You say you want a revolution, well you know...

Wii all want to change the world! (with apologies to the Beatles)

Or rather, Nintendo does with it's brilliant marketing team who managed to convince them that "Wii" is a good name for a console. I just read about this, and my first thought was "How the fuck do you even pronounce that?" Is it like "Why" as in "Why the hell is Nintendo changing the name of it's new console from something great like Revolution to something shitty like Wii?" Or is it like "Whee" as in "Look at us, we're Nintendo, we make great games but know exactly fuck-all about marketing hardware, wheeeeeeee!"

According to their website, it's like "We" as in "We like to play games" or some shit. Frankly, Nintendo, I had some high hopes for you this round of console wars, but after this shitty name change, and some of the other decisions you've made recently, I think you're done. Nintendo will go the way of Sega, and personally, that's fine with me. Nintendo's really all about the games anyway, so I don't care if I have to play them on my next-gen Xbox or Playstation, as long as I get to play them. Wiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!

I love new stuff

Remember those speakers I posted about a while ago? And how I couldn't wait to hook up my 360 with them, and now that I have, I'm friggin' loving it? Well, I've been saving up to get a new PC at the end of the year/beginning of next year, and I was already half way there. I had been waffling on whether or not I should get a cinema display to go along with the new PC and of course, the 360 (since I hooked that up to my PC monitor, along with the speakers).

So I was perusing Newegg, just to see what was out there, and I saw this. The first thing I noticed is that it was a good 350 bucks cheaper than the 23" Apple cinema display, which is obviously top of the line and very stylish. But the 100% positive reviews for the HP model blew me away. I knew then I had to have one.

It should arrive on Friday. I'll be sure to let you know how awesome 360 games, PC games, and DVDs look on it. Shit, man, once I get my new PC with a TV tuner card, I'm not even gonna use my TV anymore.

Of course, this means I have to start saving for my new PC all over again, but no biggie. I'm got my Xbox to keep me company this winter.

EDIT: Almost forgot. I rented Fight Night. For all the problems, it's still a lot of fun. It looks great, too. Justin and I were trading off with our created boxers in career mode, until he got to an UnderArmor sponsored title fight that he claimed was fixed. I didn't really believe him until I tried that fight in my career, and I couldn't win either. Bullshit! Maybe the fight was fixed, maybe it's just that fight that the game decides to change the rules so we should have changed our strategies. I doesn't matter what the reason is, after I lost, I turned the Xbox off and said I was done with the game. I haven't picked it back up since, and I probably won't before it goes back to the video store. Bill Harris just wrote a post today about his lack of patience with bullshit like that, and I agree with him. Anytime I stop having fun with a game, I stop playing it. There are too damn many other choices out there to choose to wade through bullshit.

Tomb Raider: Legend

You might notice another icon over there on my gamer card. Ms. Croft and I were just recently formally introduced. Unlike the hoardes of other red-blooded American males, I never found the buxom heroine enticing enough to pick up one of the Tomb Raider games and play it before. But then the 360 came along, with it's downloadable demos, so I figured I'd give the latest Tomb Raider offering a try.

As it turns out, the demo was half of the first level in the game, and damn was it bad-ass. Puzzle-solving, platform-jumping, and blowing people away in style. Plus, the environment was gorgeous.

So I rented the full game from Blockbuster today, and after playing for a few hours and finishing three levels, I think it's safe to say that this game is awesome. Probably not worth a purchase, since it looks like there are only 7 levels, so I should be able to finish it by tomorrow. Then there's a time-trial mode, which might be fun, but other than that, once I'm done with a game, I'm done with it. I'm not going to play back through it to collect all the hidden shit, unless it's something like GTA, where doing the side missions actually enhance the gameplay experience. I'll have to check a walkthrough once I'm done and see if any of the hidden stuff unlocks anything cool, or if it's just concept art and 3D models.

As I said, I won't be buying Tomb Raider: Legend, but it was definitely worth the rental. It really is a great game, it just doesn't seem like there's enough of it. I'll certainly be waiting for the next entry into the franchise.

Two More Things

I discovered this a few days ago, and it's hi-larious. Let's Ask a Ninja!

And Virtual Firefly is back with the start of Season 2. Awesomeness all around!

On a personal note, I lost my voice today. This is the first time this has ever happened to me, and I'll be damned if it isn't one of the strangest things I've ever experienced. I'd like to say something, but my vocal cords won't allow it. Whee!

