Bitches and Pussies, get the fuck in here.
Gran' Theft Auto. Bangin' game. One of the best I've ever played, yo.
Okay, this accent fails hard, but you get the picture, right, bitch?
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Friday, November 28, 2008
Black Friday
Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to I/O Nightly News.
Black Friday, an "American holiday" (one of the many), is traditionally the day after Thanksgiving.
Well, I went.
And I'm set for the next five years or so. I bought Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, and The Ship, both superb games, for a total of $15. What a bargain. :-D
Unfortunately, tragedy struck at two stores across the nation today, one in a Wal-Mart when a temporary worker was trampled to death, and two in a Toys R' Us, where shoppers were shot to death.
CNN's Story.
Black Friday, an "American holiday" (one of the many), is traditionally the day after Thanksgiving.
Well, I went.
And I'm set for the next five years or so. I bought Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, and The Ship, both superb games, for a total of $15. What a bargain. :-D
Unfortunately, tragedy struck at two stores across the nation today, one in a Wal-Mart when a temporary worker was trampled to death, and two in a Toys R' Us, where shoppers were shot to death.
CNN's Story.
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Thanksgiving
Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to I/O Nightly News.
Two turkeys, two boats of gravy, two bowls of mashed potatoes, creamed onions, stuffed mushrooms, stuffing, cranberry jelly and sauce, butter, cornbread.
The works.
The parade also got Rick-Rolled.
Two turkeys, two boats of gravy, two bowls of mashed potatoes, creamed onions, stuffed mushrooms, stuffing, cranberry jelly and sauce, butter, cornbread.
The works.
The parade also got Rick-Rolled.
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Thanksgiving
Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to I/O Nightly News.
I'd like to take this opportunity to bring about a moment of silence in this dark corner of the 'net.
Thank you. At this moment, roughly one in ten Americans will not be planning anything special for Thanksgiving, mostly because they can't. They can't put gifts under the tree, light the Menorah, or stuff turkeys and have pineapples with ham.
I'd love to change it. It would bring about fulfillment to myself in more ways than one.
But where to start is the problem. Corrupt charities, tacky donations, the whole nine yards. Giving just doesn't have a clean feeling to it.
Where to begin is a problem unto itself. I give thanks that I'm not alone in my want to solve global problems. That my father has a secure, well-paying job. That I'm educated. That I can post here every night while hostages in hotels are mercilessly gunned down. That I can be one of the people to help solve these problems, not be a victim to them.
I am thankful that I have things to be thankful for.
Happy Thanksgiving.
I'd like to take this opportunity to bring about a moment of silence in this dark corner of the 'net.
Thank you. At this moment, roughly one in ten Americans will not be planning anything special for Thanksgiving, mostly because they can't. They can't put gifts under the tree, light the Menorah, or stuff turkeys and have pineapples with ham.
I'd love to change it. It would bring about fulfillment to myself in more ways than one.
But where to start is the problem. Corrupt charities, tacky donations, the whole nine yards. Giving just doesn't have a clean feeling to it.
Where to begin is a problem unto itself. I give thanks that I'm not alone in my want to solve global problems. That my father has a secure, well-paying job. That I'm educated. That I can post here every night while hostages in hotels are mercilessly gunned down. That I can be one of the people to help solve these problems, not be a victim to them.
I am thankful that I have things to be thankful for.
Happy Thanksgiving.
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
LOST!
Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to I/O Nightly News.
Let's complicate matters a bit, shall we?
Remember your first kiss? How sweet it was? I do.
It was with this girl that I had slowly become friends with since roughly ninth grade. Then, one day during play practice, she texts me out of the blue and asks me when my break was. As I was already on my way out to get a breath of fresh air, I naturally text her back, romantic SOB that I am, and say "Now."
So she asks me to take a walk with her. So we take a walk.
Little do I know she'll stop next to a set of lockers, and ask for a kiss. Of course, me being the elegant man that I am, proudly accept, and we kiss.
Twice.
So anyway, I ask her to prom. So do two other guys on the same day, one right in front of me. She claims she won't go to prom, with or without anyone because her parent's won't let her, as they are muslims and it's against custom.
But she goes anyway.
And then she tells the world she's going to Palestine for senior year. Over the summer, my friend and I both realize we got our first kisses from her. Not that we particularly care or anything.
And she shows up today, proudly proclaiming that sh'e's coming back to this very high school on Dec 4th.
That's. Fucked. Up.
Now what?
Let's complicate matters a bit, shall we?
Remember your first kiss? How sweet it was? I do.
It was with this girl that I had slowly become friends with since roughly ninth grade. Then, one day during play practice, she texts me out of the blue and asks me when my break was. As I was already on my way out to get a breath of fresh air, I naturally text her back, romantic SOB that I am, and say "Now."
So she asks me to take a walk with her. So we take a walk.
Little do I know she'll stop next to a set of lockers, and ask for a kiss. Of course, me being the elegant man that I am, proudly accept, and we kiss.
Twice.
So anyway, I ask her to prom. So do two other guys on the same day, one right in front of me. She claims she won't go to prom, with or without anyone because her parent's won't let her, as they are muslims and it's against custom.
But she goes anyway.
And then she tells the world she's going to Palestine for senior year. Over the summer, my friend and I both realize we got our first kisses from her. Not that we particularly care or anything.
