The world of web comics has recently been a reawakened obsession for me. It all started with the blog CrunchGear posting a funny Penny Arcade comic about twitter. I used to read this comic when I was in “college”. I couldn’t believe it was still around, so I stated reading it again.
A few days later Matt Gondek of Echoflip writes a post that just says “Garfield minus Garfield … Google It”. So I did and found the funniest comic I have seen in a long time. The creator takes the old Garfield comic and Photoshops Garfield out. The effect is a really funny comic about a lonely schizophrenic bachelor. Don’t worry, Jim Davis approves of the comic.
Then soon after I was done reading through the archives of G-G, Dan B emailed me a web comic gem. I guess the creator of “xkcd” is a fan of bacon. The latest comic shows his health in relation to when he figures out how to cook bacon. I really enjoy this strip, the jokes are smart and funny. I will have to admit a few of them were over my head, but all in all it’s a good time.
So that’s where the web comic obsession ends for now. I think once I get some more free time I will search the internet for more. If you know any good ones please share.
The Grand Theft Auto games for the PS2 killed a lot of my free time in the past. Now with GTA IV out this week for the PS3 I am wishing I had money to spend and time to waste. But maybe it’s for the best that I can’t get this game, since I know it would suck the life right out of me. Or if you believe all the negative hype about it, it might turn me into some kind of murdering maniac.
Anyway, there are so many new features and toys in this game it would be a chore to list them all. The one that I am most excited about are the new multiplayer modes. Some of the new modes are death matches, turf wars, cops n’ crooks, and carjacking. So now instead of wasting time alone, you can waste time playing with other humans. Unlike the other GTA games this one should not get old after a while because of the multiplayer modes. Rockstar deserves a pat on the back for that one.
When I get my “last ditch effort to stimulate the economy” check in the mail I will have to make a hard choice. Pay bills or buy a Playstation 3. Maybe I could save the money and just wait until one of my friends gets the game. Then just make up reasons to stop off at their house every few days to get my fix.
If you played this game let me know if it’s worth getting a PS3 for.
Flickr has added a feature that made me want to pay for a pro account. Before, I saw no real reason to pay since I don’t do a lot of photography or upload a lot of it, but now they added video. So, having a clean (free of ads) place to post my short little video clips is worth the 24.95 a year.
With the new feature you can upload a 90 second video that is less then 150 MBs. That doesn’t sound like a lot but it’s enough for a short video snapshot. For example, my friend posted a video of everyone singing happy birthday at a party. Now a photo would have been ok but the video made the memory of that day a little more exciting. That’s the kind of stuff this new feature was meant for and 90 seconds is more then enough for that.
This is not a YouTube or Blip.tv replacement, it’s something different. Those services are for videos that are meant to be seen and entertain the masses. Flickr will be the home for all those random and short video clips people capture that are not meant for mass consumption.
So here is a quick recap of how I will use this video service. Blip.tv is the home for my polished and longer video content. Like the Bacon Eating Contest video. Flickr on the other hand will be for random clips that only I and maybe a few other people will enjoy. Like the video below, which I shot and uploaded via cell phone.
Let me know what you think about this new feature. I know that in the Flickr community there are mix feelings about it.
The sun is shining and the warm breeze feels fantastic, it must be spring! Since the dark and cold winter months are gone, bright colors are starting to catch my eye again. While reading a few of my favorite blogs I spotted two posts that made my color seeking eyes jump for joy.
The first post was entitled “Eneplug: Colorful 3-pack of USB chargers ships in May”. It’s about this colorful and highly useful adapter to charge your USB devices. This would be great for people that have rechargeable devices that need to be plugged in to your computer’s USB port to charge. I am sure things like this have been out for a while but I don’t think they were ever hot pink.
The second post I found was called, “HOWTO make a non-timekeeping wristwatch bauble”. It talks about these hipsters that think it’s cool to spray paint old watches “hot” colors. I don’t know if I like this idea or not. I hate to wear things on my arm and this would be extra annoying since it servers no real purpose. I should spray paint an old laptop (screen and all) I have lying around and pretend to use it at a coffee shop. Now that would make a statement.
