Just wearing a funny hat

I was trying to prove something to myself, too. It was like, "Am I genuinely eccentric? Or am I just wearing a funny hat?

Tom Waits

# November 1, 2011

The inside story of how Microsoft killed its Courier tablet - CNET »

This is a story I’ve been waiting to read for a long time. Note: this is the setup in a two-part story. The actual “why” comes tomorrow.

# November 1, 2011

24 Hours Of Horror With Edgar Wright »

Now this is a heck of a marathon.

This weekend was the annual Horrorthon here in Dublin which seems to have lost some of its momentum in the past few yeard. A lot of its programme had me scratching my head and thinking “Is that really a horror film?” (e.g. Play Misty for Me or Akira). As a result, I’ve found myself weighing up the films I’d actually be interested in seeing and the films I couldn’t be bothered with and decided that – guest appearance by Michael Biehn not withstanding – it just wasn’t worth my time.

Edgar Wright’s list might be a bit obvious in places, but I’d be first in line at that marathon.

# November 1, 2011

The Madness of Mission 6

The Madness of Mission 6: Making up Histories for Pixels

This image is from a threadless t-shirt, retconning a story onto Pac-Man. I love it. It reminds me of the amazing covers for 8-bit games that bore almost no relation to the actual game¹, but were just there to set the mood and provide the tiniest bit of context for the gameplay.

The Atari 2600 game Adventure is the perfect example of this. The cover is beautifully illustrated, charming and evocative. It’s like an illustration you’d find in a weird old German edition of The Hobbit. In the actual game, you play a fucking square. ↩︎

# November 1, 2011

Diablo Cody's Red Band Trailer

I would love to know who thought it would be a good idea to give Diablo Cody an interview show. I’m sure she has many talents, but being a good interviewer is not one of them.

Having said that, you should skip to 13:45 for one of the funniest things I’ve ever seen.

# October 31, 2011