The Funtastic World of Chris Maguire

Exciting things on the internet!

2009-03-02T22:58:53Z

I have just re-launched Hypercombofinish, and it is super exciting.

You can now post comments on it! You can also say "hi" to my friend Marie, who is a new writer on the site.

When you comment, you get a random videogame avatar. If you don't like it, you can change it in your profile super easy-like.

Fire the Lazzzor!

2009-01-19T01:46:05Z

On Friday night I put my laptop in the laser cutter at NYC Resistor and etched the complete level maps from Super Mario Land.

I cut it at 70% speed and 40% power on raster mode.

You can trace mario's route through the entire game, from level 1-1 to the final boss at the end of 4-3.

Now I can't stop thinking of new things to cut apart with BEAMS OF INTENSE ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION.

Colors

2008-12-17T05:59:48Z

Okay, so colors make stuff more fun.

I still think of this one mostly as a rough experiment. Now I'm gonna make more experiments!

On coloring

2008-12-13T06:05:29Z

After some suggestions from Kelly, I tried coloring in the first and last panel of the last hypercombo comic.

Do you guys think it works better like this?

Best game description

2008-12-04T17:48:29Z

Check out the description of 16-bit classic Chrono Trigger on GameStop's website today:

For those unfamiliar with Chrono Trigger: No, there is nothing in the game about winning a 1982 football championship.

Sometimes I love the Internet so much.

John Henry

2008-11-28T20:48:26Z

New hypercombofinish, at long last!

I tried drawing it by hand. Let me know what you think!

Sketchlog: vermont part 10

2008-11-12T21:27:48Z

a little homage to De La Hoya, the underground punk band that introduced me to the DIY music scene in college. Also, my first concert!

Sketchlog: vermont part 9

2008-11-12T00:17:30Z

This page is awesome. Mail-order girlfriend and Chris Maguire and the Twelve Minute Solo.

Sketchlog: vermont part 8

2008-11-11T17:57:39Z

Attempted quick drawings of a bunch of people I know. Mostly unsuccessful and weird.

Sketchlog: vermont part 7

2008-11-10T22:54:47Z

robots and their master, Bre Pettis

Sketchlog: vermont part 6

2008-11-10T14:35:06Z

samurais and other asian memes

Sketchlog: vermont part 5

2008-11-09T16:01:44Z

KELLBOT'd

sketchlog: vermont part 4

2008-11-08T20:40:58Z

wood and chickens

sketchlog: vermont part 3

2008-11-08T18:36:33Z

Goats: nature's mexican landscapers

sketchlog: vermont part 2

2008-11-07T14:23:17Z

Pat the Doomlarva!

sketchlog: vermont part 1

2008-11-07T06:44:23Z

I like the camera and the fish. Also, Daw is a bear.

Write your own damn games

2008-11-07T06:07:53Z

Yesterday I was able to successfully compile a real honest-to-goodness Nintendo DS ROM and transfer it onto my RAM cartridge.

It's a dead simple program -- barely more than a "Hello World" -- but the *potential* is making me salivate.

That's right, I am the GREATED.

Tonight I'm going to delve into the video mode definitions and try my hand at some graphics programming. Soon I may be able to write something that people might actually want to play...

Smorgasbord

2008-11-03T23:23:22Z

thank you, Shady Maple.

OMG PWNIES

2008-10-11T16:24:17Z

The social climate both on and offline has pushed me to wax philosophical.

Please forgive me.

-----------------------------------------

As I consider it, I believe much of my personal ambivalence towards politics as a whole stems from an underlying disdain for partisanship.

The words "conservative" and "liberal" have become convenient blanket terms for "Everything I'm For" and "Everything I'm Against". These broad lines give folks an intellectual crutch that allows them to bypass independent thought and lead to little but uniform divisiveness.

Interestingly, in cases where a person views a particular faction as "Just Enough of the Things I'm For", they tend to automatically toss the opposing faction into the "Everything I'm Against" pile.

