Musings on Guitar Hero

So, tonight is the 4th meeting of the 12th Street Guitar Hero Fanciers' Association, and I was thinking about some songs that I would really like to hear in a future version of GH. OK, so I'm sure tons of lists like this exist out there, blah blah blah, I'm not being creative. Here's the list:

Songs that would be good
Holiday - Green Day
Stairway to Heaven - Led Zepplin
We Built This City - Starship (I guess it would be better for Keytar Hero)
Sweet Emotion - Aerosmith
Suffragette City - David Bowie
Black Magic Woman - Santana

Songs that would be GREAT
Layla - Derek & The Dominoes
American Girl - Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers (Runnin' Down A Dream might also be nice...)
Cryin' - Aerosmith
You Shook Me All Night Long - AC/DC
Any Way You Want It - Journey
Eruption - Van Halen

So, I have recently discovered that a way to mod GH2 has been worked out (requiring a modified PS2, unfortunately) and put any song that you want in. Several of my wants have been done, and many others are out there. Here's a little sample of what the finished product looks like:



There are also a few open source copies of Guitar Hero out there designed to be played with your computer keyboard (or controller, if you buy the correct adapters). Well, that's that.

Science Word

Here is the worst science word I have seen in a long time:

glycosylphosphatidylinositol

Perhaps there will be a prize to the first person who correctly pronounces this to me, either in person or by voicemail...

Strange Mailings

So, I keep getting these email from Borders about all the cool deals they have - in England. What?! I live in NYC where we use $'s not £'s. So how did this happen? I don't know. The email that they are supposedly sending the mail to isn't even mine (it's missing a . ). All I know is that there is a children's book author in the UK who shares my name... perhaps these belong to him? The world may never know.

Mongolian = Hawaiian?

I just got back from lunch at the Chinese restaurant across from NYU Med. I ordered Mongolian Chicken, which made me wonder: Is ordering Mongolian Chicken at a Chinese restaurant akin to ordering Hawaiian pizza at a pizza place?

I Love Planes

Seattle is the birthplace of Boeing, and growing up in Seattle means you probably know someone who works for them. I certainly did. Well, one of the great benefits of living around Boeing is that the Museum of Flight is just down the road at Boeing Field. While at home for Christmas, my Dad and I took a trip there and I took some photos. I've been meaning to post them for awhile, so without any further ado, here they are!

When we got there, the first thing we did was go across the street to see some of the coolest planes that they have. Up first is the Concorde.
Sorry about not getting the plane all in one shot, but the Concorde is huge! Unlike most planes you can stand under it because it has a ground clearance of at least 8 feet. And, when you are under there, you realize how much this plane is just one big wing. Once you get inside (sorry, no pics as my camera was low on batteries and there was a lot more to see) you realize how small the plane is. What?! Yeah, just check out the windows in the shot above. They are tiny. Luckily the plane stretches when it reaches cruising speed, but not that much... What a cool plane. Too bad I couldn't have flown on one.

After the Concorde, we went on to something that I was really looking forward to, Air Force One.That's my dad standing outside of SAM-970, which was the first jet powered Air Force One. SAM-970 is a Boeing 707-120 and was delivered to Pres. Eisenhower in 1959. Two others (SAM-971 and SAM-972) were also recieved by Eisenhower and I assume shared the duty as AF One, but since it has the earlier registration number, I'm saying (as does the Museum of Flight) that it was the first. It wasn't the main Air Force One for long and was replaced in 1962 by a long range 707 (SAM-26000), which is "officially" the first jet powered AF One, but why that is, who knows. After the 26000 became AF One, the 970 was kept to fly the VP around (as Air Force Two) and to fly VIP's like when Nikita Khrushchev toured the USA. This was also the plane that LBJ flew to Dallas in (he would return on the 26000 for obvious reasons) and the plane that Nixon took to China. Here's a map of some of the other trips that it took:
I know this is going to sound pretty lame, but it was cool to be on a plane that so many historic figures had been on. Interesting note, the back of the plane is much like first class but instead of overhead compartments, there are pull-down sleeping bunks. Toward the front there is a conference room
and further up is the President's office
If you look at the lower right hand corner of the photo, you can see some interesting Presidential knick-knacks.
Cool, JFK's pipe rack and a presidential cup holder! Looks pretty high-tech. I can only imagine what W's cup holder is like. It probably fits a double gulp.