Various Things

It's been awhile since I've made a post, and a couple of things have happened worth blogging about.

First, you may notice I put up my Xbox Live Gamer Card over there. It's pretty self-explanatory, except for the game icons. The "pi" looking symbol there is for Oblivion, which I've already talked about. Not a bad RPG, and worth the money, I'd say.

The "PGR" is for Project Gotham Racing 3, which I didn't think about buying until I noticed it was on sale for 38 bucks. I enjoyed PGR 2, so I decided to pick it up. Not dissappointing. The single player tournaments are a blink and you'll miss them kind of deal, but I think the real draw of the game is the online racing. When you go online, you're given a "TrueSkill" rating that is based on how many races you've had, how many wins you have, and how those wins stack up against the TrueSkill of your opponents. Beat someone with a higher rating, your rating rises quickly. Beat someone of the same or lesser rating, your rating goes up just a little. So far, I've participated in about 10 online races, and have either 3 or 4 overall wins (first-place finishes). I'm number 7 hundred something in Rank 96, which means of all the PGR3 players online, I'm behind the 96,700th guy, but ahead of the 96,800th guy. So I've got some work to do.

The skull icon is for Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter. Of all the games, I've logged the least time with this one, but man is it awesome. The single player campaign is virtually seamless. Even though there are specific missions, the game leads you through them one after the other, so unless something changes later on, the whole campaign takes place in one day. If I had no self control, I could have easily kept on playing from when I first booted it up until I finished it. I haven't checked it out online yet, but I bet that's sweet, too.

Oh, and if anyone reading this has a 360 and PGR3 or GRAW, hit me with a friend request, cause I don't have any yet. :sad panda:

It was my birthday last Wednesday, so that was cool, but I had to work, and I'm still recovering from the flu I caught last weekend, so that sucks ass.

I heard talk (and that's all it is for another three weeks, talk) today that the Raiders could end up in a position to take Vince Young with the number 7 pick, or they could move up to take him. If that happens, and I surely hope it does, the Raiders are going to be a serious contender next year.

Finished watching the first season of Justice League on DVD. What a great show. I can't wait for the second season set, which is coming out later this year, I think. There's also going to be Animaniacs, Pinky and the Brain, The Tick, and Darkwing Duck this year. Hot shit!

Finally, I spotted a link to this story on Bill's blog. Wow.

Sweet

Guess what arrived today? My X360, that's what. It was waiting for me when I got off work, so I set that badboy up and got to playing some Oblivion (that had been sitting on my shelf for 2 weeks, waiting to be played). It's so much more fun playing Oblivion with no lag due to an aging video card.

Ghost Recon hasn't arrived yet, in fact, it just shipped today. I can't wait for that, though, especially online. I activated my free one month Xbox Live Gold subscription today, so once I get GR, it's time to own people online in the face. I also need to pick up a copy of Fight Night Round 3, so Justin and I can beat the shit out of each other in stunning HD. That should be fun.

Oh, and the wireless controller? Kick ass. I thought the S controller was one of the best controller designs ever, but the 360 controller has it beat. It's got the same design as far as the analog sticks, D-pad, and four buttons go, but the back and start buttons are moved up to the center (where any old school gamer know they should be. Remember Select and Start on the old NES pad? Of course you do), and the black and white buttons have been eliminated. Instead, there are two additional shoulder buttons (called "bumpers") in addition to the standard triggers. The size is perfect, it fits nicely in my hands, and it isn't too heavy or too light (even with two AA batteries). Kudos, Microsoft.

This just in: Barry Bonds is a douchebag

Ok, so maybe this news isn't exactly hot off the presses, but Barry Bonds finally decided to sue the authors of Game of Shadows. That's right, lay the legal smackdown with that big-ass libel suit, Barry.

Oh wait, he's not suing for libel. He's suing because he claims the authors "illegally obtained grand jury testimony."

In other words, Barry's not denying shit. Instead, he's trying to make the book go away on a technicality. Way to prove your innocence, Barry.

