Forgot to mention this earlier, but the September issue of PC Gamer UK (it came out a few weeks ago) contained an article about Anarchy Online. It's the usual "game has improved massively" type of thing, but it claims that AO's squandered its one day in the sun, and I tend to disagree. But then I'm the disagreeable type.

And we did win the PC Gamer US MMOG of the Year award. So there.

Anyways, the PCG article does talk about Prophet Without Honour in favourable terms - "[a] well written and an entertaining read" - although they point out that the plot is a bit like a "join-the-dots game with a few crucial omissions", partly (IMHO) due to the fact that it's the first book in a proposed series, and partly because it's a lead-in to the game's complex plot (which ties in with and continues a number of the novel's plotlines). In fact, PWH is mentioned both in PCG's online section, and in a separate article earlier in the magazine, which talks about gaming "tat" - tie-ins - ranging from action figures, to keyrings, and, yes, books. This article also mentions The Longest Journey's and Anarchy Online's soundtrack CDs. Hurray!

You can buy Anarchy Online Book One: Prophet Without Honour right here (notice how neatly I segued into that one? Okay, not really).  ¶ 16:11   

  Saw Austin Powers 3 ("...in Goldmember") yesterday, and - surprise, surprise - I liked it a lot, more so than the previous two flicks. It was a little too long, and it had a few dull parts - Fat Bastard could have been cut out of the movie; he's fat, he's Scottish, and he's disgusting...and that's about it - but on the whole it was consistently laugh-out-loud funny. Particularly the opening sequence, but there were moments in there as funny as anything I've seen on the big screen this year. It was a good audience, too; late Friday night, young, and ready to enjoy themselves. Much applause and roaring laughter. A good time was had by all.

The weather is being particularly schizophrenic here in Oslo. Half an hour ago, it was raining and thundering, and now the sky is clear blue, and it's warm and sunny. Strangeness.  ¶ 15:09   

  So I'm really tired.

I've felt totally wiped out all week, like I'm not getting enough sleep or food or liquids or something. I don't know what's wrong. I don't feel sick or tired. I'm just completely lacking in energy. And I've been extremely unproductive as a result.

I just yawned again. See? It ain't natural, I tell ya!  ¶ 17:53   

  Too tired to post anything of note tonight, although I'd planned a solid review of Minority Report. Read this one instead - it's pretty good - but only if you've seen the movie. It spoils the plot. My short review: If you haven't yet done so, go see it. And if it's no longer showing in your area, buy the DVD when it's released.

Me go now.  ¶ 22:25   

  I'm seeing Minority Report in about an hour, and I'm excited. Yes, really. Aside from the fact that it's Steven Spielberg (Spielberg!), I'm a huge fan of Philip K. Dick, going back decades to when I first read The Man in the High Castle (someone needs to adapt that novel into a movie). And we have great seats in the best theatre in Oslo. It's all good.  ¶ 17:02   

  Japan Week continues here on RagnarTornquist.com, and today we have a very, very funny link for you:

www.engrish.com

This site collects signs, labels, t-shirts, and everything else related to Engrish - the uniquely Japanese twist on the normal, "boring" English spoken in the west. Check out the Recent Discoveries section, and laugh yourself silly. Or, like teddy would say it:

"Please make me clean, because I always want to be clean sometimes."

Ah. The joy of Engrish. Go. Now. Don't worry; we'll be here when you get back.  ¶ 21:55   

  After I've become completely fluent in Spanish (my course begins next Thursday, so I expect I'll be talking like a native within the month), the Grand Plan was to learn Japanese. Why? For the same reason I do everything in this world (including making games, writing books and screenplays, and working out): To impress the girls. The girls aren't easily impressed, but if fluent Spanish and Japanese won't do it, then nothing will. Except, perhaps, growing a mustache. The girls love the mustache.

Anyways, this was the plan. After learning the Spanish, it was time to embrace the Japanese (language, not the people, although I don't mind embracing Japanese people. I'm all for that).

And then I read this helpful guide.

Boy-oh-boy, am I glad I came across this site before starting with the Japanese! Gosh golly, just think about all the time I could have wasted trying to learn a "difficult" language! Phew. Thank God for the Internet.

It's a pretty funny site, and worth a read, unless you're easily offended and don't think it's particularly nice to make fun of other people. It's not, by the way, and racial stereotypes are Bad. If you want to read about real Japanese people and culture, check out this site.

I'm still going to learn Japanese, however. And not just because of the girls. It's just fun to learn something new and unique. And it's much better than growing a mustache. Please, kids, listen to Uncle Ragnar: Don't grow a mustache. Ever. Really.  ¶ 21:22   

  Your webpage seems to have some formatting problems under both Mozilla and Galeon. The dotted-line boxes that I'm assuming are meant to go around the various sections of the page are far too short, and the lines of text in your journal are too long, causing the ends of the lines to be obscured by your "about" box. I'm attaching a screenshot to this e-mail.

Aaaah! Is anyone else having this problem? My journal and index pages are generated by Blogger, and there's not much I can do to fix that...I think. I can play around with the template - I already have - but I know as much about HTML as I do about nude wrestling (not a lot, unfortunately). It looks fine in Internet Explorer, that's all I know. This advice will please absolutely no one: Switch to IE. Any better ideas? Come on, people - y'all claim to be geniuses...es. Geniusi. Geniusses. Geniu-sumpthin.

Work's over and done with, and I'm contemplating the long walk home. I'm going to stop by the comic-book store to pick up some, uh, research material. Actually, yes. It is. No kidding.

I leave you with this timeless quote: "I believe that children are our future." They really are, you know. It's got something to do with age and evolution. Don't ask me why.  ¶ 18:50   

  So we've flipped past Monday in the Great Book of Life, and now it's Tooosday. Wheee!

Last night, most of Funcom went on a really cool cruise in the Oslo fjord, with drinks, dinner, and much (non-work related, and completely non-game related) conversation. A few unfortunate employees had to stay behind, of course, to ensure the continued operation of Anarchy Online (you heartless wretches! You couldn't do without your AO fix for just one night?), but other than that it was a packed ride, and much partying was done by all. Afterwards, we marched en masse to a nightspot in Oslo, where I spent about one hour before heading home - after all, it was Monday night, and I needed my Zs. Didn't feel all that great this morning, but hey! I'll survive.

