This is more therapy for me than anything else. I've come to the point in my car-shopping journey where I must make a decision, but there is no decision that leaves me feeling like a winner here. At least I got to test drive a WRX this morning before it was purchased out from under me.
Final option #1:
Another Jeep. I could go with one of the few new 2010 2dr wranglers left in the area. This one is actually pretty sweet. Major differences from my current wrangler include that it's black instead of forest green, it has annoying "mountain" trim decals which can and would be removed from the hood, power windows and both a hard and soft top for summer and winter. A soft top is one of those things that just completes the wrangler experience. But the gas mileage! And the barely usable back seats! Those things still haven't been improved.
Another downside is that the good program is for a 39 month lease instead of 36, and I would need to put another $500 down over what I'm putting into the other options to get to the same monthly payment.
Final option #2:
The Subaru Forester XT. All wheel drive, functional, faster off the line, shorter breaking distance, easy-to-get-to back seats, better gas mileage (19 city/24hwy vs. wrangler's 15/19) and a huge sunroof. Downside is it's lower to the ground than a wrangler and handles more like a car. Also, no soft top. I get this, put roof racks on to distinguish myself from housewives who just want an AWD station wagon, then cry myself to sleep every night for the next month.
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Monday, June 7, 2010
Lost was a bad program all along
Peter, Caitlin and I watched the season finale of Lost together what, two Sundays ago? Three? Whenever it aired. At the time, the emotional charge of the ending, complete with imagery reminding us of the show’s beginning was enough for me to feel somewhat satisfied. But all the sappy orchestral overtures and slow motion character montages in the world aren’t enough to keep the questions at bay, and in the end, it is those unanswered questions that made this show something far less than people give it credit for.
First the good points of the series: It was often witty and filled with allusions to philosophers, books, authors and films that ranged from those so obscure they would be caught only by the most culturally savvy geeks, to those just about anyone would catch, such as the a character named Christian Shepherd. It also gave us what felt at times like a great roller coaster ride with the big drop looming just around the corner. Many of the characters were very well written as well, with fantastic back stories, great dialogues and shifting motivations that kept you from knowing their next move without feeling like they were contrived or impossible to relate to.
Unfortunately the character work, snappy dialogue and easter-egg references were all set into a world that, at the last minute it seemed, was determined pointless by the show’s own creators. The draw of the show wasn’t whether or not the characters would all find eternal salvation together, it was the Island and the mysteries it held. People tuned in every week, season after season, because there was a promise of this magnificent tapestry of a story of which we were only catching the faintest loose threads. Who were the Dharma Initiative really and why were supplies still dropping in 2004 when the group was wiped out in the 1970’s? College Humor sums up all the unanswered questions better than I can, and even these questions aren’t all the things left unanswered. You can’t just throw all that into an extended storyline without explaining it at some point. That they didn’t means that big roller coaster drop never came. When the sappy water works were over, we were gently told that those mysteries that were all we really wanted to have explained were suddenly not the point at all.
It is a responsible writer’s job to not make a mess of his or her work. Clean and tidy endings aren’t necessary at all, but cohesion from beginning to end is. This is where Lost fails terribly. In blatantly ignoring all the interesting little questions they’ve made a point of asking the audience along the way, the show’s writers have displayed a tremendous lack of foresight and story cohesion. It is fully apparent now that they were in fact making it up as they went along with no real game for it all. The charade worked as long as there was at least one more episode on the horizon to hold the promise of answering everything. In fact, the longer the show waited to answer all the Island’s big mysteries, the more interested we were to see just how elegantly these promising writers could tie it all together. What happened though was the thinly veiled collapse of a narrative Ponzi scheme.
Because of all the blind alleys, references and oddly delivered lines that seem to hold some deeper overarching meaning, there will no doubt be those with theories and even dissertations on where the answers really are. To these people I say stop. You are at best giving the writers too much credit and at worst doing their work for them. With so much quality content available, this doesn’t deserve another minute of our time.
First the good points of the series: It was often witty and filled with allusions to philosophers, books, authors and films that ranged from those so obscure they would be caught only by the most culturally savvy geeks, to those just about anyone would catch, such as the a character named Christian Shepherd. It also gave us what felt at times like a great roller coaster ride with the big drop looming just around the corner. Many of the characters were very well written as well, with fantastic back stories, great dialogues and shifting motivations that kept you from knowing their next move without feeling like they were contrived or impossible to relate to.
