The List So Far

The Bank Job

Boiler Room

Bonnie and Clyde

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid

Die Hard, Die Harder, Die Hard with a Vengeance, Live Free or Die Hard

Dillinger

Dirty Rotten Scoundrels

Dog Day Afternoon

The Driver

Ducktales: The Movie

Entrapment

Flawless

The Getaway

The Grifters

Hackers

Heat

The Heist

House of Games

The Italian Job

Inside Man

Jackie Brown

The Ladykillers (both)

Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrells

Matchstick Men

Ocean's 11, 12, and 13, as well as the previous Ocean's 11.

Out of Sight

Payback

The Perfect Score

Point Break
Reservoir Dogs
The Score

Snatch

Sneakers

The Sting

Thief

The Thomas Crown Affair (both)

The Town

The Usual Suspects

The Film Heist Economy

I blame Jesse James. Ever since he shot someone on the way out of Dodge (or whatever city it was), heists have become increasingly spectacular. At least that's the mythology both literature and films have created. Even Robin Hood's highway robberies became more spectacular as the genre became more capable. And it's understandable. It's spectacle.

Movie heists appear to be both incredibly extravagant for what would be a real life low return. I'd like to take a look at this fictional "heist economy" to determine how probable something is. mean, it's a movie, we don't expect it, but robbing a bank with two helicopters or a building with a full paramilitary arsenal (including a rocket launcher) is incredibly impractical.

Art heists in particular also interest me, as they really do happen, and the more high profile the heist, the more amazing. Still, this also limits the kind of fences and buyers you can go to, so there likely isn't a high return.

Leave any suggestions for films, literature, or even real life heists to take a look at.

I've been blogged!

Well... to an extent.

x-posted at tumblr.

This was an interesting snark piece covering the Wold Newton reading series, a speculative fiction reading series that some friends of mine put on.

Reagan-Appointed Judge Strikes Down Gay Marriage Ban | Cato @ Liberty

Reagan-Appointed Judge Strikes Down Gay Marriage Ban | Cato @ Liberty

Apple Brings (Magic) Multitouch to the Computer - Gadgetwise Blog - NYTimes.com

Apple Brings (Magic) Multitouch to the Computer - Gadgetwise Blog - NYTimes.com

New Irrational Games Title Announced on August 11 - New York event - Softpedia

New Irrational Games Title Announced on August 11 - New York event - Softpedia

Bad Universe - Sneak Peek | New Series

Roland Zarate Reviews "Legacy" for Late to the Game

Roland Zarate takes a look at the old PC game "Legacy".  Here's a snippit:

"Horror is a genre that shines on the format of video games. Nothing will immerse you in the awful goings-on of a story more than being in control of whether your character lives or dies. It works so well that you can find horror elements in many of the major franchises. Games like Halo, Bioshock, Left 4 Dead and Half-Life are a major force in the video game world and I'd argue that that's due, in part, to how well the designer evokes the feeling of fear. Fear is just easier to create within the interactive nature of games; it's fun, it's safe, and the fear is personal."

It's worth a look.

Who Cheers For War?

Who Cheers For War? Why do we enjoy war games so much, what do we get out of it?

New Apple Friend Bar Gives Customers Someone To Talk At About Mac Products | The Onion - America's Finest News Source | Onion News Network

New Apple Friend Bar Gives Customers Someone To Talk At About Mac Products | The Onion - America's Finest News Source | Onion News Network

The top 10 video games of the past decade - CNN.com

The top 10 video games of the past decade - CNN.com

And now 10 more games to add to my list...

Late to the Game

I've started a new blog recently called "Late to the Game", a blog considering older "classic" games from a critical perspective. I'm working on numerous reviews thus far, however, a special preview about my frustration with Batman: Arkham Asylum is up. Surprisingly, I'm not enjoying it so far.

On paper I should love this game. Largely considered one of the best licensed games, Arkham Asylum comes from a who’s who of Batman pedigree. Character designs by Jim lee, written by Batman comic and animation alumnus Paul Dini (perhaps my favorite), and most importantly voiced by the same actors of the animated series - Kevin Conroy, Arleen Sorkin, and Mark Hamill's delightfully energetic demented Joker. And it’s Batman!

Please jump in and tell me your thoughts, recommendations, and the like.

Largest supercomputers to simulate life on Earth, including economies and whole societies

Largest supercomputers to simulate life on Earth, including economies and whole societies

Gaming in a Man's World: Study Quantifies Gender Relations in Halo 3

Gaming in a Man's World: Study Quantifies Gender Relations in Halo 3

A thanks to my 'hippie high school'

Here's a great profile another former alumni wrote about the hippie high school that raised me. A thanks to my 'hippie high school'

Vulnerability to Violent Video Games: A Review and Integration of Personality Research - Powered by Google Docs

"It appears that Violent Video Games only adversely affect some individual and those who are affected have a preexisting disposition (i.e., high neuroticism, low agreeableness, and low conscientiousness) which make them susceptible to such violent media."

Vulnerability to Violent Video Games

Why Games are Never Going to Get Shorter and Cheaper

Why Games are Never Going to Get Shorter and Cheaper

Alan Wake, Heavy Rain, and the Art Debate

Alan Wake, Heavy Rain, and the Art Debate

Gamasutra: Gabriel Lievano's Blog - Story Driven vs. Gameplay Driven Game Design

Gamasutra: Gabriel Lievano's Blog - Story Driven vs. Gameplay Driven Game Design

Aggregating Information

I'm using a Chrome extension to begin aggregating cool things I find in other places.

I may have gone a little overboard.