Top 10 Tech Toys of The Year

Since im a self proclaimed Technophile, i thought id list out the top 10 cool gadgets i got over the past year. Heres the list!




10. Nextel i836 - this pulls in at 10 because its a cell phone. Not that im not a cell phone fan, but its just a cell phone. I got this when i decided i didnt want to lug my blackberry around as a cell phone. Probably a bad decision, since i realized having 2 mobile devices takes up more space than 1. As far as cell phones go, its probably my 2nd favorite so far, still 2nd to the black LG510 i had while in college. This one is sleek, small, easy to use and has decent battery life. Its got some sound quality issues, and the silver coating is starting to peel off. Oh well :(




9. Vonage IP Telephone Service - Vonage has been a good addition, IMO. I never was a big person on having a home phone AND a cell phone service, but once i started working from home more at my old job, it was nice to have a decent speakerphone for long conference calls. I still use it, since i like having a home number i can give out to people, as well as the fact that i can forward my vonage calls to my cell. Using the smaller vonage appliance box rather than the replacement router they initally sent has been more helpful, since its nice to have wireless capability, which the router they sent didnt have. All in all, ive been happy with vonage. Good price, sound quality is a bit low, otherwise, good value.



8. Elgato EyeTV - I was so excited to get this back in the spring. It is a PVR device for Macintosh that pulls cable signal directly into the computer for viewing or recording. It can also export what it records in almost any quality, which is incredible. Honestly one of the coolest devices i have ever used....until lately. Since upgrading OS's and hardware, this device has gotten worse and worse. It runs through a firewire connection, and lately it just keeps flaking out...to the point i disconnected it. About every 30-45 minutes, it would lose signal and just stop working. I was getting less and less impressed with the titanTV interface and the lack of support from Elgato over the known crashing bug. Hopefully they can get it fixed soon. It has a ton of potential.



7. Sony Cybershot DSC-W5 - Just got this camera for christmas. Its a nice upgrade from my old cybershot, 5.1mp, 3x optical zoom, nice big LCD screen...however, im having alot of trouble getting used to the auto focus. Id say about 90% of the pictures ive taken so far with it are blurry. I learned recently(after reading the manual, suprisingly) that to auto focus in certain modes, you need to hold the button down for a few seconds until the reticule on the LCD turns green, then take the picture. Not sure how i feel about this, since most of the pictures i take are of quick things. I.e. babies, cats, cityscapes, etc. Well have to see how it turns out. Honestly, the image quality has been great so far on the images that havent been blurry. Cant wait for my vegas trip to get a good test of it!





6. Blackberry 7510 - Got a good deal on this through my old company. Good interface, very rugged device. I still use it to this day, and really see no reason to upgrade. Im actually thinking of switching back to using this as my main cell phone again, rather than carrying 2 devices around. Great clear screen, easy to use keyboard, etc. Its very very cool.





5. iPod Mini - Cant go wrong with an ipod. I switched to a mini when i started travelling more for increased battery life, and its a bit more rugged than the last ipod i had. The screen was incredible, great backlight, and the clickwheel was so much better than the old touchwheel i had. I also got it on discount from apple, which wasnt bad. It is now being used by my dad, hes testing it out since he still has a 2nd gen ipod...:P




4. Sirus Sattelite Radio - Last year for christmas my folks got me a blaupunkt sirius head unit for my car. Honestly, sattlelite radio is one of my new favorite things. Great reception, awesome channel selection...only thing is i dont drive enough now to use it as much as i used to. Sirius is doing a great job with this, and this device is top notch. The only complaint i have is that the unit gets EXTREMELY hot after a short period of use. Other than that, it is a wonderful device!



3. ATI X800 - What a video card. I debated spending the money on a video card, since it was around 250$ when i got it, but hot damn. Worth every penny. Playing games like WoW or SWG with full settings as well as with doing video work, this card roars. Ive never had a high end video card like this, but it is simply amazing. With the 19in Dell LCD i got for my PC, it finished out my gaming rig, and this machine seriously is incredible. Id like to see how good it looks with a widescreen DVI LCD, but that is a long way off. With playing as much WoW as I do, this card makes that such an amazing experience.



2. Powermac G5 1.8ghz - Ive been wanting to upgrade my mac for a long time, and ever since the G5's came out, i knew i wanted to have a machine with that kind of horsepower. If it werent for this machine, i wouldnt have ever started podcasting, website work, audio editing, digital video and so much more. The sheer power of this box is amazing, and of course Tiger is a magnificant OS. Im running 2 monitors on this machine, and i wish i could run more, from all the things i want to do with it. Anyone who hasnt used a mac should really try one. I dont care what model you use, but try them out. They are one of the most pleasant user experiences ive had. 1.8Ghz, 80gb HD, 1.25GB RAM, Superdrive and digital audio ports, this machine is the perfect digital media machine.



1. iPod Video - Hands down the most amazing piece of technology i have seen apple put out since i have become a neo-fan of apple. Ive had just about every model of ipod and this by far is the best. The screen is beautiful, the device is thin and the interface is amazing. I cant stop messing with this thing. Watching video on the train is great. Perfect usability, and the screen is very comfortable on the eyes. The itunes video store is amazing, as all the shows that are on there are in spectacular quality for the ipod. I cant wait to test it out on a TV using the dock and AV cables. It would be nice if they made the device more scratch/fingerprint resistant. I have taken great care of it and it is not scratched it, but i have heard alot of complaints that it scratches easily. However, it is almost impossible to handle this thing without getting fingerprints and smudges all over it, which on a normal ipod isnt really an issue, but when you smudge up the screen, it makes it kind of difficult to watch video. Other than that, this thing is a 10/10!

Nothing can stop the signal, Mal....

So.....a show that was cancelled because of "lack of interest", a movie that was said to be a failure because of "lack of interest" and the dvd of the movie is #1 and series is #3 on amazon's sales list for the week of christmas?

The numbers dudes are smoking something in the film industry....


Top Sellers

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas everyone! Hope you are all surrounded by loved ones, or at least know how to deal with the ones who annoy you! :P


All in all, i had a great christmas this year. I was able to make dinner and host Christmas Eve festivities here at my apartment. It was nice to have mom and dad over. We had a nice dinner(lasagna that i made from scratch) and exchanged gifts. It was an all dvd christmas for them, and we watched Serenity(one that i gave dad) after we were done opening gifts. I got possibly the best present ever, a 60gb black Video iPod....and i am so happy :D My parents are the best :D

Christmas day was nice, including talking to a special someone i havent had the ability to really talk to in a while....it was nice. Spent the rest of the day over at mom and dads with missy, matt, lil emmy, and grandma and grandpa. Was a nice day :P

Hope you all had a nice christmas!

StarTrek.com Going Offline?

Wow. How bad does this have to be for them to shut off star trek's website. Paramount is screwing this franchise over BIG TIME.

saveenterprise.com 0 Star Trek.com Going offline

Overused Word Of The Year

Blogosphere: The totality of all blogs. A culture heavily overlapping with but not coincident with hackerdom; a few of its key coinages (blogrolling, fisking, anti-idiotarianism) are recorded in this lexicon for flavor. Bloggers often divide themselves into warbloggers and techbloggers. The techbloggers write about technology and technology policy, while the warbloggers are more politically focused and tend to be preoccupied with U.S. and world response to the post-9/11 war against terrorism. The overlap with hackerdom is heaviest among the techbloggers, but several of the most prominent warbloggers are also hackers. Bloggers in general tend to be aware of and sympathetic to the hacker culture.



Im tired of this word. Its so annoying.

I love my Aussie Friends

Gunsoo(pod people name), my friend from Australia kills me.

[08:12] waggoner98: what did you think i looked like
[08:12] waggoner98: seriously
[08:12] PokerBillionaire: to be honest, i thought u kinda looked like that guy from stargate
[08:12] PokerBillionaire: the sergeant guy
[08:12] waggoner98: HA
[08:13] waggoner98: wait
[08:13] waggoner98: richard dean anderson?
[08:13] PokerBillionaire: not general hammond
[08:13] PokerBillionaire: the grey haired guy
[08:13] PokerBillionaire: yeah
[08:13] PokerBillionaire: thats the one
[08:13] waggoner98: HAHAHA
[08:13] waggoner98: HAHAHA
[08:13] waggoner98: i wish
[08:13] waggoner98: id get all t3h ladies then
[08:13] PokerBillionaire: yeah, he looks coo
[08:13] waggoner98: hes friggin mcguyver
[08:13] PokerBillionaire: but he is 1337

Interesting week so far...

Been an odd week. Been pretty slow, weather is shady, cold and snowy. Tryin to get through the slow days in order to get home and have some fun WoW times. Its pretty awesome talking to people all over the globe, especially lately a certain aussie :) Right now i have more "game friends" than real friends, and its very different. Most people frown on that type of stuff, but for me it is gratifying. Sure, we dont go sit in a bar and talk about our days....we play a game we love playing and talk about our days. We may not be physically in the same room, but we are all doing something we enjoy. It is really cool.

I get friday off. Things are really slow at work, my boss is on vacation, so i got the OK for the day off. Maybe i can get my super secret taverncast segment edited and ready for the christmas show. Maybe i can do a GCO micro cast. Maybe...ill play WOW all day :P

Talk of friends aside, im starting to feel the emptiness again. That emptiness you feel after the surge of independance and pain of a broken heart fades from a serious relationship. It seems anyone i would be interested in, there is some stupid situation. Distance. Age, etc. Nothing can be easy. More often than not, it seems like im destined to be a bachelor. That not so bad. I got a callie. Shes all i could ask for.