And now Bud Selig has promised a full investigation into Bonds and others. I call bullshit on that, for the reasons I stated in my earlier post about this steroid fiasco. The only thing Bud would even consider doing is putting asterisks next to everyone's records during the "Steroid Era" but letting the records stand. And that, frankly, is insulting. It's insulting to the memories of baseball greats like Roger Maris and Babe Ruth, and a slap in the face to Willie Mays, and the greatest slugger of all time, Hammerin' Hank Aaron. As a fan, scratch that, former fan, of baseball, it fucking disgusts me.

More Oblivion Impressions

Played some more Oblivion over the weekend, and here's what I've discovered, both good and bad.

The good:

The world is huge. I'm really not the explorer type, as I'd rather be doing something than wandering around, but when I do get the chance to wander around, it's very cool. The developers could have taken the easy way out and populated the world with flat terrain, boring landmarks, and a few bits of foliage reused again and again. But they didn't. The terrain is incredibly varied from area to area, there are different types of trees and plants (the latter of which you can harvest and create all sorts of different potions with), and wild deer, boar, and other animals. The architecture inside cities is just amazing, too. The capital is the most spectacular, because it's obviously the richest city, but there are wonders to marvel at in other cities, too.

Quests are fun. Especially the guild quests. I'm a member of both the thieves guild and the assassin's guild, and both have provided me with excellent opportunities to wreak havoc. Stealing stuff? Killing people? And getting away with it? Brilliant.

It's an old school RPG. Epic. Spell-slinging and sword-slashing. Save the kingdom, all that good stuff.

The bad:

When you play within the game's rules, you can have a lot of fun. But those rules don't necessarily make sense. For example, I get a mission from the thieves guild to steal some wizard's staff. I do the deed, and realize that's one damn expensive staff. The guild just wanted it stolen to teach the guards a lesson, though, so I figure they don't need it, I'll just fence it and walk away with the cash. But wait: "You cannot remove quest items from your inventory." Who says? The game? I'm not playing a game, my name is Victor Jarvis, and I'm a no-good, filthy thief who looks out for number one. If I can steal it, I should be able to sell it, period.

The leveling system sucks ass. I don't even know why they have a level system, really. It's skill-based, levels are just unnecessarily tacked on. Whenever your skills increase so many times, you gain a level. And rather than have the NPCs and enemies in the game have a set level, they scale to you. The trouble with that is that if you have a skill you use a lot, but doesn't necessarily make you a better fighter (like sneaking), you'll gain levels too quickly and get your ass kicked in most fights. There's an arena in the capital city where you can fight, but due to the level scaling, I'm stuck at the second tier of fighters. I'm level 4, but my combat skills are still around level 1, and I'm fighting combatants who are level 3, 4 or higher with combat skills to match. Can't be done.

Psychic guards. This is part of the "radiant AI" that was so hyped, but really turned out to be bullshit. The guards are so sensitive as to know if you attack or kill someone inside their own house, with no one else around. Apparently, the mark "calls out" and the guards hear it from more than 100 feet away, and come running to arrest you. And god help you if you have stolen property on your person, because the guards always know what you've stolen, whether anyone saw you take it or not. Merchants can somehow sense hot property, too, and they won't buy it. You can only sell stolen goods to a fence, if you're a member of the thieves guild. How do the merchants and guards know what's stolen and what isn't? How the hell should I know? Maybe everyone in Oblivion writes their full name, date of birth, and address on every single piece of their property in indelible ink. Or maybe the developers decided radiant AI was too hard to code, and just made it cheating AI.

So there you have it. Is Oblivion fun? Definitely. Is it a good game? Yes. Does it belong on my Top 10 RPGs list? Possibly. Is it one of the best games of all time? I don't think so.

From what I've seen, the modding community is already hard at work on fixing shit that's severely broken, like the psychic guards and merchants, and the leveling system. And that's great. I just wish Bethesda had fixed that shit before they released the game.

Geek Heaven

Oh my god, I might go into a coma with so much good stuff today.

First, DVDs. South Park Season 7, Batman Beyond Season 1, Justice League Season 1, and Mind of Mencia Season 1. I'm not that into South Park anymore, but a lot of people are, so that's just icing. I picked up JLA and Mind of Mencia, thought seriously about Batman Beyond, but decided against it for now. I'm still only partway through the four sets of Batman: TAS I've got.

Second, games. Or rather, The game. The game that fanboys have been waiting for, since, oh, since the last one came out. I'm talking about Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion for X360 and PC. I preordered the X360 version last week, but since I won't have an X360 to play it on until at least April 7, I'm unable to give you any info about that.