These were just a few “bright” posts I wanted to share. Feel free to share your own in the comments.
So after I got my Macbook I starting looking for programs to fill it up with. The first one I downloaded was Adium, which I explained in a previous post was better than iChat. The next program I started looking for was a good image editor. I wanted something cheaper than Photoshop but could still handle everything I need.
The first thing I found was Gimp. I found it to be powerful but the complicated user interface made that power too hard to handle. Soon after getting that off my Macbook I found my dream photo editing tool called, Pixelmator.
Pixelmator is sexy, user friendly, and can handle everything I throw at it. I would compare it to Photoshop Elements. The price is just right too, only 59 bucks to unlock all the power of the program. If you go to their site and check out the screenshots you will notice it’s interface is a lot like Photoshop’s. If you’re familiar with Adobe products you should be ok and the learning curve will be low. Thankfully there are some differences with the interface, so I don’t think Adobe will try to shut down or take over (like they did with Macromedia) this competitor.
If you are in the market for an inexpensive photo editing tool and don’t need all the fancy filters and effects Photoshop comes with, then you should give Pixelmator a try. You can download a demo on their website.
This is how they make mass produced bacon. It’s not pretty but it does make pretty cheap food. If you would like to know how people make premium or homemade bacon check out this post at BS Brewing.
Disasters in Photoshop are always a good time if you’re not the one that caused them. That’s why the blog Photoshop Disasters is my new favorite read. It’s full of all kinds of Photoshop mishaps like lazy clone tool usage, over retouching, and awful composition. The best part is that this is stuff that actually made it to print. I hope I never see anything I did on the site.
Check out the site and let me know what some of your favorites are. Two of my favorites are Diane Scarecrow Keaton and the Madonna Cover. This is a new blog, so they are in need of more content. If you find anything interesting be sure to let them know about it.
If there was ever a Zombie attack I would be sure to protect my bacon. (pun intended) To train for that day I play the game Boxhead: The Zombie Wars.The graphics are simple but the game play is intense. You play a Boxhead survivor trying to fend off the Zombie hordes with hand guns, shotguns, and rocket launchers. To master this game you need to be able to rapidly mash your space bar, while you use the arrow keys to run around like a mad man.
Just like the last game I talked about this game is very addictive. I spent several hours playing this game in classic mode, then I found out there was a defense mode. In defense mode you have to construct a base with turrets and barricades. Then you don’t only have to kill Zombies, but you also have to maintain your base. You only have a few seconds in between waves so it gets a little crazy. I ended up enjoying defense mode more then classic. Let me know which one you like and what your highest score was.
Almost every electronic manufacturer in Asia is coming up with an iPod Touch or iPhone knockoff. I thought it would be a fun idea to create a list of the top 5 knock-offs. I like how the knockoffs tried so hard to copy Apple’s products but left out most of the features that make the real things so great.
01 - Portronics 2GB Touch – Wow, a FM tuner and built in speaker! Why didn’t Apple think to install a built in speaker? Oh wait maybe because little speakers sound like crap.
02 - Optimus Touch – This one tries to make up for it’s short comings by adding a big shiny red button on the front. Everyone loves big red buttons, right?
03 - Geeks.com Touch knockoff – This knockoff looks a lot like the Optimus Touch but I can’t tell if it’s the same one or not. If this is a different one it seems knockoff maker’s knockoff other knockoffs. (Say that five times fast.)
04 - Allfine MP4 Player – The images the manufactures use are sometimes hilarious and this one is no exception. Just look at the little hand touching the giant screen.
05 - DaXian X999 – This fake sports two cameras, one in the front and one and the back. That way you can take a picture of yourself while you take picture of your friend. It also runs on a pirated copy of Windows Mobile so if you have no morals and like to steal, this might be the knockoff for you.
I know there are many more knockoffs, but these were the ones that I found most amusing. If you know of any others I should check out let me know via comments.
I was browsing on YouTube and I found this amazing video from a Mexican band called Doughnuts in November. The video is a classic zombie B-Movie with lots of blood and foul language. Enjoy!
Note: If you watch the video closely, I bet one of the Zombies will look familiar.
