Campus trendsetter Chris Moore shows off his simple and hip ensemble.

Chris Moore is fabulous.  He’s like the male Twiggy.  I spotted Chris the other day fashionably dressed in a black peacoat belonged to his friend Isabel Taylor. “She went to Italy and bought this coat,” Chris said. “I told her I wanted it, so she gave it to me.”

Chris revealed a tag inside the coat that said Moda International. and a gaping hole in the lining of the pocket.  Underneath the coat is a red and white striped shirt from Urban Outfitters, and his jeans are Levis from Wasteland. His white tube socks are from “Sears or something” and his brown sturdy shoes are from DSW.

Chris’s look exudes intelligence. He got his tortoiseshell glasses “at some eye place in the Westfield mall.”  They used to be sunglasses, he explains. Chris’s briefcase, decorated with a variety of stickers, is from the Billens Crowe collection.

Moore’s Ray Bans were originally sunglasses, but he had them converted into normal glasses.

Chris’s right hand man, Chet Bentley, said of Chris’s style, “The clothes have to be a little dirty.” And Chris agreed, saying, “I get up and wear dirty clothes.” Chris’s favorite article of clothing is a purple polo shirt from Express.  “It’s not the typical Ralph Lauren material,” he said. “I’ve had it since 8th grade and just held onto it.”

Sturdy boots are a must-own for the winter in San Francisco.

I brought a few friends along to 360 Ritch Street, an alley of sorts, inhabited by Little Skillet (a grand chicken and waffles joint) and a slew of street food venders. We taste tested the whole menagerie.

Soul Cocina rocked my world with a healthful and incredibly flavor-packed risotto ($6). The dish was made complete with morel mushrooms, blue corn, edible flowers (presumably of a zucchini plant), red walnuts, pesto, and a bit of parmesan he grated fresh for every bowl. The mix of ingredients posed as exotic fare in comparison to my oatmeal breakfast.

Also delightful were the mini cupcakes ($1.50) from Sweet Constructions. Such flavors as coffee and sweet potato struck an intriguing note. Consuming them both, in the spirit of Halloween, was quite satisfying. These bite-sized beasts were elegantly slathered in frosting and were flavorful, moist, rich, and decadent to the max.

The Crème Brulee Man (8,615 followers!) sold out before I could get a chance to discover his new flavors. I did acquire a decently filled tin of custardy goodness ($4), of the vanilla bean variety, a few weeks prior at Fabric 8. I was familiar with his choices of coffee, lemon lavender, and vanilla bean. Yet Twitter revealed his exploratory nature in such additions as frosted flakes, smores, and baileys. Before the Crème Brulee Man’s disappearing act, I spied the remnants of some Berry Cap’n Crunch resting on his cart…I am comforted in the fact that he frequents the mission district quite often.

Evil Jerk Cart made its debut. A veggie stew was served atop coconut-rice-n-beans and skewers of chicken and pork. The meal ($8) was a bit lacking. Dry pork doesn’t pair well with salty chicken. The stew made up of carrots, sweet peppers, and squash was a coherent blahh; it looked pretty though.

I still look forward to experiencing the wonder of cardamom, ginger, masala, chocolate or malt chai from The Chai Cart. I patiently await her next location update!  Find these vendors on twitter.com.

Virginia’s N.E.R.D put on a high energy concert for students at the fall homecoming concert in War Memorial Gym on November 6. Photo by Nina Sasson/Foghorn

Friday night’s concert in the War Memorial Gym featuring N.E.R.D and B.o.B. went off without a hitch. Both acts brought high energy into the crowd, and got students to their feet dancing, jumping, crowd surfing, and grinding till the house lights came back on.

Altanta native Bobby Ray, who on stage goes by the acronym B.o.B. opened the show with a high energy set featuring a full band playing tracks from his mix tape B.o.b. Vs Bobby Ray. After his set he gave an interview to the foghorn.

San Francisco Foghorn: How did you feel about the show tonight?

B.o.B.: It was a stellar show with a good crowd that made for a good show!

SFF: What does B.o.B. Stand for?

B.o.B.: B.o.B. Came to me three years ago and stood for different and pretty much any acronym I could thing of such as books over bullets or anything I could think of that was a party or political acronym.

SFF: How did it (B.o.B.) Come about then?

B.o.B.: Everybody used to call me Bobby Ray and I hated it so much and someone finally called me B.o.B. And that was it and I decided to go by that.

SFF: How did your career start out?

B.o.B.: I started rapping at 14 and I dedicated my life to rapping ever since. Between 14 and 15 recorded my first ep and ever since have been picking up instruments and since then it’s been a fairy tale Cinderella story.

SFF: So you’re 20 years old, do you have anything special planned for your 21st birthday coming up next week?

B.o.B.: Well nothing that I haven’t done already and to be honest I’ll probably be working.

Shortly after B.o.B.’s half hour set N.E.R.D Took to the stage playing tracks from their first three albums and a new song that got the entire crowd moving to the beat. Marijuana smoke could be seen and smelled rising to the ceiling as the drum beat to their track “Spaz” when suddenly a crowd surfer could be seen in the midst who singer Pharrel Williams yelled, “That’s how you enjoy an N.E.R.D. Show” followed by cheers of fans.

For the set’s climax with Star Trek signs in the air Williams blurted out the lyrics “all the girls standing in the line for the bathroom” to their track “Everyone Nose” that definitely made the concert well worth it.

The band also invited one lucky fan on stage telling the crowd, “She was singing every single word to every song” and then serenaded her to the track “She Wants to Move.”

For the finale, the band played a cover of the Snoop Dogg track “Drop It Like It’s Hot,” that had the gym popping their mouths to William’s accompaniment.

Outside the War Memorial Gym students gathered in clusters critiquing the show’s set list. Many said they felt it was a perfect N.E.R.D show.

It doesn’t take an expert analyst, or even a hardcore gamer, to see that Nintendo’s latest system, the Wii, has been selling like hotcakes. But as we all know, popularity doesn’t always directly correlate to quality. Wii basically turned the gaming world upside down by integrating motion sensing as a core component to a system, but it has missed the mark in a few regards. This begged the question – if I could design Nintendo’s next system, what would I change? Well, here’s a few things that I believe would make the Wii’s successor a dream machine.

High-definition output (or, “Please make your system more powerful!”)

Gotta start off with what is quite possibly the biggest complaint with the Wii - its graphics. Take a look at any screenshot from a Wii game and compare it to its 360/PS3 counterpart and you’ll find that there’s a world of difference. The Wii isn’t powerful enough to compete on the same level. And while the technical specifications show that the Wii is about 1.5x as powerful as the GameCube, a good portion of this processing power is devoted to the system’s motion-sensing technology and its overarching operating system (the main menu and the little menu that pops up when you hit the ‘Home’ button on your Wii remote). When all is said and done, developers aren’t left with much to work with. In order to ensure that a game runs smoothly, the visuals department takes the biggest hit. The Wii is only capable of outputting a maximum resolution of 480p, which is only a minor step up from standard definition. With its competitors able to output at full 1080p, Wii doesn’t cut it, especially in the next generation. There are examples of great-looking games with beautiful art on the Wii, but there are just as many titles that fell short due to the Wii’s lack of processing power.

Blu-ray playback (or, “Hell, DVD playback will do”)

What year is this? 2009? And a video game system that uses a disc-based medium still can’t play standard DVD movies? For shame, Nintendo. Sony and Microsoft managed to pull off DVD playback last generation. Unlike the first point, this one isn’t a hardware issue – in fact, the Wii uses DVDs as its storage medium. Any gamer knowledgeable in the Wii’s homebrew scene can tell you that the Wii can play DVDs through the proper methods. Wii uses DVD storage at a medium. For the general public, however, this isn’t the case – why? In order to cut costs, Nintendo decided to not obtain the license required to play DVDs on its system. This isn’t actually a problem when you think about how cheap and easy it is to obtain a DVD player of some sort, but next generation I’d like to see Nintendo go the extra mile. Now that the dust has settled from the format war and Blu-ray is the clear winner, why not allow the ability to play Blu-ray movies on the system? And if they were to use Blu-ray discs as the official storage medium for the system, it would also allow more data to be crammed onto a game disc, which goes hand-in-hand with all the extra processing power the system would be getting.

Better online infrastructure (or, “You want me to put in how many numbers?”)

When it comes to online play, Nintendo’s a tad behind the curve. It’s somewhat understandable if you think about how console online play didn’t really pop up until last generation, but Nintendo had a chance to rectify its problems before the Wii. After the release of the Nintendo DS, the company created an online system for it known as “Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection,” allowing you to either play random people online or play with your friends through the use of ‘friend codes’. A friend code is a 12-digit code that your game gives you to give to other people so that they may register you onto their friend list. Having to input a 12-digit code for each of your friends would only be a minor annoyance if not for the fact that every game requires a different code. So let’s say that you have 5 different friends all with the 5 same DS games that you want to play online with – you’d have to input 25 different codes (300 characters) just to do so. That’s only just a basic example, and it only gets worse the more friends and games you have. The Wii could have put a stop to this by instituting either universal friend codes or even a username system, but such is not the case. Next generation, I’d like to see Nintendo utilize a system like Xbox Live, which ties all data to a specific username.

Hard drive for storage (or, “I’d buy more games but I ran out of space”)

This one’s fairly straightforward. The Wii contains 512 megabytes of on-board storage, paltry in comparison to the storage options of its competitors, which top out somewhere around 250 gigabytes. Such storage for the Wii goes to save data and downloadable games, but a greater amount could enable so much more. Combined with a better online infrastructure, more hard drive space would allow players to download and watch trailers, try out new games in the form of downloadable demos, and purchase downloadable content for already-owned games, which is practically nonexistent on the Wii. Taking a page from the 360, a bigger hard drive opens up the possibility of ripping the data from a game’s DVD and placing it on the system, resulting in faster load times and better performance. It’s a simple request, and with the low prices for storage these days, it’s pretty much guaranteed for the next generation.

Less peripherals (or, “I don’t have enough closet or wallet space for all this crap”)

The standard Wii remote is $40. It’s nice, but if you want analog stick functionality and a couple of extra buttons, you’re going to need a nunchuk attachment ($20). But wait, if you want to take advantage of some of the newer games’ more advanced motion-sensing features, you’ll also need a Wii Motion Plus attachment ($25). And if you’re hankering to play some SNES games off the Virtual Console, you’ll need either a GameCube controller or a Classic Controller attachment ($20). The Wii Speak attachment ($30) for voice chat capabilities, the Wii Balance Board (~$50) for foot integration, the Wii Wheel ($15) and Wii Zapper ($25) attachments that merely serve as encasements for the actual controller… and all of these are first-party products created and licensed by Nintendo. All of a sudden the $250 (now $200) price tag of the Wii doesn’t seem so measly. What’s worse is that I didn’t even bother mentioning all the third-party peripherals – the cases, the mats, the plastic instruments and sports equipment look-alikes. It would be wrong to say that Nintendo started this recent peripheral craze, but I’m dead right in saying that they’re not helping. Shouldn’t some of these features be already included with the system itself? The Wii comes with one remote and one nunchuk, but after that you’re on your own. Stuff like Wii Speak and the Classic Controller should have been included from the get-go, and stuff like the Wii Wheel and Wii Zapper shouldn’t even exist. Next generation, I’d like to see more functionality with less extras.

