Flat Earth Brewing Company

This is for those who are still in the St. Paul/MN area: a new brewery has opened up in Saint Paul. Started by a former brewer at Town Hall, Flat Earth Brewing Company promises "Brewing on the Edge!" The first beer out is the Flat Earth Pale Ale, which the site describes as...

"...a Belgian pale ale. Inspired by beers like Orval and Rare Vos. It is made with imported Belgian malt and a Belgian yeast strain. Our Belgian pale ale has a sweet malt aroma with traces of orange, plum and pear. Its complex malt backbone of biscuit and hints of toast compliment the spiciness of the yeast."

Sounds awesome to be, but why am I writing about this? Well, according to the forums at beeradvocate.com, Flat Earth Brewing will be tapping a keg at the Happy Gnome this Thursday, March 1 at 6pm. I may stop by after the Thursday night TV lineup (or before, I guess), but probably more likely just end up at the Muddy Pig, because it's in walking distance. But, it's always exciting to have another brewer in the area.

Details here.

Flow Charts

Wellington Grey, of whom I know nothing, has created two different flow charts. One shows how people use the scientific method to come to their conclusions, the other shows how people use faith to reach theirs. It'd be funnier if it weren't so true for so many people.

Via Boing Boing.

An Unholy Beard

Methinks this guy has been watching way, way too much Stigmata. He was recently sentenced to 14 years in prison for the death of a nun. He was, of course, simply attempting to exorcise a demon from her frail physical shell, but he probably shouldn't have chained her to a crucifix and starved her to death. The article states,

"She was treated for schizophrenia, but when she relapsed, Daniel Petru Corogeanu -- a monk who served as the priest for the secluded Holy Trinity convent in northeast Romania -- and the four other nuns tried exorcism."

Yeah, or, perhaps you should have had her treated for schizophrenia again. She must have been diagnosed with it at some point if she had been treated for it. But, you know, you can never trust those pesky scientists.

The church, since the incident, has condemned this particular case of exorcism, but it reeks of a simple, political "cover your ass" moment. Oh, but don't worry, on top of the jail time, they were excommunicated.

It's also good to realize that "Church officials noted he had dropped out halfway from the church's religion school. Despite leaving the program, he was anointed as a priest because of a shortage of priests to serve in new convents and monasteries." I'm always pleased to see when large institutions who have the power to banish your soul start hiring the dregs when they're in need.

Mostly, though, I think he should have been jailed for another 5 years for Unruly Beard Management.

DVDs vs. The Librarians

So I have switched over to the new account finally and have actually decided to post. Weird huh?

With the great book crazy sweeping thru our small group of friends right now, and me owning not so many books, I was feeling quite inadequate. In order to make up for my short comings I decided it was about time to catalog my DVD collection. There are a number of tools out there for use, and some are quite a bit better then others, one of the ones I know the most about is DVD Profiler. There is a free trail version of it out there and I believe you can load back-up libraries on the net to check your collection from other systems. But to stick with the Library Thing idea I decided to find an actual on-line database, that and until I get myself a laptop I didn't want to bye the nice version of DVD Profiler. So I have created an account at DVD Spot. Its not the greatest of all set ups, but you never have to pay anything and they have a very large selection of movies in the database (some times too many seeing as you can't tell which one you own and need to use the UPC).

To view my collection you can go here. Its in the works so not everything is there yet.

Some things to note:
1. Its a little weird looking thru a whole collection seeing as everything is placed in the 'owned' folder and then listed according to the 'Sort By:' field. I find it works much nicer to go to the advanced search page and look by genre. (the subgenre field is anded with the genre, not ored, so I don't like to use it).

2. Also there are filters that you can add/create on your own, selected by the 'Filter By' field. As an example, I created a Criterion Collection filter which will show all my Criterion films.

And we're back...

Well, as probably no one really noticed, we've changed over to New Blogger. I've spent the last two evenings updating the template, changing the layout (slightly), adding labels to a ton of posts (still more to do), and getting haloscan back up and running.

I changed VotW and QotD to VotM and QotW now, just to be more realistic. Otherwise, you probably won't notice anything, other than maybe we'll start posting more.

Oh, and bm_oran, you won't show up as a contributor until you change your login to google rather than blogger.

That's all.

B[ow]log: Wii

I just hope this, like other bowling videogames, isn't horrible. I'll try not to get my hopes up. But, really, just think about it: a fantastic bowling game with motion sensing controls and online play...it would be the end of my (already diminishing) social life.

In other videogame news, I beat Freebird on Expert [in GH2] last night. I was really proud of myself until I tried to conquer Buckethead's song. So difficult.

Stanhope

So, Doug Stanhope is going to be stopping by the Triple Rock on April 14. I know that if Sam were still around, he'd be down with going in a second. But, he's not. So, anyone interested in going to the show? If you don't know Stanhope, this is what you'd be getting yourself into:

A trailer or two

Ok I did have a bunch of trailers ready for posting and then I lost it all some how. So here is a quick two that I think need to be talked about.

