This week my dissertation work will focus on the discussion section. Last week I ran data analyses comparing my work with those of other PhD candidates before me who have also researched Inca skeletal collections. The results are very enlightening and adds a whole new dimension to my own work. The goal now is to finish writing it up so people will know exactly what my study contributes to the whole.

On Tuesday, some more White Stripes songs are hitting Rock Band. Namely, their most famous ones: Seven Nation Army and Fell in Love with a Girl. As I was telling my roomate, I’m not too keen on listening to the White Stripes as music, but as game levels they’re pretty nifty.

I have a good feeling about Thursday. I just do!

After that, well I had hoped that my friend Mo and her new business would not get mixed up with the wrong crowd, but she fallen in will the St. Louis Craft Mafia. The scary thing is that they are so organized and powerful, they can have an even in broad daylight in St. Louis: the Indie Craft Revolution! It’s this Saturday and Sunday and I’ll probably make it for one of them to lend my usual support. And see the zoo. And Star Clipper. And get delicious food. And…

I just have to wait for the inexorable march of linear time to get all of this rolling. Come on!

Also, 1 month until The Beatles: Rock Band comes out! See I tied it all together with the title.

Update: *Point point*

Oh I get it lol.

Some associated news have been found on the net too. GameDaily has a cool interview with Orbison’s widow about the games and music. She has a very positive attitude towards the merging. Digital Game Developer has some really interesting information on the technical process of taking master tracks and making the song playable. The Orbison Estate actually took the opportunity to remix the song just for Rock Band, making the guitar sound more modern.

The Beatles have licensed songs to MTV Networks’ Rock Band videogame series, according to several people familiar with the matter, a coup for the Viacom Inc. unit in its battle with rival Activision Inc. for supremacy in the world of rock and roll video games.

Update: Today the Beatles and MTV Games officially announced plans to make a Beatles music game. Woohoo! There’s articles all over the net, but check out this one, the press release at Beatles.com. It’s eerie reading quotes from representatives of all four Beatles about how cool a videogame would be. Kind of a weird Bizarro world situation. For example:

“It’s cool. I love it and hope it will keep inspiring and encouraging the young generation for many decades,” said Yoko Ono Lennon.

That quote would be inconceivable one week ago.

Band names are unique because they get posted on online leaderboards. There is also a very strict censoring system so anything that any loaded word could be rejected (like for example, Bruce Dickinson). Originally I wanted something for hardcore gamers. I was inspired when I heard a game magazine’s review band was called “Dogs of the AMS,” which I recognized from a random line of dialog from House of the Dead 2. For some reason I wanted something related to the cult series Shenmue. I toyed around with naming my band the Chiyoumen (the secret organization of bad guys), or the Mad Angels (a gang of foreigners terrorizing the docks). I decided it was too obscure though, so I instead tried to think of something humorous and understandable by a majority of the rock band-playing population. So, behold my band:

Band with the Runs!

{Click for giant version.}

Our motto is “Live and let fly.”

And this is our logo.

RB2 has a new feature where I can choose who fills in the positions I’m not playing in my band with my stock of characters . So for the first time, all of my RB1 characters appear together on stage while I play as one or two of them. Introducing:

Osteon: My first RB1 character, though back then he was named Guitaroo-Chan (a riff on the old rhythm game Guitaroo-Man (what’s with me and obscure game references?!)). He is my guitarist. He has a bone theme going for him, of course.

ZOMGoth (pronounced Zoh My Goth): My other guitarist, made for online playing. She now plays bass for the band.

K: A temporary name until I can think of something better. In RB1 he was originally named Keith-on-da-Mic, then K-on-da-Mic, then his name changed to match whatever costume he was wearing. Last time he was seen in RB1, he was “Ringmaster 9000,” so imagine that get-up. For a while in RB2 he is wearing the expert vocalist costume (far below, looks like a deer), which I hear is inspired by black metal (believe it or not, not my scene). For now he’s dressed plain like me… an athletic, chiseled me (above).

Keeley Walker: A college student by day, vigilante by night, and drummer… in between. For those who care, no her RB2 appearance is not canon. Neither are her stints in the Smackdown! vs. Raw, City of Heroes, and Tony Hawk games.

{Everyone wearing their respective impossible costumes. Click for giant version.}

I have another band to show off, but I’ll do that another time. They’re uncannily astonishing though.