And for quite a bit of time, my back had really been bugging me. I am seeing a pain specialist now and they were able to reduce the pain a bit with a shot. Not sure what he did differently, but its been a relief. I do still have some pain and cramping in the legs, but it is alot better.

Other than that, I’ve done a bit of reading while watching my shows. I’m really looking forward to the return of Game of Thrones on April 1st.

I just finished watching the Game of Thrones: The Complete First Season [Blu-ray] and it was great. Even more so with the features it includes that you can access while watching. Character info, background history of the houses, locations, etc.

Two others I bought and recommend:

NOTE: If you have a Sony BD Player or PS3, this version will not play on it. You will need to get the one narrated by Oprah

Gaming… Yeah… Xbox is locking up so need a new one, so haven’t even been able to play Mass Effect 3. Makes me sad.

Til next time.

Oh, Frozen Planet starts tonight on Discovery!

For those that have seen my twitter posts before or that have been over to our place, have seen that we’ve got a Kinect. I actually had it for awhile since I was quite lucky to be selected to be part of the beta test for it. And of course, there being a NDA, could not talk about it unless someone was here and played around with it.

But since its been out now for a few weeks, i’m more than free to talk about my thoughts.

Up until I got it a week before PAX, I was a bit skeptical. Things said about lag, motion capture, and it being a novelty, all sort of actually pushed me away from it since something like this really hadn’t worked in the past with other platforms.

But after hooking it up and playing around with it, I was hooked. Meg sat and watched the first few times, not really all that interested in it since she had her Wii. But after getting her to play around with Kinect Adventure’s (which comes with the retail Kinect), Kinect Joy Ride, and Kinect Sports, she was loving it. I think she said it best the first time she tried it while I was at work when she called me and said ‘OMG, this thing is kicking my butt! I’m totally tired now!’ It had given her more of a work out then the Wii ever did.

Rewinding a bit.

Setup was not all that hard, and maybe a bit exciting for me considering i’m a techno-geek, once I figured out a small issue since I didn’t read the instructions fully. Since I had the original Halo 360 console, I had to use the splitter that comes in the box to power the Kinect sensor, but if you have one of the new 360 Slims, it will be powered directly from the console.

After turning it on, doing some updates, and trying several times to get through the setup (remember that not reading the instructions part above?), I found that you must have the sensor’s USB connector plugged INTO the back of the 360, not the front ports. And it cannot go through a USB hub either. This is due to the amount of information transmitted back and forth and hub’s split the time between ports, this goes for the 2 front one’s as well. They’re not on a dedicated bus. But I got it up and running.

The tutorial does say 6-8 feet of distance, but I found that 8-10 feet was the sweet spot. Being at 6 feet caused the sensor to miss some things. This required us to move the couch back and the coffee table out of the way and moving one lamp for better lighting, but once that was done, things were good.

Joyride was the first game I played and it was alot of fun. Sports had some fun things in it, but it seemed a bit Wii-ish in characteristics. And when Adventure’s finally came around, I had so much fun playing it that I did not heed the warning about taking breaks. I suffered the next day with muscle’s I didn’t even remember having being rather sore. And during this time, I really saw no lag to speak of, the motion detecting at times was a little rough though. This required a quick recalibration since the sensor would be vibrated out of position a little from our ‘spongy’ floors. But overall the experience overall was enjoyable.

The voice recognition works surprisingly well and is a real convience to use when pausing a movie, sports viewing in the ESPN blade, or launching something. One thing, it doesn’t distinguish between players voices, so this might be a nuisance if too many people are calling out different commands while playing around. The one feature that is missing that they had talked about at E3 was the Xbox on/off. This was left out during development. And from an interview on Major Nelson’s podcast with Alex Kipman, he stated that would require the 360 and sensor to be using some power at all times, so it was opted to be left out.

The automatic sign-in works a majority of the time. Where I’ve done the Kinect ID 4 times or so, Meg’s only done it once or twice, and it shows. 90% of the time it recognizes me as long as the light is decent, and signs me in. But Meg has only about a 25% success rate. It does state though the more you do the connect ID in various lighting or time of day conditions, the more success it will have.

Overall, Meg and I really like it. I don’t see how it would work with FPS’s though, but with adventure and party games, its going to be great. This is actually a great product to get the whole family involved. It has something for everyone and gets you off the couch. And the friends and family that we have come over have enjoyed it themselves as well. A few even now owning it themselves. I can see our Wii now sitting unused except for the Netflix streaming on the TV in the bedroom.

On my brothers. At last contact, both are doing well despite the conditions and pick up in fighting over there. But the packages my family has been sending have been helping. I also ran across this back a month ago:

That’s my one brother, 1stSgt Jonathan Wyble. He was injured not to long ago in an IED explosion, and thankfully only received minor wounds and a stage 3 concussion.

Now back to trying to get rid of this damn cold. So until next time, be well.

Well, not totally true. I’ve been busy but also just been lazy. Getting out has been more of a priority when the days have sun. And also another obligation i’ve taken on recently.

The beer has turned out rather well. Gave it out to a few people to try and everyone has liked it so far, even a few asking for another bottle or two or two of it. Its got a smooth taste with a slight citrus and banana undertone. Turned out a bit darker then I had expected with the amber malt I mixed in with it. But its so nice.

Yesterday was Meg’s surprise Bday party. She was a little upset ( :p) with me because she doesn’t like surprises, and she had said ‘I’ve never been tricked before!’ Guess it was a success then.

Have really been to any movies or such lately since Meg and I are trying to save up for a house. And I am still working on finishing Borderlands.

Book:

This isn’t out just yet, but I have a copy of the first self-published version and I would recommend this book. Comes out June 22nd and will be coming to a city near you. He also has many other audiobooks you can download for free.

“The ancestors are out there … you have to believe me.”

Acclaimed author Scott Sigler, New York Times bestselling creator of INFECTED and CONTAGIOUS, offers a chilling tale of what can happen when hubris, greed, and madness drive scientific experimentation past the brink of reason.

Every five minutes, a transplant candidate dies while waiting for a compatible heart, a liver, a kidney. Imagine a technology that could provide those life-saving transplant organs for a nominal fee … and imagine what a company would do to monopolize that technology.

On a remote island in the Canadian Arctic, PJ Colding leads a group of geneticists who have discovered this holy grail of medicine. By reverse-engineering thousands of animal genomes, Colding’s team has dialed back the evolutionary clock and re-created the progenitor of all mammals. The method? Illegal. The result? A computer-engineered living creature, an animal whose organs can be implanted in any person, with no chance of transplant rejection.

There’s just one problem: these ancestors are not the docile herd animals that Colding’s team envisioned. Instead, Colding’s work has given birth to something big, something evil…something very, very hungry.

As creators become prey in an ultimate battle for survival, Colding and the woman he loves must fight to survive — even as government agents close in to shut the project down, and the deep-pocketed company backing this research reveals its own cold-blooded agenda.

Not really, but that’s what i’m drinking in any case.

So things seemed to have been picking up lately at work, which is a good thing. It means people are finally starting to spend money again. Which of course will die a bit again when all these new taxes kick in from the regime in Olympia. And lets not even think about the impact this will have on small business. Three friends that have their own small business are now worried because of the hiked B&O tax.

But I digress.

Speaking of work, I’m glad I only have to do on-call 2-3 times a year. Being on-call tires you quite a bit. Not only working your normal hours, but then running trouble calls at night and not getting home until midnight, only to get back up at 5:30 wears on you pretty fast. Meg says I become an ass when i’m overly tired. But then again, she say’s i’m an ass all the time. *shrugs*

Anywho, we’ve gone to Muckleshoot a few times now to play Bingo! and have had fun. Tried my hand at two cards and it was rather difficult considering the caller for some reason felt he needed to speed the games along. Even the people that live in the bingo hall were having trouble keeping up with their normal 4 cards.

Updates:
Movies – None (didn’t have time with on-call and some other things going on lately)

Music – Ever had a song stuck in your head for a day? Try for 5 days straight! Jet City Woman – Queensryche But I’ve been digging on http://www.kingcitysf.com/flash_radio/index.html lately. Loved their music after seeing them in concert with Cake. Its just really fun music and you can tell they have fun playing it! Makes it all the more enjoyable.

Games – Still doing Borderlands

Books –
Just finished up with with Hyperion by Dan Simmons. Great book and leaves you wanting more. Available in Paperback or from Aubible.com

When we arrived we met everyone and had a drink while waiting to be seated and then were escorted into a huge dining room made to look like a tent with a small center clearing. Sitting at the table, we had a small appetizer waiting and the menu of the dinner.

Its a five course meal with your choice of main dish, I chose the steak of course, Meg, the halibut. And then the fun started. There are acts during and between each course of the entire meal with audience participation. At times, I was laughing rather hard and by the end of the evening, my cheeks were sore from all the smiling and laughing that went on.

The mix of song, dance, comedy and cirque will more than entertain you over the three hour show. The combination of the show with a five course meal is more than worth the ticket price, which I starts at around $100 per person. This does not include drinks, pictures, and a $10 dining service charge. With twelve people, our bill came out to around $600 (and remember, the show had already been paid for).

But if you are looking for a night of fun, laughter, and lasting memories, I highly suggest this little place.

http://dreams.zinzanni.org/

Been watching the Olympics the past two weeks and even though they have been real good when you can watch them, I’m very dissapointed with NBC on their coverage. It was almost impossible to go on the net without having some site or other spoiling an outcome since the west coast gets the replay 6+ hours later. What happened to the days where they showed the Olympics all day long? Not this 3-5pm then 8-12. So many missed things I would’ve of liked to have watched.

Then we have the moronic wanna-be politicians in Olympia who basically said to all the residents of this state ‘You people are stupid. You have NO idea what you need, what you want, and what we do. The will of the people doesn’t exist here. So STFU.’ But I won’t get started on that.

Anywho, enough of my bitching.

Movie: Avatar

I had went and seen this Kenny and then again with Meg when I finally convinced her to go. Overall the movie was visually fantastic. There was much left to be desired with the storyline. To me, it seemed like Dancing With Wolves in space. But me, being who I am, will buy it when it comes out.

DVD:

This is another amazing piece of work from the folks at Pixar. It’s interesting that we have come in our culture to a point when so many recently made animated films teach us more about life than many real-action movies designed for that very purpose do. “Up” is no exception. The jaded cynicism that so many filmmakers refuse to let go of has no place here. Instead we have yet another simple, positive tale that makes the most of “the little things” and by so doing achieves excellence.

I will not talk about what happens, but will tell you the first 10 minutes of the film unfolds with a beautiful story and ends with heartache. After this point, the rest of the movie is cleverly humorous, whimsical, and lots of fun to watch. If you have not seen it, I highly suggest it. And if you plan on getting it for your children, I would suggest watching it with them in case they have questions about certain subjects (nothing bad, just lessons of life).

Video Game: Mass Effect 2

In my opinion, this game was alot better then the original. And the original was damn good.

The combat system has been revamped. Graphics notched up a bit. And storyline a bit more intense.

There are some key places where ME2 trumps ME1, and where they do, they turned a great experience into an excellent experience. Don’t get me wrong, you do not want to miss out on the expierence ME1 provides. The whole Mass Effect experience will be compromised if you play these games out of order, as the ME1 decisions do have a substantial effect on your in game experience, if you do not import your saved character.

My only complaint that I can think about right now is the mining. It does get rather monotonous, having actually dozed off a few times during this. But over all, this game is a must buy!

When cometh the day we lowly ones, Through quiet reflection and great dedication, Master the art of karate, Lo! we shall rise up And then we’ll make the bugger’s eyes water.

Just finished up with a homemade batch and they taste sooooo good. I love cooking and didn’t ever think of making these myself. Thanks to Cali over at GeekBrief.tv for the recipe. If you are of the mind to make some, here is the link. Its a two parter, so make sure you watch both. And she has the recipe in the comments section as well.

Other then that, this week hasn’t been much of anything. Back’s been a little sore and missed my massage therapy appt over the weekend due to the insurance companies idiocy.

Saw Avatar with my buddy Kenny. Visual pr0n. Story was so-so.

And went to The Airlock again Sunday and Weds night. I knew I missed playing Battletech, but never realized how much. And I CAN’T wait until Red Planet shows up again, need some Martian Football!!!

If you love the Mechwarrior series and/or played tabletop Battletech, GO CHECK IT OUT! They have most all the basic mechs and even 400+ variants. This is what you have:

I will be there again this Saturday night with some the Enforcers from PAX. So say hi. And if you go another night, tell UglyMan (the owner) you heard about it from me. I don’t get any kickbacks or such, but its nice to let him know where he’s getting customers from.

“Kerensky’s people have returned. They are the Clans.”

Movie: Sherlock Holmes

Meg and I went to go see this with her mom and step-dad over the weekend. Having read many of the books when I was younger, I had expected to see a bit more of the investigational side then there was, and therefore have mixed feelings.

The chemistry between Downey and Jude Law was fantastic and Guy Ritchie did a great job as director. The green screen sets were very well done. And as an action lover, this movie, in my opinion, did go over the top with a bit few to many action sequences. The ‘Matrix’y feel to them made them feel a bit cheesy at times. Some of it could of been replaced with the true investigational expertise of Holmes. Hopefully the sequel will have more of that.

Most memorable moment is Holmes sitting on a bed naked with pillow over his crotch, hands cuffed, maid standing there in shock. “Madame, I need you to remain calm and trust me, I’m a professional. Beneath this pillow lies the key to my release.” And the maid runs away screaming.

Overall, the movie is good and fun to watch and is one that I will buy on Blu-Ray when its released.

DVD: District 9 (Blu-Ray)

LOVE Sci-Fi! I watch all I can. Bringing many elements from various movies and combining them into one made this movie an absolute treat to watch. Filmed in a raw documentary style, Neill Blomkamp has delivered what is to become a cult classic. Even though it is truely science fiction, the topics of the movie will make you think beyond the normal alien interaction with racism, greed, oppression and propaganda being abound in this tale and will nag at you.

This is a must have for any sci-fi lover. Available on Blu-Ray and DVD 1 Disc .

Podcast:

I have two which have previously been mentioned, so I will try and keep it brief.

Jake Bible’s Dead Mech. I talked about him in my post on the second and have come to look forward to each upcoming episodes. Jake has announced that he will be releasing an episode every two weeks. So plenty of time to catch up. He also would love comments on what you think of the novel as well, contact info can be found at his site: http://jakebible.com/

Scott Sigler’s The Crypt.

The Crypt is the nickname for the top-secret Planetary Union warship dubbed the P.U.V. James Keeling. Named after the man who discovered it, The Crypt harbors a crew of 350 inside her strange, alien hull, a crew composed primarily of criminals, screw-ups and the unfortunate victims of those in powerful positions of authority. It is the ship’s 80% mortality rate during a standard two-year stint that earned her the unfortunate nickname of “The Crypt”. A scary story often told to frighten new recruits waiting for their first assignment, many things have been claimed about the legendary nightmare ship. One common belief has survived all of these tales: Once you’re in, the only way out… is to die

No game review for now.

“To scabies or not to scabies, that is the infection.”