Author: Deck

Posted inMusic

Local Music

by Deck

Two excellent bands have upcoming shows in the Springfield area…

Captain Rat and the Blind RivetsBack in college, I used to practically be a groupie of Captain Rat and the Blind Rivets from Champaign, Illinois. They put on a terrific show featuring hits from the 50’s and 60’s, and they are going to be in Springfield this Saturday, June 24th at Buster’s Sports Bar and Grill up by the State Fairgrounds from 9 p.m. – 1 a.m.

And on August 5th, the BoDeans will be back in the area at the Decatur Celebration. The BoDeans are probably most famous for “Closer To Free”, which was used as the theme song for the TV show Party of Five.

I don’t think I’ll be able to go see Captain Rat this weekend, but I’m definitely making plans to go see the BoDeans. Hope to see you there!

Posted inComics / Movies

Things that make you go huh?

by Deck

According to SuperHeroHype.com, Jack Black is supposedly in the running for the starring role in a Green Lantern movie?!? Don’t get me wrong, I like Jack Black and think that he’s a funny guy and a fine actor. But Jack never ever struck me as superheroic.

So, in the attempt to illustrate my point, I super-imposed (Photoshop rules!) a photo of Jack next to an Alex Ross painting of GL….

Jack Black and Green Lantern

And now I’m having second thoughts… It almost looks like Alex had a younger buffer Jack Black in mind when he did this painting. What do you think?

Posted inComics

Marvel Us!

by Deck

Marvel ComicsA couple of interesting items from the Marvel universe today. SPOILER ALERT! Don’t read if you are a Spider-Man fan not in the know…

It’s not terribly often that a comic book storyline makes the front page of Yahoo.com, but apparently it’s big news even in the real world when Spider-Man decides to unmask himself for all the world to see.

“I’m proud of who I am, and I’m here right now to prove it,” the legendary webslinger tells a press conference called in New York’s Times Square, before pulling off his mask and standing before the massed ranks of reporters as newspaper photographer Peter Parker.

To catch up on the back-story of the current Marvel “Civil War” storyline, which is what ultimately forced Spidey to reveal his Pete Parker-ness, watch one of the cool Civil War video trailers.

Posted inGames

Blizzard bans 30,000 World of Warcraft accounts

by Deck

BlizzardBlizzard Entertainment has banned 30,000 World of Warcraft player accounts for “taking part in activities that violate the game’s Terms of Use, including using third-party programs to farm gold and items, which severely impacts the economy of a realm and the overall game enjoyment for all players.”

I’m not surprised that there’s “cheating” going on in WoW, but 30,000 accounts times 15 bucks a month ($450k/month!) seems like a huge chunk of change to sacrifice for fair play. Of course, those players are just going to reopen new accounts and keep doing what they’re doing, so I don’t think Blizzard will go broke anytime soon…

Posted inToys

Have a safe glass of water, and then go play catch in the yard from your armchair

by Deck

Light DelightLike me, I’m sure that you’re often curious just how hot that tap water is coming out of your faucet, but don’t want to suffer a third-degree burn or two finding out. Fret no more… The Light Delight tap changes color based on water temperature. And as an added bonus you can browse the rest of the site, which uses partial nudity to sell water taps and radiators. Those crazy Italians!

Digital Speed Sensing BaseballThe Digital Speed Sensing Baseball let’s former and wanna-be jocks like me find out just what kind of stuff we can still bring. Simply enter the distance and its speed-sensing technology registers the ball’s speed immediately upon impact. Only works up to 100mph, so Nolan Ryan need not apply.

The Famous Lawn ArmchairAnd finally, for the person that has everything… And who would still prefer to hang out on their lawn. The Famous Grass Armchair is fun, functional and most certainly a talking point. Constructed from a strong cardboard template, you simply fill it with soil (not supplied), sow with grass seed (supplied) and watch it grow. Now I just need the tree stump in my back yard to get cable, and I’d be all set.

Posted inMusic

Barenaked Ladies Are Me!

by Deck

BNLAnyone that knows me well knows that I’ve been a huge fan of the Barenaked Ladies for years (long before they hit it big with “One Week”). The new BNL album entitled “Barenaked Ladies Are Me” is scheduled to be released September 12th in the USA! The first single “Easy” is due out at the end of June.

In fact, BNL is making the raw audio tracks from “Easy” available in the hope that fans will “remix, re-create, re-edit, re-configure, and realize what you will with these parts in coming up with your own versions.” BNL will pre-release four more songs in this manner over the rest of the summer. Then the band will vote on the re-mixes and the winning five will comprise an EP with all proceeds donated to charity.

I love Barenaked Ladies! And the band is pretty cool too. :-P

Posted inTelevision

Heroes Assemble!!!

by Deck

Wow… Check out the video preview for Heroes, airing on NBC Monday nights this fall. I know that it’s easy to be fooled by three minutes of random video, but I can still hope that this lives up to its potential.

(Thanks for the tip, Alan.)

Posted inToys

Batteries Not Included

by Deck

Puzzle Alarm Clock This Puzzle Alarm Clock wakes you up by firing four puzzle pieces up in the air. The alarm will not turn off until all the puzzle pieces are placed back in the clock.

Makes you wonder how many pieces the clock breaks into when you throw it against the wall…