Is This Really a Good Idea?

The headline for this story in the NY Times: “Monkey’s Thoughts Propel Robot.” Thanks science.

Which reminds me, who smeared poo on the one-way mirror in my secret monkey/robot laboratory?

Overheard on the Internet

I am so behind on posting these things that many of them are old, plus this list is too long for it to be particularly meaningful. Even so:

A few fans have a crazy scheme to send a poor, innocent, stuffed monkey all around the world and take photos of his travels. The LA pics are already in this Picasa gallery. Where will he show up next?

Still Alive activity continues to plug up the series of tubes. Here’s one about Joust, one from the player’s perspective, Rob Balder’s parody on The FUMP, one sung by a Frag Doll accompanied by Jam Sessions on the DS, another excellent remix with some new vocals, and still another remix/duet with me and GLaDOS. If you want sheet music, here’s Jarrett’s piano arrangement, and Ryan’s incredibly detailed transcription.

I’m proud to say that the kind folks at Penny Arcade have honored me and Valve by reviving the We’re Right Awards specifically for Portal. There is an excellent little bathroom-door-style icon of me in the comic. Plus, Valve has released the song (and a version with my original vocal) in the Amazon mp3 store, and for a while it was something like #7 on the most popular list. (It figures my biggest hit ever would be the one song I don’t own, but what are you gonna do?)

I must put the image here because it is too awesome. Here is Jason’s JoCo paper doll:

JoCo Paper Doll

Here is Greg’s Blogjam comic based on Big Bad World One that ran in the Tampa Tribune.

Here is Ian playing Octopus on the uke, despite it being a song that nobody REALLY likes.

Here is Joseph’s short story from Scarface’s perspective.

And finally, in the strangest turn yet, here is actual Kenesaw Mountain Landis slash fiction. (WARNING: if you don’t know what slash fiction is, and if you don’t want to read graphic descriptions of Kenesaw and Shoeless Joe getting it on, you should probably not click on that link.) I am truly amazed.

And now I am all caught up, except for the things that I have forgotten or misplaced – enough internet, enough!

CES

In case it wasn’t clear from the posts in which I complained about waiting for a cab and showed a picture of Doritos in a bowl, I had a great time in Vegas this last weekend (here are the pictures to prove it). I want to thank the kind people at the Digital Freedom Campaign for having me out to play and speak – they’re a good group of dedicated people, and they’re on the right side, so it’s a pleasure to be involved with them. Plus, I was honored to share this panel with Mark Hosler from the heroic, IP-stealing group of ne’er-do-wells known as Negativland, the groovy, angel-voiced internet superstar Samantha Murphy, the paradigm-smashing Terry McBride of Nettwerk Music Group, and of course the simply fabulous and impossibly beehived Lady Miss Kier of Deee-Lite. Not to name drop or anything.

If you’re looking for a pretty good description of CES, I can say that this Gizmodo post pretty much sums up how you feel after the first 15 minutes of walking around the floor. And that’s if you were smart enough NOT to eat a BBQ pork sandwich for lunch. Big TVs! Meh. So tired…thirsty…

Also, if some people sit on the floor in a very uncomfortable way, you CAN actually fit 11 people into a limo.

JoCo Concert DVD

On February 22 I’ll be doing a show at the Great American Music Hall in San Francisco. I’ll be accompanied by a crew of video production people who will capture whatever magic happens there, and later, re-assemble it on a DVD that hopefully the entire world will purchase. With any luck, this will also lead to a proper live CD.

I’m telling you all this because it’s important that the show be fun and special and generally awesome. Mostly this means I need a big enthusiastic crowd, which is usually not a problem in SF, you folks are always very large and generous. It also means that fun things should happen – I’ve got a couple of ideas, some guests and gimmicks (Paul and Storm: yes please), nothing too crazy. But if someone out there has the power to, say, get Steve Jobs to dance around on a Segway while I sing “A Laptop Like You,” or maybe to get Sir Mix-a-Lot to fly in on a zip line and sing “Baby Got Back” with me, I’d like to hear about it. I could also use a marching band, a robot that breathes fire, a swimming pool and a team of synchronized swimmers – that sort of thing. I also hope you’ll bring your own video cameras and send me whatever you get from them.

This will be fun! And expensive and terrifying!

Buy your tickets here: http://www.gamhtickets.com