OCTOBERFEAST – Trick or Treat!
October 31st, 2010 by Rendar Frankenstein
[OCTOBERFEAST is the greatest celebration of the year, a revelry dedicated to pop-culture’s most nutritious Halloween detritus. Plastic screams and artificial sweeteners have never been more bountiful. In the old country, villagers refer to the extended party as Satan’s Snacktime]
If you’re reading this, you’ve survived long enough to reach the final day of OCTOBERFEAST. Congratulations. I can’t even tell you how many celebrants I’ve seen collapse halfway through, proving themselves too faint of heart to endure the satanic shindig. Terror-induced heart attack, alcohol poisoning, spontaneous combustion, sugar-coma – a ticket to this event also grants admission to death by about ninety-nine different methods.
But here we are – alive and demented as ever on Halloween! This day brings us the concluding activity, an event that anyone with a heart (even a black one) should enjoy taking part in. Today, for a few hours, we reverse the relationship between the dominated and the dominating. The powerless become empowered. The ruling class elite must answer to the disenfranchised. And in the process, boatloads of candy are consumed.
Tonight’s featured enterprise is, of course, trick or treating.
OCTOBERFEAST – The October Country
October 30th, 2010 by Rendar Frankenstein
[OCTOBERFEAST is the greatest celebration of the year, a revelry dedicated to pop-culture’s most nutritious Halloween detritus. Plastic screams and artificial sweeteners have never been more bountiful. In the old country, villagers refer to the extended party as Satan’s Snacktime]
It is with the utmost respect and admiration that I present the following declaration:
Ray Bradbury is the official writer laureate of OCTOBERFEAST. The awarding of this position to Mr. Bradbury shouldn’t shock or surprise a single soul, as his work is the printed embodiment of the annual fright-festival. The bizarre, the ghastly, and the speculative synergize to convey a sense of wonder and possibility.
This year’s gala features Ray Bradbury’s The October Country.
Max Headroom Pirate TV
October 30th, 2010 by Rendar Frankenstein
Just read about this and wanted to share.
Apparently in 1987, someone wearing a Max Headroom mask pirated a Chicago-area TV signal and interrupted the regularly scheduled broadcast. The chaos that ensued can be found below. I can’t articulate why, but I love it.
Friday Brew Review – Honker’s Ale
October 29th, 2010 by Rendar Frankenstein
I used to love life.
For a time, I hated life. I became cynical, dwelling only on what was wrong. Reveling in negativity. Perpetuating my own bleak outlook and poor attitude.
Then I came the closest I’ve ever come again to dying.
I now love life again. Perhaps more than I ever had previously. Today is Friday – as such, I’m going to celebrate my brief time on the ride with a beer.
Please join me.
OCTOBERFEAST – Vampira
October 29th, 2010 by Rendar Frankenstein
[OCTOBERFEAST is the greatest celebration of the year, a revelry dedicated to pop-culture’s most nutritious Halloween detritus. Plastic screams and artificial sweeteners have never been more bountiful. In the old country, villagers refer to the extended party as Satan’s Snacktime]
There is no doubt in my mind that Devin Townsend is a genuine, living, flesh-and-blood hero. The man was discovered by Steve Vai and sang on one of his records. He then went on to front Strapping Young Lad, a band whose heaviness is often imitated but never recreated. And his solo records include some of the most inspiring art I’ve ever experienced.
In short – HevyDevy is the goddamn man.
As a bit of a benevolent screwball, Devin Townsend has generated plenty of material that could make its way into OL’s annual celebration of undead-pulp-malarky. For a time, it appeared as though Ziltoid the Omniscient was going to stop by OCTOBERFEAST but he changed his mind when I told him that we weren’t serving coffee, only beer and soda. Oh well – his loss!
Luckily, a suitable replacement has emerged!
To support the Devin Townsend Band’s Synchestra, a video was filmed for the track Vampira. I’m almost positive that the song has nothing to do with Halloween, goblins or even the horror-icon after whom it was named. However, this didn’t stop the video from taking the form of a live-action Vault of Horror adaptation.
