http://www.idkfa.com/v3 idkfa: syndicated http://www.idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=6912&msg_id=6922 Oh, Blind Guardian. Their brand of power metal is like an incredibly complex cheese. If all you've eaten is sharp cheddar, you probably won't like it: the dozens of layered vocal tracks on top of the dual guitar attack on top of drums mixed with an electronic drum machine on top of bass on top of two 90-person choirs on top of three international symphonies is akin to eating all the French cheese varieties whose names you can't pronounce and having them paired with fine wine. However, if you're like me, and have listened to so much music that you demand complexity or uniqueness in your music, it is a delicacy that cannot be passed up. Thus is the newest Blind Guardian offering. Naturally, it's concept album, and, in fact, a sequel to their highly regarded 1995 album Imaginations from the Other Side. I honestly don't know what the fuck the story is, and I've even gone to listening to each album back to back to try and immerse myself in it more thoroughly! Something about the realm of gods... and another realm via a red mirror... and a holy war... In any case, the story is secondary to the music, which is just impossibly dense and mostly incredibly catchy and brilliant. No one does epic like Blind Guardian. Unfortunately, because there is SO MUCH going on, the mix is peculiar in a few ways (vocals, choirs and orchestras are pretty high in the mix, leaving other aspects a bit muddy). It is an album that can only be enjoyed via headphones, the higher fidelity the better. Otherwise the intricacies just get lost. 4.0/5 - Great album. All in all, this album took me a while to get into, but after a few listens, I think it's a winner. It's overlong, a bit overblow, and probably too dense with a mix that doesn't help (but may have been necessary, given the complexities). Probably their best since A Nightfall in Middle-Earth, and on par with Imaginations from the Other Side. Scrotor@idkfa.com (Scrotor) Pretty State Machine Thu, 12 Feb 2015 20:15:44 -0900 http://idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=6912&msg_id=6922 http://www.idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=6580&msg_id=6580 The break room smells like somebody microwaved blue cheese and permanent markers. kaiden@idkfa.com (kaiden) Look down, look down... Thu, 03 Jul 2014 13:27:12 -0800 http://idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=6580&msg_id=6580 http://www.idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=3160&msg_id=6496 Maybe the cheese is more bearable when young? Scrotor@idkfa.com (Scrotor) Cognitive Surplus Thu, 29 May 2014 17:37:55 -0800 http://idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=3160&msg_id=6496 http://www.idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=6297&msg_id=6298 Hahaha so good. The one for Escape from LA is my favorite. "If you like this movie, I don't know if I would trust you to put ketchup on my cheeseburger." Scrotor@idkfa.com (Scrotor) Mercy General Sun, 13 Apr 2014 15:44:04 -0800 http://idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=6297&msg_id=6298 http://www.idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=6220&msg_id=6222 Holy shit. This is some great power metal. The lead singer sounds EXACTLY like the guy from Blind Guardian, but the music is heavier and less orchestral, and the lyrical content is not exclusively about sci-fi and fantasy stories (better or worse, depending on your pleasure) - it's kind of like a combo with Iced Earth, in terms of the heaviness of the riffs. I'm a little surprised I haven't heard of this stuff before, this band is pretty awesome. 4.0/5 - Great power metal. The cheese factor is minimal, these guys just deliver some solid tunes with soaring vocals. Scrotor@idkfa.com (Scrotor) Pretty State Machine Fri, 28 Mar 2014 21:02:13 -0800 http://idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=6220&msg_id=6222 http://www.idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=6036&msg_id=6038 I was not ready for that cheese. I feel a little sick. Not even narration by Christopher Lee could save that from being a typical power metal romp. 2.5/5 - Typical power metal cheez wiz...ards. Scrotor@idkfa.com (Scrotor) Pretty State Machine Wed, 19 Feb 2014 19:32:54 -0900 http://idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=6036&msg_id=6038 http://www.idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=6036&msg_id=6036 The Frozen Tears of Angels - I'm ready for cheese. Scrotor@idkfa.com (Scrotor) Pretty State Machine Tue, 18 Feb 2014 19:59:22 -0900 http://idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=6036&msg_id=6036 http://www.idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=5101&msg_id=5867 Following in