- A free visual novel game made by anime bloggers that’s about anime bloggers

- Really Funny

- Not for kids (obviously)

- Still getting the kinks out but available for download

- FREE.

Go check it out here: http://not.dotq.org/ccy/

I haven’t been into the Sims since the early days of the franchise with Sim City and such.  But I’ve been craving a simulation game because they’re great for passing time and they last a lot longer than action games.  So I tried out Alice Greenfingers, which is basically about running a farm and selling things at market.  Sounds riveting doesn’t it?  But it captured my attention in the same way that the Oregon Trail game captured kids’ hearts back in the 90’s.  It’s not a hard game, per say, but it’s difficult to get everything that you want done because you only have Alice for help.  By the time I get stuff to market, I gotta box up more food before it’s sold out in order to keep the money rolling in.  Also, certain crops need water RIGHT AWAY, as I found out when half of my newly planted corn crop was decimated.  Otherwise there are a lot of money perks, and there’s always new stuff coming in the store.  I already bought the second Alice Greenfingers game (since I’ll be poor IRL soon enough again and will need entertainment) so hopefully it runs as well, if not better, than the first game.

BTW, the top pic isn’t from my farm.  At this point I could give a crap how dainty the place looks, I just gotta rake in that cash monnnnney.

Today I got the newest “best-of” album by m-flo called inside -WORKS BEST III-, and it seems even better than the second compilation.  What caught my by surprise were the high profile Western hemisphere artists like Kanye West and The Ting Tings.  But I guess m-flo has enough star power in Japan to attract foreign singers.  So let’s look at this song by song:

What Now? – feat. Mademoiselle Yulia:  Never heard of this woman, but she’s got nice vocals.  The lyrics are nothing special, but it’s a pop song I could zone out to or play in the car on a long trip.

Universe (Kozm? Remix) – feat. Boa & Crystal Kay: I like the background music although the tempo feels like it’s not steady.  I’m not a huge Boa fan (she just sounds really nasaly to me), but the song works out by adding Crystal Kay to the mix.  Oh, but the whole ONE TWO ONE TWO ONE TWOx 1000 could have been left out.

Bad Men! – feat. Lisa: I generally like Lisa as a singer, but the lyrics in this song are so damn unfortunate.  For example, the chorus: BAD MEN, LALALALALALA, BAD MEN, LALALALALALA, BAD MEN, LALALALALA, BAD MEN BAD MEN BAD MEN.

I Know – feat. Crystal Kay: Usual CK song – pop-ish, enjoyable, nice rhythm.  I wish she would do something out of the box, but I guess she knows what brings in the yen.

Super Shine – feat. Exile:  Verbal opens up with his whole “haters to the left” verse, and Exile does their thing.  “Super Shine” just makes me think of a car wash though.  A car wash with slick attendants who dance and sing while they clean.

See You – feat. Melody:  Decent happy pop song, next.

I Still Love H.E.R. – feat. Kanye West and Teriyaki Boyz:  Well the background music certainly has the big brass Kanye effect.  I liked the Teriyaki Boyz from that butt music video they did with Pharell, and this song’s pretty good too.  The difference between Kanye and the Teriyaki Boyz is that the T Boyz can sing and rap.  Sorry Kanye, your latest autotune album just isn’t that great.

That’s Not My Name (Taku Takahashi Mix) – feat. The Ting Tings: Kind of a techno-ish remix (which I usually dislike) but it works out well with this group.  Great DJ is is still my favorite Ting Tings song.  Oh, and I’ve played this on repeat the most so far.

For So Long – feat. Lisa: This is a different slower version of Been So Long from m-flo’s album Planet Shining.  Now this is a good Lisa song.  I like this version a little better since it’s smoother.

Can’t Believe It (Lost in Shibuya Remix) – feat. T-Pain:  O SHI–, T-Pain wasn’t kidding when he said he’ll work with anyone.  Not that it’s a bad thing in this case.  Only thing is that this remix isn’t really much different than the radio version I’ve heard.  There’s just an additional Verbal rap towards the end.  I kind of wonder how they name these remixes though.  If I was lost in Shibuya, I’m pretty sure this would be a frantic confused song.

Turn It Up – feat. Little, Kohei Japan,青山テルマ / 童子-T: Fun song to dance to, especially with the “Turn It Up, Turn It Up WHOO!” parts.

