LEGO Construtionary
Admit it. College students faced with a handful of bricks on their desk feels the compulsion to build. Constructionary allows you to satisfy this urge in a socially acceptable setting. The idea is simple. Everyone knows how to play Pictionary; LEGO just took the idea into the third dimension.
There is no board, and the precise rules of play are easy to adapt to make your own game, but the basic premise remains the same as Pictionary. One team member is assigned something to build, and the others must guess what it is. Points are given to the team that guesses theirs first.
The addition of bricks to the game is a huge leap in creativity but can also be a roadblock for the imaginatively impaired.
Anyone can draw a butterfly on paper, but exactly which bricks does one choose to craft it out of LEGOs?
This aspect is what will separate those who love the game from those who simply tolerate it. A game can quickly turn sour if one side grew up pitting medieval LEGO pirates against LEGO space ninjas while the other was content with a Barbie dream house.
Bottom line: Your mileage may vary but LEGO Constructionary gets four out of five bricks.
Dr. Horrible's Sing-along Blog
Joss Whedon has achieved cult-icon status among many of his fans. “Dr. Horrible’s Sing-along Blog” is a testament to Whedon’s humor and brilliance.
The Sing-along blog actually started as a three part Web series created during the 2007-08 Writers Guild of America strike. The project was both a way to produce a film without violating the strike and a way of testing the waters with a professionally made film using Web distribution. Both were met with stunning success.
Dr. Horrible is a three act miniseries that follows the aspiring super villain Billy (a.k.a. Dr. Horrible, played by Neil Patrick Harris) in his attempt to join the Evil League of Evil and win the love of his laundry day stalkee Penny (played by Felicia Day). Whedon fans will also recognize Captain Hammer, Dr.
Horrible’s arch-nemesis, played by Nathan Fillion of “Firefly” and “Buffy the Vampire Slayer.”
The humor in the series is very dry and understated with just a hint of absurdity. For example, Dr. Horrible is friends with Moist, a villain who harnesses the power of moistness to — well he doesn’t really accomplish much but make Billy’s mail soggy.
The musical numbers really take these gags to the next level. Billy sings about his love of Penny and how he longs for laundry days while Captain Hammer professes everyone can be a hero, just not a hero as suave and cool as he.
Thankfully Dr. Horrible’s success has meant DVD distribution and can be found at most DVD retailers.
Bottome line: “Dr. Horrible’s Sing-along Blog” receives a full five notes out of five.
Clients from Hell
Anyone who has worked in an industry where you must deal with customers will immediately appreciate the value of this website. Clients from Hell receives and posts short exchanges between employees and their clients. If you belong to the aforementioned demographic, you know what ensues.
The website follows the submission format made popular by FMyLife, which means the entries may not necessarily be true. This doesn’t stop them from being hilarious.
If you have ever experienced the exasperation resulting from daily encounters with the incompetent and lived to share the story, you will find hundreds of similar tales at this site.
Bottom line: Clients from Hell slips into the fourth circle of hell out of five.