Of course, these are not what I believe to be the steps Nintendo should take to succeed next generation – they seem to be doing well enough with what they’ve got right now. This is all simply what I would like to see out of Nintendo in a perfect world. But alas, profit too often gets in the way of logic, and all a gamer can do in the end is hope for the best.

1) “Leaves Do Fall” by the Rosebuds off of “Birds Make Good Neighbors”

2) “Odalisque” by the Decemberists off of “Castaways and Cutouts”

3) “So. Central Rain” by R.E.M. off of “Eponymous”

4) “Mt. St. Helens” by Mirah off of “Advisory Committee”

5) “Harvest” by Neil Young off of “Harvest”

6) “The Greatest” by Cat Power off of “The Greatest”

7) “There is a Town” by Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds off of “Nocturama”

8) “A Passing Feeling” by Elliott Smith off of “From a Basement on a Hill”

9) “Which Will” by Nick Drake off of “Pink Moon”

10) “Wild Sage” by the Mountain Goats off of “Get Lonely”

In coming months, this attractive should-be-model-turned-musician is hoping to get a college tour together. Don’t worry, I slyly plugged for a show at USF.

In an interview with him, I got a look into what it was like being in a hot boy band in the peak of boy band mania and what to expect from him as a solo artist.

San Francisco Foghorn: What is your fondest memory on stage with 98?

Jeff Timmons: Well we were around for a pretty long time, so there are a lot to choose from. But some of the highlights were performing for Michael Jackson (at the 30^th Anniversary Celebration) and on The Tonight Show with Stevie Wonder.

SFF: The music video “Because of You” was filmed in San Francisco and partly on top of the Golden Gate Bridge. What is your favorite memory of San Francisco?

JT: Being on the bridge was definitely scary, a heck of a memory though. Before I was in 98, I used to drop the hat and sing for cash with my Ohio boys at the Wharf and Pier 39. We weren’t doing it for the money, just for the fun of singing some songs. Then people genuinely began liking the music and would invite us to play at different places around the city.

SFF: Looking back on yourselves now, were there any fashion trend choices you wish had never happened?

JT: How about the entire time we were out? I mean we had some pretty crazy outfits: silver suits, overalls without shirts. In 98, we were all jeans and T-shirt kind of guys so we didn’t trust our own wardrobe judgments. I blame it on the stylists.

SFF: If you could relive any moment from the 98 days, what would it be?

JT: When we went multiplatinum, and the Teen Choice Awards, that was pretty great. But there was a girl who was sick and with Make A Wish Foundation. Her wish was to hang with us at the Teen Choice Awards. A real friendship with her grew out of it and we both benefited. We were able to add excitement to her life, and she lived much longer than her doctors expected. That’s the thing about music; it transcends language, culture, race, and any other situation a person is in. Her being there made everything worth it.

SFF: What is the most embarrassing thing that has happened to you?

JT: There are so many to choose from. Once in Philadelphia, we were playing a show on an outdoor stage in late fall and I completely slipped on the ice and fell a foot off the stage. Or another time, I was sitting in front of Jerry Rice, who I am a huge fan of. The guys were telling me to calm down and be cool. But I turned around anyway and took a step forward and fell into the hole between the risers. That was embarrassing and no one would let me hide behind them.

SFF: What have you been doing since 98?

JT: Mostly I’ve been working on my own music: writing songs, producing, mixing. I’ve gotten a lot more involved with every aspect of producing music than I ever was in 98. It’s great because now I have control over the songs I want to sing and not worry or think about what other people want to hear. I also wrote some comedy scripts about the music industry and there is a possibility that it will become a TV show.

SFF: What can you tell me about your new album?

JT: It’s full of R&B, pop, and dance tracks. But more importantly, it’s completely free on my website, the whole album. I know that major labels are struggling, so I figure if I get the music out for free and build a strong fan base, it will re-energize excitement for music a little. It’s the ultimate risk, but I feel really good about it. From there, I’m hoping to do some college tours. I want to give back to the fans what they’ve given to me.

SFF: What inspired the album? Are there any boy band influences in it?

JT: The album doesn’t sound like the group. But there are strong Prince, Brian McKnight, and Michael Jackson vibes on it. I’m not trying to sound like them; it’s more of a dedication. With this album, I grew more confident in myself.

SFF: How is it different working by yourself? Do you miss the group?

JT: The people part, yes, but not the creative part. I miss the camaraderie of having them around, but working with a major label in a group is hard because you have to tailor each song to 4 guys. Often the important parts get left out because it won’t sell. I have much more creative control now.

SFF: A message to your fans?

JT: Thank you for your support in the past. It has enabled me to live the dream life. I hope you enjoy the combination of songs.

Campus Chic style guru Chloe Schildhause chats with Kyle Sirell, a 21-year-old politics major, about his fashion choices (though apparently he finds talking about his style quite self indulgant). Photo by Sky Madden/Foghorn

It’s strange, but over  my three years at USF I have never seen Kyle before.  How did such a stylish individual go unnoticed?  I am unsure.  I saw Kyle walking by Cowell on his way to class Tuesday afternoon wearing: a sturdy coat he purchased in Buenos Aires, where he studied abroad; a simple grey long sleeve shirt with a button, from American Apparel; a brown leather belt with a golden belt buckle, from Argentina; WeSC jeans, he purchased at American Rag; and brown lace up shoes, by Paul Smith.

Kyle accessorized with a meteorite necklace from Wasteland, foldable Ray Ban sunglasses that he took from his 18-year-old brother Sam, and a vintage light brown leather bag from Decades of Fashion on Haight.

A small and natural-looking necklace provides an interesting and intriguing detail in a simple outfit. Photo by Sky Madden/Foghorn

“I feel like a (expletive) vain person right now.” Kyle said as Sky Madden snapped away, taking photos of him at every angle.  Kyle was carrying an old coffee cup filled with trash, which he felt did not add to the outfit and wanted to discard.

As someone who used to work at Held Over, Kyle said he enjoys shopping there for the discount as well as other vintage clothing stores.  The first thing he thinks about in the morning is French toast, which he makes using two eggs, sourdough bread and a splash of vanilla extract.

Ray Bans and a structured coat channel the essence of 60s Bob Dylan. Photo by Sky Madden/Foghorn

Half of White Rabbits’ members met at the University of Missouri. The others already played together in a band called Texas Chainsaw Mass Choir. When I asked Even about his college experience, I was quick to be informed that he did not really attend college. He described his college experience as “just going to the parties.” The band later moved to Brooklyn and began playing shows. Even and the band enjoyed their move to Brooklyn because of the, “huge portion of people there who were serious music listeners,” and because “it never feels like scenes are too competitive.”

When I asked Even about the music that he listened to when he was younger, he humorously told me that the first record he bought was the Montell Jordan single “This Is How We Do It.” However, Montell Jordan certainly did not encompass his entire music collection. When he was started to play guitar he was also “listening to a lot of bands on Discord Records, like Nation of Ulysses, Minor Threat, and Fugazi.” He also claimed that The Specials have had a large influence on the band’s sound. When it comes to music he’s listening to right now, he mentioned to me that he’s been listening to a lot of Elvis Costello lately and that he enjoys Atlas Sound, Glass Ghost, and Animal Collective’s.

Quite a bit changed with the band between their debut, Fort Nightly, and their new record, It’s Frightening. They moved from Say Hey Records to TBD Records (with label mates Radiohead, Underworld, and Other Lives) and had Britt Daniel, influential member of Spoon, produce their newest record. When Even described the recording process of their first album, he confessed “we didn’t have any money to be recording so it was a situation where we just had to sneak in at night.” The main difference in their recording process between their two albums was that “[we were] recording the first record with only a vague sense of how to make a record.” Well, no one told that to critics who praised the band’s catchy tunes. Britt Daniel made recording “a pretty streamlined process so it went relatively quickly and it was a lot of fun.”

White Rabbits’ songwriting process “changes from song to song because we have six people in the band who all kinda write individually, which doesn’t really work with the spirit of cooperation of other bands,” said Even. As far as a new record goes, he informed me that they “started the writing process of it, but always at first it comes a little slowly.” The White Rabbits’ touring schedule is running through next spring, so fans shouldn’t expect anything until they get off the road.

The band’s exhaustive touring schedule may mean that the band can’t focus their efforts on a new record, but it also means that fans will be able to see White Rabbits perform as they hit fans’ local venues. “It seems like one of the last ways to connect to your sense of community. It’s like to bring a lot of different people together even if it’s just for the night.”

Michael Stuhlbarg stars in the Jew-centric new Coen Brother’s film “A Serious Man.” Illustration by Elizabeth Brown/Foghorn

Long Beach native Michael Stuhlbarg intently wipes a finger print smudge from an otherwise immaculate glass table.  Stuhlbarg sits, with a pensive grimace in a stuffy Ritz Carlton conference room.  He is rounding his first day of press as new master of both theatre and now film with his break through performance as Larry Gopnik; now gaining public recognition and momentum.  Gopnik is the Jewish wonder-subject of Joel and Ethan Coens’ new film “A Serious Man”.

San Francisco Foghorn: Are you conflicted with religion?

Michael Stuhlbarg: There are always good times and bad times and I’ve found that for me religion, in my experience has been a positive force yet I know it can also be a very dividing force in the world.  I go back and forth about how much I want it in my life and how much it’s a part of me regardless of how much I want it in my life.  There’s always that inner compass that seems to come around to how I was raised while at the same time I live in contemporary society away from Judaism most of the time because a large part of my religion is my work.

SFF: Was there an audition process for this film?

