In Mark's Head

Let Me Fix…

2009-10-06T15:16:00.001-04:00

Good Morning folks! I’d like to fix heath care. Mind if I take a stab at it? Sure? Cool!

So clearly the most contentious subject of public debate right now are the current proposed changes to our nation’s health care system. I’ll admit, that I have not bothered to research the proposals that ether the Democrats or Republicans are offering up for us. I don’t have an opinion on those plans. I don’t want to have one. Whatever ether side is proposing, I am sure that they are going about things all wrong. Allow me to present the Mark Beers Health Care Plan. I am not saying that what I propose is actually the best solution, but it sure as hell makes sense to me. I’m not an economist, so my logic may be off line, and if it is I’d love to hear your feed back as to where my reasoning is flawed.

The Mark Beers Heath Care Plan

I think that there are very few individuals out there who would say, that our current system of health care does not have gross deficiencies. A good portion of our population repeatedly find themselves in situations where they are unable to gain access to the medical care that might be able to improve the quality of their lives at a cost that will not cause them tremendous financial hardships. This is a problem, that as a nation should concern us. I think the error that seams to be cropping up in the logic of the current political debate centers around the argument of what aspect of heath care should be a right extended to all American citizens. I think the right that our politicians should be arguing about is not to ensure that all Americans have the right to heath care, but instead that all Americans should have the right to have access to heath care. This I feel is one of the most important distinctions of this debate. Allow me to explain.

Ensuring that all American’s have access to affordable health care should be what our elected leaders are striving for. Here, is how I think it should be done. Under our present health care system you basically have two options by which one can obtain heath insurance. You can be fortunate enough to have employment that provides you with access to insurance as a benefit of your employment, or you can seek insurance coverage on your own through an existing insurance provider privately. Ultimately of those two options, the first option is the most appealing in terms of personal cost due to the nature of the distributed cost of your plan through your employer. As far as I understand, due to my employer’s participation in a group plan through a heath insurance provider, my monthly premium for coverage is set at a manageable rate due to the existence of the other members of my plan who all collectively contribute to the over all cost of our health insurance plan. With this model in mind, it would seam to me that a system is currently in place that can help to resolve our current dilemma of accessible health care for all Americans. The system that I speak of is the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program. (This is a good article about the FEHBP.) The FEHBP is the medical insurance plan that currently is responsible for providing the health care to most federal employees, including members of Congress, The President and postal workers to name a few. By all accounts, this is an insurance plan that delivers excellent benefits to the federal employees enrolled in it. My question, is why is it not possible to extend the opportunity to participate in this program to any and all Americans willing to enroll in it?

Extending enrollment opportunities to any interested Americans to me feels like an excellent solution to the desire to ensure that heath care can be accessible to any party that would want it. To put it plainly, I think that if our nation wants to solve it’s healthcare problem it should go into the health insurance business. Now follow my logic here. If the health insurance I currently receive from my employer costs what it does, because the cost of my plan is distributed across the membership base of our group plan it stands to reason, that were you to expand the scope of your membership base the costs of that distributed insurance would go down. Now, lets take that model and expand upon it on a national level. So when considering the cost of medical insurance we are dividing the insurance plan costs across numbers in magnitude relating to the population of the entire United States that have also enrolled in the plan. Working at that scale would at least feel to me to point toward a premium rate that should be manageable for a great deal of Americans. Is my logic flawed here?

One of the strongest arguments that I hear from conservative individuals when relating to health care is that they express the fear that we will be providing benefits and spending tax payer money to insure “undesirable” elements of our society. I think that both sides of the debate need to relinquish this argument. I feel that universal enrollment eligibility would go a long way toward resolving this concern. Remember, the goal here should not be to give everyone health care. It should be to make it accessible to as many citizens as possible. If you want to have health insurance under this plan. You are going to be paying for it. Will that lead to portions of the population being uninsured? Yes, sadly it will. However, remember the goal is to provide access to as wide a segment of the population as possible. If you make enrollment to this plan universal, but not compulsory you resolve much of this argument. If you do not have insurance but want it here is your way to get it. Do you like your employer provided or private insurance plan fine? You are under no pressure to change what you currently have, unless you feel it may be more advantageous for you and your family to do so.

Realizing that the Health Insurance Industry is in fact an industry is important here. No one will deny that medical care is expensive. However, in spite of this fact insurance companies seam to do alright in terms of revenue. What is wrong with the government starting their own insurance company and providing the existing insurance structure with some real competition. Last I checked, we were a free market economy and by that extension subject to laws of supply and demand. I can’t help but assume that part of the reason that insurance companies are able to charge the rates that they do is because they have little competition or incentive to make their rates competitive. A national health insurance policy certainly feels like a good way to inspire some competition in the industry which can only serve to benefit the consumer, as now the existing providers must weigh their practices and procedures against their largest competition. If they are unable to do so they would risk the defection of their current client base to other providers or The Nation Insurance Plan.

If there is a huge concern and road block that I foresee with the idea of extending a National Plan out of the FEHBP it would be in the need to expand the beurocracy needed to administer such a plan. That would take a considerable investment to meet the start up costs of that project. However, it may not be as bad as one might fear. Since the EFHBP currently administers benefits across the country already, the frame work to expand upon would already be in place. It would of course need to be expanded to meet the increased needs of the larger user base. You would need more workers to do the administrative work. Last time I checked, we were looking for ways to make jobs in this country anyway.

So these are my thoughts on health care. What do you think? Am I way off base here? I seriously wrote this because it makes sense to me, and I wanted to put it out there for discussion. I welcome your response. Maybe I’ll start a series of articles about how I would fix things. What would you want me to fix next?

The Greatest Band There Never Was

2009-09-17T00:49:00.000-04:00

On Episode 14 of our podcast my co-host Jessie and I talked about some of our favourite works of animation. I of course took the opportunity to sing the praises of what is not only one of my favourite animated series of all time, but also perhaps one of my favourite musical groups as well. The show is called "Beck:Mongolian Chop Squad". It is a tale of 5 Japanese high school students who set out to create the world's greatest band and just might do it. Don't believe me? Just give a listen to some of their songs which I will post for you below.

Brainstorm

Spice of Life

I've Got A Feeling - A Beatles cover. Better then the original in my opinion. One of my favourite rainy day songs.

Face

Moon On The Water - Not a BECK song, but a song from the series. I think this song is gorgeous.

Hit in the USA - Not technically a BECK song. This is the theme song to the series and is performed by a group called the Beat Crusaders. I think this song should be the theme song for every television show ever. Period.

I hope that you've enjoyed these tracks. The anime series they are taken from is well worth your time. A word of caution though. As is often the case with anime the original Japanese voice cast is superior to the cast of the English dub version. I would highly recommend viewing the Japanese version with English subtitles. Not only are the performers better in the Japanese version, but a considerable amount of the plot revolves around the English vs. Japanese language barrier and is lost in the English dub. Plus for legal reasons you don't get to enjoy the awesome climactic cover of The Beatles "I've Got a Feeling."

The Best Band that Never Was

2009-09-16T11:04:00.001-04:00

On our most recent episode of Across the Nerdaverse (Episode 14 available soon) my co-host Jessie and I took the time to discuss some of our most favourite pieces of animation. I of course couldn’t let the chance slip by to discuss my all time favourite anime series “BECK: Mongolian Chop Squad”. This series follows the exploits of 5 Japanese high school who set out to create the world’s greatest band and just might accomplish that goal. As promised during our discussion I’m going to put down some of the high lights of the band’s music from the show here. Any show that deals with the subject matter of an up and coming band would not be nearly as effective if the music they put out wasn’t up to snuff, and BECK certainly does not disappoint in this department. The music in this series is so good that I count BECK (or the Mongolian Chop Squad as they are called in the States in the series do to the existence of a certain skinny scientologist.) as one of my all time favourite bands. Which is odd, because I still can’t decide if the band actually exists. However, don’t take my word for it. Listen below and let your ears decide for you.

BRAINSTORM – This song rules. Here the band channels Rage Against the Machine to amazing results.

SPICE OF LIFE

FACE – A slower song featuring vocals by the show’s protagonist Koyuki

I’VE GOT A FEELING – A cover of a Beatles tune. I actually think this is the definitive version of the song, and one of my favourite songs ever.

MOON ON THE WATER – Not a BECK song, but another song from the series. I think this song is gorgeous.

HIT IN THE USA – Also not a BECK song. This is the theme song for the series and performed by a band called “The Beat Crusaders”. I personally feel this song should be the theme song to every show. EVER.

So that is a brief sampling of some of the excellent music contained in this series. I hope you enjoyed it. The entire series is available for purchase on DVD’s that feature both the original Japanese voice cast with English subtitles as well as a redubbed English version. If you have the means I would highly recommend watching the series with the original Japanese voice cast, as they are by far more talented singers and perform the songs better. Plus, a good portion of the plot of the series revolves around the language barrier between Japanese and English speaking characters. A tone that sadly gets lost in the dub version. Plus in the English dub version for legal reasons you are cheated out of the amazing climactic cover of the Beatles “I’ve Got a Feeling.” Enjoy!

Episode 14 Teaser!

2009-09-11T10:30:00.001-04:00

Last night Jessie and I sat down and recorded Episode 14. We were both very excited to welcome David Leung of Twisted Pixel Games to the show. Dave joined us to give us some insight into his creative process as Art Director behind games such as The MAW, ‘Splosion Man. He also gave us a little tease of Twisted Pixel’s newest project Comic Jumper: The Adventures of Captain Smiley. Check out some of the videos below to get a sample of the fine work being turned out by Dave and the crew at Twisted Pixel! Episode 14’s release will be announced via our Facebook Group as soon as it is ready! Click here to join the Facebook Group and receive updates on new episodes as they are made available!

The Maw

‘Splosion Man

Comic Jumper: The Adventures of Captain Smiley

More Robots

2009-09-08T09:08:00.000-04:00

I found some more robots.

-- Posted from my iPhone

Robots invade Chicago

2009-09-05T21:26:00.001-04:00

Over the last few weeks I have noticed these small robot creatures all over Chicago. Anyone know what they're for?

-- Posted from my iPhone

Should We Be Worried?