I got my cat a makeshift scratching post - a big log - to prevent any further damage to my coffee table, and it seems to work very well. Unfortunately, it also means that there are piece of wood and bark and dirt across my entire living-room floor. I guess it's better, but it means that I have to vacuum the floor every...single...day. Gak.  ¶ 13:04   

  Talking about Blogs (yes, I know we weren't, but bear with me), I thought this one was quite interesting:

http://alistapart.com/stories/writeliving/

I do hope I don't fall into any of the usual traps. Besides, it appears as though a large majority of our Regular Readers are either Anarchy Online or The Longest Journey fans, so there's some purpose to coming here beyond reading my rambling rants.  ¶ 20:16   

  This is neither an appealing nor engaging way to open a post:

"I am sweating profusely."

Nevertheless, it's the sad, uncomfortable, and unattractive truth. I'm sweating a river, and not just your average, backwater stream: No, I'm sweating the Mississippi, the Nile, the Danube. I'm sweating the Panama Canal.

Hell, I'm sweating the Pacific Ocean, all 155.557 million square kilometres of it (I looked it up).

It's hot out. More to the point, it's hot and humid. And I've been stressing around waaay too much. I'm knackered. Knackered in sweat, that is. Yum.

All right, enough with the grossness.

It's early Sunday evening, and I'd actually planned on doing something other than sit at home, but seeing as I'm knackered and all, I think I'll just stay in. The new Austin Powers movie has finally opened here, and I briefly considered seeing it tonight, but it'll just have to wait until later this week. I'm not particularly excited about the movie. I was slightly disappointed by both the first and the second one. I laughed, had a good time, but walked out feeling somewhat let down. It's as though the premise promises more than what it actually delivers. And Austin Powers himself isn't really all that funny. For me, the show belongs to Dr. Evil. In fact, the trailers are always very amusing, but they often reveal all the good bits. Still - I'll see number three, laugh a bit, and probably walk out of the theatre with a shrug, and say "well, that was disappointing". Trust me to be predictable.

My sister left for Israel again yesterday. It's always sad saying goodbye to family, especially when you see them only once a year. With the situation Israel is in, you never know what's going to happen, and that's scary. Still, it was really nice seeing her and the kids again, and I hope to be able to take a trip to Israel real soon to visit them. I'll wait for things to settle down a bit first, however, and for both sides in the conflict to take a step back and start talking. I'm not anywhere as brave as my sister and her family. I really don't want to get blown up.

Oh, and I actually got a parking space today, although it took me about an hour, and two intermediate parking spaces, before securing this one:



The blue thingy next to the red car is mine. And apologies for the poor quality of the picture, but I'm only using a crappy webcam.

Sunday proceeds, and I'll return...later.  ¶ 20:08   

  A rare, late Saturday night update. Technically, it's Sunday. Technically, I don't care.

I'm currently on my laptop, and I'm also about to hit the hay. I'm halfway there. Yes, it's Saturday night, and I don't usually go to bed this early, but I am, for some reason, dead tired. Need the Zs. Badly.

The latest issue of Edge (a top UK gaming magazine) features a short interview with Henry Jenkins, a professor at MIT, where he's asked the question: "Videogames: Art or Entertainment". Prof. Jenkins provides what I believe to be the best answer ever (and I quote without any kind of permission from the magazine or the interviewee):

"It's a false distinction. Games are a lively art. They are an art because they engage our senses, stimulate our imagination, encourage a playful and creative response, provoke powerful emotions, gives expressive shape to our lives and turn the computer into a toy. In other words, they are an art because they are entertainment."

Yes. Absolutely. What he said.  ¶ 00:18   

  Ah. The proverbial 'Friday'. How sweet it is.

No big plans today. Just home, and then take it from there. I'm totally wiped out. Didn't get a whole lot of sleep this week, but that's why God made the weekend.

Jason writes:

I'm really pleased to read that you are getting into Norah Jones. I had the pleasure of seeing her at the 9:30 club in DC a year ago and have been hooked ever since. She has a very delightful, slightly jazzy sound. I recently saw her open for Dave Matthews Band here in Virginia, and she's still really down to earth and cool.

That leads me to the point of this email. I really think you should try listening to Dave Matthews Band. I never thought I'd hear myself saying that, but they are actually a lot better than I ever expected. If you get past their poppy radio stuff, the rest of their stuff has a really distintive cool jazzy sound. This makes sense because most of them started off playing jazz.

Anyhoo, I'd recommend you listen to "Two Step" a couple of times.You'll certainly be hooked. Also try "#41" if you get a chance or "Say Goodbye." I don't think you'll be disappointed.

Sorry about your GameCube problems. I picked up Eternal Darkness a week ago, due partly to your recommendation and it is an incredible game. The difficulty curve is perfect, even for a nongamer like me. Still, the game kinda peaks half way through and the ending doesn't make sense. So maybe your little accident was such a bad thing.

Yeah, Norah Jones is great. Come Away With Me is currently my favourite album, and I'd love to see her live. Problem is, I usually miss out on concerts simply because I don't know about them until it's too late. There must be some kind of mailing-list, somewhere. Maybe they're only for the Cool People.

As for Dave Matthews Band...I'll try it. I'm skeptical - I've always thought of DMB as bland, American "adult contemporary" soft-rock - but you've piqued my interest. I'm going to check it out, and give 'em a fair chance.

And, finally, regarding Eternal Darkness, I've played through two-thirds (at least) of the game, and I still think it rocks. The problems I'm having with my 'Cube aren't game-stopping - they're just hugely irritating. And I don't like being irritated. It's so...irritating.

Come next week, however, I probably won't have time to play E.D. anymore. Three words: Super. Mario. Sunshine. Glee!

Headin' out.  ¶ 17:53   

  The weather keeps being excessively hot. Whether that's simply to make up for a largely average summer, or just to annoy the hell out of those of us who're stuck in offices all day long, I'm not sure. I just know that, without air-conditioning, the office is very, very, very hot.

