31 October 2009

Well that was anit-climactic

After all the hype about the Halloween night in Stillwater... Texas came out and dominated defensively and did everything they needed to do on offense.

Its nice to see Fozzy and Cody as the 1-2 punch.

And, as if kind of poetic, the three guys who were most burned a year ago in Lubbock... well all three had game changing interceptions, two of them run back for touch downs.

Just a fun game to watch, and Texas is running on the right cylinders, imposing their will on other teams.

If only next week wasn't at 11:00 AM... >.<

29 October 2009

Digital Comics

There are a lot of ways to read that title. What I'm talking about is viewing comic books in a digital format so that I don't have to store ungodly growing amounts of paper or pay an exorbitant prices for that habit.

I can currently get comics digitally through less than legal means, and I don't mind doing that, but I'd rather pay for my content. Getting the books isn't the issue... it is reading them. There are quite a few programs out there for just that, the best I've found being Comic Rack. It follows the iTunes model, but is still a little clunky. Also, its on my screen. There isn't a cheap way to read them on the couch, barring using a laptop. That has limited viability anyway, because you have to constantly scroll.

What we need is an affordable tablet in color, like the Kindle... or the rumored Apple Slate. I would prefer the Microsoft Courier to be anywhere close to amazing as the previews, just because I'm comfortable with the Microsoft ecosystem (Windows 7, Zune and XBox).

Sadly those things don't exist yet. And on top of that, the comic book industry seems intent on creating "Motion Comics" which annoys me. I don't want a moving video. I want a comic. I want to be able to follow the sequential art from panel to panel, page to page. I've grown up as an adult addicted to sequential, serialized story telling. Its how I've always enjoyed fiction and why I have hard times digesting long novels. I just prefer to be strung along over time and relish the idea of having to wait for an answer. And I love the sequential art model. It is an art form for story telling that is unlike any other, and adding motion lessens the impact. JM Strazynsky (butchered that) once said the hardest part of writing comics is the lack of a moving camera. Great comics come from a unique place. Great comic storytelling comes from a unique art form that is amazing for certain kinds of stories. I hate the idea that we might lose that for something that is little more than a flash motion voice over comic.

Maybe I'm a Luddite, I don't know. I just want sequential art and I want to be able to digest it digitally.

C'mon... someone make a color e-Reader that doesn't suck and is less than $500. You can do it. It can't be that hard. If I had the money and the knowledge, I would try to find a way on my own, but I don't. So I can only beg that someone does it. Google, Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, hell Marvel or DC... I don't care who.

26 October 2009

That's a lot of Orks

So went up to BFG today to play a friend who is just learning and my roommate showed up and felt like getting a game. Well, since you can't really play a 3-way game of 40k, I played two armies of Orks against them.

Holy crap. I have a lot of Orks... I was able to field 4000 and probably could have fielded another 2000.

I did decently enough, but got a few steps shy of the final win because of a land raider full of Khorne death I didn't deal with well enough. Still fun as hell. My back is sore as hell tho... but a ton of fun none the less.

That, and I learned a few things about how to do some things differently.

Another note, I did a ton of converting Saturday while I watched football (a rant on why the SEC can blow me to come) and I came to a scary realization: I cut the shit out of my thumb. Cut it bad... more times than I can count really when I look at it today. Apparently it bled a bit too from the look of the deepest cut. Here's the rub tho... I didn't feel any of it. The jab on my left index finger is *still* smarting, but the thumb... nothin. Mars says I have callouses... guess I've just cut it that many times that I do. That or the nerves have stopped caring and gave up the ghost.

Either way, good weekend after feeling awful Friday.

22 October 2009

Tank Bustas

I converted some Ork Boys into a Tank Busta unit, if only because I didn't already have one. I'm convinced they can be useful, but need to be used correctly. A Battlewagon full can definitely be helpful, and with as much mech as there is out there, they will be able to do *some* damage. That many rokkit shots has to register eventually.

We shall see...

19 October 2009

The People You Love

Its amazing how just knowing someone and letting them know you can bring you peace when things are rough.

After an amazingly frustrating day, I'm grateful for my two best friends in the world. They let me vent and huff and puff and call me on my bull shit. I owe so much to both of them, and I thank them often for their friendship and what they mean to me.

That's why I'm posting this: thank the people that matter to you. Let them know they do. Make sure they know.

Yeah... sappy... I know... but it is what's on my mind and isn't that the point of a blog?

17 October 2009

Texas/OU thoughts...

