Stephan: Entertainment

Koninginnedag 2008

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 22:25:48 GMT

Mijn dag begon om 10 voor 7. Een half uurtje later struinde ik in Wageningen over de rommelmarkt. Mijn hoofdzakelijke zoektermen: Jurassic Park en Nintendo. De plastic dinosaurussen van het Jurassic Park blijven me fascineren, maar deze zijn op rommelmarkten al jaren amper te vinden. Omdat ik nog steeds een beetje Nintendo-fan ben, hou ik altijd oude computerspellen in de gaten. Ik zag 3 stapeltjes, maar ik merkte dat m'n interesse in games enorm is afgenomen. Dus ik heb ze lekker laten liggen.
Ineens zag ik een man lopen met een prachtige houten motorfiets, van ongeveer 30 centimeter lang. "Zo, die man boft zeg! Die heeft zo vroeg al de mooiste koop van de dag gedaan!" Toen hij hem op z'n kleedje zette, bleek dat hij hem juist wilde verkopen. In eerste instantie liep ik door: ik hou niet van motors en ik had wel door dat het niet een handvol kleingeld ging kosten. Na 10 stapte draaide ik om. Hij was te mooi en speciaal om te laten staan! Na een beetje afdingen kreeg ik hem mee voor een goede prijs. Ik ving nog net op dat ie uit Indonesië komt.

Met mijn kooplust bevredigd ging ik naar huis, iets achter op schema. Nadat ik m'n spullen had gepakt, sprong ik om kwart over 8 op de fiets. Op naar het Doornse Gat! We hadden een leuk dagje met de gemeente gepland. Men was bang dat het zou verregenen, maar ik hield de moed er in.
Toen ik langs een schapenweitje kwam, zag ik 2 lammetjes die nog maar net uit het ei waren gekomen. Ze keken om zich heen en ik zag ze denken: "Nou, waar blijft die Konginin?!?"

Vanaf Rhenen fietste ik samen met vrienden in een recordtempo naar het natuurrecreatiegebied in Doorn. Toen we er om 10 uur aankwamen, waren we de eersten. Het was heerlijk om in de frisse lente-natuur te zijn! Toen even later ook de rest kwam, hebben we ons prima vermaakt. We kregen even een licht buitje op de kop, maar dat gaf meer sfeer dan dat het vervelend was. Er was onweer gepland, maar daar hebben we gelukkig geen last van gehad. Want onweer begint flitsend, maar er komt altijd gedonder van.

Om een kort verhaal lang te maken, aan het einde van de dag zijn we naar huis gefietst en hebben daar pannenkoeken gebakken/gegeten met z'n 8en. En toen de laatste 6 kilometer naar m'n eigen huisje. Op de foto's die ik net maakte van m'n nieuwe houten motor, ontdekte ik ook nog eens een paar snoepjes onder de bank. Wat wil een mens nog meer?

Dino museum

Sun, 13 Apr 2008 15:16:59 GMT

Yesterday I went to the Natuurhisterisch Museum Maastricht. They had 4 dinosaurs skeletons from China (Beijing Natural History Museum). This was my day:

9:20 My friend and I take the bus and train to the other side of the Netherlands.
13:05 We have arrived and a friend of my friend joins us. We walk towards the museum. I lead the way but they don't notice. When they ask if we have any idea where we're going, we're almost there.
13:30 The nature history museum has some big dino skeletons from China, but they're in another building. This building has some less thrilling stuff. While we watch a projected movie, a baby makes us laugh by shouting "ball! ball!" whenever a picture of the Earth is shown.
15:30 We arrive at the other building, where the Chinese skeletons are. One of them is so huge that it doesn't fit on the pictures I try to take. Sweet.
16:15 We try to find something to eat. We're slowly becoming really silly. A candle burns a bit of my hair when I try to pick something from the floor. We make each other pretty nervous, but it's fun.
17:45 We're taking the train home again. We're whistling and singing a bit. It isn't loud and I don't think anyone is really bothered by it. My friend's friend leaves us and we continue our journey.
21:15 Home again. I traveled for 7 hours just to watch dino skeletons! I'm such a nerd!

Chindogu: unuseless inventions

Wed, 19 Mar 2008 17:36:16 GMT

A double-headed tooth brush for cleaning your upper and lower teeth at the same time.
A ctr-alt-del stick that lets you press the key combination with one hand.
Baby clothes combined with a duster (lets your baby clean the floor).