Unfortunately the character work, snappy dialogue and easter-egg references were all set into a world that, at the last minute it seemed, was determined pointless by the show’s own creators. The draw of the show wasn’t whether or not the characters would all find eternal salvation together, it was the Island and the mysteries it held. People tuned in every week, season after season, because there was a promise of this magnificent tapestry of a story of which we were only catching the faintest loose threads. Who were the Dharma Initiative really and why were supplies still dropping in 2004 when the group was wiped out in the 1970’s? College Humor sums up all the unanswered questions better than I can, and even these questions aren’t all the things left unanswered. You can’t just throw all that into an extended storyline without explaining it at some point. That they didn’t means that big roller coaster drop never came. When the sappy water works were over, we were gently told that those mysteries that were all we really wanted to have explained were suddenly not the point at all.
It is a responsible writer’s job to not make a mess of his or her work. Clean and tidy endings aren’t necessary at all, but cohesion from beginning to end is. This is where Lost fails terribly. In blatantly ignoring all the interesting little questions they’ve made a point of asking the audience along the way, the show’s writers have displayed a tremendous lack of foresight and story cohesion. It is fully apparent now that they were in fact making it up as they went along with no real game for it all. The charade worked as long as there was at least one more episode on the horizon to hold the promise of answering everything. In fact, the longer the show waited to answer all the Island’s big mysteries, the more interested we were to see just how elegantly these promising writers could tie it all together. What happened though was the thinly veiled collapse of a narrative Ponzi scheme.
Because of all the blind alleys, references and oddly delivered lines that seem to hold some deeper overarching meaning, there will no doubt be those with theories and even dissertations on where the answers really are. To these people I say stop. You are at best giving the writers too much credit and at worst doing their work for them. With so much quality content available, this doesn’t deserve another minute of our time.
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Dark Days
As I walk underneath brilliant blue skies and gentle fragrant breezes in one of the few local parks still open to the public, I can’t help but feel the wheels are coming off.
- Governor Patterson, in an attempt to strong-arm the State Legislature to pass a budget, has ordered closed 55 state parks including Joseph Davis Park in Lewiston, Woodlawn Park in Hamburg, and the lovely Knox Farms in East Aurora. The Legislature pushed a plan to keep the parks open, but Patterson is using the parks among his pressure on lawmakers to settle the budget dispute. How about they don’t draw any pay until it’s settled? Why punish everyone else but them?
- Oil continues to flood into the gulf of Mexico. BP’s efforts seem designed less to plug the leak than to capture the spilled oil, and aren’t nearly on the level they need to be considering the catastrophic nature of this disaster. It is now spreading to the Loop current within the gulf, which will send it swirling from the Yucatan to southern Florida, Western Bahamas and back.
- A recent study shows that the average American child is getting a worse education these days thanks to our struggling public school systems. While they are ranked 25th out of 35 developed countries in quality of education, this hasn’t stopped their self-assuredness – the same study showed their confidence in their substandard learning far surpassed that of their non-US counterparts.
- A new landmark protection act was signed in Canada “preserving” their forests from unsustainable logging activity. This is great news, don’t get me wrong. While there is room for interpretation on what determines sustainable logging activity, Greenpeace put their stamp of approval on it, so until I can do better research I will defer to their judgement. The one snippet that chilled my blood from the BBC coverage was “The total protected area is about twice the size of Germany, and equals the area of forest lost globally between 1990 and 2005” So that means just in 15 years, we’ve clear cut forests totalling twice the size of Germany from the planet.
- Meanwhile, an incredibly inventive way to allow companies to buy carbon credits by investing in tropical rainforest preserves seems doomed to die in Congress. Unfortunate because it’s a no brainer to me. Why, you might ask, do I feel that companies should pay? Because they are emitting carbon!! Well, you say, what when they must pass these expenses onto the consumers? So be it! We all need to do our part. The only other missing ingredient is embargoes on timber coming from countries that don’t practice sustainable forestry methods, enforced by all member nations of the UN. If we don’t buy, they won’t waste time and energy cutting it down.
- Starbucks cups claim to be made from 10% recycled material. Why not 100%? Here’s the quote from the cup “While that may not seem like a lot to you, this actually saves 100,000 trees from being cut down every year” – so we’re cutting 900,000 trees per year just to cover the other 90% that isn’t recycled, just for Starbucks cups? What about adding Tim Horton’s, Dunkin Donuts, Caribou Coffee and Seattle’s Best? You’re right, it doesn’t seem like a lot to me. I suppose it’s better than nothing, but let’s not celebrate such meager attempts.
