The Tanooki's Exclusive Interview with Simon Curtis

 If you don’t already know the name Simon Curtis, you need to. Some of his younger fans may know him from his role on Nickelodeon’s Spectacular!, and a spot on a little known Disney show called Hannah Montana. But since earlier this year, the 24-year-old has focused his multi-talented efforts on his first album, titled 8Bit Heart. Released in March, the 13-track electronic collection contains tunes that range in topic from Simon’s Atari-playing days, to an Android love affair, effortlessly flowing from bass-driven pop, to sweet love songs. With the occasional voice-over track laid over chiptunes to serve as narration for the audio adventure, 8Bit Heart ultimately is a cohesively crafted piece of musical perfection. And did I mention the entire album is free off Simon’s official website? If there is any new singer/songwriter/performer to keep your eye on right now, it’s Simon Curtis.

I had a chance to interview the self proclaimed “Boy Robot” to talk about all things gaming, tech and of course, his upcoming album:

Jason Leavey: So Mr. Curtis. What’s it like being the original “Boy Robot?”
Simon Curtis: Haha, I must admit it’s a lot of responsibility. Lots of games to play, lots of gadgets to oogle over, electronic music to make, etc. It can be a lot to handle!


JL: What inspired the album’s [8Bit Heart] apparent technology influence?
SC: The entire project was inspired by my love for 8-Bit video games, science fiction, and 80’s fantasy movies (The Neverending Story, The Dark Crystal, etc.) We used old Commodore 64 sounds to create modern electronic pop tracks. Once I had the idea for the concept I was totally enamored.

JL: So I take it you would classify yourself as a techy?

(more…)

Nerd Orgy Planned for Horny PAX-goers

Great news pervs! A Seattle-area man has posted a Craigslist ad, calling for an orgy welcoming anyone who's in town for the PAX expo next week. The man says the "friendly adult party" is for any willing nerd in town, serving as a perfect escape between all the sweating and drooling you'll likely be doing on the show floor. Here's the ad:

Okay, I thought it might be fun for a bunch of us like minded adults to get together in a hotel room and have a friendly adult party. This will be Friday night, with a possibility of a Saturday encore. Any who are interested please email me so we can get this set up. All sizes and shapes welcome!

Apparently, the post was updated, claiming that the ratio of men over women was a bit higher than intended. Looks like the sausage party is in true need of some willing female participants. Any ladies want to make a few dozen men happy?

Craigslist
via Kotaku

Body of King Koopa's Ancestors Discovered

See that picture? That is none other than the skeleton of a new meiolaniid species, Stupendemys. Its shell was ELEVEN feet long and SEVEN feet wide. Combining its fortress like body with its clubbed tail and horned head, gamers can only assume one thing...

The Koopas were real.

The Kappa has some similar features, but it's a water spirit which conflicts with the fire nature of the Koopas.

Cryptozoologists/dorks believe that Bowser and the rest of the Koopa family were originally modeled after Kappas of Japanese folklore. However, the much more reasonable world of science gives us all the evidence we need to conclude that eleven foot turtles existed alongside humans as recently as 3,000 years ago.

Their ability to throw hammers and breathe fire is still under skeptic debate.

Artist rendition of a "real" Bowser.

Video Game Store for Sale On eBay

Looking to start your own video game store in Grand Junction, Colorado? Have $30,000 to blow on re-buying your childhood? Look no further!

Many a video game enthusiast meanders about on eBay with dreams of forking down the cash for that NIB NES, but a cool $30,000 will get you an entire video game store! The owners of a Grand Junction gaming store are closing up shop on September 1st and are looking for that loaded gamer to take their decade spanning inventory off their hands.

Products in the store cover just about every major system released in the US with oodles of accessories to boot. The overall worth of the merchandise is listed on the eBay page as $60,000 and the owners are asking for half of that.

So if you're interested in owning a business out in God's country or just filling up all those IKEA shelves in your grandmother's basement simply click here to check out the auction. And happy bidding!

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Paperboy: The Movie, trailer

I can't believe how cool this is. I'm so glad that there are people out there that appreciate the classic games of my youth. Paperboy will always go down as one of my favorite retro gaming past times, and this faux movie trailer explains why!

Turtles Forever, DVD cover art revealed

Turtles Forever is a new animation movie set to rock the world of those who enjoy the mean green fighting machines, or more commonly known as the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The direct-to-DVD film will feature the new 2003 drawn Turtles in a world that also brings the original 80's cartoon Turtles! Some Comic Com '09 attendees got a chance to see the flick, but hopefully soon, we can all witness the awesomeness that is new and old Turtles coming together and defeating The Shredder.

