Friday, January 30, 2009
Vegas.
As of Monday at about 1:30pm, I will be out of town until I return on Sunday at 7am. I'm headed to Vegas again for a tradeshow for work. Nice. I'm taking the red-eye back from Vegas that leaves after 11pm Vegas time, and it arrives in Atlanta 6:45am EST. Unfortunately....the red-eye is FULL. :\
Monday, January 26, 2009
My latest addiction: LEFT 4 DEAD
My newest addiction is Left 4 Dead on XBox 360. The 4 campaigns are great, and I "hear" the creators will release more campaigns. I'm a little miffed that there's a lack of storyline as, say, Bioshock, but nonetheless, where else can you score an achievement for avoiding being vomitted on by a zombie? Throwing a Molotov at a witch zombie, etc.?
From a post I made on HGG about Left 4 Dead:
Some tips for Left 4 Dead....
1) If you are fighting a campaign (as opposed to versus), stick together. This is the key point when playing this game. Never have someone run ahead and alert the hoard. When playing, find a corner or a spot where your back is to the wall - instead of having full 4 areas exposed. a) HOWEVER, the team of you need to keep moving. As you stand there, the game will produce more and more zombies (I believe the creators address this). You have to keep moving. Don't think you can stand there, and the zombies will eventually stop.
2) When fighting with three areas exposed as opposed to four, someone with a shotgun can crouch in front of someone with an assault rifle and can attack the hoard easier. That way you don't have to worry about reloading and getting hit (even though you can mêlée aka hit and shove aka Left Trigger). This also reduces the chances of friendly fire.
3) It is good for someone in your party to have a hunting rifle; however, don't snipe zombies unless someone has your back. The rifle is also the most powerful weapon against the Tanks.
4) When sneaking around witches, turn off your flashlight, and walk behind her. Don't shoot anything; don't throw anything. If you have to fight a witch, your best technique is to throw a Molotov at her, and put as much distance in between yourself and the witch. The burning Molotov will reduce her health - hopefully long enough that you can easily kill her. You can easily hit the witch by NOT aiming directly at her head when she turns to look at you, but just below her hair (see Crownd - shotgun to the back of the head...not a hunting rifle from afar - and Witch Hunter achievements).
5) When it comes to Boomers, they will spit/vomit on you and alert the hoard. Instead, mêlée (Left Trigger) Boomer like there is no tomorrow.
6) Like Copperkat said....LISTEN:a) Coughing: Smoker nearbyb) Screeching/screaming (similar to "the most annoying sound in the world" from Dumb and Dumber): Hunterc) Baby crying: Witchd) Belching/Sputtering Noises: Boomere) Sudden dramatic turn in the music/ground shaking: Tank coming
7) It's fairly easy to gain achievements in Left 4 Dead....just remember one important thing I've learned....don't be greedy or stingy with the Health Kits. If you have almost full health...and a health kit.....you have a teammate who is low on health....SHARE. Not only will you have a teammate still, but you can gain achievements by helping your teammates. I believe there is also an achievement for giving pain pills though I'm not sure. Don't be rude and leave your teammates on the ground. Help them up (when/if you can). This will also [eventually] unlock an achievement.
8) BEFORE opening the safe room door to continue on in the game, take the time to look out...and kill Zombies around it! Don't rush ahead, unbar the door and head out.
9) When answering a rescue summons, before actually SUMMONING the rescue, make sure...your teammates have full ammo, health kits, and are in position of where they need to be to fight the hoard.
The biggest/best tip is DO NOT run ahead. DO NOT leave your teammates behind. This is VERRRRRY important. You will die if you run ahead, and you will have pissed off teammates.
That's it for now.
From a post I made on HGG about Left 4 Dead:
Some tips for Left 4 Dead....
1) If you are fighting a campaign (as opposed to versus), stick together. This is the key point when playing this game. Never have someone run ahead and alert the hoard. When playing, find a corner or a spot where your back is to the wall - instead of having full 4 areas exposed. a) HOWEVER, the team of you need to keep moving. As you stand there, the game will produce more and more zombies (I believe the creators address this). You have to keep moving. Don't think you can stand there, and the zombies will eventually stop.