- Asians are trading in their healthy rice and vegetable diets for red meat rich Western-style diets. And this report has the audacity to refer to such changes as “dietary advances”. Ironically, forward thinking Westerners are dropping red meat from their diets in favor of heart-healthy, leaner foods like whole grain rice based on statistical data showing that in the Asian countries where it is a prevalent dietary staple, the folks are living longer! Let’s also not forget that more cattle means more consumption, more methane emissions and of course more trips to the emergency room for these soon to be plump, artery-clogged people.
Someone give me some good news.
Monday, May 10, 2010
Car Talk, unfortunately without Klick or Klack
The hunt for a new vehicle has been underway for several weeks now. The Jeep will be going bye bye. Great vehicle, but the mpg issues were really starting to get the better of me.
So far, I've test driven a Ford Escape, a Toyota Rav4, a VW Tiguan, a Subaru Forester XT (turbo charged) and a Legacy 3.6R.
The Escape lost me at the test drive. The 4 cylinder had no power, the 6 had no fuel efficiency and the hybrid was astronomically expensive, with no programs whatsoever.
The RAV4 actually held its own quite well. I tested the V6 version, which cranks an amazing 269HP and 246lb/ft of torque in an automatic 5-speed transmission. Took off like a rocket. But the interior was a little effeminate and low quality, the steering was limp and the brakes were soft. Also, the Sport level trim, which mans up the interior a bit, comes with run-flat tires only, which upon full research isn't that bad, but could become expensive. Still, the programs around this vehicle are way too good to ignore. And fuel efficiency was surprisingly adequate (some folks with lower ideals for what fuel efficiency ought to be by now might even call it good).
The Tiguan was superb. The turbocharged Audi i4 engine was admirable, and thanks to a 6 speed transmission with Tipptronic shifting options, crisp steering and responsive brakes, the drive outperformed the RAV4. The interior was also fantastic: comfortable leather seats, a solid feeling dash, an 8inch touchscreen radio and a panoramic sunroof that stretches back over the second row of seating. The only drawbacks are that it has less cargo space than the RAV4 and it requires premium fuel thanks to the turbocharger. Oh, and it's a pricey ride, with lower fuel economy than the RAV4. So there's that.
Lastly, I really wanted to test drive the new Forester XT, which I believe Edmunds said was faster 0 to 60 than the Tiguan. Well, maybe with expert use of the manual sportshift, but left to its own, the 4 speed auto transmission doesn't serve the 224hp turbocharged boxer engine properly and the result is sluggish performance compared to the VW, at least in my experience. The interior was nice though, with fantastic visibility, amazing room in the front and second seats, it's own panoramic moonroof which opens up past the front seats and a fair amount of aggressive styling. but I couldn't shake the feeling that it was a well camouflaged version of its earlier grocery-toting self. Coming from a Wrangler I was hesitant, and the failure of the vehicle to really push my head back into my seat like the VW and Toyota did on take off made me more so (I may just need to get the hang of the ride though). Still, the guy I worked with at the Subaru dealership was the nicest, and he and his boss made the most creative offers. They fell short of Toyota's hyper-aggressive leasing options for their RAV4, but then again Subaru isn't fighting off a mammoth wave of negative press due to sticky accelerators, floor mats and other dangerous issues.
The Legacy 3.6R was powerful but otherwise mostly unremarkable for an AWD vehicle. There was a slight shimmy in the car I drove and while it had power to spare, the ride felt heavy and bulky even for a sedan. It was enough for me to move on.
So, I now need to decide if I want to spring for the fun but expensive Tiguan, the ugly but super cheap and practical RAV4, or the safe, boring Forester.
Let me rephrase. It's time to see how well I can negotiate.
So far, I've test driven a Ford Escape, a Toyota Rav4, a VW Tiguan, a Subaru Forester XT (turbo charged) and a Legacy 3.6R.
The Escape lost me at the test drive. The 4 cylinder had no power, the 6 had no fuel efficiency and the hybrid was astronomically expensive, with no programs whatsoever.
The RAV4 actually held its own quite well. I tested the V6 version, which cranks an amazing 269HP and 246lb/ft of torque in an automatic 5-speed transmission. Took off like a rocket. But the interior was a little effeminate and low quality, the steering was limp and the brakes were soft. Also, the Sport level trim, which mans up the interior a bit, comes with run-flat tires only, which upon full research isn't that bad, but could become expensive. Still, the programs around this vehicle are way too good to ignore. And fuel efficiency was surprisingly adequate (some folks with lower ideals for what fuel efficiency ought to be by now might even call it good).
