I suppose the normal approach one might take to this topic would be to compile a series of images showcasing both sunrises and sunsets, possibly waxing poetic on the emotions and atmosphere that each generates. Really, though, I do not put much merit on such things, particularly when taken out of context – at the end of a long ordeal, sure, or at a romantic moment, but screenshots of suns halfway melted into the horizon do not catch my fancy, especially when it isn’t even clear whether the sun is rising or setting. After all, one man’s sunrise is another man’s sunset.

No, I decided to take a different approach. You see, lately I have been playing a game called Minecraft. Minecraft is the ultimate sandbox game: no goals, no plot, just a gigantic world to explore and modify. Players can dig through the landscape and create all sorts of objects and structures from the resources they acquire.

So what does this have to do with sunrises and sunsets? The game operates on something of a diurnal cycle, with a virtual sun and moon at opposite poles, circling the world. So, computer-generated sunrises and sunsets come regularly in the game, and they have certain implications on gameplay. For instance, at night, monsters come out and attack the player. During the day, those hostile mobs are replaced with docile farm animals. More »

A little over a year ago, I made a post about a cat who had become famous for taking the bus home regularly. I have learned that, unfortunately, the cat has since died. According to this January article from The Guardian, Casper the commuting cat was hit by a car.

A moment of silence for that feline of public transportation.

…

It seems that I shall now revisit the topic of famous cats, thanks to the interest of one Marc-André Chambers. After some looking around, I found quite a few examples of famous cats, some fictional and some real. Many of them were famous only because they were owned by famous people. Even so, I have compiled a list of 10 interesting famous cats, starting with one who has been in the news recently. More »

I would not say that I am particularly savvy when it comes to online commerce, but I suppose I have above-average experience in purchasing items online. I do not dabble in auction sites such as eBay, but as a college student in a town with little more than a Walmart and a Kroger, I did turn to online retailers for most of my luxury purchases.

It would be silly for me to write a tutorial on shopping online – get a credit card, fill out the forms and, like anything else, try not to be stupid about it – but I can certainly suggest some sites and services that I have found to be useful and reliable. My luxury buying habits tend toward products that could fit into categories such as technology, music and video games, so if you are hoping for some tips on buying, say, a canoe or some exercise equipment, you would do best to look elsewhere.

Hit the jump for a short list of online retailers that get my recommendation. More »

Image courtesy cinemablend.com.

Title: Scott Pilgrim vs. the World

Directed by: Edgar Wright

Starring: Michael Cera, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Kieran Culkin, Jason Schwartzman, Ellen Wong

Entertaining in its own right, if not a bit lacking

Six years ago, Canadian comics artist Bryan Lee O’Malley brought us a silly yet endearing story. He introduced us to the world of Scott Pilgrim, full of quirky characters, indie cool and video game references out the wazoo. It started with a nostalgia-fueled cult following and somehow got mainstream enough to bring about a feature film adaptation by none other than Edgar Wright of “Shaun of the Dead” and “Hot Fuzz” fame.

The question on the minds of many Scott Pilgrim fans is undoubtedly whether or not the film lives up to the humor and sincerity of the comics. O’Malley has stated that the film necessarily diverges to some extent from the original story, especially given that the last volume was not released until just last month. But, especially with the questionable casting of Michael Cera in the lead role, does the film still have the same feeling as the graphic novels, and – just as important – is it still accessible to a larger public that may not have read them?

These questions are a bit hard to answer. In short, the film is certainly entertaining in its own ways, but it is not really fair to expect it to have the same feeling of the comics because it is a different medium, with different strong points and shortcomings. Fans expecting a perfect adaptation should lower their expectations, and those unfamiliar with the original story would probably benefit from doing a bit of research before going to see the film. More »

I’m taking another hiatus this week. Why? It’s my birthday. My gift to myself.

The topic, “buying online”, will be covered next week. For those who feel I might be short-changing them in this non-profit project that I do voluntarily, keep an eye out for a possible movie review in a few days.

Until then, I am going to relax and enjoy my time off.

I racked my brain trying to think of something to talk about relating to chess. I have not played chess in years, and while I appreciate the game and the amount of knowledge and strategy it requires, I am not all that interested in becoming a master at it.

I thought about researching the history of the game and writing about that, but it all sounds rather boring to me. Around the 6th or 7yh century, an early form of the game had developed in non-Western countries such as India and Persia. A few centuries later, it made its way to Europe and, by the 19th century, had become altered into a different, Western form that more resembles what in modern times is known as chess.

Like I said, boring, right? This is how it should have gone: More »

All things go, all things go.

