tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50164322024-03-07T03:53:58.792-06:00Warped Core: The Blog/Anti-Blog ReactionWelcome to the NEW Warped Core weblog. This site contains articles and commentaries on the general stupidity of humanity (with an emphasis on residents of the state of Florida), random product reviews, philosophical discussion on inane topics, and a growing list of links to sites that would make better use of your time than reading people's weblogs. Also, despite the site's name, you will be hard pressed to find any articles actually relating to Star Trek. Go figure.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger80125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016432.post-1110411223552467032005-03-09T17:19:00.000-06:002005-03-09T17:33:43.556-06:00NEWS: Hey look, an update!<p>That's right folks, a real update. How long has it been, 3 1/2 months? But <i>this</i> time, I have a real excuse. No, really. Well okay, perhaps it's more of a diversionary tactic, but at any rate, feast your eyes on <i>this</i>:</p>
<a href="http://warpedcore.org/blog">Warped Core: The Next Generation</a><br />
<p>That's right, I got my own domain, rewrote my entire site layout in WordPress 1.5, and moved the whole thing off of Blogger and onto my own web host. Why, you ask? Well, go on, click the link and find out! All my new posts will be appearing over there now, after all. This will officially be my last post on Blogger, but not to fear, bigger and better things await on my new site. ...Well, okay, at least it looks cooler anyway.</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016432.post-1103148566859163052004-12-15T16:05:00.000-06:002004-12-15T16:11:49.546-06:00COMMENTARY - We wish you a merry Christmas, and a bundle of socks.<p>Yes, it's Mid-December already. That most wonderful time of the year, with everyone's favorite holiday just around the corner...</p>
<p>Bah, humbug.</p>
<p>I hate Christmas. No, it's not just because I like to complain about things or that I have the false perception that simply going against popular opinion makes me a "free thinker". It also has nothing to do with any religious affiliation of the holiday either, which is also sketchy at best. Fine, send me off on a brief tangent on the history of our modern Christmas...</p>
<p>Throughout history, there have been numerous ancient pagan holidays celebrated near winter solstice, but the direct descendant of our modern Christmas can probably be considered the Roman holiday of Saturnalia, the god of agriculture. Or more specifically even, the birthday of Mithra, the god of the unconquerable sun, celebrated on December 25th, and considered by some Romans as the most sacred day of the year. So of course in typical Catholic tradition, long about the fourth century, Pope Julius I declared December 25th as a celebration of the birthday of Jesus Christ in a blatant attempt to absorb another pagan holiday into a conversion to Christianity. Nevermind the very story of Jesus' birth and angels visiting shepherds in the field tending their flocks at the time indicates Jesus was actually born in the spring and directly contradicts a winter celebration, but hey, let's overlook that in order to thwart another pagan holiday. Besides, we already have Easter in place to undermine pagan springtime festivities, so we don't need another spring holiday. So December 25th became the unofficial birthday of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. As far as all of the "traditions" we celebrate in our modern Christmas, that's mostly the fault of us Americans. Christmas in its current form didn't really pick up steam until the mid to late 1800's, where Americans decided it was the perfect family holiday and retail opportunity, and began to incorporate traditions and beliefs from different churches and immigrants from around the world, or just plain made up their own traditions. For more information on the convoluted history of what we have come to call Christmas, check out <a href="http://people.howstuffworks.com/christmas.htm">How Christmas Works.</a> Anyways, my point is the birth of Jesus as the celebration for Christmas in fact plays a small part in the holiday's origins, and is actually about as historically inaccurate as the rest of the holiday's traditions. Now back to the rant.</p>
<p>So why do I particularly dislike Christmas? In part, it's the same problem I have with all modern holidays. They're over-commercialized. Christmas is just the epitomy of the over-commercialized holiday. Most retail stores account for 70% of their annual income to just the Christmas shopping season alone. TV shows, movies, commercials, signs, and ads are everywhere promoting this season of peace, love, harmony, and spending lots of money buying presents for other people. From the Christian standpoint, if this holiday is about the birth of Christ, in what way does crowding shopping malls and spending all your money on your friends and family tie into that? Can't figure it out? Neither can I. What about the rest of the non-Christian population that still celebrates the holiday? They have even less reason, yet they're not left out of the festivities, now are they? Whatever one's explanation for celebrating it is, I doubt any can explain why exactly they have a decorated dead tree in their living room or what Santa Clause really has to do with anything. That's because the <i>true</i> meaning of Christmas is doing whatever the media tells you to. If you can't detail the origins of a tradition, is it then even traditional? Hardly. Why all the hyped up Christmas festivities then? So the retail industry can rake in more income in a couple weeks than it does the other eleven months of the year combined, that's why. As long as they can keep people excited and enchanted by the "spirit of Christmas", they continue to make money hand over fist. And <i>that</i> is the true meaning of Christmas.</p>
<p>But as I said, that's only part of the reason I don't like the holiday. Here's the main reason for my dislike of Christmas: <i>With all these people spending money on gifts, why can't anyone manage to buy me something <b>good</b>??!!</i> I mean come on, seriously, who wants <i>socks</i> for Christmas? I wouldn't really appreciate someone giving me socks on any of the other 364 days of the year, how does anyone figure they make a good Christmas gift? The same goes for ties. Especially <i>Christmas</i> ties. Great! A present I can only use once a year, and I have to wait another 12 months to wear it! Gee, thanks! I think a good rule of thumb is that if you can't think of a good gift to buy someone, either give them a gift card, or consider that you don't know them well enough to warrant buying them anything in the first place and save the money you would have wasted on some lame gift for them and put it towards a nicer gift for someone you actually care about. Now I don't know why there's this stigma surrounding gift cards. Contrary to popular opinion, I think they're one of the best gifts you can get someone. Many people don't like giving gift cards because you now have an exact dollar figure for how much someone spent on your present. Okay... and I'm supposed to believe you spent more than $5 on those socks? Me, I'd take even a $5 gift card over some dollar store trash any day. People also claim it's an impersonal gift, but let me ask you, which of the following scenarios do you find less personal:<br /><br />
1. "I didn't know what to buy you for Christmas, so here's a cheap package of socks I picked up at the dollar store."<br /><br />
2. "I didn't know what to buy you for Christmas, so I bought you a gift card worth a few dollars from a place you actually like to shop."<br /><br />
If you as me, a gift card is actually a more personal gift than some cheap present you picked up because you couldn't figure out what to really get for them. Here's how I interpret these two different scenarios:<br /><br />
1. "I didn't know what to get you and I didn't care enough to figure it out either, so here's a cheap piece of crap to say the thought of buying you something at least crossed my mind."<br /><br />
2. "I didn't know what to get you, but I know you like to shop at this particular store, so I got you a gift card worth a few bucks since I'm sure you could find a good use for it there."<br /><br />
If people would listen to me on this one simple point, I would have a far happier Christmas. Imagine for a moment that every person who would have bought you a crappy gift this year instead decided to just get you a gift card good at your favorite store. Even a cheap gift card. With that little collection of cards, you could manage to buy yourself a pretty nice present. But what are you supposed to do with your assortment of socks, ties, and sweaters? Well, you could always save them for next year, wrap them back up, and return them as your very thoughtful Christmas present back to them. That's right, who ever said that game was only reserved for the fruitcake?</p>
<p>So in closing, anyone thinking of buying me some lame, cheap gift this year, I respectfully request (okay, demand) you instead do one of the following:<br /><br />
1. Don't buy me anything and save the money for a better gift for someone else. Otherwise, you'll be seeing your present again in about a year...<br /><br />
2. <a href="https://secure.newegg.com/app/giftcertificateindex.asp">Click here</a>, and remember my email address is tribblehunter@hotmail.com.</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016432.post-1101438555811116632004-11-25T20:08:00.000-06:002004-11-26T11:26:37.340-06:00REVIEW - FOR SALE: Evil Lair<p>This is going to be another one of my sort of fantastically long two-part posts. Seems that's becoming my new trend. Don't post anything for a long while, then post two things at once. Oh well. Anyways, on with the show. First, I will be starting with my review of the PC game "Evil Genius", followed by some very useful information to get you started on a real-life evil lair of your own. Interested? Read on...</p>
<h4>First,The Game...</h4>
<p><a href="http://www.howevilareyou.com/">Evil Genius</a> is not quite like any other game I've played. It's something like the Sims meets Austin Powers with a dash of the old board game Risk thrown in. Now, I've never been a big fan of the Sims games. They are like Real Time Strategy games minus the strategy, leaving them... well... nothing, really. Plus, the micromanagement to the point of telling people when to go to the bathroom is quite frankly annoying. That said, while Evil Genius resembles a Sims game on many levels, it doesn't really play like one at all. Aside from your character (the evil genius), and his handful of henchmen, you actually have no direct control over the rest of your army of minions. Instead, you issue commands for tasks to be completed, and the nearest available minion will run and do your bidding. This allows you the freedom to issue more commands rather than to babysit all of your little men. A few construction orders here, some build orders there, some work orders over there, and soon you can sit back and watch your evil base bustle with busy bodies in yellow jumpsuits. You will occasionaly run into that miserable maggot of a minion who refuses to work and may even try to abandon your evil organization. Of course, you can then dispatch one of your henchmen to throw him in a holding cell until he changes his mind, or just kill him and recruit a new one. The choice is yours. It is, after all, your evil empire...</p>
<p>The game starts out with your evil genius and his solitary henchman landing on a rather empty island, with nothing but a dream to take over the world, and a somewhat sizable wad of cash. The mountain on the center of the island of course makes a perfect location to begin an underground lair, so you get to work. You start by hiring up some minions in fashionable yellow jumpsuits. (Don't ask me, the attire seems to be an evil requirement. Haven't you ever watched a James Bond movie?) Where they come from, how you hired them, and where did they get the jumpsuits, I don't know. Nevertheless, they begin showing up on your island clad in their brightly colored outfits, ready to do your bidding. So you start by issuing orders to hollow out your mountain, creating cooridors and rooms to begin your hidden base. Your minions start running about, blasting holes out of your mountain, and soon you have the beginnings of your evil empire. You build a control room, from which to spy on the world. You construct a generator room to power your base. You carve out barracks and mess halls and break rooms for your men. You set up a security center from which to monitor your base, arm your minions, and interrogate intruders. Yessir, you have quite the little evil base now. Except now you're out of money. Now what?</p>