Set within the panels of a comic book, Vampira shows Devin Townsend (in the same devil costume worn in Problem Child) rocking out with his band of skeleton-men. As the troupe shred inside of a cemetery, they dance about with a fearlessness only possessed by evil musicians. And unlike the Misfits, these guys actually tear shit up.
Also worth noting is the vampire babe that shows up. She’s not a ten or anything, but for a member of the undead (and a star in a Devin Townsend video) she’s worth a look. Her inclusion can probably be attributed to the desire to include a title character. Whatever, I’ll take it.
It’s the Friday of OCTOBERFEAST. Pop on Vampira, tap your toes, and get ready for the most wicked weekend of them all.
Liquid Water Found On Mars? No Srsly Guys, Maybe This Time Yes?
October 29th, 2010 by Caffeine Powered
Every cosmonaut geek knows one thing: you can’t go a month or two without a new story about water on Mars. Or life. Microbes and water. Every month, coming atcha courtesy of our favorite Red Planet. This time, the OH MY GOD WATER ON MARS storyline revolves around the Spirit Rover, and its dumb ass getting stuck in Mars’ soil. Dost it drag up some interesting bullshit whilst stuck there? Why, just maybe!
io9:
For the past year and a half, Spirit has been stuck at a Martian site called Troy, where the rover’s wheel broke through a crust and churned into soft sand. But it hasn’t sat completely idle. NASA researchers have used Spirit’s downtime to investigate the soil at Troy, and have found the site may see liquid water during certain climate cycles.
Near the soil’s surface sit relatively insoluble minerals, which the researchers believe to be hematite, silica and gypsum. Further down in the soil are ferric sulfates, more soluble minerals that the researchers speculate were carried down in the soil by liquid water. None of the minerals are exposed at the surface despite the wind constantly stripping and altering the landscape, which indicates that the minerals were carried down relatively recently and continuously, with the ferric sulfates being carried down further than the less soluble minerals.
Interesting? Sure. Sure? Sure! I’m waiting for the day the US government finally unveils the fact that it found artifacts from a fallen human civilization. You know, the one that made it to Mars, only to have their existence on Earth obscured from history by the fact that they were wiped out by a prehistoric robot uprising. Clearly, they colonized Mars, and but were then wiped out again. By a robotic uprising.
Talking, Moving Krang Costume Is Best Halloween Costume Ever. EVER.
October 29th, 2010 by Caffeine Powered
Courtesy of io9 comes clearly the best Halloween costume ever. Fucking ever. Oh, it’s just a talking, moving Krang outfit. You know here at Omega Level we love us some Krang. This son of a bitch was fashioned by Melissa Dunphy for her husband, and it is nothing short of mind-boggling and awesome. Dunphy, you are a lucky lad to have her, and Mrs. Dunphy, you are talented beyond words.
Happy fucking Halloween.
Hit the jump to watch this motherfucker in action.
Press Start!: Ice-T Thinks New Vegas Sucks, But Loves It Anyway. Me Too.
October 29th, 2010 by Caffeine Powered
Welcome to Press Start! It’s the column that brings you the top five things that caught my eye in gaming every week. This week? This week I’m fucking tired. I’m sorry if everything seems rushed, incoherent, illogical, or poorly written this week. Why does that seem that way? Because it is! Excelsior and shit!
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#1: Apple Tried To Buy Bungie; But Microsoft Ganked Them
Some of the most intriguing news that came out this week was that Bungie originally asked Apple if they were interested in buying them. Bungie, without the monster hit Halo underneath its belt, was financially shitty. They needed someone to take them home at night to a safe place. Lay with them under the sheets, and care for them, if you get my meaning. You don’t? Shit. I was making some weird allusion to one company fucking another somehow.
Anyways.
Apple turned them down initially, only to reconsider. When they went to inform Bungie that they would, in fact, take them home and bed then, Bungie was all: fuck you guys, we found ourselves a new suitor. Oh shit! The double dick-slap? It was Microsoft. Boom! It is written in the deep sea scrolls of Apple that upon hearing this, Steve Jobs went insane. Slaughtered his entire family, and had to have them cloned and vat-grown to replace them. No seriously, he was pissed.