I kind of wish i was back in college in that regard. So easy to meet people then. Friends of friends, classmates, etc. Now, everyone i spend time with is either married or a coworker, or both. I seem to be the only single guy in my immediate group of peers. How lame is that. Guys younger than me have been married 1-2 years. Some even have kids. Im starting to feel like that crazy old dude everyone saw sitting on a park bench as a kid. Old and lonely, would feed the birds just to stay busy. Blah. Times have changes, as im blogging this, and people will read it, but it doesnt change the time honored feeling of emptiness single people feel.

Is it better being by my family? Of course. But they cant fill the gap in my heart right now, no matter how much they love me. No matter how many lunches i have with mom downtown, no matter how many times i play with emily, no matter how many times my dad and i will go to Fry's to look at electronics, it doesnt change the fact that i come home to an empty apartment, and sleep with a shadow of nothing next to me.

2 years ago, i had everything planned out. If i only knew the truth of what my life would be right now. Am i complaining? Not really. it will happen if it is destined to, but it doesnt mean that the pain of lonliness wont go away. So i guess i keep doing what i do to feel good.

Pet a cat. Play some WoW.

I Am Happy.

The Bears can clinch a playoff berth this weekend with a victory over the Falcons coupled with losses by the Giants and Cowboys.


Vick is hurt as of last night. He is most likely questionable for sunday.

Goose Is Getting Fat

Good weekend. Well, uneventful. Lets just say that. Friday, had dinner with the folks, tried to avoid more snow, then WoW'd untill the wee hours of the night. Been fun since i hit 60, been able to just play without worrying about grinding, leveling, questing, etc. I've been able to do the higher level instances, and actually will be tagging along with the server's largest horde guild this thursday to hit Molten Core, the largest and (potentially) hardest dungeon/instance in the game. Should be fun :D

My brother in law's high school had their madrigal dinner on sunday. Was pretty neat, kids did a good job, i could tell they worked really hard. Unfortunately, i ripped my toenail off my right pinky toe....if youve never done that, let me tell you...it is one of the most painful things ever. The right half of my foot hurt. Ugh. Still not feeling that great, but damn. Ow.


Getting ready for christmas as well. Christmas eve will be at my apartment this year, and it will be me, mom and dad...and of course callie. Shes getting excited, and showing me by attacking the tree skirt around my christmas tree. Naughty animal. Im only asking for a few things this year for christmas.

1. My soulmate. Must be accepting of my hobbies and interests. Callie must also approve. Also must not live far far away.
2. Black Dragonscale Armor - my WoW char could use this right now.
3. Financial Freedom. nuff said. Will accept gold bullion.
4. Apple branded DVR/Home Theatre/Game Console/Reality distortion field.
5. Laser Gun - PEW PEW
6. Bottom replacement teeth for callie. Cmon. Its sad to see a toothless cat....

That should really do it. #1 is most important. Lonlieness sucks.

Make Your Own Zombie....

Roxi sent me this...


GOOD GOD. /scared

Snow

So....after my last post, i just wanted to follow up.

Yep, we got a bunch of snow. A good 5-7 inches from what the weather folks say. It was bad because it came down around 3-4 local time, right during rush hour. When the roads are packed with cars, plows cant get through, and things just get worse.

Worst part of the huge storm is this, where a southwest plane skidded not only OFF the runway, but all the way on to 55th street, the main road that goes past Midwar arpt. It hit a car, killed a young boy and injured 11 others. Sad story :(

Looking forward to a quiet weekend. Need peace and quiet, and most of all....sleep.

Tom Skilling Makes Me Scared...

Chicago Tribune | Chicago area's 8th snow of the season heaviest yet; 2-6" on the way:

"Frigid temperatures interact with the season's most potent snow system to date to produce a 'fluffy' brand of snow Thursday likely to lead to impressive snow accumulations --especially in light of the limited moisture available. In most cases an inch of water produces approximately 10' of snow."

Smells like.....

Chicago stinks today. Not stinks as in "is bad", but litterally smells.

I have 2 blocks to walk from union station to where the Sears Tower is....and i thought i was going to vomit from the stench. I wish i knew what it would take that could make an entire city smell like rancid ass.

Apartment Photo

 



New apartment with my tree....and the nice fiber optic Chicago Bears Wreath :D 

New Camera

 



Doesnt she look loverly with the new camera? 

Anyone Ever Used This?

Sounds pretty cool...might have to try it out...


Xfire - gaming simplified

Adam Curry Caught Changing Podcasting History

How retarded could he be?


I cant stand adam curry...and for no good reason. This guy just seems to want to take credit for all of what podcasting is today. I am NOT a fan.

Cold Times In The Windy City

Im looking to get a new digital camera in the next few days/weeks, and am thinking of making this more of a photo blog. Picasa is becoming one of my new favorite apps(yes, even more than iPhoto) and being downtown, I get to see some really interesting things. More to come soon.

Speaking of downtown...its been nice being back downtown. Been working here at my new job since Halloween, and its been great. Nice environment, good boss, nice pace...doesnt hurt that i work 715-4 either. I do have to say, one of the most disconcerting parts of working downtown is seeing the homeless/panhandlers around union station. I have sympathy for those less fortunate than myself, however, when i see the same people begging outside union station day in and day out, i really wonder if they are even trying to turn themselves around. Seems that asking for handouts is all they know how to do. Sad, really.

Podcasts are going strong. Taverncast keeps going, up to almost our 14th episode. GCO is on hiatus right now because of some wierd goings on with the crew. We are working really hard to revamp the show, find some new staff, get things going again. Im estimating about 7-800 listeners at the moment. Not bad, im happy about that for something that i pretty much created, recorded, edited, hosted all on my own. Look for GCO Season 2 to come in January.


Bears are kicking ass and taking names. 8 game winning streak. Beat the packers. #1 ranked defense. #1 in the NFC North. #2 in the NFC. I couldnt be happier. /tearsofjoy

Going to vegas again middle of january with the folks. Should be a good time. Star Trek experience, here I come! We are staying at the Orleans for the weekend, going to see Tower Of Power again, and will bask in the warmth. I cant wait :D

Christmas is coming, and it seems that an iPod Video is in my future....cant wait! Will let you all know if it is new hotness or old and busted after december two five.

Back to work now, hope everyone is doing well! Stay warm out there, and have a good holiday!

DING 60!

 


FINALLY!

My oh My oh My.....

It really has been a long time since I put anything up here. Its been a very crazy month and a half, but things are starting to settle down, and I sure do have alot to talk about!


First and foremost, alot of people got ahold of me after my last post. Thanks for all the concern. Those of you who i talk to on a regular/semi regular basis know the story. All in all, needed to move on from the job i was at a very short time. Long story short, i am in a way better positions and at a way better company. Its been a very dramatic few months. Hopefully the drama with that is over now, and things will settle down a bit. Im starting to feel not so burned out, and that is a very very good thing.


GameCast Online is going well...just hit episode 8, and listenership is very heavy. The crew is now 3 people strong, and we have anywhere between 700-1000 listeners. Check it out at www.gamecastonline.com or search for gamecast on iTunes in the podcast section!


In other podcast news, I've been asked to join the cast of Taverncast(www.taverncast.com) full time, which is awesome. These guys and gal are the ones that got me started in podcasting, and them asking me to come on their show was one of the nicest things people have ever done for me. Eloy, Kirn, Cromley and even Karg are really cool, and I totally look forward to helping with this INSANELY popular podcast!

Chicago is chicago. Wind, cold, rain, snow, etc. Been a normal fall, and since the time change, the hwole sunset thing is killing me. By the time i get off the train near home at 515, its already pitch black out. Winter doldrums are coming, blah. Hopefully this winter will have snow, so things arent so grey and dark. The white spices stuff up :) Its pretty awesome working right next to the sears tower. I get to walk past one of the most amazing wonders of the world at least twice a day, when some people rarely ever see things taller than 3 stories. WOrking downtown is one of the best things i could have ever experienced. Taking the train in every day, walking through the city, seeing all the different things, having lunch with my mom....its truely an awesome experience. I wouldnt trade it for anything.

World of Warcraft is going going going....have my hunter on whisperwind up to 56. Cant wait to get them to 60. Should be fun to do the end game content. Pod People guild is huge too, over 230 memebers. /boggle. Being a guildmaster sure is alot of work for that many people. I know, i know, wah wah wah.

Little emily is doing well too. Healthy, growing, and has started rolling over :) I love playing with her, shes got the cutest noises and stuff now. Great times! She likes sucking on my finger, though....not sure how i feel about baby slime.

On that note, ill kill this entry. Hopefully going to get this updated a bit more since things have slowed down. Hope all are doing well!

Bad Day

After my thursday, this is all i have to say...