Demonizing those that hold different viewpoints than your own is a fast road to short-sightedness. Regardless of where your particular inclinations lie, those that think differently are *not* evil, and they are almost certainly *not* stupid. Every idea they propose should not make you fume with anger. Anger is not a constructive state of mind; nor is its offspring, self-righteousness.

Given the will to do so, how does one change this seemingly pervading system of black and white thought? My suggestion would be to start in the single most important and powerful place -- within yourself.

If you find yourself becoming quick to anger at the words of others, try taking a deep breath and consider what it is that is actually being said.

Try to mentally remove the labels associated with public figures before hearing what they have to say.

Think about what it is that actually matters to you in your day-to-day life.

I think George Washington had the right idea:

They [political parties] serve to organize faction, to give it an artificial and extraordinary force; to put, in the place of the delegated will of the nation, the will of a party, often a small but artful and enterprising minority of the community; and, according to the alternate triumphs of different parties, to make the public administration the mirror of the ill-concerted and incongruous projects of faction, rather than the organ of consistent and wholesome plans digested by common counsels, and modified by mutual interests.

On Mega Man 9, Conquering

2008-10-09T17:58:45Z

Mega Man 9 came out two weeks ago, and it fast became my favorite game of the year thus far.

For those that haven't heard about it, it's essentially a brand new game made to run on old NES hardware. It reminds us what gaming is all about -- not fancy polygons or voice acting, but true honest-to-goodness gameplay and razor-sharp controls.

It is also hard as hell.

Today I beat the whole game without dying ( the third time I've played through it ). The start-to-finish time was 45:06.

Now I'm ready to head to California with Haim. ;D

new pixel portraits

2008-10-03T06:53:47Z

I'm doing more pixel portraits for the first time in a long time.

So far, there's Kelly and clean-shaven Chris.

I'm gonna make Luca a long overdue blocky doppelganger ( I think I promised her one about a year ago ), then move onto whoever else seems most fun to draw. :P

Fun with crappy cameras

2008-09-30T23:59:33Z

It was a pretty good afternoon.

It will be an even better evening....

thanks to... CHICKEN.

and kelly.

So many things

2008-08-20T05:37:53Z

Oh yes -- change is afoot.

Like, immense changes.

I'm gonna dole it all in the next few days, one item at a time.

First up, I shaved my face clean for the first time in about five years. While I was at it, I figured I might as well have some fun:

I kind of freaked myself out -- it still feels like there's a stranger in the mirror. I'm not sure if I like it yet. I'll give it a week or so to grow on me, then decide how to arrange my face.

Condo Panorama

2008-08-01T22:15:30Z

Most of the boxes have ( finally ) been unpacked. I still need a filling cabinet and some more shelving, but the first floor is coming along.

Click to see the *real* detail!

Philly Ice Cream Festival 2008

2008-07-09T14:27:27Z

The 10th annual Philadelphia Ice Cream Festival ( AKA "The best day of the year" ) happened this past weekend.

We hit it, and we hit it *hard*.

Here are the final tallies for our intrepid group of participants:

Newcomer Caitlin came in with 9 scoops. A good showing, but she'll have to add more NOM next time ;D

Also new to the Philly ice cream scene is Kelly, who finished with 11 scoops. That's PRETTY OKAY.

Philly native Sara ended up with 14 scoops ( Philadelphians get an inherent positive modifier to their ice cream eating ability .)

Erik demonstrated the Philly modifier quite well with 17 scoops of delicious.

Getting up into the seasoned veterans, Shef Steve finished with 19 scoops. That's pretty average for him. :P

Algernon blew away his previous best with 35 scoops. Seriously impressive stuff!

But what of me, faithful readers? I finished with 46 scoops in less than an hour. This beat my previously held record of 41 scoops in 2006, and is the highest scoop count in recorded Philadelphia Ice Cream Festival history.

It may have been the proudest moment in my life.

Also attending were Dave and Lisa, but they unfortunately were not around to have their final photos taken.

A special thanks goes out to all the folks that came down from new york to eat with us -- the more friends, the better the ice cream! ;D