear your stupid thoughts. We know you're chock full-o-angst and that your parents just don't get you. Oh and school sucks too. And that boy in 3rd period Spanish is hot. We really don't care. Granted MySpace hasn't become the whine-fest that LiveJournal is, it's still bad enough for this guy to stay the hell away.

Some have tried to tell me the merits of MySpace. It helps you network. It helps you meet new people. It helps you get laid. Good for you then. I'll still stay the hell away. I have no problem with MySpace existing because let's face it, I'd rather have all the idiots grouped together neatly in one place - that way the ease of avoiding said idiotia is simple, just stay away from that one place. Just don't keep inviting me to join, or asking me to look over your profile.

Oh, and I found this an amusing read: The Truth about MySpace

[Side note: due to some creative efforts on my part, I'm now the owner of a 2gb black iPod Nano. Net cost to me: $7. Details to come.]

The Clicking of the Heels

2006-01-24T23:13:00.000-05:00

New year has come and gone, and the new season of television has been unleashed upon us, the unsuspecting viewers. So what am I watching?

Monday: I don't think anything good is on. Find something else to do. (I've been watching stuff on my Xbox - see the list below.) I'll watch Arrested Development when/if they put it back on the air. What a terrible waste, letting that show die.
Tuesday: Gilmore Girls (WB) at 8p, Scrubs (NBC) at 9p, Love Monkey (CBS) at 10p
Wednesday: Lost (ABC) at 9p, South Park (COM) at 10p, Drawn Together (COM) at 1030p
Thursday: My Name is Earl (NBC) at 9p, The Office (NBC) at 930p, Distraction (COM) at 1030p
Friday: Numb3rs (CBS) at 10p

Weekdays (if I'm around): Jim Rome is Burning (ESPN) at 430p, Around the Horn (ESPN) at 5p, Pardon the Interruption (ESPN) at 530p, The Daily Show (COM) at 11p, The Colbert Report (COM) at 1130p

And during the week, shows like Iron Chef, Simpsons, South Park, Family Guy, Mythbusters, and other greats are TiVo'd at all odd hours of the day so I've got filler in the crappy time slots, or (more likely) to watch on my slower days.

Also, I make heavy use of bittorrent and Xbox Media Center to watch some older shows that I haven't gotten a chance to see. Currently I'm in the middle of Fox's brief series "John Doe", as well as a few other older shows. "Firefly" is another classic that most of us missed when it ran.

I've been getting heavy use out of my Nintendo DS lately. I raided a local used video games shop and picked up three more titles: Feel the Magic XY/XX, Super Mario 64 DS, and Nintendogs. Yes, I bought Nintendogs. You know what? It's one hell of a game. Sure it might just be a pet simulation, but you really can find yourself coming to care for the well being of something that's nothing more than 1s and 0s. Brilliant AI programming on Nintendo's part. Feel the Magic is a pretty good proof-of-concept for how to use the second screen and the microphone well. Mario 64 plays great, but the control is a little iffy - I much prefer using an analog stick versus the thumb stylus on the touchpad.

The more I listen to Sufjan Stevens' album "Illinois", the more I realize just how incredible a piece of art it is. Now I love the hell out of the Death Cab album, but there are some things on "Illinois" that just slay me. Track #3, "Come On Feel the Illinoise!" is an incredible example of how to put two songs into one with a good, coherent bridge. The first half, "The World's Columbian Exposition" is light and poppy, is followed by an excellent bridge and concludes with "Carl Sandburg Visits Me in a Dream", a darker yet still intensely melodic song all into itself. This bleeds into what I think is the most incredible track on the album, #4 - "John Wayne Gacy, Jr.", a song about the serial killer. It's phenomenally beautiful. The part where he sings "Oh my God...are you one of them?" at the end of the first verse - that bit always raises the hairs on the back of my neck. But from opening to ending, it's hard for me to find fault in this album. While the "hit" track "Chicago" might be my least favorite, it's still a good track. Buy this album. I have. Twice now.

