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Word around the water cooler is you can get a 3DS at GameStop this week for $150 -- no doubt a play on Nintendo's part to disrupt the Vita market. At that price I say go for it.
Between Super Mario 3D Land (http://www.wired.com/geekdad/2011/11/10-reasons-mario-3d-land/), Mario Kart 7 (http://www.wired.com/geekdad/2011/12/mario-kart-7/), Skylanders (http://www.wired.com/geekdad/2011/11/sklylanders-3ds/) and the Zelda and Star Fox remakes, there's enough content there to warrant a purchase. -
I am very much a Joey Belladonna guy, so I'd say, first off, give Among the Living a try: http://amzn.to/wQ4aIX
Followed by State of Euphoria: http://amzn.to/yQDGzO
Of course, you can also cheat and just snag the old Return of the Killer A's best of: http://amzn.to/zATl43
But if the classic thrash cheese is a bit much for you, 2011's Worship Music manages to capture that old school feel within a more modern musical context: http://amzn.to/ywBOGj -
"Dancing with Myself" by Generation X. As I typically am.
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A soft taco supreme. I am a simple man.
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I assume you mean "pop" in the traditional sense, and thus my answer is Annie Lennox. From her time with the Eurythmics on through her solo career, she's always struck me a women with an amazing voice and a fine ear for fierce lyrical melody.
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Wow - a big question! A big, good question!
At first I definitely felt that I had to walk a fine line between promoting the acts that I enjoyed (many of which were or had become personal friends) and providing critical views of creative output for fellow or potential fans. This is most obviously evident in my reluctance to even use the word "review" early on in the life of Hipster, please!
Since that time I think I've not only began voicing my criticisms more directly, but I've actually become sort of known for it. I have had many artists tell me that they both appreciated and expected my frankness, and that's really rewarding.
Still, I try to go out of my way not to step on anyone's feelings. With very, very rare exception any review that I write was provided at the request of the artist. They come to me (hopefully) knowing that I will explore the project in question with a pretty critical ear, and I think that helps to establish and understanding up front.
It not only prevents folks from being blindsided when I pick apart their efforts, but it also gives me a chance to be a little more discriminating in what I cover. Review writing is a very time-consuming process for me, so I look for a certain level of cohesion and talent before I even agree to start one.
In short, if I'm gonna review an album it has to be at least enjoyable enough to stand up to repeated listenings. -
I only attended junior prom, and I think I wore black slacks, a white shirt and tie and some Doc Martens. (On account of I was punk as fuck.) As for photographic evidence, I don't even think we had cameras back then. ;)
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My least favorite thing about nerdcore is really my least favorite thing about music and musicians in general - the egos.
It's not enough that artists make music because they enjoy making music. Instead practically everyone has this high-minded philosophy that they (or their niche) is responsible for saving hip-hop or punk rock or whatever the hell genre in which they work from the sinister forces at play in the mainstream.
The fact is, as artists we are all much less important than we would like to think.
I like to believe that the trick is to create for creation's sake first and foremost. Followed closely in importance by producing art that you enjoy. If these things lead you to support a scene or a community that's great, but it doesn't mean that you and your kind are the only ones creating relevant output.
And the blade cuts the other way as well - those who have allied themselves with a scene or an aesthetic that you find suspect are no less entitled to create and share than you and yours. Name calling or finger pointing or dick waving isn't art, it is the antithesis of art.
And since change begins at home I'm really trying to listen to my own advice. My new philosophy is to worry less about things I don't like and focus more on what's best about the things that I do. I hope that this serves to inspire me to leverage what I do to more positive ends. -
Because I said so. #oldschoolparenting
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My 3rd chiptune album of the year was also a bitpop project - Doctor Popular's amazing Beeps and Smudges. It was produced using only iPhone/iPad apps, but even with that novelty aside it's his best work to date.
