<![CDATA[Comments from Torley]]> <![CDATA[Comments from Torley]]> <![CDATA[Torley commented on Crawling Businessman Robot Is a Critique On Japanese Salarymen]]> @MrSatan: Haha, that cracked me up! I was thinking Solid Snake the first time I read that - but you know how influences traverse.

This crawling biznessman would make a lovely video game boss.

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<![CDATA[Torley commented on Ira Glass on Getting Creative Work Done]]> Ira has a great voice and pacing! Thanks for sharing.

@spirojunk: I'd have to agree about blogging blowhards who trump themselves as experts but spend far more time writing about getting stuff done than doing it. Shameful. :p

I get sort of a Woody Allen vibe from this, too.

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<![CDATA[Torley commented on MarioPaint Composer Builds Your Digital Mario Opus]]> TomBobBender is one of the masters of this musical form! I like his rendition of the "Final Fantasy Four Battle Theme":

»

This tool will definitely put videogamey musicmaking into the hands of those who can't contend with an emulator.

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<![CDATA[Torley commented on ABC Invites You To Get Lost In Books]]> I don't watch Lost regularly, but I appreciate points of inspiration/influence and seeing how ideas are evolved through iterative achievement. Starting a book club sounds perfectly sensible to extend awareness of what's helped birth Lost.

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<![CDATA[Torley commented on Faceless Spectators At Wimbledon Making Spectators With Faces Uncomfortable]]> But you can't give a hummer if you don't have a... OH, different kind of "hummer"!

Someone rude and unexpected could rip their disguises off.

I think it's pretty cool to see this as a mystery, and it's certainly got us talking.

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<![CDATA[Torley commented on How to Fold a Broadsheet Newspaper]]> I'm hardly ever a humbug, but paper news is so passe - sheer convenience of not needing electricity, but I'm surprised how many newspapers are still printed on paper which leaves your fingers smudged and greasy-feeling after handling it.

In addition, in today's de-massified media, I usually only find a few articles (1/10th is generous) which really appeal to me and are relevant. Most of the un-blockable advertising is useless. I pray for popurls on smartpaper or something else more substantial.

As for this tip itself, the four steps were unnecessarily divided into their own pages, when a single, clean view would've sufficed. So my tip to share: look for a Print link like this:

>> [www.realsimple.com]

There, easier reading! :D

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<![CDATA[Torley commented on This is What Happens When You Combine Boba Fett, Flashdance and Fireworks]]> Superb! Brought a big smile to my face; that was really, REALLY well done. Wonder how long it took to make and how they accomplished Boba sauntering through the air.

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<![CDATA[Torley commented on Dancing Decepticons + Cartoon Electronica = Awesome]]> Oh my gosh, I can't believe this! 3 of my favorite things and 1 thing I find hideously atrocious - that's the "Lucky Star" song which my brother really likes! But I'm a big fan of Underworld, Transformers, and cheer routines.

First time I've ever heard a "Born Slippy" cover; the guy ain't Karl Hyde, but he sure can add guitar jangle. The music sounds almost like something Weebl would've come up with (a la Magical Trevor's intonation", only without the distinctly English accent.

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<![CDATA[Torley commented on Everybody Loves Sporn]]> I wonder what the first recorded usage of "Sporn" was?

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<![CDATA[Torley commented on Make a "Gratitude Loop" for Your Next Presentation]]> Who's put "Gratitude Loops" up on [slideshare.com] and other presentation sites? Having some hands-on examples to download and even tweak would be even more useful - the visuals will help support Seth's text, too.

I tried a few casual searches but didn't find matches... yet!

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<![CDATA[Torley commented on No More Butterfly Effects Please]]> Well, there's always Time Crimes (Los Cronocrímenes) to look forward to, right?

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<![CDATA[Torley commented on The Books That Changed Your Lives]]> I like Dune a lot - but I should've spoken up for Philip K. Dick. His takes on authoritarian control took the basic Orwell formulas and transformed them into something far more thought-provoking, terrifying, realistic, yet oddly fun. Definitely memorable, quality literature, altho as sister site io9 may attest, Hollywood continues to botch PKD film adaptations.

