So another Tuesday rolled around, which meant only one thing for me and my crew, Pub Trivia. Throughout the Bay Area, local bars and pubs have a weekly trivia night, where teams compete intellectually to earn various prizes such as free beers, mugs and money off your tab. Teams of 4-6 members are the norm and there are usually anywhere from 5-10 teams competing. For the most part, trivia night lasts around 2 hours, and includes 7 rounds of questions. Question categories can range anywhere from general knowledge to pop culture to history to medicine and so forth. Many locals teams, which we like to call "the regulars", are generally very smart and earn most of the prizes, but its an awesome feeling when my team of 22 year olds, the BLUE BARRACUDAS, can embarrass them by pulling out a victory.


So last night he Blue Barracudas finished in a very respectable 2nd place behind a group of what looked to be a bunch of historians/engineers/professors. We were the youngest team there, and winning second place was a great feeling because you could see the anguish in the other teams faces due to the fact they couldn't outsmart intoxicated kids. Well, the purpose of this rant is to challenge you to come out to these events to see if you can beat the Blue Barracudas. We can be found every Tuesday at the San Jose location. Let me warn you however; it will not be easy. Our work ethic and diversity are top notch, so bring your A game. Before you come to a trivia I also suggest you test your knowledge on some basic games that Become.com offers, so that you're not embarrassed in front of the other teams. Check out trivial pursuit and jeopardy, those might be able to help you a little.


Well, that's it for now. Check out the schedules and dates for these events, and maybe you'll learn a thing or two.

Brent

Posted by Brent at 05:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Boring weekends are never a good thing. Typically the television studios choose the weekends that they know you will be sitting around doing nothing to show the marathon of terrible teen comedies or really bad sci-fi thrillers. I was in such a pickle this weekend before realizing that I was in fact the owner of Comcast On Demand. Not one to venture outside into the terrifying light of the bright orb in the sky, I knew that I must find another form of entertainment. This is when I discovered two glorious things:

1) Godzilla Final Was.
I am a big fan of Godzilla movies. Anyone who tries to tell me that the production value is terrible, the writing is non-existent, and the acting is near high school level is just missing the point. The fact is there is something innately satisfying about the movies that keep me coming back. Well I was under the impression that the Ultimate in Godzilla movies was Godzilla vs. Mechazilla (the one made this decade). That movie seemed to have the highest budget of any Godzilla movies I had seen, and was quite entertaining. This was until I came across Godzilla Final War. This movie is literally the Godzilla movie to end all Godzilla movies. The movie begins with Godzilla getting trapped under the Antarctic by what can only be described as a flying drill of death. As monsters being to attack every city on the planet, a force of mutant humans that were conveniently discovered is formed to do crazy wire fighting with giant monsters while wearing motocross gear. This alone is the premise for a great movie, but then aliens show up. Now there are aliens, monsters, super mutants, and just about every other sci-fi element possible in a movie. Oh and Don Frye. At the end of the 2 hour movie I felt as though I had lived 2 lifetimes, I had to take a nap.

2) Flight of the Conchords
New Zealand is not exactly a place that crosses my mind more than once every 5 years. I think it has been burned into my mind as "the place they filmed the Lord of the Rings." You can imagine my shock when I discovered that they have comedy over there. In fact, the tiny island seems to have bred the funniest comedy duo I have seen in quite some time. The Flight of the Conchords is one of those shows that gets canceled even though it's better than anything else on TV. Sure, I had seen a few advertisements floating around, but I never really considered giving the show a shot. Finally this weekend I was told by a friend to watch Episode one, and had to then watch the entire Season one. The show is pure comedy. The best way I can describe the show is, and I apologize for the butchery I am about to commit, "Arrested Development with Music." It just has the feel of ridiculous people, in ridiculous situations. It's real in a lot of ways, but it also has a certain surreal nature that gives it its charm. The best way to show the brilliance is this:

and

oh and

Kris

Posted by Kris at 10:41 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Every once in a while you come across an interesting new product that you have to have, regardless of how unpractical it might be, in this case for someone like myself who lives in California and never goes camping. However, I found this item a couple weeks back while I was doing some research here at Become.com. I was updating some of the camping and hiking pages on our website and was lucky enough to stumble upon the Exped Wallcreeper Sleeping Bag. I've gotten looks from my friends I told about this product, like I'm and idiot or something, but let me just explain to you some of the awesome features.


