Third

Shawn | March 31, 2008 in Music | Comments (0)

Ok, so I know those of you that are close to me already know my frustration here but I thought I’d vent into this series of tubes for a few while my laundry tumbles and I sit in my underwear on this chilly but bright Sunday afternoon.

My gripe: the new Portishead album, Third.

I have been pretty excited for this record to come out for a while now. I LOVE the other 2 records. They have a sound that is compelling, moving, somber yet exciting, somewhat nostalgic but remaining remarkably fresh (their first album Dummy still sounds relevant today and it’s over 10 years old). Their new album however, has left me very disappointed.

Shedding the edgy beats of the past 2 albums, I now see exactly what element made their sound so exciting and distinct. What’s left is a very flat and dreary collection of songs held up only by the hauntingly tortured voice of Beth Gibbons. The atmospheric grooves seem lackluster, strained. All the punctuation has been sadly omitted leaving a moodier, if sorely diffused album without any discernible peak or valley. (more…)

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Losing Sight of My Goals

Shawn | March 27, 2008 in Journal | Comments (1)

Tags: Goals, Health, Motivation

Hey all, I just wanted to post the essay below for the reading pleasure of anyone out there that is looking for some inspiration in any aspect of their lives.

This concept was brought up at work, by way of an email from our Sr. sales manager, expressing what we, as a team, and as a sales organization need to do to continue the successful run we’ve enjoyed over the past few months. The reason being, is that this month we are behind. Looking at our activity as a whole, it’s not hard to see that we have been “resting on our laurels” so to speak. Steps have been taken to increase our activity levels and to stimulate an atmosphere of urgency and excitement by all of us in the past week now and behold! As if by magic, we are back on track.

Then, I thought about it on another level.

Since 1/1/2007, I have made some major changes in my life that desperately needed to be made. I attacked them, as I often do, with a passion and gained ground. I got to a place where I was happy with my progress… and (as I often do) I stopped. From that point on, I have fallen into a slump and have now gotten to a point where I feel so crappy and guilty about it that it’s all I can think about.

In this case I am talking about my goals involving my health, specifically my weight. This ties in so heavily with all my other goals, and to and extent, every aspect of my life, that it must become my major focus this year. At least to where it starts working for me and more time opens up for other goals. For example, work has been going well for me now that I am a “veteran” and am up to speed. Now that it doesn’t require most all of my time and attention, I can keep it working for me. I can move forward easier with some time and energy to devote to other pursuits.

So again, I thought I would share this essay. I know it’s about why businesses often fail, but it’s much more than that. This applies to you as a person as well. I hope this motivates you if that is what you need. You are the Boss of your own “business” anyway right? It’s the same thing really. (more…)

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"When life presents you with a chart, you must roll on it"

Shawn | March 13, 2008 in Dorktalk, Journal | Comments (3)

Tags: D&D, Dorktalk

Tonight, when faced with the decision of which movie to watch on a DVD of 5 and 1 we all agreed upon omitting, it was agreed that we settle the confusion by rolling 1D4 (for those of you who aren’t familiar, that’s a four sided gaming die)…
We are such dorks.

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Let's All Stare at the Sun

Shawn | March 7, 2008 in Journal | Comments (2)

Tags: Journal, Seasonal Affective Disorder

It came out today and I almost didn’t know what to do with myself. Inca Sun God

I’ve managed to put a few posts up here in the past couple of months but none have really been anything but reposts of interesting news or blurbs about some thing, some excited rants about what cool little widget I’ve decided to latch onto and make into my escape for a moment. I’ve slowed down on the genealogy research, haven’t written anything for real here in quite some time, and keep putting off songwriting, art making, and other goals I’ve set. I just seem to sleepwalk between work and home. From monitor to monitor, terminal to terminal, to movie, to video game, to email, to myspace… The phosphors flicker and I stare. (more…)

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R.I.P. Gary Gygax

Shawn | March 6, 2008 in Dorktalk | Comments (2)

Tags: Dorktalk, Gygax

(per www.telegraph.co.uk)

Gary Gygax, who died on Tuesday aged 69, invented Dungeons & Dragons (D&D), among the first, and certainly the most influential, of the role-playing games which had their roots in fantasy literature and which, though they often used no more than pencils, paper and dice, had an immense impact on computer gaming.

Indeed, in one poll Gygax tied with JRR Tolkein (in 13th place) for his influence on gaming in general; perhaps less flatteringly, Sync magazine placed him at No 1 on its list of 50 Greatest Nerds of All Time.


	Gygax: the greatest nerd of all time

D&D sprang from Chainmail, a miniatures wargame which Gygax had devised with Jeff Perren in 1971. By this stage, Gygax’s devotion to gaming had led him to organise a convention (there were around a score at the first meeting) in his basement.

But from this start in 1967, he met David Arneson, with whom he was to create D&D, and the meetings developed into GenCon, which now attracts tens of thousands of gamers each year.

Ernest Gary Gygax was born on July 27 1938 in Chicago and was taught to play cards at the age of five, and chess a year later, by his mother.

His father, a German-speaking Swiss immigrant, was an orchestral musician who first encouraged his interest in fantasy and science fiction. L Sprague de Camp, Jack Vance and Robert E Howard (the creator of Conan the Barbarian) were early favourites. By contrast, he “yawned through” Tolkein. (more…)