Jon asks:

wheres our diplomas???? come on you're slipping, its been a while now!!

Er, yes. It has been. I don't blame the peasants for lighting their torches and marching on the windmill (it's a movie metaphor - I'm in no way suggesting that my readers are peasants, or that I'm a windmill).

So why is there still no sign of the coveted and sacred icon that is the Regular Reader Diploma? Well, uh, you see, I've really been very, very busy, what with the Anarchy Online story and other stuff, and since it also happens to be summer, and I try to get as much away-time as possible from the PC...I've simply not had the time to put together your diplomas. Yet. But I will. Just be patient! Please? Pretty please? Good Regular Readers.

Biiig meeting in twenty minutes, so I gots to go.  ¶ 12:11   

  About a month ago my GameCube was subjected to an unfortunate, and dramatic, tumble from my half-open bag to the ground. Yes, I know; stupid, stupid me. I'm usually extremely cautious with all my stuff - I hate breaking things, and thus I rarely do - and it was only a complete and utter lapse of reason that made me rush out the door with the console exposed to the elements. It was also pretty stupid, I reckon, to begin looking for my car keys when I was carrying two bags.

Anyways, when the GameCube crashed to the cement, the Eternal Darkness disc popped out of the drive and landed on the ground, silver side down. I'd been playing the game almost continuously since I purchased it, which was why I'd decided to bring the GameCube with me. I wanted to be able to keep playing the game while I was away for the weekend. Doh.

Ever since the "accident", Eternal Darkness has been almost intolerable to play. Why? Because the sound keeps skipping, the disc-drive keeps clicking, and I have no idea whether it's the game or the console that's causing it. I'm hoping for the former, but I've also noticed some odd clicking sounds and strange slowdowns in other games - like Super Monkey Ball - that I could've sworn weren't there before. And it's a crying shame, because Eternal Darkness [ED] is one of the best games I've ever played...or, more correctly, been unable to play.

So what do I do? Even if I could afford it (and I really can't), I won't be able to get a new GameCube, at least not now. See, the one I have is a U.S. model - I buy all my games online - and you can't buy the U.S. model here (in Norway, if you didn't already know). I could buy a new copy of ED from Tronix, but unless I'm certain that it's the game, and not the console, that's causing the problem - well, that'd be fifty bucks down the drain.

It's a minor issue, sure, but still hugely irritating...simply because I want to play, and finish, ED! Yes, it's that good.  ¶ 23:50   

  Watched the season finale of Smallville after I came home, fell asleep for a few minutes on the couch, and woke up as the little tyke was attempting to shred the couch to pieces - in revenge, I reckon, for the plastic bag trick. Does she look guilty to you?



Probably not. Cats have no talent for guilt. They may not be guiltless, but they're certainly guilt free. Or should that be the other way around? Well, she looks a bit sheepish in this next one:



I dunno. Cats are tough to psychoanalyse.

The Smallville finale was quite good (after a fair number of rather dull episodes), but I loathe cliffhangers. Don't appreciate being kept waiting. Don't appreciate that at all. But still...pretty exciting stuff. I'll definitely be there for season two.

Smallville has evolved from a show about a young Clark Kent and the birth of Superman, to what's now predominantly a show about the creation of evil, about the making (and unmaking) of Lex Luthor. It's a heartbreaking and realistic (as far as that's possible, given the premise) transition, made all the more real and emotional by the superb work of Michael Rosenbaum - the true star of the show, and a charismatic and intriguing actor.

Whenever they get around to bringing Superman back to the big screen - whether that's in Batman vs. Superman, or in Superman Lives or Superman V or whatever the heck it's being called these days (Warner Bros. is currently pursuing the latter) - they should definitely consider casting Rosenbaum as an older (and truly evil) Luthor. He'll bring the right gravity and pathos to the role. I think.

As for Tom Welling as Superman? Weeell, he's a decent Clark Kent; blue-eyed, bland, naive, and sorta...vacant. Just like the Clark Kent we all know and love. But Superman? Probably not. Although you never know. He might mature during the next few seasons.

The best solution for Warner Bros. might actually be to put the whole Superman franchise on hold until Smallville has had its five or seven seasons, and then launch the actors onto the silver screen. That way, you ensure continuity, you please the fans of the show, and you're certain that your actors are comfortable in, and familiar with, their roles. In the meantime, Warner could focus on bringing Batman back to the big screen. In a good way. You know; dark and gothic. Not like that last monstrosity. God forbid. Let's never, ever speak of that movie again. Ever.  ¶ 21:31   

  I discovered yesterday that my cat has been using one of the legs of my beautiful dark wood coffee table as a scratching post for a considerable amount of time.

Can't blame the cat, of course. She runs on instinct, not common sense, and to her the coffee table is a personal grooming device, and not an attractive - and expensive - piece of furniture. Unfortunately, she's also got some fierce claws, and the table leg has been torn to splinters. Literally.

I'm going to have to get some kind of alternative scratching post - something I should have done a while ago, I suppose - but it'll be hard to make her trade in the one she's been using (i.e. my coffee table) with something new and, probably, less satisfying. For the time being, I've wrapped all four coffee table legs in plastic bags. I dread to see what expensive piece of furniture she's used to sharpen her claws today.

I spent most of the day working on something that ultimately didn't meet my expectations, so I'm throwing it out. What a waste. I think I'll just go home. Gak.  ¶ 17:33   

  Big surge of visitors yesterday, even though we were down for more than four hours. Quite, quite strange.

It's hard to be productive these days, with the temperature reaching record highs. My office is a sauna. I'm not kidding. It doesn't get tolerable until after four, and by that time I'm so lethargic and wiped out by the heat, I don't feel like doing anything at all. Like now. I'm going to go work out an hour early today. In other words, right now. Now. No, now.

Now.  ¶ 17:03   

  From 'z':

Journal Name Submission: "Valhalla or Bust"

As for learning Spanish, maybe it will make you sound mysterious and exotic like Cortez (who as we all know was shakin' it for the ladies long before old movies and fighting for the Balance became his day job).

You can attend Hollywood parties and give out cards that introduce you as "Ragnar Tornquist: Author, Adventurer & Mack Daddy Extraordinaire" and say witty things like: "I am an explorer, Mademoiselle. Should I get a permit to explore your mammaries, I assure you that I am very thorough and no breast shall go unconquered." and your newly-acquired Spanish accent will magically appeal to any woman you say such things to.

Mack Daddy Extraordinaire. I like that.

Several helpful readers pointed me in the right direction for ordering the Japanese DVD version of Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi, or Spirited Away. From Shiniing:

I've read your voyage to mars....Japanese DVD? You can buy the DVD here http://www.amazon.co.jp/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/dvd/B00005S8LI/249-44236
16-9025906 (international shipment supported. See "help in English" for details) With English and French subtitles.

Region Code of this DVD is 2, so I don't think it would be a problem wat ching it in Norway. But the format is NTSC, not PAL. I'm not very sure on this, but I guess you have to use a DVD player which supports both NTSC and PAL. I heared that PC DVD play er usually supports both, since the device is usually sold worldwide. Ah, there mus t be an expert on DVD in Funcom. Hehe.

"Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakusi"...it was mega-hit in Japanese movie histo ry and I went to see it with my wife in Tokyo Mitaka which was 6 hours waiting in a queue.... BTW the title means "Sen and Chihiro" (probably names) are lost in somew here by supernatural power, never to be found again. Kami-Kakusi literally means "A god hides somebo dy", the term is usually used when a person suddenly disappears from people's eyes.

And from Adrian:

thought this might be helpful....if you're still looking for it that is. http://www.animenation.com/vwdz-8036-7.html
it's a link to Spirited Away. Hope that was helpful.

Thanks for the pointers, guys! I'm ordering the DVD as we speak, and I can't wait to see it. Mononoke Hime, Miyazaki's last movie, is one of my all time favourites. It's beautiful, gripping, and powerful. Definitely recommended.  ¶ 13:51   

  Hosting problems solved! I think. At least my site is working again, so that's a good sign.  ¶ 20:43   

  Uh-oh. The hosting for my site appears to have been terminated because of "payment issues", and unless I can clear this up immediately, RagnarTornquist.com will go bye-bye. I've fired off an e-mail to the support staff, so let's cross our fingers and hope for the best.

In the meantime, drinks are on me! Woohoo!  ¶ 16:48   

  It's raining. Finally. Now I don't have to envy anyone who's not stuck in an office all day long.

Our Internet service has been spotty today, probably due to ISP problems. Of course, in a perfect world, this would mean less browsing and more work, but for some reason I'm completely lethargic today. I need more sleep. I also need more fun. A combination of the two (fun in bed?) would probably be good.

I want to see this movie. Now. I'm trying to get hold of the Japanese DVD, but it's proving a bit difficult. Anyone out there point me in the right direction?

For some strange and inexplicable reason (probably to impress girls), I've decided to take a Spanish course, and as soon as I find one for n00bs, I will. Two languages just ain't enough. I need to broaden my linguistic horizons. And impress more girls. Exactly how learning Spanish will help impress the girls, I have no idea, but it's a start.

I've also decided that 'voyage to mars' is not a good name for this journal, unless I actually start writing about a voyage to Mars. Come to think of it, reading about a voyage to Mars would probably be a lot more entertaining than reading about my life. So maybe I just will start writing about voyages to Mars, and satisfy disgruntled readers.

This is the final paragraph of today's entry. So there.  ¶ 14:34   

  Whole day gone by. Eek. Managed to polish off a coupla basic NPCs for Anarchy Online today; nothing major, but a necessary addition to a future patch. Most of the day was spent in meetings - a typical Monday, in other words - meaning deadlines weren't met, but no biggie. No one will notice. Except, of course, everyone who reads this journal, dammit!

The to-be-released-today (at least in the US) Buffy the Vampire Slayer game for the Xbox appears to be getting some excellent reviews. Yippie for that, 'cause I can't wait to kick some vampire arse and pretend that I'm a cute Californian teenage chick. Uh. Wait. I also happen to be a huge Buffy fan (blah to those who don't appreciate the show - probably the best show currently running, with the possible exception of The West Wing), so of course I'm all giddy with excitement. It won't get a release over here until next month, though, so I'll have to butter myself up with the sweet, uh, butter of patience. Since I have a PAL Xbox, I mean. And not an NTSC one. Hmm.  ¶ 18:02   

  Another weekend over and done with. Thank God! What's with all this spare time? You'd almost think that people have a life outside of work. Pft. Fat chance.

It's been incredibly sunny and incredibly warm this entire weekend. It may be a late summer, but it's definitely summer.

Briefly escaping the heat, I saw four flicks this weekend. First, on Friday, The Sum of All Fears, starring the Affleck. This, unfortunately, was a disappointment. I'm a closet Tom Clancy fan (although I couldn't stomach - or finish - his latest (?) Jack Ryan novel, The Bear and the Dragon; for the first time, Clancy's extreme right-wing views got in the way of the plot), so I had very high expectations for the movie, but after a tight and entertaining first half, it fell to pieces.

I can't say too much without spoiling the plot (though most reviewers did), but the story's climax comes about an hour before the movie's over, and after that...flat. No tension, no plot or character development, and the Affleck's limited acting skills definitely get in the way. The Affleck is great in comedies and when he's taking the piss, but when he tries to be a serious action hero...ugh. I'm starting to get nervous about Daredevil. I really, really hope he pulls off that role - for his sake and for mine. It'd be a shame and a waste if he ruined a potentially kick-arse franchise. Still, I always give the Affleck another chance (and yes, it's the Affleck).

On Saturday, we caught a 70mm screening of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. It's been ages since I last saw this flick, and it's obvious that time hasn't been particularly kind to it. And Spielberg wasn't at the top of his game when he made the sequel to Raiders, that's for sure. Aside from Harrison Ford's powerful presence - at this point, he still had oodles of charm, charisma, and humour (these days, he possesses none of the above) - Temple of Doom doesn't have a lot to offer. It's very limited in scope, and some of the set-pieces are just ridiculous. It was fun seeing it again in 70mm on a good screen with excellent sound, and it brought me back to 1984, but aside from the nostalgia factor, it wasn't nearly as good as I remembered it to be. I mean, I always remembered it as the weakest Indy-movie, but it was still slightly disappointing to see just how weak it was. And Mrs. Spielberg is a dull, dull love interest.

On Sunday, I saw two movies: Takashi Miike's Audition (one of those stomach-churning experiences that make you afraid to watch Japanese movies ever again; it's worth seeing once, but consider yourself warned), and Tom Tykwer's The Warrior and the Princess ("Der Krieger und die Kaiserin"), a German fable about love, fate, and madness. I think. It was very good, albeit a bit too long and overly ambitious. Still, ambition is always appreciated, and Tykwer's follow-up to Run Lola Run was a very interesting watch, partly because of the fine script and great acting, and partly because it manages to constantly surprise you. It's not Hollywood, and that's refreshing.

The rest of the weekend was spent in the sun, eating outside, and dragging two new mattresses into my apartment. Yay.

Now. Monday. Work. Check back later.  ¶ 11:43   

  Aaaaaaaaaaah! Blogger ate two consecutive posts! I've been robbed!

I wrote a really, really long and really, really good post, clicked "Post & Publish", and then - zip, nothing, nada. Swallowed up by the Big Bad that is Blogger. Then I wrote a "I hatesss Blogger" post, which was also, quite ironically - and perhaps intentionally - eaten.

I don't harbour any hopes for this one, but at least I'm taking precautions and copying the text beforehand. All right, let's rock...  ¶ 15:42   

  Holes. Drilled through the head. Wires to the brain. Holy. Crap.

The future happened while I wasn't looking:

Wired.com's "Vision Quest"

When are they gonna make this compatible with the Xbox, by the way?  ¶ 22:59   

  By the way, I hope a lot of people got wind of what happened in Anarchy Online earlier this evening (our time; over the pond, it's a different story altogether). It was pretty cool (if you're an AO player, that is): An Omni-Pol investigation at the Lush Hills Resort into a recent murder (check out the story portal for more information on that) was brutally interrupted by the Dust Brigade. Woohoo! It was a great, little mini-event - just the kind of thing I luv. Getting the story into the game, and taking a cue from the game to write the story. You know. A synergy. Well.

Anyways, that's just one of the many great reasons to play AO these days. There are tons more! Get your friends to play it! Your family! Your long-lost uncle in Sacramento! Your cat! Keep playing it yourself! Why? Because you all (or "y'all" - feel free to select) want to see what's in store for AO in the future - Booster Packs, Expansion Packs, content patches, story stuff - and you all want to see what Funcom will be doing next. You really do. Honest. We're actually nice, hard-working, talented people. Hard to believe sometimes, but very true. We've made tons of games; some great, some not so great (and one horrible, awful game called Dragonheart, which you must never, ever play), but all of them made with passion and care and great effort. We're the little guys. We're not Sony or Microsoft. We don't have all the money in the world. We started in a basement in Oslo in 1993, and we've been pouring our hearts and souls into our work ever since. We care about what we do, and we looove games.

So. Enough marketing. Just wanted to make that abundantly clear to all my readers. Please, please keep supporting us! You've been great so far. Keep it up.

Phew! Time for dinner.  ¶ 21:49   

  Just a final, ironic note to the whole parking-space deal (and then I'll leave it alone, promise): I just received a letter from my building informing the tenants that the apartment-building across the street has received permission to build two additional floors, with twelve new two-room apartments. Not only does this mean that there will be next to no sunlight in my apartment (I'm on the first floor), there will also be twelve new people - or couples - in my street. Some, or most, with private cars. That they have to park. In my street. Aaaah!

Fortunately, it'll be a while before construction begins, and a while longer until it's completed. But after that...God forbid if I ever abandon a great parking-space. I can never, ever, ever again leave. Ever. The sunlight-thing is even worse, actually, because it decreases the value of my apartment. *sigh*

(Or I can sell my apartment now, and get the hell out, but...nah, it's too great of a place. Right smack in the centre of Oslo. A ten minute walk to everywhere...except to work, which is a thirty-five to forty minute walk.)  ¶ 21:35   

  Said Anarchy Online story-bits signed and delivered, and now I'm just waiting around for the AO servers to come back up so that I can engage in some in-game action.

It's a beautiful day outside - almost too hot - but work ain't over yet. I wish it was, because I only slept five hours last night. Why? It's the continuing saga of Ragnar's Parking Woes. I won't get into it, but I procured a pretty sweet spot at 8:30 AM this morning. (Of course, I got up at 5 AM to check (nothing), at 7:30 (nothing), and then again at 8 (nothing). Sad, sad, sad. Tired, tired, tired.)

It's Wednesday, and that means I hit the gym after work.

I think there was something else I wanted to write about, but I forget.  ¶ 16:53   

  Food blogs are the worst. "I had a chicken-breast sandwich for lunch." Who the eff cares? With that in mind, here's what I had for lunch:

One chicken leg, and one duck leg.

Duck. I asked for two chicken legs, but that's not what I got. After enjoying the first succulent leg - the chicken - I realised that the second leg wasn't chicken at all. It was, as already established, the leg of a duck. This was not a pleasant experience. Duck can be excellent eatin' (my aunt makes a mean duck), but not this one, not supermarket duck leg, all stringy dark meat, thick skin, and copious amounts of fat. Ugh. I feel sick. Yes, I ate the whole thing. Dammit, I was hungry! And I thought, "it's duck, how bad can it be?", and the answer was "pretty freakin' bad!".

Listening to Alanis Morissette, and working on a few AO story-bits for later today.  ¶ 14:38   

  Sorry, people. Today was, still is, a Silent Day. There's been so much stress and running around, and y'all should be happy that I'm actually working instead of posting in my journal. "Y'all". Good, solid word.

All right, you've been good, so I'll write a few words. Like I said, busy, busy day. Lots of work done, mostly ("They mostly come out at night. Mostly") on the Anarchy Online story, which is slowly evolving into something that's pretty fun, I think. The players appear intrigued. And that's a Good Thing. Much yay-ness, and all that.

