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Almost Worth Knowing: Moonwalker

A few days ago, in A Life Not Quite Black or White, I challenged all my readers (probably just Brett) to name 5 Michael Jackson songs, not including the 7 or 8 that I previously mentioned. Bad Ass Yates was the only person to respond, listing "Jam," Ben," "Don't Stop 'til You Get Enough," "The Way You Make Me Feel," and "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" amongst his responses. Not only did Brett answer correctly, but he also mocked me for making the challenge too easy. Too easy, Brett? Well, I don't see you answering my OTHER challenge!

My second challenge was for any reader to name the Michael Jackson video game that was often found in arcades in the 90's. This game was none other than Michael Jackson's Moonwalker, the video game based on the movie comprised of a number of music videos featuring songs from the Michael Jackson album, Bad.

I remember the game pretty well actually. It came out in 1990, following the movie's release in 1989, and was a staple at one of the theaters I often went to as a kid. My recollection of the gameplay is even quite accurate; the game is played from a 3/4 perspective, and follows Michael Jackson, wearing his suit from Smooth Criminal, as he tries to rescue children and fight off gangsters or other bad guys using dance moves and dance magic attacks. At certain points in the game, Jackson can activate his super-powered Dance Magic attack and cause all the enemies on-screen to dance with him until they can no longer keep up and die. Curiously, and I do remember this, at certain points in each stage, Jackson can find his real-life pet chimpanzee, Bubbles, activating a power-up that turns him into a robot that can shoot missiles and lasers. Furthermore, the game can be played with up to three players at once, with each player controlling Jackson in a different colored suit.

Interestingly, and I did not know this, the game also came out for Sega Master System and Sega Genesis with different gameplay. For more information on both games, check out the Wikipedia Article and gameplay footage below.

Worth Knowing: At Age 50, Michael Jackson has Passed Away

If you haven't heard the news yet, Michael Jackson, 50, died yesterday from cardiac arrest. Rumors and media speculation have focused on his deteriorating health for some time now. You can read more about it and watch a pseudo-tribute to the artist in Time Magazine's article - Michael Jackson Dead at 50: A Life of Talent and Tragedy.

Jackson's latter years were certainly filled with weirdness; his once spectacular media persona fell to the wayside as the life-long hit artist became the focus of much negative media attention and the butt many jokes. Still, his legacy cannot be denied, and, as a public figure, he affected much positive change through his music and philanthropy. In remembrance of the artist, here is a list of my favorite songs by Michael Jackson:

5) Dirty Diana - Many people don't count this song among MJ's greatest hits, but if you listen to the way MJ sings it, you can tell that he's singing with everything he's got. His intonation, more than the lyrics, really conveys how much he wants to resist her, but just can't. This song is a perfect example of what makes him the King of Pop and one of the great voices in music. Man, Diana was so dirty - noo.

4) Black or White - I remember watching the music video for this on MTV, back when MTV had music videos, and thinking how cool it was the way one person was warped into the next. Jackson's songs were as much about presentation as they were about the music. In re-watching the video just now, I'm reminded of how truly epic and globally unifying Michael Jackson was. "I'm not gonna spend my life being a color."

3) Man in the Mirror - For some reason, I used to sing this song ALL THE TIME when I was younger. I would just leave this song, from the Bad album, on repeat and let the words inspire me. Don't be too hard on me: I was still young and fat then, and I needed some motivation.

2) Thriller - If not Michael Jackson's most famous song, it is certainly his most famous music video. I would argue that it is the most famous music video of all time (and I wouldn't be alone).

1) Billie Jean - At the end of the day, Billie Jean is still, undeniably, my favorite MJ hit. Many people might not agree, but I like the song for it's awesome dance beats, and the way the emotion comes through in his voice (like in Dirty Diana). It's also one of his earliest hits and the one I like singing along to most.

The songs are linked to their YouTube videos, so you can just click the links to hear the songs. I also just want to make honorable mentions of Heal the World (which may have been a little sappy, but I have fond memories of when it premiered) and Smooth Criminal (which inspired the awesome cover by Alien Ant Farm and was, possibly, their only hit).

Almost Worth Knowing: You Have To Try This...

"Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, B, A" is as iconic as the original Nintendo Entertainment System. If you don't know what I'm talking about, I suspect that you are either a girl or under the age of 20.

Known officially as the Konami Code, it is perhaps most well recognized in North America as being the code that made Contra playable (in an otherwise impossibly difficult game, the code granted the player character 30 lives instead of just 3). The code was originally used in Konami's Gradius franchise, and can be found in many games by Konami, as well as other manufacturers.

Video games, however, are not the only place that the code can be found.