MS: Absolutely.  My first audition was for the part of the husband in the Yiddish parable in the beginning of the movie so I had to learn that whole scene in Yiddish.  I went to a tutor and learned the whole thing phonetically.  He was so sweet about helping me through it all and I brought it to Joel and Ethan and they laughed a lot which made me really happy.  The Coens, at that time where not sure whether or not they wanted to cast an actor who could learn the role phonetically or one that knew how to speak it fluently.  They ended up going with folks, for the Yiddish parable scene, who could speak fluently.  There was though, however a lot of haggling back and forth in terms of what was grammatically correct because these actors learned Yiddish in different parts of the world at different times.  Both were valid but Yiddish is a grabbing language in that it takes a little bit from this and there’s a little German, Polish a little Hebrew so they had to hammer out they’re differences before they shot the scene.  People who speak Yiddish seem to be really tickled by what they did in that scene.  But five or six months go by and I get a call out of the blue and I get a call and they want me to come in and read for Larry and Arthur.  I did it for Joel and Ethan and they laughed again and that made me happy again but I didn’t think it was the same movie!  [Laughing]  I kept asking periodically over the course of weeks if I was still a part of it and the Coens said, “Yeah, yeah, you’re still in the mix, you’re still in the mix.”  Then I got a call saying that I’d get one of these parts but, “we don’t know which one, we’re trying to pair you up with other people to see what’s best for the film.”  Six weeks before shooting I got a call from Joel saying, “We’ll put you out of your misery.  You’re playing Larry.”

SFF: What are your bad habits?

MS: Oh my goodness!

SFF: You have to be honest.

MS: When I work on plays I really like to take my time.  For instance, with Shakespeare, I need to know what I need to know for this part and to be responsible for that and then have the director say, “I know what you’re saying just speed it up a little bit.”

SFF: I feel like that’s a very conscientious thing that would help your work.

MS: I would think so too and in some cases it does but in other cases some people have found it frustrating in terms of rehearsing it because sometimes I’ll stop in the middle of a scene and want to really understand what it is I’m saying as opposed to just going through it one more time for the sake of getting through rehearsal fast.  Rehearsal is, itself, an art form and as a young artists I was never encouraged to take my time.  It is something I learned, instead, over the course of many years to just sort of say,  “look I don’t understand this!!  I need to know now so I can bring it with me the next time that we do this,” as opposed to, “I understand that we’re that the end of rehearsal and there’s another scene that needs to be rehearsed.”  But frankly, if I don’t do this the problem [of knowing] will be here the next time we do the scene.  This kind of thing behooved me to speak up for myself and ask for what I need from a director.  I’m learning still, how to do that.  I just want to please the people that I’m working for.  This too is a habit I have because I want to make them happy and I want them to get the vision they are after.  Yet I know at the same time I know some actors adhere very closely to their own instincts and I do that too but I like to collaborate and try different things.  Very rarely do I hold on to something so tightly that it keeps me from exploring other options.

SFF:  I avert my eyes to well kept hands and point. You’re not a nail bitter, are you?

MS: No.  I used to be.

Michael Stuhlbarg stars in the new film “A Serious Man” by Joel and Ethan Coen.  This month Stuhlbarg is also featured in the gruesome prep school thriller “After School” directed by 25 year old Antonio Campos.  Visit http://foghorn.usfca.edu  for a podcast of the complete interview.

San Francisco’s The Dodos lead singer and guitar player Meric Long plays Bimbo’s 365 for the last show before a European tour. Photo by Elizabeth Castro/Foghorn

The dodo bird may have died out centuries ago, but local San Francisco band The Dodos are alive and well, playing shows to promote their newest album Time to Die. I caught them at Bimbo’s 365 Club for the final show of their U.S. tour before they bring their act to Europe.

On their newest album Meric Long, lead singer/guitar, and Logan Kroeber, drums, mix things up by adding a vibraphone.  Newest member, Keaton Snyder joined the band when Long and Kroeber wanted to add a vibraphone after using it on tour for their last album Visiter. “We used a vibraphone live for some of the songs and as the tour progressed we used it more and more,” Said Kroeber  The band also had Phil Ek (who’s worked with The Shins, Built to Spill, and many others) produce the album which “accentuated the sweetness in the songs…and also brought Meric’s vocals to the forefront more than ever,”  according to Kroeber.  The result: another great album that builds upon 2008’s Visiter while sticking to the roots of their sound.

The evening started with opening band The Ruby Suns from New Zealand.  Both The Ruby Suns andThe Dodos have been likened to popular indie rock band Animal Collective.  Their set was colorful from the vibrant tablecloths and Christmas lights adorning the stage to the brightly colored clothing of each band member.  They had an experimental tropical sound with sweet vocals and loud drums.

Once their set ended, the audience crowded the stage  in hopes of getting closer to as golden oldies played over the speakers.  Seven Motown hits later, the lights finally dimmed and The Dodos took the stage.  The drum beats grew louder and stronger, building anticipation. Drums are a big part of their act,  “[it became] very evident when I started playing with Meric that rhythm was as important as melody in his world and that was easy to jive with.”

Their sound is heavy on drums, yet easy on the ears.  Meric’s voice, echoing with frantic urgency, filled the air.  The show quickly turned into a dance party.  A girl flailed her arms in front of me while shaking her hips all around, three awkward boys with no rhythm danced together and a couple nearby could not resist freak dancing (strange choice of dancing considering The Dodos aren’t exactly tunes to get your freak on).

The band displays musical skill and passion for performance.  Each member brings something different to the table to create an amazing union of sounds.  Meric made frenzied movements about the stage picking furiously at his guitar creating a ferocious twang, while Logan concentrated intently on pounding his drums, working diligently and with enormous power.  Meanwhile, Keaton drew a smooth sound out of the vibraphone that perfectly balanced and complimented the loudness of his bandmates. Each song melted into the next, creating a seamless set.

The Dodos kept graciously thanking the audience, and even played the rarely performed song, “Ashely” off their album Visiter.  Meric muttered, “We don’t usually play this, but I feel like it…”  By the end of the show, the band’s shirts were soaked and their instruments were splattered with sweat.  The Dodos played meticulously and intensely as if it were…Time to Die?

You’ve most likely heard the old saying that the best things in life are free, right? Well, if you look deep enough, you’ll find that this saying has quite a bit of application in the gaming world as well. This week in Geek Squad, I present to you a game that is not only one of my favorite independently-developed games but one of my absolute favorite games of all time, and what’s best is that you can experience this gem of a game at no cost. I’m talking, of course, about the freeware classic “Cave Story.”

Released in 2004, “Cave Story” was the end product of one man’s labor. Japanese game developer Daisuke Amaya, or Pixel, as he has come to be known, spent five years creating and perfecting everything that went into the game, a fact that shines through all aspects of it.

“Cave Story” starts with the main character waking up in a cave with a case of amnesia. Stumbling upon a village inhabited by rabbit-like creatures known as mimigas, he discovers that the mimigas have slowly been abducted by a man called The Doctor in an attempt to find a specific mimiga named Sue, who is eventually abducted as well. The objective of the game then becomes to rescue Sue, stop The Doctor, and discover your own origins. “Cave Story” is filled with colorful characters, gripping moments and a story so elaborate that you wouldn’t really expect it out of a freeware game.

At the heart of it, “Cave Story” is a 2D shooter with a heavy emphasis on platforming along with some exploration and RPG elements crammed in. Progress through most areas is achieved by blasting your way through, and the game gives you a handful of unique options to do so. Your first gun, the Polar Star, is a standard blaster, not the strongest by any means but easily the most versatile. Over time you attain more situation-appropriate weapons like the Fireball, which shoots out fireballs that bounce low along the ground to take out land-based enemies, or the Snake, which shoots out projectiles in a slithering motion that can go through walls. “Cave Story” features a total of 10 weapons, all with their own different mechanics. One of the more interesting elements of “Cave Story” is the leveling system for these weapons. Killed enemies sometimes drop yellow energy crystals, which collecting will power up your currently equipped weapon to a maximum of three levels. Powering up your weapons generally means bigger and more damaging projectiles, but certain weapons take on new properties as well. These levels aren’t permanent, however, as taking damage will decrease the energy of your weapon, often times even reducing levels. Much like a “Metroid” game, “Cave Story” also features upgradeable health and ammo in the form of collectable expansions, some which are easy to find and others that take some real thinking.

Both visually and aurally, the game is a throwback to old-school side-scrollers but with some extra detail added in. With a stage name like “Pixel,” it’s no surprise that the game is presented through pixelated sprites and backgrounds, but what’s even less surprising is how masterfully crafted these all are. Amaya’s work strikes the perfect balance between detail and minimalism, offering up enough finer points to gawk at during low-key segments while still keeping things simple enough so as to not distract you from where the action is. Characters are drawn stylistically enough to represent their personalities and locations are highly distinct in their variety. The soundtrack is equally impressive, featuring over thirty unique tracks of 8-bit-esque songs that complement and create the characters, plot points and emotions of the story.

Above all this, “Cave Story” is the kind of game that you just keep coming back to. Your first playthrough of “Cave Story” will probably run between the range of five and six hours, with even the most seasoned “Cave Story” veteran taking something around four hours to complete it fully. Chances are that you won’t play the game just once, however, as there’s much you can miss. “Cave Story” features three different endings ranging from bad to good to best, with the best ending requiring you to follow a very intricate sub-plot that is easily missable if you aren’t aware of its presence. The game is also filled to the brim with Easter eggs and some of the weapons are either well-hidden or require trading in other weapons, so multiple playthroughs are necessary to experience all that the game has to offer. Last but not least, you’ll most likely be playing through “Cave Story” more than once because it simply embodies the reason we play video games in the first place: to have fun.

“Cave Story” is a game with fun factor that lasts from start to finish and a difficulty that, while challenging, never borders on tedium. It’s a game that’s jam-packed with enough value to betray its less-than-two-megabyte file size and price tag of zero dollars. Perhaps most importantly, “Cave Story” is the five-year labor of love from one single man, whose dedication and talent are easily apparent to anyone who plays through this masterpiece of a game.

If you’d like to try “Cave Story” out for yourself, visit www.cavestory.org for anything and everything you’ll need to know about the game. Or, if you’d like to learn about the upcoming WiiWare version, visit www.cavestory.com.

1) “Yo! Bum Rush the Show” by Public Enemy off of “Yo! Bum Rush the Show”

2) “Footprints” by “A Tribe Called Quest” off of “Peoples’ Instinctive Travels & the Paths of Rhythm”

3) “Powers” by Blackalicious off of “The Craft”

4) “Paul Revere” by the Beastie Boys off of “Licensed to Ill”

5) “Me, Myself and I” by De La Soul off of “3 Feet High and Rising”

6) “If It Wasn’t for You” by Handsome boy Modeling School, De La Soul and Starchild Excalibur off of “White People”

7) “Express Yourself” by N.W.A off of “Straight Outta Compton”

8) “Parents Just Don’t Understand” by DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince off of “He’s the DJ, I’m the Rapper”

9) “99 Problems” by Jay Z off of “The Black Album”

10) “It’s Tricky” by Run DMC off of “Raising Hell”

11) “Just a Friend” by Biz Markie off of “Just a Friend EP”

12) “It’s Nasty” by Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five off of “The Message”

13) “Trying to Find a Balance” by Atmosphere off of “Seven’s Travels”

14) “This Way” by Dilated Peoples off of “Neighborhood Watch”

15) “Posse on Broadway” by Sir-Mix-A-Lot off of “Swass”

Melissa Stihl/Foghorn Scene editor Melissa Baron is excited and terrfied for a Halloween filled with horror flicks.