tradition, here are a few of my thoughts around watching Babylon 5. Spoilers to follow. Though, honestly, I know nobody is watching. The show starts off in a strange place. The known, unaligned worlds of the galaxy have survived a long bloody war, and as a result, collectively decided that building a massive space station was the best way to build diplomatic relations. Actually, they built five stations, and as of the start of the show, the previous four have been destroyed or disappeared under mysterious circumstances. Babylon 5 is the fifth attempt, and the pseudo-militaristic beauracrats that run the place are the galaxy's "last, best hope for peace." A quarter of a million beings live in B5, and is, oddly, largely staffed by humans, who among the known races are probably the least sophisticated, least advanced, and most war-like. The ambassadors from the larger, older worlds resent the humans, but tolerate them so far as they don't get in their way. The galaxy is filled with the relics and mysteries of the "Old Ones," races that date back to the birth of the galaxy itself. And from the outset, telepaths have a mysterious, critical function in the workings of the universe. It's a weird place to start. For instance: how would the unaligned worlds have ever gotten to the point where they could agree to build a space station, no less five of them? And if they can build five of them, why aren't there more stations like it? And why build it in orbit around a strange, mysterious planet on which no one is allowed to set foot? Anyhow. There are at least a few interesting questions to answer. Add a few compelling characters, decent acting, intriguing world building, and solid plot narratives, and you could go far. This, sadly, did not happen. The acting is mostly terrible, the dialog is cheesy and stilted, and the only interesting plot narratives dry up completely 3.5 seasons in (out of 5). It kaiden@idkfa.com (kaiden) Indiscernible from Magic Thu, 16 Jan 2014 17:06:22 -0900 http://idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=5101&msg_id=5867 http://www.idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=5826&msg_id=5837 Man, Symphony X always borders the line between cheese and awesome... too bad they fall on the cheese side for this album. 3/5 Scrotor@idkfa.com (Scrotor) Pretty State Machine Thu, 09 Jan 2014 17:26:58 -0900 http://idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=5826&msg_id=5837 http://www.idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=5562&msg_id=5573 If there is a hell, this is what my version of it will look like (since I am most assuredly headed there). Seriously, has this guy ever tasted chipotle mac and cheese with prosciutto and garlic breadcrumbs? conrad@idkfa.com (conrad) Mercy General Mon, 04 Nov 2013 01:24:08 -0900 http://idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=5562&msg_id=5573 http://www.idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=5337&msg_id=5337 Aaaaaaaaaaand finished Voyager. Fuck you Rick Berman. Double fuck you Brannon Braga. I seriously can't believe how much they wasted the potential for what could have been a great show... if they had taken ONE RISK during the entire seven year run. All action, no consequences. That being said, I still gave it a 4/5 on Netflix. Why? It is possibly the highest quality sc-fi show ever produced. Every episode went down like candy. So, while I was entertained, I was just so terribly disappointed because I wanted it to be on par with DS9 (and it could have been!). Perhaps, though, this show is really the most Star Trek of all the Star Trek series (episodic, idealistic). One last note: I think Kate Mulgrew is underrated. She made terrible dialogue almost believable for seven seasons. Not quite a Patrick Stewart, of course, but definitely 2nd behind him. Note, however, that in terms of captains, it goes: JLP>Sisco>Janeway>>Kirk>Archer. In terms of dialogue quality (from the writers), however, it goes: Sisco>Janeway>JLP>Kirk>Archer. Now to mop up the rest of TOS... then the Animated Series, and I'm done! Let the cheese begin... Scrotor@idkfa.com (Scrotor) Cognitive Surplus Mon, 05 Aug 2013 04:35:43 -0800 http://idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=5337&msg_id=5337 http://www.idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=5101&msg_id=5102 B5, "Infection," S01E04 Babylon 5 is... a really strange show so far. My best description I can give for it so far is "A Scifi's scifi." It is so far doing its damnedest to throw in every costumed alien, laser blast, and computer graphic space dogfight possible. ...Which doesn't really forgive some of its cheese. I can see what they're doing, and I like it. They're taking most of the "soft" elements of Star Trek and filling them with other, more reasonable premises. So far, they're