After working as a sports copy editor for a central Ohio newspaper for about a month and a half, looking over stories from Cleveland and Cincinnati as well as any number of other places around the world, I have gathered some knowledge about the typical sports news article. It seems to me that no other section of news is so devoted to statistics. Tidbits of information that seem inconsequential out of context – a pitcher’s ERA versus left-handed batters, for instance, or the at-bat ratings of a particular batter against a particular team – suddenly bear so much importance when applied to an upcoming game or, even more so, the upset of a game that just happened.

If readers wanted to know just the information behind the meeting of two teams on the diamond, they would look at a roundup of statistics from last night’s game. They look to sports journalists to put some meaning to the numbers and figures, to explain why it’s so crucial that CC Sabathia, a former member of the Cleveland Indians, lost in a shootout to major-league newbie Josh Tomlin in the same game where Alex Rodriguez was once again denied his 600th career home run.

It is in this same vein, I think, that superstition has developed so strongly in the sports world, both among fans and among players. While sports could be derived down to numbers and probability, some occurrences seem so astronomical and extraordinary, one can’t help but feel that some outside force has exerted its influence. If a player has a phenomenal performance, he or she might look back on a seemingly insignificant item or event that set that day apart from others and, in future performances, re-enact that item or event in the hope that doing so would cause another great outing. Likewise, an out-of-the-ordinary event might be blamed for a streak of bad luck or bad performance for a franchise.

Image courtesy wikimedia.org.

So it is that the “Curse of the Billy Goat” came to be. In 1945, Billy Sanis, owner of the Billy Goat Tavern across from Chicago Stadium, attended game four of the World Series at Wrigley Field to cheer on his local Cubs. He brought his pet goat Murphy – a goat that had fallen off a truck and wandered into his tavern – hoping the animal would bring the team good luck. Billy’s goat was denied entrance because of its odor, and Billy proclaimed (according to legend) that the Cubs would never win the World Series again so long as his goat was refused admission. Sure enough, the once successful franchise has had a hard time since then. More »

I know what you might be thinking. Those who know me may not see me as much of a cook. I did mention in a previous post that I basically cook spaghetti every day. Those who really know me would say that I can also make a mean apple crisp, my chocolate mint banana bread is pretty awesome, and – as I learned today – cheesecake-stuffed strawberries are not beyond my capabilities.

The goggles, they do nothing.

While stumbling late one sleep-deprived night, I came upon the recipe on this blog, a recipe that the blogger had originally found on this blog. And now I pass it on to you. Trust me, it’s delicious.

More »

Image courtesy inceptionmovie.com.

Title: Inception

Directed by: Christopher Nolan

Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Ellen Page, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ken Watanabe

“Inception” was intentionally marketed in such a way that viewers, upon seeing the trailer, would have little idea about the plot of the movie. One thing is clear: This film is unique, monumental and, quite possibly, complex.

The movie portrays a world in which technology has been developed that allows individuals to share dreams. In the advent of this technology, individuals such as Cobb (DiCaprio) and Arthur (Gordon-Levitt) make a living as extractors, or agents who enter the dreams of others to obtain classified information. On one such mission, the procedure goes awry, but rather than being killed by their target, they are offered great rewards for the use of their services in a dangerous operation.

Their work is complicated, however, when Cobb’s own subconscious starts trying to wrest control of the situation. Cobb is a man with a deeply troubled past (one might draw correlations to DiCaprio’s role in “Shutter Island”), and that past has been locked away in his dreams. To the danger of Cobb and his fellow extractors, that past has every intention of breaking out. More »

Let the ranting commence!

But first, a disclaimer: I don’t watch much television. I watch TV shows on occasion, but not on a television. I have my reasons, but I don’t intend to get into them in this post.

What I would like to address in this post is why I believe reality shows have been damaging to American culture.

Image courtesy cbs.com.

When I talk about “reality shows”, I am referring to shows such as “Survivor”, “American Idol”, “Dancing With the Stars” – shows that feature (supposedly) non-actors in unscripted situations. The genre has been around for decades, taking form in early shows such as “Candid Camera” and various game shows, but it has taken on a unique form in the past decade. From 2005 to 2009, Fox even had a whole channel devoted exclusively to reality television.

Yet it almost goes without saying that these shows often lack what one might define as “reality”. Take “Survivor”, for example. The show premiered in the United States in 2000 and has gone on for 20 seasons. Each week during the first season, the American people were brought about an hour of footage from Borneo, spanning over 13 episodes. The actual challenge took place over 39 days, as at least 10 cameras around the island recorded the contestants’ actions and interactions. More »