Just coming out of my hiatus to say that listening to the soundtracks of computer games I played almost a decade ago is crazy nostalgic. All I played back in those days were real-time strategy games, and the 90's were a golden age for them (Age of Empires I and II, Starcraft, Dark Reign, Red Alert 2, etc.). And besides being outrageously addicting, they all also provided high-quality music to go along with the player's wanton slaughter of pixelated people. These were the tunes I had stuck in my head all day even before I started to listen to "actual" music. And now, after finding them again on Youtube, I can truly appreciate the work developers put into making the whole gaming experience something to remember.
This is my personal favorite...from Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings. Shit is infectious. I guarantee that the beat will embed itself instantly into the deepest recesses of your minds.
Also, check out the EPIC soundtrack to Dark Reign, an underrated RTS from this era. All the songs are amazingly high-quality...it's like they were ripped straight out of the Star Trek/Wars/Gate movies.
There's also this fine number from Command and Conquer: Red Alert 2. I would give this bad boy a spin while pumping some iron.
Rock on, classic game soundtracks. Rock on.
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Childhood was awesome
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
SNOW DAY!
So I was skeptical, but my wish came true: a snow day in college! This doesn't happen very often. Apparently it hasn't happened at Penn since 2003. Anyway, there's like a million inches of snow...and counting. Fun stuff.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Music You Can Eat
This is awesome!
Think of the possibilities: you can buy a record for a special occasion (a certain Hallmark Holiday), listen to it, then eat it. Brilliant! Now, if only this can go live in about a month's time, so I can add this to my bag of tricks.
Monday, January 11, 2010
The Situation x Snooki x Pauly D: My Inspirations
So... MTV's Jersey Shore is pretty much awesome (dad from Modern Family voice)! I'm sure you've heard of the show by now. Yes, the latest and biggest meme has so much steam it's been in Saturday Night Live, ESPN, and even The New York Times, in a semi-positive light (gasp). What's so captivating about this show, and other reality shows, for that matter is, it portrays a group of people with similar interests (insane women striving to fall in love with Flavor Flav). Anyway, here's a hilarious video I came upon about said show.
Here's a link to the NYT article.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/04/arts/television/04shore.html
mtv.com
funnyordie.com
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Mouse Pointer Torture at selfcontrolfreak
So while dicking around (browsing) the internetz I found this fun little website. It's basically this guy who interacts with and at times, abuses your mouse pointer. In one interactive video he eats it. In another, he runs away after seeing it. This is a really creative way to interact with the user in a video. I'd like to see something like this developed further in the future to implement things such as alternate endings/ storylines.
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Jeremy Lin: Badass of the Month
What if I was to tell you that one of the most electrifying players in college basketball today is a 6'3, 200 lb senior guard from Palo Alto, California?
You might nod slightly and say to yourself: "Oh, that's cool. He's on the small side but that's about how big Dwyane Wade is. If he can play, then he can play."
Fair enough. Now what if I told you that he doesn't play for any of the traditional basketball powerhouses such as UNC, Duke, UCLA, Kentucky, and UConn?
"Well, that's not that bad. A lot of NBA superstars were from small colleges. Just look at Scottie Pipp..."
He plays for Harvard.
*sudden pause*
"Oh. Well that's...um. I guess he's smart enough to know the fundamentals. I mean, if you look at the white dudes in the NBA, most of them are pretty good at distributing the ball, shooting three's, and..."
And he looks like this:
*longer pause*
"Uhh..."
*nervous coughing*
"Well..."
*more silence*
You may finally bring yourself to say multiple variations of:
"What the fuck???" and "There's no way!"
Or you just might sit there in stunned silence saying nothing at all.
It's all good. Jeremy's used to the doubters and non-believers. But like all successful people, he tunes them out and does his thing. And his "thing" happens to involve averaging 18 points (52% FG and 35% from downtown), 5.3 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 2.7 steals, and 1.4 blocks per game so far this season. A 6'3 college guard of any ethnic background who fills up the boxscore like this is pretty damn rare, ladies and gentlemen.