surviving without shields or transporters or replicators, but they're still using technobabble, pseudoscience, and one-liners as a crutch. I'm willing to forgive, however. I'm only four episodes in, and between the cheese there are pretty interesting dialogues, character developments, and plot twists. People are *actually* devious, rather than just having the camera cutting away to them making devious faces. And when commanding officers make magnificently bad leadership decisions, their reporting officers actually report on it. This episode was bizarre, as it managed to mix in: eugenics, criticisms against academia, the necessity for space travel for the human race to survive the death of the sun, and religious fanaticism. It certainly wasn't one of the best episodes of television I've seen. But for the amount of shit they crammed into there, I was impressed. kaiden@idkfa.com (kaiden) Indiscernible from Magic Tue, 07 May 2013 17:09:48 -0800 http://idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=5101&msg_id=5102 http://www.idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=4306&msg_id=4306 Got my bike pump replaced, tires aired up, and my tire spokes wrenched. I have tasted of the cheese of accomplishment. kaiden@idkfa.com (kaiden) The Sporting Life Tue, 10 Apr 2012 23:25:37 -0800 http://idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=4306&msg_id=4306 http://www.idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=4272&msg_id=4277 Man, that is probably my second favorite Original Star Trek movie behind Undiscovered Country. I'm not joking when I say I love whales. That movie has a fond place in my heart from my childhood. Critically, it's not a very good movie (cheese galore), but I still enjoy it. lololol they're on the CVN-65 Enterprise, get it!? PAID FOR BY THE US NAVY, UNITED STATES NAVY A GLOBAL FORCE FOR GOOD. Green Man@idkfa.com (Green Man) Cognitive Surplus Tue, 27 Mar 2012 14:54:09 -0800 http://idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=4272&msg_id=4277 http://www.idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=3160&msg_id=3619 At first I thought this episode was dick cheese, but man, leave it up to Patrick Stewart to make shit shine. Even the oh-so-cliched forbidden romance. You know, I was thinking there were better episodes in this season, but I guess I'll have to remain satisfied with character driven plots. The one with Data's mom is kind of interesting, if dull (SPOILER ALERT). Scrotor@idkfa.com (Scrotor) Cognitive Surplus Wed, 28 Sep 2011 03:41:00 -0800 http://idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=3160&msg_id=3619 http://www.idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=3289&msg_id=3337 Wait, wait... you might be right. I can't even remember, honestly. Other than that there was cheese. Which, no matter what orifice you might be talking about, is just goddamned disgusting. Scrotor@idkfa.com (Scrotor) Just Say Yes Wed, 27 Jul 2011 18:25:56 -0800 http://idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=3289&msg_id=3337 http://www.idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=2360&msg_id=2367 Starting April 17th. Can't guarantee mead. Maybe cheese and/or crackers. kaiden@idkfa.com (kaiden) The Good Books Wed, 30 Mar 2011 17:31:57 -0800 http://idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=2360&msg_id=2367 http://www.idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=1602&msg_id=1758 1. What did you do in 2010 that you'd never done before? Got cast as a dancer in a musical. WTF. 2. Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year? No way. 3. Did anyone close to you give birth? My former roommate hatched a baby! And dressed her up like an egg for Halloween. 4. Did anyone close to you die? Yes. 5. What countries did you visit? None. 6. What would you like to have in 2011 that you lacked in 2010? Parties! 7. What date from 2010 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? The day Tango got hit by a car. 8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? Getting a new job! And paying off my whole goddamn credit card. 9. What was your biggest failure? Not quitting smoking (again). 10. Did you suffer illness or injury? Pulled a hamstring trying to do the splits. 11. What was the best thing you bought? Cheese. 12. Whose behavior merited celebration? Josh’s idkfa revival is super! 13. Whose behavior made you appalled? Mine 14. Where did most of your money go? Toward paying off my credit card and paying for my eyeballs. 15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? REEFER MADNESS 16. What song will always remind you of 2010? GAGA IS TIMELESS. 17. Compared to this time last year, are you: - i. happier or sadder? happier - ii. thinner or fatter? thinner - iii. richer or poorer? richer 18. What do you wish you'd done more of? Dancing. 