mbf tod@y

Organic fruit, yogurt, granola, and apocalypse

"Over breakfast at Cafe Gitane in Manhattan, Pinchbeck told me recently that “there’s a growing realization that materialism and the rational, empirical worldview that comes with it has reached its expiration date.” A youthful 41, with long, drooping hair and heavy-framed designer eyewear, Pinchbeck exudes a languid fervency that is equal parts Jesuit and Jim Morrison. His BlackBerry sat face up on the table, the screen dark, beside his bowl of organic fruit, yogurt and granola. “Apocalypse literally means uncovering or revealing,” Pinchbeck went on, “and I think the process is already under way. We’re on the verge of transitioning to a dispensation of consciousness that’s more intuitive, mystical and shamanic.”" (Benjamin Anastas, The New York Times)

I love the use of "organic fruit, yogurt, granola" (which, incidentally, is my favorite dish) and "apocalypse" in the same paragraph.

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Image of the day: Vigil: Blood Bitterness

"Vigil is a stylized gothic horror adventure game that uses black and white imagery similar to Frank Miller’s Sin City to create a unique visual that draws you deeper into the gruesome world of your character, Dehon. Avoid deadly traps, solve puzzles to unravel your past, and even devour the faces of your slaves for sustenance towards your ultimate goal of freedom." (via Steam)

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"Dude, you fucking suck at Mario Brothers"

“Dude, you fucking suck at Mario Brothers. Let’s play Duck Hunt,” said my older brother. With these words (or something similar), our own generation cemented the relevance of another cultural movement: that of the video game age. Since the 1980s, designers and software companies have been hashing out new types of games, new methods of interaction, and new ways to best inspire and uplift the modern human spirit. In a recent issue of EGM (Issue 215), psychologist Scott Rigby explains that games can potentially satisfy three psychological needs: autonomy, mastery, and social interaction. Where we fail in our real lives, we are able to attain a certain degree of competence in our digital ones. To this end we seek out the games at which we excel, find a confirmation of ourselves, and find the confidence that we would seek in real life. But are those three senses of fulfillment all they can do? What other emotions and satisfactions could they inspire and provide?" (L.B. Jeffries, Pop Matters)

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Baghdad, the videogame

"Insurgency (INS) is a total conversion mod for Valve Software's Half-Life 2, powered by the Source Engine. INS immerses the player in an intense online combat experience. Set on the modern battlefields, Insurgency simulates infantry combat that encourages the use of teamwork and tactics to close with and destroy the enemy"  (Via Level Up)

The trailer - The game

Mogwai's Zidane

"Zidane is a genius. A drop of his shoulder sends an entire defense and half the fans in the stadium the wrong way. His dribbling skill in congested areas is mesmeric; his style, allied to balletic strength. His ability to score powerfully with either foot or his head, to caress the ball home when required, and to deceive flatfooted goalkeepers with free kicks is almost unparalleled. Zidane’s balance and range of control is contemptuous of physics. When passing the ball, accuracy and timing are mere bread and butter to a player of his creative stature. He interprets the disguised movements of his teammates and delivers appropriately, or his pass will actually signal to the recipient what they should do next. Zidane’s repertoire of personal skill has not been exceeded in the history of the sport" (D.M. Edwards, PopMatters)

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The Upcoming Urban Catastrophe

Ok, you could read John Vidal's article: "Burgeoning cities face catastrophe, says UN" (The Guardian) which reads like a Soylent Green-like dystopia. But all you really need to do is look at this.

Twist-in-the-end: Hashem does not get an iPhone! (?)

"The time is 7pm on Friday evening....1 hour after the premiere of iPhone.

Even though we can't always win...we just want to thank everyone who came out and supported us, showed us some love, brought batteries and food (mostly desserts, we have cavities now, but we loved it).And this is all we have to show for it...... " (Hashem)

See the video here: Download iphone3.mov

Man, only in San Francisco.

Geek power. Hashem is a survivor.

Previous episodes:

Things to do in San Francisco on Friday June 29

Things to do in San Francisco on Thursday June 28

Things to do in San Francisco on Friday June 29

"The time is 11am on Friday morning....7 hours until the iPhone goes on sale!"
"It was a brutal night.  Who knew the city of love got so cold at night!? I spent the night curled up on a piece of cardboard, clutching to a thin bed sheet (1000 thread count!) and freezing my iArse off. A nice vagrant who was crawling around the sidewalk like a little spider picking up shiny pieces of metal and disregarding bad quality (at least he has taste) gave me a piece of carpet to snuggle on, that was nice of him........I gave him an Organic Chemically Pure Banana from Whole Foods. About 3:30 am we heard a noise, suddenly someone at the back of the line screams "STREET CLEAAAAANNNNEER!!!!" and we all jumped up off the curb where we were slumbering and just missed by a split second the whizzing blades of the street cleaning machine as it relentlessly plowed through. Engadget featured us last night with my sidewalk compatriot.  See below, I'm the guy in the grey fleece hunched over the glow of my laptop like hands to a barrel of fire to keep warm. The dude who tried to sell me a chair when I got here returned at 1am to try to sell me beer and then returned at 3am to try to sell me hotel bottle liquor shots. 

He kept saying "Have a shot, keep ya warm at night!" Weird. I thought I was going to have to use all 125 pounds of Hash to fight off some shady characters before relief appeared in the form of Christian and Barton at 5am...after a nice night on their Tempurpedic Heavenly Beds at home... Feh appeared like a dream on the curb in his slick BMW, Starbucks coffee & donuts in hand, saved our lives for sure.  Then whooshed out like the wind waving an iPhone at us through the window, he's so connected. ...he didn't want to be seen with us for more than 30 seconds.  Who would? :) Big thanks to Jonathan Gerfen, Joy and Kenna for air-lifting out my dead MacBook and juicing it up with fresh batteries.  The ibeat goes on. Christian is sunning himself. Barton is keeping the cameras away like a master secret service agent. Tony is getting the intel from inside the Apple Store. Carey Head is being a mallrat at Stonestown Mall with the desperate housewives. Chris Ford & Nick Spahr are having cupcakes and wine at the Apple Store in Larkspur!

Pathetic is one word to describe us..." (Hashem Batwia)

Watch the amazing video: Download video.mov

Who cares about multimedia?

"According to the Diffusion Group, while 80 per cent of US households own game consoles capable of DVD playback, only 30 per cent were aware of that fact and only 13 per cent of gamers are using them for that purpose. The Dallas-based research firm also found that, of the households who view movies on their game consoles, 74 per cent are watching physical DVDs and only 26 per cent are going online to purchase or rent a digital movie download." (GameDailyBiz)

I wonder why, considering that the PS3 has a "spectacular photo editing tool" (LOL).

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Things to do in San Francisco on Thursday June 28

Hashem Bajwa live from the Apple store ;-)

The time is 11pm on Thursday night....19 hours until the iPhone goes on sale!

Its a beautiful night to be sleeping on concrete under the warm glow of the Apple Logo. Christian & Barton are joining me as reinforcements just before dusk at 5am.  (They weren't man enough to go all night.) There are 25 people ahead of me...one of the guys next to me is sharing food with me and blogging about this...the other guy next to me is STONED and wearing a hoodie and looks like he might tweak out on me. There is a cute girl in line...geek chic...maybe I can meet someone out of this!!! Another guy just came up to me and offered $200 to buy an extra iPhone for him... I'm right in front of the store, come visit, bring snacks, coffee...and batteries!!!! Check out the video...more to come... [Download iphone1.mov] (Hashem Bajwa)