Sony exec will appear before U.S. congress

After declining a request to appear before the U.S. Congress at the beginning of May, Sony Computer Entertainment America has now agreed to send Tim Schaaf, President of Sony Network Entertainment International, to a hearing on June 2. The hearing will focus largely on online security and data theft prevention, so Sony's input regarding the recent Playstation Network (PSN) debacle will surely be helpful. 

Off for a jaunt

Hey all, my parents are on their way to Edinburgh today, and we'll be doing a little Europe-hopping over the next two weeks. There probably won't be updates during that time, but I'll be sure to regale you with stories upon our return. Thanks for reading!

Video games are officially art

It's been a topic of debate for decades, but now an authoritative voice has passed judgement. According to the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), video games are now officially an art form.

iBrick

A couple nights ago, after a bit of regularly scheduled maintenance, my 5-year-old past-warranty MacBook flatlined with no chance of resuscitation. As a result, this post was originally written with the analogue form of typing. Oddly, the bricked laptop served as bracing for the paper, so in a sense, it helped to write its own eulogy. Fare the well, MacBook, as you carry on to the great recycling plant in the sky.

Superman renounces U.S. citizenship, pundits go nuts

In DC's Action Comics #900, Superman plans to renounce his U.S. citizenship on the grounds that his actions are interpreted as America's actions. Supes has long been an American icon -- who among us can't call up an image of him in front of the flag, cape waving in the wind? It's easy. But now "truth, justice, and the American way -- it's not enough anymore." His words.

Movie review: Thor

A few years back, somebody at Marvel had an idea: 

"Let's make an Avengers movie!" 

"But wait," someone inevitably said, "won't all those superheroes be confusing as hell for anyone unfamiliar with The Avengers?"

"Alright, we'll make some origin movies, then The Avengers!"

And so they did. And that's what Thor is. Prep work.

Mallorca

I've found that, as expected, my years of education in Spanish haven't prepared me for jack. I'm sure most of that is my fault for having a leak in my memory bank, but a problem's a problem. Thankfully, since I spent the last five days in a mostly tourist-themed section of Mallorca, Spain, most people I needed to talk to understood English. And, oddly, German.