"Open Source... Manga?" or "Ubunchu!"

This is a weird one.

Linux, as many know, is an arduous and impossible to use operating system used by nerds and IT professionals, as they are the only ones who could ever use such archaic things as a command prompt.

Okay, well, that's the mainstream view of linux circa 2000... these days there are linux distros that are even easier to use than MacOSX, and ones that require a lot of code compiling. For a good middle ground though, something akin to the difficulty of running windows and such (which is very easy), there's Ubuntu and it's spin offs like Linux Mint.

I have linux on installed on four computers in this house... (Ubuntu 8.10, Linux Mint 6, Fedora 11 Beta, and Damn Small Linux). I also have Vista 64 on two computers, XP on three, and I'm trying to get MacOSX 10.5.6 installed on my AMD laptop (stupid chipset is holding me back) multi-boot with vista, and two linux distros. So I know a thing or two about OSes.

I would have never guessed that a linux distro would be the subject of a Japanese comic or manga.


I am currently downloading the manga, which is available free in PDF form (Open Source Comics?) Ubunchu is comic of 3 school students in a system-admin club who are getting into Ubuntu. It's just a little out there in my honest opinion.

Get the PDF here: Ubunchu PDF

Source: Doctor MO's Blog

"Splitscreen Gaming Revisited" or "8-player Wii Racing"

A long while back, when this blog was brand new, I did a post about splitscreen gaming and how I felt that it should be brought back as a viable option for multiplayer gaming. Imagine my surprise when today, in Glenview, IL (a few miles away) a publisher announced a racing game for the Wii that supports up to 8 player splitscreen.

The Wii is by no means a graphical powerhouse, this much is true to be sure. But any console would quickly be brought to it's knees with 8 player views being rendered to the same screen. The game is currently in the ALPHA stage (as in so early it's basically the first build worth showing off at all and is by no means the final version) and the art style is simple, yet I don't know what other direction they could have gone with the art style given the number of players they want to allow. Realism would have killed this game.

The other thing that makes me interested in the game is the designer, Archer MacLean. He was the designer responsible for the successful PSP title Mercury Meltdown as well as the Wii game Mercury Meltdown Revolution (though it escapes me if he was involved in that version directly). The guy seems to favor a minimalist art style and seems to put gameplay above all else.

With all that in mind I present the ALPHA trailer for SpeedZone:

"NoA Doesn't Actually Listen?" or "What The *&$# Is Going On In Redmond?"

So a while ago I wrote a post about how Nintendo listens to consumers and gamers and delivers to them... the problem is that while Nintendo as a whole might, it's North American branch, Nintendo of America (NoA), seems to be forgetting the gamers and customers who got it where it is today.

Now it's time for examples. These following games have been clamored for by North American gamers, and have been released by Nintendo elsewhere in the world:

Disaster: Day of Crisis


Fatal Frame 4


Earthbound 3


So we have three games listed (this is a small sampling just to keep videos short) but there are others like Metroid Prime 1 and 2 for the Wii (updated controls and other features) or Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask for the Virtual Console.

The problem is that the now president of Nintendo of America, a Mr. Reginald "Reggie" Fil-Aime, seems to have lost touch with the core gamer. He was quoted as saying that Animal Crossing was Nintendo's core gamer title last year, a viewpoint that is viewed as an insult to the core gamer community. This is in stark contrast to the Reggie of only a few years ago when he was "about kicking ass and taking names" at E32006.

Now the issue may lie with Nintendo Corporate Limited in Japan, but I don't think Reggie is keeping in touch with the gamers he impressed just a few short years ago. The problem is that Nintendo of America as a whole seems to be out of the loop in terms of what the core gamer wants, they are content to focus on the more mainstream crowd while giving us lip service that they care about core gamers.

There is a slight caveat here though, Nintendo delivered more iterations of their core franchises sooner this generation. Within the first two years we had Zelda, Mario, Metroid, Smash Bros. but the problem is those are all great games, but there are new IPs out there that can and should be introduced to North American gamers that Nintendo refuses to pay attention to.

In the end, I like the Wii, I have some great games for it, and I don't need more and more and more like some gamers who seem to always want a backlog... but I am sick of the lip service. I will definitely be watching E3 in June with great interest to see if Nintendo wakes up or not.

"Something Random, Something New" or "Jailhouse Rock"

I know that many people are aware of the CPDRC Inmates, but I was not even aware of this frankly amazing penitentiary and it's story. Apparently this system of discipline is now being used throughout the Philippines.

Embedding of the more important video (a 20 minute documentary on the prison) is not allowed, but here's a link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wAjItY7X0Yc

And now for your viewing pleasure, Cannon in D:

"These People Hate People Like Me" or "Everyone's a Hypocrite"

No lengthy dissertation this time, just a video.

I do have to say, these people are culturally bankrupt to think that gaming has nothing to offer a person. I can spend my time on twitter, facebook, myspace, collecting comics, or watching E!, but I choose videogames because I find it to be a fun hobby that allows me to experience art and some culture, as well as allowing me to be exposed to some new ideas.