Also, I had to drive out to my parents' house tonight, to spend the evening with my older, Colorado-dwelling bro and his wife, who're leaving the country at 7 AM tomorrow morning. So there was that. Of course, for everyone who's been keeping track of my parking-space woes, this screwed everything up. I got myself a sweet spot right outside my window yesterday afternoon. And now? I'm parked several blocks away, in a spot that has to be vacated by 8 AM tomorrow morning, or I get a ticket. Sweet angels in heaven, is there no end to the torture? So I have to get up real early, and hope that there's parking in my street...or I'm facing another few days of parking-related stress and much running about and ballyhoo...and stuff.

G'night. I really need to sleep.  ¶ 23:34   

  Alrighty. Time for that looong walk home. In the rain. Alone. In the dark. Poor, sad me. *Sniff*  ¶ 21:25   

  So. Land control. Cool, huh?

I think the whole "Booster Pack" concept is great, and I wouldn't be surprised if the rest of the industry follows suit. After all, everyone copies everyone else. It's called evolution.

Other than "cool!", there's not much I can tell you about the Booster Pack. I'm not involved with the design, but we're definitely going to address this addition in the story. Wouldn't make much sense if we didn't. There's a developer chat tonight at UnknownPlayer.com, so check it out if you're interested. Game director Gaute - who just yesterday became a Dad - will be answering questions.

I was finally able to park my car, in case you were wondering. I drove home at a quarter to five this afternoon, waited around for fifteen minutes, managed to procure a parking space (woohoo!)...and then I returned to work. By foot and train. In the pouring rain. The whole process took me well over one hour, and I still have to work out tonight. It is, quite clearly, a Monday. Blah.

There's much work to be done, though, so I'll stop right no-  ¶ 19:08   

  Howard notices that:

Amelie kinda looks like April in that pic.

And he's right; she does. Which explains a lot.

The parking-situation in my street didn't resolve itself last night, so I got up early this morning in the hope of capturing a vacated spot. No such luck. There was a constant stream of traffic into the street, but no one was leaving. So in the end, I had to drive to work (moving my illegally parked car at the exact moment the traffic police arrived! Yes, really! They glared at me, and I smiled sweetly at them), where there was, of course, absolutely no parking. I had to drive around for five minutes before I found a spot in a residential street up the road from the office. A great start to my Monday morning. Mm-hmm.

It's a cold (relatively speaking) and rainy day today. It's the sort of day where you realise that autumn is lurking just around the corner. Not that I mind autumn - it's my second-favourite season. The only problem with autumn is that it's followed by winter, which is my least favourite season. But autumn, with its crisp, clear air, beautiful colours, still-warm days and slightly-chilly nights, can be quite fantastic, and extremely romantic. Yup, still feeling romantic after seeing Amélie yesterday. Too bad there's absolutely no romance in my life, then. Oh well.

Here's Josh with a brief comment on Friday's Vertigo post:

I just felt like saying "go you" for talking about Alfred Hitchcock and his brillant films. I know you probably didn't mention these films because you didn't want an endless list of films, but what about Rebecca, The Lady Vanishes, and Strangers on a Train?

You're right, I should've mentioned those films as well, especially Strangers on a Train. The man made so many classics, it's easy to forget any number of them. My favourites are still the 1950s Jimmy Stewart-starrers, however. I think that's when Hitchcock - and Stewart - was at his best.  ¶ 09:27   

  Oh, I forgot! I finally saw Amélie today (on DVD), and not only did it meet my (very high) expectations, it surpassed each and every one of them. I'd figured that, with all those great reviews, there was no way this could be a bad movie, but too much hype is not always a good thing. And sometimes I disagree with the critics. Not always, but sometimes.

But Amélie turned out to be one of the most romantic films I've seen in years, worthy of every bit of the hype and the awards and the excellent reviews. It melted my (admittedly already pretty soft) heart. And I fell heads over heels in love with the star, Audrey Toutou. I mean, how could I not? She's cute, beautiful, funny, quirky, and sweet. And French. Jackpot.



Visually, the movie is striking and original. Warm and textured, with amazing attention to detail, colours are used throughout to great effect, and every shot is a work of art and a labour of love. Paris looks about as romantic as only Paris can look (with the possible exception of New York, Venice, and San Francisco). After watching this film, you just want to learn French, move to Paris, and start hanging out in cafés, hoping (against hope, probably) to meet another Amélie.

The story - and script - is wonderfully unconvential. This isn't Hollywood storytelling, and it's all the better for it. My worst nightmare would be an English-language remake starring, ack, Meg Ryan, directed by Nora Ephron. No, let's not give 'em any ideas. They have no scruples. They might just do it.

The most fun part of any Jeunet film - except Alien: Resurrection, which was a huge disappointment - is witnessing the various chains of events he creates - like a complex pattern of dominoes - be it coincidence or fate, which brings the characters together...or not apart. It's his signature, and it's part of what makes his films so unpredictable and intriguing to watch. The other part is the unbelievable Frenchness of it all - in a positive way, of course. It wouldn't work half as well as it does had the actors not been speaking French, had it not been set in Paris, and had there been no accordion music. I can't remember the last time I said that about accordion music.

I don't want to say anything more about the film, because it's something precious and beautiful, and if you haven't yet seen it, then do so now. I guarantee you - unless you're dead inside, and keep half-eaten corpses in your freezer - that you'll fall in love with the film. And the girl. Even if you're a girl. And no, that doesn't make you gay.  ¶ 22:53   

  There's a storm brewing.

You can feel it. The air is heavy. It's been warm and humid most of the day, and the wind is picking up. It's getting dark, much darker than usual at this time of the night and year. The anticipation is killing me.

Except not really, 'cause I'm sitting inside, safe and sound from the elements. What, you think I'd risk getting hit by lightning, or worse, get wet? Nah-ah. Ragnar don't play dat.

