Pocket Universe

I remember it like it was yesterday, but it was really ten years ago. On this day in 1998, Steve Jobs introduced the original iMac. At the time, it was criticized by many hardcore computer users for having an all-in-one design that prevented upgrading the monitor separately from the CPU, switching to the then-unsupported USB format for peripherals, and for omitting a floppy drive in favor of a CD-ROM drive. Of course, it ended up becoming amazingly popular, and many of the criticisms turned out to be unfounded. The floppy drive was a legacy item that has not been missed. The iMac actually caused the USB market to flourish, and started a longstanding Apple tradition of using well-known standards instead of inventing their own. And while the all-in-one design still suffers from a lack of expandability, today’s high-powered machines generally need fewer add-ons than machines of the past did, and an all-in-one unit is easy to resell when it’s time to get a new machine.

Of course, the iMac had many design iterations over the years, but the machine of today bears little resemblance to the gumdrop from 1998. Where the Bondi Blue iMac was an artsy experiment, today’s metal iMac is a sleek, futuristic powerhouse. I don’t think anyone can imagine what the iMac will look like in another ten years.

Andy’s Rating: One notch below Loved It (12/13)

As the first Metroid game released for the Super Nintendo system, the designers of Super Metroid had a legacy to live up to. The original Metroid for the NES introduced non-linear gameplay on a large open world, into which the player (as bounty hunter Samus Aran) is dropped with very few abilities. Over time, Samus gains new powers that allow her to enter previously inaccessible areas, and she discovers hidden doors and passageways that let her explore deeper into the planet. But the player is given little direction, and elaborate hand-drawn maps are practically required to figure out where to go next.

The Game Boy sequel, Metroid II: Return of Samus, alleviated this lack of direction by introducing a new gameplay element: deadly lava, which blocks access to the next area until certain goals are met. In this way, there is still a vast planet for the player to explore, but always has a rough idea of where to focus his attention. Although this provided more clear-cut goals, many criticized the game for straying from the more organic progression of the original.

Thankfully, the third game maintains the non-linear gameplay of the first, while removing most of the frustrations, and also inherits many of the advancements made by the second game. In Super Metroid, Samus returns to the planet Zebes, the setting of the first game, where she once again has to face off against the Space Pirates and their leader, Mother Brain. The villains have stolen the baby Metroid that Samus rescued at the end of Metroid II, and retreated to their newly rebuilt lair. From the start, this gives the player familiar territory to explore, and it is fun (and a little eerie) to pass through the room that you destroyed at the end of the first Metroid.

Progression in Metroid is all about the weapons and equipment, and Metroid 3 takes nearly everything from the first two games, and then just about doubles it. New suits provide damage reduction and added mobility, and the Varia Suit has never looked better. (It also retains Samus’ iconic rounded shoulder armor, introduced in Metroid II as a way of distinguishing the two suits on the monochrome Game Boy screen.) There are also addition beam weapons, but while previous games required you to track down the original powerup each time you wanted to switch beams, Super Metroid makes things easier for the player by allowing you to switch each beam on or off at will. As an added convenience, some beams can be combined; so for example, you can equip the Plasma Beam, but still retain the Metroid-freezing power of the Ice Beam.

Besides the various suits and beams, Samus gains a number of new tools in her arsenal. Notably, the x-ray scope makes it even easier to find hidden passageways. As another nice touch, if you can’t destroy a block with a certain weapon, it will show you which weapon is required to remove it. There are many other abilities that Samus can collect during the game, but sadly, the Spider Ball (a favorite from Metroid II) is missing here. In Super Metroid, it may have rendered some of the puzzles too trivial, but it was a welcome addition that really opened up the previous game to complex exploration.

It should be clear by now that Metroid 3 adds more of the weapons, abilities, and tools that you loved from the previous games. But it also introduces gameplay improvements that make this game less frustrating and more fun. First and foremost, Metroid 3 finally has an auto-mapping system! Yes, you can say goodbye to those cryptic hand-drawn maps forever! The game shows you where you have explored, and convenient map rooms give you an idea of where to go next. However, the maps do not reveal everything, so some exploration is still required, but they take a lot of the tedium out of it.