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<![CDATA[Torley commented on How to Use Smart Objects in Photoshop]]> @Noiddog: Verily, this is great geek humor! Melding the world of Video Professor with a self-deprecating sensibility.

I'd like to see Photoshop king Russell Brown make a guest appearance as Donnie's dad. :)

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<![CDATA[Torley commented on The Elvinator: One Man's Quest to Merge Singing Elvis Robot with Terminator Killing Machine]]> He ain't nothin' but a cyborggggg...

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<![CDATA[Torley commented on Bald People Rule The Scifi World]]> And as for "makeup bald", what about the Newcomers from Alien Nation?

Spider Jerusalem counts too, surely.

And oh! Teal'c from Stargate. :)

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<![CDATA[Torley commented on Is it Wall-E? Is it Short Circuit? No, It's Really Not.]]> Who's the voiceover artist who does the narration for this trailer? Such a familiar, rich voice - the name eludes me.

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<![CDATA[Torley commented on Bookmark Previews Creates Thumbnails of All Your Bookmarks]]> Awesome potential for followup: a tool like AndreaMosaic that grabs thumbnails from every site (or selected sites) in your browser history and makes a gorgeous mosaic out of them.

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<![CDATA[Torley commented on Stargate: Continuum Brings Together Evil System Lords Of Past]]> SWEET! Yu is back! I enjoyed his senility and his not-totally-antagonistic stance towards SG-1 and humans. :D

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<![CDATA[Torley commented on Web Forum Reader Offers Feed-Reader-Like Browsing]]> I, too, am deterred by the comments above.

And the site's banner logo is oddly reminiscent of Stepcase Lifehack.

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<![CDATA[Torley commented on Five Best Desktop Media Players]]> VLC plays so many formats but the default interface is still off-putting, and its UI quirks are unpleasant. If it could be polished up more to better pair its power with presentation, it would be an easier swallower for computer novices.

More apps could also benefit from QuickTime Player's elegance, e.g., easy encoding presets and simple frame-by-frame scrub/loop.

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<![CDATA[Torley commented on Avoid Standalone Ads in Lifehacker's Feed]]> I've always appreciated how bold AND personable you Lifehackers are, not just "standing up for something you believe in" but also sharing practical tips - you've taken a lot of risks with guides about file-sharing and further that many established venues would be afraid to print.

Yet, time and time again, you show us that these are the tools and possibilities out there, and knowledge of something isn't the same as doing something.

BRAVO!

P.S. Some might say this was prefabbed all along and you should've quietly taken it to your boss to begin with, but I'm not one for flimsy conspiracy theories. Regardless: this approach was both entertaining, got attention in a non-jerkish way, and didn't degrade anyone's name. BRAVO! (Again.)

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<![CDATA[Torley commented on Get 101 Photoshop Tips in Five Minutes]]> I've long enjoyed Deke's writings leading back to the yonder days of early-90s Macworld, and I thought this video was very entertaining, although the presentation made it difficult to educate.

Like Steve Ballmer, a lot of people wish they could bust out and be free...

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<![CDATA[Torley commented on Criminal Voyeur Hides Cellphone Up Butt To Escape From Cops]]> You can fit a MacBook Air in an envelope, but I don't wanna know about the carrying capacity of some gadgets!

I, uh, wonder how exactly the cops deduced to search him so... deeply.

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<![CDATA[Torley commented on The Yip Yips From Mars Will Haunt Your Nightmares]]> I remember when Eckhart Dillon in Second Life made inworld versions of the Yip Yips, and they'd follow you around. You could also command them to follow others. Even funnier is if you sit on one of their heads - they'd try to follow up wayyyy up into the sky, infinitely.

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<![CDATA[Torley commented on Windows Live Writer Tweaks, Tips, and Updates]]> @Jared Goralnick: Rock on! Inspired by your lovely compilation, I did a video tutorial for the "auto links" feature and submitted it to the Lifehacker Tip Testers group too:

» [www.flickr.com]

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<![CDATA[Torley commented on Wordle Creates Cloud Art from Text or Tags]]> @detection: Same here! I wonder how buzz is arising about this and how it's spreading?