Material World – feat. Sowelu:  I was sure this would be a Madonna song, but I guess there’s no relation.  The background music is a little rough and dark-natured in a Rihanna “Disturbia” way, but better.  Well, better if you like Japanese music.  The music video is pretty cool, though I found it funny that Sowelu runs in the same manner that Bennie K did for their “Sunrise” music video.

夢のFUTURE (Time is Dissing Me Remix) – feat. Kotomi:  I’m on the fence with this one; I like the background music but the lyrics are the type of techno remix editing that I don’t like.  It’s just all over the place with pitch.

Summertime – feat. Double:  Very cute with just the right amount of bass to make this a good song to blast in your car with the windows down.  The music video is kind of lulzy with the over-the-top ecstatic friends and skankalicious dancing, but that’s hip-hop culture I guess.  Double needs to get that tan checked.  I hope it’s fake, because it sure looks that way.

Lotta Love (Vibes Mix) – feat. Minmi:  I like this version since it’s not as in your face, fast paced as the original was.

Get On! (Ugly Duckling Remix) Remix: This is a shortened version of the Ugly Duckling Remix from the Astromantic Charm School album.  All it does is add in that narrator chick that m-flo likes to use for their albums, and cuts out all of Crystal Kay’s vocals.  The whole point of this second disc is to have songs that flow into each other like a party mix, so people who haven’t heard the originals would probably be better off listening to them first.

Quantum Leap: Just makes me want to pair it up with footage from the TV show Quantum Leap.  Laughed at the random “Who shot the sheriff~” lyric.

Mirroball Satellite 2012 (Sratm Mix By Towa Tei): The background music would work well with an oldschool Sonic the Hedgehog level.

Reeewind! – feat. Crystal Kay: I don’t think I cared much for the original song, but this version sounds fine.  Perhaps m-flo cut Crystal Kay out of the first song since she gets so much exposure throughout this album.

How You Like Me Now?: Another one that I never really listened to, but no complaints about the short version.  The last 15 seconds or so mix with “Loop in My Heart”.

Loop in My Heart – feat. Emyli & Yoshika:  Just a short version of the original, no real changes here.  I don’t know why they bothered with this song because a short version was already included on the electricolor album.

The Love Bug – feat. BoA: Only difference is a new 5 second intro.

Hey! (Souvenir of Little Green Men) Mashup: This is a short version of the remix from Dope Space Nine.

Dopeman?: Short version of Dopeman, which is a remix of the song Dopamine.  The re-dos never end, do they?

I Wanna Be Down (Space Cowboy Disco Edit Mix):  I’ve never heard the original, but calling this the disco edit is fitting.  Perhaps Spike and the crew would play this on one of their long trips (but probably not).

Bad Men! – feat. Lisa: LOL, if I don’t like the long version I’m not going to like the short one.  Next.

Golden Ballers (Diplo’s Love Guns and Foster Children Remix):  Uh, points for a creative name?

Luvotomy: Another remix that’s even shorter than the one that was on the electricolor album.  They block out more of the bass to focus on the vocals.

Tripod Baby (Shinichi Osawa Remix):  It’s only 44 seconds long, you might as well get the original song.

Dancehall Jungle: Another 44 second song with a little tango flair.

Ten Below Blazing (Taku Takahashi Edit):  I like Lisa, but they fuck it up by speeding her vocals up.

She Loves the Cream (Dexpistols Remix):  Different than the original song, but it works out well.  There’s a bigger instrumental section, too.

That’s Not My Name (Taku Takahashi Mix):  Oookay, so you’re going to remix a remix that’s on the first disc?  Whatever floats your boat, m-flo.

Way U Move Ver.2: Darker and rougher than previous mixes of this song.

Love Me After 12am (Ram Rider Remix Dub): Kind of a dance version of the original.

Love Long and Prosper: Didn’t care much for the original, nor do I for this one.

I Rave U: Glow sticks are required?  I also feel like I’m in a Street Fighter battle.

夢のFUTURE (Time is Dissing Me Remix): Just as annoying as the one on the first disc without any noticeable changes.

A.D.D.P.: Shorter version of the original without any real changes.

Lotta Love:  Same as above.

Come Again (Ht Inspiration Remix): A bunch of repeating in the song, and it’s a little cuter than the Tokyo Cafe jazzy version.

Love Song (Danny Byrd Remix):  The song’s slowed down a bit in a way that makes it feel like it’s being pulled through water.

