I've been noticing a trend lately, though I'm not sure if it really exists or if it is just my imagination. Seems that every time I wake up in the early morn' for class on Tuesdays and Thursdays, I'm greeted to a grey, cloudy sky. Then sometimes it rains. Kind of like today. Most of the time it clears up by afternoon, but it feels like I can set my watch to the gloominess of these mornings (if my watch wasn't dead). Not really a complaint as much as a simple observation; in fact, it actually feels very appropriate as I march towards the dungeon basement of Beatty Hall for my Cold War class. Its the closest you can get to being a real member of the proletariat.
There is a strange bug with the Windows port of GAIM in which the (empty) buddy list categories of other people who log into AIM on my machine pop up whenever I do. For the last one or two years I've had such (empty) categories as "Fallston Peeps", "Khadir", "Loyola Peeps", "Loyola", and the always classic "People I never talk to". It took just as much time to finally realize I can just delete these groups from my list, rather than having them sit around and take up space.
Don't judge me too harshly Internet. I'll be back later. I have some world premiere of Sam and Max to enjoy
Tuesday, October 17, 2006
Sunday, October 15, 2006
Docs
docs.google.com is the home of the Google Spreadsheet and Word Processor, meaning I no longer have to write game review drafts in Gmail whenever I'm out and about. More importantly, this is beneficial for this blog. Updates have been slow as all hell since the semester began, and it isn't for a lack of things to say. No my friends, it is a simple combination of laziness and forgetfullness. The first one is pretty bad; how much easier does it have to be to write a blog entry? I think its just a fear of mine that if an entry isn't crammed pack full of juicy links I'll have some how let down the Internet, which sounds even worse now that I'm typing it. I mean, would anyone really care if I don't provide a link to some obvious and frequently distributed piece of gaming news? I promise to fully maximize the potential of the fifteen seconds it saves me.
The second issue is just plain frustrating. Throughout random parts of the day, I'll find myself reading some news, talking to someone, or just thinking, and BAM! Inspiration for a blog post. Then I never write it down anywhere, and it flies out of my mind as quickly as it entered. By the time I finally recollect it and sit down to write about it, it is so far behind the times that my Internet Lameness Index(tm) would skyrocket, and the entire weight of the Web would come crashing down to smother my ineptitude.
Now with Google Docs, I can get it down right away and cobble it all into a post later. Considering I'm never far from a computer, this works out quite well. We'll see what happens in the coming week!
Now on to things more fun:
- Sam and Max Episode 1 is out next week on Gametap. I plan on playing and reviewing it the day of or after release, in hopes of helping Videolamer get in on the early reviews that will pop up before the game hits general release. I have no idea what to expect from a Sam and Max game, but if the foul crying of fans watching preview clips, it will be "nothing at all like the comics". Good thing this means absolutely nothing to me. Excitement is abound!
- Fuck St. Louis. This isn't over yet.
- What happens when you run out of things to unlock in Tekken 5? You buy Tekken Tag, and find that people still want to play against you in both games. Here I am with a venerable arcade of fighting games, and the only one I'm playing is one of my least favorite. That, my friends, shows you just what actual competition can do.
Also in regards to Tekken, is this not the scariest character portrait ever?
Now I know that in anime characters always look a lot younger than they actually are, but come on Namco. I feel bad fighting her because it feels like punching a baby. One who isn't being a dick.
- It is definitely fall here in Baltimore. Fall is a pretty good season; one day the air is crisp, the leaves blow around on the wind and the sun has that late afternoon tint all day long. The next day the air is crisp, the leaves blow around on the wind and the sun is replaced with a grey, almost-winter sky. Can you tell I almost failed the poetry section of freshman english?
- People have been frequently coming into tutoring asking for help in Matlab, something I'm not at all trained in. By the time we're done they have a half written algorithm, and they think I'm a computer genius. Really, we'er learning together. How long can I keep up the ruse?
The second issue is just plain frustrating. Throughout random parts of the day, I'll find myself reading some news, talking to someone, or just thinking, and BAM! Inspiration for a blog post. Then I never write it down anywhere, and it flies out of my mind as quickly as it entered. By the time I finally recollect it and sit down to write about it, it is so far behind the times that my Internet Lameness Index(tm) would skyrocket, and the entire weight of the Web would come crashing down to smother my ineptitude.
Now with Google Docs, I can get it down right away and cobble it all into a post later. Considering I'm never far from a computer, this works out quite well. We'll see what happens in the coming week!
Now on to things more fun:
- Sam and Max Episode 1 is out next week on Gametap. I plan on playing and reviewing it the day of or after release, in hopes of helping Videolamer get in on the early reviews that will pop up before the game hits general release. I have no idea what to expect from a Sam and Max game, but if the foul crying of fans watching preview clips, it will be "nothing at all like the comics". Good thing this means absolutely nothing to me. Excitement is abound!
- Fuck St. Louis. This isn't over yet.
- What happens when you run out of things to unlock in Tekken 5? You buy Tekken Tag, and find that people still want to play against you in both games. Here I am with a venerable arcade of fighting games, and the only one I'm playing is one of my least favorite. That, my friends, shows you just what actual competition can do.
Also in regards to Tekken, is this not the scariest character portrait ever?
Now I know that in anime characters always look a lot younger than they actually are, but come on Namco. I feel bad fighting her because it feels like punching a baby. One who isn't being a dick.
- It is definitely fall here in Baltimore. Fall is a pretty good season; one day the air is crisp, the leaves blow around on the wind and the sun has that late afternoon tint all day long. The next day the air is crisp, the leaves blow around on the wind and the sun is replaced with a grey, almost-winter sky. Can you tell I almost failed the poetry section of freshman english?
- People have been frequently coming into tutoring asking for help in Matlab, something I'm not at all trained in. By the time we're done they have a half written algorithm, and they think I'm a computer genius. Really, we'er learning together. How long can I keep up the ruse?
Tuesday, October 03, 2006
Tekken Stick
Anyone who's a regular Gamestop/EB customer may have seen the nifty Tekken 5 collector's edition that came out last year. For $100 you got the game, a special box, and a nifty joystick made with real Hori parts (the best kind of parts!). Now that this item is very old and taking up space on shelves, the price has been slashed to a mere $30! I serached in four different stores to find it, but to no avail. Understandable of course, since it came out in limited quantities over a year ago. But my last ditch effort to the local Gamestop rewarded me for my persistence.
Tekken 5 alone costs twenty dollars new. Instead I got an industrial strength arcade stick for ten bucks more, along with a crappy game I won't play very much. Sounds like a deal to me. And then there is the DVD case they give you. It has places for you to store all 6 Tekken games that have been released, but instead I filled them up with other, better fighting games.
If you add up all the games on those discs, you've got five different Street Fighters, three King of Fighters, and four Tekkens. Still missing any Soul Calibur, but its still a Murderer's Row of fighting games. I think I value even this more than Tekken 5 itself, since its a great way to consolidate these games into a more portable package. Now I just need to get the campus Gaming Club to sponsor a tourney, though that will be harder than it should be...That's it for now. Later I hope to write something a little more substantial than the silly shit I piss away money on. Cheerio until then!
Friday, September 29, 2006
Family Weekend
Haven't gone to sleep before 2 AM every day this week because of school work. AndI was sick a week ago. I don't think I've had a semester get into gear so very quickly, and its senior year!
I think I've fought back the beast, for now. Maybe I can get some posts in here more often!
Lots of things going on. Let's detail a few.
-Still coming out with 1 or two articles a week over at Videolamer. I forget which ones I haven't linked to, so just stop on over and look for my name. The most notable is a review for Half Life 2: Episode 1, which is as close to a proper HL2 review as I'm going to get. I know, I promised one two years ago. The game was too big for my tiny writing skills. Ep 1. on the other hand is nice and bite sized.
- I fixed a PS2. The famous Disc Read Error has an equally famous fix, involving a large white gear and a 1,000 screws to remove. I decided to attempt the repair on someone else's PS2 - mine is upstairs you see, while my roomate's is hooked up on the bottom floor where I live, and was so bad with reading discs that it could take an hour before you got to play (Guitar Hero, stangely, worked just fine). It was actually easier than I thought, and now I dont' have to wait forever to play King of Fighters 2006.
- Speaking of KOF, I'm glad to have picked up 2006 last week, since it seems to be a rarity in some game stores already. Its a fine game, one that I should be reviewing soon (a review for a new game, on time? Impossible....)
- Giants are 1-2. Mets pitching looking iffy for the playoffs. This will be a testing time for New York sports. We must all remain optimistic however. If there was ever "the year" for the Mets since 86, this is it.
