What’s On Thursdays: The Guild

Posted on May 21, 2009 by James

They work in our offices. They shop in our stores. They murmur to each other in a pidgin dialect only the depraved would understand. Some of them even look like us. Every day they lock themselves into electronic insane asylums across the country. They are players of what some call Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games.

MMORPGs have been addressed in sitcoms before, most famously in South Park‘s “Make Love, Not Warcraft” episode. The concept is generally deemed too nerdy to become a regular factor in such shows, so the characters forget their addictions in time for next week’s installment. As I know, and as the producers of The Guild know, it’s not just a game, it’s a lifestyle. The Guild follows the misadventures of six online adventurers and their terrifying real-life encounters with each other. Dr. Horrible‘s Felicia Day is cast as Codex, a human healer who when not unemployed in real life has her existence turned upside down by Zaboo (Sandeep Parikh) who shows up at her apartment to proclaim his love after misinterpreting a few winky-smiley faces. Vork the fighter (Jeff Lewis) is the long-suffering guild leader who tracks his mustard supply down to the millimetre. Clara the mage (Robin Thorsen) uses the game to take the pressure off of (not) raising her three kids. Rounding out the cast is Bladezz the thief (Vincent Caso) and TinkerBalla the ranger (Amy Okuda), who both consider Machiavellian treachery a personal hobby.

This show could have been like the torrent of gaming comics on the market that make fun of video game addiction. Instead all of the characters play the game for different reasons. Clara tries to relieve boredom, Bladezz is looking for rules he can easily break, and Codex seems to be looking for order in a life that doesn’t seem to have any. The best moments of the show come when the characters try to apply the logic and consistency of the game world with the real world and the results are often hilariously tragic. The production also has a polish and quality that many web shows just don’t have. The Guild is extremely deserving of the popularity it now holds. The only gripe I have with it is that the secondary characters don’t seem to have as intense an inner life as the main characters, and seem to just drive the plot rather than have motivations of their own. The Season 2 DVD just came out on May 19th, and it looks like they’ve secured funding for a third season through Microsoft. This is great news for web shows in general, so I look forward to the new season, which is scheduled to start shooting in June.

The Friday Files

Posted on May 15, 2009 by James

Square Enix is re-releasing Romancing SaGa 2 for the Nintendo DS (Final Fantasy Legend II as it’s known in the west). There’s also a retrospective video on the same site. It’s a crime how little of the SaGa series was actually translated into English. Via Gametrailers.com

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One more thing I forgot to mention about Tokyo: UFO catcher machines are everywhere. So much so that there’s apparently an industry event to showcase new toys. My favorite are these Gatchaman figures. There’s even a themed USB stick! Check out the rest of the 15th Prize Fair at Nekomagic.com

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I’ve never finished an Armored Core game before, but they sure put out some nice model kits. Check out the full review at CollectionDX.com

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Legend of Galactic Heroes. Seems like it’s the only science fiction series out there where the capital ships look built by an actual military. Via HobbyLink Japan

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There is absolutely no good reason why Tekkaman Blade is not in Tatsunoko Vs. Capcom. They should’ve gotten an injunction or something and just slotted him in there. Here he is (foreground) in Soul of Chogokin form. Via SRW Hotnews

Society for Geek Advancement

Posted on May 13, 2009 by James

Okay boys and girls, get your commenting caps on. I want to know what you think of this video I found via wilwheaton.net.

About 10 seconds in I was thinking to myself, “Look, just show me the logo for Axe, or Gillette fusion Gamer or whatever you’re trying to push on me. Don’t preach to me about what I am or am not.”

While agree with the video’s overall message, the presentation comes off as a little dishonest. Unlike the “I Am Canadian” commercials on which this video was based, geek stereotypes aren’t just based off the conjecture of people refusing to see beyond their overgrown lawns. I happen to fit in to some of the stereotypes that the those so-called geeks dismiss. I play D&D whenever I find a group. My wife knows that when I’m plugged into my iphone, that DOES mean I’m not listening. Most of the clarifications in the video sound derisive and condescending (“It’s pronounced MEEM not MEEMEE!”). With all of the specialization that goes on in Geek culture, I take for granted that I will have to slow down on the jargon at some point.

I’m not even sure there is a need for such a thing as a Society for Geek Advancement. Aren’t we a society for advancement, period? Aren’t we geeks all ready to wrestle with something that’s complicated and unfamiliar just because it’s there? To me, the geek life is the last bastion of the frontier spirit. In the past, if you wanted to explore the unknown, all you had to do was get a horse and keep riding over the horizon. Now, with the entire world explored, we are left to satisfy our mental wanderlust with computers, handicrafts, literature, science, and technology. We toil and struggle with whatever we’re obsessed with and more often than not we acquire more knowledge that we use to get ahead. It doesn’t even have to be a new invention, because if you are the only person in town who knows how to string a CSS together, chances are you’ll be able to make some money from that.