<p>Enter the World Domination view. From here, you are presented a map of the world, with all the different nations nicely color coded for your convenience. Using this map, you can send your minions and henchmen out to different parts of the world to steal and plot for you. A well staffed control room back at your base is a must, as it reveals important information about the different coutries around the world, such as how much money you can steal from specific regions, as well as how strong their military presence there is. Sending a fair number of minions around the world to steal for you will keep the cash flowing in, enabling you to build your base even larger. "My base is plenty large already", you may be thinking, "how do I take over the world already?" Fear not, for your global conquest is only beginning. The world domination map has a meter on the bottom measuring your notoriety. See how it's really low right now, like in the near vicinity of zero? Now that certainly won't do for an evil genius. You <i>do</i> want to be notorious, now don't you? Well, if not, then I suggest you are in the wrong business my friend. The <i>rest</i> of us will plot and scheme and carry out various acts of notoriety against the world to increase our infamy. It is equally important to send your men out to plot as it is to steal. Plotting uncovers opportunities to perform devious acts around the globe - kidnapping people (and monkeys), stealing valuable artifacts (or buildings... like the Eiffel Tower...), or just causing general disruption and mayhem (like dragging massive iceburgs off from Antarctica into major naval shipping lanes to disrupt traffic). As your minions successfully complete these (sometimes ridiculous) acts, you gain more notoriety, putting you one step closer to becoming a global threat. But watch out, as your notoriety increases, so does your heat...</p>
<p>So now you've had a bit of fun at the expense of the world. Time to check back into your base. You've decorated your lair with precious objects stolen from around the world. You've increased your gold reserves dramatically. You've even interrogated prisoners you've kidnapped to teach your minions new carrers in military, social, or science fields. Oh, and your base is also swarming with secret agents now. What happened here? Where did they all come from? Well, while you were commiting devious acts around the world and increasing your notoriety, your "heat" also went up. If you pick on a particular nation too frequently, well, they get a little upset about it, and your heat rating will increase. So they start sending spys and secret agents to your base to investigate, sabotage, or steal their goods back from you. As your heat rating increases, they will send more agents with increasing skill to your island to generally cause you trouble. Careful management of your minions on the world domination map can keep a country from waging an all-out war on your little island, but no matter what you do, some number of unwelcome visitors from around the world will continue to invade your base. What is an evil mastermind to do? Traps, of course. Lots and lots of traps.</p>
<p>Traps are by far the highlight of the game. As you train scientists to work for you, they will research new technologies that allow you to build new objects, rooms, and also many, many traps. Now, you <i>could</i> occupy your henchmen and minions with playing doorman and standing around the entrance of your lair like a bunch of bouncers, but most of your minions are really lousy fighters, and they'd be far more useful doing something else. Not to mention traps are <i>infinitely</i> more fun to watch. You can quickly turn the entrance of your base into a cooridor filled with sensors, pressure pads, trap doors, pirhanna tanks, gas chambers, flame throwers... the list goes on. With a little practice, you can even learn to string this series of traps together, throwing its victims from one trap into the next in a veritable obstacle course of DOOM! MUHAHAHA!!! *ahem.* Well. At any rate, traps are good, and watching enemy agents (or your own minions... hehehe...) fall victim to them again and again just never seems to get old.</p>
<p>From here, you are now poised to take over the world. But first, you will need a bigger island. Why? Well, simple. Your current island doesn't have a big volcano in the middle. Well, you asked a silly question... Anyways, so you give the order to pack up your base, all your minions scurry onto your boat, and you set sail for your new home. You soon arrive at your new, larger island, complete with volcano, and you get to start all over building a new base. This is actually a good thing, as it gives you opportunity to correct all the design flaws you discovered in your first base, and you have more room to work with now too. And hey, there's also a volcano in the middle now. Once you've settled in to your new home, you can steal plans, blueprints, and kidnap scientists from around the world to devise the all important Doomsday Weapon, as you're hardly an evil genius without one. Then it's time to convert your volcanic core into a missile silo (see? I told you the volcano bit was important...) and take the world hostage! MUHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!! *Cue evil music of doom*</p>
<p>So here's the summary... (What do you mean, "<i>finally</i>"?) <br /><br />
<b>Graphics: 10/10</b> Bright, colorful, and very reminiscient of an Austin Powers movie. Also the character animations flow very well. If you've played other Sims games, you'll know what I mean, where the characters kind of jerk around when switching from one task to another as they change animation sequences. You get none of that with Evil Genius.<br /><br />
<b>Sound: 10/10</b> An <i>excellent</i> and very fitting soundtrack that sounds like it's right out of a James bond movie. I liked it so much I had to track down the MP3's so I could take Evil Genius background music with me wherever I go. ;-)<br /><br />
<b>Gameplay: 8/10</b> A well done modification on a Sims game, it removes the annoyances of micromanagement, while still making you feel in control through issuing orders. You obtain new units and research new items throughout the entire game, keeping the gameplay fresh with a constant supply of new objects to toy with. Specific mission objectives also help to give the general purpose of world domination a little direction, while still allowing you the leeway to wreak havoc on the world or just expand your base at your leisure. Switching from your evil base to the world domination mode is a little disjointed, and the two modes could possibly link together a little better, but being able to switch between two modes of play does help to keep the game from getting monotonous.<br /><br />
<b>Ingenuity: 9/10</b> While the Sims style game is nothing new, the control over the units in Evil Genius is different, and my opinion, far better. Well, unless you like micromanagement to the nth level, I guess. The method of issuing commands really makes you feel like you are just sitting there with a screen overlooking your base telling people what to do, which I suppose really was the point, wasn't it? The premise of the game itself is also sheer brilliance. I've never played anything like it, yet at the same time practically none of the content in it is really original, as you will find about every cliche from every super-spy movie ever somewhere in the game. This game is a must have for any James Bond or Austin Powers fan. Plus, you get to play the villian in this game, which I think is far too much of a rarity in games today.<br /><br />
<b>Replay Value: 8/10</b> First, let me say the traps never get old. Never. I could watch that all day. And I have, too. With so many traps, and so many different ways to arrange them, the possibilities are endless... Traps aside though, the game still has strong replay value. From redesigning your base layout, to refining your tactics for global domination, there's plenty to keep you playing. Also, there are three different evil geniuses you can choose from to take over the world, and as the game progresses you can pick up a variety of different henchmen to work for you, so the combinations from start to finish are pretty numerous as well, allowing for a different experience each time through the game.<br /><br />
<b>OVERALL: 9/10</b> There is one major reason I did not give this game a perfect score. I'm not sure if this was just a problem on my install for some reason, or if anybody else even has this same problem, so I'm hesitant to speak too much on its severity. But the in-game help menu would NOT work for me. It would display the text all skewed way off the screen, making it pretty much useless. Again, maybe just a problem on my install, and also probably quite easily fixed with a patch if it is in fact a broader problem. Other than that, it's a great game.<br /><br /></p>
<h4>Next... THE WORLD!!!</h4>
<p>Inspired by your time with "Evil Genius"? I was. That's when I stumbled across this site: <a href="http://www.missilebases.com/">20th Century Castles</a>. That's right. Retired missile silos for sale. Now they're advertised towards the paranoid agoraphobic sort as uber-bombshelters, but it doesn't take the most creative evil genius to think that a retired missile silo would be the perfect location for a not-so-retired missile silo. Now, any crazy individual reading this with $1.5 million to spare, don't even <i>think</i> about that Titan I site in Denver CO, that sucker is SO mine. Well, once I manage to scrounge up my own $1.5 million, anyways... (My PayPal link, anyone?) It's on 210 acres of land. There's 45,000 square feet of underground floorspace. <i>Three</i> missile silos. What more could an aspiring evil genius ask for? I could build a legitimate business enterprise topside on the 210 acres. Maybe a children's hospital. I mean, what kind of heartless government would storm a children's hospital, right? Then, with 45,000 square feet underground and three separate missile silos, I'd have all the space I'd need to conduct my evil scheming and plotting. A half mile of tunnels is also more than adequate space for a sufficient number of traps to discourage unwanted government visitors or in-laws from dropping by. Also, being a mere 20 minutes away from a major metropolitan area will make it a small matter to tap into global communications networks, and an international airport also in the vicinity will make getting my undercover operatives around the world a piece of cake. To top it off, a lot of these silos have leftover yet still working equipment from when they were still operating military sites, which makes getting an operating control room that much easier. Now I just need to find somewhere to order yellow jumpsuits in bulk...</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016432.post-1099456249112279012004-11-02T22:21:00.000-06:002004-11-02T22:35:05.263-06:00COMMENTARY - Linux: Windows of Opportunity?<p>So here I am, downloading some new Linux distros for my next foray into over-multi-booting. (Some people overclock. So I have a slightly different hobby...) Since my <a href="http://warpedcore.blogspot.com/2003/05/review-adventures-in-geekland.html">last article on the subject</a>, I have since backed down to just two operating systems, Windows 98 (which I almost never touch and keep for support reasons) and Windows 2000. I had done this as I was running out of drive space, but I intend on installing a third hard drive in the near future, doubling my current storage from 200GB to 400GB. So I figured it was time to install some more new shiny operating systems again.</p>
<p>As I was checking out all the newest and hottest Linux distributions and releases on <a href="http://www.distrowatch.com/">DistroWatch</a>, I was struck by a couple of interesting thoughts about the Linux community. First is the proliferation of the <b>Live CD</b>. This is really a rather brilliant move by Linux developers, as it helps to overcome one of the biggest problems with getting users to switch to Linux. Installing a second (or third, or sixth...) operating system onto a single computer is no simple task for the uninitiated, and even for an experienced user it can at times be hazardous to your existing installation. However, a Live CD allows you to boot directly off a disc into the operating system, <i>without installing anything onto the computer.</i> With a Live CD, you can just boot right into Linux, mess around with it and learn your way around a new operating system in your spare time. Then when you're done, just take the CD out, reboot, and you're back into your usual operating system, with no harm done (except maybe to Microsoft's ego). This method of course has it's pros and cons. It does make getting people to try Linux far simpler, but to me, use of a Live CD represents a half-hearted attempt at exploring an alternative operating system. It's great that it can draw new users into an easy way to try Linux, but as long as they're running it off a CD it can never hope to replace their everyday (Windows) operating system. That, and it also runs far slower off the CD, which can give new users the impression that Linux is inferior to Windows. Another note on the positive side, it can allow the hardcore Linux user to take their operating system with them and run it on virtually any computer they come into contact with. That, and some Live CD distributions have been decked out with <a href="http://www.sysresccd.org/">system maintenance</a>, <a href="http://www.knoppix-std.org/">network analysis</a>, and <a href="http://www.linux-forensics.com/forensics/pensleuth.html">forensics tools</a>, making them an indispensible resource to the system administrator, or a dangerous weapon in the hands of a hacker. All in all though, I think it's a great development for Linux.</p>