 



Yo 6 o'clock every morning you waking up yawning
To the sound of your alarm clock alarm
About an hour from now
You should be at the place of employment
Which is annoying cause it's so boring
Your co-workers are talking too loud for you to ignore them
It affects your occupational performance
You wonder why your work load is so enormous
Because your boss just laid off three quarters of the whole office
People get depressed, they get ulcers
From the stress that the corporate environment causes
Regardless of how you ultimately wanna solve this
Seems to me like you've got one of four choices:
You could take a new job offer for more chips
Stick it out a little longer or forfeit
But my advice to anybody that wants to quit
It'll feel much better if you say it like this:

Take this job and shove it
I ain't workin here no more
Take this job and shove it
I ain't workin here no more
Take this job and shove it
I ain't workin here no more
Take this job, take this job, take this job and shove it 

My Man Bryce...

I got to tell you, this is one funny bastard.

Mr MoodVertigo, aka Bryce has some great posts on his livejournal he dug up for me. You have to check them out.

Fun at Whole Foods

Fun at the Democratic Primaries

Zzzzz....

 


Nothing like a good sleep after a weekend of raiding....


WTG Pod People! 

Electrical interferance....

So yeah...havent posted lately, ive been feverishly trying to deal with a few issues of note.

1. Electrical issues in my apartment. My lights have been dimming, very loud humming through my speakers/phone/microphone/etc in my apartment. Something was really wrong. My complex thinks they have it fixed, but well see.

2. The humming has made it completely impossible for me to record my podcast or use skype/ventrillo so i have pretty much been out of communication with people. It seems that the electrical system killed the DSP(digital signal processor) on my nice plantronics USB headset, so i had to get a new one. It wasnt that bad, it let me go to Fry's :) and i got a 2nd cheaper mono headset mic for my PC to use for ventrillo for WoW.

However, while trying to find the source of the humming(before i knew it was my mic) I tore my entire office apart in my apartment.

Office BEFORE i took everything apart trying to find the humming...



Office AFTER i took everything apart trying to find the humming...



3. Started a guild in WoW on the Horde side of Whisperwind with the creators of Taverncast and World of Warcast. For some reason, they decided to make me guild leader >.> Its pretty awesome, in 3 days we already have 30 members comprised just of listeners to their 2 shows and mine. Im having a blast doing it, even though i just hit level 50 with my paladin on Windrunner.

4. I think my iPod mini is toast. Walking into work today it now just blinks an apple logo, clicks, shuts off, powers on, and blinks the apple logo. Rinse. Repeat. Time to take it into the apple store...


Other than that, things are ok. Been sick for about a week and a half now, and work has been nuts. One day at a time. One day at a time.

Ricci Makes Me Laugh...

Wags: /me requests to be shot in the face

Ricci:
Yarrrr#> move bjw11 /dev/null/out_office_window

if
wags == angry.wags
then
jump.possibility = jump.possibility++
endif

if
jump.possibility >= sad[wednesday]
then
wags = asphalt sandwich
endif

har har har....

Dear Tech Support:

Last year I upgraded from Girlfriend 7.0 to Wife 1.0. I soon noticed that the new program began unexpected child processing that took up a lot of space and valuable resources. In addition, Wife 1.0 installed itself into all other programs and now monitors all other system activity. Applications such as Poker Night 10.3, Football 5.0, Hunting and Fishing 7.5, and Racing
3.6
I can't seem to keep Wife 1.0 in the background while attempting to run my favorite applications. I'm thinking about going back to Girlfriend 7.0, but the uninstall doesn't work on Wife 1.0. Please help!

Thanks,

A Troubled User.



(KEEP READING)
______________________________________

REPLY:
Dear Troubled User:

This is a very common problem that men complain about.

Many people upgrade from Girlfriend 7.0 to Wife 1.0, thinking that it is just a Utilities and Entertainment program. Wife 1.0 is an OPERATING SYSTEM and is designed by its Creator to run EVERYTHING!!! It is also impossible to delete Wife 1. 0 and to return to Girlfriend 7.0. It is impossible to uninstall, or purge the program files from the system once installed.

You cannot go back to Girlfriend 7.0 because Wife 1.0 is designed to not allow this. Look in your Wife 1.0 manual under Warnings-Alimony-Child Support. I recommend that you keep Wife.0 and work on improving the situation. I suggest installing the background application "Yes Dear" to alleviate software augmentation.

The best course of action is to enter the command C:\APOLOGIZE because ultimat! ely you will have to give the APOLOGIZE command before the system
will return to normal anyway.
Wife 1.0 is a great program, but it tends to be very high maintenance. Wife 1.0 comes with several support programs, such as Clean and Sweep 3.0, Cook It 1.5 and Do Bills 4.2.

However, be very careful how you use these programs. Improper use will cause the system to launch the program Nag Nag 9.5. Once this happens, the only way to improve the performance of Wife 1.0 is to purchase additional
software. I recommend Flowers 2.1 and Diamonds 5.0 !
WARNING!!! DO NOT, under any circumstances, install Secretary With Short Skirt 3.3. This application is not supported by Wife 1.0 and will cause irreversible damage to the operating system.

Best of luck,
Tech Support

One of the most amazing stories I've heard...

From Drudge Report


8 BOTTLENOSE DOLPHINS FOUND OFF GULFPORT
Tue Sep 13 2005 19:59:07 ET

Eight bottlenose dolphins that were washed out of their Mississippi aquarium pool during Hurricane Katrina have been found alive, huddled together in the fetid waters off Gulfport, Miss, the BOSTON GLOBE will report on Wednesday.

Now, deeply worried about the dolphins' chances of survival, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration officials and aquarium biologists are racing to rescue the weak and wounded animals - some of which have never before ventured into the wild.

"These animals found us, they came back after Katrina ... they came home," said Moby Solangi, president of the Marine Life Oceanarium in Gulfport. "All eight are together. It's the most wonderful news."

Established in 1956, the facility suffered catastrophic damage in the storm. Along with the dolphins, 19 sea lions were swept out of their pools when a giant storm surge engulfed the Oceanarium. Five of them are still missing.

Quick GameCast Pimping...

2 Quick Announcements:

First, Im looking for a logo for the show, a graphic with 'GameCast Online" in it in some form or another.

Anyone can submit, so tell your friends, tell your family, tell that kid you know who is good with photoshop and then steal the image from him....errr...


Prize: 25$ Best Buy Gift Card
Deadline: ASAP, but id like to have submissions before oct 1!
Submit to: brian@gamecastonline.com


Second, GameCast Online is currently looking for a permanant co-host.

Things we are looking for in a co-host -

Outgoing personality
Passion for gaming
Knowledge of Gaming Community
Willingness to work as a team
Flexibility to record shows in the evenings

Web Design/Graphical Design Skills a plus, but not required.



Contact me @ brian@gamecastonline.com with any questions!

Fall TV...yay....

Not only did football season start yesterday, but coming up soon....FALL TV SEASON!

Here are the release dates for the new seasons of the shows I watch or will be watching.

Bones (Fox) Sept. 13
House (Fox) Sept. 13
Threshold (CBS) Sept. 16
CSI: Miami (CBS) Sept. 19
Surface (NBC) Sept. 19
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (NBC) Sept. 20
Office (NBC) Sept. 20
CSI: NY (CBS) Sept. 21
E-Ring (NBC) Sept. 21
Invasion (ABC) Sept. 21
Law & Order (NBC) Sept. 21
Lost (ABC) Sept. 21
CSI (CBS) Sept. 22 3
Law & Order: Criminal Intent (NBC) Sept. 25
West Wing (NBC) Sept. 25
Commander In Chief (ABC) Sept. 27
Without a Trace (CBS) Sept. 29

Been pretty busy...

Hello all, I know it has been a while since a post of note. Ive been putting in some wild hours at work, and been pretty busy outside of work as well. What have I been doing?

1. Podcasting. My podcast has been doing very well, i have about 200 subscribers right now and growing every day. The recent trend is that i double listeners about every 3-4 days. Im very happy with this, and I've only put out 2(technically 3) episodes. Im working on episode 3 as we speak, and it should be the best one yet. Ive changed the podcasting model around, since most casts are either a guy talking at you or 2 people having a discussion. Ive tried to innovate a bit by asking podcasters from shows i listen to to come on my show, interview them, have them weigh in on some things they may not cover in their own show. The first week I had Jamie Jordan of Gaminguncensored.com guest host, the next week I had a short interview with 2 guys from http://www.taverncast.com/. I wont say who the guests are this week, but I will say that if you are a star wars galaxies fan, you should definately listen in! Check it out at http://www.gamecastonline.com/, or search for GameCast Online in the podcast section of iTunes.

2. Playing with my niece. Emily is seriously adorable. I have some more pictures I'll throw up soon of her that my sister and I took, but shes growing so fast and is becoming so much more aware. I have such a good time with her, and I think I can actually handle this baby thing!

3. World of Warcraft. Ive cancelled my 2 Star Wars Galaxies accounts for good and have been spending what little gaming time I do have in WoW. Its so fun to play, I have tons of people to play with, and my main character is in a GREAT guild. It will be nice once im able to ding lvl 60, so I can help out in the high end raids. Im halfway through lvl 47, should hopefully hit 48 tonite.

4. Went to VEGAS! Last weekend I went to Las Vegas with my parents...it was an incredible time. Ill post more with pictures hopefully later, including the most satisfying moment ive had in my life, a childhood dream truley fulfilled. More on that later.

Other than that, same old same old. Work, lunch with mom downtown alot, work, ride home with mom, do stuff at home or with Emily...repeat. Things are good.

