The Morning Toast

Billy Mays and what he can teach you

Brian — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 20:19:53 +0000

For me, the death of Billy Mays has been different than the passing of other recent celebrities. Sure, Michael Jackson died and that is and should be a big deal. He did a lot for music and reached heights of fame no one will ever reach again. But I just didn’t see Michael Jackson last week on TV, or read his Twitter, or see candid pictures. I was more connected to Billy Mays than any of the big names that died recently. Jackson’s death was a shock, but Billy’s death ...

Transformers 2, I’m glad it was free

Brian — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 18:36:38 +0000

If you’ve followed my Twitters and even tuned in to the recent CAVEradio episode, you already know that I gave Transformers 2 a piss poor review. I had free passes to see the midnight showing on opening night and while the price was right for the tickets, the ultimate price of losing three hours of life was all wrong. Transformers 2 is a typical sequel…only worse. They upped the number of robots, explosions, battles, and even time. This near-three hour movie is one of the most ridiculous sci-fi/action movies I’ve seen ...

My second world record is Robocop

Brian — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 02:25:05 +0000

I’ve done it again. I have obtained another world record for a video game that no one really cares about. A co-worker asked me, “why don’t you try to beat a record that people know,” and my response was quite simple, “that’s hard.” Going after a Pac-man-ish game record is just silly. Everyone is trying to beat that record and only a small, small handful will even come remotely close. When the distance between success and failure is so great, there is very little chance for reward. Attempting to beat easier ...

Flickr finally figures out Twitter

Brian — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 14:00:36 +0000

Part of the fun in using Twitter is the ease by which you can share photos and even video. Twitpic was one of the early services that offered mail-to-Twitter but now Flickr has finally gotten their act together. I spoke out loud not long ago how I see one major problem with Twitpic - retaining the photos for your personal digital shoebox. I use Flickr for my normal photos so many of my life’s pictures end up there. In the end Flickr will become my digital photo album of choice. But as ...

Back to basics, help me draw

Brian — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 02:03:36 +0000

I was watching the Twitter at work recently and got wind that comic book artist Skottie Young was doing a live screencast of his sketching. I watched and listened for a little bit and realized that I really miss drawing. So this summer I’m going to try and jump back to basics with something I used to do all the time - and I’ll be needing your help. I was talking with a co-worker about my drawing and he asked what my style was. I honestly replied, “I don’t know,” because ...

Chasing Ghosts, beyond King of Kong

Brian — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 00:54:33 +0000

If you’re a gamer then you have seen King of Kong, or at least you better have. A tale of one man’s quest to fight evil and become the Donkey Kong champion. King of Kong was a quasi-documentary, really only showing probably one side of the tale, but nonetheless it is extremely entertaining (even if you’re not a gamer). But on the other side of the spectrum lies Chasing Ghosts, a “real” documentary that looks at many of the same characters found in King of Kong. Chasing Ghosts: Beyond the Arcade ...

Dog Toy Survivor

Brian — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 14:00:20 +0000

It’s time for a little summer fun…I present to you Dog Toy Survivor! We’ve given our dogs five toys and only one will outlast them all. Which one will it be? Make your pick now! Visit Dog Toy Survivor and vote And please know that all this fun and happiness is all in the memory of our friend Bella, beloved dog of Don the Idea Guy, that recently passed away after 15 years of happiness. Our deepest sympathies go out to Don. All the toys used in Dog Toy Survivor were all Bella’s ...

Facebook and Twitter, when worlds collide

Brian — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 17:36:01 +0000

I never really bothered with my MySpace page, I didn’t use my Facebook page. Instead I hopped on Twitter. Twitter made more sense to me for what I wanted to get out of it. Twitter is truly a tool that can be used in many different ways. I made some new friends by way of Twitter and, despite best efforts, quickly found that many friends lived in one of two worlds - Twitter or Facebook. I signed up for a Facebook account a long time ago but never used it, but ...

Space invaders, now more extreme than before

Brian — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 15:00:24 +0000

When I got my Nintendo DS one of the first games I got hooked on was Space Invaders Extreme. It took the classic Invaders model and turned it up to 11. More colors, more sounds, more invaders, complete and glorious chaos. And it was tough too, enough to challenge any arcade fan like myself. But now there’s more. Space Invaders Extreme 2 is, yes, even more extreme than before. As if the first SIE wasn’t enough sensory overload, SIE2 turns it up to 12, maybe 13. Even more colors, more things ...

Thinking of Zombie Road 2

Brian — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 01:57:37 +0000

Some recent feedback on Zombie Road and a leaderboard that gets new scores every day has me thinking about Zombie Road 2…again. I need a new digital project that isn’t web related and I think revisiting the game is the way to go. If you haven’t played Zombie Road, please give it a try. It’s a little arcade shooter game I made a couple years ago in a effort to learn Game Maker. The game turned out better than I had hoped and thus is still getting downloads and plays today. So ...