Sunshine- Im sure everyone has already seen this, but it still looks awesome. I do love Danny Boyle and there had been a lack of good sci-fi movies in the last year or so...a genre that I greatly miss.

Hot Fuz- Shaun of the Dead, but about cops not zombies. Can't go wrong with this one.

Inland Empire will eat your soul

I don't think there is a whole lot I can write about Inland Empire. First of all I loved it. It is Lynch at his most Lynchist. I have read that it is going to be impossible to figure out. I don't think is true. It will take multiple viewing and probably some long discussions with people, but in the end we will be able to get some idea of what the movie is kind of about...maybe.
The first 30 min or so absolutely fucks with your head and then things start to become more and more normal and about an hour or so into it you are wondering when the Lynchness is going to kick back in. Then it does, and it doesn't stop. It makes Mulholland Dr. look like a Michael Bay flick. I think I'm going to go see it again in the next few days so I might have more to say about it then. If your a Lynch fan you will love it for sure and if your not a fan you should still see it just in case.
Anyway if you have seen it (or when you do) you should give me a call and we can talk about how fucking awesome it is.


I also just started watching the first session of Carnalval, and so far it's pretty damn good. Not what I expected at all, but still enjoyable.

The Bitches over here want to send a big congrats to Micah and Jess on the birth of Jaime Matthew. Good job guys. The kid kicks ass.

You've got your Star Trek in my Heroes

I already love Heroes. It's melodramatic, over-the-top, funny, and just fucking cool. And now, for tonight's episode, George Takei, best known as Sulu in Star Trek is appearing as everybody's favorite hero, Hiro's, father. All I can say is: fantastic.

Prehistoric Shark

If you haven't seen this yet, I think you should. The article sums up the events rather well:

"Marine park staff caught the 5 foot (1.6 meter) long creature, which they identified as a female frilled shark, sometimes referred to as a "living fossil" because it is a primitive species that has changed little since prehistoric times."

I guess part of me still loves watching videos of Loch Ness monsters and reading about fisherman finding living dinosaurs. And, plus, that thing is just looks amazing.

"We believe moving pictures of a live specimen are extremely rare," said an official at the park. "They live between 1,968 and 3,280 feet (600 and 1,000 meters) under the water, which is deeper than humans can go."

I also enjoy that the official hasn't heard that we're calling them videos now.

Your top 10 is not funny

I really enjoy IGN's top 10 tuesdays...sometimes. The videogame sector just did the top 10 books that should be videogames, and for the most part, I found that interesting (somebody really ought to make a Gulliver's Travels). So, as I meandered over to IGN DVD to see their top 10 list, I was excited to see the top 10 stand-up DVDs. Then I read the article. To save you the trouble of clicking the link (unless you want their explanations ), this is their list:

1. Comedian
2. The Aristocrats
3. Comedians of Comedy
4. Bill Hicks Live - Satirist, Social Critic, Stand-Up Comedian
5. Platinum Comedy Series - Dave Chappelle - Killin' Them Softly
6. Patton Oswald - No Reason to Complain
7. Steve Byrne in Thirteen or Bust
8. Sarah Silverman - Jesus is Magic
9. Richard Lewis - Concerts from Hell - The Vintage Years
10. Dane Cook - Vicious Circle

Instead of doing my own top 10 list (I don't think I've seen enough), I'm just going to criticize this one (and disregard his "rules" for the list). Personally, I don't care if it was complementary to a CD and I don't care if the extras are interesting. Being, apparently, a comedian himself, he seems more concerned that the DVD show off the travails of being a stand-up rather than judge it based on how good the comedy is. So, with that aside, here's what I would change...

First off, rearrange the order of the list. Seriously, move Hicks up to the top; no one is better. Period. And Comedian was, at best, a boring documentary. If you want good Seinfeld, go buy the $5 DVD I'm Telling You for the Last Time. You actually get to see him perform jokes and they're actually funny. I haven't seen Oswald's DVD, but I do know that it costs a lot more than it ought to. I'm not spending $20 on 40 minutes of Comedy Central material. (If you haven't experienced this yet, you should know that any DVD done by Comedy Central tends to be...well...crap.) And, really, take out The Aristocrats. You're not getting stand-up comedy, you're getting interviews with comedians, sometimes. You may as well add Coffee & Cigarettes simply because it has a scene with Stephen Wright and Roberto Benigni. It's the same complaint I had when I watched David Cross's DVD: more stand-up, less documentary (same with Comedian). It's funny, but it doesn't fit.

I do agree with having Sarah Silverman on there. If you haven't seen it, you probably should. And, as far as missing DVDs: Eddie Izzard's Dress to Kill, perhaps Stephen Lynch's Live at the El Ray (love Lynch, but the DVD quality can make it hard to enjoy, and it doesn't have all his top-notch material), and I'm surprised they didn't put Robin Williams on the list somewhere. If you're going to have an over-the-top, obnoxious comedian, at least put one on there that has some punch-lines (i.e., get rid of Dane Cook, put in the Williams).