The Tiguan was superb. The turbocharged Audi i4 engine was admirable, and thanks to a 6 speed transmission with Tipptronic shifting options, crisp steering and responsive brakes, the drive outperformed the RAV4. The interior was also fantastic: comfortable leather seats, a solid feeling dash, an 8inch touchscreen radio and a panoramic sunroof that stretches back over the second row of seating. The only drawbacks are that it has less cargo space than the RAV4 and it requires premium fuel thanks to the turbocharger. Oh, and it's a pricey ride, with lower fuel economy than the RAV4. So there's that.
Lastly, I really wanted to test drive the new Forester XT, which I believe Edmunds said was faster 0 to 60 than the Tiguan. Well, maybe with expert use of the manual sportshift, but left to its own, the 4 speed auto transmission doesn't serve the 224hp turbocharged boxer engine properly and the result is sluggish performance compared to the VW, at least in my experience. The interior was nice though, with fantastic visibility, amazing room in the front and second seats, it's own panoramic moonroof which opens up past the front seats and a fair amount of aggressive styling. but I couldn't shake the feeling that it was a well camouflaged version of its earlier grocery-toting self. Coming from a Wrangler I was hesitant, and the failure of the vehicle to really push my head back into my seat like the VW and Toyota did on take off made me more so (I may just need to get the hang of the ride though). Still, the guy I worked with at the Subaru dealership was the nicest, and he and his boss made the most creative offers. They fell short of Toyota's hyper-aggressive leasing options for their RAV4, but then again Subaru isn't fighting off a mammoth wave of negative press due to sticky accelerators, floor mats and other dangerous issues.
The Legacy 3.6R was powerful but otherwise mostly unremarkable for an AWD vehicle. There was a slight shimmy in the car I drove and while it had power to spare, the ride felt heavy and bulky even for a sedan. It was enough for me to move on.
So, I now need to decide if I want to spring for the fun but expensive Tiguan, the ugly but super cheap and practical RAV4, or the safe, boring Forester.
Let me rephrase. It's time to see how well I can negotiate.
Monday, November 23, 2009
Frustration
Dear President and Congress:
You are focusing on the wrong issue right now. Healthcare can wait, and it ought to. Get this need to issue resolved first. I’d be surprised if you did, but what a breath of fresh air it would be, no pun intended, to watch you focus on something that all reasonable people can agree needs immediate attention and drastic action.
No 2050 deadlines. That’s too late and you know it. The above linked report cites 2015 as our last chance. Other studies have predicted that arctic ice will completely disappear by the summer of 2012. With this in mind, f’ing around with a complex healthcare bill is burning up precious time to act on something monumentally more important. Every day you work on something else other than climate change (or nothing at all, as is common), you fail all of us.
You are focusing on the wrong issue right now. Healthcare can wait, and it ought to. Get this need to issue resolved first. I’d be surprised if you did, but what a breath of fresh air it would be, no pun intended, to watch you focus on something that all reasonable people can agree needs immediate attention and drastic action.
No 2050 deadlines. That’s too late and you know it. The above linked report cites 2015 as our last chance. Other studies have predicted that arctic ice will completely disappear by the summer of 2012. With this in mind, f’ing around with a complex healthcare bill is burning up precious time to act on something monumentally more important. Every day you work on something else other than climate change (or nothing at all, as is common), you fail all of us.
Monday, October 19, 2009
TV Stuff
For a while, I’ve been touting the humor I find in a cartoon called Chowder. It is damned funny. And for nearly as long, Garvey and a few other others have been trying to tell me that another cartoon, Flapjack, is also hilarious. I was always a little dismissive, basically because every time I watched the show, I’d see a lot about a whale that isn’t very funny. But man was I wrong and I apologize. Flapjack is the deal. It might even be funnier than Chowder, in the right lighting, after a few drinks…
Secondly, Psych, the heir-apparent to Monk on USA Network, had an excellent episode recently where a mentally unstable person believed he was a werewolf. It was filled with several campy horror film references, but there was also a recurring theme on an 80’s classic. Without spoiling the episode:
1. The psychiatrist who had the man as a patient was played by David Naughton
2. When the afflicted character awoke naked in the woods in the classic “not again!” moment every lycanthrope knows well, he fled back to the Psych office for refuge. He showed up covering himself with two bunches of balloons. I get it!