At first glance it might just look like an ordinary sleeping bag, but trust me, it is much more than that. The sleeping bag converts to a sleeveless down parka so you can walk around and hang out without leaving the warmth and comfort of the sleeping bag. The Wallcreeper has armhole zippers and a drawstring opening for your feet, as well as a hood. So when you decide to move around and hang out, where ever you may be, you can simply unzip the armholes and untie the drawstring... and off you go. Now as I mentioned I'm not a huge camping and outdoors enthusiast, but regardless, I can easily see the advantages with this sleeping bag to lounge around the campground. As for myself and any other home bodies, is there not anything better than a warm, cozy blanket that moves around with you? Personally, I can't think of a better feeling than getting bundled up during a cold, brisk winter night.


And, what an awesome holiday gift idea...*cough cough* (mom, dad, girlfriend). It's a perfect time to get this for any family member or friend for the holiday and winter season. Can't you just picture yourself wrapped up near the campfire with this thing, or enjoying a good movie at home during the cold? I know I can. Well, just thought I would share my feelings about this product since most people I've talked to think it's ridiculous. Anyways, tell me what you think about it, or anything else you think is worthy of being shared.

Brent

Posted by Brent at 05:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Fill Your Cravings at the Circus of Values!

Sorry for the delay on this thing, it's been quite a month here at Become. As I do, I will present to you this carnival in a very creative form.... a list. (I promise you a more creative format next time)

- Terri S at in which i say home >is cleaning out her closet.

- Golbguru at Money, Matter, and More Musings says that Best Buy is completely full of it.

- The Happy Rock breaks down the Shopping Calandar.

- Christina at Credit Card Lowdown is all about the Firefox Addons for Frugal Web Shoppers.

- Mad Kane's Humor Blog thinks that a Bulletproof backpack is ridiculous - We agree.

- Doris Goes Shopping loves teddy bears (with a heart), baby shoes, stuff she bought online.

- Kyle at Rather Be Shopping is heading back to school and giving bargain tips .

- Stop the Ride just got a huge Ebates check.

- Pajama Mommy is a huge fan of Ibakesale

- The Simple Dollar isn't scared of Store Brands.

- Tonic Gifts> gives us some gift buying advice.

- Shannon at Saving Advice says that brand names are not always the best, and Ann divulges the secrets of the Mall Kiosk.

- Pink Rock Candy says you can shop Lulu's for under $100.

- Super Punch found a useless radar gun for kids, with an even more useless commercial.

Posted by Kris at 10:05 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

There is a fascinating article over at the Washington Post that continues on the "games as art" debate that has been somewhat prevalent these days. Mike Musgrove, the technology columnist gave a copy of the critically exalted new title Bioshock to the Pulitzer Prize winning book critic Michael Dirda. The task was to, without assistance, play through Bioshock and determine if it's story is worthy of the title "art." After playing through the game Dirda had some very positive things to say. "I could lose myself in this, in some ways, easier than a book," and "{video games} obviously have artistic value." However on Bioshock is Art, he goes on to say "I would hesitate to go that far, when there is a video game that makes the player depressed, that is when the medium might be onto something as an art form."

Must an art form be depressing, or at least capable of being depressing? First of all, the nature of the experiment was such that it could never have produced a complete result. While Bioshock does give the player a certain sense of power, and doesn't leave the player "depressed" so the speak, there is a definite emotional reaction to the story that is portrayed. Throughout the story the player experiences everything from complete shock at the atrocities which have befallen Rapture (the little sisters anyone?), to terror, to moral satisfaction. There are many points in the game where the player must make a moral choice (whether to harvest or rescue the little sisters for Adam), and making that choice can make the player feel remorseful or justified. Bioshock does end with a certain satisfaction, but this is not true for every game. The Darkness, for example, leaves the player with a serious sense of failure after beating the game. The player isn't dissatisfied with the result, but feels as though they have lost the real battle.