Look for some emily pictures to come soon, and a longer post talking and showing some of the sights and stories of my trip to Vegas over labor day!

Have a good rest of the week, everyone!


Edit: For the record, an instant day ruiner would be messing around searching on google images, and finding pictures of your ex-fiancee getting cuddly on a chair with roses with someone she swore she never would be interested in.

Beware of ranting...

I guess the title is something of a misleading statement....i dont really want to rant. Its just been one of those days. Hell, its been 2 of those days.

Ive been doing the podcasting thing....well, again, thats a misleading statement. Ive done 1 episode....and its done pretty well. Every day im gaining listeners. I have been lucky enough to get a guest host for my first show who did a great job, and then spent a week working to get a guest host for this weeks show. Not only did i get 1, but i got 2....and 2 guys that do a podcast that i really enjoy. So i get everything together, we set up last night to record...and after recording about 2 hours of great stuff, i was really pumped. I went to the kitchen to get a glass of water before starting to edit it, and when i came back and found the audio file imported into garageband...

...

....

The audio file didnt have any of their audio. All it had was me talking. Again, thats not really true. It had part of their audio, until skype cut out the first time, and the audio capture program i use lost the input feed. Suck. I felt this HUGE sinking feeling in my stomach. Luckily, the guys i worked with have been pretty understanding, and i think well re-record tomorrow night. So theres that.

Now, im making a rule. After all the complaining i did about Crowe and travel and whatnot, (as you may have noticed) I havent said where my new job is, what im doing, etc. Not only am i going to keep that out of here as much as possible, but im not going to rant about work on here either. I could do it, and have endless stories. Alas...i wont. Lets just say today was not a good day. /sigh.

Bears news.....while i havent talked on here much about it(because ive had a good outlet on bears.mysportsradio.com) Im happy with the releasing of hutchinson and putting orton as a starter. Best chance to win right now. Lets see how thursday goes.

tell your friends...tell your family...tell strangers on the street....www.gamecastonline.com



Peace out, yall.

Picture Of The Day

Google Talk

Google released their beta of an Instant Messaging program today, called Google Talk. It definately looks interesting, but very very beta.


Check it out at http://talk.google.com

It Is Nice To See Sony Do Something Right...

I posted on this topic last week, complaining about the group XP change that was pushed live with SWG (after only 16 hours of testing, i found out from the galaxy report). Here is a statement they put out yesterday.

Dear Star Wars Galaxies Players,

On behalf of the entire LucasArts and SOE SWG team, we wanted to take this opportunity to apologize for a recent change we made regarding group experience (XP) rates. With Publish 22, we attempted to fix an unintended game play mechanic that we introduced with the Combat Upgrade earlier this year. Specifically, we wanted to correct a large divergence between the rate at which experience (XP) could be earned in a solo setting versus a group setting. After this change hit live, we were presented with a mountain of feedback describing how this change had a major negative impact on your enjoyment of the game. We want to let you know that we hear you and we value your feedback. You were right: we made a mistake on this one and we reversed out the change because of that feedback. We continue to learn from experience and pledge to improve our process for bringing you timely updates to Star Wars Galaxies. Thank you for your understanding and we look forward to seeing you in the game!

Sincerely, Julio Torres Producer, Star Wars Galaxies LucasArts Todd Fiala Director of Development, Austin Studio Sony Online Entertainment


Thats a step in the right direction...now lets fix those bugs!

1337 FTW

W00T - Ch3k 1t 0ut!

Reason #95843853 why I will not play SWG anymore...

The following came from a posting by Tiggs on the official Star Wars Galaxies forums:

Publish 22 Experience Changes

Experience is now divided among group members, rather than every group member receiving full credit for the kill.

A larger group experience bonus was implemented, to ensure that grouping is still optimal: although experience earned per kill is less, a group of players is still able to earn experience over time at a much faster rate than a solo player.

For example:

If you solo a creature then you get 6000 experience.
If I solo a creature then I get 6000 experience.
If we group and kill two creatures together, then we get 3000 experience per creature each (6000xp total), plus an additional bonus amount of experience because we are grouped (and two of us together can kill those two creatures more quickly than we could have solo'd one each).


That is EXACTLY how World of Warcraft does it. Every change that is being made to the game is mimicing WoW. The new CH changes where you get skills from pets and teach them to other pets, exactly the same as the hunter system on WoW. The new quests, new content, all very much like WoW. Whats the major difference?

BUGS. Its all broken. None of it ever works! If i want to play WoW, ill play WoW, which I'm doing. This ever popular seek to make SWG - "WoW In Space" is making me so mad.


/rant off

Interesting Chart

Here is a link to a site that has a pie chart showing marketshare for MMORPG's. The data has not been updated since june, so it doesnt reflect World Of Warcraft taking the top spot since they opened subscriptions to China and Singapore. Last count from blizzard is that they hit 3.5 million subscribers after making WoW available in China. Pretty incredible.

My suprise is that lineage 1 and 2 take up about 40% of the market. I havent heard much about it, let alone that it was that huge.

Its also good to see that Ultima Online has a decent share of the 2ndary market, seeing as how that game came out when i was in highschool. Incredible.

MMOG Chart

DMB + WMA = BS

Im suprised that it took so long for this to catch some national attention, especially since Stand Up came out earlier in the spring, however, the fact that the official Stand Up website instructs those who want to put the album on an ipod must rip the songs, burn a CD, then re-rip it, essentially stripping the tracks of all DRM. This has been a big loophole for Apple's DRM since the music store launched, and while i know DMB will catch some flak for being the one to vocally support it, i think it is a fair request to have iTunes "support" WMA format. I think they should still sell songs and use the AAC format as their standard, since to me it sounds better, has more options for information(album art, chapter tracks, etc).

Who knows, read the article below for more information.


Dave Matthews Band Offers Copy Protection Circumvention; Asks Apple to Support WMA || iPodObserver

The Flasbacks Are Too Hard To Handle...

I knew it must be too good to be true, having a fully healthy bears 1st team for the first time since last september....and now Rex Grossman is out for another year. They say 3-4 months, but thats essentially the season.

I dont even know what to say now....on monday, i heard that he wasnt even touched by the defense, and then on a hit like this...pop goes the ankle. I feel bad for Rex, but now coaches have to wonder...is Rex too weak to handle the NFL? He was a great QB in college, but the NFL is a different bird. Hits are harder, guys are bigger, etc...

Chad Hutchinson didnt blow me or opponents away last year....who knows what will happen. My opinion? Time for mgmt to get ready to fork over some big bucks for a known veteran QB who still has years in him, not like Chandler, Kordell Stewart, etc...but someone with some gusto. This is just really dissapointing, especially seeing as how this is the first time in over 6 years where i can see every game of the season, since im back in chicago. I just wanted to hide on friday night. Now, we bring in Jeff Blake....i dont even know what to say about that....its another older unproven QB, who doesnt bring much to the team. In addidion to his questionable athleticism, hes also got a huge attitude problem. This is not looking good....

In other news, i must have had sympathy pains for Rex, because the foot where i tore a tendon in my ankle in the spring has been re-aggrivated again. I have a lovely limp, and look like a complete idiot. Hopefully it heals up soon....not 3-4 months....

Look for nerd room updates this week. I'm thinking of making a full page dedicated to it, since there have been some MAJOR updates to it since moving here to chicago. 5 systems, new networking hardware, new flat panel for my gaming machine...itll be interesting. You cant forget the new cat bed for lil' callie...thats her new pride and joy.

Other than that, not alot of excitement. News that a friend of mine from Crowe is coming to my current employer is exciting, Mike Ricci...he and i get along great, and i like hanging out with him, hes a good kid. Ive been using a new program(to me at least) called Skype to talk to JMan and some other people alot lately. Its an IP Telephony program that is honestly clearer than my cell phone or vonage system. The only downside is that if you have a slow machine or limited bandwidth, you can run into some problems(like we had last night) in sound artifacts and the like. However, on a decent machine with decent bandwidth, it sounds great. Alot better than teamspeak, very little delay and easy to use.

JMan and i hope to get our first podcast recorded and up this week, weve run into some time snags and still are trying to get our recording options straightened out. It hopefully should be interesting once its done.

Hope you all are doing well!

*shrieks like a girl*

So, my new boss was having a rough time with some work the past few weeks, so in jest, i offered here the services of a squishy school bus i had that you squeeze to reduce stress.


I guess she got so stressed out...she broke the bus. BROKE. THE. BUS.


Should i be worried? Am I next? Poor squishy bus....we barely knew ye....

Gamecast Online

Well, lately, I've fallen in love with podcasts. They are a real source of news, ideas, etc...but mostly entertainment. I got JMan hooked on them too, so he and i are going to start doing a podcast about Gaming, Technology, Nerdy stuff, etc...should be fun.

The website is up, www.gamecastonline.com and soon we will have our first episode up. Keep an eye on here and on the gamecast site for news on the episode releases! If you dont know what podcasting is, check out the following link Podcasting


Welcome to Gamecast Online!

Welcome Home

Space Shuttle Discovery Lands Safely

TGIF

And with a whimper...this week comes to a close. Have a good weekend blog readers!

Its About Time

Welcome to the military, Raptors. The F/A-22 are now officially in active service.

Anyone up for a trip to langley AFB? /me Wants to see them...

Langley offers mix of new, old aircraft

ITS BEEN FOUND

THE BEST SITE ON THE INTERWEBTERNET

Creative Is First?