Another huge change is how you discover new items and abilities. In the first game, a seemingly impassible area would suggest that some new ability was needed, but it was often unclear what you needed or where you would find it. Metroid 3 also has these same obstacles, but they are usually discovered when Samus falls into an area that she can’t escape. This added to the claustrophobic atmosphere of the game, but also provides a better idea of where you need to explore next, because there is always some way out. It may sound like a subtle difference, but it provides the same sense of progression, without worrying that the necessary item is tucked away in some distant corner of the world. Instead, you feel trapped, and there is an urgency to find your way out.

There are a few frustrations that creep up along the way, however. While many of the controls were streamlined or improved, some of the new moves are difficult to execute. In particular, the wall jump is tough to pull off with any consistency, and there is nothing more frustrating than making nine or ten jumps up a tall vertical shaft, only to miss the last one and have to start all over again…and again, and again. Other moves like the Super Jump are difficult to decipher, and frustrated players may find it necessary to consult a walkthrough to proceed.

In all, Super Metroid maintains the sense of wonder and exploration from the first two games, while including many changes to keep the player from quitting the game in frustration. The energy charge stations from the second game are retained in this one, and you even get a few reserve tanks in case you get really desperate. The mapping system relieves you of the manual effort, but the game compensates by giving you a world which is much larger than either of the first two games. The sound is more subtle, the music is better, the enemies are bigger, and the battles require more strategy. And to top it all off, the graphics are absolutely gorgeous, making great use of lighting, color, and effects. This really is one of the best examples of great 2D graphics from the 16-bit era.

Setting the story back on the planet Zebes was a nice touch, because the player can really appreciate the graphical improvements from the 8-bit to the 16-bit era. Having a familiar setting also makes you notice the little differences, which often give you an idea of where to explore. The storyline remains the high point of the series, with an ending that is tremendously satisfying. Without revealing the details of the extended ending sequence, players who have completed the first Metroid game will be taken by surprise by the battle in Metroid 3. It is amazing how much adventure, fun, and genuine emotion the designers were able to pack into this game. If you have never experienced Super Metroid, it is definitely worth your time.

Um, remember that Jonathan Coulton t-shirt contest I told you about? Well, he just announced the winners.

Yeah, wow.

In the wake of my superlative concert experience, I decided to post an entry for the Jonathan Coulton T-Shirt Contest, where fans compete to design a possible new concert t-shirt. My entry is an artistic interpretation of the song “I Crush Everything,” about a giant squid who is in love with a sailing ship, but is doomed to a life of solitude because he destroys everything he touches. The song is hauntingly beautiful and sad, and seeing it played live was just an amazing experience. My design was inspired by Escher’s interlocking images, which elegantly portray two individuals who are helplessly intertwined, but eternally separated. I hope you like the image, and I would appreciate any votes you see fit to toss my way.

It’s been kind of a crazy week since the Jonathan Coulton concert, so I thought I’d post a few links documenting the extent of my little fifteen minutes of internet fame.

Jonathan Coulton posted a nice entry thanking everyone in S.F. for the great show.

Paul and Storm also mentioned the then-upcoming show with Jonathan Coulton, and a few people (including yours truly) commented to thank them for the show. And again, Paul and Storm made an entirely too-generous response thanking me for my participation.

Merlin Mann summarized the recent episode 133 of This Week in Tech, which featured the reunion of the Rock Band band (Merlin, Leo, Veronica, and Jonathan Coulton) from the concert. (I was mentioned by name at around 31 minutes into the podcast, and Jonathan himself said, “God bless Andy Bates!”) I made a comment to correct some errors, and Merlin made a very gracious response.

Jonathan also posted about the episode of TWiT, and I again made the same factual corrections.

Some posts were made to the forums in the aftermath of the DVD show. I now have many new titles, including “Andy Bates (of now-immortal fame),” “the legendary Andy Bates,” and “the inimitable Andy Bates.”

And here is one more title, from Jonathan himself: “The Great Andy Bates,” with a picture of me and two fine-looking young gentlemen from Harmonix. Also read the comments to find out how I have affected people’s lives.

Oh, and here is the original forum thread where I asked for an extra ticket, then won the coin toss against Abby (who ended up getting another extra ticket later, and went to the show too!). I posted on this thread too, and even started one of my own. What can I say? I was desperate!

After the show, I asked on the forums if anyone had a completely set list, and the guy who stole it from onstage (and had it signed!) kindly posted it.

Colleen was in our group, and she posted this lovely summary of the show experience. Rex was the one who got the group of single-ticket-holders together, and he also posted about his thoughts on the show.

