Thursday, April 24, 2008
ManiaTV Features News for Video Game Junkies
Video game fans may want to check out an online gaming show on ManiaTV called "Arcade".
The quality of the show is decent, and really listens to gamers about games. The show hosts are Rob and Turtle, and they plan to deliver updates on top games, machines, and the gamers themselves.
Tomorrow's episode features their choice for the Top Five Most Anticipated games.
Labels: video game review, video games
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Anna Smudge: Professional Shrink - Cool New Mystery
Reviewed by Nick
Amazon site: Anna Smudge: Professional Shrink
Author: MAC
Website: www.whoismrwho.com
Genre: Crime Mystery
Anna Smudge – Professional Shrink is one of the cooliest books I’ve read in a long time. Anna is a middle-school girl who doesn’t really know what she’s good at till she gets in trouble. She ends up talking to a guidance counselor who convinces her she’s good at listening to and helping others. She decides to become an 11 year old shrink…”uh, therapist”, and starts getting many clients, including one who is a hit man hired to kill someone very important.
For a children’s book, Anna Smudge – Professional Shrink had some pretty adult situations. What I mean by that is the book put the main character in real situations, even if they were scary or “mature”. This caught me off guard at first, but I liked it. I found the book very easy to read; I breezed threw it in a couple days. Every chapter had something exciting in it and really kept my interest.
The characters satisfied me more than I expected they would. Each one was different but believable enough to care about. My favorite was Donny “The Meatball” Fratelli, an interesting bad guy but not completely one-sided. Author MAC showed Donny’s personality changing and made it flow.
The graphic art by DC/Marvel comic artist Glenn Fabry, colorized by Sean Ellery, was excellent, and really added to the story and intensity of the characters. Popular cover artist Greg Horn will have kids grabbing it at Barnes & Noble. Check out the characters images below:
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The plot seems well thought out and it all seemed to fit together in the end. I really dug the way she structured the chapters, counting down to the conclusion. Several times I thought, “Hmm. I think I know what might happen”, but was then surprised how things turned out. It was fun trying to figure out each mystery. I didn’t just read this book, I participated. I was surprised with the ending, and I am looking forward to the next book in the "Professionals" series by MAC.
Recommend for: 10 - 14 years old.
(Review based on an advanced uncorrected proof)
Here's some links to additional reviews, interviews, and stories related to the Anna Smudge: Professional Shrink book debut:
[NYCC PREVIEW] THE WIZARD Q&A: GLENN FABRY
[NYCC PREVIEW] THE WIZARD Q&A: GREG HORN
-both by Andy Serwin
Pop culture on the couch
Trends: Therapy more common than ever, showing up in film, TV, books
-Jocelyn Noveck
Horn, Fabry Pencil "The Professionals"
WHO’s Doing Kids’ Books?
-Johanna
There's a Kid's Book at New York Comic Con...
-Kevin Powers
Labels: book review, kids book review, mystery
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Grooveshark-Lite Music Sharing Launch -Feeding Frenzy!
Reviewed by Nick
Grooveshark Music Sharing Website
Type of Site: Music Sharing Community
Listen! Grooveshark.com is an awesome website for music lovers everywhere, and they just launched Grooveshark Lite. As a music lover I'm lovin' it. It's so easy to navigate through it. The easy-to-use style reminds me of Google. The search is extremely easy, and the page effects slide in and out super smooth and fast. You can find artists, songs, albums, etc. And easily too!
Not only can you find millions of songs, you can listen to them all free!
Once you set up your own account you can save music to a play list and quickly hear your music where you arrive. Organize your music and share lists, or Y see what people are looking up the most by clicking the Popular button, or view recent searches by clicking Recent. If you don’t know what your looking for you can always click on All Music and just browse.
They also have a system where you can earn credit towards free songs by participating and sharing with others. The three founders from the University of Florida are attempting to bring a common sense, legal solution which the music industry has been unable to resolve. Grooveshark has a cool system where people search for music through a community of rated participants. If they find a song on your computer, and buy it, the artist gets paid, and SO DO YOU! This way everybody's happy.
They have over 5000 beta users to get things started, and expect to create "feeding frenzy" according to founder-CEO Sam Tarantino
Some quotes:
"Grooveshark tracks the best users so you know who can be trusted to deliver quality content." -Mashable
"Grooveshark is an exciting company in the P2P music market." - Josh Catone, ReadWriteWeb
"So far Grooveshark gets two thumbs up from me." - Leslie Poston, Profy
"...hell-bent on changing the music industry." -Steve Spalding, How to Split an Atom
Check it out!
Labels: music downloads, music sharing, peer-to-peer, song library, website review
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Earth Day Poetry, Poems, and Haiku
I saw an invitation to contribute at the World Poetry Day blog , along the theme of Earth Day which is coming up on April 22. So, here's three original haiku:
Celebrate Earth Day.
Plant a birch or maple tree
Shade for tomorrow.
The rain forests wane,
birds disperse into thin air,
flee colorful ghosts.
Halt global warming!
There's nothing more important,
'cept global cooling.
I though these were pretty cool nature poems by Li Po:
Talk in the Mountains
You ask me, `Why dwell among green mountains?'I laugh in silence; my soul is quiet.
Peach blossom follows the moving water;
Here is a heaven and earth, beyond the world of men.
Silent Night
Moonlight floods the end of my bed.I wonder, has frost fallen?
Sitting up, I look at the moon.
Lying back, I think of home.
Summer in the mountains
Too lazy to shift my white feather fanI lie naked in the green woods.
Hanging my hat on a rock,
I bare my head to the breeze in the pines.
(Li Po, Chinese, 701-762, versions I.M.)
Labels: earth day, planet earth, poems, poetry
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Cloverfield DVD video clips on YouTube
Cloverfield Alternate Endings
I went frame by frame, and there's a small piece of new information, takes less than a full second, but unmistakable. I'll elaborate later when I have time.
Nick
Labels: cloverfield, cloverfield dvd, movie trailers
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