There are a few other planes at the "Airpark" including the first 747 and the first 737 ever produced, but no photos, so let's move on to the main museum specifically the Great Gallery. Here are some pictures of what that looks like as you walk in:


Pretty impressive, huh? Well we made the rounds and I'll show you a few of the highlights. First up was a replica of a Gee Bee, which was a racing plane.

Perhaps you remember this plane from a movie? Perhaps The Rocketeer? Well, if you do, you are right. I loved The Rocketeer when I was younger, so seeing this was kind of a treat.

Next we checked out this F-4C Phantom II. Pretty awesome, if you ask me.
Next up was the Lockheed F-104C Starfighter, considered to be a "sports car" of airplanes (also known as a flying lawn dart because of its crash frequency):
Finishing up our circle around the Great Gallery, I spotted this:
It's an RQ-3 Dark Star, an unmanned spy plane. It looks really crazy (you can see it in the first two shots of the Great Gallery). Apparently it has never flown a real mission, but according to Wikipedia (I know, I know...) it is now something of a "black project." Cool.

The highlight of the Great Gallery has to be the Blackbird. When I was a kid, this plane was one of the coolest.
If you are a real Blackbird buff, you'll notice that this one looks a little bit different than most. That's because it's not the SR-71 Blackbird that we all seem to know and love, but this one is actually the only surviving M-21 Blackbird. The story of the Blackbird is a complicated one involving the CIA and military, so I'll let you go to Wikipedia to learn more, but here are a few of the differences in a nutshell: The M-21 is lacking the second set of windows behind the cockpit and there is that weird missile-like thing at the back that the other Blackbirds lack. That missile-like thing is actually the D-21 drone ("D" for Daughter, making the "M" in M-21 stand for Mother). The D-21 is a ramjet powered spy drone that was meant to be launched from the back of the Blackbird mid-flight. Being unmanned, it was much more expendable than the M-21 and being smaller, it was stealthier. Once it took its photos, it would jettison its camera over the ocean (which would be caught mid-air by a US plane - pretty neat trick) and then self-destruct. It never really worked all that well (one test launch actually caused the crash of the other M-21) so it only was used on 4 missions (which, again, didn't work that well). Eventually spy satellites made the D-21 obsolete and the program was abandoned.

As my Dad and I left, we checked out some of the other planes on display outside - a Harrier (not pictured), this A-6E Intruder:
and one of my personal favorites, the F-14A. I'm still mourning Goose's death...

The last thing we saw before rolling out was this Fiat/Aeritalia G.91 Gina.

It looks pretty goofy sitting next to the F-14A (especially in those colors, but, hey, I'm not Italian). It was in use for about 35 years, so I guess it was a pretty good plane.

Well, there it is folks, my longest post ever. I hope it was worth it, because the Museum of Flight is pretty rad. To tell the truth, I hardly scratched the surface of what is there (I completely skipped the space section and the WWII fighter section). So, if you are ever in Seattle, go. It will be the best $10 you will spend (at a museum about planes).

Minor Celebrity Sighting (possibly)

So, I work at NYU Med Center, and you don't usually see too many famous people around there (well, at least, I don't), but as I was leaving today I saw someone that I thought was worth mentioning - if it really was him. His name is Earle Hyman, and for those of you who don't know him by that name, let me throw a few more at ya. Here's one: Panthro. Here's another: Russell Huxtable. Yes, he played Bill Cosby's dad on The Cosby Show. Here's a picture for you:

Oh, and I'm also watching Deal or No Deal right now, and this very attractive contestant is playing. You know how most of the contestants are kind of weird? Yeah, you think she is going to buck the trend, but then she says she is really in to Hanson. Ugh. So, of course Hanson is helping her pick out cases (can't really turn down a gig if you are Hanson, eh?). I feel bad for her.

