Hand grendade pins in every line...

Alright, I've been neglecting my blog...

So, there's actually been a lot of stuff happening in my real life, that is the world away from the computer. I know it might be hard to believe, but there's been enough that I've actually been AWAY from the thing...

But, none of that is all that important, really. I'll touch on things bit by bit as time goes on, but for now, the things you all came for is the links. (Oh that's cute... he thinks people are reading this thing...)


Link Park - Minutes to Midnight

Alright, this album dropped, and I'm listening to it. I've always been a big LP fan since the first time I heard Chester and Shenoda working it out on the mic. Hybrid Theory is one of those albums that, if it's possible for a laser to wear out a disc, it's been done. Meteora took some getting used to for me, because it was different. The hooks were there, the power behind the lyrics, the instruments... it was Linkin Park, but just a little different. It didn't take long for me to get into the swing, and found the joy that both Hybrid and Meteora just fit on a CD-R, which meant I didn't need to switch discs to get my fix.

Now we have Minutes to Midnight. It's Linkin Park, but it's a departure for sure. First and foremost, there's more of a separation between Mike Shenoda's and Chester's work. It's not unusual to hear a Shenoda track, being that I really enjoy Fort Minor as well, but, Chester on his own has taken a little getting used to. I dig it, but it's different.

There's some unusual rhythms too... lots of clapping and strange samples. On top of that, there's a few more ballads than usual. Chester's emotions ring through just as always, but it's strange on some of the tracks not to have Shenoda's punch behind, on top of, and throughout it. As always, though, the mastering is impeccable. The instrumentals are rich, robust, and tight. The beats are impossible to ignore... they pull you in and wrap you up tight.

I can say honestly that I dig it, but it's definitely not the same Linkin Park from ten years ago, they've grown. Luckily, so have I. There's really only one track I don't like. It's hard, because I agree with the message, but it's a very political song with direct shots taken. It's not a bad track, but it's something I never wanted to get from Linkin Park. I would have been happier if this had been left to Fort Minor, perhaps.

On a more personal note, Linkin Park is one of those bands that has gotten me to this point in my life. Certain tracks elicit a plethora of emotion in me. These new jams seem to recall a lot of that emotion, and I like that.


Half Life 2 Episode 2

Originally, Valve stated that the formula for their Half Life episodic content would involve short productions cycles of a year or less to produce games that would last for 8-9 hours at around $20 a piece.

This seemed like brilliance and the first episode seemed to fit fairly well, although it came in a light on the play time, only giving us about 5-6 hours. Valve set forth on their next project, Episode 2. For some reason, though, they felt that they needed more. They had to give the people more reason to buy their product. They didn't think that episodic content alone would be enough.

So, the press release was dropped. They were doing a new Team Fortress, and it would be good. They also decided to add a puzzle game, Portals.

I'm excited about both of these, but I don't understand why they abandoned the episodic model, pushing production so for out as they've done, just to add in these extra pieces.

Well, it's getting closer to completion, and someone posted some of the progress on /. here. I encourage you to check out the new Team Fortress 2 video, the artistic styling is breathtaking. In addition, there's news of EPISODE 3's progress, and there's some info on what's coming in Episode 2.


Sure enough... Star Craft 2

I mentioned previously that there was the possibility that Blizzard would announce Star Craft 2. Basically, they announced that they were going to announce the announcement of something announcable.

Well, it's official, Star Craft 2 is on track. Anticipation for this one is pretty high... hit up YouTube for some good video action.


I'm just going to drag and drop some book marks...

Democracy: Internet TV

FreeDOS | The FreeDOS Project

How to Avoid Uncomfortable Conversations About Religion - WikiHow

The Ultimate Linux Reference Guide for Newbies

VirtualBox

List of snowclones - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

DIY: Mod a $5 flashlight into a $95 light - Lifehacker

YouTube - Indian Superman-Govinda

YouTube - re: Your Brains

Spider Robinson: Melancholy Elephants


That should hold you off for a while...

I need to sleep... I love you all. Goodnight interwebs.