In no particular order...
  • OU's defense is all world... they are everywhere and fast and are the key to the OU season. They will beat any team that can't match them defensively. 
  • Fozzy Wozzy... dude is quick and seems healthy... looks like they found a running back combo they can rely on because...
  • Cody Johnson was a bear... the guy is big, but still shifty. He and Fozzy can be that perfect one-two punch that makes a running game work. With all the attention to Colt and J-Ship, they need a consistent running game. Vondrel is good and all, but these two stepped up on The Stage. 
  • Speed kills... so much speed on the field, so much on defense for both teams. You saw a lot of Sunday players on the TV today.
  • 12 made some money... not Colt, but Earl Thomas. He's the best Texas DB, and continues to show his speed and magnetism to the ball. I'm impressed, and he's going to be a hell of a guy to watch get even better.
  • Mushcamp is your daddy... Texas defense is stout, fast, and will win almost every game. The Texas offense is potent, but has been inconsistent. Defensively, it is not close. They are everywhere and adjust as good as anyone I've seen this year. Yeah, I'm biased, but they are really good. I give you this as evidence... Texas held UTEP to 53 yards... the next week, UTEP went out and scored 58 on Houston. Yes, Houston isn't the best D, but seriously, they scored more points than yards gained the week before. That's all Texas D. And Muschamp is the key. He's an amazing coach. And they love to play for him. His enthusiasm, humor, and creativity jump out at you with every series. He is Mack's best hire, and I am as happy as I could be have him roaming the Texas sidelines.
  • There Ya Go Pardner.... Can someone please muzzle Brent Musberger? Herbstreat is great, brings insight, and charisma for days. And then Musberger starts talking, and I want to hang myself. The guy is unbearable. Give me Mike Patrick or Ron Franklin any day of the week. Could you imagine how awesome Herbstreat/Franklin would be? Keep Mike Patrick with Craig James, they are excellent together and make any game watchable. 
Enough for today, Go Horns. BTHOOM

13 October 2009

Ideas from watching Jazz by Ken Burns

First off... see previous post regarding how Jazz is truly American Patriotic Music.

Now...

I find it interesting how much Jazz really really really drives home that race is an issue in America. To be fair, you can't talk about the music without race as a factor in the discussion. But the way Burns does it, he almost goes over the top... but just as he's about to go too far, he dials it back. That and the musicians involved are so damn amazing that their genius is undeniable.

And that's what he's trying to drive to, at least as far as I can tell... he's driving to the idea that Jazz transcends races, it was started by Blacks in New Orleans, but has transformed and reshaped itself into a truly American concept. If anything, Jazz was the true mechanism by which Black culture pushed through and shifted American ideas to meet its own nature and in doing so, shape America unlike just about anything else.

Jazz is everything... and it is nothing. It is just music after all. But saying that is like saying that Jerusalem is just a city. Jazz has shifted the world musically unlike anything that had come before since the ideas of Beethoven. Jazz pushed music to places no one had thought to go, as an expression ultimately of freedom from the constraints of what has come before and the tyranny of what comes next. Jazz is the ultimate expression of NOW.

Everything American about music stems from Jazz. It pushed the boundaries of what came before and opened the world to a truly new idea.

That being said... just because its truly American doesn't mean it is evil imperialism. If anything, its the idea of what people really felt America as an ideal always has been... freedom of ideas and innovation of a concept beyond constraints seen before. That idea has been lost some how, buried under the reality of who is expressing the ideas and their inability to listen to one side or another. Jazz, in an odd way reflects that as well. Its been divided into intense schools since Bop punched Swing in the chest and pushed the music ever forward in the 40's and 50's.

Jazz is a reflection of America as a concept, an ideal, a history, and is the musical landscape that shaped the 20th Century.

Orkkimus Fattimus


Orkkimus Fattimus, originally uploaded by pkhtexas.

He's done... needs paint... pictures as promised

12 October 2009

He's done, now to paint...

Orkimus Fattimus is complete... pic coming... now he requires paint. I've also ripped apart some of my old Black Reach Orks and added Shoota Arms. Just needed more shoota boys as they are better in general.

That's all for now, I will take a pic or two tonight and post his jumboness in all its glory...

11 October 2009

Texas

Good:

  • Shipley is amazing... great game with 2 touchdown
  • The defense is special... they fly to the ball and adjust from series to series
  • Colt is Colt... he has that flair to him that makes him seem invincible, even when everything else is falling apart
  • Points from everywhere... blocked punt, punt return for a TD, interception return for a TD
Bad:

  • Running game... they racked up under 50 yards rushing as a team... AS A TEAM!
  • Kick Off coverage... what the hell... seriously... cover a damn kick
  • Punts... *FACEDESK* two pooch style punts, both blown kicks... the hell are you trying to accomplish with this crap?
Over all, a win is a win, but man, it is hard to feel great about your team when they make you mad with frustration.

Still... Hook 'Em

07 October 2009

What is Patriotic Music?

Watching Ken Burns Jazz and something occurs to me...

