We’ve had a full plate the past few weeks – buying your first house and planning for a move is no piece of cake, especially while keeping on top of your day-to-day to-dos.
So, Dan and I are going on a bit of a hiatus for the next few weeks. Once we get settled in (and get the Internet up and running in the new digs), we’ll be back at it!
Your parents return from work and you’re still in your pajamas…
You have to time bathroom breaks with videogame checkpoints…
You scream “Bright light! Bright light!” when someone opens the curtains…
You hug your Wii controller instead of your teddy bear when you go to bed at night…
Your sofa cushion has a permanent depression in the shape of your backside…
Your idea of getting some exercise is doing bicep curls with a bowl of chips…
Your mother drops you off at school and you announce how many points she scored along the route…
Your teacher asks you a question and your response is “sorry, I have no more space on my memory card”…
Your new family photo was taken in your living room so you could finish defeating the Evil Warlord…
You save all your toys to someday sell to trolls, goblins, and seedy merchants…
Thanks to the PR team working with Scott Langteau for this entertaining list of warning signs for the Sofa Boy Syndrome.
Scott Langteau is a veteran of the game development industry (Medal of Honor, co-founder of Spark Unlimited) and recently released this children’s book titled, which tells the tale of a videogame obsessed kid. What a great concept for a children’s book – teaching kids to balance their gaming time with other activities – and the illustrations in the book look so cute. There’s been a lot of buzz about the the book over the past few weeks and Amazon.com is actually currently “out of stock”.
Maybe Scott will come up with a book for videogame obsessed adults next. They’re out there!
When I think of sidewalk art (which - surprise, surprise – doesn’t happen very often), I think of Dick Van Dyke in the movie Mary Poppins. The cool part about Dick’s drawings were that you could actually jump into them and travel to a fantastical world to be served tea by cartoon penguins.
While Dick’s drawings were magical, they don’t even come close to the scale and awesomeness of Julian Beever’s sidewalk art. This stuff is incredible!
When times are tough, you look for expenses in your household budget that maybe you can do without: “this is nice to have, but we don’t need it right now”; or, “we need this, but maybe we can be paying less for it.” Shouldn’t our State government be doing the same thing??
Instead, what does Beacon Hill do in difficult economic times? They go back, time and time and time again, to their own bottomless ATM (the Acquiescent Taxpayers of Massachusetts). They’re like some kind of rabid monster – “must get more revenue, need more revenue, can’t lose any revenue!!” As if raising revenue is the only option for dealing with budget shortfalls.
This morning we learn that *at the same time Beacon Hill is already getting $11 Billion from the Porkosaurus Rex stimulus bill* Governor Patrick is going to jack-up the gas tax by 19cents per gallon (nearly doubling the state’s gas tax). God forbid the Governor actually trim some of the grotesque fat that oozes from every door jamb in the State House. Why don’t we just hand them our entire paycheck, and then they can give us a weekly allowance? Oh, and now we know why the Governor proposed a 50 cent gas tax last week – it’s the oldest political trick in the book: threaten a 50 cent tax, and then when everyone gets outraged, drop it to 19 cents…suddenly the ignorant masses think they’re getting a bargain. All this from a Governor who ran on promises of property tax relief – what an absolute joke!
And you know the saddest part? We aren’t going to do anything about it. The majority of voters in this state are spineless lemmings. Every November they go into the voting booth and check D-D-D-D-D-D, all the way down the page. Here’s the bottom line: if you voted for this Governor, if you voted ‘No’ on Question 1, if you continue to vote for all these incumbent Democrats, then you have no leg to stand on and ought to keep your mouth shut about this gas tax. Your votes already sent a clear message to Beacon Hill: “Keep doing what you’re doing, it’s fine with me.”
This video has been viewed over 9 million times on YouTube! It chronicles 7-year old David’s trip home from the dentist and his recovery from the anesthesia he was given for dental surgery. David’s. The video is really – David is such a cute kid
I can’t pinpoint when it happened, and I certainly can’t tell you why. Elicia must have caught me in a moment of total preoccupation, because no sooner did I answer “yes” to her womanly ramblings than did I find myself saddling up on a staionary bike at the Spynergy studio in Newton.
