So this cinches it

alternateorg on March 31, 2002

I’ve been toying around with doing a documentary on Everquest, and specifically, the weird culture surrounding it. The MUD people. Evercrack, as it is so lovingly called. The game that has broken up marriages (plural). The very real addiction that it is to some people. I’m interesting in trying to bring a critical eye to video games, in hopes of helping to validate them in some way.

At the same time, I’ve never made a documentary (though I do have a favorite), and I’m pretty clueless as to where to begin. But I like the subject, and I have the benefit of the fact that Verant (the developer) is in San Diego. Like I say, I’ve been toying, and you’re all welcome to chime in as to the value of such a project (asscheeks akimbo, as Jon Stewart once said). Oh yeah, but the all important link that made me think of all of this again. Fascinating freaky stuff.

Only the convertible

alternateorg on March 29, 2002

Due to my aforementioned obesssion with all things Tekken, I found myself watching, nay, fully enjoying Only The Strong, the world’s foremost B-rated movie featuring everyone’s favorite hard-to-spell-but-fun-to-watch martial art, Capoeira.

This is not a Tekken-related post. Just thought I’d get that out of the way.

So like I said, I’m watching this wonderful peice of motion picture goodness when I have to make dinner. So I’m in the kitchen, preheating the oven to 375 for our -ahem- Mac n Cheeze bake when it sounds like the TV has changed because there’s now what is unmistakably a Mazda commercial on. Zoom. Zoom. Zoom. Yah zoomzoomzoom.

Those who know me well enough will know I have somewhat of a Mazda fetish, and even if rotary engines are still not slated for release again until September, I revel in the odd Miata commercial. So I peek around my red-painted dining room corner and what do I see? Our kicking-ass capoeira movie has not magically changed into a commercial for the lovable scamp that reinvented the roadster; the music/tagline is simply coming from the movie.

I kid you not, friends, our beloved Mazda branding has been LIFTED from a Brazilian song used during the pivotal ‘beach training’ scene of ‘Only The Strong.’ Needless to say, I was beside myself with joy of the delicious and random mixing pop-culture references, both of which are near and dear to me. Just thought I’d share.

Maybe if I'd had a baby ask her out…

alternateorg on March 27, 2002

How very, very, very very odd to see someone you went to elementary school with on television. I even asked her out in the 8th (or was it 9th…?) grade. I’m glad she’s made it.. or as close as being on a show called ‘Baby Bob’ is to making it. Too bad there’s no picture on the CBS site, though… Here’s some on her ‘official’ website.. Think she needs a redesign?

Oh, and she did turn me down. I guess that’s what you get for doing it from a moving bus.

Painball

alternateorg on March 27, 2002

I’m writing this tonight because tomorrow I probably won’t be able to move… A few of us went paintballing this afternoon, one of the perks of not really having one employer. Besides some fairly serious bruises, I’m in pretty good shape but I do not look forward to tomorrow. I wish I did things like this more often but something tells me the fear of getting pegged in the face might outweigh the initial novelty of being in a reality-based Quake match. I think had we played capture the flag, I might have been a little more helpful to my team, because as is common knowledge, my Q3ACTF flag-defending skills are, quite frankly, off the charts.

iPod XL

alternateorg on March 21, 2002

How come no one told me about the new 10GB iPod? The equalizer is nice and the address book makes it one step closer to an all-in-one palm type of thing.