Miss You: Not really different than the original, just shorter.

Let Go (Quantrek Remix):  Faster paced and has more background music than the original.

Let Go:  And m-flo graciously puts a short version of the original just in case you wanna compare them.

Been So Long: Pretty much just like the original version and length.

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The second disc was harder to describe because I’ve heard most of these songs a bazillion times over on other albums.  I know Verbal and Taku are busy with other projects right now, but I hope they release a new album soon.  Compilations are nice but they get old after the third time you’ve remixed a song.

Around this time last year, I was completely caught up in Cloverfield and its viral marketing campaign.  There’s something captivating about a seemingly ordinary source of entertainment being enshrouded by puzzles and mysteries.  Not everyone can pull off publicity stunts like this (ex. Ruby Tuesday), but a new “campaign” has come forth.

On November 21, 2008, a website by the Milwaukee Tourism Commission appeared online and was accompanied by a video called, “This is My Milwaukee” (as seen above).  It becomes apparent early on that the eleven minute long film is obviously not made by the real Tourism Commission and most people would assume it’s just a spoof.  But if you rewatch the video and dig a little deeper, it’s evident that something much larger than “a bunch of film majors having fun” is at work.

Let’s start with the video.  It starts out by using the look and feel of a 90’s era cheesy promotional script, complete with shots of the city and people doing random happy things.  A “British” narrator does most of the talking and does his best to convince young professionals, former residents, families, and teens to come live and stay in Milwaukee.

Here’s where the weird stuff comes in.  Little sidenotes make it apparent that America, and perhaps the world, underwent a cataclysmic event and Milwaukee is among the few places where people can find safety.  However, there’s still a threat by Go.D.S.E.E.D. and its fragments.  The narrator says that Go.D.S.E.E.D. is locked away in a tomb underground and advises that teens stay in groups to ward off any attacking “fragments”.  There’s also a reoccuring theme of Voltaire and a heart-shaped plant called fennel, which is referred to as “the family tree”.  The video ends on a silly note with a treasure hunter who’s determined to raid Go.D.S.E.E.D.’s tomb, and is followed by the credits which are laced with crudely-drawn anime images and a stereotypical Jpop song.

Watching the video made me laugh, and I was curious to see if there were possibly more spoof videos done by this “group”.  I did a few Google searches and was surprised at the variety of results that showed up.  Many were for forums where other people were deep in analysis and speculation over the whole thing.  Then I noticed a link for a “This is My Milwaukee” wikipedia site and things turned from funny to bizzare.  Mymilwaukee.wikibruce.com lays out the big picture that you might miss if you only see the promo video.

Timeline of Events

On the original My Milwaukee website, there’s an email address, phone number and mailing address available.  Most people figured that the information was fake, but some decided to call the provided number to see what would happen.  Surprisingly, people actually answered the phone and they remained completely “in-character” and faithful to the video’s storyline.  These discussions led to further clues, videos, and images along with the creation of an “official” Facebook, Twitter, and Youtube page.

The “game” has moved even further into the real world by incorporating mystery items.  One of the puzzles led a person to the New York City Library where he found a note related to the game hiding in a book.  There was also a hidden clue at a cafe in San Francisco, California.  That is some serious planning going on, and I have a feeling that things are only going to get bigger from here on out.

Speculations and Theories

1. Viral Marketing – Many people think that My Milwaukee is some big viral campaign for an upcoming game or movie.  Cloverfield comes to mind since it was released in theatres around this time last year, and J.J. Abrams hinted that he’d be up for making a sequel.  Others think it’s related to Portal or Half Life, or it could be for a completely new project.  I’m hoping that this is for a movie, because all I have is a Wii and I doubt it’d be released on that if it’s a game. :\

2. ARG – No, not the sound.  It’s an acronym for Alternate Reality Gaming, a method that lets you play in a fictional world by utilizing things in real life.  My Milwaukee might not be an introduction for a game, but the game itself.  If so, you have to wonder how and why the people behind the scenes are doing this.  So far there’s been no fee to play along, and it has to be costly for the creators to pay website, phone and fax expenses.