19. What do you wish you'd done less of? Drinking. 20. How did you spend Christmas? Eating cookies. 22. Did you fall in love in 2010? Yes. 23. How many one-night stands? I thought for a second maybe there weren’t any. But then I remembered that married army girl. And January. 2 or 3? 24. What was your favorite TV program? Flight of the Concords 25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year? No sexretary@idkfa.com (sexretary) idkfa Tue, 11 Jan 2011 19:26:12 -0900 http://idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=1602&msg_id=1758 http://www.idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=1602&msg_id=1622 1. What did you do in 2010 that you'd never done before? I finally traveled abroad for the very first time. 2. Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year? Yes and yes. Same ol' though- eat better, and work out more. 3. Did anyone close to you give birth? Yes, my sister Joy. Baby girl Josie. 4. Did anyone close to you die? I wasn't terribly close to any of them, but some good people were lost this year. 5. What countries did you visit? Australia. 6. What would you like to have in 2011 that you lacked in 2010? Hmmm, motivation. To learn how to play the guitar, that is. 7. What date from 2010 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? Engaged on 9/10/10. 8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? Gettin' rid of student debt. 9. What was your biggest failure? Not learning to play the guitar… seriously, I can't put this off anymore. 10. Did you suffer illness or injury? Nope, Nothing major. 11. What was the best thing you bought? Greek yogurt changed my life. But the Mac Mini is pretty awesome. 12. Whose behavior merited celebration? My sister Joy works terribly hard and always has the best attitude. She has a lot of things to celebrate this year. 13. Whose behavior made you appalled? I guess the Jersey Shore folks are the first to come to mind. 14. Where did most of your money go? Student loans. 15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? Engagement, fer sho :) 16. What song will always remind you of 2010? Alejandro 17. Compared to this time last year, are you: - i. happier or sadder? Happier - ii. thinner or fatter? Thinner - iii. richer or poorer? Richer 18. What do you wish you'd done more of? I would've increased my overall productivity. You know, hobbies that produce things, like music, or scarves, or ice sculptures. 19. What do you wish you'd done less of? missmalgal@idkfa.com (missmalgal) idkfa Sun, 02 Jan 2011 21:37:43 -0900 http://idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=1602&msg_id=1622 http://www.idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=1503&msg_id=1573 well... it IS true... there can never been too many cheese and crackers at a potluck. CapitolZebra@idkfa.com (CapitolZebra) Mercy General Sun, 26 Dec 2010 07:07:58 -0900 http://idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=1503&msg_id=1573 http://www.idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=1503&msg_id=1503 Some people just don't have as much fun as I do at work: From:xxxxxx Sent: Tuesday, December 21, 2010 11:12 AM To: Erik S. Dahl Subject: RE: REMINDER - POTLUCK tomorrow Okay From:Erik S. Dahl Sent: Tuesday, December 21, 2010 11:10 AM To: xxxxxxx Subject: RE: REMINDER - POTLUCK tomorrow I’ll bring some more cheese and crackers. Never too many cheese and crackers… right? Right?? Scrotor@idkfa.com (Scrotor) Mercy General Tue, 21 Dec 2010 15:48:20 -0900 http://idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=1503&msg_id=1503 http://www.idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=557&msg_id=575 That sounds positively miserable to me. haha. And not to mention dangerous for my wallet. I hate shopping for just about everything, but especially clothes and food. Granted, in the case of Costco it could also have to do with the fact that the Costco we go to (a block away from our apartment) is one of the busiest Costco's in North America. Literally. There are lines wrapping around the store if you make the mistake of going after 3pm on a weekday or anytime on a weekend. For us the factor determining how quickly we make the dash for the exit is how long it takes us to do the math and compare a price to same item at Safeway, if it happens to be something we don't get often. Though, I will admit, when we are actually looking for something out of the ordinary - like the bottle of wine or brick of feta cheese - Costco is almost always the place to have it for the best price. I just wish our Costco down here would carry liquor. It's illegal in VA for stores to do that, and it just so annoying. CapitolZebra@idkfa.com (CapitolZebra) Mercy General Wed, 15 Sep 2010 22:43:26 -0800 http://idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=557&msg_id=575