All Reviews
Stargate Atlantis - Season 5 - Partial Review
tv show review // Mark Yuasa
11
03
08
Season:
Season 5
I was a bit slow to catch up to season 5 of Atlantis. I must have forgotten all about it with the writers' strike last year, adding to that, a very early start to the season way back in July of '08.
Now well into the season, we haven't seen any jaw-dropping plot twists, or exceptionally good writing for that matter, but that's not the kind of show SGA is. It's not high-minded and preachy like Star Trek, or edgy and sexy like Battlestar Galactica. Atlantis is just good, goofy fun. And there's nothing wrong with that at Laidback Geek.
30 Rock: A Not-So-Laidback Ode to Liz Lemon
tv show review // Lindsay Stewart
09
23
08
Are there any other ladies out there in love with Liz Lemon? Stand up and declare yourselves!
Spore is 10 Games You've Already Played
game review // Mark Yuasa
09
21
08
There's plenty of Spore-bashing to be had on the interwebs, so I wont place another drop in the storm.
Instead, I'd like to focus on the various games you may have already played that have "influenced" Spore`s 5 stages.
Bleach: Memories of Nobody (2006) - Review
review // Mark Yuasa
09
04
08
The first Bleach movie was released in 2006 (in Japan) between the 5th and 6th seasons of the series.
Like many TV Anime movie spin-offs, it doesn't do much to progress the main story arc. This may have been wise since the direction of the series is fairly muddy at this point.
Setting the Stage
The prologue opens in Soul Society, in a tense, Evangelion-like command center. A cataclysmic event is unfolding, threatening to collapse Soul Society and the "Real World" into one.
Star Trek TNG - Season 3 - Review
tv show review // Mark Yuasa
08
27
08
Season:
Season 3I'm re-watching TNG all the way through for the nth time.
The show really comes into its own in year three. The cast really gels, the story lines are more mature, and the writing is matched by stellar performances.
Krazy: The Delirious World of Anime + Comics + Video Games + Art - Review
review // Mark Yuasa
08
27
08
by Civixen on Flickr.Linz and I visited Krazy earlier in the summer, and we were astounded by the size of the exhibit. One hour was clearly not enough to go through the entire two floors, so we returned for another hour and a half tonight.
Tuesdays, it turns out, are perfect for a jaunt out to the Vancouver Art Gallery, especially on a cold and rainy night like tonight. Admission is by donation on Tuesday evenings from 5:30 - 9pm.
Too Delirious?
Krazy is definitely ambitious. The exhibit bills itself as "The Delirious World of Anime + Comics + Video Games + Art." I would argue that just one of the four main areas could fill an entire two floors by themselves.
Arcanum - Partial
game review // Mark Yuasa
08
12
08
Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura is one of the best games I've ever played but never finished.
I've started to play it probably six times now. The most recent time just a couple of days ago on my Macbook Pro (Bootcamp).
The latest patch (from 2003!), 1.0.7.4, makes some welcome improvements from the earlier versions. The largest change is a full screen mode (no static interface that takes up half the screen), and the missions seem a bit more balanced.
Amazing Atmosphere
The best thing about Arcanum has to be the setting. Unlike your standard fantasy fare, or the post-apocalyptic, nostalgia-future setting of the Fallout series, Arcanum aims right down the middle, mixing wizards and locomotives, halberds and repeating rifles, trolls and tesla coil hats (seriously).
Spook Country
reading review // Lindsay Stewart
08
01
08
I'm a huge William Gibson fan. I started reading his novels in my mid-20s and have enjoyed every one I have read. I don't often love sci-fi, but I find Gibson's work, while not completely accessible, definitely mind-bending, and it's a trip I always enjoy taking.
Kohjinsha SC3 UMPC Review, Part 1
gadget review // Mark Yuasa
07
29
08
Kohjinsha has been making some tiny PC Laptops for a while now, as I discovered from my visit to the Akihabara district in Tokyo this past April.
I received the new SC3 one week ago today from Direct From Japan. This is my first Kohjinsha, and my first UMPC to boot. There are a couple of reviews out there already (Pocketables, UMPCPortal) that take the machine to task on specs and battery life so I will list out my generally unscientific impressions on the SC3 after a week of use.
Welcome to the NHK - Partial
reading review // Mark Yuasa
07
26
08
I'm reading volume 5 of "Welcome to the NHK" (Tokyopop), a darkly humorous look at the contemporary trend of social withdrawal within Japanese young men. No, it's not about working at the Japanese broadcasting company...
NHK ni Yōkoso! is not without its shonen manga qualities, but there are no spiky haired preteens battling mystic toad kings here. Instead, you find talking tea-kettles, suicide clubs, and erotic game designers.
The story is clearly an exaggerated take on some harsh real-life issues, but the delivery leaves you shamefully enraptured.
