111110

Today is November 11th. Another binary date, 62 is the base-10 equivalent of this date. I don't really have anything too terribly relevant or impressive to report.

I'll mention something that did happen though. I was at Korenav's birthday LAN party having a moderate blast when a touch of damage came to my computer. A chair got kicked, a dongle was in the way and suddenly, BAM. Tiny blue sparks and a busted USB port. I was advised to get the fucker disconnected from the motherboard as soon as possible, and i spent the rest of the night trying to figure out how to replace the piece.

We were able to find a couple of part that semi fit and would connect, but in the end, I simply decided to order a new part from the manufacturer. It got here just fine, and was a little tricky to install, but here's the thing. The top USB port works fine, and the bottom one almost works. Power flows, and I guess like 3 out of 4 pins are connected, but USB devices will not connect. I think the motherboard actually got slightly damaged in that event. It'll have to be replaced eventually, but the theory is that since I actually registered the product, I may be able to get a free replacement. Yay.

Oh well. I had eight USB port, and now I have seven. Eight is enough, that's why they made a show called that. I'm tired. Signing out.

-The0

3 Yaaaaars Old

Yar, we done it again! This old computer box, Ozymandias as I like to call 'im, has carried me shivered gaming timbers for another year of joy! On me journey though these fantastical lands, I been watchin' me rig wear asunder from the weight o' the journey. There be bigger and more pert sails, taller masts, and sharper looking glasses to be had for it.

In me plunders of me particular professional persuasion, I done found meself with some booty to fritter off. I found a pair of looking glasses, bigger and clearer than any me ghost has seen afore. When paired together, they work like a devil's plaything, and I can nearly past th' horizon. This binocular contraption was more a matter of a stitch in time, rather than any sort of reward to me or me rig.

The idea be to maintain a steady speed among the other cutters, so as not to be left behind in the wake of me hunters. I daresay I've for now. Happy Launchday, Ozymandias! Let's point this hull hard ahead and keep the wind astern us!!!

-The0

Translation: I bought new video cards, in celebration of another year of having this computer, and in an effort to maintain a bead on the cutting edge. Yay!

1.21 Gigawatts could make a MASSIVE SLI Array

So I'm taking a shower, and I'm thinking, "Alright! I'm going to be early at work! No stress today!" when I hear this loud noise. I thought something had fallen over in my shit storm of a bedroom, or that maybe someone was in house. Not seeing anyone, or hearing a response, I finished up my shower to investigate. Nothing disturbed, no one to be found, but my computer was off. And wouldn't power back on. Something, was wrong.

The LAN jack was still lit, so that meant power must still being flowing in there somehow. I flipped my breakers, nothing. I unplugged it for five minutes, got dressed, re-plugged and tried again. Nothing. I started closely examining the PSU. There it was, the unfortunately familiar scent of ozone and smoke. After a quick disassembly (yes, I'm well aware of the risks involved with that, and what's worse [probably an explanation of why this happened too] is that this wouldn't be the first time I've opened my PSU for repair purposes), I confirmed my fears. My PSU had burnt out with such force that it had made a noise audible over my fucking shower.

So, being as I was already running "behind" for work, I had to make an arrangement. I called up my friend, and explained my situation, he had a bit of time on his hands, and decided to help me repair my system. I emailed him my specifications, and he ran out to Microcenter, shopping for what he would want if he had my system, with the promise to be paid back the instant repairs were complete. "Repairs" to my system is a bit of a misnomer, come to think of it. Every time something breaks on the thing, I make it a point to upgrade to the next level of awesome. I had a 600 watt CoolerMaster PSU, and I'm now I'm running a 750 watt Modular Corsair PSU. My case is already running an average of 9°F cooler, and I will NEVER have to worry about power slip-ups for my SLI array at least 24 months.

If 600W makes that loud of a pop, I very well believe that 1.21 GW could indeed send the DeLorean back into the future.

-The0

Treachery on the 7 Seas

Recently, through a very lucky set of conditions, I was able to obtain a version of Windows 7 Professional 64-bit. I am currently running Windows Vista Home Premium 32-bit, and I was actually pretty happy with it. But times, they change, and so must I. I wanted to have the 64-bit capability so that I could expand to more RAM, and be on the curve of 64-bit programming. What I learned may startle you.

YOU CAN'T JUST TRANSFER OVER 32-BIT FILES AND PROGRAMS TO A 64-BIT SYSTEM!!! Who knew?! Not this guy. So here I am, I have cloned my whole full hard drive to one twice its size. The end result I desired was to have a Windows.old folder on my bigger hard drive, not just on my old hard drive. This Windows.old folder would have all my old settings, all my old programs, even all my old music and libraries! I could simply copy and paste those all onto the same drive, and be done with my upgrade. I. Am Stupid.

I went ahead and tried to do most of this. About the only thing that wound out working was transferring my steamapps folder over to the new steam folder. With that setting the precedent, I decided to copy over every program file in it's like program file. Windows 7 64-bit has a special Program Files folder for 32-bit programs. Cramming files like I did messed up a LOT of things. I guess you could say it'd be like trying to cram a Neon onto a V8 engine, even if you get it to friggin' fit, how in the snot will you make it run? Not very well.

So I decided to try and go back and delete these files. This is the most annoying thing about Windows 7. Just because you put a file somewhere, or install a program, doesn't mean that 7 will let you remove it. It's not enough to be the Administrator. You need to have the permission of Trusted Installer. Who the hell is Trusted Installer, and when did he touch my PC?! This probably applies only to direct Windows features though. Still, quite confusing.

The best thing I wound up doing was formatting and starting from scratch. That works well. I'll be careful this time, and copy over My Documents one folder at a time. Then, fresh installs of all my old programs. The most convenient discovery so far is a site called Ninite. It's a site that allows you make one massive download of all the common applications you would want on a new PC or OS. Pretty nifty.

This is going to be a long voyage. All ashore who's going ashore!

-The0

Left 4 Dead 2: Electric Boogaloo

So, I have put in a good number of hours into the new Left 4 Dead, and I have a serious conclusion regarding its performance.

This game kicks ASS!!!

Now don't get me wrong, it can be damn annoying to try and get and get onto a car ferry and dying 3 times after a minute, and it can be much more difficult to simply reach the end zone, but VALVe has done a magnificent job of mixing things up and keeping a good idea fresh. With the new infected, you have to stay on your toes, and monitor your teammates a lot more. The level design is fantastic as well, and you never feel like you're simply running around in a system of arbitrary tubes.

My least favorite of the new infected is the Spitter. Here I am, I've just healed up, and we're progressing nicely, when all of a sudden I'm swimming in this green goo, and I'm losing health like I just fucked a lawnmower. It's almost as bad as startling a Witch, and it's especially bad when you're trying to get out of the goo and you're surrounded by zombies. I guess they're finally getting back at me for all those molotovs.

Of the levels, my new favorite is Hard Rain. For this level, you're running to get more fuel for an escape from your previous campaign. All these linear based maps actually link up, and it's very impressive how they segue into each other. Hard Rain isn't linear though. It's circular and dynamic! You have to run to the end, grab the fuel, and run back, only this time, the whole place is flooded from the rain. During the 4th chapter, the weather changes a lot, going from heavy rain to torrential flood. This summons the horde, and makes it impossible to hear your teammates. Awesome.

The characters are easily attached to as well. Of course, everyone went clamoring for the George Clooney-esque Nick character, and following my tradition, I tried to stick with a female character, Rochelle (I have my reasons.) Coach reminds me of Hank Hill in a weird way. My current favorite is Ellis. His ability to yammer on in a situation of extreme duress is a metaphor of how I think I interact with new people.

I usually get frustrated at new games, but this one is growing on me nicely. The replay value is astounding, and there are all these new game modes that I have yet to try. A great step forward for VALVe. That stated:

LET'S SEE SOME DAMN HALF-LIFE ALREADY!!! (please.)

-The0

It's not the Zombies that kill you...

So, like the rest of the Steam-nation, I am right now sitting here, waiting for Left 4 Dead 2 to release. I preloaded everything, it just needs to be told to "Go." A bit like me, actually. A little disappointing, but not unexpected. I'm certain it will be out before the sun comes up again.

And verily it is! A decryption ensues this sentence. Not to do a stream-of-consciousness post, but this is going to be exciting. I was going to shoot for a "Well isn't that the way it goes?" post, but now it looks like a pre-game excitement post in in order.

L4D2 is looking to be huge. New Special Infected, 5 campaigns out of the box, and new gameplay modes. This is going to be a nice long couple of days off. A review in my hackneyed style is going to be in the works, be assured.

And now, I have been made aware of a Woot-Off!!! I'm not sure if that should be capitalized or not, but it's a significant enough occurrence to break my train of thought. Maybe this time around, I'll be able to snag a couple of items, and stock some holiday gifts for friends.

The waiting is over. Now let's see if the zombies can kill me.

-The0

Impulse 101: Lessons in Self-Control

A thought occurred while I was supposed to be working tonight, one about which I've actually already thought. Access to cheat codes for games is far too easy. You look them up in the strategy guide, you find them on GameFAQs, and all of a sudden the game becomes a pointless delve into violence, a timesink. The difficulty, the fear, the thinking, it all vanishes. You know what it is to be like Dr. Manhattan.

Now granted, I spent the first half of my gaming life doing precisely that. When I got Quake installed on my first PC, I played for about 5 minutes before I decided to cheat and hack it. I was God in a brightly lit dungeon, with ammo being the farthest concern from my mind. In retrospect, this revolutionary game was slighted by my laziness and bloodlust. Game programmers put a LOT of work into making games challenging, and that challenge is what makes the game fun, not necessarily the slaughter. To just mindlessly kill things via cheats is to voluntarily vote against thinking, as far as I am concerned.

However, it somewhat begs the question, why even include the cheats in the first place? It's beyond me, but it's still very fun to play with them. To run amuck and just turn enemies into red paste is a grand stress reliever, and slightly less sociopathic than shooting real people. It's an escape to an alternate world anyway, why should I have to be bound by its rules too?

My final thought is, at what point should you consider using cheats? At what point is it fair to you and the game designers to start playing around? Where have you explored all that needs to be explored, and had time to enjoy and embrace all the subtleties of their work, their sold gift? I think it's either after you've played through the entire story on hard mode, or at least twice on regular. Then, feel free to hack, cheat, and rob the AI of their opportunity to make you feel weak and outsmart you.

4 days until L4D2, everyone! Happy gaming!

-The0

Open Doors, Closed Windows.

So much for a clever title.

I have significant confusion regarding the Windows 7 release on the horizon. I can't figure out the exact differences between Windows 7 and my current, not-hated Vista. Apparently, it's just like Vista, a couple features removed, and a bit of a streamlining.

Personally, I have never purchased an operating system in box or off a shelf. I always buy it new with the machine. Even if I did have the will, want, or cash to buy it new-in-box, I think I would always wait until the first service pack comes out. You know, let them get all the kinks out, let the drivers get developed, etc.

The interesting conundrum is that new PCs bought within a certain time frame, get a free upgrade to Windows 7 from Vista. Will there be driver issues? Will profiles be lost? Knowing Microsoft and the negative attention they tend to garner, they may very well half-ass the upgrade release, and have inadequate support too. But then again, it may be baddass.

Dr. Girlfriend happens to be eligible for this upgrade, and it's her choice whether she's going to or not is up to her. But the fact that Windows 7 is supposedly going to be less resource-intensive, it's probably a good idea for high-end laptop owners.

So while this is a very cool thing for Microsoft to do, especially in the wake of Vista's "problems" and remembering Windows ME, I would proceed with caution. Lots of forum reading on the horizon.

Thoughts anyone?

-The0

Like eHarmony

Always, always always always, Always always always check the compatibility of components before you ever install them.

I still feel like I am a relatively smart person, but it's been just over 2 years since I last learned this lesson, and I've killed another computer. Happily, I decided to buy my Cassima before I did this, upon which I write now. I bought a new Intel Q9550 processor, like I've always wanted to, and promptly murdered my giant gaming rig the instant I installed it.

