Found some Funny

Here it is.

Poor Man's Guitar Hero

I was looking for info on a Wii version of Guitar Hero (I so want to see this happen) and I came across Frets on Fire. Although I’ve only played Guitar Hero a few times, this seems to have all the fun gameplay without the other eyecandy. The neat thing here is that you can make your own songs and share them on the internet (Tribute by Tenacious D rocks). You can legally import all of your songs from GH if you own it (or find them illegally on the internet).

If you own the actual GH guitar, you can hook it up, otherwise you must use the keyboard of your computer (I recommend putting together a keytar-style strap and Devo outfit).

Supposedly you can play this game on your computer with the Wii remote and nunchuck if you have a Bluetooth adapter. Looks kind of cool.

Quick Update

 First post from the Wii-

New semester started. Classes are great, the schedule is a bear.

Zelda: Twilight Princess rules. Everything I wanted for this system. Best Nintendo game since Metroid Prime.

More later.

New Haven Coliseum Goes Down

Finally, It Goes Down

By this time tomorrow, the Coliseum will be a pile of rubble. Hopefully we will see it live and shoot video. The public can watch from the Temple Street garage. The residents of the senior center right near the building will be issued hard-hats and drinking bourbon.

First and Last

Here is a question that I like to ask people from time to time.
Play along won’t you-

1. What was the first album (could be a record, tape, CD, 8-track, reel-to-reel, or wax cylinder) that you ever bought (this could be your own money or just something you asked parents for or wanted as a gift). The only thing to keep in mind is that it has to be something you wanted. Please include your age and any other comments that you care to share.

2. What was the most recent album (same rules as above) that you purchased or received?

Me:
My first was in the third grade (I think that would make me eight)- Licensed to Ill by the Beastie Boys. On tape- which I wore out from listening to so often.
My most recent was a gift (from Elise and Matt through Amazon)- Taught to be Proud by Tea Leaf Green.

Not sure what this says about me or what people could possibly do with this information, but I think the responses I got from work friends this past Friday were interesting. If nothing else, it’s a nice walk down a musical memory lane.

I fell in love with an iMac

The first computer I can remember using was an Apple II (probably around the same time as I used the Commodore 64, which was the first computer in our home). All schools used the Apple IIe and we had one in the house. We were a Mac home up until I went to college (anyone remember eWorld?). When I went to college, I took the family Performa (which was on its last digital leg) plopped it in my dorm room and covered it with stickers.

Shortly thereafter I adopted the PC world (I fought it for long enough). I was tired of my documents not working with computer labs and whatnot. It was also a low point for the Macs so, a switch was natural. I had used PCs in high school labs and at every friend's house, so I was ready.

I don’t really want this to turn into a Mac/PC comparison, so I’ll just move along saying that over time, I have become familiar, comfortable, and fairly savvy with the workings of a PC. I am not sold on a full switch either financially or operationally. We don't need a new computer and I am looking forward to Vista. But I accidentally fell in love with a Mac just yesterday.

I am relearning the Mac to use iMovie with my Cinema Studies classes, where they will be writing, storyboarding, filming, and editing original movies as their projects (stay tuned for links to student progress blogs and film fest info). I am also working on a grant to get more of these machines in the district.

I hadn’t used a Mac in longer than I can remember. I knew nothing about widgets, Garageband, iLife, or even how the new mice worked. I was tripped up with the minimize/expand/close buttons being in the upper left-hand corner of the program (I remember that problem from switching to PCs in the first place). The only things I was familiar with recently were iTunes and the iPod. There is a reason this is still the top music program and player around. And that’s what attracts me to the Mac.

It’s not just that is a super-sexy machine that begs to be touched, or that it’s white case and smooth lines are exactly what I envisioned the future to be; it’s how everything just makes sense. When I figure out how to do something for the first time or see a new feature, my response is always the same, “Oh, of course” because it just makes sense. In fact, I find that the only major obstacle is my familiarity with Microsoft products.

I’ll just end this with a clip from the geeky dream I had last night- Yes, I guess I dream about electronics (but not electric sheep):
The iMac made me nachos.
That's love.

Children of Men

Oh Friggin Snap

It happened.

Fond Farewell

Father Curan (you may remember him from our wedding) is leaving Saint Rita’s Church and is going to be the pastor at Saint Christopher’s Church in East Hartford. We wish him well and will miss him dearly. His last service at St. Rita will be on 2/4/07.

Magdalena in the News

The Hour (newspaper of Norwalk) ran an article on Prospects’ Art Therapy program featuring Maggie. I will update this post with the full article as soon as I can get to a proper scanner.

New Digs

We have been saying that 2007 is the year we move out of our apartment (that we love) in East Rock and into something/somewhere else.

We’ve done a lot of thinking and planning. We’ve considered: location, finances, commute time, community, proximity to family/friends, eco-friendly and power efficient structures, and many other things that are likely to drive one mad.

We will of couse sort all this out and find what makes the most sense for us, but we could use your help. So, wish us luck and send us tips or phone number of reliable sources of information(mortgage brokers, realtors, contractors, inspectors, log home builders, material supply companies- and anything else interesting). Tell us your stories and we’ll keep you posted with ours.

Happy New Year
See you around the hearthstone.

P.S. Here is some interesting reading that we came across within the last day. We won’t go to this extreme I’m sure, but it does fuel the mind