I think I've fought back the beast, for now. Maybe I can get some posts in here more often!
Lots of things going on. Let's detail a few.
-Still coming out with 1 or two articles a week over at Videolamer. I forget which ones I haven't linked to, so just stop on over and look for my name. The most notable is a review for Half Life 2: Episode 1, which is as close to a proper HL2 review as I'm going to get. I know, I promised one two years ago. The game was too big for my tiny writing skills. Ep 1. on the other hand is nice and bite sized.
- I fixed a PS2. The famous Disc Read Error has an equally famous fix, involving a large white gear and a 1,000 screws to remove. I decided to attempt the repair on someone else's PS2 - mine is upstairs you see, while my roomate's is hooked up on the bottom floor where I live, and was so bad with reading discs that it could take an hour before you got to play (Guitar Hero, stangely, worked just fine). It was actually easier than I thought, and now I dont' have to wait forever to play King of Fighters 2006.
- Speaking of KOF, I'm glad to have picked up 2006 last week, since it seems to be a rarity in some game stores already. Its a fine game, one that I should be reviewing soon (a review for a new game, on time? Impossible....)
- Giants are 1-2. Mets pitching looking iffy for the playoffs. This will be a testing time for New York sports. We must all remain optimistic however. If there was ever "the year" for the Mets since 86, this is it.
Friday, September 15, 2006
Wii are all stupid
Hey! I'm back! My schedule's finally settled down, meaning more chances for blogging. And lots of Nintendo Wii news to talk about, so I have a reason. Actually, I'm not here to comment on the news itself; there's plenty of that all around. What I want to talk about are the ridiculous comments spreading thanks to the wonderful hivemind of the Internet. Let's all jump aboard the stupid train.
First off, the complaints about the price. I don't get it. The only rumors that said that it could be around $200 were the most wild and unconfirmed, many based purely on the hope of fans. The most legitimate claims and comments said nothing more than "Under 250". Now I know that $200 is under $250, but so is $249.99. And if you have any knowledge of business (meaning if you've ever shopped at a retail store), this price should make perfect sense in relation to their comments, much in the way Sony is able to say the PS3 is under $500.
Now if you're just upset that its not as cheap as you'd have liked, that's fine. I'll just point out the fact that its still half the price or a little less than the competition. But if you expected two hundred bucks, then I have some swamp land in Florida you might be interested in....
You know what else costs the price of a Wii? A mid-range iPod. Betcha weren't bitching about that one, were you? And don't you dare complain because they'll be making a profit on the console right off the bat. This is a company. They want to make money. Sony and MS aren't Jesus sacrificing their cash reserves on the cross. They're big corporations making big gambles that could very well blow up in their face. Nintendo doesn't want, or have to do the same.
Next they'll bring up the argument that "By the time I buy a flash card, and a game, and....and....and some other stuff, the price difference is gone." First, let's throw away the flash card argument. Those things are dirt cheap, far easier to find for $20 or less than a memory stick for PSP. That is, if you don't have one already, which most people with a camera or PDA do. After that, we've got games. Yes, that's another $50 bucks, but they make it sound as if they wouldn't be purchasing a game with the PS3 or 360 (and with the Wii, you don't have to buy a game right off the bat if you're content with Wii Sports). Next they'll bitch about a second controller. If they're buying one for Wii, I can imagine they'd be buying one for the other two consoles. So basically all the things they'd "have" to go out and buy for the Wii, they'd be buying for the other two guys as well. Meaning those prices are pretty much negated, and Nintendo's system is still cheaper. This argument is retarded on multiple levels. Side note: Anyone remember the old days when you lugged your own controller to your friends' house to play 2-player? Imagine the hardship...
Another complaint: The controller + nunchuk costs $60. We still have to see how many games outside of FPS need the nunchuk. Unless Wii Sports or a good portion of launch games make it clear that the Wiimote alone isn't enough, this is a silly point. Wait and see.
I personally can't wait for this shit. It should be a very fine launch indeed, and once again the Internet amazes me with its logic. Or rather, a lack thereof.
First off, the complaints about the price. I don't get it. The only rumors that said that it could be around $200 were the most wild and unconfirmed, many based purely on the hope of fans. The most legitimate claims and comments said nothing more than "Under 250". Now I know that $200 is under $250, but so is $249.99. And if you have any knowledge of business (meaning if you've ever shopped at a retail store), this price should make perfect sense in relation to their comments, much in the way Sony is able to say the PS3 is under $500.
