Presidential candidate Howard Dean once again stuns America by switching to a passive campaign. Pundits suspect that this will save Dean millions of dollars, and possibly increase his chances of winning.
After failing to win a single state in the Democratic primaries and caucuses, former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean pulled the plug Wednesday on his once seemingly unstoppable presidential campaign. "I am no longer actively pursuing the presidency," Dean announced to supporters in Burlington, Vermont. But he said he would build a "new organization" to continue advancing his goals for the Democratic Party.
[ CNN.com - Dean suspends presidential campaign ]
In the years between the release of the original Nintendo Entertainment System and GameCube's debut, the market shifted toward older audiences with less toy-like tastes. When, in 2001, Nintendo unveiled the indigo box with the big black handle, Nintendo executives looked a bit like a well-meaning uncle presenting a Barbie doll to his 15-year-old niece. GameCube seemed doomed from the start.
[ GameSpy.com - Article ]
It seems clear that if Nintendo's next platform is to regain the Nintendo magic, the following things have to happen:
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Nintendo needs to be first to market. Not so early as to be the weakest or most expensive offering, but early enough to get a good library before they get trumped
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The console needs to launch with 2 out of 3 of the following:
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A Zelda Game
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A Mario Game
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A Metroid Game
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Nintendo needs online play. They believe that it's not mature enough to be profitable, but they are missing some important facts:
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The don't have to launch an Nintendo Live service, 3rd party networks can work, and at no cost to Nintendo
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Online play can be a loss leader that generates additional sales elsewhere
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Online play shouldn't be too hard to integrate into games if a decent library is developed
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Nintendo needs to either stop pushing the GameBoy/GameCube connectivity, or make it worth while and less expensive. Sure FF: Crystal Chronicles looks like “da bomb”, but rumors are you need 4 players to get the full effect. That's 4 times $100 for GBA SPs, 4 times $10-15 for cables in addition to the price of the game itself, and that's a hefty price for fun.
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Nintendo needs to launch the console in black or metallic grey with a big skull that's dripping blood, at least have it as a choice
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They should name it the “F'ing Nintendo Killer F'ing Game Machine, boyeeee” or something equally “adult”. People fall for that stuff, and they'll think Nintendo has gone hard core
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They should go hard core (but still have cute and fuzzy games for the kids)
As long as the big N follows my guidelines, they'll be the biggest success ever, and I'll buy at least 2. One in fuzzy pink and one in black with the bleeding skull...
Update: Nintendo needs to change nothing, the bad press is all wrong.
StarCraft Ghost should be in stores by now (according to Amazon.com).
Blizzard seems to have a winner on their hands so far. Combining fast action, stealth take-downs and the lucrative StarCraft license almost guarantees a new franchise.
[ Nintendo ]
Though searching for more details leaves me a bit confused:
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StarCraft: Ghost fan site has no details on release date. -
Official site has no details on release date or any new news for that matter. -
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It looks to me like Amazon.com was lying when they had today as the release day, and they are still lying with their availability in 2-3 days. When will the lies end?
I like this sporty hoody:
[ Volkswagen DriverGear ]
But shouldn't VW be paying me, or at least reducing the price, for the free advertising? Sure, I'm no high-falootin' celebrity, but at least a couple bucks off seems fair.
KAJOL SALE!
Including Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, a personal favorite. Though Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham is a bit unbelievable, so I'll skip it.
I may have to pick up Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge. I'm just a sucker for a good Kajol/Shah Rukh Khan movie.
Once again the question comes up, this time courtesy of Asjouré. And except for the “you can't buy your own”, which I don't think I had heard before, this page jibes with my understanding of the myth behind the Claddagh Ring.
The Claddagh Ring when worn on the left hand with the crown pointing away from your heart tells all you are spoken for. While worn on the right hand in the same fashion suggests love is being considered. If your heart is as yet unspoken for the ring should be worn on the right hand with the crown turned to your heart.
[ 123 Celtic Irish Jewelry ]
And Yes ladies, I wear mine on the right hand, crown facing in.
Update: No longer am I available. You waited too long...
I've just realized that many people look to my website for all information regarding Soccer in Africa and I hadn't blogged about the unfortunate final game in the 2004 African Cup of Nations:
An error from Morocco keeper Khalid Fouhami gifted Tunisia their first-ever African Cup of Nations title.
[ BBC SPORT | Football | African Cup of Nations ]
This just means that Morocco has that much more reason to come back strong for the World Cup in 2006.
Morocco have vowed to take their revenge on Tunisia when the two sides meet in the qualifers(sic) for the 2006 World Cup.
