Zero Punctuation

These are absolutely hilarious. I am utterly hooked.



How this guy manages to cram so much humor and accurate review into a couple of minutes is absolutely mind boggling. Each clip warrants multiple views, and each one that I've seen delivers 100%.

They are not only funny, but spot-on reviews as well. When everyone was licking Bioshock's teet, this guy said exactly what needed to be said, and I was not utterly disappointed when I started playing Bioshock solely due to his review.

Now I have to find a way to subscribe to his reviews, I don't want to miss any of them...

---

Best. Sunday. Ever.

This weekend was a lot of fun, but not just because it was relaxing. That was definitely part of it, since taking trips every other weekend can be extremely taxing, but it was a small part.

The main thing that I found memorable about this weekend was what happened on Sunday. On Sunday Vicki had her Tupperware party, and I left the house fearful for my sanity if I would have to stay and mingle among that many women of that many ages. I ventured out to Half Price Books, got a good large stack of great Douglas Adams Hardcovers, and stopped by GameStop to slaver over the used Xbox, Wii, and DS games that they have on display.

All of this was quite enjoyable. However, I had a half hour to burn before I was able to return home with any reasonable hope that the living room would not be suffused with estrogen and plastic containers. I decided to go investigate the Selby-Dale area of West St Paul, near the Cathedral.



The short version = "I was very impressed".

The long version is thus: The neighborhood that we live in presently is extremely nice. All the houses around us have a metric ton of character, and it feels very safe and green. The main problem is that it is not quite close enough to any commercial shops to facilitate any real community. The closest useful food is Byerly's Over in Sun Ray, and last time I checked, a strip-mall is not a good place to get to know your neighbors.

Selby-Dale has pretty much everything that we like about our present neighborhood (awesome old houses, lots of greenery) and adds in a vibrant commercial nexus all the way along Selby Ave. Driving around down there, I saw one of the primary things that Vicki and I have been missing from Milwaukee; commercial community. I call it commercial community because it seems that the myriad cafes, stores, and markets that are down there contribute to a very different type of community than does a large park or well-kept sidewalks. People have a lot to do, and it is all within walking distance.

After dinner with my Vicki, my Mom and Erica, I spent some time looking up real estate prices in the area, only to find that there are a number of affordable fixer-uppers over there.

Sure, it might be two or three years before we can think about investing in a house, but it is good to know that there are extremely fantastic vibrant neighborhoods out there to pick from. I might be salivating, but I'm not hungry.

---

Atheism and British Comedy

Being American and watching primarily American television, I am used to the religious haze that many sitcoms take on. Few American shows are overtly spiritual (Like Touched by an Angel or some such) but most have a very specific way of dealing with situations that is particularly mindful of the massive block of Christians viewing the show. It's easy to get used to this, and it can be difficult to see it for what it is at times.

Of course, I can't fault the networks for this, since it would be faulting them for catering to their viewership. Obviously I can't expect American networks to cater to a sidelined minority of Atheists and Agnostics, who usually don't watch mainstream shows anyway. They have to focus on the chuckle-driven suburban family sitcom, the hard-lined law drama, and the gasp-factor of the reality-TV show.

So consider my surprise while I was watching the HBO/British comedy The Extras last night (got it from Netflix) and find out that they cast the main character as a dyed-in-the-wool Atheist. I was taken aback! They even portrayed Atheism correctly, distinguishing it from Agnosticism, and making it clear that we Atheists definitely do not believe in any supernatural phenomenon. I was giddy! Of course it would be HBO that breaks out of this mold, at least a bit.

They even took it one step further, the main character having a miniature argument with a comfort-believer, and saying that the burden of proof is on her, not him, since she is making the argument that god exists, and he is simply being skeptical.

The show quickly moved on, and the Atheism bit became a part of a joke later on, but it was a welcome change from the things that I normally watch here in the States, where anyone who brands themselves as an Atheist in a show is either shown to be an obviously evil character, or at the least a confused soul who needs to be shown the light. It can get aggravating.

I guess I shouldn't be so surprised, the numbers back it up; In England, Atheists/Agnostics make up 31 - 44% of the total population, compared to 3 - 9% here in the US.

So, kudos to HBO and those involved, it may seem like something very small to those in the majority of belief here in the US, but to me it was a shining moment in television, one worthy of mention and praise.

---

A Bioshock Review that actually hits on some important points

That YouTube video is evidently dead, so you can find the review HERE:

The Escapist: Zero Puctuation: Bioshock

---