schlagging.com

Some changes

Posted on December 1st, 2006 by Josh.
Categories: site news, games, books, movies, music.

Once again, I’ve messed with the layout and design of my blog. I threw out that old one, because it was kind of annoying, and didn’t play well with the lesser browser (IE).

I’ve opted (for now) to just pick one of the default templates, and play around with the new Blogger Beta functionality before going any further.

It’s neat - you can create widgets to drag and drop into place on the page. Very intuitive.

I’ve also ditched my book/music/movie recommendations, opting instead to relay those from time to time by posting an entry. Speaking of which, here’s one now!

The latest cause of thumb blisters

• Guitar Hero II (Playstation 2) - Along with a revamped and much more fun multiplayer mode, GHII comes with a whole new set of songs. Among my favorites at the moment are Jessica (The Allman Brothers Band), Psychobilly Freakout (The Reverend Horton Heat), YYZ (Rush), Beast and the Harlot (Avenged Sevenfold), and Hangar 18 (Megadeth). I’m still not ready for hard or expert difficulty, but I’m getting pretty good at medium.
   
   
   
   
   

• WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2007 (Xbox 360) - If you know me, you know I’ve been hooked on pro wrestling since ninety-deuce. That’s not even a lie. I started watching back in the days of Bret ‘Hitman’ Hart and Razor Ramon. I stuck with ‘em even after I learned what the word choreographed means. And to this day, I get to play some fun games that try to emulate the madness seen a couple times a week on TV and in arenas around the world. The SvR game engine has been maturing over the years, and is finally becoming one that I truly enjoy. Gone are the days of ridiculous collision detection and endless button mashing. There is still a degree of button mashing, but it is a lot more manageable than it once was - with momentum shifts and well timed reversals taking a key spot in the gameplay. It’s not everyone’s cup o’ tea, but it is definitely mine.

My nose has been buried in..

• Survivor (Chuck Palahuniuk) - A month or so ago, I decided to get back into reading. Reading in my library (err.. bathroom), during lunch breaks, in bed before falling asleep.. To get me back into the swing of things, I decided I’d give Palahniuk a try. Quite a few friends have been into his work for a while, and the only one I knew - Fight Clubs - I am a big fan of. So I started there. The movie did a very good job of translating the style of the book, in my opinion. Didn’t get a whole lot out of it, but it was good. I moved on to another of his books, Survivor, and found it to have a similarly strange setup. A man is on a plane by himself, and said plane will eventually run out of fuel and lead to his death. In the meantime, he’ll be quite happy to recount his life and why he is on the plane into the “black box”. I enjoyed many aspects of the book. It won’t go down as a favorite, but it was worth my time.
   
• JPod (Douglas Coupland) - At Micah’s suggestion, I picked this book up at the store a couple weeks ago. Video game designers in an office setting. Eccentric personalities. Strange happenings in the life of the main character. Lots of programming (and other) references. So far.. so good. As Micah said, it’s right up my alley.

 
 
 
 
 
 
Recent viewings

• Nothing as of late. I should go to the theaters more often.

Latest on the iPod

• The Devil and God Are Raging Inside Me (Brand New) - Brand New is back with their junior album, and they are still rocking - inspired lyrics and clever melodies prevail. I found myself taking in their latest effort in much the same way I took in their second album, Deja Entendu. Upon my first listen, I wasn’t sure what to think. I was sort of indifferent, maybe didn’t like the sound. But a couple more and it quickly became a favorite. From the ever so catchy Sewing Season (Yeah) to Micah’s favorite, Jesus (or just track 3, as he calls it) - they do not fail to deliver with dreary and artful sounds, with a little bit of the screaming mixed in. I think it’s pretty well done, overall. Highly recommended.

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