I love Vegas because it’s a town with ridiculously attractive women everywhere you go. From dancers, dealers, and waitresses to the gorgeous European tourists, the ladies are hot, hot, hot. But as my girlfriend pointed out, the guys on their shoulders are anything but.

It’s not just that they’re dressed like slobs or have terrible tans, but they actually walk around with their necks high and hats backwards in display of their supreme douchebaggery. If you frequent Hot Chicks With Douchebags, you know exactly what I’m talking about. We have one more night in Vegas before returning to reality. So maybe we’ll take some pictures.

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Viva Las Vegas

For the last couple of days, I’ve been chillin’ in Las Vegas. It’s ridiculously hot this time of year (112 degrees fahrenheit yesterday) but Luxor had a really good package deal. Still, the transitions between air conditioned casinos to sauna-like walkways takes a toll on the body.

Vegas is a city that bombards you with advertising in the most overt way possible. There are the seedy fellows on the side of the walkways handing out cards for ‘GIRLS DIRECT TO YOUR ROOM.’ They do something with their fingers to ‘click’ the cards. I picked one up to try it out but couldn’t get it to work. Did you know that Flamingo puts pole dancers near its entrances to lure you in? Did you know that the dealers closest to the doors are always hot blonde women while the Asian male dealers are kept in the back?

But going to Vegas also helps you realize how much subliminal advertising we’re affected by on a daily basis. Tonight I stuck around the Bellagio to watch a few sessions of their fountain show. At 10:00p, they blasted Elvis’ Viva Las Vegas. It was a good show, but the whole time, I kept thinking ‘Viiiiiiva, Viagra.’

That song is ingrained in my subconsciousness. Damn you, Viagra. Are your spam emails not enough?

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According to China’s Ministry of Commerce, the People’s Republic has officially banned gold farming. Let the celebration begin!

A study in 2008 found that 80-85% of all gold farmers come from China. So this move is a major win for the MMO companies whose in-game economies have been damaged by the gold selling sweatshop industry. It’s also a major win for the gamers who’ve seen their hard earned in-game cache depreciate because some douche with thousands of dollars of disposal income decided to buy himself the best equipment. As you can tell, I am absolutely against gold farming.

Basically, under the new law, virtual currency can only be used for virtual items and services. You cannot convert it into real money or services, or vice versa. So that effectively makes it impossible to pay someone to farm gold for you in World of Warcraft (or buy gold that had been farmed). I’m not sure what this means for free-to-play MMO companies and prepay cards though. After all, when you buy a prepay card, you’re also paying for in-game currency with real money.

Whatever the case may be, I’m sure dedicated gold farmers will find a way to get around the new laws. And I suspect a great deal of them will move to Southeast Asia where labor is cheap and there’s no legal restriction. Either that or local authorities will see a lot more bribes coming their way. It is a billion-dollar industry after all.

But at least for the Chinese, there are now consequences. And knowing the country’s justice system, offenders won’t get a mere slap on the wrist but more likely imprisonment or hard labor.

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Next week is July 4, so CBS will be showing a re-run of the first episode. Then, they will air the final two episodes back to back. But for now, we have episode 11 to discuss. The stakes have been raised and the game has changed now that Wakefield is openly killing people.

Read the rest of this entry »

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Here’s a great example of a company using ideas from video games to promote their products. Harvey Nichols, an upscale department store in the UK, is currently promoting its 2009 summer sale with an ad campaign featuring fashion conscious fighters in designer clothes. Harvey Nichols’ demographic tends to be slightly younger than its competitors, so that could explain why the marketing agency (DDB London) used a video game theme.

Fighting games, once considered the domain of nerds and little children, have apparently become mainstream and iconic enough to sell clothing. Maybe next time, they’ll use an MMORPG as well?

hn1

hn2

hn3

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mj_elvis_lennon

So who is officially the biggest music icon: Michael Jackson, Elvis Presley, or John Lennon? Discuss.

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Numerous sources (not just TMZ) are now confirming that Michael Jackson, the King of Pop, has passed away at the age of 50. What a sad, sad end to a music legend. I will be blasting my Greatest Hits CD and playing Michael Jackson’s Moonwalker on the Sega Genesis tonight in honor of his life and music.

So long, Michael.

thriller

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