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<![CDATA[Torley commented on Lego Digital Designer Builds Your Lego Masterpiece]]> Does anyone else remember Gryphon Bricks? The last time I used a Lego-like program, that was the one!

» [www.thecomputershow.com]

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<![CDATA[Torley commented on Computer Love is a Beautiful Thing]]> "Computer Love" always reminds me of the delightfully melodic Kraftwerk song with the same name, which was interpolated/covered in part by Coldplay's "Talk".

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<![CDATA[Torley commented on Will.I.Am Discusses How He'll Destroy Wolverine Single-Handed]]> Some of you may be wondering if this "John Wraith" character was created recently, especially for the movie. He was not:

» [en.wikipedia.org]

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<![CDATA[Torley commented on Shiptool Finds the Cheapest Shipping Rates]]> @Danny Sanchez: They aren't shipping that, I'm sure. ;)

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<![CDATA[Torley commented on Best of Sporn: A Love Song [NSFW]]]> @Annalee Newitz: ;) Wish I could fave articles here, 'cause this one's a shining star.

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<![CDATA[Torley commented on Best of Sporn: A Love Song [NSFW]]]> Oh, I was SO waiting for this to show up on io9 - "sporn", what a word!

Hentacle holics, here w'come!

@Final: I've only seen a few vaginae, too.

This creature feature is still my favorite to date, spelling out what it wishes to do!

>>

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<![CDATA[Torley commented on Ridley Scott Admits Little Orphan Annie Inspired Blade Runner]]> The BR movie poster always reminds me of how (1) it doesn't look quite like Harrison Ford; the eyes are just not right and (2) how this artwork later inspired Policenauts' character design.

@extracrispy: Whenever possible, I look for the "Print This" link on slideshows so I can view all panels on a single page. I find it ridiculous to have to slowly refresh each # on a list. Gr!

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<![CDATA[Torley commented on First Look At Decepticons From A Megatron-Dominated Earth]]> Soundwave's eyes look like he's a somewhat different character in that picture: I know him as having a red and more visor-like appearance. I wonder if that was a deliberate design decision.

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<![CDATA[Torley commented on Why Did We Never See Neal Stephenson's Future-Batman Movie?]]> Some don't like Neal Stephenson's anticlimactic endings, but I deeply enjoyed The Diamond Age. I found it rich in ideas, even wealthier in humor, and full of memorable scenes. Some individuals reminded me of people I've actually known, only extrapolated into the future.

The ending didn't meet my expectations and I was sad it was over, but that led me to find/make/invent my own stories in Second Life.

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<![CDATA[Torley commented on Which Alternate Universe Has The Best Science Fiction?]]> @Angrydad: Exactly what I was thinking.

Also, the saga of Dune simply being... OVER might've been quite a different alternate universe.

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<![CDATA[Torley commented on Stewart Butterfield's bizarre resignation letter to Yahoo]]> As Seth Godin might say... remarkable.

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<![CDATA[Torley commented on First Recording of Computer Music Found. Verdict: Catchy, But You Can't Dance to It]]> These could easily be remixed by Luke Vibert - then we'd have a propa party!

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<![CDATA[Torley commented on Gears Of War Movie Brings Life To Alien Subculture]]> @Final: I really disliked The Spirits Within. I found it was technically well-done, but very stiff and it was a sad shame that Elliot Goldenthal did the music.

He's a professional, but not the right guy for the job, and he didn't even use any of the Final Fantasy themes within; since sound is more of a substantial part of the overall cinematic experience than people are usually able to articulate, that really dampened - and made the movie a lot more boring - for me.

My brother and I got depressed about that and watched Scary Movie in another theater afterwards, and that perked us up.

On the other hand, Final Fantasy VII Advent Children is a stellar gem on many levels aside from the relatively-impregnable plot (if you haven't played FFVII).

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<![CDATA[Torley commented on Bunny Bots Reflect On Metal Carrots And Sunsets]]> These bunny box designs look like they'd make nice HTPCs or other small-form-factor computers.

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