The Notorious Tan-Oo-Ki

http://www.theonion.com/content/news/al_gore_places_infant_son_in


Fantabulous.

Andrew & Meghan McConnell just had their first daughter this evening!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feed_The_Animals

http://74.124.198.47/illegal-art.net/__girl__talk___feed__the__anima.ls___/


If you don't hear something you like in it, you don't like music. srsly.

Their starter broke Alfonso Soriano's hand with a wild pitch tonight. He's out for at least six weeks.

So, the 60 second update is this:

I'm 3 years down out of 4 for my J.D./M.P.A. This summer, I'm living in Ann Arbor, MI, and working for the UAW International Union in Detroit as a Peggy Browning Fund Summer Fellow. I'm also making my big push for permanent employment starting this summer - it looks like I'll probably either (1) clerk for a federal judge, (2) work for the federal government in the Presidential Management Fellowship program, (3) work for one of the big unions or a labor-side firm, or (4) spend a term as a Navy JAG.

Anybody interested in coming up for a Tigers game this summer?

A, A, A-, A-

Yay!

Semester 5 of 8 complete. Bwahaha.

I just haven't posted in a while.

That is all.

The guys over at Penny Arcade reviewed Flow, for the PS3, suggesting that it may at least be a reason for playing it if you own one. However, they fail to note one very important characteristic of this game - you can play it for free - http://intihuatani.usc.edu/cloud/flowing/core.html

I do credit this game for giving me preternatural calm during my finals last spring however. If yours needs enhancing, check this beautiful thing out.

Edit: I'm an idiot - they do in fact link the flash version of the game. It helps to read.

The Ratlings will not be a playable faction in the next edition of the l5R CCG.

http://www.alderac.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=52081&sid=9d95bdfd465c75d263d368bf211b49a1

Round 3 vs Oz, Obsidian Halls of the Lost/Black Heart

Oz is playing OHL Control, a fun deck I repped back at Detroit. This game is very long, mostly because of his box reaction + his getting Tomb of Fu Leng exp before I did. However, I had P'an Ku up and running most of the game and was able to copy pertinent abilities when necessary. I was running around making rulings, and had to apologize to him numerous times, but that's the life of the player judge sometimes. The game went long and eventually I managed to overwhelm his army of weenies.

Chalk me up as another victim of whatever flu-type sickness seems to be passing around Bloomington. Eight hours of vomiting, and a day of shaky achiness. Feeling much better now.

He'll punch you in the back of the head and not even care. Imagine what he'll do to you if he has his HeroClix handy.

Watch him fight, here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t0ZKvotD6qo

I just watched the trailer for the movie based on my all-time favorite book as a kid, and I have to say I'm disappointed. My memory of the book is that it revolved around the awkward relationship between its two main characters, but the movie appears to be Warhammer Fantasy Battles for kids.

You can find it here: http://imdb.com/title/tt0398808/trailers-screenplay-E30192-10-2

Anyone interested in joining me for some old skool chat-room based online rping?

A brief lesson in tax policy, presented by your humble guide, the most excellent Tanuki:

Most of us, particularly those with any memory of the Reagan years, are familiar with the (generally) conservative argument that reducing tax rates (particularly on the wealthy) will increase tax revenues. Although counter-intuitive, this proposition is derived from economic principles reflected in the Laffer Curve, which almost certainly are accurate. Its parabolic curve is meant to be used as a tool in finding the optimal tax rate. Essentially, when tax rates are low, raising them will generate proportional or greater than proportional increases in revenues. Tax rates above the optimal point produce diminishing marginal returns, and eventually result in reduced total revenues. Reducing tax rates only increases revenues when the the current rate is higher than the point at of maximum revenues; if tax rates aren't that high, revenues will be reduced.

This is where the jackassery comes in. As the author of the linked article argues, "surging" tax revenues from the rich following the Bush tax cuts indicate that they are still paying rates that are too high. The catch is that as the economy grows, or as (just possibly) the 'wealthy' receive increasingly disparate shares of its returns, their tax receipts will necessarily increase. All we can necessarily say about increased revenues from 'wealthy' taxpayers is that the Bush tax cuts were not greater than economic growth (for the 'wealthy'). Does our fine author link to any sources that would allow us to look at tax revenue trends ourselves? Nope. The article's argument that taxes should also be raised on lower and middle class persons is just the bonus.

Assholes.

Now that I have had the Wii for two days, with far too many hours spent playing it, I have a brief update for those interested in asking Santa for it this Christmas.

The Good:
- The Wiimote Works: It is accurate, doesn't have significant lag in the titles I've been playing, and is easy to use. The Wii will dominate sports games in the future - the demo bowling game registers power and spin. You can hook, jab, and direct you punches to an extent while boxing. Imagine what the new Madden must be like. In Zelda, attacking is done by moving the controllers, which may be used in conjunction with buttons to perform different types of attacks. If you're the type to be confused by the large number of buttons on most recent controllers, you'll be pleased to have a lot of functions transferred to movement instead.
- Innovative Titles: My favorite game so far is Trauma Center: Second Opinion, a surgery game that requires speed and precision. I think we're very close to getting a bunch of new types of games that just wouldn't be feasible without the sensitivity to motion.

The Bad:
- 1st Person Shooters: In playing Red Steel, I've become frustrated by the fact that the screen drifts because I forget that moving my hand changes direction. Maybe it's just me, but I'm thinking that the learning curve is going to be really tough. This drifting problem also happens in Zelda occassionally, but to a much smaller extent. The bottom line is that you have to become conscious of your body movements while playing.
- Graphics: Not much to say here: I haven't seen anything that couldn't have been done on a Gamecube. Then again, that's not why you're going to buy this system.


The Games:
- Trauma Center: Second Opinion: I can't recommend this highly enough. You can easily lose hours going from surgery to surgery, and even on the easy setting some of the 'missions' are pretty challenging. The storyline is a bit chumpy, and there isn't really any voice-acting, but overall a fantastic title.
- Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess: While I didn't enjoy this title much at first, I'm really coming to enjoy it. Combat is intuitive, and the motion related activities such as a fishing are engrossing. Like with all Zelda games, it draws on familiar qualities from earlier games (Epona, musical commands) without seeming old and busted.
- Red Steel: I haven't played this one much, but I'm not a big fan. I think that traditional controls will not be supplanted in 1st person shooters.

More to come!