Lasers

Posted on 4th December 2010 in Something Daily

I just got back from the completion of my multi-state LOTR marathon, which culminated in the second half of Return of the King in the basement of Gramercy residence. I didn’t cry this time, but it was close. I was also able to hold back on the gay jokes this time (sorry you weren’t around to see that, Quinn). My watching partner for RotK, Jen, successfully outnerded me during the film, knowing a lot more about the books than I do. It’s good to watch LOTR with someone who understands. Otherwise, where’s the fun?

I was hit on by several gay men today. I just wanted to get that out there. The first one was at lunch at Third North – he came up to my table where I was eating alone and was all “My friends and I think you’re really cute…are you gay?” I told him no, shook his hand and introduced myself. I realized that it also wasn’t the first time that had happened. I’ve been asked to settle bets for strangers before over my straightness. I don’t know what it is…at least someone’s appreciating me, I suppose. The second one was just a few minutes ago, when I was coming back home. A couple of guys walking out the door as I was entering essentially whistled at me…WTF OK? It’s just funny that this happens to me. It gives me good stories.

In other news, I got the urge to play around with drawing a bit more today. I wanted to make some big block letters in neon colors with cool logos, so I did. Here’s a sample of what I did earlier.


Yes…RAD LASERS. I know it’s startling, but don’t worry. It’ll be ok.

comments: 1 » tags: , , ,

The Flaming Cat Stevenses

Posted on 26th October 2010 in Something Daily

I just found out that the Flaming Lips’ song “Fight Test” from Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots has the same vocal melody and chord progression as Cat Stevens’ “Father and Son”. It’s crazy how these things work. I love the Lips song, and I never knew that it was, in a sense, bitten from Cat Stevens. The crazy thing is that it doesn’t make me think any less of it hearing the crazy similarities between the two. But then again, it wasn’t really stolen at all. It’s only the way the industry works these days that would make you think that it was. Regardless of whether or not Wayne Coyne heard the Cat Stevens song and decided to copy it, it’s still not really stealing if it’s a melody and chord progression. If you speak a sentence, you don’t have the rights to that sentence in any context other than the one you used it in, if that. (in my imaginary word where people collect royalties on things they say). If people want to say the same sentence as you did earlier, they totally can. I think it’s really the same with music. The Lips took the melody amd progression that were purportedly Stevens’ and recontextualized them. They made a new work that happened to include something similar to a previously composed piece. And that’s ok with me, because both songs are great.

Also, you are awesome. Not just because you’re reading this, but you just are. You are a wonderful person and I thank you for being so great. People need to realize how awesome you truly are. I realized today that this is totally true: for me, you, and everybody. I’m not saying we should all go around being narcissistic jerks, but it is great to realize that you yourself are the man (or lady), and that you are worth getting to know/befriending/coworking/whatever. Or so I’ve heard.

This is a site I read somewhat regularly on how to be extra-manly.

Carry on.

comments: 2 » tags: , , ,

Wear a helmet

Posted on 24th October 2010 in Something Daily

If you’re planning on going skateboarding anytime soon, be careful. Seriously. Watch out for little rocks and potholes and stuff like that. Also cars. I ate pavement twice today – I don’t know, I guess I was tired or something. But they were both the kind where everybody stops and they’re all “OMG are you ok?” and you sort of have to get up and just keep walking even though your knee hurts like crazy and not look at anyone. That kind of fall sucks. But I think it builds character, just as Calvin’s dad would say. I skated to the financial district yesterday and didn’t fall, I don’t know what it was about today, man. Maybe it’s all the coding screwing with my head.

So I told Libby I’d mention Anamanguchi in today’s post. Honestly, even if I hadn’t, I still would, because this is becoming a blog about awesome things, and they’re completely awesome. Here’s a band with your typical rock lineup of guitar, bass and drums, plus a “hacked NES” and a Gameboy running LSDJ. It’s sort of punk-ish, but it’s also chiptune, so they’ve got sort of a future-retro feel. It’s all pretty upbeat and rockin. Rocking is certainly a good thing. And NYU Music Tech is represented in the band, too. All the more reason to commence the listening of the music. Anamanaguchi are actually, in my supremely humble opinion, totally rad, and I highly recommend their music to all. I recommend making music with Gameboys to all, in fact. It’s so much fun!