<p>The other thought that entered my head was in part inspired by my new day job. I'm currently working in a call center providing cable internet technical support. As a result of my time on the phone there, I have concluded that there are three main types of computer users. Those who really know what they're doing, those that know just enough to get by, and those who are completely clueless but for some reason are in front of a computer anyway. Sadly, the vast majority of the population seems to fall into that latter category. Now this may seem like a crazy idea, but I'm beginning to rather strongly believe that these same clueless individuals may be the best candidates to target for a switch to Linux. Users who really know what they're doing can make the switch or set up a multi-boot configuration themselves, so they're not a problem. Users who know enough to get around usually have some little 3rd party programs or games that they use on a regular basis. This makes them less likely candidates to switch, as most often they can't take these programs with them and make them run on Linux.</p>
<p>But let's look at what average Joe Idiot does on the computer. He checks his email. He surfs the internet. And maybe he wants an office suite to work in. But that's about it. To him, it's a glorified typewriter with built in newspapers and magazines. Using Windows actually makes these tasks <i>more</i> difficult for Joe Idiot, if you ask me, because now Joe also has to worry about antivirus, anti-spyware, and firewall software to protect his PC. Joe also has to worry about making sure all of these programs as well as his Windows security patches are constantly up to date to keep him properly protected. Joe doesn't really realize it, but he also needs protection from <i>himself</i>, for he can inadvertently cause more damage to his computer than anything else.</p>
<p>Now let's put this same individual on a lightweight version of Linux, <a href="http://www.vectorlinux.com/">Vector</a>, for example, with <a href="http://www.mozilla.org/products/firefox/">Firefox</a> and <a href="http://www.openoffice.org/">OpenOffice</a> installed on it. There are currently very few viruses that even target Linux, and most of those actually target specific Linux server applications. So there is no need for Joe to maintain or even install an antivirus program. Linux was also developed from the ground up to be a networking operating system, so it is very secure, and most distributions typically come with a firewall of some kind, else one can be downloaded and installed for free. Not only does Joe not have to worry about getting viruses in his email anymore, but by using Firefox on Linux he can also surf the internet unimpeded by popups, adware, or spyware. Firefox has an excellent built-in popup blocker, and since spyware and adware programs are written to run on Windows, even if they manage to infiltrate the computer they will simply not do anything on a Linux system. Using OpenOffice, Joe can do anything he could do in Microsoft Office, and in fact can open any of his old MS Office documents as well. Lastly, by making sure Joe is logged in under a user account and not as root (administrator, for you Windows folks), Joe is not capable of causing too much damage to the system as he simply does not have the proper access to really break it. Switching Joe over should be fairly simple too. He already doesn't know his way around Windows, so why not have him be lost on Linux instead? Just simply set him up with a Linux desktop with all the icons he'd need to do anything right in front of him, and he'll be fine. That's all he does in Windows, after all. Joe clicks on email, Joe gets email. Joe clicks on internet, Joe gets internet. Joe doesn't see viruses or popups or errors. Best of all, Joe didn't have to pay a cent for any of it. So Joe is happy. And the bottom line is that means he's calling me at work less, so I don't have to answer as many frickin' calls.</p>
<p>So what's wrong with this blissful model I present? Several things, actually. First, is support for Linux. If set up correctly, Linux should require far <i>less</i> support, but that doesn't mean it'll <i>never</i> require support. So who's going to fix it when Joe Idiot does manage to break it? Everyone supports Windows. Windows is always the same. Finding a technician to work on Linux, or even a tech support number that will give you Linux support, is all but impossible. Why? That leads to my second point. Lack of standardization. There are so many different versions of Linux available, and while they are all fundamentally the same, they are also all very different from each other in many ways. It's a support nightmare, <i>especially</i> from a call center point of view, where you have no idea what the person calling in is actually looking at. This is the conundrum that plagues the Linux community. Without standardization, it's impossible to consistently support, yet standardizing Linux ultimately takes away from what Linux is - open source and freely customizable. Until this dilemma can be solved, Windows will forever remain in the top seat. Also, sort of tying into the lack of support issue, thinking from the standpoint of a PC technician, what do you gain by installing a more stable and secure operating system on a customer's computer? They no longer need to buy your software. They no longer need to come to you every other week to get all the viruses and spyware cleaned off their computer. They no longer need you to reinstall their operating system on a quarterly basis because they've manage to hose it up so badly. So what's in it for them? Face it, as long as you're still running Windows, you're a cash crop to tech support everywhere.</p>
<p>Linux for everyone sounds like a great idea, and a lot of Linux fans have a hard time understanding why everyone wouldn't want to adopt a free, more stable, more secure alternative. But the harsh truth is that, while the software may be free, support never is. It's a problem that will continue to loom over the Linux community. Its diversity is both its greatest advantage and its biggest curse.</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016432.post-1093064421034130312004-08-20T23:52:00.000-05:002004-08-21T00:00:21.033-05:00REVIEW - Finally, an alternative web browser that doesn't suck.Until just recently, I have been using Internet Explorer to find my way around the internet, just like 99.99% of the rest of the online world. It's not really because I <i>like</i> IE, but I've stuck with it really from a lack of other good alternatives. I have messed around with Netscape and Opera and even a couple of other lesser known browsers in the past, but was really disappointed with each of them, and always found myself back on Internet Explorer in short order. Not too long ago I decided to step off the Microsoft bandwagon once more, and give another new browser that has been gaining momentum a try: <a href="http://getfirefox.com/">Firefox</a>. Well, at first it was actually called Phoenix, then they renamed it Firebird, and now it's called Firefox. How the name evolved from a mythical flaming bird to a nickname for the red panda I'll never know, but call it whatever you like, it is easily the greatest web browser I have ever used. It's fast, simple, elegant, stylish, and highly customizable. What's not to like? The browser is very clean, straightforward, and simple. No confusing layout or menus, and even the options menus are very easy to follow. Looking for something more than the basic menu options though? Not a problem. It has the ability to easily download and install tons of additional extensions, giving the browser all kinds of added functionality. You can add RSS and news readers, web developer tools, bookmark managers, download managers, and a large variety of other tools to help you search and navigate and get the most out of the internet. At first I was a little tentative about switching browsers, because I have a couple of 3rd party tools installed on my Internet Explorer that I didn't want to lose, namely my Google toolbar and my download manager, Flashget. I installed the Google toolbar in IE mainly to block popups, but having a Google search box always sitting there has proved quite useful, as well as the form auto-complete feature it has. As it turns out, Firefox already has a built-in popup blocker <i>and</i> a Google search box by default, and just a quick search through the available extensions and I also had a souped up form auto-complete option as well. But what of the download manager? Turns out there are also extensions to add Firefox support to most 3rd party download managers, including Flashget, so looks like I'm all set. But wait, there's more! As long as I was perusing the available extensions, I decided to try a few more of them out. My favorite by far is the Adblocker. Firefox already blocks popups by default, but with this extension you can actually remove banners and ads from <i>within</i> webpages. That's right, it just strips out all the annoying blinking eyesores on the fly so you don't even know they're there. It's fairly simple to configure, and within minutes you get commercial free internet. Simply brilliant. I won't go into all the extensions I installed, and bore you with details on news readers or web developer tools. I'll just sum it up by saying that whatever you use the internet for, Firefox can make it easier. Firefox also has Internet Explorer beat hands down on aesthetics. By default it already looks better than IE, but you can also download new themes for Firefox, completely customizing the interface to your heart's content. Try doing <i>that</i> in Internet Explorer without giving yourself a headache.<br><br>
In summation, not only is there nothing that Internet Explorer can do that Firefox can't do better, but Firefox has tons of cool features that Internet Explorer can't even come close to touching. I highly recommend downloading it and giving it a try. It's simpler to use, easily customizable, highly configurable, and just plain looks cooler. Thus I give it the new Warped Core stamp of approval:<br><br>
<div align="center">
<table cellspacing="20" border="0">
<tr valign="middle">
<td><img src="http://vacuumabsent.250free.com/img/vacuum.gif" border="0" alt="CERTIFIED Suck Free Product"></td>
<td><a href="http://getfirefox.com/" title="Get Firefox - Web browsing redefined."><img src="http://www.mozilla.org/products/firefox/buttons/getfirefox_large2.png" width="178" height="60" border="0" alt="Get Firefox"></a></td>
</tr>
</table>
</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016432.post-1092786821989424652004-08-17T18:50:00.000-05:002004-08-17T19:05:29.656-05:00COMMENTARY - Voting for DummiesThis is going to be sort of a two part article, covering both the subjects of voting, the sheer brilliance behind the <a href="http://www.dummies.com/" target="_new">"Dummies"</a> books, and why it's a shame that there isn't actually a "Voting for Dummies" title...<br /><br />
Voting. That's right, it's election season again, and all these stale old farts are on TV droning on and on about why they're so great and why their opponents aren't, in hopes that when the big day comes and you find yourself in that little booth, you will be inspired to clearly mark the entry next to their name. The candidate typically tries to make this impression upon you by prattling endlessly about subjects you've never heard of, don't really care about, and/or don't understand, and you quite frankly wouldn't even know any different if they were just making most of this stuff up. Yet there are all these "vote for something" public service announcements going around, telling you it's your <i>Patriotic duty</i> as a member of a democratic society to vote. Bull crap, I say. I am honestly offended by the very concept. It is at best a half truth. Yes, the right and privelege to vote is at the very foundation of democracy, but it is my opinion that no vote at all is better than an uneducated one. The power to vote without knowledge is a dangerous one, and is actually detrimental to the entire system of democracy. Encouraging people to vote just for the sake of voting is ludicrous. An individual with a solid knowledge and understanding of politics, the candidates, and their policies, who casts his or her vote out of a concern for the well-being of the country can just as easily be undone by some moron who couldn't even point out the nation's capitol on a map and is selecting random entries on the ballot simply because a TV commercial told him that was the "patriotic" thing to do. It is for this reason that I find the whole concept of "just vote for something" <i>un</i>patriotic. If you don't even know what you're voting for, you're only destroying the entire system by doing so. I'm not saying that anyone does not have the right to vote. Voting is a great power given to us, and any U.S. citizen is free to excersize it. But as wise old Uncle Ben once said to Spiderman, with great power comes great responsibility. Voting without any knowledge of what you are voting for is irresponsible and goes against the principles on which a democracy operates. So yes, <i>do</i> vote for something. Just remember that Patriotism simply isn't about voting, but voting <i>responsibly</i>.<br /><br />
Unfortunately, a <a href="http://www.dummies.com/" target="_new">"Dummies"</a> book does not exist on the subject of voting. It would be able to clear up all these issues for the average American, as well as include a chapter instructing Florida residents on how to clearly mark a ballot. It would be a top seller, I'm sure. I love the <a href="http://www.dummies.com/" target="_new">"Dummies"</a> books. I think the concept behind them is ingenious. The titles clearly insult you just for picking them up, yet they are bestsellers nonetheless. How they can even get away with this, I don't know. Here are a few of my particularly favorite titles published in the <a href="http://www.dummies.com/" target="_new">"Dummies"</a> series...<br /><br />