Colleen kindly posted a YouTube video of Oded’s recording of the part where I raised my hand and went up on stage. Unfortunately, he didn’t record the song itself, but if you want to see the beginning part, there you go.

There are also a few pictures from the show on Flickr, and even some which feature my smiling face, including (but not limited to) these ones. Some of my favorites are the near-handshake, “It’s THAT guy,” my zombie friend, “Smile!”, duet, pining, and friendship.

Now that I’ve talked about my participation in the Jonathan Coulton concert, I’ll take a step back and discuss the concert and DVD shoot in general.

Again, for those of you unfamiliar with Jonathan Coulton, there is an excellent primer on his website, along with an excellent list of suggestions to get you started: most popular songs, funny songs, sad songs, songs that are both funny and sad, geeky songs, and sweet songs. My personal favorite is The Future Soon, an autobiographical tale of a lovelorn schoolboy who dreams of a better future. Take some time, look around, listen to some music, and read about a genuine self-made internet phenomenon.

As for the concert itself, the venue was set up with multiple cameras, including one mounted on a large boom that threatened to brain a few viewers as it passed within six inches of audience members’ heads. Because it was being filmed, the audience was also well lit (by lights, if not alcohol), so the mood was a little different from a normal concert. The audience was buzzing as we waited for the show to start, and several people were dressed for the occasion in full zombie makeup.

The opening band were Paul and Storm, who, not coincidentally, opened with their song, “Opening Band.” They played a generally truncated set, leaving plenty of room for possible reshoots during Jonathan’s set, in case he made a mistake or two. Their music is a perfect counterpoint to the headliner, being more laugh-out-loud funny, which nicely balances out Coulton’s music, which is equal parts funny, sweet, and melancholy.

The Jonathan Coulton set was brilliant, as always. For much of the time, he accompanied himself on the guitar, although some songs included Paul and Storm on backup vocals and miscellaneous percussion. He was also joined by Kristen Shirts, winner of the Code Monkey remix contest and accomplished ukulele player, for Code Monkey, Tom Cruise Crazy, Creepy Doll (where she completely stole the spotlight), and Still Alive, the song which Jonathan wrote for the closing credits of Portal.

Jonathan returned with his Zendrum version of Mr. Fancy Pants, complete with an extended remix in the middle. I also never truly appreciated Skullcrusher Mountain until this show, when the audience took over singing the final chorus. But the two most amazing moments came during I’m Your Moon, a love song from Charon to Pluto lamenting Pluto’s planetary declassification, and I Crush Everything, a song about a self-hating giant squid who is in love with a sailboat. Both of those songs were so profoundly beautiful and sad that the audience sat in perfect silence, entranced by the performance and unable to think of anything else. I have seen very few genuine moments where an entire crowd was so completely focused on a performer. It was something that still sticks with me today.

Then, after the audience favorite Re: Your Brains, and a rousing sing-along of First of May, Jonathan walked up on stage, pulled down a projection screen, and proceeded to introduce his special guests: Leo Laporte (host of The Screen Savers from way back in the TechTV days, and über–podcast host today), Merlin Mann (founder of 43 Folders and many other things), and Veronica Belmont (former CNet host, and current host and producer of the Mahalo Daily podcast), each carrying their respective Rock Band instruments. (Personal geek trivia: I first met Merlin about a year ago, at my first Jonathan Coulton concert.) The four of them went on to perform Still Alive, which will soon be a downloadable song in Rock Band. Leo went out twice and Merlin went out once, but Veronica saved them each time, but Leo’s third failure sang the band right at the end, and they failed with 99% complete. However, as Jonathan pointed out, 99% is still an “A.”

So that’s the show in a very large nutshell. At the moment, I can’t imagine a more satisfying nexus of geekdom. I mean, having Jonathan and Merlin perform the song from the end of Portal, in Rock Band? I’m tempted to draw a Venn diagram just to show how many of my disparate interests intersect there (including my love of Venn diagrams!). And as a bonus, I got to talk to Jonathan and Paul and Storm afterwards, as well as two fine gentlemen from Harmonix (makers of Frequency, Amplitude, Guitar Hero and Rock Band), whom I followed around and heaped with fanboy praise for quite a while. And once the DVD comes out, you can experience just a taste of what a wonderful night it was.

I need to start at the end of this story, because that is freshest in my mind right now. I’ll get to the beginning and middle parts later.

It has been said that luck equals preparation plus opportunity. If that is the case, I got very lucky last night. But first, let me back up and provide some background.

When I saw Jonathan Coulton perform the first time, he asked for an audience volunteer to help with a song. Naturally, my hand shot up, but then he said, “Well, wait a minute, let me first tell you what you’ll be volunteering for,” so I put my hand back down. He explained that he needed a robot voice for one line in a song, and then he picked…the guy in the back of the room, who raised his hand (the second time) before I did. So that guy got to say the one line in Chiron Beta Prime (which you can download for free), while I sat and watched. On the way home, I said to Dean, “And you know what would have been cool? I could have sung harmony with him on the chorus!” So ever since then, I regretted that missed opportunity.

The second time I saw JoCo in concert (in a bigger venue, the Great American Music Hall), he performed with Paul and Storm, who also sang backup vocals on many of his songs. Since they were already up there singing harmony, he didn’t need an audience volunteer. And besides, he didn’t even perform Chiron Beta Prime at that show. So it looked like my one shot to sing with Jonathan Coulton had come and gone, and all I could do was practice the harmony part in the shower, as I had done for months before (and since).

Cut to last night (Friday), where Jonathan Coulton had another concert at the Great American Music Hall, with Paul and Storm opening for him once again. I ended up attending the concert at the last minute (more on that later) with a bunch of other people who had bought single tickets. So we’re all sitting there, in the middle of the set, with Paul and Storm on stage singing backup for Jonathan Coulton, and he says:

“Okay, now for this next song, I need a volunteer from the audience.”

I leapt up from my seat with my hand in the air.

As he started with his “Well, before you volunteer” warning, I kept standing there, ready to go up onstage. So finally, he called me up, and I jumped up on stage. He asked for my name, announced it to the audience, and said, “Have we corresponded before?” I told him that I had emailed him looking for a comp ticket (more on that later), “but I finally got one!” Cheers broke out from the audience! And then I whispered, “Can I ask a favor? Can I sing harmony on the chorus?” He responded with, “Sure, you can do the last chorus. That’s kind of the tradition.” I shook hand with both Paul and Storm, then they offered me a seat on the couch on stage, gave me a few dolls to hold, and made sure I was comfortable until the third verse. Oh, and he gave me a waiver to sign. I also pulled out my camera to take a picture on stage, and Jonathan said, “Oh wait, Andy is taking a picture. No rush Andy; we have plenty of time.”

When the it got to the keyboard solo, there was not a keyboard on the stage, so he asked, “Hey, do you want to do the solo?” So I belted out a vocalized approximation of the solo, again to thunderous applause. I kept the microphone for the third verse, where I nailed my two-word solo. Then Paul joined me, and the two of us sang harmony for the final chorus. The song ended, the crowd went wild, I got the “Ladies and gentlemen, Andy Bates!”, and a shook a few hands and left the stage. As I shook Storm’s hand, he leaned in and said, “Really, we couldn’t have asked for a better volunteer.” And as I returned to my seat (getting high-fives from audience members the entire way), Paul said, “We’ll have to call this DVD, ‘Jonathan Coulton in Concert, Featuring Andy Bates.’”

Did I mention that this concert was recorded for a future DVD release?

Afterwards, I talked to the band members as they were signing autographs and shaking hands. Storm said, “We were just talking backstage about how perfect you were. I mean, the harmony, plus that keyboard solo and everything.…” Jonathan said, “When you stood up, somehow you managed to be taller than humanly possible. It was like one of those tricks where a magician forces you to pick a certain card; as soon as you stood up, everyone was pointing, and we just had to pick you.”

Meanwhile, I had random audience members walking around saying, “Is that the Andy Bates?” I had people coming up to shake my hand. People asked to have their picture taken with me. I even signed a Paul and Storm CD, right after Paul did. And when I met the guys from Harmonix (again, more on that later) and asked to get my picture taken you them, they said, “Are you kidding? We want to get our picture taken with you!” In all, I was able to sing with Jonathan Coulton on stage for a DVD concert, I got to be a pseudo–rock star for the duration of a concert, and I got to rectify a missed opportunity that I had been regretting for months. How often does that happen?

