Video Round-Up: Nostalgic Tech Edition

Video Round-Up is a weekly post collecting an assortment of videos from around the web. Whether they be music videos, creative viral marketing, just plain cool, or just plain ridiculous, they will all be found on Video Round-Up.
We're all fond of our old technology. We dig it up and spend weekends messing around with it. We convince ourselves that it is better than the stuff nowadays. Well, it probably holds up better than the stuff nowadays at least. I don't think anyone will be able to pull out their old 360s or PS3s in 20 years to show to their kids. Those will have broken loooooong ago.

Insufficient Funds: Digital: A Love Story

Insufficient Funds is a weekly post in which we feature a free, or very close to it, piece of media that you can enjoy without overdrafting your bank account. So if you're low on funds, stay tuned to Cerebral Pop every Friday morning.
I don't usually stay up to date on the indie gaming scene, but every once in awhile a game is heralded enough to warrant my immediate attention. This was the case with Digital: A Love Story. Several people whose opinions I greatly respect listed it among their favorite games of the year, so I decided I should probably get around to playing it. After all, it's free to boot.

Digital is a pretty unique experience; it simulates the BBS world of 1988. If you don't know what a BBS (Bulletin Board System) is, don't worry, neither do I, really. I was three years old in 1988, but I've learned since then that they were a precursor to the Internet as we know it. Think of it like a messageboard that is hosted on your own computer and other people access it by actually dialing into your machine. Had I been old enough to understand that in 1988 I would probably rave about Digital's loving recreation of the world of BBSs.

Jon's Top 10 Movies of 2010

2010 was certainly a big year for movies. While I didn't come close to seeing everything that hit the big screens, there was more than enough at my fingertips to compose a very strong list of films. All of these might not appeal to you, but many of these capture a very significant slice of our culture in a way that seems unique to this year.

Unoriginal Soundtracks Podcast: Deadly Premonition Edition

Every other Wednesday I share a playlist of songs tangentially related to a single game or series. Songs about alien sex for Mass Effect, songs about world leaders for Civilization, and so on. Searching for random terms on Spotify is a great way to discover new music and rediscover old classics.

SWERY's bizarre, flawed, but loveable horror game inspires as mixed a playlist as ever: punk, soul, prog... Even a diss rap directed at a supporting character.

Cerebral Pop's 2010 Indie Game Round-Up

It's official: indie games are now an important part of today's pop culture. It cannot be denied.

Every day -- whether it's on their smartphones or on their favorite websites -- people who have no idea that an independent video game movement even exists play indie games. This has made the games industry reconsider the "wild" notion that a video game developed by one or two guys in their spare time -- and offered freely through the web -- can be played by thousands upon thousands of people.

Much like it was for both music and cinema, the evolution of the medium's tools of creation (they've become cheap and accessible) and a prevailing feeling of stagnation in its mainstream have set the stage for indie game designers to rise up and remind us, in the true spirit of punk rock, that, even though millions of dollars are being spent on developing derivative "triple-A" games, it only takes the will of a few, and a rudimentary knowledge of the medium's craft to create something passionate and engaging.

Sophist Radio Episode 38: Fucking Lasagna

The Sophist crew is back from a much deserved winter break of video game playing and daytime television viewing, and manage to kick off the new year in style. Discussions include Lost in Shadows, Castlevania: Lords of Shadows, darkness in general, Def Jam Rapstar, and Super Crate Box. The guys follow up that game talk, with more game talk. Mainly the idea of sequels -- Are they good? Do we really need them? And when does a game series wear out its welcome? All that, plus a story so embarrassing one of the co-hosts may never return to the show after telling it.

Video Round-Up: Handle With Care Edition

Video Round-Up is a weekly post collecting an assortment of videos from around the web. Whether they be music videos, creative viral marketing, just plain cool, or just plain ridiculous, they will all be found on Video Round-Up.

It isn't that I like bands who are more underground than others. It isn't that I want limited financial success for artists I enjoy. It's about jocking, a term I learned recently that describes the overwhelming hype that, if put in the hands of certain people--and the higher that number of certain people, the higher the chance of jocking--can be shoved in my face. Or yours. I want to enjoy my music in peace. If I hear a Katy Perry song on the radio and like it, I have to accept that she is hyper famous and that I must enjoy that song with everyone who has cable and listens to Top 40 even a little bit. She is the New York City to Buke and Gass' Athens, Georgia: one huge, one small. So, with my admonition that you enjoy this music at your own pace, or hate it completely (either option is fine by me), here are some songs from last year that I like very much.

Cerebral Pop's Favorite Things of 2010

Oprah isn't the only one who has favorite things. We here at Cerebral Pop have amassed our own list of things that make us scream in glee like a rabid audience member whose head is about to burst over the last year. In a lot of ways, we're just like Oprah, just not in the way you really hope. Which is to say we aren't giving these things away like she does. Still, you can certainly read and enjoy our list, and maybe buy the things for yourself instead of just expecting us to give it to you in return for an ounce of attention. I mean, we like to think we're interesting enough to pay attention to without having to give away a bunch of meaningless possessions. Right? Oh, just read about our things. I'll be over there, crying. Stupid Oprah.

Shuffled: Assorted Mix Edition

Every other Wednesday I hit the shuffle button on my 90 gigabytes of music and post the results. I might have to justify some of the stuff in my library, but hopefully it will help inform you of new music -- Or at least be entertaining.

I came up with some great tracks in this edition. One of them I couldn't even find a place to buy it online. Now that's obscure! Be sure to read my passion about Big D and the Kids as well as The Vines and take that as a hint to check them out. Seriously, both are great bands that might have flown under your radar or dropped off your radar far too soon.

Video Round-Up: Lost on YouTube Edition

Video Round-Up is a weekly post collecting an assortment of videos from around the web. Whether they be music videos, creative viral marketing, just plain cool, or just plain ridiculous, they will all be found on Video Round-Up.

YouTube is a black hole of stupidity and wonderment. You click on one video out of curiosity and before you know it you've fallen down a rabbit hole of insanity. I quite often fall into the suggested videos trap when looking for content for Video Round-Ups, so I thought I'd share one of my journeys.