But, since Justin was so kind enough to drop by with a newly purchased copy of Oblivion for the PC, I got to check it out. And hot damn. The intro dungeon/sewer level was not that impressive, just rats and goblins and annoying NPC guards. It's basically the tutorial for how to play the game, and allows you to make decisions about what you want your character to be. Once I stepped outside, though, holy shit.

This is one of only a handful of games where you can look out at the world, and actually see the world. See that mountain over there? It's not just background, you can climb it. Over to your right, see those guard towers? They're in a city that you can go to, and sneak up into the towers and look out of them. Off the edge of that cliff, were you to survive the fall (or just carefully pick your way down), you could walk around in the valley below.

Having played for about 4 hours, and screwing around for 2 and a half of them (playing hunter with my bow on some deer, breaking into people's homes, taking their expensive wine and drinking their beer, knocking stuff off of important NPC's tables and shelves, stealing a horse and riding it to death, and killing innocent people when no one's looking), I haven't seen much of the actual game, and I'm still first level.

I'll have more on Oblivion when I get to play it again. For now, I think it's time to kick back and watch some Justice League.

Wish I'd known about this 3 weeks ago

After all the bullshit looking for an Xbox I talked about in the last post, I decided to check in with the Xbox 360 tracker one more time. There's a whole shitload of online stores there, and most of them are out of stock at any given point in time. But I thought perhaps one of them might be taking orders, and then shipping them as they got them in.

And whaddya know? CompUSA was accepting orders, for bundles. But this was no shitty bundle, no, you can customize your bundle. First, you pick the base console. Well, no choice there, Premium all the way. Then, you choose a second controller. Again, no real choice there, gotta go with wireless. Then, you choose a game. I thought this was going to be the dealbreaker. But no, they list games other than the shitty launch titles. Specifically, they list Ghost Recon and Fight Night Round 3. So I chose Ghost Recon, because everyone's raving about it, and I figure I can pick up Fight Night used at Blockbuster in a few weeks. They suggest you take a Live accessory, too, and I almost threw in the 12 month Gold card, but that can wait. Finally, you choose an accessory. Since the Premium system comes complete with a wireless controller and play and charge kit, and I had already chosen a second wireless controller, I threw in a second play and charge kit.

I filled out my info, and got to the subtotal page. Free shipping, that's a plus. And it says "Your order will ship no later than Friday, April 7." Well hot shit! So not only do I get me a Premium system, complete with all the accessories I wanted and a quality game, but I get it only a week later than EBGameStopWare Etc. was going to get them, and I don't even have to put any money down or pay for shipping. Fucking A. I love the internet.

Xbox Update

So I went to the bank today, cause I got paid on Friday, and with my fat wad of cash, went happily off to Gamestop to reserve my Xbox for April 1.

Just one problem.

"We're not taking reservations anymore, it was just a small shipment."

Ok, we'll try Software Etc.

Same story.

What the fuck? Here I am, with my $400 and some dollars in hand (gotta figure for tax), ready to buy Microsoft's fucking product, and nowhere to spend it. They've got retailers online jacking the shit out of the price (sure, I can get a 360 Premium system from a reputable retailer...for $600), bundling it with shitty games no one wants, and resellers on eBay charging premiums of $100 or more, and ripping off buyers even more with inflated shipping prices. Plus, on eBay, you have to use Paypal, which sucks fat cock. I cancelled my Paypal account because I hate those Paypal fuckers.

So what are you going to do about folks like me, Microsoft? I want your product, and you have no way to get it to me. I doubt I'm alone in this. I refuse to believe there are that many people out there willing to pay outrageous premiums or settle for a Core system when the only real choice is Premium. More importantly, how the hell are the resellers on eBay getting their hands on systems? Who's fucking cock do I have to suck to get a goddamn Xbox?

You know what? Fuck it. Fuck the eBay gougers, fuck the online bundle-bastards, fuck the reserve list cock-smokers, and fuck the 360. I'm done. When there's a shitload of consoles on every single electronics store shelf across the country, and I don't have to play "find the X360" online or over the phone, then I might pick one up. Until then, I've got better things to spend my hard earned gaming dollars on. Shit I can actually see and buy today, not this smoke and mirror bullshit.

What's wrong with this picture?

Take a visit to this site. Notice anything out of the ordinary? I sure as hell do.

