Ever spent money on something and instantly regretted it? And there is no way to get a refund. Yep…love those instances.

Oh…and my cold is even worse!

I almost forgot to mention this. Last week when I talked about the first episode of The Apprentice 3, I mentioned specifically the loud Street Smart member Brian. Well, big suprise, he got himself made into Project Manager for this weeks project and promptly demonstrated he had NO smarts and got himself fired.

The task was to renovate a hotel as much as possible in 2 days with $20,000, take care of incoming guests and the team with the highest satifcation score would win. Brian’s biggest mistake? He didn’t have a budget set yet and he tosses out $700 on a dumpster crew. Not bright. Next mistake…buying 14 brand new toilets when only a few needed replacing. Lack of leadership skills were also painfully obvious. All in all it was just a disaster of a task.

Adios Brian…we won’t miss you.

My employees went to Austin, and all they brought me back was this lousy cold!

Oh my goodness….I nearly had a heart attack today. My inner geek came screaming to the forefront when I read about
.

Ain’t she purty? Let us stare at some of her nifty features!

# Easily manage your entire home network from one integrated web-based
toolbox

# Network all your computers together (Net-Box? is Windows, Mac and Linux compatible)

# Expand your network with built-in wireless (802.11g) access point features

# Share your broadband connection among all your computers

# Create and control your own email addresses

# Keep hackers and spammers away from your network and your email

# Host your website and publish your photos and videos to the world

# Share your printers among all your computers

# Backup and synchronize your desktop files with your Net-Box?

# Access your files from anywhere from any platform

# Enjoy a fully integrated web-based productivity suite featuring email, contacts, calendar, file management, file sharing, photo publishing, notes and more!

# Use any IMAP email clients and LDAP PIM applications such as MS-Outlook, MS-Entourage,
Netscape, Eudora Mail, or Mozilla to connect to your Net-Box?’s email and address book server

Now come on, I know all these items exist already, but in one little box? A NAS Drive, Wi-Fi Router, Print Server, Web Server and e-mail server? Dynamic DNS? 60 Gig and 120 Gig flavors?

Tonight when I lay down to sleep…there is only one thing I will be dreaming of

There was a reason I went back and did a review of Halo 2 the other day. I felt if I was going to talk about the online community in online gaming, I should first talk about one of the online games this world of players occurs in. So in short? WOW! He connected two entries! HUZZAH!?

I love playing games online. While a computers gaming AI can be a challenge, nothing beats taking on other humans just for their unpredictable natures. Each person plays the game differently, so no two games are exactly the same, and I love that. However, there always has to be the idiots out there who run all good experiences.

So I thought it would be fun to talk about the different types of players out there in the online gaming world. What follows is a list of the different?.?personalities? you can meet online. And please note that A)these people can show up in ANY online game, but the majority of my experience comes from Playstation 2?s SOCOM II and X-Box?s Halo 2 and B)I normally avoid harsh language in my posts, but this one kind of requires it. My apologies in advance.

The Captain This is the person who ALWAYS knows EXACTLY what needs to be done, and by golly you had better listen to him! Never mind the fact we have all played the game also, we all know the objective, we all knows the routes to the goal, but he is going to tell you how you are doing it wrong, Wrong, WRONG!

The Gun Nut He has a favorite weapon, he knows where it is, the second the round starts he will call out “Dibs on the XXXXXXXXX gun!”  Ok, fine, most of the time I don’t care, I’m versatile and willing to play other positions. However, I do NOT want to hear you whining about “HEY! What asshole took my XXXXXXXXX gun? I called dibs!” Um..buddy?  This is a fight, get over it and fight!

There was one particular game I am thinking of in Halo 2 on the map Coagulation. There was a kid playing who was OBSESSED with his “Duelies!” He wanted two of the pistols at all times. Every time he died and respawned, his first words were “No one touch my Duelies! I’m coming back for my Duelies!” If they had disappeared for whatever reason we were treated “Where are my Duelies?!? I need my Duelies!” Over and over and over and over.  I had some place for the Duelies to go.

The Back Seat Player “Oh why did you go do that! I can’t believe you did that! Man you are an idiot!?” Gee, thanks for the commentary. A great example of this was in a SOCOM II match. I was the last Seal vs the last Terrorist on the map Ruins. Now in SOCOM, the ?dead? players can switch their camera to watch what you are doing. I was fighting in very tight quarters and I *did* have Claymore?s planted to help defend. I got trapped, it was a pure gun battle and I never set off the Claymore?s.

I was immediately treated to one teammate *screaming* at me how “retarded” I was, that I must be an imbecile! “You had Claymore?s! Why in the hell didn?t you use them?!?!?!?!?” my reply “Maybe because they were facing in a direction that would have killed me also?” The rest of my team was understanding, this guy was not. He still felt the need to “educate” me by screaming at me. Yeah, that always does the trick. It always helps folks if you actually pay attention to your own game. I mean. for you to see what was happening meant you were dead now didn’t it?  Yeah?  Let me take your “advice.”

The Immature Insulter Oh these guys are the class clown let me tell ya in 2nd grade.

“Man, what are you? Retarded?” - This one doesn?t even need a comment

“Damn f*****!” Yes, because he just killed you that means you are able to determine his sexuality?  it’s so obvious! *ONLY* a homosexual could have killed you! Makes perfect sense!

“Damn N*****!” - I can’t bring myself to type that one. It is a racial slur and it is never called for under ANY circumstance!

“Yeah? Well I slept with your mom!?” Oh yeah, that one makes PERFECT sense.

The Team Killer For some reason they think its funny to kill their own teammates. Most games will give you away to get rid of them, but sometimes it takes awhile. In the interim though he keeps killing you and ruining your fun. Why anyone finds this enjoyable is beyond me.

It all boils down to this, just because you are ?anonymous? in online gaming doesn?t mean you should ditch civility. Would any of the things listed above look like they would be acceptable out in public or say in an office setting? No. So why should they be acceptable in a place like a video game where you come to relax? It?s simple, there is no reason.

Whatever you do though, please do not allow this article to turn you off from even trying online gaming. Even for all the fools, it is still a ton of fun!

It’s funny, you never really think about someone until they are gone. Johnny Carson did such a good job of falling out of the public eye after he left The Tonight Show, that you just didn?t think about him that often. Sure you would hear a tidbit here or there, and every time I did, it would make me smile a little remembering all his shows, but it just wasn?t a constant thought.

When I first heard the news on Sunday I just got a general feeling of ?Ah, that?s too bad?, but the more I thought about it, the more I remembered about him. The more I remembered, the more I realized we truly had lost a comic great.

You think back to all the comedians who got their big break on his show (Jerry Seinfeld, Drew Carey, Rosanne, Ellen Degeneres to name just a few), and you realize that his influence has crept into your life in a number of little ways.

Every week night, at 11:30 PM EST, he was there, in some way, for 30 years. He became like the friend who just was always a channel click away. You didn?t think about him that much, but late at night you could look at the TV and go ?Oh, hi there Johnny.?

There?s really not a whole lot I can say that people far more talented than I have already said. I can say I am sorry there are millions of people alive today who never saw even one episode. I hope that someday his family will see fit to letting someone run the old shows. I understand they want to control his image, but it almost seems unfair that so many people should not know the joy and amusement he brought so many of us. There is a set out with some bits, and while it is not perfect, it is better than nothing.

And on a side note, every talk show host should be required to sit down and watch numerous episodes before they even speak one word on the air. Even on his worst nights, he was the greatest of them all.

I will admit, I was a VERY late joiner into the world of Halo , but when I finally sat down and played it, I kicked myself for not doing so earlier. With the announcement of Halo 2 it seemed like my life would be complete. Sadly it ALMOST made it to greatness, but a few odd decisions by Bungie kept it from quite getting there.

Let me say first that the graphics are all top-notch and impressive as all get out. The AI seems bumped up a bit from Halo 1 and offers more of a challenge. Switching back and forth between master Chief and the Arbiter was a little awkward at first, but I eventually got into the idea. Sadly though, that seems to be the end of the positive improvements.

The dual gun system, while a cool idea, is strangely executed. I can understand not being able to throw grenades while I have two guns, but melee attack makes me drop the left gun? Huh? If you are going to give me two guns, why take one away so easily and in such a silly fashion?

While several new guns and vehicles are added, they seem to be there just to say they are there. Sure, some of them are a bit nifty such as the SMG auto pistol, however the Brute Gun, for the most part, is a waste of space. And a second version of the Plasma Rifle with a different overheat ratio? Yeah, that was worth the programming time.

I would have to say the biggest let down though?.we were promised Earth and yet only got a small taste of it. The Earth city levels are quite fun, but all too quickly we are whisked off to another Halo. From here on out it just feels too much like the first game with familiar landscapes, same old ring going over our head, Cortana still talking to us and so on. This just makes the game feel like ?Well, here we are again.?. Sure, a sequel should follow somewhat in the originals footsteps, copying this much makes you feel more like you are playing an expansion of the first game instead of a true follow up.

Speaking of the eventual sequel, the ending leaves a lot to be desired. You watch the cinema, which are all gorgeous by the way, and expect to launch into another battle, and instead you see credits. Not a good feeling.

Where the game does shine though is in the online portion. This alone is worth the entire price of admission. Multiple game styles, a fantastic matching system to keep you with players in your same skill range, smooth texturing and on and on and on. This is truly one of the most enjoyable online gaming experiences around. True, some of the vehicle fights can be a tad unbalanced (Banshee Vs. Wraith comes to mind?pity the Wraith), but overall it is a well balanced experience.

Overall I would have to say 4 out 5 stars. It would have reached 5 if it had been longer, stronger ending and been a bit more different from the original.

First and foremost let me say I am a law abiding citizen. I have never done any illegal drug and never intend to. I do, however, have a live and let live attitude, so if drugs are your thing, more power to you, just don’t mix them with me is all I ask.

So, that being said, this irritates me to no end. The Supreme Court has decided that drug sniffing dogs may be used anytime you are pulled over. They are limited to sniffing the outside of your car, but they can do this without any suspicion of activity.

“The Supreme Court ruled Monday that police can have dogs check out motorists’ vehicles for drugs even if officers have no particular reason to suspect illegal activity.”

Now, I will admit, this probably won’t have a huge effect on me as I haven’t been pulled over in quite a few years. *knocks on wood* And when I have been pulled over, well the reasons have varied. (”Yeah, you ran the red light back there, but I’ll let that slide and just give you a seat belt ticket.” uh-huh…I believed that one) Under this new ruling though, no matter what I am pulled over for the police have the right to have a dog sniff my car because I *might* have something. They aren’t sure, but there is a slim chance I might, so they better check it!

Folks, I can not even begin to describe how angry this makes me. Sure, no one has said there will be mandatory searches, but you just know there are going to be some overzealous police departments with some very worn out dogs. And how much will this end up costing the tax payers? How many innocent people are going to be inconvenienced?

“In a dissent, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg bemoaned what she called the broadening of police search powers, saying the use of drug dogs will make routine traffic stops longer and more adversaries.”

Boy did she hit that one on the head!

Sure this will have to shake itself out, and I am also sure there will be a lot of police departments that never do anything about it, but the mere idea they now have this power is frightening. Law enforcements powers are being straightened every day, and our rights as citizens seem to be eroded away a little bit more each day.

Don’t get me wrong, I still feel this is a great country, but I think we are quickly sliding down a very slippery slope. I do not like the feeling though that I have to constantly be vigilant of every single move I make for fear of someone reporting me for something that was actually innocent. I do not like the idea that if I am to get pulled over that the dog may make a false hit on something on my car (folks seem to forget that drug dogs DO make false hits). As someone who lives inside the law and does everything above board, I do not like the fact I am being treated the same as the crack head who just killed someone for their next score.

The vast majority of the citizens of this country ARE law abiding people, yet it seems like more and more each day that really doesn’t matter awhole lot.

Have you looked into the Firefox web browser yet? It’s free, so why not try it? I have been a diehard Netscape user for years, but I have to admit that Firefox is slowly winning me over. It seems more stable, a little bit better formatted and print jobs come out looking a lot nicer.

You may also want to read this interesting story about the creators of the program.

Tight on time again today, but I really wanted to comment on the beginning of The Apprentice 3. In no way do I think this show is the be all, end all of the world and quite frankly, I can’t stand Trump. All that being said though, this version of the series strikes close to home as I do not have a college degree.

So, all that being said….I *really* think they slanted this show to the “Street Smarts” team. The “Book Smarts” team supposedly has an equal IQ average, but boy they sure didn’t prove it in the first episode. Simple mistake after simple mistake piled up on them. Maybe this was all done with editing, who knows, but the Book Smarts team just seemed beyond disorganized. And what in the world was with the inclusion of Danny? For those who did not watch the show, Danny is a leisure suit wearing, guitar playing, hippy looking guy who doesn’t seem to have a clue. Yes, he has a college degree, yes he has his own business, but this guys inclusion seems like an obvious “Look at the wacko” casting move on the part of the producers.

Over on the street smarts team….well, we didn’t seem to get to know them as well. The editing seemed to be leaned much more towards showing how inept the book smarts team was. The only member of Street Smarts we got to really know was Brian, and boy, that was a treat. Thanks Apprentice guy for including the stereotype everyone has in their minds of what non-college grads are like…much appreciated. Loud, cursing and “slick”. Thanks guys.

So long story short, the editing definitely, at this point, is leaning to show sympathy to the street smarts team. I am hoping as the show progresses that it will even out a little more and show a true fight between the two educations.

*gah* I have to much to do today to write the actual entry I want to write. It has to do with the premiere of The Apprentice 3 last night, so I will save it for tomorrow. Suffice to say it has to do with the High School Grad Vs. College Grad angle.

In the meantime you can check out this news story that gave me a chuckle today. Seems an 84 year old man instructed his son to slam the NHL lockout in his obituary. Quite the amusing concept.

If you play either Halo or Halo 2 then you HAVE to go see this site. Man that had me laughing

Well I tried it, and I made it…1 week of blogging every day! I know, a small accomplishment, but I did it.

I know my posts haven’t been the most enlightening or deep, but I am still getting into the swing of it. Lets see if I can make it for another week!:)

Fox chose to blur out a bare butt on a rerun of a Family Guy episode for fear the FCC would levy a fine against each of it’s affiliates.

“Fox electronically blurred a character’s posterior, even though the image was seen five years ago when the episode originally aired.”

Folks…this has now reached a level of insanity I could have never even predicted in my wildest dreams. Are we now running scared of animated behinds? Words can’t even begin to describe the disgust I am feeling right now over this.

Turn on any episode of Alias to watch nameless goons get killed by the handfulls. Turn on 24 and watch the Secretary Of Defense personally kill two terroists. And never mind the horror that is Quintuplets ah…never mind…different type of horror there.

It is remarkable to me though that the FCC has networks running so scared that they have to blur out cartoon behinds. Tis a sad, sad day.

It’s been one of THOSE nights. Good news peppered with horrible bews. All of it relates to my new company, so none of it I can discuss sadly. The good news came out of someone famous’ birthday party last night that one of my partners went to. The bad news came from one of our first associates doing design work for us.

Man I wish I could spill my guts, but I just can’t. Suffice it to say that I want to walk outside right now and scream.

In relation to what I said the other day about the rising eBay fees, there is a petition online now to protest the fees going up. Is doubtful it will do any good, but it doesn’t hurt to try! So please go sign it if you have a moment.

Most years I have a heck of a time getting into the Christmas spirit. It isn’t from a lack of wanting to, it just seems to not always come that easily. I think alot of times it has to do with my let down of the amount of build up for just one lone day. Maybe if it was multiple days I would get more into it, but when it is just one day it is difficult to get all gung-ho over it.

Something different happened this year though, and I am not sure what caused it. For some reason, instead of my normal apathy, I was struck by an overabundance of Christmas Spirit. Here it is, January 15th and I still have all my indoor Xmas decorations up. Not only that, but I am still turning the lights on every single night! Like I said, I have no idea what caused this, but I guess there could be worse things in the world!

In the continuing randomness of the things I post about, I thought today I would tackle spyware. We have all heard about it, we should all be concerned about it and all it does is eat up valuable computer resources.

Recently I paid for a tech support visit by our local computer guys because my main computer was slowing down and I was concerned I was headed for a serious problem. He came in, looked at it, downloaded a program, and boom, my comp was fixed. I had several hundred spyware programs running all over my system and it was screwing everything up.

By far, the best spyware removal program I have found is the free personal edition of AdAware. It’s free and it works…what more can you ask for? Just download it, run it and you will be amazed!

eBay announced yesterday that as of February 18th they are incresing thier rates on a lot of their auctions. Here are some examples:

Gallery
Gallery fees will be raised from $0.25 to $0.35 per listing.

10-Day Duration
The fee for 10-day duration listings will be raised from $0.20 to $0.40 per listing.

eBay Stores
The fee for the Basic eBay Store subscription will be raised from $9.95 to $15.95 per month. The subscription fee for Featured and Anchor Stores will be unchanged.

Now mind you these are just SOME of the increses, not all of them. This is outrageous. Sure, the amounts don’t seem that big, but on a percentage basis they are insane. A 100% increase to 10 day duration? WHO RAISES FEES 100% IN ONE WHACK? Well apparently eBay does.

So these new fees take effect on February 18th…guess what….eBay will make NO money from me on that day. I am not listing or ending auctions on that day. They can enjoy their first day of these new fees without my help. And in case you are wondering, I run about 200 - 250 items a week, so I am not talking only one or two items.

Anyone who knows me, knows that since I replaced my Commodore 64 with my first 286 12 mHz computer, I have been a die-hard PC man. Over the years though I have come to respect Apple for some of their very forward thinking. Yesterday though, they blew me away with two announcements.

I have been on the fence about the iPod since it first came out. The iPod Shuffle might very well change my mind in a hurry! Small, efficient, easy to use….oh momma! Yes, I know it’s just basically a flash stick, but man, there’s just something about it.

Then came the big one though….the Mac Mini (although I can’t stop calling it Mini Mac). $499 for the low end, $599 for the high end? DVD burner with Bluetooth fuctionality? *drool* *slobber* AWFULLY tempting I tell ya…awfully tempting.