American Idol, Season 7

I'm not commenting much on this season, since it's pretty much a foregone conclusion that Archie will win. It's like they upgraded the DeGarmo-bot and unleashed him to the unsuspecting public; he sings technically well, but watch his eyes--they're empty. He doesn't seem to connect to the world. But the tweens love him, so he'll probably sell a zillion records and then be on a future episode of VH1's Where Are They Now. Kinda like...

Carly. Um, if she only sold 378 copies of her debut album, why does she think she'll win this thing? Especially with that awful sleeve she has (did she really tattoo her own face on her arm?).

Anyway, I'd probably consider buying a Brooke White album. Maybe. She just reminds me of Liz Phair, if Liz Phair sang about puppies and rainbows instead of sex. I thought Brooke's EBYT was pretty good, even with that first misstep.

Alas, poor Ramiele. We hardly knew ye.

RIP Arthur C. Clarke

A day late, but RIP Arthur C Clarke. I'll always remember devouring his books when I was a kid, especially Rendezvous With Rama. Clarke, along with Asimov and Heinlein (who he joins in the great big scifi convention in the sky), pretty much defined the type of books I would be reading until today.

Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. -- Arthur C. Clarke

Super Smash Bros Brawl!

I got this game the day before it was released, and I still haven't played it as much as I wanted. First, I tried playing it just with the Wii controller, and developed cramps in my fingers. I didn't even want to attempt playing it using the controller/nunchuck combo, so I had to go and look for an old GameCube controller. Which of course, was expensive ($25!), so I wound up getting a 3rd party MadCatz controller for $10. I got two in case anyone ever comes over and wants to play.

Then there's also the problem of not having a TV to play the game on, because (a) people watch TV downstairs and (b) the kids watch DVDs upstairs where the Wii is plugged in. Arrggh. So much for being King of My Castle.

Then there's the fact that I suck.. I play primarily as Mario, and a lot of times I just fall off the stupid arena and can't recover. Stupid game.

In case anyone wants a punching bag to beat up, send me your friend code. I'll try to post mine as soon as I manage to get the TV away from the kids.

"B" is for Bert

Thanks to Kathy W for this one.

You Are Bert

Extremely serious and a little eccentric, people find you lovable - even if you don't love them! You are usually feeling: Logical - you rarely let your emotions rule you You are famous for: Being smart, a total neat freak, and maybe just a little evil How you life your life: With passion, even if your odd passions (like bottle caps and pigeons) are baffling to others

The Sesame Street Personality Quiz

RIP Gary Gygax

Legendary Dungeons & Dragons creator Gary Gygax passed away today. I have fond memories of D&D, from trying to play a campaign with Benjor, Neil and some other guys (and then having it dissolve into an argument about interpreting the rules--good times) to reading the different AD&D sourcebooks (the various Monster Manuals and the Deities and Demigods were my favorites) to just trying to draw the blocky TSR logo and the stylized dragon ampersand. It also led to a love of epic fantasy, both in written form and in computer games.

Perhaps Penny Arcade said it best: http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2008/03/04