Nich Maragos

Dear Stabby #1

2009-01-26T18:58:50Z

My comic is out! Dear Stabby #1, the comic I wrote and Erin Mehlos drew, went up for purchase on IndyPlanet over the weekend. Here's the cover:

Please give it a chance! We actually made this about two years ago, but now that the first issue is finally up on the web, I hope to finish the story sometime this year if Erin's schedule permits.

Dumb music meme

2009-01-13T00:05:26Z

1. Put your MP3 player on shuffle.
2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer (questions below)
3. YOU MUST WRITE THAT SONG NAME DOWN NO MATTER HOW SILLY IT SOUNDS (option to put the name of artist in brackets next to it)
4. Tag at least 10 friends who might enjoy doing the game as well as the person you got the note from.

Like ferricide, I'm ignoring rules I don't feel like following.

1) IF SOMEONE SAYS "FU!" YOU SAY:
Interlude - Pretty Girls Make Graves

2) WHAT'S THE BEST THING THAT'S EVER HAPPENED TO YOU?
Sleepy Head - The Pillows

3) WHAT'S THE WORST THING THAT'S EVER HAPPENED TO YOU?
Let Down - Radiohead

4) WHAT WILL OPRAH'S NEXT SHOW BE CALLED?
No Cars Go - Arcade Fire

5) WHAT WILL OBAMA'S FIRST EXECUTIVE ORDER BE?
Is This All That I Came For? - The Delgados

6) IF YOU COULD SAY ONE THING TO THE PERSON YOU LOVE, IT WOULD BE?
My Dog Was Lost But Now He's Found - Fiery Furnaces

7) IF YOU COULD SAY ONE THING TO THE PERSON YOU HATE IT WOULD BE?
All The Way - Ladytron

8) WHAT WOULD YOUR AUTOBIOGRAPHY BE CALLED?
I Walk Along Darkened Corridors - TMBG

9) WHAT IS LOVE?
Moon Rocks - Talking Heads

10) WHAT IS HATE?
Pompeii - Sleater-Kinney

11) WHAT IS YOUR BEST TRAIT?
Jigsaw Falling Into Place - Radiohead

12) WHAT IS YOUR WORST TRAIT?
The Tallest Man, The Broadest Shoulders - Sufjan Stevens

13) WHERE WILL YOU BE IN FIVE YEARS TIME?
Hotel Yorba - White Stripes

14) HOW DO YOUR FRIENDS DESCRIBE YOU?
Combat Rock - Sleater-Kinney

15) WHAT DOES THE FUTURE HOLD FOR YOU?
Star - David Bowie

16) WHAT DOES THE FUTURE HOLD FOR YOUR BEST FRIEND?
Look A Ghost In The Eye - Mary Timony

17) WHAT DO YOU WISH YOUR LOVER WOULD WHISPER IN YOUR EAR?
Stay Cool - The Roots

18) WHAT WILL SAVE THE WORLD?
Kimberly - Patti Smith

19) WHAT IS SEXY?
Hey Guys! It's Christmas Time! - Sufjan Stevens

20) WHAT IS FUNNY?
The Overload - Talking Heads

21) WHAT IS YOUR GREATEST STRENGTH?
Not What You Want - Sleater-Kinney

22) WHAT IS YOUR GREATEST WEAKNESS?
Talk - Shoji Meguro

23) WHAT DO YOU DREAM ABOUT?
Old School Rules - Dangerdoom

24) WHAT GIVES YOU NIGHTMARES?
We're Going To the Country! - Sufjan Stevens

25) WILL YOU EVER FIND 'THE ONE'?
Life Effect - Heart

26) WHAT MAKES YOU HAPPY?
We're In The Music Biz - Robots in Diguise

27) WHAT MAKES YOU SAD?
Can You Tell - Ra Ra Riot

28) WHAT'S THE STUPIDEST THING IN THE WORLD?
Reasons For Silence - The Delgados

29) WHAT DO PEOPLE LOVE ABOUT YOU?
Sister - Sufjan Stevens

30) WHAT WILL YOU POST THIS AS?
I Heard A Sound - TMBG

Most apropos: 3, 22, 24
Least apropos: 1, 12, 19
Strangest: 6, 16 (uh-oh!), 18, 19
Funniest: 5, 13, 29 (What people love about me is... my sister?)
Most awesome: 8

so awesome

2008-11-05T04:51:02Z

Since I turned 18, I've voted twice in two very frustrating elections.

Third time's the charm.

Obscuro APE haul

2008-11-03T07:15:58Z

I imagine there is a very small subset of people on my friends list who care about the avalanche of GNs and minicomics I picked up at the Alternative Press Expo this year.

Knock! Knock! and Hello World by Jason Shiga
Hufflepuff House, Max O'Millions and The Red Menace, and Max O'Millions in The Idol of Svarbald by Andrew Farago
Skin Horse by Shaenon K. Garrity and Jeff Wells
Bold Riley & The Witch in the Wild by Leia K. Weathington and The Legend of Bold Riley: The Wicked Temple by Leia Weathington and Konstantin Pogorelov
Iceheart Chapter 1 by Pancha & Elena Diaz
Jaephisch and the Dark Rainbow Chapter One by Jason Fischer
Noosehead by Sam Logan
Lunar by Vasilis Lolos
Bury Your Treasure by Becky Cloonan and Demo by Brian Wood and Becky Cloonan
Hereville: How Mirka Got Her Sword by Barry Deutsch
Freedom: The Duel of George Washington and Benedict Arnold by Seamus Heffernan
Labor Days: A Revolution in Print by Philip Gelatt and Rick Lacy
Teen Power! and I'm Gonna Rip Yer Face Off! by Joey Alison Sayers
Nothing Nice To Say vol. 2 [uh, apparently there is no vol. 1?] by Mitch Clem
Hickee #4 by various
Suburban Glamour by Jamie McKelvie
Dater's Dozen and Bewildered Bisexual by Melaina
Tragic Relief by Colleen Frakes
Family by Ramiro Roman, Jr.
The Boy Who Made Silence #1 and #2 by Joshua Hagler
Poison the Cure 2 by Jad Ziade and Alex Cahill
Gumby #2 by Bob Burden and Rick Geary
Shakespeare's Macbeth: The Manga Edition by Adam Sexton, Eve Grandt, and Candice Chow
Kitty Hawk by Braden D. Lamb
Robots, Pine Trees & Broken Hearts and Historyonics anthologies from Cloudscape Press
Long Tail Kitty by Lark Pien
Hot Mexican Love Comics 2008 by various

エネルギ

2008-10-08T11:39:47Z

Question for J-friends: is the Mega Man-themed E-Tank energy drink still available? If so, where? I was hoping to try a can while I was out here, but I'm wondering if the promotion may have already come and gone.

Too Much Fun

2008-09-24T03:20:00Z

Between an Amazon order that arrived and a consumerist binge after work, here's the entertainment I bought today:

Parasyte vol. 3 and 4
Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service vol. 7
Amanda Palmer, Who Killed Amanda Palmer?
The Dresden Dolls, No, Virginia...
Robots in Disguise, We're In the Music Biz
The Godfather trilogy on Blu-ray
Wario Land: Shake It!
Kirby Super Star Ultra
Mega Man 9

I can stop anytime I want.

photo now meme

2008-09-18T00:33:44Z

"infinite work"

taken from ferricide

Photo now meme
Post a photo of you Right now
Don't change your clothes or fix your hair
DO NOT EDIT
post these instructions

airman ga taoshita

2008-09-16T04:30:55Z

And all the others, too. Everyone knows MM2 so I'll just do this stat-wise:

Difficulty: Normal
Clear time - 1:10 (by my Wii's play clock)
Deaths - 0 (got by both the Quick Beams and the crash bomb boss on my first try, amazingly)
E-Tanks used - 2
Order: Flash Man / Metal Man / Wood Man / Air Man / Crash Man / Bubble Man / Heat Man / Quick Man

I think I had known our "Normal" was easier than the sole Japanese difficulty, which is our "Hard," but I forgot--maybe later this week I'll attempt it on Hard. Still, it was nice to have a tremendously fun game that can still be blown through in about an hour.

