Los Angeles, CA*
Redmond, WA*
Las Vegas, NV*
Bass Lake, CA*
Costa Mesa, CA
Carlsbad, CA
San Ramon, CA
Chico, CA
Honolulu, HI
McMinnville, OR
Edmonton, Canada
Mexico City, Mexico

At least one night was spent in each place. Cities marked with an asterisk indicate multiple visits.

Thanks to Jason Kottke who has recorded his ‘year in cities’ on kottke.org since 2005 for the idea.

Corlieu left city life behind to settle the valley next to lake, where the waterfall there bears his name. I imagine he was a better mountaineer than poet, but his words retain their wisdom nearly 100 years on. Here’s to “quiet repose” in the grand Sierra, in county Madera!

Sierra’s Call
By Clifford Corlieu

Give me the mountains,
The glorious mountains,
Whose beauties all come from the snows,
Where nature’s hand blesses
The soul with caresses
Of free life and quiet repose

Where free from all business
And commercial fizziness,
And straight jacket ‘ciety rule,
I can eat and drink and slouch it,
And not have to couch it
Neath pretense, or be called a fool

Give me grand Sierra
In county Madera
To live among its great peaks,
With climate that’s peeree,
And forest so deery,
And rainbows a-swarm in its creeks

Where a strenuous hike it
Soon leads you to like it
For it hardens your corny foot mellows,
Expanding your muscle,
Reducing your bustle,
And makes your lungs work like a bellows.

Where camp fare and clime,
Soon make you feel prime;
Make steely your sinew and bone,
Your muscle and bust
Swell out like crust
Often an old time dutch oven baked pone.

Hie then to Sierra’s mountain
Where joys are beyond your countin,
There are fountains of health
And ledges of wealth
Call with favors abounden.

Reprinted the book Exploring The Sierra Vista National Scenic Byway.

This is Mike’s birthday gift to me this year. He’s spending so much time with important billionaires he was a little late getting a card in the mail. I guess I can forgive him.

In the intervening years I went from Bush supporter to apologist to feeling totally disenfranchised. It was the Harriet Miers nomination that pushed me over the edge (he’s gone crazy!), but Bush had long since left the reservation, selling-out conservative principles in a gambit
that lost many within his constituent base.

Alan Greenspan, discussing The Age of Turbulence with Tim Russert this morning, summarized my discontent wonderfully:

MR. RUSSERT: You said this: “I think Bill Clinton was the best Republican president we’ve had in a while.” Republican?

MR. GREENSPAN: I’m sure he doesn’t like that joke, but if you look at his record compared to what I think appropriate policy ought to be, he’s for free trade, he’s for globalization, he was for welfare reform, fiscal restraint and—true enough, he’s not a Republican. I’m sorry, President Clinton, I didn’t mean to say that. But I must say, I had to follow an awful lot of your particular guidelines and found them very compatible with my own.

[…]

‘My biggest frustration remained the president’s unwillingness to wield his veto against out-of-control spending. Not exercising the veto power became a hallmark of the Bush presidency. To my mind, Bush’s collaborate-don’t-confront approach was a major mistake. The Republicans in Congress lost their way. They swapped principle for power. They ended up with neither.’”

Who knew that at the end of the Bush presidency that those in the Republican fold would honestly feel Clinton nostalgia?

The weather was cloudy and low 60s and I complained just for the sake of it. Truthfully, the temperature was perfect for riding. Just like the roads out here!

Here I am at the middle of a single-lane bridge across the Green River Gorge.

]]> http://www.guywilliamwelch.com/2007/08/16/man-vs-wild-video-proof-bear-is-a-phony/feed/ http://www.guywilliamwelch.com/2007/08/06/geometry-wars-galaxies-particle-man-trailer/ http://www.guywilliamwelch.com/2007/08/06/geometry-wars-galaxies-particle-man-trailer/#comments Tue, 07 Aug 2007 03:26:37 +0000 guywil http://guywilliamwelch.com/2007/08/06/geometry-wars-galaxies-particle-man-trailer/ Two players compete for high scores to an off the wall They Might Be Giants cover. IGN said “Wow. Just wow.”

