Taking the Kids to the Swimming Pool

My brother-in-law is a funny guy. He will often make a joke about going to the bathroom, his latest is about going #2 and calling saying “I just dropped off the kids at the swimming pool.” Finding that immensely amusing, I have copied him in that and started to say that to my wife, especially when my mom is present. My wife’s reaction is even funnier than my brother-in-law saying it, which is probably why I do it in the first place.

But back to the reason for this entry into my blog. I currently feel like a kid that was just dropped off at the swimming pool. Being part of the GeezerGamers website is like being in a giant family. Everyone there has their own opinions and they don’t always agree with each other. Most of the time, we’re all civil about it. On other occasions, we can be civil war about it. That happened yesterday between me and another Geezer that I used to play with daily. We haven’t played together in a while, and on a couple of instances, that person would say, “Yeah, let’s co-o tonight” and then that night would never show up. The last time something like this happened was on the 19th of March. We were both on at the same time, playing the same game, and I sent them an invite and they said, “Let me finish this part and I’ll be right there” and the next time I checked their status on XBL, they had logged off. No voice message, no text message, nothing.

I was expecting it, so I wasn’t that surprised. But this had happened enough for me to get pretty upset and that kind of thing sticks in my gut. But being part of a family is also about having to vent sometimes when someone upsets you or calls you crazy when you don’t think the same way they do. I don’t know if any of you have experienced that, but it does happen. So, in summation, I am sorry to anyone I offended at posting what I did. I was trying to be funny but the conversation got screwed into something completely that should have been done through PM’s.

I Can't Believe This

Being a person that cares about his identity theft enough to have close to zero real name identity on the web, I am completely shocked about the content that banks and online entities have and sometimes really scared. The website address below goes to show you how stupid/arrogant some IT Admins/Companies are and tells me how scared I really should be about havng an account with the wrong company. If you are an IT Admin, PLEASE LEARN FROM THIS BLOG!!!! It scares me...it really does.

Today's Rant

Fight the Power
I have know about this for a few weeks now, but I have yet to comment on it because I have been so busy with the UnderGround and Geezer Radio, but since things are quieting down on both of those, I will go ahead and address this subject. Ever since the “Hot Coffee” incident, politicians all over the country have been lining up to ban the sale of “M” rated video games to minors. Well, first of all, we already have the ESRB which outlines and gives ratings for games. It is really against the rules and quasi illegal to sell the “M” rated games to minors, but the states want to take it one step farther. This is nothing new to the entertainment industry. I recall (not very well, but...) hearing that putting a label on music would help prevent explicit music out of the hands of minors, but has that helped in the long run?

That question is still up for debate, but the reason I bring that past issue up is because back then we didn’t have the massive internet as we know today. Today we have blog’s, message boards, or forums and that makes it much easier to get the word out about things that threaten our way of life. Also back in the 80’s, we didn’t have the ability to easily find ways to legally fight the good fight. Well, back to the video game fight. Let me do say that I agree with not selling indecent material to children, but I think that educating parents is more important than passing a law.

If you want to get involved in keeping the gaming industry doing the right thing and not getting bogged down with congressional oversight check out this website: http://www.videogamevoters.org/ I hope you do get involved.

Now, for the Weather
I played R6V2 all last night (6:15 – 11:15) for the second gaming day in a row. I love that game. I’m getting a little burned out on T-Hunt, but wouldn’t mind continuing to play it. I would like to play some PvP sometime. My wife hates R6V2 because in between Halo 3 and R6V2 a lot of my gaming nights (Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays) have been spent with about an hour or two before I would get bored and gravitate to the TV and her arms. Well, that has changed, and she ain’t happy. I am so looking forward to the Meet and Greet in May. I was very disappointed to learn that Furgus isn’t going to make it. But at least Jeeps and his mom will be there :~).

New Episode of Geezer Radio Available

The next episode of Geezer Radio is up on the site.

Call Me a Cynic...Not a Cylon

Call me a cynic, but I don't think that EA put out the Beta for Battlefield: Bad Company in order to fix bugs or to take in the communities opinion. I think they did it so that they could build up hype around the their new game that is about to come out, so it's basically a over-hyped demo. How many times have you heard that EA is changing something because the community wants it changed? I remember when Burnout: Paradise was about to come out. The developers were saying that even though the public didn't like it they weren't going to change it. Oh well, that ignorance is why I don't plan on buying BF:BC nor will I do the same for Burnout: Paradise. I have better games to play and better games to wait for.