After further testing, it now seems that the chip itself is busted (may have been a DOA) but still, I've been planning this upgrade ever since I bought the main box. It's taken like, 3 months to save to afford this thing. I may have stepped on a couple of toes, and potentially have stressed friendships to get this thing. Now my motherboard is fried. There's a lesson in this somewhere.

But I still have friends. A couple of dear brothers feel that this is kind of unfair, and despite my own ignorance, they're willing to chip in and help me get a new motherboard. One of them has even declared that he forbids me from getting anything that isn't an upgrade. God bless you all. Or Good Fortune! Or whatever you happen to believe in. Thank you!

Check for EVERY level of compatibility, anytime you make an upgrade. My rig's symptoms are available upon request. And now, time to file an RMA (here's hoping.)

-The0

Vexing

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-The0

Cupcake Games #1

After an insane writing hiatus, I return, with insight into several lovely little games.

Darwinia: Adorable real time strategy. Lead little AIs to recapture their (virtual) homeland from the virus which they discovered when they became too curious. On that note, our own malicious software may be our salvation when computers and robots attempt to take over the world. A good strategy that works with almost every level is: Build a massive army, and overrun the enemy. They meow with delight, and you have fun. Joy.

Audiosurf: Make a racetrack of that song during which you always get pulled over. Collect blocks for points! Get a global high score! Get angry when your friends beat that high score! Seriously though, this game is great. I have a good amount of driving music, and now I'm experiencing favorites in a whole new way. It's a good game when you've logged 25 hours into it after only having it for 11 days. You can get in a quick song before work, or unwind with slow songs afterwards. Seal of Approval.

Gish: Life as a 12 lb. ball of tar. Save your kidnapped owner. Use the sludgy properties of tar to navigate the levels. Sadly, enemies seem invincible, which is one step away from the unforgivable sin of infinitely spawning enemies. Still, it's kind of cute, and the Flash-y physics make it fun to watch.

World of Goo: Impermanence in a permanent world. It seems the idea of this is to build (semi-) rigid structures with little stretchy, ductile goo balls. Reach a point, and your score is how many goo balls you have left over. I haven't done too much of this game, but it seems fun.

Braid: Time-travel Mario. Fuck this Game! I have been pulling my hair out trying to figure out this stupid puzzle nonsense, and I'm not even halfway through the game. While this is normally very indicative of a "good" game, I do NOT like being made to feel stupid. And while I'm on the tear, I might as well commit blasphemy. I hate Mario Bros. It was annoying, nothing but frustrating, hand cramping repetition. Braid is more of the same, only now I can rewind and watch it fail all over again. On a positive note, the story is very nice.

End Review Mini-Series #1. Cupcake Games: When you simply don't have the appetite for a whole freaking tiramisu.

-The0

Et Tu, Woot-é?

Well, another half-assed Woot-off has occurred. I am a huge fan of Woot.com, and even though it preys upon my impulsive buying habits, I'm never sad for the things I buy.

Woot-offs are a happy time for me usually. The deal-a-day system is pumped onto steroids, and it becomes a "deal-until-we-run-out-of-crap-and-then-it's-a-new-deal" system. Eventually they might throw on the revered "Bag of Crap" for a dollar. That's kind of like a lottery ticket. You could get a European power adaptor, or you could get an LCD TV. Who knows?! At a dollar, who can afford NOT to know?!

Not so this time around. I had gotten into a comfortable pattern of 48 hour woot-offs, and then they pull this. 24 hours, half of which I had to spent at work (which has been very consistent, by the way. I never get to enjoy a full woot-off, because I'm too busy making the money I would otherwise spend) and no bag of crap. Though not promised, I should like to at least SEE one.

Oh well. Maybe they'll run another one in a couple of months.

-The0

In Too Deep

So I have decided that a fun, educational hobby would be to turn out a roving robot from my Eee PC Cassima (Yes, I name my possessions and toys. I'm not sorry.) I've been surfing Google results for about 10 minutes now, and it saddens me that I'm already in over my head. To make an obstacle-avoiding self-controlled robot (pet) has more factors than I thought it would.

• Camera Latency
• Image processing (identification of obstacles, or even a path)
• Machinery Control
• Balance
• Power Source
• Body Design
• How to feel Love
• And Much More!

The ONLY robotics experience I have is from when I played around with Lego LOGO back in 3rd-6th grade, and everything has taken leaps and bounds since then. I have no idea how to code, and I don't know but the first thing about how computer imaging works. I do think I could build a steady, stable sextpedal robot body, which would move slowly enough to be able to survey it's surroundings before it's next step or turn. The problem thereof, of course, is programmed control of those sets of legs or each leg (I haven't decided yet.)

I have so much to learn it almost edges on hopelessness. But! It breaks my current funk, and if nothing else, if I can pull this off, it's a whole new world of techno-savvy into which I can finally sink my teeth. Robots, man, robots.

Time to crack open the internet. Let's see what I can find.

-The0

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!

Well, due to the recent improvements in my job situation, I was finally able to afford something have wanted for a while now. Readers of this weblog will recall a post about how I somehow managed to resurrect a 9 year old laptop. Unfortunately, its little hard drive was just about as old. It has since crashed, and left me without mobile word processing again. Thus, I was in the position to purchase a new laptop. The Asus Eee PC 901 XP (because I still like Windows.)

A small review. The 901 has more than enough power to multitask. I can run Steam, Trillian, Chrome and voicechat and still not start to lag overly much. It has a pretty nice webcam, so if I ever get around to trying out Skype, that will be fun. If you're considering, get a RAM upgrade. It helps with that. Half-Life runs at a comfortable 70 fps, and that makes it easy to LAN a Sven co-op, and enjoy other moderate gaming applications. I haven't tried HL2 yet, but that seems well off in the distance anyway. I may even attempt that Eee PC hamsterball robot idea. Thank you, Randall Munroe. At 1.6 ghz, it runs all that I need it to, and again, I'm finally typing outdoors and in comfortable places again.

On that key-note, typing is actually a little difficult on this little powerhouse. The keyboard is very small, and my massive hands are having something of a tough time getting used to how minute these keys are. Still, for just under $300 all told, having an ultraportable latptop is very nice. Chic and sleek, and I finally have something to throw at the TV everytime that ridiculous Verizon/HP commercial comes on.

Bricks.

-The0

What Kind of Facebook user are You?

Your Result Is: Infuriated.

Seriously, I have had enough of all these little "What Disney princess are you?" or "What is your Inner self type?" quizzes on Facebook. These quiz results get sent to my "Recent Activity" page from people that are on my friends list. I have no idea whether these come from some stupid app on Facebook, or are just spam, but either way, they have GOT to fucking stop.

I remember a little application craze a couple of years back. They'd let you have a little fun or play a little game, and then it asked you to pass on an invite to 20 of your friends. I stopped there, except for Jedi vs. Sith (On a side note: join our quest to rule the galaxy! The Jedi shall be crushed!) I think we're getting into something much worse now. You can't just ignore quizzes en masse, they will plague you continually, because each new quiz is it's own blockable entity.

Now granted, I'm primarily using Facebook as a replacement for any social life, living vicariously through my friends photos and events, but I also use it to advertise for the band and keep track of my friends birthdays, so that I look like that sweet guy that had the presence of heart to keep track of one buddy's birthday. Anytime I have a notification, I feel as loved as I do when I get a text message. But Facebook is, for all intents and purposes, a social NETWORKING site. Not a fucking slumber party. I've asked friends nicely to please quit with the quizzes. It hasn't worked. I'm thinking I may need to do the next big Facebook trend. Trimming down my friends list. Jerks.

Computer Culture Note: Miscrosoft's Bing launched. I like Google better. Still.

-The0

Old computers are called OLD for a reason

My parents have finally decided to get rid of the computer that has been haunting the kitchen since 2002. This thing is so old that new RAM for it costs more than new RAM for YOUR computer. Remember ENIAC? ENIAC should remember this thing. My older brother was trying to get the processor off of the heat sink (so as to put a new one on there) today and somehow or another, he was lacerated very badly on his finger. 5 stitches. It took injury to convince my parents to buy a new machine. Thank god.

Now, I love and respect my parents very dearly, but their computer has not progressed with them and their needs. I'm happy that my older brother (who taught me most of what I know about computers) will be there to help them in their purchase of a new machine. As a way to help illustrate how long they stuck it out with this computer, and in the ghost of Duke Nukem Forever, here is a small list of things that are younger than this electronic abomination.

• The Invasion of Afghanistan
• The lake behind the Three Gorges Dam
• Martha Stewart's insider trading fiasco
• The Beltway Sniper attacks
• The Euro (technically speaking)
• My social life, thanks to that very computer

It's been fun, it's been real. It's been real fun, Kitchen computer. Happy retirement, you murderous box.

-The0

It turns out Nostalgia is Vista-compatible

In my research for the previous post, I came across the Wikipedia article for Sierra Entertainment. As some of us may remember, the original publisher of Half-Life was Sierra, after VALVe was passed up by everyone else, being told their game was "too ambitious." A good move on Sierra's part, but it is a little sad for them as well. VALVe has utterly outgrown them since their humble beginnings.

I had been a big fan of Sierra even before then, however. The games I played before Quake and Ultima were all Sierra games, the old style ones. I'm referring to their "_____ Quest" games. I used to be able to tell you precisely how to get through Space Quest IV. I knew that no matter what code you entered in the time machine, you would go nowhere at first. As an attempt to get back even further into my childhood and gaming habits, I found an abandoned version of my favorite Quest, King's Quest VI: Heir Today, Gone Tomorrow.

The adventures of Prince Alexander of Daventry came back to me with much difficulty, to my surprise. It may have been that I was still reeling from the nostalgia (goodness, it was wonderful to to explore those screens like I had before), but I don't think so. What is takes to beat an old Sierra Quest game was patience, logic, creativity, and an entirely different way of thinking. The game can be beaten in 5 hours, but the first time I played it, 16 years ago, it took me almost 3 months. I kept trying every combination of events until something new happened. I tried and tried, and with some help for the Sierra Hint line (that's how popular their games were. They had their own hot line with hints for EVERY game), I finally had it beaten, and I was so proud that I knew exactly how to put the pieces together. Now, I need a guide in order to even get off the first island. Oh well.

I guess the main thought behind this veneer of words is that it's easy for me to relive key parts of my childhood. I remember the weather of the first summer that Prince Alexander got shoved in the catacombs. I remember late nights with no progress. It was great for me to get back and feel all this again. Thanks for joining me.

-The0

I wonder if the CIA has heard about these guys...

Recently, I noticed all the commercials for the SMS directory service KGB (supposedly an acronym for Knowledge Generation Bureau.) The idea is that you send them a text message containing your question or point of curiosity, and they respond with a text message containing the answer to your question. You wind up one fact smarter and 99 cents poorer.

I decided to test out this service and ask them a question to which I already knew the answer. I asked “What is a granfalloon?” I got a confirmation message, saying that they were researching the answer. 2 minutes later, I was given the answer, “A granfalloon, in the fictional religion of Bokononism (created by Kurt Vonnegut in his 1963 novel Cat’s Cradle), is defined as a ‘false karass’” I was impressed.

As a self-proclaimed denizen of the digital age, I should have no qualms with readily accessible information, but something irks me about this service. First, I know I’m not the only one who remembers that Russia’s Committee for Governmental Security (founded in 1954) was called the KGB. What if it’s a front? Am I supposed to let these guys just hear my deepest (or most recent) curiosities? What if they’re creating a psychological profile of populations? Wait…Are they even our enemy any longer? Maybe I should ask them that.

Second, what’s wrong with popping on the internet on your phone and finding your answer yourself? If you’re going to pay a buck for an answer, you might as well get an internet plan and ask all the questions you damn well please. It would seem some sort of cost/time analysis is in order. It did take me about 5 minutes to find the same answer, given the benefit that I knew the avenues I would have to search to find the answer. The big thing about this is that these guy probably just sit around and Google the answer as I would have. A cool product, but I think it’s a bit overpriced for the convenience.

Sorry about the hiatus. I have been very busy. I was planning on posting this long ago (hence the date maybe,) and I had a draft of it, but a LOT of business came up. I shan’t bore you with the details. That’s for tomorrow’s “Update” post (for anyone who is still reading.) Thanks for following, anyone who is still out there!

-The0

O Freeman, Where Art Thou?

I've had a little idea running through my head, and though I haven't really done the proper research, I think that it is very safe to say the Half-Life 2 occurs somewhere in Serbia. After a bit of looking, I found this picture of the Serbian Federal Parliament building.

Of course, I ran through the game really quickly and found a good shot of the Overwatch Nexus building.

Taking this in mind, I really want to know a couple of the other locations. City 17 is apparently Belgrade, Serbia. But where was Gordon Freeman dropped off? Where is zombie infested Ravenholm? Whose house got smashed under the Citadel? Where the hell is Half-Life 3!?

Valve has a very good practice of building real environments, and it shows even in their earlier works. Half-Life took place in a research lab hidden in Black Mesa, NM (Clever little wink: It's about 120 miles from Los Alamos, birthplace of the atom bomb.) I have actually been through Black Mesa a couple of times, on hiking expeditions with the Boy Scouts. On the very scenic route, I kept remembering and comparing the environment, color, and appearance of all the stone cliffs and reddish-brown mountains from the game to the actual environment around me. I found that it was really well captured, even for 1998 graphics and game engines.

I wonder if it's bad that my fonder memories of nature come from a video game.

-The0

'Bout that time, eh chaps?

Well, here we are. Another Valentine's Day (or if you're one for clichéd humor, Singles Awareness Day.) This is just a temporary post, intended to fill the gap between work and midnight. A Valentine's Day post will technically occur after Valentine's Day. It'll be good. Patience, young Skywalker.

* * *

And we're back! Today is the one day of the year where single people are generally expected to be a little surly of their relational status. I have decided to have a slightly more positive outlook on things however, and stick to the man. Method of choice: sticking it to the women (Ha!)

Today I got up early and went straight to my computer. I didn't go through the thoughtful and loving process of cooking someone breakfast in bed. Instead, after noting that my case temperature was a little high for my tastes, I went ahead and gave my computer case a couple new fans and upgrades. No flowers and tasteful, considerate cards, just upgrades for my ultimate enjoyment.

I then went to go wash my truck. Ashley is my current valentine. She's been there for me when I've needed her, and has broken down but twice over the 40,000 miles I've had her. So I decided I'd do something nice for her. I cleaned out her crevices and trunk, and washed her, finishing with a wax job. This was time I could have been spending shopping for the perfect gift, or massaging, or waiting on some one's beck and call. Filling a void with stimulating and thoughtful, flirtatious conversation. I could have used all this time to make someone special feel perfectly beautiful, so I did. I polished up the one thing that's been here for me (unlike you, missy.)

Now, I'm not disillusioned. I'm well aware that my SUV is an inanimate object and doesn't have feelings. But the thing is that I spent the time and effort I could have used to make you feel pretty, making myself and my baddass toys even more baddass. Ha.

I then went to work. I spent time earning money to spend on me. No pretty dresses or fancy meals, just stuff that I want. I made myself a more positive force in society, instead of building a pedestal on which to place the object of my affection (which I did do with my truck and computer.) I just want to let you have a hint. I am fantastic as a boyfriend. I have never forgotten a birthday, or a special date, and I certainly know how to make a shining Valentine's Day. Thank you, ladies. I didn't have to go through the hassle this year. I got to work on what makes The0, The0. Today was my day, not yours. My gain, your loss. :Þ

And on that note, a curious thing happened today. eHarmony seems to have directed a charming young lady my way. We'll have to see how that turns out. Also, most of the females at my place of employment are single this year as well. A most curious occurrence, because I thought it was only me and my partners in crime. Not saying that a relationship is the ultimate accessory or validation in life, but it sure does help with the grind. Also, my "If they're hot, they're taken" rule was definitely brought into question. Curious.

Also, last night I watched American Splendor. It's about the life and times of a miserable man named Harvey Pekar, after he worked out getting a comic series made out of his life. I tell you, nothing makes you feel better about yourself quite the way like watching someone else's life suck does.

I'm simply rambling at this point. It's been a long day, and I had much bigger plans for this post. It seems to have petered out. Oh well. Have a nice evening.

That's what she said.

Side Note: I have made an addition to the previous post. Feel free to check it out if you have the will.

-The0