3. The next episode made the reference complete with a gigantic American Werewolf in London poster in Sean Spencer’s apartment.
Secondly, Psych, the heir-apparent to Monk on USA Network, had an excellent episode recently where a mentally unstable person believed he was a werewolf. It was filled with several campy horror film references, but there was also a recurring theme on an 80’s classic. Without spoiling the episode:
1. The psychiatrist who had the man as a patient was played by David Naughton
2. When the afflicted character awoke naked in the woods in the classic “not again!” moment every lycanthrope knows well, he fled back to the Psych office for refuge. He showed up covering himself with two bunches of balloons. I get it!
3. The next episode made the reference complete with a gigantic American Werewolf in London poster in Sean Spencer’s apartment.
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Don't make no kinda sense
President Obama addressed students today to send a message that there is no excuse for dropping out of school. The media found opposition to this message in some of the more extreme fringes of political society. Was this a media tactic to portray the conservative opposition as a little touched in the head? Perhaps. But never the less, they did find real people, just like the real people foaming at the mouth at town hall meetings and packing heat at protest rallies.
Who would oppose this message though? Isn't hard work, perseverence and self-reliance one of the cornerstones of conservatism? You'd think they'd be ok with this one at least. Maybe they're not thinking too clearly. Especially because their way of preventing their children from hearing about staying in school is to keep them home from school today.
Who would oppose this message though? Isn't hard work, perseverence and self-reliance one of the cornerstones of conservatism? You'd think they'd be ok with this one at least. Maybe they're not thinking too clearly. Especially because their way of preventing their children from hearing about staying in school is to keep them home from school today.
Friday, August 28, 2009
360 woes
About a day after I rashly bid on and won a new xbox 360 elite during a charity event, I came to the conclusion that the Playstation 3 is really better for me. I like blu ray, wifi and rechargable controllers, and one has all of these while the other has none. So onto Craigslist goes the xbox 360 bundled with Resident Evil 5, Fight Night Round 4 and Fallout 3, all new in their wrapping. The retail value, even with the lowered pricing, of all this stuff is $480. I'm asking much less.
Alas, it seems that while Craigslist is a fantastic place to sell your furniture, it is a festering hell hole for video game sales. I'm up against shady characters offering to sell xbox 360's for like $100 new. They've been called out as having "hot" product, but that's my competition and likely how I am probably viewed as a result since I have no store receipt.
My first offer came from a scammer. My second came from a dude who wanted to trade his new blackberry storm for it. No thanks. The third one came from what turned out to be a kid using his aunt's email and only wanted to trade his wii. The latest one came from what I am coming to believe is a person who intended to rob me. There are some folks asking for xbox's who say they have cash, but my inquiries were scoffed at. Apparently, unless I practically give them the machine, they aren't interested.
Anyone want a new xbox 360? It's the cool black one with HDMI. eh? eeehh?
Alas, it seems that while Craigslist is a fantastic place to sell your furniture, it is a festering hell hole for video game sales. I'm up against shady characters offering to sell xbox 360's for like $100 new. They've been called out as having "hot" product, but that's my competition and likely how I am probably viewed as a result since I have no store receipt.
My first offer came from a scammer. My second came from a dude who wanted to trade his new blackberry storm for it. No thanks. The third one came from what turned out to be a kid using his aunt's email and only wanted to trade his wii. The latest one came from what I am coming to believe is a person who intended to rob me. There are some folks asking for xbox's who say they have cash, but my inquiries were scoffed at. Apparently, unless I practically give them the machine, they aren't interested.
Anyone want a new xbox 360? It's the cool black one with HDMI. eh? eeehh?
Monday, August 3, 2009
Do I have to go home now?
Greg has earned the achievement [Explore Western Oregon}
On 8/1/2009, Greg (and Caitlin) completed this achievement by visiting the following places:
Portland
Columbia River Gorge
Bonneville Dam and Fish Ladder
Willamette wine country
Drift Creek
Lincoln City
Astoria (heeey you guuuuys!)
Cape Foulweather
Seaside
Newport
Cape Meares
Florence
Cape Lookout
Eugene
Crater Lake National Park
Best vacation ever.
On 8/1/2009, Greg (and Caitlin) completed this achievement by visiting the following places:
Portland
Columbia River Gorge
Bonneville Dam and Fish Ladder
Willamette wine country
Drift Creek
Lincoln City
Astoria (heeey you guuuuys!)
Cape Foulweather
Seaside
Newport
Cape Meares
Florence
Cape Lookout
Eugene
Crater Lake National Park
Best vacation ever.