It's not that only a handful of stores have X360s in stock. That's actually a big jump from only 2 months ago, when none of the stores ever had X360s in stock.

It's that all the stock is bundles, and mostly core systems. Look, the core system is useless. I understand that Microsoft wanted to hit the $300 price point, that was important. A lot of parents are buying consoles for their children, and they don't bother to look at the real differences between the Core and the Premium system, they just know the Core is more affordable, so they get that one. It's a brilliant marketing move. But why is Microsoft shipping more Cores than Premium systems?

Out of 9 systems in stock at that site as of this writing, only 4 of them are premium systems. Looking at the history at the bottom of the page, 15 systems are listed, only 5 are premium.

Hasn't the demand for Core systems been satisfied? Or at least lessened to the point where you would obviously be satisfying more customers if you shipped a few more Premium systems?

Case in point, I called all of my local area stores this morning (even the ones in surrounding cities), and after a half-hour of phone calls, only one store had exactly one X360 in stock. And it was a Core.

Nobody wants the fucking Core, Microsoft! Your quality apps are finally starting to hit, and you're still shipping bullshit! And why are you allowing these stores to force customers into buying bundles with shitty launch title games? You'd move a lot more systems if the stores were actually selling systems, and not fucking overpriced bundles with shit people don't want, and don't need. It's a good damn thing the PS3 isn't hitting this Spring, because you're making a fucking mess of the X360 launch, Microsoft.

On the bright side, my local Gamestop/EB Games/Software Etc. monopoly store is taking reservations for an April 1 shipment of Premium systems. I'm going to reserve me an X360, and have my copy of Oblivion ready and waiting (March 21, glee).

Game of Shadows

If you follow sports at all (or even if you don't, if you happened to glance at ESPN, or Yahoo Sports, or the front page of the newspaper, or really any media outlet) you'd know that a book called "Game of Shadows" was recently announced that has some pretty damning allegations about Barry Bonds' steroid use. Here's what Barry had to say.

"I won't even look at it. For what? There's no need to. Everything they say in it is true."

Ok, so I added that last sentence. But come on, Barry. If it isn't true, wouldn't you at least want to look at it? Wouldn't you want to know what they said before leveling a huge libel suit at them? Wouldn't you want to be able to pick apart every allegation in detail, going through the list and denying each charge under media scrutiny? We know you don't like the media, but you've gotta protect yourself from this bullshit, right?

Unless every word of it is true. Then you can't deny it, because you'd be a liar. You can't sue, because you'd lose. You can't do anything but ignore it with a flippant remark as if it didn't exist, and refuse further comment. You can't do anything because you're already ruined in the court of public opinion. You cheated, Barry. And cheaters don't deserve their own reality show. They don't deserve to play Major League Baseball. They don't deserve to be the all-time season home run leader. They don't deserve to be #3 on the all-time career home runs list. And they sure as hell don't deserve to be considered for the Hall of Fame.

Roger Maris' single season home run record should be reinstated (because McGwire and Sosa cheated, too). Bonds should be removed from the all-time career home run list (as should McGwire, Sosa, and Rafael Palmeiro). And Bonds should not only be benched for the rest of his career, he should be banned from entry into the Hall of Fame forever. That's what the MLB Commissioner should do.

But he won't. No, Bud Selig cares too much about the future of baseball (that is, the financial future of baseball) to lay down such a judgement. Hell, the home run race between McGwire and Sosa, and then Bonds' run brought the people back to the parks. They forgot about that silly strike because the players were hitting the long ball! Who gives a shit if they cheated?

I give a shit. Bonds used to be my favorite player; I'd squeal with glee whenever he bashed another one out of the park. No more. Bonds? The Giants? Baseball? Who gives a shit.

Geek Shelves

Inspired by a thread on SDN, I decided to bust out my digicam and snap some pics of my geek shelves. I couldn't get closeups that showed the full shelf, so I did some quick editing/combining in Photoshop. You can click on each pic for the full size version.