Creative has actually come out with a pretty cool product. Their new Zen Vision product is a "Portable Media Player", which is an mp3 player, photo viewer, and also plays video in different formats, divx and xvid being 2 popular codecs, plus wmv. I have to say, this looks really attractive, and i hope apple, who is rumored to be working on a video ipod will learn from this device. Apple, who has a history of being proprietary at times could forseeably only support quicktime with a version of their media player, and that for me would be a deal breaker, since ive been encoding alot of TV episodes to divx because of its quality and compression.

Id love to be able to watch episodes of TV i recorded on my elgato EyeTV and exported to divx while riding the train in the morning, and if apple doesnt support a variety of codecs and formats with theirs, im afraid it will be doomed to failure. ( i know, people said that when this version ipod wouldnt support WMA)

While listening to MacCast (a podcast) today, i heard the video ipod being compared to the Sony Watchman, and i dont think thats the case. The difference now is that there is a HUGE reliance on computers for music, movies and pictures. People would love to take that on the road, and they will be cheaper than a dvd player or a laptop. Also, with the PSP movie format, it proves to show that there is a market for portable movies. I cant wait to see what happens with this...but if there is no alternative from apple soon, i might nab this thing up in a few months.

Zen Vision

Here I Come To Save The Daaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyy!

First the switch to Intel Processors, now a 2 button mouse. Or is it?

Apple released their new mouse today, and while it will be called a 2 button mouse, the truth is quite different. Its a 1 button mouse, with sensors on both sides, acting like a 2 button mouse. It also has a 360 degree scroll ball, touch sensitive buttons, and works with both mac and PC. I gotta say, while i never liked apple mice before, i think i need to get one of these. maybe 2...one for my G5, one for my Gaming machine....

Check it out on the link below....


Apple - Mighty Mouse

First Impressions - Part 2

So - i need to add to the post regarding windows vista.

Thanks to the folks over on a great site, www.pronetworks.org, i was able to get Vista up and running. Ends up, there is a common installation bug with Vista Beta 1 that will have this sort of thing happen for some video cards. Started up in safe mode, installed the latest detonators from Nvidia, and she was good to go.

All in all, i guess im not that impressed with what ive seen. Im not saying its bad, but its not the "Next generation OS" that people had been promised from MS. I know that they keep paring off features so that is can come out in a timely manner, but it ends up that this is a prettier XP, with some new features. Not a total rebuild of the OS. Granted, this is still just Beta 1, but after messing with it for about an hour, I dont see anything that makes me go "wow" like ive done with each Mac OS release since 10.2.

The new interface is pretty, its alot more like OS X, the Aero glass theme is nice, and the window transparency is as well. The new backup program looks to be a nice feature, but as of right now, it doesnt let you do anything else besides backup to CD or DVD. Im a huge believer in network backups, and until it has a feature to backup to a share, i wont use it.

IE 7 = Firefox 1.0 Whoopidee doo. It has a search bar for MSN search, tabbed browsing, and some added security features. Ill keep using Safari and Firefox. Firefox was actually the first application i installed.

Unlike most people, i like the subtraction of the "my" prefix from everything. I think it gives it a more professional look. I also like the redefined explorer windows with the dropdown bars that let you instantly navigate to any folder on the machine. I think that navigation feature is a great addition, even if OS X has had it since panther.

The search technology isnt as inclusive as Spotlight is on Tiger, I dont think, and its somewhat archaeic right now. The options arent very user friendly, from my perspective. Dollars for Doughnuts, ill stick with google desktop search until this gets a little easier to configure.

While MS is still touting that Vista will have features that will require you to restart/shutdown your computer less, i dont see that. The times ive tried using the hibernate/sleep functions have crashed the machine. Beta, I know, I know, but ive never gotten sleep to work right on PC's, im hoping it gets it right with this iteration.

Networking wise, im finding that my 2 shared drives mounted on other machines will randomly unmount. Thats especially bad when im trying to watch divx rips of old seaQuest episodes on my mac. Not good at all. Ill have to figure out what that issue is.


Ill post some screens soon, but as of right now, its a prettier XP. Maybe with more testing, well see. Leave some Vista feedback in the comment section.

Success of MMORPGS?

Ive read some interesting things lately. Most interesting is that while World of Warcraft, the self proclaimed #1 online roleplaying game in the world continues to add new servers/realms to play on to keep up with load issues and customer demand.....the Matrix Online is consolidating theirs. MxO will now only have 3 servers, while WoW will have close to 30.


What causes things like this? Why are there no average games? Why is Blizzard so successful?

3 things.
1. Content.
2. Stability.
3. Quality.


Bugs, lag, broken professions....nothing like that is in World of Warcraft. The grind can burn you out from time to time, and the game can be EXTREMELY solo based, but all in all, its fun, a quality product and keeps people entertained.

MxO was plagued from the beginning. A non-intuitive UI, lag, bug problems, professions that noone understood...it wasnt planned well from the beginning.

I also play Star Wars Galaxies, and while it is the MMO i play the most, it is the one that frustrates me the most. It is also plagued by bugs, lag, broken professions, bad content, etc. However, the it is still fun(most of the time) and the star wars universe is very inviting, rich and fun to play in.

I do know one thing...game designers better learn from blizzard, who hasnt put out a bad game...ever. They take their time, have EXCELLENT Quality Control, and have great game design from the beginning. SOE and the MxO devs have a few things to learn from them.

Great news

Bears seem happy and healthy.

Key word is...HEALTHY. Then again, it isnt even preseason yet.

NFL.com

First Impression Is The Most Important

Ok, disclaimer first. Yes, I know its a beta.

Thanks to an MSDN/Technet friend of mine, Ive been lucky enough to beta test the new version of Windows, Vista.


Wait, thats getting WAY ahead of myself.


To beta test something, id have to be able to successfully install it. Which i have no t done yet. As of right now, im on my 2nd try, and 5th hour of installation.

I think im going to bail and go to bed. Maybe when i wake up at the asscrack of dawn, ill have a pretty Black Glass interface waiting for me.

Then again, ill probably just have another annoying alarm clock and a hungry cat.


Night all.

Welcome To The new Blog!

In honor of moving back to chicago, I have instituted the first major blog redesign in over 2 years. I hope you enjoy.

Leave me some suggestions for what works, what doesnt, and what youd like to see!

Long Awaited Post

So, ive been promising this for a while now, and I now am getting to it. It has been a crazy few weeks, but in the end, it has been totally worth everything. Here is a bit of a recap since the last post about what I've been up to.

After leaving Crowe, I took a week off to pack and get ready to move back to Chicago. I flew home and stayed with my parents for a week since my apartment wasnt ready to move into. It was nice to be home for a while and spend some time with my parents. I took that friday off to fly back to columbus and get ready to move on saturday. The move went as easy as possible, although 6 hours in a car with Callie can be kinda rough. If anyone ever needs to move, I suggest using Two Men And A Truck, those guys are incredible. Ive used them twice now, and they are always professional, careful and hard workers. Its great.

Since then, I worked a few days again, then took a few days off to go on a preplanned trip to florida with my mom, dad, jman and his little kid, emma. We had some fun down there, and here are some pictures of the trip.

The first day down there, my parents and I went to Kennedy Space Center to take a look at what they have and to see the shuttle Discovery on the launch pad. None of my pictures of discovery could come close to any of the ones out there of the launch that have been plastered all over the internet, but here are some images from KSC.



Thats the Vehicle Assembly Building, where the shuttle is mated with the external fuel tank and solid rocket boosters. It is the largest one story building in the world.



That is the tail end of a mock up shuttle that you can go inside on the KSC grounds. It was pretty spectacular to see how small it actually is. I imagined it to be much larger.



Ahh...something is just SOOTHING about that....



But this...this is WAY more soothing....



This is part of the resort we stayed at this time, which is the same as the one we stayed at in march, so i dont have many more pictures...since it looks the same.



Here is a picture of the resort that my parents have taken some stake in with the Marriot Vacation Club. It looks alot nicer than the one we stayed at, and I cant wait to stay there and check it out!



Wags, Jman, and Little T.



I may have some more pictures to put up later, but that pretty much sums it up. We did go to Epcot for an afternoon/evening, but I didnt take my camera, and we also spent some time at Typhoon Lagoon, one of Disney's waterparks, and I DEFINATELY didnt take my camera there. Its been a LONG time since I've been to a waterpark, and it was a great time. Aside from the rain/heat/humidity, it was a great time in Florida. I cant wait to go back.


As for my apartment, things are slowly getting unpacked, im pretty close except for some things here in the office, and my bedroom is still a nightmare. Since i havent been here for a full weekend, let alone a full week uninterrupted, this week/weekend will be unpacking/organization time. Nonetheless, here are some pictures of the new place.



This isnt going to make it onto the actual nerd room page yet since it is no where close to finished set up. Youll notice a new flat panel monitor from dell that was a STEAL thanks to a yahoo deal that was going on.



Just looking at this picture makes me want to keep unpacking...alas...im blogging instead.



Looking at this, youd think it was a real apartment! Yes...thats a wood fireplace....*puts barry white album on*



Looks somewhat put together, however, the fridge and cupboards are pretty much empty. I need to go grocery shopping something fierce. Callie has more food here than I do.



Speaking of callie, she got a new bed, which she cant get enough of. The first night I put it out, she slept the whole night in it. Shes come back to sleeping next to me now, but whenever im in my computer room, shes in that bed. She loves it to death. Anyone who is a pet owner knows that buying those things are a gamble, since I spent 30$ on a cat tent i thought she would use to hide when scared...and she never used it. I'm glad she likes this.

Well, this is about it for me as of now. Unpacking/organizing/getting set up. Pretty soon ill have a new home number and other stuff. Im working on redoing the blog...so bear with me if some changes occur with it. Im also toying with the idea of playing around with podcasting, since iTunes 4.9 came out, im hooked on them. Not sure anyone would really listen to me.

In addition to my bjwaggoner@mac.com address, feel free to email me at brian@brianwaggoner.com. I have switched my blackberry to check that email now, so im accessable anytime, anywhere.

Leave some comments! I love hearing from all of you!

I apologize in advance...

So, lately, I know all I have been doing is linking to other sites, and soon ill have a real post soon...but this one is too good to pass up. It pits your AIM account against someone else's for points based on how many people have you on their list.

My score is 16342....can anyone beat me?

I know...its stupid. But who has time to write this crap?






Someone with a bit more time than an idiot blogging about it.


AIM Fight

Vista?

So, finally, the codename for the next generation version of Windows has changed from the extremely laughable "Longhorn" to the now production name, "Windows Vista". Im somewhat intrigued to see what Microsoft does with this version of Windows. So far, all ive been seeing and hearing are major interface adjustments, new file system, etc. Id like to see a full featured list of what is going to be included. Im sure information will start leaking out starting next week when the developer/IT Professional beta begins on August 3rd.

Here is the actual Windows link for anyone who is interested...I guess well have to wait and see....


Microsoft Windows Vista

Chicago FTW!

I love this city.


Top U.S. Skyscraper Proposed in Chicago

Good News For The Space Program

Great news for NASA. Im glad we got them back off the ground.

Shuttle Discovery Blasts Into Orbit - Yahoo! News


Sorry there hasnt been a true update lately, ive been in florida for the past few days on vacation. Look for an update tonite with pictures of the new apartment, florida trip and other news!

Beam Me Up....God....

Rest in peace, jimmy. Rest in peace.


'Star Trek' Star James Doohan Dies

Quick Update

Move = done

Apartment = nice

Callie = crazed

Me = sore

More Updates = Later

Comcast = Coming today to set up cable modem

Pictures and info = soon to follow

News not fit to print for liberals...

Strange, noone has brought this up lately in the lib media......

Wait...this is the NYT, though....*mass confusion*

Sharp Rise in Tax Revenue to Pare U.S. Deficit - New York Times

Update on Intel Based PowerMac Machines

Oh buddy. These are gonna be sweet.

"It's fast," said one developer source of Mac OS X running on Intel's Pentium processors. "Faster than [Mac OS X] on my Dual 2GHz Power Mac G5." In addition to booting Windows XP at blazing speeds, the included version of Mac OS X for Intel takes "as little as 10 seconds" to boot to the Desktop from when the Apple logo first displays on screen.

I want me one.


AppleInsider | Speed of Apple Intel dev systems impress developers

Happy Birthday!

Emily Claire Schlesinger, born July 11, 2005!

Congrats to Missy and Matt!

For pictures, head over to my dad's site, www.jdwaggoner.net!

Quick Update - Time Away

Ill be away for a few days, flying to Chicago tonite to start my new job tomorrow, and for the first time, not having a computer of my own while travelling. Updates will be sparse :P

Ill be back thursday night in time to finish up packing on friday so i can move saturday(since my new apartment wont be ready until then) and because of that, ill be staying with my parents this week.

Looking like my sister will be having her new baby girl tomorrow morning/afternoon depending on labor. How exciting! New job, new niece all in the same day. Wish her and me some luck, but more her!

In the meantime, I updated the nerd room page, check it out!



Nerd Room

This is a Long post, yall...pack a lunch....

Hello all -

Its been a while since I've posted something of major substance, so I figured today was a good day to do it. Alot has happened over the past month. DMB, my birthday, meeting a great new girl - Jami, and the biggest thing....preparing to move back to chicago. Yes, you heard me right, im moving back to Chicago. I got a new job downtown Chicago, and will be moving home in the next 2 weeks. Its bittersweet, because there was alot I liked about working for Crowe, but I felt it was time to move on. This blog isnt the venue to talk about it, but I am very happy with my choices, and I wish everyone I worked with the best of luck in the future. Im very excited to move back to the Chicago area since it is home to me, however, within the past month, I've met Jami, who is an incredible girl. Its going to be very difficult to leave here knowing shell be here, but I know we are going to do everything we can to make it work.

Today is my last day at Crowe, and next week I'm taking some time off to pack and get ready. Alot of my stuff is already packed, but there is still alot to be done. I start my new job on the 11th, however i dont move until the 16th because my new apartment in Willowbrook wont be available until then. So, for the first week, im going to stay with my parents, commute into the city with my mom. Its going to be interesting, I might even get to go overseas soon...but well see how that goes.

In other news, I finally got my holy grail. Ive been wanting a Powermac G5 for the longest time, and was finally able to afford one, thanks to my Crowe bonus. I got a Powermac G5 1.8 ghz, not the fastest of the G5 line, but they are phasing them out, it still had an ADC port so i could use my exiting studio display, but still had the horsepower i was looking for since my quicksilver g4 was starting to show its age. 2 downsides. It only came stock with 256 mb ram and an 80 gb HD. I had 1gb ram in my quicksilver, and 120 gb HD as well. I picked it over the iMac, because of the expandability options and the fact that i wouldnt have to find something else to use my really beautiful studio display with(since iMacs cant span and the powermacs that have been made over the past 6-8 mos dont use the ADC connector that my flat panel does, they all use DVI) It was the last single 1.8 they had left at the Easton apple store, and i picked it up. 1499 for it, i was pretty impressed, overall I think a good deal. Here are some pictures of it.



Here it is after bringing it home. Apple does a bang up job even with packaging of their products.



The sticker on the outside of the box telling the config of the machine....kind of hard to read....



Initial tease when you open the box...its just a cardboard image of a G5....



There she is...all safe and sound....



Out of the box and static wrap...



A shot of the back connections and the 2 big ass fans....



Using the settings transfer was pretty easy, except that the geniouses at the Apple store didnt install Tiger on this machine before selling it, so i had to upgrade it before i could transfer the data over from my old G4 to the G5. Not a big deal.



What did callie think? Not too impressed. Jealousy maybe, who knows.



This was a shock at first, but it only took about 90 minutes to transfer all 60 gb of my data over from one machine to the other. Not bad for a 400mbps firewire connection.



This could be a new nerd room shot? I need to update that page since i have this new silver beauty.



Here it is with the cover off. Installing the 2 512 sticks of DDR was really easy. Thing to remember...equal pressure on both sides of the DIMM....dont wanna snap the MOBO :P



All in all, im happy. The 1gb RAM kit i got for it came from crucial overnight for 100$ flat. Not bad. Once that kit was put in, this thing is a screaming monster. Im always used to using second hand macs for everything i do, and this baby is roarin. The real test will be when i begin to encode the new BSG episodes that come out starting July 15th. Dont worry, ill keep you all posted.

Other than that, today was my final day at Crowe....and it is done. Im getting ready to take Jami out to dinner and maybe to best buy for a little shopping. Have a happy 4th everyone!



Callie posed for you all as well, reminding you to make sure you take time for the finer things in life, such as sleeping in a sunbeam...

Happy 20 Years, Dad

Congrats on 20 Years at HCHS, Dad!

I wish i could be there with you this summer at the 4th, but you know I'll be on staff for marching band this fall!

:)


The Doings -Mr. Waggoner's opus: Band alumni reunite

Batman Begins

Im a fanboy, i admit it. From star wars to comic books, to babylon 5 and even star trek, i was raised on sci fi/fantasy, and have always loved it. I loved the first batman film. I even loved the second one. Both to me were very true to the story, the lore and the feel of batman. Gothic, gritty, dark, etc. The characters in those movies played the parts great. Michael Keaton was a perfect Bruce Wayne if i ever saw one, he had the part down perfect. Tonight i went to see Batman Begins, and i was less than thrilled.

This sort of stuff matters to me. Continuity in stories like this to me is the most important thing. Dont get me wrong, there was alot done with this new film that was very good. I think christian bale was the 2nd best batman that has been on the big screen. My problem revolves around 1 part of the movie, however, it is one of the largest parts in regards to batman lore.

It was set up that Jack Napier was the one to kill the wayne family after leaving the opera. jack Napier who then became the joker, so well played by Nicholson in the original 1988 film. Batman and the Joker are 2 hero/villain pairs that everyone will always remember. That relationship was set up at that point to show the history between batman/wayne and his nemisis. Now, in the new film. they make it some random thief who had minimal ties to some crime boss. That to me pretty much took a dump on the entire set up of the reason why wayne was so driven to fight crime. The "Have you ever danced with the devil in the pale moonlight" line was something to haunt him and make him to who he is. This movie tried to make him more noble, have more of a care for gotham, where his real drive to fight crime came from truly personal reasons.

