Author Archives: detnap

Theme Park: 486sx fun on Nintendo DS

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Typical Asian

Typical Asian

I just wanted to comment on the picture and mention that I think I’ve been desensitized to asian stereotyping. I didn’t even pay any attention to the commercial until after John Stewart used it as an example of current racial stereotyping. I thought to myself “You know what self, should I be mildly offended”. Of course, then there’s South Park that takes it to a new level.

I first played Theme park when it was a DOS game that would be unplayablely slow on my 20 mhz 486 when I set the resolution to 1024×768. I didn’t have a sound card, so the barfing sounds of the people getting sick from the rollercoasters were just digitized beeps.

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I have seen the eyes of God

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I have seen the eyes of God;

and his name is a 24 inch dell monitor connected to a quad core computer.

I recently bought a new computer, mostly because I wanted to have a bigger screen to work with when I’m working from home. I figured if I was going to get a new monitor, might as well have something to hook it up to.

I picked up a dell because it was cheap. For a quad core machine, it was $850 with a 24 inch monitor included. Along with that, I picked up an ATI 4850 for about $150. Not a bad deal all things considered.

The last few computers that I’ve had were laptops, so high end horsepower was a distant dream. Last time I was anywhere near the power curve was with a Voodoo 3 playing unreal tounamernt . With that, I grabbed the Crysis demo and installed that. During the first bootup, it ran pretty well and I was satisfied. Of course, test number 2 was to crank all the detail settings up to high and change the resolution to 1920 x 1200. That’s a bit too much for my little graphics card to handle. Instantly, performance went from “That’s pretty good” to “Broken slow”. It did look really, really good though. People still look like 3d models, but they look like very sharp 3d models.

This puts me in a situation though. I am looking forward to Fallout 3. I’m asking myself if I should pick it up for the PC or for the 360? I mean the graphics are good on the 360, but there’s always the slider bar on the pc to allow for spectacular graphics on the pc.

Anyhow, I’ve found computer gaming again and it is my savior.

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When Childhood Dream Comes True: Final Fantasy IV on the DS

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When Childhood Dream Comes True: Final Fantasy IV on the DS

My favorite games of all time were the Final Fantasy games on the Super Nintendo. I was younger then, less jaded, more welcoming. I could accept a cliche story line (back then, I probably didn’t have enough of a literary background to know what was cliche) and the silliness that is Final Fantasy. I’m not going to go into “what’s wrong with games today” or anything like that, but I just everybody to know that I liked Final Fantasy above all else. I have never since had such a connection to a video game.

So, now we flash forward to the years 2008 and with me, a bitter old man who’s bitching about some wossname or other. Video Game no longer have that magic associated with it like my Super Nintendo days but rather a release where I can take some pent up energy and frustration and vent it out of my thumbs. It’s a social experience where I can digitally see my friends or make some ears bleed by singing in Rock Band. I don’t have 16 hours day to play games anymore, now that I have bills to pay and chores to do (who am I kidding, I probably do chores once a month). Anyhow, point is, video games are now mundane. Continue reading →

Fallout 3: Lunchbox

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Fallout 3: Lunchbox

I generally don’t buy the collector’s editions of games, but seeing the swag with the Fallout 3 Collector Edition, I think I have to change my tune.

It comes with a Fallout 3 lunchbox. Awesome.

WALL-E Number 5 – Alive

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WALL-E Number 5 – Alive

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Sometime, I think that I might just be bitter at what’s successful. From disliking popular video games such as Metal Gear Solid or “not getting” critically acclaimed movies such as No Country for Old Men, I would say that my tastes would be a barometer at what’s crass and classless. I knew I was in trouble when I was gleefully laughing at Zohan with its 34% on Rotten Tomatoes. Continue reading →

I Dislike MGS. I am not alone.

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I Dislike MGS. I am not alone.

Metal Gear

Metal Gear

I think in the world of gamers we are split into two groups. Those who like Metal Gear Solid, and those who dislike Metal Gear Solid. I fall into the camp of the latter.

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Psych: TV show on USA

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Psych: TV show on USA

I like watching tv. Psych is part of the new USA network lineup of shows in the same vein of Monk. In short, it’s about a clever character solving mysteries.

Psych is about a detective agency with two partners, the black guy (Gus) and the white guy (Shawn). Shawn has a special ability where he can instantly recognize important clues pertaining to the case that they are currently working on. Of course, it would be too simple if he just told everybody that he was a good detective, so instead he pretends that he’s psychic and the way that he solves cases is by overacted psychic readings.

He also is in conflict with the local head detective with playful pranks and verbal sparring. It’s good to have a source of constant conflict.

I think that the real reason why I like this show is its reference to kitchy pop culture. From Knight Rider t-shirts to nipples on superhero costumes, the show has plenty of small notable mentions of things that are from my childhood. I would say that it’s probably a hard show to get into if you didn’t grow up in the 80’s, but if you had, it’s good stuff. Highly recommended.

A Dirty Job: The Book.

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A Dirty Job: The Book.

Sometimes, there are times when we do not have access to electronics. Apparently, there are other forms of media to accommodate that situation. There are these black and while pieces of paper that have icons on them arranged in a certain order that conveys ideas directly into the brain when you decode them. These things are called “books” and they entertain you when you “read” them. They don’t even require electricity. What will they think of next?

I just  finished “reading” A Dirty Job, which is a “book” by Christopher Moore. In short, it was pretty good in a modern day whimsical style.

I found this book by looking for something similar to Terry Pratchett. Moore is described as entertaining, the only criticism is that he isn’t British. A Dirty Job has truly enjoyable characters and it looks at death with classic ideas in a modern setting. I think even though the plot of the book isn’t as flushed out as it could be, I though that the book was enjoyable just because we looked at the lives of entertaining characters. These characters knew they were being funny (vs Terry Pratchett, in which everything is done with tongue in cheek).

In short, if you enjoy zainy books and like Terry Pratchett and Douglas (Hitchhiker’s Guide), this book is on the recommended list. If you only read Clancy or King, maybe you should just wait another 6 days or so when a new King book comes out.

Researchers: Red players beat blue in online game

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Researchers: Red players beat blue in online game

I don’t think we do a lot of linking to news stories, but I feel that this deserves mention because our resident host (Phokal) has an oddly ocd fetish with being on the red team. Apparently, he knew something that we didn’t.

According to scientific research, the Red team beats the Blue team in more matches. They did a study of 1,347 online matches of Unreal tournament 2004 and they found that the red team won 55% of the time. I had always thought that Phokal’s ability to destroy me in games was due to quick reflexes, an acute sense of 3d space when viewed through a 2d plane, and a pair of superthumbs that even Fonzie would covet. I guess the truth is that he’s just always been on the red team.

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You Don't Mess with the Zohan. Watch It.

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You Don’t Mess with the Zohan. Watch It.

It’s funny. That’s all you need to know. Sure, it got crushed in the reviews, but who are you watching movies for? Them or you?

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