People should feel as patriotic when they hear In The Mood or Sing Sing Sing or 1 O'Clock Jump or Swingin at the Savoy or Mood Indigo as they do when they hear America the Beautiful or even the National Anthem.

Those songs are truly American, without force or contrivance, and grew from a uniquely American idea and environment. Just brilliance and exploration of what you can do with music that really only could have happened in the melting pot of America in the early 20th Century.

So I ask you this if you hate Jazz... Why do you hate America?

05 October 2009

Thoughts

Raw was good tonight,better than its been in a while. The US Title match was outstanding, and really told a good story, as did the main event. I think we are looking at possibly the end of an era with HBK and Taker both on their last legs. Rothlesburger was a good guest host... when they are big fans of the product, it shines through.

Didn't get any work done on Orkimus tonight, had other things to prepare for... more on that later.

Habit kept, daily blog done... going to sleep.

Weekly Warhammer Update - Orks have finally hit the table

I've been able to snag 2 games of 40k this week. My Orks have performed as expected, Nobs being a real pain in the ass to kill, and everything else still figuring itself out. I am trying to learn what my army is capable of without just going out and snagging an army list on the net. What I know so far:
  • Nobs are a pain in the ass to kill... and if you have a varied load out for them, 5th ed wound allocation gets a little cheesy
  • Meganobs are fun, and scare people, but regular nobs are overall better
  • Storm Boys are great, but I've only played with Boss Zagstrukk. Next game I play, I'm going to go for the full 20 mob and an old fashioned Nob with Power Klaw.
  • My Battlewagon is also stout, and makes a hell of a "please shoot me" kind of target... I think I need 2 more.
  • Big Mek with Kustom Force Field is kind of like cheating... but it keeps trucks alive far longer than they should stay upright
I have also gotten work done on Orkus Fattimus (Warlord on Bike, too fat to really "ride" in the traditional sense). I will post pictures once I have something that looks more finished, but he's going to be hilarious. Thanks to my roomate for all the sculpting and creative assistance. 

On the Fantasy side of things, Archaon finally got here. Games Workshop really needs to get their shit together when it comes to special order shipping. If they are going to remove so much of the line to force direct orders, it really ought to get to customers faster. When I ordered him, I was still thinking of building every army around him... now... he will come out for fun, but not as a staple. He's assembled, and hopefully Thursday night I will get a feel for how good he can be.

I still need marauders on foot, but I really wish I didn't have to. The army is called Chaos Warriors... I really would love to actually put them on the table without hamstringing myself points wise.

Okay, enough ramblings for tonight...

02 October 2009

10 Live Albums You Should Own

In no particular order, but all great albums...
  • Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis - Live In Swing City (Swingin' with Duke): brilliant musicians playing music that is beyond timeless to utter perfection.
  • The Black Crowes - Before The Frost ... Until the Freeze: Just something about this disc keeps me coming back again and again. Its really good. Especially the middle with The Band Played On, Where Love Lives and Lazy Antelope. I could listen to those three tracks for days...
  • Brad Mehldau - Live in Tokyo: Just the man, playing piano. Monk's Dream and Someone to Watch Over Me are great, but the near 30-minute Paranoid Android defines Mehldau's passion at interpretation and performance.
  • Bruce Hornsby - Here Come the Noise Makers: Great songs from top to bottom, never mind the stout musicianship.
  • Phish - Live Phish Vol 5:  Phish is an all time love, and always will be I think. I've heard hours and hours of their concerts, but Vol 5 is probably my favorite collection. Silent In the Morning into Possum is a great way to start a day. Run Like an Antelope finds its rhythm beautifully. And of course the Tweezer sandwich.
  • Rodrigo y Gabriella - Live in Japan: Once you hear these two, and then see them play, you can't help but be addicted. They have so much energy and life in their performance, and their skill at the instrument is almost beyond category. 
  • Willie Nelson and Wynton Marsalis - Two Men with the Blues: Just go listen to it. If you don't like it, I think you might be dead inside.
  • John Mayer - Where the Light Is: John Mayer Live In Los Angelas: So yeah, I like me some blues. This CD is really 3 bands... 1st is Mayer playing solo acoustic guitar showing off what made him famous, 2nd is the John Mayer Trio playing electric blues with chops that make you understand why he's so regarded as a guitar player, 3rd is the band Mayer put together for Continuum where he still brings the blues along. The 2nd set is really why you check this out. The guy covers Hendrix, and has the chops to truly pull it off.
  • The Dropkick Murphys - Live on St. Patrick's Day: One of my favorite band's in their element, showing off what makes them so damn good.
  • Kaizers Orchestra - Live at Vega:  Doesn't matter that its not in English. Doesn't matter that its a band you've never heard of. Go watch them live on YouTube. Be converted to the congregation. God I can't wait to see these guys play in the states. If you dig DKM or Flogging Molly, these guys will knock your socks off.