Clip for a Clip

FitBit thought they were being clever by designing their glorified pedometer as an actual clip (and brilliantly so), but apparently some company salesman, or retail customer, thought it still needed a clip attachment…

(E3 2012) Games to Watch

Image courtesy of technobuffalo.com

Last week was the big E3 (Electronic Entertainment Expo), and with it comes new game announcements, and more details on known ones.  It was a rather lackluster showing this year, as it’s becoming quite obvious that the industry has begun to quietly focus on the next generation of consoles (PS4 / Xbox 720).  But while the truly interesting things were probably shown behind closed doors, there are still some solid games coming out in the near-future.  After the jump, you’ll find my top 10 games from E3 to keep an eye on, and some honorable mentions that also deserve your eye’s focus.  Sadly, someone decide there can only be 10, in a “Top 10”.

Keep in mind, I am primarily a PS3 and PS Vita gamer, though many of these are multi-platform.

For Science!

Soakin’ in a Tub o’ Vodka

After seeing this post on Gizmodo, about getting drunk off gummy bears, I had to give it a try myself!  Being both, a gummy candy connoisseur, and an avid drinker, this was right up my alley.  In fact, I frequently consume the two together already; albeit separate.  Until now!

Reading the article on Friday night, I promptly checked my gummy candy supply.  I wasn’t able to find official gummy “bears”, but I did have some gummy Lifesavers, and the classic “Swedish Fish”.  I dumped a hand-full of each in a small bowl.  For the gummy Lifesavers, I stuck to the plan, and filled the bowl with Svedka vodka.  However, I pulled an audible on the Swedish Fish.  Swedish Fish have become one of my favorite accompaniments for whiskey, so I filled their bowl with Jameson Irish whiskey!  (Side note:  “Sour Patch Kids” are also an excellent side dish for whiskey, creating a nice whiskey sour effect!)  Both bowls were covered with some static-cling plastic wrap, and put in the fridge.

“Gamer”

South Park WoW Gamer

Why has the term “gamer” been turned into such a strong (sometimes negative) label? It has taken on a life beyond that of “movie-viewer”, “music-listener”, or “book-reader”, yet I see them on the same level. A movie-viewer is one who experiences movies. A music-listener is one who experiences music. A “book-reader” is one who experiences books. And so a gamer is one who experiences games. Yet, the label “gamer” has become a negative connotation, while the others lead more admirable lives.

Purple People Eater Pride (UPDATED)

Image courtesy of sportretort.wordpress.com

UPDATE:  In a superstitious attempt at saving this 0-4 season, I have removed the jinxing purple accent color.

Original post from Sept. 10th:  Now that the billionaires are done arguing with the millionaires over a nickel, it’s time to get back to football!  And so, in honor of the start of the NFL football season, I have changed the accent color from ‘Grey’ to ‘Purple’.  Why?  Because not only do I have Viking blood in me (partial Norwegian heritage), but I am a born and bred Minnesota Vikings fan!  I am generally a level-headed football fan, but if you are a cheesehead, LEAVE NOW before thinks get ugly!

What I Played: September 2011

Who said THEY could come on the fishing trip?!

August signified the end of the summer game drought in a big way.  I took a chance on ‘Deus Ex: Human Revolution’ in July, and it worked out well!  It turned out to not only live up to the hype, but it was a refreshingly long game; that took me, well into September, to complete.  The one blemish I give DE:HR, is for the awful boss fights.  They were an unnecessary square peg, trying to fit in the perfect circle that the rest of the game is.  It was no surprise to learn that those very boss fights weren’t made by Square Enix at all, but outsourced to a computer AI company… NOT a game company!  Regardless, those boss fights took up a very small percentage of the game, and could easily be passed, without breaking a sweat, with the aid of guides found on the interwebs.  (My favorite tactic? Dragging a hacked turret into a boss fight, to do the fighting for you!)  Deus Ex took longer than I expected (and I love it for it); so when I finally got going on Resistance 3, it had been sitting around for a while, waiting for my undivided attention.

We squeaked out a win. But should we consider it a victory?

Brock directing the BlackOut

Yes. A win is a win. And on national TV, it’s great!   BUT!  Most non-ASU fans (and even some ASU fans) will agree, it was a sloppy game, that could have gone either way.  Should we, as Sun Devils, be satisfied with a “lucky win” over a 21st ranked BCS team?  NO!  We sure as hell shouldn’t!  While we came away with the win, and all the talk in Tempe was positive on the win, the rest of the country saw a sloppy, penalty-ridden game, that could have gone either way.  If we (ASU) want to be taken seriously again as a national powerhouse, we need to be blowing out 21st ranked teams; not going into overtime with em.  A game as close as Friday night’s should never happen, unless we are playing a top-5 BCS team.

Dennis Erickson sure was a high profile hire, after Dirk Koetter; but remember, Koetter built winning teams.  Erickson’s only ASU season with a winning record was his first season; with a roster full of Koetter’s seniors.  Sure Erickson won national championships with Miami, but that was in 1989 and 1991; a decade ago!  As you can tell, I’m not a huge fan of Erickson.  Nevertheless, we’re stuck with him now, and need to win with him now.  I just hope the players can step up, and overcome his weak coaching.  There is a lot of energy on the Sun Devil football field, but it seems to be unfocused, and causes stupid penalties.  A competent coaching staff would be able to control this energy, and direct it where it needs to be.  This team is full of national title talent, but I fear it will never see such accolades.

Regardless, ASU has a new fire in the football program.  Whether it’s the new pitchfork branding, the “BlackOut unis”, or something else, the ASU football program has gotten re-invigorated, and needs to feed off it.  Don’t let it fail this time.  And whether deserved or not, let’s put this new found energy to good use.  Let’s make a name for ourselves again!  The Pac-12 may still be laughed at by the rest of the college football world, but it’s time we took it on our own shoulders, and put it on the map!  Since we all know USC and Oregon are full of paid players, and UofA is based out of Northern Nogales (so they have never counted), it’s on us, Sun Devils!

What I’m Playing: Late August

Jensen watches Manning get eatin' by the natives!

The summer game drought has officially come to an end, with the release of Deus Ex: Human Revolution.  Prematurely in fact!  I almost passed on DE:HR at release — planning to pick it up at a later date, after the fall deluge of games, and at a more reasonable price — but after reading the rave reviews and craving something to kick me out of the summer game drought funk, I immediately enacted Amazon Prime’s wonderful “Free Release Date Delivery”.

Monday Morning Designer: Handles Would Be Handy

White Paper Bag

This post is more of a rant, than an insightful look at some element of the designed world.  However, it does touch on usability, human factors, and packaging just enough to warrant as a Monday Morning Designer post.  I ask you to read between the passive-aggressive lines, and find the useful pieces within.  Or, just enjoy my rant on takeout food packaging!

I eat out a lot; everyday a lot. (more on that here: “Why I Don’t Cook At Home”)  I also, usually, would rather eat my food with a Netflix’d episode of MacGyver or clear out some DVR space with my meal, versus staring at the other sad souls sitting alone in a booth.  People watching is only amusing for so long.  And so I’ve come to know the carrying solutions of “To-Go” orders from a number of food joints.  Most stick to the tried and true, some try to be cute and clever, and others…  they seem to try to keep you in the restaurant, by offering horrible take-out carrying solutions that make you fear carrying any of their food out of the place.  One such place, is a place I frequent a few times a week:  Wildflower Bread Company.

What I’m Playing: Early August

XMB Screenshot of Resistance 3 Beta

The summer drought of games continues, but I managed to finally dive into a backlog of PSN games, and got a chance to try out a multiplayer beta of a future game release!