IBM blogs about Twitter...

An IBM employee proclaims 2007 as the year of the "breaking out of Twitter".

"If you haven't used Twitter...then you missed one of the biggies of 2007."

Here's the article LINK.

I bet most of you DID miss out.

Shame on you.

One of your New Year's resolutions should be to start using Twitter.

Feel free to add me as a friend....


Also, I'll be in the Dominican Republic for the next week, so the rest of the Villagers will be blogging about life, the internet.com, and general stupidity in my place.

Why Rock Band has paved the way for Turntable Hero (DJ Hero? Hip-Hop Hero?)

When I googled "Turntable Hero" and "DJ Hero", the only article that seemed relevant was this article from a blog on MTV.com.

The main issue with "Turntable Hero" was the on-screen lyrics. Apparently, people are self-conscious of singing in front of others.

First, here's an article from WikiHow on how to get over being self-conscious.

Second, as the owner of Rock Band, I have seen several of my friends get on the mic and belt out some terrible versions of Bon Jovi's "Dead or Alive" and other assorted songs. And there's no shame in that.

Third, Turntable Hero (ok, maybe Hip-Hop Hero is better) wouldn't focus on the rapping, just like Rock Band doesn't focus on the singing. That is only one part of the fun in Rock Band. Turntable Hero would be about two turntables (and a microphone?)...scratching it out and laying down some phat fat beats.

Then, you can throw in the rapping. And maybe even dancing? Maybe that would be too much like Dance Dance Revolution. Maybe instead Break Dancing (Revolution) integrated into Hip-Hop Hero?

Maybe the kit should come with two sets of turntables from the beginning. DJ battles as well as rap battles. I can see people getting shot because of these ideas....

Back to the point about people being afraid to sing. Karaoke anyone? Plenty of people do karaoke and love it. With karoake, most of the time the motivator is booze (and/or boozed up friends). So, Hip-Hop Hero just has to market itself as a game to get crunk drunk and have scratch/rap offs with your friends.

Everyone wins.

As a totally non-scientific test to prove that video game singing technology is pretty good, I threw in Rock Band and started a career on Expert. I will say I am average to slightly above average at carrying a tune. I played enough piano that I should be semi-decent (10 years). I am in no way an American Idol.

That being said, I attempted to sing three songs. I knew the first two, but wasn't very familiar with the third. Here are the results:

• "Say It Ain't So" - 3 1/2 stars - 85% notes hit - 2 phrase streak - 41,630
  
• "In Bloom" - 3 1/2 stars - 78% notes hit - 3 phrase streak - 61,690
  
• "Paranoid" (Black Sabbath) - 31% complete - booed off stage twice

It is somewhat of a challenge to do well at the hardest level. So, for those who want a challenge, it is there (Hard and Expert difficulty). For those who just want to rock out, that is also available (Easy and Medium difficulty).


Thanks to Rock Band, people have become comfortable with the singing aspect of video games. Rapping is just another form of vocalization. Now that we've gotten over that fear, there are fewer barriers to entry for Hip-Hop Hero and an even bigger market. Come on Harmonix, let's make this happen....

100 Facts About...

...Electronic Vagrant

If you haven't seen the 100 Facts About website, created by the folks over at brainfuel.tv, go check it out.

I will highlight a few facts about Electronic Vagrant that you might NOT know, and you can follow the link above for the rest:

• Electronic Vagrant can watch a season of "24" in just three hours.
  
• You are what you eat. That is why Electronic Vagrant's diet consists entirely of bricks, steel, and the tears of small children.
  
• If it looks like chicken, tastes like chicken, and feels like chicken but Electronic Vagrant says its beef, then it's beef.

I would recommend comparing your list with my hero Ed Hochuli and the list of 50 True Facts about that courageous man. Even with 50 less facts, I bet he still wins....

V-Necks and Half Turtlenecks? Formal wear?

I don't understand why V-necks shirts are considered to be dressier than a regular shirt. Why does the V make it more stylish? Would a square instead of a V also be dressier than the standard circle/oval?

Also, the half turtleneck...what's with that? Most of the time, it isn't even on a sweater. It is a long sleeve T-shirt with a half turtleneck. And these types of shirts are worn under suit/sports jackets. That, I truly don't understand.

I'm sure this argument can be made against any type of shirt. Why is a shirt with a collar considered dressy? Personally, I think collared shirts look better than non-collared shirts.

I'm not saying I don't own more t-shirts than I should (my drawers are overflowing with them) or that I don't follow t-shirt blogs (I love shirt.woot.com).

So, call me plain or conservative in my fashion sense, but V-necks and half turtlenecks just don't make any sense to me. Am I wrong?

ManBird Flight School

Looking for a last minute Christmas/Kwanzaa/belated Festival of Lights gift?
Look no further than the ManBird Flight School.

Held at Bull Run Park in lovely Centreville, VA, ManBird Flight School promises to keep it "Low & Slow" while you learn to fly.

You will be given a safety helmet (bright red or yellow), harness, and careful instruction by Mr. Manbird (see the license plate).

It doesn't look like the guy on the left is going low and slow. But, I guess I should just trust that he has mastered the beginner or maybe even intermediate ManBird Flight skills.

I really didn't even know that ManBird Flight School was even possible or existed until driving down the road the other day and seeing Mr. Manbird's trailer and mid-90's Isuzu Rodeo. (Special shout out to my future wife for helping me capture the pictures in this post.)

I couldn't find a website for ManBird Flight School, but for more information, e-mail WriteTheDoctor at msn dot com or call (703) 994-1320.


DISCLAIMER: I am in no way affiliated with Mr. Manbird or his school. I just think it is comical and wanted to let the world know of the opportunity to learn how to fly.