2) When fighting with three areas exposed as opposed to four, someone with a shotgun can crouch in front of someone with an assault rifle and can attack the hoard easier. That way you don't have to worry about reloading and getting hit (even though you can mêlée aka hit and shove aka Left Trigger). This also reduces the chances of friendly fire.
3) It is good for someone in your party to have a hunting rifle; however, don't snipe zombies unless someone has your back. The rifle is also the most powerful weapon against the Tanks.
4) When sneaking around witches, turn off your flashlight, and walk behind her. Don't shoot anything; don't throw anything. If you have to fight a witch, your best technique is to throw a Molotov at her, and put as much distance in between yourself and the witch. The burning Molotov will reduce her health - hopefully long enough that you can easily kill her. You can easily hit the witch by NOT aiming directly at her head when she turns to look at you, but just below her hair (see Crownd - shotgun to the back of the head...not a hunting rifle from afar - and Witch Hunter achievements).
5) When it comes to Boomers, they will spit/vomit on you and alert the hoard. Instead, mêlée (Left Trigger) Boomer like there is no tomorrow.
6) Like Copperkat said....LISTEN:a) Coughing: Smoker nearbyb) Screeching/screaming (similar to "the most annoying sound in the world" from Dumb and Dumber): Hunterc) Baby crying: Witchd) Belching/Sputtering Noises: Boomere) Sudden dramatic turn in the music/ground shaking: Tank coming
7) It's fairly easy to gain achievements in Left 4 Dead....just remember one important thing I've learned....don't be greedy or stingy with the Health Kits. If you have almost full health...and a health kit.....you have a teammate who is low on health....SHARE. Not only will you have a teammate still, but you can gain achievements by helping your teammates. I believe there is also an achievement for giving pain pills though I'm not sure. Don't be rude and leave your teammates on the ground. Help them up (when/if you can). This will also [eventually] unlock an achievement.
8) BEFORE opening the safe room door to continue on in the game, take the time to look out...and kill Zombies around it! Don't rush ahead, unbar the door and head out.
9) When answering a rescue summons, before actually SUMMONING the rescue, make sure...your teammates have full ammo, health kits, and are in position of where they need to be to fight the hoard.
The biggest/best tip is DO NOT run ahead. DO NOT leave your teammates behind. This is VERRRRRY important. You will die if you run ahead, and you will have pissed off teammates.
That's it for now.
German Shepherds
Eventually I'll make the plunge and purchase a German Shepherd from a reputable breeder to train for obedience, Schutzhund, etc.
I find this breeder's response to me asking what type of bloodlines the dogs have and what kind of workability do they have:
"I have mine as household pets. I do know that some of the past litters have gone on as house pets, show dog training. If this helps at all mine as housepets only my dam can smell and find anyone that has drugs she has brought it to me and the person was asked to leave. My sire he is really good about smelling areas that are infected yes I know that most dogs do but I went through cancer and he kept pushing in the area where it was. I spoke to my doctor and vet and they said that may be his gift."
I have heard of cancer smelling dogs, but cuckoo....a dog that detects narcotics, hasn't been trained to detect narcotics, and the dog brings the drugs to her? Seriously?
By the way, the dogs' names that she breeders are pretty much on the same level as "Bubba Bo Bob's Beautiful Boy" and such. There are NO records of them anywhere as far as health, breeding, working, titles, etc.
I find this breeder's response to me asking what type of bloodlines the dogs have and what kind of workability do they have:
"I have mine as household pets. I do know that some of the past litters have gone on as house pets, show dog training. If this helps at all mine as housepets only my dam can smell and find anyone that has drugs she has brought it to me and the person was asked to leave. My sire he is really good about smelling areas that are infected yes I know that most dogs do but I went through cancer and he kept pushing in the area where it was. I spoke to my doctor and vet and they said that may be his gift."
I have heard of cancer smelling dogs, but cuckoo....a dog that detects narcotics, hasn't been trained to detect narcotics, and the dog brings the drugs to her? Seriously?
By the way, the dogs' names that she breeders are pretty much on the same level as "Bubba Bo Bob's Beautiful Boy" and such. There are NO records of them anywhere as far as health, breeding, working, titles, etc.
