I Got 99 Problems But...

Well, I am now a member of the facebook community. Will that affect the semi regular posting on here?
I doubt it.

My Top Tips:

If every time you log on to your computer you open the same things (i.e. iTunes, Internet, Bittorrent(Dont steal music), or whatever), this website shows how to create a shortcut that will open them all in one. It is programming but if you can create a txt document then you are qualified.

Random Updates:

Busy has become my middle name. Admittedly its not 'real' busy, yknow with pressure to get things done, but Im never sitting around wishing I had something to do. The weekends seem to fill up and drift by all too quickly. Like last, last weekend, went in to Max Brennars for chocolate on sunday morning, sure some people go to church, but us gods prefer chcolate. It was SO good, the thick italian milk chocolate and the Suckao (Pron: Suck-ow) were so good, although im 99% sure i now have diabetes.

This most recent weekend (I am so lazy with the updates) saw a trip with Alana to Bondi. We were celebrating the end of our first Salsa dancing course, with a big group dinner at the CopaCabana Bondi, which was great. Dinner is served continually, no menu so i guess if you didn't like the food it might not be so good. I did, which was great. It also has professional dancers performing throughout the night, lots of different styles, including capoeira (Brazilian Fight Dancing). It was all in all a great night.
Alana and I also stayed overnight in Bondi at the Swiss Grand Bondi, which was really nice. Alana booked it through wotif and got 50% off which means we got a suite. It was a really nice place, and included breakfast.

Then on sunday my cousins came down. I had forgotten how much fun hide and seek is. I also forgot that the purpose of the game, whether you're hiding or seeking, is to shoot Alana.

Caught in the Web:

A list of the best websites of the year, as voted by time magazine. Worth a look if you want to see what the next YouTube or MySpace might be.

Reviews:

Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom:
This was the first book I read through Daily Lit.
Addictive as crack. This is set in the future when the death rate has dropped to 0, thanks to the ability to 'backup' yourself, much like a computer. These backups can be restored into clones. In this future money has been eradicated and the currency of the time is 'whuffie' (respect). The story follows a person who is living in Disney World, taking care of the Haunted Mansion. I won't give the plot away but i will say once you start reading you wont stop, which is easy because its not that long. The story never drags, even though there are many sub stories and diversions to the central plot. Each of the main characters are fleshed out as much as needed and the relationship between them is constantly evolving in engaging ways.
The author does a fantastic job of portraying this possible future as realistically as possible, doctors do not have medical skills anymore, as they simply restore from back up as a perfect cure-all.
A fantastic light read, thats engaging and fun.
Divine Word: Read it, its free for crying out loud.

Transformers:
Oh hell yeah.
I was hyped for this movie, but more than a little hesitant.
All fears were blown away. This movie is fantastic. The plot is paper thin, but there is enough to hold it together for the two and a half hours. The action is balanced reasonably well, with character and plot developing scenes. The star of the movie is obviously Shia LaBeouf, who plays his part to perfection.
The transformers themselves are good, and have much more personality than i ever thought they would. Which helps make them more interesting as characters. The secondary set of characters are all quite good, the soldiers, the government (both the defence and sector 7) and the (Hot!) signal expert all fall into place quite nicely.
The pacing is excellent flowing between the action and characters. Its just a great movie.
Divine Word: Go see it.

Fantastic 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer:
Wow Marvel. First Spiderman 3 and now this. You've gotten lazy. F4:RotSS is a lazy, lazy sequel. It doesn't step away from the first enough to stand out, and what it borrows from the first it does so poorly, so the end result is a massive let down.
The problem is that nothing in the movie stands out. The infighting between the four is never really dramatic enough to make you think that the team will split up. The surfer is obviously a 'good' bad guy so you never side against him, galactus is never given a personality so its hard to side against him and Doom is sidelined for so long in the movie that when he makes a play, it is overshadowed by the larger threat.
Everything in this movie was done better in the first. I have trouble recommending this even for fans of the original (As I am) because it not only fails to live up to it (like Spiderman 3) it fails completely as a movie.
Divine Word: Don't Bother.

Babe of the day:

Jessica Alba:

Its a magical world Hobbes old buddy, Lets go exploring

The concept of 'countries' will be dead in the future. Much as Voltron propehsised the world will realise that only by working together will progress be made. No more thinking in terms of countries. Think in terms of the world. Yes we may have gotten unemployment low, but globally there are larger problems. I don't want to sound too much like a hippy, and I realise that it will take something HUGE to bring about the change, but it will happen. Thus speaks the morning star.

My Top Tips:
Contribute to your super. If in Australia (and I know we have gotten a few other countries ducking in for a few seconds), and earn under $58 000 send $1000 (If you have it), into your
superannuation fund. The government will chip in a maximum of $1.50 for every $1 you put in, up to $1000. This will work out better than savings, not immediately, but in the long run, and its important to remember the long run.
Alright I'm lazy and this doesn't really matter anymore, whatever

Random Updates:
The weekend was god damn fantastic. Alana and I went and saw Play! A Video Game Symphony, which while geeky was really good. We got a hotel room at Rydges World Square, went to Dinner at Angus SteakHouse then on sunday had breakfast at Pancakes.

Caught in the Web:
Daily Lit - Is one of the best things I have found. You choose a book (From a list of public domain ones) and they send you it via email, bit by bit each day. If you're like me, you'll end up reading 4 or 5 parts a day, I think that has a lot to do with the story I chose (Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom). It has started strong and keeps me wanting more, more, MORE.

Instructables is a great web site. It provides instructions on damn near everything. if you're ever looking to kill an afternoon, weekend, month or year building something this place has the project for you.

Review:
Play! was really different. Some of the pieces went well. Starting it off with Mario was good, because its a well known fast paced piece, relaxed the crowd. A lot of the music was very dark and war like, which while good, didn't allow for a more rounded overall sound. There were some parts that slowed it down, I though Sonic managed to cover more bases stylistically, but overall a definite A++.