2009-08-08T09:15:00.001-04:00

I've had this picture as my PC desktop for a few weeks now, and more then one person has commented that the picture is a tad bit off. Superman has a very worried look on his face. I suppose if Supes is worried that is a sign that the shit is about to go down.

iPhone 3gs

2009-06-21T03:49:00.000-04:00

-- Post From My iPhone

Well as you can see above this post is being written from my new iPhone. Today has been the first full day with my new toy. So far, I must admit that I am taken aback by how much I am enjoying the experience thus far. If I would have a gripe right now it would ne that the battery life is a bit shorter then what I am used to. However, I have been playing alot with my new toy alot. Being my first smart phone experience I have to say that it is everything that I had hoped that it would be. The iPhone 3gs is a pleasure to use. I love the fact that thanks to the Buster app I know that in 6 minutes my bus will be here. If you've ever had to rely on the cta to get around as I do you know what a luxury that is.

One unfortunate side effect that I have noticed is what a powerful drug having the Internet inyour pocket can be. I find that there is a sizeable portion of my social circle that I only interact with because of the Internet. Be it folks on facebook or from the TF2F community. Such a weird feeling. I like knowingnthat I hAve my email in my pocket.

Oh.....one other thing.y Tonight I was forced to uninstall the Shazam app. Shazam is an app that is supposed to be able to identify songs that you play into the mike. I thought that it would be a fun way to compile a play list for my evening out to the bars with my friends. I was very sad to watch this application fail time after time to identify the song playing and I was allways in very close proximity to a speaker or some times even singing the lyrics into the mic. The straw that broke the cammel's back however was it's failure to recognize "just a friend" by The Biz Markie. Any app that doesn't know that tune has no place on my phone.

Needed a pick me up on a rainy day

2009-06-17T10:04:00.001-04:00

My favourite rainy day song.

And this is where I wanna be

2009-06-16T10:24:00.001-04:00

Dear Valve…Love Chro.

2009-06-15T11:16:00.001-04:00

A friend from TF2F.com (and guest host on episode 10 of Across the Nerd-a-Verse) and one of the best Demo men I’ve played with has decided to go all Martin Luther on Valve Software and nail his “95 Thesis” to the door of the Church of the Internet. Follow the link to read his 18 pages advice to Valve as to how they can improve my favourite FPS game. Read this and YOU TOO CAN BE PRO LIKE CHRO! It is actually a pretty good and thoughtful analysis of the game.

Mark H. Beers, 54, Expert on Drugs Given to Elderly, Dies

2009-06-15T10:52:00.001-04:00

I honestly wish I could have known him.

Is this some karmic g love thang happening?

2009-06-15T07:57:00.001-04:00

Love this song. Never seen the video before. Video = LAME! Song = WIN!

I Can't Stand The Rain...

2009-06-13T09:39:00.001-04:00

Long Walks and Sci-Fi Movies…

2009-06-12T10:17:00.001-04:00

This song makes me thing of the very special lady in my life.

I’m your DJ now Princey…

2009-06-11T09:47:00.001-04:00

I won’t lie. I’m stealing this bit from my good buddy GA’s Finest over at TF2F. I’ve felt the need to start putting more stuff up to the olde blog recently, so I am going to start putting up a song a day. That’s right folks… I’M YOUR DJ NOW!

Wow...these are some amazing game trailers!

2009-06-07T09:57:00.001-04:00

A big thanks to B.A. Start for showing me the "Beatles Rock Band" video. (Check out his blog for his annotated version of the trailer.) This game without a doubt shall be HUGE. Not owning a next gen system, or feeling particularly drawn to the fake instrument genre of video games I can't say that I'll make the purchase, but this cinematic is really awesome. Give it a watch and then pop over to B.A. Start and see how many of the references you picked up on.

Obviously, with E3 just ending we are awash with great game trailers and you HAVE to check out this one. Especially if you love Star Wars. It is a trailer for the new MMO being developed by Bioware called "Old Republic." While it certainly doesn't give us any indication as to what the actually game play is going to look like, it is a very impressive piece of CGI. Give a Watch:

Damn is all I have to say. I want these guys to make the next animated Star Wars movie. If you're not aware of this game, it is an up coming MMO. I haven't decided yet how interested I am in the game but Bioware is known for producing interesting titles so I am anxious to see what they offer us here.

Oh the things in my head…

2009-05-11T17:08:00.001-04:00

Hello everyone! I know it has been awhile. Hope you don’t mind that instead of just posting a random video clip today I actually write some words instead. Now, I know what you’re thinking. “Mark’s actually writing . Should I be afraid?” Fear not kind readers, I would say that you have little to fear from this blog post. Now, that being said I’ve got a few topics I wanted to toss out and give my two cents on today.

On Star Trek

So this past Friday I had the pleasure of watching the new Star Trek film. It is really good and I enjoyed the movie greatly. I even brought Finch along with me for her virgin Star Trek experience and she enjoyed the movie as well. (Shhh…don’t tell but we might have made a new Trekkie on Friday night.) I’m not going to go into too much detail here about my reactions to the movie, as we’ve devoted a good portion of our next podcast episode to discussing the film. (Remember I co-host a podcast called “Across the Nerdaverse”) One thing that I did want to discus was some of the new cast choices for the film. In our discussion of the film the general consensus was that the new cast filled the roles admirably. Providing the audience with characters that simultaneously felt fresh in their new time line, but also hit upon the individual character notes that have keep audiences entranced by these personas since the 60’s. It was however agreed amoung our panel that of all the characters in the new film, the recasting of Sulu with John Cho (Perhaps best known as Harold of the “Harold and Kumar” series.) was the weakest.

First thing I do want to clarify is that I actually didn’t have much of an issue with Cho’s performance, and I do generally enjoy him as a performer. Also, it should certainly be noted, that the part Sulu had to play in this film was for the most part limited to one major action scene where John carried himself admirably. However, of all the recasts, Cho seamed to be farthest afield in capturing that quintessential element of the character. Mr. Sulu as originally portrayed by George Takei was one of the smoothest dudes in space. A quality that was ether missing from Cho’s performance or not truly allowed to germinate due to the constraints of the script.

So after our Star Trek debate I got to thinking about who might have been a better choice to sit in the Helm’s Men seat in the place of John Cho. I wont lie. There is a fiendish part of my brain that is really obsessed with acts of meta-casting and this part of my brain really really wants me to type the name Masi Oka as my choice.

I must admit that while the allure of stunt casting Masi Oka (a actor who portrays the son of George Takei’s character on “Heroes”) in the part that made George Takei famous makes my nerd heart flutter a bit, sadly I think Masi would actually be a worse choice for the part. As it is far harder to conceive his baby face at the helm of the Enterprise then Cho’s. However, I can not resist the temptation to play with meta-casting a bit when I make my selection for the man I think would have best portrayed Sulu in the big screen reboot. Hiro, (the character played by Masi Oka on “Heroes”) would be very disappointed to know that the person I would put into the driver’s chair of the Enterprise plays his side kick Ando on “Heroes”. Ladies and mentlegen… my Sulu… James Kyson Lee

How I Met Your Mother

Why is Sarah Chalke back on my show? Don’t get me wrong, I have a soft spot in my heart for her as an actress, but why, why why is she back on “How I Met Your Mother”? She’s not going to be the mother. I swear she won’t, and I will print out and eat this post if I am wrong about this. I still firmly believe that we’ve yet to meet the mysterious “Mother” that we’ve been waiting for 4 seasons.

Lawn of the Dead

2009-05-07T10:15:00.001-04:00

If you buy one game in the next few weeks make it Pop Cap’s “Plants vs. Zombies”. This game is wonderfully addictive, and super fun. In the game, the expanse of your house’s front lawn is all that stands between you and an army of the undead. As the undead swarm shamble across your lawn it is up to you to defend your home by constructing defenses out of a variety of plants.

“Plants vs. Zombies” is an interesting game for me, because I feel like it fills a game niche that I’ve been searching for for quite sometime. PvZ combines elements from tower defense games with a little bit of basic RTS type resource management. Where the game really shines though is that it requires very little micromanagement on the player’s part once you have put your plants into action. Allowing the player to focus on what has always been my favourite aspect of the RTS genre resource management and unit building. This game would be very hard to deny. Especially since it is priced at very affordable $20. (It may even be cheaper through Steam.) If you are a fan of zombies, I think you will find this light hearted little game a pleasure. It is full of laugh out loud moments, and has such a charming visual appearance to it. Buy it now.

...and Hispanics.

2009-04-26T20:14:00.001-04:00

1-900-Nerd Girl

2009-04-24T07:59:00.001-04:00

This gave me a chuckle.

A Very Interesting Article

2009-04-08T13:56:00.001-04:00

I don't know who John Feehery is, but he seams to be a pretty smart guy. Thank you to my friend Nadia for pointing out this article to me via Facebook. It is actually a rather insightful article about how the republicans should be approaching their dealings with the Obama administration. Check it out.

Commentary: Liking Obama, opposing his White House.

Goose. This article is for you my friend.

2009-03-31T00:36:00.001-04:00

Cyrus 1 - Radiohead 0

2009-03-22T16:29:00.001-04:00

The Cyrus army fires the first harsh shot in what just might be the weirdest celebrity feud EVER. I love it!

Awesome WoW Machinima

2009-03-16T00:43:00.001-04:00

This video is pretty darn funny.

BUFBLOPOFO '09 Day 2

2009-03-16T00:29:00.001-04:00

BufBloPoFo Topic for Day 2:

After my swearing in ceremony, my parents and my in-laws took me and Lisa to Lombardo’s on Hertel. We got to talking about favorite foods, and this next topic kind of stems from that. If you had the power to put together the most perfect, end-of-the-universe, nothing-better-was-ever-made repast, using whatever ingredients you want, and with whomever you’d like as your co-diners, what would you want? Tell me about one little bit, or all fourteen courses. Tell me about venue, about background music, about which box of wine goes best with which flavor of ramen noodles.

Honestly, I know next to nothing about food. I can cook it pretty darn well, but when it comes to being a fancy gourmet "foodie" type person I fail. I do however know that the easiest way to tell if a wine will go well with ramen noodles is by how close in size to a frozen turkey the bottle it comes in is.

I can certainly say this. Whatever this meal contains it will have two items in abundance. Rest assured folks, that there will be shrimp, and there will be bacon. There is actually a very good chance that the shrimp will be wrapped in bacon. Heck, since this is an imaginary meal and there for my arteries will never have to suffer the effects of consuming it EVERYTHING WILL BE WRAPPED IN BACON!

I like bacon.

Joining me for this orgy of things wrapped in bacon shall be:

Finch

Kurt Russell

and whom ever finds the golden ticket hidden inside the jar of mayonnaise in my fridge.

BUFBLOPOFO '09 Day 1

2009-03-14T13:57:00.001-04:00

BufBloPoFo Topic for Day 1:

Let's start it off easy. Hi! How're things? Remember me? Remember when we were blog friends? What's new whichu? For your first day of Blufporbfofoing, tell me the three biggest things going on in your life right now. If you have fewer than three things going on in your life right now, then your assignment is to come over to my house and pack. (Ahem *slacker* cough...)

I am ecstatic that once again March is here, and once again it is BUFBLOPOFO time. Topic one is a bit of a softball, and I thank Mr. Garvey Esq. for starting things off so easily on a Saturday morning. It is a bit weird to sort of take a step back and think about what the three biggest things are that I have going on in my life right now, because in the every day grind things often times seam to loose there perspective, because they are there for me everyday, and almost reach the point of being common. So I want to thank my former roommate for this morning's moment of perspective.

1) Across the Nerd-a-verse - If you've been a frequenter of my blog, then you most likely have heard me talk about my newest little project. Across the Nerd-a-verse is my new podcast that I have been producing with my friend (And fellow BUFBLOPOFO participant) Jessie aka theMadTypist. I got bit by the podcasting bug about a year or so ago when I signed on to be one of the hosts of a Team Fortress 2 podcast called The Fortcast. Sadly, that project was short lived, and I must admit that I found that format due to the fact that it was primarily focused around the video game Team Fortress 2 to be a tad limiting in it's scope. This experience though left me with a desire to put my voice out there on the internet for folks to hear, and when The Fortcast folded I started to plan with Jessie (whom I met through our Team Fortress 2 clan) to start up this next project. So far we have recorded 3 full episodes and one special episode focusing on the most recent update to Team Fortress 2. I think my favourite part about this project, is that this time I am serving as the producer and there for have the responsibility of editing the show together. It has certainly been a learning experience as I have had to learn how to do the editing from scratch, but each week I feel that I grow stronger with it. If you are interested in checking out the show and hear Jessie and myself discuss a myriad of nerd and pop culture related topics please do check us out on our website where you can find info on the different ways that you can enjoy the show.

2) The Blessings of Friendship - While, having a good number of friends has never been a majour issue for me, I feel like there has never been a time in my life where I am more blessed to have such a wide array of great and loyal friends. Wether they be here in Chicago, back in Buffalo or if they exist in the virtual worlds of cyberspace I do truly feel blessed. I am glad that BUFBLOPOFO has rolled around again, because it gives me a real chance to tune into the blogs of folks that I do not get to see as often as I would like and hear what is going on in their lives. I owe a great debt of gratitude especially to two chaps who really have taken a prominent role in my life here in Chicago, and are constantly providing me with laughs and support and who truly have become like family to me. These chaps I speak of are my two "younger brothers" Donny and Jason. They both certainly are two of the reasons why I feel so happy with where my life is at the moment, and where it is going in the future.

3) Finch, Finch, Finch - I feel bad that I did not get to introduce my girlfriend Finch to more of the Buffalo folks the last time that we visited over Christmas. This is an oversight that I certainly hope we will be able to correct that some time soon. Finch is a great girl, and for more then a year now, she has been my nearly constant companion. She is easily one of the biggest parts of my life, and that is a role I can only see growing.

Well, that is Day 1. See you tomorrow.

Watching ‘The Watchmen’!

2009-03-04T09:33:00.001-05:00

Got my ticket to the midnight opening day showing of “The Watchmen”. I pretty excited to go see this movie. We spent a lot of time talking about our fears and hopes for the film on this week’s episode of “Across the Nerdaverse”. I’ll be back to let you know what I thought…

Freakin' Amazing! (NSFW)

2009-02-28T20:17:00.001-05:00

The Attache showed me this freakin' awesome Nintendo spoof. Rated NSFW due to Pokemon nudity. Seriously.

Click HERE to view.

In other news, Episode 2 of "Across the Nerd-a-Verse" is in the can and should be available soon via iTunes as well as Zune. I had a good time with this one, but I couldn't stand to hear my voice through that crappy headset mic anymore so I just ordered a new one. Now all I need to do is figure out how to make my PC record multi track competently and we'll be in really good shape. I am growing more comfortable with the editing process, but have a lot further to go.

BUFBLOPOFO ‘09 Sign Up Information Announced!

2009-02-27T14:01:00.001-05:00

Hey all you bloggers out there. As March quickly approaches so does another BUFBLOPOFO.! A Blogging event hosted by my good friend and former roommate Mike Garvey.

What is BUFBLOPOFO you might ask?

BUFBLOPOFO is a two week long orgy of blogging. Our esteemed leader Michael J. Garvey esq will provide a topic a day. Your job. Post an entry to your blog on that topic or one of your choosing every day over the course of the event.

When is it?

BUFBLOPOFO will run this year from March 14 – 27th.

What the hell does BUFBLOPOFO actually stand for?

It stands for BUFfalo BLOg POsting FOrtnight

Do I Need To Be From Buffalo?

Absolutely not. All you need is a blog, and an internet connection.

How Do I Sign Up?

To register you and your blog for the competition just drop Michael J Garvey esq an e-mail at: mikegarvey at hotmail dot com or post a comment here: http://royaltoybox.blogspot.com/2009/02/bufblopofo-esq.html

Be sure to include your name and the name and address of your blog!

Across the Nerdaverse Goes Live!

2009-02-21T10:05:00.002-05:00

Hey out there my loyal readers. A few posts back I let slip word of the new podcasting project that myself and my friend Jessie over at the Cultural Cuisinart have undertaken. Well I am very happy to announce that we finally have our first episode up and available for download. Check out the show via iTunes here. We've decided to call our little cyber soapbox "Across the Nerdaverse". Check us out online here.

This weekend I am down in St. Petersburgh on a little vacation with Finch. Expect me to be back to a more regular posting schedule upon my return.

This is why I love the Internet!

2009-02-17T17:45:00.001-05:00

Thank you very much to Sarah for this amazing piece of awesome!

Preach on Sista!

2009-02-16T01:27:00.001-05:00

Congrats to my friend Gina. (And Shea's back too...)

I'm on a Boat! (NSFW)

2009-02-09T07:57:00.001-05:00

There is a bit of language here so make sure the kids are not around.

POD-CAS-TIC!

2009-02-06T14:05:00.001-05:00

Howdy folks! I know it’s been awhile since I’ve had some real content to put up here. Sorry about that. Sorry as well, that the usual flow of stupid youtube videos has been a bit sparse. Well, I’ve been busy, so I hope you don’t mind I’ve been a bit less posty as of late.

POD-CAS-TIC!

So I don’t know how many readers out there followed my brief stint as co-host of my Team Fortress 2 clan’s podcast “The Fortcast”. Well if you did, thank you. If you didn’t, well that’s okay too. However, now you can be super excited, because I am back with another podcasting project. Our new show is called “Across the Nerd-a-Verse” . Myself and the The Mad Typist author of The Cultural Cuisinart have joined forces to bring you this new show. (That’s is a “chibi” picture of us drawn by our friend Monkee) Since myself and my plucky co-host are certainly not shy about how deep our nerdy obsessions run (We are clan mates over at TF2F) you can expect to hear us pontificate on a wide array of topics near and dear to nerd culture. We’ll be talking movies, video games, comics, books without pictures, awesome stuff we find on the internet and pretty much anything else that happens to catch our fancy. We don’t at present have a listing on iTunes, but until we do we’ll provide download links to each episode so you can grab the MP3 to listen to.

In an attempt to try out or format, and give me practice editing a podcast (and I need a lot!) we’ve recorded what we are calling our “beta” episode. You can grab a copy of the show HERE! Please give a listen. Let us know what you think!

Look at my new toy…

2009-01-26T16:23:00.001-05:00

Just in case I needed a new way to annoy people…

the Taste of Change

2009-01-20T07:29:00.001-05:00

Strangest thing seen online today…

2009-01-16T16:52:00.001-05:00

Does this mean Rick-Rolling has finally “jumped the shark”?

Laundry in Chicago. A Photo Essay.

2009-01-15T23:13:00.001-05:00

So Cold…

2009-01-15T17:01:00.001-05:00

It is so cold today in Chicago I wish I had one of these in my pants.

Welcome to the Blog-a-verse!

2009-01-15T15:40:00.001-05:00

I know it’s been awhile since I’ve written something substantial. Well, you’ll have to wait longer. Mostly because I’ve been very busy, as well as very cold. I know the last one is a poor excuse, but it’s all I’m giving you so deal. In the meantime, if you are seeking some entertainment please feel free to stop by “Which End Is Up?” a new blog started by my friend Becky and her sister Jenny. Becky can usually be counted upon for some rather interesting rants, and is quite the writer so I urge you to check out their page. I’ll place a link in the side bar as well. I am sure I will be back soon to write more. It is just hard to find the time/desire at the moment.

.

2009-01-15T01:19:00.001-05:00

Neat Photo

2009-01-05T09:58:00.001-05:00

Thanks for the picture Finch!

Happy New Year

2009-01-03T09:12:00.001-05:00

Hello Folks. I hope everyone's New Year was good. Thought I would share some pictures from the New Year's Eve Party me and Finch went to.

Gina and Bri showing off the dress Bri made for Gina.

Me and my Finch

Finch and Gina (our hostess)

Bri gets a kiss

Finch Trying to Sit Finch and Heather

Myself and Bri

The Awesome of ‘08

2008-12-31T16:04:00.001-05:00

Hey folks. Welcome to what is sure to be one of the final posts of the year 2008. If you’ve been following along with the blog all year all I can say is thank you. If you’re new to my little corner of cyberspace welcome!

Since the year is winding down, I thought that it might be time to go back into the memory banks and talk about a few of the things that made 2008 a year made of win. Now, I suppose I need to elabourate a bit on my own peculiar method of creating my “best of” lists. While most people create their lists from things that were newly released in the year in which they are reviewing, I take a different path. I like to put together lists of things that I felt help to make my year enjoyable. I find this far more fun mostly, because now I don’t have to pay attention to when stuff came out, but just that I first exposed myself to it during the year in question.

The Awesome of ‘08

Music:

As far as music goes, I have to say that 2008 was a very good year for me. This summer I got to go to my first Lollapalooza festival, and I had a great time. The thing that I love about going to music festivals of this nature are the bands that sneak up and surprise you. Sure, it was great to finally see Radiohead, and at least now I can cross Rage Against the Machine off my list. However, the bands that really stood out to me I’d never experienced before. My favourite band of the festival was easily The Bloc Party. Well, lets break some things down into categories so that they’re more digestible.

Song of the Year: I think of all the categories in the music department, picking one song that made the biggest impression on me in ‘08 was the hardest. There certainly have been many strong contenders that deserve mention. However, when all is said and done, I think that the song this year that I think was “the best” song that I heard all year would have to be: This Modern Love by The Bloc Party

Sentimental Favourite: I think this song gets a co listing, because it is the song that reminds me of the person who’s presence in my life has had such a tremendous impact on my life. Thank you Finch. For this song, and all the other wonderful gifts you’ve given to me. Fake Palindromes by Andrew Bird

Honorable Mention: These songs are all awesome. I wont embed the videos to save space, but I’ll link as many as I can for your listening pleasure. Enjoy!

Album of the Year – While I had to devote some serious hand ringing to my decision of which single track to select as my favourite of the year choosing an album was a far easier decision. When I think back, were three albums that over the course of the year found themselves on constant replay on my iPod. Of the albums that kept my toes tapping, there was none I spent more time with then “Blue Eyes Meets Bed Stuy”. A Remix album put together by DJ Cappel & Smitty brings together the very divergent worlds of Frank Sinatra and The Notorious BIG with wonderful results. Hearing the hardened street rhymes of The Notorious BIG remixed with the smooth jazzy hooks from some of Frank Sinatra’s most loved tunes creates a potent melodic mix. These sonic compositions are so well done, that listening to the original Notorious BIG tracks will leave you feeling as if they are missing something. This is a brilliantly conceived and constructed piece of music, that truly speaks to versatility of the hip-hop genre.

Honorable Mention:

Vampire Weekend – Vampire Weekend
Silent Alarm – The Bloc Party
The Wombats Proudly Present…A Guide to Love, Loss and Despiration – The Wombats

Special Mention: - I also wanted to take a moment to plug and acknowledge a band that features the guitar playing of one of my TeamFortress2Fort clan mates. It would appear, that not only is TeamChuckles one of the best and most annoying Scouts around, but he also knows how to rock. Right now you can download his band All Heroes’ second album “Chronos” for free. Check it out. It has some pretty good songs on it and I would highly recommend it. If you like it, you should tell him that you enjoyed it and that you heard about the band from theButterFly. Maybe he’ll take it easy on me the next time. (But probably not.)

Band of the Year – Band of the year is easy. Actually the easiest one of these to pick. Without question the best band that I discovered this year was The Bloc Party. Thankfully for me this British band was scheduled to perform at Lollapalooza just prior to Radiohead’s performance. Their set blew me away (and gave Radiohead a tough act to follow, that they may not have been able to top.) and made me an instant fan of the group. Inspired by this energetic performance I went out and devoured their three studio albums. Just watch:

Honorable Mention:

Mates of State
Vampire Weekend

Well, that is all I want to say about music. Give some of this stuff a listen. I bet you’ll find something that you like in there. Stay tuned for a follow up best of article where I’ll run down some of the other things this year that made ‘08 just great.

One Year!

2008-12-29T10:01:00.001-05:00

A year ago today Finch asked me if she should updated her Facebook status to “In a Relationship.” Since then, my life has changed and grown in so many wonderful and amazing ways. I can’t imagine my life at this point without her. I love you Finch. More and more each day. Happy Anniversary!

Just for the title alone...

2008-12-19T10:40:00.001-05:00

Long-Suppressed Gay Star Trek Episode Comes Out

Have a...

2008-12-19T01:23:00.001-05:00

A Dark Brooding Secret

2008-12-18T16:47:00.001-05:00

In spite of the drastic steps forward towards equality that our country has seen recently with the election of our first African American President we still have a long way to go. No where is this sad occurrence of racial prejudice more apparent then in this video that I now present to you.

*Warning*

Not for the faint of heart!

I am sure after viewing this video you are just as appalled as I at the rude treatment foisted upon those poor ninjas by that scurvy band of pretend pirates.

“My Eyes! Da Goggles, Dey Do Nothing!”

2008-12-18T15:47:00.001-05:00

Looking for something to set the heart of that special someone in your life a flame? Having trouble convincing your dog to play with your new baby? Well, thanks to the good folks at Burger King you can kill both of those birds with one meat scented stone. Presenting… Flame!

The website is actually a must visit. Just shield your eyes if you’ve a weak stomach.

On My Way Home

2008-12-18T10:33:00.001-05:00

Good morning to all! Happy Holidays and all that stuff. So today is my last day at work before I head to Buffalo for a nice long vacation. I am really looking forward to making the trip. It’s actually been a very long while since I’ve last been to Buffalo. I think that it has practically been a year. I am especially excited to be traveling back this year, because I will be joined by the Lovely Ms. Finch for a portion of the trip. (She used up all her vacation chasing Thom Yorke and RadioHead around the world this summer so Finch will be coming for an abbreviated stay.) Presently, I will be in town from December 19th through December 27th.

Here is a funny video for you. (Rated NSFW due to: Some Subtitled Cursing)

But Wait…There’s More!

Thank you to BuckyKat from the TF2F forums for showing me these!

If this does not tear your heart out. You have no soul.

2008-12-16T07:57:00.001-05:00

As a life long lover of Jenga this only makes me cry.

Thanks to Album at TF2F for the video.

Dodge, Duck, Dip, Dive and Dodge

2008-12-15T15:10:00.001-05:00

Mad props to George Bush for showing off some pretty sweet moves to avoid a thrown pair of shoes.

This is funny every time I watch it.

Today's Song

2008-12-09T08:02:00.001-05:00

Many Things On My Mind…

2008-12-08T15:58:00.001-05:00

Today’s post will be a bit all over the place. Please forgive the haphazard topic organization, but there is a lot to talk about today.

First and foremost, my heart and thoughts today are with my cousin Nick and the family of his wife Jennifer who recently suffered the loss of a family member due to a drunk driver. I sadly never had the chance to meet Amanda, and now I never shall. I hope that they take the driver responsible for leaving her 4 year old and 9 month old children without their mother and screw him to the wall. Especially since the driver in question was driving on a suspended license and insurance due to an DWI offense earlier this year.
What do you mean you still don’t have “Left 4 Dead”? Some people may have felt that the initial $50 price tag for the game was a bit steep. (I would not be one, as I easily feel that I’ve gotten $50 worth of enjoyment out of the game thus far.) Well, now you have no excuse. The game (PC version) can now be purchased via Amazon for a mere $30. Thanks to the Mad_Typist for pointing this out to me. You are officially out of excuses to not own this game and kill zombies with me.
Last night I had a weird nightmare that myself and one of my best friends Pete moved to South Africa.
So on Sunday the Buffalo Bills played (and lost) a “home” game against the Miami Dolphins at the Rodger’s Centre in Toronto. I wont go into how disappointing the Bills have been thus far this season after what looked like a promising start. What has got me riled up here is that I struggle to see how of all the games on the schedule the Miami game was chosen to be played up north. If you have any familiarity with Buffalo Bills football you know that the Dolphins are the team that we love to hate the most, and that the idea of getting the fish outdoors in the harsh Buffalo winter is something to be looked forward to each season. What also has me irked, is all the talk swirling around again, that at some point we may see the team relocate to a permanent home up north. One has to be nervous especially with the health of team owner Ralph Wilson becoming a growing concern with each passing season that a new ownership might not be as loyal to the City of Buffalo as Wilson has been. One bright spot I did read is that Ex-Bills QB Jim Kelly is apparently trying to lead a group to purchase the team with the intent of keeping the franchise where it belongs in Western New York. The Bills leaving the city would be disastrous for my home town where people live and die by this team. (One of the few things that Vincent Gallo actually did right in “Buffalo ‘66” was to display just how crazy some people can be when it comes to their beloved Bills.)
This weekend Finch and I watched “Jerry McGuire”. This was the first time that I’ve sat down and viewed the film from start to finish. I think I had held off on seeing the movie for so long largely because I knew that there was a cute kid in it who had no reason to be in the film other then to be annoying and cute. While I certainly was not disappointed by Jonathan Lipnicki in this regard, as he played cute for the sole purpose of being cute exactly as I feared, what astounded me was how ridiculous the rest of this movie was. In a nut shell the movie is about Jerry McGuire, a sports agent who has a relationship with a single mother. The problem with the movie, is that it never really shows Jerry doing ether of those two things. That is a shame, because a movie about a sports agent could have been interesting. So could a movie about a guy who finds love in a relationship with a single mother. What we get in this story are lots of shots of Jerry standing there at football games. We do get to see Jerry avoid being around his new wife over the course of the season, but at the end when Jerry has his famous “you complete me” revelation it seams to come out of no where. I think part of the issue with this is the fact that the time frame of the movie is never clearly defined. In thinking about it in hind sight I guess the story takes place over the course of 9 to 10 months, or roughly the amount of time in between the NFL draft and the near the end of the season. The time frame is hard to pick up on though, as the way it is presented the story easily feels like it happens over the span of a few weeks. the compressed time frame makes the choices made by Jerry appear nonsensical. When Jerry asks Dorothy to marry him it feels like it happens with in a few days of their first date. Well, maybe the movie can’t show the relationship between Jerry and Dorothy because it’s to busy focusing on how Jerry is working as an agent to get Rod Tidwell his new contract. Nope. We don’t see that ether. For all we know, Tidwell’s big payday has nothing to do with Jerry and everything to do with him faking an injury, and then dancing around the field like a moron. Ugh…I just don’t get why people say this is a good movie.
I am very happy that this weekend Finch has started picking up her paint brushes again. the piece she is working on now is pretty cool. I’ll try to put up some pics when it is done. I really am proud to have such an incredibly talented girlfriend.

/rant

Must...Post...Something...Zombie...Related

2008-12-05T22:30:00.001-05:00

This song rules!

Check out "Songs to Wear Pants To" for this and many more awesome bite sized songs.

Also...anyone need last minute Christmas ideas?

Starting to Get in the Mood

2008-12-04T00:28:00.001-05:00

So Christmas is coming soon, and I'm slowly getting in the mood. This helps a lot.

Ha Ha! Welcome to our world.

2008-12-03T13:55:00.001-05:00

Remember how Mac users like to boast about not needing anti-virus software?

It was only a matter of time.

.theButterFly’s Zombie Survival Guide

2008-12-02T15:25:00.001-05:00

Hello to you all. Over the last week or so I’ve been devoting a large amount of time to slaying zombies in Valve Software’s newest multi-player FPS Left 4 Dead. Having logged enough hours to be able to list “Zombie Slayer” as a second full time job, I thought I would pass on some pointers that I’ve picked up to help you along through your game play.

While all four Survivors are identical in terms of game play ability, I have noticed that there is an inherent advantage to selecting ether Zoey or Bill as your avatar. Because Friendly Fire can often times play a very big factor in the success of your team, if you want to make yourself less likely to be on the receiving end of friendly bullets the brighter colours of Zoey and Bill’s jackets make you stand out from the grey pallet of the common zombie horde. Louis and Francis because of there darker colour pallet are easier to mistake as an attacking zombie.
Always aim for the head. This is especially important when using the automatic weapons such as the Uzi or Assault Rifle. By firing in short controlled bursts into an on coming horde it is very easy to remove the heads of a good number of the attacking rush before they can reach you or your team mates.
An ideal team should have at least one player using a shotgun. Actually, I think an ideal configuration of a team is one shotgun and three Uzi to start. Then once you get the advanced weapons one of the players wielding an Uzi should drop it in favour of the Hunting Rifle, while the other two select the Assault Rifle.
Use your weapons to exploit their strengths. Especially in tight quarters the shot gun should be on point and crouching. His job is to protect the rest of the team while his teammates use the superior range of their weapons to eliminate targets at a distance by firing over the shot gunner’s head. One of the members of the team should always be keeping watch for the Boss zombies and always seek to eliminate them as their first priority when they appear.
In my experience, once a teammate has been captured by a Smoker or Hunter they are not subject to friendly fire, so fire away to try and save your partner. Just make sure to check your fire once your teammate has been released.
If a teammate has been ensnared by a Smoker and is being dragged focus your fire at the farthest visible section of the tongue that you can see. With luck you’ll get the Smoker, or at least break the tongue that is ensnaring your teammate.
When the warning music for a Horde begins to build take an immediate assessment of your surroundings and try to use them to your advantage. Seek out corners or rooms that will limit the number of angles that you can be attacked from.
Don’t forget your melee attack. It is one of the best ways to keep yourself alive. Become accoustomed to turning quickly and using your melee when you hear a zombie charging but can’t get a visual on it. it might be charging you from behind.
Also, be aware that you can reload and melee at the same time, so when you run out of bullets and need to spam your melee remember to hit your reload button.
Crouching with the automatic weapons is essential to increase your accuracy. However, often times crouching will limit your lines of fire around your other teammates. To compensate for this, if using an automatic weapon or the Hunting Rifle always seek some sort of elevation advantage to allow you to remain crouched but still fire over the head’s of teammates.
Boss Zombies tend to spawn in groups, so if you hear one of them, be aware that the other Boss Zombies might not be far behind.
The common zombies love to climb on things. While a zombie is climbing it is a sitting duck and can not attack. Use that to your advantage and take them out while they are climbing.
When defending an elevated position that the common zombies will need to climb to get to you be patient, and head shot the zombies while they are in their climbing animation. Ignore the zombies that are farther afield as in most cases you’ll waste a lot of ammo and won’t kill as many as you would hope. Just be patient and let them come to you.
Remember that the inter round award for the most zombie kills is listed as defenses. Keeping this in mind will help keep you in a defensive posture.
Remember that the goal is not to get the most kills, but to survive.
If you end up with more “protections” then friendly fires you are doing okay.
If you get caught out in the open by a horde try to keep moving as much as possible as you melee and shot your attackers away.
During a finale always search the area for gas cans.
At the finale of “No Mercy” defend the stair way between the first and second floors of the bunker where the radio is.
At the finale of “Death Toll” defend against the hordes from the dock.
I don’t know if this is true, but you seam to move really fast in the water on the last stage of “Death Toll”. that could be helpful.

Well, those are all of the tips I can think of at the moment.

Also. While not really a game play tip if you have a moment run through the “Developer’s Commentary”. Not only is it very interesting to hear various Valve employees talk about what influenced the various decisions that they made over the course of development, but it is an excellent chance to view your attackers and their pre-alert animations and behaviours close up. While progressing through the level the common zombies will ignore your character. (You computer controlled teammates will still engage the zombies when you get to close, so if you want to be able to really watch the zombies up close kill them as soon as the level begins.) Since most of your time in the game is spent reacting to the zombies as they attack you you have very little chance to watch the zombies go about their business. Watching the zombies shamble around the city is really quite impressive, and further shines a light onto just how much detail that Valve chose to impart in this game. What really sticks out to me about these animations, is that they are for the most part during normal game play unnecessary, as you are never given a chance to observe these behaviours close up. Kudos to Valve for going the extra mile to imbue the faceless zombie hordes with such a rich personality.

L4D Article

2008-12-02T11:37:00.001-05:00

This is a great article about the introduction movie of Left 4 Dead, and how it may be the sneakiest game tutorial ever. Quite an interesting read.

Wolverines!

2008-12-01T14:52:00.001-05:00

Presenting…the most bad ass TF2 6v6 Team on the planet.

Happy Friday..err Tuesday.

2008-11-25T10:29:00.001-05:00

With the short Thanksgiving week today is my Friday. Here’s a jam to get your week or weekend going. (This song rules, and is super fun to AudioSurf.)

Needed to add another video by this band. Bloc Party. Listen to them NOW!

The Mad Typist Book Club

2008-11-25T10:25:00.001-05:00

My friend The Mad Typist has decided to start a book club. Come read with us. The first book: World War Z by Max Brooks. Click here for more info.

Zombies Ate My Weekend.

2008-11-24T01:10:00.001-05:00

This Thursday my wonderful girlfriend Finch gave me an early Christmas present. She bought me Value Software's newest release "Left 4 Dead". I've been slaying zombies and having one hell of a time doing it.

Valve is quickly becoming one of my favourite developers, and I think it is safe to add "Left 4 Dead" onto the growing list of grade A level titles from them. Left 4 Dead is a truly compelling and engrossing experience. Placing you right in the center of your own personal zombie apocalypse Left 4 Dead delivers a white knuckle experience from start to finish. In Left 4 Dead Valve has created a game that is wonderfully simple in it's complexity. What Valve has basically created here is a shooting gallery. You and your three teammates travel from one end of a map to the other while killing zombies. The brilliance of that game is that on top of that simple premise has been built one of the most compelling shooting galleries ever.

Left 4 Dead can be brutal. When playing on the higher difficulties one truly begins to believe that the AI Director has a personal vendetta against you. The true brilliance of Left 4 Dead is the AI Director system. The AI Director controls your journey determining the locations and numbers of zombie spawn that you will face. It also controls the appearance of the various "boss" zombies. Zombies that have special abilities all designed to make your trip as unpleasant as possible. Start doing well, and the Director will compensate to match your performance. I really find this system to be wonderfully implemented. Every play through of the games 4 campaign feels fresh, and the fact that your fates are being decided by the some times sadistic AI Director ensures that you never feel safe until the final credits roll.

The game is gorgeous. The game takes you through back alleys, forests, rail yards and even a cubical farm that may give Dilbert nightmares. The game has a general film grain feel to it, playing up the over all aesthetic that you are playing a cheesy Zombie movie. The zombies that are constantly at your heels are well done, and do change appearance to fit the locale. While there is a good variety in the look of the common zombies, you do spend a lot of time killing them, and you kill a lot of them and the models can get repetitive.

The game can be played solo, with the computer (quite competently) controlling your three teammates. However, the real fun of the game come from playing online with other players controlling your fellow survivors. To succeed in Left 4 Dead team work is a must. Part of the challenge of the game comes from adapting to and playing with your teammates.

I think that if I have issues with the game, it may be the lack of weapons available to the survivors. In terms of guns there really are only six to choose from. A few more options would have been interesting. Along with the desire for model diverse models for the common zombies would be my two only complaints.

Left 4 Dead is currently available for both the XBox 360 and the PC. This weekend I had the chance to play both versions quite a bit. If you are looking for a recommendation of which one to get I would recommend the PC version. Aside from the typical PC advantages such as online molding communities and the old Keyboard and Mouse argument the game is worth getting on the PC because it is a much better looking game on the PC. My would rate my PC high middle end in terms of specs and there is a dramatic difference between the game on 360 and on my computer. Draw distances are much farther, which can be a life saver. Also I often found maneuvering in the dark on the 360 often times disorienting.

"Left 4 Dead" is a game that I would recommend to anyone. The game is not exactly scary, delivering more of a nervousness then anything else. That being said there are quite few moments in this game that will give you a start. The game is very violent and does not pull punches with the blood. However, the gore would be considered tame by horror movie standards. I don't think you'll regret it if you check this game out.

Buffalo Architecture on Display

2008-11-21T13:00:00.001-05:00

Thanks to Finch for this.

If you’ve ever been to (or lived in) Buffalo NY, you no doubt are aware that my home city has a great but often times neglected architectural history. The television show “Ghost Hunters” has even visited one such landmark recently when they explored the abandoned Buffalo Central Train Terminal. (Ghost Hunters will apparently revisit the site in May of 2009 as well!) The New York Times just ran a great article about the architectural history of Buffalo and the grass roots preservation efforts surrounding some of Buffalo’s fantastic landmark buildings.

Never…

2008-11-18T17:33:00.001-05:00

Make a bet with someone who has ready access to Photoshop.

Right on Point...

2008-11-11T10:30:00.001-05:00

No further comment required. Thank you Keith Olbermann.

Wow...

2008-11-09T14:40:00.001-05:00

My new girlfriend is beautiful.

Hello Friday!

2008-11-07T17:44:00.001-05:00

It’s been quite a long week. t least finally, Friday is almost here. Not that I have any serious plans this weekend, but it is really nice to know that I don’t really have any plans. If that makes sense. This has certainly been a fun and interesting week. I think today I finally recovered from the Obama Election Night rally in Grant Park. (Man I must be getting old.)

A few thoughts have sprung to mind in the wake of the most recent election. Thoughts such as…

Tuesday night’s outcome, I do truly believe was the best possible out come. Not only, because I believe that Obama will be able to steward our nation in the correct direction, but one added bonus that Some people have not thought about, is that it might actually be a good thing that McCain will not be the President, but still retain his Senate seat. I’ve said before, that I have long held John McCain in the highest of regards, and I do think that he is one of the true patriots of our country. Over the course of this election campaign I do not think that we’ve been seeing the real John McCain. Now that the election is over, and he is no longer in the thralls of his campaign “advisors” I hope that we see a resurgence of the fiery maverick that used to be John McCain.
Sadly, this election was a bit of a “one step forward one step back” affair. Great strides were made on behalf of African Americans with the election of Obama. I certainly never thought that I would see that happen prior to this election. That would be the step forward. Sadly, another embattled segment of our population saw a major set back in it’s own quest for equal rights. With the passing of Proposition 8 in California and the adoption of similar pieces of legislation in many other states across the nation, I think that one can now safely make the argument that “Gay is the New Black.” Anyone else find the fact that at least in California the high turn out of Black and Hispanic voters who were there to vote for Obama was one of the main reasons behind the passing of Proposition 8 a tad bit …interesting? My heart truly goes out to the individuals who do not have the freedom to define their own families now because of these pieces of legislation.
If you have not seen this week’s episode of “South Park” you really should. It’s wonderfully funny. Matt and Trey are right on point with their mirror on our society once again.

On a final note…let me send you out on your weekend with this…

The Morning After…

2008-11-05T09:37:00.001-05:00

Last night Barak Obama was elected to be the next President of the United States of America. I was there first hand to witness this historic event along with 240,000 other people who descended upon Chicago’s Grant Park. Of the great events that I have been able to witness in my life none will live with me more then last night. America made me proud last night, and more importantly, my generation made me proud. As I have spoken of before, I felt that with this election, it was time for the younger generation of Americans to step forward. That we did. Just looking around me in the crowd the diversity of the faces and people I saw was astounding. A lot will be written about how historic the election of Obama is for African Americans. I’m not black, so I really can’t say much about that. What I did see yesterday, was the confirmation that the American Dream exists, and that there is a place in our country for all people no matter the race, creed, sexual orientation, whatever. If you want to be here and make a difference yes you can.

I took some pictures last night and I’ll share them. Sorry, I only have a crappy camera phone so most of these pics kind of suck.

Tonight...

2008-11-05T02:45:00.001-05:00

I saw the America I believe in. Not on stage at the center of Grant Park, but in the thousands upon thousands of people all around me.

Happy Halloween!

2008-10-31T08:17:00.001-05:00

Go Scare Someone today! Have fun kids and be safe. Make sure your mom checks your candy for needles before you eat it!

the pain...

2008-10-28T16:56:00.001-05:00

This makes me want to delete every single rap mp3 in my collection.

Stuff..

2008-10-27T06:48:00.001-05:00

Finch Blog

2008-10-23T14:44:00.001-04:00

So the infamous Finch has a blog.

Some great photos of Obama

2008-10-23T14:41:00.001-04:00

Finch sent me this link to this really amazing set of photos from the Obama Campaign. Enjoy.

Officer Burke

2008-10-20T15:25:00.001-04:00

Recently one of the security officers employed at the building where I work past away. Quite a shock as he was only in his 50’s. His passing saddens me greatly. There was a period of my life when things were not going so great for me. Many trips to my building’s shipping dock were made during that time. Even in the midst of near mental break downs Officer Burke was there with a kind word and ear. I never got to say thank you to him for those few brief moments of his time that were offered to me unsolicited. As I stand from a place where my life has taken on quite a dramatic change from those dark times I wish I could have said “Thank you.” Officer Burke was not one of those people that make a majour impact on your life, but contribute none the less with a kind word and smile. Officer Burke, thank you for listening. You’ll be missed.

A Leisurely Sunday Blog

2008-10-19T16:54:00.001-04:00

Hey there folks. How are you all doing. Trying something new today. I'm just hanging out at my place. Watching some football. I thought I'd just start a post while I'm hanging out and add to it as the day goes.

So watching the Bears vs. The Vikings. It's a great game so far. Both teams are playing it tough. The Bears are really impressing me on offense. Kyle Orton is playing really well. He looks like a different quarterback then I've seen him in the past. He's thrown 2 touchdown passes today. (It wasn't his fault that Marty Booker can't catch. He made that throw.) I'm liking the fact that the Bears are running no-huddle at times with Orton in the shotgun. It harkens back to the 90's Bills a bit, and you know I think that is a good thing. Part of me feels like they're an "Andre Reed" away from being something really effective.

Just saw the new I'm a Mac add from Apple. Ouch! That's mean. Super funny but...Ouch! Point Steve Jobs. (It's called "Bean Counter".)

Bravo! The Bears' special teams is outstanding today! Two special teams touchdowns on defense.

OMG! Marty Booker! CATCH THE BALL!

So I've been listening to the most recent Presidential debates on my iPod. Really interesting stuff. I'm not going to get to politicy on a Sunday. Here's my only thought. "Breaf of thresh air..." Obama won the debate. That is the moment McCain started to loose. Interesting, that this brief momentary stumble (On a line that I'm sure had been feed to him as away to describe Sarah Palin.) came in response to a question about their Vice Presidential running mate's qualifications to step in as President should the need arise. In his response, I can't claim to be convinced that even John McCain thinks she would be capable of being the President.

27 - 24 at the half. This is becoming an awesome game. Bobby Gould just gave us the lead!

Why is it that I just NEVER get bored of Dustbowl?

Yay! The bears won! So did the Bill's. I'd call that a good Sunday. To bad I was stupid and forgot to check my fantasy line up this morning. I failed and started a bye week player. The game is close at the moment, would have been nice to not be getting an automatic goose egg.

Well Folks. Time to wrap up this post. Me and Finch are off to dinner soon at Bob Chin's Crab House! Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Wow…

2008-10-17T13:44:00.001-04:00

Yesterday I had 212 hits. Including 192 uniques. That is easily a record for In Mark’s Head. Thanks to all who visited. Please feel free to come back anytime. Most folks were here to read this…

Thanks to my mate Cas for the link.

Coming Soon to Theaters Near You

2008-10-17T13:36:00.001-04:00

It would appear that the folks over at Valve Software have gotten a case of the “sillies”recently.

Soy La Pequena Sarah Palin

2008-10-17T12:19:00.001-04:00

I don’t know why I can’t get enough of this! Thanks Finch for the link.

200!

2008-10-14T00:07:00.001-04:00

That last post was my 200th post this year!

Should There be another Halo Soon?

2008-10-14T00:06:00.001-04:00

Don Reisinger wrote an article on wether or not there should be another Halo game anytime soon. Here are my thoughts on the subject.

I can see Don's point about how advantageous it would be to pair a very generation of Microsoft Console with the newest Halo title. The thing is that there really isn't a reason why they can't release new content for the existing game. If the expansion content is quality then it doesn't diminish the brand. If it does, that could be a problem, but I don't think Bungie has released enough "stinker" Halo games yet to soil public opinion against the franchise. I mean they are coming off one of the largest entertainment (not just video game) releases ever.

I would like to point out that I'm nether a 360 or PS3 fanboy as I own neither console. I favour the PC, but this isn't a pro PC rant in anyway. I've tried Halo 3, and found that I don't really care for it. However, I would root for it as I like seeing gaming as an industry thrive.

If I do have one concern, it would be with the fact that the newest game will be a prequel, and we all know what can happen to prequels of beloved Sci-Fi series. Just ask Jar-Jar or Capt. Archer.

Hey! It's a Friday! Happy Friday Everyone!

2008-10-10T13:49:00.001-04:00

My last post was a bit heavy. I don't want to send everyone off on their weekends on such a serious tone. Thought I'd share some tunes to get your weekend off to a good start. Enjoy!

Mark Writes a Political Rant

2008-10-10T12:40:00.001-04:00

We got into a discussion about who we would vote for in the up coming election on my Team Fortress 2 message board. I wrote "a little" essay outlining my political beliefs.

I will be voting for Obama. I entered the election process not 100% certain about who would receive my vote, but strongly suspected that I would end up leaning in the direction of Obama. I can honestly admit that went through some serious back and forth over the issue. I have always held a great deal of respect for John McCain as a politician and as a person, and there was a time 8 or 9 years ago when he might have easily have received my vote. Ultimately Obama appeals to me more. Allow me to elaborate on a few points why I find Obama more appealing.

Foreign Affairs - Foreign affairs is supposed to be McCain's strong point. He brings to the table a distinguished military career, and has been involved in the process of determining our nation's foreign policy for a considerably longer time the Obama has. In spite of this inherent advantage in this arena McCain's stance to me shows little understanding of what I believe the true role of a President as Commander and Chief truly is. As the CiC of our armed forces I feel the president's greatest responsibility is in the determination where and when the application of American military resources should be appropriate. The use of our nation's military should always be an action of last resort. Obama seams to understand that better then McCain. I like that Obama is willing to meet with foreign leaders to try and broker understandings between our differing view points. There is no doubt in my mind that Obama would not hesitate to do so should the situation require actions of this nature to defend our nation, people or interests. I feel that restraint in this manner speaks volumes more toward the power of a nation then a bombastic and antagonistic stance. A stance that McCain seams to cling to very strongly. Our nation is stronger, when our population is engaged here in our country and not over seas. As a nation we have never been shy to go to the aid in a crisis. It is one of the things that historically has contributed to our moral imperative as a nation. A moral imperative that has eroded dramatically as of late and needs to be restored. One of the surest ways to do this in my mind is to ensure, that when someone in a foreign country sees an American soldier deployed in their country they know without a doubt that person is there because there was no other, better option. I think Obama understands this concept better then McCain.

Economics - Obama's focus on the middle class is my key factor here. This is not just because I happen to be a member of said middle class, but also when comparing the two over arching economic philosophies of the candidates this makes more sense to me. I have never been a believer in the effectiveness of "trickle-down" economics, as I don't believe it is as effective as it's proponents believe it to be. I think that one of the truest way to stimulate an economy is to put more money into the hands of the largest section of your population. I know that the more money I have available to spend, the more money I am going to spend to buy things that I need. Logically, this would seam to benefit everyone around me. The wealthy people will still remain wealthy, because they are getting the benefit of my increased ability to spend money on things at their businesses and make them wealthy. Giving me more money to spend means that I need more options as far as how I am going to spend that money, thus creating more opportunities for new business to develop and new jobs to form so that I may give this extra money I have to someone for something I want. This I think is what truly drives a country's economy to grow. If there are tax cuts provided to the wealthy and to business owners where is their incentive to innovate? If they are already being given the extra money they might receive from me buying something where is the incentive to find new ways to make me spend my money that I don't even have to spend because you already gave my extra portion to the place where it would have ended up had I spent it. The only problem is that if this money doesn't go into my wallet first and instead directly into the wallet of a wealthy business, then it has missed passing through a few vital stages of economy that can provide jobs.

Domestic Affairs - We live in a very divided and sadly segregated society here in America. The Republicans to me seam more focused upon exploiting and emphasizing these differences then instead working to find the commonalities that should exist between all people. Wether they be citizens of our nation or some other country. I think that it is time that our nation as a whole takes a stand to recognize that while we are a nation that houses a great number of people in various styles of life ultimately at the end of the day we all really want the same basic things for ourselves and our loved ones. We all want life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. One of the strongest of all American ideals is the concept of all men being created equal. Now by saying all men (and ladies) are equal, we need to realize what this concept really speaks to. We are all equal in the fact that we should all be afforded the same opportunities to achieve how we define life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. One of the key concepts that needs to be kept in mind in this regard though is that this is not a call for social anarchy. A free pass to "just do it" if it feels good to you. What people need to be conscious of is that my right to pursue happiness stops when it directly effects your ability to do the same. This is why our society has laws governing what is or is not acceptable conduct between members of our society. Those laws exist to protect my rights from you, and your rights from me. If a transgression against these rules is committed, then the offender should be help accountable according to rules our society has established.

