7 Commandments

Cracked has set forth their laundry list of complaints regarding modern game design. I don't agree with it 100%, but for the most part they are dead on.

Here's an abbreviated version with my own comments:

#7. Thou shalt let us play your game with real-life friends.
        - This has become a bigger deal as of late. Stupid COD4 and it's lack of split screen co-op. Thank god for RB6.

#6. Thou shalt not pad the length of your games.
        - In college I wanted my games to be 20+ hours of narrated entertainment. These days I'm looking for less than 10 hours of story.

#5. Thou shalt not force repetition on the player.
        - I hate checkpoints.

#4. Thou shalt make killing fun.
        - "Gordon, the whole world has been taken over by a race of malevolent aliens. All of humanity is depending on you. Here's a goddamned crowbar."

#3. Thou shalt admit when enough is enough.
        - Escort missions are never done correctly.

#2. Thou shalt make sure your game actually works.
        - Obviously

#1. Better graphics do not equal innovation and/or creativity.
        - However nice graphics do create atmosphere. Depending on your game immersion may make all the difference. Bioshock is one off last years best games because of its environment.

Super Mario

This is proof positive that even in today's hyper fast world, people still get bored. This kid uses an RC car and some very well placed bottles to recreate gaming's most recognizable music.



Personally, I'd rather actually play a game...

Japanese Railways

Claustrophobia is an unacceptable condition if you want to ride the Japanese subway. Watch this quick video of 'pushers' getting their job done.



I enjoy a ridiculous press of humanity now and then, but this situation represents 5 days a week for those people. Surely there are some alternatives?

True Story

The Texan sent this music video to me a while back. It's pretty amusing, and I find myself thinking about it over and over. Now I'm sharing it with you so you can obsess over the 'freshest move I've ever seen'.



Utah Saints - "Something Good" - Video Remake

American Taboo

An informal poll was taken at What They Play, which highlights what we already knew about Americans. Still, it's a bit shocking to see it spelled out.



What They Play is a John Davison site, dedicated to informing parents about video games.

The Friendly Skies

Douglas Peters, an FAA aviation safety inspector, recounted how Bobby Hedlund, the acting manager of the FAA office charged with overseeing Southwest, picked up a framed picture of Peters' family as he delivered this threat to himself and his wife.

"You have a good job here and your wife has a good job over at the Dallas office, I'd hate to see you jeopardize yours and her careers trying to take down a couple of losers." - src

Holy crap, it's like an episode of the Sopranos. These people perform cavity searches on their customers, but are unwilling to properly report mechanical problems with the plane itself?

"Take the number of vehicles in the field, (A), and multiply it by the probable rate of failure, (B), and then multiply the result by the average out-of-court settlement, (C). (A) times (B) times (C) equals (X). If (X) is less than the cost of a recall, we don't do one." -- Jack (Fight Club)

ROCK CHALK JAYHAWK!!!!

Big 12 Co-Champions
Big 12 Tournament Champions
Most Wins in KU History (37-3)
Midwest Division Champions
1st every Final Four to contain all 4 #1 seeds
2008 NCAA Tournament Champions



My wife and friends are in the LJWorld photo below. Can you find her? I'm in there somewhere, but I think I'm out of the frame.

This Says It All

Src (via)

A Paladin's JCPenney

I understand that everyone needs a hobby, but 'several hundred hours' spent creating an actual set of T2 Paladin armor seems excessive. Check out the work these guys have done:





The full interview can be found here.

Netflix Thief

I've been a Netflix subscriber for quite a while, and generally I get excellent service. There have been a few times when I've mailed the movie in where Netflix doesn't receive it for over a week. Oddly enough, every instance of the delay occurred from my home mail box. To solve the problem, I started mailing all my movies from work.

This guy decided he'd rather setup a camera and see why his movies are late.



The neighbor kid is busted, and receives a $750 fine for federal mail theft.

Snook, TX

More specifically Sodolak's Original Country Inn found on the highway by Snook, Texas. It is a definite stop for any road trip. Now I want you to watch this video, and pay close attention for the use of these phrases:

"We don't use ounces in this place."
"I wonder what bacon would taste like, chicken fried."
"Let's try the cream gravy."
"It just needs more salt."



Did you notice the size of everyone of those people!? They're huge! It's like a race of giants left over from a time before time.