Wall
Of
Scribbles

New site launched: Tell Me a Story

February 20, 2010

I’m a huge fan of stories. I really am. I read my first book before I was in school. I read my first novel by grade 2. I was reading Tolkien by grade 4. I have a book shelf that I bought because my original one was two books deep on every shelf. I’ve become a huge fan of Podcasts like The Moth and The Wayward Irregular due to the magic that comes from them. I will listen to any and everyone that has a story to tell. All the more when they’ve got a flair for “the telling.”

I think it’s save to say that I love stories.

Hell I’ve even tried my own hand at writing a couple of my own. I admit that they’re not Pulitzer-level or anything, but I like to think that someone out there will enjoy them. Regardless, I’ve recently decided that I’d like to be told more stories. Lots more stories. What’s more, I’d like others to have the same opportunity. There are other sites out there that do what I’ve decided to do, but I’ve opted to do something a little different…

UP (2009)

June 18, 2009

I’ve never really been let down by Pixar. There is a reason why their movies do so well: Quality. Every Pixar movie I’ve seen I have enjoyed. Last year I watched Wall-E, though I didn’t have time to write about it. Had I, I would have given it a solid 10/10 because there was nothing Wall-E did less than amazing.

UP sits right under Wall-E on the awesome scale. It’s not as epically beautiful, nor is it quite as artistically stunning, but it’s pretty damned close.

My Trip to Japan

June 11, 2009

This post is coming to you at least two three months late, but hey, for at least one of those months I was rather busy with school. I don’t really have an excuse for the latter, but that’s just how it is.

Anyways, back in March, I was given a fantastic opportunity to visit Japan via a friend of mine. Given that it was a trip to frikkin’ Japan, I couldn’t possibly have said no. Had I known how long the flight was actually going to feel, I might have reconsidered. Going there took somewhere around 18 hours and coming back took almost 24. There’s nothing quite like an 8 hour layover to make you consider killing yourself and/or those around you.

Thankfully the Detroit International Airport has a fantastic massage parlor. Best 30 dollars I have ever spent.

I will also apologize in advance for the load of this page. I’ve got a bunch of photos in this one, so if it takes a while to load… well you’ll have to wait i guess! I’m going to note the numbers of the photos from my flickr just so you can sort of follow along.

In case you are too lazy to visit my flickr set, you can jump to the end of the post, where I have a lovely flash dohickey that will rotate through all of my photos.

Castle Crashers – The Behemoth (2008)

February 5, 2009

It’s been a long, long time since I’ve played any real arcade-style games. Last time I picked up a controller to play any sort of side-scrolling, button-bashing, streets-of-fury style game I was a much younger person. With SNES controller in hand, my friend and I playing the likes of TNMT: Turtles in Time, Contra III or Battletoads & Double Dragon.

See the problems with my playing these sorts of games are:

• I’m no good at them.
• I lack the toned fore-arm muscle of the veteran gamer.
• I lacked a console.

Well I now have a console, so I have no excuse as to whether I could try to play them or not. Turns out I still suck at them, but that doesn’t stop me from trying. The forearm muscle is a slow process, and I’ve already given myself muscle strain resulting in a fantastic carpel tunnel attack. You just don’t feel like a man until you’ve got to ice your forearm because of extreme button mashing.

Or is it “You just can’t feel like a man when you have to ice your forearm because of extreme button mashing”?

Either way, it hasn’t stopped me from playing Castle Crashers with extreme vigor.

Technology that Works: Dropbox

January 19, 2009

I’m a little late with this, but the joy of the Internet is that someone out there doesn’t know about what I’m talking about yet. I’ve been using Dropbox since the last day of their private beta. As soon as I had invites to give, they went public and my chance to look ahead of the curve went up in a tiny cloud of blue smoke.

Regardless, since using Dropbox I can only say that it does everything perfectly. If ever you could have a backup system for the lazy, the inexperienced, or the uninterested this would be it. I know that casts an odd light on Dropbox, but trust me when I say that it is probably the single most impressive piece of software/service that I have ever installed. I’ve commented on using Dropbox before, but now I’m going to get into it with more detail.

Butch Walker – Sycamore Meadows

December 8, 2008

I have been waiting for a long, long time for a new album to come rolling out from this man. The album was supposed to come out a while ago, but when your house burns down due to some forest fires that are ruining the local forestry… well I can understand a delay.

Thankfully after my faithful wait, I have been rewarded with his new release: Sycamore Meadows. After giving this album a couple of listens, it has quickly become one of my favorites for all time. It’s both amazingly happy and startlingly deep, many times simultaneously.

The Last Lecture (April 2008)

November 10, 2008

I am not the first person to talk about this book, and I know damned well that I won’t be the last. That aside, I have little choice but to talk about The Last Lecture. I meant to talk about the original online version when I first saw it the day Randy Pausch died. I know it’s somewhat of a morbid coincidence, but it’s true and I can’t tell you how heart-broken I was when I found out this tidbit of information.

When I saw the actual lecture, I was at work. Though I told myself I would let it play in the background as I worked, that idea was quickly thrown out and I watched the 76 minute video without pause. Actually there was one pause when I went to the washroom. You get the idea.

When I found out he had a book, the only reason I didn’t buy it was because my girlfriend wanted it. So I got it for her and borrowed it when she was finished.

Dr. Horribles Sing-Along Blog (2008)

July 24, 2008

Where the hell do I start with Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog?

Lets start with “watch this now.” It’s just that good. Joss Whedon once again proves that he’s a god at story-telling. He manages to put such a spin on the “Bad Guy” concept and actually gets you to root for the evil dude in this one. It’s funny, it’s serious, it’s witty, it’s cute, it’s heart-breaking, it’s totally out there.

It’s also one of the greatest thing’s I’ve seen in a very, very long time.

Telltale Games is my nerdfap

March 17, 2008

I really do suggest that everyone purchase and play the hell out of the new Sam & Max series. Both seasons are fabiola.

That’s right, I said fabiola.

Butch Walker – Leavin’ the Game on Luckie St

February 21, 2008

I love Butch Walker, but I’ll try and be objective with this review. I could review many of his albums that I happen to have in my possession, but as this is the newest one out and available for free (or 6 bucks if you want to) I figured I’d try and be current and edgy and what have you.

Now there are certain artists that sound good on albums but come up short in live shows. There are other artists that rock live performances like they were born to it, but fail to translate this to their recordings (Live ones aside, obviously). Then there are artists that do both exceptionally well. This is where Butch Walker falls.

Overtime is evil

November 14, 2007

The more I try and read what others are saying on the world wide interweb, the more I realize that there are a lot of people out there who are a hell of a lot smarter then myself. Jarkko Laine is one of those people. While looking around his site, I found what is deemed a “popular article“. The title alone got me to read it (Never Work Overtime Again) and after reading it I can honestly say that he nailed it perfectly. Nothing could be done to improve the statements made therein.

The Gum Thief (October 2007)

October 17, 2007

How to describe Douglas Coupland’s new novel “The Gum Thief?” I’m struggling for words here because I’m fairly sure I’d need too many, and probably have to create a few just for the effect to truly sink in. I think I’ll go with ‘depressing and beautiful.’ It’s sad and its magical. It’s bleak and its stunning, It’s a fire-y car crash between two massive trucks carrying nothing but bright, floaty balloons.

Hot Fuzz (2007)

May 4, 2007

What happens when you take every SuperCop movie, combine it with fantastic writing and British humour so dry, you could use it as a combustible fuel? You get Hot Fuzz. I’m still new at this movie review thing, so I’m going to try to do this as best I can.
This movie is for all [...]