Honestly, when Ubisoft first announced TMNT: Smash Up, my first thought was to bring the old art style Turtles as playable characters as well as the new Turtles. I guess they opted out of that idea, but it is great to see that the concept was in someone's mind, as is evident by the upcoming DVD film.

Courtney Love suing Activision for Cobain's GH5 appearance

I guess the woman blamed for Kurt Cobain's uncomfortable appearance in Guitar Hero 5 wasn't so happy with the outcome. Courtney Love wrote on her Twitter page that she is planning on suing Activision:

“For the record this Guitar Hero shit is breach of contract on a Bullys part and there will be a proper addressing of this and retraction," she tweeted. “WE are going to sue the shit out of ACtivision we being the Trust the Estate the LLC the various LLCs Cobain Enterprises.”

This probably stems from Cobain singing songs by other licensed artists, something that in no way seems like something he would want to be a part of, if alive today. We can't wait to see what happens with this one.

Another Zelda plate hits eBay

Competition has arisen on the Zelda eBay front. Earlier last month, it was reported that a listing appeared for a rare Zelda collector's plate with a $15,000 "Buy It Now" price. Well now a new auctioneer has listed their Zelda plate, substantially cheaper. Listed at $7,500 it seems that those looking to get their gaming plate collection up and running can do so at a bargain price.

Here's a link to the auction.

Mario Kart 64 Frappe Snowland time trial shortcut

Who knew that a game over 10 years old could still hide so many secrets!

Two Girls, One-Up (great T-Shirt!)

Prepare to laugh, then prepare to pay. This new t-shirt design is quite amusing, especially if you don't live under a rock to get the reference. Purchase the shirt here for $17.95.

SharkRobot

Disney to buy Marvel for $4 billion

The Walt Disney Corp. will acquire Marvel Entertainment, according to the BBC. The deal will include Marvel's wealth of over 5,000 characters. It will be interesting to see how this deal will affect theme parks, as several Marvel character based rides are in Six Flags and Universal theme parks, rivals of Walt Disney World.

"We believe that adding Marvel to Disney's unique portfolio of brands provides significant opportunities for long-term growth and value creation," Disney president and chief executive Robert Iger said. I'm sure this guarantees at lease a pair of mouse ears hidden in Spider-Man 4.

"Disney is the perfect home for Marvel's fantastic library of characters given its proven ability to expand content creation and licensing businesses," said Marvel chief executive Ike Perlmutter.

It's only a matter of time to see what impact the acquisition of a major company, by a major company, will have on the content.

Back to the Future & Jurassic Park triologies coming to Blu-Ray?

NERD ALERT:

Someone in cahoots with Universal Studios (if truthful) is going to be getting a giant hug for letting some very exciting news slip. According to Nuke The Fridge, an inside source has revealed that both the Back to the Future and Jurassic Park trilogies are going to be getting their well deserved HD debuts next year.

"'Nuke The Fridge,' you didn't hear this from me, but I just got word from Universal of a upcoming release of Back To The Future and Jurassic Park Blu-Ray release," said the source.

So can we trust this insider? Well, he didn't know to use "an" instead of "a" when preceding a vowel. But the news is just too tempting to not believe. The source claims that both sets will be released between October and November 2010.

SEGA theme park opens in Dubai

I am moving to Dubai. Everything I read makes it seem like heaven. Case and point? SEGA Republic, a SEGA theme park, has opened at the Dubai Mall. Click to read the official press release:

With nine adrenaline-pumping attractions such as Spin Gear, Sonic Hopper, Halfpipe Canyon, Storm-G and Initial D4 Limited, Sega Republic is sure to thrill all visitors from the young to the young at heart.

The various attractions are spread over five themed zones - Speed, Adventure, Sports, Cyberpop and Redemption - featuring a huge array of everything from action packed motion-simulators to simulated sports games, classic carnival games and one of the region’s largest selections of prize-winning redemption games.

Combining the latest in leisure technologies with high entertainment value, Sega Republic represents a milestone in indoor theme park development. While the Speed Zone offers thrills for the adrenaline seeker on attractions such as the 9-metre drop ride Sonic Hopper, the Adventure Zone has the keenly awaited SPIN Gear, a spinning coaster replete with sound and visual effects, themed on the story of an evil attempt to capture Sonic the Hedgehog by his arch nemesis Dr. Eggman.

The Sports Zone is the place to test one’s skills and win at the latest trendsetting sports simulation games that are based on real world sports. One of the highlights of this zone is Halfpipe Canyon, a hi-tech snowboarding half-pipe that gives riders the thrill of throttling up and down a 7-metre incline at speeds of up to 40 km/hr. The Cyberpop Zone offers cutting-edge interactive entertainment through a variety of next-generation gaming equipment, virtual experiences and light-hearted fun.