Welcome to the world of chindogu. The Japanese word means 'unusual tool'. The inventor of shindogu, Kenji Kawakami, likes to think of it as 'unuseless inventions'. They have to be gadgets on the edge of reason. They solve one problem, but cause a bigger problem. And that's why nobody will ever use them.

Kenji Kawakami has come up with more than 600 chindogu. They are free and everybody is welcome to make their own. But there are some rules before they can be called chindogu:

# A chindogu cannot be for real use.

# A chindogu must physically exist.

# Inherent in every chindogu is the spirit of anarchy.

# Chindogu are tools for everyday life.

# Chindogu are not for sale.

# Humor must not be the sole reason for creating chindogu.

# Chindogu are not propaganda.

# Chindogu are never taboo.

# Chindogu cannot be patented.

# Chindogu are without prejudice.

So check these example pictures and start inventing!
(Source: http://www.japaninc.com/article.php?articleID=762 and several other websites found through Google.)

About the Activision Blizzard merge...

Mon, 03 Dec 2007 23:34:13 GMT

Picture says it all:

IGN Top 100 Games 2007

Sun, 02 Dec 2007 15:15:02 GMT

Gaming site IGN has graduately revealed their top 100 games of this year. You can find the website here: http://top100.ign.com/2007/index.html
Of course some of them don't really fit in (Rayman 2??) and they might have missed a few big ones, but overall it's a nice compilation.

Because the IGN site doesn't read very easily (1 page per game), here is the full list. I highlighted the games I have played and/or own.

100. Archon: The Light and the Dark - C64, NES, PC (1984)
99. Rayman 2: The Great Escape - DC, N64, PC, PSX, PS2 (2000)
98. Quake II - MAC, N64, PC, PSX (1997)
97. Silent Hill 2 - PC, PS2, XBX (2001)
96. Wave Race 64 - N64 (1996)
95. Bionic Commando - ARC, GB, NES, PC (1988)
94. NiGHTS into Dreams... - SAT (1996)
93. Ultima VII: The Black Gate - PC, SNES (1992)
92. WipEout 3 - PSX (1999)
91. Pilotwings - SNES (1991)

90. Okami - PS2 (2006)
89. Alone in the Dark - 3DO, MAC, PC, PSX, SAT (1992)
88. Star Wars (Atari) - ARC (1983)
87. Advance Wars - GBA (2001)
86. Perfect Dark - N64 (2000)
85. Mafia - PC, PS2, XBX (2002)
84. Maniac Mansion: Day of the Tentacle - MAC, PC (1993)
83. World of Warcraft - MAC, PC (2004)
82. Syndicate - 3DO, GEN, JAG, MAC, PC, SNES (1993)
81. Space Invaders - 2600, 5200, ARC, GB (1978)

80. Ninja Gaiden Black - XBX (2005)
79. Secret of Mana - SNES (1993)
78. The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening - GB, GBC (1993)
77. Star Fox - SNES (1993)
76. Final Fantasy VII - PC, PS2 (1997)
75. GoldenEye 007 - N64 (1997)
74. Sam & Max Hit the Road - MAC, PC (1993)
73. Resident Evil - PC, PSX, SAT (1996)
72. MechWarrior 2 - MAC, PC, PSX, SAT (1996)
71. Planescape: Torment - PC (1999)

70. Tecmo Bowl - GB, NES (1987)
69. Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty - PS2 (2001)
68. Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time - GCN, PC, PS2, XBX (2003)
67. Mega Man 2 - NES (1988)
66. Burnout 3: Takedown - PS2, XBX (2004)
65. Thief II: The Metal Age - PC (2000)
64. Total Annihilation - MAC, PC (1997)
63. Virtua Fighter 4: Evolution - ARC, PS2 (2003)
62. Wolfenstein 3-D - 3DO, JAG, MAC, PC, SNES (1992)
61. Phantasy Star IV - GEN, PC (1994)

60. Prince of Persia - GEN, NES, PC, SCD, SGG, SMS, SNES, TG-16 (1989)
59. Command & Conquer: Red Alert - PC, PSX (1996)
58. Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!! - NES (1987)
57. ICO - PS2 (2001)
56. NHL '94 - GEN, PC, SCD, SNES (1993)
55. Final Fantasy II (actually FF IV in Japan) - GBA, PSX, SNES, WSC (1991)
54. Contra - ARC, GB, NES, SGG (1988)
53. Rome: Total War - PC (2004)
52. Dune II: The Building of a Dynasty - PC
51. Sonic the Hedgehog - GBA, GEN, SGG (1991)