• <b>Sex For Dummies:</b> If you need this book, you shouldn't be procreating anyway.<br />
• <b>Raising Smart Kids For Dummies:</b> Sorry, genetics dictates you've already lost...<br />
• <b>Dog Tricks For Dummies:</b> Sit, dummy, sit! Good dummy...<br />
• <b>Slow Cookers For Dummies:</b> Redundant?<br />
• <b>Starting an Online Business For Dummies:</b> Tips on scamming AOL customers, maybe?<br />
• <b>AOL For Dummies:</b> Again, redundant.<br />
• <b>Alzheimer's For Dummies:</b> Are you stupid, or just forgetful? I can't remember...<br />
• <b>Living Longer For Dummies:</b> Great, just what we need. Idiots with longer life spans.<br />
• <b>Negotiating For Dummies:</b> No really, no need to negotiate. You can keep them all.<br />
• <b>Communicating Effectively For Dummies:</b> Because where would a dummy be without a good translator?<br />
• <b>Preventing Identity Theft For Dummies:</b> For the people that fell victim to someone who read "Starting an Online Business For Dummies".<br />
• <b>NASCAR For Dummies:</b> Another redundant one...<br />
• <b>Florida For Dummies:</b> <i>There's</i> an understatement...<br />
• <b>Writing a Romance Novel For Dummies:</b> Well, who else reads them?<br />
• <b>Inventing for Dummies:</b> How can you invent something if you need a book to tell you how to do it?<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016432.post-1091216465668239132004-07-30T14:32:00.000-05:002004-07-30T14:42:41.686-05:00COMMENTARY - Neckties: Another reason to hate the French (and your CEO is an idiot)I hate ties. I never understood them. What is the meaning of tying a noose around your own neck every morning before heading to the office for work? Is this some sort of sick, depressing symbolism? So I decided to do some digging into the history of the necktie. Here is what I found.<br><br>
The first version of the necktie found in history actually dates all the way back to 210 B.C. China's first emperor, Emperor QinShihuang, was buried with the likenesses of 7,500 of his best warriors, after being persuaded not to have the soldiers <i>actually</i> buried with him. You may have heard of this terracotta army. If not, <a href="http://www.bmy.com.cn/index_eng.htm">here is a link</a> to a site all about it. At any rate, each of these soldiers were modeled and painted in intricate, life-size detail, right down to their neckties. There is no other record of Chinese wearing neckties in that time period, and it is believed that the emperor bestowed them as a symbol of ultimate honor on these soldiers chosen to guard his tomb until the end of time... well, at least have a statue of themselves standing there anyways. Not a bad deal for a silk scarf, I guess.<br><br>
Neckties next popped up again in 113 A.D., when the Roman Emperor Trajan erects a monument to commemorate his army's victory over the Dacians. The monument is known as Trajan's Column, and <a href="http://cheiron.humanities.mcmaster.ca/~trajan/">here is a link</a> to more information on it, for those of you who know nothing about history and have never heard of this one either. (Alright, in all fairness, this one isn't really well known. But still, shame on you for not knowing anything about the terracotta army.) On this 100-foot tall column are detailed depictions of over 2,000 soldiers, once again all wearing neckties. It was not common practice for Roman soldiers to sport neckware, so again it is believed that these legionnaires are depicted wearing ties as a symbol of honor for their skill in battle.<br><br>
We don't see any neckties around again until about 1660. A Croatian regiment was visiting Paris for a celebration of a hard fought military victory over Turkey, and the soldiers were presented as heroes before King Louis XIV. The French king immediately noticed the colorful handkerchiefs the soldiers wore around their necks as a sign of honor, and he immediately thought it would be a great idea to cheapen their symbol of military superiority by spreading it all over the French courts as the latest fashion. This of course resulted in it spreading throughout all the courts of Europe, and then soon anyone wishing to so much as pretend that they were well-to-do had to tie something around their neck in order to do so, and somehow the unfortunate tradition stuck.<br><br>
But as if France wasn't enough to blame for this insidious fashion requirement, in the 1920's a shrewd fashion designer out of Paris by the name of Jean Patou came up with an even more sinister ploy - <i>the designer tie</i>. Using women's clothing patterns and designs derived from the latest art movements, he created an extraordinarily expensive line of ties targeted at women. And the trick worked. Women bought the ties like mad for their significant male counterparts, and the designer tie industry took off. In fact, today <i>80 percent</i> of ties are bought by women. Don't believe me? Ask any guy how many ties he has, and how many of those he actually bought for himself.<br><br>
Fashion historians have long been predicting the demise of the necktie, yet it seems to only gain popularity to the point of being a requirement in many circumstances. Why is this? Personally, I blame company CEOs. They are the Kings and Emperors of our modern business world. An unfortunate condition indeed, given the fact that most CEOs are idiots. So since the CEOs wear neckties, all the managers wear neckties. And since all the managers wear neckties, all the supervisors wear neckties. And of course, since all the supervisors wear neckties, all the underlings wear neckties. So when that underling gets promoted to supervisor, then manager, then becomes the new company CEO, he's still wearing the blasted thing. Why? Just because that's the way it has always been done, and typically by the time an employee makes it as high as CEO, any inkling of free thinking has long since been replaced with conformity, so the necktie stays and everyone under him continues to wear them as well, and the cycle continues. If only a couple of major CEOs were struck by lightning and realized, "hey, why do I bother tying this ridiculous thing around my neck every morning when it's uncomfortable and has no useful function? I think I'll stop wearing them." The affects would cascade down the business model, and soon we would be tie free, and there would be no more accidental deaths due to ties getting caught in industrial shredders. Talk about your occupational hazard.
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016432.post-1090546470428143092004-07-22T20:33:00.000-05:002004-07-22T20:40:12.406-05:00COMMENTARY - Curse of the Carpool Lane?I hate Phoenix. (Did I mention that already?) Escpecially driving in it. Now, it's not nearly as bad as it was a year ago before I left, when they were <i>just</i> realizing that the freeways were <i>way</i> too small for the number of people driving on them, and everything was under construction while they worked frantically to correct this problem with additional lanes. It took me 45 minutes for a 6 mile commute in those days. But now the construction is finished, and we now have something like a 12 lane wide freeway of total chaos instead of a six lane one. Everyone still drives like a maniac, now there's just extra room to do it in. The traffic is appalling, after moving back here from a relatively small town. Where are all these people going at 2:00 in the afternoon? Shouldn't they be at work or something? Between the <i>still</i> crowded freeways and the 120 degree heat, it's no wonder road rage is so prevalent here. But I noticed an interesting phenomenon on my drive today. Even with everyone driving like they're Mad Max, the carpool lane stays astonishingly clear. I saw countless idiots go screaming by, weaving in and out of six lanes of traffic in a futile effort to get in front of rush hour, yet not a single one of them veered as far left as to illegally enter the carpool lane. I am still baffled by the reasoning for this. With such blatant disregard for the equally visible speed limit signs, what makes them heed the regulations of the carpool lane? Amidst all the chaos on the rest of the freeway, that far left lane somehow inexplicably remains an aisle of tranquility. Part of the reasoning I'm sure is that if you are caught, it's a ticket you can't talk your way out of. You <i>may</i> be able to get away with "Honestly officer, my speedometer said I was only going 65, it must be off by 30 miles per hour...", or "It's not my fault I rear ended him while I was weaving in and out of traffic, he slammed on his brakes on purpose!" But what are you going to say if you get pulled over for abusing the carpool lane? "No really, I <i>had</i> a passenger with me, he just jumped out on me in the middle of the freeway just before you pulled me over!" Good luck with that one. Yet even so, you'd think there would still be that handful of idiots that would tempt fate and slip into the carpool lane anyway, just to see how long they can get away with it. Not once did I see this happen though. So what is this unseen force keeping the carpool lane clear? I have yet to discover the answer to this unusual phenomenon, but deem it worth further investigation. The best way to do this would be for me to illegally enter the carpool lane myself the next time I am out driving, and see what happens. Wish me luck...
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016432.post-1090315734275931632004-07-20T02:32:00.000-05:002004-07-20T04:30:29.980-05:00COMMENTARY - The State of Oklahoma Owes Me $2.50Funny to think that I just spent a year in Wisconsin, and I hardly even touched my blog until I wound up moving back to Arizona. Maybe it's just that the desert heat brings out my cynical nature. Who knows. At any rate, here's a long overdue update.<br><br>
As I was saying, I just moved <i>back</i> across the country to Arizona. For those of you who know how much I hate the desert and are sitting there pondering why I would ever make such a move after I spent so much time complaining how I couldn't wait to get <i>out</i> of this state, don't ask. Just don't, okay? For as much as I like to write, that's too long of an explanation for even me to go into, and it's frankly none of your business. Anywho, let's get back to my cross country drive. The trip took in total about 3 days of driving, at 10+ hours a day. Needless to say, the journey was a tad arduous. But what I never suspected was that the most brutal leg of the trek would be through the seemingly innocent state of Oklahoma. Who would have thought? But don't let the ruse created by the ostensibly benign musical of the same name fool you into thinking it's a happy-go-lucky place where the wind goes sweeping through the plains. That wind ain't sweeping anywhere without going through a toll booth or three. The entire state is riddled with them. Well, that, and spiders. It's really kinda creepy actually, all along the interstate you can see these trees just buried in spiderwebs, like giant sticks of arachnophobic cotton candy. Anyways, I'm getting off the topic. Toll booths. Why is this the only state I passed through that had a toll booth every ten minutes? I mean honestly, what makes Oklahoma's roads so special to warrant paying that much for them, when every other state seems content to let me travel along free of charge? Come to think of it, most everyone else must be aware of this ridiculous phenomenon specific to this state, for I saw less traffic passing through Oklahoma than any other part of my trip. I am extremely lucky I had a plethora of coinage floating around my car when I entered that state, or else I'm sure I would have had an Oklahoma state trooper chasing after me for pocket change before long. You couldn't avoid them. Toll booths to get on the highway. Toll booths to get <i>off</i> the highway. The signs directing traffic into the correct toll lanes were very confusing to follow too, so sometimes you'd end up getting off the highway in the wrong spot altogether, where you would have to pay a toll, and then you would have to pay the toll <i>again</i> to get back on in the right spot. I swear I ended up paying for the same stretch of highway at least twice that way. I never exactly figured out how they decided how much to charge at each toll booth either, because every one of them was a different rate, from 45 cents to almost five dollars. It's like a modern day take on an old fairy tale story. Most any fairy tale depicting travelers traveling anywhere eventually had at least one bridge the group would need to cross, a bridge inevitably guarded by a troll. This troll of course would not let them pass without either giving him something ridiculous, or correctly answering a riddle. I think it's little coincidence that if you drop the "r" in <b>troll</b> that you end up with the word <b>toll</b>, as this same principle still seems prevalent throughout the state of Oklahoma. Well, minus the riddle part. Actually, I would have greatly appreciated it, had they incorporated that aspect into their toll system as well. <i>"That will be $4.50 sir. Unless, of course, you can tell me, what is the average airspeed of an unladen swallow?"</i> I may have made it out of that state with enough money for lunch that day, or at least been somewhat more amused by this legal highway robbery. So anyways, here's a traveling tip from the TribbleHunter: travel through Kansas, travel through Texas, but stay out of Oklahoma. Between the spiders and the toll booths, you'll be doing yourself a favor, especially if you're an arachnophobic who never carries loose change.