I will say, it is a really good workout, and I definitely need the exercise. With the way I’ve been going lately, my boobs are probably gettin’ to be bigger than half the chicks in there. I don’t know…I guess I’d go back for another class – the music was pretty good.
Are you searching for Waldo? Well, you could try looking at a bar first. A bar? Yes, Waldo is now of legal drinking age and has been celebrating his 21st birthday in recent months. The celebration kicked off in September, but I just found out about it this week, so…Happy Belated Birthday, Waldo!
I was always so fond of the Where’s Waldo series of books as a kid! I could sit for hours gazing at the hilarious illustrations and endlessly searching for Waldo in his striped sweater and his clan of elusive pals, like Wilma and the Wizard.
Entertainment Rights, the company behind Waldo, kicked off a marketing/online campaign for his birthday with the launch of FindWaldo.com and a handful of other initiatives including an online photo contest for fans, a Where’s Waldo Wiki, the launch of Waldo on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, among other social media platforms.
At FindWaldo.com you can even search some of the classic Where’s Waldo scenarios, like the beach, and you can create your own avatar. It is not an exact match (I look a little pale), but here’s mine:
1. Honky Tonk Heroes – A great story by Jimmy Patterson about the life of Waylon Jennings, and the “outlaw” movement forged by Waylon and Willie that “changed the course of country music and redefined everything about it from how it was made to where it was played.”
2. The Local Scene – The newest House of Blues is set to open in Boston next weekend at the Landsdowne street address formerly occupied by the Avalon & Axis nightclubs. The new HoB will include a 2,400 capacity music hall, a restaurant, and a VIP lounge. The opening will mark a return to New England for the music chain, which first opened doors in Boston’s Harvard Square in 1992 and remained there until it closed in 2003. They plan to do about 300 shows a year.
3. Best New Album this Year (so far) – Speaking of the House of Blues, The Derek Trucks Band is set to play there on April 2. Derek Trucks released their latest album, Already Free, in January and I can’t say enough good things about it. There isn’t a note too many, nor one you could do without. From top to bottom, it’s a wholesome blend of soulful, bluesy, southern-rock infused good music. For the uninitiated, Derek Trucks is Allman Brothers progeny and one of the best guitarists alive today. For the initiated, don’t expect something similar to their last album, Songlines- this album is a departure from the jazz and world music influences on that album.
4. Sadness – Billy Powell, the only keyboardist Lynyrd Skynyrd ever had, passed away on January 28th. “He was one of the best piano keyboardists, rock ‘n’ roll keyboardists, of our lifetime,” said Ross Schilling, the band’s manager. Hank Williams Jr. said: “I will truly miss Billy. We have all lost one of our best rowdy friends.” I like to think Ronnie Van Zant, Steve Gaines, Cassie Gaines, Jesus, Mary, and Joseph all greeted him with “We’ve been waiting on you, welcome to the band.” R.I.P
The title pretty much says it all…I’m beyond frustrated right now, considering that I just wasted an hour putting together a blog post that I don’t have time to re-write. Grrrrr!!! Mr. Zelda Pimp has nothing to do with my original post, but he is all I’ve got to offer at the moment.
The stimulus, if it is going to actually do anything productive, needs to be temporary, targeted, and timely. This bill is none of those things. Instead, it’s a disappointing, unfortunate product of fiercely partisan politics and the epitome of business-as-usual. And I’m sorry – honestly, because I wish it wasn’t true – but you can’t even make the argument that this is “change.” It’s a massive permanent increase in government discretionary spending (pork) mascarading as economic stimulus. Ninety percent of the alleged stimulus is for special-interests and social programs that, however well intended, will not and cannot create economic growth. This thing is an albatross. Continue Reading »
It is no surprise to me that video games are on the list. Video games actually saw a 14% increase in sales in 2008 (according to the Electronic Entertainment Design and Research Group). Games are a way for people to escape and have fun, so when you’ve just lost your job or your house, what better way to forget about those things for an hour than playing a game.
So, how else are we spending our meager moolah? Personal care (shaving cream, hairspray, etc.), other technology (smart phones and netbooks), gym memberships, movie tickets, restaurants, car maintenance, toy building sets (huh?) and dress casual shoes (shoes that can be worn at work and on the weekends).
