Tuesday, February 5, 2013

INTRONAUT release Milk Leg (video)

I got to see this band open for Cynic a couple of years ago and was blown away.  
This is the first track from their upcoming album.

from the band:
Post-metal prog phenomenon INTRONAUT has revealed the album artwork and track listing for their highly anticipated album, HABITUTAL LEVITATIONS.  Due out on March 19, 2013 in North America, HABITUAL LEVITATIONS will be the group's fourth full-length album.  The album artwork and layout was done by David D'Andrea who has worked with the band on previous releases.  The cover art along with the track listing was posted by Loudwire.com earlier today and can be seen below.
"Milk Leg" - the first song to be revealed from the new album - has caused a stir amongst INTRONAUT fans with MetalInjection.net declaring, "The track is everything that rules about a 'naut song" and MetalSucks.net stating, "If you don't love it, you should probably go bang your head against a wall for an hour, as you appear to have gone stupid."  INTRONAUT just released a track video or "Milk Leg" which can be seen and heard here and as of today, the song available for purchase on all digital outlets.  In addition, the song will be released as a single sided, etched 7" vinyl, release date TBA and can be pre-ordered here:  http://www.cmdistro.com/Item/Intronaut_-_Milk_Leg_Etched_7_inch_Vinyl_-PRE-ORDER-/44283

Leading up to the release of HABITUAL LEVITATIONS, INTRONAUT will be on the road with MESHUGGAH and ANIMALS AS LEADERS, following a small run of headlining dates. 

Band history:

INTRONAUT features guitarist/vocalist Sacha Dunable, guitarist/vocalist/percussionist David Timnick, drummer Danny Walker, and bassist Joe Lester. In 2005, INTRONAUT released a four-track demo entitled Null – Demonstration Extended Play Compact Disc. They signed to Goodfellow Records in October, and in early April 2006, recorded Void at Shiva Industries in Santa Ana, California with producer John Haddad.

In January 2008, the band announced that they had signed a world wide deal with Century Media Records, and completed their next album, Prehistoricisms. They also covered Eyehategod's Dixie Whiskey for the Century Media 20th Anniversary cover album.

In April 2009, INTRONAUT went on tour with Kylesa and Mastodon to support Mastodon's release of Crack the Skye.

In October 2009, INTRONAUT played several shows in front of thousands of fans in Kolkata and in Pragati Maidan, Delhi for the Great Indian Rock Festival XIII.

In the summer of 2010, INTRONAUT released their third full-length album, Valley of Smoke, featuring a guest appearance from Justin Chancellor from Tool.

In late 2010, INTRONAUT opened for Cynic as part of Cynic's "Re-Traced/Re-Focused Tour" all over the United States and Canada, and shortly thereafter toured North America again opening for Helmet.

In mid-2011, INTRONAUT toured Europe with The Ocean and Red Fang, then toured North America with Animals As Leaders, Dead Letter Circus, and Last Chance to Reason, and then toured Europe again with Ghost Brigade and A Storm of Light.

In early 2012, INTRONAUT supported Tool on the first leg of their North American tour.





source: INTRONAUT  






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Thursday, January 31, 2013

BIOSHOCK INFINITE trailer (video)

The makers of BIOSHOCK INFINITE have posted a new trailer to get us ready for the March 26th release.
Here is a quick look back:


The underwater setting is what drew me to the first Bioshock game.  


Although too short and not much of a step forward, I enjoyed Bioshock 2. 

But, this looks like a whole new level of fun!










source: Bioshock






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Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Installing a NEST (pictures/video)

After reading many reviews and looking at all the options, I bought Lisa a Second Generation NEST Learning Thermostat for her birthday. (I know romantic, right?)

Well, it is a sexy piece of technology and, since we enjoy home improvement, she was very excited.



It really could not have been simpler to install.
First, look at your old connections and let the Nest website know what you have.
They instantly tell you if you are compatible or not. We were. 
The old unit


The packaging is very nice. Very "apple". 


You are given many options for installation. 


Once you input your old configuration,  
Nest gives you a printout of what your new setup will look like.


 Label the wires with the stickers supplied.


Install whichever of the options you need for your situation.


Connections are spring-loaded clips, like the ones for audio speakers.


Snap the unit on.


Turn on the power.


The icons rotate around the screen And setup starts.

When finished, the unit began to function. Then I set up the wifi connection.


It will give you as much info as you like. Even when a software update is available.
 

When I logged into the website... tadaaa


Once connected, we can control the unit for any web browser or smartphone.


The iPhone App



The Nest will chart our activity and usage.



Now that is has been working a couple of hours, all is well. It seems to be working as advertised. I will post updates after we take some time to evaluate. So far, so great!











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Wednesday, January 23, 2013

NI NO KUNI first impressions (video)


I have been playing videogames since Pong. Yea, THAT long.

First person shooters and strategy (turn-based and real-time) are my usual favorites but I have loved Role Playing Games (RPGs) since pen & paper Dungeons & Dragons.   The Elder Scrolls series is my favorite example of modern RPGs. 

Being an early fan of anime, I have always had a soft spot for Japanese Role Playing Games (JRPGs).Although there have only been a few noteworthy imports over the last few years, it looks like the drought is over.

The creator of fine RPGs, Level-5, teamed up with the "Disney of Japan" animation house, Studio Ghibli, and have come up with a near perfect blend of old-school JRPG fun with modern advances and truly beautiful art design in a PS3 exclusive game called, Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch. After finishing the demo the night before, I dove into this adventure yesterday, it's day of release in North America. 

After less than two hours, I am hooked. (and I am still finishing an older JRPG on Xbox360!)  I usually prefer turn-based combat, which this mostly is, but it's wrapped in a semi real-time environment. The story gets going quicker than most JRPGs and the graphics are extremely colorful and fluid; it feels like I am playing an animated movie.

I will post an update or two during the 40-80 hours I will eventually play the game, but do not wait on me to decide to pick this up.  IGN gave it a 9.4/10, calling it a game all fans of RPGs should play. 

Check this out:








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Monday, January 14, 2013

PROGRESS #018 (video)


Show #018 Jan 14 & 16, 2013

On this week's edition of PROGRESS, 
I will be playing new tracks from

Threshold


Marillion


OSI

IZZ

Upon Wings

and

Long Distance Calling


Monday night at 7pm eastern and Wednesday night at 10pm eastern
Exclusively on Rockfile Radio ICE




Followed by a brand new episode of




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