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Author: Bryant

That very bad

September 26, 2003
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The NBC version of Coupling is incredibly bad. I know, everyone said it was bad, but I wanted to see for myself. I lasted about five minutes before screaming in horror and deleting my TiVo season pass.

The sad thing is that it uses the same scripts. It practically uses the same sets. But the acting — it’s like Shakespeare performed by earnestly dull high school students. Not that the original Coupling was Shakespeare, but the American cast isn’t really up to the standards of high school students either.

22 episodes? NBC bought 22 episodes? Did they buy a blindfold and ear plugs before looking at the pilot?

One last time

September 26, 2003
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I couldn’t resist just one more sampling of VeriSign’s bounty:

innocence89.com
innocenceinmates.com
innocenceprogram.com
innocence-top.com

Had an innocencetop.com a few days ago. Someone’s persistent (but dumb).

The bride

September 25, 2003
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The Movie Box has copies of the two new Kill Bill trailers (from the soundtrack CD). Not any spoilers we didn’t see in the first couple of trailers, lots of cool stuff, and a glimpse at an interesting cinematic technique I won’t spoil in case someone wants to be surprised in the theaters. I am so jazzed for this movie.

Footloose redux

September 25, 2003
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Now, see, if they’d done this (warning: QuickTime ahead) in Footloose, Kevin Bacon wouldn’t have been so darned rebellious. Free State High School, in Lawrence, Kansas, has apparently been having a problem with “provocative” dancing. So they made a video to show students what sorts of things weren’t permissible. The dancer in the video, as it happens, is the school mascot in full costume.

Sticky situations

September 24, 2003
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Arref and Ginger are talking about “sticky PCs” today — characters who really touch and affect other PCs by their very nature. It’s an excellent concept, and one I’ve used without having a good name for it for a while. In gaming, the easiest way for a PC to get screen time is to draw out the other PCs.

“Tell me your story — it sounds interesting.” The key is to enable screen time for other people, and get your screen time from the reflection, rather than trying to draw others into your story. Popular characters are those who facilitate someone else’s roleplay. The dynamic is most visible in large-cast games, like LARPs and MUDs, but I think it applies even in smaller face to face groups.

A distant roar

September 24, 2003
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Earlier tonight, while I was sitting around enjoying an evening of daring adventure, we heard a huge cheer from across the Boston rooftops. Brant’s place is not far from Fenway, so it was pretty clear what was going on. About fifteen minutes later, there was another cheer — this one even bigger, and longer, and more passionate.

It was a three run homer in the bottom of the ninth, and a homer in the tenth. The reporters are calling it the comeback victory of the year. I knew, from the sound and timbre of the crowd, that it must have been something of the sort. From the time I heard the second cheer to the time I got home and read the news, I had the warm glow of satisfaction that comes from knowing the Red Sox did something spectacular. And now, I’m just happy that the sounds of cheering from across the Boston rooftops told me what was going on.

It’s a good time to live in Boston. I’m glad I’m back.

Monday Mashup #10: Dukes of Hazzard

September 23, 2003
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Somewhat later than I would like, it’s time for another Monday Mashup. I was forcibly restrained from doing Finnegan’s Wake. People have no sense of fun.

So instead I’ll do something classic. Dukes of Hazzard.

It’s a fun-loving family who’s continually plagued by incompetent venal lawmen for no good reason — kind of an updated Robin Hood, in a way, but without the political aspect. There are lots of car chases, which are close to any gamer’s heart. Have at it, and damned be him who first cries “Hold, enough!” (Couldn’t figure out how to mash Macbeth, but maybe next week.)

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