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016432.post-1088103426138719312004-06-24T13:48:00.000-05:002004-06-26T01:00:10.050-05:00NEWS - Back from the dead! (again...)Yeah, I know, this blog comes back to life more often than bad horror movie sequels. But finally, as promised, here's the big site design update! Look around, admire the no longer ugly color scheme, the clean and simple layout, the easily resizable text, the marvelous use of CSS2... Umm... that's it for now, I'm afraid. Hopefully the new look will encourage you to look through my archives while I work to actually get some new content up now...Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016432.post-1059463291021778682003-07-29T02:21:00.000-05:002004-07-20T05:30:01.800-05:00COMMENTARY - Why Geeks Don't Need Drugs<b><i>and</i> <br>
The Epic Saga of a Tribal Warrior, Episode I</b> <br>
If one were asked to conjure up in their head the image of the quintessential geek, I feel it's safe to say that typical substance abuse does not generally come to mind. One does not think of a crackhead, pothead, acid tweaker, nor probably even an alcoholic, but rather some dumpy, disheveled guy staring at a monitor through his thick glasses, with piles of pizza boxes and Mountain Dew cans close at hand. Rather than argue this stereotype (come on, all you geeks know that at some point or another, you fit it...) I'll just continue on with my explanation as to why Geeks don't need such traditional drugs. Oh, they get their drugs alright, but just not as you know them. They're called "video games". Maybe you've heard of them. To a geek, they are just as addictive. They come in varying levels of potency, can result in good or bad trips, and can have just as wide an array of effects on the user, from loss of sleep, anxiety, obsessive behavior, spasms, to even violence and death, under extreme circumstances. At least if you believe the propaganda on FOX every time there's been a school shooting, anyways. Every true geek has at least one of these substances from which they need to get their fix. Most are somewhat casual users, who will restrict themselves to only a couple of drugs, and exhibit some semblance of control over their usage of their substances. While these individuals may seem normal enough during working hours, you can be assured that, once they have a free moment, they will be in front of that computer getting their fix. Just one drug isn't enough for some geeks though. They can soon develop a tolerance resulting from their constant usage of a particular substance, and soon have to move onto the newest and latest drug to keep their fix going, no matter what the cost. <i>$50 and my soul up front, plus $15 a month for the rest of eternity? Sure, no problem, whatever it takes...</i> These geek/junkies are usually fairly easy to identify, with their pasty white complexion, buggy eyes, frazzled hair, and the ever-present black t-shirt. That is to say, <i>if</i> you were to ever see one tear themselves away from their computer and step out into the light of day in the first place, which is a fairly rare occasion. (You may on occasion see them after dark on the weekend at your local laser tag arena though. This is what geek/junkies refer to as "exercise". They may possibly also be spotted at Magic: The Gathering tournaments, which they refer to as "socializing".) Denying a geek their fix is a bad idea. The geek will often suffer withdrawal symptoms, and will begin to exhibit aggressive behavior. Interrupting a geek in the midst of a hit is an even worse idea, and can potentially result in dismemberment of any individual standing between a geek and his drug. Geek "drug" abuse is in fact quite prevalent, and while not technically an illegal substance, it results in varying degrees of the same effects amongst its users and should be considered just as dangerous. Well, except for, no matter what way you put it, there's not much threatening about a dumpy, pasty-complexioned guy who's mousing hand accounts for 90% of his muscle matter...
For the record, I myself am as guilty as any here, and have a serious geek drug obsession of my own. It's called <b>Tribes</b>. No, not <b>Tribes <i>2</i></b>, I'm talking old school. The <i>original</i> <b>Tribes</b>. I know over the last few weeks, I've been coming up with excuses as to why I haven't been posting, telling you that I've been busy settling in after my big move across the country, and that I've been busy looking for a new job. While these statements may be factual, it is also true that I've probably still managed to put in a good 100 hours of <b>Tribes</b> over the past two weeks. I spent three months (at work) doing nothing but tweaking my collection of scripts, skins, and mods for Tribes. I play obsessively every chance I get. In fact, I am now even going to start inflicting my latest Tribes gaming experiences on my readers, through dramatized recreations of my latest matches. There. That way you can't say I don't update my site often enough anymore. Well... until we get into our new apartment at the end of the week and I'm stuck back on dialup for a while anyways...
<b>TribbleHunter and the battle with "Junior"</b>
It was a slow night for war. The Hunter surveyed the board for the hottest battle spots at which he could offer his services, but the night seemed occupied only by mere minor skirmishes. Reluctant to turn away at such an early hour without even the faintest taste of blood, he found a sparsely populated location to bring his guns to bear. Landing with a thud, the Hunter set to work. He started with a simple construction of turrets to defend the home base and protect the flag, that worthless piece of fabric stuck on a pole that was for some reason the typical object and focus of the battle. But Trib quickly grew tired of waiting around for the action, and switched into offensive gear to go find the action for himself. Packing chameleon armor with a cloaking device, he was ready to infiltrate the enemy base undetected.
At first, it was all too easy. Like a tumbleweed of razorwire, he silently slipped through the enemy base, shredding everything in his path. He swiped the enemy flag right out of their great hall, deftly blasting its two defenders with a well planted plastic explosive charge 2 seconds later. Homeward bound with the enemy's flag on his back, Trib scored one for the home team. And then another. And another. Two round trips later, TribbleHunter found himself on an empty server. The competition had surrendered and headed for home, and his teammates, also declaring victory, had also left, either for home themselves or in search of a more active battlefront. The Hunter was just ready to go look for battle elsewhere himself, when a new enemy warrior arrived on the scene. Somewhat bored with the lack of action, Trib decided to hang out anyway and mess with the guy. Sneaking into his opponent's base, he hacked into one of the enemy inventory stations and began deploying turrets. He chuckled to himself. There was nothing more annoying to an opponent than to be shot down in his own base by enemy offensive turrets. The sound of the Hunter's chuckle quickly turned to a gasp of horror as a large green mortar flew from around the corner and landed at his feet. As he and his cleverly laid defense were blasted to pieces, he heard his opponent scoff. "Offensive turreting? How junior."
Respawning back in his own base, Trib shook off the blow. "Junior? How do you define Junior?" he bit back.
"Lacking <i>real</i> skill", his adversary retorted.
It was at this point Trib noticed the tag before his opponents name. A clanner. While Trib respected clan members for their skill, honed in a fierce competition environment, he was not one to let his solo style be outdone by some trash talking arrogant clanner. "Wanna see real skill then? Meet me for a duel!" the Hunter challenged. Trib had carefully honed his skills in the art of dueling, and while still not able to take on truly elite clanners, he could hold his own and come out on top in most matches. And arrogant clanners always took the bait of a challenge...
"Nah, not my style", the clanner replied.
TribbleHunter was shocked. Never had a clanner turned down a direct challenge before. He tried again.
"What, so <i>you're</i> 'junior' at dueling then?" Surely <i>that</i> would get his attention.
The clanner only replied with, "Not really, no."
TribbleHunter had little time to sit in frustration over his opponent's lack of cooperation, for he suddenly found himself face to face with the clanner, now standing in his base. A short firefight ensued, and shortly after both warriors were respawning. Conversation ceased at that point, and all further talk was done with a gun barrel. But TribbleHunter was slipping. He had given the clanner the opportunity he needed to enter his base, and obviously being a base infiltration specialist for his clan, Trib was fighting a losing battle. They were fighting on the clanner's terms now. Through each skirmish, the Hunter watched as slowly, inch by inch, he lost more of his base, until he heard that dreaded sound: the clanner had his flag. TribbleHunter redoubled his efforts, and through several more bloody skirmishes managed to return his flag and secure it in the base once more. But the clanner was unrelenting, and soon the sound came again. Trib chased after the clanner, shooting wildly as he took off out the front entrance and jetted out across the sky towards the safety of his own base, carrying that worthless piece of cloth on a stick with him. All had been lost. As the clanner disappeared over the horizon, with flag in tow, the humiliated Hunter dropped his weapons in shame and left for home. He would ponder this. He would contemplate the error of his tactics, and he would be back. No clanner robs TribbleHunter of his honor! Oh yes, my friend, we will meet again...
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016432.post-1058943004935026442003-07-23T01:50:00.000-05:002004-07-20T05:30:14.976-05:00NEWS - Site UpdateOkay, starting to get back on the ball here. I finally changed over the commenting script to Haloscan from BlogOut, which has been out intermittently the past couple weeks, for those who may have noticed. So my small handfull of old comments are now lost forever. Oh well. I doubt Haloscan will crap out on me like that, so I shouldn't have this problem again. Also added a couple new buttons on the column to the left to allow for text resizing on my blog, for those of you who favor something other than 10 point font. Anyways, finding a new job has turned out to be not quite as easy as I expected. I do have a couple interviews tomorrow though, so hopefully things will settle down and get back to normal soon, and I'll be able to post more frequently again. I've been sitting on some good stuff to post too...
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016432.post-1057387633428105322003-07-05T01:47:00.000-05:002004-07-20T05:30:32.393-05:00LINK - JapaneurysmI love Japan. Many, many excellent and wonderful things have come out of that country that have enriched all of our lives. Well, at least mine, anyways. That said, <a href="http://the-nextlevel.com/movies/zelda_1m.asx" target="_blank">this old video</a> for Zelda on the Super Famicon is definitely not one of those shining moments. Cel shading Zelda with Windwaker was outrageous enough, but this video is something far more sinister. I am at a loss for words to describe my contempt at it's nearly sacrilegious portrayal of Zelda, yet at the same time it does have a catchy beat...
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016432.post-1057113013245533942003-07-01T21:30:00.000-05:002004-07-20T05:30:42.683-05:00NEWS - Warped Core 2: The Wrath of TribbleHunter<i>If Kahn ever actually had any memorable lines that weren't already quoted from something else, I would put one of them here.</i> Guess who's back? Yes, the tales of my death have been greatly exaggerated. Well, mostly anyways. I lost my job, and while I'm busy trying to file a grievance with the Union in regards to my obviously wrongful termination, I ended up <i>finally</i> moving across the country as I had been trying to do for the past couple years anyway. So I lost my crappy job, for which I might end up getting big bucks from them as a result, and family members paid most of my moving costs to get me out of that hellhole into a more pleasant climate. (To all you suckers still living in Arizona, HAHA, it's 75 degrees and breezy here today. Hope you're enjoying your triple digit temperatures and stagnant, dust-laden air. Oh, and all the fires. We get <i>rain</i> here, so we don't have that problem either.) So where's the downside to this? I can't think of any. Well, other than having to find another job, of course. I looked into retiring, but after buying that cheeseburger I discovered my funds had been noticeably depleted. So upon the revelation that, no matter what way you invest it, 50 cents is not enough to retire upon, I have come to the sad conclusion that I have no other choice but to find another job. Ah well. I can only hope that this one will bear somewhat less of a resemblance to the movie <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/6305508550/102-4175812-3638532?vi=glance" target="_blank"><i>Office Space</i></a>. At any rate, I'm back, my computer is built, and I have internet access now. That's all that really matters, right? I've got quite a collection of news articles and websites I'll get around to putting up shortly. Also thinking of changing my commenting script to <a href="http://www.haloscan.com/" target="_blank">HaloScan</a> now that it's reopened. I'll lose all my old comments, but oh well. Not like anybody ever really uses it anyway. At any rate, I have returned, so be looking for new content again soon. Until then, witness further evidence that <a href="http://fearthesquirrels.com/meowtrix.html" target="_blank">cats can ruin absolutely anything.</a> *sigh* I hate cats...