While we geeks struggle to find our place in polite society, we don’t have to make any apologies for who we are. Geekiness is not a curse, it’s a blessing. The fortitude and discipline to follow your passion can sooth any swirly and weather any wedgie. If society has grown to depend on our knowledge and our inventions, we can handle a little stereotyping now and then.

Star Wars Weddings and the Outer Rim of Good Taste

Posted on May 7, 2009 by James

Have you ever wondered how much nerdiness is acceptable in your life? How will the other commuters take it when your bumper informs them that your other ride is a Millenium Falcon? How many Star Trek collector’s plates and Suzumiya Haruhi figures can you display in your house before your dinner guests begin to wonder about you? What will the boss say when he finds out you’ve been tele-commuting from a Battlestar Galactica themed case-mod? Some say that it’s a double standard that we nerds hide our ways from the general public, especially when we have to deal with the play-off beards and smelly jerseys of so-called “normal” people. We often forget that until recently, being interested in Science Fiction, Fantasy or Video Games didn’t have the built-in social component that sports always did. We are always fighting the image of the shut-in fan, locked away in his parents’ basement, wearing an ill-fitted “Lum” t-shirt and cat ears, surrounded by moldy towers of comic books, dvds, game discs, or whatever the heck else he’s used to keep himself off the streets. One can avoid running afoul of this unfortunate creature by being alerted to his distinct musk of corn-chips and feet. Granted, the shut-in fan represents a large enough percentage of nerds that he’s become the stereotype. People from all over the nerd spectrum are wondering, how far can we take our interests before we end up like him?

To solve this dilemma, some nerds have taken to letting their geek flag fly at their weddings. What better evidence is there that you like human contact and have left your parents’ basement than promising to spend the rest of your life with a real live human of the opposite sex? That’s the idea on paper, which holds up rather well until you break out the prosthetic makeup.

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Image from Klingon Wedding

Never mind that these guys will have to explain this picture to their future children, how are the bride and groom supposed to appreciate how young they both look under those tire-tread foreheads? I don’t even want to know what they used for centerpieces at the reception. Now, I understand that the mighty Klingon warrior culture can add some military pomp and circumstance to your ceremony, but the focus should be on the happy couple, not on how well the guests wield their Ma’stakas.

After seeing pictures like this, most nerd couples would probably want to keep their nuptials free and clear of the hobbies that made them so happy and may have even brought them together. However, some nerd theme weddings go a little bit differently, such as this couple from my favorite tropical hotspot, the Philippines.

If it weren’t for the lightsabers, you wouldn’t know that the groom’s suit was inspired by Han Solo’s jacket from The Empire Strikes Back or that the bride’s dress combined elements of Princess Leia’s medal ceremony gown and Stormtrooper armor. I showed the photo gallery to Sara, and after reassuring her that we weren’t going to renew our vows this way, she agreed that it walked that fine line between nerd and outcast. Star Wars complemented and enhanced this wedding rather than just taking it over.

Nerdiness has gained increasing social acceptance in recent years. Thanks to the internet, most cities can hold conventions that bring nerds that social interaction generally reserved for sports fans. For me, being a nerd is a wonderful thing. It allows you to appreciate the things you love in popular culture in the most ostentatious way possible. It is an unpretentious an honest way of life. When we find the right way to share this way of life with other people, the results are enriching, fulfilling, and spectacular.

More pictures of K’Allen and Torsha’s wedding can be found here

Star Wars Wedding Gallery found via Toplessrobot.com

Parts Of My Geekiness I Am Losing

Posted on December 16, 2008 by James

According to some I should have turned in my geek card the minute I got married. Then again, there are many married geeks, and even my wedding wasn’t completely Star Wars free. However, just as Superman gave up his powers to be with Lois Lane in Superman II, I find I am losing components of my geekiness to the mists of time, such as:

-The ability to be personally offended by following: the Wii’s game line-up, Anime voice acting, Live-action adaptations of comic-books, novels or video games

-The ability to discern anime character designers

-The ability to participate in the eternal Star Destroyer v. Enterprise debate.