It’s a fascinating bit of corporate uppercutting that’s fun to think about. Consider that Halo pretty much salvaged the original Xbox, and has been the teat that Microsoft has continually milked the last nine years. But what if Billy Gates and his pack of warriors never got a hold of Halo? What would that have meant for Microsoft? For the Xbox? Or how about if it would have reshaped the gaming landscape in favor of the Mac’s favor?
Bananas shit right here.
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#2: At Blizzcon, Awesome Beefy Kid Owns The Creators On Their Own Lore
It’s long since been known that us dorks, generally, actually have a better grasp on the lore of particular universes than the people who write it. This is obviously a general statement, but I believe in it. Why? ‘Cause shit like the World of Warcraft universe is being written by tons of people, overlapping and stretching into infinity. They don’t have time to know the stories that others are contributing to the same universe as they, or maybe they do, and they don’t give a shit. I know I wouldn’t.
That’s where this awesome kid comes in. Let’s call him Maxwell. At Blizzcon last weekend, Maxwell stepped up and shredded the continuity of World of Warcraft in front of two dudes who I can only presume are lead writers of either the game or the novels. I could research it, but I’m lazy. What’s important is this: Maxwell, in all his svelte and gorgeous glory, picks apart inconsistencies in a world these two dudes are in some part responsible for crafting.
It’s awesome.
It doesn’t help that Maxwell is beyond awkward, and in that way, glorious. I want to get Maxwell drunk, and blow mouth farts on his rotund, surely hairless belly. I want to get totally hammered with him at Hooters, eating an insane amount of boneless buffalo wings and making him drink his first beer. Then after a sweet night, we’ll be chatting in the parking lot. He’ll be telling me how its ludicrous that Warcraft Character X did Continuity Breaking Action Y, when I’ll slap his nutsac. He’ll puke all over his shoes, we’ll both laugh, and then I’ll drive him home.
I think I’m in love.
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#3: Keiji Inafune, Father of Megaman, Leaves Capcom
Keiji Inafune is a god damn legend. And today he announced that he was leaving Capcom. Even if you don’t know the dude by his name, if you’re a decent gamer whose life is worth something, you’ve experienced some of his work. Not only is he considered the father of Megaman, but he’s also the creator of Onimusha, and the shit hot Dead Rising. After twenty-three years with Capcom, he announced that he is parting ways with them at the end of the month. And according to my math, that means he’s gone really, really soon.
Bummer.
Dude was essential to Capcom, and more than that, hearkened back to a day when I used to fap vigorously to Japanese developers. Capcom’s experienced a serious talent drain the last few years. With the loss of Kamiya, Mikami, and now Inafune, they’ve parted ways with the minds behind Resident Evil, Megaman, Okami, and not to mention other games. I don’t know about you, fellow gamers, but my enthusiasm for gaming has been channeled into much different directions than that of Capcom, Konami, and Squaresoft like it used to be.
Fare thee well dude, may you find a new comfy home soon enough.
OCTOBERFEAST – Halloween Havoc
October 28th, 2010 by Rendar Frankenstein
[OCTOBERFEAST is the greatest celebration of the year, a revelry dedicated to pop-culture’s most nutritious Halloween detritus. Plastic screams and artificial sweeteners have never been more bountiful. In the old country, villagers refer to the extended party as Satan’s Snacktime]
I’m going to tell you a scary story.
When I was a little kid, there was a professional wrestling company called the WWF. Don’t look for them – they don’t exist anymore. This company had absolutely perfected the slop-culture art of pro-wrestling, creating a product that was as enthralling as even the finest piece of art. The good guys were the best. The bad guys were pure evil. And even the maniacs captivated. If you were an apostle of the WWF, it was a beautiful time to be alive.
But lurking about the dark underbelly of staged athletics was a different creature altogether. Relegated to filthy corners of sports entertainment, this abomination took umbrage at its second-class status. This being didn’t smile and shake hands. It didn’t kiss babies on the forehead and say “God bless.” And it sure as hell set any precedents.
This ghoul was called the WCW. And it was the malevolent doppleganger of the WWF.