Horror movies and Halloween: a perfect pair. While many people have seen the basics, “Nightmare on Elm Street” or “Poltergeist,” there are many more movies in the richly terrifying genre to explore, from monsters to slashers to possession to the paranormal. Here’s a list of some horror movies you may not have seen. Don’t feel like going out on Halloween? How about turning off the lights, getting a bag of candy and watching some of these movies with your friends?

“Suspiria” – Dario Argento’s 1977 Italian horror film tells the story of an all girls dance school. As girls are murdered around the school we quickly discover that the school is just a front for something much more terrifying. The aesthetically beautiful film with an eerie soundtrack by Goblin has some of the more gruesome horror film deaths and a stomach-churning scene with maggots.

“Cemetery Man” – In this 1994 Italian horror film directed by Michele Soavi, Rupert Everett plays a cemetery caretaker. At a funeral Everett falls in love with a young widow, but their affair is cut short when her husband returns from the grave. With his love gone and the dead turning into zombies, Everett must figure out what to do.

“Dead Alive” – Released outside the states with the name “Braindead,” Peter Jackson’s 1992 low budget comedy/horror is a blood bath similar to his films “Meet the Feebles” and “Bad Taste.” Main character Lionel’s domineering mother is bitten by a poisonous rat/monkey hybrid that turns her into a zombie. Lionel tries to keep mom alive and fight off the zombies she creates.

“Phantasm” – In Don Coscarelli’s 1979 low budget cult film, brothers Jody and Mike must face the horror they find in a funeral home. The brothers attend a funeral for a friend and notice a tall man working at the mortuary. Mike sees the tall man effortlessly lift a loaded coffin and suspicion kicks in. The brothers quickly find themselves in a terrifying mess. Highlights include Mike bringing home the finger of the tall man still moving and covered in what seems to be mustard and later in the film, the presence of angry dwarves.

Others to check out: “Zombi,” “Creepshow,” “Tales from the Crypt,” “The Howling” and “The Omen.”

1. “Psycho Killer” by the Talking Heads off of “77”

2. “Don’t Fear the Reaper” by Blue Oyster Cult off of “Agents of Fortune”

3. “Halloween” by Mudhoney off of “Superfuzz Bigmuff”

4. “Bad Moon Rising” by Creedence Clearwater Revival off of “Green River”

5. “Thriller” by Michael Jackson off of “Thriller”

6. “Halloween” by Sonic Youth off of “Bad Moon Rising”

7.  “Shout at the Devil” by Motley Crue off of “Shout at the Devil”

8. “Scary Monsters (& Super Creeps)” by David Bowie off of “Scary Monsters”

9. “Superstition” by Stevie Wonder off of “Talking Book”

10. “Bela Lugosi’s Dead” by Bauhaus off of “Bela Lugosi’s Dead - Single”

11. “Bark At The Moon” by Ozzy Osbourne off of “Bark at the Moon”

12. “Halloween” by Siouxsie & the Banshees off of “Juju”

13. “Runnin’ With the Devil” by Van Halen off of “Van Halen”

14. “Voodoo” by Black Sabbath off of “Mob Rules”

15. “Halloween” by the Dead Kennedys off of “Plastic Surgery Disasters”

Illustration by Elizabeth Brown/Foghorn

Like many teenage girls around the world, some at the Foghorn have vampire fever. From their sharp teeth to their sultry eyes, we can’t get enough of them. Inspired by the recent release of the new “Twilight” film and Halloween, here’s list of the hottest vampires (and one werewolf); all dangerously sexy and thirsty for blood.

Brad Pitt as Louis de Pointe du Lac

in “Interview with a Vampire”

This is one of the more dynamic vampires in film history. Brad Pitt’s looks are beautiful as always, but it is his troubled history that makes the character truly unique. Brad Pitt has been known to make blood boil and hearts stop in any role, but after playing a blood-lusting vampire… women everywhere were begging to be bitten.

Ian Somerhalder as Damon Salvatore in “The Vampire Diaries”

Although some prefer to lust after Paul Wesley (who plays Damon’s brother), Ian steals the show in my mind. Maybe it is a weakness for the bad boy, maybe it is my love for blood-sucking villains… but Ian’s brooding eyes and quick wit are mesmerizing in the CW’s new fall show.

Robert Pattinson as Edward Cullen in “Twilight”

A vampire list would not be complete if it didn’t include Robert Pattinson, whose portrayal of Edward Cullen in “Twilight” captured the hearts of teens and women everywhere.  Pattinson’s soft-spoken poetic phrases and amazing bone structure have caused a “Twilight” frenzy, leaving even the most reluctant twi-fans thirsting for more. Who doesn’t love a vegetarian vampire?

Kate Beckinsale as Selene

in “Underworld”

Beckinsale’s portrayal of Selene in “Underworld” serves as a reminder that all the good looks in the world of vampires are not only bestowed upon the men. Her cool blue eyes against her pale skin captivated both audiences and the director of the film (whom she later married in real life). The tight leather body suit that she donned for the film only made the lethal combination that much worse.

Gerard Butler as Dracula

in “Dracula 2000”

Hailed by some as the hottest vampire in history, Dracula 2000 became an instant hit among vampire fans because of the glowing red eyes and devastatingly good looks of Gerard Butler. Ice-cold skin has never been hotter, and Butler portrayed the classic seductive villain flawlessly.

Taylor Lautner as Jacob Black

in “Twilight”

Alright, so he is not technically a vampire. This hottie werewolf makes the list because of his ripped body, charming personality, and winning smile that makes girls weak in the knees. Jacob competes against Edward Cullen (see number three on list) for the affection of Bella Swan in the next “Twilight” flick, and the competition is going to be fierce.

Editor’s Pick:

Kiefer Sutherland as David

in “The Lost Boys”

With a tagline like “Sleep all day. Party all night. Never grow old. Never die. It’s fun to be a vampire,” it’s clear this Lost Boys vampire has it going on. His punk rock style and fierce attitude make it clear that he’s not to be messed with, but his motorcycle, blonde spiky pseudo-mullet and tantalizing sneer are too hot to resist, not to mention his rocker vampire gang.

Honorable Mentions: Wesley Snipes as Blade (the Daywalker, but still a vampire), David Bowie as John in “The Hunger,” Bill Paxton as Severen in “Near Dark”

“Quoth the raven: Nevermore...” Fashion-savvy Addysen Trumper shows off the outfit she will be sporting this Halloween. She made this elegant raven costume entirely out of clothing and accessories she already owned. Photo by Melissa Stihl/Foghorn

Some very spooky things happen in our world on a daily basis. Within the last year Michael Jackson died on the same day as Farrah Fawcett, Prop 8 passed, and my computer crashed right before finals. Butthere is nothing as spooky as a Halloween night at USF with brigades of students running around as the same person. Flashback 2008: Attack of the Sarah Palins! Let me also remind you that Halloween is on Oct. 31. By this time of the year it tends to get a bit ‘nippy.’ Girls, with some of the costumes that you wear, we can tell the nip is in the air. There is no reason to be frightened his Halloween, for I have a treat (rather than a trick) for those of you still searching for costume ideas.

For those stylish at heart, use this holiday as a showcase of your talent and creativity. There is bound to be a costume idea here for you, no matter your budget, styling skills, or mood that evening. In my world, if I am going to spend good money on my Halloween attire, I use it as an excuse to buy something extra flamboyant and fabulous for my everyday wardrobe. Keep in mind, if parts of your costume idea doesn’t fit into your clothing entourage, don’t splurge. In fact, try making a deal with yourself that you will only buy from discount and grocery stores and next month your bank account won’t be haunting your house. Now let’s make some magic! With a little hocus pocus, you will find yourself with the most “wicked” costume in the monster mash.

Headline News

Balloon Boy: It is the ghastly truth that the now-infamous Balloon Boy incident took place in my home town, Fort Collins, Colorado. However, my stomping ground is no ghost town, so let’s bring this hoax alive for Halloween. Find a large brown box to put around your neck and tie a silver helium balloon to your wrist. Believe me, you will be flying high with this hard-hitting news costume.

Tornado: Carry on the spectacle of the Balloon Boy’s family in storm watching mode. Chasing these whirling disasters never fail to make the news in the summer time, so put a little “twist” to your costume by going as a tornado. Wear a grey sweatsuit and attach little toy farm animals, Hot Wheels, and even a mini Barbie to your sweatsuit on strings. When someone asks what you are, spin around to create your twister. Caution: be sure that things are attached or you will be as dangerous as the storm.

Global Warming: Try a different type of devilish heat this season. Wear a solid blue outfit and attach large green felt pieces as continents to turn your body into the center of the universe: the Earth. Wear an old fashioned ice pack on your head and stick a thermometer in your mouth. Prepare to be one hot mother earth!

Call of the Wild

Kangaroo: Let your marsupial instinct hang out. This  costume takes just a hop, skip and a jump. All you need is a brown paper sack, tape it to your front side and voila… a kangaroo, just don’t forget to “leap” in spirit!

Bird’s Nest: Are you in a chipper mood? Take flight by giving a home to the birds for the night. Dress up in brown pants (tree trunk), a green shirt (top of the tree) and create a nest on your shoulder or head. Gather a fake bird and eggs to introduce them to their new home for the night. Don’t forget to work your hair into the nesting process and get your back-comb on!

Unicorn: I have always believed that unicorns are simply an extinct species, except for that long-lost “last unicorn”. Because you could not measure up to their majestic nature, it is wise to take this species a bit more literally. It is easy, grab one ear of corn from the supermarket and tie it to your waist with some ribbon. You are a Uni-corn!

Chic Tradition

Tulle Ghost: This traditional costume can transform you into the “spirit” of the party. Make a trip to the Haight art store and buy a plethora of cheap white tulle. Wrap it loosely around your body and drape on your head as a hood. Belt the tulle at the waist with a white gauze. Apply white and silver make-up on your face. You will be eerily beautiful.

Glampire: I have become startling aware of the incredibly hot vampires that have become increasingly popular this year. With “Twilight,” “True Blood,” and the memory of Brad Pitt in “Interview with a Vampire,” we have good reason to vamp it up and join these stone-cold blood suckers. Wear a high collar, long, black dress (black lace can be very tasty in this situation so feel free to indulge), very sparkly dark eye make-up and blood-red lipstick. Oh, and don’t forget to sharpen your fangs.

Sherlock Holmes: Most of us have Gossip Girl-inspired tweed hanging in our closet that we just seem to never get around to. This is our chance to uncover all of our tweed and mix it all together for one mysterious night. Look for a bubble pipe and a Holmes hat to top off your prepster look just in time for the movie to come out this December. No fashion crime here!

