Monscooch has moved

Go here: www.monscooch.wordpress.com for the new site.

Saturday 6 October 2007

I've a few things to post but my computer doesn't want me to.

Hopefully this Monday I'll have today's, tomorrow's and Monday's posts up if lady luck is on my side. It's doubtful though. I'm bad with women. Zoom zoom zoom!
Monscooch News Update: Yay! I'm back on track. I've made up the four posts that were missing from last week and I'm back on track to my 14 per week average now. I actually like this whole celeb news one liner thing I have going. I think need to do more like that.

Are you sure you don't have spare money?

Aww man. The very day I post my shopping list for the next eighty days, Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE) announce that there will be a new, cheaper 40GB Playstation 3 model due for release in Europe this Wednesday, October the 10th. Not only that, but the 60GB model will be reduced in price by €100.

This isn't all good news however. In August, the 60GB SKU (which sold for €630 for 4 months until then) was going to be sold in a bundle with two first-party games and an extra controller for the same price. It wasn't the same as a price cut but customers were still saving on 2 €50 games and a €50 controller.

Some stores added to the bundle while others reduced the bundle to €600. The reason for this was that Sony are to scrap the 60GB as they have done in the US. Across the pond, the 80GB replaced the 60GB model while getting rid of the backwards compatibility to play Playstation 2 games. My favourite non-biased gaming blog, Joystiq decided to give Sony the WTF Award. Read it here with an update here.

I'm seriously considering availing of backwards compatability while it lasts so I'll post Wednesday if there was I manage to find a good enough bundle.

beonlinb.com be online now

After all the commotion Radiohead made online in the last week including a fake countdown, this week Arcade Fire had a genuine countdown on beoNlineB.com to some sort of mystery event which was finally revealed today. Some assumed it was confirmation of AF's new BFF James Murphy from LCD Soundsystem rumoured to remix the album Neon Bible.

It turns out to be an online flash video to Neon Bible (beonlineb was clever anagram, you see) and also revealed that Win Butler (pictured on the right) has two incredibly large hands. It takes a while to load but it's truly amazing. Maybe not the second time around but it must've had a sugarload of actionscript. Check it out here and click around.

Sorry for the late posting this weekend but I was having trouble keeping my cool when my PC decides it wants to shut itself off. I feel like smacking it. Right in the mouth.

Friday 5 October 2007

The Future Futurama Movie

Honestly, it took me days to come with that post title. Anywho, at the bottom of this post is the trailer for the upcoming straight-to-dvd movie "Futurama: Bender's Big Score!". It'll be released on November 27th and is definitely a high priority on my already huge shopping list. There are three more films due sometime in 2008: "The Beast with a Billion Backs", "Bender's Game" and "The Wild Green Yonder". Each film will be broken into three episodes and screened on Comedy Central. Here's hoping they manage to pull a Family Guy.

It's one of my all-time favourite cartoon series ever (and if you've read this blog before, you might know that I like my cartoons). And now, the trailer:

If you have any spare money you're not using, please feel free to send to me...

It's going to be an expensive 80 days for me from now to Christmas. In this shockingly long post, I'll list out what I plan on buying/ borrowing/ stealing between now and Christmas. Obviously, I don't plan on buying every single item here before Christmas. I'll leave some stuff for the New Year Sales. Buying the majority of the list also depends a lot on winning the national lottery.

Out now:
Battlestar Gallactica: Season 3
Simpsons: Season 10
Skate (Bought)

8th of October
Quantum Leap Season 1-5

12th of October
Project Gotham Racing 4

15th of October
Family Guy: Season 6

19th of October
Eternal Sonata
Half Life 2: Orange Box (Bought)

22nd of October
Lost: Season 3
Smallville: Season 6

26th of October
PES 2008
Tomb Raider: Anniversary (Bought)

02nd of November
The Simpsons Game
Tony Hawks Proving Ground

05th of November
House: Season 3

09th of November
Call Of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (Collectors Edition)

16th of November
Assassin's Creed
Mass Effect Collectors Edition
Army Of Two (Delayed until 2008)
Tom Clany's Splinter Cell: Conviction (Delayed until 2008)

19th of November
Seinfeld: Season 9
The Sopranos: Season 1-6

23rd of November
Kane & Lynch: Dead Man
Guitar Hero 3: Legends Of Rock (with Wireless Guitar Controller)

30th of November
Scene It: The Movie Trivia Game
Alone In The Dark 5

10th of December
The Bourne Ultimatum
Heroes: Season One (HD-DVD)
Simpsons: The Movie

18th of December
Blade Runner: The Definitive Edition (HD-DVD)

TBA 2007
Boston Legal: Season 3
My Name Is Earl: Season 2

PUBLIC NOTICE TO ALL FRIENDS AND RELATIVES: This Christmas, you shall recieve a great big hug and nothing else due to... bank balance difficulties. If that's not acceptable (honestly, who doesn't love hugs?) I may have to resort to my special emregency credit card...

Thursday 4 October 2007

The Man Behind The Game Boy

"If you think of it today, take a moment to remember Gunpei Yokoi, who passed away 10 years ago on this date after a car accident.