StarCraft II was running on rows after rows of Intel-sponsored PCs. Anybody could sit down and play either a 20 minute single-player skirmish or a multiplayer battle as either the Terrans or Protoss. And as we’ve come to expect from Blizzard, this first-hands on build, with who knows how many months/years left in development, felt as good as any other developer’s final retail product.

StarCraft’s gameplay is very true to the original. Gone are the hero level characters of WarCraft III or the chokepoints and cover of Company of Heroes. It’s a true back-to-basics approach, fast-paced and simple, that’s sure to sell millions and keep the competitive leagues playing this game for another 10 years.

To my surprise the developer discussion panels were even more in-depth and enthusiastically received than those of the original Blizzcon — I’d say they’re now the biggest fan panels this side of ComicCon.

In this episode, host Bear Grylls, acts as if he’s dropped from a plane into the middle of the High Sierra and must make his way alone across many miles, unaided, to the foothills to survive.

What I observed looked more like a camera crew guiding a crazed British underwear model through a photoshoot in the woods.

Is this survival TV or ‘Fantasy Island?’

First off, Bear was ’stranded’ in the Sierra National Forest, a little more than a dozen miles from where I grew up, in locations listed by the Madera County Film Commission and photographed for the brochures given out by the Visitors Bureau. Many of shots were framed to getting any of the well-worn jeep trails in the shot. Now that would just spoil the illusion of being ‘lost,’ wouldn’t it!

Undoubtedly, he used these same jeep trails to get across the mountain by vehicle. It’s just too far to walk between each of his shooting locations and for the light to stay consistent. Yet it was portrayed to the audience as ‘real-time.’

Instead of survival, Bear seemed more concerned about finding excuses to remove his clothing and display his gym-toned body. For instance, he begins the episode by parachuting into a lake, and immediately stripping to his skivvies to “get dry.” Later on, he spends several hours building a makeshift raft so that he could hang off the side and into the freezing waters of a river only several feet deep, beating himself up on the bottom. He travels only a fraction of the distance one could on foot given the same amount of time, but he emerges from the banks dripping wet and ready to put himself on display once more. The ladies watching with me told me to hush, but who can take this seriously?

These criticisms would sound harsh if it weren’t for Bear’s constant monologue about the risks he’s taking and the supposed danger of the situation. What a posuer!

So kudos to Andrew Wallenstein of the Hollywood Reporter for exposing the soft underbelly of the survival show in ‘Man vs. Wild’ now Truth vs. Deception.

Grylls may be tough, but his show is just silly.

For useful Sierra survival tips call up the Southern Yosemite Mountain Guides. They’re the ones who guided Grylls and his crew for this episode, and they’re the real deal.

His ability to match the super-human climbing ability of ‘chicken-legs’ Michael Rasmussen on the last climb of today’s HC climb to Plateau de Beille, previously dominated by the legendary Marco Pantani and Armstrong himself, shows that Leipheimer’s estimation is true; Contador is certainly capable of winning a Tour. Perhaps he’ll be in yellow one week from today?

Woody created one first. Here’s my Simpsons avatar created on The Simpsons Movie website.

We returned after 11 and the line had died down. It took only minutes to be allowed inside where there were plenty of phones still in stock. I spent about 10 minutes with the iPhone

So much has been written about the iPhone (CNET, Phillip Greenspun) so there’s no need for me to go on and on here, beyond saying that despite its flaws, it’s the first true handtop computing device (computer first, phone second) for the masses, and that’s nothing short of remarkable.

Here’s why. In Terminator 3, we get:

• An 80s action star who reprises his role as the unstoppably tough lead character.
• A scene where a sexy, leggy, female with skin-tight clothing fights our hero mano-a-mano. While she’s at least 100 pounds lighter, the fight lasts longer than a heavyweight boxing match.
• Two twenty-something actors, both newcomers to the series, form the plot’s catalyst and allow younger audiences to relate to the franchise.
• Additionally (and inevitably) the two young stars form a romantic connection.
• Massive product placement: Terminator 3 ((Ampm, Toyota, Nokia)
• Understated dialog. Overstated action.

