Ms .45's mp3/bureaucratic/gaming blog.

Saturday, August 25, 2007

Stereo Total!

I'm not sure how to describe Stereo Total, so I'll let them do it...

40% Yéyétronic, 20% R'n'R, 10% Punkrock, 3% electronic effects, 4% French 60ies beat, 7% genious dilettantism, 1,5% Cosmonaute, 10% really old synthesizers, 10% 8-bit Amiga-sampling, 10% transistor amplifier, 1% really expansive and advanced instruments, a minimalist production, meaning a home- made- trash- garage- sound crossed with underground, authentic as well as amateurish, ironic as well as effective, pop as well as political.

They make funny electropop which may remind you of cartoon shows on SBS back in the 80s when it was still Channel 0. They have a new album out called Paris Berlin and they're playing at the Northcote Social Club on Friday September 14th. If you're conflicted about whether you'll go, check out their live set on WFMU (scroll down a bit).

I Am Naked
Musique Automatique

Stereototal.de
Stereo Total at Myspace

Human Brain Cloud

Oh my god... I discovered Human Brain Cloud this morning via JayIsGames and I've been addicted all freakin' day. Basically, you load a word and type in whatever you associate with it. I got up to 1294 words on the leaderboard (look for Ms 45).

Sunday, August 12, 2007

Math Mountain

Math Mountain is an addictive arithmetic game wherein you climb a mountain, competing against another person or the computer, by answering arithmetic questions correctly. It's only BODMAS (without any brackets - Happy Bodmas!), so you don't have to worry about remembering high school algebra, and the questions vary from very easy (1 / 1 = ...) to fairly hard (123 - 75 = ...). You as a geek may be able to answer the questions easily (see post below), but you are being timed and you also have to choose the correct answer from a multiple choice, which, believe it or not, makes it harder. (A few times I've worked out the correct answer quickly, but the mouse slipped and I selected the number next to the one I wanted.) In the meantime, you're racing the CPU to the top of the mountain and collecting powerups such as the ability to stop the opponent from moving or to remove all but two of the multiple choices. If you answer incorrectly or not at all, you'll slide backwards.

As you play through the levels, your side of the mountain will get longer and less steep, so that you have to answer more questions faster than the CPU. You'll have a larger number of multiple choices, making the chances of quickly clicking the wrong answer higher. However, if you do lose, you have a number of lives, so you can opt to "Continue" after the level has been lost. When you lose, you get to keep any powerups you haven't used, so I suggest you save powerups as much as you can.

This game is similar to a test administered by some recruitment companies where you have to quickly select the correct answer to a maths problem, so you may find it valuable to get a bit of practice on Math Mountain. If you're not very good at arithmetic, this is a fun way to practice.

(This review is intended for Jay Is Games, but I want it on my blog so I can get at it. I'm a math retard and need all the practice I can get!)

Saturday, August 11, 2007

Could you have Asperger Syndrome?

Those of you who have wondered whether their geekery actually tips over into pathology can now whip yourselves into a frenzy of self-doubt with the Asperger Test, although if you're in a frenzy of self-doubt it's probably safe to assume you don't have it.

I was simultaneously relieved and confused to get a "Typical woman" score. Given that I've been accused of being autistic (thanks Dad) and a nerd, I wonder if that score is attributable to my recent run of regular happy-pill taking and sudden spike in income (it's surprising how much less shy and geeky you become when you can afford to stand a round).

Spill blog

Greg Wadley of the Spill record label (and, far more importantly, legendary loser-core band New Waver) has started a blog called Letters to the Editor. It's rather good, so check it out.

New Waver:
Dying Patients
4'33" Techno Remix
On Prozac

Thursday, August 09, 2007

Free Play Indie Game Developer Conference

If you've come here from Jayisgames.com, chances are you're in the US and can't attend this event, but you may get some joy from looking through the schedule and blog for the Next Wave Free Play Independent Game Developers Conference. If you are in the area, it's a one-day conference held in Melbourne, Australia, with a bargain basement price.

Topics include:

Can't Touch This, 11am
Move on from game pads, keyboards and mice and learn
how to create sensor-driven games.

Get Your Feet Wet, 1pm
Create a game in eight easy steps, without programming. (3D Game Studio)

The Best Things in Life are Free, 2pm
This session will provide an overview of the various open
source technologies and engines available to developers.

Playing with Pixels and Politics, 3pm
What is the potential for games to say something other than "BOOM!"?

18 August 2007 at ACMI
9:30am to 8:30pm
Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI)
Federation Square, Flinders Street, Melbourne
$20 Full
$15 Concession & Student
03 8663 2583 for bookings
gamers@nextwave.org.au
www.nextwavefreeplay.blogspot.com

Tuesday, August 07, 2007

JayIsGames Flash Game Design Competition #4 - "Ball Physics"

We've only just concluded the third competition, but already JayIsGames has announced the fourth Flash Game Design Competition, with a nice distant deadline of October 1st 2007, and the theme "Ball Physics".

I am a bit Beavis and Butthead, and have an idea for a game that involves a wet, twisted-up towel...