P.S. – I’ve been involved with the New England Games and Interactive Entertainment Special Interest Group (MIT Enterprise Forum) since the fall and our next event is on March 3rd. The panel will actually discuss how the video game industry is being impacted by the economy. I’m looking forward to it.
Howard Beale (Network, 1976) shows us that sometimes anger – not laughter – is the best medicine. This is a great rant – articulate, cogent, and crazed all at once. It’s also remarkably applicable to now.
You’ve probably already heardabout the US Airways plane that took off from Laguardia airport in New York City earlier today and crashed into the Hudson River after colliding with a flock of geese (yes, a flock of geese).
Thank goodness no people were hurt, but I wonder how many geese casualties there were? Poor guys – probably didn’t even see it coming (although…planes are rather large and loud). Survival of the fittest, I guess.
I used to love reading those Choose Your Own Adventure books, and was inspired by two very different stimulus ideas I saw today…here it goes:
Economic drought has stifled the flow of goods and services all across the land. Something must be done to revive it. You – the wise journeyman – have set out find the way to Prosperity, the great land of economic goodness. You’ve journeyed for many moons and many miles, and now, you’ve reached a treacherous, tantalizing fork in the road.
A sign at the fork seems to offer a clue: “Both roads add $800 billion to the deficit, but only one leads to Prosperity. If you want to find the way, remember that for every promise, there is a price to pay.”
The majority of songs will drop to 69 cents beginning in April, while the biggest hits and newest songs will go for $1.29. Others that are moderately popular will remain at 99 cents.
Beginning this week, Sony, Universal and Warner will join EMI in selling music through iTunes without digital rights management software, or D.R.M., which controls the copying and use of digital files.
With the copying restrictions removed, people will be able to freely shift the songs they buy on iTunes among computers, phones and other digital devices.
And, customers will be able to pay a one-time fee to strip copying restrictions from music they have already bought on iTunes, at 30 cents a song or 30 percent of the album price.
Finally – in the music industry’s latest attempt prevent further slowing of digital music sales - we will get to own the music we buy free and clear.
A skier at Colorado’s ritzy Vail resort was left dangling upside down and pantsless from a chairlift last Thursday.
The poor guy was stuck for 15 minutes before they backed up the lift so they could dislodge him. It appears that the chairlift’s fold-down seat was somehow not in the lowered position, which caused the man to partially fall through the resulting gap. His right ski got jammed in the ascending chairlift, and that kept him upended since his boot never dislodged from its binding.
Continuing the Seinfeld reference…It’s salacious, outrageous, hilarious, litigious.
More photos taken by fellow skiers (it’s a miracle they could hold their cameras steady while laughing their asses off) and the full report are at The Smoking Gun. Definitely an early favorite for picture of the year.
10 ways social media improved lives in 2008 (check out the post at TheSocialPath.com)- Social media such as blogs, micromedia sites like Twitter, and social networks like Facebook, are often used to benefit charities and other great causes. David Griner compiled 10 ways social media has been used to improve lives in 2008 including the example of The Domestic Diva , a blogger who through the help of other bloggers spread the word about her daughter’s need for a kidney transplant. Just this week her daughter underwent the life-saving transplant. Unbelievable.
I can’t believe 2008 is already over! It was another crazy, but great, year. Work has been as busy as ever for us. Family and friends were getting married left and right and having babies. Our apartment almost burnt to the ground (well, sort of). I got ambushed and made over on a moving train (still waiting for it to air on TLC!). Then, of course, there were all the extracurricular activities (a trip to Texas, 2 seasons of kickball, etc.).
All of this and so much more sometimes made it difficult to find time to blog, but I’m so glad we did and, to wrap up 2008, I wanted to highlight a few of my favorite posts from the year. It was quite difficult to narrow a list down, but here it is:
Dan Buzz post:Critter (with Au Bon Pain in the Ass finishing a close second) Editor’s Note: Booooo to Dan Buzz posts about the economy and politics! We (meaning I, Elicia, and the Dan Buzz fan club) encourage more posts in 2009 about sports, food, music, and humorous stories.
Again, hard to pick out just a few, but it is New Year’s Eve and, honestly, I’m eager to get off this damn computer, so think it is best to wrap it up for the night We’ll have to wait to see what is in store for us in 2009 – and I’m looking forward to blogging about it.
