June 16, 2026

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Weekend Gamer: Xbox Keenan

vusleeper March 12, 2025

The much-rumored Xbox Handheld, codename Keenan, is coming to us closer than you think (I first mentioned this in Nov 2024)! The details are exclusively from a report via Windows Central. It’s set to be released this year (probably before Christmas to make for the maximum sale) and it is as much as I suspected: MicroSoft is just going to get a manufacturer to make their handheld. I think they are going to partner with Asus, who make the ROG Ally (my favorite handheld), to redesign an Xbox-branded ROG Ally. There will be some key difference, probably the branding and also that Xbox Button that you find on all their controller. The Xbox button would bring up a hotbar – similar to what you get when you’re playing on an Xbox Series X or S.

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The Magic of Wandering Days

Robin Lapid March 11, 2025

Nobody’s Empire by Stuart Murdoch. There are plenty of artists who cross genres into writing books—actors, directors, and musicians have all tried this form of creative expression. It doesn’t surprise me that musicians venture into the literary genre, especially singer-songwriters, who only have to trade their microphone for a pen to tell a story that sings. Stuart Murdoch, the singer-songwriter behind Belle and Sebastian, the Scottish indie-pop band that gained acclaim in the early ‘90s behind Murdoch’s witty lyrics and gorgeous melodies, seems perfectly suited to the task. Besides writing several albums that now span decades, Murdoch has published The Celestial Café, a collection of blog entries, poems, and lyrics, and written and directed a film, 2014’s God Help the Girl, about a lost and lonely young woman who starts a band with friends in Glasgow.

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Cindy Lawson at Cloudland Theater (March 7, 2025)

Thaddeus-WHM March 8, 2025

An evening of local music was on the slate at Cloudland Theater with Cindy Lawson as the headliner. Entering Cloudland, you will get greeted by Anslem, just about the friendliest door man in all of the Twin Cities. He’s been at it since they opened and does nearly every show. And Cloudland really is a tremendously friendly and inviting venue, giving local artists a real space to perform.

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Weekend Gamer: Avowed

vusleeper March 6, 2025

Now, there is a new game called Avowed, the third game in the “Pillars of Eternity” universe. It is an action role-playing game from Obsidian Entertainment and published by Xbox Game Studios. The game is available to play in early access, if you pay for the most expensive version ($90). For everyone else, the official release date is February 18, 2025. The best part is, if you have Xbox Game Pass, you can play for “free”. If you don’t want to pay for Game Pass and want to own it - I suggest buying the game on the Xbox Game App, as that means you also own it on Xbox. Basically, you get it as a two-for-one deal.

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Serenading the Spirit of Someone You Love

Robin Lapid March 3, 2025

In a compact set that packed a heartfelt wallop, L.A. band Earlimart wanted to serenade a love lost too soon. “It feels like Elliott’s spirit is here,” said singer Aaron Espinoza. He was talking about the late Elliott Smith, the soft-spoken singer-songwriter, friend, and muse who, according to Espinoza, used to “weird” the band out by standing front and center at their L.A. gigs back in the early aughts. Smith, who died in 2003, inspired the sound of Earlimart’s most well-known album, Treble and Tremble, released in 2004. That album conjured Smith in its whispered, resonant lyrics and mellowed-out vibes, the sound of soft-spoken indie rock shows that filled Spaceland and other intimate venues around Echo Park and Silverlake, where I’d see them play regularly back in the day.

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Mega Fallout T-60 Power Armor Collection

vusleeper February 21, 2025

I wasn’t originally was going to buy the Mega Construx’s Fallout T60 Power Armor set of five figures, but I gave in and bought it. I thought perhaps I’ll randomly see it in stores, and seeing it in person, I would pull the trigger. Of course, once I realized that this set is actually an Amazon exclusive, I just decided to get it. It arrived the next day at 5am. Unbelievable!

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