My Trip to Work!

Some people have been asking me in email about my commute, so here's a few pics of what the scenic route to work looks like (I can go two ways, the 405 and 101 freeways, or this way. I like this way better, but it takes a little longer).

I first drive down to Santa Monica, then up the Pacific Coast Highway, or PCH as Lindsay Lohan likes to call it, then through the mountains on Malibu Canyon road. It's not the 10 minute stroll I had back in Brisbane, but it's a nice way to start the day.

Games as Art

I just came across this excellent article. If you're in the industry of making computer games, playing computer games, watching movies or making movies, I think you should read this.

While I disagree somewhat with Croal's assessment that Ebert is saying art falls into one of two buckets, high or low, his argument is very well constructed and articulated. Ebert's assertion that games are not art are sure to create lots more debate than what's here, but for me the last section of the article, where Croal and Tolito examine what critics said about the medium of film when it was only 30 years old, is very telling.

Ebert's opinion does not piss me off, so much as it does make me want to make games that prove him wrong. I hope I get the chance.

ZOMG

OK, so don't flip out or anything. Sit down, hold onto something, and prep for the news. Last night, at some point during sleep, the weather CHANGED. I mean, did something different. It RAINED. Apparently, or a v large street sweeper wet everything. All was back to normal by the time greater LA awoke, and chaos was averted. Who knows what these people might do under slick conditions.

Who need the Kwik-e-Mart?

This one's for you Coop.

As part of the celebration of the Simpsons Movie about to be released, several 7-11 stores have been converted to Kwik-e-marts, and I went along to one close to my apartment. It's creating suite a stir, and they actually have a security guard and a line of people outside waiting to get in. To a CONVENIENCE store. Doesn't sound very convenient to me. At any rate the level of conversion is pretty impressive, right down to the uniforms being worn by the staff. So I guess the question really is, who needs the Kwik-e-mart?

You can see all my pics here!

Crazy Blogging Stuff

Lots of family and a few friends have been asking me about the blog and how to put their own one up. To be honest, it's not nearly as daunting as it might seem. I use Blogger, but there are more options than this simple tool for blogging on the inter-highway-super-nets. For a simple blog*, you need no web creation skillz, no special tools (you just go to a web page to add and edit posts) and best of all no money.

So there's no excuse. Gentlemen, start your blogs!

* like this one

San Diego!!!

With THQ reaching 1 billion dollars last financial year everyone in the company was given two days off, and it just so happens that we were given these days last Thursday and Friday, so Jenni and I headed down the coast to San Diego. We went to Sea World and the San Diego Wild Animal Park. The Wild Animal Park was outstanding, a huge expanse with Rhino, Giraffe and a bunch of other African animals all sharing the same pen.

I thought San Diego was going to remind me a lot of the Gold Coast but the two are really pretty different. With all the sandstone around it actually reminded me a lot more of Sydney.

Mega Dope

OK. I promise I won't make this blog a constant bitch about how dumb Americans are, but the well is deep my friends, the well is deep. The latest thing I've been amused by is the weather reports. Firstly, because the weather HAS NOT CHANGED since I got here, and secondly, because they don't call it a weather report. That's so last decade. Here, they call it the LIVE MEGA DOPPLER 7000 HD!!! Don't believe me?

But even this has evolved from previous, inferior versions of the Doppler.

Breakin the Law

So I just had my first brush with LA's finest. It's about 2am here, and about an hour ago a large domestic flared up with my next door neighbors. After a bunch of shouting crying, and stomping about, I hear the male shouting "I will kill you, I will fucking kill you". So this is about the time I step in and call the cops. If he'd only said it once, then I probably would have done nothing, but he said it twice AND added in a fucking, so I knew it was serious. Anyway, it's no far cry from my Mum's recent brush with the law, but it does count as my first bit of drama since I came here. Like sands through the hourglass, so are the days of our lives.