Okay Samurai Multimedia

Maui 2009

2009-08-02T21:18:00.004-07:00

youtube | vimeo

Home videos from our recent trip to Maui. If you visit, here are some places to check out from the video:

00:04 and 1:33 - Waikani Falls
Probably the most picturesque waterfalls we found. Barely visible from the Road to Hana (between mile markers 21 and 22), we parked on the side of the road, climbed over a shack, and hiked across a rocky but shallow river to make it here. We had a picnic lunch by the lower falls (where we saw the hidden frog at 0:22).

0:24 through 0:29 - Twin Falls
One of the first stops on the road to Hana (just past mile marker 2), and definitely one of our favorite spots. We got a fresh smoothie from the fruit stand at the side of the road, and then hiked a ways until making it to this secluded area. Rope-swinging through a waterfall was one of my favorite memories - I did it at least half a dozen times.

0:29 through 0:43 - Haleakala Crater
It was a long, curvy drive to get to the rim, but the view at the top was worth it. We didn't hike down or do the sunrise/sunset thing like many do. The colorful valley peeking through the fast-moving clouds seemed like we were on another planet.

0:58 through 1:14 - Maui Magic
The Maui Magic snorkeling trip that takes off from Maalaea Harbor was a great way to snorkel near Molokini, see some turtles, ride down an onboard slide, and get burgers grilled by the captain himself.

1:41 through 1:54 - Old Lahaina Luau
Touristy but fun. Drink a Lava Flow and take advantage of unlimited Ahi Poke.

2:23 - Makena State Park / Big Beach
An enormous stretch of beach with solid waves and a beautiful sunset.

Another highlight that we unfortunately didn't film: Warren and Annabelle's in Lahaina. Skip the Annabelle "ghost playing piano" part (which seems like just an excuse for them to sell more food and drinks) and come for Warren's hilarious magic performance. And if you get asked to sit in the front row...just be prepared to get picked on.

Happy Holidays - 2008 in Video

2008-12-24T09:56:00.002-08:00

okaysamurai.com/happyholidays/

Lake Tahoe 08

2008-12-22T20:49:00.003-08:00

Via Vimeo.

Okay Update 9.21.08

2008-09-21T12:53:00.001-07:00

A quick 3-minute update about Atmosphir, cupcake cones, and Rock Band 2. Via Vimeo.

Atmosphir Launches!

2008-09-09T22:00:00.002-07:00

Check out TechCrunch 50 today (Wednesday) at 10:30am PST for a live streaming presentation of the first Minor Studios project, Atmosphir! We're the 3rd of 4 companies to go, so my guess is we'll be closer to 11am if you want to tune in. Thanks for the support!

Okay Argentina

2008-08-15T16:24:00.005-07:00

I recently traveled back down to Buenos Aires, and spent some time with my friend Martin back in his beautiful hometown of Rosario as well. Music: En El Muelle De San Blas by Mana. Via Vimeo.

Okay Disneyland

2008-08-10T01:26:00.005-07:00

Scenes from a trip earlier this year to Disneyland and California Adventure. Via Vimeo.

Tweet Tweet

2008-08-07T11:07:00.004-07:00

Oh, Twitter. I had the same reaction a lot of people seem to have at first: is it too much unnecessary noise? I mean, who cares if you're having a burrito for lunch? But that initial skepticism has died down after using it a little. I think it doesn't matter what the method is - IM, Skype, blogs, Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, Vimeo, phone, email, whatever - having multiple options to communicate with friends and family is helpful, particularly since the majority of those people aren't in San Francisco. Yes, it's a lot of content to filter and consume, and self-moderation certainly plays a big role as well (again, LeechBlock does wonders).

When I was a kid, I remember wishing there was something like a Blockbuster (this was pre-Netflix, kids) with videos about everyone you knew. Somehow it never felt right to me that only famous people were worth seeing or learning about on TV. I wished that everyone - from the nice checkout lady at the grocery store, to my grandparents, to the cute girl sitting diagonally across from me in school - had a 2-hour documentary of their lives (hopefully narrated by Morgan Freeman) that anyone could check out to learn more about that person. In a way, I guess all these communication tools serve a similar role to that.

So You Think You Dance

2008-07-23T08:03:00.003-07:00

On Monday, April and I joined our friends Melissa and Dan to see a live taping of So You Think You Can Dance in LA. I don't know if we'll be onscreen tonight - we were towards the back of the pit crowd at center stage - but it was a great show and almost all of the performances were solid (especially the "black door" routine - watch for it). Twitch is still my favorite, but now that it's down to the bottom 8, everyone is talented and pretty awesome. After the show, Dan talked to some of the choreographers, and April talked to Chelsea's mom as well. It was a little crazy though, getting up at 6am to make the 6-hour drive down, and then getting back on Tuesday at 3am...but we were in good company, and it was one of the better road trips I've had.

Lake Tahoe (4th of July Weekend)

2008-07-08T08:23:00.005-07:00

Video coming soon.

Mind Defrost

2008-07-03T13:28:00.003-07:00

I'm doing the music and sound fx for Atmosphir right now, using GarageBand with help from an M-Audio Keystation 88es, Garritan Personal Orchestra, and handful of Jam Packs. One cool thing is that a couple of old Okay Samurai songs are getting transitioned into instrumental video game versions. So far there's a steel drum Hawaiian Treehouse and a futuristic Mind Defrost. To the very few people who are familiar with the originals, I think you'll enjoy the updated tracks when the game comes out.

Minor Studios Wrapup - June

2008-06-30T08:46:00.004-07:00

This month in Minor Studios news...