(It actually started raining the second I wrote that. Spoo-kee. My window's wide open, because I'm waiting for someone to move their car. Parking-spaces are as hard to come by in my street as prostitutes are in the Vatican. That's really, really hard, you know. Although I'm only guessing with that "prostitutes" bit. You never know what those crazy Cardinals get up to on the weekends. Anyways, so my car is now parked in a spot that I have to vacate before 8 AM tomorrow morning - not very convenient. I want a spot where I can be parked all week long. That's what I'm waiting for. Uh-huh.)

Listening to Norah Jones. Again. I really do love that CD. Once in a while, you pick something out in the record-store by pure chance (okay, my brother told me he'd heard it was good - I'll give him that), and you get lucky. I buy a lot of CDs, and some of them I only listen to once. This one's perfect background music for a rainy Sunday night. It's sweet; it really is. The cat seems to think so, too. She's sprawled on top of the couch, chillin':



Can't just somebody move their car, already? Jeez. People act as though they live here...which they probably do. But still.  ¶ 21:59   

  This feels like a three-post day, so here's one more.

For those of you still waiting for your Regular Reader virtual diploma - it's still happening! You haven't been forgotten. It's in the works. It's just taking more time than I anticipated, simply because there's so much else to be done.

For those of you waiting for me to talk more about Anarchy Online and cloning, as I promised a week ago, that's still happening. Also in the works.

If you've sent me mail but haven't yet received a reply, you will - either on this site, or privately. I prefer answers that I can post here, for everyone to see; that way, we might avoid the "when's the sequel to TLJ coming out?" type of questions. Not that I don't appreciate the interest, but it's been answered. Many, many times before. So that's in the works, too. (Answers to your mails, not the sequel!)

If you have questions regarding The Longest Journey, check out the TLJ forums. Lots of friendly people to help you out, including (once in a while) yours truly.

I hope everyone's paying attention to what's going on in AO these days. If you don't know what I'm talking about, remember to check out AO's story portal, the story forums, and AO-Basher - your very best source for all kinds of AO rumours and bashing.

Tired now.  ¶ 18:05   

  I'm seeing Alfred Hitchcock's Vertigo in 70mm in about an hour and a half. Vertigo is - in my opinion - Hitchcock's best film and though I've seen it a dozen times before, I'm still excited.

Bernard Herrmann's classic soundtrack; the cinematography, portraying a wonderfully eerie San Francisco; the acting - James Stewart has never been better, playing against type - and the tangible chemistry between Stewart and Kim Novak; the plot, the script...the direction, of course. Hitchcock wasn't the most consistent director in the world, but when he was at the top of his game - Vertigo, Rear Window, Psycho, Rope, North by Northwest, The Birds - he was unbeatable.  ¶ 17:37   

  Eek. All that talk about cool toys yesterday got me thinking about how I really, really, really wanted a new surround receiver. So I went and bought one:



The Yamaha RXV-630 supports Dolby Digital EX, DTS-ES, Dolby Surround Pro Logic II, and has tons of connections for composite, S-video (Y/C), component video, analog audio and digital audio; one coaxial digital input and three optical digital inputs. It's 6.1 - three front speakers, three rear speakers, and subwoofer - and it looks very, very sleek-and-silver sexy. As all semi-expensive things should.

But how does it sound? After all, isn't that the important thing? Why yes, it is. However, I wasn't up-and-running with the receiver until a quarter past eleven last night, just in time to watch the latter two-thirds of The West Wing, so I can't really tell you much except that it worked. I couldn't put it through the paces with the neighbours sleeping.

Fancy-schmancy digital surround is cool, but plain old vanilla stereo is extremely important to me - after all, I play a lot more CDs than I do DVDs. As hoped, it sounds as though the Yamaha does an admirable job here (though not as good as my cheap & basic Rotel stereo amp from '95; the fewer digital components, the better!). The sound from my Tannoy speakers was warm and detailed with the receiver connected to my Rotel CD-player, spinning the very pleasant and subdued Norah Jones record Come Away With Me.

I know from experience that Yamaha receivers are excellent digital home theatre amps, with an aggressive, clearly separated, and punchy sound, so no worries there. I'm going to need a rear centre speaker now, but that can wait. I'm patient. And horribly, painfully broke. For the next eight years.

Still, good buy. I'm a happy camper. Yay me. And so on.

Listening to Philip Glass and reading a top-secret document.

Yesterday, I asked what you guys are listening to and reading, and Mitch was first out of the gates with this e-mail:

Listening to:

Hennessey - www.hennessey.ca (Buddhamatic, Slave to Fashion, Costa Del Sol, 50 Most Beautiful People, etc)
Great Big Sea - www.greatbigsea.ca (End of the World, Ordinary Day, Donkey Riding, etc)

There ya go, couple of Canadian bands you (and readers) may or may not have heard of but will hopefully enjoy.

-Mitch

I'm enjoying Hennessey right now, actually. Thanks! Send me your lists, and I'll try to post most of them here for everyone to read.

Finally - always remember to "keep on truckin'!". I dunno why. Just because.  ¶ 11:30   

  So many mails. So many topics I'd love to cover. So many questions and concerns. So much on my mind. So very, very little time.

Sorry for not updating the journal yesterday, but there were too many other priorities, and my twelve-hour workday left little room for anything else. Better today. No less to do, of course, but I'm taking a breather. Phew.

Listening to Michelle Branch and Vanessa Carlton, and checking out Something Awful. What's everyone else listening to, and what good websites do you visit regularly? Send me an e-mail, and I'll post it here.

Jason asks:

I was just wondering what kind of computer the man himself uses at home. Just curious.

Nothing worth bragging about, I'm sorry to say. I used to take part in the great hardware race (that's 'race' as in "a contest of speed", and not "a family, tribe, people, or nation belonging to the same stock" - just FYI), but with advanced age has come a decreased willingness to spend cash - and read up - on the latest and greatest PC hardware.

A few years back, I used to check out Anandtech and Tom's Hardware Guide on a regular basis. Now? I'm still using the same Intel Celeron 500MHz CPU and GeForce 1 card I was using back then (although I've borrowed my Dad's excellent 19-inch monitor; my own 17-inch monitor from 1995 is of the 'CrapMaster' make, and I'd rather gouge my own eyes out than be forced to stare at that screen again). I stopped caring about new hardware, and I stopped shopping for new hardware, ages ago. Besides, for the few PC games I play now, my hardware suffices...barely.

