Maunderlust

Now that Twilgiht Princess has been out for awhile and thoroughly enjoyed, the time has come to take a step back and compare it to its misunderstood predecessor, The Wind Waker.

Side by side, who is the victor? Is it manly man Link astride his noble steed, bow in hand, and Wiimote flashing? Or Chibi-Link firing on pirates from his courageous boat-king, swinging around like Errol Flynn, and parrying moblins like nobody’s business. Whose cuisine reigns supreme? Read on to find out.

Continue reading ‘Wind Waker vs. Twilight Princess’

We fans of Mystery Science Theater 3000 have been adrift in a sea of doubt and confusion for lo these 10 years. Fret no more me hearties, there be a port in the storm! It’s called RiffTrax, and it’s a pretty cool way of continuing the great humor of MST3k via the magic of the intertubes.

Last night I had the good fortune of seeing Mike, Kevin, and Bill perform RiffTrax live to Ben Affleck’s masterpiece, Daredevil. Was it as funny as MST3k? You bet. I’d say it rivaled some of the best experiments of yesteryear. Daredevil will soon be available for your downloading pleasure.

Here’s how RiffTrax works: First, you download Mike & the gang’s audio commentary from the internets. Next, you get ahold of a DVD of the movie (Netflix would be pretty convenient). Finally, you sync the movie to the audio file and, viola, DIY MST3K.

You could use an iPod or other portable MP3 player to sync. Or, since most computers have an MP3 and a DVD software installed, you can probably just do it on your desktop. I bet it would be great to have on your laptop during a trip.

Whether you’re a stalwart fan of Mystery Science Theater 3000, or just an afficiando of bad movies, RiffTrax is well worth checking out.

Continue reading ‘MST3k -> RiffTrax: ROFLMAO’

Previously on Maunderlust, we’ve looked at why the GameCube failed to capture the hearts and minds of the gaming public.

We’ve also taken a stroll through the minefield of disasters that could destroy the newborn Wii.

And now we arrive at last at the Paradiso, Why Wii will Succeed. Read on for mystic crystal revelations.

Continue reading ‘Why Wii will Succeed’

Right now the Wii is high flying adored. The launch was a huge success no matter how you slice it. People are hungry for Wii consoles and content. Seeing a Wiimote and Nunchuk at retail is like catching a glimpse of Bigfoot and Nessie partying together in their undersea Unicorn castle.

Things are looking pretty good for the Wii alright. But could it be flash in the pan? A fad? Dare I say… a novelty?

When 2007 is over and done with, will Wii still be relevant? Here’s some stuff that could totally sink this awesome console:

Continue reading ‘What Wii Should Watch Out For’

I love the GameCube to pieces. So it pains me to call my boxy little friend a failure.

But, a failure it was. I know it made buckets of money. And yes, I know that Nintnedo was doing just fine during the GameCube years. And, I know that the Cube had some of the best games of the last generation.

But despite all that, I still consider the console a failure. Find out why after the jump.

Continue reading ‘Why the Gamecube Failed’

Check out this video on iFilm where a man is forced to confess a very personal secret, For Your Consideration. Is it just me, or does that guy totally sound like Dr. Frank N Furter?

[tags]Rocky Horror Picture Show, Transvestite, Breakdown, Soaps[/tags]

I was reading this article on the internets, Boing Boing: iPhone – the roach motel business model, about how the iTunes/iPod/iPhone combination will be a sinister trap for consumers.

There are some good points in the article. However, there’s one aspect of the argument that I’ve never understood. I’ve heard a lot of complaints about Apple’s DRM and how it’s monopolistic, oppressive, and stinks of sulfur and brimstone. But, as a consumer, I have no idea why.

• If I put my own music into iTunes (from a CD or audio file) there’s no DRM on it whatsoever.
• If I buy music from the iTunes store and burn it to an audio CD, there’s no DRM on it whatsoever. I can even reimport it into iTunes on another machine.
• If I want to transfer my music between computers using my iPod, I can just put it into a folder. It’s true, I can’t reverse sync directly from my iTunes library. But that seems like a minor inconvenience rather than a dystopian nightmare scenario.

