random late week post

This post was originally going to be filled with frothing, ridiculous rant, after a couple of topics caught my attention yesterday and immediately drew my ire. Then I had a few beers, wrote a little bit, and realized that while they might be worthy of discussion, it was nothing to be worked up over. For instance, I finally discovered that Firefox does indeed have glaring memory issues, and that this is likely the cause of some of the slowdownd I've expereinced in both XP and Ubuntu. I had a rant all ready, calling out the hypocrisy of Open Source zealots I know, who call from the mountains for people to convert to OSS (and make smarmy comments and jokes about these people on the side), yet never seem to notice or complain when their favorite software might have a problem. But that sentence covers everything that needs to be said. Plus I can still switch back to Opera whenever I want.

I wanted to rant about some of the "girl gamer" stuff that has popped up quite frequently in the last month or so. But then I realized that links and tirades only gives it more attention, and makes the problem worse. Also, I can't really blame a bunch of attractive looking women for using their looks to exploit stupid, horny men (and to those guys out there; shame on you). There are a lot of women gamers out there who actually participate, and know what the hell they are talking about. Its no coincidence that these are the people who aren't jumping on the internet in order to try and grab some attention. They're too busy actually playing.

Of course, I was also frustrated to see the Yankees take the AL East lead after heroics from newly acquired Bobby Abreu. But the American League is a tough place to play, and the Mets are still playing top quality ball. Yes, its possible the teams could face in the finals and the Yankee Magic(tm) could cause certain doom. But its even more likely they are elminated early by a better team, while the Mets fight for the pennant. Things are still looking good in baseball land.

Here's a fantastic interview about Bioshock, which looks better and better every time I see it. The guy from Irrational makes a great stab at the horribly black and white moral choices that most games are content to present to us. Irrational, I wasn't huge on Freedom Force, but I have nothing but respect for you now that you've let an employee bitch slap the entirety of post-Baldur's Gate Bioware and Knights of the Old Republic.

Some serious trouble over in the land of Ziff Davis. Looks like the entire magazine division is up for sale, which doesn't seem like a good thing. I remember when Imagine Media turned into the Future Network, and let's just say one of the strongest names in game magazines is a shell of its former self. If someone ponies up, it'll be interesting to see what happens to EGM and Computer Gaming World.

Actually, scratch that. Its only a matter of time before CGW burns to the ground. The mag has been renamed to Games for Windows, and is now a joint venture between ZD and Microsoft. Now they say this is because of MS's new dedication to games on Vista, and that their contract makes it illegal for them to influence the content of the magazine. It still sounds fishy as hell. You don't join into a partnership like this so you can leave the magazine alone, and something called "Games for Windows" sounds far too consumer friendly for the very unorthodox style that CGW has created over the years (gotta love no review scores). Microsoft is going to do more than just give the writers free PC gaming rigs. While they might not have the ability to directly change the content of the publication, they can make some very strong, um, "suggestions". I expect nothing more than the fanboyish and sensational journalism of any "official" console magazine. A sad change to be sure.

I now give you all the Biggest Pussies in Gaming Journalism. Looks like some kids got burned by Game Revolution for their useless, homophobic flamebait rant, so they reacted by crying a bunch and running home with the ball. Remember folks, "If you are making a harmless joke (Non-derogatory) than it is OK, but ONLY if you contact the other site to let them know, and have the time to make a harmless quip in return."

Who the fuck with a pair of balls ever does that? There's no question that this kid hasn't hit puberty. Unless he's a man-child, which is even worse. Someone get these guys a box of tampons. Until then, maybe the writer should get some practice before writing anything else on the internet. I promise it will help.

Tony Bennet had his birthday today. Let's listen to some great music from a time long ago...