I also gotta give it up for Inverse Phase's Retrocovered. It is yet another inspiring collection of 8-bit cover songs. http://inversephase.bandcamp.com/album/retrocovered -
Aside from my ID and a couple of credit cards, nothing more than an appointment card for my next haircut and a Starbuck's gift card with, like, $2 left on it.
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Of my top 3 chiptune albums of the year, 2 of them happen to be freebie or pay-what-you want releases -
Stenobot's excellent Sink or Swim We'll Go Together is an emotional chip-pop journey available for free from CrunchyCo (http://www.crunchyco.com/music/stenobot/cr34/) while Doctor Octoroc's TV cover album After These Messages can be yours for whatever you wanna pony up (http://www.doctoroctoroc.com/after-these-messages/). -
Wait, Tim - wasn't that Ultimate Wolverine and Ultimate Hulk? Why you gotta hop worlds on me, man? ;)
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In a word, Data, no.
Something Awful is a comedy site dedicated to taking the piss out of internet culture (and, of course, an excellent place to get valuable input on ammunition choices before you go on that all-important violent rampage.)
Honestly, if SA is making gross generalizations and/or pissing and moaning about something that others hold dear, then the site is doing it's job.
Also - and not to sound totally catty or anything - do people still read Something Awful? I'm not trying to be a dick or anything, I just honestly thought 4chan had sort of drank its milkshake at this point. -
For me the best parts of winter are the little things: watching my kids open Christmas presents reflecting back on the waning year and scarves. I love me some scarves.
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Though I don't exactly follow the scene anymore you could say I'm still a fan. The Toasters,The Aquabats and ska-core acts like The Mighty Mighty Bosstones got tons of play on my end back in the 90s.
In my old age I have now begun to gravitate back to the acts of the 2-tone/2nd wave era - The Specials, The Beat, Madness and the like. -
Could Superman bend/break pure Adamantium? No, but the question here is could he break a skeletal system bonded at a molecular level with the metal.
To that I say not likely. Though Wolverine's bones still seemingly conduct their regular biological processes, we can safely assume that the level to which his skeleton and the adamantium itself have become a unified substance would render his framework practically indestructible, even by Supes. (On an unrelated note, an easier way for Superman to defeat Wolverine would be to use his heat vision to strip all the flesh from his bones a la the Sentinel in Days of Future Past.)
Now, can Wolverine's claws pierce Superman's skin? Yes in theory, but it's doubtful that Wolverine, even with his considerable strength, could produce enough natural force to get the job done. Perhaps if Hulk and Thor fastball specialed him directly into Superman... Though I may be over thinking this. ;) -
I know I'll likely get laughed out of the comic shop for this, but I've always thought the best superheroes were those who were both emotionally complex and a bit understated with regard to their powers and abilities.
A perfect example is Green Arrow - Oliver Queen is a (slightly) more well-adjusted Bruce Wayne, a normal guy with an odd past and a near preternatural acumen for physical activity. He's a character driven by politics, but always dogged by his cushy, upper class upbringing.
To answer your question, though, I will say Nightcrawler. Kurt Wagner was a character that Marvel took ages to finally pin down. But when they did, his shift from swashbuckler to the strong moral core of the often frivolous X-Men cast proved impactful. His subsequent death was also one of the saddest (and most ill-conceived) passings in the publisher's history. -
At this point I'd put the overall influence of gaming on par with any other major entertainment movement within youth culture. (Think rock and roll.) Not only has gaming shaped the way an entire generation views the concept of the traditional narrative, it will influence our brood, the second lifelong gamer generation, even more drastically. The gamification - a fancy word I learned from chip artist and educator Pixelh8 - of non-gaming media really speaks to this.
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I had not previous to this question, but I shall certainly be doing so henceforth! :)
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Z.’s Bio
I am a diminutive mammal composed chiefly of oxygen, carbon, hydrogen, and certain trace elements who regularly blogs about the musically nerdworthy.