So help me out here, what’s so bad about Apple’s DRM?
[tags]Apple, DRM, iTunes, iPod, iPhone[/tags]

A little less than a year ago I switched from Windows to [tag]Mac[/tag]. I find that with [tag]OSX[/tag] I find myself looking forward to the joy of working with my computer, rather than dreading the million little headaches and hangups I might have to deal with to get basic things done.

I knew going in that I would enjoy using the Mac more. But, what I wasn’t expecting were the million little things in OSX that sounded gimmicky at first, but actually make a huge difference in your user experience. I still use Windows at work, and it drives me crazy that I don’t have these features.

1. [tag]Spotlight[/tag] / Quicksilver: I don’t like having to deal with file management. I love the fact that on OSX I can let the computer worry about computer things, like where to store information, and I can access that information just by typing one word.
2. No Viruses or Malware: On Windows, the internet is a terrifying minefield. Every website and file is a potential enemy looking to gunk up my computer with spyware and viruses. To combat these foes, I need things like ZoneAlarm and various spyware sweepers. On OS X, the internet is a garden paradise free from predators and worry.
3. F9, F10, & F11 (Exposé): At first I thought [tag]Exposé[/tag] was just one of those neat visual tricks, like the genie effect, with no real practical value. But I was totally wrong. Being able to layout all of your windows, tab through them, or slide them all off the desktop is absolutely essential to working in a multi-window environment. In fact, it’s completely insane to try and work without it. This, more than anything, drives me crazy at work.
4. [tag]Preview[/tag]: On the PC, I have a few different programs that I use for browsing various image file formats, other programs I use for viewing PDFs and documents, and still others for viewing different types of media. It’s not uncommon to have a file open (slowly) in the wrong program when all I wanted to do is get a quick sense of what’s in it. On OS X, it’s easy to preview pretty much every file type imaginable straight from the OS.
5. Mounting and Ejecting stuff: Windows has a secret icon in the taskbar tray that lets you know when you’ve connected a USB device (like an iPod). If you just unplug the device without clicking on the secret icon and navigating through multiple screens of USB gibberish, you get, at a minimum, a stern admonition. At most, all of your data is destroyed. On OS X you need to eject these devices too. But they appear as icons on the desktop that look like the thing they are. When it’s time to eject, you drag them to “eject”. If you want to use them, you don’t have to dig down into “My Computer”. you just click on them.
   Well… Of course you do. That’s how it should work.

If you’ve been following Vista development, you probably know that Microsoft is incorporating similar features into Vista (Okay, not the Virus / Malware free one). I know a lot of long time Mac users are a bit peeved with Microsoft for stealing these ideas from OS X. But, as someone who has to use Windows to make a living, I look forward to seeing these good ideas on as many platforms as possible.

According to the New York Times, the Danes are happy.

What’s up with that? Well, turns out they have low expectations, so every good thing that happens is a pleasant surprise.

(More after the jump.)

Continue reading ‘The Secret of Happiness’

Between the vodka spiked formula and the constant diet of Flintstone’s barbiturates, I don’t remember very much of the 1970’s. Perhaps, this if for the best. In 1971, acclaimed writer, director, and photgrapher, Anonymous, graced the world with the indelible Pink Narcissus! Thereby setting the WTF bar for nigh these 40 years.

Pink Naricissus is the timeless story of a young man’s struggle inside of a vulva. I know, I know, we’ve seen it a million times. Boy flushes himself down urinal. Boy becomes slave to the Zoltar machine from Big. Boy puts butterfly on genitals. Bag lady meets boy. Sailor masturbates at bag lady. Boy is violated by local foliage.

Yes, it’s that old chestnut. But I think the film holds up because its message is as true today as it ever was. If a guy is hot, nothing else matters.

And the guy is, in point of fact, hot. This much is true. If you don’t find yourself creeped out by Mr. Anonymous’ opus, you may actually enjoy the proto-Gondry visual stylings. Some of it is genuinely cool.

I’ve heard it said that this is the movie that made Liberace gay. It’s possible that it might do the same to you. If you’re up for that, do check it out.
[tags]Pink Narcissus, James Bidgood, Michel Gondry, Anonymous, Liberace[/tags]