3. I found this theory on an archive site, and it made a lot of sense to me.  Here’s a repost:

Milwaukee is already overrun. We don’t really know how this exactly works, but let’s look at the facts:
The Go.D.S.E.E.D was buried underground by the people who survived the destruction of milwaukee. Terry Nanny then sais: “They had hoped it would stay sealed up in the sarcophaugus etc etc”. They HAD HOPED. Makes it sounds like it didn’t stay buried at all, or at least won’t.

Another obvious hint towards this is how these people seem to have little to no understanding of how humans really work. The whole “teenagers” bit and everything else seems so fake and done by machines or something not living at all.

Moving on, what’s the deal with: “burying” the roots. Roots want to be buried, that’s how they grow, right? By burying them, you’re helping them grow.

Flare guns, also. Come on, flare guns? don’t plants WANT light? Rebreather? Photosynthesis, anyone?

Photosynthesis is a metabolic pathway that converts light energy into chemical energy. Its initial substrates are carbon dioxide and water;

so if the rebreather does what I think it does. (spews out carbon dioxhide) then that’s just cool for the plants.

Basically it seems to me that the whole video tells you exactly the opposite of what you SHOULD do for survival, but rather what you SHOULD do if you want the fragments to get you.  Furthermore they stress you should stay out of sector 21. Let’s not kid ourselves, they’re saying this because sector 21 is in some way their weakpoint. That’s why they don’t want you here. They also stress that you should move in groups most likely because if they do run into you, they can now kill or do whatever the fuck they do, to all of you, and all you’ll be equipped with is equipment that will only make it easier for them.

Moving on, at the very end of the video he mentions how everything regrows in the spring. I didn’t think too much about this until I read what Mike Russel had said to one of the people calling him up saying they wanted to move to milwaukee.

He advertized said person move there within 4 months because something really big was happening around spring.

The last odd thing about the video is the fact that it’s appearantly very dangerous to stay outdoors, yet the whole movie is filmed outdoors, which makes to belive it couldn’t have been made by the actual residents of milwaukee.

I agree with opinion that the people in the video probably aren’t real humans.  It’s revealed that the company of Blackstar (which just makes me automatically think of Soul Eater) is the one who caused the apocalyptic events to happen and this is their way of making amends.  I think it’s more like Go.D and its fragments are using Blackstar as a front in an effort to lure humans into their trap.  Another thing that’s been bugging me is the format of this campaign.  I feel like there’s a red herring in there somewhere that’s keeping people from seeing something that’s really crucial to the answers.

In any case, the My Milwaukee website has a countdown in its upper right corner which should end on January 16th.  Something big will definitely happen at midnight so I’d suggest checking it out.  In a funny way, all of this creeps me out more than the whole 2012 end of the world speculation.  Whoever is in charge is able to keep thousands of people following this campaign in line with only the smallest amount of clues and prompts.  It must be tiring to do something in real time like this.  I have to wonder how long this will go on, especially since one of the character’s Facebook profile had the current year as 2011 (and was promptly removed the next day).

Last Thoughts: The next pet I get will be named “Terry Nanny”.

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For more info, visit these sites:

http://thisismymilwaukee.com/

http://mymilwaukee.wikibruce.com/Home

http://forums.unfiction.com/forums/index.php?f=245

I love the Narnia films for several reasons.  First, I always loved the Lion, Witch, and the Wardrobe and I still even have a drawing we did in elementary school while reading the book.  Secondly, Edmund (Skandar Keynes) went from a whiny bitch I wanted to bless out in LWW to a sexy beast with the best one liners out of all the movie’s characters.  I wish we could have seen the personality transitions he made while he was King of Narnia.  Anyhow, as much as I love the movies watching Prince Caspian again on DVD made me notice certain things about the characters, which I will tackle one by one (coarse language and possible spoilers for the entire series will follow ):

Prince Caspian: “LOL I’m a fucking prince, therefore everyone should just adore me.  I can’t stand not having the spotlight on me, so these bastard Kings of Old better stand down.  Oh, and Queen Susan isn’t responding to my ultra mackin’ skillz yet; I better step up my game.”

I couldn’t help but laugh when he screams “HEY” at Peter for talking smack about his father.  It was quite possibly the manliest yell a pretty boy or Gary Stu could make, and believe me, it was far from great.  I feel like Caspian is one of those individuals who wouldn’t get very far in life without his looks, royalty or not.

