After disparaging the effects technology has on human beings in my last column, in this blog I will…praise technology? Yes, because The Beatles Rock Band is just that good. If you like the Beatles, as I do, then you’ll love this game. If you really don’t have an opinion on the Beatles and you’ve only heard a couple of their songs, you’ll love this game. If you don’t like the Beatles, then, well, what is wrong with you?

I ran out and bought this game the day it came out, Wednesday, Sept. 9, before my 9 am class that day (Yes, I can be a dork). And I was not disappointed. In story mode the gamer plays through eight chapters as John, Paul, George, and Ringo, starting in Liverpool and ending up on the rooftop of the Apple Corps Building, with each Beatle’s appearance changing with the times before your very eyes. Playing with a replica guitar controller of Paul McCartney’s Hofner bass (which you get if you buy the whole game, along with Ringo Starr’s Ludwig drum set) I finished the game the same day I purchased it. It was relatively easy—one of the game’s only weaknesses. But no worries, because just like listening to the real Beatles, it’s just as fun if you play these songs over and over again.

(Trivia question: Which Beatle name is not their real name? Answer at the end).

The game has many other fab features, especially for those who are a part of Beatle fandom. The more songs you finish, you can unlock photos of the quartet, as well as rare videos of the foursome. Other features include Beatlemania (which takes the place of Star Power on past games) and being able to sing in harmonies, just like the real-life Beatles. It really is a game made for a group of people to play instead of just the individual. I would go on, but some friends just came over and we̢۪re about to twist and shout.

On to the links:

The trouble with Pak: Apparently Pakistanis are not happy with America’s presence hovering over them in the region. http://www.mcclatchydc.com/world/story/74966.html President Obama has some tough foreign policy decisions to make—what to do about the remaining troops in nearly forgotten Iraq, what to do about the burgeoning disaster brewing in Afghanistan, and, perhaps the most troubling, what to do about a nuclear Pakistan succumbing to anarchy. I don’t envy him.

Pat Fix: Time for some links to my favorite columnist—Pat Buchanan. Here he is with some suggestions to Obama on foreign policy http://www.amconmag.com/blog/2009/09/08/obamas-vietnam/ and here he is about the cultural crack-up we are experiencing in America­ http://www.amconmag.com/blog/2009/09/10/americas-cultural-crackup/. If only he would have been elected president in either 1992, 1996, or 2000, when he ran, we would be much better off as a country.

9-12 protest: On the day after the eighth anniversary of Sept. 11 thousands of conservatives descended upon Washington to protest President Obama and his domestic policies. http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0909/27070.html Isn̢۪t it weird how when a Republican president spends like no tomorrow conservatives are nowhere to be found but when it̢۪s a Democrat we all love to protest? On the same token, isn̢۪t it weird how when a Republican president fights two wars simultaneously liberals are out in full force but when a Democrat does the same thing we hear nary a peep? Isn̢۪t American democracy just peachy?

Trivia Answer: Ringo Starr! His real name is Richard Starkey. See, don̢۪t you learn something new every day?