SDCC Odyssey

2008-07-27T06:33:11Z

I don't know why it took me so long to realize this, but this year at SDCC instead of collecting autographs yet again, I went for themed sketches, and left with something I'm a lot more pleased with. From left to right, here's an Etrian Odyssey party consisting of Mike Krahulik's Protector, Bryan Lee O'Malley's Hexer, and Phil Foglio's Alchemist:

The Etrian life

2008-04-01T21:15:19Z

So as was recently announced, Etrian Odyssey II is coming to the US. We're still in the thick of production, and I'm enjoying it enough to wallow completely in the game. I'm now the proud owner of literally every Etrian Odyssey soundtrack album in existence, but the highlight of EO-related news for me was the recent revelation that the awesome destroyerzooey is enjoying the original. Even though I had no real role in making the actual game, knowing someone whose work I enjoy so much is enjoying something I worked on is a real kick.

V-Day

2008-02-14T22:29:44Z

I don't often get cards on Valentine's Day for obvious reasons, but a coworker gave me possibly the best one I've ever received. The inscription read:

"Nich! Have a happy happy bloody nose Valentine's Day! I hope you feel beautiful like a Princess <3 <3"

Packing

2008-02-09T18:08:37Z

There is nothing like an upcoming move to make you regard everything you own as an inconvenient lump of matter.

Support Megan's Law for the English language

2007-09-11T06:43:04Z

nichm @ 2007-08-26T20:01:00

2007-08-27T03:01:32Z

I'm selling things. Mainly comics, western and eastern. Have a look?

Self-propelled Mario

2007-08-23T07:36:40Z

(Cross-posted from my personal site, because I really don't think anyone reads it anymore.)

I'm fully aware that I haven't updated this blog in about eight months. So what is it that finally led me to break my silence? The most amazing gaming-related videos I've ever seen.

The Detteiu Mario series (available in eight installments so far: one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight) is the work of a man who decided to hack his own levels of Super Mario World, the first 16-bit Super Mario game, in a way that allows the levels to be completed with no controller input whatsoever. This isn't so clever in and of itself; it wouldn't be so hard to construct a level that drops Mario onto a conveyor belt that takes him directly to the exit. What makes these videos so incredible to watch is the style, inventiveness, and wit that goes into the design.

Under the direction of the designer (one "daigam," whose real Japanese name I don't know) Mario becomes sort of a cross between Buster Keaton and Mr. Magoo, blithely making razor-thin escapes through impossible deathtraps. The videos keep getting longer and more self-aware; even the very first ones have a topper gag like reuniting Mario with Yoshi after the exit, but the capper gets more and more outrageous until Mario literally sleepwalks his way through defeating one of the game's major bosses. The videos are full of hilariously impressive bits such as that, where you can almost see daigam's wink at the viewer as Mario dodges bullets, hitches rides on enemies, and bounces around the levels like a pinball.

These videos are more than just technically impressive feats to wow videogame geeks. They're there to remind anyone, whether or not they've played a Mario game or even know what SNES stands for, of the joys of well-executed, impeccably timed physical comedy. The best part? Anyone who is familiar with Mario games knows from the introductory map screens that he's only on world 3--there's still as many as 5 worlds of this stuff to go, and I can't wait to see how inventive it can get before the end.

Deathly

2007-07-22T02:31:33Z

I finished Harry Potter 7, and I feel like I should warn anyone who's trying to avoid spoilers that it's just full of them.

Cartography

2007-07-12T17:22:44Z

Google Maps is the best!
True that? DOUBLE TRUE!

The $500 dilemma

2007-07-09T22:17:07Z

Well, the software-only BC future of the PS3 is on its way with the new 80GB model, which dumps an irritatingly-timed choice in my lap: do I buy a 60GB model before they're phased out forever?

