March 15, 2010

March 14, 2010

  • Just when I was actually feeling like I really was on "vacation" because of my medical leave, I am finally going to go back to work tonight. Of course since I was mostly restricted to stay at home, it wasn't that much of a real vacation, but still. I forgot what it felt like to be some school boy in some mandatory two week vacation, so it was kinda nice. The time off had it's price though, and that was that I wasn't receiving a pay check from work. It's going to feel good earning money again.

    My left leg may be mostly healed, but the doctor did say that I have maybe another 2-3 weeks before it's at 100%. I still shouldn't be jumping or running for the time being until then, plus kneeling on my left leg still feels kinda tender. One thing I am happy about though is that I am able to drive my car again! I drive a stick shift, so that was the main reason I was stuck at home, but now my left leg is not having any problems using the clutch. The freedom of being able to go wherever and whenever feels real good.

    Alright then, off to a regular work week!

March 13, 2010

March 12, 2010

March 11, 2010

  • ...I'm sure I've had similar blog entrees on the subject, but I don't think it hurts to repeat it...

    One of the main problems with the video game industry is that it spawns fanboys (and girls) who become loyalists to one of the particular companies. With this current generation of consoles, people are either for Nintendo (Wii), Microsoft (XBOX360), or Sony (PS3). This is what is called the "console wars." It's stupid, but in a social studies point of view, it's also rather fascinating.

    A couple of things that are important to console loyalists, are how well their system of choice sells to the public, and what the video game analysts are predicting on how well the console/game will sell. Exclusive games, ratings, features, and horsepower are also important for console loyalists to boast about, but in the end it usually comes down to numbers and what "the experts" think that fuel the console war arguments. "Preference" for some reason is usually ignored as a valid opinion.

    The most recent major development of note has been these...
    - Nintendo releases the Wii MotionPlus
    - Sony releases the PS3 Slim and finally has a consumer friendly price of $299 US
    - Sony just recently showcased their motion controller called "Move" for the PS3
    - In a few months, Microsoft will announce what they plan to do with "Project Natal"

    All these leads to extend the current game consoles several more years, until a new set of systems need to be released. In a way, these are all "re-launches" of the consoles, so sale numbers are being looked at carefully, and analysts are making their predictions again.

    In a recent bold statement by The Strategy Analytics Connected Home Devices (SACHD) service, they predicted that the PS3 is going to eventually take the lead over the Wii, and the XBOX360 by the end of this generation. This is despite the fact that the Wii is at an astronomical lead in units sold, while the XBOX360 is still leading the PS3 by about 5-6 Million units worldwide. Ofcourse this got all the fanboys all riled up. The current 3rd place console is going to be 1st by the end? This is even when the most recent NPD Group sales numbers for February shows the 360 actually selling the most console hardware for the month among the three? So when are people going to stop trusting the predictions of game analysts? When are people going to stop caring about sales numbers?

    Let me remind you that years ago when the XBOX360 was just about to be released, with the PS3 and Wii still awhile away, game analysts predicted that the PS3 was going to dominate this generation (on the strength of Blu-Ray and the Sony brand name), with the Wii coming up on 3rd place. The fact that the opposite is currently the truth, means that a lot of analysts simply lost face from their predictions, and their credibility should be questionable. Now that there's a bit of momentum on Sony's part (with the PS3Slim and Move), they probably believe that what they said before will come true anyway. So it's back to saying "Sony will dominate" once again, when it currently looks like the Wii already won. Really now?

    One of the most famous game analysts often quoted by gamers is Michael Pachter (of Wedbush Morgan Securities Inc.) He predicted back in 2005 that the current game console marketplace would be divided like this : PS3 = 55%, XBOX360 = 35%, and the Wii = 10%. So how do you think that prediction is going so far?

    So keep these in mind....
    Video game analysts are like meteorologists, as they are just guessing.
    Sales numbers don't mean jack, if you are happy playing your games.

    Some links related to the topic...

March 10, 2010

March 9, 2010

  • After listening to The Kevin & Bean show doing a segment about "Fast Food Drive-Thru Rules" (listen here : http://bit.ly/8Zo1Uu) it got me thinking about my rules for the drive-thru.

    1) If the line for the drive-thru is long, I usually go in. I'm not aware of any statistics on whether going in would be faster or slower in that situation, but I just don't particularly like waiting in long lines for the drive-thru.

    2) Know what you want to order in advance! It's annoying when the person in front of you is taking forever making their order. If you don't know what you want to order in advance, then I suggest you skip using the drive-thru and go in instead.

    3) If you have a large order; like for a group of people at work, go inside! The person behind you probably just wants a "No.1" when you are ordering something like Numbers 1-10.

    4) A lot of drive-thru have that "first menu" before the menu where you actually place your order. You should only use that if there is nobody behind you. Besides, look at rule no.2.

    5) If it's at night, and you are driving a large vehicle, turn off your headlights so you don't shine your light directly in the car in front of you. Sometimes this also applies to regular sized vehicles. This isn't a big deal, but please do it anyway.

    6) Know how to speak the local language properly. It's bad enough that it can be hard to understand the person at the speaker, it's even worse when both that person and the person making the order can't communicate with each other.

    7) Don't make any special orders that's only going to confuse the person at the speaker. It's only going to take you longer to get out of the drive-thru. Don't make the people behind you wait longer than they have to.

    8) Don't drop your change. You'll just look stupid and waste more time.

    Bottom line here is to just be considerate to the other people waiting behind you. Put yourself in their shoes. Now ofcourse if there is nobody else waiting, then whatever...

March 8, 2010

  • Random Pretend

    moviefone's recap and coverage of the 2010 Oscars (link)

    Things I Would Rather Do Than Watch Jay Leno (link)

    Internet Sex Moves (pix)

    Obama caught lip synching (video)

    Double Snow Scooter Fail (video)

    UFO FINALLY!! 2010 100% UFO PROOF (video)

    'World's strongest boy' breaks new record (video)

    The ULTIMATE Infomercial Parody (video)

    Mean Disney Girls (video)

    Lost & Heroes Hate Black People (video)

    The Worst Video Resumes You’ve Ever Seen (video)

    SXSW 2010 on BitTorrent: 3.35 GB of Free Music (link)

  • So the 82nd Academy Awards ended with "the Hurt Locker" beating out "Avatar" for Best Picture of 2009. I'm okay with that result, although I would have voted for "Up In The Air" or "A Serious Man" if I was in the Academy. What's killing it for me are all the people on the internet celebrating and boasting about how "The Hurt Locker" beat out "Avatar." It's like "F U James Cameron" or "hahahaha Avatar lost!" What gives people? Wow, why so much hatred for "Avatar?" It's not like it's a horrible movie. I personally found "Avatar" amazing in the sense that it DID break boundaries on how a movie could be made, plus I appreciate how Cameron pretty much created a whole world and reality in Pandora and the Na'vi, as well as improve upon how to film in CGI and 3D effects.

    One can argue about "Avatar's" unoriginal script all they want, but originality is a rare thing nowadays. Even stalwarts like "Up," "District 9," or (yes even) "The Hurt Locker" took unoriginal plot directions. Even one of the movies that I wished won; "Up In The Air," had some unoriginal moments. Back in 1977, there were people who thought "Star Wars" wasn't original either, and we know how that turned out. If a movie in the best picture category needs to be lambasted for unoriginality, it's "The Blind Side." Just think about this... I bet there are movies that you already love that also falls under the "unoriginal and predictable" category...

    I could also argue that there's another reason "The Hurt Locker" won, and it's not necessarily because it deserved it. When it comes to the Academy Awards, campaigning for a vote is everything. In fact one of the producers for "The Hurt Locker" got in trouble (banned) for going overboard for this very reason. These past weeks leading up to the Oscars, we've been swamped with non-stop promotions for "The Hurt Locker," while I thought the rest of the films were decently low key about it. Campaigning and politics goes a long way in the Academy, even if there are good intentions to vote based on actual film making merit. Just look at "Shakespeare In Love" winning best picture in 1998 as the best example of this.

    "The Hurt Locker" deserving to win Best Picture over "Avatar" is still debatable as far as I'm concerned ("Up" probably deserved it more). Besides being a representation of the generation it was made in, Best Picture needs to go to a movie that shows advancement in film making, and I believe "Avatar" really broke a lot of new ground for the future of this art form. Yes it was predictable, but it was done really really really well.

    For the people who hate "Avatar," I hope it's because of actual "real" reasons, and not just because it's a really popular movie that is "cool to hate on." If you are glad that "The Hurt Locker" won, then please watch the movie! It only made $21+ Million in the box office, so show it your support as it IS a good movie.

    P.S. go see "Jarhead" too while you're at it.

    RT @ThatChrisGore -
    "Two years from now I'm going to ask all of you who won the Oscar for Best Picture two years ago... and not one of you will remember.    "
    "And the award for Most Out-of-Touch Awards Show goes to... the OSCARS!    "

March 6, 2010

  • So a week and a half has gone by on my medical leave. I've been to the Emergency Room, my Personal Care Provider, and an Orthopedic. I've only gotten paid for two days from the previous week, and I'm likely not getting paid for any of the days this past week, which is a bit disconcerting since I still have bills to pay. I do plan to go for state disability, but I still have yet to request for that.

    The Orthopedic said I have a tear on my plantaris leg muscle, which is nothing too serious and will heal in a month's time. That means that I'm going to be able to go back to work (and make money) after one more week of medical leave. I'm going to need to go to my PCP to officially release me for work, plus I need the medical documentation for my state disability request.

    I was told that I don't have to use the crutches or the immobilizer anymore either, although I was recommended to not jump or run around for a while. Since I drive a stick shift and use a clutch, I'm suppose to minimize using my car for the time being. Well considering I'm going to go to work in a week, I'll hold off driving my car until then at least. Or maybe the day before I go back to work, so I can test out my tolerance to clutching.

    Things are looking good for me healing nicely. My left leg still isn't at 100% right now (maybe 75%), but at least the outlook is good. Hopefully all the work my right leg had to put up with isn't going to be a future problem... the orthopedic did say that my right leg looked like it was swelling up as well.... eerrr