"Transition" (The End)

The Final Post

Dear Followers,

This blog has been fun.

I guess, after all this time, it's safe to say we have certainly pursued thoughtful endeavors.

However, Zoodle must now come to a close.

When I created this blog, I was experimenting: what did I enjoy writing about? Was I good at creating and maintaining a site/blog? Was it exciting to work collaboratively? And certainly, Zoodle has served its purpose in that way; by bringing me a step closer to me understanding what I want to do with my ever-changing interests.

I think it has helped me.

So, while the Zoodle Factory may need to be shut down (hey, blame it on the economy), and the zoodles aren't always as green-supporting as they used to be, I think the heart, mind and soul of Zoodle shall live on. Live on in the hearts...souls...and..minds of its [current] former readers.

What does this mean for the future of this blog? Who knows. Not even I know!

Thank you Donald, Eragon1993, ~Knute, and Queso for all your posts, and to all the followers of this blog: I thank you especially for reading!

I wish you all a good day!

Cheers,

David

Creative Words

We at Zoodle are terribly sorry about the huge absence of posts. The fact of the matter is, life is busy. We'll try to keep you constantly inspired and update the blog more often.

But to the point now.

When you talk, do you just instantly let your mouth loose forth the slew of words waiting to breech the barrier of your lips, or do you carefully select words that best communicate your point? When I was young, I never really thought about what I said. What went through my head before I said something, was a quick determination whether I was going to say something nice, funny, mean, or random. However, as I matured, I learned the value of picking your words from a myriad of options. Finding the exact word to portray my feelings feels like an accomplishment, as though each sentence was a masterful poem.

HeHe Video

Zoodle and Project Orange are launching a new blog called HeHe Video. The blog is comprised of various YouTube videos, full of hilarity. Each video includes a short, pithy description, and on occasion a bit o' a background on the vid.

"Amuse Yourself" and the logo themselves are playoffs of YouTube's "Broadcast Yourself", and logo. And yes, in case you were wondering, the font is the same: Alternative Gothic No. 2, and Myriad Pro-Regular!

We here at Zoodle encourage you, if your chuckle meter is looking a bit low, please Amuse Yourself at HeHe Video. BalloonShop, Barat sand Bereta, Rhett and Link are only a few names which come to mind...enjoy!

Century Child

Century Child is undoubtedly my favorite Nightwish album to date. Some argue that the singing range for Tarja (lead singer) has diminished since Wishmaster in 2000, other say Anette (current lead singer for Nightwish as of 2006) does a better job of singing with her new style, but personally I love how Tarja sings in this album. Her voice has a softer edge, and still possesses the same power it did before. This album also marks the debut of Marco Hietala as a band member of Nightwish, male lead vocals and bass guitar player. I also think that in this album, they really nailed the orchestra/heavy metal mix.

Bless the Child starts out with Tarja's operatic, passionate vocals, and leads into a memorable string and guitar duo that sounds enticing. After a short spoken-word intro by Toni Kakko, the song leads into the first verse with Tarja singing to the chorus of metal. Bless the Child is definitely in my top ten Nightwish songs. It demonstrates the perfect balance in sound between orchestral, vocal, and metal.

End of All Hope embodies the rock side of the band. Quick-paced and dramatic, it also holds a place in my top ten. In Dead to the World, Marco's vocals along with Tarja's are passionate, and as a duet they sound full and confident. Ever Dream begins with a beautiful piano intro, which then leads into a dramatic explosion of violin. Slaying the Dreamer is particularly dark, and one of the heaviest songs Nightwish has ever recorded. Heavy guitars followed by Marco's death chanting make this song one of a kind.

Forever Yours and Ocean Souls, in my opinion, seem rather out-of-place. They are slower, more mellow songs. Not to say that they lack talent, but I just felt these two songs fell below the standard in making up this collection of epic songs.

Feel for You starts with a calm base guitar intro. I think this song, along with Dead to the World reveal the best from Marco's voice. Feel for You also has a particularly awesome ending, as the intensity of Tarja's voice is exposed here. Phantom of the Opera is an awesome cover. I think it was a great idea to do a cover of this song! Tarja sings her part beautifully, and Marco achieves singing as sinisterly as the phantom himself. Beauty of the Beast presents an awesome finale that's well worth listening to; orchestra and metal combination are at there finest here, and it concludes with a stanza spoken by Toni, which wraps the album up from the beginning of Bless the Child.