THAT'S RIGHT!!! Apparently, even websites can employ cheat codes. If you enter the code on our favorite social networking website, Facebook, you can achieve some cool lens flare and word blur effects while typing and scrolling. The code is entered using the keyboard, followed by the Enter Key twice (using your keyboard, press Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, B, A, Enter, Enter). I only tried it on my profile page, where my wall is, so I don't know if it works everywhere. Still... pretty effin' cool.

Moreover, the same code works on Google Reader (for those of you who use that to read my blog) causing a different theme to appear in the side panel, as well as altering the number of unread messages to 30. You can simply input the code again to change it back to normal. If that's still not enough for you, please check out this Wikipedia page, for a larger list of games and websites that also use the code.

Finally, if there's anyone out there who knows how to program the HTML code that makes this work, I would love to know it. Random website cheat codes sounds like an awesome feature to implement in AlmostWorthKnowing.com.

Challenge: Here's the first challenge issued in a long time, and, as far as challenges go, it's a pretty hard one. Without use of the Internets, please tell me the codes used in the popular PC game, Doom, that allowed the player access to full ammo and weapons or that granted the player invincibility, also known as God-mode.

Almost Worth Knowing: X-Men Origins: The Musical

X-Men Origins is coming out tomorrow night. As you might have heard, however, the movie has already leaked via the internet, much to the chagrin of many producers and movie execs. Well, here's something to cheer them, and you, up a bit. I came across this video of Hugh Jackman, behind the scenes, during the filming of The Wolverine Movie, and he is awesome... Check it out!

Almost Worth Knowing: Check Out Who I Spotted in this Web Short

I was watching this series of video shorts on my X-Box called Horror Meets Comedy. One of the episodes, entitled Fairy Tale Police, had a very familiar face in it. I couldn't believe it at first, because these videos tended to be rather low budget, but apparently, it's really her. Can you figure out who plays the female police officer in the trailer below?

Yup, still looking good without her glasses. Unfortunately, I couldn't find the movie in its entirety anywhere online. It's a shame, too, because this one was the best of the bunch.

Almost Worth Knowing: Is Brazilian Waxing Going to Become Illegal?

According to a recent article, Brazilian Waxing (Warning: this Wikipedia article is entirely uncensored), or waxing of the genital area, has always been illegal in New Jersey, due to laws only allowing for waxing of "neck, arms, legs, and abdomen." However, due to recent incidents, the new proposal "would specifically ban genital waxing... prompted by complaints to the [New Jersey's Division of Consumer Affairs] from two women who were injured and hospitalized."

You can read more about it here: NJ Salon Owners to State: Mind Your Own "B" Wax.

I don't have too many opinions on the matter personally, but I did find it interesting. In particular, Wikipedia did have this interesting picture up of a bikini bottom that pretty much necessitates a Brazilian Waxing. Check out the Microkini. Wow, who knew...

Almost Worth knowing: Female Praying Mantises Do Not Eat Their Mates After Sex

I'm pretty sure the opening tag line of the blog pretty much says it all. However, I'll copy and paste the main points of this student paper I read. It's vaguely interesting and rather short, so you can read it in its entirety yourself if you want: here.

Although the praying mantis is known for its cannibalistic mating process in actuality it only occurs 5-31% of the time. Especially in laboratory conditions of bright lights and confinement, the female is more likely to eat the male as means of survival. "In nature, mating usually takes place under cover, so rather than leaning over the tank studying their every move, we left them alone and videotaped what happened. We were amazed at what we saw. Out of thirty matings, we didn't record one instance of cannibalism, and instead we saw an elaborate courtship display, with both sexes performing a ritual dance, stroking each other with their antennae before finally mating. It really was a lovely display". (7) There is one species, however, the Mantis religiosa, in which it is necessary that the head be removed for the mating to take effect properly. (5) Sexual cannibalism occurs most often if the female is hungry. But eating the head does causes the body to ejaculate faster.

Challenge: Praying Mantis also happens to be a form of Kung Fu. Can you name any other forms of animal Kung Fu, without the use of the internets?

Almost Worth Knowing: Calling All Guidos and Guidettes

Yep, you read it right... I just happened to get this email from a general casting agency and thought I would pass it on to all my readers, so we can all look forward to this together:

Almost Worth Knowing: YouTube Pron!!11@#$

Take notes ladies...

Almost Worth Knowing: A Great Name for a Band...

So today, my car was vandalized by Boreas himself...

Check out the pics:

Yup - broken windshield, dented hood, and messed up plastic trimming around the windshield wipers.

Challenge: In Greek Mythology, who is Boreas? No internets, please.