★ Martin and I talk about new developments, bug tracking, PC vs. consoles, Wii Fit, and Dr. Mario on Podcast #4.
★ We post a few stills from an upcoming cinematic piece.
★ Cameron runs towards a sand castle and away from some huge statue in a couple of new screenshots.
★ A temporary Atmosphir.com page is up.

Wanted

2008-06-24T08:04:00.004-07:00

I saw a screening of Wanted last night, and although it had its fair share of similarities to The Matrix or even Equilibrium, it's definitely an entertaining popcorn flick. The action is punctuated with slow motion blood splatters and bullet traces, and there are quite a few inventive, over-the-top sequences that felt fresh to me. It was also funnier than I expected, a fact that was complimented by the particularly rowdy audience last night. Overall, if you like your action more in the vein of Robert Rodriguez than Michael Mann, and the concept of exploding animals sounds funny to you, I think you'll be entertained.

Emerging Burritophile

2008-06-19T11:54:00.003-07:00

Here in San Francisco you can count on a few things: panhandlers, avocados, hills, and burritos. I love the wonderfully descriptive La Taqueria in the Mission if I'm in the area, but for work it's all about Los Compadres (aka the Taco Truck). David U turned me onto the carnitas burritos there about a month ago, and I've been hooked ever since. Now you might think burritos from a truck sounds sketchy, but these guys proudly display their 100% inspection agency rating in the window and have one of the highest ratings on Burritophile. I'm no stranger to street meat - the "chicken" and rice cart was a staple during my time with Frog in NYC - but this is something special. Best $5 burrito downtown, no question.

Podcastic

2008-06-17T10:32:00.005-07:00

This is what I listen to / watch on my daily N Judah MUNI commute:

★ 1up Yours: The single best video game podcast out there, hands down. I feel like you could listen to this weekly and be caught up on all the current industry news without ever visiting any other resources. The best part is the long format - shows usually clock in around 2 hours - so it lasts through several walks/rides. The production value is among the highest I've heard as well, and the commentators are all entertaining and knowledgeable.

★ The Digg Reel: The one video podcast I watch religiously. It's basically a collection of the week's best clips, and host Andrew Bancroft is hilarious.

★ This American Life: These episodes can be hit or miss for me, but the good ones are well worth listening to.

If I'm out of new episodes there, I'll check out Nintendo Voice Chat, X-Play's Daily Video Podcasts, Diggnation, and CHTV. Oh, and Minor Studios.

Quick Notes

2008-06-13T09:13:00.003-07:00

★ Just got back from a great 10-day trip down to Buenos Aires and Rosario in Argentina. Video recap coming soon. I definitely need to learn Spanish. Craziest moment? When the hotel room service attendant asked if I was "that guy from YouTube playing Madonna on guitar." Small world...

★ Wii Fit is pretty fun. Like most Wii minigame collections, I think I'll be playing this one in 10-15-minute spurts. Downhill skiing is still my favorite. Now I'd love to see a game that uses the Balance Board, Guitar Hero guitar, Zapper, Mario Kart Wheel, Remote and Nunchuck. Something with snowboarding drive-by shootings I'd imagine.

★ Heading over to the Pirate Festival tomorrow. Not too sure about the scurvy nachos though.

★ Wrote a little piece about career stuff for Minus Five.

Minor Studios Wrapup - May

2008-05-29T22:27:00.002-07:00

This month in Minor Studios news...

★ We take a look back at my first video game project from college, Second Nature World, in a retrospective video.
★ Atmosphir's updated graphical look is seen in 3 new screenshots.
★ I look at some of the innovative interactive storytelling elements found in Grand Theft Auto IV.

Bay To Breakers 2008

2008-05-20T00:39:00.010-07:00

Mario Kart, human foosball, flabongos, and more scenes from this year's Bay to Breakers. HD and downloadable versions available on Vimeo.

HD

2008-05-19T02:14:00.002-07:00

Just made the leap to HD with the Canon Vixia HV30. New stuff coming soon...

Cabo & Ensenada

2008-05-14T07:47:00.002-07:00

Footage from our recent cruise to Cabo San Lucas and Ensenada; just fooling around with Flickr's 90-second video limitations.

Magenta

2008-05-13T08:17:00.002-07:00

Minor Studios Wrapup - April

2008-05-04T19:31:00.004-07:00

This month in Minor Studios news...

★ Episode 3 of the Atmosphir Developer Podcast has us discussing creating Cameron and Ashley, reaching the pre-alpha stage, composing the game music (with a preview of the main menu theme), playing Grand Theft Auto IV and Mario Kart Wii, and answering listener questions.
★ I talk about how my gaming habits have changed since entering the real world.
★ A few new level screenshots are posted.

Okay Vail

2008-04-10T17:40:00.002-07:00

Scenes from our February 2008 trip to Vail, Colorado. Via Vimeo. Also on YouTube.

Okay Hawaii

2008-03-31T22:09:00.010-07:00

Home movies from my family's January 2008 cruise to Hawaii. We visited Oahu, Hilo, Maui, Kona and Kauai. Via Vimeo. Also up on YouTube.

Minor Studios Wrapup: March

2008-03-30T19:14:00.005-07:00

This month in Minor Studios news...

★ Cameron and Ashley (who you might recognize from here) are revealed as new characters.
★ Episode 2 of The Atmosphir Developer Podcast covers new game features and effects, recent user testing sessions, Rock Band and Super Smash Brothers Brawl, and listener questions.
★ 3 new screenshots explore some colorful new worlds.