Remi's Bloglet

I would really like to play this game with pretty...

Mon, 01 Mar 2010 14:24:38 -0600

I would really like to play this game with pretty much all the folks who read this blog. It comes out in April, and it's a two player game with no particular rules, but one player wanders around the world, interacting with items, while the other player builds out the world and creates the reactions. The possibilities are very exciting!
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I think we watched The Wire because of Martin's...

Wed, 17 Feb 2010 21:35:09 -0600

I think we watched The Wire because of Martin's incessant blogging about it. Thanks, Martin!
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Martin, this made me think of you...

Thu, 03 Dec 2009 04:21:36 -0600

Martin, this made me think of you. (Everyone should watch this)
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I feel like a strange old man saying this, but...

Thu, 24 Sep 2009 14:22:16 -0600

I feel like a strange old man saying this, but man, pop music is so great right now. I can't speak to the Hilary Duff/Jonas Brothers cookie cutter pop, but pop music as a whole continues to move down a bizarre, contradictory path.

The big example is Pitch Correction as aesthetic choice (T-Pain/Kanye). Pitch Correction is a gloriously post-modern contrivance. It takes an invisible technique that has been around for ages, turns it up and shoves it in the listener's face. Pitch Correction is being used to make a wide variety of complex, appealing music. Hyper-pitch corrected voices have become a new instrument. Listen to 808 and Hearbreaks or 'Buy U A Drank' or 'I'm on A Boat' and it's hard to argue that it's not a new weird sound for pop.

Studio pitch correction for 'correct' singing has existed for 20 years or more, it's an established part of the pop landscape. People whose strength is supposed to be singing will come to the fore, the others will fade into obscurity and hackitude (Think of the relative longevity of Christina Aguilera/Justin Timberlake vs. The Rest of N'Sync/Britney)

That's just one place where the envelope continues to be pushed, and the sound continues to evolve. Pop's nature embraces the duality of a conservative core of mass appeal and a constant questing heart for the new. This hasn't changed. I will happily defend modern pop from haters. Yeah, there's crap (the conservative hairification of rock is pretty dull), but if you don't think pop is as weird and wonderful as it has ever been, you're not listening hard enough.

(I mean, seriously, in a world where Paper Planes was a recent pop hit how can you argue pop has calcified?)
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Hey y'all. I'm competing in a comics contest...

Wed, 16 Sep 2009 09:56:54 -0600

Hey y'all. I'm competing in a comics contest. The updates on LIvejournal are kind of works-in-progress and don't always read well. However, I'm posting the pages I completed in the previous week on too-fat.com. That may make a more enjoyable reading experience.
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I think I linked to this before, but I dearly love...

Tue, 08 Sep 2009 20:23:42 -0600

I think I linked to this before, but I dearly love this video, on the true worth of science and the dangers of searching for perfect power and infallibility.

[via Warren Ellis] (Ellis describes the series this is excerpted from as 'The Leviathan of British rhetorical television.']
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Gmail status updates.

Tue, 01 Sep 2009 17:20:59 -0600

Gmail status updates.
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My uncle David is writing about casinos on Indian...

Fri, 14 Aug 2009 20:48:12 -0600

My uncle David is writing about casinos on Indian Reservations for Slate.
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I randomly bought Buddy Holly is Alive and Well on...

Fri, 14 Aug 2009 00:28:53 -0600

I randomly bought Buddy Holly is Alive and Well on Ganymede in high school because it had a funny title. I read it all in one crazed sitting and was exhausted in school the next day. It made me laugh out loud many, many times. It's probably one of my favorite books, and one of the few I came to sort of randomly.

Now it's being made into a movie. At the very least, I'm happy for author Bradley Denton, because maybe more people will read this fun road/mind trip of a book now. Even more remotely, maybe a decent sf/comedy will be made out of it.
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I'm going to be starting an old school D&D game...

Wed, 05 Aug 2009 09:36:40 -0600

I'm going to be starting an old school D&D game via Twitter. Anyone want to play?
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My friend Mano, who was on both my Harold teams,...