In Die Hard we get essentially the same thing, plus a Kevin Smith cameo as a sympathetic computer hacker. John “PC Guy” Hodgman would have been a better choice, so I’m giving this latest Die Hard four of five possible stars.

]]> http://www.guywilliamwelch.com/2007/07/01/spoof-impossible-advertising-clients/feed/ http://www.guywilliamwelch.com/2007/06/27/geometry-wars-galaxies-dev-blog-on-ign/ http://www.guywilliamwelch.com/2007/06/27/geometry-wars-galaxies-dev-blog-on-ign/#comments Thu, 28 Jun 2007 03:34:29 +0000 guywil http://guywilliamwelch.com/2007/06/27/geometry-wars-galaxies-dev-blog-on-ign/ The Geometry Wars: Galaxies team blog launched today on IGN.

It’s been a ton of fun working on the game. With half the team in the UK and the other half here in Los Angeles and press engagements everywhere in between it seems like the action never rests. There’s sure to some crazy stuff posted between now and our ship date in November!

So far I’ve been happy with my Nikon D40. It gives me manual controls, high quality images (with room to crop), and the look of authority that’s afforded by a long lens camera. The price wasn’t bad either.

My biggest lesson so far? Street photography is harder than it looks. Here’s a selection of shots taken this weekend in Venice Beach (minus the one of the bum flipping me off).

Thanks to Phillip Greenspun and his book, Phillip and Alex’s Guide to Web Publishing (1998), a web publishing book packed incongruently with the author’s own unrelated street photos, for giving me the photo bug.

For more information check out the release below or catch the five page feature in the August issue of Official Xbox Magazine.

GOING BEYOND THE BEST-SELLING BOOK AND BLOCKBUSTER FILM SIERRA ENTERTAINMENT ANNOUNCES
ROBERT LUDLUM’S THE BOURNE CONSPIRACY™
Jason Bourne’s Intense World of Action and Espionage Targeted for PLAYSTATION®3 and Xbox 360™

LOS ANGELES (June 21, 2007) - Sierra Entertainment, a division of Vivendi Games, today announced Robert Ludlum’s The Bourne Conspiracy, the first title in its exclusive global partnership with Ludlum Entertainment. Being developed by High Moon Studios, one of Sierra’s internal developers, the game combines seminal moments from the best-selling novel and hit film The Bourne Identity with all-new content developed in conjunction with Ludlum Entertainment. Robert Ludlum’s The Bourne Conspiracy makes the highly anticipated jump to PLAYSTATION 3 computer entertainment system and Microsoft’s Xbox 360™ video game and entertainment system in summer 2008.

Robert Ludlum’s The Bourne Conspiracy, will give players the experience of becoming a 30 million dollar elite agent, fusing an experience that delves deep into Jason Bourne’s character with game play and game presentation inspired by the aggressive filmmaking and frenetic action found in the films. Only by playing Robert Ludlum’s The Bourne Conspiracy will players discover Bourne’s true identity and experience the very moment he became a malfunctioning weapon, first hunting targets around the world as a deadly government assassin then marking himself as his agency’s most wanted.

“Robert Ludlum’s best-selling spy novel and blockbuster film adaptation have awed millions with riveting, unforgettable fiction,” said Al Simone, senior vice president, global marketing for Sierra Entertainment. “For the first time ever, players will be able to experience the shadowy world of expert assassin Bourne, who continues to find himself plagued by splintered nightmares from his former life.”

“With Robert Ludlum’s The Bourne Conspiracy we are not just basing a game on Ludlum’s franchise, we are building upon the universe he introduced with The Bourne Identity,” said Peter Della Penna, president of High Moon Studios. “Our developers at High Moon have collaborated closely with Mr. Ludlum’s estate, the guardians of his creative vision. Our goal is to create a video game inspired by known elements within the Bourne universe, elements that have captivated more than a quarter of a billion people worldwide, yet deliver original story and game play to establish a signature Jason Bourne game experience. ”

“This videogame represents an entirely new way to expand on the prolific storytelling of Robert Ludlum” said Jeffrey Weiner, the Executor of the Ludlum Estate and CEO of Ludlum Entertainment. “By allowing the game to explore new story elements, we have allowed this property to take on a life of its own, going beyond the books and movies.”

