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I’m super late posting this, as the news happened THREE YEARS AGO and the media didn’t spread the word. Anyway, as of 2017, the MP3 audio format is now patent-free. It doesn’t mean that you can now pirate all the commercial songs you want. What it actually means is now that the audio format is patent-free, you can implement an MP3 encoder/decoder into your game engine! That’s sweet! more »
I’ve been playing video games for most of my life (and contributed a lot behind the scenes as well). Most gamers are attracted to the visuals, the story, the music, the characters, the puzzles, etc. Everyone has their own taste. But here are my top 5 favorite video games of all time:
5.New Super Mario Bros (Nintendo DS, 2006)
Sure, the Super Mario games are gimmicky as hell, but seeing the new 3D + 2.5D graphics just adds so much more spectacle to it. There is also new gimmicky powers like Ice Flower, Propeller Suit, Giant Mario, etc. Playing on Nintendo DS doesn’t necessarily need to utilize those two screens all the time, but there are some levels that do and it’s cleverly designed. For the most part, you’re playing on only one of the DS screens and the other is a progress menu or for power-ups that you can tap with the stylus. A lot of the nostalgia for me is just the sheen of the new 3D graphics, which makes the previous Mario title Nintendo 64’s Super Mario 64 look antiquated. more »
“Godzilla vs. Kong” is another sequel to the latest revamp of Godzilla movies “Godzilla” (2014), “Godzilla King of Monsters” (2019) and a crossover with the latest King Kong revamp “Kong Skull Island” (2017). In this crossover, it seems Godzilla has turned evil and Kong is now the hero of the show.
“Godzilla vs. Kong” will hit theatres and HBO Max on March 26, 2021.
“Yojimbo” is my second favorite Akira Kurosawa film after “Seven Samurai”. Yojimbo means bodyguard in Japanese. It may seem like star Toshiro Mifune is playing the same nameless archetype, but they are indeed two different characters. In “Yojimbo”, Mifune plays a nameless wandering ronin (a masterless samurai) who is pushing 40 years old and stone broke looking for odd jobs or killing men for rice and sake. He wanders into a small village where two rivals gangs are fighting for control over the silk and sake productions.
The movie opens with the nameless ronin wandering aimlessly, he even picks up a branch and tosses it and whichever direction it points to is where he’s going. Along the way, he spots a young man arguing with his father about wanting to become a “gambler” because they make money, drink sake and dress in nice silk. He wants to live it up and die young, not live at home and work on a farm eating porridge, against his father’s wishes. In movie storytelling, it’s a small useless scene… or is it?
After a sniveling crooked constable (the equivalent of the town sheriff) alerts him how to make some quick ryo (money in ancient Japan), he goes to meet up with a local big shot. When asked what his name is, being nameless, he peers out into an open field of mulberry grass and names himself after it as “Kuwabatake Sanjuro” or Sanjuro for short. more »
10 Things I’ve Learned Turning 37 years old
By Chongchen Saelee
Gaw dayum. I’m turning 37 years old next month. Here are 10 things I’ve learned in my existence:
1. People are in their final Dragon Ball Z form by the time they are around 22 years old in modern days because that’s when they experience the most responsibilities and exposure to harsh reality. Be grateful you live longer these days. I could have peaked at 32 years old with a dead 12 year old wife and dying of consumption and rickets. So look forward to a nice long healthy life in modern times.
2. If you’re single, date people within your age range given 5 years younger or older. Otherwise you won’t be able to relate to them. It’s a waste of time changing yourself for anyone at this age. Besides, unless you are a virgin or relatively inexperienced in dating by my age, these will literally be the best years of sex in your life because you are in peak shape and have proficient sex experience. Partner count doesn’t mean anything if you didn’t learn anything.
3. At the same time, sex isn’t important anymore. When I was young, I was having a lot of sex for validation or clout. more »
The crappy cameraphone video doesn’t do it justice. But this just lays claim to witnessing something majestic in my backyard, something rare. Rainbows occur all the time, but sometimes not as even or pretty. I think I’ve only ever witness about 5 max rainbows in my lifetime. This one is the most pretty and even and an actual arch. All the other ones in my lifetime were bands or sheen only.
We got our first “official” look at the new Batmobile, which is reminiscent of Fast and Furious souped-up muscle cars. Batman don’t got bat-friends, he got bat-family.
Speculation is that these twins are playing Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum. But my hunch is they are playing very small parts. Every horror occult movie needs to have their iconic twin terror scene, so if Bats is facing off with The Court of Owls cult, these twins will make an appearance or introduction to the cult in white skull makeup. Nothing big or fancy. It’s just a scene that calls for twins.
There’s also rumours that Johnny Depp is set to play the new Joker. In another universe, that might be 100% true. But if somehow that universe merged with our reality, it might be true too. But WB has to test that rumour with audiences first and not invest too much time on it. They probably might even have shot a small scene and shopped it around. If fans don’t like it, it might get cut. If fans do, it might become a reality. My problem is it’s too out of left field and might steal too much of Bat-tison’s spotlight.