Half-Life

I realize that not a single person who reads my blog is much of a video gamer. However - if you've ever thought about trying out computer 'gamez'... I want to recommend a cheap and awesome beginner's package: via Steam, you can now get something called 'Half-Life Complete" for $17. What this package contains is every Half-Life game ever made.

Half-Life is a 'FPS' (meaning you live the game through the eyes of one character in the first person) about a scientist named Gordon Freeman - you - have a very bad day at work, leading to a pretty crazy chain of events. An experiment goes a little wrong and a small singularity is created and sorta maybe tears a whole to another dimension. These games are the best video games to try to get non-gamers to play. There just happens to be a fair amount of gunplay along with realistic environment-based puzzles in a world a little too real. The storyline is never fully explained to you, and I like that. In half a dozen installments, you're still barely figuring out whats going on... These games, moreso than any other game I've played, really feel like you're living, creating, and driving a movie in the first person.

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Discussion Topic: Top 5 favorite video games (any platform)

1) Legend of Zelda (NES)

2) Half-Life 2 (PC)

3) Time Crisis 3 (huge two person arcade version)

4) Myst series (PC)

5) Bioshock (PC)

"I get these ideas!"

Humorous idea hit me this morning... wait for it.....

Rather than "Lady Gaga" its... "Baby Gaga"

Babies already don't wear pants, so its an easy costume. Bling out a onesie, throw some oversized sunglasses on the kid, maybe a fake blonde wig, and a lightning bolt face paint. I swear it'll win any costume competition this Haloween. Now all I need is to find a baby... I think I'll look for one at Coffee Bean first...

Sad Day #2

Les Paul, the father of the solid-body electric guitar, died today. There's some debate about who REALLY came up with the first solid body electric guitar, since Leo Fender is often credited as well. From what I understand, they were acquaintances and discussed ideas on a regular basis. It sounds like what happened was that Les Paul actually came up with the plans and prototype of the first solid-body electric guitar, but Fender... well, some people say that he brought it to the masses in the form of the Fender Broadcaster (the pre-curser to the Fender Telecaster). Others say he stole the idea from Les Paul and ran with it. Les Paul was foremost a PLAYER - an amazing Jazz guitarist in his own right. But he was also an innovator. He came up with ideas for delay effects, overdubbing, and multi-track recording, just to name a few. Either way, Les Paul was integral to the creation of one of the biggest interests in my life right now, so I think his death more than warrants a blog post.

Les Paul is an actual person - not everyone is aware of that. His name is more well known for its association with Gibson electric guitars. His Gibson "Les Paul Custom" model is probably the 2nd most common electric guitar in the world, second only to the Fender Stratocaster. You've probably seen the Les Paul being played by Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin or Pete Townsend of The Who.

Townsend - below. The last moments of this Les Paul's life....

Jimmy Page - using a violin bow on his Gibson Les Paul

Sad day on Welch Ave

Battle's BBQ closed. Read on.

Sad - they had great sauce. "Turkey sandwich on wheat please. Yes, I'd like a pickle. Chips are fine." Great place to people watch on the corner of Campustown, too.

I was a big fan when I lived in Towers AND the summer I sublet the apartment by the baseball field. Better known as 'the apartment where the riot had officially started at.'

Oh. Okay. Yes. I want that too, now.

To finally settle an outstanding question: "808's" are old-school drum machines. Not Area codes, not guitar pedals, etc.

Drum Machines.

see the LIGHT

out August 25th.

Matisyahu - ONE DAY

Goring... not how I want to go out.

Still want to try this, Roscommon?

disclaimer

I saw this photo in an AP news story today. What used to be a simple caption with the photographer's name/location is now this:

Uh-oh

Ever see something and instantly go, "oh, I want THAT"?

Well - G.A.S. has struck again, and already know where the $$ from my current project is going to be going.

I ususually hate Ibanez guitars, but this one looks like something Jack White would play. The bigsby trem is a big selling point.

I know, I know - I don't need any more guitars. And I'm not getting this one. Yet.

Happy Independence Day!

Sarah Palin resigns. What a nice little gift for the holiday. What next? Iran says, "we were just kidding about that election. Not sure why we even had you fill out those ballots. We ended up using them to wipe our asses with our left hand. Sorry about misleading you into thinking you had a say in how your country is run."

Also - N. Korea: You obviously WANT to get into a war, so just effing nuke something already, so we can have an excuse to obliterate your arrogant (and stupid) ass. We see how far you can piss. Its not that far. You are the very short guy trying to walk like a rooster - all puffed up to look bigger than they are. Let us know if you ever want to switch your main export to anything other than "crazy."