Angus was excellent. I have a friend who works there so I've been meaning to go for ages. Im glad I did, everything was fantastic, the steak was incredible, cooked to perfection. The sticky date pudding at the end was so good. Alana's dessert while tasting light was deceptively filling. Expensive, but worth it as a treat, A+.

Made Man

By the end of the month I will have a full working demo site for my business up.
Putting it up on here means if i fail, i fail publicly. Not going to happen.

Well hung with a snow white tan

I have started adding tags to all previous posts. This will make them easier to search and what not.

I have been reading a few sites regarding wealth creation, among other things, such as ZenHabits, Get Rich Slowly and others. It seems to me that they all have a 'richest man in the graveyard' mentality. Save every cent you can, just so you have it. I think its ultra important to listen to this advice, especially if you have debt problems, or problems controlling spending.

My Top Tips:
Learn to communicate. A lot of the problems I see or encounter come about through a lack of communication. Either people are afraid to say what they mean or they just start talking with out thinking about what it is they are trying to convey.

Drink Green Tea: Take a look at some of these benefits (Although I'm sure they can be contested, the potential benefits make it worth it)

• Anti Cancer Properties.
• Increases Metabolic Rate (Have it right before working out for maximum calorie burn).
• Possible anti -diabetes effect.
• Boosts immune system & mental alertness.
• Lowers chances of cognitive impairment.
• Lowers stress hormone levels.

Random Updates:
Its pretty much confirmed by now that I am the worlds greatest salsa dancer, ever.
Sickness has reigned supreme for the last week, which has its advantage i suppose, can't go out, can't spend money (Although this month for the first in ages ill come in under budget).

Caught in the Web:
This article deserves a read. It sums up why people in Australia are turning to torrents to download thier tv shows, rather than watch them on tv. Basically people hear about shows and want to see them, the networks buy the shows, but will not put them on then because Americas rating season is our off season, so they hold onto them and then when they do show them it is sporadic at best, filled out with recap episodes. I think it is summed up best with the quote:

How many people do you know with DVD box sets of Arrested Development, Firefly, The Sopranos, or Lost? Ok, now how many of those people discovered these shows via television or via the Internet?

Although I would replace Lost with say the West Wing, because Lost got excellent (although poorely delayed) coverage on Australian broadcast tv.

This is a wierd game that is strangely addictive.

Self Improvement Link of the week:
I haven't had a chance to look at it indepth but Investopedia looks pretty good, it even has tutorials, which are more valuable than money. They cover a lot of stuff that should be taught at high school to everyone.

Review:
The final episode of the Sopranos aired this week. It was controversial in that it elicited a huge, dividing response from fans. Some people love it, some hate it. To discuss it involves spoilers so if you haven't seen it and care stop reading.
The episodes starts with Tony still hiding out (last episode New York declared a war with his family). He tries to find out where the New York boss is hiding by contacting a friend in the FBI. He manages to set up a meeting with the acting boss, who agrees to let Tony kill the boss, which will put an end to the hostility between the families. Tony also meets with his uncle, and tries to council him, but realises that he has lost his mind completely. When the boss is taken out, Tony is able to move back home, where he sets things right with both his families. The final scene (which generated the controversy), showed Tony, his wife, daughter and son sitting down in a diner, having a dinner. There is a sense of dread as indictments loom over Tony, and there are several characters shown acting in a suspicious way. The series ends with a fade to black, and ten seconds of the black screen.
My Opinion of the end: It was perfect. The Sopranos often left things hanging, because not everything in life can be wrapped up neatly. It allowed the viewer to project what ever ending they wanted, Tony was arrested, shot, lived happily ever after. I think that it was not the end many people wanted, it was unlike Goodfellas or the Godfather where every wrong is righted and all is fixed. It was more human though.

Don't listen to those who say 'It was crap', unless they offer a definitive reason, ignore them. They would only be happy if Tony killed all of the New York family, went back in time and saved his family (Sil, Bobby etc) only for them all to be killed by the russian from 'Pine Barrens'.

As AJ said in the final episode "Focus on the good times".

Babe of the day:
Adriana Lima

I'll stab you in the heart and ask "Do you feel any fucking emotion now?"

Ahh Lana, how she loves me. She said this to me the other day while we were talking. I still think it was unwarranted.

Hell is:
Listening to Kelly Clarkson sing the Beatles

I was thinking about all the self help things I've been reading and implementing lately, and whether they are worth it. In the end i decided that things like my budget or KeePass (Which I highly recommend), may save me time, (which I'll squander anyway), but more than that they act as safeguards against stress if you will. I don't worry if I'll have enough money for something, because i know where my money is and can move things around if need be. It provides sense of mind, which means I can spend more time thinking about important things, like, could i get through life with only thumb, pointer and index?

My Top Tips:
Add every one's favorite blog to your Google Homepage. Its dead easy but i didn't even realise it till today. Just click on the link at the very bottom that says:
Subscribe To: Posts (Atom)
Then on the new page it says:
Subscribe To this feed using: Google Reader
You are then given the choice of using Google Reader or putting it on your homepage.
Ta Da.

Random Updates:
I am still working on my story 'The Sultan of Sand'. The problem lies in a lack of time, and motivation. The story does seem to be evolving nicely, nothing is planned out I'm just letting it flow. I just have to re-read it all the time so I don't contradict myself.

Caught in the Web:
I just think this is hilarious. Its stupid but funny. Bob Dylan originally wrote every popular song for the last 35 years.
New entries to the dictionary. The ones i like are:

• Disemvowel - to remove the vowels from a word (a word in a text message, e- mail etc) in order to abbreviate it.

• Barbecue stopper - a controversial current-affairs issue, or a social gaffe.

Self Improvement Link of the week:
Because it fits in with the title of the post so well:
7 Practices for cultivating compassion.