I'd rate this album a 9/10. Definitely worth purchasing! I recommend adopting this Century Child for a lifetime!

BalloonShop - Ghost of Girlfriends Past

These guys are hilarious! They have a unique type of dry humor that may leave some scratching their heads while causing others to laugh theirs off.

Please check them out and Subscribe!

The Crow (A Tribute to The Raven by Edgar Allen Poe)

Once during a late-night hour, I lounged austere and sour
Mulling over a musical piece of unusual score
And when my eyes did close, I heard a cry of interpose
At which I arose, and looked to the offending door
Mused I then, “This strange noise I must explore.
This will be all, and nothing more.”

With pertinence do I recall, the walk through the silent hall
The many dwindling candles spread throughout the room
A vivid song of pearl did in my mind a-swirl
As a mask for my lost girl; my dear long lost Lenore!
The beauty who all humanity did adore
She who had departed, forevermore.

The door's handle I did reach, but stay! I heard a screech
Muffled through the door's ancient oak
And at this I was certain, that at pulling the curtain
A horrendous beast would surely show—
So I looked: but it was only a crow.
A dim-witted bird, and nothing more.

So I opened the ingress to confront the distress
But before my astonished eyes did lie
The crazy-winged floppings amidst the many bird droppings
And sprinkling feathers ‘round: wherefore
I lurched and sneezed with quite a roar!
Chaos, chaos, all the more!

Before I understood this mess, the crow flew in (with no finesse)
All sprawling and sideways it did impend
And when it came a-landing, I just stood there standing
“Most surely this has happened before;
Possibly in some sort of old folklore?
“Yes, a forgotten poem, and nothing more.”

There it perched on the bust, of some Greek-god I trust
Cocking its head in a doleful manner.
It looked grossly dull upon that decorated skull
And I waited for it to say a word or four
But standing there became quite a bore
Yet I stayed-just to make sure!

I watched as my soul grew quiet, I wanted it to talk like parrot.
For I know I missed a companion
Which got me thinking, and led my heart to sinking
On the figure of my lost damsel Lenore!
The one who was christened Lenore!
Reminiscing thus, and nothing more.

Amidst my unruly thought, I heard! I noticed! I caught!
A sound from the awkward bird of ebony
Intelligible at best, but still I obsessed!
“You have completed the chore!
Now just a word or two – I implore!”
A noise it made, but nothing more.

In place of wanted talk, it merely let out a squawk.
Awhile my malice was slowly building
“Speak! You dumb bird! I thought I heard
A word emit from your beak for sure!
I won’t give up: this means war!
“A permanent battle forevermore!”

At this the crow flinched, and so stiffly it clinched
That the bust which it sat cracked right to the ground.
With the bird in the air, and my gaze with its stare
We met eye-to-eye: that crow and I bore
The burden of unadulterated, painful eyesore
A pathetic staring contest, and nothing more.

As I grabbed a bat, I swung and I swat
I swirled and twirled and mingled and mired
Until the bird I did hit, and with its wing split
It flew out the window; right into the snow
So I closed the shades as I foreswore
To teach that crow nevermore!

Brain Food and Juice

No, this isn't a factual statistical post, this is just a fun creative post, once again with my childhood thoughts. Did you ever, as I did much when I was young, like to think, that by eating certain foods it would directly add to your brain matter? Or drinking certain juices would add to the intelligence of your thought flow? Now, this may be true, but I always loved to think of eating peanut butter as directly increasing my knowledge. Also, drinking smoothies would add capacity to my thinking patterns. Getting a juicer this Christmas has re-awakened this old way of thinking, and I love to imagine that each type of fruit or vegetable I add puts in a different type of intelligence. Like maybe 3 Apples with 2 Carrots and a Pear is great for memory capacity and efficiency, whereas maybe 2 Apples, half a cucumber, a handful of grapes and a little bit of lemon would improve logic!

I just thought I'd share my little fantasy with you all. Have a great weekend!

