I am being priced out as a gamer. In 5-10 years, I may very well not have the funds to justify console gaming anymore. It saddens me that a scene that has grown out of peoples garages is now an experience reserved for the most elite, the most core of gaming patrons who are willing to funnel all of their entertainment dollars down this single channel. Gaming has turned into another monthly bill, with expenses reaching in excess of $1,000 a year for some individuals who may purchase an average of 1-2 games a month. » Read more..
Archive for December 31, 2009
Holidays are Over
Now that my baby girls’ birthday has passed and Christmas has come and gone, it’s time to start looking toward the new year. I am engulfed by a mountain of trash and toys. Over the next week I’ll likely be putting many gifts together that posses those 3 dreadful words; Some Assembly Required. Even some of my own gifts have come with that same price tag, like my new charcoal grill. I am thrilled to have it and have wanted one for a while now, but I am going to wait until my health returns before tackling any outdoor assembly jobs. Oh yeah, I came down with some nasty Sinusitis and had to pick up some anti-biotics the day after Christmas.
On a slightly related note, I decided to collect some random pictures I take on my phone for personal amusement. » Read more..
Category: general, photography
Are We Ready for HD?
This old question popped into my head as I watched my 64bit quad core behemoth cry like a baby as it processed some video clips. I know, it sounds like a stupid question. Given that HD TV’s are selling at an all-time high over the last couple years and most gaming consoles are resting pretty on the HD era. Personally, I don’t see any problem from the users’ perspective. After all, they just have to plug in their TV’s and make sure they have an HD signal from their cable provider. The weight of HD is soling on the shoulders of the content providers. » Read more..
Category: games, photography
Humbug
This could be you.
The holidays are a strange time. For me, it is about spending time with friends and family. It is about inviting people to your home as well as going to theirs and enjoying good food, cheap wine, and a lot of laughs. But somewhere along the way people seem to forget that. They become so consumed by obsessive consumerism that they forget their place. Their attention is absorbed by the little things like cleaning beyond anything socially acceptable. And it is all to give the impression that the rest of the year is like that one day you spend in their home. I don’t know what it is about it that bothers me; maybe because it feels fake and I’ve never been a fan of anything that goes against it’s own nature.
I can’t wait until the holidays are over and people go back to being real, the traffic near the malls return to normal, and I can plan for a real vacation that doesn’t involve climbing shaky ladders and working with high voltage lines. There is at least one good thing that spawns out of Christmas and the holidays; people tend to be a little nicer to each other, even if it is just for “the spirit of Christmas”.
I know that this has absolutely nothing to do with games =), and I’d love to tell you what I am working on but I have to be tight lipped until I am certain that things are going to work out. It is going to be a very busy new year.
Category: general
ITSEC, Meeting the Need?
My recent trip to ITSEC really got my blood boiling as you can see from my previous entry, though I always get a little irritable around this time of year. Through most of the year, my nose is down in the mud, churning out code and dealing with my usual array of managerial duties at work while finding time for my family at home. It all seems to work fine until the holidays. I finally take a break from the insanity and lift my head up to see the world and I’m always disappointed. More death and mayhem on the news, more thoughtless “reality” shows popping up, and more kids driving BMW’s and talking on $400 mobile phones about how hard their life is. » Read more..
Category: general