I was fine with the backstory of him going to asia to learn about criminals. Im fine with the entire tibetan/liam neeson situation. But for the sake of the story, and dear old bob kane, why did they have to shred the single incident who made batman who he was. Changing it just so that they could turn it into a plot device for their NEW film took everything that was done before and simply tossed it aside. Tim Burton used that story in a perfect way. Showed gotham for what it was for batman, merely a venue to take down those who did wrong. Batman is not like other superheroes, where he feels compelled to do good because of the powers he has, he trains and becomes who he is FOR REVENGE. Napier/Joker is what he focused on to become the superhero. Once he was dealt with, that left him to change his MO to assist gotham, but in this new film, they turned it around.

Also, detective(the future commissioner) grissom played by gary oldman was way too noble of a character as well. In the original films, he was a flawed character as well. Doing good, but definately tortured due to the state of the city, and knowing how volitile the situations were. Caine was good as alfred, doing almost as good of a job as michael gough did in that part. The addition of Morgan Freeman as Fox was a welcomed one, definately showing where batman "got all his wonderful toys". Like i said, this movie isnt completely flawed, i think it just focused on making batman more real and more noble than the character really was. Batmans motives were originally selfish. He was obsessed.

Go watch the 1988 movie. Id love to hear some other viewpoints.

Try it, Bub.

Who Sleeps?!

Here i am, waiting for my 630am flight at Port Columbus, a long story which i might get into later. Heading home to chicago today for birthday and other festivities, should be a good time.

Last night was amazing. DMB was on fire, and it was a great way to end my 4 show run this summer, and for me to see my 24th DMB show on my 24th birthday(thats irony right there) Here is the set.

Wednesday Jun 8 2005
Germain Amphitheater

So Much To Say
#41
Dream Girl
Grey Street
American Baby
One Sweet World
Hello Again
Seek Up
Die Trying
#40[Tease]
What Would You Say
Crush
Hunger For The Great Light
Lover Lay Down
Stand Up *
Louisiana Bayou *

__________________

Stolen Away On 55th & 3rd
Warehouse

What a great mix of old and new tunes, plus a tease of #40 with the full band. RR on Stand Up and Bayou was sick as could be expected, and seek up was incredible. What a great show on my birthday, there wasnt much more i could ask for. I think sloka was close to passing out a few times, and i feel bad for his left arm, since i kept punching it whenever a song I was suprised to hear would come out. Insane i tell you...INSANE. Not to mention me and slooks screaming "MOM ITS MY BIRTHDAYYYY" during what would you say....i think the people around us thought we were crazy...and we probably were :P

Besides that, my birthday was pretty routine, Slooks and i nerded around the apartment in the morning, then caught some lunch at the new Ruby Tuesdays they put up on 23 by polaris parkway, then hit micro center and best buy. Alas, i didnt buy anything, but i was about 2 inches from buying a G5. Cant do that yet, i cant really afford to just go blowing close to 2 grand unless i have to.

We got home last night close to 12, were in bed by 1230(after some tasty taco bell) and up this morning at 4:30. Poor slobob has to drive back this early...at least i can just sit on a plane...hes gotta actually think. Hes a strong kid though, he can do it!

In other exciting news, Columbus Airport has gotten new seating for all its terminals....it was way overdue. This is a good thing, since i spend most of my time in this airport, its like me buying a new couch. Wish i could bring callie, though :(

I think thats about it for me, though. Thanks to everyone who wished me a happy birthday, and definately to sloka for a great couple of days.

/sleep

Jack Bauer Sez...

This week...Jack Bauer Sez....




HAPPY 24TH BIRTHDAY!


Yep, its true. Today is t3h 24st. Callie gave me a special whap on the face to wake me up this morning for my birthday. :P

Last night was a good DMB concert here in columbus. Robert Randolph guested on Bayou again, and also on Watchtower, which was sick. We also got to see the first Bartender of the tour, and another incredible Two Step. I took the time during crash to use the facilities and get a drink. Crash never changes, and i couldnt deal with screaming drunk girls right then. Overall, a good concert. I was definately happy. It also didnt hurt that It took us 10 minutes each way to get from the concert to home :) None of that 4 hour gaaahbaaage. Here is the setlist from last night.

Tuesday Jun 7 2005
Germain Amphitheater

Everyday
Improv Intro
Dream Girl
Rapunzel
Where Are You Going
Hunger For The Great Light
Out Of My Hands
Too Much
Bartender
Die Trying
Crash
Stand Up
Louisiana Bayou *
Steady As We Go
American Baby
All Along The Watchtower *

__________________

Smooth Rider
Two Step

Special Guests:
* Robert Randolph


Monday was fun too, hung out with slooks during the day, then hit a pirates game downtown pittsburgh at night. What a nice park, and slooks yeoinked some killer tickets from his work, and killer parking pass too. GOod times, good times. Drove back yesterday morning, got sloka hammered and headed to the concert. No big plans for today except going to the last of 4 dmb concerts, then getting ready to head to chicago early tomorrow morning.

Have a good week everyone!

Day 2!

Less traffic this time, and we definately had a good time grilling out/drinking/hanging out in the parking lot. Sloka, his ladyfriend and I got to the lot about 4:30 and tailgated untill close to 8pm, which was the 2nd time ive ever missed an opening band! This time it was robert randolph and the family band, but we still have 2 more shows to see them. They are incredible.

The show tonight was great. Great energy, great setlist, great mix. Heres the set.

Sunday Jun 5 2005
Post-Gazette Pavilion

One Sweet World
Rapunzel
Dream Girl
Grey Street
Smooth Rider
Too Much
Louisiana Bayou *
Lover Lay Down
Hello Again
Jimi Thing
Die Trying
So Much To Say
Stand Up
Two Step

__________________

Old Dirt Hill
Ants Marching

Special Guests:
* Robert Randolph

Bayou was sick with robert randolph, the best too much ive ever seen, and an incredible two step. It was an incredible show. I give it an A-

Good drive home, going through all my mix CDs and singing our lungs out to bad 90s music, i thought i was gonna die laughing! Tonight is a Pittsburgh Pirates game, if the rain doesnt kill it, then im back to columbus tomorrow for tues and wed concerts! Yes, its true, wed is my birthday as well...whoodathunk it?

Later all!

DMB Week 2005

Day 1 of DMB week 05 has come! I got to pittsburgh around 3, and we headed up to Burgettstown. The drive was terrible, a drive that should have taken us about 90 minutes took us close to 4 hours door to door. Sloka, a pitt naitive said he never had seen traffic that bad. After getting there and meeting up with his new ladyfriend and her friends, we got to our seats right as the show started, a first for me, as i always like to catch the opening band. Setlist as follows.

Saturday Jun 4 2005
Post-Gazette Pavilion

#41
Granny
American Baby
Rhyme & Reason
Out Of My Hands
Everyday
Dream Girl
Die Trying
Lie In Our Graves
Louisiana Bayou
Crash
Stand Up
Where Are You Going
Hunger For The Great Light
All Along The Watchtower

__________________

Steady As We Go
Warehouse


Was pretty good. In the 21 shows ive been to, i give it a B+. The new songs are actually pretty good, although Steady as we go and out of my hands were both kind of slow...but maybe they will grow on me.

Tonight is night 2, hopefully no traffic! Heading out the door as we speak. Blog later!

JAM ON!

Sith != Evil

There is a common misconception that the Sith access the Force through evil or that being a Sith Lord automatically means that you are evil. This is not true. Any extreme emotion can access the Force. The essence of the Sith's power is in passion, not evil. Passion can take the form of joy or love as well as anger or hatred. Sith are typically evil in that they are often blinded by their passion or corrupted by the power granted to them by the Force.

- How Stuff Works article on Sith.



Very interesting. Very very interesting.

Go HCHS Red Devil....hackers?

Yep. This is my old high school....the one where my dad still works. Ironic that I do network security, and the technology department that I worked in 5 years ago gets national news coverage?

Sounds like from what I've heard, it was more social engineering of a teacher's password than actual "hacking", but it still proves that everyone needs to take network security very seriously. If this issue started, or even continued based on some of the things i heard, some simple education on password management would have solved alot of their problems.

It also doesnt help that the school is (im sure) using older equipment that doesnt recieve the proper auditing and testing.


Slashdot | HS Students Steal SSNs to Prove They Can

My New Motto

In Heaven there is no beer
(No beer?!)
That's why we drink it here
And when we're all gone from here
Our friends will be drinking all the beer.

In Heaven there is no wine
(No wine?!)
So we drink till we feel fine
And when we leave this all behind
Our friends will be drinking all the wine.

In Heaven there is no fear
(No fear)
So we worry too much here
And we drink ourselves full of beer
To help us when we deal with the fear.

In Heaven there are no drugs
That's why we hang with thugs
And when the Lord pulls the plug
All the thugs will still be selling drugs, yeah.

Thugs and drugs
Beer...

In Heaven there is no sex
(Oh no!)
So let's do that next
And when our muscles no longer flex
Someone else will be having sex.

In Heaven there are no wars
Or cars, or movie stars
And when we no longer are
The world will probably still be having wars.

What the heck! Yeah!

Sex and war,
Bars and cars.
Drugs, thugs,
And delicious food.

What I Did All Weekend

My dad asked me what I did all weekend....a picture is worth a thousand words.




I play Star Wars: Galaxies, an online roleplaying game. This weekend was the weekend that after months and months of missions and flying time, I received my Imperial Pilot Ace mission, which was to take down a capital ship. The mission is so hard, it requires you to get a group of people to come assist in taking it down. But as you see...we did it.