Assassin's Creed II Review for Xbox 360

With tremendous success from the game's predecessor, Assassin's Creed, Ubisoft wanted to step it up and see what improvement could be obtained in Assassin's Creed II. With more weapons, armor, and climbing tactics, this game really packs a punch. The developers were interested primarily with evolving the story's plot and improving the combat capabilities as well. Ubisoft took Assassin's Creed II to a whole new level by creating it as a sort of historical fiction. Artist Leonardo De Vinci makes a significant appearance, leader of Florentine Lorenzo de' Medici appears as well, and even Pop Alexander VI contributes to the story. Integration with these historical figures up the game's excitement and authenticity. With a vast array of weapons and attack combos, combat in this game is extraordinary. You can purchase weapons to use, pick up fallen weapons on the ground, or even take weapons from enemies to fight with. Combat abilities include lunging, dodging, blocking, grabbing, countering, and even taunting. Animations for countering have also improved, with more realistic movements and many varieties as well.

In the game you control Desmond Miles during the year 2012, who starts off escaping Abstergo Industries with employee Lucy Stillman. Once you arrive at your new location, you meet several new characters before entering the "Animus", which allows Desmond to recall and relive the memories of his ancestors. Instead of controlling Altaïr ibn La-Ahad from the early 12th century like in the first game, your memories progress to the late 15th century as you control Ezio Auditore da Firenze from Italy. When your father and brothers are murdered, you receive orders to take armor and equipment from a room in your house which turns out to be the Assassin's garments (your father's), and a single sword. Many references to Assassin's Creed are included, such as the Apple of Eden (a Piece of Eden seen in the previous game), a brief reenactment of an endeavor of Altaïr where he can actually be controlled, and many signs left by Subject 16-the test subject from Abstergo just before Desmond-who hacked the Animus and left clues for Desmond strewn throughout Italy.

Gameplay can best be described as open-world. While the game follows a tight story line, it can be interrupted at almost any time so you can complete various sidequests. There is virtually nothing Ezio can't climb! Bounding from rooftop to rooftop, scaling high walls, and leaping from an awning to swing on a post proves best use of environment is mandatory for catching thugs, following officials, and when in pursuit of a time-based mission. Guards are fought frequently, such as in the first game, and with three different kinds of soldiers, it makes attack-and-runs all the more challenging. There are the Agiles, who are best at keeping up with your speed, Brutes who are the strongest fighters, and Seekers who will check hiding places in search of you: no longer can you hide in a bale of hay and simply lose your enemies! Fighting feels a lot like the previous game's combat, but with more abilities. Variety in fighting will cause the enemy to be defeated more easily. But when Ezio is overwhelmingly outnumbered, you can always hit the streets or even dive in water for escape.

Controlling has been nearly perfected. I didn't hardly have a problem with controlling Ezio's various acrobatic movements, which is very important as there are many places where you rely on the accuracy of control. Buttons have been ingeniously formatted to fit practically any free-roaming situation. Holding the right trigger button changes the function of many of the other buttons, thus giving you many ways to maneuver. Blending using a button has been omitted, and the action can now be accomplished by mingling with a select crowd of individuals. I have no complaints about the camera in the game, and am also eager to praise it. With a control stick dedicated to movement of the camera, a first-person perspective option and even a contextual camera at command, the game's viewing is extremely flexible and you should have no problem keeping up with your Assassin's movements.

The game's presentation is fantastic. Ubisoft developed three short movies preceding the release of the game with real actors. This went a long way to develop the background story of the game and adds to its real feel. The graphics are phenomenal, and the voice acting is authentic. Environments look realistic with careful textural detail and convincing lighting and shading qualities. Almost all environmental objects react realistically when touched. The game's music also enhances the game, remaining either pleasant or exciting and never becoming boring or obnoxious.

This game is rated M for Blood, Intense Violence, Sexual Content, and Strong Language. I would say this rating is accurate, as over a dozen occurrences of the F-word appear, as do a few other expletives. Blood and gore are most prominent also, although blood can be turned off in the games options menu. Also, an in-game cutscene hinting at sexuality is brief, but still present. Another negative element in the game is the moral, which is unseen at first, but presents the opinion that any sort of religion is false.

These elements aside, Assassin's Creed II is an excellent game. Crafted with an historical edge and an even more free-world style, this game can easily be rated a 9.3/10. It even possesses decent replay value, as collecting all 100 feathers, piecing together the remaining glyphs and obtaining the rest of the Assassin's tomb seals will keep you going even after the story is finished. For historical interest, a database is provided with information on people, places, and events relevant to the story. The map also reveals areas not yet explored, and various sidequests remain from requested assassinations to city races. If you've played through the game's storyline, you'll probably be saying, "I can't wait for Assassin's Creed III!"