A Little Piece of History

Few would argue that the height of Rock came in the ‘60s and ‘70s. Legendary bands took the world by storm. Unfortunately, I was not around to see it. A fact that one person in particular never lets me forget. He always mentions how he was there to see the greats like Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, and countless others. I won’t get into the stories, but needless to say, I become green with envy. Luckily, every once in a while he will toss a little piece of memorabilia my way. I know it’s small, but it is way better than some retro style t-shirt that Target or Wal-Mart manufactures and ships in from some small pacific island.

Computer Overload!

Why is there 5 computers sitting on my coffee table? Why not?!?! I just recently purchased a new computer for home development and gaming reasons. This new compy will be a great addition to my collection. If anyone is interested in the specs of my new rig, i'll be glad to fill you in. But I don't feel like posting the specs for all to see (and criticize).

I built the blue acrylic PC for a friend a few years back. Unfortunately she didn't feel like paying me, so I got stuck with the build. If anyone is interested, let me know! The Antec to the right of the acrylic predominately acts as a home PC for my Mom, however it spends just as much time at my place for repairs/re-imaging since both her and my brother take turns breaking it. The Antec to the right of that is my new rig. And as I stated before, it is amazing. I found myself shying away from the lighting effects and took on a more subtle, sleek look. The monster next to my new baby was my latest PC. The case is a beast, and I find it too hard to deal with. Finally, my lappy sits proudly atop the rest. It was originally purchased for development, school, and gaming reasons. As of late, it has filled the role of paperweight wonderfully.

No real reason for this post other than to brag about my new rig. Remember: UP, UP, DOWN, DOWN, LEFT, RIGHT, LEFT, RIGHT, B, A.

The Obvious Truth

Videogames are to blame for every teenager’s problems!

This is obviously a ridiculous statement, but some believe it to be true. It seems that every time a troubled teen commits a crime and that teen happens to play videogames, everyone just assumes that there can only be one logical reason: videogames made him do it.

“Did you hear, some boy stole a car and wrecked it after a police chase?”
“He must have learned that from GTA IV…”

A few months ago, a boy accidentally shot himself in the head with a rifle and people claimed it was because since he played Halo, he must have been pretending he was in the game and would respawn. It most certainly wasn’t because he was a young boy who hadn’t taken gun safety courses. Who knew looking down the barrel of a gun and pulling the trigger would result in death?

Another case just came up where a 17 year old shot both his parents in the head, killing his mother, because they wouldn’t let him play Halo (story here). The judge stated that he firmly believes that the teen wasn’t aware that what he was doing would result in his parents’ death. This is simply ignorance on a level that astounds me. People need to stop deflecting their responsibilities and own up to their failures. If videogames aren’t appropriate for kids, the parents need to step up. When the next game comes out where the main character single-handedly kills thousands of evil creatures, maybe you shouldn’t buy that game for little 8 year old Timmy. Games have ratings for a reason.

The father who was shot in the head by his son said that his son walked into their bedroom and asked his parents to close their eyes and wait for a surprise. Where in any of the Halo games does Master Chief go into his parents’ bedroom and shoot them? Time to face reality- you’re just a crappy parent.

Assailant All Together…

I’m not sure how many people out there know of Mitch Hedberg. But if you don’t, you should. He was a stand-up comedian (who unfortunately lost his life in 2005), and probably one of the best I’ve ever heard. Unlike Dane Cook and half the idiots with Comedy Central specials today, Mitch has staying power. I listen to his albums and they never get old. I laugh just as hard at each joke today as the first time I heard it. It has actually been a while since I’ve listened to him, but I heard a joke of his the other day and it all came flooding back.



One of his jokes (one of my favorites) is about how he would answer the infamous job question, “Where do you see yourself in 5 years?” I love this joke! I love it so much in fact that I actually said it in a job interview.

I was interviewing for an intern position for the DBA department at Menards. My first interview was just like any other. It was uncomfortable, cramped, way too hot, and awkward as all hell. Anyways, we’re rolling through the standard interview questions and I’m answering the questions well. Finally, he gets to the last question: “Where do you see yourself in 5 years?” As soon as he asked, all I could think about was Mitch and that joke. So, like a smart-ass, I answered, “Celebrating the 5th year anniversary of you asking me this question!” Needless to say, he was not amused… not in the slightest. Joke’s on them, I got the job!

The moral of the story: act like a smart-ass in a job interview- it can’t fail! Also, listen to Mitch Hedberg, he’s great inspiration.

Norton.. Pwnage Edition

It horrifies me that corporations would do this. How dare they use our coveted word. 'Pwn' is sacred to gamers and the fact that a corporation as big as Symantec would use it for marketing reasons is slightly revolting. Sure it means that the gaming industry has made it to mainstream, but is that really a good thing? Soon every douchebag that needs to be with the 'in' crowd will say it! Unfortunately, it may be time to retire this glorious word... before it is transformed into a vile, horrid shell of what it once was. I really hope 'pwn' and all of its glorious forms doesn't become as overused as 'FAIL'.



For those of you that can’t read the image- get glasses. Or simply go to Symantec’s website and scroll over “Norton Gaming” on the lower right.

Oh, and nice generic Master Chief in the picture, Norton… Have I said ‘I hate you’ yet today?