Thanks to:
Malyce - for getting me through most of Tier 4
TPL Pilots - For helping me through Tier 1 and 2
Keldon - may he RIP.
ISB - Thanks to everyone in my guild :-D
The Corvette Assault Crew - Malyce, Awed, Mardius(in his pimp firespray), Radakk, And the guy with the name starting with U that i couldnt pronounce.

Last but not least. T3h Valn. j00 rock.


Ive been working on getting Pilot Ace since last october. It finally paid off. Go ahead, call me a nerd. I dont care.

BETZ. BLOG. EV4R.

The Darth Side: Memoirs of a Monster

As if I needed another TV show to watch...

This looks pretty slick. I just hope the new one on cartoon planet is an actual series, not just shorts that run at random times, that way i can Tivo them, and never miss one. Im pretty excited about the second one, sounds very, very interesting.


Slashdot | Lucas Confirms Star Wars spin-off TV series

Me Loves A Good Game

Not only am I a star wars fan, but a Real Time Strategy fan as well. This game looks to be the best of both worlds.

Take a look at the screens, it looks incredible.


LucasArts | Star Wars Empire At War

Thank god...

Jumpin Jim Jeffords Jumps For Good

Well, i learned my lesson...

Wow...I thought id try to spice things up by letting Webproze in here...I think i learned my lesson, my poor cat...

Here I am in St. Louis. Havent posted a real worthwhile blog in a while, so I figured I'd give a little update. Not much of an update, though...I've been to some neat locations in the past few weeks, Atlanta, Tennessee and now St. Louis. Its been different, ive been enjoying my travel more, the only reason I can think of is that im rarely gone all week, normally 3-4 days at the most. Ive seen some nice areas of the country lately, and have some nice ones coming up as well.

Personally, I'm not one to rant out here about really personal things, but I've come to the realization that dating sucks. I've come to the conclusion that im officially undatable anymore. Plus, I'm really sick of being told I'm a great friend, but not datable. Thats the worst insult I can think of.

Update on the ankle. Xrays were clear, thank god. Just a torn tendon(for those of you that didnt know, i tore it a few weeks ago, then reaggrivated it on vacation). The pain comes and goes, and I still have to wear this godforsaken brace. However, its fun to take the pain medication I was perscribed in the afternoon of a day that I got up at 4pm. Add in some client wonkiness...you have a good time. However, Idiot here tripped in a movie theatre on a date this weekend, took a cup holder to the chest, reaggrivated my ankle and bent my right middle finger some strange direction. I got bruises all over from that lesson in smoothness.

Adam and I definately found a bad-good chinese place today. Shizzles will get it.

The more I see paris hilton, the more I realize shes a waste of space. I say that as I stay at a hilton property. Hmm...

Time to go finish watching american idol, house and SVU. Constantine as usual was OFF THE HOOK.

Holla.

Well, apparently I have the right to remain silent....

Those friendly men in blue just stopped by. Just to see if everyone was ok, after the accidental discharge of the loaded firearm.
Unfortunately, I was a little shook up after the shooting incident and decided that much grain alcohol was to be consumed.
Then they showed up.
I almost talked my way out of trouble, when the cat came strolling around the corner. Apparently they don't take kindly to shaved pussies in Columbus. Well...not shaved per se...more of a 'closely trimmed'.
When she was covered in wesson oil after the game of 'naked twister', I figured that we couldn't have her licking all that off (you know how cats are with hygiene).
It was so good to have girls here to help, since they have experience doing that sort of thing.
Anyway, the police didn't take kindly to what THEY said was abuse, but what I tried to explain away....but by the time I got to naked twister, they had already read me my rights.
Anyone got $5000 for bail? Hope BW's reads this soon as this big guy in the corner with a lot of tatoos keeps eyeing me in my hawaiian shirt like he wants to be a close friend....

Webproze

Dont mind him...i think his parents fed him paint chips as a kid....

No really, im pretty sure they did. Every once in a while, he gets this look in his eye like his brain is swelling...and he starts talking in tounges. Its kinda scary and kinda cool at the same time. I guess youll have that with ex-marines who spent years of their lives figuring out how to blow shit up.

Man...i wish i spent years of my life blowing shit up...i think the closest ive been is spending years of my life blowing shit out of proportion.

Anyways...its 530am on a saturday. Cant sleep tonight...thought id leave a little note.

Later all.

Kitty kitty kitty.......

Hmm....kitty seems to be hiding. Dunno why, she really seemed to like the Absolut. However, BW's seems to be running short on the liquor all of a sudden.

All the people I invited are clamoring for more and I'm raiding the cupboards and am only finding cat food.

What does this guy eat? Little Friskies? That's all I can find on his shelves...talk about a spoiled pussy.

Ah there she is....looking kinda queasy...

Wow....I certainly hope that's a hairball she just choked up, because that's WAY too big to be a mouse.

Hey, look what I found, a Sig-Sauer 9mm. I heard that BW's likes guns...wonder if he keeps it loaded
BANG!!
...Damn, hope he doesn't need that telephone anytime soon. Wonder how many rounds he's got in there...good thing I'm trained to handle these things
BANG!!
Well, now I feel like Elvis....drunk, constipated, AND I shot the TV....I think I'm gonna stop now, and go throw up on the cat....More later

Knock knock.......

Is anyone home? Just your friendly neighborhood blog-sitter, coming by to watch the liquor cabinet....uh, I mean, the blog while BW's takes a much deserved sabbatical.
I think he left me a note on what I should do....feed the cat...water the plants...yeah, I think I can kill two birds with one stone there.

Just move these plants over toward the kitty house and bingo.

Hmm..now gotta get her something to drink...well, since I'm getting MYSELF something to drink, I'll just share...let's see...Absolut? Yeah, kitty will like that.

Aw, look at her sleep......

From Macrumors.com

Awesome....

Apple posted their second quarter results today.

Apple posted a net profit of $290 million or $.35 per diluted share - as compared to profit of $46 million or $.06 per dilluted share for the year-ago quarter (up 500%)

- Revenue was up 70% to 3.24 billion from the year-ago quarter.
- Gross margin was up to 29.8% (up from 27.8%)
- 1,070,000 Macintosh units shipped (43% increase)
- 5,311,000 iPods shipped (558% increase)

Meh.com

Havent BAB in a while...feeling pretty down. Tore a tendon in my ankle last week, kept me immobile for a while. Still on meds for it that mess with my head. Good times. You should see me limp, its kind of funny.

I read the Star Wars : Episode 3 novellization....pretty good. Alot better than i thought it would be. If the movie is half as good as the book is, its going to be the best of the prequels.

Also got ahold of the soundtrack a few weeks early too. Very "Indiana Jones" ish...but still has alot of the older themes in it. This movie seems to finally be what everyone wanted, something to tie all 6 together.

Bears schedule came out, hall of fame game, a sunday night game, christmas vs the packers and new years day game. Not too bad.

I really am glad i get WGN in columbus. I can watch the cubs play. Happayaaaayyayayayaay.

Im in some little joke of a town in TN this week. Nothing to do, probably better since i should stay off my ankle at night. Ice, brace, high powered naprosin...good times.

Special shout out to bad andy for keeping me sane lately. Hes the man0rz.

Hit me up, leave me some love, something. Lord knows what im actually doing. Next week ill be in St. Louis.

Arch++

Good Good Time

Oh I said, I was driving with a friend just the other day
Down the sea an old man wrote a book and told a good story

So we sat and sipped the wine with him
We sat and had a good good time
And listened to wisdom of the old
'Cause they know what's on the line

'It's a good good time tonight'
Sitting there he said,
'It's a good thing to have good friends
Young and old the same.'

Don't believe what ya say
Well style's ok, but you've got your style of your own
Don't listen to the tv, just make your own way home.

Its a good time tonight
Come maybe with you
And don't believe there's a light that's brighter
Than the one that shine's from you.

You're a good good time
A good time tonight, for sure
And roll up your feeling, let the whole thing roll on

It's got a bit of soul, got a bit of soul
Got a bit of soul in everyone
I'm telling you friend, telling you friend,
You got to shine on shine on.
Gotta shine on, shine on, yeah
Shine on, shine on.

He said that the brightest thing is the things at the borders
And you hear one thing, said
This is right sometimes you hear this is wrong
But in your heart you know
The truth it always shine on

Difference says between you and me
Ah, but they can lie down
'Cause the wine taste good
And the dance is feelin' fine, fine, fine

Cuz we got a good good time tonight
And we're gonna have it here
Always good good friends your coming
Lay it on me.
Lay it all on me.
Lay it on me.

Don't worry about what's on your mind.
Feel alright here tonight
It's a good good time tonight
It's all a waste
Fill your head with good things
Fill your head my friend

Hope we don't start
Hope we don't start
The stars stay forever
I hope that I do too
Here tonight with ya'll
Here tonight with you

So cry cry cry, if that's what makes you
And laugh laugh laugh, if that's what does it to you
Cry cry cry, if that's what you need to
And laugh laugh laugh, if you in the mood
Cry cry cry, if that's what you got to do
And laugh laugh laugh, if you want me to
Cry cry cry, if that's what you got to
Laugh. Laugh. Laugh. "


My new lyrics to live by.