Go Ahead...Ask Me Anything!

I'm jumping on the new Formspring bandwagon -- a kick that a bunch of my Game Developer friends have been on lately.

Check it out:

- Ask Me Anything!

Answers to follow shortly!

Video Game Developers On Twitter!

Want to quickly and easily follow a ton of Video Game Developer updates on Twitter? Check out my new game developer Twitter list!

* Video Game Developer List on Twitter

Tweet, Tweet!

Guinness and Beef Stew (Happy St. Patrick's Day!)

Guinness and Beef Stew By: Michael Raymond-Judy

Difficulty: Easy
Yield: 6 servings

2 to 2½ pounds stewing beef
2 tablespoons flour
1 tsp cayenne
2 large onions, coarsely chopped
2 cups thickly diced carrots
3 medium to large potatoes, cut into 1” chunks
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 tablespoons tomato paste, dissolved in 4 tablespoons water
2 12oz. bottles of Guinness
Olive oil
Sprig of fresh thyme or basil
1 bay leaf
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Chopped parsley (for garnish)

Prepare carrots, onion, garlic before beginning. Do not prepare potatoes until ready to add them.

Trim the meat of any fat or gristle, and cut into 2-inch cubes.

In a small bowl, season the flour with salt, pepper and cayenne.

Toss beef with 1 tablespoon olive oil.

Toss meat with seasoned flour.

Heat 2 to 4 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over high heat (thinly coat bottom of skillet).

Brown the meat on all sides. If meat begins to stick to bottom of skillet, drizzle in small amount of olive oil or water until it no longer sticks.

Reduce the heat; add the onions, crushed garlic and tomato puree to the skillet. Cover, and cook gently for 5-8 minutes.

Transfer the contents of the skillet to a casserole (or a large pan with tightly-sealed lid).

Pour a third to a half bottle of Guinness into the skillet.

Bring the Guinness to a boil and stir to dissolve the caramelized meat juices on the pan.

Pour over the meat, along with the other full bottle of Guinness (save the half bottle for later!).

Add the carrots, bay leaf and thyme. Stir and adjust seasonings.

Cover the casserole/pan and simmer over low heat, or in a 300° F oven until the meat is tender, (2 to 3 hours).

Adjust seasoning as needed (salt, pepper and garlic are the likely needed additions).

If needed, let stew rest until about an hour before serving, allowing for bringing temperature back to cooking level.

About 45 minutes before serving:
Prepare the potatoes (leave skin on or not to preference)
Add potatoes and remaining half bottle of Guinness (you didn’t drink it did you?)
Simmer until potatoes are fork tender.

Season to taste.

Garnish with parsley, serve and enjoy!

Some Funny Links + Corey Haim and Peter Graves Remembered

Stumbled across some funnies today and thought I'd share...

- The 13 Funniest Help Wanted Signs EVER

- Uncomfortable Movie Plot Summaries

Bonus: William Shatner's rap from the end of the movie Free Enterprise in honor of today -- the Ides of March -- William Shatner: No Tears For Caesar!!!

On a more somber note, I am saddened by the passing of actors Corey Haim and Peter Graves this past week. Together you brought many laughs into my life (in addition to some impossible missions) and I want to thank you both for that.

Gone too soon. =(

Single Tweet Movie Reviews on Twitter

I just started a little side project that involves reviewing movies and DVDs on Twitter using a single Tweet - 140 characters or less.

You can check it out here:

* Film Reviews In 140 Characters

Only two reviews so far - "Black Dynamite" and "Avatar," but you can rest assured there will be many more soon.

Come follow FilmReviewIn140 on Twitter!

Maxim Cowboy Joke

I saw this in the latest issue of Maxim magazine and had to share...

****************

The Sheriff in a small town walks out in the street and sees a cowboy walking down the street with nothing on but his cowboy hat, gun and his boots, so he arrests him for indecent exposure.

As he is locking him up, he asks "Why in the world are you walking around like this?"

The Cowboy says, "Well it's like this Sheriff . I was in the bar down the road and this pretty little red head asks me to go home with her...so I did.

We go inside and she pulls off her top and asks me to pull off my shirt...so I did.

Then she pulls off her skirt and asks me to pull off my pants...so I did.

Then she pulls off her panties and asks me to pull off my shorts...so I did.

Then she gets on the bed, lays back and says, 'Now go to town cowboy...

"So here I am."

Vikings In The Super Bowl?

A man goes to the Minnesota Vikings ticket office and inquires about purchasing Super Bowl tickets.

The ticket teller replies that there weren't any tickets for sale because the Vikings did not make it to the Super Bowl.

The following day the same man goes to the Minnesota Vikings ticket office and inquires about purchasing Vikings Super Bowl tickets.

The ticket teller politely replies that there weren't any tickets for sale because the Vikings did not make it to the Super Bowl.

This goes on for an entire week.

The man again goes to the Viking ticket office inquiring about Super Bowl tickets and the teller says none are for sale because the Vikings did not make it to the Super Bowl.

Another week of this goes by and the man still is asking the ticket teller about Viking Super Bowl tickets.

Finally the ticket teller in a loud voice says, "I'VE TOLD YOU FOR THE LAST 2 WEEKS THERE WERE NOT ANY TICKETS AVAILABLE BECAUSE THE VIKINGS DID NOT MAKE IT TO THE SUPER BOWL!!!"

The man replied, "I know. I drive all the way from Green Bay just to hear that"