Font conference.

Hopelessly geeky font humor recommended by none other than Mr. Joe Boulden.

Tracking notes with Rock Band.

A fine post about the people that make Rock Band and how they treat songs differently than Guitar Hero. I believe and agree with this observation, and I doubt that I will be returning to the Guitar Hero franchise.

The library of songs for Rock Band, which I praised yesterday, reflects a curatorial esteem for musicianship above other factors (even popularity), and I am happy that this viewpoint also makes for the fun of playing the songs in-game.

Typographers write.

I can’t exactly say why this is cool or relevant, but I like this article about the handwriting of typographers. I like to look at architect’s handwriting on blueprints too. I feel strangely voyeuristic when I look at handwriting.

Herewith I supply a sample of my own handwriting, a curious pastiche of longhand and printing. Why the “G” in “Going Mobile” is fine and the one for “My Generation” is so poor is a mystery.

You can see from this sample that “Going Mobile” almost made the cut, but then I decided not to download it. Yes, I know that it’s not a synthestizer but a Mutron guitar solo (I knew I guy that had a Mutron), but it’s got too much Pete vocal for my tastes.

You can also see that I ordered my way cool thumb drive from Tiger Direct, and I just found out about Imbued Netherweave ARMOR.

Unforgettable.

That’s the best word I’ve heard to describe The Dark Knight. It’s a dark, epic, torturous film, with an excellent ensemble cast of fine actors. You can see all their names on the poster, right above the title of the film.

It’s #16 in my Top 100. (I’ve added three other films I’ve seen in the past two years.) I’ve never seen another film like The Dark Knight.

I could make a comparison to the sweeping scope of L.A. Confidential or the unpredictable horror of Seven, but this film stands on its own.

What other part would you ride?

Why is it called “horseback riding?” We don’t call it “carseat driving” or “chair computing.” Why isn’t it just called “horse riding?”

I realize that if you’re a trick rider, you might want to specify.

Pyromancy.

Imagine how relieved I was! I found this plaque on a door in the building where I work. If a fire should break out, building workers simply go into this room and command it to leave the building. I bet it’s lots of fun on the Fourth of July too.

Crackling noises OK.

When the original version of The Who’s follow-up to Tommy, Live at Leeds, was released, it said on the disk label, “CRACKLING NOISES OK.” I’ve read since then that some wire was loose and they couldn’t get rid of the noise. Later versions of this album have digitally fixed that, and they dutifully say, “CRACKLING NOISES REMOVED.”

I thought I was sick of The Who. I have none of their CDs, although I had all of their albums. Rock Band led me back to Live at Leeds, and I discovered that in 2001 a special edition was released that had the rest of that concert. Over two hours of one of the best bands in the world at the absolute height of their awesome power.

I know people that don’t like live albums. But The Who was a completely different band in concert. In the studio, they were cerebral, harmonic, and sensitive. Live, they were visceral and thunderous. I am one of those who believe they inspired Punk.

This new recording is a marvelous thing. It has all the chatty bits inbetween the songs, where the guys are clearly having lots of fun. I thought I was sick of Tommy too, but when the Overture starts up with just that guitar, that bass, and those drums, and no fucking French horns, it’s wonderful.

Like Star Trek episodes, I have requirements for a good Who song. No keyboards at all. Roger sings the lead vocals. And if you can play that for me from that concert on February 14, 1970 at Leeds University, it doesn’t get any better than that.

No solicitating.

Honest, that’s how they spelled it. Two times, meticulously attaching letter by letter.

Too close for comfort.

That’s my Malibu on the lower right. If you’re driving the white piece of crap that perched on my bumper over the line (OVER THE LINE! MARK IT ZERO!) then I’d like a word with you.

I snapped this pic in case I backed up and my bumper fell off, just to make sure I had proof of this idiot’s parking technique.

3G not for me… yet.

Would I love to have a new Apple iPhone 3G? Sure I would. As the Other Apple Guy at work said, “I plan to resist as long as I can.”

However, the 2.0 update is pretty sweet for my old-fashioned, obsolete piece of hardware. I can delete multiple emails at once, which may seem like functionality it should have had from the start, but I can tell you it’s certainly a welcome addition. Numerous other tweaks and enhancements all over the place.

The first thing I got from the App Store is an MLB app called At Bat that shows up-to-the-minute scores and standings, along with quick links to videos of important plays. There are lots of cool things at the App Store, and I’m sure I’ll be getting more in the next week.