Avoid looking like all the other ghouls on the block, unleash your Halloween spirit, and most importantly, stay stylish on the spookiest day of the year on campus.  Need some last minute Halloween styling help? Contact me at addysentrumper7@gmail.com and we can brew some magic together… Double, double, toil and trouble!

When advertising manager Mark Dondero was seven he had an excellent knight costume. His freshman year, web editor Sam Hernandez was a cholo. Her freshman year, editor-in-chief Laura Plantholt was a pencil in a yellow dress, grey tights for the metal, pink leg warmers for the eraser and a cone hat for the lead tip. As a kindergartener, news editor Chelsea Sterling was a cat and wore a black leotard with whiskers painted on her face. The highlight of the costume was a tail that her mom made out of old nylons.

Sometimes it’s the accessories that mean most – production manager Brenna McCallick had a light up crown for her Sleeping Beauty costume when she was three.  At 15, online editor Heather Spellacy showed her turtle power as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle’s Donatello. Sports editor Matt Steinbach shares a similar affinity for costumed fighters, he was a Power Ranger for several years in a row. Opinion editor Erika Heyer wore a mic headset and schoolgirl skirt for her Britney Spears circa “Hit Me Baby One More Time” costume. Photo editor Melissa Stihl spent Halloween at age six dressed up as a box of popcorn. Then there’s our copy editor Daniela Ricci-Tam; apparently she has never had a Halloween costume. Fascinating.

Illustration by Elizabeth Brown

It’s a Schildhause family tradition to eat stuffed pumpkins every fall. Back when I was a young’un living in Visalia, Calif., we would venture to the fine dining establishment the Vintage Press to feast upon this creation by chef David Vartanian.  He shared his recipe with my family and we now create the dish on our own each fall. The filling, a creamy sauce loaded with chicken and Jarlsberg cheese and topped with peppercorns, tastes great with the softened flesh of a perfect baby pumpkin. Enjoy! Makes 6 servings.

Ingredients:

6 whole baby pumpkins

8 ounces smoked chicken breast

2 ounces Jarlsberg cheese, grated

2 tablespoons  chili paste

1 onion, chopped

1 tablespoon butter

8 ounces heavy cream

1 tablespoon chives

1 dash salt & pepper, freshly ground

Lemon Butter Sauce

1 cup dry white wine

1 shallot diced

1/4 cup whipping cream

1/4 pound unsalted butter

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

1/2 tablespoon red peppercorns

Directions:

With a sharp knife, remove the top of the pumpkin, discard the seeds and season the inside of the pumpkin with salt and freshly ground black pepper in a small sauté pan until soft.  In a bowl, combine the smoked chicken, Jarlsberg, onion and chives.  Mix well, and season with salt, pepper and chili paste to taste.

Fill the pumpkins with the smoked chicken mixture, and pour the heavy cream into each pumpkin.  Place the tops back on each pumpkin, cover with aluminum foil and roast in a 350° F over for 30-45 minutes or until the pumpkins are tender.  To serve, place 1 ounce of lemon butter sauce on 6 plates and place a whole pumpkin on each plate.

Lemon Butter Sauce:

In a saucepan, combine the white wine and the shallots. Reduce over high heat until 1/3 remains.  Add the whipping cream, bring to a boil, and reduce until the mixture thickens slightly.  Reduce the heat and slowly whisk in the butter a little at a time, do not boil. Season the sauce with the lemon juice, salt and peppercorns.

Hungry for more? Check out the Foghorn Online for a great candy apple recipe.

http://foghorn.usfca.edu

Trick or treat! With Halloween just around the corner it’s time to get ready to celebrate all the things that go bump in the night, and what better way to do that than to take them head-on in the gaming realm? This week in Geek Squad, we’ll look at some of my favorite horror-themed games, from the throwbacks to the thrillers. So shut the door, close the curtains, turn off the lights and pump up the volume as we delve into five video games that’ll perfectly complement your Halloween experience!

Resident Evil 1 (GC)

One of the most recognized horror games in the industry, this classic PlayStation 1 zombie thriller makes an even bigger splash on the GameCube, completely remade with new visuals, new puzzles, new voice acting, and much more. At the beginning of the game, you choose to play as either Chris Redfield or Jill Valentine, members of Raccoon City’s elite squad known as STARS. Sent to investigate a number of murders in the outskirts of the city, you are promptly chased by dogs into a creepy mansion. It isn’t long after that you discover the mansion is filled with the undead, and your two objectives become clear: investigate the mansion to get to the bottom of why and how these creatures exist, and, of course, survive. But the latter objective is tougher than you think for many reasons – enemies are constantly flung in your direction, puzzles and traps are there to impede your way, and worse off, ammo is very scarce. All of these combine to make the perfect atmosphere for a horror game – the kind of intensity that makes you contemplate your every move out of fear while enticing you to go on. “Resident Evil” has all the makings of a good horror game: suspenseful thrills, mind-busting puzzles, and a plot line intriguing enough to push you ‘til the end.

Silent Hill 1 (PS1)

Like the pepper to “Resident Evil’s” salt, “Silent Hill” is a horror game that’s less action-centric and more focused on emotions and plot. As the protagonist Harry Mason, your driving force through the game is reuniting with your daughter Cheryl after a car accident finds her missing. But like many pieces in the genre of horror, the plot isn’t as clear-cut as that, as the game slowly leads you through a plot revolving around the resurrection of a cult’s supposed god. “Silent Hill’s” atmosphere is one established around sound rather sight – darkness and fog obstruct your view more often than not, and with a flashlight that only illuminates the area in front of you by a couple of feet, you must rely on the sounds of shrieks and footsteps to alert you toward danger. The horror that surrounds “Silent Hill” is more psychological than anything, and the environments prove testament to this idea, with blood splattered all over the walls and corpses lurking at every corner. Playing through “Silent Hill” is a horrifying yet enthralling journey through both the quaint little town that the game is named after and your very own psyche.

Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem (GC)

The first game published by Nintendo to be given an ‘M’ rating for mature audiences, “Eternal Darkness” aims to mess with your head even more than the previous game. Centering around the protagonist Alexandra Roivas, the game involves an ancient artifact: a book bound by human skin and bone known as the Tome of Eternal Darkness. With each chapter of this book that Alexandra finds, the game’s perspective alters to a different person, from Pius Augustus in the year 26 BC to Alex’s grandfather, whose mysterious death causes her to investigate in the first place. “Eternal Darkness’s” gameplay hosts an interesting mechanic known as the sanity meter. This meter, which is depleted and replenished under various circumstances, serves as a gauge for your character’s sanity, and when it gets too low, things tend to get a little crazy. Screams can be heard in the background, the walls begin to bleed, your character’s head falls off – essentially, these effects are supposed to emulate your character slowly going insane. But these tricks of sanity are taken to another level when they mess your own head: the game’s volume will lower with an indicator accompanying it, the display will sporadically switch to a black screen with “Video” in the corner, and enemies will appear that don’t really exist. “Eternal Darkness” is an adventure through the sanity of the characters whom you take control of and your own sanity, tricking you into questioning what’s real and what isn’t.

Dead Space (360)

If you had to put it in a nutshell, “Dead Space” is essentially “Resident Evil” in space. After receiving a distress signal from a nearby mining vessel, you, as engineer Isaac Clarke, must investigate the ship and piece together exactly what happened to the crewmembers while powering on the ship’s systems to avoid collision in an asteroid belt. It is through this investigation that you discover the identities of your enemies as Necromorphs, humans infected by a viral species of alien. But the twists and turns continue further than that as the game ultimately becomes about survival. Much of the game’s horror is derived from the creatures housed within – grotesque beings that require precise strategy to truly vanquish. And with the darkness of a powerless ship and the isolation of deep space, “Dead Space” provides the lonely atmosphere that serves as the backbone of any well-respected horror piece.

Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (PS1)

This list wouldn’t be complete without an entry from the “Castlevania” series, and there is no better candidate than “Castlevania: Symphony of the Night.” A non-linear, open-world exploration game, “Symphony of the Night” was a breakthrough entry to the series, deviating from the fully-established level-based format of the series and providing more exploratory gameplay, with RPG elements like experience points and levels, numerical attributes, and combative companions known as familiars. The game, like most in the series, deals with the proliferation of the dark lord Dracula, and a family known as the Belmonts destined to put him in his place. In this game, however, you play as Alucard, the half-human son of Dracula who decides to investigate the sentient home of the dark lord, Castlevania, after sensing a great shift in evil energy. Though I wouldn’t call the game scary by any means, it is very much a game fit for Halloween, serving host to some of the most well-known monsters of horror literature, from the Werewolf to Frankenstein’s Monster to Dracula himself. Indeed, “Symphony of the Night,” like most “Castlvevania” games, is deeply rooted in these classic stories, making it an excellent adaptation of the stories of gruesome monsters that you grew up with. It isn’t really Halloween without “Castlevania.”

So there you have it – you’ve got the games, now all you need are the right conditions to play them and maybe a dash of courage to get you through the night – or, if that’s not readily available, someone near and dear to accompany you on this frightful journey. With that, we bid you adieu and wish you all a happy and safe Halloween!

Lemmy Kilmister. the lead singer of legendary British band Motorhead, rocks the crowd at the Warfield Theater during their headlining US tour. Heather Spellacy/Foghorn

Having already been verbally abused by a homeless man before even making it off the bus, my exhausted self grew slightly disheartened as I made my way, in heels I might add, to The Warfield in downtown San Francisco. Walking down Market, I once again had rough profanity hollered at me, but upon reaching the venue, I quickly perked up. A sea of grungy punk rockers, young and old, with facial hair galore, graciously ushered me in.

I had arrived to see three amazing bands, all playing the same venue on the same night. Motörhead, Reverend Horton Heat and Nashville Pussy joined together for a U.S. tour, thankfully adding San Francisco to the list. While the genre of music varied immensely between the three, they all had one thing in common: hard rock’n’roll.

Waiting for Motörhead to make their way on stage I was overwhelmed with excitement. Having already witnessed two amazing live sets, I was ready to add a third to the list. The venue was packed and the crowd was clearly as enthusiastic as I was. Lemmy Kilmister, the band’s bassist and lead singer, casually made his way to the stage. “We’re Motörhead, we play rock ’n’ roll,” he stated, in his raspy British accent. The deafening music began, sending the crowd into a wild frenzy.

Between the crowd-surfing girl whos elack of underwear was quite apparent and Lemmy’s short hilariously matter-of-fact statements, the show was like nothing I’d ever witnessed. Standing next to the speaker for a mere fifteen minutes caused a loss of hearing in my left ear, but only when it actually started to hurt did I dare give up my coveted spot near the stage.