Well, it looks like my purchase was well-timed: Toshiba has now officially discontinued the HD-DVD format, and will phase out players and media over the next few months. I for one am glad to hear this news, although I confess that I’m not excited to run out and repurchase all of my movies again. There is so much content available for so cheap on DVD, I can’t see myself ever buying as many Blu-ray Discs as I have DVDs. At least, I hope I won’t.

It is always good to hear news stories like this one about what George W. Bush has done for Africa.

Andy’s Rating: One notch above Really Liked It (11/13)

When we last left Samus, she had just wiped out the Metroids on the planet Zebes and defeated Mother Brain. Oh, and she revealed that she is a woman. With that mission complete, she now proceeds to planet SR-388, the home of the Metroids, in order to wipe them all out.

And when we last left me, I was complaining that the original Metroid was too open, and it was hard to tell where to explore next. Also, many of the secret areas had to be found by trial and error, and when starting from the last save, Samus would begin with a minimal amount of energy, forcing the player to go through a tedious process of recovering health before continuing.

Continue reading “Retro Review: Metroid II: Return of Samus for the Game Boy” »

On top of everything else going on this week, my wife went out this morning to find her car window broken and her purse stolen. Thus began a fun-filled Valentine’s Day of canceling credit cards, closing accounts, calling insurance, arranging for glass repair, and obtaining a new driver’s license. The police came to examine the crime scene and write a report, but they were wondering why the driver’s seat had been moved so far forward. For a while we couldn’t figure out what would have been stolen from the back, and then suddenly, Marcy figured it out:

The laptop.

Specifically, it was my daughter’s pink Fisher-Price laptop. With a street value of roughly thirty dollars, I’m sure the thieves are on their way to Aruba as we speak. Since only one other car was burgled in our area, it appears that the laptop was what enticed them to break the window in the first place. I wouldn’t call it ironic, but it is funny, sad, pathetic, and frustrating, all at once.

My mom is not doing well over the last week or so. She has been sleeping a lot more lately, and when she’s awake, she is maybe 10% coherent. I don’t know if this is something that will continue to progress, or if she’ll improve, or if she’ll just be in this state for a while. In any case, here are some recent photos of her, from my birthday and some previous activities with the kids.

Andy’s Rating: one notch below Really Liked It (9/13)

I grew up playing the Atari 2600, and in the early ’80s, computer games were really starting to take off. So by the time the NES came out in 1985, I had pretty much gotten out of console gaming. I never owned a Super Nintendo or a Nintendo 64 either, but I started getting back into console gaming late in the life of the PlayStation. I eventually picked up a Game Boy Advance SP, and decided to catch up on all the classic games that I had missed. Thanks to that wonderful little system, I played through all the Super Mario Bros. games. (I am now playing Super Mario 64 on the Virtual Console.) More recently, I turned my attention to other big-name Nintendo franchises: The Legend of Zelda, and Metroid. My goal for each of these games was to complete it without reading any hints or walkthroughs.

Continue reading “Retro Review: Metroid for the NES” »

I think this picture says it all:

Some call it Mardi Gras. Others call it Super Tuesday. I have a different name for it: my birthday.

Another year has gone by, and I am still walking the earth. To celebrate, I decided to cast my vote on an important national issue, one that will shape our country for years to come. This is perhaps the preeminent concern of our generation, and I thought it was time to take a stand and make my position known:

I bought my first Blu-ray Disc.

After the shocking announcement by Warner Bros. at CES that they would be dropping HD-DVD support (after which the HD-DVD consortium cancelled their press conference), Blu-ray now has support from 80% of the major motion picture studios, with Paramount and Universal being the remaining holdouts. There are rumors that even they will commit to Blu-ray by June. Combined with plummeting HD-DVD sales, it looks like Blu-ray finally has the marketshare and the mindshare to become the new high-definition standard for home video. But the reason I decided to make my first purchase today is out of nostalgia: It was on this day ten years ago that I bought my first DVD. I think it is only fitting that I make the switch to HD on the same day. (For the curious, my first DVD was Little Shop of Horrors, which had just been recalled, and the Blu-ray Disc I bought today was The Fifth Element.)

In other election news, I continued my celebration by doing what all good Americans should do: voting for Mitt Romney. Hopefully he can pull the Republican nomination out. In any case, it’s nice to vote in a national election where my vote actually counts, since California is not a winner-take-all state. Most of the time, my voice is drowned out among all the liberals around here. I guess we’ll know later tonight if my birthday truly is a day for celebration, or a day of mourning.