Friday, June 29, 2007

Caught Up At Last - Summery Post

Work...schedule...sleep...none...sandwich...comic...Diet Mt Dew Code Red...Antelope...Asteroid...pizza...

Saturday, June 23, 2007

Three Vexx Monday!

Three Vexxarrs to post Monday. Details Wednesday!

Nay, but seriously brethren, All caught up by Monday. I'll be posting them Sunday evening untill we are all on the caught-ups. Yo.

Isn't funny that Yo, went from being a Sting-ism (per the POLICE) to being hip gansta' slang? I want to tell the hip young-uns at my gym that when they say "yo" it makes me think of the 'POLICE the videos' VHS I still have at my house.

Another industrial ugly morning...

Tuesday, June 19, 2007

Jasper

Expect late updates this week. I'm shooting a long format in Jasper Alabama. Where you ask? Two street left of nowhere. But it has a nice retreat I am told...

New Vexxarr upon my return from the nether regions.

There I have been told that I have a right pretty mouth...for a Trekkie.

Thursday, June 14, 2007

Would You Wear this?


This is what I'm thinking at this point. Details are still being ironed out like...everything, for example. I'm pretty sure this is the image if not the graphic and that the slogan will be "Surrender your cake".

I'll post details as they ferment.

Monday, June 11, 2007

Manchester, Church of England Apparently Unaware That Television Isn't Real.

Resistance Fall Of Man is a game where mankind is struggling in a losing war against parasitic alien invaders. It takes place in an alternate 1951 where WWII never occurred and America stands ready with a powerful and highly advanced military after twenty years of isolationist development. In this game, Asia, Europe and England have been simply devoured by a race of hostile creatures (presumably alien in origin) known as the Chimera. America, after losing contact with British forces, attempts to establish a beachhead in Great Britain. You play a member of this US Expedition force in it's first encounter with the Chimera.

Evidently, some of this alternate-reality based science-fiction action takes place in Manchester Cathedral. Apparently, guns are involved. Apparently the Manchester of the real world is a city in the midst of violent crime. And apparently this fact has religious and political leaders declaring that creators of mass-market media (games, movies and maybe even books) should not be allowed to set their fictional works in Manchester. Apparently it shows a lack of respect.

This may well be true.

However, did setting Godzilla in New York show a lack of respect to the hundreds who die in violent crime each year? Did setting Halo 2 in a war battered Africa show a lack of respect for those who now struggle with genocide, famine and poverty? Did setting any of the Medal of Honor games in real villages, towns and buildings show a lack of compassion for those who died, fought or gave their lives in WWII?

Resistance Fall Of Man is not only fictional but it takes place in a past that never happened. Further, the enemies being 'slaughtered' aren't even human. They don't exist in this universe in any form. The reason Manchester Cathedral was chosen as a setting was to no doubt illustrate the sense of apocalyptic scale, isolation and hopelessness the game authors wanted to explore. As long as no actual images of Manchester Cathedral were used in the game (all images were computer generated) it is unclear whether The city of Manchester or The Church Of England has anything to say about the game.

Officials in Manchester point out that the nature and frequency of violent crimes and gun violence in their city demand special respect from those who create violent media. The question then becomes, how much respect are they due and how much cooperation can they coerce from those in the media? Should I back off stories and images I find interesting because they cause others distress and emotional pain? There are times when I would actually say yes - voluntarily. Should those people be able to coerce that reaction from me, then ask for money? I hope the answer to that is 'no' and that the answer seems obvious. Otherwise, I might think seriously about not expressing myself in any interesting and challenging ways at all.

Who would want that?

Tuesday, June 05, 2007

Why Video Game Magazines are Corporate Hacks

You may or may not be aware that Penny Arcade has a 3D game hitting the shelves in a few time cycles. You may or may not be aware that PC Gamer magazine is commemorating this event with a series of five special covers on this month's edition.

If your read PvP you are aware that in this same special edition of PCG Magazine, their cover guru, Greg Vederman, disses Penny Arcade with an unwarranted OP ED. Basically in an issue sporting a five-cover Penny Arcade extravaganza, Vederman says 'Meh" to PA.

Hey, he's welcome to do this. Many of you likely agree with Mr. Vederman. What stinks is he does it inside the Penny Arcade Extravaganza issue of PCG Magazine itself!

What gives? Is this not the ultimate in too-cool-for-school poserism? If he felt this way, should he not have published his OP ED piece in the issue following the PA grope-a-thon?

I get that Vederman feels that PA is all hype and no substance. He has some valid points. But what is PCG saying by dissing their cover Gods for that very issue? Here is an idea: PC Gamer Magazine is exactly that sort of exploitation of the gamer phenomenon that Greg Vederman accuses Penny Arcade of being.

I know that by saying this, I have shocked exactly two people on this planet - one of whom being Greg Vederman's mother. But to vent my spleen, I put my thoughts down on actual paper and mailed them to PC Gamer. I believe this is best described as 'quaint'.

I don't usually do this but...

A collection of wet cats for your amusement. Hell, it made my day.