Category Archives: Editorial

Reviewed: Dark World by Zak Bagans

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So I finally finished this book the other day. I do have to say I am sort of surprised. On the show Ghost Adventures, Zak Bagans almost seems an over-dramatic Paranormal Investigator. But honestly, with this book, he Really comes across as a big intellectual. Of course, people will say that he had someone help him write it, so it’ll make him sound differently. But I’d like to think that Zak can hold his own in any conversation about Quantum Physics. All I know is, I learned a few things from him about it.

That’s right, he does compare paranormal investigation with Quantum theory and he’s right to do it. It all connects! Everything he talks about makes sense. Who would have thought that Zak Bagans even knows about any of this stuff.

This book, however, is mainly about a lot of the investigations that the Ghost Adventure Crew have done over the years. It’s Really a lot of fun (and not so fun in some cases), hearing about some of the behind the scenes happenings during the investigations. I have to admit I was pretty interested.

Without giving away too much about the book, (just how much can you give away, right?) I Really liked this book. I’d recommend it for anyone who is into the paranormal. Especially those interested in Ghost Adventures.

Google+ is NOT Facebook

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Ok, with all these new and great (still debatable) changes to Facebook, it seems like it’s going to overcome Google+. Well, whatever the original intent of Google+, at this point, unless they make a drastic change, they will be beaten down.

But it’s like comparing Apples and Oranges. They’re both fruits, but are distinctly different. Let’s just get that straight. I personally cannot understand what people are thinking. Of course, it’s because your friends are saying “oh em gee, the new facebook blows! I’m going to G+”.

Well, here’s my interpretation of what Google+ is:

Google+ is not about friends. It’s about interests. You don’t have friends in G+. You circle people and put them into a circle called friends. You share the same interests. In this case it would namely be you. With circles, you can share the same interest, such as Photography. You can put all your photographer friends in there, as well as the photographers you admire. You can post photography topics within your photography circle. Are you getting it yet? It’s not about friends. It’s about interests. Seriously.

So please stop comparing the two. Can’t they co-exist? Like Twitter and Facebook? Why can’t G+ be the Twitter killer? Or the new Facebook be the Twitter killer? Did this make sense?

Cake or pie?

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This post is courtesy of Plinky.

So I think I have to say that Pies are my favorite over cake. With cake, there’s an issue with the texture. I’m not sure what it is. Don’t get me wrong. I love cake, I Really do. But if I had a choice where I didn’t have to eat it? I wouldn’t. If I had a choice to choose a pie instead, well pie definitely wins hands down.

If I could eat a certain flavor of pie, then I might say my favorite could be Cherry Pie. No, this doesn’t have anything to do with my obsession with Twin Peaks. Although, my obsessions with pie could originate from Special Agent Dale Cooper!

I leave you with this poll. You choose! Then feel free to explain your choice in the comments. What kind of pie? What kind of cake?

Cake or Pie?

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True Blood Season 4 Finale (yes, spoilers)

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So here comes my obligatory review of the Season Finale of True Blood season 4. They are renewed for season 5 right? Because honestly, after all that’s happened? It seems like Alan Ball just about fucked it all up. Seriously now.

So, here’s the warning that there are spoilers after the bump. If you don’t want to know, or have not seen the finale, then don’t keep reading. This means I’m going to pretty much tell you everything about the finale. So stop reading at this point.

For extra fun, I’ve included this poll about vampires and the sun…

Should vampires sparkle in the sun or burst into flames?

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What’s your social network?

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So with the advent of Google+, should Facebook be worried? I Really doubt it. I mainly say this because Google+ is not Really the same thing. It’s more like Twitter on steroids and more. It’s very similar to Pownce (remember that?) where you can share something with certain circles only. It’s not a new concept, but no one has successfully implemented it. It’s also similar to Foursquare. You can check into Google+ and share your location. It’s like an all in one tool.

With all these changes, it’s tough to determine which social network you’d like to stick with. If you ask me, it’s probably best to use both. I only say this because not everyone is going to use both like you. Maybe they’re not as tech savvy as you are. Maybe they just don’t have the time to utilize both social networks. Regardless of the reason, I know you want to use both of them.

There are some issues you probably should be aware of. Google+ is still growing. It’s still in development. So don’t panic. Grab your towel. Google+ will get better.

However, there have already been issues. Remember people getting suspended from using Google+ because of their names? Yeah that Really happened. I’m not sure if they intend to have a “verified” logo like Twitter does, but, that was Really annoying.

Facebook isn’t without its faults either. Have you seen the new chat? Seriously? It takes up a quarter of the screen! I don’t want to know who is offline. Why would I want to know that? It just mixes the online and offline people in one window. Then there’s an issue that Danalyn had. She uploaded a karaoke video of herself singing Sweet Child O’ Mine. Yeah, they just deleted it immediately.  WTF? Seriously? It’s HER. So now, is it bad to upload videos of people singing copyrighted songs? OK, I can accept that. But say that it’s a copyrighted song and it’s not allowed on Facebook. Don’t just delete it right away and don’t say anything. Especially if the video is karaoke. Last I checked, there are tons of karaoke videos up on there. This is only one of many reasons I don’t like Facebook. I don’t mean I don’t like Facebook for the karaoke videos. These issues are why I don’t like Facebook.