Economies and markets around the world really sucked this year, and a lot of hard-working people got screwed in the process. There was no place to run, no place to hide…and now – maybe, hopefully - no where to go except up (click the thumbnail to enlarge).
I don’t like dwelling on the negative, and there’s little use in it anyway. President Truman said, “an optimist is one who makes opportunities of his difficulties.” The same way a forest fire gives way to and fertilizes new growth, this year’s swath of economic destruction will fertilize new opportunities, and in some cases, for entirely new groups of people. Case in point, right now mortgage rates are at all-time lows. First-time buyers…all aboard! Happy New Year, everyone, and here’s to a healthy and happy 2009!
A silver lining on the otherwise gloomy economic cloud – As of December 22, gas prices in Massachusetts (adjusted for inflation) are at their lowest level since April 2002.
Source: Energy Information Administration, weekly retail gasoline prices. Inflation adjustment based on Northeast regional Consumer Price Index time series from BLS.
In my hunt for Christmas gifts, I came across a number of really out of the ordinary and generally useless products that I think would make horrible gifts. I can’t speak for the rest of the world (some people may actually like this stuff, so no offense to any of these companies), but let it be known…Elicia Buzz asks that for the sake of your loved ones’ overall happiness this Christmas, please refrain from giving any of the following items as gifts:
For a mere $99.95, you can swat away germs to your heart’s content. I wonder if, to save time, you could use this to bathe yourself in the morning instead of a shower? No, actually, I don’t wonder that.
This one is a bit cheaper at only $14.95, but why not just grab a spoon? Unless you are buying this for an 8-year old who drinks a lot of chocolate milk…bad gift.
For $12.99 you can buy your special someone a dog tag etched with the “crucial data an alien will need to get you back to Earth” should you be abducted by aliens.
Looking for a gift for the multi-tasker in your life? Well, this may be a great idea at first, but with a price of $1,400, you might want to think of something else. 87 precision-engineered tools spanning 112 functions will overwhelm even the most talented handyman.
Unlike the Spray On Hair Thickener, this gift is actually a joke (found it on the Onion’s website). I’m sure there are a handful of folks out there that have thought to themselves “Damn! I totally should have applied for a patent. That was my idea!”
Pretty much anything having to do with bacon is awesome. I love bacon as much, if not probably more, than the average person, but a bacon wallet? Bad gift. Apparently this is pretty popular - the website that sells it says it is out of stock.
Good luck with last minute shopping and merry Christmas!
‘Twas three days before Christmas and all through the house, not a creature was stirring…except for a crafty mouse.
Our premises have been breached by a stealthy intruder. The casualties thus far include some peanut M&Ms and a brand-new bag of delicious Cape Cod potato chips (sea salt and cracked pepper). No one has yet been witness to its crimes, but the suspect is thought to resemble a dirty cotton ball with a tenacious appetite for the sweet and salty.
I don’t know how this little bastard is getting into the cupboard but, much like my bat-wrangling father before me, I’m prepared to sit in the dark all night long armed with a broom, hockey mask, and brown paper bag – ready to pounce at a moments notice. Yes indeed, I may hurt myself and break several dishes in what will surely be a futile attempt to catch Fivel’s evil twin, but dammit, I’m a man. And as any good man would, I fully intend to take this way too far. You’ve been warned, critter. You’re next bite of candy-coated chocolate just might be your last!
Test your American civics knowledge. The test contains 33 questions about America’s founding principles, political history, international relations, and market economy - the basics about the systems all Americans participate in every day.
For the last three years, the ISI (Intercollegiate Studies Institute) has conducted their American Civic Literacy Program study to see whether people have a grasp of basic knowledge required to be an informed citizen (the 2008 study is finished, you can take the quiz for fun by clicking the link above).
For three straight years the results have shown that Americans are alarmingly uninformed about our Constitution, the basic functions of our government, the key texts of our national history, and economic principles. Seventy-one percent of Americans fail this test(score 59% or less), which is really, really sad. Fewer than half of all Americans can name all three branches of government. The study has also consistently shown that college educated participants and elected officials fail the majority of the time.
Most Americans would probably agree that it’s pretty damn important for high schools and colleges to be teaching our future leaders about America’s history, key documents and institutions, but evidently this isn’t happening in an effective way. This is a sad commentary on our education system, including colleges and universities.
The findings and survey methods are described on the website.