I don't want a PS3 right now. I don't have a TV that supports 1080p (and don't plan on buying one for years and years), there are no games currently out that I'm interested in, and it's awfully expensive for a lot of features I won't be using. But I will want one eventually, by early next year at the latest, so I have to think down the line. Bluntly, I suspect the current software-based backward compatibility will not be updated or fixed--there's not a lot of money in it, when Sony could be focusing on moving forward with next-gen-specific services. Now I'm a Megaten fan, and the PS2 Megaten games are known to be busted under software BC, which leaves me with two choices...

Buy a $500 PS3 now
Pros: I get all the EE functionality I need, and a more-than-good-enough system to play PS3 games on when the time comes.
Cons: I'm not really flush with cash, and a purchase now would mean I'd be stuck with the crappy Sixaxis rather than whatever Sony might introduce down the line now that they're playing nice with Immersion. (Either way, I won't be able to use proper Dual Shocks for older games.) Plus, on the outside chance Sony really is going to get its software BC right, I'd feel pretty silly on rushing.

Wait until later
Pros: I'd be able to save until I really could afford PS3, and take advantage of it right away with games I'm looking forward to.
Cons: I'd have to keep a PS2 hooked up to the TV for older games, and I could be waiting a long time for Sony to drop the system price in any meaningful way, forcing me to spend $600 for an extra 20GB of memory I'd never have the patience to fill up.

Either way, it's not really an ideal situation. Oh, Sony... -_-

It's real, and it's fantastic

2007-05-17T01:52:41Z

My first game is out!

wii post

2007-01-10T07:00:47Z

so it turns out wii opera is really useful when you've had a 15-hour workday and you just want to lie bonelessly in bed, but you also want to check your webcomics.

SF visit II

2006-08-31T22:21:07Z

Coming back up to SF again for the long weekend. I am interested in seeing people and/or things!

SF visit

2006-07-11T18:48:37Z

I'm coming up to San Francisco this weekend to see the Minibosses and hang out with folks; if anyone reading this is interested in doing either, let me know!

Other blog

2006-01-08T00:06:10Z

I'm not sure everyone on my friends list is aware -- if you are, ignore this post -- but I don't do much updating of my LJ. It's mostly a dumping ground for stupid memes and whenever I get the overpowering urge to whine about something. My real blog, which I seem to be updating regularly once more, is at Skellington Parade and you can subscribe to its LJ feed here. It syndicates the full article from the site, so if you want to comment on any of the syndicated posts, please click through to the actual site!

So

2006-01-06T20:53:36Z

Who's up for seeing BloodRayne today? Come, it'll be awesome!!!

nichm @ 2005-10-20T13:44:00

2005-10-20T20:46:38Z

From ferricide:

A list of the 50 most influential SF films, according to John Scalzi's Rough Guide to Science Fiction. The ones I've seen are bolded.

The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension!
Akira
Alien
Aliens
Alphaville
Back to the Future
Blade Runner
Brazil
Bride of Frankenstein
Brother From Another Planet
A Clockwork Orange
Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Contact
The Damned
Destination Moon
The Day The Earth Stood Still
Delicatessen
Escape From New York
ET: The Extraterrestrial
Flash Gordon: Space Soldiers serial
The Fly (1985 version)
Forbidden Planet
Ghost in the Shell
Gojira/Godzilla
The Incredibles
Invasion of the Body Snatchers
Jurassic Park
Mad Max 2/The Road Warrior
The Matrix
Metropolis
On the Beach
Planet of the Apes (1968 version)
Robocop
Sleeper
Solaris (1972 version)
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope
Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back
The Stepford Wives - 1975 version
Superman
Terminator 2: Judgment Day
The Thing From Another World
Things To Come
Tron
12 Monkeys
28 Days Later
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
2001: A Space Odyssey
La Voyage Dans la Lune
War of the Worlds (1953 version)

One I haven't seen that I'd most like to: Escape from New York
One I have seen that I wish I hadn't: Ghost in the Shell .. it really doesn't hold up at all