Each member of the three-piece band was clearly a master of his instrument. Mikkey Dee, the band’s drummer, rocked a solo for a good ten minutes, or maybe my astonishment made it only seem that long. How the man didn’t suffer a heart attack after his furious display is beyond me.

Never did I feel bored waiting for any of the bands to begin, as the crowd made for amazing between set entertainment. I wasn’t aware that these types of people actually existed in San Francisco. The venue looked like the biggest biker bar you’ve ever seen, and debuted some of the most amazing facial hair on earth. When is the last time you saw a neck beard that reached just below someone’s hip?

The two openers of night could have packed the house on their own, giving the crowd an amazing overall show. Reverend Horton Heat, a rockabilly band out of Texas, appealed to the hard rock crowd by playing their more heavy songs. “Psychobilly Freakout,” a song made popular in the mainstream via Guitar Hero, made it on the set list, as did “400 Bucks.”

The most memorable part of the night for me came from Ruyter Suys, lead guitarist for Nashville Pussy. Infamous for going wild on stage for their final song, Ruyter flailed across the stage, thrashing her long blonde locks around. The mystery is how her boobs, which were packed into a tiny, cut up t-shirt, stayed in her top. The whole crowd waited with bated breath in hopes of catching a peak of the guitarist’s “girls.” Unfortunately, the crowd and her boobs never formally met, making me wonder to this day what type of adhesive was mighty enough to contain them.

The show was one of the loudest spectacles I’ve had the immense pleasure of witnessing. Packing all three incredible bands into one night might have been more rock’n’roll than I could handle, certainly more than my ears could. The ringing in my head was overpowering, and my voice was gone after the second band finished. Worth it? Hell yeah!

Style setter Addysten Trumper showcases her layering skills on campus with an outfit that allows for many weather patterns. Photo by Melissa Stihl/Foghorn

Typical fall day for USF student: Morning class at 8:30 with chilly San Francisco fog lingering (thought: my hairstyle is already ruined). Lunch with friends at 12:00 in the caf, sun is shining and fog has turned to sweat (thought: a sweater and boots this morning?) Classes done for the day. Off to the Haight to grab a burrito with that special someone (thought: Brr! Can I borrow your jacket?).

Welcome to the daily challenge of battling San Francisco weather, which brings us to style logistics. We have all experienced a day like this, either too hot or too cold. There is only one solution that does not involve running home to change three times a day. With a few layering skills under your belt, your day will be comfortable no matter what time it is or what part of the city you are in. Layering does more than control your body thermostat. With this technique your wardrobe will expand so that you can rock your seasonal clothing year-round. Layering is not just wearing a jacket over your clothes, it’s the creation of texture and pattern proportions that can transform your look on a daily basis. Step out the door for a day full of weather changes without any major clothing changes by following these layering clues.

Pattern Principles

The fashion gods have devised a tricky trend for you fashionistas (or fashionistos) to follow when it comes to the art of layering: mixing patterns. This is an advanced skill, but as I have always said, if you feel it then wear it. Mixing two or more patterns in a single outfit can work with a little confidence in your craft.  While picking your patterns remember to stick to only one large pattern. If you are wearing a flower printed dress, do not wear large printed stockings that clash with the print. Focus on a stocking that has a petite pattern like small dots or a scarf that has an understated pattern like zigzags.

There are days I walk out the door feeling great but when I return home and look in the mirror a feeling of dread comes over me when I realize that I have too much going on in one outfit. Therefore this styling tip: when mixing patterns, it is smart to get dressed and give yourself a few minutes to look in a full mirror for the second time. I do my hair and makeup before I take a look from farther away; this gives you time to digest your choices so when you look in the mirror again you have a fresh perspective. This method helps edit patterns to flow together instead of clashing.

Texture Tips

Texture is all about relationships. Sometimes two pieces of clothing can overpower each other and the battle for attention begins. Layering your fur vest with that loose knit frock might seem comfy, but you just became a bundled Pillsbury Doughboy. Proportions are the name of the game when it comes to texture. If you are working with your fur, don’t mix it with something that has equal volume. Pairing your fur with cotton or silk will guarantee a more slender and elongated silhouette.

Just the other day I decided to wear all black. A safe bet, right? Wrong! As I pulled on my black torn-styled leggings, lace mini dress with my silk slip under, cotton vest, my feathered shrug and suede black knee high boots I looked in the mirror and realized that I was a mixture of six different textures- all in the same color. Don’t let this happen to you. Decide the look that you are going for and then carefully pick and choose what pieces can help you achieve that look without wearing each textured piece that you have. Oh, and don’t worry, I caught my mistake before jumping on the bus this time so I was set to go… proportionally perfect.

Her easily altered ensemble helps her cope with the often inconsistent temperatures of San Francisco while looking trendy and put-together at all times. Photo by Melissa Stihl/Foghorn

Great Garb

As a layering luminary, there are a few pieces of clothing that are essential to ensure that your comfort is weather proof.  When I know that it is too hot for a jacket and by mid-day I am going to prefer short sleeves, a scarf is the perfect solution. While thin scarves are very stylish, invest in a “blanket scarf.” These scarves are thick, long and assured to keep you warm on your way to your morning course. They are also good for a little ‘security blanket’ in class. I often take my scarf off and place it on my legs in class to keep me cozy.  Also, it is much easier to shove a scarf in your bag in the warm hours than a bulky jacket.

Another fabulous convertible-layering item are “soft boots.” These boots are long enough to wear knee high, but soft enough to scrunch into an ankle boot. I have two pairs of these boots because I know that they can get me through any day in San Francisco. If I need a leg up on warmth, then I just pull my boots up past my knees. When I am feeling the weight of the sun, my boots are scrunched into bootie form. While many items in your wardrobe are perfect for layering, these garb ideas will carry you in comfort throughout the day.

Accommodating Advice

The major advantage to layering is having the ability to take clothes off and put them back on. But when you are on the go, where should you put your scarf when you are feeling a hot flash? The bag that you are carrying is essential in this case. Choose a bag that can accommodate the peeled layer. Make sure that you have a bag that will support your changing daily wardrobe.

If a large bag is not an option for your day’s work, make sure you plan for your transformation early on. For instance when wearing my soft boots, I make sure before leaving my mirror that they will look grand above or below the knee. If I know I do not have room for my scarf, I test it on my waist as an alternative to my neck. Feeling cool in temperature and looking cool in style are equally important.

As we all know, everybody’s style file looks different. But layering is a style that we can all utilize because in reality we have always done this. To make it into a fashion statement; we must be more conscious of what we are piecing together to create a modern and updated look. Get creative. Layering is fun because it allows for experimentation; try an unexpected look that is all yours. Embrace the San Francisco days that tend to throw some style curveballs our way and be a layer player.

Desktop or laptop? It’s generally the first decision you make when considering the purchase of a new computer. Over the past couple of years, however, a third category of PCs has taken the market by storm: the netbook.

A portmanteau of ‘internet’ and ‘notebook,’ netbooks were originally created as super-small, super-cheap supplemental notebooks suitable for two things – surfing the internet and word processing. Though the origins of the netbook go further back than one would think, they were originally popularized when hardware developer ASUS released the Eee PC in 2007. With a 7-inch display, 900-megahertz processor, Linux-based operating system and 8-gigabyte solid-state drive (a type of data storage unit, like a hard drive, that uses flash memory – think large-scale USB drive), the original ASUS Eee PC model easily fulfilled its duties as an ultra-portable web surfing, document writing machine – but not much else.

Like all technological progress over time, however, there was nowhere for netbooks to go but up. Efficiencies in hardware meant that companies could cram much more into such a small package. Processors getting smaller, more energy-efficient and more powerful meant that the role of netbooks could expand to more than just web surfing and word processing with a longer battery life to boot. Slightly bigger displays, more RAM, bigger hard drives, Bluetooth compatibility, 6+ hour battery life and Windows XP pre-installations are all features that you can find in today’s netbooks, and that have solidified this subgenre of notebooks as a viable alternative to the modern laptop. And as popularity has increased, more and more companies have put out their own netbook solutions, from highbrow companies like Samsung, Dell, and HP to lesser-known companies like Acer and MSI.

At this point you’re probably asking yourself (or at least you should be), “Are netbooks right for me?” I can’t say for sure, but let’s look at a few different scenarios. If you have a desktop and you’re looking for something small and cheap that you can take around with you for travelling, class, etc., a netbook is a great option. If your main computer is a laptop and it’s fully functional, a netbook might be a little redundant unless you’ve got one of those high-end laptops that serve as desktop replacements. If you’re a college student looking for something that fulfills your basic computing needs – internet, instant messaging, word processing, music and video – without costing a fortune, a netbook is an ultra-affordable way to get the job done. If you’re a PC gamer who salivates at the thought of running “Crysis” at full settings, you might want to gloss over the thought of getting a netbook. If you’re an artist who uses high-end editing software like Adobe Premiere, you’ll want something that packs more of a punch.

So you’re in the running to get a netbook – how do you know what to look for? Well, as I was describing above, you need to find the specifications that suit your scenario. But as an example, let’s take a look at my own netbook, the ASUS Eee 1000HE.

Though it’s a bit dated now, the ASUS Eee 1000HE still ranks as one of the best and most popular netbooks on the market. It sports a 1.66-gigahertz Intel Atom processor, 160-gigabyte hard drive, 10-inch display, 1 gigabyte of RAM (though I upgraded it to 2 gigabytes for an extra $20), a keyboard 92% the size of a standard keyboard, 3 USB ports, an SD card slot, built-in wi-fi, Bluetooth, webcam, and Windows XP pre-installed all for roughly $400. Oh yeah, did I mention the battery life? If you tweak the settings the right way, you can get roughly 9 hours on a full charge. When I looked at my year-and-a-half old $700 HP laptop that had fewer features in comparison, there was no hesitation when I decided to make the jump.

What can you expect out of your netbook? For the most part, exactly what you can expect out of any low-end notebook. In fact, I’ve only come across three drawbacks to owning a netbook. For one, most if not all netbooks sacrifice having an optical drive to conserve space. That means no CDs or DVDs – sort of. If you’re crafty enough, you can figure out how to rip the data contained within these storage mediums as an image file and then mount the file using a virtual drive. You know, either that or just shell out the extra $50 for an external DVD drive. Second, netbooks can’t really handle any high-definition videos – my 1000HE struggles with YouTube HD. Lastly, as I mentioned earlier, don’t expect to be doing much gaming on a netbook. Or, at least, don’t expect to be doing any up-to-date gaming – my netbook can manage older games just fine, and I can even get “World of Warcraft” and “The Sims 2” working adequately on their lowest settings.

Finally, you’ll probably want some brand names. Though I don’t have much to say about their other computers, I have high praise for ASUS’s Eee PC line. In fact, despite them putting out newer models, I recommend the 1000HE to anyone interested in what netbooks are all about. It’s small, powerful, and cheap – pretty much anything you could ask for in a portable computer. If you want options, however, I also recommend netbooks from Acer, Samsung and HP.

