Monthly Archives: August 2008

Session 7

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For my non-Star Wars readers, you do realize whose bloggh you’re reading, right? Don’t worry. Soon we’ll be continuing Russian free speech violations, historical Cold War comparisons, and mayoral interviews.
(I had forgotten about my Statler/Waldorf presidential campaigning.)

Kraka is dead! Long live Kraka!

Since no one’s going to be finding the footage, and any of the civilians on the ship probably only have nightmarish blurs of the encounter, this will take place from OOC.

Really, the only way to describe it is to review the deaths:

  1. A section of the Vong troopers in a blast from above by the New Republic
  2. A mercenary force, brought by Triggerman, caught in the middle of warbeasts and strafing coralskippers.
  3. Mutated footsoldiers brought down by sniper fire, lightsabers, and even the Free Hungry Miltia from the city’s 14 fighting men on the rooftops.
  4. Vong warmachines launched plasma into mercenaries
  5. Triggerman brought a force of domestic droids to the fun on the edge of the battle. Two Vong warriors became enraged and rushed to start slashing with amphistaffs
  6. Warbeasts blasted by an improvised gun platform from our ship’s wreckage; platform piloted by ZiD8
  7. That platform was smashed to the ground, ZiD8 inside. If we can plug him into the ship’s computer, his memories should be restored. Right?
  8. A ship, rigged to explode, swept over a segment of approaching Vong soldiers.
  9. Vong commander with crabclaw struck down Kraka; Vong snuck onto civilian freighter and started massacring while the heroes listened over commlink; Tyris rushed to engage but was slashed down – but not before lightning tore into the commander; mercenaries, before dying, finished off the commander with grenades in close quarters, saving the civilians; Tyris could probably be revived
  10. 5 of the 20 Chiss troops fell to warbeast stomps, swipes, bites and plasma artillery fire
  11. 5 died holding down the remaining Vong troops so the operative and Zenon could escape; holding down until the Chiss orbital strike cleared a street full of Vong (and the 5 Chiss and 2 militia, and the Chiss commander in a blaze of glory (locked into his commlink coordinates))
  12. 10 Chiss actually made it back onto the dropship
  13. Some mercenaries and Republic troopers actually departed the field, too
  14. The warbeast that towered over the treetops and smashed through buildings was brought down by combined fire from mercenaries, Chiss, Republic troopers and probably some Force choking (if I know my party)

And for those keeping a Booyor tally, that’s 4 character deaths with this group:

  1. Kraka (SW: New Jedi Order), from a Chiss airstrike while being digested in the stomach of a Vong warbeast
  2. Stutter (Mutants and Masterminds), on an Immaculate Dominion strikecruiser when a giant alien lizard known as Enemy exploded in a cloud of acid after eating through a wall
  3. The Wanderer (SW: Foundation), struck down by an Imperial sentinel while in combat with the Dark Lady
  4. Lofryyka (SW: Foundation), strapped with a backpack full of detonite grappling with Vader

My Chiss and city militia tally of enemy defeats:

The dice are enemy soldiers created by the Vong from the civilians earlier. That dark blur on the left is a warbeast (the one that ate Kraka).

Here’ Devin’s final count:

Those four large creatures. Large warbeasts.

Hard Core Nerdery

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Photobucket
Currently making final preparations for giant, living room-spanning combat between Vong, Chiss, Jedi, Republic and Scoundrel forces.

Paper (and pencil) beats console.

Updates:
Sean injures a superior Vong. Round 1 goes to the heroes.

Jesse force-gripping giant beast.
Vong cannon obliterates Republic troops after they rig the ship to explode.
Kraka ready to deflect as other Jedi gripping.
Triggerman broadcats showing up.

What’s in Alaska?

