Sims 3: Is it true? Does the game suck?

Sims 3 is the latest rendition of  MAXIS – Electronic Art’s highly acclaimed simulation game and gamers hate it.  The message boards and forums are packed with complaints regarding graphics and gameplay.  The one complaint that sticks out the most is the lack of objects in the base package.  It appears EA wants to engage in a little fleecing of the fans by selling MAXIS designed objects separately through the Sims 3 store.  If this is the trend to come, I may have reached the point in my life where  I stop buying games all together.

Twitter: My Thoughts

Twitter is gay. I don’t see the need for it. If you really have to communicate with someone that bad, why would you opt for such a limited method? Trust me, nobody wants or needs to know what you are doing every second of the day. The only person you are keeping informed is yourself. As far as celeberities go, their use makes sense. It gives them another method of connecting with their fans.  Other than that, use a method of communication that allows you to completely express your thoughts without using cutesy abbreviations due to a character limit.

Whenever your message requires more than one tweet to convey your meaning, you’re using the wrong medium.  That is why email exists or cell phones.  There is even the original instant messaging services.  Think about it before you join the ranks of the twitting twits.

Cruel commercial or not?

Have you seen this TV add?  The first thing you will think is — “Wow!”  Those kids did a wonderful thing.  Now, allow reality to sink in and remember your days in high school.  How many of us would have done the same thing?  Not many.  That’s why I have started to view the commercial as cruel and insulting.  Homecoming Queen and King are typically the popular kids in school.  They get that way by participating in sports or being known for “certain” qualities (party goer, promiscuous, vain, athlete, cheerleader, etc).  You know this is true.  The add alludes to this because we see a pretty girl making the announcement.

Now, I’m sitting here trying to figure out exactly what I find “cruel and insulting” and having a hard time putting it into words.  Part of me views the commercial as putting an individual suffering from Down Syndrome on “display”.  Another part of me views the commercial as playing a mean joke on someone.   What was your first reaction when you saw the girl brought out as Homecoming Queen?  Did you momentarily go, ” Yeah, right.” with disbelief?  If so, you know somewhat where I am coming from.

You decide for yourself.

General: Use of GMAIL to obtain personal information.

There are hundreds of new scams floating around on the internet.  Every last one of them offer a job of some type if you’ll just send your information to an email address with a GMAIL domain account.  Please delete these emails or block any and all messages sent from a GMAIL account.   Keep in mind that employers will use a legtimate domain account. 

 It’s really sad that GMAIL is going to gain such a bad reputation for being a source of scammers.   Oh well.  Just thought I would throw this out there.

Choices: Cable, Satellite, DVD or Internet Broadcast?

This will be brief and to the point. 

In 1996, I took a radio-television course at the University of Houston.  One lecture covered the topic of “on-demand” viewing.  The technology had not been thoroughly tested and was used minimally.  Today, you have multiple options to watch the most popular aired programs — cable, satellite, DVD, or the internet. 

This begs the question — how much longer will cable and satellite, as a viewing medium, last?  More and more the viewing public is gaining control of when and how to view programs.  You set your DVR to record your favorite show.  If for some reason the program guide wasn’t updated, you might be able to watch your show on the internet for free (access to the internet costs).  That’s significant.  Not only that, the content viewed over the internet is already “digital”.  It’s just a thought.

Hurricane Ike: Where are the celebrities?

Where is Oprah?  Where is Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie?  Where is Sean Penn?  Where is Chris Rock and all the others that helped after Katrina?  Are we not worthy of their support?  Or is it due to not having enough national media coverage?  Hurricane Ike was no picnic and it left a lot of devestation.  Just thought I would throw this out there.

-JB

Hurricane Ike: FEMA Response

There will always be people not satisfied with the response time of FEMA.  We all want our utilities and comfort returned rapidly.  The fact is a FEMA convoy was parked on I-10 just outside of Katy, TX within 24 hours.  I know.  I saw them with my own eyes as we drove to Sealy, TX for a hot meal at Tony’s Restaurant (Home of the Best Chicken Fried Steak in Austin County).  On our way back, we saw the Texas National Guard exiting I-10 on their way to Tully Stadium.   We saw commercial generators en route to their destination.

The point is help was on the way.  And it takes time to set up such a huge relief effort.  There have been snags along the way.  But, Texas will recover.

Hurricane Ike: Complaining Journalists

Local and national journalists are upset that they can’t gain access to Bolivar Island and the west end of Galveston.  They feel it is unacceptable to keep them from “showing” the devestation.  My personal opinion is they can’t wait to show “bodies”.  One of the main pushes has been to get an accurate body count.  This has been broadcast sensationalism at its worst.  A group of people who want to report on the pain and suffering of others “first”.  What a horrible job to have.  I don’t know how they sleep at night.  What is wrong with showing some discretion and allowing government officials to release information when they are ready?  I don’t get it.

Hurricane Ike: Lessons Learned

Search the internet for hurricane preparedness and you will have plenty of results.  There you will also find the typical advice of food, shelter, batteries, and bottled water.  But what about the other things you may not think about?  You know — the little things.

1. Shelter.  A major hurricane is coming your way and you need a place to stay.  Book in advance.  It’s true the path of a storm is unpredictable.  Still, it’s more important to be safe and protect your family.
2. Shelter.  The motel you are going to should meet certain guidelines.  This is where time is essential.  Your room should be an interior room or surrounded by other rooms and not on the corner.  Your motel should have a normal roof and not made of designer material (ie: shaped ceramic tiles).  These materials can be blown off and damage your vehicle.  Your room should be up to date on maintenance (ie: are the windows secure? Are there any leaks?)  It’s not cool to find your window can be blown out during a hurricane.
3. Shelter.  Avoid rooms near garbage dumpsters.  These are often located within an enclosure that has a wooden gate that might become a flying missile.
4. Shelter.  Ensure your hotel has working washer and dryers or laundry service.

More to come as I rember things that pissed me off this go around.

General: Playstation 4? WTF?!?

I have encountered several blogs, forums, and articles that mention Sony may deliver a fourth generation playstation by 2010.  Some of these sources take a more conservative delivery date of 2012.  And considering the sources, it could all be crap.

Still, I just bought the damn 40GB (gigabyte Playstation3 for $399.  Add a game and tax to that and you’re walking out the store less $500.00 USD.  Didn’t this game console just come out?  Game developers haven’t even really started taking advantage of the new capabilities.  So, why?  Why in the world would Sony deliver the PS4 after 6 years?  Anybody?