So what’s your social network? For myself, I’ll continue to use both, but lean towards Google+ more unless something changes the favor to Facebook. Somehow I doubt it.

The First Templar installation via Steam

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So today Meesh bought the 2 pack of The First Templar from Steam. If you’re not familiar with Steam, it’s a gaming platform where you have all your games in a central location. It’s pretty convenient. Anyways, since she bought a 2 pack, she gave me the other copy of The First Templar as a gift. The game was just released. According to the Steam store, it was released on May 12. Well, it’s the 14th now. In the game description in our library it says “The First Templar is coming soon”. Excuse me? It’s already out. So we are unable to install. So what gives Steam? I have sent in a question to support. However, from past experience, they will most likely respond to me AFTER the game is miraculously able to install. This was the case with Bejeweled 3 as well when it was “released”.

I’m trying to be polite with them, but it’s tough. This isn’t the first time I’ve had an issue with this. I’m not the only person having issues either. So I wonder what the issue is. What exactly does Steam have to do with a game before they can release it on their platform? Is it time to just go ahead and buy a game the old-fashioned way by going to the store?

[UPDATED] So the Monday after the release of the game, it was able to be installed. I guess Steam doesn’t currently work on the weekends. How disappointing. I got a response to my help request yesterday, however. This is mysterious to me. I can understand the backlog. But the support request gave me the most extreme solution. Deleting files and restarting my computers. I was only unable to install the game. It makes me wonder if the support staff even read the email.

Then there’s this other issue. I know for a fact that they can tell if I’ve already installed and/or played the game. So why is the tech support giving me this solution? I guess the support staff had so many support tickets to respond to, they had to just cut and paste the solution. I hope that they send me a survey about my experience. We’ll see.

Reviewed: Ninja KS 1100

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OK, here’s my review of the Ninja KS (Kitchen System) 1100. As you might recall I got this back in December. Since the holidays, I didn’t get to do much with it. Especially since it was “back-ordered” and all that. The cookbook arrived before the actual system itself, which was in a way Really nice, but in another way very cruel, since you could not make some of the great recipes in the book.

The Ninja is dishwasher safe, so cleaning is a snap. Although I admit that you can also clean the system by putting some hot water in it, and a drop of detergent. Blend it and voila, clean. It was a suggestion in the care and cleaning of the Ninja. It works great, but I still like washing things by hand.

I decided to make the pizza dough from the cookbook. This was a success! Making the dough was very easy. At first, you have doubts, only because it’s not normal. But after it comes out, it’s great. I even refrigerated the dough and made the pizza the next day. It was very tasty, and like the cookbook says, it’s pretty much a starter dough for just about anything. I also managed to make bread sticks with it as well. I just rolled out the dough in sizes of bread sticks I’d like and put salt and garlic powder on them. Baked them just like I would a pizza. Turned out great.

My sister was visiting me, and wanted to make a protein shake, and she blended some yogurt, water (I had no milk) and some frozen fruit I had. It turned out pretty good, and it blended very fast. Although, she admitted the milk would have made it taste a bit better.

Also from the cookbook, I decided to make a Mocha shake. It turned out awesome. I think in the future, I’ll probably end up using the Ninja to make any blended coffees. This is a great bonus, since Meesh already loves her coffee. We also tried the candy bar crunch recipe in the cookbook as well. Wow, this turned out to be a success! Actually, what I did was in essence, create a Tagalong blizzard! Eat your heart out Dairy Queen! This was awesome. The possibilities are endless!

All in all, I think the Ninja KS 1100 is an incredible product. I’m Really thinking I can safely get rid of my old blender. I would recommend this to anyone out there. You can also buy the Ninja at your local Target as well. They usually have a pretty extensive “as seen on TV” section.

Dragon Age 2 player finds himself locked out of game (resolved)

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So earlier, a friend had posted a link to this article over at Tom’s hardware: Forum Ban Locks Player Out of Dragon Age 2. If you were to go to the actual forums and see what is going on, you’ll note that this user was most likely banned because of a remark he made, and someone didn’t like it. They must have reported him using the “report this” function. From reading the various posts and comments, it would appear that the user banned from the forums. However, he happened to also be banned from he game as well. Apparently, a “community ban” can also lock a user out of the game, essentially not allowing the player to access DLC or the game itself. This is the result of how the game operates. I think in this case, however, he wasn’t able to activate his product in order to play the first time. I personally am at a loss since I play the game through Steam, and my content (excluding DLC) is already activated and didn’t Really have anything to do with EA or Bioware.

EA had come back to the player and told him that this was a result of an error. I think an overzealous forum moderator had “hit the wrong button” if you will and community banned him instead of a simple forum ban (which should have been done). Aside from the free speech issue of you should be able to speak your opinion, this raises the question: How far is too far? If EA/Bioware can control when or if you can play your game, what’s the purpose of even buying it? Why would you buy a game where you can play it as long as the publishing company is happy with you? The EA Umbrella indeed. They’re becoming synonymous with the Umbrella Corporation of Resident Evil/Biohazard fame.

However, if you don’t like the practices of a company, there’s no reason you should buy anything from the company. Would it be deserved if you bought a product only to be banned from using it for libel against the company? I’m not entirely sure if all this is necessarily good business practice. If you are banned from the community, should you be banned from using the game for 72 hours? Do we give forum moderators such powerful roles? There is inevitably going to be abuse of power. This is evident in almost anything. But giving such power to forum moderators unless the moderator is a direct employee of Bioware or EA is foolhardy I think. I admit, I don’t know how Bioware chooses their moderators and “official” Bioware forum users. However, reading the forums, I honestly hope they are not necessarily employees who have been chosen for these roles. I admit that sometimes, they sound like overzealous teenagers abusing their powers.

Does this mean that EA or Bioware is going to ban my forum account now? Making me unable to play the game? Surely they wouldn’t even consider reading this article. I already know that they will not comment on this issue. This tells me they are not acknowledging the issue and if they cover their ears enough, it will just go away. Sound kinda silly? Well if EA/Bioware can do it, then I can too. OK, this all is immature on my part, but hey, what the hell?

What’s your take on all this? Should software companies be able to control how or if you can use their software?

 

The obligatory Charlie Sheen post

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Charlie SheenI almost feel obligated to post something about Charlie Sheen. I’ve been a big Two and a Half Men watcher since the beginning. I love the show. It’s hilarious. I have to admit that a lot of the dynamics of the show probably wouldn’t work without Charlie Sheen. I mean it’s at his house on the beach, and a lot of the funny jokes come from the banter between the brothers. But now, I think Jon Cryer could probably carry an episode without any problems. I think we’ve developed enough of the “loser” brother situation where we can laugh at that and not even miss the character of Charlie. Enough talk of the show. It’s quite obvious I think the show can go on without Charlie. Nevermind that the title is Two and a Half Men.

So Charlie Sheen comes out and speaks about his thoughts of the actions of CBS and about everything else. He’s drug free, has a drug test to prove it, and is definitely anti-AA. Now, I’m not necessarily an AA endorser, but isn’t it a proven method? I guess Charlie doesn’t feel it’s for him. That’s ok with me. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion about that. But Seriously, Charlie, do you have to go about it in an almost psychotic way? Ok, perhaps psychotic is a bit too harsh. But you have to admit that he’s got a little bit of crazy going on.

I’m also shocked (or maybe not so shocked) about the way he looks. He must have a lot of help when he goes to film the show because the Charlie in the show does not look like the Charlie Sheen we see in the interview. Essentially, the man is Really becoming Charlie Harper, the character from the show. I guess he could be looking like that because he’s no longer on the drugs and alcohol. He could easily be battling the withdrawal effects. No matter how strong willed the man is, the physical part of recovery doesn’t change too much.

I’m sure I could get a lot of flack from the Charlie Sheen fans out there, but Seriously if Charlie Sheen were to just quit the show of Two and a Half Men and go back to doing something else, would he Really get a bunch of offers? Is he falling into the graveyard of actors in Hollywood who are remembered not for their accomplishments, but because how they just lost it? You know, I Really hope that he makes me eat my words and say, “wow, Charlie Sheen was right all this time!” but somehow I Really, Really, Really doubt it will happen.

How to quit smoking

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Recently the Washington State Department of Health started running these commercials about real people who are writing letters to themselves, starting with “Dear Me…” and stating what’s going on in their lives and why smoking is slowing them down. The whole concept is as simple as this:

No one can make me quit but me.

This is so true. I’m one of the lucky ones. As an ex smoker of about 20+ years, at the height of my smoking, I was smoking about 2 packs a day. I quit because I got the flu and every time I tried to smoke a cigarette, I couldn’t stop coughing. So eventually after a week of being sick, I just didn’t smoke anymore. But honestly, I know how hard it is to quit because I tried. I’ve tried so many times I can’t even tell you how many times I’ve tried. I’m so glad I did.

My dad has emphysema and COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease). So just watching my dad carry around an oxygen tank everywhere he goes is reminder enough to why it’s bad to smoke. Smoking is bad. But you know, no one can make you quit but you. Maybe you should write a letter to yourself and be objective about it and say what you’ve been wanting to say all this time. Maybe you’ll realize how much you should be quitting.

If you want to see one of the commercials, the video is after the bump. I think this one Really hit close to home.

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