Review:
Gears of War (X-Box 360):

• Graphics: Odds are you have seen what this game looks like. The marketing for it was everywhere, most likely you saw the ad in which "Mad World" is playing in the background. My sister recognised the game, and she has less than no interest in games so it was pretty effective marketing. If you didn't see the ad, well here it is:

The point is, it looks unbelievable. I'm all about a game being fun first and looking good second, but this thing is so stunning, the story can take a back seat to the graphics.

• Game-play: This is what makes or breaks the game. The stop-and-pop gaming, you will either love it or hate it. Unlike most shooters, Gears consists of using cover much more often, and more effectively. Not only ducking behind anything that will protect you, but laying down covering fire, to help your squad get into position. I found that this helps the game in two major areas. The first is realism, in a fire fight you would look for cover youwouldn't just stand around like the terminator and fight off an army. The second is excitement . When the locust (baddies) appear there is a sense of urgency to get behind cover. There is more immersion into the game when you are excited, which makes for a much more enjoyable experience. The game does mix up thegame-play as well, while still maintaining the emphasis on action it presents you with a driving area, a rails area, and even quasi-stealth used against a specific enemy. Thegame-play flows from one piece to another and is always entertaining.
• Story: For me a story is the make or break for single player games, if i don't care about the characters, or can't project myself into them then i lose interest. Fortunately Gears delivers here as well. It provides a solid story, and in the vein of Lost and lots of current TV shows & movies, it leaves it open for more. The story itself is high action, lots of explosions andexcitement.
• Online: As with the rest of the game, this is a hell of a lot of fun. Very graphic, especially when you curbstomp downed opponents. But it provides a nice balance between team work and lone wolf action.
  
• Gods Commandment: Must Play
  

Babe of the day:
Brooke Burke



Ten Things we learnt from Pirates 3:

1. If you cut out your heart, you'll be rewarded with immortality a boat and a spiffy new bandanna!
2. If your on a losing side in a war, just swap clothes, even if the other side notices, they won't care. (I stole this one)
3. If you have an armada behind you, it is best to set out in just your ship and try to win the war single handed.
4. When you wake up in the after life, start licking rocks. Trust me.
5. Keira Knightley can fit large objects 'back there'.
6. When receiving guests it is best to prepare an elaborate pose, bonus points if you can incorporate two women into unveiling you.
7. Everyone wants to be the captain, until they have to do something, y'know Captain-y.
8. High pitched pirates are always funny.
9. Keith Richards is cool, no matter what he is doing.
10. Take what you can, Give nothing back.
    

Because he's right

I'll let the man speak for him self:

Taylor Mali - What Teachers Make

Heres the transcript if you ever need it.

To Err is Human, To ARR is Pirate

My Top Tips:
Stop watching TV. That is to say, stop watching any program with ads. In a half hour show you watch 8 minutes of ads, say you watch 2 hours of TV a day, thats 32 minutes of ads a day. For a week thats 224 minutes, thats almost four hours a week of ads. Four hours a week, at least. Buy it on DVD, watch it when you want to. Stop being a slave to the tv guide.

Open an Online Savings Account. I suggest ING, however HSBC, Commenwealth and I'm sure a whole bunch of others offer the same kind of thing. 6% (or around it) interest. Put in at least a quater of your after tax income. After a year or so the interest really starts to add up, but this time it works FOR you.

Weekend Update:
Friday Night: NOTHING
Saturday: Not much. Went to the gym. Picked up Alana and her brother.
Sunday: A good day. Slept in, went out for breakfast, went to the Food & Wine Fair. Went shopping, didnt buy anything. Went & saw Pirates again. Good day.

Caught in the Web:
A good article that spells out quite clearly the reasons for declining movie ticket & CD sales. It doesn't, (unlike everyone else), blame piracy for the loss, but rather the increase in other media, muscling in to what used to be a limited market. If people are buying and watching more DVD's they have less time to go to the movies. So simple, yet ignored by so many.

http://www.spinner.com/2007/05/03/the-25-most-exquisitely-sad-songs-in-the-whole-world-no-25/

Self Improvement Link of the week:

Review:
Pirates of the Caribbean: At Worlds End
Five Stars, without a doubt. This is going to be a thesis of a review so get ready.
The movie starts strong, and doesnt let up. The action is incredible, the actors phenominal and the story is supurb.
The movie starts, apart from an aside at Port Royale, in Singapore, with Barbossa, Elizabeth and crew meeting with a Pirate Lord. The story then moves quickly between a great many locations, including Worlds End, ShipWreck Cove (Which looks incredible) and lots of battle at sea. All characters from previous movies are in, and all the lose ends are tyed up. Captain Jacks introduction is bizarre to say the least. The pirate lords are to meet, to discuss how to deal with the East India Trading Company and their 'hired help', Davy Jones & crew of The Flying Dutchmen.
There are a lot of twists and turns, that play themselves out to completion, and are quickly replaced by even more.
I think Jack (obvisouly) steals the show again, but a lot has to do with the fantastic job that Geoffrey Rush does as Barbossa.


Babe of the day:
Carmen Electra

The future is.. still about 6 months away

Ok, bigger post coming later in the week. This is just so cool I had to post about it now.
If you thought Apple and Google had the market locked on "Woah" style suprises Microsoft comes along again and shows us how they deilver.

Microsoft Surface.

Its computers, as seen in damn near every futuristic movie ever.
It may not be needed but hot damn does it look cool.

Damn you clown prince of crime.

It looks like the joker got one over on me again.
If you now go to
I Believe in Harvey Dent Too, it says:
Page Not Found
If you highlight the entire page though, it reveals something different.

The hidden message in amongst all that is
See you in december

For those who missed it here is the Joker:

Who will watch the WATCHMEN

I finished watching the first season of Prison Break this week. Its good, it is. The characters are a little shallow, but they take a back seat to the action, in particular the escape plan. Its comic like, because you know that there will be a big hook moment at the end of most episodes to get you to watch the next weeks episode.

