Tailsteak

I don't pay attention.

2012 - Nothing Happens

For anyone who believes in the 2012 "conspiracy" or is looking for proof disclaiming it - here it is:

http://pseudoastro.wordpress.com/2009/01/27/planet-x-and-2012-the-pseudoastronomy-or-just-plain-wrong-astronomy-about-a-galactic-alignment/

This post at Wordpress disclaims all so-called "proof" that the world will end in 2012, as predicted by the Mayan calendar. Why are we still listening to the Mayans, anyways? They were ancient astronomers that didn't know what they were doing, and they didn't have the technology we do today to properly make those claims. Heck, we're using the Gregorian calendar here, people, not some dusty old stone slab predicting the end of the world!

Read up on that post. It'll take you a few minutes, and a few moments more to contemplate it, but if you can spend "the last few years of your life" worrying about a conspiracy meant to make you worry, then you can take a few minutes to help you reason with yourself and your sorry, brainwashed mind.

Beware! The Fake PSP!

For all of you who have been looking for a way to get the new PSP Go for cheaper than the outrageous $250 US (waay more expensive in CAD) - DON'T.

I have been searching for a new MP3/Video player since my iPod no longer works with Linux (openSUSE 11.2, my primary OS), and I just happened to stumble upon this product:

http://www.lightinthebox.com/4GB-4-3-inch-Slip-Design-Multi-Media-Game-MP5-MP3-Player-Digital-Camera--SZM1157-_p74378.html#review

First of all, note how it says "MP5" in the URL. What the heck is an "MP5" file? Doesn't exist. Also, notice the "Made in Japan" right on it. Now, I myself don't have a Go, but I know for a fact that the PSP Go DOES NOT HAVE THAT ON IT. Nor does it have a Play/Pause button, FM radio, 4GB of onboard memory (the PSP Go has 16GB, no smaller models), the PSP Go only works with Sony's propertiery (special copyrighted) memory stick, the Memory Stick Micro (M2). Where the Play/Pause button on this thing is there should be a Playstation "Home" button, used to view a limited version of the XMB (Cross-media Board) while playing games and used to exit said game or turn off the system.

And just look at the back of this phony: utter failure to produce a fake:

 See the digi-cam? Not supposed to be there. See the stickers saying "4GB" and "FM"? Shouldn't be there, either. And that sure as hell doesn't look like the PSP Go (look at the back of the screen, at the sliding mechanism).

Plus, the site where it's sold (at the top of this post) says nothing of Wi-Fi or Bluetooth capabilities, which we all know the PSP has.

So, if you're in the market for a cheaper PSP Go, buy it used. Otherwise, but a PROPER MP3 player that actually plays videos and even has a touch screen - there are many out there for less than Sony's selling the PSP Go for, and you can even play games on some of them. Besides, why would you want a Go, anyways? You can't sell your games once you buy them, you can't buy them used (Download-only, so Sony's got control over prices) and the Wi-Fi is no better than the original, phat PSP's was (802.11b). Do yourself a favour: buy an iPod Touch, or even a PSP 3000 - they can play UMD discs and have virtually all the features of the Go, minus Bluetooth and the sliding screen, of course.

R3view - 2Kinds Online Comic

This has to be the best comic/manga I've ever read.

The author/artist, Tom Fischbach, is a genius! He's somehow combined humor, action, adventure, and a little bit of perverseness all into one awesome collection of images and storyline arcs.

Check out the comic here: 2Kinds

If it doesn't work very well, or the Archive loads slowly, try here: http://twokindscomic.com/

If you are browsing the archive, and you find it's loading slowly, even if you tried both URLs, click on the link near the top of every Archive page. Sometimes the servers get cluttered with people all trying to read this at once, and that slows it down somewhat.

So yeah, check it out, and if anybody actually reads this, tell me what you think!

-Matt

Oh, yeah, one other thing:
It's 524 pages (comics) long. So it might take a while to read it all, but it's just images with text bubbles, so it shouldn't be too hard to stick with it.

Rand0m - The Octopus Who Loved His Mr. Potato Head

Yeah, I know, long title, pretty much spoiled the whole thing.

Oh well, here's the story.

Louis the octopus clearly thinks two heads are better than one when it comes to toys.

The 1.8m-wide (6ft) creature is so attached to Mr Potato Head that he turns aggressive when aquarium staff try to remove it from his tank.

Louis cuddles his Mr Potato Head

The giant Pacific octopus was given the toy for Christmas and has even learned to dig out food hidden in a secret box at the back of it.

'He's fascinated by it,' said Matt Slater, of the Blue Reef Aquarium in Newquay, Cornwall. 'He attacks the net we use to fish the toy out every time we try to take it away.'

Mr Slater added: 'Octopuses are very intelligent and they like to be stimulated and busy.'

So there you have it, taken from this site

Oh, and in case you're wondering, yes, that's actually a real picture of an octopus holding a child's toy underwater.

Rand0m - Darwin's Evolution Theory Proved Wrong!

To anybody reading this blog, let me first tell you a bit about myself.

I am Christian,
and I have moved over 5 times in my short lifetime.

Okay, so the second point may seem a little rand0m, but the first one has a bit to do with my post today (or tonight, rather).

For a while now, I've been trying to find ground to fight against Darwin's evolution theory, after I read a little blurb in Times magazine a long time ago (at least I think it was Time/Times... I saw it in a doctor's office somewhere). It said somewhere along the lines of "Darwin takes back evolution theory". Now, of course, Darwin had been dead for some time, but this piqued my interest.

So recently I did some researching, and I found this website.

While the site's name is bible.ca, it is not some bible-thumping site claiming false evidence against popular theories.
Rather, the people (or person) who post there actually take quotes from different scientists and pit them against each other (namely, evolutionists VS creationists).

I'm fairly certain that the things they say are true, but since it is considered a sin to lie yet lying is part of human nature, I cannot be completely sure.

Anyways, check it out, and comment on it. I want to know how you feel about a long-held belief being shattered by the very ones who helped promote it, once upon a time.

First Review

Hi all, thank you for coming to my Blog.

Instead of starting with a review about a single game, I will do brief reviews of the games in the Halo series for Xbox (360)/PC

Halo: CE
The first Halo game, Halo: Combat Evolved, set the standard for console First Person Shooters (FPS). The original game for Xbox didn't have online play; Xbox LIVE was introduced shortly after the game was released, and it never saw an update to include LIVE play.
However, when the PC version of the game was made in 2001, it used a broadband connection to play online; dial-up users couldn't play, or if they could, they got a bad connection, since most users were using broadband.
I myself have both versions, however, my computer's hardware limits my play of the PC version.

*Note: There is also an unofficial update to the PC game called Halo: Custom Edition, which lets users use their own custom-created maps in online play; however, Bungie and Microsoft do not support this.
Custom maps, along with the Custom Edition, can be found at Halo Custom Edition Maps.

Halo 2
The second game in the series introduced newer, updated graphics - which pushed the original Xbox's hardware to the limit (proof of this is the lighting, which sometimes results in a 'ghost' image imprinted on your HUD) - new enemies (Brutes, Prophets), new weapons (Brute Plasma Rifle, Battle Rifle, Covenant Energy Sword, just to name a few), new locales, the ability to dual-wield certain weapons, and the removal of the Assault Rifle.

Most people would say the game was good until the end - meaning, the ending was terrible. After a long, hard game, you'd expect all your efforts to pay off, and for the game to end with a bang.
Instead, Bungie left us wanting more with its cliffhanger ending:
Admiral Cole and his crew detect an unknown Forerunner vessel leaving High Charity; Master Chief contacting Cole from within the vessel; the screen fading to black (if you finished the game on Legendary, then after the credits Cortana appears, ready to give the Gravemind, leader of the Flood, the answers he wants - leading some players to believe that she is on the verge of being rampant).
The Master Chief and Admiral Cole's brief conversation is as follows:
Cole: "Master Chief, you mind telling me what you're doing on that ship?"
The Chief: "Sir, finishing this fight."

*Note: There is also a version of this game for Windows Vista; however, some people patch it for XP. As protection against this, Bungie applied an update resulting in Xbox LIVE being disabled in the XP hack.

Halo 3
Finally, the "end" to the Halo trilogy, Halo 3 brings players High Definition graphics, a new game mode (Forge, the multiplayer map editor designed to try and replace the long-coveted map maker programs that PC players have always had), Theater mode (replay saved-game footage and take screenshots for upload to Bungie.net), new allies (The Arbiter and his Elites; Brutes, Grunts, Hunters, the Flood, and Prophets are still your enemies), more new weapons (an updated Brute Shot, the Brute Gravity Hammer, a new Energy Sword with a shorter lunge and a battery, and removable turrets, just to name a few), the re-introduction of the Assault Rifle (!), and more.
The new Assault Rifle is a little different from Halo: CE's MA5B AR; this new, sleek black weapon is the MA5C AR, which, when fired in short bursts, is more accurate than its older brethren.

Halo Wars
This is excluded from the Halo trilogy for two reasons:

1.It was not made by Bungie; it was developed by Ensemble studios, which disbanded and was split into four new companies: Robot Entertainment, Bonfire Studios, Windstorm Studios, and NewToy.

2.It is a Real-Time Strategy Game, or RTS, which is a top-down view giving you control of your units.

Halo 3: ODST
This was originally an expansion to Halo 3, but, because of all the new features and it has its own story, Microsoft made it a full-priced package. There are two versions: The first is 59.99 or 69.99, depending on where you shop, and contains only the game (two discs; the first contains Campain mode, Firefight mode, and Theater mode; the second contains the Xbox LIVE multiplayer components, Matchmaking, Forge, and Theater mode. The second disc holds all the Halo 3 map packs, as well as three new maps, Heretic, Citadel, and Longshore).
The other version is the Collector's Set, which has the game discs, a custom wireless controller with laser-etched patterns and wording, codes to unlock Sergeant Major Johnson for use in Firefight, and an invitation to the Halo: Reach multiplayer beta, when it becomes available.
You can also get SM Johnson and the Beta invite by pre-ordering the game from participating retailers (see Bungie's Website for more details). The Collector's Set is only available for pre-order and purchase at Gamestop/EB Games.

Halo: Reach
This game was revealed at E3 2009. Not many details were given, but a cryptic trailer is available at  the Halo: Reach Project page on Bungie's website.