I'm still halfway through Eternal Darkness on my Gamecube. I knew this would happen if I didn't finish it during the break - I'd get too busy with school and work that I just wouldn't make the time to finish it up. Damn. I was almost done too.

Speaking of school, this is the big semester - not from a class perspective, but because of that behemoth of a test lurking on April 22nd. I just went and registered for it, and other than the 14,000 question opinion poll they give during the registration, it wasn't too bad. I really hope I get my #1 choice [FSU] and don't have to drive somewhere to take it [#2 choice is Jacksonville U] - I had to drive to Panama City for the SATs way back in the day, and that sucked. I know I'll be drained as hell after that test and a 2.5 hour drive to cap off a long day is NOT how I want to spend my Saturday night. I do feel excited though - it's just another check in a box on that long list of things to do until I get to actually treat patients.

Proof of Retarsion

2006-01-20T00:42:00.000-05:00

Today I finally broke down and purchased a domain name. I now am the owner of Retarsia.com (which will hopefully be set up to redirect here by the end of the week) - and in order to celebrate this, I've renamed this blog. I got tired of people trying to prounce the name instead of just spelling out the letters (it was an abbreviation, people!) so now the name of this blog appropriately is The Kingdom of Retarsia.

So you're asking: Matt, what is Retarsia? It's the land where retarsion runs rampant. Retarsion, by definition, is an extremely advanced form of stupidity. Sometimes, retarsion can prove fatal. Hope that's cleared up.

Normally I'm not huge on just posting links to web-tests or personality quizzes (almost 2 years and I'm happy I never put a "WHAT KIND OF LIGHTLY SALTED PRETZEL ARE YOU?" type quiz on this page), but I came across a really fun and challenging quiz on a Mensa website today: http://www.mensa-test.com/ Apparently a score of 1-5 is average, 11-18 is intelligent, and 19+ is "genius" - which I think is a little iffy. I mean, you're calling people a genius based on their ability to figure out some phrases? Regardless, it's some good fun. I managed 31 of them after about an hour - it's a killer test. So go do it, have fun, and if you check the comments I'll post the answers.

Best Albums of 2005

2006-01-17T17:00:00.002-05:00

2005 was yet another great year for music. While it wasn't a good year for rap, indie rock sure picked up the slack. The race for #1 was quite possibly a 3 way tie, but I tried my best to sort them out since I'm not a big fan of ties. The list this year began with 121 albums, but I've put my favorite 25 below:

Here's a finetune playlist to get you started. It's got some of the tracks from albums in this list, just a little something to listen to while you read:

Okay, on to the list.

25. Frequent Flyer - The Soft Targets
Reflections: Here's a great album from a local (Tallahassee) band. These guys are of the indie rock flavor and manage to blend some good lyrics and good instrumentation. You can listen to this entire album at the Soft Targets' website. Give it a shot.
Best tracks: A Mere Oversight, Singing's For The Birds

24. The Understanding - Röyksopp
Reflections: Admittedly I haven't been big on electronic music (except Air) since the mid 90s, but that's mainly because it all sounds the same to me. Röyksopp's sophomore album breaks that stereotype. Dark and very vocal, it's more than mindless beats arranged together to make some MDMA abusing 16-year-olds trip around some club - this is solid, melodic music.
Best tracks: Triumphant, What Else Is There?

23. A River Ain't Too Much To Love - Smog
Reflections: I was taken aback when I fired up the first track of this CD - not so much by the beautiful music but by the depth of lead singer Bill Callahan's voice. Listening to this album makes me picture myself sitting alone in a cabin deep in the woods, just thinking about life. It's an intelligent and deeply introspective album, a very quiet one but not at all fragile. This is solitude bottled up and presented in CD form.
Best tracks: Palimpsest, Rock Bottom Riser, Let Me See The Colts

22. Arular - M.I.A.
Reflections: This is easily the highest energy record that I've heard in a long time. She blends what feels like a hundred different styles of music (ranging from Jamaican dancehall to British techno to American rap) and ends up with a style completely unique. Sometime the results are great, sometimes the songs get a little repetitive. Overall, an extremely interesting disc
Best tracks: Bucky Done Gun, Pull Up The People