This is the main shelf on the wall above my computer desk. Here's a rundown from left to right. Top shelf: cheesy sword bookend, Die Hard Trilogy, The Last Boyscout, Striking Distance, Last Man Standing, The Fifth Element, The Sixth Sense, The Whole Nine Yards, Pulp Fiction, Clerks and Clerks X, Mallrats and Mallrats 10th Anniversary, Chasing Amy, Dogma, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, Drawing Flies, A Better Place, Stealing Harvard, Kissing a Fool, A Guy Thing, Batman Begins, Spider-Man 1 and 2, The Incredibles, X-Men 1 and 2, The Hulk, Daredevil, Hellboy, Punisher, The Matrix, Showgirls, Gia, National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, Happy Gilmore, Spaceballs, and my A.A. Stagg High Delta Kings commemorative stein, Class of 2000.
Middle shelf: tassel from University of the Pacific, Class of 2004, Clerks/Chasing Amy - Two Screenplays by Kevin Smith, Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 1-7, Angel Season 1-5, Playboy Playmate DVD Calendar Collection - The 90's, Aqua Teen Hunger Force Vol. 1 and 2, South Park Bigger, Longer, and Uncut, South Park Season 1-3, Family Guy Vol. 1 and 2, Greg the Bunny, Reno 911! Season 1, and Spike, Mike, Slackers and Dykes by John Pierson.
Bottom shelf: big binder filled with PC games, little binders filled with porn, PC games Space Rangers 2 (I wrote Space Empires 2 the first time, hehe) and Battlefield 2, backup copies of Firefly (ho man, if I didn't have these I'd go crazy, tell you why later), Rambo Collector's Pack, Chappelle's Show Season 1 and 2, Starsky and Hutch, The Big Lebowski, The Terminator, T2, Terminator 3, Ronin, A Fistful of Dollars, Dirty Harry, The Wild Bunch, and El Mariachi/Desperado Collector's Box.



Then we have the media shelf I got recently because my wall shelves were overflowing. The shelves are staggered, but I'll treat each set of shelves as one continuous shelf. Top shelf: Lego Star Destroyer, Lego Millenium Falcon, Lego Y-wing, PS2 games Onimusha, SSX, Maximo, Metal Gear Solid 2, Devil May Cry, Midnight Club, Gran Turismo 3, Kengo Master of Bushido, Grand Theft Auto 3, GTA Vice City, GTA San Andreas, WWE Smackdown Just Bring It, Smackdown Shut Your Mouth, and Smackdown Here Comes the Pain.
Second shelf: PS2 games Mark of Kri, Jak and Daxter, Jak II, Jak 3, Kingdom Hearts, and Guitar Hero, Xbox games Halo, MGS2 Substance, Dead to Rights, Indiana Jones and the Emperor's Tomb, Max Payne, Max Payne 2, Hitman 2, Manhunt, Sega GT 2002/Jet Set Radio Future, Blitz the League, and Crimson Skies, Gamecube games Resident Evil, WWE Wrestlemania X8, Madden 2002, Metal Gear Solid Twin Snakes, Star Fox Adventures, Pikmin, Super Smash Bros Melee, Metroid Prime, Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time, and Legend of Zelda Wind Waker.
Third shelf: Batman the Animated Series Vol 1-4, Superman the Animated Series Vol 1 and 2, Teen Titans Season 1, bootlegged Spider-Man the Animated Series Complete, bootlegged The Tick Complete Animated Series, bootlegged X-Men Complete Animated Series, Spawn the Ultimate Collection, Gargoyles Season 1, Star Wars Clone Wars Vol. 1 and 2, Star Wars Episode 1-3, shitty bootleg Star Wars Episode 4-6, and high-quality bootleg Star Wars Episode 4-6 in white sleeves.
Fourth shelf: Harry Potter 1-3, Lord of the Rings Trilogy, Escape from New York, Pitch Black, Serenity (joy!), War of the Worlds (1953 version), Heavy Metal/Heavy Metal 2000 Box set, space for my Firefly Complete Series Box (currently on loan to my sister, who is taking for fucking ever to watch it), deodorant, case for my bling, and my alarm clock.
You can see a little bit of what's on the fifth shelf in this pic, but it's clearer in the next one.