Battlestar Galactica starts up in two days!!! My DVR is waiting for some Cylon goodness.

Battlefield: Bad Company Impressions

First let me say that this isn't exactly my favorite type of game. But, I do like games like COD4, and Battlefield: Bad Company is NO COD4. COD4 is fast, furious, and chaotic at the slowest of times. Battlefield: Bad Company is none of those. The map I played in is HUGE and took me three minutes to figure out where the bad guys were! Not to mention travel time. When I am facing an enemy, I look at them and they stare back at me and I usually have no trouble killing the opposing person. The object of tyring to blow up crates is a novel approach, but not enough of a new thing that it works well. When you are waiting to respawn, you watch a squadmate and once, I watched a squadmate magically slide up the ladder instead of climbing up. "Earth to EA, this is the new generation. Spend some time on animation and make it look good like Rainbow Six: Vegas 2."

The graphics otherwise are decent, but nothing compared to COD4 or GoW. This game has nothing new from games that I have already played and with learning about the fact that you have to purchase certain weapons from the marketplace to unlock them almost guarantees that I will not get this game. Let me remind everyone that I played the Beta, and not the finished product. Overall my first day impression of this game sets it at 3 Geezers out of 10. With better shooters out there like COD4, R6V2, Halo 3 and even GoW, why would we spend money on Battlefield: Bad Company. But even that so far is enough for me to give a beta a thumbs down verdict.

I know that there are Battlefield fanboys out there but this game isn't for me.

Last Night at home

I did a lot last night. I started it off by downloading my favorite podcasts and updating my Zune. As soon as a finished that and vegging out on the couch in front of my TV, I walked to my man-cave...Spark calls his game room his lair...and recorded another episode of Geezer Radio. It was only a small one and only had the review of Rainbow Six: Vegas 2 review and that was it. Nothing more.

As soon as I stopped recording, I turned on my 360, and immediately got a game invite from Silent Hunter for Rainbow Six: Vegas 2. I played Terrorist Hunt for the rest of the night. From 6:30 until 11:15 last night that was all that I did, with the exception of taking 20 minutes out of my time to eat dinner. It got so bad, that right after my last game, someone in my room asked me for one more game. I asked him, what time was it, and from my bedroom, my wife yelled, “Its 11:30!!” It was then that I knew it was time for bed... Never disobey the wife.

Also, I made an announcement in my latest episode of Geezer Radio that I have a semi-written review of R6V2, and yes that is true. The problem is that you have to check the previous posts to check out the written review. And my verdict of 9 ½ Geezers is still accurate.

Didn't Know This Would Happen

I just found out a guy I used to work with joined the Marines and his first week was last week. Now, to put this in perspective, saying that this guy belongs in the Marines is like saying I should be a Star Trek fan. He wasn't overweight, but he wasnt in the best shape for the Marines. He had long hair, and was a Linux nut (not saying linux people are nuts, I'm just saying he was nuts). But this could be a prank by him and his alleged boyfriend (I say alleged because he had a friend that would follow him around like a puppy, and did everything that he asked him too, almost like the submissive in a relationship).

Nothing Much Today

I don't have a lot to talk about today. I do know that I love my job but my boss can consistantly get under my nerves, but who's doesn't? My wife and I had a great Easter weekend. I had dinner at my mom's and she had my sisters in-laws over for Easter Lunch. I was the hit of the meal as they all wanted to know about Blu-Ray, iPods and Zunes, as well as info on the digitial switch-over. Most of what I told them went over thier heads (as I knew it would). My wife had Easter without her parents for the first time in her life, she said she didn't notice because she was with other family, but I could tell she missed them.

I want to do another podcast and have started writing notes down on what should be on the next Geezer Radio. I know that there aren't a lot of people who visit this blog, but would those of you who listen like to hear a longer Podcast? If so, then I have something special for you going forward. Let me know. Oh, and the rash of Baby Geezers continues to spread. I have counted six baby geezers either pregnant or born since January. I hope my wife doesn't drink the water...

And, I know I'm going to get hate comments for this, but what is up with the Cowboys? I know they resigned a majority of their Free-Agents, but why haven't they signed any Free Agent WR's? There were several good ones available, and they let them go to other teams. Come on!!!

Taking a Look Back

More Rainbow Six: Vegas 2 Review – Terrorist Hunt Edition
Last night I played a little bit of the Terrorist Hunt Co-Op missions. I had a blast. It was like playing a closed map of single player except you have three friends to help you out. I did run into issues in regards to there being a lot of lag, but once we changed hosts it was fine. I also noticed that you had to close the room to change the host. Have we not learned anything from COD4 and Halo 3? Anyway, once all the maps were downloaded and I got into the swing of things, it was a lot of fun.

Also, worth mentioning, while playing co-op, again with LtDan, he had to drop out. The last time we played co-op when he dropped out, so did I so I could play some COD4. This time though, when he dropped out, the character he was playing, just dropped dead instead of him disappearing. Nice touch, Ubi. Minus a few minor lag issues, I can’t really find anything wrong with this game. I continue to set myself up for disappointment, but always come away with a smile. Now, I’m going to finish this game and I will go get the original Vegas and co-op in that. Vegas 2 has re-opened my eyes to the Rainbow Six franchise.

Small Thing
I was checking ArsTechnica and saw something that brought me back to my childhood. This article. If this leads up to what I expect it to be, then I will be VERY please with this adaptation of G.I. Joe, a staple of my childhood that I would definitely pay the price of the movie ticket, blu-ray disc and possibly new action figure to come out.
I hope you all have a great weekend.

Moe Pimpin'

On the strength of yesterday’s post (even though no one commented) I have some more pimping to dish out. Mostly, I want to talk about three things: Digsby, Escape Pod, and Rainbow Six: Vegas 2. Let’s start with...

Digsby (http://www.digsby.com/)
This piece of software (which is free) is one awesome piece of software. When I first heard about it, I though, okay, but I don’t IM. Digsby is an IM client that allows you to use just about all IM clients within one window. Now, the reason that I never really got into IM clients in the past was that everyone had something different. Well, Digsby changed all that because it allows me to use my Windows Live ID, AIM ID, GoogeTalk ID and Yahoo ID all in one messenger. So, if I have someone on all four networks I can load my passwords into the settings and logon. As soon as I do, all four IM Id’s are loaded into Digsby and I have full use of them.

There are other things out there that do this, but Digsby goes three steps further. I can check my Yahoo, AIM and gMail, right there in the same window. If I get an e-mail from either one a message pops-up on my desktop and I can check it, open it, delete it, or mark it as read right there without having to login to those sites!!! I can’t tell you how helpful that is. You can also SEND e-mail from those ID’s through Digsby. Can it get any better? YES!

My main problem with social networks like Face Book, My Space and Twitter is that not everyone uses one network. But Digsby has fixed that also. You can login to those networks and get the feed directly from those websites. You don’t have to go to them anymore.

For the past 6 weeks, it has been in private beta. But now it’s open to public beta. Hop on over to that site and check it out, and let me know what you think.

Escape Pod (http://escapepod.org/)
This next one was recommended by King Wulfgar through his site. I am glad I read that post. For those of you who like SciFi stories and just SciFi in general, the please at least take a look at that site and listen to one of the episides. I recommend EP136:Bright Red Star as it was one of the best non-mainstream (Star Wars, Star Trek, BattleStar Galactica) stories that I have read/heard in a LONG time. It was perfect in just about every way. The only gripe I have is that I am an amateur SciFi writer and nothing comes close to how good those stories are. It has now become my life’s ambition (this week at least) to be on his podcast. Check it out and see how you like it.

Rainbow Six: Vegas 2
This will be a portion of my review of this game and today’s info will only be for the single player, and two-player co-op portions. First of all, I have to say that I was rumbling, bumbling and stumbling all over the training map. I do have to admit that there is a lengthy leaning curve as I had to “rewire” my brain away from COD4 controls. I was constantly hitting the B button on the 360 game pad and tossing a grenade into a box that I was using for cover or into the middle of my AI teammates. After that, though, I can’t help but have nothing but LOVE for this game! It is awesome. Me and another Geezer (LtDan) had fun winding our way through the first four or five levels. The Co-op is something that I do need to bring up.