Friday, June 26, 2009
Happy Friday
No Youtube nugget per se... that was someone else's province... but this is worth a post.
Thursday, June 25, 2009
They're not for dudes. Or dogs.
From a recent conversation I had a coworker from California.
Coworker: Yeah, you see some weird stuff out here. I mean, you’ve got weird stuff there, but this stuff is on another level. Yuppie weird.
Me: Like a guy on rollerskates with Kenny G hair and no shirt?
Coworker: Do you know what a baby bjorn is?
Me: A young Scandinavian bear.
Coworker:…
Me: Yes, I know what they are.
Coworker: So the other day I saw someone wearing one with their dog in it.
Me: What?
Coworker: I wanted to punch the dude.
Me: What??
Coworker: Yeah, you see some weird stuff out here. I mean, you’ve got weird stuff there, but this stuff is on another level. Yuppie weird.
Me: Like a guy on rollerskates with Kenny G hair and no shirt?
Coworker: Do you know what a baby bjorn is?
Me: A young Scandinavian bear.
Coworker:…
Me: Yes, I know what they are.
Coworker: So the other day I saw someone wearing one with their dog in it.
Me: What?
Coworker: I wanted to punch the dude.
Me: What??
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Friday, June 5, 2009
Put on your dancing shoes. It's time for the news. It's time to chase the blues away.
Here’s a bunch of cool stuff, mostly video game related:
1. A new Professor Layton will be available in the US on August 29th
2. The Secret of Monkey Island is being re-released in high def complete with full voice acting (thanks to Alex for bringing this to my attention)
3. Tales of Monkey Island will also be released for PC and Wii in episodic form, similar to the Sam and Max series.
4. There is a very cool looking new Castlevania coming out for the high def consoles, but not until 2010.
5. There’s a bunch of news around Final Fantasy titles. Basically, there’s one for the Wii, a series following up on the world of FFIV 14 years later, FF13 for 360 and PS3, FF 14 for PS3 only.
6. New Zelda coming out for DS, too.
7. Lastly, there’s a new Metroid coming out for the Wii, being developed by the team that made the flashy new Ninja Gaidens for xbox and 360.
Most of this flurry of news was released in the past few days at the big E3 expo, where the big three console makers all try and outdo one another. I have a Wii, but I want a high def system as well. Seems to me that if you want great online options and a large array of titles, you go with the 360. If you want a blu ray player built in and the absolute best in graphical capabilities, you go with the Playstation 3. A system’s game library is really what matters, and there are a lot of crossover titles, which muddles the decision further. Where is the next Shadow of the Colossus or Okami likely to surface? Do I want Gears of War or God of War? Which system will have more games involving lightsabers?
... so many links...
1. A new Professor Layton will be available in the US on August 29th
2. The Secret of Monkey Island is being re-released in high def complete with full voice acting (thanks to Alex for bringing this to my attention)
3. Tales of Monkey Island will also be released for PC and Wii in episodic form, similar to the Sam and Max series.
4. There is a very cool looking new Castlevania coming out for the high def consoles, but not until 2010.
5. There’s a bunch of news around Final Fantasy titles. Basically, there’s one for the Wii, a series following up on the world of FFIV 14 years later, FF13 for 360 and PS3, FF 14 for PS3 only.
6. New Zelda coming out for DS, too.
7. Lastly, there’s a new Metroid coming out for the Wii, being developed by the team that made the flashy new Ninja Gaidens for xbox and 360.
Most of this flurry of news was released in the past few days at the big E3 expo, where the big three console makers all try and outdo one another. I have a Wii, but I want a high def system as well. Seems to me that if you want great online options and a large array of titles, you go with the 360. If you want a blu ray player built in and the absolute best in graphical capabilities, you go with the Playstation 3. A system’s game library is really what matters, and there are a lot of crossover titles, which muddles the decision further. Where is the next Shadow of the Colossus or Okami likely to surface? Do I want Gears of War or God of War? Which system will have more games involving lightsabers?
... so many links...
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Ouch.
Blizzard finally announced the winners of their creative writing contest. I offer hearty congratulations to those who won and those who got honorable mentions.
I received neither. My selfish ego keeps conjuring up this notion that my work overstepped some boundary that disqualified it for reasons beyond pure content quality. This is mostly a defense mechanism. When you play the Mega Millions on a big pot, you can't help but fantasize about how your life will change if you win. This contest became something akin to that. It was my big chance to get out of a line of work I don't love and into one I would. But rather than a meager $5 investment, I poured a bit more into it, and random chance wasn't to blame for my loss, all of which adds to my frustration and feeling of inadequacy.