Whew...sorry that was long winded. Ultimately, my previous point was stated as an around about way of addressing two of the most interesting and divisive social issues that crops up time and time again in discussions of nation politics: abortion, and gay marriage. Both of these issues can in fact be boiled down to a basic legality vs. morality argument. I believe whole heartedly, that it is the responsibility of a government to protect the legal rights of it's citizens, while refraining from dictating to them on a moral level. Morality is a personal decision. Legality is a societal decision. I firmly believe that a person should have the option to seek out a safe and legal abortion should their own personal morality allow for them to consider such an option. That being said, I will also defend to my last breath your right to find abortion morally objectionable. I defend your right to express such views and even to try and convince me to you point of view, so long as you do not cross that "magic line in the sand" protecting my rights from yours. Personally, I think I do tend to fall on the side of Pro-life, as I would have a very difficult time if placed in the situation of pondering an abortion, but that is not to say that I would not ultimately be able to support the decision to proceed with such a procedure should the situation warrant it.

On the issue of gay marriage, at first I am tempted to say that neither candidate goes far enough in regard to my views on marriage. Upon reconsidering, I think that again the question of marriage as a legal institution vs. a social institution must be considered. In my mind, one of the basic rights of a person in this country is the ability to choose a life that fits to their own personal definition of happiness. I feel that as a society the core unit is the family, and a nation's strength as a whole stems directly from the strength of it's family units. It is for this reason, that I feel that our government should not impose legal restrictions governing what can constitute a family from a legal stand point. If two men or two women (especially if they're hot) want to form a family unit they should be able to do so. Now if that union is recognized as a marriage I think more directly is a religious issue up to the discretion of the various faiths represented in our society. Legally there should be no distinction between a man and a woman who want to share their lives and 2 members of the same sex.

Coming back to my original point, I feel that the democrats are more closely in line with this idea that what will strengthen our nation is the focus upon allow people to pursue the basic requirements of life that all people are entitled to according to our constitution. I think if our country as a whole adopts an attitude of telling each other what we can do because we are similar as opposed to what we can't do because we are different we will all be in a better place.

Okay. This concludes my rant. Please note, that I wrote this not to try and sway you to my opinion, but rather to explain a view point I personally hold. Should you read this and disagree please by all means do so. If I raise some points that get you thinking cool. Ultimately when it comes to who you vote for this election you should vote for the person that you feel will provide our nation with the best direction towards reestablishing it's self as one of the finest nations on the planet. Just make sure you are making your decisions because it is what you believe. This is an important moment in our nation's history, and ultimately we are the ones who have the power to choose the direction that the leadership of our nation takes.

Also, remember. I'll be 35 the time next election rolls around. Vote .theButterFly in 2016!

Wolverines!!!

2008-10-08T17:43:00.001-04:00

So today the Mad_Typist came to me with a request. She’d been reading this article and wanted to know if Red Dawn was in fact worth seeing. If you were my age and saw this movie back when it first came out most likely you are screaming “HELL YES!” at this moment. I tend to share your opinion. Is the movie “good”? maybe not. Does stuff blow up really good? (Say it with me folks) HELL YES!

Red Dawn is a very interesting movie. It is violent and often times frightening. The movie is worth renting for the opening sequence alone. The acting, script and dialogue is on par with what you would expect from a 1980’s Patrick Swayze movie. That being said it is also the ultimate 13 year old boy’s fantasy. Taking off into the hills to fight the evil Communists, what 13 year old wouldn’t get off on that?

So yes. I would recommend this movie to the Mad_Typist. If you’ve seen Red Dawn before, I would highly recommend giving that article a read. It is a very interesting commentary on the film.

Thanks Dingo!

2008-10-08T17:12:00.001-04:00

Dingo from TF2F sent me this. Enjoy.

Barak Obama, A Kind American Stranger

2008-10-07T17:15:00.001-04:00

Finch found this article and passed it along to me. I thought I would share it. It originally appeared in a Norway’s VG Newspaper. Here is a link to the original article. Below is a translation of the article into english. Enjoy.

Barack Obama--A Kind American Stranger
ÅSGARDSTRAND (VG) Mary had just married and was ready to move to Norway, but she was stopped at the airport because she didn't have enough money for the trip. That's when Barack Obama came by and paid her fee.

Mary Menth Andersen was 31 years old at the time and had just married the Norwegian Dag Andersen. She was looking forward to starting a new life in Åsgardstrand in Vestfold with him. But first she had to get all her belongings to Norway. The date was Nov 2 1988.

At the airport in Miami it was business as usual with long lines in the check-in
terminal. When it finally was her turn and she put her luggage on the conveyor belt she got the message that would tear away her happiness from under her.

“You have to pay $103 in excess luggage fee if you want to bring both your suitcases to Norway,” the man behind the counter told her.

Mary didn't have any money. Her husband had travelled to Norway ahead of her, and Mary didn't have anyone she could call.

“I got filled with despair and tried to think what I could possibly remove from the bags. But they were filled with all the stuff I loved the most.”

Even though she explained her situation to the airline employee, he didn't show any sign of compassion.

-I started to cry, the tears poured down her face and she didn't know what to do.
Then I heard a mild and kind voice behind me say: "I'll pay her fee." Mary turned around and there was a tall, dark man she had never seen before.

-He had a mild, friendly voice that was still firm. The first thing I thought was, who is this man? This happened 20 years ago, but Mary can still remember the authority the man radiated.

-He was handsome and fashionable with brown leather shoes, an open cotton shirt and khakis, Mary tells us. She was happy to get both her suitcases to Norway and assured the stranger that she would pay him back. The man wrote down his name and address on a piece of paper and gave it to her. She thanked him repeatedly. When she finally went towards the security checkpoint, he waved goodbye to her. The piece of paper read, "Barack Obama" and his address in Kansas, which is the state which his mother originates from. Mary kept it in her wallet for a number of years before she threw it away.

She paid back the $103 to Obama the day after she arrived in Norway. At the time Obama had just finished his job as a low-paid environmental worker in Chicago, and was studying law at Harvard.

In spring 2006 Mary’s parents heard that Obama was considering running for president, but was still undecided. So they wrote him a letter where they told him they would have their vote. At the same time they thanked him for helping their daughter 18 years earlier.

In a letter to Mary’s parents dated May 4 2006 and stamped "United States Senate, Washington DC" Barack Obama wrote:
"I want to thank you for writing so nicely about me and for reminding me about the incident at the airport in Miami. I'm glad I was able to help that time, and I'm happy to hear that your daughter is doing well in Norway. Please send her my regards. Sincerely yours, Barack Obama, United States Senator."

Ask and Finch shall provide.

2008-10-07T15:31:00.001-04:00

This is why I love my girlfriend.

BNL Fans! A Little Help Here!?!

2008-10-07T15:25:00.001-04:00

So today I’ve been getting some flack from Finch and her friend for my love of the Barenaked Ladies. Through the course of our conversation I got to thinking about what would be my Barenaked “Unicorns”. (Finch’s term for a song she would kill to see played live.) Here is where I need your help Blogo-sphere. Does ANYONE, ANYONE at all remember a BNL PSA that used to play on television during Saturday morning cartoons that featured Ed Robertson dressed as a green skinned alien? Does anyone know where this can be found online? I’ve tried You Tube to no avail.

Hmmm…Big Surprise. I fail at being a Man.

2008-10-07T11:29:00.001-04:00

Over at the Royal Toybox a list from Popular Mechanics has been published that contains 80 things every man should know how to do. The list is below. I’ve Bolded the ones I am capable of. Okay, so actually I got 42 so I’m tied with Mr. Garvey who I easily consider to be more manly then myself so perhaps I’m not doing so bad after all. How did you do? I fully expect The Mad Typist to do better on this then anyone else I know.

Automotive
1. Handle a blowout
2. Drive in snow
3. Check trouble codes
4. Replace fan belt
5. Wax a car
6. Conquer an off-road obstacle
7. Use a stick welder
8. Hitch up a trailer
9. Jump start a car

Handling Emergencies
10. Perform the Heimlich
11. Reverse hypothermia
12. Perform hands-only CPR
13. Escape a sinking car

Home
14. Carve a turkey
15. Use a sewing machine
16. Put out a fire
17. Home brew beer
18. Remove bloodstains from fabric
19. Move heavy stuff
20. Grow food
21. Read an electric meter
22. Shovel the right way
23. Solder wire
24. Tape drywall
25. Split firewood
26. Replace a faucet washer
27. Mix concrete
28. Paint a straight line
29. Use a French knife
30. Prune bushes and small trees
31. Iron a shirt
32. Fix a toilet tank flapper
33. Change a single-pole switch
34. Fell a tree
35. Replace a broken windowpane
36. Set up a ladder, safely
37. Fix a faucet cartridge
38. Sweat copper tubing
39. Change a diaper
40. Grill with charcoal
41. Sew a button on a shirt
42. Fold a flag

Medical Myths
43. Treat frostbite
44. Treat a burn
45. Help a seizure victim
46. Treat a snakebite
47. Remove a tick

Military Know-How
48. Shine shoes
49. Make a drum-tight bed
50. Drop and give the perfect pushup

Outdoors
51. Run rapids in a canoe
52. Hang food in the wild
53. Skipper a boat
54. Shoot straight
55. Tackle steep drops on a mountain bike
56. Escape a rip current

Primitive Skills
57. Build a fire in the wilderness
58. Build a shelter
59. Find potable water

Surviving Extremes
60. Floods
61. Tornados
62. Cold
63. Heat
64. Lightning

Teach Your Kids
65. Cast a line
66. Lend a hand
67. Change a tire
68. Throw a spiral
69. Fly a stunt kite
70. Drive a stick shift
71. Parallel park
72. Tie a bowline
73. Tie a necktie
74. Whittle
75. Ride a bike

Technology
76. Install a graphics card
77. Take the perfect portrait
78. Calibrate HDTV settings
79. Shoot a home movie
80. Ditch your hard drive

Who You Going to Call…Ghost Hunters!