21. Demon Days - Gorillaz
Reflections: For what was supposed to be a gimmicky side project, Gorillaz have put out some pretty good tracks in the past few years. This album is better than their first, it just feels more complete and coherent. Sure it's a bit edgy and different, but some of the things that Damon Albarn and company do here are just incredible. They managed to make club-worthy rock songs.
Best tracks: Feel Good Inc., Kids With Guns, El Manana

20. Make Believe - Weezer
Reflections: Finally, Weezer (partially) rights the ship. This album is no Pinkerton or Blue, but it is certainly better than Green or Maladroit. Aside from the absolutely hideous first track this album hits many high points, shining points of brilliance that remind me of why I liked Weezer in the first place. This is great pop music, and those of you turned off by the shallowness of Green and Maladroit, come on back. Just skip track #1 and #6.
Best tracks: This is Such a Pity, Haunt You Every Day, Perfect Situation

19. In Between Dreams - Jack Johnson
Reflections: I admit that when I first heard of Jack Johnson I wrote him off, grouping him with Dave Matthews and other mindless jam-bands that I just can't stand. Then after hearing some of the old stuff he did with G. Love and Special Sauce back in the day ("Rodeo Clowns", amongst others) I decided to give this album a shot. It's probably the most laid back, chill album I've heard in a long time. Reflects the Hawaiian vibe, that's for sure. "Sitting, Waiting, Wishing" is one of my favorite songs of the year.
Best tracks: Sitting, Waiting, Wishing, Good People, Never Know

18. Charge!!! - The Aquabats
Reflections: First off, these guys put on possibly the best live act that I've ever seen in my life. That being said, their music has matured a great deal since I last bought an Aquabats album. This disc has some incredible pop sensibilities - great choruses, solid melodies, hilarious lyrics - and listening to the album just tends to put me in a good mood. It's a fun listen.
Best tracks: Fashion Zombies!, Stuck in a Movie!, Awesome Forces!, Demolition Rickshaw!

17. I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning - Bright Eyes
Reflections: Hell has indeed frozen over, I've enjoyed a Bright Eyes album. Sure it's whiny, but I just couldn't ignore the beauty of this record. Absolutely incredible lyrics, and even if you can't get past Connor's delicate vocals, you have to admit that the musical landscape he paints is a masterpiece. The stories told through the songs on this album are vivid and a joy to hear.
Best tracks: We Are Nowhere and It's Now, Lua, At the Bottom of Everything

16. I Am a Bird Now - Antony and the Johnsons
Reflections: This is a haunting album. Lead singer Devendra Banhardt's vocals are shaky and vulnerable, yet oddly powerful at the same time. These emotion-filled lyrics coupled with the stunning musical background create a completely new and unforgettable listening experience.
Best tracks: You are My Sister, Hope There's Someone, What Can I Do?

15. Live at Stubb's - Matisyahu
Reflections: Hasidic Reggae. That's how Matisyahu (Matthew Miller) describes his style. At first the thought of a white Jewish guy wailing a la Marley sounds like a terrible idea, but this is far from the truth. Not only does Matisyahu sound incredible from a reggae standpoint, this album is so much more. It's religious praise in Reggae form. Now anybody who knows me knows that me and most religious music don't mix. Listening to this album you can hear the raw passion and devotion that this he has towards his faith and his emotional professions of faith create an almost transcendental experience.
Best tracks: King Without a Crown, Sea to Sea, Chop 'Em Down, Warrior

14. You'll Rebel To Anything - Mindless Self Indulgence
Reflections: The most spastic band in the universe returns for another spectacular rock experience. This album is teeming with energy, bursting at the seams. This is music without an attention span, which sounds like a terrible thing, but the chaotic nature of the rock just adds to the raw energy.
Best tracks: Straight to Video, What Do They Know?, 1989, Tom Sawyer

13. The Bravery - The Bravery
Reflections: New Wave strikes back, but in a good way. This album is filled to the brim with energy, and is one hell of a listen. This is how New Wave is supposed to sound. I managed to catch these guys twice live in 2005, and I would recommend both the CD and the concert to anybody. This is fun, good pop music.
Best tracks: Fearless, An Honest Mistake, Out of Line

