Pimp Mag Vol. 2 Issue 1
So, what happened to weekly updates? Well, sometimes, things just don’t work out. So from here on out, I will just pop out with them whenever I feel like it.
This issue has some of the things that I have been oohing and ahhing for months now, and you should recognize a lot of it. Just consider this a post-holiday Wii special. Something that you can use those giftcards that everyone so thoughtfully gave you on. And if you didn’t get any giftcards, it is time to buy yourself a present anyway. You bought everyone else stuff, so isn’t it your turn? 😀
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Fake tilt-shifting |
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But first, as promised, I want to bring to you, some eye candy. This time, it isn’t for the broken-hearted, it is actually something that has swept the photo circles by storm this past year: the fake tilt-shift. In order to introduce this topic, first let me talk about tilt-shift, not the fake kind. Tilt-shifting lenses have been around for I don’t know how long, and they are used in all sorts of creative ways, but essentially, they are used to take photographs of things like buildings. Normally, when you take a photo of a building at eye-level (or somewhere close), you get what is called converging verticals. Basically, the building gets tiny at the top, right? Well, tilt-shift lenses (or TS lenses) correct for that, so you can take a photo of a building dead-on, and not get those tiny rooftops, but instead, get what is a normal looking building without the skewing. Now, sometimes you want the skewing, that is an effect, in and of itself. But we aren’t talking about that. They are great for taking architectural photos but then people figured out that you could take photos of things in certain ways with those lenses, and get some pretty amazing results. Namely, you could make huge things look like tiny models. A lot of great photography came out of that, but those TS lenses are expensive! So in came Photoshop, and it took Flickr by storm!
So what are fake tilt-shift photos? Getting the same effect without the actual TS lens. Here are some more amazing photos. They are by many different photographers, and they really need to be seen in the large sizes to really appreciate them. |
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Nintendo Wii |
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Now, if this is a surprise, then you clearly haven’t been reading my journal for a while. A few of you flisters actually own one, some of you even got it on the same day that I did (US launch date) and you have developed Wii-elbow on at least one occasion.
If, however, this “Wii” is news to you, well let me introduce you to the funnest gaming system ever. Nintendo revolutionized gaming, actually brought it back from death’s grip, back in the eighties. So this revolution is nothing new for Nintendo. They have taken what has become something to cumbersome and complex, something that is almost in essence, a solitary activity, and turned it upside down. They redesigned the controler and made it into what looks like a simple remote control, but it has an infrared receiver and motion sensors. Instead of button-mashing combos, you can now slice, swing, drive, dance, you name it!, with the controller in hand, and your movements will be interpreted into the game. This is awesome. My mother played it. She kicked our butts. We took it to family parties where everyone from the youngest to the oldest freely played tennis or bowling without much instruction. Instead of holing ourselves up in a room with our consoles, we are taking them out of our houses and sharing them with everyone we love. Why? Because that is where the fun is! Well, if you already have it, or are planning to purchase it, to the left are my picks for the best launch window titles. Wii Sports is almost not worth mentioning because it comes with the console, so if you got the Wii, you will have this game. But it is still one of the best games to showcase what the system is all about. It is easy to pick up and play, has great replay value, and there is nothing more fun than watching two friends beat the crap out of each other in boxing. ‘Nuff said. 😀 Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess has been touted as the must-own Wii game by every game site/show/blog, and it has definitely earned that right. It is a gorgeous game with a wonderful soundtrack and some really fun gameplay. I am not a hardcore gamer by any stretch of the imagination, so I have put in about 30 hours of gameplay, since I got it in November, and I am just about halfways through the game. It is a lot of fun. Rayman Raving Rabbids is a hilarious game that is great for when you have friends over. It has crude humor, and cute insane bunnies. How can you go wrong with that? You will find yourself milking pigs, throwing cows, shooting bunnies, and so many other weird and insane things that it will keep you and your friends laughing for hours. The one catch is that you have to unlock all those mini games in Story Mode first, before you can play them in Score Mode (which ends up being what people consider “Party Mode”). Now, there are some exciting games arriving soon, but none has me biting my nails in anticipation more than Warioware Smooth Moves which comes out January 17 (OK, maybe Super Mario Galaxy, but we’ll have to wait a while for that). This will be the ultimate party game. It is comprised of insane micro games, not mini games, that will have you picking noses, hula hooping, and smacking your butt among a plethora of other ridiculous things. The best thing that I can do to show you how awesome it is to have you look at a few videos on the IGN website. But there is one video that you won’t see on there that you have to check out: The Amazing Butt-shaking Boss Stage. Yeah baby. You know you want it. So if I have picqued your curiosity in the least, head down to your local game |
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On a final note… |
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I leave you this time with an awesome viral video. Stop-motion
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