As of now, the main knock against him is the weak-sauce Ivy League conference he plays in...something I as a Penn student would know about first-hand. The only practical measuring stick for his level of talent is therefore his play against highly-regarded non-conference opponents. Last season, Lin created a blip on the radar when he crafted a ridiculous stat line of 27 points, 8 assists, 6 steals, 3 rebounds and 2 blocks during an 82-70 Crimson victory over Boston College, a team which just days earlier had upset eventual champion North Carolina. This season, he has returned in full force. In this season's rematch with BC, he scored 25 points in another win. However, it was his 30 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals and 2 blocks during a 6-point loss to then-#13 UConn which really slapped America awake.
Today, Mr. Lin has spawned a cult following among sports fans as well as a good deal of draft buzz. He has also been deemed worthy of his own obligatory "rags to riches" article. As a fellow Asian-American, I definitely want to see J.Lin succeed and get his shot at playing in the NBA. His story is one with which many of us can identify. Immigrant parents who want the best for their kids? Check. A childhood which was more about isosceles triangles than the triangle offense? Check. Racists and/or ignorant people trying to bring us down every step of the way? Big check.
So as 2009 comes to a close, I salute Jeremy Lin and his awesome accomplishments. Hopefully we will get to see much more of him in the near future.
Get that popcorn ready, America.
Monday, November 30, 2009
Classic Coke
With the exception of alcoholic beverages like Rum & Coke or the trusty, quintessentially American Jack & Coke, I haven’t drunk straight Coca-Cola in years. I stopped some time in high school, while I was doing a biomedical science program. Around that time, I was becoming increasingly more aware of my health and how my diet affects it, not to mention, I had just seen Super as best I could from drinking soda, until…
BOOM!
Yes, it is what you think it is. It’s a vintage Coca-Cola machine. Over the weekend, while working on my clearing my arteries with a little
Check out this ad. “Not just wet and sweet, but vigorously satisfying”
Glass bottle, functioning vintage machine, classic American flavor, and good ol' sober fun.
Something to blow your mind...
What's up, fellow Followers of the Rod!
I just wanted to share this awesome video with you all. If you haven't seen it already, I guarantee that you will watch this thing over and over again over the next several days...it's that mind-blowing (and by mind-blowing, I mean trippy as all hell). Anyone who likes nature and animals is going to love this. And anyone who likes nature, animals, and recreational drugs is really going to love this (shoutouts to our Dutch readers!).
WARNING: I advise that anyone who gets squeamish really easily stop watching at around 1:30. But that would be depriving you of some of the coolest scenes, and really where's the fun in that? Don't be a party pooper.
You will never look at sea stars the same way
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Yo, doesn't he really look like...
With a name like 梁 Da Merciless, I know I have a responsibility to make sure all my Rod posts are quality. This is why the following look-a-like compilation is unlike anything you guys might have seen before. I intentionally excluded the more obvious comparisons (everyone already knows that Sam Cassell looks like a piranha/martian), so my final product is something worthy of the coveted "badassness" label.
Check it out.
Adam Morrison
Juwan Howard
Peja Stojakovic
Pau Gasol
Hasheem Thabeet
Andrei Kirilenko
Chauncey Billups
+
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Clipse x Big Sean x Mike Posner - Philadelphia
Friday night I got to see the Big Sean, Mike Posner and the Clipse at my school UPenn (woot woot)! “Keys Open Doors” live made my life…seriously. The Clipse are undoubtedly my favorite rap duo. Everyone from my hall freshman year just has to knowa good 60% of Hell Hath no Fury because of my ignorant ass.
Though I was excited for the show, I was a little apprehensive at first. The venue was a small and it had seats. Sure, all the tix were general admission, but this isn’t the Grammys. People actually need a little room to go nuts and do rude shit. Needless to say, the show was Supa Dupa(Big Sean song. Oh, you don’t get the reference? You will soon). Being a pretty big fan of both Big Sean and the Clipse, I was just satisfied to see them, but Mike Posner’s energy was a pleasant surprise. Not only did he have the crowd on his side but he had a bevy of sing-along-able tracks on his set list. Oh, and apparently he’s a senior at Duke. Much respect.
