Many years ago when I was going to college (probably 11 or 12 years ago), I went to the computer lab to work on a project. When I sat down at an open computer, I noticed someone left a floppy disk in the drive. After logging into Windows I checked the floppy to see what was on it. There was nothing but one small video file. This is what I saw:
I had (and still have) no idea what it was, but it was pure magic. I just found a copy of it on an old hard drive and decided to share it with the world. Extreme video compressions and all!
Actually it was probably a lot more than twice as he kept showing up to my place around 10am when I was at work. Two things I didn’t know/forgot about this package: one, it was being sent via UPS instead of USPS (where USPS would have just placed the package into a parcel locker if I didn’t answer the door or would leave it at the post office where I could pick it up) and two, it required a signature. So after the second failed attempt, I was afraid after the third attempt it would be sent back to the sender. Who, by the way, is in Canada. Fearful of this, I signed up for an account on UPS’s website and had the package rerouted to a UPS store near my job. And after grudgingly paying an extra five bucks for this reroute, I was able to swing by during my lunch break and pick up the package.
Check it out!
It’s a PlayStation TV! I wasn’t planning on getting one as soon as I did, but Amazon had a crazy fire sale two weeks ago for the device. It was only for the last ten or so they had listed in stock, so I had to jump on the opportunity before they ran out, thus ending the sale. I bought the bundled version that comes with a DualShock 3 controller, an 8GB memory card, and a voucher to download a copy of The Lego Movie Videogame. I went for the bundle because the fire sale had it priced even lower than the non-bundled version! So I was able to get it for $70.00 compared to $99.00 at other locations.
It came from Canada, so the PSTV box includes both English and French on it. I wasn’t aware of this when I placed the order so hopefully this little unknown piece of info doesn’t blow up in my face when I attempt to connect it to PSN. If it does work, I’ll try out all of its features and give a review of it in the coming weeks.
An installment to the Metal Gear Solid series where it was written and directed not by Hideo Kojima but from others on his staff *gasp*. But don’t fret, as he was on board to serve as producer to make sure things didn’t go out of control -- like in Metal Gear Solid 2. Tee-hee, just kidding. But jokes aside, it is a great game, even when on a portable console rather than one of the primary systems like the PS2 or PS3.
Actually, I neglected to play Portable Ops for the longest time. I always thought it was a story that was set in an alternate continuity to the mainline of the series, so I never felt it was important to play it. Once I heard it was related to Peace Walker and then that was related to Ground Zeroes, I had to play it so I can eventually play GZ. That’s just the kind of person I am: crazy.
A co-worker of mine let me browse a copy of this week’s Entertainment Weekly that includes a roundup of all the upcoming summer blockbusters. There are so many movies coming out that look so good. Here’s the list of movies I’m looking forward to.
- Avengers: Age of Ultron – the movie I’m looking forward to seeing the most. Hopefully it lives up to the expectations like the first film did.
- Tomorrowland – sometimes this looks good while other times it doesn’t. I’ll be cautious and see what others have to say about it before I plunk down the cash to see it in theaters.
- Jurassic World – when I originally heard they were making a new Jurassic Park movie, I thought it was just a dumb cash grab at a series that many (including me) loved so much. That it would be on the same level as the second movie. But after seeing the trailer for Jurassic World, I my opinion has changed and now I have to see it when it comes out.
- Dope – haven’t seen a trailer for this yet, but based on the article, it looks like a fun movie.
- Fantastic Four – I’ll admit I didn’t watch the films for this franchise from around 10 years ago (the second one looked gross with all of the Dodge car advertisements), but I’m willing to give this one a gander.
- Straight Outta Compton – not sure if I’ll see it in theaters, but it’s a movie I wanna see.
- San Andreas – like Tomorrowland, I’ll wait to see what others have to say.
And that’s it. I know I left out some glaring omissions like Ant-Man and Terminator Genisys, but they have yet to convince me that they are worth checking out. Other things in this issue of EW includes Mortal Kombat X being included in their “The Must List” -- it was item 6 in the list -- and I’ve now been convinced that I need to check out Mike Judge’s Silicon Valley that is currently airing season 2 on HBO.
I’ve been eating natto for a while now and I love it. I originally discovered it when I saw an episode of The Professionals on NHK World. It was an inspiring episode that showed someone creating an extremely inexpensive way of generating clean drinking water for regions of the world where poverty is high and access to clean water is often too expensive to purchase. One of the ingredients he used to filter water was a powdered form of natto.
I’ll admit it looked pretty gross at first as natto is very slimy looking and produces a lot of sticky strings, but after looking deeper into it and seeing the health benefits for the dish, I had to try it at least once; if just to be grossed out by seeing and smelling it in person as some say it also has a funky odor.
It was really hard to find some as I had to go to many Asian stores in my area to pick up a pack. Sure it’s also on Amazon but I’m not going to pay the stupidly overpriced $30.00 price tag for something I don’t even know I’m going to like that servers only three dishes of. And after all of that driving and all of that wasted gas, I eventually found a store just down the street from me that carries natto. Stupid me, I thought 99 Ranch Market was a Hispanic supermarket and not an Asian market. But in my defense, the store near me doesn’t use the Asian characters on its signs to show that it is, in fact, an Asian store. Ugh.
Anyways, they come in packs of three or four and are usually $2 or $3 bucks a pack. I keep them in the freezer to preserve them longer. This means I have to plan ahead and place a pack in the fridge a day or so earlier so it can defrost a bit when I’m ready to eat it.
The verdict: delicious. It doesn’t smell bad either, but that may be based on the producer and their manufacturing process. For the rice I go to Vons and buy a bunch of their inexpensive instant white rice bowls that only need 90 seconds in the microwave before ready to eat. Just mix the natto well, place on top of the rice, and enjoy! It’s a filling meal that keeps me good until lunch and is packed with nutrients that is worth eating at least once every few days. I will not, though, eat it with a raw egg mixed into the rice and natto as many suggest doing online. No thanks. I’m not a big fan of the ingredient salmonella.
My 2014 playlist has a late entry. Normally I don’t add anymore tracks to my annual playlists once the year is over, but this song is sooo good I had to make an acception. “The Charade” from D'Angelo and The Vanguard is an incredible track from the album Black Messiah that was released in the later half of December.
It caught me with its slow paced R&B beat and D'Angelo’s soft spoken, kind of slurred singing. It’s a well arranged track with a good balance of singing and instrumental only parts. The guitar and bass add a warm harmony to the track while his lyrics include a political message -- which I guess was very relevant with all that happened domestically in the US in 2014. The drums and claps tie things together well and song has a nice intro and unwinds so nicely at the end that it makes me want to turn the repeat on.
This is the only song I listened to from Black Messiah, but from the reviews I’ve read, the whole album is worth listening to. If this one track is a representation of the entire album, then I’m in for 11 more musical treats.
A co-worker of mine let me browse a copy of this week’s Entertainment Weekly that includes a roundup of all the upcoming summer blockbusters. There are so many movies coming out that look so good. Here’s the list of movies I’m looking forward to.
My 2014 playlist has a late entry. Normally I don’t add anymore tracks to my annual playlists once the year is over, but this song is sooo good I had to make an acception. “The Charade” from D'Angelo and The Vanguard is an incredible track from the album Black Messiah that was released in the later half of December.