The co-op is GREAT. I was still in the middle of my training level, when I saw LtDan hop onto XBL and put in his R6V2 disc. I sent him an invite to the game and waited. About five minutes later, I was in the middle of a room, when all of a sudden a character that I wasn’t familiar with walked up from behind me and started to fire. I quickly turned and was about to pull the trigger when I realized that it was a friendly and had a green icon over his head (noting the second player) I then hear this deep voice saying “Hey there Jedi.” I was so not expecting that. There was no pop-up message, no slowdown in the game, nothing except a little bar in the upper left hand side of the screen saying that he was now in the room. AWESOME!!! It works perfectly for this type of game.

So far, I have to give this part of the game 9 ½ Geezers. Good going Ubisoft!

Wrap-Up
Well, that wraps up this post. Sorry that it’s very long, but I had a lot to talk about and tomorrow, there will probably be more. So see you then.

Pimping and Vegas

I just wanted to use my public forum to talk about two things that hit close to home today. The first of which is the Geezer Radio podcast that I am co-host of. The link to it is at the bottom of my site, so feel free to visit it at any time. It's not done by professionals who get paid to do it, but instead by two volunteers that try and get one done whenever they can. There is no set time schedule to do one, but you can subscribe through rss feed using iTunes or Zune software. The other thing is that a game that I have been really looking forward to is coming out today. Rainbow Six: Vegas 2 will be released to the public and I can't wait to get my hands on it. I know the King isn't getting it, but how about you Empty? Anyway. For those of you who will be getting it, see you in Vegas.

Oh, and those of you who thought that this post would be X-rated: Shame on you!

Something in the King's Water

King Wulfgar, fellow GeezerGamer, is expecting...I mean his wife is expecting...I mean...Oh, never mind! I just wanted to congradulate my good friend (www.forwheelers.net/blog/) who will be having (I think his second) Baby Geezer (oxy moron?)! But this is also special because his baby is expected in September. What's so special about that? I was born in September (on a day known as Halo 3 Day). Fellow gamers, you know what date that is. September babies are C00L!

Also, though, there is something in the GeezerGamers collective water. This is the fourth baby conceeved (?) or born in the last two months. Next thing you know, I'll be announcing that there's a new Padawan on the way (No, not yet!). Anyway, congrat's to the King (It's good to be the King)!

Many Eastern Winds

To tired to blog today...maybe tomorrow.

Paris Hlton and Week in Review

I just heard that Paris Hilton was in London, England. When asked why she was in England, she said, (paraprasing) "I wasn't in the UK. I was in London." Hey Paris, just in case you thought Big Ben is a reference to a part of my anatomy, it's not. Big Ben in a clock tower...in London!

Well, it was a tiring week, but a good one. I think the podcast for GG.com has finally gotten to the point that we can start telling people. I got a raise during my annual review, even though I had only been there for less than six months. I got my blog back up and started again. I started playing COD4 and I love that game...I love it so much that I finished last night. The last level was genious! Also, there were some things in the game that I have never done in a game. For those of you haven't played it, I won't spoil things. The multiplayer is fast, hectic and completely adictive. Anyway, I'm tired and I am going to watch a movie.

My eyes are so tired. I have been working on getting this podcast delio up and running, but I don't have any control over the site where it's being hosted. I want it to be successful. I would also like to know how to set up RSS feeds on this blog but that's for another day I guess. My wife performed a unforgivible act yesterday. She forgot to turn off my other laptop and and forgot to plug it in. So the battery died overnight and I didnt see it until I got home this afternoon. When I turned it on it beeped at me for three minutes. I am going to have words with her tonight. (Nothing mean, though) I get to play COD4 tonight! I really love that game. But next week, I get to visit Vegas from my home!!!

Jedi and Spark's Second Podcast

My good friend and fellow GeezerGamer SparkStalker and I recorded our second podcast for the best website on the web. I also helped with the opening of a new Clan on GeezerGamer which is the first PS3 Clan on the site. Today I had my performance review at my job, and the funny thing is that I have only been there for less than 6 months. But I did get a raise, so I'm not complaining. Well, that's it for today...Oh, I saw the latest episode of Jericho and WOW! With only three more episodes to go, I can't wait to see what happens next.

Long time no blog

It has been a long time since the last time I blogged. I am now married and happy as a clam. I have a full time job as a Data Analyst and am now a podcaster for a gaming website. Well, more later.



Jedi

Do not comment if you are going to sell me things or advertise. I will delete them.