Did you know that they are all married and the middle one has 3 kids?! I guess some ladies like the mmm-bop.

Music of the Moment

Man, I'm still stiff from the Wii-a-thon. Luckily, I have some good music to help me through it. So, here's the facts:

Artist: Django Reinhardt
Track: Belleville

Django is one of those artists that you probably never have heard of, but I can almost guarantee that you have heard. His music is a favorite in the movies (The Matrix, Gattaca, Chocolat, L.A. Story, The Aviator, Swing Kids and several Woody Allen movies, just to name a few). His music is just great. So, in short, check him out!

Also, as a way of celebrating the return of MotM, I'm adding a new category: "Setting." This category will describe what I think is the perfect setting to listen to the artist in. So, without further ado...

Setting: Dinner with that Special Someone

Best DVD Release That You Probably Missed

OK, so forgive me for stealing the titling rubric from Steady Mobbin' but it seems to fit here. Perhaps we can consider it an homage. Anyway, a great new DVD came out today and most of you probably missed it. It's called My Hero and it's one of the silliest comedies that I have ever seen.
It's a spoof about a superhero adjusting (unsuccessfully) to life on earth. Good times. It's from the BBC, which maybe gives you a better idea of what it is like, but then again, maybe not. Anyway, check it out. It's good fun. I'll be watching it trying to kill the soreness from yesterday's Wii-a-thon.

My thoughts on the iPhone

Hmm... do I even dare tackle this subject? Yes, but only briefly and in the broadest of strokes. I think it is only fair to tell you all that I was practically crying with joy during the keynote address (I'm suck a dork), because I had been following the iPhone rumors pretty heavily and it exceeded my expectations in just about every way. Well, that euphoria has now passed and there is a lot that is being said about this device, both good and bad. The good: great UI and good set of features make this a phone that I think will function well as a replacement to your cell, iPod and basic PDA. The bad: One carrier, no 3rd party applications (probably the only big gripe that I have about it), small disc space (which for music is ok, but for movies and TV? Well, with its battery life, the size might not be such a big deal). Most of the other complaints that have much more to do with the company than the phone. A lot of them sound something like this: "the iTunes DRM scheme sucks, the iPhone uses the iTunes DRM scheme, therefore, by the transitive property, the iPhone sucks." I think that it is clear that the iPhone is quickly becoming the poster child of everything that is good and bad about Apple Inc. because these arguments are the same ones that have been going around for a long time. Cool. Use the buzz to promote your ideas. I have no problem with that. But, let's not get so caught up in company politics to forget that the iPhone is a pretty nice (though not perfect) piece of equipment.

Bit O' Biology

As I was studying tonight, I learned something interesting. OK, please don't leave just yet, I promise this will be good.
In everything from fruit flies to humans there is a biochemical pathway called the Hedgehog pathway. It is a pretty important pathway that helps regulate stem cells and tissue growth. There are several genes that are a part of this pathway, the most famous of which (and the most common one found in mammals) is called,

Sonic Hedgehog!

Yup, it's named for the video game character. And it also has something to do with hair growth (when the pathway is stimulated in the skin). This isn't the only time that a video game has provided a gene name. This one didn't turn out so well.

Latest Shirt I Am Proud To Own

I've bought too many shirts lately, but here's to another that I have recently paid (too much) for:But, Ninjas are cool.

This is what I do with my free time

I'll copy Jeff and just put up a little blurb about the 12th Street Guitar Fanciers' Association. I'm proud to have been the first one to arrive and put my guitar skillz to use. Check out all the action over at Steady Mobbin'.