Internet Searches

You would think that I would learn not to listen to it, but occasionally morbid curiosity gets the better of me. Or really, it sneaks up and grabs me from beneath my bed.

Take third degree burns for example. They are horrific in the best sense and downright nightmare inducing in the worst. Yet here I find myself typing "third degree burns" into the Google Images search field. What was I thinking? Needless to say after a page or two of the kinds of pictures that turned up I was feeling equal measures of pity and horror, but also a kind of sick fascination.

And I know I am not alone in that sentiment. It was what made hangings the number one spectator sport over centuries of human history. Executions have since been granted a bit more dignity in these modern days, but the progression of history has not put a damper on humanity's obsession with death and horrific scenes.

It is this curiosity that leads people to compile clips and videos of terrible sports accidents and injuries. Complete with slow motion play back that allows the viewer to witness the sudden savage dislocation of a knee, the catastrophic impact of a raging bull on a human body, and football players getting their faces smashed in, legs broken, and eyes gouged. And it is called entertainment!

For proof I will research...gasp!
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...A word to the wise...don't get lost in Youtube. It is entirely too easy.

Current music: the thunderstorm brewing outside.

Plants vs Zombies

Over the weekend I was introduced to a rather charming and altogether hilarious iPod game app called Plants vs Zombies. After hearing my brother-in-law rave about it and seeing my four year old nephew playing it I thought it worth a try. As sad as it is to admit, I actually stayed up late last night playing it.

The premise of the game is this: you are an average (or not-so-average, as you discover later in the game) member of suburbia that is unusually plagued by marauding zombies. Your primary line of defense against the shambling dead are a collection of rather unique plants that can do everything from freeze the zombies to squish them flat. You have to protect your home from wave after wave until there are no more. If a zombie gets past your defenses then they eat your brains. Eeww...

As simplistic as it appears it is actually quite entertaining. After each successful level you earn a new type of plant that has a specific ability. The higher you go the more zombies come with differentiating abilities as well. There are fast ones (at least what can be considered fast in undead terms) and armored ones, and even zombies that scuba dive. Ha!

Current music: Evacuate the Dance Floor by Cascada

Another iPod game app I have been introduced to is called Angry Birds. And this one is completely hilarious.

Some round green pigs, tired of a diet of tasteless grass, steal the eggs from a colony of birds. When the birds discover this theft all hell breaks loose in a barrage of avian kamikazes seeking retribution. In order to protect themselves the pigs construct forts and walls using glass, wood, or stone. With the use of a slingshot and the birds' determination all these fortifications end up proving ineffective against the birds' fiery ire.

This game is also addictive in its incredibly pleasing scenes of destructive mayhem. You start out the game with a generalized solid hitter Red. He has no special powers other than suicidal vigilantic revenge. As you progress in the game the pigs' forts get more complex and you earn birds with new powers such as multiplication, explosion, or speed. I have not finished the game yet to know if the birds do indeed get their pilfered eggs back before they are eaten by the pigs, but that is the fun of the game. :)

Current music: Womanizer by Britney Spears