Blizzard has released few details aside from winning titles and authors. My wish, unrealistic as it is, is to hear from someone at Blizzard who can say “hey, this is why you didn’t place”. But with 1500 entries, what we’re more likely to get, if anything, is a canned response that will end up insulting more entrants than it soothes. I do hope that the winning content is revealed soon, so that I can know that I was either displaced by a superior work and sharpen my pen for the next one, or take heart that my work was equally strong, but cast aside for arbitrary reasons. At which point, legal matters be damned (Blizzard apparently owns all submissions), I will release my work to anyone who wants to read it.
I received neither. My selfish ego keeps conjuring up this notion that my work overstepped some boundary that disqualified it for reasons beyond pure content quality. This is mostly a defense mechanism. When you play the Mega Millions on a big pot, you can't help but fantasize about how your life will change if you win. This contest became something akin to that. It was my big chance to get out of a line of work I don't love and into one I would. But rather than a meager $5 investment, I poured a bit more into it, and random chance wasn't to blame for my loss, all of which adds to my frustration and feeling of inadequacy.
Blizzard has released few details aside from winning titles and authors. My wish, unrealistic as it is, is to hear from someone at Blizzard who can say “hey, this is why you didn’t place”. But with 1500 entries, what we’re more likely to get, if anything, is a canned response that will end up insulting more entrants than it soothes. I do hope that the winning content is revealed soon, so that I can know that I was either displaced by a superior work and sharpen my pen for the next one, or take heart that my work was equally strong, but cast aside for arbitrary reasons. At which point, legal matters be damned (Blizzard apparently owns all submissions), I will release my work to anyone who wants to read it.
Friday, May 15, 2009
it is So Choice
To anyone shopping for a high def TV: buy a plasma. They are simply better than LCDs in every respect, especially if you’re shopping within a budget. I fully admit I am incredibly fussy, but even I can find no fault with mine, except for the fact that we are frequently mesmerized by the thing.
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Squiggle mouth
To piggy back on Alex’s post, I too was recently told I resembled a celebrity I don’t care for. At a baby shower this weekend I was told by a stranger that I look like Jake Gyllenhaal, specifically his character in Brokeback Mountain. Ouch. The person paying what she thought was a compliment didn’t register what might not be awesome about that.
My dislike for Gyllenhaal has nothing to do with that movie at all. I’ve never seen it, so all off color jokes aside, it doesn’t weigh in on my opinion one way or another. I just don’t think he should be in movies. He’ll always be Bubble Boy to me. His mouth is shaped like a tilde (~). He seems simple minded and awkward. The roles I’ve seen him play, such as in Jarhead, were weak and unconvincing to me. That’s pretty much why I don’t like him. Who would want to be told they look like that? Caitlin says it’s the beard.
My dislike for Gyllenhaal has nothing to do with that movie at all. I’ve never seen it, so all off color jokes aside, it doesn’t weigh in on my opinion one way or another. I just don’t think he should be in movies. He’ll always be Bubble Boy to me. His mouth is shaped like a tilde (~). He seems simple minded and awkward. The roles I’ve seen him play, such as in Jarhead, were weak and unconvincing to me. That’s pretty much why I don’t like him. Who would want to be told they look like that? Caitlin says it’s the beard.
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Sat down for a drink in my father's favorite chair
Earlier this week I was allowed into the Stereo Advantage showroom to test a Nintendo Wii on a few different flat panel HD TV's to see which, if any, made the damn thing look acceptable.
The first thing I tested was the Panasonic TC-P42S1 Plasma TV. AV gurus seem to favor plasma and this was cheap 1080p with a higher contrast ratio (2,000,000:1) and refresh rate (600hz) than any LCD. What could possibly be the catch? Turns out, power consumption is really it. It costs about 2.5 times as much energy to use a plasma than an LCD.
On the Wii: looked better than the Philips I bought earlier, that's for sure. Recognized the signal well, still had lots of jagged edges, but this was mitigated by the depth of color.
Standard Def: Again, better than the Philips, but still wasn't great.
So, unconvinced this was the saving grace, I asked about an LG LCD a friend pointed out to me, which at the time was on sale at Best Buy for $300 off. Stereo Advantage doesn't carry LG so the technician couldn't show me that specific model (42LH40), but he did plug into a Toshiba LCD with identical specs. I was impressed with the punchy, bright display.