Over the past two years, netbooks have quickly evolved from basic internet/word processing devices to ultra-portable multi-purpose computing solutions. And as time goes on, they’re only going to get more powerful while maintaining their low cost. So if you’ve been thinking about investing in a new computer, a netbook just may be the way to go.

The inside of this Tallahassee-grown pop rock caravan was remarkably tidy and smelt distinctly of holiday spice candles. Even the 5-man-band’s stock of water bottles and unopened vodka was neatly stacked in the corner.

The band has received innumerable letters from adolescents like the kids waiting outside who say that Mayday Parade’s music has helped them overcome thoughts of suicide, get through a break-up, and make new friends. “We write music for whoever,” said lead singer Derek Sanders. “We write songs about things that we’re going through.” This consists primarily of dramatic heartache, according to their lyrics. “They think it’s the world,” said Sanders. “We feel the same.”

Since the departure of openly disgruntled former singer, lyricist, and guitarist Jason Lancaster in 2007 “crazy rumors” have circulated through the web. Much of the fan base, which once made their Florida hometown the biggest show of the tour, took Lancaster’s side and accused Mayday Parade of “selling out.” “It’s weird…it makes you never want to play (there),” said Sanders.

San Francisco on the other hand, “is my favorite city in the U.S.,” said Betts. The band acknowledges that they still have a loyal fan base and they’re grateful for all their listeners. They’ve still got stars in their eyes and hope to become like the rock stars they once idolized.

The members of Mayday Parade range from the ages of 23 to 27; only two members of Mayday Parade (Garcia and drummer James Bundrick) have ever even been enrolled at a college. Sanders and Brooks Bett, rhythm guitarist, have been in a band together since the 7th grade. Mayday Parade’s indistinct radio-friendly repertoire reeks of youth’s symbiotic amateurism and sincere intent. “It’s hard to say if we really do a good job of setting ourselves apart,” confessed Sanders. “Originality is not our main goal,” Garcia agreed. “As long as we express ourselves and we make music,” Sanders said.

The band was big on this notion of expressing. “Express,” once uttered, instantly became the band’s smile-and-nod-along mantra. But with the success of being signed by a major label the band has sacrificed some of its cathartic creative autonomy. “I Swear This Time” and “The End” are the only songs not co-written by the label off of the band’s newest album, “Anywhere But Here.” They don’t seem to mind what Sanders called the commercialization of the band.

Mayday Parade insisted their flat-ironed and strategically tousled image is not another aspect of that marketing.  “We grew up wearing tight jeans,” said Garcia.  “We were those kids,” said Bundrick in reference to their young fans. They still are; just add stubble and a contract. The band’s only plans for the future are to keep touring and making music. “You’re doing it for them [the fans] and to see them singing along and how much it means to them,” said Sanders. “It’s the only thing I’m any good at,” he shrugged. “Video games,” Garcia corrected him.  The group nodded. Sanders rephrased his statement, music is the only thing he is “passionate enough to be good at.”

That passion of the band is their redemption. That night the band thrashed, jumped and blew kisses from the stage with an entrancing vigor. That energy breathed vitality into otherwise formulaic music and gripped the enamored audience by the throat; the whole venue sang along.

“San Francisco, you sound amazing. Thanks for signing with us,” Sanders said, smiling to the crowd. Sanders asked who had been at their last show in San Francisco a year ago and the venue was suddenly brimming with arms, young and not quite so young alike, waving in the air with the eagerness of a schoolboy yearning to blurt out an answer.  Mayday Parade and their fans share a mutual infatuation so frivolous and so ardent it could be nothing other than first-love.

Determined to prove new music can live up to some of the gems of the past, I started making mixes for my parents. You can do the same. This is a mix to help make your parents hip and savvy to contemporary tunes (many of these artists are even NPR-approved).

1) “White Winter Hymnal” by Fleet Foxes off of “Fleet Foxes”

2) “I and Love and You” by the Avett Brothers off of “I and Love and You”

3) “I Am Trying to Break Your Heart” by Wilco off of “Yankee Hotel Foxtrot”

4) “Wake Up” by the Arcade Fire off of “Funeral”

5) “I Looked All Over Town” by the Magnetic Fields off of “I”

6) “For Real” by Okkervil River off of “Black Sheep Boy”

7) “This Is Not a Test” by She & Him off of “Volume One”

8) “Star Witness” by Neko Case off of “Fox Confessor Brings the Flood”

9) “Two Headed Boy” by Neutral Milk Hotel off of “In the Aeroplane Over the Sea”

10) “Tremble and Tear” by John Vanderslice off of “Romanian Names”

Say Anything played and insisted that they would keep the music coming so long as the audience could keep up. The band ended their set with an old crowd favorite, “Admit It,” off of their hit record “Is A Real Boy…” They also played three new songs from their upcoming self titled release and others from their double disc album “In Defense of The Genre.” I had a chance to speak with Bemis about married life, Los Angeles, and what fans should expect from their new release.

San Francisco Foghorn: On this tour I saw that your wife Sherri’s band Eisley is opening up for you guys, how did that come about?

Max Bemis: It’s always been an option and we though about going on tour with them before we even knew each other and it’s cool now because we wanted them to be main support for us.

SFF: According to Wikipedia it says you’re living in Texas now; how is that compared to the L.A. culture that you grew up in?

MB: Well, Wikipedia is correct and I do live in Texas now. To be honest, I’ve been moving a lot and I was never too tied to the L.A. culture here. I met some awesome people there but most were pretty spoiled…I had to sort through to find people who were real and nice, but I felt alienated from the culture and I wanted to rebel from the culture and took it out in music and moved out to New York for college. I’ve also never been too rooted in city culture, there are only a few things I need, like going to Starbucks and the movies. Now I’m in a nice town that has everything I needed in other cities, without the lifestyle I didn’t want.

SFF: What do you usually do that last week before tour?

MB: We rehearse very vigorously, which is often easier for me because I sing and the guys are playing their instruments for hours.  Also get a lot of packing done with clothes, books and stuff like graphic novels. I spend a lot of time picking out all the graphic novels I want to read on tour and it’s something I do a lot on my spare time in the bus. I also noticed I tend to do as many nice things I can on the road.

SFF: So I know you have a thing called the “Song Shop” where for $150 you write a full song for any fan and before you write the song you have them write a paragraph or two about the subject they want to have conveyed in the song. Some people in the industry have seen you as an innovator for making personalized music; how did you come up with this idea?

MB: I’ve never been seen as an innovator before! The thing about it is I had an idea for the song shop and was starved for cash at the time, for money to splurge on things I wanted, but I didn’t want to sell an amp or anything like some musicians do and I wanted something to be special to a kid and something that I would buy from one of my favorite bands. I also wanted something that can’t be pirated so I decided to write personalized songs.

It’s been successful and definitely a labor of love because I spend so much time on them. I want them to be so great because I know they’re for my fans and over the past week I worked on ten. After this tour and album promotion I’m still and always going to keep it around for the fans.

SFF: For a final question, what should fans expect on the new self titled release? Will it have many guest appearances like your last album “In Defense Of The Genre” and will Sherri be featured?

MB: My wife is the only guest appearances in terms of vocals on the album. This disc is such a different record and maybe the best Say Anything record to date. It’s about Say Anything and not concerned about what others say. It’s about what we do and it’s a record that’s an example of us at our purest form of us going back to what we loved when we were 14 and what got us to love making music.

Be sure to check out Say Anything’s new self titled release “Say Anything” out Nov. 3!

There’s a good chance that the names “Dan Humphrey” and “Blair Waldorf” don’t exist in your cultural lexicon, and that’s probably because you haven’t seen Gossip Girl, the much-ballyhooed CW sensation. But if you are reading this and are a 17 year-old teen-soap junkie, you would imagine that any guy who can survive a tête-à-tête with Blair Waldorf wouldn’t have an issue dealing with a murderous stepfather and a little movie magic. So when Gossip Girl star Penn Badgley chose to play the part of Michael Harding in Screengem’s The Stepfather, he was surprised at how difficult it is to make a horror picture. “It was physically challenging…there was a sequence on a rooftop where we were shooting in movie rain…I was wet for three days. It was miserable”.

Gossip Girl has made Penn Badgley into something of a household name (or least an object of affection for anyone under 20). Although he’s been acting since 13, The Stepfather, in a way, is Penn’s motion picture debut. Getting a lead in a widely distributed movie is no small feat, especially for a television actor, but Penn said, “The transition [from TV] was very natural. It wasn’t easy, but it seamless and fun”.

The Stepfather is a genre picture, which is to say, it rarely deviates from some horror picture conventions. His character in The Stepfather, Michael Harding, returns home from military reform school to see his mother with a new partner. Initially, Michael warms up to his stepfather, but soon becomes suspicious of him after a doing some research and delving into his past. He soon stumbles upon some damning evidence, and the movie takes a bloody turn when Michael challenges his stepfather. Still, when Penn wasn’t dashing around the movie-set house with a murderer behind him, he said—in an interview with the San Francisco Foghorn—that there are some familial undercurrents of the movie that makes it so universal. “Michael is a vulnerable kid. He is easy to relate to. When I was 16, I would alternately hate of my parents…given the divorce rate in this country, this is a kind of movie that will resonate with a lot of people”

The Stepfather opens wide on October 16.

A bright blue shirt gives some color to a neutral outfit.

Sitting pretty on the benches outside the cafeteria was Scott LeFever, a 21-year-old politics major. He was wearing a vibrant blue Fred Perry polo with a pair of brown Levis. “They don’t really hold up to well,” Scott said about his paint-splattered pants, which have huge holes under the tush.  He has patched the holes with fabric from a “big, sexy striped shirt” that he found in a dormitory donation bin. “I’ve used this one shirt to patch five or six pairs of pants and there is still more to come.” His light brown overcoat is from a St. Vincent de Paul thrift shop in his hometown San Juan Capistrano, Calif. “I think this is a woman’s coat,” he said of the garment with sleeves that hit just past his elbows. “Women’s clothes just fit better.”

Scott accessorizes with a black belt from Humane Attire and his black shoes are from Payless.  Neither of the two are leather. “I’m vegan so it’s really hard to find belts & shoes,” Scott said. His watch is a Timex from Target and the key chain on his belt loop was a gift from his friend “Big Pete.” His mini brown briefcase was also a gift, this time from his friend John, and inside Scott reveals an inscription that his friend wrote and a torn dollar bill taped to the interior of the briefcase. His brown socks are from his mother and Scott is wearing no underwear. “I haven’t worn underwear since 8^th grade P.E.” he said.