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016432.post-949528962003-05-27T14:26:00.000-05:002004-07-20T05:30:54.416-05:00COMMENTARY - The Pink Razor ConspiracySorry it's been so long. I'm still awaiting internet access at home, plus they've finally caught on to me at work with the internet abuse, and I've been issued a semi-formal warning for the misconduct. While that certainly has a way of hampering my posting here, it by no means is going to stop me from providing fresh content to my growing audience of eight. So without further ado, the Pink Razor Conspiracy.
Razors used to be a fairly generic and simple object. A cheap plastic stick with one sharp little blade on it. They came in varying colors, but in general were of a unisex model. They all had the same design, and aside from differing shades of plastic, they were otherwise identical. Then along came all these innovations in the area of severing hair follicles from your epidermis. They added more blades, a lubricating pad, and reusable handles with disposable blades. At first they marketed these new inventions mostly to men, but soon discovered that many women were buying them as well. Thus a new variation of the same blade was created specifically for women. So to recap, we went from one generic universal razor to two seemingly identical yet slightly different models varying on sex. Why bother? Why not continue to offer the same universal solution? Solely to make more money, of course. As I said, the two models have slight differences between them. Namely, the women's model lasts longer than the men's model. This forces men to go out and spend more money on new razors with greater frequency, thus making the company more money. So having figured this out, why wouldn't a man just use the woman's razor? Simple. <i>It's pink.</i> No self respecting man would ever shave with some curvy handled pink razor with a name like "Venus". He needs a manly razor, in manly silvers, blacks, and blues, with a manly name, like "Mach 3". Now that's a manly razor. I'm sure all the chicks in the marketing department for Gillette are laughing all the way to the bank.
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016432.post-944721732003-05-16T16:56:00.000-05:002004-07-20T05:31:09.090-05:00COMMENTARY - Not enough anti?It has come to my attention that for an anti-weblog weblog, I don't gripe about weblogs enough. Allow me to remedy that.
I had thought about creating an additional list to accompany my list of <b>blogs that <i>don't</i> suck</b>, to encompass the most dreadful, appalling, ghastly, horrific, and otherwise mind numbingly stupid weblogs to be found on the internet. But the problem is, there are just <i>so many of them</i>, and sorting out the absolute worst of them was enough to give me an aneurysm. Besides, the last thing I want to do for a crappy blog is give them a link. So here's a ranting post instead.
I have determined that the big problem with weblogs is actually due to their ease of use. Since any idiot can set one up with no more effort than filling out a form and selecting a template, their is no sort of <a href="http://warpedcore.blogspot.com/2003_02_09_warpedcore_archive.html#89039858">natural selection</a> involved to weed out the marginally literate or the chronically stupid, to prevent them from spreading their incomprehensible idiocy across the internet. Their first week of posting usually resembles something like "test", "testing", "still testing", "First post!", "Hello?", "Is anybody out there?", and "Does this thing work?", after which their seemingly boundless intellect dries up like dog crap on the sidewalk under the summer sun, leaving them with nothing further to say. But they won't let a little thing like <i>content</i> stop them from posting. That's when they start using not only a template for their site, but templates for their <i>posts</i> as well, with stupid lists and quizzes and surveys and horoscopes and little questionnaires that determine which pop singer or movie star your personality supposedly most closely matches. Wow. That's <i>almost</i> as much fun as watching <a href="http://www.sudftw.com/sudcinma.htm" target="_blank">these webcams</a>. Honestly folks, if you don't have anything to say and you are only going to post the exact same thing as every other clueless idiot with a weblog, why bother at all? What's the point of having a site to share your thoughts and creativity when you don't have any of either? You're a pothole on the information superhighway. You are only getting in everybody's way and eventually someone is just going to pave you over.
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016432.post-943937972003-05-15T10:21:00.000-05:002004-07-20T05:32:05.800-05:00COMMENTARY - They just don't write children's books like they used to...<a href="http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbnInquiry.asp?userid=2UHAOS2EHY&isbn=1570822611&itm=5" target="_blank"><img src="http://members.cox.net/tribblehunter/jpg/piccookingwithpooh.jpg" align="left" border="0"></a>I wish this were a joke and I could take credit for some humorous Photoshop work, but sadly enough this book was actually published. Click on the picture if you don't believe me. It's actually rather old, and finding copies to purchase are becoming thankfully scarce, but like any instance of true idiocy, it is nevertheless timeless. What was the author thinking? More importantly, how did a title like that slip by the editors? And would you really want to tell your friends, family, and neighbors that your child learned to cook by Cooking with Pooh? Even children's book aren't safe for children any longer...Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016432.post-943492782003-05-14T15:59:00.000-05:002004-07-20T05:33:03.763-05:00REVIEW: Adventures in Geekland - Alternative Operating Systems for the Masses<i>Due to the extremely technical topic of this post, I have created two versions of this same article. The one below is for the less technically inclined and the lazy bastards. The version found <a href="http://members.cox.net/tribblehunter/tech/btech.htm">here</a> is my technical paper, available for anyone who might be interested in undertaking a similar endeavor in booting multiple operating systems.</i><br>
Everybody likes the word "free". But there's usually a catch. The old adage "you get what you pay for" generally holds true, and PC operating systems have been no exception to this rule. Until now. Linux has been a rapidly growing force in the geek community for decades. It's an open source system, meaning anyone with the proper knowledge can essentially take the hood off the engine and play around inside, altering it however they like. This availability to the inner workings of the operating system is also the source of its development, where geeks with their spare time have contributed improvements and additions to it over the years. The positive results of this gradual development from sources worldwide is self evident. Linux is one of the most stable operating systems to be found today, has a wide range of programs, and is still free to the public. There have been, however, some negative effects as a result of open source development as well. Many different versions of Linux have resulted, making it difficult for the consumer to discern any difference between them and determine which one best suits their needs. Also, without a large staff of highly paid programmers like some other software company we all know, development has been fairly slow for Linux. Windows software does not run natively under Linux either, so it requires a bit of a transition to learn their Linux alternatives. Many programs, like most games for example, just aren't available on Linux at all, which can make switching to a solely Linux-based system tough for many users. Until recently Linux was also very difficult for the average user to install, but thankfully many of the more popular versions have overcome this hurdle now.<br>
So here I am, with my new computer and still without internet. So I got bored and decided to see how many operating systems I could install on one hard drive. I had a friend download a few of the more popular Linux distributions and bring them over, and I went to work. I ended up tinkering with five different operating systems altogether. From Microsoft we have Windows 98SE and Windows 2000 Pro, in the Linux camp is Red Hat and Mandrake, and then there's the redheaded Unix stepchild, FreeBSD.<br>
I'll spare you all the exciting details of my multi-booting adventure. If you really want to know, <a href="http://members.cox.net/tribblehunter/tech/btech.htm">read my full technical article on how I did it here.</a> I will limit the remainder of this post to only a review of these operating systems.<br>
<b>FreeBSD.</b> This is the type of installation nightmare that gives Linux/Unix a bad name. The menus aren't user friendly, it doesn't walk you through any real installation sequence, forcing you to guess what to do next, and partitioning the drives from within the installer is like reading an alien language. Twice I tried to install it, and twice I mucked it up. I never did actually get it running. This one is definitely for the more hardcore experienced Unix geek who likes to memorize the exact geometry of his hard drives and can write his own partition tables by start and end sectors by hand. It sounds like a joke, but sadly enough I'm dead serious...<br>
<b>Mandrake 9.0.</b> A breeze to install. It booted right off the CD, brought up a beautiful graphical interface, and walked you through the installation simple as that. The installation was well documented, and you could find help for any feature you might be looking at, right while you were installing it. It comes with tons of bells and whistles and all sorts of little programs and utilities, many of which one could easily question their practicality or usefulness. Two of my favorites are the Tea Cooker, and the googly eye thing. Yes, the Tea Cooker. It puts an icon in your task bar. You click on it, and tell it what kind of tea you are making. It then counts down the appropriate amount of time to allow that tea to brew, and then pops up with a dialog box saying "Your tea is now ready." Yessir, you can't get that kind of quality software on Windows. Then the googly eyes... it... puts googly eyes on your desktop. The eyes just follow your mouse pointer, looking at it wherever it goes. Definitely a necessity. Everyone should have googly eyes on their desktop. Aside from some rather ridiculous extras, this OS is no joke though. I'd definitely recommend Mandrake as the Linux distribution of choice if you're the type of person who likes to tinker with all the little settings and configuration options on your system.<br>
<b>Red Hat 8.0.</b> The installation experience was very similar to Mandrake. It booted right off the CD, had a nice graphical interface, and also offered loads of help on installation options. For some reason I found the Mandrake install slightly easier to work with, although this is just a personal perference. Both were remarkably easy to install. In use, Red Hat had a somewhat more professional feel to it. This is not to say it ran better than Mandrake, just that the overall appearance felt cleaner, simpler, and better organized, with less menus and options to confuse you with. If you're looking for a serious, no-nonsense replacement to Windows, then Red Hat is for you.<br>
In use, both distributions bare an initial resemblence to Windows. However, one will quickly find that there are numerous differences. Thankfully, Linux is very well documented, and you can find detailed help on virtually every aspect of the operating system within its own help files. Linux is also very stable and secure, and under an average user account there is little fear of the user messing up the system or altering it irreparably while experimenting.<br>
