I mean, I could tell you all about that, but I doubt you really want to hear it, so instead I'm going to jump right in and discuss some wild and crazy stuff I've been seeing around the news as of late.
First of all, Microsoft's Project Natal. I'll begin by asking, Why does Microsoft feel they can change the pronunciation of a word? If I were to write down the letters N-A-T-A-L and show it to any female, they'd ask me why I'm interested in child birth. But, Microsoft uses this word for a crazy, Wii-inspired, hands-free video game device, and suddenly it's "Nah-tall."
Anyway, I understand the appeal of this device. It looks neat. You can play games that require you to stand up, run around, swing your arms - all things you really want to do at midnight with your bros after eating three large cheese pizzas from Little Caesars.
Clearly, Microsoft is trying to siphon off some of the "casual gamer market" from Nintendo, but even the 9-year-olds learned that you can play Wii Sports while sitting down.
Now, I've watched several of the videos Microsoft has put out showing the power of Project Natal, and I can't help but think I'm being duped. I really think Microsoft is trying to pull a fast one here. There's no showing of any kind of interface. How does Natal know that I'm moving and not the person sitting behind me? How many games will this actually play? Are they on a disc or downloadable? How much will this cost? Microsoft hasn't released any answers, and I can't help but think they are hoping the Hype Monster will help sell their product.
Second, I'm a bit of a podcast nut. In the past year, I've put about a gagillion miles (I counted) on my car, The Tumbler, and I realized after the first several hundred or so that listening to radio can get boring. So, I got myself an iPod Touch and loaded it up with a smattering of different types of podcasts. In the last year, I've come to learn which podcasts consistantly deliver the awesome, while others are on iTunes only because the creators' mothers listen to them every week.
So, my current list of podcast subscriptions is as such:
1. Creative Screenwriting Magazine. I'm a film nerd and screenwriter, so listening to this is always a treat. Of course, since the host, Jeff Goldsmith, gets just about anybody and everybody for his screenings, you run the gammit of screenwriters, from Peter Morgan of Frost/Nixon to Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci of Transformers and Star Trek fame.
2. iFanboy. Josh, Ron, and Connor are like my ears' best friends. They're great guys who really know their stuff. They talk comics twice every week - once in an audio "Pick of the Week" podcast, and again in a video podcast where they discuss specific topics, titles, and creators in comics.
3. Maniacal Rage. Originally "The Garrett Murray Podcast," then renamed at the behest of co-host Shawn Morrison, these two guys talk about everything and anything. It's basically just listening to two guys with the occassional sketch here and there, but it's always hilarious. I came upon this podcast more recently than the other two, but I have already listened to all of the episodes at least twice, and it already has a special playlist on the iPod. Also, check out MRTV for their video podcast.
Third, Reese's Pieces are awesome. Seriously. I have had a bowl of these bite-size pieces of peanut-buttery heaven on my desk for the past week, and it's been the best week of my life. No wonder E.T. didn't want to leave Earth.