Robert Ludlum’s The Bourne Conspiracy promises constant tension and action, with players adopting Jason Bourne’s piercing sense of survival, cunning nature, heightened target awareness and firearms training that allow him to engage and eliminate small armies. As a third-person espionage action game, players move from fistfights to firefights to experience sequences that, unlike any other game, seamlessly blend Bourne’s signature hand-to-hand combat with intense shooting and the ability to escape and evade deadly situations.

More details will be revealed about Robert Ludlum’s The Bourne Conspiracy, inside the August issue cover story of The Official Xbox Magazine hitting newsstands July 3 as well as the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) held July 11-13 in Santa Monica, CA.

For more information, details and updates regarding Robert Ludlum’s The Bourne Conspiracy, please visit www.bournethegame.com.

About Sierra Entertainment
Sierra Entertainment, a global division of Vivendi Games, creates and publishes innovative, high-quality interactive entertainment for videogame systems, handheld gaming devices and personal computers. Sierra Entertainment features a portfolio of titles based on original IP and popular licenses from industry-leading content partners, including F.E.A.R.™, Crash Bandicoot®, Spyro The Dragon®, Scarface™ and Ice Age™. Sierra Entertainment has four integrated internal studios providing creative talents and development capabilities across multiple gaming genres: High Moon Studios in San Diego, CA; Massive Entertainment in Malmo, Sweden; Radical Entertainment in Vancouver, B.C.; and Swordfish Studios in Birmingham and Manchester, England.

“PlayStation”, “PLAYSTATION”, and the “PS” Family logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Microsoft, Xbox, Xbox 360, Xbox LIVE, and the Xbox logos are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies.

Steve sent me the gif version of Chipmunk… “somebody in this room…” today at work — I watched it endlessly.

I was mountain biking down the Spring Cove single track on the northern slope of Goat Mountain above Bass Lake. Just before the trail widens above the fire access road I heard crashing in the brush to my left. A giant brown mass was running across the hill, perpendicular to the trail, about twenty feet in front of me.

For a split second I thought it was a deer and I threw on the brakes.

Almost as soon as I realized what it was it disappeared down the ravine to the left, never breaking its stride.

There wasn’t time to do anything but stop the bike, and I don’t remember being scared, although looking at my heart rate monitor records later shows that my heart rate jumped 20 beats-per-minute. Perhaps since bears mate in June and July this bear was on its way to an important date. That’s just fine with me!

This is the first direct bear encounter I’ve had in thousands of trail miles at Bass Lake. I’ve seen plenty of bear scat before, but almost always at higher elevations and never this early in the season. Maybe drought conditions are driving bears lower this year, but maybe there’s just more bears out there than ever.

According to the Department of Fish and Game, 327 bear permits were issued for the Southern Sierra last year, with 46 bears taken in Madera County. That’s in comparison to 1989, where bear season was suspended completely.

View my ride Bass Lake (Goat Mountain to 007) on motionbased.com.

Our Passively Multiplayer Online Game (”PMOG”) follows people as they surf the web, giving them experience points, levels, items and currency. PMOG layers social gaming on top of web browsing.

The “game” installs as a simple FireFox browser plugin and tracks the sites you visit, ranking criteria such as frequency, category, and diversity. PMOG awards XP points (I’m user welchguy, currently a level 14 mostly interested in Games, Tech and DIY) and assigns you an overall profile based loosely on Richard Bartle’s Bartle Test (I’m a Seer with a bit of Hoarder).

For more on PMOG, listed to the SXSW podcast, Online Games: Beyond Play and Fantasy.

My good buddy Chris Blevins was front and center with Church Mouse, his legendary Hondo, turning away cash offers from those who’d grown up during it’s glory days as a lake racer. Scott and Dwight, the builders of Suck My Wake from The Great Outdoors, were there, as was Scott and Chris’ father Don, who celebrated his 80th birthday by dropping a 900 HP HEMI motor into his boat, Wine Cooler.

This year’s event was bigger than ever with a cover band cranking out ZZ Top and other tunes from the hey-day of hot boats.

Thanks to The Instance.