December 31, 2008 by traveler.

Happy New Year!!! A celebration like this deserves some good tunes. Lemme fire up my Microsoft Zune…hmm…that’s odd. It seems to have frozen. Wonder if anyone else is having that problem. Aahh! It’s Z2K! Oh crap, what if the reason it is frozen is because it is linking to all the ‘red ring of death’ XB360s and they are preparing to sprout laser cannons and take over a la War of the Worlds!

Thankfully there is a solution. Shoot- I sure hope there isn’t an i2K on the way. ::Shudder::

Posted in Junk, Business, Tech, Apple, Design | No Comments »

December 27, 2008 by traveler.

I know, I know…in my last post I said I was too full to post more today. Thankfully my coma lapsed long enough for me to give OuttaLeftField some long-awaited TLC.

This new design will allow OLF to face the new year in style. I’d love to hear what you have to say- drop me a line.

Uh oh- I feel that food coma coming back. Stay tuned for more post-holiday treats.

Posted in Travel, Art, Doing Good, Design, Style | No Comments »

December 27, 2008 by traveler.

This food-induced coma is a killer. Such awesome food, but I can’t take much more of the ‘holiday spirit’. Gotta be good…next year the only coma you’ll find me in is a Christmas cauliflower coma.

I found some weird food items this holiday season, and I’ll share some of them shortly…right now I’m too full to type anymore. Merry Christmas!!

Posted in Junk, Health, Food, Eww | No Comments »

December 23, 2008 by traveler.

Aboriginal groups are angry at Nicole Kidman’s antics promoting the film Australia. Hey, at least someone cares about the movie.

Kidman appeared on a German television show to promote Australia and she played the didgeridoo. Some Aboriginal groups forbid women to play the instrument. Richard Green stated that Nicole playing the didgeridoo “bastardizes our culture. I will guarantee she has no more children.” Now that’s harsh. Sure, cultures can easily be distorted and misrepresented to the world. But if Australians are so concerned over their portrayal, where was the outrage over Crocodile Dundee? Or Kangaroo Jack?

I think people offended by Kidman’s didgeridoo ditty should take a deep breath and relax. After Kevin Rudd issued an official apology for Australia’s past treatment of Aborigines, you’d think that would earn some goodwill. For goodness’ sake, if Kidman wants to play a didgeridoo, I say let her play!

Posted in Movies, Music | No Comments »

December 8, 2008 by traveler.

Mirror’s Edge. If you haven’t played it yet, do yourself a favor. Seriously. The game is great- more of a first-person platformer than a standard FPS. When you play this game, you will find yourself saying these phrases over and over:

1. Holy crap this game looks incredible. Now THAT is art direction.

2. I fell off the @&#%ing roof again?!?! How is it possible to plunge to my death this many times in a row?!

3. I’m getting shot and I have no idea where I’m supposed to go. GO GO GADGET RUNNERS VISION!!!

Mirror’s Edge, is totally worth the purchase, but it does have some minor issues. The physics are tuned fairly realistically, with momentum playing an important role. Momentum is only useful, however, when you have a clear path ahead. In the game, you rarely have a clear path. Once you get past the first chapter, levels are complicated enough that you will probably have to stop and look for the next move. This can be particularly frustrating when you are getting shot at. Since you have no default weapon and trying to disarm enemies can lead to a quick death, running is usually your best option. For first-person shooter fans, this is NOT your general instinct. It took me awhile to stop trying to attack enemies and instead outmaneuver them. Once I started to do this, though, I ran into more problems.

You will get gunned down while trying to find an exit many times. Then you respawn and work your way back to the spot only to get shot up again trying to move forward. So I replayed the same stretch over and over, dying just a little further than the last time. Eventually you will find the path and move on. But for a game based around the concept of flow, some levels severely block your flow.

Aside from these gripes, the game is totally fun. The ‘free running’ gameplay combined with first-person perspective and terrific visuals make for an excellent game. Just know that you will set a world record for falling to your death the thousandth time.

Posted in Video, Design, Games | No Comments »