So who should consider Linux, and why? Honestly, I think these two distributions have shown that, without a doubt, Linux is ready for the masses. They are easy to install, and run far more stable than Windows. They provide much of the same functionality for most common computer tasks, such as office applications, and you can't beat the cost of FREE. Yet, transitioning to a new operating system is a big step for most home users. If they buy a new computer and it already has Windows installed, why bother even messing with something else? It would be nice to see more PC manufacturers ship computers with Linux, or even PC's that dual boot with Windows and Linux, but Microsoft has a vice grip on the industry, chaining most household PC manufacturers to contractual obligations forbidding them from such activity. As a result, the average home user will not bother with Linux. Where Linux can and is really making inroads in is with businesses. What better way to cut costs than to switch to a free operating system and tell Microsoft where they can stick their corporate liscences? You save money and improve stability at the same time, it's a win-win situation. And corporations are where the money is really at anyway, so it is really a bigger threat to Microsoft here than on the home PC. I can see Linux continuing to gain ground with businesses and geeks alike. It has developed enough of a following to make Microsoft worry, and worry they should. However, due to the lack of compatibility with Windows software in Linux, Microsoft's iron grip on the market, and the general laziness and lack of technical knowledge of the general public, I think it will still be some time before it's a real contender for Microsoft on the household desktop PC. Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016432.post-939454052003-05-07T14:50:00.000-05:002004-07-20T05:33:37.006-05:00Review - Dew or Die!Mountain Dew versus tap water. It's a debate far more serious than you might expect. I'm going to do a little analysis here comparing tap water to Mountain Dew to determine which, in fact, is better for you. My inspiration was this annual water quality report I received in the mail from the City Utilities Department today. Allow me to detail some of my favorite excerpts.<br>
"<i>The City can experience seasonal taste and odor problems associated with the drinking water... The primary causes are Geosmin and Methylisoborneol (MIB), non-harmful, naturally occurring compounds associated with <b>algae growth</b> in lakes and canals.</i>" Yum. Thanks, but if I wanted to drink algae, I'd stick my head in my fish tank.<br>
Then we get into the section on "Possible Contaminants", which apparently algae wasn't considered as one, having it's own separate section elsewhere on the report. "<i>Drinking water may reasonably be expected to contain at least small amounts of some contaminants... As water travels over the surface of the land or through the ground, it dissolves naturally occurring minerals and, in some cases <b>radioactive material</b>, and can pick up substances resulting from the presence of animals or from human activity. Contaminants that may be present in source water include:<br>
<b>Microbial contaminants</b>, such as viruses and bacteria that may come from sewage treatment plants, septic systems, agricultural livestock operations, and wildlife.<br>
<b>Inorganic contaminants</b>, such as salts and metals, which can be naturally occurring or result from urban storm water runoff, industrial or domestic wastewater discharges, oil and gas production, mining, or farming.<br>
<b>Pesticides and herbicides</b>, which may come from a variety of sources such as agriculture, urban storm water runoff, and residential uses.<br>
<b>Organic Chemical Contaminants</b>, including synthetic and volatile organic chemicals, which are by-products of industrial processes and petroleum production, and can also come from gas stations, urban storm water runoff, and septic systems.<br>
<b>Radioactive contaminants</b>, which can be naturally occurring or be the result of oil and gas production and mining activities.</i><br>
Wow. So theoretically, at any given time I could be drinking small portions of a radioactive dung beetle that fell victim to a roach bait trap, which then rolled into leaky gas station sewer with some runoff during an acid rain storm. But that's not all. The water quality data table also indicated traces of the following: <i>arsenic, asbestos, barium, calcium, chromium, copper, lead, nickel, radium, and selenium</i>, just to name a few of the more easy to pronounce ones. While these are all reported as within FDA regulatory levels, I hardly feel that consumption of these substances at any level on a regular basis can be good for you.<br>
Conversely, here are the contents of a can of Mountain Dew: <i>Carbonated water, high fructose corn syrup and/or sugar, concentrated orange juice and other natural flavors, citric acid, sodium benzoate (preserves freshness), caffeine, sodium citrate, gum arabic, yellow 5, erythorbic acid (preserves freshness), calcium disodium EDTA (to protect flavor) and brominated vegetable oil.</i> I think the comparison speaks for itself. However, since I know half of you people who visit my site crumble under my seemingly inexhaustible verbosity and can never actually <i>finish</i> reading my posts, here's a chart for you lazy bastards.<br><br>
<table align="center" valign="center" border="0"><tr><td><img src="http://members.cox.net/tribblehunter/jpg/glass-water.jpg" width="195" height="150" border="1" alt="Water"></td><td><h3>VS.</h3></td><td><img src="http://members.cox.net/tribblehunter/jpg/mtdew.jpg" alt="Mountain Dew"></td></tr></table><br><table align="center" valign="center" class="postbrdr" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="0"><tr><td class="postbrdr"> </td><td class="postbrdr"><b>Water<b></td><td class="postbrdr"><b>Mt. Dew</b></td></tr><tr align="center"><td class="postbrdr" align="right"><b>Algae growth </b></td><td class="postbrdr"><b><font color="red">Y</font></b></td><td class="postbrdr"><b><font color="green">N</b></font></td></tr><tr align="center"><td class="postbrdr" align="right"><b>Arsenic </b></td><td class="postbrdr"><b><font color="red">Y</font></b></td><td class="postbrdr"><b><font color="green">N</b></font></td></tr><tr align="center"><td class="postbrdr" align="right"><b>Asbestos </b></td><td class="postbrdr"><b><font color="red">Y</font></b></td><td class="postbrdr"><b><font color="green">N</b></font></td></tr><tr align="center"><td class="postbrdr" align="right"><b>Fecal waste (crap) </b></td><td class="postbrdr"><b><font color="red">Y</font></b></td><td class="postbrdr"><b><font color="green">N</b></font></td></tr><tr align="center"><td class="postbrdr" align="right"><b>Microbial floaty things </b></td><td class="postbrdr"><b><font color="red">Y</font></b></td><td class="postbrdr"><b><font color="green">N</b></font></td></tr><tr align="center"><td class="postbrdr" align="right"><b>Radioactive waste </b></td><td class="postbrdr"><b><font color="red">Y</font></b></td><td class="postbrdr"><b>?</b></td></tr><tr align="center"><td class="postbrdr" align="right"><b>Various poisons </b></td><td class="postbrdr"><b><font color="red">Y</font></b></td><td class="postbrdr"><b><font color="green">N</b></font></td></tr><tr align="center"><td class="postbrdr" align="right"><b>Various metals </b></td><td class="postbrdr"><b><font color="red">Y</font></b></td><td class="postbrdr"><b><font color="green">N</b></font></td></tr><tr align="center"><td class="postbrdr" align="right"><b>Good for fish to swim in </b></td><td class="postbrdr"><b><font color="green">Y</b></font></td><td class="postbrdr"><b><font color="red">N</font></b></td></tr><tr align="center"><td class="postbrdr" align="right"><b>Bubbly carbonation </b></td><td class="postbrdr"><b><font color="red">N</b></font></td><td class="postbrdr"><b><font color="green">Y</font></b></td></tr><tr align="center"><td class="postbrdr" align="right"><b>Caffeine </b></td><td class="postbrdr"><b><font color="red">N</b></font></td><td class="postbrdr"><b><font color="green">Y</font></b></td></tr><tr align="center"><td class="postbrdr" align="right"><b>Sugar </b></td><td class="postbrdr"><b><font color="red">N</b></font></td><td class="postbrdr"><b><font color="green">Y</font></b></td></tr><tr align="center"><td class="postbrdr" align="right"><b>It looks cool </b></td><td class="postbrdr"><b><font color="red">N</b></font></td><td class="postbrdr"><b><font color="green">Y</font></b></td></tr><tr align="center"><td class="postbrdr" align="right"><b>It's <i>supposed</i> to be yellow </b></td><td class="postbrdr"><b><font color="red">N</b></font></td><td class="postbrdr"><b><font color="green">Y</font></b></td></tr></table><br><br>
There you have it, irrefutable evidence that Mountain Dew is better for you than water. So stay away from that tap, rush down to your local grocery or convenience store, and load up on the caffienated yellow goodness that is Mt. Dew. This has been a public service announcement.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016432.post-936727692003-05-02T16:09:00.000-05:002004-07-20T05:34:06.006-05:00REVIEW - Lost, but not forgotten: A gaming past revisited.That's right, my computer is finally built! There is however an unfortunate problem with the cable lines in my neighborhood preventing me from attaining internet access at the moment, so I have had some time to dust off some old gear and relive some old memories. We're not talking <i>ancient</i> history here, but definitely of things from which most gamers have moved on to newer and "better" things. Alright, so what am I talking about already? Descent 3, and the PantherXL.<br>
I have followed Decent since it's inception. Not quite a first person shooter, yet not quite a flight sim either, the series sits in a unique category all to its own. I have yet to find another game that equals the feeling of getting lost in a 360 degree maze, as Descent does so well. This third installation of the series is by far and away the best, a culmination of everything that made the previous two great, with all manners of new features as well. This episode takes the fight above ground, and while many of the levels are still of the same mineshaft mayhem that gave so many gamers vertigo in the first two games, there are numerous levels that now have you fighting out under the beautiful open sky. The game is several years old now, but the time and effort put into its creation still shines through. The game scenery and graphics are beautiful and even the animated cutscenes are still of good quality, even by many of today's game standards. This game also by far has my favorite opening sequence to any game ever, with a cinematic quality so strong it feels more like the beginning of a movie than a game. The opening theme song during this sequence is breathtaking, and the soundtrack in general is quite excellent as well. The sound effects are also superb. It still holds on to many of the sounds that greeted gamers in the series' first installment, providing some updates on them, with many new effects added as well. The game picks up right where Descent 2 left off, and you are now seeking revenge against the very man that employed you in the previous games, after his attempt to have you killed. Descent 3 has a much stronger plot than its predecessors, and is aided by the animation sequences between levels. Where previously the goal to each level was nothing more than blowing up a reactor somewhere, each mission now has clearly defined and varying objectives, progressing you through an actual storyline (what a concept). The controls, as always, are stellar. They are extremely customizable to practically any joystick, keyboard, mouse, or any combination thereof. In fact, you almost need all three to play this game well. Maintaining constant control over three different axes is no simple task without a joystick. If you were to play a match online (assuming anyone still <i>does</i> play it online), it becomes immediately evident who has the control of a joystick and who is a "keyboard lamer". Descent 3 has evolved elegantly from it's ancestors into a game that holds true to its origins yet has adapted to a more modern gaming style, look, and feel. Yet somehow, the game still flopped. Perhaps 360 degree disorientation just isn't what the general public looks for in a game. The game failed so miserably in fact, that no one even dares to pick it up again for a Descent 4 sequel, which is really quite unfortunate. I truly hope that one day, someone will decide to pick up this series again, dust it off, and give it another run. But in the meantime, Descent 3 still has some gas left in it.<br>
In an analogous predicament, is the MadCatz PantherXL. A device that is similarly unique in the game controller world, it resembles a joystick and a trackball half melded together into one giant conglomeration of the two. I admit I was skeptical of the beast in the beginning myself, but it only takes a short while to get used to it, and I have found that it provides an unequaled level of control in first person shooters and flight sims alike. My only complaint is the miniscule excuse for a throttle control. On a monstrosity that big there is surely plenty of room to stick a respectably sized throttle, yet they tossed in this tiny little piece of plastic instead, almost as an afterthought. That one caveat aside, it is one of the finest gaming peripherals I have ever laid hands on, with its solid construction, lots of buttons, and unique design. Too bad they don't make them anymore. MadCatz has long since dropped out of the PC peripheral business to focus solely on the console gaming market, and thus the PantherXL has sadly dropped out of production. The controller hasn't even had official support since Windows 98, but luckily I managed to dig up some Windows 2000 drivers for it off the internet. While I now have it running flawlessly with Descent 3, several other titles I have tried will not even recognize the controller. I am uncertain whether this is an issue with the drivers I downloaded or the games I am trying to play with it, but either way, support for this controller is definitely dying out. And so yet another brilliant and unique gaming product fades away into history and memory.<br>