12. In The Reins - Iron and Wine / Calexico
Reflections: This album is laid back, folkish in tone, and is absoutely stunning in beauty. The big problem is that it's too short at 6 songs. Sam Beam's trademark vocals are present, but is backed by the band Calexico. This experiment turns out to be an incredible success as Calexico's southwest flavor brings a new character to Sam's lyrics. This album is very laid back, but very much alive. "He Lays in the Reins" needs to be heard by all.
Best tracks: He Lays in the Reins, Sixteen Maybe Less

11. This Weight is a Gift - Nada Surf
Reflections: Nada Surf is back with another incredible disc. This album shows mainly their softer side, but is by no means just emotional drab. Lively from start to finish, this album has great singable pop choruses and verses. This is thinking man's pop music.
Best tracks: Always Love, Do It Again, Your Legs Grow

10. Set Yourself On Fire - The Stars
Reflections: The beginning of this disc is absolute heaven. Sweeping violins, light horns, riffs on a double bass with the soft blow of a harmonica - these set the tone for the grandiose scale of this album. It's diverse, beautiful, and unique. Songs range from near-symphonic songs of love lost to upbeat, light rock songs extolling the joys of love. This is one hell of a disc.
Best tracks: Your Ex-Lover is Dead, Set Yourself on Fire, Ageless Beauty

9. In Case We Die - Architecture in Helsinki
Reflections: I really don't know how to describe this album. My closest guess would be as a "Symphony for the ADD Generation" - it's ridiculously quirky, strange, innovative, and stunningly brilliant. The one thing these guys (and gals) seem to know how to do is to create incredibly poppy songs, songs that you honestly can't get out of your head. I swear I had "It'5!" stuck in my head for a month. Once again a band has brilliantly blended quirky lyrics with stunning instrumentation to create beautiful music. Go to AiH's website and watch the video for "It'5!" - you might not be able to get it out of your head.
Best tracks: It'5!, Wishbone, Do The Whirlwind, Maybe You Could Owe Me

8. Hypnotize - System of a Down
Reflections: The second best hard-rock album of the year, this album was dark and political yet still full of the same energy that SoaD is known for. This is hard rock, but not for idiots. I have to hand it to SoaD, they've mastered their craft. This album actually made be go back and listen to 2001's "Toxicity" which I've also fallen madly for.
Best tracks: U-Fig, Kill Rock and Roll, Holy Mountains, Lonely Day, Soldier Side

7. Twin Cinema - The New Pornographers
Reflections: This album is an artistic showcase of how one band can masterfully mix up their styles at the drop of a hat. On one hand you've got "The Bleeding Heart Show" which could be one of the most beautiful and emotional songs I've heard in years, and on the other you've got tracks like "Use It" which is a lighthearted pop masterpiece. All of this is tied together by the anchor of the album, the final track "Stacked Crooked" which is genius wrapped in more genius. From the minor opening refrains to the intense breakdowns, the final track is easily the best final track on a CD since Bad Religion's "Cease". This is a must-own album, it's got something for everybody.
Best tracks: The Bleeding Heart Show, Stacked Crooked, The Jessica Numbers, Use It

6. Kingwood - Millencolin
Reflections: Somehow Millencolin manages to keep one-upping themselves. In Kingwood they've created another punk rock masterpiece, their finest work to date. Every song screams with the energy that a good punk track should have, but that energy is harnessed by the driving harmonies and verses. Every single track is a winner, and this album is one of those albums that I use to get myself up for an occasion. You really need to listen to this album, especially if you either like punk or anything that Millencolin's put out in the past.
Best tracks: Ray, Novo, Birdie, Simple Twist of Hate

5. Mezmerize - System of a Down
Reflections: The first of two albums put out by SoaD in 2005, this one was the heavyweight. Every single track was incredible. Every single track bursts with energy that I haven't seen in hard rock in years. This album is a rock and roll masterpiece plain and simple. Listen to "B.Y.O.B" and you'll understand.
Best tracks: B.Y.O.B., Sad Statue, Question!, Revenga, Cigaro, but really they're all just spectacular