Musgrove makes the point, "Would anybody play a game that makes him sad." My answer to that question is a resounding "yes," as long as there is a element of "fun" along with that sadness. In fact, if a player is seriously emotionally connected with a character in the story (see death of Aeris) they are far more likely to enjoy the experience they are having. Since the player gains control of a character in a video game their emotional attachment to that character is more powerful than with books or movies. This is why Dirda found it so easy to become lost in the story of Bioshock. Since he was controlling Jack's actions in the story, he was a moral actor in the same story that was being told to him. That is the power of video games as an art form.

One can say, "video games are not literature," and be entirely accurate. Video games should not be held to the same standard as books (not that they should be held to a lower standard either). In the end it seems as through Dirda has an open mind to the concept of Video Games as art, which is more than you can say for many. There is no denying that this medium has reached a critical mass, and there is no stopping it.

Thanks to Joystiq.

Kris

Posted by Kris at 11:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

One day after the highly anticipated release of Kanye West's Graduation, and 50 Cent's Curtis albums, the two rappers are still duking it out to see who will sell the most records in the first week. It was reported a while ago, and mentioned in my previous entry, that if Kanye West outsold 50 Cent on September 11 (the release date), then 50 would retire from writing music and producing solo albums. Well the numbers are in for September 11 album purchases. According to Billboard, Kanye West sold 437,000 copies of his album, Graduation in its first day of sales on Tuesday, which out sold 50 Cent's Curtis album by about 127,000. So, according to 50's statement a month ago, it would seem that is solo career is over.


I wouldn't be so sure though; it appears that Kanye and 50 will wait 1 week to compare album sales. Even though sales and trend lines suggest that Kanye will out sell 50 quite easily, it's really hard for me to imaging someone like Curtis Jackson (50 Cent) actually shallowing his pride and sticking to his word. Wouldn't it be nice though? We'll see.

Anyways, as Kris mentioned, it's a very busy time for us here at Become. There are a lot of cool features we're adding to the site that is going to make become.com awesome. So check back regularly!

Also: Rock Band for xbox 360 and PS3 -- its going to be rad. Check it out!
Brent

Posted by Brent at 04:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

It's a crazy week here at Become, with lots of new things coming to the main site in the next few weeks. However, with all of this excitement it's becoming harder and harder to get time to work out a real article on Pocketchange. Fear not loyal readers, we'll be doing what we can.

Well, this week marks a very important day in the life of those people who've spent far too much money on their Playstation 3's. This is the week that Heavenly Sword comes out. Sure, it may be "Goddess of War," but do you remember how cool God of War 2 was? If it comes even to 50% of the awesome that is God of War it will be well worth the playtime.

So grats to the PS3 owners, you now own at least one (maybe 2) quality game. Go bake yourself a cake, pretty soon Sony won't even have to edit the competition's Wikipedia articles.

also: kittens

Kris

Posted by Kris at 01:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Today was just another normal day where Apple introduces a product that changes the world. Steve Jobs and the Apple team have done it again by introducing the iPod Touch, along with major upgrades on the iPod shuffle, iPod Nano, and the classic iPod.

The iPod Touch, which was officially introduced to the public at 10:30 am this morning, looks like an identical replica of the iPhone that was introduced in January. Basically it is the iPhone, but without the phone. The screen is the exact same size as the iPhone, but the Touch is 8mm slimmer and also offers the multi-touch interface. Obviously the main inspiration behind the iPod Touch is music, but this new devise has a lot more to offer than just that.

The most exciting technology on the iPod Touch is the build-in WIFI, which allows you to browse the Internet thanks to the addition of the safari browser. And for all you youtube addicts out there, the WIFI browser allows you to view millions of free streaming videos. Go ahead and take you time watching all of these videos, because the iPod Touch has a life; 22 hours audio, 5 hours video playback.