Movie Reviews
Being down and out has some advantages: the ability to watch movies. Netflix has this new function in which you can watch movies instantly on your XBox 360:
1. Asylum (2008): Wow. Don't waste your time. Giving it a star rating from 1-5...I give it a 1. It's a movie whose storyline goes something like this: group of college students enter their first year of college. Their dorm is a former asylum used for treating teens with anxieties, etc. The doctor went mad and started torturing patients. Patients rebelled and killed doctor. Of course, the funny part is....the students stay in the restored wing of the asylum while the not yet restored wing remains locked from them. The "funny" part is that the not yet restored portion...hasn't even been gutted yet. Hospital beds, patient files, etc. all remain (like that would happen). The group of students (all with something twisted in their past) decide to go into the unrestored portion of the asylum, and of course, that's when things go wrong. The students all die one by one (in rather rapid succession and in a matter of two days or so). The special effects are so cheap it's not even funny. The only good part about this movie is that it was not a long movie, and I was able to say things like, "hey that's the blonde guy from 'Accepted,'" and "that's the kid who plays the whacked out son in 'Desperate Housewives.'" That's about it. Save your time. Don't watch this movie. Rating : *
2. Resurrecting the Champ (2007): Starring Josh Hartnett and Samuel L. Jackson. Star rating system, this one would get at LEAST 4-1/2 stars...if not 5. The movie is about a newspaper journalist (Hartnett) who just hasn't found his zest in his reporting of boxing events for the Denver Times. That is until he meets Bobbin' Bob Satterfield (Jackson) who is a homeless man on the streets. Hartnett decides to befriend the boxer, known as "The Champ," and learn about the man's past, his fights, his life, and more. The more Hartnett learns about Jackson, the more he learns about himself. I won't go into details about the ending, but it's a great GREAT movie (and the first in a long time in which Jackson didn't have his abrasive "F-you, M'f-er" attitude). Rating: ****-1/2 to *****
3. The Tattooist (2007): Takes place in Singapore (briefly) and New Zealand. Despite readint he back of the DVD at the video store and laughing it off, it was a pretty decent movie. A tattooist who believes in the healing power of some tattoos steals a Samoan tattooing tool from a trade show booth. An eerie chain of events take place which connects the tool with the events, and has the tattooist (a caucasian man from the USA) seeking out the Samoan tattooing group's help. While it doesn't rank as the best thriller or anything, it has a good storyline and is a good brief movie to watch. Rating: ***-1/2
4. Wedding Daze (2006)- also known as "The Pleasure of Your Company": Movie stars Jason Biggs (from the American Pie series). Oh my. Please don't waste your time seeing this movie! I don't know what was worse, Jason Biggs' parents getting hot and bothered everytime someone said a word that could have a sexual connotation (he's coming to visit....he's COMING......to visit.......COM-ING) to the point of roleplaying ("I'm just a little girl, please don't hurt me"), the bogus storyline (boy proposes to girl, girl drops dead, boy goes into a stupor, proposes to waitress, waitress says yes, some trouble, they get married), or the very blatant random sexual scenes in the movie (Jason Biggs calls his parents for help, and his father - wearing a silk robe- speaks "sorry, we have to end this here," and the camera pans to two girls making out, nude, and some serious petting in front of their fire.) I feel as though I lost brain cells watching this movie. Not funny....not entertaining....no redeeming moments. Rating: *
5. Outsourced (2006): What a great movie! You won't recognize any actors except maybe the main character who played in "With Honors" with Brendan Fraser back in the 90s. It's a movie about a guy in America whose company outsources their order fulfillment branch to India. He has to go to India to train them. It's amazing seeing the cultural differences and how they are overcome. Definitely a great movie. Rating: ****
1. Asylum (2008): Wow. Don't waste your time. Giving it a star rating from 1-5...I give it a 1. It's a movie whose storyline goes something like this: group of college students enter their first year of college. Their dorm is a former asylum used for treating teens with anxieties, etc. The doctor went mad and started torturing patients. Patients rebelled and killed doctor. Of course, the funny part is....the students stay in the restored wing of the asylum while the not yet restored wing remains locked from them. The "funny" part is that the not yet restored portion...hasn't even been gutted yet. Hospital beds, patient files, etc. all remain (like that would happen). The group of students (all with something twisted in their past) decide to go into the unrestored portion of the asylum, and of course, that's when things go wrong. The students all die one by one (in rather rapid succession and in a matter of two days or so). The special effects are so cheap it's not even funny. The only good part about this movie is that it was not a long movie, and I was able to say things like, "hey that's the blonde guy from 'Accepted,'" and "that's the kid who plays the whacked out son in 'Desperate Housewives.'" That's about it. Save your time. Don't watch this movie. Rating : *
2. Resurrecting the Champ (2007): Starring Josh Hartnett and Samuel L. Jackson. Star rating system, this one would get at LEAST 4-1/2 stars...if not 5. The movie is about a newspaper journalist (Hartnett) who just hasn't found his zest in his reporting of boxing events for the Denver Times. That is until he meets Bobbin' Bob Satterfield (Jackson) who is a homeless man on the streets. Hartnett decides to befriend the boxer, known as "The Champ," and learn about the man's past, his fights, his life, and more. The more Hartnett learns about Jackson, the more he learns about himself. I won't go into details about the ending, but it's a great GREAT movie (and the first in a long time in which Jackson didn't have his abrasive "F-you, M'f-er" attitude). Rating: ****-1/2 to *****
3. The Tattooist (2007): Takes place in Singapore (briefly) and New Zealand. Despite readint he back of the DVD at the video store and laughing it off, it was a pretty decent movie. A tattooist who believes in the healing power of some tattoos steals a Samoan tattooing tool from a trade show booth. An eerie chain of events take place which connects the tool with the events, and has the tattooist (a caucasian man from the USA) seeking out the Samoan tattooing group's help. While it doesn't rank as the best thriller or anything, it has a good storyline and is a good brief movie to watch. Rating: ***-1/2
4. Wedding Daze (2006)- also known as "The Pleasure of Your Company": Movie stars Jason Biggs (from the American Pie series). Oh my. Please don't waste your time seeing this movie! I don't know what was worse, Jason Biggs' parents getting hot and bothered everytime someone said a word that could have a sexual connotation (he's coming to visit....he's COMING......to visit.......COM-ING) to the point of roleplaying ("I'm just a little girl, please don't hurt me"), the bogus storyline (boy proposes to girl, girl drops dead, boy goes into a stupor, proposes to waitress, waitress says yes, some trouble, they get married), or the very blatant random sexual scenes in the movie (Jason Biggs calls his parents for help, and his father - wearing a silk robe- speaks "sorry, we have to end this here," and the camera pans to two girls making out, nude, and some serious petting in front of their fire.) I feel as though I lost brain cells watching this movie. Not funny....not entertaining....no redeeming moments. Rating: *
5. Outsourced (2006): What a great movie! You won't recognize any actors except maybe the main character who played in "With Honors" with Brendan Fraser back in the 90s. It's a movie about a guy in America whose company outsources their order fulfillment branch to India. He has to go to India to train them. It's amazing seeing the cultural differences and how they are overcome. Definitely a great movie. Rating: ****
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Rooster free to a good home
(from a Craigslist ad...found it humorous)
His name is Hellbird. He is free to a good home/farm one Rooster, he has just started crowing a month or so ago and is/has grown spurs on his legs... The neighbors and I would love to be able to sleep in again .... He comes with 1/2 bag of feed. Was a pet but the cute little female chick turned out to be a male. .YIKES
If you don't want him, but know of somebody that may, please pass my info to them.
His name is Hellbird. He is free to a good home/farm one Rooster, he has just started crowing a month or so ago and is/has grown spurs on his legs... The neighbors and I would love to be able to sleep in again .... He comes with 1/2 bag of feed. Was a pet but the cute little female chick turned out to be a male. .YIKES
If you don't want him, but know of somebody that may, please pass my info to them.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Sneaky Puppy...
A very cold puppy. Cash's favorite thing in the world (besides his bunny toys) is a nice, warm fleece. Andrew will lay on the loveseat with his knees bent, and Cash will climb up underneath Andrew's knees and lay there....
So when I walked by to go to the bathroom, this is what I saw sticking out the other end...
So when I walked by to go to the bathroom, this is what I saw sticking out the other end...Playing with daddy in his fleece throw....
And just to show you how much he's grown (and to model his custom leather collar from Das Ist Leather in Helen, GA).....
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