On the Wii: it wouldn't give us 16:9 aspect ratio, but even crammed into 4:3, which normally smoothes out jagged lines by making them smaller, it still didn't look as nice as the plasma.
Standard Def: Not bad. Again, still gobbledy gook, but Toshiba did a nice job.
My final choice was the plasma. Stereo Advantage threw in too many goodies and the price was where I wanted to be. A later trip to Best Buy resulted in an attempted upsell to a Samsung Series 7 LCD, which, good though it was, didn't hold up to the Panasonic Plasma it was mounted next to. And that plasma was lower end than the one I bough. If the expensive, high end Samsung was better than the LG, but still worse than a 720p plasma, the choice to me was clear.
As for standard def help... we're in a transitionary period right now. Standard Def will slowly go away, or become an alternative, within the next few years. All HDTV's make HDTV look good; it's what they do. All the unsightliness of standard def is going to be magnified on any HDTV right now, because none of them will do us the simple favor of drawing CRT-Style scan lines across standard def to hide that shit. Some do an ok job, some don't even try. Until a set is made with this simple enough feature, we all get to suffer. There is no silver bullet for this. Trust me, I've looked under every corner for the right answer. Fortunately, most stations are offered in HD, except USA and Comedy Central, who both suck for that. So the suffering is limited.
As for LCD vs Plasma, again, no clear choice. What you see and like is what you should buy.
Sorry to any Ned's Atomic Dustbin fans who were hoping for something else from this post. I like my references.
The first thing I tested was the Panasonic TC-P42S1 Plasma TV. AV gurus seem to favor plasma and this was cheap 1080p with a higher contrast ratio (2,000,000:1) and refresh rate (600hz) than any LCD. What could possibly be the catch? Turns out, power consumption is really it. It costs about 2.5 times as much energy to use a plasma than an LCD.
On the Wii: looked better than the Philips I bought earlier, that's for sure. Recognized the signal well, still had lots of jagged edges, but this was mitigated by the depth of color.
Standard Def: Again, better than the Philips, but still wasn't great.
So, unconvinced this was the saving grace, I asked about an LG LCD a friend pointed out to me, which at the time was on sale at Best Buy for $300 off. Stereo Advantage doesn't carry LG so the technician couldn't show me that specific model (42LH40), but he did plug into a Toshiba LCD with identical specs. I was impressed with the punchy, bright display.
On the Wii: it wouldn't give us 16:9 aspect ratio, but even crammed into 4:3, which normally smoothes out jagged lines by making them smaller, it still didn't look as nice as the plasma.
Standard Def: Not bad. Again, still gobbledy gook, but Toshiba did a nice job.
My final choice was the plasma. Stereo Advantage threw in too many goodies and the price was where I wanted to be. A later trip to Best Buy resulted in an attempted upsell to a Samsung Series 7 LCD, which, good though it was, didn't hold up to the Panasonic Plasma it was mounted next to. And that plasma was lower end than the one I bough. If the expensive, high end Samsung was better than the LG, but still worse than a 720p plasma, the choice to me was clear.
As for standard def help... we're in a transitionary period right now. Standard Def will slowly go away, or become an alternative, within the next few years. All HDTV's make HDTV look good; it's what they do. All the unsightliness of standard def is going to be magnified on any HDTV right now, because none of them will do us the simple favor of drawing CRT-Style scan lines across standard def to hide that shit. Some do an ok job, some don't even try. Until a set is made with this simple enough feature, we all get to suffer. There is no silver bullet for this. Trust me, I've looked under every corner for the right answer. Fortunately, most stations are offered in HD, except USA and Comedy Central, who both suck for that. So the suffering is limited.
As for LCD vs Plasma, again, no clear choice. What you see and like is what you should buy.
Sorry to any Ned's Atomic Dustbin fans who were hoping for something else from this post. I like my references.
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Priceless
It's not much of a secret that I like Penny Arcade, or that I think Nirvana is overrated and stale as shit (thanks edge 103.3 and edge 102.1 for keeping their entire library in your daily playlists for 10 years straight), but this recent comic... it's like chocolate and peanut butter.
Thursday, April 16, 2009
A splendid little war game
I picked up Civilization for the DS, which is fantastic, for only $15 new at EB games. I also picked up the GTA:Chinatown Wars. Once you let go of the idea that you'll be getting an experience as immersing as GTA 3 and it's successors offered, it's also quite fun.
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