2008-10-07T10:59:00.001-04:00

So the boys (And gal) from T.A.P.S have made another visit to my home town of Buffalo NY. This time around on Ghost Hunters they pay a visit to the Buffalo Central Train Terminal. This newest episode is available for viewing via Hulu. Check it out. This one is even better then when T.A.P.S visited the Iron Island Museum earlier this season.

Now, I may be a bit selfish in wishing this seeing as how T.A.P.S has already visited Buffalo twice, but I need to join the Wannabe Outdoors Man’s call for them to visit the old Richardson Towers which housed The Buffalo Psychiatric Center.

I have driven by the Richardson Towers so many times, and I just have to say that they are some of the creepiest looking buildings I’ve ever seen. I would love to see T.A.P.S investigate this site.

Happy Mondays…

2008-10-06T11:42:00.001-04:00

Welcome back to the work week. Hope everyone had a good weekend. First things first, let me kick things off with a musical gift to you. Enjoy.

While you listen to that awesome song from “The Vampire Weekend” let me offer you up a few notes that I’ve been pondering this weekend.

Political Thoughts: Gender vs. Race - A lot is being said about how concerned people are that women will be voting for The Republican ticket based solely on the fact that Sarah Palin is also a woman. This is a very large worry for many of my friends who fear the wrath of the Soccer Mom. (or Hockey Mom in this case.) I find it funny that these same people will turn right around and say that they are thankful that most blacks should be voting for Obama because he is also black. Anyone else think this an odd double standard?
Political Thoughts: Impressions of the VP Debate - I watched the VP debates last week. I was impressed by Joe Biden. Disappointed by Palin. I do think that she showed herself better then expected, and her performance certainly was not the crash and burn the people I was watching the debate with were hoping for. That being said, I can’t say that after the debate was over I had any greater sense of who Sarah Palin is, or what she is about. I didn’t expect that I would come away from the debate with a sudden desire to vote Republican, but I was hoping that I would see something in Mrs. Palin that would show me what sort of person she is. I didn’t see it. (However, as my comedian friend Joey V just pointed out Sarah Palin does have something Joe Biden does not have. Nice tits.)
Slightly Morbid Thought : This weekend I got into a very long debate with Finch on the following topic. “If Thom Yorke were to be killed (a’ la John Lennon) would he become a cultural icon on a similar level to a John Lennon or a Kurt Cobain?” I say no. The room full of rabid Radiohead fans I was with felt he certainly would, going so far as to say he would be placed above Kurt Cobain in the public consciousness. They site the fact that Radiohead is bigger then I was giving them credit for. Apparently they are one of the most frequently listed favourite music artists on Myspace. I contend that most of John Q Public upon hearing the news would say “Oh, the Creep guy died?” What are your thoughts Blogo-verse? (A corollary to this question, what current entertainers could you see achieving this level of status? Bono is the only one I can think of. However, Heath Ledger is probably well on his way. Especially if he were to receive a post-humus Oscar for his brilliant turn as the Joker in “The Dark Knight”.)

**I want to state for the record that Finch and I realized that there was really only one way to resolve our debate regarding the effect death would have on a celebrity’s cultural standing. That being said, I in no way endorse or advocate the testing of this theory.***

Roger Ebert…the blog.

2008-10-03T14:24:00.001-04:00

I have never been shy about the fact that there is one man who is above all else my favourite Chicago celebrity. Roger Ebert, the legendary film critic for the Chicago Sun-Times is a personal hero of mine. I must admit to being excited that after a bout with cancer that has left him unable to speak he has returned with a vengeance to his movie reviews, and has now added a blog to his platform of available mediums to reach out to the world.

You can find Roger Ebert’s Journal HERE. It is fascinating reading. Especially his review of last night’s Vice Presidential Debate.

If you are interested in reading more from Roger Ebert you can find his movie reviews for both current and past movies listed HERE.

Recently Time-Out Chicago magazine ran a really nice article about Mr. Ebert and his wife Chaz.

Welcome to the Blogo-verse Mr. Ebert! Glad to have you here.

...

2008-10-03T00:33:00.001-04:00

Freakin Cubs!

In Mark’s Head Redesign

2008-10-01T15:51:00.001-04:00

So you might notice if you are a faithful reader, that I did a bit of redecorating around here recently. I worked up a new colour scheme for the blog. I like it. (The only thing I am not sure about is the font colour. Want to help with the redesign? Here’s your chance. Make me a banner to put at the top of my blog. I like that Medic image, but I think it is time for a change. The winner will have their banner put up on my blog until…well basically I decide it’s time to change things up again. E-mail your submissions to: tf2f.thebutterfly@gmail.com

I think B.A. Start could take them both.

2008-10-01T15:04:00.001-04:00

If you’ve heard B.A. Start do “Baby Got Back”, you know New Hampshire’s finest MC would cut these guys down in a hot minute.

Props to Joey V for the funny video.

Welcome to the Monday

2008-09-29T13:32:00.001-04:00

Hey all you folks out there in the blog-overse. I hope that everyone had a good weekend. Mine was pretty good. Low key, but I am alright with that.

So this weekend was a bit odd for me. I think this is the first weekend in awhile where I haven't devoted a considerable amount of time to TF2 on the video game front. I spent most of my gaming time stepping back into "The Witcher." A really interesting RPG. I had tried playing through the game before, but found the default Over the Shoulder camera view to be a bit cumbersome and made navigation hard. This time around I'm playing the game with the camera set for isometric controls, and I am enjoying it a lot more. In the isometric view the game plays much more like Diablo II. Which I definitely find to be a plus. Being able to play a majority of the game with just your mouse makes for a much more relaxing experience. I am still having troubles with the game. I think the interface is just a touch counter intuitive especially when if comes to tracking your active quests. I am pretty much to the point in the game where I was before, where I have a variety of quests to complete, but not a real good sense of what I need to do or where I need to go to resolve the quests I am currently working on. Plus, there is totally a chick in game waiting for me at the old well for a date. (Yes, in this game you are able to charm some of the ladies out of their corsets.) If only I could find out where I need to go to buy a bottle of wine.

In other video game news, I scooped up Lego Batman for my DS yesterday. I had such fun with the Star Wars Lego game that I have been looking forward to Batman getting the same treatment. I am not to far into the game as of yet, but I am at present a bit unimpressed. The actual game play mechanics remain pretty much intact from the Lego StarWars game, as you combine the abilities of different characters to pass various obstacles in the game world. The game play remains fun and entertaining, and I actually found it to be less repetitive the the Star Wars games, as the focus in this game is more upon using your characters to pass through the levels then fighting wave after wave of generic respawning enemies. At this point, if I do have an issue with the game it is due to the lack of animated in game cut scenes. One of the most entertaining aspects of the Star Wars games were the animated cut scenes between levels. These were hysterical in the Star Wars game. Here in Batman we are deprived of these cuts scenes which have been replaced by a slide show of static images to convey the story. Sadly, these slide shows while they strive to be entertaining are actually quite boring. Especially in light of how entertaining the Star Wars cut scenes were. The lack of animated cut scenes just smack of laziness on the part of the developer. The biggest crime that these scenes perpetrate however, is that they make the story line attempting to be told almost unimportant. Which is a shame, because the potential for this game (had it been a complete package) was incredible and could have been special. In it's released state it rates an average. I hope more time was put into the console versions.

Friday night was interesting. I took in the Presidential debates with The Gent. Now, as I've said before I am planning on supporting Obama in the upcoming election, and Friday night's debate did little to alter my opinion in this matter. What I saw on Friday night only reinforced my opinion that the direction that John McCain and the Republican party will take our country is indeed the wrong direction. John McCain's belligerent attitude towards the majority of foreign policy issues discussed scares me. His attitude was arrogant and in my opinion borders on war mongering. While I think John McCain was trying to portray himself as knowledgeable and authorative with regards to our place on the world stage I think all he really served to show was how out of touch he is with the current state of the world. He may have said he had no desire to see a return to the cold war, but the way that his rhetoric regarding Russia and meeting with foreign heads of state came across to me seamed quite the contrary. John MCain sadly I think exposed his thinking as woefully archaic. Our country is at a cross roads in it's evolution, and I think small minded and combative thinking has no place in our government. What kind of leader can a man be if he can't even acknowledge his opponent in a political debate? What does it say about the man who wants to lead our country that he can call his opponent to far to the left to reach across the isle, yet can't ever bare to cast a glance across the four feet of stage separating the two candidates?

This is how you can tell if your day is going to suck...

2008-09-24T10:05:00.001-04:00

That's the key to my apartment Ladies and Gents. Awesome!

HIMYM...How I See It Going Down

2008-09-24T10:03:00.001-04:00

I hate it when my brain starts thinking and ruins things for me. Stoopid brain. On Monday night I watched the season 4 premier of "How I Met Your Mother". So just based on what we've seen so far here are some ponderings that I have relating to the rest of this season.

I Don't Know If These Are Spoilers cause I'm just speculating but here we go.

Stella is not the Mother - i think that this is a pretty easy assumption to make. Yes, as season 4 opens we know that Ted has asked her to marry him, and that she has said yes. Still, based upon the flash forward scenes with the children, I still do not think that we've actually met the mother.
Ted Will Meet The Mother This Season - I just think that is going to happen. Here is the sucky part. What we know so far about the mother, is that a) she appears to be the girl with the yellow umbrella, and b) the girl with the yellow umbrella was at the bar that night Ted got really drunk with Barney on St. Patrick's Day We also know that Stella was there. I don't however think that was Stella's yellow umbrella. What this says to me then and if the show remains true to the past is that Ted will at some point meet the mysterious girl with the yellow umbrella, and start to fall for her despite his relationship with Stella. The writers have made it clear from the start of this season that Ted and Stella's relationship has a lot of unexplored issues at this point. Especially from Ted's stand point as he seams to know very little about his future bride. Knowing Ted's character one has to wonder how long it will take until he "Seindfields" the relationship as he has done quite often in the past in favour of the actual mother.
Stella Will Ether Have Her Heart Broken or Die - If my above theory is correct this is really the only way things can end for poor Stella. I actually do feel bad for Stella, because I think she is very invested in the relationship. Perhaps even more so then Ted. I mean she's going to pretend to love "StarWars". My biggest fear is that when Ted does meet the girl with the yellow umbrella that she is not one of Stella's girl friends. A very real scenario. I think Stella deserves better then that. So I guess the only way to resolve that problem would be to kill Stella. (Which would lend itself well to my "Ted is Danny Tanner Theory".)

Actually, I wont lie. I kind of hope this is the way that things shake out, because Ted bores me and I would much rather devote my energy to focusing on the other characters. Barney in love is so De-Lightful!