And she shows up today, proudly proclaiming that sh'e's coming back to this very high school on Dec 4th.
That's. Fucked. Up.
Now what?
Monday, November 24, 2008
A letter to Roswell
Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to I/O Nightly News.
I sent the following to a Mr. Roswell for his column at The Escapist this week.
Hi there, I'm a 17-year old American gamer, and I read your editorial, "Pixels and Picket Lines" this week. I must say that although I agree with your writing wholeheartedly, there are a few points that stand out to me.
I think that one of the main reasons that games haven't gone political yet is that the focus of games are just that -- games. The typical Halo player probably isn't thinking about the plausibility of having humanity united under a single banner, and the average Portal player isn't considering the ramifications of mass-producing the Handheld Portal Device. Gamers, casual and hard-core alike, are just worried about getting to the end of the level, around the corner, or just behind the next barricade to avoid that chainsaw.
Politics in games haven't gone mainstream yet because few people know how to handle and represent politics correctly, with a controller or not.
That may also be why RTS games may be the starting point, as they're more relaxed than music, RPG, or FPS games. Each iteration of Civilization, as you well know, all allow you to handle your citizens, government, economics, etc, on a scale and with such subtlety that most gamers don't notice. Retrospectively, (having first played Civilization II at the age of nine), RTS games like Civilization and Rise of Nations have shown me personally what governments and political decisions (such as putting everything into science, for example), can affect.
But this is too grand a scale. We need games that can simulate the effects of decisions you make as a Prime Minister, President, Senator, or even Mayor on other NPC (or real player) politicians. Sandbox games have come a long way since the likes of the first Grand Theft Auto, but they have a long way to go. Real, up-close-and-personal political simulators, ones in which you run your own campaign, hold rallies, conventions, debates, form a platform, etc, are a long way off, if we ever see them.
Games have no PR director or company. They have simple TV spots and demos stored away on servers and discs. The industry is still in its infancy. While some die-hards claim that 1998 was the golden age of gaming, we need to look to the future. There is nobody on the front lines for gamers. We take our punishment, apologize for our coffee being too hot, and call it a day. We don't push ourselves out there to be accepted. We sit back and build a massive industry worth billions in any currency, and play. We can't get political because we aren't center stage.
Games have long been the subject of the outside media of being for children, or making men into boys, (and, more increasingly, women into girls) again. They're the on-weekends treat. Four-song sets of Guitar Hero have become a staple of after-dinner entertainment for my 8-year old brother and my dad, both of whom enjoy the classic rock numbers. But so long as the stigma of games being violent sex simulators for immature adolescents remains, politics will not enter the games industry, no matter how old the average gamer gets.
Thanks for your time!
I sent the following to a Mr. Roswell for his column at The Escapist this week.
Hi there, I'm a 17-year old American gamer, and I read your editorial, "Pixels and Picket Lines" this week. I must say that although I agree with your writing wholeheartedly, there are a few points that stand out to me.
I think that one of the main reasons that games haven't gone political yet is that the focus of games are just that -- games. The typical Halo player probably isn't thinking about the plausibility of having humanity united under a single banner, and the average Portal player isn't considering the ramifications of mass-producing the Handheld Portal Device. Gamers, casual and hard-core alike, are just worried about getting to the end of the level, around the corner, or just behind the next barricade to avoid that chainsaw.
Politics in games haven't gone mainstream yet because few people know how to handle and represent politics correctly, with a controller or not.
That may also be why RTS games may be the starting point, as they're more relaxed than music, RPG, or FPS games. Each iteration of Civilization, as you well know, all allow you to handle your citizens, government, economics, etc, on a scale and with such subtlety that most gamers don't notice. Retrospectively, (having first played Civilization II at the age of nine), RTS games like Civilization and Rise of Nations have shown me personally what governments and political decisions (such as putting everything into science, for example), can affect.
But this is too grand a scale. We need games that can simulate the effects of decisions you make as a Prime Minister, President, Senator, or even Mayor on other NPC (or real player) politicians. Sandbox games have come a long way since the likes of the first Grand Theft Auto, but they have a long way to go. Real, up-close-and-personal political simulators, ones in which you run your own campaign, hold rallies, conventions, debates, form a platform, etc, are a long way off, if we ever see them.
Games have no PR director or company. They have simple TV spots and demos stored away on servers and discs. The industry is still in its infancy. While some die-hards claim that 1998 was the golden age of gaming, we need to look to the future. There is nobody on the front lines for gamers. We take our punishment, apologize for our coffee being too hot, and call it a day. We don't push ourselves out there to be accepted. We sit back and build a massive industry worth billions in any currency, and play. We can't get political because we aren't center stage.
Games have long been the subject of the outside media of being for children, or making men into boys, (and, more increasingly, women into girls) again. They're the on-weekends treat. Four-song sets of Guitar Hero have become a staple of after-dinner entertainment for my 8-year old brother and my dad, both of whom enjoy the classic rock numbers. But so long as the stigma of games being violent sex simulators for immature adolescents remains, politics will not enter the games industry, no matter how old the average gamer gets.
Thanks for your time!
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Cooliris
Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to I/O Nightly News.
Cooliris may be the best thing to happen to image browsing outside of Flickr.
Here's the link to it -- FireFox 3 extension.
Cooliris may be the best thing to happen to image browsing outside of Flickr.
Here's the link to it -- FireFox 3 extension.
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