Fifth shelf: Lego AT-AT, Lego Troop Carrier or some shit from Episode 3, Lego Droid Carrier or some shit from Episode 1, The Light Fantastic, Equal Rites, Mort, Sourcery, Reaper Man, Small Gods, Lords and Ladies, Men at Arms, Soul Music, and Feet of Clay all by Terry Pratchett.
Sixth shelf: Harry Potter 1-5 by J.K. Rowling, Irrational Exuberance by Robert J. Schiller, I, Robot by Isaac Asimov, Interesting Times, Maskerade, and Hogfather all by Terry Pratchett, and the Lord of the Rings Collection by J.R.R. Tolkien.
Seventh shelf: V for Vendetta by Alan Moore and David Lloyd, Fray by Joss Whedon, Tales of the Slayers and Tales of the Vampires by Joss Whedon et al, Seven Seasons of Buffy and Five Seasons of Angel edited by Glenn Yeffeth, Finding Serenity edited by Jane Espenson, The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri, The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams, a spot for The Colour of Magic (which I'm currently re-reading), Wyrd Sisters, and Moving Pictures all by Terry Pratchett, The Sin City Collection 1-7 2nd Edition by Frank Miller, Jingo, The Last Continent, and Carpe Jugulum all by Terry Pratchett.

There you have it. I've got a drawer with porn in it, too, but that's not so much geeky as it is disconcerting to Christians, fundies, and repressed people everywhere.

Online gaming: Niche Market?

I'm not talking about MMOs, here, that's obviously not a niche market, but regular, run of the mill, online PC games. Whether it be a shooter, strategy, or RPG, isn't it usually more fun online, with other people? Maybe not with random people, who are usually dicks, but playing strategy games like Civ 4, or RPGs like NWN are way more fun with friends than with the single player game. Even non-online multiplayer, like over LAN, is more fun than single player in a lot of games.

But apparently, I'm in the minority of PC gamers. I've been having so much fun with Civ 4, I thought I might give Galactic Civilations II a try. Until I noticed that there's no multiplayer. Not even hotseat. WTF? So I checked a thread on the main site's board titled "Multiplayer in expansion." It was a user created poll asking if people wanted multiplayer to be added in an expansion. Out of 33 replies, about 3 people wanted online multiplayer, and 10 or 12 wanted LAN or hotseat multiplayer. The rest were adamantly against any sort of multiplayer.

What? Why? That doesn't make any sense to me. How can playing against the AI be more fun (after a certain point) than playing with other humans? And why would you prefer hotseat/LAN play when you could have internet play? Then you can play with your friends no matter where they are, and you don't have to lug your rig anywhere. How bad of a shut-in do you have to be where even online human interaction is a bit too invasive for you? Christ.

Sunday Night Already?

Damn, and it seemed like my weekend just got started. Oh well.

Something damn cool happened this weekend. I got to catch up a little via phone and IM with Josh Richardson, who I haven't seen in probably 5 years. What's more, I can now say I know someone who works in the comics industry. How many people can say that, huh?

So Josh has a blog of his own called In the Trenches, "A wartime journal from the frontlines of the comic industry." He's been writing this column since December of 2004. Unfortunately, it seems this incarnation of the blog only goes back to December of 2005. I wish I knew where the archives were hosted, because I got a look at the very first column and it's a damn interesting read.

Also, I love my speakers. I can't wait to get a 360 hooked up to these things and bust some faces in Knockout Kings...I mean Fight Night.

And Now...

It's time for a post where I pimp rad stuff because it rocks the house.

I recently purchased a set of these bad boys. Hot damn, these are some awesome speakers. I'd been subsisting on a shitty set of $30 Logitech speakers, that had been popping and cracking as of late. But THX certified? With a subwoofer that's bigger than my whole damn case? That's friggin sweet.

If you're interested in picking up a set, you can get them cheaper than $180, of course.

Also, Bill posted his first impressions of Fight Night, and now I want a copy. So as soon as my tax refund is transferred into my checking account, it's 360 time, bitches.

Fight Night

So the first reviews have hit for Fight Night Round 3, the only X360 game so far that I felt could actually be worth buying. Unfortunately, IGN says the AI is retarded, but it's a great game nonetheless. I find that hard to believe. The game could be stellar in every regard, but if the AI is broken, it's not a great game. It's not even a good game, and it certainly wouldn't be worthy of a purchase.

However, since I trust the word of, say, Bill Harris much more than I do any of the standard gaming sites, I'm waiting on his review. That will tell me if I should begin my search for a 360 in earnest, or wait until we're closer to the release of Oblivion.

Note to Self

Stick to the plan. Don't be gullible. Don't be persuaded by empty promises. Have a clear goal in mind. Carry through. Stick to the fucking plan.

