Kevin Kelly
Articles by Kevin Kelly
Interview: Last.fm on Xbox Live
Last week we published the first part of our Last.fm on Xbox Live interview, speaking with Christina DeRosa, a general manager for Xbox Live. Today, we present the second part, a conversation with Orlena Yeung, VP of Marketing at Last.fm. After the break, read Yeung's take from the Last.fm side of the deal, as she discusses a range of topics, including why her company is better than Pandora, its social media plans, and how audio scrobbling works in APB.%Gallery-65408%
Comic-Con 2009: BioShock 2 gets real
Ever been to the mysterious BioShock 2 website, www.somethinginthesea.com? We first heard about it in March, and it is randomly updated from time to time with new bits of information from an obsessed searcher looking for clues about mysterious lights in the sea, and the disappearance of young girls from villages and cities near the ocean.2K Games decided to take things one step further by recreating the entire website in real life at Comic-Con by letting fans actually read the papers on the desk, follow the clues on the bulletin board, check out the mysterious glowing symbols inside the box on the desk, and rummage through the filing cabinet. It was incredibly detailed, right down to the roller skates.It was a bit hard to focus on details when you're getting jostled left and right by people dressed as Spider-man and Wonder Woman, but you can check out all the details in the gallery below.%Gallery-68768%
Comic-Con 2009: A real-life Flynn's Arcade
One of the most buzzed about things at the San Diego Comic-Con this year was the viral Flynn's Arcade that Disney created to plug the upcoming Tron: Legacy. In the teaser trailer they showed at the Con, Flynn's son (Garrett Hedlund) revisits his father's now-dusty and cobwebbed arcade, and steps up to the actual Tron arcade game from the 1980s. In the world of Tron: Legacy, Flynn actually went on to create to Tron game, and several others, before disappearing. He hasn't been seen for the past 20 years.Of course, that's where the computer world comes in. At Flynn's Arcade, they replicated the teaser, complete with neon signs for all the the games Flynn created (covered in dust and faux cobwebs, natch), and a Tron cabinet standing by itself on the back wall. After allowing about 10 minutes of open play on dozens of arcade machines, the lights flicker, there's an electrical surge, and ... the entire Tron cabinet swings away from the wall revealing a dark tunnel beyond.Inside there were plasma screens showing off light cycle generation 2 sketches, and ... a complete cycle itself around the corner. Head on after the break for some videos from the event (that include said cycle), and you can check out the gallery of images below.%Gallery-68749%
Gears of War COG and Locust Armor coming to Xbox Live Avatars
During the Gearsiverse panel at Comic-Con, Epic's Cliff Bleszinski and Ron Fergusson revealed that there will be Gears of War-themed armor of both the COG and Locust variety coming to XBL Avatars soon. One rule that Microsoft imposes on Avatar clothing and models is that they "can't look inhuman," according to Bleszinski. So they pieced together a workaround set of Locust armor that you can check out beyond the break.Look for these new Avatar upgrades to be available when the next Xbox Live dashboard update becomes available soon. Meanwhile, we're going to scurry out to our preview builds to see if they're already available. Be sure and peep the Locust image, just around the corner.
Comic-Con 2009: Left 4 Dead 2 Swamp Fever hands-on
Electronic Arts hosted a studio showcase in San Diego yesterday, just before the start of Comic-Con. Inside the Onyx Lounge were bright cheerful lights, colorful pastel colors, fresh-baked cookies and ... The Littlest Pet Shop. However, if you headed downstairs to the basement, it was very dark, mysterious and crammed with things like Brütal Legend and Left 4 Dead 2. We couldn't resist the siren call of more zombie slaying, so we plunged straight into the new Swamp Fever level being shown off.Head on beyond the break for our writeup. Later, look for our interview with Chet Faliszek, writer for L4D2 at Valve, where, according to him, "everyone is a designer!" But for now, it's time to find out why you'll want to catch "Swamp Fever."%Gallery-68553%
Comic-Con 2009: Scribblenauts towers over everything
Just back in June at E3, we barely noticed Scribblenauts, tucked away in the far reaches of WB's space, tucked behind potted plants and up against the back walls of the convention center. Thankfully we did notice it -- everyone at Joystiq now has an extreme case of Scribblenauts fever. It seems like WB got the hint as well. In the middle of the main Comic-Con floor hall, WB has a towering booth touting every film, tv, and video game it has coming out. Of course, prominently featured is Batman: Arkham Asylum, with trailers playing on a ginormous WB water tower surrounded by video screens. However, also showing on that same screen is a Scribblenauts teaser urging players to "Write anything. Solve everything."MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!
Peter Jackson tells Joystiq about the Halo movie, video game project
We caught up with Peter Jackson himself last night, after a screening of District 9 – the feature-length debut of director Neill Blomkamp who had previously been attached to helm the Halo movie that fizzled out. Jackson explained that they felt like they had an amazing director in Blomkamp and they didn't want to lose the opportunity to work with him so, instead of bringing Halo to the big screen, they created an entire film based on his Alive in Joburg short. (See the rest of Blomkamp's work here, in our roundup). District 9 – which Jackson produced and is coming to theaters on August 14 – is seriously amazing. There's a wide array of alien weapons that would make Ratchet & Clank jealous, CGI aliens that look better than Avatar, walking mech suits, and a really amazing performance from lead actor Sharlto Copley. Clear your calendars and make plans to see this one. But back to the Halo movie that never was: After the screening, we got to sit down with Jackson to ask him about just that. Read on to find out where the Halo movies stands, and if we'll ever see the long-rumored Halo Chronicles video game project.
Comic-Con 2009: Microsoft's Frankie talks Halo Waypoint
Pictured: enthusiasts living the Halo lifestyle And by "talks," we mean "briefly mentions." Yesterday during the Halo Comic-Con panel, which was almost entirely focused on the upcoming anime series, Halo Legends, consummate Halo shepherd Frank O'Connor spoke about Waypoint and what it means. "Halo Waypoint is something you can experience on your couch, then early next year, on DVD and digital formats. It will be the digital hub for all things Halo, [to] look at your Halo career, and enjoy your Halo lifestyle."Halo lifestyle? What does that even mean? An Xbox Live version of Home, where you're outfitting your own Master Chief's digital den with photos and Covenant couches? We'll have to wait and see.
Comic-Con 2009: Gordon Freeman and Ezio cosplay
During Preview Night at Comic-Con, we spotted two of the best video game costumes so far: Half-Life's Gordon Freeman, complete with Gravity Gun, and Ezio from Assassin's Creed 2. For a minute we thought we'd miraculously spotted former Joystiq blogger (and amateur Gordon Freeman lookalike) Ross Miller, and were set to pounce on him, but thankfully we noticed at the last minute and averted disaster. Click Gordon for a larger version, which includes his employee ID, and head beyond the break for Ezio. There's more cosplay going on here than at a LARP convention, and we'll be bringing you a lot more. Click through for Ezio and his blades, and stay tuned. %Gallery-68588%
Interview: Xbox Live on Last.fm
By now, you're aware of the news that Last.fm is coming to Xbox Live, along with Twitter and Facebook in a social media onslaught. We wanted to find out what that means for the service, so we spoke with Orlena Yeung, VP of Marketing at Last.fm (which was purchased by CBS two years ago for a big chunk of change), and Christina DeRosa, a general manager for Xbox Live, to find out how the experience will work on our consoles.We've already reported on the planned Last.fm pricing, but read on after the break for DeRosa's take on the Xbox side of things, including her thoughts on a Pandora partnership, how Xbox will enhance Last.fm (Party Mode?), and where the service fits into the Xbox Live music channel that's in the works. (One interesting note: Xbox says that the console won't audio scrobble, while Last.fm says it will. We've reached out to both parties in search of a definitive answer.)Update: Microsoft got back to us with the following information, "We circled back on this one and can confirm that music played in other parts of the dash will not be scrobbled. In other words, you can't put in an audio CD and scrobble." So, that's a bit of a bummer.%Gallery-65408%
Interview: Shaimus
Shaimus is a band born out of Harmonix, featuring former employees Phil Beaudreau and Johannes "Rash" Raasina, and has been lucky enough to have songs in both Guitar Hero ("All Of This") and Rock Band 2 ("Like a Fool'). They recently launched a new album, and we caught up with them at one of their Los Angeles shows to see what it's like being a rock band in a video game about ... rock bands.Read the interview after the break, and check out one of their free tunes right here.%Gallery-68220%
JBO: Joystiq Box Office, July 13 - July 17
We can't be gaming all the time, despite our best efforts, and from time to time we'll actually take advantage of the movie-playing abilities on our gaming systems. JBO features our top picks for XBL, PSN, Netflix's Watch Instantly and Blu-ray each week.Recommendation of the Week: For All Mankind (Blu-ray: $39.98 SRP):Quite possibly one of the most beautiful and touching Blu-ray discs you'll ever own. We're right in the middle of the 40th anniversary of the first moon landing, and this Criterion Edition Blu-ray of For All Mankind is full of gorgeous, mostly unseen footage brought back from the Apollo missions. It's backed by quotes from the astronauts involved, and a fantastic Brian Eno score. If you watch this and don't tear up at least once, then you're dead inside. Read for the full list on a system-by-system basis just after the break. As usual, we'll see you at the popcorn st ... well, actually we won't see you at all. But you catch our drift. Plus, be sure to tell us what you'll be watching, or what you've seen recently that bowled you over.
Cheech and Chong trip on Tron
Microsoft and MEAN Magazine premiered Cinemash last week, where Hollywood stars appear in seven short film reinterpretations of classic movies. The first episode featured Zoey Deschanel and Joseph Gordon-Levitt in Sid and Nancy, and this week is Cheech and Chong in Tron, complete with some mind-bending graphics. It's probably the closest we'll ever get to an actual Cheech and Chong video game.In a nutshell, they get baked, debate how the economy has affected the price of dime bags, and then race around on lightcycles in a Tron-off to see who wins the argument. There's definitely a lot of cue card inspired line delivery up front, but some of those graphics are brain melting enough to make you feel like you're tripping yourself. You can watch the video just beyond the break, or via the Zune Marketplace. With any luck, these will be available on Xbox Live later in the year.
Tour de France 2009: The Official Game pedals onto Xbox Live
Forget about watching the seemingly infinite amount of stages roll by as Lance Armstrong attempts to win his eighth yellow jersey in the world's most famous bicycle race. Do it yourself! And by yourself we mean using nothing more than your fingers and thumbs when Tour de France 2009: The Official Game comes to Xbox Live today for 800 ($10) . Who needs all that real legwork anyhow?Cyanide Studios, the brains behind the recent Blood Bowl and the popular-in-some-other-country Cycling Manager series must have been quietly working on this in their spare time, because it caught all of us off-guard, including Xbox Live's Major Nelson. But why not release this game just before the actual Tour de France, instead of smack dab in the middle of it? We may never know. You can play two players locally, and race up to four simultaneously on Xbox Live using one of the official teams in the current race. We just wish they would have included a drug testing minigame or something -- you know, to add some realism. Catch all the pedal-pumping power in the preview trailer right here.
JBO: Joystiq Box Office, July 6 - July 10
We can't be gaming all the time, despite our best efforts, and from time to time we'll actually take advantage of the movie-playing abilities on our gaming systems. JBO features our top picks for XBL, PSN, Netflix's Watch Instantly and Blu-ray each week.Recommendation of the Week: Let The Right One In (480 to rent HD, 320 to rent SD): Saria the Cat and our own David Hinkle suggested Let The Right One In in our first JBO post, and it's definitely worth our official stamp of approval. Probably one of the best vampire movies you'll ever see. It's subtitled, but don't let that turn you off. There's a scene near the end that makes it worth all that reading, and then some. It's a good example of how foreign films have pulled far ahead of American movies in the storytelling department. Read for the full list on a system-by-system basis just after the break. As usual, we'll see you at the popcorn st ... well, actually we won't see you at all. But you catch our drift. Plus, be sure to tell us what you'll be watching, or what you've seen recently that bowled you over.
JBO: Joystiq Box Office, June 29 - July 3
We can't be gaming all the time, despite our best efforts, and from time to time we'll actually take advantage of the movie-playing abilities on our gaming systems. JBO features our top picks for XBL, PSN, Netflix's Watch Instantly, and Blu-ray each week.Recommendation of the Week: Sunshine (Blu-ray: $29.99): We all know about Danny Boyle and Slumdog Millionaire; winning a few Oscars will do that to your movie, particularly if it's great. However, his sci-fi masterpiece Sunshine is severely underrated and underwatched. The Sun becomes an ominous character in this taut thriller, which, granted, has a plot point that could be completely jettisoned to make for a perfectly streamlined film. However, the sound, the action, and the attention to detail in this movie make this a must see in HD. Read for the full list on a system by system basis just after the break, this time with a bent toward the upcoming Independence Day holiday this Saturday. As usual, we'll see you at the popcorn st ... well, actually we won't see you at all. But you catch our drift.
Jonathan Coulton interview -- Part 2
Speaking of games, do you actually play games? Like video games or board games?I do. I'm a big fan of video games. I just don't have a great deal of time for it anymore. I have two kids, which takes up a lot of time and a wife who does not play. Well she plays some games but the things that she picks are few and far between. Usually they are not multiplayer so I can't play with her. But yeah, I have Xbox 360 at home and a Wii as well. Lately I've really gotten into Marble Blast Ultra, which I never expected to really get into. I know. It does sound ridiculous. It's not a game that I thought I was really going to get into but I've really been enjoying it.I've been playing a lot of multiplayer on Xbox Live and I continue to be amazed. Even though I think I'm pretty good at a game, I'm surprised at how much better other people can be. You're in a multiplayer situation and you're like, 'Man, I am working as hard as I can and these people are running circles around me. It's like they are magicians. I literally do not know how they are doing what they are doing.' [laughs]How cool is your family with your job? How does that dynamic work?It's interesting. I think everybody is happier because I'm happier. You don't want your family members to be constantly complaining about how they wish they were brave enough to take a chance and do what they want to do. "I've really got to quit this job.' You don't want to hear that over and over. The fact that I'm in a place where I want to be makes it better for everyone. That said, it's good and bad. I'm certainly home a lot during the days and I get to spend more time with my kids than I would if I was working a 9-5 and commuting to and from work. It's not like I'm sitting around playing Marble Blast Ultra all day. Just at lunch, usually. But there's quite a bit of work for me to do and on top of that I do a fair amount of traveling on the weekends. That's when shows tend to happen. The traveling is very hard on everybody, I think. For you are a traveling musician, you are like a character from a Journey song. [laughs]It is a weird thing to be that guy but I kind of am that guy. I keep my touring schedule as light as I can and I do these really short trips. So, I'll do like a weekend and play two shows and then be home again. I couldn't ever do these extended to three weeks trips into the Bahamas. It's just not appropriate for me, for my life. What was your very first show like? How did that happen?Well, really the first thing ... I mean prior to this stage of my career, when it was all a hobby, I had been in a couple bands in New York and our friends would come out and see us play. I've done some work with my friend John Hodgman who was a writer, who had a live writing series and I would play music for that. So, it's not that I've never played in front of people before. But doing a show for fans, the very first time that happened was when I found out at the last minute that I was going to be in Seattle for a weekend and I had an evening free. I had been using this website called eventful.com which let people demand me in their town and then I can see how many people are in a city who want to see a show by me. And, I noticed that I had 75 demands in Seattle, which was odd because I've never been to Seattle before. So, I send a message to these people and said 'Hey I am going to be in Seattle this coming weekend. I don't know anything about venues or booking them or what's available or what's good, but if you find a place that is free that you think with work with this let me know.' And, within 24 hours I had a bunch of people respond with options and I picked this little place that held about 80 people and set up a show there. It's essentially a build-up show. [laughs]That was the beginning of it. The first time I never really experienced doing a show where more than two to three random fans who were not actually my friends showed up.And where do you tend to play now? In small clubs or colleges or ...?It's mostly clubs and theatres. It depends on the city but the annual has become really huge, the annual has become like probably 800 or 900 the last time I played in Seattle, which is enormous. Generally it's in a 200 to 400 range with a few exceptions obviously of cities like Seattle that are for whatever reason larger. Yeah. What's the biggest group you've played before? You've played at PAX. There is usually a pretty big crowd there.That definitely is the biggest crowd I've played in front of. I think it was 8,000 last year. And, that's a big crowd.It's bizarre. You hear everyone talking about how an arena rock band gets so big. They don't like the big arenas anymore. They miss the intimate, smaller shows, and it's true. There is something that happened where part of what I like about the show is that I get to actually talk to the audience ... literally. They say things to me and I hear them. And I say things back. Once you get at a certain point it kind of gets so large, you can't hear anything that anybody is saying because other people are saying things at the same time. And, so with a crowd that big I find myself, I find that I just have to sort of ignore the crowd, which is equally half the fun, the back and forth that I have with the crowd. I am not saying that I don't like to play for enormous crowds because it's also kind of incredible but it's just a very different feeling from playing in front of the crowd that I am used to playing in front of. You'd been establishing a name for yourself as a sort of geek musician, and then "Still Alive" comes along in Portal, and suddenly it seems like a lot more people know who you are. Was that what it was like on your end?Yeah, it was definitely huge for me. I have had the same experience where, you know, there are fans who are from that core of pre-Portal fans, when it was just the stuff I'd done on my site and, you know, that was not insignificant. I was already amazed by the number of people who knew my music at that point. And then, yeah, when Portal happened it was definitely a terrific explosion. You know, there were people who had never heard of me at all before who became fans because of Portal. And it just cast a much, much wider net. And you know, the way these things work, they need to run across you and your music a few times before they decide to buy something, or even to come to your site and see what's going on.It's rare that someone listens to a song and then immediately it's like 'I love this person, I want to buy all of their stuff.' So, yeah, in that way it was sort of timed perfectly, because there was all this background radiation going on, with you know, "Code Monkey" had been kinda a hit and, you know, the "Thing a Week" stuff generated some buzz. So if you were on the the internet the chances are I'd come across your radar once before and then the Portal thing hit. It was just so wide spread, that you know, it just brought everything further along, that much further along.Did you know someone at Valve? How did that come about in the first place?Well I was touring in Seattle. Actually at that same venue, that was the first venue that I played in Seattle, although this was now a different show and someone came up to me and said 'Hey, we work at Valve, would you be interested in writing music for games?' and I said 'Well, sure!', and then a few weeks later I was in their offices meeting with them and playing an early version of Portal. And after sitting down and talking with the writer of that game, we all sort of realized -- oh, this would be a great thing to do and this would be a nice match-up of our sensibilities for me to write a song in the voice of this character.And was this the first time one of your songs was sung by someone else?Yeah, yeah kind of, yeah. I think that's probably true. Yeah, I think that's certainly true. And of course from the very beginning I knew exactly who I was writing for, so I had to sort of figure out what key to write it in before... before I tried it.Are you comfortable with the 'nerd' label, or are you worried about being pegged like ... the new Weird Al?Well first let me say, there's worse things than being the new Weird Al.Very true.Al is a very talented man and a very significant man. He really ... you know, I'm a fan and he's done good stuff and he does not have a bad life Al Yankovic, let's just say that.I know, he's still making songs today, it's amazing.I know! I don't want to call it a comeback, because he never really went away, but he has had a bit of a resurgence of late. And, you know, the nerd thing? Personally I don't mind being called a nerd or a geek and we can talk about the difference between those and the different definitions forever, but sure ... It's true, I like that stuff. I fit in that category.I guess I have a small, a twinge of, you know, 'Oh is this really the best thing' when I notice that's always the way I'm introduced to someone. But the thing is you don't really get to decide what people think of you, and how people describe you. And being a fan of music and musicians myself, you know, I'm familiar with the thing that happens to a band or artist where they do something, and they're known for one thing, and then they spend the rest of their careers trying to be known for something else.I think that kind of thing can really drive you crazy as a creative person. So I try not to worry about that too much. I have geeky songs and I have songs that are not geeky at all. I have funny songs and I have sad songs and the people who like those things find them. I hear about it; I do a mix of stuff at shows. Sure, everyone sings along to the zombie song because everyone likes to be zombies. But then, there are pockets of people who really enjoy the sad song that I do about becoming a parent, you know and who might come up to me afterwards and say 'That's a really inspiring song. It spoke directly to my heart' or whatever. It's a nice thing. I get to be many things to many people and to the extent that I have to be labeled a 'geek musician' or 'internet superstar' actually helps people find me and become familiar with the music. That's a good thing. The Tron commentary that you did for RiffTrax, how did that happen?Well, I was doing a show in San Diego and Mike Nelson lives there and Bill Corbett was visiting. I don't know if they were recording something or what. It was probably my friends Paul and Storm, who are musicians, singer-songwriter musicians who travel with me and play shows with me. They may have had a connection already but anyway, at some point it came to light that Mike and Bill were coming to our show. We, being big fans of theirs, arranged to say hello to them and get them nice seats and all that. I think I even made Bill come up and do the line that is sung by robots in my song "Chiron Beta Prime." So that is where we met them and I guess it was a mutual fandom thing. At some point they said, 'You guys should do RiffTrax with us. And we said, 'Yeah, OK, sure! That's awesome!'Have any of your other songs been licensed for use in other games or are they talking you about that? Even another Rock Band track?Actually, I don't know if they plan to do more. I certainly be thrilled, if they do. But, but I don't think any music has been licensed for other games. I haven't heard anything. You'd think that offers would just be pouring in from the big game companies. 'Will you please write the ballad of Halo IV?'Right, like what about writing a song for Call Of Duty?[laughs] People are always surprised when I tell them that I haven't gotten a lot of offers from game companies to do more game music. But then I point out that the Portal song is a very unique kind of game music and it plays to my strengths almost perfectly. You mentioned of doing Call of Duty 4. I would be completely lost if I do the music for that game. That's just not my thing. Unless they wanted one of the characters a sad song about his falling in love with his gun, or something, like that.One of our other writers is a Brookline native. He wonders when are you going finish "Brookline" and officially release it or has someone from Brookline gotten to you?[Seriously] I don't know what he's talking about. [Laughs] Nice. Well played. What about PAX this year? Do you have anything special planned?Not yet. I am working on a couple of things .. a couple of ideas. But I don't want to say what they are now because they may not happen. Certainly there's pressure to do something new and interesting. People don't want to come and get the same old show. That's the problem anytime you play. I always try to mix up the songs and constantly introduce new songs and pull stuff back from archives that I've stopped playing. But that said, PAX demands another level of interest. So we'll see.You are self-proclaimed fan of math and science. Do you do anything with those currently or are they just sort of hobbies and interests?No, and really it's because I don't have time. I would say that if I no longer needed to sleep, I would use that extra time in part to return to my hobby of building robots. Which is the other thing I would do if I wasn't musician. For awhile I was really into making robots. You know, building circuits and programming basic stamp boards and stuff like that. It's just another very very satisfying thing to do; to assemble something from pieces and then watch the completed thing do what you wanted it to do. Its a very exciting thing. But, you know, as they say, kids take up a lot of time.Will Wright has sort of left game development and is working on some robotics project now. Oh, is that true? I hadn't heard that. That's interesting.So you guys have similar tastes in that area.Yeah.So the last question is what every creative person loves to hear: what's next? Are you working on a new CD, are you just focusing on touring? What's new?The DVD has been occupying a lot of headspace for me for a while. So now that is done, my current plan is actually to take the summer off from touring, and do little creative exploration. It's very easy to get stuck in a loop especially when you are doing live shows. You're always either getting ready to go, or you're away on a trip, or you're recovering from just coming back from a trip. You don't have any time on the ground to really work on stuff. So I am gonna spend this summer daydreaming and messing around with my instruments and equipment which is supposedly my job. And I say that because i have to remind myself that that is in fact my job. So I don't know precisely what's next. Lot of things have come across my radar. Regardless of what else I do, I'm sure that I will continue to record songs and release them as they come. When I have enough I'll put them on a CD and put that out as well. But for now I don't have any large projects that I know that I'm gonna working in the future. I'm sort of in this exploration phase to figure out what that might be.Thank you so much for your time, I appreciate it.And thank you for yours. Note: if you're interested in entering the Joyswag contest for the CD+DVD, enter that here. To leave a comment on this interview, hit that big, fat "Comment" button just below. #ninbutton { border-style: solid; border-color: #000; border-width: 2px; background-color: #BBB; color: #000; text-decoration: none; width: 100px; text-align: center; padding: 2px 2px 2px 2px; margin: 2px 2px 2px 2px; } .buttontext { color: #000; text-decoration: none; font: bold 14pt Helvetica; } #ninbutton:hover { text-decoration: none; color: #BBB; background-color: #000; } << BACK COMMENT
Interview: Geek songsmith Jonathan Coulton
Internet balladeer Jonathan Coulton has a new CD + DVD out called "Best. Concert. Ever." It features 20 different tracks of music with an accompanying video on DVD. Plus, we're giving a copy away! Read through our interview with Coulton below, which contains all the information you ever wanted to know about him and then some, and leave a comment on the related Joyswag post telling us what your dream job would be.Read on for more, and you might want to put some music on while you do. It's a long interview. Like, seriously long. Grab a cold drink, turn up some tunes (here are a few suggestions), and kick back while you read about the musical voice of geekery.%Gallery-66755%
Joyswag: Jonathan Coulton's latest CD / DVD 'Best. Concert. Ever.'
The good news? We've got a copy of Jonathan Coulton's latest project to give away. It's a double-disc set that features a DVD full of videos from his "Best. Concert. Ever." that was filmed in San Francisco last year, and a CD packed with the music from the same event. That's over 20 tracks, the accompanying videos, and a nifty plastic-free box to hold it in.The bad news? You have to read through our entire two-part interview with him and send us a footnoted and bibliographed book report on it. Okay, just kidding. But if you're the slightest bit interested, it's there for your reading enjoyment. Once you've moseyed through, leave a comment here telling us what your dream job would be. Leave a comment telling us what your dream job would be You must be 18 years or older and a resident of the US or Canada (excluding Quebec) – sorry! These aren't our laws :-( Limit 1 entry per person This entry period ends at 12:00pm ET on Wednesday, July 8. We'll randomly select 1 winner at that time to receive: one copy of Jonathan Coulton's CD+DVD project "Best. Concert. Ever." (ARV $19.99) For a list of complete rules, click here
Last.fm on XBL: free to gold subscribers, 3 hours per month for others
Microsoft announced at their E3 keynote last month that Last.fm would be coming to Xbox Live. We're working on an interview with key players at both Last.fm and Microsoft to bring you more details about the collaboration soon. However, we can share one tidbit: today we spoke with Christina DeRosa, a general manager for XBL, and she let us know who the service will be available to."Silver users will be able access what we're considering a trial period of three hours a month, which comes with video advertising. Gold users will have unlimited ad-supported access, so they can use it 24 hours a day. There will also be a premium offering on a subscription basis from Last.fm, that will be commercial free and will also have more sophisticated personalization features, like Loved Tracks."Last.fm's subscription prices are currently $3.00 US (€3 EU or £3 GBP) per month, so you'll have to shell out an additional $36 a year if you want to avoid the ads and have full access to their service. You'll also need a Last.fm account, in case you haven't set one up already. Luckily, that part is free.%Gallery-65408%