This doesn't mean I don't like cool gadgets. I do. I have all the consoles - all of 'em - and I love buying (though I can usually only afford window-shopping for) the latest and greatest stuff, like A/V amps and receivers, DVD players, TVs - you name it.

I'm thinking about upgrading my home computer system at some point before Christmas, however, and, as usual, I'll assemble my own PC. None of that sissy pre-assembled crap. I have a screwdriver, and I know how to use it. But I won't be buying top-of-the-line parts. I'll stick with the next-best-thing.

I also have a Dell laptop that I use for writing and accessing the Internet when I'm away from home. I can't remember how fast that one is, but I think it's at least 733MHz. I don't use it for games, though. Not normally.  ¶ 13:49   

  I'll do this in reverse order, and start answering the most recent reader mails first (annoying, yes, but more topical). From Howard:

Oh and it sounds like your cat has an infection or has some foreign object stuck in the eye. Might want to take it to the vet for a thorough washing + antibiotics.

Thanks for the tip, although I don't think it's a foreign object. This isn't the first time the cat's eyes swell up. The last time it happened, a year ago, she could barely see. Both of her eyes were swollen shut for several days, and her skin was red around the mouth and nose. She received some kind of injection at the doctor's office - no idea what that was - and the problem went *poof*, away.

This time, her left eye was swollen for a day or so, but it looked okay again last night and this morning. It might be allergies. She's inside all the time, and she might be reacting to the dust. I really have no clue. Anyone?

This next one isn't a question, but I wanted to comment on it anyways. Morten says (originally in Norwegian, translated for your convenience):

"Prophet without honour" is without doubt the most entertaining book I've ever read!

Thanks a bunch! Now go read more books!

:)

It's not my job to argue about what's good and what's not. After all, this is a matter of personal opinion and taste. But if you liked Prophet Without Honour, you might want to check out a few of the following three recent series of novels - all of 'em sci-fi, and all of 'em much, much better than PWH. IMHO. Of course.

The Night's Dawn Trilogy, by Peter F. Hamilton. One of the most impressive and epic sci-fi works I've ever had the pleasure of reading. I've mentioned it before, and I'll mention it again. Mindblowing. A definite inspiration. All of Hamilton's work - both pre and post Night's Dawn - is worth reading.

The Otherland series, by Tad Williams. I'm repeating myself, but that's all right, 'cause I do love it so. All MMOG-playing readers - game-playing readers in general, actually - must read these four novels, even if it takes you years to do so. Set inside multiple virtual worlds, and featuring an eclectic group of protagonists and antagonists, with a plot that keeps twisting and turning until the very end...you know, I should really be writing blurbs for a living. Read it. It does a body good.

Orson Scott Card's Ender saga has had its ups and downs, but you should definitely check out the first two books: Ender's Game, and Speaker for the Dead. The first one is great, the second one much better. I was actually reading Speaker for the Dead when I was working on The Longest Journey, and there some parts of the latter were inspired by the former. A monumental work. I haven't read Card's latest addition to the series yet, Ender's Shadow, although they are using parts of this novel as basis for the movie adaptation of Ender's Game.

So, there you go. Enough reading material to carry y'all through to next year!

That's it for now. I'm sorry if your mail has gone unanswered, but there will be more answers to reader mail later this week, so keep this site bookmarked!  ¶ 18:37   

 

I am Kung Fu Master. I like to be in control of myself. I dislike crowds, especially crowds containing people trying to kill me. Even though I always win, I prefer to avoid fights if possible. What Video Game Character Are You?

  ¶ 23:12   

  Tropical heat this weekend, and I've spent much of my time in the sun. I've been broiled. In a good way.

I saw Men in Black II Friday night, and it pretty much met my extremely low expectations. It was still a disappointment, though.

There were some neat ideas in there, and Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones are talented and charismatic actors with a remarkable chemistry, but overall, Barry Sonnenfeld's direction was flat, the story pointless, the pace way off, and the jokes hit-and-miss (with a lot more misses than hits).

It's a shame, because the concept is great, but I don't think these are the people to pull it off. Like the first one, this simply felt like a competent episode of a long-running TV-show - in itself not a bad thing, because some TV-shows match, even surpass, most movies. But in this case, with an "event" movie of this type, that's a minus. Watching the flick - even though I was seated in the fourth row watching a giant screen, with the volume approaching the limits of human tolerance - I got really, really bored. And that's never a good thing.

Give the franchise to a new director, hire a new screenwriter, and maybe - just maybe - there's still hope for the third movie to meet the concept's potential. Maybe.

I wouldn't hold my breath, though. Hollywood don't play dat.

The heat continues, and it's torture being locked up in the office today. I could sneak out, but then I'd just feel guilty afterwards. Oh, and the cat's got a swollen left eyelid - she can barely open that eye. I wonder what's causing it.  ¶ 10:49   

  It's been a busy week for me, and next week will be even busier. AO-Basher finally caught up with all of our recent news-stories - what took you so long, guys? - and although I'm quite aware that the Anarchy Online role-players want a lot more than just articles on the website, it's still a good tool for us to use when communicating the political storyline to the players. The media, after all, is where we learn about what goes on at the very top. And it's a start.

What else? Big meeting today. I'm meetinged out. It's the weekend, so a good "yay" is in order. It's very, very hot. It's hard to sleep, seeing as there's no air-conditioning. I've had between five and six hours of sleep every night this week. Not good. This will most probably be an "outside" - and not an "inside" - weekend; gotta soak up that sunshine while I can.

I'll try to post a bit this weekend, and next week I'll answer some reader mails in the journal - lots of people have sent me lots of interesting questions and comments, most of them pertaining to AO. Thanks, people!

I might try and see Men in Black II this weekend, although I'm not particularly excited about it. I was never a big fan of the first one either. The trailer gave away all the good punchlines, and the whole flick felt very sterile and overly polished - a real "product". But I'll give it a shot.

Um. That's it! Check back on Sunday for more - I'll try to get a post in at some point! And have a great weekend everyone!  ¶ 18:05