Scott took a fashion-merchandising course in high school, which he said, “turned him away” from the fashion industry. He doesn’t approve of the “capitalist undertones” and how fashion “distorts images of ourselves.”  He admits that he is a shoplifter and quotes Morrissey, the lead sing of the Smiths, by saying “Shoplifters of the world, united take over.”

LeFever sports stylish ink on his arm

LeFever carries his school belongings in a brown briefcase gifted by his friend John

Well worn black lace ups complete the ensemble.

1) “Car” by Built to Spill off of “There’s Nothing Wrong With Love” (new album “There Is No Enemy” out Oct 6)

2) “Your Belgian Things” by the Mountain Goats off of “We Shall All Be Healed” (new album “The Life of the World to Come” out Oct 6)

3) “Blue Ocean Blue” by LAKE off of “Oh, The Places We’ll Go” (new album “Let’s Build A Roof” out Oct 6)

4) “Here Should Be My Home” by No Age off of “Nouns” (new EP “Loosing Feeling” out Oct 6)

5) “She Don’t Use Jelly” by the Flaming Lips off of “Transmissions from the Satellite Heart” (new album “Embryonic” out Oct 13)

6) “Bowie” by Flight of the Conchords off of “Flight of the Conchords” (new album “I Told You I Was Freaky” out Oct 20)

7) “Concerning the UFO Sighting Near Highland, Illinois” by Sufjan Stevens off of “Illinois” (new album “The BQE” out Oct 20)

8) “River Card” by Atlas Sound off of “Let the Blind Lead Those Who Can See but Cannot Feel” (new album “Logos” out October 20)

9) “Long Haired Child” by Devendra Banhart off of “Cripple Crow” (new album “What Will We Be” out Oct 27)

10) “Low Rising” by the Swell Season off of “Low Rising – Single” (new album “Strict Joy” out Oct 27)

Since we started this series with the Nintendo’s first-ever console, it’s only appropriate that we should finish it off with Nintendo’s latest: the Wii. Originally dubbed the Revolution, the Nintendo Wii was released on Nov. 19, 2006, and it sought to change the landscape of the gaming world by integrating motion-sensing technology as a core feature. With the ability to detect the position of the controller on a 3D plane, the Wii is quite literally changing how you play the game. The integration of these controls came at a price, however, greatly reducing the potential of the Wii’s graphical and processing capabilities. Nevertheless, the simplicity and quirkiness of the Wii’s control scheme, along with the low launch price of $250 and the pack-in game “Wii Sports,” caught the eye of the general public, and the system quickly found itself under the limelight. Of course, with sales skyrocketing thanks to the Wii’s appeal to non-gamers, many developers saw an opportunity to cash in with low-quality, easy to make games. And with their track record through the past generations, it comes to no surprise that the Wii’s strongest support is from Nintendo themselves, as you’ll see right now when we check out my five picks for the Wii!

5. Wii Sports Resort

When the Wii was released in the U.S., Nintendo decided to include a game called “Wii Sports” that showcased the abilities of the Wii’s controls. And when Nintendo released an add-on called the Wii Motion Plus, meant to provide a better and more accurate motion-sensing experience, it came with a game called “Wii Sports Resort” for the same purpose. The main difference between the two, however, is depth – while “Wii Sports” was designed to be nothing more than a tech demo, “Wii Sports Resort” was given more thought and better presentation. Unlike the original, “Wii Sports Resort” was given a specific setting: the luxurious Wuhu Island. All of the game’s whopping twelve sports take place at specific locations on the island, all explorable via the game’s Island Flyover mode. Really, it’s this mode that makes the game feel so cohesive and, as opposed to the original, more than just a collection of sports games. Which brings us to the actual meat of “Wii Sports Resort” – the sports. The game features a diverse assortment of games that compliment the Wii Motion Plus peripheral perfectly. Frisbee, archery and basketball are but a few of the sports contained within this awesome package of fun for the whole party. Oh, and sword fighting – don’t even get me started on how awesome sword fighting is.

4. Punch-Out!!

What’s this? “Punch-Out!!” again? Oh yes, it’s true – the Wii version of “Punch-Out!!” is pretty much a remake of the original NES game, but with so much more. Okay, so the game mechanics are pretty much the same as they were in the original, but as in “Wii Sports Resort,” the shining jewel in “Punch-Out!!” is its presentation. In short, the game’s visuals and audio play off the nostalgia of the original game while presenting them in a modern way. All the characters are just as you remember them but with a little more detail, and all the songs are just as catchy they used to be but with a little more flair. In essence, “Punch-Out!!” for the Wii is every bit directed toward fans of the NES game, but it makes for a great first outing as well. With multiple control schemes to suit your style, more than just the standard career mode and a long-overdue multiplayer mode, “Punch-Out!!” is an all-around fun game that does its predecessor more than justice.

3. The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess

You guys must be tired of seeing a “Zelda” game on every one these articles, but I can’t help it. Though fans had quickly taken to the art style of “Wind Waker,” the excitement was at fever pitch when Nintendo showed off the darker, more realistic (or at least proportionally correct) style of what came to be “The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess.” And while it was originally developed for the GameCube, the game made the jump to the Wii late in its development cycle, with motion controls tacked on to boot. The story this time revolves around Link, a ranch assistant in Ordon Village. After the village is attacked by evil monsters, Link gives chase and gets sucked into the twilight, involuntarily turning into a wolf. With the help of a twilight creature named Midna, Link must then venture to stop the evil king of the twilight, Zant, from taking over Hyrule. “Twilight Princess”’s gameplay sticks fairly close to the classic “Zelda” formula, though that isn’t necessarily a bad thing – if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. And while the game does indeed have its faults, it makes up for them in spades; great art direction, a beautifully orchestrated soundtrack, and a lengthy main adventure with enough side quests to keep things interesting.

2. Metroid Prime 3: Corruption

One of the few good first-person shooters on the Wii, “Metroid Prime 3: Corruption” takes everything great about the first two entries to the trilogy and piles on a whole lot more. For one thing, the abilities of the Wii’s controller make for perfect first-person shooter controls, which “Corruption” uses to their fullest. Not only are the controls highly responsive and accurate, but they now serve as yet another tool to immerse you into the game even more, translating your real-world movements into the movements of the bombshell bounty hunter. And now that you’re not the only human-esque being in the game anymore, the addition of voice acting is highly welcomed. The game also includes an achievement system of sorts where completing certain tasks awards you with medals that can be used to unlock extra features. If you’d like more detail on why the game is great, go back and check out what I had to say about “Metroid Prime 1.” Or, for the standard $50 price tag, go out and purchase “Metroid Prime: Trilogy,” which has all three games in one tidy package and all the features of the final game placed into the first two.

1. Super Smash Bros. Brawl

The Wii entry to my favorite fighting series makes things more chaotic and fun than ever. This game has so much stuff jam-packed into it that they had to use a dual-layer DVD just to fit it all. With a final roster of 35 unique characters to play as – including Sonic the Hedgehog (!) and Solid Snake (!!) - there’s a lot of variety. And with more modes than ever, there’s a lot of variety in how you can play as well. Quite possibly the biggest addition, however, is a full-fledged story mode known as The Subspace Emissary. Whether you’re brawling it up by yourself or with friends, this is a game that never gets stale. And like the previous games, “SSBB” brings much of its enjoyment through its connections to all the series it encompasses. From the characters to the stages to the trophies to the stickers to the items to the music – oh god, the music! “SSBB” contains a simply amazing soundtrack that spans over 250 tracks, some classic, some remade, all nostalgic. And then there’s the newly-implement level creation system, online mode, achievement-esque Vault mode… there’s just way too much stuff on this one disc to mention. “Super Smash Bros. Brawl” is basically the ultimate Nintendo encyclopedia disguised as a ridiculously fun fighting game. Go buy it.

And with that, we say goodbye to not only the current generation of consoles but this segment as well. Next week’s article may be a mystery, but be sure to keep reading Geek Squad for everything that is, was, and will be geeky!

Got something you’d like to see Geek Squad talk about in an article? Shoot us a line at scene@sffoghorn.info!

After sitting through a half hour of previews (all the regular ones and additional ones in 3D), me, Mom, Grandma and all the 4 to 8 year-olds in the theater had the same reaction: Just give me my toys already. It’s worth the admission, but be prepared to spend an entire day in Andy’s room.

The show began and the 3D glasses made it so real that I felt like an eight-year-old again. At intermission, I fully expected my mom to scold me for throwing popcorn at people in front of me.

Rex was roaring in my face as Buzz taught him to roar like a dinosaur. I ducked as the rubber ball rolled into the toy soldiers during their downstairs mission to get a peek at Andy’s new toys. Each time Mr. Potato Head got hit or fell down, his extremities came flying full speed at my face. I wanted to catch his nose and screw it back into his arm socket.

Sid’s house was most enhanced by the 3D aspect. The cruel assassination of Combat Carl by way of an M-80 attached to his back flooded the theater with horrified gasps from the underage crowd. The scene lingered in my mind as I went to bed. Combat Carl was a good toy. He deserved a more dignified death.

Throughout the show rambunctious children cheered during the escape from Sid’s house and pleaded with Slink to believe Woody that he didn’t kill Buzz.

A few of them had a little too much apple sauce and candy before the show, but Sid’s toy torturing quickly quieted the young, astonished spectators. They had no idea that Carl’s launch shed merely a speck of light on the long, disturbing history of Sid’s criminal dismemberment of toys. Heads of decapitated dolls drilled into bodies of other mutilated toys crawled out of the darkest and deepest depths of Sid’s room towards our faces and caused even the most annoying and obnoxious children in the theater to go mute.

At intermission the wide-eyed, terrified toddlers had enough, giving way to a more mature, too-cool-for-school, early teenaged crowd. The quieter bunch made for a more tense environment for part two.

At my advanced age there are some things I just can’t do anymore, and wearing 3D glasses for four hours is one of them. I had half a mind to ditch the glasses and the consequential headache before the second show, but mom and grandma had no problem with the lenses and inspired me to brave the headache and sore eyes and continue on. I stepped out for a minute to blink and was quickly ready for more action.

How can Andy’s mom try to sell Wheezy the Penguin? His squeaker is broken! Woody rescued Wheezy but was stolen himself, prompting what felt like a real life tour from Andy’s room, to Al McWiggin’s apartment, to a Pizza Planet delivery truck, to the airport to save Woody and the Round-up Gang from McWiggin and a home in a Chinese museum, and eventually back to Andy’s room.

A fixed Wheezy, a saved Woody, a complete Round-up Gang, and adopted spuds for Mr. and Mrs. Potato head made for a fully satisfying afternoon with the toys.

When Toy Story 3, exclusively in 3D, arrives in June of next year, you can bet Andy’s barrel of monkeys and Magic 8-Ball that we’ll be front and center to see how the gang deals with Andy going off to college.