10.31.07
Posted in Politics, Toys & Comics at 9:30 pm by nickeve
A Christian toy company called one2believe has released a huge line of Christian Action Figures aimed at satisfying a perceived need in the “Christian Community” for faith oriented toys. In many ways their objectives are quite admirable. In an NPR interview this morning for example their head of marketing discussed a desire to see parents play with their kids and spend time talking about the significance of their toys. On a certain level, this is wonderful. I would have loved it if my parents for example would have spent time with me discussing the ethical importance of society’s mistreatment of the X-man Nightcrawler for example, or the significance of Peter Parker’s devotion to his Aunt. I’m sure many life lessons could have been learned from my GI Joes (though I fear He-Man was nothing more than a metonymic substitute for pent up steroid-infused man-lust). Parents SHOULD engage their children in discussing the philosophical importance of their imaginary systems. Heck, parents should discuss any philosophical topic with their kids at all. For many families, this would be a great leap forward.
One2Believe goes too far though in pitching this as a Battle for the Toybox. (Check out their site for the scary details). Do we really need the battle to begin so young? I’m all for raising the ethical bar, but inculcating our children using dolls that repeat tenets of faith over and over (check out the talking Jesus doll for example that recites great moments in scripture) seems a tad too Orwellian for my taste. Childhood is the freedom to craft meaning from a crazily mixed up world. (All hail Eris!) No matter how we try to simplify the dogma, just the experience of growing up itself presents a kind of chaos that no amount of ideological dictation can erase. This chaos gives birth to new world views, and in this way our children outpace us and move the world to somewhere new.
Oh, and before you start dismissing all this as the ravings of an evangelical website, please understand that these toys are available at hundreds of Wal-Mart and Target stores. These will be in the hands of your neighbors kids soon enough.
I do hope though that we can ride this wave of ideological toys in some interesting directions. I would love to buy some hippie toys for example. Get junior a drop-out stoner protestor doll that recites beat poetry and emits a foul smell. I can’t wait for the uptight corporate a-hole doll that takes your pennies but won’t give them back (think of a piggy bank crossed with a black hole). If we are really going to unleash the idea virus then let’s really let it go. The world is too small to be dominated by any single imaginary system. (Go X-men!!!)
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10.14.07
Posted in Toys & Comics, Books, Art at 11:04 am by nickeve
If you like toys or action figures, you must take a look at Super #1 Robot a wonderful book of photos looking at Japanese robot toys from 1972 to 1982. The toys themselves are amazing, ranging from your typical Voltron type gundams to wonderfully whimsical robos such as the Robo X series by Takara. No matter how fond your memories might be of Gobots or transformers, the bots in this book will blow them away. The photographs themselves are superb, showing each toy is deep detail and in an amazingly majestic light. If you are looking for the hippest pocket sized coffee table book imaginable, give this one a look.
On a design note, interior designers should be looking at these things to complement modern looks, and video game designers should be using these for the look of modern Video Games.
Click here to Shop for Super #1 Robot >>
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05.11.07
Posted in Toys & Comics at 12:05 am by nickeve
22Pages.com will be launching its Action Figure Portrait Gallery later this month. It’s a pretty fabulous collection of shots of contemporary action figures from every imaginable angle.
if you have you own action figure pictures, you will be able to post them to the collection as well.
Let’s face it. Everyone needs more dolls, er I mean action figures. Share those toys children!
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05.02.07
Posted in Toys & Comics at 6:49 pm by nickeve
I just bowled a 279 on my Nintendo Wii.
That’s right 279. I bowled a spare. Then 9 strikes. Then a spare. I missed two pins.
Here is a picture
I think my best game in real life is probably a 165 or so.
For those of you that don’t know what a Wii is, it is a new game system from Nintendo that uses a unique kind of controller. The Wii controller is wireless, and you wield it about in your hand like a tool, replicating many real life motions in the games you play.
So, in the bowling game of Wii Sports, which comes free with the Wii, you hold the controller like the handle of a sword. You lift your hand, as you would the ball in bowling. You click the B button, below the handle of the controller, and while holding B down, you bring your arm back and then forward again, copying the kind of motion you are used to going through at an actual alley. If you twist your wrist along the way, you can alter the spin of the ball, so you can throw curling shots like a pro. It is a total blast.
To me, it has the thrill of a real bowling experience without the elbow and shoulder pain you get in real life from chucking the ball around. And you aren’t in a smoke filled barn full of hicks with classic rock blasting in the background. (Ok, so maybe you are, but how your house looks is your business buddy!)
On your Wii, you create a Mii, a personalized avatar that is a character you can play as in games. My Mii is named Monkey, and looks very much like what I looked like in my band days about 3 years ago. Check out Sahar’s Mii (codename Cutie).
Virtual Life fills a need not easily filled by Real Life - the desire to see oneself perfected in an abstract form. How beautiful the cut edges of a perfectly rounded jaw. How flawless the spin of a virtual ball shattering down the alley. But it’s not a contest. Not really. It’s just a different aspect of the human funktionlust.
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03.21.07
Posted in Toys & Comics, Entertainment at 11:34 pm by nickeve
I am happy to announce the launch of More Monkeys Than You the website/game where your worth is determined by the quantity of monkeys you possess.
You gain monkeys in a variety of ways, many of them involve uncovering hidden things and figuring out puzzles embedded in the site. Once you have monkeys, a whole other world of functionality is available to you, and you can engage in lots of different types of games.
Plus, there are lots of big, full color shots of various types of primates. Who doesn’t love monkeys and apes?
Fun tidbit. If you are the first person to find a particular kind of monkey, you actually get to name it! Be a part of history! 
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