# posted by Chronodin @ 12:36 PM
 
This episode of Spike TV's GameHead features an interview with Charles Martinet, the man who has been the voice of Mario ever since Mario first got a voice in Mario 64.


For the other parts of the episode (all featuring different parts of the interview, which is broken up by a few small features and reviews), see Part 2, Part 3 and Part 4.

As far as for a non-video game video, be sure to watch this video of what happens when you mix bored smart kids and train tracks. The video is a commercial that has something to do with getting kids involved in... something. Yeah, it's not really that important to enjoying the commercial, which is just plain cool.

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# posted by Another Click in the Hall @ 8:58 PM
 


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# posted by Chronodin @ 8:56 AM
 
The new issue of Game Informer has lots of details on Harmonix's new spiritual sequel to Guitar Hero, Rock Band. Read on for scans and info.

All I can say is that I'd better start saving my money. :/

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# posted by Chronodin @ 11:34 PM
 
At least, that's what CNN is telling us.

According to the article, the iPhone will have up to 8 hours of talk time, which is pretty good. What concerned many people, though, is the battery life when using the iPhone's other functions such as video and Wi-Fi. Their response:

The company said Monday the battery also supports 7 hours of video playback, 6 hours of Internet use, 24 hours of music playback, and it will feature up to 10 days of standby time before requiring a recharge.

If what they're saying is true, and the iPhone can live up to the standards they're setting for it, then we might have a device that is not only revolutionary for the cell phone, but for the battery life of portables in general. Certainly, some handle battery life much better than others, but that's usually one of the biggest weaknesses of portable media devices, particularly cell phones.

Unfortunately, not only am I still enslaved voluntarily attached to my Verizon Wireless contract, but I'm getting married next year, and $500-$600 isn't a chunk of change I can afford to spend on a cell phone, as much as I desperately want one. Not to mention that Cingular, er, AT&T doesn't cover Western PA quite as much as Verizon. Maybe with the likely success of the iPhone, that will start to change and it will become a viable option for me in not too long.

Speaking of cell phones, I feel compelled to point you in the direction of a video of this cell phone salesman who auditioned for Britain's Got Talent, the British version of a popular American show. I suspect you can probably guess which one. His talent was opera singing, and to say he did well would be an understatement. Watch the video and you'll see what I mean.

As a side note, I noticed while watching that video that both Simon Cowell and Piers Morgan (did I spell those right? I didn't bother to check before posting this, but oh well) are judges on the British version. Can you imagine how rough that could be if one's talent wasn't pretty darn fantastic? The girl in the middle had better be the most complimentary person on Earth, Paula Abdul be darned.

And here is an interesting article in Next Generation about the necessity for a video game to grab your attention right away, for fear of one's interest being lost quickly: Hooked in 60 Seconds. The example it uses several times is, of course, the superb God of War, which features one of the coolest boss battles ever within the first two minutes or so of gameplay. It's kind of difficult not to have your interested piqued just a tiny bit with a giant hydra attempting to swallow you whole while you're still trying to figure out which button jumps. Just saying.

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# posted by Tank @ 3:53 PM
 
Epic Quad Battle: Every year, the students at U. of California-Davis engage in an epic battle between good and evil. The weapon of choice? Foam pool noodles.

If you all will permit me a little bit of sports nerdery, my favorite sports site EVER is Fire Joe Morgan. Here, a group of friends engage in comedic banter against the writings of baseball commentators like legendary Cincinnati Reds 2nd baseman Mr. Morgan, Tim McCarver, and many many more. My favorite is their rant against ESPN Radio shock jock Colin Cowherd (find January 13th), who suggested that the single Baseball Hall of Fame entrance criterium should be, "Good is good. Great is great."

And finally, I can guarantee I won't be living to be 111.


So, hey. My first post. Hopefully, Lord Chronodin doesn't flog me for talking about sports.  3 comments links to this post   

# posted by Chronodin @ 9:06 AM
 
You've got to be kidding me.