Peter: “This time around I’m going to regress to a childish level that I didn’t even have in the first movie!  I finally get back to my kingdom after living like a crappy commoner for a WHOLE year and now this Telmarine thinks he can order around my people?  You got some ‘Yo Papa’ insults headin’ your way, bitch.  Oh, and once I learn my lesson and man up, I’m going to be banned from returning.  Isn’t that awesome?”

Apparently all the bickering between Peter and Caspian was made up for the movies, and it seemed like more of a hindrance to the plot.  I don’t even know why Peter acted like such a bitch.  The Pevensies obviously remember what happened in the 14 years that they ruled Narnia, so shouldn’t they have also mentally matured that much?

Susan: “C.S. Lewis is using me as his scapegoat and now Disney is forcing me to fall in love with Prince Wonderboy.  I hope you enjoy my bittersweet ending in this movie, because I’m going to want to slit my wrists by The Last Battle.  OH GOD, PLEASE CHANGE THE SCRIPT AGAIN MR. DIRECTOR.”

I actually hope they will change Susan’ role in the later films, because it’d be pretty shitty to let Peter back in Narnia after his immature rant spree while Susan gets left behind.  Oh, let me clarify further (highlight): left behind in a railway car with the dead corpses of her siblings and other relatives.  That’ll teach her to enjoy things like nylons, lipstick and invitations!  I know that C. S. Lewis isn’t mysogynistic since Lucy is shown in a good light, but Susan really gets the shit end of the deal.  The “romance” between her and Caspian was so crappy, too.  If you want to take it as a “I’m never coming back, so I might as well kiss a hot prince while I can”, then that’s fine.

Edmund:  “You’re going to let that Ice Bitch make me her whipping boy again?  Fuck that shit.  Just go and bicker among yourself while Lucy and I sit at the Grown-Up Table.   I’m by far the coolest character and probably the better swordsman but I’ll let Peter have a go since it’ll shut his whiny trap for a couple of minutes.”

It’s really like Edmund and Peter had their brains switched after LWW.  I mean, hell, Peter even allowed himself to be tempted by the White Witch before Edmund stepped in to kick ass like the suave man dish that he is.  Skandar is going to grow up to be a fine looking Brit.  I’d bitch about the lack of activity he was given in Prince Caspian, but he and Lucy pretty much have the next movie, The Dawn Treader, all to themselves.  Caspian will be there but hopefully he’ll keep quiet and leave the film to the real stars.

Lucy:  “I’m kind of a Mary Sue, but I’d be kicking ass if I was big enough to actually fight.  I’m smart enough to stay on the Jesus Lion’s good side and it’s pretty obvious that I have a thing for Narnians.”

Is it bad that Lucy and her dear little friend, Trumpkin seemed like a OTP to me?  Maybe it’s the height and the fact that Trumpkin’s already an adult.  But Mr. Tumnus is probably her fated lover since she was all heartbroken about the amount of time that passed between the year that she went back to London.

Aslan: “Hey!  I’m the Jesus Lion!  I’m the damn creator of Narnia, but I’m going to let children do my dirty work and watch thousands of Narnians die.  Why?  BECAUSE I SAY SO.  After all, things don’t happen the same way twice.  Why?  I DON’T LIKE DOING THINGS REPEATEDLY.  You should have known that you were supposed to aimlessly scour the forest until I show up at the best moment to look good.  You’re also supposed to believe in me unconditionally or your ass gets deported.  Isn’t Christia– oops, I mean Narnian theology fun?!”

Anyone else would call Aslan a dick if he wasn’t the Jesus Lion.  When Lucy asks whether or not she could have saved people if she had tried to find him earlier, Aslan’s just like “I’m going to dodge around answering that, but I’m implying yes”.  But why does he need people to come get him if he already knows what’s going on?  What is he, four?  You’ll earn your devotion when you own up to your overall duties.

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I think I’m going to try to get into the books again, just to see how different it varies from the films.  The Dawn Treader is apparently in pre-production, but Disney is being a bitch about budgeting and will probably pull out.  Hopefully things will stay on schedule since Walden Films (the ones who do the real work) are looking to make a deal with 20th Century Fox.  Which means when someone stabs someone else, there’ll actually be blood on the sword when they pull it out!  But seriously Disney, stop being such a whore just because you fucked up the release timing for Prince Caspian.  It’s your own fault that the second movie didn’t get as big of a crowd.  “OMG it’s going to go up against the Water Horse, we have to change the date!”  Really?  Does anyone even talk about The Water Horse anymore?  Good job.