50. Super Smash Bros. - N64 (2001)
49. Guitar Hero II - PS2, X360 (2006)
48. Shining Force II - GEN (1994)
47. God of War - PS2 (2005)
46. Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 - DC, MAC, N64, PC, PSX (2000)
45. Battlefield 1942 - MAC, PC (2002)
44. Panzer Dragoon Saga - SAT (1998)
43. Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn - MAC, PC (2000)
42. The Legend of Zelda - NES (1987)
41. Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island - GBA, SNES (1996)

40. Gran Turismo 3 A-spec - PS2 (2001)
39. Super Mario Bros. 3 - NES (1990)
38. Final Fantasy Tactics - PSX (1998)
37. Pokémon Blue Version - GB (1998)
36. Grim Fandango - PC (1998)
35. Grand Theft Auto III - PC, PS2, XBX (2001)
34. Deus Ex - MAC, PC, PS2 (2000)
33. Fallout - MAC, PC (1997)
32. Halo: Combat Evolved - XBX, MAC, PC (2001)
31. The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask - N64 (2000)

30. Metroid Prime - GCN (2002)
29. Dragon Warrior - NES (1989)
28. Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness - MAC, PC (1995)
27. Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic - MAC, PC, XBX (2003)
26. Half-Life - MAC, PC, PS2 (1998)
25. SimCity 2000 - MAC, PC, N64, PSX, SAT, SNES (1996)
24. Street Fighter II: The World Warrior - ARC, PC, SNES (1991)
23. Super Mario Kart - SNES (1992)
22. System Shock 2 - PC (1999)
21. X-COM: UFO Defense - PC, PSX (1993)

20. Metal Gear Solid - PC, PSX (1998)
19. Doom - 3DO, 32X, MAC, PC, PSX, SAT, SNES (1993)
18. Chrono Trigger - PSX, SNES (1995)
17. Super Mario World - GBA, SNES (1990)
16. Shadow of the Colossus - PS2 (2005)
15. Castlevania: Symphony of the Night - PSX, SAT (1997)
14. Pirates! (1987) - MAC, NES, PC (1987)
13. Ms. Pac-Man - 5200, ARC, GB, GEN, LYX, SNES
12. Star Wars: TIE Fighter (Collector's CD-ROM) - PC (1995)
11. StarCraft - MAC, PC (1998)

10. Resident Evil 4 - GCN, PC, PS2, Wii (2005)
9. Final Fantasy III (US) - GBA, PSX, SNES (1994)
8. The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past - GBA, SNES (1992)
7. Super Metroid - SNES (1994)
6. Half-Life 2 - PC, XBX (2004)
5. Super Mario 64 - N64 (1996)
4. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time - N64 (1998)
3. Civilization II - MAC, PC, PSX (1996)
2. Tetris - ARC, GB, MAC, NES, PC (1989)
1. Super Mario Bros. - NES (1985)

The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill But Came Down a Mountain

Thu, 15 Nov 2007 22:02:12 GMT

When I started watching this movie yesterday, I didn't expect much. I thought the story sounded nice, but I'm not a big fan of Hugh Grant. And in a way that's exactly how this 12 year old film turned out to be.
The concept of a village that turns their hill into a mountain by adding 20 feet (6m) is just great. Even though Hugh Grant's role was quite passable, the romance between him and some girl was totally unnecessary.
But what I enjoyed most in the movie was the soundtrack. The soundtrack and the gorgeous Welsh scenery. Oh and the gentle humor. It's just a shame that the focus is so much on Hugh Grant, even without him it would have been a really good movie. Oh but don't worry, the romance part is still not as bad as I make it sound like.

All in all, if you're looking for a nice and beautiful family movie, go watch The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill But Came Down a Mountain.

De tijd lacht mij toe en ik scheld haar uit

Fri, 26 Oct 2007 22:02:13 GMT

De tijd lacht mij toe en ik scheld haar uit.
Ik heb een haat liefde verhouding met haar. Ze laat me nieuwe dingen ontdekken maar dwingt me ook tot het loslaten van gisteren. Een begin is direct ook de voorbode voor een einde. Ooit, ergens, misschien wel morgen, of vandaag. Toch laat ze aan mij de keuze wat ik van haar onthoud. Ook mag ik voelen dat iets langer duurt of kort, ze laat me vrij in hoe ik haar beleef en ervaar.
Maar er is altijd die stok achter de deur. Ik moet vooruit. Teruggaan is geen optie. Ik mag opnieuw beginnen, of mezelf omwentelen in een zachte memorie, flirten met nostalgie; jammer dat wat was, niet meer is. We willen het terug, we zwoegen om het te behouden, te onthouden, zodat beelden en zinnen niet vervagen in vergetelheid, waar blijft daarbij de toekomst? Waar blijft daarbij de tijd?

