Jack Thompson

I didn't think that people were really as concerned about Video Game violence as this guy is...

Video Games are Evil!!! Jack Thompson

Here is my stance on it... and this is from personal experience.

Video Games in and of themselves do not cause violent people. It is the perspective that the children are skewed to by others after they are encountered with violence in video games (or anywhere) as to whether they come out violent or non-violent. Is the violence portayed in the game ok? Is the sex in the game ok? Is the gambling in the game ok? Is the friendship in the game ok? Is the story in the game ok? These are the types of questions that need to be addressed in the game. People, especially young kids, MUST be taught the difference, and early.

I do think that the ESRB rating systems are helpful - for the most part I'm going to follow them with my children. Its more like if I see a mature on it, and my kids are 15, thats a warning for me to check it out first, then let my kids play it if I see that it would be ok. And that I think is the most important thing in the whole debate about violence and all that in video games - Parents need to be involved in whatever their kids are into, ESPECIALLY video games. Video Games are the most interactive entertainment medium we have... you actually manipulate whatever is happening in that universe. Thats why parents need to be so adament about making sure that their children know the difference between what is right and wrong, and what is real and fantasy, and what is right in wrong within the video game universe.

So what I'm saying is, parents, catch your kids at the first signs of them having to make moral decisions, whether it be video games, movies, sports, talking on the phone, playing Pokemon... whatever - kids learn their values somewhere, and your job as a parent is to influence your child in the way he should go when those value-learning experiences arise.

So there ya go... Video Games are fun. Play Hard! And don't shoot rocket launchers at people's feet in real life - you will go to jail.



Link of the Post: MMO Scam <--This is a great read, some cussing within, though. Still an excellent read. (I wish I were the guy at the end!)

A Must Read Software Article

I just got finished reading one of the best articles I think I have ever read. It has to do with writing software, and it is full, full, full of useful and smart information. Here a link...

Shuttle Software

This article has some really good points, and I think it could be applied to other areas also, such as home building, business plans, etc. Mainly the article focuses on planning, planning, and more planning, and finding the problems as you go. The most important, in fact by FAR the most important part of software programming (or any kind of creation process) is the planning phase. With software, you can write out absolutely all of the logic for a program, get all the kinks worked out, all of the problems ironed out in a small amount of time compared to doing it the other way around... coding and planning at the same time.

Link of the Post: Newegg <-- Buy Computer Stuff, quick and easy

Take a Video Game Quiz!

I just took this awesome quiz, and I am sure you will find it awesome also!!!

The Quiz

It was really fun, and I was pleasantly surprised with what I knew and what I didn't know! I got these right: 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 9, 12, 13, 16, 17, 19, 21, 23, 25, 30, 32, 33, 37, 39, 40

If you know any of the others, hook me up! Number 38 is obviously Bomberman though, so I don't know what is up with that... must have a different title or something.

Well, quick post, thought you might wanna check it out!

Link of the Post: THE RIDDLE <-- Really fun, I got up to Level 5 I do believe.

Something Interesting for You!

Its amazing how far games have come, and its always fun to revisit the olden' golden' days of yore. There are always a multitude of ways to try them out, one of the quickest, easiest, and possibly illegalist (is that a word?) is getting the ROMs off of the Internet. But I won't go there... its bad! So shame on you! :-)

But anyway, that was kinda a bad way to introduce this, but here is a neat place to check out.

AnandTech's Free Games Archive

They have a plethora of games listed for you spare time, including Duke Nukem 3D(!), Runescape, Nethack, etc. By the way, there will be a "review" of Nethack on here one day, because it is a great game (I played it a ton on PocketPC, and never beat it, but you know).

Also, for a booty-load (toilet time) of free games, be sure to check out The Underdogs. Its got a humungously humungous selection of games from all time periods and here, there, and everywhere. They will only post games that are legal to have, so check them out! Some great moments of fun can be found within.

Link of the Post: Nethack Homepage <-- This game is awesome.. and old.. and still updated. Check it out.

A Desicion, Perhaps...

Get ready for this quite a bit from me... I have found something that may unseat the venerable Shuttle from the top of the list of what I want for a case/mobo/psu. So here it is...

Biostar Ideq 210P

So what is the big deal? I'll give you the run down of the two systems...

Processors - They both support AMD 64 processors... check!
Chipsets - Shuttle: VIA K8M800 / VT8237
Biostar: Nvidia nFORCE3 250 Gb
This one seems to go with Biostar. It comes with Gigabit LAN and Nvidia's hardware firewall.
Memory - Basically the same, although on Newegg, it lists only DDR400 on the Biostar... Thats what I want to get anyway, so its not a big deal.
Graphics - Shuttle: Onboard, which will work for a while, but I will be getting an AGP video card.
Biostar: None, but I will be getting an AGP video card... only sooner.
Expansion slots - Shuttle: x1 PCI x1 AGP
Biostar: x1 PCI x1 AGP x1 MiniPCI
The MiniPCI enables me to put in a wireless card inside the case, instead of in the PCI slot, which frees that up for whatever I want.
IDE (Disk Drive Connections) - x2 ATA100, x2 SATA on both of them... self explanatory.
Audio - Shuttle: Realtek ALC650 6 channels audio
Biostar: Realtek ALC655 6 channels audio
I don't know what the difference is, and if there is one, it would be minimal... so who cares?

Expansion Bays - Shuttle: x1 3.5, x1 5.25
Biostar: x2 3.5, x1 5.25
Biostar allows 2 hard drives, plus a card reader. Shuttle would need one of those 3.5 inch slots for a card slot if you wanted one.

Power Supply - Shuttle: 240 (PFC)
Biostar: true 250
If anyone knows any difference between PFC and what Biostar calls "True 250", then please tell me! So for now, I won't say which might be better.
Aesthetics - Shuttle: Slightly smaller, but very pretty.
Biostar: Slightly larger, and also very pretty. Adds in drives covers (stealth drives.. ooooh). I don't know, I don't know which one is better looking at the moment, they are both good looking to me.

From what it looks like, they are both very viable options for the Small Form Factor builder. The reviews on Newegg both seem very positive for each of these SFFs. They are also both roughly the same price ($255 vs. $253 on Newegg). So which one should I get? Give me input if you want! I'm leaning towards the Biostar though.

Link of the Post: The Thomas Insight <--One of the homeys in our little group o' friends

Official 'This Is What I Want For My New Computer' Post

It is time for me to introduce my latest addition to my blog - the "This is What I Want for My Next Computer' series! This will be continuously updated, logged, skewed, revised, reviewed, and overall scrutinized, until I get the entire thing done! (Like my computer will ever truly be 'done). First off...

• Case, Motherboard, Power Supply

I have decided on what I want for the bones of my computer... Shuttle's SK83G. Here is the official site: CLICK ME!! and here it is on Newegg: CLICK ME TOO!!


Courtesy of Techreport

Now I know, this is not the latest and greatest thing on Earth. But one thing I do like about this case is that I will have to make desicions, weigh the trade-offs, and watch my budget that can't be too high, because we don't have a lot of money. I like this case for many reasons, and think it will do exactly what I want it to do.

First of all, its small, and small is good! I can pack it up and take where needs be. Take it to the gym. Take it to Clay and Thomas' house. Take it to the Restroom... All in the name of portability. Really I like it so small because it is portable (at least comparatively to most desktops), and it just has that certain wow factor to it... something I can look at it and be like.. 'wow, thats neat. and its mine'.



Another reason I like it is because of the socket 754 setup. I like the idea of having an AMD 64 processor in it. I'm eyeballing the AMD 64 3000+, but the lengthy description of that is for a later writing. Now, I know what your thinking (maybe), 'this platform is already being taken over by the socket 939 processors!'. Well, I know, but there is still some life in it, I want to use 1 stick of RAM and still hit its full potential, and its cheaper. So, I like it.

I also like that this case uses a proprietary cooling system for the CPU, that is supposed to keep it cool better. Its called SilentX, and its supposed to be very quiet and efficient. We'll see, but it has me sold for now ;)



I also like that the motherboard has onboard video. Now I know, onboard video sucks (I got a laptop, and it sucks, my wife's computer had onboard, and it sucked). I've read that the onboard graphics chip is pretty much like a budget GeForce4, which might sound bad, but me and my wife just stuck a GeForce4 in her 2.4ghz Celeron desktop, and its graphics were DRAMATICALLY improved, and passes off real well as a gaming machine. So I'm going to go with that, because frankly, I don't have the money for a good video card yet, and if I'm going to get a video card, I want a pretty good one. Like a Radeon 9800 Pro, that I can driver-upgrade to an XT (find that one on Google, too lengthy of an explanation for here!)

Well, the rest of it is self explanatory. PSU? Check. 6 USB? Check. 2 Firewire? Check. SATA & RAID? Check. Onboard 5.1? Check. All for around $260? Check. Check. Check. Buy a case (~$50), PSU (~$70), Mobo (~$100)... Can add up.

I'll add more posts as I have time about the other parts of the system, but for now, I'm out.

Link of the Post: Firefox <-- Use this please... if you know whats good for you.