[ BBC SPORT | Football | African Cup of Nations ]
In our fantasies we are always young and vital, and so is our date. Older guys have to contend with many misconceptions about their datability. Let's debunk a few.
[ Match.com ]
Ouch. I'm already a tad bit concerned about my “marketability” now that I'm back in circulation, but to have to stumble across this doesn't help. I pessimistically expect, after reading this, that most women that I'd be interested in believe all 5 of these, and will never read this article. My only hope is that somehow 35 is young...
Mali 0-4 Morocco
Two goals from forward Youssef Mokhtari helped Morocco to the African Cup of Nations final at the expense of Mali.
[ BBC SPORT | Football | African Cup of Nations ]
One game left:
Sat 14th Feb 1400 (7PM EST)
Tunisia v Morocco
Rades
BBC3 1945, BBC2 2340
When you see this video featuring the “spongmonkeys” what is your first thought?
I know mine is “these guys could sell some serious toasted subs”
Update: Quizno's website is back, and tweedle-chinchilla and tweedle-squirrel are on the site. And they have the mutant freak commercials up for all to see.
Update: Arizona's AZ Central cracks the story wide open.
3.1415926535897932384626433832795028841971693993751058209749
[ autopron.org ]
Of course, since I'm color blind I can't even see the larger sideways pi, or the sexy font that they use.
Courtesy: The Haitian Sensation
 Nintendo's new "Metroid: Zero Mission" is retro video gaming at its finest.
It's a simple to play — but hard to master — mix of action and puzzles that kept me tapping away on my Game Boy Advance for hours at a stretch.
[ Yahoo! News ]
And I'm soooo excited. Of course if they just released the original but added a map, I'd be happy. So much Metroid goodness to look forward to...
I wonder when they'll make the movie?
I have no idea why, but:
Freebyte Zip is a reliable, powerful and freeware zip/unzip program with full Windows user-interface. You can zip and unzip files, create zip archives, password protect files, view sort and encrypt zip file contents, and also make self.extracting archives.
[ Freebyte Zip ]
This includes commercial uses, and it can be run from a command line (and closes when it's done).
Someone should tell Hawai'i that Crack Seed sounds a bit odd to the rest of us...
Crack seed, a popular local snack in Hawaii, comes in a variety of shapes, sizes, and flavors. Also known as Li Hing Mui or See Mui, crack seed is actually a variety of dehydrated and preserved fruits. If you've never tried this local favorite, read on!
[ Crack Seed Center ]
Update: Crack Seed certainly sounds much more appetizing than Clam Jerky, however.
For Morocco, winning a place in the Cup of Nations semi-finals is another step in a long rebuilding process. The Atlas Lions confirmed their place in the last four following their dramatic extra-time victory over North African rivals Algeria in Sunday's quarter-final.
[ BBC SPORT | Football | African Cup of Nations ]
Another step closer... If only we had these games televised in the US. (Or are they?)
This weekend I did a rather unexpected thing. I “purchased” a copy of Pokémon Ruby. I have somehow avoided Pokémon for most of my life, as it is clearly a marketing trick of some sorts. This weekend, however, I found myself wanting the newest Pokémon game (at least one of them, Iman has the other). This could be due to a recent foray into nostalgic games, picking up Pokémon Snap! and Pokémon Stadium for Nintendo 64.
The other thing that this reveals is that I'm really into my GBA these days. With all of the power and fun of my GameCube, stunning graphics, surround sound, etc. I am rather surprised that I've bought far more GameBoy Advance games lately, than GameCube games. Perhaps this is a commentary on the quality or quantity of games for the GameCube, perhaps I'm just addicted to a bit of old school style, I just not real sure.
[ Beastie Boys ]
OK. So it took me like 5+ years to get around to picking up a copy, and the boys from Manhatten have apparently been waiting for me to do so before releasing their next.
MCA, Mike D, Adrock let me now formally appologize for taking so long to purchase your latest, this should now clear the way for further albums.
Designing fonts in Redmond "Microsoft has learned of a mistake in the Bookshelf Symbol 7 font ... we failed to identify, prior to the release, the presence of two swastikas within the font. We apologize for this and for any offense caused." From a statement released in December by Microsoft senior vice president Steven Sinofsky.
[ CNN.com ]
And before you say, come on I'm sure it's not really a swastika, or maybe it's that backwards swastika that is a hindu religeous symbol, or whatever:
Way to go, Microsoft. I'm sure someone accidentally put a swastika in there. Twice.
Update: If this offends, you can remove it with a Microsoft “tool”.
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