Project halted...

So, in some interesting news my company is going to be wiping the work machine I bring home with me and use as my personal computer. Everyone needs to log into the servers to use their machines starting Monday. There will be no more local accounts. It makes sense to me and I would have thought as a company it would have been done a long time ago. It makes things more controllable and keeping track of everything that is happening with your company assets is a snap.

The issue is, and why I was using it as my personal machine, I went from three computers three months ago to zero. One of the G4 towers I had wasn't really mine and I was asked to give it back when the person who owned it went into financial crisis. To help him out, I gave him an even older G4 tower I got for free as "interest". While that computer was a hunk of complete junk, it did work, which is more than can be said of my fiver-year-old Dell. I figured I could fall back on my PC, which I tried. I set it back up, but after a week the machine would no longer POST (won't boot). So here I stand, a Technician without a computer. My virtual world in purgatory. It's like a jockey without a horse. A cashier without cash register. A school janitor without the orange-smelling-sawdust to clean up puke. Exactly the same.

Alright, I am being dramatic. But it does suck and it means that the project to get this blog to a state where people might read it is on hold. Anyhow, while this does nothing for anyone who reads it now (not that is was getting updated in any consistent way), I promise some day it will be worth reading and some form of entertainment will be gleaned from it. Until that time, enjoy some Gizmodo.

Construction...

Pardon my dust–

Ok, I hate that saying as well. I am working on this blog trying to make it better. Please bear with me.

Mappel...

So this was a video that was great but FOX has managed to remove it from every website. It was the Simpsons making fun of about 20 years of Apple history. If you can find it, watch it.

Super Turbo HD...

Yeah, the full name is Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo HD Remix. But even the old game was called Super Turbo for short.

The original Super Turbo was, like many 2D games at the time, a masterpiece. Even today, there is no fighting game other than other incarnations of the SF franchise that stand up to the strategy and skill level of this game.

Well, they remade it...in HD...and it costs about $15. It's awesome.

They hand drew the new HD sprites. It is gorgeous. The main developer, David Sirlin, made many balance changes to the characters in the game based on his own championship experiences and those of fellow SF champions. All the of the same strategy applies and can be played online against opponents throughout the world. This is truly a masterpiece.

It should be noted that despite the graphics changes, they did not change how the game plays at all. Each frame has been carefully preseverd so the original game lives on. On top of that, if the chnages to the game are too much, it can be reverted back to Super Street Fighter 2 or Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo rules and the game graphics can be switched back to the classic on the fly. I have found the new game to be perfect, however, so I don't really see the need.

Somehow, amid the high-intensity, more-realistic-than-life graphics, 10-hours-or-less gameplay games of today, this remake seems to be a breath of fresh air. I miss side-scollers and this brings back a lot of memories. Spend the 1200 Xbox points and download it. This game is well worth it.

Below is a decent example of the old sprites and the new HD sprites from Wikipedia (save for the fact that the old sprite is about 1/16 the size in a real comparison).



And an even better example showing the true resolutions.

When you know you play WoW too much...

...you just know. How do you even play the game?

Uh oh...

Lord have mercy. I just set the ol' PC back up. How dare I—

Ok, I have never been truly an Apple fanboy. I like the ease of their operating system but that's about where it stops. I will always recommend them for people that don't understand computers and just expect them to work, an Apple is about as close to that as you can get.

Time to check out some of the old games... Diablo, here I come...?

Gears, Again

I BOUGHT my Xbox 360 because of Gears of War. When that game came out and I got the chance to play, it sealed the deal as to which system I should buy for this generation. It had never been done before and, despite being story-light, I couldn't put the game down. It was just so fantastic and so rich. That combined with the amazing combat and cover system and I was hooked. It is still my favorite 360 game...

UNTIL NOW.

Gears of War 2. How in the hell could the sequel be any better than the original? It's a sequel. It's just not possible. Except that it is. This game is amazing. Where to begin. Well, they used the Unreal Engine 3 and the graphics, physics, and capabilities are amazing. On top of that, there are new game modes, new weapons, new co-op opportunities. I cannot describe it.

And if that wasn't enough, they fixed the issue from the last game, story. While still not an epic love story or drama, this game is a classic war story of men fighting for their lives. There are a enough twists and turns in the story to keep it interesting and you feel as though you have a reason to be somewhere instead of just moving from area to area killing things.

If you have a 360, this game is a must buy for sure.

Mario Piano...

Crazy guy...

Escape...

So, I managed to survive Dead Space by helping Isaac escape certain death. The end battle and ending are both very fitting capping off an awesome story. I had a blast playing and was ready to put the game down, but it lets you restart the game with all of your items, armor, and weapons. It is unbelievably fun to massacre low-level enemies with high-level weapons. And here I thought I was done. Silly me.

I Like it...

I saw this on Gizmodo. They posted it for Halloween and I thought it was neat, albeit a little weird.

Dead Space...

This game... This game is...just...phenomenal... Let me try and explain the experience. It looks so good and the gameplay is so well done that every 10-15 seconds I am turning the character around to check behind him. The monsters in this game can only really be stopped by taking off their limbs (arms, legs, tails, etc.). But that is the beauty. They move pretty fast and you have try and take the time in some of the worst situations and aim for limbs, trying to sever them. Your senses of urgency and panic sky-rocket. And the amazing graphics don't really help. You get to see everything in gruesome detail for sure.

But to give you a better sense of the love that the developers gave this game, some of the mechanics should be explained. Health and ammo aren't displayed in a traditional sense. There is a green bar on Isaac's (the main character) spine that is his health meter. Ammo is only displayed when Isaac holds his weapon up and a Heads Up Display pops up on the weapon. Also, viewing your map, inventory, objectives, or watching previous communication videos is all done in real time in a "hologram" in front of Isaac. In other words, it doesn't pause the game when you are equipping weapons which, again, adds to that sense of urgency and the feeling that something is behind you. Both of these factors really immerse you into the game and just add to the atmosphere.

Basically, unless this game has less than 10 hours of gameplay, it is a masterpiece.

This game brings a well-cooked genre to a cool rare.

Half-Life in 60 Seconds...

This fits well. I have been playing a lot of Half-Life 2 from The Orange Box I bought for the 360.

Creativity...

It is reasons like this that the internet is a good thing. Creativity.

Chainsaw Maid

This is awesome. This is a claymation zombie apocalypse. CAUTION, VERY GRAPHIC (if you can call clay graphic).

Never Fails

Amen Princess Leia. Never doubt the powers of the gold bikini.

Neat Guitar Solo...

I found this on DIGG.

Why Twilight Princess is awesome...

I have loved The Legend of Zelda series since its beginnings on the original Nintendo Entertainment System. It has always been one of Nintendo's draw points for me. High adventure, great magic items, princesses to be saved, and, best of all, puzzles that are a blast to figure out.

Twilight Princess is no exception. It contains all of the above and more. And, using the Wii Remote to point and shoot arrows or other targetable items ended up working really well. I thought the control scheme would be cheesy. Instead, I was pleasantly surprised at how well it worked. This fact does add a new immersion into the game and far more control as to how you are doing something. This seems to be the future or gaming.

All of that combined with 50 hours of gameplay, which is unheard of in today's graphic-focused industry, Twilight Princess will end up being one of my favorite games of all time.

Without spoiling anything, the ending was a blast. The last battle had a great score of music and had a feeling of importance and urgency. I believe I was standing and paying complete attention to the game.

Bottom line, if you have a Wii, you have to check this game out.

Mushroom Kingdom!

Wii can play...

That's right. I bought one. I love it. I don't even own any games yet, just that damn sports game that came with it. I should be getting a game soon, I will keep you updated.

Cobalt bought a Xbox 360 so I had to buy a Wii. No, not really. Em and I had our seven year anniversary yesterday and we bought the Wii as an anniversary gift for both of us. It is a blast to play together.

Anyhow, feel free to hit me up. Comment or email me and I can email my system number. Looking forward to playing.

Done wichou!

Conference...

Apple's WWDC (World Wide Developers Conference) just took place yesterday. They made a bunch of neat changes to the iphone software and announced a new generation of iphones that are cheaper and cooler (who cares).

What I was interested in finding out about was Mac OS X 10.6, Snow Leopard. Aside from the terrible name, I wanted to know more about what Apple was thinking releasing a new operating system a year after they released Leopard. During his keynote, Steve Jobs did say that the people at the conference would get a preview of Snow Leopard but did not go into any further detail.

This morning, looking at Apple's site, I found this. There were many rumors surrounding Snow Leopard. Some said that Apple would be cutting out Power PC computers (G4, G5). Some said that it would be a free upgrade to the Leopard system. Either way, they are just rumors and I don't buy any of them. Firstly, half of the Apple's being used today are Power PC models whether that be a G4 iBook or a G5 PowerMac, they are still great machines. People love their Macs and hang on to them for a LONG time. Apple would be shooting themselves in the foot if they did not support the older platform. As far as the second rumor, there is no way Apple would not charge you for their work, time, and effort. What they will charge you for Snow Leopard I think is the better question. And who knows? They are Apple. They do whatever the hell they want. Either way, I love Leopard, but it certainly is a bit heavier OS than Tiger was. 

So, based off the Apple site, it looks like Snow Leopard is going to focus on squeezing every last drop of performance out of you Mac, which will be a welcome change.

P.S. - I am now an ACTC (Apple Certified Technical Coordinator) which is a fancy way of saying I am certified to install, maintain, and troubleshoot servers. ACSA (Apple Certified System Administrator), here I come!!!

Face Punch...

Well, someone deleted it. Wonderful. Ah well.


Action Figure slow motion video from Stig Nordas on Vimeo.


Awesome.

Cuddle...

Overwatch Success...

Message From: Fleet Commander George Patterson
Subject: Overwatch success

Excellent. After a long drawn out battle you have managed completely remove the Zerg from Platform Bravo. We now have a complete overview of everything going on down on the planet and the situation is dire.

There aren’t any Terran cities left on the planet. They have all been infested or destroyed. We intend to change that.

Protoss high-command has joined me in looking at our battlefield and deciding our next course of action. We will get back to you with our battle plans by morning. Until then, enjoy yourselves, for you have won a hard victory. Celebrate well gentlemen, tomorrow brings more horror.


-Fleet Commander George Patterson

A call to arms!!!

Gentlemen,

As you know, at 03:00 this morning, all of our major metropolitan areas have been surprise attacked and overrun by the Swarm. Zerg forces have destroyed most of our civilization here on Xi'an. I needn't tell you that we have no intention of losing this world to the vile Swarm and giving them yet another resource foothold.

We have contacted you because you are the best, and in this dark hour we need the best of the best to win our victory. You will be spearheading our campaign to retake our planet and build strong defenses for future confrontations with the Zerg.

We have received word from a nearby Protoss carrier group that they will be working side by side with us to finish our task. Furthermore, we have received reports of rogue Zerg broods that are rebelling against their makers.

You will find your first mission's briefing and parameters below. Every resource we have left is at your request. Keep in mind, however, that this is very little so you will need to build what you can from the ground up. I wish you all luck, and remember, failure is not an option.


-Fleet Commander George Patterson




Mission: Overwatch

Mission Start Date: May 25th
Mission Start Time: 10:00 hours
Mission Location: Defense Platform Bravo

Briefing
In the confusion, the Zerg attacked our orbiting defense stations to blind us. Out of our original six, Bravo is our last station remaining. It is badly damaged and infested with Zerg. This will be our first staging point allowing us to take a full survey of the damage and plan our next actions.

Objectives
1. Establish a forward base on defense platform Bravo
2. Control remaining station resources
3. Remove Zerg infestation



(All particapants please comment that you will be attending on this post and meet on StarCraft Battle.net on channel Overwatch at above time [8:00PM])

StarCraft...

Yes, this is a pretty old game. Recently, however, I have found new gaming life in it. StarCraft has once again become a part of my gaming career. I have been finding more joy in it than I ever did back in my high-school days.

With all that said, I didn't realize how much i missed this game until I started playing again. There are a lot of RTS (Real Time Strategy) games out there. Some of them are good, some of them are bad. StarCraft is the standard. It set the bar. The term classic fits it very well.

I would like to point out that my RTS career started with a game called Command & Conquer. While C&C came out before StarCraft, it never achieved the balance and sheer depth of gameplay that SC still keeps today. I can't believe how many people still play SC. 10 years after its original release. It really amazes me. A game is excellent nowadays if it makes 5 years.

Anyway, my point is thank the good Lord for StarCraft. It has breathed life back into a gaming environment where most things tout their graphics and offer 10 or less hours of play. And thanks to Spudler for getting me back into it.

Built...

I have always dreamt of giant robots. As a child, my dreams took shape in the form of talking, walking, transformable robots aptly named Transformers. They were the pinnacle of technology, pieces of metal and wire that could be repaired if broken. They could fly. They could take punishment that no human could dream. They had other forms that could help them such as jet-fighters and trucks. They had the sentience of a human, but the perfect body of a machine. I was captivated.

Later years saw this shape in many different environments. I loved them all. Metroid, a woman with a power-suit stops an entire race from destroying and ruling the universe. Voltron, a team of teenagers pilot machines that can be combined to create a giant robot. Exo-squad, humans battle neo-sapiens (alien race) in a war of atrition using exo-suits and giant walkers. Star Wars, the empire has four- and two-legged walkers hanging out rocking the universe.

My teen years were where the explosion of giant robots took shape. I found Anime. The Japanese are the masters of the giant robots. Their adult cartoons prove it. Master-pieces like Gundam and Robotech were the beginning. Video-games took root. Armored Core, Front Mission 3, MechWarrior to name a few. The armored Space Marines in StarCraft, the loading walker in Alien, Space Marines again in Warhammer 40k, the power suits and walkers in Command and Conquer: Tiberian Sun. The list goes on and on. I have loved giant robots and power-suits and mecha all my life.

Along with this obsession comes the dream. To someday see one for real, and, pilot one.

Tonight, I saw one as close to real as possible right now. I saw the movie Iron Man. I saw a man create a power-suit. He could fly. He took bullets as if they were flies. He moved with speed. He could take down dozens of men at a time. Perfection. This man was going toe to toe with $3,000,000,000 F-22 Raptors. He broke the sound barrier in his suit. It was amazing.

I was never an Iron Man fan. I always liked the Japanese version of a fast-moving giant robot better. Marvel always presented it wrong. It was as if it was just a steel skin that protected this guy and gave him flight. Oh yeah, he could lift heavy stuff.

This though, this was a mech as it should be. Fast, nimble, powerful, invincible to standard infantry. I have been shown the dream and it is built of alloy and paint. It is beautiful.

Thank you Marvel. You have built my hero of steel.

4 Days...

I cannot wait to go see this movie. It has some potential. Just to have a semi-serious movie where there is a power-suit created and used. (Ah...Mechs)

Get Them Together...

So true. Well, the part about getting people together at least.

The Sky is Falling...

Best way to die in Halo 3. Randomly.

Living in a Garbage Truck...

Coolest garbage truck ever.

Perfect Gift...

She's right...

The Cheat Sheet...

An Important Instructional Video...

Learn to be an Evil Overlord...

http://www.proft.org/tips/evil.html

Going straight...

Wow...

The Shipment has arrived...

I laughed pretty hard at this site. FAIL!

http://www.shipmentoffail.com/

Well done...

Ah, the youth of America...

See more funny videos at CollegeHumor

Oh sh**!

These are pretty good.

Can't wait...

I cannot wait for this sequel. The first game is the reason why I bought me Xbox 360. Hopefully, they don't mess up the series. Click on the pic to get to the site.

Tetris...

Interesting.

Certified...

My first Apple certification. I am now an Apple Certified Support Professional. Whatever the hell that means.

Terminal...

Uh oh... I am learning to use commands in Terminal in OS X. Oh boy.

I am heading for my first Apple Certification. The class is really enjoyable and despite it being an eight-hour-day-for-three-days class, I am getting a lot out of it. Wish me luck on the test tomorrow.

News...

So, I haven't been updating this blog with any form of personal news for quite some time. Sorry. I have been doing the standard lazy "post pics and videos" cop out. So, I thought I would post something important this time instead.

As of two weeks ago, Em and I are engaged. The wedding date is September 20th this year and we pretty much have everything all planned and ready to go. We just need to decide on a dj and a photographer.

Finally. I have loved this woman for a good portion of my life and have wanted to marry her for quite some time now. She means the world to me and I am so happy that we get to stand up in front of all our family and friends and proclaim our love.

I can't wait to start our lives together. Love you Em.

Love it...

D&D...

Thanks Gary Gygax.

KIDS...rock...?

Kids Songs Sung By Rock Stars - Watch more free videos

Quick...

...let's hire that Gorilla for the kids! Do people really think these thoughts?

Wow...

I am sorry, but this one is just too easy.

Tracking...

Found this on Digg. Perfect.

So true...

Well said...

Thank you Penny Arcade for putting it into words.

Spaces...

I love Spaces. I have recently gotten addicted to them after making the switch to Leopard. I have always liked the Linux version of virtual desktop, but Leopard's version is far better and easier to use and that is key. Here is a pic of my spaces zoomed out.

Manga...

Hey, long time no post.

Anyhow, just wanted to put in an honorable mention. As much as I LOVE watching anime that I download, I equally enjoy reading Manga (the Japanese comic books). Sometimes, I enjoy it more than watching the anime. Anyway, I just wanted to give a shout out to One Manga. Great site to read tons of the stuff. Enjoy.

2008...

Happy New Year!!!