March 2008

Nothing cures a case of the "Mondays" like doing something thoroughly unproductive for half an hour, right? Here's an idea... I love playing with avatar creators, because I'm no good at drawing, and I'm too cheap to hire someone to make me a custom caricature. Now that WordPress has built-in gravatar support, you might be looking for a new image to use when you're out and about in the bloggy neighborhood. Here's one for you to try, from gamedition. It doesn't build a whole body for you, but you can customize a cartoon head for yourself. There are even some cute and quirky accessories, like a pirate eye patch and 3-D glasses. [EDIT: I had initially linked this post directly to the flash file for the avatar creator, but GamEdition has redirected that to the main page, which contains thumbnails to games that are not G-rated. Just thought you should know before you click.] Here's what I came up with after about 30 minutes of messing around with it. I think I like it!

I can hardly wait! There's just a week left until the fourth and final season of Battlestar Galactica kicks off. Even though the season/series finale will probably not air until 2009, I am looking forward to a whiz-bang ride of a conclusion! There are lots of questions to be answered before the end, and I have a feeling it will be like a roller coaster that keeps accelerating right up to the finish. If you're not a fan of BSG already, you can get all caught up on the previous seasons at the official site. There is a clever video that hits the most important plot points, with video clips and pithy commentary, and it's less than 8 minutes long. You can also see the promotional photos for Season 4, like this one of Starbuck and Apollo (courtesy of scifi.com). During the hiatus, I've been mulling over some questions in my mind. These are the things I really want to know, before they drive me crazy! Here is a short (okay, not really short) list of what I'll be looking for during the last season:

• Starbuck died, but she came back, and she says she's been to Earth. Did she die? Is she a Cylon? How will she be received? Savior, or harbinger of doom (that's what the Cylon hybrid in the goo bath called her)? Once and for all, who is Kara Thrace, and what is her Special Destiny?!
• Four of the five "other" Cylons have been revealed. Each of them seems to have been placed into a strategically critical role, where they will certainly influence the outcome of the story. Will they all work together? Will they save or destroy humankind, once and for all? Are they good guys? Why don't the other Cylons talk about the Five? They must be different.
• Who is the fifth Cylon? I must know!
• What will become of Gaius Baltar? Is he the final Cylon? Six has always said, "God has a plan for you, Gaius," and I think he might finally believe her. Or is he just a pawn, a weak man, and a traitor?
• A couple of seasons ago, Six told Baltar that the hybrid baby was the shape of things to come. What was that all about? Now that there are two human-Cylon babies (Hera Agathon, and Nicky Tyrol), where do they fit into the story? They must be important.
• Laura Roslin's cancer has returned. This puts her back into the prophesied role of "a dying leader," to lead the people to Earth. Will the fact that she was once injected with Cylon-human hybrid blood come into play, or is it just an obscure fact?
• Will Apollo and Starbuck ever get together? As much as I wish they would, Katee Sackhoff has said that she doesn't want Starbuck's story to be wrapped up in a neat little bow at the end. I don't think things will end happily for Starbuck.

Well, I'll stop there, because I'm making myself crazy obsessing over these questions. There are other things I'm wondering about, but I just hope that I get some answers quickly once the season starts up! Are you a BSG fan? Do you think there will be a happy ending for the human race?

Vinnk over at 4 color rebellion has posted a scan of his actual, formal wedding invitation. Here is what he says about it:

... as it turns out even geeky gamers can find love. Of course that doesn’t stop me from continuing to be that geeky gamer. My wedding invitation proves this. Be warned that it is more than a bit silly and lame, but it’s also, I hope, kind of cute.

And here is a little preview of the photo. You can click on it to see the full scan. It's very cute, and it features Wii likenesses of the couple. He goes on to note that his future wife is not a geeky gamer, but that she does like the invitation, and is still going to marry him. So sweet! The only thing that would make it better would be to have the Miis dressed in wedding attire. Congratulations, Kevin and Misako! I don't know you, but I wish you the best!