Bob Barker backs Rosie O'Donnell for 'The Price is Right'

There isn't a lot that could get me to stop watching The Price is Right. This would do the trick.

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# posted by Chronodin @ 10:50 AM
 
This is a video from TED... I got this link from Al Lowe's Cyberjoke 3000™, so I'll let him explain what TED is:

"The TED conference (an expensive get together for very high rollers) now posts some of its lectures on its web site. I find them fascinating. World class speakers have at most 15 minutes to cover their topic; you don't see excerpts but rather their whole speech."

You might consider signing up for his daily joke mailing list... not only are there some pretty entertaining jokes on there, but you get some pretty nifty links like this one. Anyway, I won't say much about this lecture except that the two technologies demonstrated here are VERY impressive pieces of software. At least one of which, Photosynth, you can try for yourself from Microsoft's Photosynth page, but be forewarned: it's still very much in beta, so be aware that it might not work perfectly all the time. Still, it reaches insane amounts of awesome. It's only 6 or 7 minutes, you owe it to yourself to watch this lecture.


Elsewhere on the net...

• Who would have thought that the art of rock balancing could be so interesting? I couldn't do it, that's for sure.
• Good at Wii Tennis? You could participate in Wiimbledon, which is exactly what it sounds like.
• "Secret science anti-gravity"? Maybe not quite as sci-fi as the title would suggest, but a neat experiment regardless.
• Chalk. That is all you need to know ... okay, fine, it's a flash game that would be perfectly suited for a Nintendo DS.
  

As a side note, thanks for everything, Bob. We'll miss you.

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# posted by Chronodin @ 3:13 PM
 
Sorry about taking a few days off there. To make it up to you, click that little picture there to see the full "Poor Pluto" image. It definitely cracked me up (and hopefully you "get it").

In keeping with the subject of space, it seems they might have found water on Mars! It isn't definite yet, but it looks good, and would significantly increase the odds of finding some sort of basic lifeform on another planet.

And in reference to something that has absolutely nothing to do with space, did you hear that after making a sequel to a long-finished movie series named after the main character's first name, and naming the new one by his full name (Rocky -> Rocky Balboa), Sylvester Stallone is doing it again? Even down to the naming convention (Rambo -> John Rambo). I haven't seen Rocky Balboa yet but I heard it was good, and this one doesn't look too bad either, surprisingly. I can't complain over the revival of older movies with the same leading actors, though, when I'm this excited about a fourth Indiana Jones movie... which, unfortunately, will not have Sean Connery. :(


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# posted by Chronodin @ 3:30 PM
 

What if you walked around in real life viewing yourself from behind, much like World of Warcraft?

Folks, I present to you the Avatar Machine.

It's basically a mounted camera that follows behind you, hooked up to a monitor that you look through while walking around. It's not something that I would want to use very much, but it'd definitely be cool to try for a little bit.

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# posted by Chronodin @ 10:28 AM
 
Now, I know I've been slacking on the Remix of the Day. I don't get a whole lot of comments about it, though, so nobody seems to have missed it that much. If anyone wants, I'll start it back up again, but you'll have to let me know if you do!

HOWEVER! This remix is one of those that's so incredible that it warrants not only a temporary resurrection of RotD, but a whole post dedicated just to its posting.

Final Fantasy VI - Cantata for Dancing: I. Mors ego sum mortis, by Derek Oren and Jeremy Robson

We're talking a remix of "Dancing Mad", the final boss theme from FF6, with full choir and orchestra, and not just an orchestral version, but a true rearrangement. It's very impressive. Don't pass it up!

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# posted by Chronodin @ 12:24 PM
 


Remember the announcement that they were remaking Final Fantasy IV for the DS? Behold - the first trailer!

It doesn't show a lot, but it shows enough to pump up my excitement for this game!

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