With the overabundance of new games devoid of creativity or ingenuity, sometimes it's good to look back and remember the landmarks in one's gaming history and recall a time when game designs that are now cliche were once clever and new. While I know it is now virtually impossible to get your hands on a PantherXL, I would still recommend Descent 3 to anybody with a decent joystick of any kind, as there are still copies of the game floating around that can be had for under $15.<br><br>
<table align="center" border="0"><tr><td><a href="http://members.cox.net/tribblehunter/jpg/descent3.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://members.cox.net/tribblehunter/jpg/descent3.jpg" alt="Descent 3" width="196" height="250" border="0"></a></td><td><table border="0"0><tr><td align=right>Graphics: 8/10</td><td align=left><img src="http://members.cox.net/tribblehunter/jpg/Kling-Col.jpg" alt="cha'DIch 'aj"></td><td><center><b>OVERALL</b></center></tr><tr><td align=right>Sound: 9/10</td><td align=left><img src="http://members.cox.net/tribblehunter/jpg/Kling-Brig.jpg" alt="wa'DIch 'aj"></td><td rowspan="4" align=center valign=center><img src="http://members.cox.net/tribblehunter/gif/ranks/klingbrigdark.gif" alt="wa'DIch 'aj"></td></tr><tr><td align=right>Gameplay: 8/10</td><td align=left><img src="http://members.cox.net/tribblehunter/jpg/Kling-Col.jpg" alt="cha'DIch 'aj"></td></tr><tr><td align=right>Ingenuity: 9/10</td><td align=left><img src="http://members.cox.net/tribblehunter/jpg/Kling-Brig.jpg" alt="wa'DIch 'aj"></td></tr><tr><td align=right>Replay Value: 8/10</td><td align=left><img src="http://members.cox.net/tribblehunter/jpg/Kling-Col.jpg" alt="cha'DIch 'aj"></td></tr><tr><td align=right>Violent Vertigo Vomiting: 10/10</td><td align=left><img src="http://members.cox.net/tribblehunter/jpg/Kling-Gen.jpg" alt="yo' 'aj"></td><td><center><b>9/10</b></center></td></tr></table></td></tr></table><br><table align="center" border="0"><tr><td><a href="http://members.cox.net/tribblehunter/jpg/pantherxl.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://members.cox.net/tribblehunter/jpg/pantherxl.jpg" alt="Panther XL" width="227" height="167" border="0"></a></td><td><table border="0"><tr><td align=right>Construction: 9/10</td><td align=left><img src="http://members.cox.net/tribblehunter/jpg/Kling-Brig.jpg" alt="wa'DIch 'aj"></td><td><center><b>OVERALL</b></center></tr><tr><td align=right>Accuracy: 10/10</td><td align=left><img src="http://members.cox.net/tribblehunter/jpg/Kling-Gen.jpg" alt="yo' 'aj"></td><td rowspan="4" align=center valign=center><img src="http://members.cox.net/tribblehunter/gif/ranks/klingcoldark.gif" alt="cha'DIch 'aj"></td></tr><tr><td align=right>Comfort: 9/10</td><td align=left><img src="http://members.cox.net/tribblehunter/jpg/Kling-Brig.jpg" alt="wa'DIch 'aj"></td></tr><tr><td align=right>Installation: 5/10</td><td align=left><img src="http://members.cox.net/tribblehunter/jpg/Kling-Cdr.jpg" alt="ra'wI'"></td></tr><tr><td align=right>Support: 3/10</td><td align=left><img src="http://members.cox.net/tribblehunter/jpg/Kling-W3.jpg" alt="Sogh"></td></tr><tr><td align=right>A <i>useful</i> trackball!: 10/10</td><td align=left><img src="http://members.cox.net/tribblehunter/jpg/Kling-Gen.jpg" alt="yo' 'aj"></td><td><center><b>8/10</b></center></td></tr></table></td></tr></table>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016432.post-934864232003-04-29T15:33:00.000-05:002004-07-20T05:34:39.833-05:00NEWS - PETA, hamburgers, and a barbecue.Just when you think PETA can't possibly do anything even more idiotic than they already have, they always come up with a new way to surprise you. Today in fact, we have two. First up, PETA president Ingrid Newkirk has <a href="http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=oddlyEnoughNews&storyID=2631030" target="_blank">drawn up a will</a> stating a list of abominable and atrocious acts that are to be committed with her remains upon her death. These feats of idiocy include barbecuing her flesh, using her skin to make leather products, turning her feet into umbrella stands, and as a personal request she wants her heart buried near the Ferrari pits at the Hockenheim Formula One racing circuit in Germany. Oh, she says it's not <i>totally</i> selfish, because Michael Schumacher once actually signed a letter for PETA against experiments on monkeys, right, of course. I'm sure he really wants your heart in his Ferrari pit as a thank you memento. Anyway my question is, what exactly does she hope to accomplish with all this? The only thing I can think of is publicity for PETA. I cannot see my life being strongly affected by some nutcase having some bizarre instructions carried out with her carcass. In fact, these acts are so outlandish they only distract from the message they are attempting to convey. "We hope it will start a trend," Newkirk said. Sure, I'll hop on the bandwagon. I'm going to write in my will that when I die, my ass is to be mounted on a plaque and delivered to PETA's headquarters, with an engraving reading <i>"May the moon forever shine upon all your endeavors."</i> Oooh, I feel so trendy.<br>
As long as we're on the topic of PETA and barbecuing, they have also approached the city of Hamburg, NY with the request to rename their town to <a href="http://www.salon.com/mwt/wire/2003/04/26/peta/" target="_blank">Veggieburg</a>. The offer was immediately declined, in spite of PETA's "generous" offer to donate $15,000 worth of veggieburgers to the city's schools. I'm sure the kiddies would have loved that. This is not the first time PETA has sought for a New York town to change it's name and forsake it's history and heritage for the ridiculous purpose of a avoiding conjuring up images of animal abuse at their mention. Before confronting the birthplace of the hamburger, it was Fishkill in 1996, a town of Dutch heritage, where "kill" is the Dutch word for "stream". Again, instead of walking away wanting a veggieburger as PETA would hope, I instead come out of this story with a new appreciation for Hamburg's heritage, and craving a nice big juicy cheeseburger. Looks like you botched up another one, PETA.<br>
When will PETA learn that negative attention does not equate to good attention?Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016432.post-934806082003-04-29T13:43:00.000-05:002004-07-20T05:35:40.233-05:00NEWS - A tribute to Florida schoolsA Florida high school teacher <a href="http://news.tbo.com/news/MGAS1T24ZED.html" target="_blank">failed the math portion of the state teacher's certification <i>six times</i></a>. Not like she can count that high anyway. They're threatening to take her job away if she can't manage to pass it on the <i>seventh</i> try. Thinking like a Floridiot, I can see where they would say, hey, what's it matter? She's an English teacher. But you'd think even a Floridiot would appoint someone else who can perhaps <i>count</i> as the secretary-treasurer of their Teacher's Association...Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016432.post-931868632003-04-24T12:03:00.000-05:002004-07-20T05:36:30.176-05:00COMMENTARY - MMORPG's: The final nail in the Geek's social coffin <b>FACT:</b> Geeks usually suffer from a serious lack of a social life.
<b>FICTION:</b> Playing games online is the best way for geeks to correct this inadequacy.
For those not familiar with the lingo, <i>MMORPG</i> stands for <i>Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game</i>. It's a perpetual online fantasy world, a game that never ends. These games are beginning to come in a variety of flavors, from fantasy to sci-fi to reality based worlds, from role playing to first person shooter styles. It is my belief that games of this nature will single-handedly destroy the geek's hope of ever becoming accepted in the real world.
To the geek, it seems like the perfect solution. A way to interact and have fun with members of the outside world, without having to go to the trouble of leaving their house. <i>Wrong.</i> All you are in fact doing is socializing with other geeks who also think this is the perfect solution to their social shortcomings. Like lobsters in a tank, they only keep pulling each other back to the bottom.
Then the addiction sets in. Soon this fantasy world becomes more real to them than the real world. They play the game with every spare moment of their life, and when they're not actually playing it, they talk about playing it. They start speaking a different language, using some absurd vernacular that has evolved out of their fantasy world. They then cease to socialize with what friends they had in the real world that don't play the game as well, as they are incapable of communicating with them in this new dialect which has become their common tongue. Now not only have their chance at gaining a social life diminished, but they are also destroying what connections they had with the real world to begin with.
Then there's the money sinkhole. This is assuming you haven't quit your job or even had one to begin with, of course. You are shelling out a monthly fee to play these games. Not too big of a deal if you have a decent job, but if you're already working for low pay or not working at all, this is the difference between your own studio apartment and moving back into your parent's basement. It's kinda hard to get a date when you don't have any money to pay for dinner, not to mention it's difficult to seat two on your bicycle, and you can't exactly take her back to your place and expect any privacy with your parents there.
Let's recap. MMORPG's take up all of your free time, limit your social interactions to only those that are also familiar with it, and rob you of all your money. So there you have it. MMORPG's have all of the effects of a woman on a man, without any of the real benefits. Do yourself a favor. Ditch the game, get out into the real world, and find yourself a girlfriend. While you'll be in the same predicament, at least you'll be getting more out of it in return.
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016432.post-931378612003-04-23T16:50:00.000-05:002004-07-20T05:37:15.796-05:00NEWS - Now back to monkey business Now that all this backend work with the site is done, we can get back to important current events in the news. Yesterday, being Earth Day, <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/wire/US/reuters20030422_651.html" target="_blank">Jane Goodall spoke against deforestation at the State Department.</a> "Whoo whoo whoo oogh oogh oogh oogh oogh oogh oogh oogh ooh ooh oooh oooh," Goodall stated before the crowd. Well met, Jane, couldn't have said better myself.
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016432.post-931368792003-04-23T16:33:00.000-05:002004-07-20T05:38:19.646-05:00NEWS - More Site UpdatesSyn is in, Hot or Not is out.
You may have noticed my site loading insanely slowly over the past week or so. Apparently <b>Blog Hot or Not</b> is out cold. You may remember I had that little script linked from their site showing my current rating on their service. Since their site apparently no longer exists, the script obviously wouldn't load, thus causing the whole table it was in to stall until the script timed out before displaying anything, hence my ridiculous load time. I don't know if or when it's coming back, and frankly I don't care. It's gone now. While I was at it, I also reversed the order in which my page loads, so my content on the right should appear first, followed by the links on the left.
You may have also noticed my new <a href="http://members.cox.net/tribblehunter/rss.xml" target="_blank">XML</a> button as well. That's right, I now have my own RSS feed. Maintained the good old fashioned way, entirely by hand. It's hard to automate RSS generation on a free service like Blogger, and even if I could I think I'd still favor the anal retentive level of control provided by writing it by hand anyways.
Anyways, that's it for site updates. I think things are looking pretty good now. Time to focus on actually posting again. In other good news, the last missing parts to my PC are shipping and should be here by tomorrow. I may be able to post from home as early as this weekend. Of course I'll probably be too busy playing <b>Tribes</b> again, but that's beside the point...
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com