-The ability to stomach any Expanded universe Star Wars

-The ability to watch anime all night

-The idea that Freelancing is a romantic occupation of freedom and bad-assery as opposed to paper-work and shaking down clients for money

-The idea that spoilers will ruin any and all enjoyment of a book, movie or TV show

Does this mean that I’m just growing up? Hardly. I still watch Doctor Who and Macross Frontier. I check io9.com about twice a day and I often peruse Hobbylink Japan the way many people would peruse a Jaguar dealership. I still think professional sports is like paying to watch other people have fun. What has changed is how I perceive my free time. As I get older, time seems to move faster. It feels like high school lasted longer than my 20s. I no longer have the luxury of indulging my interests to completion. Delayed gratification has its merit, but not when you’re trying to be entertained. Slogging through a 52 episode series when 26 of those are filler is no way to go through life. In fact, it’s no way to enjoy a series. The same goes for relationships. Make an effort to enjoy yourself and those around you.

Kirtsy.com and the Future of Web Software

Posted on October 28, 2008 by James

For the first few months of our marriage, my wife Sara would ask me how I could possibly spend so much time surfing on the internet. Recently I found out this wasn’t a complaint, but an actual question about how to find good stuff to read on the web. I told her that I frequent sites like Digg.com and Fark.com to receive the latest news about technology, video games and STAR WARS! In other words, sites that would not interest Sara in the slightest.

The state of affairs continued until I found an article on Digg called “Top Five Reasons Why I Want Digg for Girls”. It basically outlined what I had thought when I had tried to introduce Sara to news aggregate sites. Most of them are sausage parties, populated by nerds who try to break the site for no other than a surplus of time on their hands. You’re unlikely to find articles about non-geeky arts and crafts, parenting or anything else relevant to women. Considering how much of the publishing sector is created by and for women, having web software like Digg and making it completely male oriented is like building a Saturn V Rocket and using it as a Christmas tree. It seemed like the author had pointed out ripe territory for revolution, but many commentors pointed out that the revolution had already happened at www.kirtsy.com.

Intrigued I headed down there and was taken by surprise by how nice the interface is. It’s just 9 self-explanatory categories, and you don’t even have to join to give a “kirtsy” since the site measures the click-through count, not just votes from registered users. What’s more, the users don’t seem to use misleading headlines like “Bike Seat Cuts Off the Nose to Save the Penis!” in order to garner votes.

Now, I’m still going to use sites like Digg and Fark for most of my link hunting needs, but it’s really nice to know that a site like this exists. For one thing, it proves that lines of code and a server don’t make a software package any more than a truckload of hamburger meat and a suitcase full of money makes a McDonald’s. It’s amazing that you can create a news aggregate site that functions like Digg and have it come off as being completely different. It’s a tribute to the human element in software design. And what does Sara think of Kirtsy? Let’s just say she curses my name now that she knows how to waste time on the internet!

Gaming Pod and other Useless Milestones

Posted on July 20, 2008 by James

Looking at this computer setup, I can’t tell if I should be impressed or frightened for the person who built it. The Link goes to more pictures. What do you think?

Link

In case you were counting, this is my 100th post.

Watchmen Trailer

Posted on July 19, 2008 by James

The trailer for Watchmen just came out. All I have to say is: Holy Crap.

I loved the comic, and the movie looks like it wants to reproduce the immersiveness of the comic’s alternate 1980′s. I don’t care what anyone says, I’m catching this one in the theaters.

That being said, there is no way there can be a good GI Joe live action movie, but I’ll get to that in another post.

Wordcamp Fraser Valley 2008

Posted on July 17, 2008 by James

I hadn’t been able to talk “shop” in over a month, so I headed on down to Wordcamp Fraser Valley 2008 at the Cascade Casino in Langley. It was basically a free conference for wordpress, the software I use to create this site. This blog is more than just what you see here. It’s a complex system of scripts that make sure my blog shows up on google, archives posts, keeps my comments free of spam, and all sorts of stuff I would otherwise have no time for.

Coming into this conference, I had no idea how popular this software was, and how many people were interested in it. About 100 people showed up to take in the speakers and the networking. Even my brother Jon was on hand to get some tips on how to manage his websites.

The evening started off with a talk about the basics from Raul from hummingbird604.com, who had recently imported his site from blogger to wordpress. The customization features of wordpress makes it by and large superior to other blogging platforms.

Next we had a talk from Gary Jones of bluefur.com discussing the pros and cons of business blogging. Basically, keeping your site updated with new content, brings customers back to your site, and gives you a chance to show off your knowledge about the your business’ industry.

Kulpreet Singh dispelled some of the hype about wordpress security issues, and gave some very helpful tips on how to locate and block hackers. Rebecca Bolwitt of Miss604.com gave a talk on how to modify your wordpress theme into any graphic configuration.

Finally there was a lecture from John Chow of Johnchow.com about evil ways to increase your site traffic. Mr. Chow was able to monetize a blog on his ramblings about internet marketing, cars and fine dining. Now his blog makes over $40,000 a month for him in advertising. It kind of gives a rambling generalist blog like this one hope for the future.