I've heard good things about Richard Lewis's DVD, I know that Chappelle is funny, and I can't pass up a compilation that has Zach Galifinakis and Brian Posehn on it, but I haven't seen any of them, so can't speak to their direct qualities. Oh, and perhaps I should, but I have no idea who Steve Byrne is...so, he's gone too...

Computer God Parroting Puppet Gangster Slaves

I love this site. Nothing can cheer you up like a little Time Cube.

And if that's not enough, go take a listen to Francis E. Dec, Esquire's rants.

You can thank me later...

Octopaisley

And in the category of shameless wife-promotion (which really means self-promotion in the end), head on over to Threadless and vote for k(i)d's T-shirt design. And by vote, I mean click "I'd buy it" and "5."

Our iPhone

Recently on the Pandas comments thread, we developed what the iPhone should be. Conan bested us with a video:

B[ow]log-3 damn pins

I again feel the need to post on my bowling, but I'll keep it short. The other night I broke 2 personal records. I achieved my high score and high series.
First game was a 267, which is 1 pin higher than my previous high of 266. Second game was a 237 and the third was a disappointing 180.
Series= 684
Average=228

I like bowling.
300 game and 700 series here I come.

Line Rider Wiiiiii!

If you haven't already played with Line Rider, I suggest you do so. I haven't used it since its first incarnation. From what I've seen on the newest official site, it's much more sophisticated and much easier to use. Basically, you draw lines, then press play, and watch as a little character goes flying down your newly created world on a sled; it's more of a toy than a game, but incredibly addicting and fun. And now they've announced that it will be released for the Wii and the DS in the spring of next year. This is probably the best news I've ever heard. I'm not kidding. I'm incredibly excited about it.

Via: wii.ign.com
Official Site: Line Rider
Official Press Release: Line Rider News
Best use of Line Rider (see below):

Top 10 of '06

Here are my top 10 albums of the year.

1-Tom Waits- Orphans (all 3)
2-Bruce Springsteen- We Shall Overcome
3-Hank Williams III - Straight To Hell
4-Atmosphere - You Can't Imagine How Much Fun Were Having
5-Kill Cheerleader- All Hail
6-The Bronx- The Bronx II
7-The Hold Steady- Boys and Girls in America
8-Butch Walker- The Rise and Fall of Butch Walker & The Let's-Go-Out-Tonights
9-Jay-Z- Kingdom Come
10-Johnny Cash- American V: A Hundred Highways
10.5-Converge- No Heros

B[ow]log-4 damn pins

I need to go home and take a nap, but just let me say real quick that last night I bowled a 266
x x x 8/ x x x x x x 8/
It was a lot of fun. I think that 300 is on its way. I kick ass.

PS. By taking a "nap" I mean going home to play Zelda. I'll sleep when I'm dead. Long live the Wii

Good News! + Where Have I Been?

The good news is that The Tick is still hilarious. As many of you know, it was recently my birthday. And for said birthday, I had a little bit of birthday cash. I spend some on Disney's Robin Hood and the rest on The Tick vs. Season 1. I was a bit wary about buying it, as I remember the show being awesome, but I also remember The Super Mario Bros. show being awesome (which it turns out is terrible). But, as I threw in the first disc and jumped into episode 1, I realized (which rarely happens) that I had occasional good taste as a child. The DVD set has no extras and is missing episode 11 (due to some creative/legal issues). But, for $25, you can't beat 4+ hours of a fantastic cartoon.

So, this brings us to part 2 of this post. Where the hell have I been? I've been drowning under new media. Guitar Hero 2 + Zelda + the Wii in general + 2 volumes of Looney Tunes = no time to blog. Not to mention that work has been crazy busy lately. I would love to break all of these activities down and write up reviews of each, but, again, no time. So, I will say these things:

1) It was worth staying up all night in front of Best Buy for the Wii. Not only has this allowed me the opportunity to plug in 30+ hours into Zelda, but it contributed to an awesome birthday party (4 player tennis is infinitely better than 1 or 2 player tennis). 2) Zelda is a fantastic game. 3) Guitar Hero 2 is...well...fantastic as well. 4) Watching all the old Looney Tunes (I'm 5+ hours into those, without watching the extras) is a wonderful experience. Not only does it offer some great nostalgia, but I still find them to be genuinely funny. My Saturday morning hasn’t been this fun since I watched the cartoons when they aired on Saturday morning the first time.

Also, off subject, I tried absinthe for the first time last night, real pre-ban recipe absinthe. No, no hallucinating or anything. Apparently, that's just a myth and it would take a lethal amount of wormwood to actually create any sort of hallucinogenic effect. But, it is delicious (pretty much a strong anise liquor), and despite being 136 proof, tastes nothing like alcohol. Fantastic stuff. There's really no good reason this stuff is still banned.