Some quirky Resident Evil Animation

Quirky is the word to describe these:

ABC GMA news story made me sad this morning.

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=3882520&page=1

A 44 year old woman made a fake myspace account so she could harass a 13 year old. She made up a fake boy's identity to get close to the girl and eventually started saying stuff like the world would be better off without the girl. The girl killed herself.

The 13 year old had "low self-esteem and was on medication at the time of her death".

There is no law on the book to charge the 44 year old woman with anything. It would be tough to do so I suppose but it sucks that some grown person can drive a medicated 13 year old to her death and have no consequences at all.

As the internet gets wider and wider use I wish we would start getting tougher laws on the books.

The reason why we don't have "griefers" in real life constantly insulting EVERYONE and giving everyone shit is because we have laws and police and the right to protect ourselves.

But people harp how the internet is "just on a computer screen" and how it doesn't really matter because everything is anonymous.

My points:

A. In this story we know that's not true.

An asshole who swears and uses racist stuff and posts obscene pictures on the internet can generally be waved off since most of this stuff can be ignored or erased. However, with the web becoming more entwined with out daily lives I think this sort of shit will become harder to ignore and closer to our daily offline lives. For example most people don't know that if somone knows your last name and general area you live in they can use many free reference tools online to tract your physical home address and phone number. It's easy to ignore someone sending you a picture of feces. It's harder when people start to actually mail pieces of it to your home (or a letter bomb, because some people are over achievers when it comes to being a dick).

Of course you can take all that information off the books...but this has never been an issue in the past. I am reminded of the scene in "The Jerk" were Steve Martin's character is excited that he got into the phone book. "Things are gonna start to happen for me now!" The next scene is of a insane person choosing the person his is going to kill by randomly picking that name out of a phone book. Guess who's name is picked?

So because of something that "just happens on a screen" we are all going to have to have our address made unlisted in the next ten years.

(Mark my word, this is one of these things that I think, and I wish I wrote down later when it becomes true. In a leser example when I first saw the original Britney Spears video with her dressed up as a Catholic schoolgirl, I said to myself In two years they are going to have a music video where two girls dressed up in Catholic schoolgirl uniforms are kissing. A few years later we have to Tatu video where *gasp* two girls dressed up in Catholic schoolgirl uniforms kissing. With the world as unoriginal as it is I see this kind of shit before it happens all the time. I gotta start writing it all down.)

B. This sort of behavior bleeds into the real world.

I know most people feel that society in general has alot of assholes and we just see them more clearly online. But I think that if a younger person reads obscene stuff all day and watches videos were everyone swears for hours at a time, how can that NOT be reflected when they stop using the computer and wander into the real world? It's not that people are assholes. It's that people will become as ammoral as society lets them be. We have this myth that people are "nice". The reality is that most people simply do what society tells them they can or can't do. If the internet lets them do anything then they will do anything.

If a totally free internet would really provide anything useful (except for those who are on society's fringe of course, I mean look what the internet has done for the furry and japanese snuff porn industry, they are thriving!) I would be for it. But it seems like it just breeds antisocial behavior with no penalities.

Some cool stuff.

Check out the Saturn Junkyard to hear about how I scored some sweet Saturn games at a thrift shop.

Check out the Dreamcast Junkyard to hear about a new Dreamcast contest thats going on.

Ah..

So tired.

Other Stuff:

I still gotta get my medical insurance stuff done by the middle of Dec.

Still trying to get a better full time job.

I want to make some new review videos.

Bioshock and Orange Box on sale at Best Buy...$25 each!

I can't play either of these games because the require internet access to install...

BIOSHOCK IS A SINGLE PLAYER GAME!!!!!

Jerks are gonna find a way to copy the game regardless.

I guess nobody cares about gamers like me who cannot get internet access.

In any case if you are luck enough to have the Internets you might want to brave the crowds and pick these up.

-Caleb

SMS video

Wow. Talk about showing the cool games that were on the Master System.

I can't believe most of the younger gamers I have met think that the NES was better.

Via: Video Blog

November Video game Haul

Nice haul of cheap stuff this november.

First off Thrift Store:

I got a NICE cord switcher setup that allows you to hook up two computers to the same speakers and monitor. I am going to set my Dreamcast up to this so I can switch between my computer and my Dreamcast with the press of a Button. Just an ease of use thing I guess. It's nice not to have to keep unplugging the damn monitor.

Plus I got

Far Cry
Unreal T. 2004
Splinter Cell 2
Soldier of Fortune
Devestation

ALL for $5. When you consider FAR CRY in that lot it might be one of the best deals ever. I have always wanted a copy. All these games are MINT too. Splinter cell still had the 39.99 pricer sticker on it.

Syracuse Flea market was mostly a big bust.

I got really beat up copies of 3 Dreamcast racing games. I have no idea if they work. MSR, Susuki and Speed Devils. Found thrown in with a bunch of music CDs $1.

-Lemmings 3d and a mint ninja/cowboy western game for the PS1 $5

-an original release of Kingdom Hearts 2 for $8.

-Karnof and Ninja Kid for the NES $5

- a Super Game boy player and Spawn for the SNES $5

-Shinobi 3 for the Genesis $2

-Strategy guides for Paper Mario and Perfect Dark. $1

-A manual for Octaria of time. $.50


At the shady games store I got:

Astral, Tomb Raider and Clockwork Knight for the Saturn

A the decent Game Craze local chain I got:

KISS for the Dreamcast $.99

Charge and Blast for the Dreamcast $.99

Tomb Raider for the Saturn (no Case) $.99

Tekken Tag Team for the PS2 $2


Overall not a bad haul. I was glad I was able to get some Dreamcast and Saturn stuff.

I am dissapointed in Syracuse though. I *might* go back to the flea market but it seems like the sellers don't have much stuff and are trying to get too much money for most of it.

A couple of good Dreamcast videos From WatchMojo

GD-R Writer???

Just a hoax I wonder?

xkcd - A GREAT webcomic

Taking a break from the manic webcomics I normally enjoy I read some xkcd. It has alot of art and is very easy going.

Read the first 31 comics. There is a simple, yet heartwarming gag that will make your day.

http://www.xkcd.com/1/

It made me smile and I work 55 hours a week (including drive time 72).

-Note to self. Find a better job where you can work only 40 hours a week.

Syracuse, or as we like to call it "Stab City".

Some guy got beat up for his PSP right outside where I work part time.

http://kotaku.com/gaming/crime/psp-owner-to-assailants-dudes-get-your-own-ow-322875.php

http://blog.syracuse.com/news/2007/11/teens_charged_in_downtown_beat.html

This was INSIDE a huge building with security guards and cameras and stuff.

The petty criminals in Central NY must be trying to compete for the "most violent" and "most ignorant" awards this year.

Though to be fair you don't flash around a $150 gaming device in the middle of downtown.

...at least with my full time job I ain't gotta deal with people at all.

This is the sort of area the Gameboy color is for friends...

UC Berkeley Marching Band does video games.

This is some SICK Marching Band goodness.



I can't believe they did this. I guess there still are band geeks.

I got some serious Sega Retro time in this weekend.

I played a crap copy of "Sol Feace" for the Sega CD that I was sure was not going to work. And it did! It was really beat up.

That was pretty cool.

Then I played some Final Fight CD and some Sonic CD. I think the only good Sega CD game I don't have is Snatcher.

I got my Saturn out and played some "Nights". I got my copy from a thrift charity store. It was still inside a Sega Saturn Version 2. (It pays to check used consoles for games. Chances are someone was playing a good game before they got rid of the system.)

With no manual I had no idea how to play. I do have the right controller since I got like 3 in the bundle of stuff I got in Buffalo 3 years ago. I still had fun playing it even though I had no idea what the hell I was doing. Getting told "Good Job" by the game and having tons of colors is pretty cool.

I gotta check to see if my copy of Virtual On is Netlink compatible.

Whoot!

What makes comedy good?

NPR did a great radio show yesterday were they talked about joke stealing in comedy.
They also hit on alot of the points that I feel are getting important in the entertainment industry.

The gist of one of the conversations was this:

Most "hack" comedians make good money and audiences laugh at them. Other comedians don't really like them and feel their jokes are lame.

It's getting to be the same thing with web videos. The crap one which nobody seems to like and are unprofessional and steal ideas from SNL or other popular comedians seem to do well. They get a ton of hits.

In fact in television and films as well there is very little "new" and innovative stuff out there.

And even when new stuff does come out the producers seems to want to change it so much it isn't funny.

When "Stella" did their comedy show briefly on Comedy Central they have to conform to a weird "sitcom" style style that just didn't work well with their short form skills. I think this was done because Comedy Central wanted something that would appeal to a wider audience.

Has America and the world in general become so full of idiots that "Wider Audience Appeal" means dumbing down everything until there is nothing good on anymore?

I have experienced this first hand. During my college TV days there was a public showcase held so students who were interested in being a part of Student Television could find out how. One of the earlier meetings was how I found most of my cast and crew for my show.

During one of my later shows someone had produced another skit comedy show. They did a "Judge Judy" skit that was alot like the one SNL did before. In fact IT WAS THE SNL Skit. The same parody, the same lines, the same camera shots, everything was the same. However, since it was made for College TV it didn't look as good. It looked and sounded like crap. It was a watered down concept.

Yet most of the college students watching it laughed.

When my show aired it's promo NOBODY LAUGHED until about two minutes in. Then everyone started laughing. It was all original stuff that was "out there" in terms of comedy. People seemed to need to feel that it was "alright" to laugh before they could.

So does the current society feel like that they can only laugh at stuff if it's familiar? Have we all gotten so lazy that we can't challenge ourselves to figure out new comedy? My show wasn't all that great. But it was ALOT better than a watered-down Saturday Night Live skit that was already getting old at that time.

The comics on NPR seems to reach for the idea that this situation is getting better. The comedians who steal jokes and take the easy way out are starting to show it. The audience is VERY slowly becoming fed up with this re-hashed crap and want new stuff.

Maybe audiences are getting better. I hope so.

The sucess of the "Dave Chappelle Show" showed that Americans really enjoyed the simply pleasure of skit comedy with NO SET FORMAT.

Yet Comedy Central goes on to help create a show for Sarah Silverman that's based on the same failed Stella "Sitcom" format. She is playing one character. The concept is already getting boring despite the great efforts of costars like Brian Posehn and the Executive Producer, Rob Schrab. It's getting somewhat good reviews and numbers...But I can't help but think that this could be something better than another "sitcom" based situation comedy clusterfuck.

During the "Mr. Show" days Sarah Silverman and Brian Posehn able to play several types of characters and it was funny. Alot better than this current show.

But do the numbers lie?

Is this new comedy that seems to be doing well really all that better?

Will the general audience ever see it my way? Or are my tastes in skit comedy so wrong?

Maybe one day some TV producer will take another chance and we can see another great skit comedy show come around and push all these sitcoms and reality shows into the garbage heap where they belong.

Maybe one day the general viewing audience will freaking grow a pair and start to appreciate innovative ideas.

Yet another thift store score.

This is from awhile back. I have not bought any games recently since I am trying to save money.

For $17 I got a bag filled with video games.

INCLUDED:

Kung Fu for the NES in box
A Bugs Bunny game for the NES in box
Double Dragon 2 for NES
Operation Wolf for the NES

Zelda for the SNES
Super Punch out for the SNES
Contra 3 for the SNES
DK Country 3 for the SNES

Ren and Stimpy in Box for the Genesis
Sword of the Vermillion for the Genesis in box.

Spiro the Dragon - year of the dragon PS

Rayman for the PS

There was also another Genesis game and two other NES games but I can't remember the names right now.

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Buy it and Patch it.

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. is a game that has gotten some really bad flack from some gamers.

However, when I saw it in Target for $15.00 clearance I knew I had to try it out.

Number one, this is a PC game. So download the patch FIRST before paying it.

http://www.stalker-game.com/en/?page=patches

Alot of people complained about the bugs in this game. I suppose that console gamers can't spend TWO MINUTES to download the latest patch of a game before bitching and complaining that the game is broke. I suppose that simply putting a DVD in a tray and playing a game has really made some gamers lazy. And stupid.

It's a PC game.

You have to patch the game to get the best gameplay.

Live with it you mouth breathers!

And it's a kick ass game.

The free roaming gameplay is actually alot like the "Daggerfall" Elder Scrolls game. That means you can completely ignore the main "quest" for awhile and go do whatever the hell you want. Nice.

You can play in several different ways.

In the first scenario there is a vicious group of bandits that are holed up in a small group of buildings. They have heavily guarded the two main entrance points but left a themselves open on the sides.

My style to solve this little problem was this.

I snuck past the two sets of guards to inside one of the building were two bandits sat around a fire. I pulled out my knife and made with the stabby. One of the guards was holding a shotgun which I took.

Then I snuck away making little noise.

The Guards from the entrance all heard the commotion and ran up screaming Russian swear words. Seeing only two bodies they stood around scratching their heads wondering what the hell could have happened.

While they were all standing close together I ran up behind them and blasted away.

Now that situation in the game could have been solved a number of different ways.

I personally found mine to be the best but I like the idea that I could have played it in many different ways.

It's a great game and well worth the $15.

If there is a Target near you see if they have it in stock.

Retail places that put stuff on clearance are great.

That's why I hate Walmart. Compared to Target and Kmart they hardly ever put anything worth buying on clearance.

Burke drops his cellphone and gets the hell out of the ghost house.

ECW Wrestler Elijah Burke was on the Sci-Fi show "Ghost Hunters".

He was just acting to make the show alittle more entertaining.



I hope he gets some good press for this. It was pretty damn funny.

It's lame that "Ghost Hunters" never find any real evidence of ghosts.