The only man responsible for draining more AA batteries than Phillip J. Remotecontrol, Yokoi was the creator of the Game Boy, and the father of some of the portable console design tenets that still appear to govern Nintendo today.

Though he followed it up with the Virtual Boy (a misstep by anyone's approximation) Yokoi's legacy lives on.

The only tragedy is that the tech wizard never saw the Game Boy's progeny not just play second fiddle to home consoles, but become a true force of gaming." [Via Joystiq.com]

To celebrate his contribution to videogames, click here to play hundreds of GameBoy games online in Javascript form. There are some classic games there so please enjoy.

Dida, you clown.


The funniest part to me, after all of Dida's theatrics was that the supporter (or hooligan depending on how you look at it) ran back into the crowd and could not be spotted. He turned invisible. Let me tell you, that's one impressive feat. Dida's dive there reminded me of this brilliant compilation.

Wednesday 3 October 2007

The "new" Oasis song/ video

The new Oasis single is called "Lord, Don't Slow Me Down". To me, it sounds like a mashup between Oasis' "Lyla", David Bowie's "Jean Genie" and some Kings Of Leon "Molly's Chamber" thrown in there for good measure. As an Oasis fan for most of my life, I am not amused. Here's the newly released video from the as yet untitled seventh album due out in 2008:

In the year 2000...

Everyone's favourite time-wasting website BoingBoing.com has moved into a daily video format. I suppose Monscooch should follow suit but, alas, I have a face for radio, a voice for newspapers and writing ability eligible for a gold star in preschool.

The first ever video (embedded below for your viewing pleasure) starts off very promising. The two hosts scare me a little and they also cover some things that are fairly old in internetland even though it starts off with a nod to Conan O'Brien's recent "In The Year 2000" sketch.



Here's the Boing Boing TV link to bookmark.

Tuesday 2 October 2007

In Rainbows

Radiohead's new album "In Rainbows" which was over two years in the making, was yesterday announced to be released on October the 10th as a download only album. Customers will be able to choose how much they'd like to pay for it: "It's up to you. No really, it's up to you.". A special edition "discbox" will be releasead on the 3rd of December exclusively from the official website InRainbows.com.

Track listing (with live performances of almost every one via the youtubes)

1. "15 Step"
2. "Bodysnatchers"
3. "Nude"
4. "Weird Fishes/Arpeggi"
5. "All I Need"
6. "Faust ARP"
7. "Reckoner"
8. "House of Cards"
9. "Jigsaw Falling into Place"
10. "Videotape"

Bonus disc

1. "MK 1"
2. "Down Is the New Up"
3. "Go Slowly"
4. "MK 2"
5. "Last Flowers"
6. "Up on the Ladder"
7. "Bangers and Mash"
8. "4 Minute Warning"

Pre-order here.

Monday 1 October 2007

The Does-Nothing-o-Matic


Sorry, I can't type much right now. I'm building my own version of the contraption above as made by the guys at baynhamyters.com. It'll have lego, house of cards that explode, cat cannons and a light switch that goes on and off- like magic!

Liverpool Watch: Benayoun Versus Wigan


Well, what do you know- three full points. The match against Wigan could prove to be essential when Liverpool are fighting to beat Arsenal and newcomers Man Yoo to the top spot at the end of the season. I would bet, even money, on that.

Here are the highlights from the Reading versus Liverpool game in the Carling cup match from last Wednesday. That Freddy Torres, or whatever his name was, is alright I suppose but he's no Emile Heskey.

Sunday 30 September 2007

Song Of The Week: Alicia Keys is so purty... edition

This week, Alicia Keys returns with the new single "No One" from her upcoming album "As I Am". Here's the official video:


I love her and that's all I have to say on the matter. Other music videos which are pretty cool this week:

Duke Special & Neil Hannon: Our Love Goes Deeper Than This
Emmy Rossum: Slow Down (My future ex-wife does Imogen Heap)
Lupe Fiasco: Dumb It Down (Curtis Jackson fans take note)
Queens Of The Stone Age: 3's & 7's (Is this new?)
They Might Be Giants: I'm Impressed (Bleeding paper!)

Click here for previous SOTW posts.

Kanye West / New Dick In A Box: Viral Videos

It's Kanye West mocking himself on Saturday Night Live's premier from last night- "It got champagne in it!". Brilliant. Watch it now:

From the same SNL episode was a sketch called "Iran So Far". Together at last, Iranian leader Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Andy Samberg (from the brilliant short "Dick In A Box" and the not so brilliant film "Hot Rod") featuring Adam Levine. It has a nice cameo a few seconds from the end:

The melody is lifted from Aphex Twins: Avril 14th, which is nice. It's a much better choice of sampling than that will.i.am fool. He managed to "remix" Daft Punk since it's all the rage these days and he goes on make an accompanying video. Afterwards, he asks the robotic duo for permission to use the sample only for it to be refused. Check out the story and the awful video and song here on Stereogum.

Swedish hostess Eva Nazemson accidentally vomiting in the middle of the live-tv game show 'Nattliv' on national television. Check out a funny remix called "Make Me Puke" here but first, here's the original:
Paris Hilton gets her comeuppance on David Letterman's show. The man is much more ruthless than I would've been in that situation and I respect him for that. The full interview: