Last Wednesday my daughter, Maryam, was born! Weighing in at 9 pounds 5 ounces, she outweighed my son Ali who was 7 pounds 14 ounces at birth. She is a big, healthy bundle of joy that has her father’s appetite, insuring she’ll only get bigger

Due to the current Swine Flu scare, the hospital made it difficult for people to visit us, but despite that we had visitors willing to endure the hospital’s strict rules and requirements. A big thank you goes out from my wife Nina and myself to everyone who visited, called, or wrote to us during this joyous occasion!

Now our family feels even more like a family!

Here’s the deal, my extremely talented good friend Nicolas Girard was returning to his native France for good. So what does he do with his remaining time here in Canada? Why he decides to build his friend (yours truly) the most awesome joystick ever! And so the NEStickle (not to be mistaken for the NES emulator NESticle) was born!

This thing is a new level of awesome, seriously. It has the best Sanwa buttons and joystick money can buy, is compatible with the X-Box 360, the Playstation 3, the Playstation 2, and any PC running Windows, Linux, or even a MAC OS! If I wanted, I could also get an adapter that would make it compatible with the original X-Box! Seriously, if that’s all it was it would still be amazing, but it’s built into and out of an actual, honest to God, Nintendo Entertainment System! Go ahead, lie and say you’re not jealous, I dare you!

(more…)

Check out pixelsandpoutine.com‘s newest podcast and you just might recognize your favorite friendly neighborhood game designer’s voice Yup, Simon Prefortaine of Pixels and Poutine fame, a podcast dedicated to the game industry right here in Montreal, has chosen yours truly for an interview on the most recent installment of his podcast.

I must say, I actually sound like I know what I’m talking about Well, don’t take my word on it, check it out and let me know what you think!

I decided, with the upcoming NBA season around the corner that I would blog a bit about my thoughts and opinions of how things might pan out this season.   But let’s first begin, or outline if you may, what happened in this very busy off-season, just in case there’s anyone out there that missed out!

Though there were many changes that occurred this off-season, I will try my best to mention the most notable and significant ones.  I guess we can begin with Shaq going to the Cavs.

(more…)

Yeah, I know that I’m a little late to the party, but I didn’t get a chance to watch Star Trek: Enterprise when it first aired, and then I had passed over too much to jump in, so I missed the series completely the first time around. Recently, I intended to remedy the situation and watch the only Star Trek I haven’t yet seen (though I still haven’t finished DS9).

Other Trekkies I spoke to were split on whether they liked it or not so I knew that it was somehow different than the other series even before I got started. To cut to the chase, I didn’t like Enterprise very much. Here are 10 reasons why (Ahoy, there be spoilers ahead):

(more…)

With the news that Marvel was just bought out by big brother Disney for a whopping 4 Billion dollars, one has to wonder what kind of repercussions such a buyout would bring to both companies.

Look no further folks, for beyond this point lies predictions on what’s about to come.

A warning is probably in order, the following is ridiculous in nature and is to be read only by those with a sense of humor.

(more…)

Happy Ramadhan everyone! Too tired to think of a new prayer so I’m copy-pasting last years Not very festive, I know. So sue me!

“May your blessings be too many to count… And your worries too few to matter. May your days be filled with Sunshine… And your nights in comfort. May you never go hungry… And be able to share your bounty. May God bless and protect you… And strengthen your faith. May the next Eid we celebrate be free from oppression, hatred, persecution, and fear… My wishes to all for a blessed Ramadan and please remember those who go hungry all year long… Ramadan Mubarak to all.”

Since it was announced, but especially since I played Street Fighter 4 and was mostly disappointed in it, I’ve been looking forward to King of Fighters 12. I’ve watched all of the youtube game play videos, read every bit of news about it as it came out, and even managed not to be deterred by the mixed but mostly negative press it’s been getting.

After all, King of Fighters does not share the mass market appeal Street Fighter has over the years and I can see how someone who isn’t a fan of the series (which I have recently become) would deduct automatic points for what they might see as a cheap Street Fighter knock-off.

(more…)

Friends are usually great to have, but they’re especially great when they’re both talented and generous! What you are about to see is a Troll statue that my friend Matthew Bernard-Laurin lovingly and painstakingly painted and then gave me to decorate my work desktop.

Please, do not be alarmed, though it may appear to be life-like this is in fact an inanimate pewter statue of a fictional creature. Matthew is available for commission-based work. If you’re interested and live in the Greater Montreal area, please state so in a comment and I’ll make sure word reaches him.

(more…)

When invited to view a pre-screening of the new Woody Allen directed movie, I was thrilled. I wouldn’t say I’m particularly a fan of Allen, but I’ve been itching for a good comedy for a while and was hoping “Whatever Works” would scratch that itch … instead it gave me a rash.

The movie started off fine. The first part had plenty of laughs, though they were usually “amused chuckles”  more than “uncontrollable gawfaws”. Still, I was in the mood to laugh and it sporadically complied with my wish, so half way through the movie I was pleased. Then the proverbial manure hit the air ventilation system in a big way.

(more…)