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Alaska

  1. Mt. McKinley
  2. 97 pound king salmon/ 137 pound Chinook salmon
  3. Big state-iness
  4. Barrow, the northernmost town in the U.S.
  5. Juneau, accessible by ferry, not road

    View Larger Map
  6. 43% of the population attends/attended college
  7. Jewel
  8. A new start for the Simpsons
  9. Curt Schilling
  10. Dwight Schrute
  11. Sarah Palin – hockey mom with an Inuit, dog-sledding husband. I, the Voice of Democracy, was planning on abstaining. Campaign tricks have worked on my mind and I am intrigued.

Author Visit – P.J. Haarsma

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P. J. Haarsma
This guy’s coming to my library. He’s a great artist who got tired of filming HP/Nokia TV spots so he decided to write. He’s good friends with Frank Beddor (who showed up last year) and some guy named Nathan Fillion:

He was in some show called Browncoatfly Life to Live or something.

They partnered up to create the Kids Need to Read foundation.
Nathan and P J

Very excited! I invite all of my sci-fi readers, even the people in Denver, Colorado, Fairfax, Virginia, and Edinburgh!

On second thought, maybe you should talk to me in person.

Check out the site for the book and the site for the video game.

Star Wars: The Force Restrained

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The new game Star Wars: The Force Unleashed is on its way bringing some pretty serious new technology to the next-gen consoles, as well as PSP and PS2. It looks to be a great storyline with tremendous potential to provide the fullness of the Star Wars experience through rich character development and WICKED SICK LIGHTSABER MOVEZORZ!#@$?!% lol jk

All kidding aside, the storyline of The Force Unleashed does look good, but here’s my problem, thus the title “Force Restrained”:

- LucasArts got its start on the PC. In fact, it used to be so much toward the PC that barely any games came out on consoles beyond the “Super Star Wars Turbo” or whatever that SNES game was. LucasArts really let down a lot of PC users by not making a version of this game for the PC. They came out with a comment that most computer’s in the average household could not handle the graphics found in The Force Unleashed. I can understand that, but then a suggestion was put out to have the ability to water down the graphics a little bit. If sheer power to support graphics are the issue, why is it on the PS2 and PSP, considering there are now PS2 emulators out for the computer in which you can download and play PS2 games for free. LucasArts received somewhere in the thousands of responses from really ticked off fans that took it a lot more serious than anything I’ve ever seen.
- Next-Gen Consoles….but only Wii gets multi-player. I’m very glad that LucasArts is making games for the consoles, that’s awesome. I’m a proud PS3 and Nintendo Wii owner, and I love both systems. LucasArts has totally slapped the next-gen console player in the face by restricting the multi-player option to “duel mode”…. WHAT THE!?!? This game is available on all systems, and all systems have the capability to play this game to its full potential. Why in the world would you restrict a potential epic classic in the ways of multi-player? The multi-player concept has been included since Jedi Knight as well as other games around that era, and a ton of fans viewed it as an absolutely essential element to this game for those who want to go beyond the Single-Player experience. There is a game coming out, and it’s called MAG(Massive Action Game) on PS3, and it supports over 200 players at the same time while not using as advanced graphics as Force Unleashed.
- Lightsaber movement restricted to basic moves, even on Wii. This is why the Wii needed to come out with Wii Sports Resort’s fencing feature, because they had to show LucasArts how to properly create a dueling style game utilizing the capabilities of the Wii remote.
- With all of these cutbacks, this game is looking more and more like a suped-up version of the Episode III video game.

I don’t know what happened to leadership and development in the higher ups of LucasArts, but whatever happened needs to change. This game had a ton of potential to be a phenomenal game that allowed you to do more things and have more options, not only just with the multi-player aspect.

Obama on the Bible

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The title is to the point for a reason. I believe that this election is being fought heavily across the internet, and it is important for people to know the facts about what their candidate says specifically about the issues. Booyor posted two videos concerning the Rick Warren forum in which both candidates spoke on their views and beliefs when it comes to faith.

For some reason my Firefox will not post an embedded youtube link and show it up as a video, no idea why but here’s the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4FCNKwHRCQMwatch?v=4FCNKwHRCQM

Here’s another link in which he showcases his great love for the ’80′s: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=65I0HNvTDH4

Yes, he really did just do that.

Congratulations to Team USA Basketball both men’s and women’s. The men’s “Redeem Team” accomplished their mission of bringing back home the gold medal in what turned out to be an epic showdown against Spain. This had to be one of the rare times when two NBA teammates faced each other on opposite ends of the court(Kobe Bryant vs. Pau Gasol). Dwyane Wade showed up huge for Team USA, and as the game started to cave in for Team USA, Coach K told Kobe, “Let the black mamba loose”. At this point, Kobe was involved in helping Team USA solidify the victory.

The following is an article on Team USA vs. Spain:

“Kobe Bryant had 13 points and two assists in the fourth quarter as Team USA survived a gritty, determined performance by Spain to win the gold medal game, 118-107. Bryant began his onslaught with 8:13 left in the game and Team USA clinging to a 91-89 lead; in the next 2:11 he scored five points and assisted on a Deron Williams three pointer and a Dwight Howard dunk. Later, Bryant drained two three pointers, including a four point play. Bryant finished with 20 points, a game-high six assists and two blocked shots in 27 minutes. Dwayne Wade scored a game-high 27 points on 9-12 field goal shooting and added a game-high four steals, providing a vital boost off of the bench, especially in the first half when he scored 21 points while Bryant and LeBron James were saddled with foul trouble. James contributed 14 points, six rebounds, three assists and three steals. Carmelo Anthony and Chris Paul scored 13 points each. Rudy Fernandez led Spain with 22 points, while Pau Gasol had 21 points and six rebounds. Juan Carlos Navarro scored 18 points and led Spain with four assists.”

After watching this whole 3-year Olympic process evolve, I have come to the conclusion that Coach K is the man, and I would take him over Phil Jackson anyday.

Dark Knight in 2011

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So, I’ve been teaching my students about Wikipedia. Check out the Alan F. Horn entry.

Yep, DC and Warner Brothers are trying to get Christian Bale and Chris Nolan before too late.

The DC rep booed Bryan Singer’s Superman Returns and they’re going to release YET ANOTHER introduction/origin story of Superman (but darker…because that’s popular, according to Jeff Robinov). Here’s a quote from Alan F. Horn:

I thought Superman Returns (2006) was a very successful movie, but I think it should have done $500 million worldwide. We should have had perhaps a little more action to satisfy the young male crowd.

Michael Keaton (Batman and Chick Hicks (from Cars)) will voice Ken in Toy Story 3.
Andy goes off to college and the toys get donated to a day care.

There will be two other big DC character movies coming out within the next four years.

Veronica Mars/Scary Lightning Chick will be in a new Astro Boy movie.

Shia LaBooBoo will be in Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen. Yep. Screenwriter quoted as wanting a “darker feel” with villains getting more screen time. Also, Witwicky in real life injured his hand in a car accident and Michael Bay is working that into the storyline.

I’m surprisingly neutral about all of these announcements.

Finished Reading Force Unleashed

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If the game is anything like the book, Star Wars fans (Bel Iblis fans) will be excited.

What’s funny is that the author builds in weapon customization and outfit changes that you see in video games. And we get to see the origins of the Rebellion (and a bunch of other stuff), more than just the meeting that was in the deleted scenes of Episode III.

Haden Blackman, you still give Slade cause to worry.

Sean Williams, I actually liked your book. (No Michael Stackpole, but there can be only one…D’oh. Wrong franchise.)

Something trivial or commonplace that concludes a series of significant events

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I guess the closing ceremonies were the definition of anticlimactic. I say “I guess” because I didn’t watch them yet. I hear that in comparison to the legions of trained pneumatic warriors (really, follow the link), the closing ceremonies are akin to kids performing the Dark Knight trailer.

I was all psyched to watch the Olympics and then multiple people ruined the China versus USA basketball results (the only event I wanted to watch). I then read about the adult diapers that the drummers in the opening ceremonies had to wear and I checked out. It was fun to think of continuous coverage on my TV, but after a minute I would always get bored.

And hey…I read Siddhartha. I have an attention span.

I reserved my copy of Force Unleashed today. I don’t know if I could handle the Wii Fit shenanigans again. With Target you buy a $5 gift card to reserve a copy for seven days. That $5 gets applied to the purchase of the game…and a wall cling of a Sith apprentice! Where would I put that?

Oh. The Star Wars room.
Force and Generation Dead
Yep. Nerdy librarian. Generation Dead is right up your alley, Devin.

On Saturday we went to a friend’s birthday party and played Citadel. It’s a city building game where character cards give you special abilities. I was a fan of the Assassin and Tax Collector hanging out at my Docks and Fortress. Throw a Warlord into the mix if someone already grabbed one of my favorite characters and fun was had.

I also thought that it was funny that it’s possible to make an exact likeness of NAU:
NAU

Check this out from my trip home from work:
Monster
This thing was holding on until it crawled onto the roof. I was expecting to see it get tossed.
It “closing ceremonied” my expectations.

What? The nameless assassin gets a cool storyline?

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Don’t worry, no spoilers for Star Wars: Force Unleashed because I know how much of a fanatic I am. As I am reading through the novelization (careful, reviewers from external sites may have spoilers), though, be encouraged.

It’s actually a good storyline.

And it explains, in real life terms, why stormtroopers in video games will stay aboard a crashing space station to fight the main character when they really should haul plastic behind to an escape pod.

Why do you keep saying that? I don’t think this message means what you think it means.

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Both politicians promise to change the way the U.S. thinks about politics/change the corruption.
Actions, words, my friend.


Synchopated orchestra hits and then a nice, jazzy “I approve this message.” Don’t these cancel each other out?

Sure, y’all talk a good game:

Dad, here’s my frustration with both:

Dear friends, do you think you’ll get anywhere in this if you learn all the right words but never do anything? Does merely talking about faith indicate that a person really has it? For instance, you come upon an old friend dressed in rags and half-starved and say, “Good morning, friend! Be clothed in Christ! Be filled with the Holy Spirit!” and walk off without providing so much as a coat or a cup of soup—where does that get you? Isn’t it obvious that God-talk without God-acts is outrageous nonsense? (James 2:14-17, The Message)

Survey for my Friend

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I promised to help my friend Bruce out. So, here’s a fun tech question: How much old school searching do you do when searching for businesses?

Do you use the yellow page books? If so, how often would you say you refer to them? Once a week, once a month, once every six month?

If you do reach for a yellow page book, which one do you reach for first?
- Dex
- Verizon
- Yellow Pages/PDC
- Yellow Book

If you have more than one, do you reach for the more general Phoenix book, or the more local one (i.e., East Valley )?

Could Pandora be shutting down?

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According to Wired, yes. Very unfortunate- I love listening to Pandora, and there are several bands I’ve found through Pandora that never get played on the radio. It’s really sad that the recording industry doesn’t recognize how useful Pandora is for them, and that they’re shutting down companies that do them a great service.

There’s still chance that they might solve this- we’re all cheering for you, Rep. Howard Berman (D-California)- but no one seems too optimistic. Here’s hoping for some surprising, good developments.

Death Star over San Francisco

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Someone in San Francisco has a camera and too much time on their hands.

It’s kind of cool- the shots of the Death Star are the best, really, and I like how they superimposed it with normal shots of people on the beach, or just regular conversations. It added a nice sense of normality to the video. I also like the police lights on the TIE Interceptor. On the other hand, the walkers look way too static, and the fighters aren’t much better. Plus the Death Star is always oriented the same way, which seems a bit unrealistic.

But my biggest problem? That’s an Imperial-class Star Destroyer, people. ImpStars aren’t meant to enter atmosphere, that’s what the Victory-class is for. Come on.