Of bad television and bad internet

An eventful few days to be sure. Finally got out of the house for the first time in what seems like months. Friday at Fridays was fun.

Before we start, anyone typed into Google lately? It's amusing.

So it looks like, once again, rumors of Pierce Brosnan's return as 007 were a bit premature. Now looks like Daniel Craig is in. I don't even care anymore at this point. I just want my movie.

Also, my videogame prayers were answered. Nintendo has, once again, seen the forest for the trees (anyone know that means?), and completely revolutionized the way we will play games. My words will not do this thing justice, so if you are mildly interested, go read about it. Pick a news website - it is everywhere. It's that big of a deal.

Another big change in the world of technology and gaming is the recent change of guard at G4. There is now hope that G4 will stop being the worst television programming this side of MTV; Charles Hirschhorn, Founder and CEO of G4, has quietly been replaced. For those of you who weren't privy to G4's hostile takeover of TechTV, I will paint a picture. Imagine washed-up Fat Actress Kirstie Alley being jealous of Jennfier Anniston's popularity. So, because of her appetite for the spotlight, she shaves Jen's head to make a wig with her hair, and then eats her to hide the evidence. It was that ugly. It seems that Comcast (owner of G4 and TechTV) is beginning to get wise to the fact that their audience is not the prepubescent MTV generation to whom they are trying to cater. We can see past the poor production values, unfounded and adulterated celebrity endorsements, and rampant product placement. I think Kathy said it best:

"A half hour of videogame cut scenes set to music is not good television."

- and neither is having a horrible indie punk band perform on the ashes of a one-time technology television staple. Do you hear me Attack of the Show? You suck. You have no redeeming qualities and are not even a shadow of what you once were. You should retire to Baltimore Street where your sucking can be appreciated.

Moving on, it appears that Time Warner is starting to wonder about AOL remaining profitable, what with its recent litigations and the rise of broadband internet; AOL's subscribers are roughly falling by 20 year now. It seems people are generally getting wise to the lies propagated by AOL since its inception. Oddly enough, Microsoft appears to be the most interested buyer, hoping to either combine MSN and AOL into one entirely ghastly internet service, or to steal away AOL's loyalty to Google; apparently AOL is responsible for 110 million Google site visits a month and is Google's single largest source of income. With Microsoft's recent fear that Google is taking over the world better than they are, this is most certainly a dastardly business maneuver.

I also met Tycho and Gabe today at the Baltimore Comic Convention. It was a very surreal experience, as no two people have gotten more laughs out of me in recent memory. If you don't read their work, you should. They have something for everybody, but their pervasive theme is with regard to videogames.

And has anyone else noticed that Amber MacArthur says "for sure" a lot? She might be my new Morgan Webb. I still heart Morgan though.

Finally, I love this toaster. If I could only buy the syrupy, pancakey goodness used to sandwich McGriddles, I would never have to go to McDonald's again.