Get on the Good Wood, Get Your Tech Some TOAST

Posted on April 19, 2016 by geelw

It’s hard to believe a mere ten people work at TOAST hand-making beautiful custom environmentally friendly wood cases and covers for everything from phones to tablets, laptops, game consoles and more, all reasonably priced.

The Portland, Oregon-based company uses sustainable wood and in addition to standard cases also does custom work where buyers submit their own artwork for one of the specific cases they manufacture and within 3-5 days (for single item orders) they turn out a lovely tech keeper/keepsake.

I wouldn’t be surprised if Sony and Microsoft haven’t bugged these folks to turn out a small amount of custom console cases for special occasions, but maybe they have and I’ve yet to hear about it. If not, someone needs to get on the ball over at Corporate and give he TOAST guys and gals a ring-up. It’s too bad the Wii U isn’t represented here, as Nintendo’s soon to be replaced console could use a bit of classy coverage journalists aren’t giving it (ha and ha). Still, if you’re a PS4 or Xbox One owner looking for a way to show off your consoles and want a finish that’s not only going to be unique even if you order the same one for multiple consoles (that’s the power of wood for you, folks!), it’ll make your gaming pals wanting their own freshly made TOAST, well there you go.

ALIEN Day is Coming: Is Your Brain Ready For Some Pointed Questions?

Posted on April 19, 2016 by geelw

It figures that what with there being a Star Wars Day that’s taken off into a yearly festival of fun for many, someone at Fox would have kicked out the idea of an ALIEN Day and some sort of all-day contest to go with that.

Well, here you go: Starting April 26, 2016 (4/26, a reference to planet LV 426, naturally), there will be 24 hours of all-ALIEN thrills for everyone from movie buffs to those new to the franchise (there’s always someone who’s NEVER seen an ALIEN flick!) who want to know what the fuss is all about.

Twentieth Century Fox Consumer Products has announced an out-of-this-world global celebration of the ALIEN franchise culminating with a special 24 hour, fan-focused social media event on April 26th – a nod to LV-426, the planet from the iconic ALIEN films. ALIEN DAY (#AlienDay426) will encompass a wide range of executions including nationwide screenings, never-before-seen consumer product activations and the kickoff of the ALIEN: Ultimate Trivia Challenge, allowing fans to test their ALIEN knowledge – with the chance to win prizes every 42.6 minutes on Twitter (@AlienAnthology). Fans may register now for the contest at ALIEN Anthology and refer to “Official Rules” for additional details.

The funny thing is, while Star Wars Day is a super family-friendly time indeed, I can’t see this catching on with the younger set. Hell, I’m old enough to remember this toy-related debacle which I actually had one of (they were quite cheap a few months after release because no one seemed to be buying them as no kids were seeing ALIEN in theaters thanks to the “R” rating and the culture being a lot different back then). It ended up in my younger brother’s possession when I moved out and yep, I came back a few years later and he’d tossed the box, lost the head cover and pretty much killed off my dream of reselling the thing for a hefty profit. Ah well…

Anyway, I’d imagine NOT answering those trivia questions correctly would result in a Xenomorph knocking at your door to deliver the news you didn’t win a prize. Um, you probably don’t want to answer that knock unless you want to become that rotten egg no one wants for breakfast in the morning. Just a word of warning…

Axiom Verge on Vita: Instant Classic Goes Pocket-Sized

Posted on April 19, 2016 by geelw

Hey! That’s what we Vita owners are supposed to be saying to YOU, game! Thanks for showing up when you’re most needed, though.

While I’ve only sampled a bit of Thomas Happ’s outstanding and astounding retro action game Axiom Verge last year at Indiecade, it impressed me more than enough to want to play it as soon as it was released. Then I heard it was coming to the Vita and decided to hold my breath and wait because that powerful but plagued by a few issues handheld needs more top-drawer games like this.

VERY blue in the face later (*gasp!*), it may have taken a while to port over (it wasn’t a simple process at all), but it’s out now on PSN for $19.99 (Cross Buy with the PS4 version AND 10% off for a limited time) and it’s a must for Vita users worldwide. Got get it and prepare for a total blast. From what I played on the PS4 last year, the game is a fantastic mix of retro game challenge and messes with your head as it allows you to use intentional glitches as means to further your progress.

If you don’t have a Vita or PS4, fear not. PC owners can buy the game directly from the Axiom Verge site, on Steam or through the Humble Store. The game is also headed to Xbox One and Wii U at some point this year, so you kind of have no excuse NOT to play this one. Well, unless you hate great games and supporting indie developers, of course.