Thu, 14 May 2009 17:07:16 -0600

My friend Mano, who was on both my Harold teams, has a very short appearance in the latest episode of "Lie to Me". It's really strange to see the happiest Greek I know playing Random Terrorist #2, but still a kick.
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My friend Donovan is the drummer in this adorable...

Mon, 27 Apr 2009 23:18:43 -0600

My friend Donovan is the drummer in this adorable music video.
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Igor Siwanowicz is a truly gifted photographer of...

Sat, 25 Apr 2009 17:03:13 -0600

Igor Siwanowicz is a truly gifted photographer of underappreciated creatures. There are no charismatic megafauna in his galleries, instead he makes arthropods and lizards into alien things of textured beauty. Wish I could find a poster or book of his work. The computer screen is nice, but this stuff belongs in print.
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My Brute will destroy your Brute! Bring it on!

Wed, 08 Apr 2009 23:57:22 -0600

My Brute will destroy your Brute! Bring it on!
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The Where the Wild Things Are trailer is...

Wed, 25 Mar 2009 16:52:35 -0600

The Where the Wild Things Are trailer is jaw-dropping. How the heck did they pull that off?

Also, most of the posts that would go here are going on Twitter, so you might want to follow me there or on Facebook, where I cross-post.
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I'm pretty excited by the new Decemberists album...

Thu, 12 Mar 2009 17:27:17 -0600

I'm pretty excited by the new Decemberists album. They seem to have finally mastered the heavy rock inflected folk first suggested on The Tain. I've enjoyed their last two, but this one feels like a quantum leap forward, both in terms of production and cohesive rock operatics.
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I am back from Dreamation in Morristown, NJ...

Mon, 23 Feb 2009 01:02:22 -0600

I am back from Dreamation in Morristown, NJ. I had decided not to run any games this time and played pretty much for 3 and a half days straight. I had an amazing time. I will try to write about it more.
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Well, that first episode of Dollhouse was truly...

Sun, 15 Feb 2009 19:28:24 -0600

Well, that first episode of Dollhouse was truly awful.
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On the way to school today I saw a huge explosion...

Wed, 11 Feb 2009 09:52:34 -0600

On the way to school today I saw a huge explosion and shortly afterwards drove past a red GMC Jimmy engulfed in flames.
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I made a big art post over on my livejournal...

Wed, 04 Feb 2009 20:53:17 -0600

I made a big art post over on my livejournal. Lots of pretties.
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So I've put together a little mix to introduce...

Mon, 02 Feb 2009 00:37:52 -0600

So I've put together a little mix to introduce someone to the Pixies. (not for the upcoming Blogswap mix, spread the word!) I'd like some feedback, but here's the list:
1. Where is My Mind (Surfer Rosa)
2. Debaser (Doolittle)
3. Holiday Song (Come on Pilgrim)
4. Gigantic (Surfer Rosa)
5. Hey (Doolittle)
7. Bone Machine (Surfer Rosa)
8. Wave of Mutilation (Doolittle)
9. Is She Weird (Bossanova)
10. U-Mass (Trompe Le Monde)

My basic goal is to give someone a fairly broad overview of the Pixies sound and themes. I feel the like the length/song ratio is right (30 minutes/10 songs). I tried to front-load it with songs that were more accessible/not quite as weird (although I did flop Holiday Song and Wave of Mutilation) and that feels about right. I like the ratio of songs from each album. I guess I'm wondering if I'm missing any really obvious songs or if I'm letting personal preference guide me too much, Specifically in the case of Caribou, Holiday Song, and Is She Weird. Ideas welcome.
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Yeah! Pluto, which I've been reading in amateur...

Fri, 30 Jan 2009 16:45:36 -0600

Yeah! Pluto, which I've been reading in amateur translation for a couple years, is finally getting a proper publication. Want a beautifully-drawn, morally complex chunk of robot SF? Pluto will exceed all your expecations.
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I'm making things for people who would like...

