Miscellaneous Links 2 - The Vengeance

[Cotigo]

Um.  What?  OSC wrote Harry Potter Fanfiction?

[Hunter Sopko]

Methinks Grefter left his brain in his other pants.

[Yakumo]

Ender's Game came out long before Harry Potter and those are generic comments made just to prove his point that what she was saying was fucking stupid, it's nothing like Harry Potter when you get right down to it. 

Too bad the rest of Ender's series is nothing like it either.  Ender's Game is a damn good book.

[Grefter]

There was a joke in there that you guys missed, here let me point it out to you and therefore ruin the joke entirely.

While on the other hand it gave me a reason not to.  Respect up for the guy but I don't feel like reading Harry Potter fanfic.

It is right there.

[Sierra]

Ender's Game came out long before Harry Potter and those are generic comments made just to prove his point that what she was saying was fucking stupid, it's nothing like Harry Potter when you get right down to it.

Too bad the rest of Ender's series is nothing like it either.  Ender's Game is a damn good book.

Seconded. I find nothing spectacular about Card, generally speaking, and wouldn't really advise reading a mess of his books on account of enjoying this editorial here, but Ender's Game itself was excellent. The follow-ups suffer from crippling sequelitis, but the original is a must read.

OSC should also totally be upset at Japan, because clearly we wouldn't have shonen anime if Ender's Game hadn't paved the way.

[metroid composite]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7370903.stm
"Free Tibet" flags...made in china.

http://www.cracked.com/article_16196_7-commandments-all-video-games-should-obey.html
Good article on game design.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2008/apr/28/games.censorship
Rather awesome article slamming game censorship.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/05/01/BUUC10EHQM.DTL
New fundamental circuit disscovered.

http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=missing-link-of-electronics
More detailed article on it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AYxu_MQSTTY
(video) Hillarious David Blane parrody.

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/30431/Barack-Obama-talks-GTA-IV
Barrack Obama mentions GTA4...and he's not even wielding a pitchfork!

[Cotigo]

OSC should also totally be upset at Japan, because clearly we wouldn't have shonen anime if Ender's Game hadn't paved the way.

Japan isn't trying to sue shonen fanfic authors crying that they're degrading the original works.

[Shale]

Ender's Game came out long before Harry Potter and those are generic comments made just to prove his point that what she was saying was fucking stupid, it's nothing like Harry Potter when you get right down to it.

Too bad the rest of Ender's series is nothing like it either.  Ender's Game is a damn good book.

Seconded. I find nothing spectacular about Card, generally speaking, and wouldn't really advise reading a mess of his books on account of enjoying this editorial here, but Ender's Game itself was excellent. The follow-ups suffer from crippling sequelitis, but the original is a must read.

This, with some hype for the second book (but dear God, not the third or fourth) tossed in.

[Anthony Edward Stark]

http://www.eucantina.net/interview-with-writer-chris-avellone

An interview with Chris Avellone about KotOR2. In particular, I liked his encouragement for the Sith Lords Restoration Project (which is now in closed beta!) A pretty interesting read, just because you can kind of get in to his head a little bit and see what his big obstacles were.

Also, he mentions that the Influence system was going to determine your final party.

EDIT: And if he could go back, he'd shorten up Peragus (FUCK YES!) and drop the Disciple and Hanharr.

[Lance]

http://www.albinoblacksheep.com/video/word

"Word Disassociation" by Lemon Demon, who you may recognize as the guy who made the classic video "The Ultimate Showdown of Ultimate Destiny." It's actually quite a catchy song.

[VySaika]

http://community.livejournal.com/comicbooklovers/561539.html

http://community.livejournal.com/comicbooklovers/561735.html

Marvel/DC Olympics!

[AAA]

http://www.famousbirthdays.net/

1972 Selam Blair (actress)
1957 Frances McDormand (actress)
1940 Adam Faith (Terence Nelhams) (singer)
1929 June Carter (country singer)
1927 Bob Fosse (director)
1918 Gill Dodds (track)
1912 Alan Turing (scientist/mathematician)
1910 Edward P. Morgan (news reporter)
1910 Jean Marie Anouilh (playwright)
1894 Duke of Windsor (England's Edward Patrick David)
1894 Edward VIII (King of England)
1894 Alfred Kinsey (sex researcher)
1400 Johannes Gutenberg (inventor - first printing press)

Bunch of guys I don't know, but hey, Morgan, Turing, and fuckin' Gutenberg himself. Not gonna complain. Oh, and the creator of the Kinsey scale that confirmed Strago is a 6.

[superaielman]

Birthdays

# 1983 Lee Ryan (singer)
# 1980 Venus Williams (tennis champ)
# 1951 Joe Piscopo (comedian)
# 1946 Barry Manilow (Barry Alan Pincus) (singer)
# 1943 Newt Gingrich (Republican)
# 1919 Gene De Paul (composer)
# 1917 Dean Martin (Dino Crocetti) (comedian and singer)
# 1910 Red (Clyde) Foley (songwriter and singer)
# 1904 Ralph Bellamy (actor)
# 1902 Sammy Fain (Feinberg)
# 1898 M.C. Escher (graphic artist)
# 1882 Igor Fedorovich Stravinsky (composer
# 1702 John Wesley (religious leader)



..Fail.

[Captain K.]

Hillary's odds of winning the election have doubled!

1963 Natalie Merchant (Singer-songwriter)
1963 Marla Maples (actress)
1962 Cary Elwes (actor)
1962 Dylan McDermott (actor)
1954 Lauren Tewes (actress)
1951 Bootsy Collins (Funk singer and bandleader)
1947 Hillary Rodham Clinton (politician)
1947 Jaclyn Smith (actress)
1946 Ivan Reitman (director)
1946 Keith Hopwood (singer, musician)
1946 Hillary Rodham Clinton (attorney; former 1st Lady)
1944 Michael Piano (singer)
1942 Bob Hoskins (actor)
1916 Francois Mitterand (President of France)
1914 Jackie Coogan (actor)
1911 Mahalia Jackson (singer)
1876 H B (Henry Byron) Warner (actor)
1854 Charles Post (cereal mogul)
1834 Joseph Hansom (architect, inventor)
1685 Domenico Scarlatti (composer)

[VySaika]

Birthdays

1965 Charlie Sheen (actor)
1955 Steve Jones (musician)
1943 Valerie Perrine (actress)
1942 Al Jardine (singer)
1935 Eileen Brennan (Actress)
1915 Kitty Carlisle (TV personality)
1913 Alan Ladd (actor)
1875 Ferdinand Porsche (automobile designer)
1856 Louis Sullivan (architect)
1849 Sarah Orne Jewett (author)

[Fudozukushi]

#  1985 Masiela Lusha (actor, author, model and artist)
# 1959 'Weird' Al Yankovic (singer, comedian)
# 1957 Martin Luther King III (equal rights advocator)
# 1954 Dwight Yoakam (songwriter, singer)
# 1949 Nick Tosches (writer)
# 1947 Greg Ridley (musician)
# 1942 Michael (John) Crichton (writer)
# 1940 Pele (Edson Arantes do Nascimento) (Brazil's soccer star)
# 1940 Eleanor (Ellie) Greenwich (Ellie Gay, Ellie Gee) (songwriter)
# 1940 Pelt (music group)
# 1939 Charlie Foxx (singer)
# 1931 Diana Dors (Fluck) (actress)
# 1927 Sonny (William) Criss (musician)
# 1925 Johnny Carson (comedian, TV Host)
# 1923 Ned Rorem (composer)

[Cotigo]

#  1973 Daniel Jones (singer - savage garden)
# 1973 Rufus Wainwright (songwriter)
# 1964 David Spade (comedian, actor)
# 1955 Willem Dafoe (actor)
# 1949 Alan Menken (composer)
# 1947 Don Henley (drummer, singer)
# 1947 Danny Glover (actor)
# 1947 Albert Brooks (Einstein) (actor)
# 1944 Bobby Sherman (singer)
# 1941 Thomas Wayne (Perkins) (singer)
# 1940 Alex Trebek (game show host)
# 1939 Terence Stamp (actor)
# 1937 Chuck Jackson (singer)
# 1934 Louise Fletcher (actress)
# 1932 Oscar De La Renta (fashion designer)
# 1930 Marcia Henderson (actress)
# 1928 Orson Bean (Dallas Burroughs) (comedian, actor, author)
# 1924 Margaret Whiting (singer)
# 1923 Robert Dole (US Senate majority leader)
# 1898 Stephen Vincent Benet (poet)
# 1898 Alexander Calder (sculptor)
# 1890 Rose Kennedy (mother of JFK, Robert, edward)


Bob Dole, Alex Trebek, Danny Glover, Willem Dafoe, and... ... David Spade.

Starts with hard dicks, ends in irritating ones.  Great.

[Meeplelard]

# 1969 Jason Bateman (actor)
# 1968 LL Cool J (rapper, record producer)
# 1944 Graham Marsh (golfer)
# 1941 Faye Dunaway (actress)
# 1938 Jack Jones (singer)
# 1919 Andy Rooney (writer, journalist)
# 1892 Hal Roach (producer, writer and director)
# 1875 Albert Schweitzer (philosopher, musician, physician and humanitarian)
# 1741 Benedict Arnold (American General in Revolutionary War) he later turned coat became a traitor


Only name I really recognize offhand is Benedict Arnold and...I should probably start running...

[Ultradude]

# 1981 Jonathan Taylor Thomas (actor)
# 1979 Pink (singer)
# 1971 David Arquette (actor)
# 1946 "Ron ""Pig-Pen"" McKernan (musician)
# 1932 Patsy Cline (country singer)
# 1925 Peter Sellers (actor)
# 1922 Sid Caesar (TV comedian)
# 1900 Claude Pepper (congressman)
# 1841 Anton Dvorak (composer)

... Pink? Arquette? Meeeeeeeh.

At least I got Dvorak, that's pretty cool.

I really love Super's though. Barry Manilow, Venus Williams, M.C. Escher, and Newt Gingrich all on the same day? That must be one awesome day.

[Dark Holy Elf]

Saving ID the trouble!