It was supposed to be simple. Call up the credit card company, close the line of credit. After all, you have two other major credit cards (the only two that matter), who needs a third? Sure, you're carrying balances on those cards, but it's a low, fixed APR for the life of the balance. And the new purchase APR is also fixed, and quite low compared to what some people pay (especially those with bad credit, poor bastards). Call up, close the credit line.

But wait. I can't do that, sir, I have to transfer you to an account manager.

Translation: I need to transfer you to our pressure people who are only paid because they can convince people to stay.

Dammit. All I wanted to do was close the fucking credit line. So let's do it. But wait.

Are you carrying balances on other cards? Is it a lot of money? I can do a balance transfer for you. I can give you a great APR. Not good enough? How's 0% sound? We have to lock it in now. Oh, your existing credit line isn't big enough for the whole balance, but we can increase it. Too bad the system that does that is down for the night. How about we transfer part of it, request the increase tomorrow, and then transfer the rest?

Oh, great! I suppose that would work. I wouldn't be getting rid of a card I didn't need and don't use, ever, but I'd be saving money, and would have one less bill to pay every month. Go ahead and do it.

Thank you, sir, check back tomorrow for the credit line increase.

I check back the next day.

Ok, we'll just go through this application for a credit line increase, submit it, and have the results in 24 hours. Call back tomorrow.

I call back tonight.

I'm sorry, sir, it looks like the request was denied. But you have until April 25 to transfer balances at that low 0% rate.

FUCK! What the fuck happened to: We'll increase the credit line and get the rest of your balance transferred over? What happened to: If you submit the full application, we'll do a credit check and get your line increased? Did you check my credit? I doubt it, cause if you had, you'd have found out I've got a credit score of 822. My credit report is fucking rock solid, so you obviously didn't look at it. I haven't missed a goddamn payment on any fucking card in over 4 years. Four years. I've held your worthless card for 4 years, and haven't even used it in the past 2. Who the fuck are you to deny anything that I ask for?

We're glad you decided to stay with us, sir, we're actually one of the harder cards to get approved for.

Oh, really? So fucking what? I wipe my ass with your holier-than-thou attitude. I don't need your bullshit. As soon as one of my other, low-brow cards offers me a good rate on a balance transfer, you can go suck it. Then I'm cancelling your card, and will not be persuaded otherwise. Good day, sir.

EDIT: After not much thought, I decided to call up one of my less-cultured credit card companies and see what sort of balance transfer rate they'd offer me. What do you know? They'll do a 2% APR for life, with no credit line increase necessary, and no other catches, clauses, or hidden bullshit. You know what 2% APR is? That's jack shit, and close enough to 0 for me. Fuck you, you credit card snob assholes. I'm getting my balance back on the card that actually gives a shit about me, the customer, and not solely about their bottom line.

EDIT2: I had another line of credit (a simple charge account) that I wanted to close, so I called up their customer service line. Went through the IVR system, and got to: If you would like to close your account, press 1. I pressed 1. You have requested to close your account. To continue, press 1. I pressed 1. Your account has been closed. For written confirmation that your account has been closed, press 7. I pressed 7. Your confirmation letter will be sent within 7 days. Thank you, goodbye. Wam, bam, thank you, ma'am. How fucking hard is that? Jesus Christ, you don't have to make people jump through fucking hoops, and pressure them into balance transfers when they want to close their accounts, because you're just going to piss them off.

Who's in charge of these Nielsen boxes?

And why don't they give them to people who have brains? Or at least can tell the difference between good TV and shitty TV? Seriously.

Take a look at this.

From the top down, we've got reality show bullshit (I admit it, I used to watch American Idol. But after watching my favorite contestant get the shaft 3 years in a row, I'm done), crime drama bullshit, medical drama bullshit, horny housewife bullshit (I'd watch it if it was on cable), more medical drama bullshit, Olympic bullshit (seriously, who gives a fuck about the winter Olympics? Curling is not a sport, goddammit), more crime drama bullshit, more reality show bullshit (Dancing with the Stars? Who the hell is watching Dancing with the Stars and how did their brains even learn human speech?), more crime drama bullshit, and then Lost. Then there's just more bullshit to round out the top 20.

1 out of 20 is some bad odds. And I bet if that list was expanded to the top 50, or top 100, I don't think it would get better. So we come back to my original question. Why are these Nielsen media researchers handing out their boxes to fucking morons who can't tell their ass from a hole in the ground?