4. Woman King - Iron and Wine
Reflections: This is a seven song EP, but since every single song was a work of art I couldn't ignore it. Better than the spectacular "Our Endless Numbered Days", Iron and Wine continue on their path of greatness. The second track, "Jezebel", is the most beautiful song I've heard this year - so beautiful that even people just in passing who I've played this song for have literally stopped what they were doing just to listen. This EP is powerful, brilliant, beautiful, and for the price you pay for it, worth every penny.
Best tracks: Jezebel, Woman King, Gray Stables

3. Illinois - Sufjan Stevens
Reflections: I was a big fan of Sufjan's tribute to Michigan a couple years back, but in his album about Illinois he's really upped the musical ante. I guess since there's "art-rock" and "math-rock" out there that it's fair to label Sufjan as "history-rock". The stories he tells are second to none but the folk nature of the album is in no way an obtrusive factor. This is beautiful music on a grand scale, complete with violins and choirs and the like. One critic described Sufjan's music as "soulful folk epics" which is an apt way of putting it. Not calling this the #1 album of the year was a very, very close call. It's easily in my all-time top 10. Buy this album, support music with thought behind it. It's sad to think that musical genius like this won't sell nearly as well as an album put out by the little sister of a decent singer. Yes, that was a shot at you, Ashlee Simpson.
Best tracks: They Are Night Zombies!! They Are Neighbors!! They Have Come Back from the Dead!! Ahhhh!, Chicago, Decatur, or a Round of Applause for your Stepmother, John Wayne Gacy Jr.

2. Picaresque - The Decemberists
Reflections: This album is pure gold. I value song's ability to tell a story, to make the listener feel emotion. The Decemberists are masters of both and intertwine them so skillfully and beautifully that you can't help but love the hell out of them. This album, their 3rd full-length, just shows that they know how to refine their craft and make it better. "The Mariner's Revenge Song" is the musical equivelent of a three-act play - I've never heard a song so grand in scale and epic. "From My Own True Love" is a harrowing story of love lost at sea and one man's choking emotions. "Eli, The Barrow Boy" is one of the saddest songs I've ever heard in my life, but is beautiful because you can really feel the love and emotion through the lyrics. I really can't say enough about how mindblowingly good this album is. For the musically literate out there, this is perfection.
Best tracks: Eli, The Barrow Boy, The Sporting Life, The Mariner's Revenge Song

1. Plans - Death Cab for Cutie
Reflections: Whatever Ben Gibbard's been doing, he needs to keep doing it. This album is stunning. From the opening organ of "Marching Bands of Manhattan" through the end of "Stable Song" you're just taken aback by how precisely melodic and perfect every single note is. Every sound is near perfection. "I Will Follow You Into The Dark" is to me the most beautiful love song ever written - it speaks of a devotion that most of us can only dream about. The repeating choruses at "Different Names for the Same Place" are so complex yet beautiful that they almost seem simple. Everybody really should listen to this album by whatever means possible. I've got this phenomenal disc at #2 all-time for me. It's that good.
Best tracks: I Will Follow You Into The Dark, Soul Meets Body, Summer Skin, What Sarah Said

Go back to the main page or on to 2006

PSP Madness

2006-01-11T21:18:00.000-05:00

Since I've not touched my PSP since I picked up Mario Kart DS, I figured I'd give some of the latest games a shot. So here's what I think about the latest crop of PSP releases. Since I hate the arbitrary scoring done by most gaming publications (since when is 7/10 a "low" score?) all of my future gaming reviews will be on the following scale (from lowest to high):

Absolutely F'ing Terrible
Nothing Spectacular
Somewhat Enjoyable
Hot Shit

Now that we've got that established, it's on to

Go! Sudoku: Now I enjoy Sudoku puzzles, but this to me lacks one huge feature in the ability to put multiple numbers in a box at a time while you're trying to work out what numbers go where. The backgrounds and music are pretty but I honestly thought this just sucked. Want Sudoku on the go? Then buy a book. Or print out some from WebSudoku. Or if you really need to play it on your PSP, go download the pretty decent (and very free) homebrew, Chau Le's Sudoku 2.0 for the PSP.
Rating: Nothing Spectactular

