Where pop culture meets geek culture and they make out a little.
Archive for June, 2009
Because every battle needs a soundtrack
Jun 30th
When playing pen and paper RPG’s or tabletop wargames, I’ve always run into the dilemma of finding a suitable delivery system for background music. Most of the areas I’ve gamed at (back patios, garages, side rooms) do not have either the space or equipment to provide the proper “ambiance.” Let’s face it, I would have been more excited when my trollslayers were taking down Unknown Suavo’s bone giant with this soundtrack playing in the background.
Thus, began my quest for a portable speaker system for my IPod. After looking at this, this and this one, I finally discovered these from Pacific Rim
Technologies. Initially I was put off by the low, low price of $9.99. I thought, “Really, can I get quality construction, sound and portability for just over $10 (after shipping)?” For all of you Normalinauts reading this, the answer is a resounding, “YES!” Now, please understand, you aren’t going to be bumping
these at a party or a wedding in lieu of a full stereo system. But if you want some music at your gaming table with a minimal footprint on the gaming surface (always in short supply) or you want to share your favorite speedmetal band with your cubicle mate then these bad boys fit the bill.
For the portability aspect, they fit nicely in a coat pocket or in the confines of your favorite messenger bag. They are powered by 4 AAA batteries, but also co
me with an AC adaptor. For battery run time, I’ve been able to squeeze about 16 hours out of them. Now, my 2nd Gen Nano won’t fit in the docking station that is provided with the speakers. I have mine using the onboard jack built into the rear of the unit. It’s not as aesthetically pleasing like the full size IPod on the website, but that doesn’t bug me.
The construction material is a white plastic that has a gloss finish and it blends well with IPods/MP3 players of various colors. The speakers are on a very durable spring hinge that survived a couple encounters with my 2 year old. Battery installation is a breeze with a latch system that is easily manipulated.
I highly recommend these for those that are budget minded and need portability for their musical needs.
Na Na Na-Theresa Andersson
Legacy of the Force Reviewed…Finally
Jun 26th
I started out thinking I would just do a review for every book in this series. The problem was that as I went along, that prospect seemed to make less and less sense. This series really is just one long story covering many perspectives, characters, and locations, so breaking a review into many pieces wouldn’t do justice to what the authors have accomplished.
My Personal Hell — Reading Lauren (LC) Conrad’s L.A. Candy Day 1…and 2
Jun 17th
I picked up the book while in the mines yesterday and looked it over. It looks like this in case you’re interested.
My initial response, I believe, would be the standard one from any right thinking person: complete scorn.
Review: Batman and Robin
Jun 17th
I am a fan of Grant Morrison’s work. I thought his run on X-Men a few years back was exceptional. In essence, he took a book that was becoming somewhat derivative of itself and turned everything on its head, he made something old, new again. I did not, however, care for his recent run on Batman in the least bit. Batman R.I.P. was a story line that just simply didn’t resonate with me. It seemed contrived to some extent like it was simply going through the paces to get Batman dead. The Aftermath however is something completely different.
Review: “Gunpowder” by Joe Hill
Jun 16th
Ok, so here we go.
As mentioned by Kilian in one of his June 15th posts, we all have our little penchants for various authors and types of work. I too am a fan of the works of Powers and Blaylock (and am in the same lucky club as Killian having also worked with the two of them) but I am not here to talk about them today. I am sure that all of you have noticed I have become intrigued with the work of Joe Hill. This is my ninth article on the site and the third that deals with Hill’s work. I think that my interest is born from my respect for Hill’s father, Stephen King, which was the real reason why I purchased a copy of “Heart Shaped Box.” While I was impressed with “Heart Shaped Box” I have been astounded by “Locke and Key”. I feel fortunate that I have found Hill early in his career because now I get the chance to see his work change and grow, a joy I missed with his father since I was born in the eighties.
A Small Piece of My Childhood Will Soon Be Nothing More Than a Steaming Pile of Crap
Jun 16th
Some time ago I mentioned that I was guardedly optimistic about the upcoming GI Joe film. The time has come, though, to quash the optimism and just call a spade a spade. The film will be bad. How bad? Remember Dungeons and Dragons? It too had a certain actor with a certain name that rhymed with Maynes…
Still not convinced that GI Joe will GI blow? See what I did there? I’m hysterical. Anyway, if you need further proof of its undeniable suckage, check out this poster:
Has the Brave New World Begun Yet?
Jun 15th
I came across this story thanks to Neil Gaiman’s twitter.
Brief side question: at what point do we fall over (as a society) from too many information channels?
Anyway, the basic gist of the article is
a group of Christians in Wisconsin has launched a legal claim demanding the right to publicly burn a copy of a book for teenagers which they deem to be “explicitly vulgar, racial [sic], and anti-Christian”.
On Detective Stories, or A Review of The Manual of Detection
Jun 15th
There are several writers that I mention more than is probably healthy. James P Blaylock and Tim Powers, as mentors of mine, get a lot of publicity (if you can call it that…you can’t) around the ol’ NR. Neil Gaiman, Terry Pratchett, and Douglas Adams, as my personal holy trinity, probably come up more than they should. All five of those writers are of the fantasy/sci-fi bent, but astute readers will also have noticed that I have a fondness for John Fowles as well. For lack of a better term, one might consider Fowles a more “literary” writer than the others…if you put any stock in terms like that which, all things being equal, you shouldn’t.
Random Acts of Insightfullness #3 – SG Browne
Jun 9th
Hey there faithful Normalinauts. Remember when I said I’d have another interview…it was like a year ago…well, that one fell through. It only took me this long to get another one set up, recorded, and ready for posting. See how damn on the ball I am?
A Scathing Review This is Not: Pixar’s Up
Jun 3rd
Saturday night we loaded up the kids in the new car (did I mention we got a new car?) and headed off to the local drive in. The drive in affords many pluses, the kids are both free, adults are only 7 dollars, we can bring the baby, and I’m reminded of when I would frequent a drive in as a small boy. Of course, the sound leaves quite a bit to be desired and, inevitably, there is a car load of 10-19 year olds who are out of control, but it’s generally a decent experience.
That’s a long winded way of saying I saw Up this weekend. I’ll just say right off the bat that the movie was excellent. I hadn’t really expected anything less, however, after the movie was over I started to consider why it is that Pixar films are so good.
That consideration led to a much longer string of thoughts than I had originally intended. What I wrote, strictly speaking, is not a review of Up, so much as a consideration of the way villainous characters are deployed in the various Pixar films. That being the case, I have posted the needlessly verbose examination in the newly formed Essays section of the ol’ NR.
Mos Def — May-December
MTV Movie Awards Bites
Jun 1st
Hey everyone, Stoker again. So here’s the deal, I tuned into the last half hour of the MTV movie awards last night. I tend to watch this show just for the fun of it but the last couple of years I have been relatively disappointed by the whole thing. As I mentioned, this year I caught the back end because I was watching Deadliest Warrior while the first part was going. Anyway it is the best film winner that I am here to talk about. As you can likely tell I am a big fan of vampire stories…come on look at my handle. Not only do I like vampire stories, I kind of resemble a vampire to some extent: tall, thin, pale and dressed head to toe in black most of the time, which by the way isn’t really a good look but…