Why my inner child is about to burst out of my chest and dance a jig

This is probably news to no one, but I was (still am) a pretty big geek as a child. The one TV show I remember watching every week’s new episode as a kid was Star Trek: The Next Generation, and the tech always blew me away. I often credit my interest in user interface design and web design to the LCARS design that had me enraptured over a decade ago. It is so unique, and still I have never seen anything like it.  Anyone who sees it can probably recognize it, and there have been some very clever OS overhauls made by fellow fans for PDAs, the iPhone, Linux, and even a pretty sweet Mac screensaver that was a part of the reason I decided to switch to Mac early on, before getting into design.  Plus, that computer hum when I step into my office always reminds me of the constant background hum of the Enterprise systems, which reminds me I’m living in the future I dreamed of as a child.

One of my favorite projects as a kid was the creation of two control panel tablets for the Enterprise and a shuttlecraft. Using construction paper, poster board, very sturdy cardboard, sticky price labels, and laminating sheets, we created two of my favorite toys.  I don’t remember how much I did and how much my parents helped, but that’s certainly my handwriting on the buttons.  The UI design is a bit lacking (here’s hoping there’s only one “other ship” to view on the display) but I remember fretting over getting the controls correct & complete.

Click on the image for more unnerving detail into my childhood obsession

This coming Wednesday, January 27th, Apple is poised to announce their long-awaited tablet computer.  Needless to say, this has been a dream device since I was a kid.  Sure, it’s silly, but it’s this kind of technology that really gets me excited for what we’re capable of with modern science.  Don’t be too cruel with this information, and when I do risk my marriage and the judgement of my peers for being powerless to avoid buying one on the first day, please don’t be too harsh.

A concept image of what the end of my marriage may look like

Games of 2009

After compiling a list of the games I’ve played this year, I see I didn’t have as much time to devote as I have in past years. But it has been a great year for gaming, with many titles that had me picking them up the day they were released.

The biggest surprise was the amount of fun I had with single-player games this year. The short-but-sweet experiences I had with Halo 3 ODST, Killzone 2, Modern Warfare 2 and Uncharted 2 felt more movie-like than previous generations of shooters, and I had an absolute blast playing them, mostly over the course of a single weekend. The multiplayer has just been icing on the cake. I don’t find myself having the time to master them as I have had in the past, but jumping in for a couple rounds here and there has been fun.

The list below is in order of release, except for iPhone games. Lots of great games came out this year for the iPhone, especially incredibly addicting tower defense games. My favorites are marked with *

DJ Max Fever – PSP

LocoRoco 2 – PSP

* Flower – PS3

Noby Noby Boy – PS3

* Killzone 2 – PS3

Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars – DS

* Plants Vs. Zombies – MAC

* inFamous – PS3

Red Faction: Guerilla – PS3

Prototype – PC

Rock Band Unplugged – PSP
* 
Ghostbusters – PC

The Conduit – Wii

Wii Sports Resort – Wii

* Scribblenauts – DS

Katamari Forever – PS3

* Halo 3: ODST – PS3

* Uncharted 2: Among Thieves – PS3

* Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 – 360

New Super Mario Bros. – Wii

Left 4 Dead 2 – PC

iPhone
HookChamp

* Fieldrunners

* Space Invaders: Infinity Gene

Wolfenstein RPG

Bookworm

Word Ace

Mr. Driller

Defender Chronicles

Seven Cities Tower Defense

Favorite Movies of 2009

Here’s the list of my favorite movies from 2009.  These made the biggest impact on me, and I don’t imagine I’ll forget them.

This was a great year for science fiction.  Star Trek had an incredible reboot, District 9 had both an incredible story and special effects, and Moon kept me guessing until the end.

These lists are in order of release, not of preference.

Best Movies of 2009
Coraline
Watchmen
Tokyo!
Star Trek
Away We Go
Moon
District 9
The Hurt Locker
Anti Christ
World’s Greatest Dad
A Serious Man
Avatar

Biggest Surprises
State of Play
Star Trek
Termination Salvation
Drag Me To Hell
Moon
District 9
Orphan
Funny People
Grace
World’s Greatest Dad
The Invention of Lying

Status Quo (No better than previous efforts, no worse)
Up
Whatever Works
Public Enemies
Bruno
Capitalism: A Love Story

Biggest Disappointments
Crank: High Voltage
The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard
Extract

Movies I didn’t catch but are in the queue
The Brothers Bloom
500 Days of Summer
In the Loop
Ponyo
Inglorious Basterds
9
The Informant!
Paranormal Activity
Zombieland
An Education
Where the Wild Things Are
The Box
Precious
2012
Fantastic Mr. Fox
Bad Lieutenant: Post of Call New Orleans
The Road
Up in the Air
Invictus
The Lovely Bones
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus

Movies I’m looking forward to in 2010
Daybreakers
The Book of Eli
Creation
Chutter Island
The Crazies
Alice in Wonderland
Kick-Ass
Iron Man 2
Toy Story 3
Tron Legacy

Weekend of Escapism

After Christmas was over, I was looking to relax and de-tangle, so I caught up on movies and things that interested me.  Luckily, everything ended up being better than I was expecting.  Plus, my good buddy Ken was available quite a bit. Here’s a list of the various things I tried:

Christmas night: Avatar in 3D at Blackstone Valley Cinema with Ken

My expectations for this one were pretty low, as they tend to be for anything with this amount of hype.  I was pleasantly surprised.  The effects were absolutely amazing, and it was a joy to see 3D finally done really well, without too many gimmicks and errors.  The character/background/prop design was outstanding, and  I was really impressed with many things I hadn’t seen done before to really push the feeling of being immersed in the world, including air-rippling heat effects rendered correctly.  As for plot, I thought it was entertaining and enough to keep me interested, but it did run very long.  The final battle is incredible and worth the price of admission alone, but I don’t think it would hold up without 3D.  It holds up better than most 3D movies would, but it still isn’t quite the epic in 2D that it is in 3D.  It certainly is a successful 3D film, and I hope that it ushers a new era of the format.  As usual, the Blackstone Valley Cinema experience was great, with the film bright and in focus, with the deep base rumbling the place.

A Serious Man at West Boylston Cinema with Andy & Ken

I tend to like Coen Brother’s movies, especially the smaller ones, and this one fit my expectations.  The characters were quirky, and many brought a laugh just by their appearance alone.  The pacing is perfect, the theme was interesting, and it left us trying to figure out exactly what they were trying to say.  Ken & I had completely opposite ideas as to what it all meant, and both arguments worked. Andy was a bigger fan of  No Country for Old Men, but I think this was a much stronger movie.  Every character was strong, and the dialogue really hooked me in.  It was the type of movie where the characters hook you in so much that it could keep going for double the runtime without trouble.  West Boylston Cinema is very cheap – Andy and I both bought our tickets for less than half the cost of a single ticket to Avatar 3D – but the screen size is tiny in comparison, and the theater was almost full.  The movie was engrossing enough that none of that really mattered.  I’m still trying to interpret that opening, though.

Rockband 2 with Andy & Ken

I had been trying to talk Andy into playing this for a long time.  The high price tag kept us from getting it, even as it dropped from $200 all the way down to $99.  Luckily, Andy’s mother picked it up for us for Christmas, and we hooked it up to the projector.  It ended up being a lot of fun, and Andy really gets s kick out of it (I  hear a lot more rock being played in the kitchen now – thank goodness some of that pop has been replaced!).  We had so much fun playing with Ken (who somehow talked Andy into singing – hearing her sing Disturbed’s “One Step Closer” was hilarious) that I decided it was finally time to upgrade the sound system in the living room theater.  One visit to Craigslist and one trip to Worcester to meet a sketchy dude later, and we were rocking out full blast on Sunday.

World’s Greatest Dad in the home theater with Andy

To start, this movie was written & directed by Bobcat Goldthwait.  Yes, I imagine that’s as surprising to you as it was to me.  Let me start by saying that this is not the movie that was advertised.  This movie is dark, dirty, and shows things I’ve never seen before, and I’ve seen quite a lot.  It carries an indie feel throughout.  It’s also one of the best movies I’ve seen this year, easily.  It had me laughing out loud, and even almost brought me to tears a couple of times.  Robin Williams is perfect for the role of a father who will put up with anything his kid puts him through, and this kid is my worst nightmare of what a child could end up being.  I really felt for William’s character, and when the big plot twist comes, it’s heart-wrenching.  The theme is universal, and it constantly takes unexpected turns, and never goes down simple, unbelievable paths, which it could have easily done.  This was a very impressive movie, and I hope you’ll support it by checking it out.

The Invention of Lying with Andy

This was a little over-polished, and I’m not sure if Gervais is trying to copy the feel of a Woody Allen movie. Also, Jennifer Ganer to me completely unlikeable in this movie.  Her character is obnoxious, under developed, and fake-looking.  With all that said, this really is the atheist epic I’ve been waiting for.  It takes agnostic/atheist themes and really takes that ball and runs with it.  All of a sudden, about half way through the movie, a very touching scene between Gervais and his mother turns the movie in a direction I really wasn’t expecting.  This movie remained smart all the way to the end, and I enjoyed it immensely.  It seems like Gervais really nailed the potential that this idea held, and really made a good movie out of it.  I was nervous about this one, especially after being so disappointed by Ghost Town, but it really was entertaining and thought-provoking.  It also has some of the best product-placement I’ve ever seen.  I love it when it’s done with complete disregard for a special-interest group.