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  • avatar

    Phokal 9:58 am on January 25, 2008 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: no one move to arizona, picking a time to play,   

    pLayday initial page is posted. What time is good for you? 

    TimeZones

    pLayday initial page is posted.  What time is good for you?

    I just published the initial pLayday page. It is here. The day looks like it will be Tuesday (for now). I posted your gamertags and pics there so we can all add each other to our friends list. I recommend giving everyone Positive Feedback if you haven’t yet.

    If you are interested in joining pLayday but I somehow missed you and you are not on the page, just let me know.

    The next thing to determine is time. What time slot is best for each of us weekly on Tuesday?

     
    • avatar

      phokal 10:47 am on January 25, 2008 Permalink | Reply

      Any start time between 7pm-10pm (until 11pm) is pretty good for me. Later times give more time to run errands on Tuesday, but I don’t want it too late due to work in the morning. Since it is also more likely that we’ll play for more than an hour, and it’ll stretch LONGER (rather than people trying to get together earlier to play), it makes sense to have an earlier time that stretches over the initial hour to achieve a 2+ hour playtime total.

    • avatar

      zazzman 4:57 pm on January 28, 2008 Permalink | Reply

      I’m ready to play! I’ll be up for 8:00 pm. I have racquetball in the early evening, so I will be ready by that time.

  • avatar

    Phokal 11:31 pm on January 24, 2008 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , mmm...brains, ow it bit me now what, shotguns needed, ,   

    Braaaaaiiiiinnsszzzzzz

    I read more of: Walking Dead Book 2 and 3

    I finally picked up Book 2, allowing me to read through both 2 and 3. I didn’t plan on finishing them both in such short order, but I found I could barely break mid-book. It was consistently a page turner. Book 1 had an excellently structured narrative, if the main plot was a bit generic. Book 2 and 3 have a harder time keeping the narrative with a fresh delivery (stylistically, we’ve seen the ‘must-turn-page to see attack’ in Book 1), but it is still strong and new, more original plot points are introduced.

    Each book has a distinct story arc, as if it was written in a style meant to be compiled in the hardcover book form.

    Still, it’s going to be a long wait for Book 4 to be available….

     
    • avatar

      zazzman 4:51 pm on January 28, 2008 Permalink | Reply

      I wish Tony More had not left after Book 1 (soft cover)!

  • avatar

    Phokal 12:10 am on January 21, 2008 Permalink
    Tags: building a pc, , , crysis, , , , omg my current computer is a paperweight   

    PC Update

    We’ve narrowed down some parts, and think we’ve got a good config. Anyone want to comment on it?:

    http://donttellmetheending.com/2008/01/16/building-a-new-pc/

     
  • avatar

    Phokal 11:38 pm on January 20, 2008 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , , wrench   

    Andrew Ryan

    I finally beat: Bioshock

    Well, I may have finished it after all my friends, but I have finally beat Bioshock. It is definitely game of the year material. It certainly has flaws, but for every flaw it does two things right. (More …)

     
    • avatar

      mattlindh 11:42 pm on January 20, 2008 Permalink | Reply

      That’s a nice picture. Whoever recommended it must have pretty good taste.

    • avatar

      phokal 11:45 pm on January 20, 2008 Permalink | Reply

      Not entirely originally for a blog post, so it would seem.
      http://www.kotaku.com.au/games/2007/12/andrew_ryan_was_times_person_o.html

      Guess we are just a little late to the party.

    • avatar

      mattlindh 12:06 am on January 21, 2008 Permalink | Reply

      Not everyone can be a rockstar.

    • avatar

      detnap 12:07 am on January 22, 2008 Permalink | Reply

      The game is good. I liked the presentation of Call of Duty 4 better and the gameplay of Portal better, but I liked the story of this game better (at least in terms of video game stories).

    • avatar

      MIKA 10:15 pm on February 13, 2008 Permalink | Reply

      this game has every right to be game of the year. the cutscenes, the storyline, the graphics, the ending, the weapons, and the characters made this game what it is. i completely didnt see the andrew ryan bit coming at me. it was a complete shock, and it delighted me. there are a few negative things i can say about the game though. the boss fight SUCKED! it was boring boring boring. a bit challenging, but just monotone. another thing is that the splicers say the same thing over and over and over. gets a bit annoying. otherwise 5 stars 2k.

  • avatar

    Phokal 1:07 am on January 17, 2008 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: brad pitt, fight club, , morgan freeman, morgan freeman narrating, , seven   

    Seven Samurai

    I finally watched: Seven

    Well, I think I may break a trend here. I think I need to delve into spoiler territory for Seven. The aspects I want to talk or complain about are parts of the movie that, while sometimes obvious, are not revealed immediately in the movie.

    And don’t get me started about the alternate ending (yet)…

    But I won’t. I’ll just complain a little vaguely.

    (More …)

     
    • avatar

      detnap 2:58 pm on January 17, 2008 Permalink | Reply

      To be honest, I have a hard time with “Modern Classics”. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I loved them when I was 15 and watched them, but if I were to watch them for the first time today, I’m sure I’d be disappointed.

      Movies “build” on top of movies of the past. If a movie is popular, then others borrow liberally from it. Seven may be tame compared to today’s movies (such as Hostile or Saw) and it may have a black retiring detective (Along Came a Spider, Kiss the girls, Axe Body Spray commercials). Those things that relatively novel in Seven have been overused and even turned into a Cliche (as seen in the aforementioned body spray commercials).

      I have a confession to make. Recently, I’ve rewatched one of the greatest movies of all time, Die Hard. I couldn’t help thinking to myself “Really? There were hardly enough explosions in those two hours. The wisecrack/minute ratio was severely below par. Where is his wacky sidekick?”

      There are plenty of timeless classics out there, but some movies just don’t seem to lend themselves to time.

    • avatar

      scubamofo 6:27 pm on January 17, 2008 Permalink | Reply

      I find it hard to even use the term “Modern Classic.” I mean what really makes it a classic? I don’t think I am old enough to consider anything that came out during my life as a classic yet. Well there are great movies like Scarface but can we really consider it a classic?

      Also Detnap is right in saying that there is not enough sarcastic remarks in Die Hard. I think for 1988 the sarcastic remarks were plenty. However to compare Die Hard’s level of wisecrack sarcasm to a modern movie is not fare to Bruce. I mean for Live Free or Die Hard it had to be heavily edited to make the PG-13 rating it needed to reach a broader audience. so we didn’t get the level of wisecrack sarcasms we would all like to have.

    • avatar

      mattlindh 11:27 pm on January 17, 2008 Permalink | Reply

      The problem with your statement is that while other movies may build on prior motifs, they seldom implement them as well. For example, the examples you cite with regard to Seven are all far inferior to Seven. Seven somehow manages to combine all those clichés in such a way as to make a truly compelling movie – something that you can’t say for any of those other movies.

    • avatar

      Phokal 11:33 am on January 18, 2008 Permalink | Reply

      Die Hard 1 is not the greatest example. It was far grittier and real than the current, over-the-top iterations. The occasional sarcastic remark punctuated an otherwise tense film as you saw an action hero get tired (but never bleed out). These remarks were popular and memorable, but more so because they released tension during an otherwise violent, gritty movie. With the new movie, yes, there were more remarks and cleverness, but the backbone setting was missing. If the entire scene is explosions, then the explosions just lose their meaning.

      Think about this. Bruce Willis hitting a hot female martial artist with a car, knocking them and the car into a collapsing, exploding elevator shaft. In this shaft, that car is about to fall, killing them both, and Bruce needs to break through the car and the assassin to escape from a fiery death/fall.

      Compare to a roof top explosion that he escapes by falling down the side of a building with a hose, at which point he must break through a window in order to escape from a fiery death/fall.

      On paper, it sure sounds like the top one is better and more interesting. But I would lean towards the classic scene as being much better, even after re-watching.

    • avatar

      detnap 3:31 pm on January 18, 2008 Permalink | Reply

      “Seven somehow manages to combine all those clichés in such a way as to make a truly compelling movie”

      Yes, that may be true. But I believe that when Seven was released, those elements weren’t the clichés that they are today. They were novel upon Seven’s release. Today, those elements have been done to death, and instead of Seven being an original, it’s now one of many movies with those elements, with fewer boundaries pushed.

      “On paper, it sure sounds like the top one is better and more interesting. But I would lean towards the classic scene as being much better, even after re-watching.”

      I’m not sure why you’re cherry picking two individual scenes and making an argument with just your opinion. First, have you even seen Die Hard since seeing Die Hard 4? Anyway, the point isn’t which scene is better or even which movie is better, the point is that if we watch a modern rendition of a “classic” (or a movie with “classic” elements), and then go watch the original “classic”, it won’t have the same impact. It will contain elements that we have already seen and it won’t be original.

    • avatar

      mattlindh 3:34 pm on January 18, 2008 Permalink | Reply

      Yes, but my point was that even if Seven uses elements that are available in other movies, it uses them better than those movies. That’s what makes it superior – not originality but technique.

  • avatar

    Phokal 11:40 pm on January 16, 2008 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: i don't do boats, , , my brain is competing?, radical!, we can't go below 60mph or we all die!, what is the matrix?, whoa   

    Bill and Ted

    I finally watched: A Scanner Darkly

    Some people think Keanu Reeves can’t act. He is just very good at playing dazed and confused. Much like Jack Nichelson only plays crazy people.

    In A Scanner Darkly, K plays a drugged out undercover agent. This is a great role for him. He is dazed, confused, AND he doesn’t understand why. (More …)

     
  • avatar

    mattlindh 3:36 pm on January 16, 2008 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: building PC, , hardware,   

    img_6419.jpg

    Building a New PC

    Phokal and I, mattlindh, are planning on building new PCs and we would appreciate some assistance as to what parts to get. Below are our current ideas with the asterisked parts already decided. Would you kindly help us out?

    **Updated with nearly finalized parts 1/20/07:

    **Purchased 1/31/07:

    (More …)

     
    • avatar

      detnap 3:45 pm on January 17, 2008 Permalink | Reply

      Looks pretty good, but there are a few suggestions:

      Case:
      It’s difficult finding a nice case (because for most parts, the variables are “it works” or “it doesn’t”. for a case, there are also questions if it would be easy to work on, if it is quiet, if it looks good, etc).

      I won’t say what is the best, but if I was going to buy a case today, I would try:
      http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811103011
      It has two large fans running at low rpms so that they move a lot of air while staying quiet at the same time.
      $109

      Motherboard:
      The P35 chipset is a good staple, but if you would like to plan for sli, you should probably get something with an nvidia chipset.
      http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131142
      $115

      Processor:
      A quad core is a very cool piece of work, but for today’s gaming, a dual core at higher clockspeeds will still probably be faster. A 3 Ghz Core 2 Duo will outpace a 2.4 ghz core 2 quad in most games (but will get wiped out in Maya or video rendering)
      http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115028
      $279

      Video Card:
      Right now, the 8800 gt is the goto card, but even so, there are a few variations of it. There are some that are “Overclocked” from the stock speed of 600 (up to 700, which is about a 15% increase). An example of one (not one that I would recommend, but as an example)
      http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125085
      That has an aftermarket Zalman fan, but the issue with it is that it only has 256 megs of onboard memory.
      My recommendation is to look for one with an aftermarket fan, already is clocked at higher than stock speeds, and 512 megs of video memory.

      Sound Card:
      I’m not sure, but I would first get the system put together, and then afterwards if the onboard sound isn’t performing enough, then get a sound blaster.

    • avatar

      mattlindh 3:57 pm on January 17, 2008 Permalink | Reply

      Good place to find deals that expire quickly:

      http://www.fatwallet.com/c/18/

    • avatar

      scubamofo 8:56 pm on January 17, 2008 Permalink | Reply

      I dont think I will be doing much gaming on my system but I am looking for something that I can use as a media center. What should I really be focusing on when looking for components? Also I know Phokal told me that a bigger monitor is better then multiple monitors. I really like the ease of two separate monitors rather then one larger monitor. Any input?

    • avatar

      Phokal 3:10 pm on January 18, 2008 Permalink | Reply

      http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148288
      Seagate 500gig.
      With a “firmware” issue apparently. We should figure out what that is and get the link to the new firmware needed.

    • avatar

      Phokal 3:15 pm on January 18, 2008 Permalink | Reply

      ALchemy looks to cover most of the Vista issues:
      http://ask.americas.creative.com/SRVS/CGI-BIN/WEBCGI.EXE?New,Kb=ww_english_add,U={B8F60310-DA4F-11D3-94F4-00500463020E},Company={CEAE216D-8719-4C00-AC9F-03BC258F7B70},d=1130251443648,VARSET=ws:http://us.creative.com,case=9286

      Is it worth the 100 bucks, though? Or will they release another/better card soon? I think we should price out / set the rest of the box, and see if there is money left for that. Have to do it soon, b/c the mail in rebate expires soon.

    • avatar

      mattlindh 3:36 pm on January 18, 2008 Permalink | Reply

      Re: Firmware Issue

      “Seagate has recently discovered that some of Seagate’s Barracuda 7200.11 hard drives with firmware version SD04 or SD14 will report an incorrect cache size.”

      http://www.seagate.com/www/en-us/support/downloads/other_downloads/cuda-fw-disty

    • avatar

      detnap 3:50 pm on January 18, 2008 Permalink | Reply

      “Is it worth the 100 bucks, though? Or will they release another/better card soon? I think we should price out / set the rest of the box, and see if there is money left for that. Have to do it soon, b/c the mail in rebate expires soon.”

      In Vista, they removed support for DirectSound for directional sound and put it natively into Vista. Creative got around that by putting a wrapper around DirectSound and then sending it to their hardware support. Theoretically, it will work with any game, but when games start to drop DirectSound support and support the new Vista, API, then the Hardware acceleration won’t work at all. And according to benchmarks, creative sound cards don’t necessarily perform better than onboard sound.

      http://techreport.com/articles.x/13874/6
      Average FPS
      Onboard Creative X-Fi
      BioShock 25 fps 24 fps
      Call of Duty 43 fps 39 fps
      Crysis 24 fps 24 fps
      Quake Wars 43 fps 36 fps

      Audio hardware for games is mostly a moot point in Vista.

    • avatar

      mattlindh 4:00 pm on January 18, 2008 Permalink | Reply

      One issue with the EVGA 8800 GT: It’s superclocked, and some people report that it may get too hot at times and the fan might not be adequate.

    • avatar

      detnap 4:01 pm on January 18, 2008 Permalink | Reply

      “Also I know Phokal told me that a bigger monitor is better then multiple monitors. I really like the ease of two separate monitors rather then one larger monitor. Any input?”

      For a Media Center PC, something like a dell would probably be fine.
      http://bensbargains.net/redirect/54263
      It’s about $450 and comes with a monitor (which you may want to upgrade to an ultrasharp for about $130)

      Working with 2 monitors changes the way that you work, but if you become accustomed to it, it gives you more bang for the buck.

      A 24″ monitor maxes out at 1900×1200 for $600, and gives you 2,280,000 pixels.

      Two 20″ monitors maxes out at 3200×1200 for $217 a piece (total of $434) and you get 3,840,000 (which is about 70% more pixels).

      If I were going to buy a monitor, I would buy 2 20″, (mostly because a 20 inch is so cheap and I’ve become accustomed to working with 2 monitors)

    • avatar

      detnap 4:02 pm on January 18, 2008 Permalink | Reply

      “One issue with the EVGA 8800 GT: It’s superclocked, and some people report that it may get too hot at times and the fan might not be adequate.”

      Yeah, look for one with something like a Zalman aftermarket fan.

    • avatar

      mattlindh 4:30 pm on January 18, 2008 Permalink | Reply

      Looks like there aren’t any at newegg with aftermarket fans except the one with only 256 MB. We’d have to install one after. In the meantime, maybe we should find one that’s only the stock 600 MHz and then overclock it later?

    • avatar

      mattlindh 4:44 pm on January 18, 2008 Permalink | Reply

      “And according to benchmarks, creative sound cards don’t necessarily perform better than onboard sound.”

      Yes, but I’m mainly interested in sound quality in sound cards. I listen to a lot of music and I watch movies on my computer, and I’m looking to make full use of my 5.1 speakers.

      It’s more expensive, but we might want to consider the Asus Xonar D2X or the Auzentech X-Fi Prelude.

      http://techreport.com/articles.x/13874

    • avatar

      mattlindh 5:10 pm on January 18, 2008 Permalink | Reply

      Two possible video card fans for the 8800 GT:

      VF1000 LED
      http://www.zalman.co.kr/eng/product/view.asp?idx=289&code=013

      ZM-RHS88
      http://www.zalman.co.kr/eng/product/view.asp?idx=318&code=013

      The problem is that the first goes for about $50 and the second goes for around $30. Not worth it?

    • avatar

      detnap 11:24 am on January 19, 2008 Permalink | Reply

      Something else to look at is the 8800 gts 512 (g92). In terms of pure bang for the buck, it isn’t as good as the 8800 gt, but for a little bit more money it’ll give you a little bit more performance (and since your video card will be your bottleneck in terms of fps, the faster the card, the faster the game). It will probably average 10% faster.

      On newegg, the gts is about $320, but there are a couple that come with crysis or company of heros, so if you haven’t bought those games already and were planning to, you can count that into the cost. A gt runs about $250, so with the game in consideration, the gts is about $20 more expensive.

      The gts does take 2 slots, but it will provide better cooling than a regular gt. It will also be able to reach a higher clockspeed than a gt with stock cooling if you try to overclock it. Also, if you put an aftermarket fan onto the gt, that will take up two slots anyway.

    • avatar

      Phokal 11:16 am on January 20, 2008 Permalink | Reply

      This looks good to me:
      http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130312

      we should order before they run out of crysis ;)

      let’s price this sucker out today, if we can.

    • avatar

      phokal 10:50 pm on January 20, 2008 Permalink | Reply

      Added to cart, it is 1294.93 before $60 in mail in rebates.

      Kinda expensive, but it currently has $80 off the power supply.

      I was going to wait a few days so my Visa could be clear for this, but I may have to order the power supply soon, to save the $80…

    • avatar

      Dave 2:23 pm on January 22, 2008 Permalink | Reply

      Looks good to me. I’d invest in a heatsink though. Quad cores are pretty hot. The Thermalright ultra 120 might be a little extreme, but I’m sure there is something out there that won’t break your wallet as bad.

    • avatar

      Phokal 2:54 pm on January 22, 2008 Permalink | Reply

      Any in particular you recommend? In the archive is a link to a wizard, but I was never sure which options would be best.

      Any sold through newegg you recommend? (Save on shipping)

    • avatar

      Dave 6:04 pm on January 22, 2008 Permalink | Reply

      I do like this one:
      http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835154001
      Btw are you guys in CA? Cuz remember newegg taxes up the ass.

    • avatar

      mattlindh 3:35 am on January 27, 2008 Permalink | Reply

      So do you want to order soon?

    • avatar

      phokal 12:46 am on February 1, 2008 Permalink | Reply

      purchased.

      nwn2 better be frickin playable this time.

  • avatar

    Phokal 10:40 pm on January 15, 2008 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: brick, emily, fighting, high school, , , student   

    Brick

    I finally watched: Brick

    No. You have not heard of this movie. At least, I find that highly unlikely. Normally, film noir is hard to recommend to people. Some people like it, others simply can’t relate to its method of story telling. The overhanded dialog in an aging cinema type is not exactly easy to approach.

    Have you been to High School? Then you will be able to approach Brick.

    Do you like a good mystery? Then you will probably enjoy Brick. (More …)

     
    • avatar

      mattlindh 2:22 pm on January 16, 2008 Permalink | Reply

      Hey, where’s the credit?

    • avatar

      phokal 2:34 pm on January 16, 2008 Permalink | Reply

      Credit due. You did show me the movie.

  • avatar

    Phokal 10:20 pm on January 15, 2008 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: don't leave it to chance!, , gears, , let's play together, live, , , ,   

    Red Team

    Organizing pLayday

    I want to organize a day of the week where we all attempt to get online Xb Live and play a game. Instead of leaving it to chance, we make an effort to log on a particular day and play together in a game we all have.

    I can even post ideas for the game here ahead of time (map or gametype preferences can be expressed in comments).

    I have been gathering potential days from everyone, and so far the best day looks like Tuesday.

     
  • avatar

    Phokal 9:00 pm on January 11, 2008 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: ctf, deathmatch, , , , lan,   

    Achievement

    I finally beat: Halo 3

    This is a bit delayed, as I actually beat Halo 3 within two or three days of its launch.

    Halo 3 is just the natural progression of Halo-ness. Halo may have revolutionized FPS with it’s two weapon system (How can I carry these 18 weapons at once? Where does that chainsaw GO when I pull out my Sniper Rifle, Pistol, Shotgun, and Assault Rifle) and Regenerating Health (I’m bleeding deep in enemy territory. Good thing there are all these bullet healing health packs lying around EVERYWHERE), and a fun Co-Op Campaign (Mobile Respawn Point) but the 3rd game should bring something new to the table. After all, that’s what Halo did to make itself so popular. Let’s split this into two parts: Campaign and Matchmaking. (More …)

     
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