Infected: Dubbed the first real shooter for the PSP this game pretty much bored the shit out of me. Whee, lots of zombies. Shoot them. And again. And again and again. I didn't play this multiplayer because nobody I know owns this terrible game (and only one person I know even has a PSP) and I'm not sure I would want to inflict this bore-fest on anybody else anyway. Sure it got good ratings, but I just couldn't see any value in this game.
Rating: Absolutely F'ing Terrible

Need For Speed Most Wanted 5-1-0: First off, I love racing games. Second, I don't give a flying shit about tricking out my car in said games. I hate that crap in real life so in a game I hate it even more. No, I don't want to put 24" wheels and a 200 pound spoiler with some bitchin' neon and some sweet ass tear-away graphics on my brand spankin' new Ford Taurus. I want a car that's not a piece of shit. Past the crappy whole-premise-of-the-game of customization, the racing aspect isn't bad. It's probably a bit too realistic for me, to tell the truth. After a few races I was still putting my crappy car into walls on seemingly every turn. One thing I will give NFSMW510 (that's a mouthful) is that it's by far the prettiest game I've seen on the PSP to date. Not half bad, but not the best thing out there.
Rating: Nothing Spectacular

Midway Arcade Treasures: Extended Play: Compilations usually suck, but this one was a pleasant surpise. Packed full of good games (Toobin', Gauntlet, Rampage, MK1-3 are my personal favorites) and they're perfect clones of the arcade. This is a welcomed blast from the past. I know it's not original content, and just another cheap way for Midway to cash in once again on the games they made popular decades ago, but it's still a good collection. Now if I could only find somebody to port "The Grid" to some console, I would be hella happy. Guess MAME will have to do.
Rating: Somewhat Enjoyable

Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories: I hate GTA games because they're mindless. I very quickly tire of the "story" that these games have and after an hour of driving around and shooting shit I'm done. Sure the gameplay is open-ended and there's lots of things you can do and oh yeah, it's a pretty looking game. That means all of jack to me because in the end, these games just aren't fun to me.
Rating: Nothing Spectacular

Madden NFL 06: This plays a lot like those old NFL Gameday games that 989 put out on the PlayStation 1. This game is well, a hack job. The whole save-a-season feature with the PS2 is cool but for the vast minority of people like me who don't have a PS2, it's useless. Somebody likes this game, but I'm not one of them. If I'm playing a football game, at least make it an NCAA game.
Rating: Absolutely F'n Terrible

Prince of Persia: Revelations: I was a huge fan of The Sands of Time and its follow-ups, and this game is somewhat fun, but I really wasn't taken in by the story like I was in the Sands of Time. Control is good (though I don't like the camera) and it looks great, but in the end it's just another mediocre platformer.
Rating: Nothing Spectacular

A friend of mine recently asked which portable system to get. I have both and at this point in their lives when I look at where each console is headed, there's a clear winner: the DS. The PSP has a bunch of pretty yet boring, typical games. The DS is at least starting to show signs of brilliance as developers start to understand how to utilize the other screen. Am I a fanboy? Oh hell no. I actually bought the PSP over a DS when it came out because I was so impressed by the hardware. A year later and I have truly only played 3 "great" games on the PSP: THUG2, Burnout Legends, and Virtua Tennis. The homebrew/emulator scene make the PSP worth keeping, but the media playing options are just something I don't use. So my suggestion? If you already have an mp3 player, then definitely buy a DS.

Come on PSP developers. Get your shit together and make me feel like I didn't blow $250 on an ergonomic looking turd.

Strangeness!

2006-01-10T23:15:00.000-05:00

So I fire up Blackboard (FSU's campus website for class material) and what in the hell do I see but Deuce staring right back at me:

Weird thing was after I followed the link to his "story", this image came up:

What the hell?