Another thing that gets my goat. Format Wars. In particular XBox Vs PlayStation Vs Nintendo & Blu-Ray Vs HD-DVD. Everyone who is interested in this keeps trying to predict a winner, they'll only be happy if thier chosen format wins. To quote Chris Rock (as best I can from memory), "What the hell did we win, I check each day for my OJ prize" (It was in regards to black people 'winning' the OJ case). I thought the general consumer was supposed to be the winner. I don't care how many units each format ships compared to another, and you should'nt either, AND I'LL TELL YOU WHY.
At the end of the day, does knowing that your format shipped 100'000 more units than its competitor help you enjoy it more? Does it make watching a movie or playing a game more fufilling?
NO, of course not.

When it comes to snack foods, im very hard to please. The easiest thing to eat is anything salty, you constantly want more and they usually come in big packages (Chips, etc). Im here to tell you NUTS are the way. In particular Almonds. Just to list a few benefits of almonds, they fight against diabetes, cholesterol and heart problems, they have huge amounts of protein, low in calories, and have 'good' fat, which can help you lose weight. From now on, don't go for chips and candy, go NUTS.


Weekend Update:
A packed but relaxed weekend.
Friday night was spent playing Halo, for a bit, but mostly going to Alana's and haning out there. Played some Goldeneye and chatted till the wee hours of the morn. GOt up on Saturday for a work out which damn near killed me, And resulted in me losing ANOTHER pair of sunglasses. That night Alana stayed over and we watched Pirates 2, although i did nap through about 1/4 of it. Sunday was easy as well, lawns mowed, Alana's dropped off and BBQ's had, two one at my house, one at Alana's.

Dancing lessons are going relly well. Im not talented in any way, but i'm having a lot of fun, so all is good.

Caught in the Web:
For all the aspiring clothing designers, this site is your friend. Design a shirt send it in and BAM, you have a shirt to sell.

If you get bored here's a test that should keep you frustrated for at least half an hour.

Heres a list of the top 20 unusual homicides, it includes greats such as:

13. Fiona Given, 17 years old, was killed by a hitman hired by her ex-boyfriend after she broke off their relationship. The hitman was promised to be paid $500,000 for the task. The hitman killed the boyfriend after he found out that a 16 year old high school student, whose father was in jail for rape and whose mother worked as an ironing lady, didn't have access to $500,000.

3. Mary Dridely, Joseph Coles and Haven Gillies were killed as they walked past a New York apartment building. David Smee, aged 7, and his 6 year old sister were left alone in their 27th floor hotel room by their parents as they went to the hotel's gaming room. Bored, the kids though it would be fun to try to squish the "ant looking things on the foot path below" (people). They started by throwing fruit, then quickly graduated to chairs, televisions,
even the drawers from the bedroom dresser.

Im in a Pirating mood, so for all you want to be Pirates go here, to find out how its done.

Self Improvement Link of the week:
A new topic, hopefully by putting these up and thinking about them they will rub off on me, which would be awesome. I mean really who among us couldnt better our lives.
For this week, its:
52 Proven Stress Reducers. Even if you only implement one of these, its worth while in my opinion.

Divine Commands:

* Watch:

o Prison Break
* Listen to:
o Carmen
* Go and See:
o Pirates of the Caribbean: At Worlds End


Babe of the day:
In honor of Pirates coming out, Keira Knightley

See, there were these two guys in a lunatic asylum…

Ok, just a quick post of coolness:
First off Bruce Campbell just being himself, which is by definition cool.




Now, the new Batman movie is coming out soon, The Dark Knight.
The first website of the series was :
The Dark Knight. Which shows the Bat signal, if you click on that you go to:
I Believe in Harvey Dent, which is the character who will eventually become two face. The latest and FAR away the coolest is:
I believe in Harvey Dent Too, Keep watching the first picture fades away which shows for the first time, The Joker, And Good GOD DAMN does he look good. It will follow perfectly with the first and hopefully Batman will spray a big can of raid over the webslingers opening weekend.

I'm Too Sexy For This Blog

Despite my rant last week about the budget, after further investigation I read that we are still in rising international debt. That's where our surplus should go. Pay off as much as possible. I know that the average person doesn't care about it, but from my point of view that should become the number one priority when dealing with the tax surplus.

When the &^%$% hell did celebrities become the collective moral compass?
This is directed at actors and musicians, why the hell are these people being questioned about anything other than music or acting. I don't care what an actor thinks about the environment, If i wanted an opinion I'd ask someone who knows what the hell they are talking about.
As an example, think back to high school, the attention seeking 'actors' and muso's. Would you really listen to ANYTHING they had to say?
They should stick to what they are paid to do and nothing else.
The Aviator said it best:

DON'T TALK DOWN TO ME! Don't you ever talk talk down to me! You're a movie star, nothing more!

Weekend Update:

Caught in the Web:
http://www.livescience.com/technology/destroy_earth_mp.html

From the list, 10 Things We Learned From Spiderman 3:
1. EMOs are a product of alien symbiosis
3. If your girlfriend is hanging from the roof of a demolished skyscraper, never fear. Nonchalantly take some pictures and introduce yourself to her father, who also doesn’t seem to give a shit.
7. If you want to kill someone real bad, then go to church and pray and maybe, if you’re lucky, God will provide you with an alien suit made of pure evil.
9. Bad boys eat cookies, drink milk and mimic their lecturers down the phone in a hilarious manner.

I wish there was a real Department of Evil, It would be such a refreshing change to deal with someone honest.

MISTER KENNEDY ...

Thinking about Spider man a little more, I think if they had adopted a more common trilogy thinking (Win, loss, win) I may feel better. I suppose I Sony wants it to be a franchise series (ala Bond) rather than a trilogy of blockbusters.