Zoals vandaag gelezen op de Dutch Design Week in Eindhoven. Een erg interessant evenement en bovendien gratis! Ik dacht niet zo'n kunst/design-type te zijn, maar ik heb er erg van genoten. Natuurlijk was het gezelschap ook erg goed.
PS: Voor de volledige versie en de auteur: http://www.tijdelijkontwerpersverbond.nl/bio/loes_veldpaus.htm

The Bourne Ultimatum

Thu, 20 Sep 2007 12:23:13 GMT

In short: a very worthy end of the trilogy. The cleverness of the Bourne movies keeps surprising me.

In one of the first scenes Bourne is helping a simple civilian escape from hands full of bad guys. Whether or not it has been done before, it was amazing to see one person think for two. The rest of the movie was full of clever scenes, long and short. And the small tricks make you smile just as well as the big ones.

Another thing I liked was that Bourne is really a good guy. He doesn't kill unless he really has to. I know some people think it's weak or boring, and they'd rather see more kills, but I like it this way. And in this movie he is finally rewarded for it, in a way.

One complaint is the terrible shaky camera. Sure, in some situations it really works, but at other times it's just very annoying. Maybe this was the director's personal challenge to record a whole movie with a handcam?

And now something that should be under the category People: When we entered the cinema, I suddenly remembered the AH Film Weken discount: If you bought for €20 or more at the AH supermarket, you got a coupon with which you got 2 cinema tickets for the price of one. I was going with my brother, so we could have used that deal. I was telling that to my bro when a woman turned around and gave us an extra coupon. Thanks to her we saved €8, but the friendliness made me happier than the discount!

If you want to read a longer and better review of it, check the one of my American buddy Xantar: http://www.purevideogames.net/blog/?p=100

Fooling people

Tue, 17 Apr 2007 14:39:04 GMT

That's something I can really enjoy: fooling around for the sake of humor. It can really make me laugh out loud. ;-)

Five minutes ago I was sending a large file to a friend. He had some spelling errors in his MSN name, which I pointed out. After he had corrected them, I told him that if he made another mistake like that, I would press Alt+Q. So he asked me "what happens then?" and I told him not to try. Too late: he canceled his own download, which was already running for 10 minutes. Just great. Simple, but good humor.

Freaky pets

Fri, 30 Mar 2007 22:07:34 GMT

This is scary. This company is selling living toys, "Genpets", genetically engineered animals. Take a look: http://www.genpets.com/meet.php

Is this where technology is headed?

*coughbonsaikittenscough*

The Prestige

Fri, 09 Feb 2007 23:16:57 GMT

I just saw The Prestige, a movie by Christopher Nolan, director of Memento, Insomnia and Batman Begins.

It took a long while before a friend and me got into the movie... Most of the time we found it boring. I was wondering why I saw the movie, what was driving me to keep on watching? Somehow the dying man in the beginning of the movie wasn't enough for that.

Near the end we were saying to eachother "Ok, now we're probably going to see an ending that explains us what we saw the whole movie for." We were right. It has a cool ending..... And there's a lot of stuff to think about after knowing the plot twist. Also moral issues, for example about killing a bird in a trick, pretending that his brother is him. But it couldn't save the whole movie. I gave it a 6 at imdb.com.

Edit: I just read a bit about it, it might be totally different than you're supposed to believe. But how many people will get to that level of understanding? Comparable to Donnie Darko.

Update

Mon, 15 Jan 2007 14:06:18 GMT

Short update for those interested: I just discovered the SF series Firefly and it's amazing. I first saw the movie sequel Serenity, which is now 1 of my favorites. Then I discovered Firefly and I almost finished the first and sadly only season.

In the meanwhile I'm reading Shogun, it's much better than I expected. And I'm learning a lot about the Japan of some centuries ago. I wanted to finish The War of the Worlds first, but it wasn't a disaster when I forgot the book in Sneek, because it's soooo boring. But I guess it was very cool 110 years ago.

The weather here is so warm... it's not healthy, it should be freezing here!