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January 30, 2006

Music Video Fantastico

Matt says,

In case any of you haven't seen this link yet, enjoy. It's the top 65 music videos of 2005, and all the selections I've seen really are brilliant. A few are available for watching without downloading the torrent; def. avail yourself of that opportunity. And watch "Mushaboom." (Waxtastic, and side note: If Feist comes to your city, make every effort to see her perform; she's wonderful in concert. Her voice really is as deliciously birdlike as it sounds on tape. And she's great at banter. And she plays some mean drums. And she's Canadian.)

PS: Gondry + Kanye = Yay. (fimoculicious)

Comments (1) | Permasnark | Posted: 6:52 PM

The Raconteurs

Robin says,

Jack White and Brendan Benson have a new band called The Raconteurs. Mostly I am linking because, if you must have one of those Flash-y band websites, this is the way to do it. Totally clean, clear and retrocool. Design by Royal Magnet.

Comments (1) | Permasnark | Posted: 6:35 PM

Free and Fun

Robin says,

Clive Thompson has a list of video games that are all both innovative and free. Can't go wrong!

In related news, Façade won the top game award at Slamdance. (Who knew Slamdance had game awards?) We've discussed it here before.

Comments (0) | Permasnark | Posted: 5:27 PM

Country Without Wires

Robin says,

GrameenPhone, the biggest cell phone provider in Bangladesh, just hit six million subscribers. Worth noting:

  • That's number is still a small fraction of the country's entire population (145 million), but it's growing very very fast, with the last million added in just two months.
  • My first cell phone was from GrameenPhone! That's right: I first experienced the wonder of wireless calling technology... in Bangladesh.

For my money, this is actually more important work than Grameen's microlending.

Comments (0) | Permasnark | Posted: 10:34 AM

January 29, 2006

Universal Snark Systems, Inc.

Robin says,

New favorite Wikipedia entry: a list of fictional companies. Here's a quiz -- see if you can name the source of each fictional company:

  • LexCorp
  • Cogswell Cogs
  • Rearden Steel
  • Cyberdyne
  • InGen
  • Shin-Ra Electric Power Company
  • Monopolated Light and Power

Answers in the comments.

Comments (1) | Permasnark | Posted: 9:00 PM

Metacomics

Robin says,

Gordon McAlpin covers comics-related events... in comic format! Why was I not told of this before??

Seriously, how is this not the clearest, most fun format ever? LOVE it. There's like a whole series of them. Check out Marjane Satrapi talking about the strengths of comics.

Comments (0) | Permasnark | Posted: 6:17 PM

January 25, 2006

ChrisBateman's thoughts: Thanks for flagging this - as a massive fan of Nemesis (the European name for Gradius) this was a... >>

Quantum Gaming in the Vic Viper

20060125_gradius.jpg

The New Gamer's R. LeFeuvre has just posted a video called "Averaging Gradius." Here's what's up:

A bunch of people recorded themselves playing the first level of the classic NES shooting game Gradius. (You're in a spaceship, you have to kill enemy spaceships, you get the idea.) Then, LeFeuvre layered all the recordings on top of each other. Because the game scrolls of it own accord, at a steady pace, the recordings all stay in sync -- except of course for each players' movements. So what you see, instead of a single ship going at it, is a fuzzy cloud of ships -- bright where strategies overlap, faint where someone does something especially daring (or dumb).

It's like quantum physics!

Seriously, I think this video is sublime. And I wonder: Could you make a game that emphasizes not precision but probability? How would it work?

(Via GameSetWatch.)

Robin-sig.gif
Posted January 25, 2006 at 10:10 | Comments (1) | Permasnark
File under: Video Games

Blink Don't Wink™

Matt says,

I am all for the Blink Don't Wink™ campaign. As The Assimilated Negro says:

There is no situation where a wink is appropriate. There