Now that I've reviewed some of the features of the iPod Touch, you might be asking yourself if you'll have to take out a second mortgage of you house just to afford one. The iPod touch comes in at a resonable price of $299 for the 8GB and $399 for the 16GB. I'm guessing the prices are so reasonable because of the size of the hard drives, but now I'm just being greedy. The next generation of these iPod Touch's will most definitely come out with more memory.

Now if you thought that was all the new Touch had to offer, then you my friend are sorely mistaken. Along with the WIFI, the iPod Touch has an iTunes WIFI music store. This feature acts exactly like the iTunes store on your desktop, but now you can download and purchase music from your iPod whenever you'd like. And after you do that, the music with automatically sync to you iTunes.

So, I'm not sure about anyone else, but personally, I'm stoked. Besides the minimal hard drive space, this device seems to have anything I could ever want. And when my current iPod has its inevitable hard drive crash, I will be sure to look into the new iPod Touch. The iPod's should be available for purchase in the next few weeks.

Oh, and as a little side note, which shouldn't be overlooked by the introduction of the iPod Touch, The Office Season 3 came out on DVD yesterday. Even though I have already downloaded all the episodes through iTunes, this is one of those shows where you HAVE to purchase the box set. For those of you who have not caught on with this show, you should also check out seasons 1 and 2. Trust me, you will not be disappointed!

Brent

Posted by Brent at 11:09 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Honestly, it goes without saying that television these days is nothing but worthless junk spread out over 99% of the day on 4500 channels. It's gotten to the point where quite often the best thing on TV was made in 1994. Every once in a while a show like Heroes comes along and actually provides us with some entertaining television, but most of the time we get another version of CSI, a new reality show, or Law and Order CAARIWS (Crimes against angry rabbits in white suits) Unit. The main problem is that the studios have no idea what people actually like. Sure, they have a pretty good idea of what people watch, but when it comes to what shows people really enjoy and why they enjoy them, they are clueless. Take for example the new shows on the fall lineup:

ABC - Cavemen (aka 'it's like those funny Geiko commercials, see!), Carpoolers (nothing says hilarious like 3 hours of morning traffic), Pushing Daisies, Private Practice, Dirty Sexy Money (...what?), Big Shots, Women's Murder Club (...?),
CBS - The Big Bang Theory (oh euphemism), Cane, Kid Nation, Moonlight, Viva Laughlin! (musical/drama... I'm bashing my head into my desk right now).
CW - Aliens in America (Never been done before!), Reaper, Gossip Girl, Online Nation (It's a show about the internets!), CWNow (lolnews?), Life is Wild (rawr?).
FOX - K-Ville (a village of K-feds? I could only dream.), Back to you, Kitchen Nightmares (a reality show about cooking, how unique), American Band (oh boy, more bad music from reality TV stars), Nashville (MORE bad music from reality TV stars - country edition),
NBC - Bionic Woman (Vroommchahahahahhaa), Life (Always look on the bright side of it).

So that is the network TV schedule. Just by the names alone you can tell that the majority of these shows are going to suck. The returning shows aren't much better. In fact, in the entire network TV lineup only one show is worth watching: Heroes.

And cable isn't much better. Comedy Central brings us new episodes of Futurama and South Park, but they also bring us new episodes of The Sarah Silverman Program, and for that they cannot be forgiven. FX gives us a heaping wad of nothing. HBO decides that they want to stop offering quality TV. SciFi takes a break from playing movies like Megasnake to give us new Battlestar Galactica. Showtime... well, does anyone even watch Showtime? Finally, USA proves that they can in fact show nothing but Law and Order for 23 hours a day.

As I said, American TV studios have no idea what makes entertaining TV. The key word in that statement is "entertaining." We have gotten very good at making flashy, quaint, charming, high-budget, and star studded TV, but we have no idea what makes entertaining TV. Lets look at Japanese television and a show called Ninja Warrior. The concept is simple, take people who've been training for months and put them on a challenging obstacle course. When they win it is a feel good story of triumph, and when they lose we get to chuckle that they just fell in muddy water. We used to do television like this. We were the nation that brought the world American Gladiators, but now we remake it years later as a reality TV show.

Worthless.

Kris

Posted by Kris at 12:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)