Valentine's Day is Here

Valentine's Day is upon us! Whoo-hoo! Me and Jiffner are planning on watching the sappiest, most tear jerking moving in existance: The Notebook. Its really good! I watched it in the theatre, and cried so hard, I thought my eyes were going to fall out!!! :'(


Just ignore the whole soundtrack part at the top ;)

The movie is about these two young people that fall in love, but can't be together because their parents are from different social classes. The guy and nobody, the girl a somebody. Of course, at the end they are together anyway, but the plot is really deep and thought provoking. It is so rediculously sad at the end though... but I can't say what it is, you just have to watch it!

I personally can't wait to watch it again with my wife, on the comfy couch this time, with no stupid bar on either side and chewing gum on the floor, and we can add the smell of popcorn... oh what fun!!!

So until next time.. you've got a movie to rent, you sappy sap suckers ;)

Link of the Post: Orisinal Flash Games <--Play Play Play

Test Thine State Knowledge

Here is a state knowledge test that I stumbled upon, and I thought that you may want to stumble upon it too!

My first time doing it I got a Score of 80%, Avg Error of 81 miles, and did it in 281 seconds. Post your best times!

CLICK HERE FOR TESTAGE!!!

Link of the Post: www.thebestcasescenario.com <--Wow, what can be done.

Castlevania: Symphony of the Night

Castlevania: SotN is an excellent game by my standards, it is one of the few games that has kept my attention through until the end, and then some. There are a ton of things to find, places to explore, secrets to uncover... its a treat throughout the entire thing. You can't go wrong!

The graphics are amazing. But guess what - its a Playstation One game! Yes you heard it right - PS1. It is 2d, but it is 2d in the top of its form - it can't be done much better. All the little nuances and details just make this game spectacular! The bosses are massive, the colors are stunning, the art is tantalizing... it is all impressive indeed, and you will be impressed.

The sound is great too - the soundtrack is the star here though. Absolutely stunning! The voice acting is merely ok, but since that is not the focal point of the game, its not a big deal. The weapons effects, fire effects, and every other little sound is another thing that makes the sound great, it really makes the actions on screen come alive. Oh, and did I mention the music is great?

The gameplay is as close to perfect as I've found in any game, ever. The controls are challenging, but when you get them down, they are very intuitive and fluid. Once you master the basic moves, its on to a whole set of magic moves that are performed by button combos reminiscent of the special attacks Street Fighter II. The length of the game is also perfect, it is impressively long, but keeps you interested enough to never feel like its too long. There are a ton of different enemies to fight, so every rooms seems different, and every boss fight is refreshing. There are a plethora of items to find, including a vast array of weaponry, armor, potions, raw food laying around that is obviously quite ok to eat, and valuable gems.

Probably the only complaint I had about the game was the difficulty near the end, because if you do like I did and get as much and explore as much as possible before you actually beat the game, the last parts of the game are rather easy. But, I can say, it is quite satisfying when you can whip the crap out of every enemy at the end because of all the hard work and time you put into the game. What fun!

Overall, I am extremely impressed by how awesome SotN is. I would heartily recommend it to anyone with a PS1 or PS2, if you can find it. You can get it for a lot less than any new game now-a-days, and it will be better than 95% of the new games you can buy. So do yourself a monumental favor, and go get it. You shall not be dissapointed!

Random link of the Post: SlashDot <--Lots o' cool news

The First Post Issueth

Today is the day I start into posting thoughts and comments on whatever I deem necessary. Listen up and learn, be entertained, or waist an ounce of your time!

I guess this would be a good time to put down some of my favorite things in life, so you can get to know me and see what to expect from my random postings.

I Love Jesus Christ. I won't pretend I'm where I am in life without Him. Expect at least a few posts on my faith.
I Love my Wife. You will hear some about her, 'cause she's cool like that.
I like Computers. I like tinkering with them, learning about them, creating in/on/around them.
I like Cats. Cats are a good source of Vitamin R(elaxation), and they are just plain swooft.
I like Cars. Man do I like cars too. A 1966 VW Beetle was my first car, and hopefully I'll get it running soon. More info on that later.
I like Video Games. I like to play them in my spare time, which has mysteriously dwindled to not a whole lot lately, considering I'm growing up and all that.

I'm sure there are a large number of other things I like, but that will come in time. Meanwhile, if you use Firefox (which if you don't, you should... now) click the little orange button in the bottom right corner of the window and add my updates to our Bookmarks. If you use something else, figure out how to put RSS feeds into it. Hopefully at least 85% of the time the posts you find in my feed will be useful for a quick time diversion.

PEACE!

Random link of the post: HomeStarRunner <-- Fun Stuff Ahead