tempest in a teacup

Someone really needs to tell me what the fuss over LittleBigPlanet is about, because I don’t see it. It’s a level design toolbox for a fairly average platformer, and it looks like you can’t modify the basic mechanics in any way, so…what’s the big deal?

The only thing I can think of at this point that might get me to buy the game is the fact that Stephen Fry does the tutorial voiceovers.

(Next post will be about King of Fighters XII, now that I’ve had some time to sit and think about the ramifications of the new system)

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It happens to be the 25th anniversary of GNU this month, and Stephen Fry, of all people, has put out a video explaining the promise of free software to commemorate the occasion. Mr Fry, contrary to what most might believe, is quite a techie, and an avid proponent of the concept of free and open-source software (as anyone who reads his blog would know).

In any case, if you’re curious about what this free software business is all about, Mr Fry puts it in rather simple terms that anyone can understand.

Click here to watch the video.

(The server handling the streaming seems to be hammered right now, so you may want to just download the video and watch it on your computer. You’ll need the Ogg Theora codec - a free codec - for it to work)

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One of my favourite sites is Stephen Fry’s blog, where he often posts essays and podcasts about various interesting subjects. His most recent podcast is about the important role of public broadcasting in the media, and I found a lot to agree with in it, so I thought I’d link it here for everyone else to listen to.

http://stephenfry.com/podcasts/

You’ll need iTunes to listen to it. Alternatively, you can read it in written form here:

http://stephenfry.com/blog/?p=44

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Just got back about an hour ago.

There was a reorganisation of my group at work about a couple of months ago, and our new boss held an “offsite” for us to get together and discuss possible long-term directions for where we wanted to take our group's products. It was a pretty interesting discussion, although I found that I wasn't quite able to contribute in the capacity that I might have wanted to. Afterwards we went out to dinner at some way-too-expensive restaurant while swapping anecdotes…a good time was had by all.

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One of my recent obsessions has been BBC comedy panel shows, particulary Never Mind the Buzzcocks and Qi. The former is a music-themed panel quiz show with new guests every week, and the latter is a show devoted to dispelling “general ignorance,” and is hosted by one of my favourite British actors/comedians, Stephen Fry. Both are hilarious when at their best, and have introduced me to a few more interesting personalities like Bill Bailey and Noel Fielding. Unfortunately, since these shows aren't available through any legal avenues in the US (the BBC does do Region 1 DVD releases, but the most recent show they seem to have is the new series of Doctor Who and Torchwood) I have to watch them though…other means.

It's kind of odd that I find shows like that much more entertaining than most of what shows up on American TV…then again, I haven't owned a television subscription for about a year now, so I probably have no right to make the comparision. I never did watch anything more than Scrubs, Mythbusters and Stewart and Colbert when I did, though. I'm probably missing out, but I really can't give a crap. :P

On a somewhat related note, I looked at the Spring anime season lineup, and there is nothing that looks interesting to me. I might watch Code Geass 2 out of boredom (seeing how I wasn't that impressed with the first season), but that's all. Might be a good idea to go out and get some older series on DVD - I already bought a Vision of Escaflowne boxset, so I might look into other old shows like Cowboy Bebop that are available at a reasonable price.

Watching DVDs on my computer is rather a pain, though.

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