I am against using death as a punishment. I am also against using it as a reward.
- Stanislaw J. Lec

France elected a new President this week, and from my point of view, they chose well. In his acceptance speech he recognised that he has to repair the damaged relations between France and America, which shows he has fore sight Chirac never had. He has also said that he will not be pushed over by America, "I want to tell them that France will always be by their side when they need her, but that friendship is also accepting the fact that friends can think differently.".
A cynical person could see the new President befriending America as him seeking out allies, should he ever seriously anger the muslim population of France, and by assiociation one of the more militant middle eastern countries.

The budget was released this week as well. Previsouly it wasn't the sort of thing that would interest me, but I've taken a very basic interest this time around. Tax cuts are a big issue, but I think I would rather be taxed and have the money spent well (which it never is, damn corruption). A lot is being made of the amount spent on higher education, with $5bn being given, which is a good start. I do not think enough is being spent on the military, but I am a cautios person who believes in the words of Flavius Renatus Vegetius "Igitur qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum" (If you want peace, prepare for war).

KENNEDY

Edge won the title, Edge won the title, Edge won the title!!!
When people ask me why I like wrestling, I can forever use this last week as an example of its unpredictable, exciting nature. At Wrestlemania a guy named Mr Kennedy won "Money in the Bank" which means he could challenge for any world title at any time. On monday he lost MitB to my current fav Edge (In real life he had torn his bicep clean off the bone and will be out for 6+ months, hence he had to lose). Also on Smackdown the current champ, The Undertaker (who has also had an injury that will take him out) had a long match and at the end Edge comes out, cashes in MitB and wins the title, much like he did at New Years Revolution two years ago.


Weekend Update:
A go go go weekend, that was somewhat disapointing. Saturday was rushing around, shopping at Miranda, the city going to the gym and getting Alana. I got a lot done so hopefully this coming weekend should be easier. Sunday we went to see the babies, which I usually love, but this time I was annoyed, I spent too much time fixing computers, not enough with cousins.
Holding out hope for next week though.

Caught in the Web:
http://project-apollo.net/text/rpg.html
This site has taken up probably a whole day of mine. It goes through all the cliches used in games, tv shows, movies, cartoons etc. ive linked specifically to the games but its great for all of them, go through them and realise just how predictable some shows were.
It has to be good, they even have an article on Jiggle Physics.

Continuing on the nerdy vibe thus far, this is pretty funny.

Here are just a few more random links that i found fun:
Top ten history deaths.
Top 25 quotes, which is quite cool.

This guy needs to be shot. A judge is has sued for $65 million dollars. So straight away you think its a big thing, a house sale gone wrong or something big. ITS OVER A PAIR OF PANTS. He handed them to a dry cleaner, who thought he lost them, then found them. Its so stupid I wont type it out, ill just quote:

"Manning said the cleaners made three settlement offers to Pearson. First they offered $3,000, then $4,600, then $12,000. But Pearson wasn't satisfied and expanded his calculations beyond one pair of pants.

Because Pearson no longer wanted to use his neighborhood dry cleaner, part of his lawsuit calls for $15,000 — the price to rent a car every weekend for 10 years to go to another business.

"He's somehow purporting that he has a constitutional right to a dry cleaner within four blocks of his apartment," Manning said.

But the bulk of the $65 million comes from Pearson's strict interpretation of D.C.'s consumer protection law, which fines violators $1,500 per violation, per day. According to court papers, Pearson added up 12 violations over 1,200 days, and then multiplied that by three defendants."

http://mashable.com/2007/05/10/gmail-users-are-younger-richer-good-in-bed/

Calling all Cars

A good point on Howard Stern was, how can you listen to celebrities promoting a charity, asking for you to give your money, when they could easily .

Added benfit to being Superman #2345234534
Never have to brush your teeth. Think about it, no amount of sugar could rot kryptonian incisor.
Weekend Update:
It was Alana's Birthday this week. She had a good day, and there is a dinner cruise on Saturday night as well. Should be lots of fun.

The cruise has now been and gone, and it was excellent. We were all dressed to the 9's and met up in the city for pre dinner drinks. Dinner was excellent, there was even some opera during dessert. It was an incredible night, and from what I can tell a fun time was had by all.

Dancing tonight. Not quite sure what to expect. But I remain forever optimistic.

Caught in the Web:

Review:
Spider-Man 3:
In a word, dissapointing. That doesnt mean the movie was bad, it was good, but the first two were great, hence, dissapointing. The film felt rushed, enemies and characters are introduced with almost no real development. It feels like it is two movies stuck together, one with the Sandman & New Goblin as the protaginist and Peter changing to a more 'darker' person, and the other showing his redemption, by fighting against what he was (venom).
However the biggest problem I had with the movie was that it was to over the top. The first two were, for the most part, realistic, in thier portrayel of not only the characters but the world as a whole. This movie felt like it took place in a different NYC than the first one.
Maybe that is why I was dissapointed, because I am judging this movie as part of the trilogy rather than as its own movie. The over the top style, while not fitting in with the previous two, did allow for some really good scenes, the one where Spiderman pulls apart the water pipe, and it switches between the bolts flying off & Sandman's shocked look was very cool, it looked like it had come straight from the comic.

Divine Commands:

• Watch:

• Prison Break ( 2 episodes in and im intrigued. Not a devoted fanatic, but definately want to keep watching)
  

• Listen to:
• Coldplay - Any CD really they all have some GREAT songs on them.
  
• Go and See:
  
• Spider Man 3: As i said, its a good movie and well worth seeing.

For Lana

The King of All (New) Media

I was asked recently why I believe I am a god. After much deliberation, and researching on what exactly a god is, I suppose my answer is simply because I believe.
I choose to believe I am a god, in much the same way billions of people choose to believe in a god. It comes down to how I see myself and what I will become. I think that I am everything I should be at any point in time. This doesn't mean I am perfect, it just means that, to quote another God, "I am that I am".

My new workout routine has killed me, my calves are destroyed, whenever I get up it hurts like hell, they relax after a while but its insane. I'm not really complaining though, i do like the new routine, I have a day on my legs, a day on my back and a day on my arms. Its been almost a week since I wrote that, my legs did hurt for ages, although they were joined from time to time by my arms, chest and back. I have to go tonight and destroy them again. The things i do to maintain my divine look.

Weekend Update:
Wow, another pretty boring weekend. It is self imposed though as a means to save money. i hung out with Lana, watched a fair bit of DVDs, went out to dinner and gym'd it up.
Elaborating on the dinner, we went to the mall, a little too early for dinner, it was still pretty busy everywhere so we decided to have a coffee. That led into another so we emerged right around dinner time. This was great timing, unfortunately we were presented with a closed up mall. All the cafes & restaurants we thought would be open had all closed up, before 7:30. So we were left to choose between the big three. It's frustrating, if for no other reason than during winter the clothes are nicer, its just that you never get a chance to wear them.

Caught in the Web:
Ok, apparently scientists have discovered kryptonite in Serbia. It is not, unfortunately a part of Kal El's home world, it has the same name as the rock that Luthor steals in Superman Returns. It is sodium lithium boron silicate hydroxide, the person who discovered it Google'd it and found out it was in the movie. I think its a cool story but i think its the kind of story that reporters dream of just because they get to be creative with the title.

• Superman "S" stands for Serbia?
• Scientists unearth Superman's "kryptonite"
• Superman Should Avoid Serbia
• Can Lex Luthor be far behind?
• Kryptonite Discovered; Adamantium Remains Elusive <- My Favorite because the person is obviously a fan of comics.

A follow up to this story is that scientists have discovered the most earth like planet out there, its large than earth, its about the same temperature and it orbits a Red Sun. Sound like Krypton? This leads me to think we may soon know if we will have super powers under the red sun of krypton, much like kryptonians do under our yellow sun.

Its 2007 right?
I'm serious, go and get the paper just to double check.
It is?
Good because this threw me into doubt. A high school that STILL has segregated formals. What The Fuck? I'm not kidding. This is the most insane thing I could ever think of. I was going to blow up about this but I really shouldn't, it is so weird, I cannot fathom how this was still going on.

Review:
The Sopranos
This is going to be a tough review. How do you review a show that changed the way television is made. That seems like a big statement but its true, without the Sopranos there would be no Lost, Prison Break, Deadwood or even Desperate Housewives. The Sopranos was unique in that it showed not only the big important stuff in the characters lives, whacking people, shaking down business' etc it also showed the most mundane ordinary parts as well, which humanises the characters and helps the audience connect with them.
The show revolves around Tony Sopranos and his two families, the one with his last name & the friends of his. Tony suffers a panic attack one day and has to go to therapy. This sets up the premise of the show, Tony trying to balance his personal life, family, mother, therapy etc with his professional life which includes taking control of a New Jersey family.
The story comes from hassles of everyday life, with its own unique twist. Tony fighting for control, against the feds, trying to work with New York are each mirrored in his family life, which makes it relate-able to the lives of the audience. The characters are shown as human, having to cope with even the smallest problems, despite being involved in organized crime.

Divine Commands:

• Watch:

• Sopranos (Final season now on ... torrents)
• Listen to:
  
• Sugar Ray (Fly),
  
• Dropkick Murhpys (Shipping up to Boston, Tessie)
• Wolfmother: Woman
• Go and See:
  
• 
  

The Lies I Weave ARE Oh So Intricate

Ok, the reason for no update the last few weeks is that i have been having issues getting online, through a pc, but its all cleared up now. Things are working and were back on track.

Life Update:
Lana is the best. She just is, I won't go into details but she kicks so much ass.
So I went and bought an X Box 360, and I'm glad I did. So far its been worth it for Gears of War & Crackdown alone. Damn these are good games. Also if you are planning on getting a 360 you most definately want an internet connection for it. X Box Live plays such a bigger part this time around. Its so good, being able to plug my ipod into it and listento songs as I chase down the locust.
I have been listening to the Howard Stern radio show lately at work . It is some good stuff, I wish we got Sirius Radio down here in Aus.
Caught in the 'Net:
This is too good not to be true. Apparently Micheal Jackson is considering a comeback stage show in Vegas. I think it seems like a good fit, professionally, and lets not forget, not many children go to Vegas. (Oh yeah, Easy Jackson Jokes: 1). Anyway, despite facing stiff competition, from my personal favorite person on the planet DANNY GANS, Micheal does have something that will give him the edge. A 50ft Micheal Jackson, laser wielding ROBOT. Now let me be honest here, the day i see a 50ft robot Micheal Jackson guiding planes into Vegas Airport with its FRICKIN Laser Beams is the day I can die a happy man. Lets ask the real burning question. With a giant robot Micheal in the desert and a dyed plastic one on stage (Easy Jackson Jokes: 2), where else can he go after this?
A Micheal made up of water that attacks, dare I say it, sea-men (Easy Jackson Jokes: 3), a swarm of nano-jacksons that invade every nook & cranny (Easy hmm, not really sure that qualified) or maybe Jackson needs to take the next logical step and begin cloning himself, this would be easy. Make a life size plastic doll of Jackson, clone his brain and BAM, double the Jacko. In closing, A 50FT GIANT MICHEAL JACKSON ROBOT WITH LASERS, and someone thought "Yeah, that's what we need"?
A story from the Virginia Tech shootings. It turns out a Professor used his body to block the door to ensure that the gun man could'nt enter. This cost him his life but allowed his students to escape. Looking back I can't think of any lecturers that would have done that for me. I can think of maybe one teacher I ever had who would have done that. I wonder if this is just a dedicated or if its representative of more lecturers in America, compared to lecturers here.
Google Update:

Reviews:
Smallville (Seasons 1-4):
In a time when power action shows seems to be dwindling compared to the heyday of the early 00's (Think of Buffy, Angel, Charmed, Dark Angel etc), Smallville remains stoic in its refusal to be dragged into the overly long drawn out sagas of modern action shows (Think Lost, Heros etc). It manages to keep things simple enough for an on-again-off-again viewer to follow, while still rewarding committed viewers, there are even a few things thrown in that only the Super-devoted will pick up on.
The appeal of Smallville is in its, name, if you will. Everyone knows the story. A couple in Kansas, a meteor, strange visitor from another planet. We know Lex and Clark hate each other. We just never knew why. I don't know if this is quite revisionist, but its close, it takes what we know, and explores it further. It helps that each of the characters pull it off so well, although it suffers from the Dawsons Creek Curse the teenagers are & look in thier late 20's. Clark is the overly friendly boy scout, Lex is shown as someone who could be a hero or villain, and the show depicts his fall as much as it shows Clarks ascension. The core cast (For the first four seasons is made up of Clark, Lex, Lana, Chloe, Mr & Mrs Kent & Lionel Luthor, Pete and Lois (Although Pete leaves in the third season and Lois only shows up in the forth). Each of the characters help Clark develop into the hero he will one day be. However they are also given enough personality that you care about thier stories almost as much as that of Clark. Mr.Kents struggle with Jor El, Chole's teaming up with Lionel, Lois being Lois. The stories and characters come together to create a show that could so easily have fallen from one cliche after another, into a show that provides a plausible childhood for the greatest hero the world will ever know.
Top 10 (Songs) :
Coldplay - Clocks
Justin Timberlake - Cry Me a River
Guns N Roses - November Rain
The Killers - All These Things That I've Done
The Beatles - Sgt Peppers

The Depression for her was a trip to Six Flags

I do hate discussing politics, unless I know that the other person is also able to take emotion out of the conversation, which is incredibly rare. Still with the results of the N.S.W. elections over the weekend, coupled with the fact that in 15 months (at the most) I will be moving to the North East of the US (Greencard permitting) I can't help but think of a Simpsons Episode. "Trash of the Titans", the one where Homer runs as Garbage Minister for Springfield, and basis a part of his campaign on personal attacks against his opponent, rather than highlighting his ownstrengths & benefits . He wins and immediately things go to hell because he is not qualified. They demand the old minister come back, but he is now jaded and fed up with the town and delivers this memorable speech:

"It's so gratifying to leave you wallowing in the mess you've made, you're screwed thankyou bye".

That's how I feel.

Ever notice how the radio is becoming like the spam filter of an email account, constant adds for erectile disfunction, etc. I suppose the 'spam' business model must yield results, so it makes sense that it would eventually cross into other platforms. Soon they will be on tv as often as those mobile club (Jamster etc) ads.

is there anything more embarrasing then thinking someone is talking to you, when in fact they are talking to someone behind you. Goes double if you actually answer them.

Life Update:
Ok, ranting over its been a good weekend. Swung by Gran & Pa's on Thursday afternoon and found out that my cousins were coming down for the weekend. Excellent.
Friday night Lana stayed over, we kind of hung out because I had to play taxi. It was a fantastic night though.
Saturday morning was gardening, which sucked, then the afternoon was spent watching the little ones, which included have the littlest throw up directly on my shoe, nothing else, just my shoe. That night went out for drinks with Kim. Went to the irish & Gymea Pub, then I piked early because my pay hadn't come through.
Sunday was spent doing a bit of work on a website, lots more time with babies. Shopping with Lana. More babies, dinner then relaxing at home.

I was asked recently if I was happy, and I broke it down into areas, relationship & financially yes, career wise no. Since I spend more time at work then with Alana & worrying about money, I suppose it has a more immediate impact on my mood. I am depressed at work, and unless a positive factor is waiting this will carry over to life after work. But all things considered I am happy, however there are a great many things still to accomplish before I would consider calling myself content.

Caught in the 'Net:

Google Update:
This week I added Google analytics to this site. I can now find out some info about who visits my site. I have the majority of people coming from Australia, but I did have one person from Boston having a look. If they ever come back, Hello, would you like to sponsor my immigration?

Reviews:
Mercenaries - Playgrounds of Destruction (X-Box):
The Premise: Grand Theft Auto set in Korea, following a bloody coup by General Song. He has killed his father and become General of North Korea. You are a mercenary, going to Korea to make some quick cash. To do this you accept jobs from one of the four 'factions' in the area, The Allies (The U.N.), The Chinese, The Russian Mafia & The South Koreans (A front for the CIA). Each of these groups has its own agenda, which frequently comes into conflict with one another. They pay you in cash & information. The cash can be used to buy weapons, vehicles & support. THe information relates to one of the 'cards', these are 51 different members of General Songs army, and each one must be captured or killed, with General Song being the Ace of Spades, the 52nd card.
The Gameplay: The game is similar in play to grand theft auto, the walking & aiming & driving is all quite easy. The world lives around the player, in that there are always cars, civilians & soldiers around, doing thier thing. However it is set up at times, there will always be a helicopter around here, a skirmish around here etc. This can be forgiven since they add to the feel of being in a war zone. Also the fact that buildings can be destroyed adds to the feeling of authenticity to your actions.
The game doesn't get hung up on your mortality, because when hurt you will regenerate some of your health back (You will stop regenerating when you reach 20%). Those times where you do die, it only costs you some money as you are immediately transported back to the nearest MASH.
On the default setting none of the missions are too tough, however may require a few attempts before succedding. The enemies are a little too trigger-happy somtimes, more than willing to launch a rocket at you, even when standing two metres from them.
Gods Commandment: A very fun game with a lot packed in. The side quest races dont add much, but the main quests are engaging and can be approached in different ways, from a front on personal assault, to hiding on a near by mountain and carpet bombing your prey.
All in all I give it 8.5 / 10. Play It.

Top 3 (Character Entrances In Movies) :

1. Jack Sparrow (Pirate of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl): As with his character, there is more to this entrance than meets the eye. It starts off looking grand and impressive, then reveals itself to be not quite what is expected.
2. Han Solo (Star Wars: A New Hope): When Luke & Obi Wan go to the cantina looking for a pilot, they were probably hoping to find someone who might be moved by their heroic purpose. No such luck. Han proves himself viscous and out for himself, although he is turned around.
   
3. Bulls-Eye (DareDevil): Just cool, doesn't have to say a word and you know he isn't to be messed with.
   

Never keep up with the Joneses. Drag them down to your level.

The title is a quote from Quentin Crisp.
Life Update:

I am SO amazingly proud of Alana. She was worried it may take her ages to get work, now she can pick and choose what school she wants to go to. Thats what work should be, they recognise talent and reward it. Not only is she the greatest teacher ever, she also _might just might follow me on my damn-fool errand to go and make my fortune in America.

Why is it that months can go buy with NOTIHNG on at the movies. Then in the space of 4 months we can have a huge onslaught of Must See Movies. Don't believe me? Lets run down the list:

• 300 (5th April)
  
• Shooter (19th April)
  
• Spider Man 3 (3rd May)
  
• Pirates of the Carribean: At Worlds End (24th May)
  
• Transformers (2nd July)
  
• Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (4th July)
  
• Harry Potter & The Order of the Phoenix (12th July)
  

Caught in the 'Net:
This looks impressive. The downside is eventually some moron will jump, the familty will sue and it will be shut down. Hopefully you have to sign a waiver before you go on, just something to keep the eventual barrage of stupid law suits away. This will be a stop on my coast-to-coast tour.

How could any parent think this is a good idea. I'm pretty sure walking in on your parents is enough for mental scarring. For them to perform in front of you, to 'teach' you, thats enough to crack a brain in two. Now I don't know how savvy nine year olds are now days but no-one wants to see their parents get freaky, and according to this they got FREAKY, even if it is in the name of education. I really don't get it, I don't buy what they're selling. They wanted to hurt the kid, or worse and made up this story so as to avoid serious prison time. At least now everyone will know what freaks they are and keep an eye on the kid, to make sure that the inevitable sexual abuse is held off. Thats where this was heading and you know it, these parents have serious problems and the child is more than likely going to be abused in some other way.

Digg, my god does this site eat away time. It allows people to submit articles (links to them), other people then vote on them, if they get lots of votes they get moved up to the main page. Its a constantly changing source of wierd, wacky & more often than not interesting news. I have a reader on my Google Hompage and it is good for a distraction.

Google Update:
Yeah, it gets its own section now. Google has released themes for its personalised homepage. Now it might not seem like much, but if, like me, you always have an open window on Google (Its how I code) its a nice addition, seeing it go from bright green during the day, mauve in the afternoon & dark at night (I have my time set as TriBeCa in NYC, so it doesn't really match whats outside for me).

For GMail users (If you dont you REALLY should) here is a list of tips, trick, scripts & add-ons that will help you out.

I don't make mistakes, I have learning opportunities.

Ok, so my mystery 'other' job fell through. Annoying, yes. But just like The Batman I ALWAYS have a second plan. In this case it involves me eventually moving to the Big Apple, so it can't be such a terrible fall back plan.
On to more interesting news.

Weekend Update:
Completely stealing the name from SNL. Anyway, Friday was kinda lazy. Picked Lana up and hung out at her house. Watched the Robin Williams DVD, it was great. Saturday, well Saturday was St Pattys day. Started at midday at Miranda, highlights include being scolded for calling someone emo, using my phone as a football (Gridiron) and then losing it in a bush, paying someone $50 because they found it in said bush, stealing (& then giving away) a fake flower from some random in a pub.
Sunday was a much slower day, still did some stuff but at a easier pace. Went in to the city with Lana, not to walk the bridge, but to pick up some comics. Then came home and mucked about. Lana hung out for a while, then I drove her home. Spent some time playing around with a website ill be making. Was tired, and therefore angry so i avoided contact as much as possible.

Caught in the 'Net:
This story is just weird. A 'vampire' running for President, wants to impale W if he gets in. Shouldn't a vampire want to suck his blood, maybe avoid the whole stake thing. Hey Im just going with what I know. Apparently I don't speak to enough attention seeking moronic vampires.

I know, I know ANOTHER story about Google. But word is they are making a phone. Im not sure what to think. I assume it will be closely tied to all other Google services, Doc & Spreadsheets, blogger, picasa, gmail etc BUT they seem to be designing it as 'just' a phone, not a camera/GPS/MP3 Player so it will be interesting to see if the PDA features it will have will pull an audience from the accessory loving phone market (I count myself in that market so I'm not trying to sound preachy).

The next Bond, James Bond film is said to pick up RIGHT where Casino Royale left off. I suggest Casino Royle-er OR Casino Royale: High Stakes as the title.

Reviews:
Boston Legal (Season 1) -
Do not watch this show if you want to see a character to cheer for. I suppose the suspense comes from the court room battles, however the majority of the cast are, not good role models (Unless, like me, you think supreme ego is an admirable quality). Those who are 'good' people, are marginalised and shown to be inferior to the main protagonists.
Boston Legal follows the adventures of the law firm "Crane, Poole & Schmidt". The main character is Alan Shore, played perfectly subtle by James Spader. With his is Denny Crane (William Shatner) who is shown to be both vulnerable, dislike-able, smart & stupid throughout the season. They work well together, both being sure of themselves it is interesting to watch how each asserts themselves around the office, Alan being soft spoken and vindictive, Denny being larger than life and abrasive. Their friendship, despite repeated difference of opinion is what keeps me coming back to the show.
Its hard to pidgeon hole this show as just a law show, because it seems at times that what happens in the court is incidental to what happens at the office. Part Law & Order, Part Arrested Development and all its own Boston Legal is definately worth seeing.