I am particularly fond of the Italian duo that millions call Mario and Luigi. They were never the greatest plumbers, but right along with them, I’ve jumped down my fair share of green pipes and on top of mushrooms. I’ve also slung my fair share of bananas out onto the open road.
If the world of Mario and Luigi were to come to life, I would be ecstatic. Wait…it has. Well, at least, the world of Mario Kart has.
Apparently some French guy put together this live action video based on the popular N64, DS, and Wii game, Mario Kart. Check it out:
It’s like their pouring water into a bucket with a hole in it, and then shoving the bucket up the ass of the taxpayer to hide the leak.
Sorry for the crude analogy but, man, between yesterday’s ramblings by Barney Frank about a homeowner bailout, and today’s revelation about Cerebus (the true beneficiaries in the Chrysler bailout), this is getting ridiculous. There is going to be a theme here: these costly bailouts only delay the inevitable. Continue Reading »
The Elf Yourself website is quite brilliant. When it first debuted as a promotional site from Office Max and JibJab.com, it was everywhere – it seemed like everyone and their brother had heard about the site. It was such a success that Jib Jab and Office Max still promote the site on their home pages around Christmas time. Today I took a few minutes to Elf-ize myself, Dan Buzz, and Willie Nelson - the quality is not great with the YouTube upload, but it is pretty hilarious anyway:
If you’re not a big fan of elves, of the North Pole variety that is (not necessarily the Middle-earth variety), go to JibJab.com and there are all sorts of different goofy scenarios you can drop you or your friends/family members’ head shots into.
Christmas is only 18 days away! The pressure is on.
For some folks, gift ideas come naturally. I, on the other hand, am more like a (rein)deer caught in an extremely bright and shining Christmas light display when it comes to figuring out what will make a good gift.
If you’re like me and are looking for ideas, take a peek at some of these gift guides. There are, obviously, many more out there, but these might be a good place to start. Who knows, you may just find the perfect gift!
Geeky Gift Guides:
Wired Wish List 2008: The 2008 Wish List from Wired Magazine includes tons of ideas with categories like Desk Jockey, Mr Fix It, Kitchen Ninja, High Roller, and Audiophile.
GamePro Holiday Gift Guide 2008: All the items in this guide aren’t necessarily “geeky,” but more than a few items fall into this category. The guide includes various Gifts for Gamers, Movie Gifts, Gifts for Students, Mom, Dad and Under $20.
Gift Guides for Guys:
Men’s Fitness Magazine 2008 Holiday Gift Guide - Includes Sporting Goods, Gadgets, Fashion, Entertainment, and Grooming categories and even has a “fantasy” gifts section that includes a Guinness Home Pub for $250K. Yeah right!
Women’s Health Best Gifts for Kids: The kids section of the Women’s Health Gift Guide has a bunch of cool ideas for kids over age 8 or so.
Parenting Magazine Toys of the Year 2008: The editors of Parenting Magazine picked out 26 of the best toys for kids in their Toys of the Year awards. Some good ideas in this slideshow.
Great Gift Guides for Everyone:
Babble Holiday Gift Guide 2008 - Love this guide – big pictures and easy to navigate. It has mostly gift ideas for kids, but other categories include gifts for Grandparents, Mom & Dad, and Charity.
Etsy Gift Guides: Looking for something really unique and different? Etsy.com is a site where everyday folks can sell their own handmade crafts and clothing. The gift guide page has categories of all kinds and includes some pretty neat stuff.
Gifts.com - Not a guide, per se, but Gifts.com is a great resource for finding gift ideas for any occasion. You can get a little lost in the site, but it provides recs for various holidays and occasions as well as breaks gifts down by age, gender, interests or personalities.
We’ve had a full plate the past few weeks – buying your first house and planning for a move is no piece of cake, especially while keeping on top of your day-to-day to-dos.
Are you searching for Waldo? Well, you could try looking at a bar first. A bar? Yes, Waldo is now of legal drinking age and has been celebrating his 21st birthday in recent months. The celebration kicked off in September, but I just found out about it this week, so…Happy Belated Birthday, Waldo!
You wouldn’t think so, but despite the fact that we’re in the midst of a big economic fart, people are still spending money on lots of things including games. 
Christmas is only 18 days away! The pressure is on.