New addition to the list of things that are awesome: Hey Ash Whatcha Playin’. I just discovered this tonight, it’s pretty hilarious, and I’m jealous of this family.

comments: 0 » tags: , , , , , ,

Turn it on

Posted on 23rd October 2010 in Something Daily

Today is going to be a good day, I believe. I’m listening to the Flaming Lips right now, “Turn it On” from Transmissions from the Satellite Heart. It’s always been one of my favorite Flaming Lips songs. I love when a band has a catalog of material that you can look back on and see how many different changes they’ve gone through from album to album. These guys started out making noisy punk-type music, and it slowly grew more and more mellow and theatrical from album to album, an recently we’ve seen a return to some heavier styles in Embryonic and, to a lesser degree, At War with the Mystics. But the thing about the Lips is that despite all the artistic phases they’ve gone through, you can always tell a Flaming Lips song when you hear it. Obviously it’s Wayne’s voice, to a degree, but they’ve so often got that heavy overdriven bass sound and drums that sound like they’re right there in the room with you. I think the Lips have accomplished something that’s really tough to do here. So have the Mars Volta. One could make a very similar argument for their catalog as well. In the words of Tim and Eric: “Great Job!”

I stretched this morning as soon as I woke up. It was awesome, and I recommend it highly. Other things that are awesome: the Street  Fighter II shirt that I’m wearing right now (see yesterday’s post), cinnamon raisin bagels, orange juice, Dragon Ball Z, and Left 4 Dead 2. By the way, that’s not an inclusive list of things that are awesome, it’s more of a primer in case you wanted to get better at knowing what’s awesome. These updates will continue, I just decided. I’d think about renaming the blog “Things that are Awesome”, except I think its current title is essentially synonymous with that already, so it would be overkill.

Another thing that is awesome is the game that I’m currently working on. In case you didn’t know (how would you know?), I’ve taken a total of one year of programming courses in college, and that was last year. The rest of the knowledge that I have about computers is pretty much entirely a result of reading programming books on the beach when I should have been relaxing, or independent projects that I’ve worked on in the last half a year. So the idea that I would make a game that one would, you know, sit down and actually play may be a bit of a stretch. And, in fact, it’s proven to be really difficult so far. I’m teaching myself basically everything I don’t already know as I go along. Now obviously this is how pretty much every programmer works, the difference is that I know a lot less than your average programmer. Also, did I mention that I’m not using any APIs and I’m doing it all by hand? It’s really a learning experience, so it’s slow going, and I’m not really ashamed to admit that I’ve been working on this for a few months now.

But, as it turns out, it appears that this project will indeed be finished one day, probably not too long from now. It’s about dinosaurs who live on the moon and have to escape to show their existence to the people of earth (add to the list of things that are awesome). The gameplay is/will be similar to Ikaruga or 1942: like an upward scrolling fly-around-and-shoot-guys type game. All the graphics (drawn by me in Gimp) will emulate NES/SNES graphics with a pretty large pixel size, and all the music (composed by myself) will be from a Gameboy. So it’lll have a real serious 8-bit old school vibe. And it’s getting there. And it’ll be on this blog…and you’ll play it!

This is, according to reddit, the best version of the “order a bunch of pizzas for some other house” trick in history

Ok, sounds great!

comments: 0 » tags: , , , , , , , , ,

The Whiner’s Bio

Posted on 20th October 2010 in Something Daily

I would just like to make it known that Mates of State are a really good band. Especially their album “Team Boo”. I think I can count on one hand the number of people I’ve talked to who’ve known them since an ex-girlfriend showed me “Bring it Back”…and I think that’s very sad. They’re way too much fun to listen to for me to ignore them; I feel like it’s the kind of music that you can’t help but like, at least the first time you hear it. Opinions on Mates are formed after the fact.

I guess the Farfisa sound isn’t all that popular in modern indie pop, but I am crazy about it on all of Mates’ stuff, especially the aforementioned favorite album of theirs. I think it’s a wonderful combination of sounds that these two have discovered – the uncluttered arrangement of drums, organ, and two voices that’s (sort of) their signature at this point. I mean, I don’t want to write a music review here, but I do want to make sure that my opinion on the matter is clear: Mates of State are a great band, and I love them completely. Go see them in concert. Last time I saw them, you know who the opening acts were? A musical standup comic and a sword swallower. She swallowed two swords at once. It was crazy. Icing on the cake. Go see Mates of State.

Work on “The Game” is progressing much more quickly than at any other time in the past few weeks: I’m finishing up a framework (am I authorized to use such words?) that allows fairly intuitive control of the motion of enemies on the 2D plane. After that’s done, my last big non-design goal is to create a system that allows laser shapes to be shot by the group – like Ikaruga but more awesome (maybe). And a title. A title would be great. Hopefully this is all behind me by the end of the semester. And you, reader, will be playing a sweet dinosaur-based arcade shooter set in space on these very interwebs.

Oh, and check out Mac OS 10.7. App store? I don’t know, man. I’m incredulous over here. But we’ll see.

So having said these things, here is a reminder of the importance of radness.

This is going well. I like blogging.

comments: 0 » tags: , , , , , , ,