If you're a gamer at all, you're aware of the fact that the next-gen Nintendo console codenamed "Revolution" is now known as the Nintendo Wii (pronounced "we"). My initial reaction was, and I quote from a message board post, "WHY YOU GOTTA PLAY ME LIKE THIS NINTENDO?!" But it's settled a little now. It's still kind of awkward to say, but that, too, will settle. I remember when "Dolphin" was officially dubbed "GameCube," I had a similar reaction: It was the stupidest name for a console ever. But now I say it freely, unblinking.

The important thing is that the Wii has me excited about gaming again. My GameCube has sat mostly unused for a long time. My last roommates used it far, far more than I did. In fact, I only played it a couple times during the eight months I lived there, while it was on almost every waking hour (which were pretty long hours in my apartment). However, Nintendo promises to add an entirely new dimension to gaming with its 3-D movement detection and peripheral attachments. The mind reels at the possibilities. Despite not being much of a gamer these days, I'm all over this shit.

The Streets' new album, "The Hardest Way to Make an Easy Living," was released in the US on Tuesday, which is when I bought it. On this album, Mike Skinner tells us all about the apparent zaniness that is being one of the UK's hottest celebrities. There are songs about sex, reckless spending, and crazy amounts of prang. Thematically, it's not nearly as accomplished an album as "A Grant Don't Come for Free," an album that plays out like a novella, an album that I refer to as one of the greatest works of narrative ever produced. The last three or four tracks of "Hardest Way" especially lose me. I'm not sure what Skinner is trying to tell us here, though do I like these tracks, still. Most of the album, however, has a very self-aware air that I can totally get behind (for example, "Memento Mori"). The sound is fantastic, though. It's considerably more expensive and polished-sounding than Skinner's previous albums, yet still retains the greatness of the Streets sound.

All in all, I still think it's a fantastic album and would recommend it to even newcomers.