Now if you're just upset that its not as cheap as you'd have liked, that's fine. I'll just point out the fact that its still half the price or a little less than the competition. But if you expected two hundred bucks, then I have some swamp land in Florida you might be interested in....
You know what else costs the price of a Wii? A mid-range iPod. Betcha weren't bitching about that one, were you? And don't you dare complain because they'll be making a profit on the console right off the bat. This is a company. They want to make money. Sony and MS aren't Jesus sacrificing their cash reserves on the cross. They're big corporations making big gambles that could very well blow up in their face. Nintendo doesn't want, or have to do the same.
Next they'll bring up the argument that "By the time I buy a flash card, and a game, and....and....and some other stuff, the price difference is gone." First, let's throw away the flash card argument. Those things are dirt cheap, far easier to find for $20 or less than a memory stick for PSP. That is, if you don't have one already, which most people with a camera or PDA do. After that, we've got games. Yes, that's another $50 bucks, but they make it sound as if they wouldn't be purchasing a game with the PS3 or 360 (and with the Wii, you don't have to buy a game right off the bat if you're content with Wii Sports). Next they'll bitch about a second controller. If they're buying one for Wii, I can imagine they'd be buying one for the other two consoles. So basically all the things they'd "have" to go out and buy for the Wii, they'd be buying for the other two guys as well. Meaning those prices are pretty much negated, and Nintendo's system is still cheaper. This argument is retarded on multiple levels. Side note: Anyone remember the old days when you lugged your own controller to your friends' house to play 2-player? Imagine the hardship...
Another complaint: The controller + nunchuk costs $60. We still have to see how many games outside of FPS need the nunchuk. Unless Wii Sports or a good portion of launch games make it clear that the Wiimote alone isn't enough, this is a silly point. Wait and see.
I personally can't wait for this shit. It should be a very fine launch indeed, and once again the Internet amazes me with its logic. Or rather, a lack thereof.
Tuesday, September 05, 2006
First Senior Post
Couple of observations I've made sine I got back:
- I need to buy some posters, or something to decorate the place with. Waay too much space than what college kids should have, but I have to do something with it.
- At a Nationals game, Corona and Dos Equis are cheaper than Bud and Miller by about fifty cents. How does that work out?
- I need to get better still at Guitar Hero, for my lackluster performance causes people to leave.
- Waking up at 7:00 isn't as bad as I thought. I thought college mode would kick in and completely overwrite any progress I had made this summer getting up early for work. Maybe that won't be the case. Its still too early in the year to make guarantees.
- Things are looking good so far. Very good.
- I need to buy some posters, or something to decorate the place with. Waay too much space than what college kids should have, but I have to do something with it.
- At a Nationals game, Corona and Dos Equis are cheaper than Bud and Miller by about fifty cents. How does that work out?
- I need to get better still at Guitar Hero, for my lackluster performance causes people to leave.
- Waking up at 7:00 isn't as bad as I thought. I thought college mode would kick in and completely overwrite any progress I had made this summer getting up early for work. Maybe that won't be the case. Its still too early in the year to make guarantees.
- Things are looking good so far. Very good.
Sunday, September 03, 2006
Here I come
Boy its early. Its...about 6:40, and I'm getting ready to leave. Again. Only this time, it will be for the fall semester, and thus for a very long time. The week went by more than quickly, but I still managed to do all my shopping (hooray for new socks), and got to see some family members that I haven't visited in ages. The only sour note of my time home was the fact that I couldn't order textbooks early. Seems there weren't any professor's names on my schedule, and after some manual digging was unable to find a syllabus for anyone. Guess I'll have to rely on express shipping and possibly the library if I get any early assignments.
But that's just one item on the usual list of business to take care of at the start of the semester. I've been doing it for so long that I've gotten used to the drill, so no harm and no stress. Right now I'm just looking forward to getting back and starting what should be another fantastic year. Don't start the party without me. I'll be back in a few hours.
Let's do this.
But that's just one item on the usual list of business to take care of at the start of the semester. I've been doing it for so long that I've gotten used to the drill, so no harm and no stress. Right now I'm just looking forward to getting back and starting what should be another fantastic year. Don't start the party without me. I'll be back in a few hours.
Let's do this.
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