Guitar Praise: Rock that Positive Message, Kids!

Guitar Praise

By Casey Lynn
Contributing Writer, [GAS]

Apparently Guitar Praise is supposed to be a big seller this holiday season. The idea makes sense in theory–basically a port of Guitar Hero with all of the music replaced with Christian rock for those who have issues with secular music–but it could have been executed so much better if it were an official Guitar Hero product, like the Aerosmith version (or for example, how Karaoke Revolution had a country music version). Instead it just comes off as a lame rip-off. Check out the commercial:

The voice-over sounds like your dorky dad reading a script that he thinks is “how all the kids are talking these days.” “You can move around the room as you rock!” “Shred those rifts!” “Soon you’ll be rockin’ with the best of them while conveying that positive Christian message!”

It just looks like an inferior product, from having to be played on a computer to the lack of character graphics. And that has nothing to do with the music… I was actually a big fan of the Newsboys back in junior high (kind of surprised they’re still around, actually!). Still, I guess if you’re a kid and your parents won’t let you play videogames because they’re all terrible influences on you, and this is the best you’re going to get, then it’s not bad.

Of course, this whole thing just makes me think of other Christian versions of games… like this amazing rip-off of Wolfenstein 3D. SUPER NOAH’S ARK 3D. Because shooting zombies and Nazis is evil, but plugging goats with a slingshot is wholesome (and apparently, educational).


Google introduces Digg-style voting buttons

By Mark O’Neill
Contributing Writer, [GAS]

Google has introduced a very interesting new feature to their search index – Digg-style voting buttons, where you can vote websites up and down using your Google account.

This is something which apparently has been tested for a long time by Google and which has now been released for prime time.    Once you make your search for something, you can show your approval or disapproval by clicking the up or down arrow and your name will appear underneath the result. If you give something a thumb up, it will bring the item on top of the search results for the keyword you just typed in.

According to the official Google blog, this will have no effect whatsoever on actual search ranking. The feature is only there to tweak what is displayed on your own search result pages.

Your thoughts?

Gmail Plays Dress-Up

By Casey Lynn
Contributing Writer, [GAS]

Those of you accessing Gmail through the web (as I do) may have noticed the new “Themes” that showed up yesterday. I’m already a fan, myself! The options encompass everything from basic color scheme changes to more complicated redesigns that use soothing photos or cute cartoons.

To change your Gmail theme, click on “Settings” at the top righthand corner of the screen, just beside your email address, and you’ll see a new “Themes” tab. They activate automatically when you click on them, so you can easily click through and try them out.

I suppose the “geeky” one is supposed to be “Terminal” (pictured to the right), but I think I’d go blind if I had to stare at the neon-green-on-black for too long. So far my favorite is “Tea House” (pictured above), which seems to a time sensitive theme. When I first activated it, the fox was sitting in the middle of the yard, and now he’s up in the shade of the tower while the sun is higher in the sky.  I suspect this may be one of the “weather-sensitive” themes as well, since it asks for your specific location when you activate it.

Sometimes little differences can actually be big ones. I’m thinking of how excited Livejournal users get when the site adds new blog themes to choose from.

If you you’ve chosen a new Gmail theme, which one are you using?

Ding! Dong! Lively’s Gone!

By Mark O’Neill
Contributing Writer, [GAS]

What the hell? No sooner have I gotten my bed up the stairs and my bachelor pad all set up, Google has decided to pull the plug on its Second Life-like set up, Lively. As of the end of the year, they are killing it. It’s history baby.

What is it with Google and its beta products that never make it past its first few months? We start playing with them and begin to like them, then after a while…BAM! They close up shop never to be seen again. I thought it was Yahoo who was notorious for doing that? Now it seems Google is doing it too.

OK, I admit I was deeply skeptical of Lively and its exact place in a search company, but it’s one of those products that grow on you after a while.    You dress your character up, you get your virtual pad together and you invite a few virtual good looking friends around for a dance and a conversation or two.   After a while, you realize a few hours have flown by and you think “wow! this Lively thing isn’t so bad after all!”.

Lively also had the potential for Google to place advertising in it – virtual billboards for example, interactive YouTube videos inside Lively rooms, and so on.    So it really mystifies me why Google is pulling the plug on this!    Killing this product is almost an impardonable sin!

Fans are distraught and have set up a special Lively room to talk about it (for all the good THAT will do).   That’s like doing an online petition.

I wonder what will be the next Google service to get killed?    Want to place any bets?

Geeky Pics: Computer Cats [Pics]

By Casey Lynn
Contributing Writer, [GAS]

Searching through Flickr this morning for an illustration for a previous post, I accidentally stumbled across a great theme for this week’s geeky pics. It turns out that people just love taking pictures of cats and computers. Maybe this isn’t as sexy as last week’s pics, but maybe I’ll get an “awww!” out of you.

Helpfully pointing out missing semicolon in code:

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Monty Python launches official YouTube channel

By Mark O’Neill
Contributing Writer, [GAS]

Claiming to be tired of all the rip off Monty Python videos uploaded to YouTube over the years, the Monty Python members have decided to put a stop to it once and for all – by uploading the clips themselves.

They have created their own YouTube channel and they will be gradually uploading as much material as possible for free – but they are asking that users then click on the page links to buy their shows on DVD.   Obviously this is not obligatory but it would be nice.

Prepare to see world work productivity plummet as people tune in to watch Monty Python videos!   I for one am having problems concentrating today!

Why can’t all entertainers and TV studios have this refreshing approach to YouTube and video uploading? Instead of getting the RIAA on people and taking them to court, why not accept that YouTube and video uploading is here to stay? Why not embrace YouTube and the internet and do what Monty Python is doing? Set up their own user account, upload their own clips and invite people to click on links to buy merchandise?

Below is the official Python announcement video for the new YouTube channel and also one of the new clips that they have uploaded – the classic “Argument Clinic”.