Find me (Waldo) in this video! At one point, me and my buddy enjoy a high five of epic proportions. Joy was in our souls.
Anyway, highlight of the night—along with said keys opening doors—I got to meet the Malice and Pusha in the flesh. They seemed like real chill dudes and they actually care about their craft. We didn’t chit chat too much, but I did manage to get a pack of Oreos from backstage. I got it for cheap.
Saturday, November 14, 2009
The only music video you will ever need to watch. Ever.
Meet Namata. Born in Cameroon but currently making his living in Denmark, this naturally-gifted singer/choreographer/director is a renaissance man of our generation.
The video of his hit single "Treasure in You" has everything any sane human being could possibly want. You have a relatively simple storyline which fits into the allotted time slot of the song (about 5 minutes here). There are attractive women who wear revealing clothing and oscillate in seductive manners. Finally, there is a female back-up singer who really hits the high notes with a grace which is rare among today's Rihannas, Keri Hilsons, and Justin Biebers. The last minute of the song could even bring Bolo Yeung to tears with its emotion.
As with many videos these days, this one is based on a love story which begins with early moments of disappointment and frustration, but ends with triumph, merth, and...ebullience. But unlike many videos these days, this one has Namata. I can honestly say that I have never been prouder to be a member of the human race than when I am watching Namata express himself through dance. It truly is a sight to behold. And not only is he supremely talented, but he also possesses character traits that everyone would be wise to emulate. The video (which is clearly based exactly on his real life) shows that Namata is a headstrong and confident individual who takes action when it is required. He does not second guess himself nor does he believe in fate. I will even go as far as to compare him to another awe-inspiring individual of our time.
Does this look like the face of a man who takes no for an answer?
Anyway, without further ado, check out the video in question. Ladies and gentlemen, I proudly present: "Treasure in You"
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Friday, October 16, 2009
The Grand Return
So college, as usual, has been damaging my psyche, leaving me powerless to continue crafting dragged-out and overly detailed posts. So for my first post of the fall, I will simply share this sick video:
I think I'm in love.
Monday, October 12, 2009
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Saturday, August 29, 2009
The Rod is now ¼ of a Year Old!
Yeah you guys read that correctly. 3 months ago, a dream over two years in the making was realized. The goal to establish a medium through which two remarkably brilliant college kids can express whatever the hell they wanted was accomplished. And while Rod is obviously still a pretty small operation, I honestly did not think that we would have this many unique visits from such a spectrum of countries…even if it’s just one person a piece. To this day, I will always remember logging in and seeing that someone from THE Islamic Republic of Iran managed to find The Rod....shit blew my mind, yo. But seriously, I was pretty excited about it (and now we have 2 unique visits from Iran!). Since then, we’ve received an ever-increasingly diverse group of visitors. Great Britain is currently our second biggest source of visitors (you Canucks gotta step your game up!), and neither I nor Sid have any English friends…so yeah. Good stuff. The next step is to get at least 5 of the 300 million Chinese internet users out there to visit us. Statistically, we should already have like 80 right?
So what are my plans for the future of Rod? Well, first, I would like to continue posting and actually have this thing make it to one whole year. If Sid and I can keep this up even while we’re going through the exuberant adventure that is college senior year, then we’ll be in alright shape. I’m also going to try to actually take photos in real-life and post some cool stuff here. I’m not the artsy type, but I think it would be cool to mix it up a bit.
Boom.
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Ip Man = Baddest Man on the Planet
Just watched Ip Man yesterday. It stars Hong Kong action superstar 甄子丹 (Donnie Yen) as Ip Man, the man responsible for the current popularity of Wing Chun and for training some young guy named 李小龙 (Li Xiaolong) back in the day (you may have heard of him before). If you enjoyed Fearless, you would love this film too as they both feature pissed-off Chinese guys beating the mess out of people for the pride of their nation and our viewing pleasure.
Oh yeah, the film also features one of the most brutally awesome fight scenes I've seen in a while. Once I saw what Mr. Yen did to the first sucka I knew I was in for a treat. Check it:
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