# 1987 Robyn Richards (soap actress)
# 1981 Willa Ford (singer)
# 1965 Diane Lane (dramatic actress)
# 1960 Michael Hutchence (singer - INXS))
# 1959 Linda Blair (actress)
# 1949 Steve Perry (singer)
# 1948 George Foreman (boxer)
# 1940 John Hurt (actor)
# 1935 Sam Cooke (singer)
# 1934 Bill Bixby (actor most famous for "My Favorite Martian")
# 1932 Piper Laurie (actress)
# 1924 J.J. (James) Johnson (musician)
# 1909 Ann Sothern (actress)
# 1875 David (D.W. Griffith) (film producer and director)
# 1788 Lord (George) Byron (poet)
# 1561 Francis Bacon (philosopher and writer)

Besides the duo born over two centuries ago, I recognise almost nobody. However, I'm not going to complain about Francis Bacon being on that list.

[Talaysen]

Birthdays

# 1962 Jon Bon Jovi (John Bongiovi) (singer, musician, songwriter)
# 1956 John Cowsill (singer)
# 1955 Jay Osmond (singer)
# 1952 Laraine Newman (comedienne, actress)
# 1950 Karen Carpenter (drummer, singer)
# 1944 Lou Reed (Firbank) (singer, songwriter)
# 1939 Paul Dino (singer)
# 1931 Mikhail Gorbachev (Soviet statesman)
# 1930 John Cullum (singer, actor)
# 1919 Jennifer Jones (Phyllis Isley) (actress)
# 1917 Desi Arnaz (Desiderio Alberto Arnez y de Acha III) (bandleader, singer, actor)
# 1904 Dr Seuss (Theodor Seuss Geisel) (author)

Dr Seuss, aw yeah.

[Sierra]

Birthdays

# 1983 Lee Ryan (singer)
# 1980 Venus Williams (tennis champ)
# 1951 Joe Piscopo (comedian)
# 1946 Barry Manilow (Barry Alan Pincus) (singer)
# 1943 Newt Gingrich (Republican)
# 1919 Gene De Paul (composer)
# 1917 Dean Martin (Dino Crocetti) (comedian and singer)
# 1910 Red (Clyde) Foley (songwriter and singer)
# 1904 Ralph Bellamy (actor)
# 1902 Sammy Fain (Feinberg)
# 1898 M.C. Escher (graphic artist)
# 1882 Igor Fedorovich Stravinsky (composer
# 1702 John Wesley (religious leader)



..Fail.

Oh, please. You got Escher and Stravinsky. You want fail? Here it i s, August 26th:

1980 Macaulay Culkin (actor)
1961 Jimmy Olander (guitarist)
1960 Branford Marsalis (musician, bandleader)
1949 Bob Cowsill (singer)
1937 Don Bowman (comedian, entertainer)
1920 Georgia Gibbs (Fredda Lipson or Gibson) (singer)
1919 Ronny Graham (singer, actor)
1915 Jim Davis (actor)
1906 Albert Sabin (polio researcher: the Sabin oral polio vaccine)
1904 Christopher Isherwood (author)
1898 (Marguerite) Peggy Guggenheim (Art collector, patron)
1880 Guillaume Apollinaire (Poet and art critic)
1873 Lee DeForest (inventor)
1838 John Wilkes Booth (actor, assassin)

Macauley Culkin and John Wilkes Booth. To make matters worse, Culkin was born the same year as me, too. I already knew this, but: one day later and I'd share a birthday with the guitarist of my favorite band (Alex Lifeson from Rush); one day earlier and it'd be Tim Burton (flipside, also Gene Simmons. Ewww). So yeah, fuck me and my total lack of regard for timing.

And Meep: Jason Bateman is Michael Bluth! Shame on you for not knowing that.

NEB: Dude, glancing at your list, I recognize a lot of those people. Steve Perry is the dude from Journey, for one.

[Grefter]

Just for the record, Ablert Schweitzer is fucking cool, Meep.

[Nitori]

Birthdays

# 1973 Howie Dorough (singer)
# 1967 Layne Staley (singer)
# 1964 Mats Wilander (tennis)
# 1963 Tori Amos (singer, songwriter)
# 1961 Roland Orzabal (singer, musician)
# 1960 Debbi Peterson (musician - bangles)
# 1948 Cindy Williams (actress)
# 1942 Joe Chambers (musician, singer)
# 1940 Valerie Harper (actress)
# 1934 Norman Schwarzkopf (US Army General)
# 1934 Diana Sands (actress)
# 1934 Sylva Koscina (actress)
# 1929 Honor Blackman (actress)
# 1920 Ray Bradbury (writer)
# 1917 John Lee Hooker (singer)
# 1904 Deng Xiaoping (communist leader)
# 1893 Dorothy Parker (Rothschild) (author)
# 1880 George Herriman (cartoonist)
# 1862 Claude Debussy (composer)

Eh~

[Dark Holy Elf]

NEB: Dude, glancing at your list, I recognize a lot of those people. Steve Perry is the dude from Journey, for one.

You say that like I have any idea what Journey is. <_<