Fri, 23 Jan 2009 23:22:28 -0600

I'm making things for people who would like something mysterious in the mail. Go over here.
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I've been writing funny lists with my friend Joe...

Fri, 23 Jan 2009 22:41:42 -0600

I've been writing funny lists with my friend Joe Stanton. You should check them out.
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I apparently think the most important part of a...

Sat, 17 Jan 2009 00:23:32 -0600

I apparently think the most important part of a dragon is the tongue.
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Patrick McGoohan, Ricardo Montalban . . ...

Fri, 16 Jan 2009 16:34:07 -0600

Patrick McGoohan, Ricardo Montalban . . . and Andrew Wyeth?
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Does thinking transhumanism is a sucky idea make...

Thu, 15 Jan 2009 12:35:18 -0600

Does thinking transhumanism is a sucky idea make me a technophobe?
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I helped my friend Joe discover his favorite...

Thu, 08 Jan 2009 12:13:44 -0600

I helped my friend Joe discover his favorite reality show catch phrases.
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Things that were awesome 2008 edition:...

Sat, 27 Dec 2008 17:46:14 -0600

Things that were awesome 2008 edition:
1. Going back to school: This has been better than I can really describe. I am better at applying myself than I was at St. John's and I really enjoy the work in all my classes. It has also been good for my confidence as an artist, as I can see that I have skills and school is simply sharpening them. I finished my first semester with flying colors and I'm looking forward to continuing the streak. Yeah!
2. Air Guitar Madness: This almost killed me during April but it is the work I am proudest of during my time at DSI. About 40 people were involved in the production, and although it had some hitches, everyone ending up having a ball. It was a real joy to see people 'get' the performance aspect of air guitar and rock out unabashedly.
3. Proletariat Princess at the Del Close Marathon: I really loved being on this Harold team. All my teammates were hard-working and enthusiastic and we put on some amazing shows. Our swan song was performed in front of a small crowd of maybe 25 people at the Del Close Marathon in NYC (thanks for coming Mirabai and Fred!), but it was perhaps the best that group ever was. I couldn't tell whether the show was good or not from inside, because I was so absorbed in what was happening, so focused on using what Harold was giving me. I would be proud if that's the last improv I ever do.
4. Utah: Who knew it could be so beautiful? I want to go back and not get sick. A wonderful vacation with my sweetie.
5. Twilight of the Living Dead: It was great to work with Mike again. It was great to produce something so fun with so many of my friends from the theater. Onwards!
6. Starting to do freelance illustration again: This is recent, but I finished up a small freelance project for the Geek Fight card game, and I recently picked up a slightly larger contract for The Book of Dragons from HERO games. A nice way to pick up some pocket money and get my name out there a little more.

In all, this has been a transitionary year. I spent the first half in a miserable job, but was highly active at DSI and other performance projects. The last quarter of the year has been much more focused on my visual arts side. I hope to keep performing but I believe my professional future lies in my graphic and drawing skills and interests. That is where my focus must lay for the year ahead. I am hopeful and relatively happy for the first in a long time.

I continue to roleplay and fiddle with RPG design as a side interest. Nothing serious has emerged from that other than illustration opportunities. It has largely been a year less seriously devoted to RPGs. I still greatly value the friendships I've made through roleplaying and look forward to many more great games in the coming year.

Improv-wise it was a good year. I had to drop out of the theater at the end of the year due to school, but I still play with the hope that I can put a toe in next semester. I had so much fun at the theater this year. I successfully directed Extraordinary Rendition to a number of solid shows. I had a lot of fun playing with Joe Stanton in the geek-themed show Doom Buddies, and, of course, I spent a lot of time torturing Cagematch announcer Scott Sullivan as evil billionaire douchebag Troy Sterling. DSI was great to me this year, and really gave me a ton of opportunities. It should all go under the 'awesome' section, but I thought I'd illustrate the highlights.
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I'm feeling very Roast Beef right now.

Tue, 23 Dec 2008 20:02:38 -0600

I'm feeling very Roast Beef right now.
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