I've spent the last couple of weeks moving to Chris' new house in Eagle Rock, and very much enjoying it. Gettin' rid of stuff, cleaning stuff, and sweating off 50 pounds in the oven that is Pasadena. The place is amazing, the yard is a kid's dream (or kid at heart), and Eagle Rock has a small-town feel that will be an interesting experiment on myself.

Last Monday Jamie, Molly and I went to Disneyland because... well, why not? A magical place creates magical times, and it was a great opportunity to test out video-capture on my new... 3GS. Yup, after some Last Cannon bugs pointed out by my new pal in Spain on the new phone, I had to get one to set everything straight. That and replace my 1st generation cracked screen abomination. And also, because it's pretty neat.

How good are your eyes? Are they as good as mine? Take this hue test and see how you do! I got a perfect... yeah, my eyes have perfect hue distinction. It did take me a long time though, and my eyes were buggin' out by the end. Fun stuff.

If you love Layton, you'll be looking forward to this film based on the game! It looks really fun, and I hope it gets subtitled!

Ben Shields over at Shoddy Radio got married, and tasked Danny & co. with creating a couple love songs for the big day. We spent a few weeks writing and recording, and you can check out the tunes here! Music credits go to James, Danny, Ali, Christina, and myself (you might really enjoy the Slash-like guitar licks in the 2nd chorus of Love is Not).

• Love is Not (Rock Version)
• Love is Not (Ali Solo Rough)
• Take Me Home (Duet)
• Take Me Home (James Solo Rough)

This guy is passionate and maybe gets a little abrasive, but I agree on most of his points. If you're interested in the indie/creative vs. big-budget dynamic in the game industry, it's worth a viewing.

So I joke with my friends about one day getting an apparatus and trying to carbonate all kinds of things (mostly nonsensical): tomato sauce, chocolate syrup, milk, etc. I know this is probably a chemical impossibility in a lot of my suggestions, but I can cross milk off the list. Because Coke is doing it.

How do you test a life-size model of an apartment building for earthquake safety? By placing it on the world's largest platform earthquake simulator, of course. This. Is. Awesome.

A new element has been added to the periodic table... Copernicium! It was discovered 13 years ago, but recently had the name approved, and I think it's pretty neat. Mostly because I imagined the periodic table as sort of a master map of chemistry when I was little, and it's cool to see it altered.

On the iPhone Apps front, Last Cannon 1.3 is live in the store and the game feels much more complete - possibly as it should have been released. Enjoy the many improvements, most notably weapon upgrades and a more balanced flow. Secret Game #2 is still in review (both free and paid versions), and Last Cannon LITE is also still in review. I am definitely somewhat frustrated with the review process. The rejections I receive are definitely valid fixes and I'm quick to get to them, but every time this completely resets the time to review an app, and it can easily tack on another 2 weeks per iteration. The rejections are also for entirely different reasons, and if I was notified of all of them at once, it would save many round trips and time for both parties. The entire experience from development to release is still on the pleasant side of the scale, but I can imagine companies built around this platform struggling with release schedules and response times.

The beanie is complete. Although it went pretty well, and I threw in a couple of stripes for good measure, it wasn't knat in the round, so I had to sew up the side. I'm not a big fan of this (and my seam isn't that amazing), but the next one will be one solid piece. I think I'm going to use the same technique to make a bunch of tiny jellyfish, probably as a gift for Kazu and Amy's baby Juni.

Miike Snow is addictive. It's been on repeat in the Nucleus office for quite a while and doesn't seem to get old. I swear when we turn it off, it's still going. If you have to choose one song to start with, check out "Sylvia." Really, really pleasant tunes.

I think I was a little harsh about Dredg's new album. I've been listening to it a lot, and I love it. Sorry Gavin, my bad - you guys are all good together.

I don't want to spoil this with an image, but if I was 17-18 and preparing for college in Japan, I don't know if I could resist attending this University. This (official) website is SO AWESOME. Not only does it seem so adventurous, but a simple twist in nomenclature makes the whole endeavor sound fun: they call it a quest.

The Yuki 7 show at Nucleus was full of mystery and 60's espionage. Some really cool art/artists, and I think it felt like one of the classic shows we're known for. I was particularly pleased with our use of the projector filling the upstairs window... it gave us ideas for future shows using this dedicated space. Thanks to everyone who came out!

We've been recording a couple of love songs for a few weeks: an 80's rock ballad and a sweet indie tale. Thanks to Danny, Jamie, Ali and Christina for all the writing, brainstorming, singing, and performances! Side note: recording in Pasadena in the summer is a bit of a challenge without AC. You can't use fans b/c the room has to be silent. My computer would only last about 15 minutes before sputtering due to extreme heat. Our solution: rotating out flat bags of ice from the freezer and placing them under the laptop. Did it work? Like a charm! The songs were done for Ben Shields' wedding this Sunday, hopefully they're a success.

Happy birthday, Maurene! Dinner at Edendale's was tasty and we're all looking forward to bowling tonight... even if it isn't a celebration for Walnut. More hangout time is inevitable, since we're moving into Chris' house.

I submitted (submat?) version 1.3 of Last Cannon to the App Store last night; let the review process begin. I've mentioned it before, but I think this is the real version of the game, as it should have been released, and as it should be experienced. It feels complete, much more approachable from all skill levels, and rewarding. Here's what you can look forward to:

• weapon upgrades!
• save your game when quitting & during phone call interruptions
• sharper, crisper graphics
• lower horizon, larger gameplay area
• new sounds
• better pacing / less punishing
• smoother control, larger sensitivity range