The Redemption Zone hosts one of the region’s largest selection of redemption games as well as a huge selection of winnable merchandises for all ages.

Pac-Man and his ever present existence in Rap music

Website The Tempo Tandrum provides a pretty interesting read on Pac-Man and its usage in Rap music. Were artists inspired by the main man of Pac, or were they just using him to compliment a rhyme? The debate is discussed, based upon different verses from songs by various Rap artists. Here's a few below:

“I never sweat it, you was so cute/
That I ran like Pac-Man in hot pursuit/”
- Shaquille O’Neal; “Let’s Wait a While”

Verdict: Yeesh! I’d rather put my life on the (free throw) line with the ball in Shaq’s hands than to hear this shit again! Superman’s weakness is Kryptonite. Shaq’s weakness is free throw shooting. And rapping. The actual hook to this song – thankfully not performed by Shaq himself – goes a little something like this: “Let’s wait a while/ Before it gets too late/ Let’s wait/”. Apparently youcan stop the reign!



“And let's not even bring up the tracks man/
Nope, nope, let's not do that man/
You eatin’ up the game like Pac-Man/
He got the whole world shakin’ just like crack fiends/”
- Kanye West; “Heavy Hitters”

Verdict: I can’t really front on this Pac-Man mention, let alone the track, since it was one of my favorite Kanye mixtape songs from back in the day. He really was eating up the game back then. No fishsticks.


Check out the rest here! Who would have thought that a hungry yellow fortune cookie looking character could attract such a huge Rap following?!

SEGA Dreamcast: 10 Years of Gaming

Many-a-gamer remembers the day 9.9.99, for it was the North American release of the SEGA Dreamcast. The gaming system was considered a huge success and a huge failure, ultimately facing a quick demise due to poor supply, increased competition and lack of continued software support. Regardless, the Dreamcast did have its successes and should be celebrated.

10 years after launch, developers and gamers likely would admit that the public is better off without a fourth console in the next-gen battle. SEGA's failure in the console market has also allowed its coveted character lineup to become mainstream figures across all next-gen consoles, even paving the way for Sonic to join one-time rival Mario in various Nintendo software titles. Additionally, the innovation of including a 56K modem, web browser and unique controller design have all helped to expand the original mindset of what a console should be.

So today and until the 10 year anniversary this September, let us celebrate the SEGA Dreamcast. 10 years have passed, and your rivals have prevailed, but the Dreamcast should be applauded for its various contributions to the gaming industry. Now excuse me while I go play Power Stone 2.

Robots will take over the Earth,...soon

Every nerd knows that civilization's biggest fears are either a zombie invasion or self-aware robots. Well one of those is about to happen. Check out the above video of Toyota's humanoid robot. Although a technological advancement, it freaks me the hell out. Thank God for the Second Amendment.
TMZ

Video Game shoes, how much would you pay?

Blogger BrassMonki has a website showing off a boat load of custom shoes he has created, and they are freakin' incredible. Unfortunately they aren't for sale, but you can offer a bidding price to which he can either accept with glee or deny and laugh in your face. Either way, it's worth a shot. These shoes are works of art! Seriously, just browse the website. If you aren't drooling after 4 seconds, you aren't human.
via Kotaku article

UPDATE: I spoke too soon. As stated on his website, "those seen on my website are photoshop mock ups. I do paint them but i use Nike id to custom the soles and tongues!"

Well ain't that just a barrel of monkeys. I feel duped!

'Three Keyboard Cat Moon' shirt is so pimptastic

If you've been following up on nerd trends over the past few months, you undoubtedly know who Keyboard Cat is. Additionally you should be aware of Three Wolf Moon, a shirt on Amazon that is so heinously 1993, it's a must have. Well thanks to Threadless.com, you can have a hybrid shirt called Three Keyboard Cat Moon. These two nerd icons work together majestically , and for $20, you'll be the envy of your whole town.

Rumored Apple Tablet to debut next year?

Now I know what you are thinking. This is probably the 14th time this rumored Apple tablet has been talked about. But really this time, insiders have leaked some info that the tab might hit stores early next year. As early as January to be exact.

It would serve as like a MacBook sized iTouch, giving you all the functionality of a MacBook with the interface of an iTouch in one portable unit of badassery. Only time will tell if the tablet will become as successful as every other Apple product over the past decade, but if there's any hesitation, they can feel free to send me one to try out... please.

CNet