All Things That Are Good » Nerd Out

In Case You Were Unaware

Keith — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 05:02:57 +0000

My new favicon is a pixelated headshot of Old Gregg. I thought it was appropriate.

Fame, or Something Like It

Keith — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 00:31:06 +0000

I just saw Megan McIsaac out the window of Caffé Vita. I feel like I just had some sort of celebrity sighting; I’ve been following her work for a few months and reading her blog and I suppose would call myself a “fan”. But isn’t that weird how the Internet gives rise to this obtuse sense of fame—like, that regular people seem extraordinary or unreal—in the same way that television or magazines can? And they don’t even have to do anything, really. Not like the way being in a movie or singing pretty songs will make you notable.

It would be embarrassing to admit that in a perverse sort of way I’ve come to worship the Internet—that most of us so-called “young” and “hip” and “technologically savvy” people have—but that might be what it comes down to.

The real question is, what do I have to do for Flickr to make me famous.

Phantasy Star

Keith — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 19:41:03 +0000

My newest obsession, as of yesterday, is Phantasy Star Universe for the 360. I’m a little embarrassed to say that actually. Also, it requires a little backstory and explanation.

PSU is an online massively multiplayer role-playing game in the style of a fantasy “dungeon-crawler.” Sounds super silly already, huh? It’s actually a (relatively) new game that is based on a game almost exactly like it that came out in 2001 for the Sega Dreamcast, called Phantasy Star Online. PSO was a revolutionary game (complete with ridiculous commercial) in that it was, if I’m not mistaken, the very first MMO.

The point is, PSO consumed my life for a brief period of time when I was a freshman in high school, and possibly into my sophomore year. Not to say that’s necessarily a bad thing (it is), but it really was a fantastic game and even today still retains a following on servers started up by fans after Sega’s servers were turned off in 2003.

Cut to seven years later. Every so often, I’d wonder if there were ever a remake or sequel to Phantasy Star Online. I’d find myself wanting to play it again. And then yesterday, while downloading the demo for Portal, next to it I saw a downloadable demo for Phantasy Star Universe.

Long story short, I’ve been reluctant to get into it because I feel as though it may never live up to PSO. But I can kind of sense it’s awesomeness, so I’m going to buy it and give it a more thorough go. The combat has definitely been improved upon: the fighting in PSO was clunky and the AI of enemies, nonexistent. But the music, which was absolutely amazing in the old game, has become considerably more bombastic, annoying, and dare I say, “Japanese.” I say that not as an insult, but it sounds like animé music…

Anyway, yeah. So that’s my new boom, so to speak. Commence mockery.

Today’s Revelatory Discovery

Keith — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 04:49:59 +0000

It is possible to download and play the original Doom on Xbox LIVE AND play it in multiplayer! Cooperative and deathmatch! Do you know what an unbelievable turn of events this is for me? I had never played Doom over the Internets when it was released, and it probably is not commonly played online anymore. The fact that I can do this not only fulfills a childhood dream, but also it will be hella fun.

Commence mockery… now.

Weekends

Keith — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 01:43:20 +0000

This weekend was, contrary to what I said today in my obligatory inter-office co-worker small talk, actually kind of exciting. But it all actually begins last week.

Sometime last week, Rachel and I finished playing through Halo 2. It’s become very common practice for us, without class or many friends around (it being summer and all) or many other obligations, to play lots of Xbox in the interim. Anyway, playing through Halo 2 brought back lots of very fond memories of playing through the first Halo with my brother seven years ago. I reminisced about the past, but then started looking towards the future of these games.

Mind you, I haven’t kept up on any gaming news since I was a sophomore in high school. Anyway, I got so excited about Halo 3 that I resolved almost immediately to buy a 360. I don’t think in my life I’ve ever rationalized and justified and decided on a purchase that fast. But I got a fantastic deal on Craigslist and to my surprise I wasn’t ripped off or murdered in the secluded parking lot I picked it up in.

Though they’ve been around for a while, I still have not owned a seventh-generation system and I could not be more excited about the purchase. I got a brand new Halo 2 and 3 dirt cheap, bought used copies of Halo 1 and FEAR, and I’m probably going to get Call of Duty 4 and maybe Xbox LIVE. I’m a little concerned that it is going to consume my life the way it did when I was fourteen and had no girlfriend and no job to speak of, but that’s another matter wholly.

Anyway, other than playing 360, the rest of my weekend was spent drinking. I went to Von’s Friday night and drank a mug of Guinness bigger than my head, Saturday I went to my friend’s party in West Seattle where I learned one of the best drinks ever (spiced rum + Squirt = creamsicle) and slept over until Sunday morning. I spent most of Sunday with my buddy James and at a small party of a couple of friends making concoctions of mixed drinks that actually turned out okay and didn’t make me sick. Huzzah!

Boring, uneventful weekend, I know. Here are the exciting new toys: