In 5 parts.
Healthcare
The question of healthcare for all drives me nuts. I know its complicated and I can't begin to try and parse the issues. However, I do understand this. The fear mongering that goes on in politics is very disturbing to me. Stuff like death panels, etc... its so ludicrous and idiotic.
Watching the healthcare summit , I'm reminded of the speech the president gives near the end of The American President. More specifically:
And this is also how you obstruct any chance of healthcare reform.We have serious problems to solve, and we need serious people to solve them. And whatever your particular problem is, I promise you Bob Rumson is not the least bit interested in solving it. He is interested in two things, and two things only: making you afraid of it, and telling you who's to blame for it. That, ladies and gentlemen, is how you win elections.
One more thing - Boehner and McConnell (the minority leaderships) - keep inserting the talking point about the "2700 page bill." Let me get this straight, there's a bill that's about reforming health care, which involves corporations, nonprofits, insurance companies, hospitals, science, billions of dollars and pretty much every single American, and you think 2,700 pages is too many? I would be more worried if this bill was only 5 pages long.
Hey Shanahan, try this!
My QT3 Madden league rookie draft for 2010 was last night. My beloved Redskins finally go into a draft with an owner who knows what he's doing (me), unlike some owners we know (Dan Sndyer). All in all, I think we're good. Still lots of holes and problems, especially with aging veterans. I focused on offense, since the defense has some youth there with Landry and Orakpo.
In contract, the offense is just fucking ancient. My starting o-line is old -- Raback (C) is 34, my guards Dockery and Thomas are 31 and 34, and my tackles - Samuels who didn't retire though I thought he would is also 34, and my other tackle Runyan is a whopping 38. My backups are rated high 60s/low 70s with little potential. As for running backs, Portis is slowing down at 34 yrs old, but still 90+ rated. I cut Betts as soon as season ended; his rating took a major nosedive and he was even older than Portis. I'm not a big Campbell fan. He's a serviceable QB and I could go another year with him as a starter, but would love to pick up a QB of the future in the draft.
On defense, I've got the same problem with aging veterans but I think the defense is in better shape for one more season. I believe next draft will be focused more on defense.
So draft picks.
In general, I got lucky and managed to get o-line, a QB and even a HB to help Portis out. My top pick in round 1 was Chris Grant, RT (80), who will start right away. This guy is a stud with 90+ run and pass blocking. He'll be the anchor for the line for years to come.
Other offensive lineman include another tackle and a guard who will be backups. I picked up Lorenzo Redmond, a speedy back with mid 70 carry and catching so he is Portis' backup and may find himself starting.
In 3rd round is my steal. Jake Scott, a QB with 93 Throwing Power and 76 Throw Accuracy (vs Jason Campbell's Throw Pwr of 88, throw acc of 77.). Other stats are also about the same, too. spd, playaction, throw on run, etc....Yes, that's right. My 69 rated QB is about on par with Jason Campbell.
Other pickups include another HB with 90 spd but pretty low everywhere else (I shoud've picked up a linebacker instead) and a defensive lineman.These guys are 3rd stringers, at best, and just provide depth.
So the new Redskins go into 2010 season with a new starting rookie QB and a replenishment of youth in the offensive line and running back. I expect a lot of injuries this year because of how old everybody is so the young guys will get lots of chances to play.
Backlog
Played Heavy Rain for about 10 min or so last night. Really interesting game, I think I'm going to like it, it makes my adventure radar go off. My backlog: I want to go back and finish the side missions in GTA4, play Lost and Damned and Gay Tony, Dragon Age, Bayonetta and still working through Mass Effect 2, which I'm enjoying tremendously.
And I want to try out Star Trek Online and the Starcraft 2 beta, but my computer at home is woefully aged.
Penny Arcade, the reality series
I thought this was very entertaining and interesting to watch. I dig those guys at Penny Arcade.
Olympics, in hi def
Been watching Olympics off and on this past week. I started to record them on TIVO, but quickly realized I don't have to time to watch 12 hours of Olympics every day, even if I'm fast forwarding through much of it.
I will say I don't know how we watched the Olympics before hi definition tv. It looks so good in hi def, especially the winter games. Greatest tourist commerical for Vancouver, evar.
A sequel to Wall Street?
When I first heard this, I wondered, does this movie really need to be made? Who cares? But after watching this trailer, I think I'd like to see this movie.
Miyazaki, more please, thanks
Ponyo comes out next month. I prefer to watch cinema awesomeness from Asia in the native language with english subtitles. Which isn't always available, but it looks like Ponya does come with the Japanese sound track and English sub titles.
The hex is back!
If I were to list my top games of all time, the Civilization games would probably be number 1 or 2, primarily Civ 2. I loved Civ 2. The latest version of Civ - Civilization Revolutions - was also brilliant, and highly recommended, especially for iPhone.
Civ 5? Awesome. Civ for Facebook? Sign me up.
Braiins
Plants vs Zombies for iPhone is addictive and fun. I didn't play the PC version, but really enjoying the iPhone version. The tone is funny, the art is great and the gameplay is a mix of RTS resource with tower defense.
And I like its theme song.
Muuusic games
From Bill Harris' always excellent Dubious Quality:
From September 2008 (thanks Julian Dasgupta):
[Kotick] also believes that Activision's employee headcount has kept the company a step ahead of its rhythm game competitors.
"Our next-nearest competitor has a couple of hundred people working on these projects," said Kotick. "We have close to 2000 people just dedicated to the Guitar Hero note tracking, introduction of new hardware, introduction of new software, and so we just have a lot more in the way of resources available to us to continue to dominate the category."
...Earlier this week, Kotick revealed that the publisher intends to triple the amount of its total released Guitar Hero games and content by 2010.
Just over sixteen months later:
Guitar Hero developer Neversoft has seen an unspecified number of staff cuts...
Separate reports from multiple sources also confirm layoffs and claim potential closure at Bay Area-based Activision studio Underground Development, latterly the developer of titles such as Guitar Hero: Van Halen.
Oh, and Red Octane? closed.
Summary? After lower-than expected sales of music games in 2009, Activision Blizzard will release just two games in the Hero franchise in the second half of 2010, the publisher said Wednesday.
Pup slumber party
Megen's sister, Ellen, dropped her dog, Max, over at our house this past Saturday, so Blondie could have a dog sleepover. They played a lot, slept some, played more, munched on frozen cream cheese filled bones, went on a nice long walk to Rockville Town Center, and played some more, tortured Ozzie the cat a little bit, then played more. Ellen even brought Max back yesterday for more play time.
Blondie is the one with no tail, long black snout. Max is lighter colored, the asian-looking eyes and the tail.
Coders and Work
Valentine's Day rice
Megen and I went to Jaleo' in Bethesda for dinner last night. We ordered a couple of tapas dishes and the chicken and wild mushroom paella. I actually don't like going to spanish tapas because the dishes are so over priced for what you get. But I loves me paella. It was good.
Magic the Gathering meets Madden meets Ebay
I didn't really get the point at first, but now, I'm hooked. Madden 2010's Ultimate Team, which is a free DLC download, combines card collecting with Madden. You purchase player cards via points - you can earn points by playing games and earning achievements, or you can give EA some real money and buy points.
Or, you can trade cards in the auction house. The auction house is where the game got me. I love buying and selling cards. I also found, even though I have mostly 60+ and 70+ players, with a few 80+ and a single 90+ -- I can win head to head games against other players. I've won 2 in a row so far.
The cards are players, playbooks, stadiums and coaches. Based on your players and coaches, you have a team chemistry score, as well. Stuff like where they went to college affects team chemistry. I tend to go scouring the auction house for Maryland players. It also forces me to try out different playbooks than I'm used to, which is lots of fun.
I also get to name my team, so I'm pleased that the Taipei Debutantes (the name I use for fantasy football) are back in business.
The Hurt Locker
Tense movie. I'm not sure it deserves to win the best picture oscar, but its one of the best films from past year. I think I prefer Black Hawk Down, in terms of "America vs middle east modern war movie" genre. The performances are terrific in Hurt Locker. Still, really enjoyed it. We got it from netflix weeks ago and finally got around to watching it last night in our media room on blu ray, while the TIVO upstairs recorded to opening ceremonies to the Vancouver olympics.
We're starting to think about where to go on vacation this summer - Vancouver is actually one of the places we're thinking about.
X10 news bomb!
* The Halo Reachmultiplayer beta will kick off on May 3. You will be able to access the beta via the Halo 3: ODST game disc.
* Dead Rising 2will release in North America on Aug. 31, Japan on Sept. 2 and Europe on Sept. 3.
* Dead Rising: CASE ZERO an exclusive download only on Xbox LIVE, will launch prior to the full game and provide a playable prologue that bridges the story between the two titles.
* Alan Wakewill launch May 18 in North America and May 21 in Europe. Players can pre-order the title to receive the Bright Falls Bonus Pack, which includes exclusive content like Avatar gear, an Xbox LIVE theme, and a “making of” video.
* The Xbox 360 Final Fantasy XIIISpecial Edition Bundle will release starting March 9 for $399, and include a 250GB Hard Drive, two Wireless Controllers, exclusive downloadable avatar items and a Standard Edition copy of the game.
* Toy Soldiers will kick off the Xbox LIVE Arcade Block Party on March 3
* Perfect Dark, Scrap Metal and Game Room will launch this March as a part of the Xbox LIVE Arcade Block Party.
* Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Convictionwill release at retailers starting April 13 in North America, April 16 in the United Kingdom, and April 28 in Japan.
* Lost Planet 2will launch in North America and Europe on May 18.
* Fable IIIwill be available this holiday.
The ones I'm most anticipating? Dead Rising 2, Final Fantasy XIII, Splinter Cell Conviction and Fable III. The Xbox Live arcade room stuff looks interesting, too. Could be fun.
SuperFreakonomics
Finished SuperFreakonomics during the raging blizzard earlier this week. While I enjoyed it, it felt a bit short, and I thought the topics were more interesting in the first book. If you never read the first one, I would suggest you read that one first. Good read, though.
Blizzard
There is a blizzard outside this morning. The office is closed. Megen is working - her hotel asked managers to stay over night to help with guests. With so many people without power, her hotel is completely booked. And since the hotel restaurant is the only restaurant open, they need all the help they can get.
I'm about to go out and shovel a bit in an effort to stay ahead of the snow. I can't remember - and I've lived in the DC area all my life - ever having TWO major snow storms (12 inch or more) during a single winter. It is pretty crazy. I'm hoping our roof holds up and our gutters don't burst. Fortunately, there are bushes in our yard that we don't like that are getting just crushed.
CR-V
Megen and I drove to work together this morning. Our street needs to be plowed. The main roads appear to be ok. Walking Blondie yesterday through our neighborhood, we saw plenty of snow, fallen branches and snow drifts as tall as Megen. It was beautiful.
Google's Super Bowl ad
My favorite ad of the night. Also, glad the Saints won!
I like the doritos slap one, too.
Toyota.
This is one of funniest segments I've ever seen on Daily Show.
| The Daily Show With Jon Stewart | Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c | |||
| Toyotathon of Death | ||||
| ||||
Lost and 24
We watched the first episodes of final season last night. It was pretty good. If this turns into a Fringe/Star Trek parallel universe thing, that will make me sad.
I have a few episodes of the latest season of 24 also waiting on the tivo. I just can't bring myself to start watching it. I only watched the first 4-5 episodes from last year before losing interest.
'MacGyver' creator wants to stop 'MacGruber' film
'MacGyver' creator wants to stop 'MacGruber' film -- pretty funny.
Fallout New Vegas tease
From Bethblog twitter:
Keep your eyes peeled for new stuff on #FalloutNewVegas tomorrow!
Future of publishing
Steven Pearlstein's column on Amazon-Macmillan describes what I hope will happen.
While markets have their flaws, over the long run they are good at executing these technological transformations. My guess is that in the not-so-distant future, best-selling authors such as John Grisham and Malcolm Gladwell -- along with unknown authors peddling their first books -- will publish their own works, contracting with independent editors and marketers and selling directly to consumers as much as possible. Other authors will turn to smaller, more specialized publishing houses that will offer smaller advances but bigger royalties and will be built, as they once were, around great editors. Publishers will sell their books through competing online distributors and traditional hard-copy bookstores, the latter of which will continue to exist not only as places to browse and socialize, but also as places to have printed on demand. Backlists will be infinite, pricing will be dynamic, and more copies of more books will be read and sold.
Sword and Poker
It's like Puzzle Quest, except you create poker hands rather than move jewels around. And it is awesome. Sword and Poker is addictive. Even if you aren't a fan of poker. For just 99 cents. Worth checking out.
Hard cover books are going to be more expensive now. Sigh.
The whole Amazon vs Macmillan disbute is interesting. Sorry Macmillan but I like cheap books. I support Amazon's policy of $10 books. Amazon is even taking a LOSS on those $10 books, since it "buys" them from publishers for $15 or whatever the cost is. Publishers seriously need to reconsider why they feel they need to charge $15+ for an ebook, which has literally no cost of goods associated with it at all. EVen the bandwidth to host them is miniscule.
Yet, just pulling all of Macmillan's books like that, including Tor (sci fi). That's just not cool.
John Scalzi writes about the authors who are stuck in the middle of this fight. I totally get his anger at Amazon for cutting off income to writers like that. It does highlight, for me, just how dependent authors are on publishers, and I don't really see that as such a good thing, especially in the age of the intrawebs.
I'm a firm believer in digital distribution and I wish authors had a way to tap into that, to bypass publishers completely. Why can't authors distribute their work directly via ebooks, and let publishers handle their hardcopies? Perhaps convenience is one reason, that publishers are able to do the ebook conversion work and authors don't want to deal with that. I also suspect publishers include the ebook rights into contracts so they don't lose out on that income.
But digital distribution would let authors keep more money. There are indie authors out there who purely distribute digital on their own, I think that's pretty cool. And the Amazon rating system lets buyers look for the ones with high rated and good reviews.
Seriously, though. I'm not buying ebooks for $15 or more. Not when I can go to costco and buy the hard cover for that same or less. Ebooks should be cheaper than the hard copy and the market demands this.
This is what will happen: hard covers go up in price to make $15 ebooks seem cheaper.This would make me very sad, but it is definitely one option publishers will have. Ironically, Amazon comes out better from this, too. They'll make more money per Macmillan's demands.
Instead, I'd like to see popular authors going direct. Bypass the publisher and do their own ebook rights, publish the ebook on their own or via print on demand services. Then authors can charge whatever they want, and keep more of the money. They can publicize the book via blogs, etc... don't need a publisher for that, and they'll be able to sell their books worldwide. I believe Amazon lets authors keep 70% of the cut.
Lost
It's the team, stupid
Jeff Atwood's Coding Horror (one of my favorite blogs) had a fantastic post where he links to an interesting talk by Ed Catmull, president of Pixar. I think most creative teams out there strive to match Pixar's storytelling power.
Jeff points out a great quote from Ed's talk.
If you give a good idea to a mediocre group, they'll screw it up. If you give a mediocre idea to a good group, they'll fix it. Or they'll throw it away and come up with something else.
In my experience, ideas distract. Execution is where the magic happens. And if you have the right people working on your project, the chances of success are good. In concept, most video games are pretty much the same thing. Shooters, for instance. You have a gun in your hand, you shoot stuff. Shooting stuff with guns in Call of Duty, however, is more fun than most shooters. Those guys have been iterating on shooting stuff with guns for several years across many games, they continue to get better and better, and I wager the next one will continue to make shooting stuff with guns fun.
Anyway, Ed's talk is great, worth watching.
Pandora on iPhone
This is old news to the intrawebs, but lately I've been really tired of the music my music. On a whim, I put Pandora on my iPhone to try out. Holy Crap! The sound quality is great (even just over yucky edge) and the ability to customize music by song, artist or genre is fantastic. Great interface. I'm totally digging this.
I really never got into the internet music streaming -- Yahoo Radio was about the only one I ever used. Ping.FM on Xbox 360 is pretty impressive the few times I've seen it in action. Is the Ping.FM iPhone app better? Should I be using Ping.FM or Pandora? Any others I'm missing?
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