The evening was a great success overall. If there was any room for improvement, I would suggest that they make more time for networking. A 20 minute intermission is nice, but it doesn’t give you time to meet everyone when there’s about 100 people in the room. Failing that, a link exchange would be nice. I’d love to learn more about bloggers in the Fraser Valley. I’m also more inclined to comment if I can put a face to a name, so this would drive up traffic for everyone.

Science Fiction, Double Feature

Posted on June 17, 2008 by James

At 6:30 this morning I said good-bye to my wife, who is going to camp on Gibson island with her school until Wednesday. Herding 150 kids onto a ferry may seem like a daunting task, but I’ve seen her handle a room full of kids. After 5 years of performing what they call “classroom management”, she carries herself with confidence and authority in situations where most of us would be hesitating and later cowering in a corner pleading the children to leave us alone. Nonetheless, I will at the ready Wednesday night with Sara’s favorite magazine and ice cream.

As the day drew on I realized that if I had to contend with an empty house much longer, I would be fashioning a life sized replacement Sara out of throw pillows and misplaced cashews. So I opted for a movie night out. Science fiction double feature, as the old song goes. The features in question being Indiana Jones and the Incredible Hulk.

If you haven’t seen the new Indy movie yet, for God’s sake go. It’ a fun ride and if you have problems digesting the paranormal stuff, it’s important to note that this is the movie franchise that chased for and found a fully functional Ark of the covenant, Holy Grail and Indian Sankara stones. After studying the Hollywood development process and being part of a few other development processes myself, I think I’m way less nit-picky about movies. And it feels great. I had a lot of fun tonight. I didn’t exactly leave my brain in the parking lot, but I forgave a lot of the missteps I would’ve called out at a different time in my life. In summary it’s Indiana Jones movie. Go and have fun.

In between the two movies I noticed a couple of things. Namely a couple with a newborn. Walking into the Incredible Hulk. It was like I was in the middle of some sophomore comedian’s joke routine in between the sticky floors and the guy yammering on his cell phone. However, that baby stayed silent throughout the entire picture. Perhaps the bass of the movie has a soothing effect, I don’t know. But if I didn’t see the kid myself at the end of the movie, I would’ve thought that the stroller and bassinet were merely an ingenious snack smuggling system.

Anyway, about the Incredible Hulk. You know, the original movie seems to get worse every time I hear about it. It won’t be long before there’s an article about how the original Hulk was so bad that people emerged from the theatre with their eyes bleeding and screaming in tongues. I enjoyed the original, and no amount of pompous hipster bitching is going to change that. So quit it already.

That being said, this is the better film. It starts off with Bruce Banner on the run, just like in the TV series and the better part of the comic series. This movie has a better grip on what it is to be Banner and the Hulk. Edward Norton is perfectly cast. His loneliness is portrayed as genuinely heartbreaking. When he turns into the Hulk, the smashing is fun and perfectly satisfying. And then there’s the integration with the Marvel Universe at large. Captain America! The Avengers! Tony Stark! Oh my God! I’m geeking out to eleven!!

Okay it seems I have issues, and I’m not talking about Amazing Spiderman #563. But the truth is, I wonder why the idea of cross-overs wasn’t brought up sooner in the process, like right after X-men and Spider-man were verifiable hits. We now know that such cross-overs would make money no matter what the quality of the actual movie is. Aliens vs. Predator is a good case in point. However, a quick imdb.com search reveals to us the tangled web (no pun intended) of movie rights attached to all of the major Marvel properties. Everything was held back by traditional corporate short-sightedness and the simple panicky nature of deals that are worth potential billions. Now, an Avengers movie would be a huge step forward, but I think a redefinition of the block-buster is in order, particularly for the digital age.

Imagine, if you will, a group of film school drop-outs who got sick of shooting dying flowers in time lapse and set out to re-engineer the summer blockbuster. Armed with the latest digital tools they are able to super-impose over reality with the skill of renaissance painters. Budgets are no problem when you can create whole cities within a computer the size of a large toaster. The scripts contain multi-layered story-lines that take trilogies to carry out, but the central conflicts are simple and read easy up on the screen. The actors are complete unknowns, but they have enough method training to meld completely into their blue-screen surroundings. The movies are distributed instantly over torrent networks at $10 a download. It’s played simultaneously in theaters in “road-show” style events, where the cast and crew can go on tour and meet their audience. Tickets to these shows are sold over social networking programs. With 200 of your closest friends, the premier suddenly becomes the event of the summer. Say, is anyone taking this down?

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