Christmas time...

And the holidays are upon us once again... I have been working more hours and have had other things going on. This is why I haven't updated in a while.

Anyhoo, if this is supposed to be the most wonderful time of the year why are so many of the songs depressing. I swear, it's like He Stopped Loving Her Today: Christmas Edition

I actually have more to say regarding Christmas, but I will save it for later. Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving and survived black Friday.

Laters,

Monkey!!

I finally have the answer to what my evil pet would/should be.

Finally putting that monkey in the closet to good use!

Take this quiz

It's called character building.

Recently Microsoft released a series of web videos to tie into the release of Halo 4. The series, consisting of five 15 to 20 minute videos, is called Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn. Personally I enjoyed it. However, I have noticed that people are decrying the series as being too slow. Yes the first three episodes are slow, but it is a slow build to something greater in the last two episodes.

As the title of this post implies, they spent those first three episodes building up the characters. After all how and why are we supposed to care about these characters if they just throw us into the action?

Several of the people claiming that it is too slow claim that, as a video game spin off, it doesn't need that much character building. I disagree. In an actual video game we play as the character and therefore character building can be accomplished through gameplay. In a video/movie we are merely passive observers.

Here is the trailer for it in case anyone is interested.

All in all I recommend it. It is paced well and if it being slow bothers you just remind yourself that it ends with a bang.

It's Monday quiz time!

So it seems that I know my Halo.

I scored 100%, with 10 of 10 correct on The Escapist's Think You Know Halo?.
Take this quiz

Apparently there is no picture to go along with this one...

This is just... Profane

Profanity. How is it so popular? More importantly why? My friends know that I have to be quite annoyed or frustrated before I will resort to profanity. I have even started giving a friend and co-worker a hard time for his use of profanity, specifically in the work place.

Maybe I'm just square, but I do not understand it. Why is it so cool? Maybe it is the social stigma behind it. But isn't that almost completely gone? Do the 13 year old people on Xbox Live think it makes them, dare I say it, edgy? But it isn't just the kids. As I said a friend drops the F-bomb at the drop of a hat. Actually probably more often than that. That word pervades almost all aspects of his speech. When I point that out/confront him about it all I get in return is whatever.

Personally I think the use of profanity makes people less mature than many seem to think it makes them. That is to say... the more you use profanity, the more immature I think it makes you. Just the other night I was telling my friend that rather than swearing, grab a thesaurus and learn something new. At least give the illusion that you're intelligent.

Most of my favorite authors are the ones who either do not use profanity, or use it sparingly to help underscore the gravity of the scene. Perhaps it has to do with the way I was raised... perhaps not though. I guess I'm asking people to stop giving me more reason to think you immature. Is that too much to ask?!

There goes my hero.

The newest quiz found on the escapist. I get to be a hero.

Here you come to save the day!

Take this quiz

On a side note, I really wish there was some way to tell your TV that you have already decided who you will vote for. Once you've done this, even if you have to lie, you will no longer have to suffer through all of the campaign commercials. Who's with me on this?

The Line in the sand.

I like video games. Anyone who knows me or reads the Crane regularly will know this. Some games are amazing visual or story driven pieces and are great to play. Journey comes to mind. Others, however, fit the bill in the visual and story departments but aren't fun. At least not in the conventional sense. Spec Ops: The Line falls into this category.

Don't get me wrong Spec Ops is a great game, but it does its level best to truly make war horrible. And, despite what Call of Duty & Battlefield may have you believe, war is no game. It is a terrible thing full of harsh realities and even worse choices.

This is where I get a little spoiler-y. At a certain point in the game you are given no other option but to use white phosphorous mortar fire on your "enemies". Yes, that is in quotes for a reason. Afterwards, as you walk through the battlefield, the game forces you to see what your handiwork has wrought. Yes... forces. You cannot run or sprint across the battlefield. You... must... walk. Following that there is a cut-scene, rather graphic I might add, showing more of your victims.

After a fashion I shouldn't be surprised. The game is loosely based on Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness. This may be recognizable as it is the same work the film Apocalypse Now is based.

Overall I enjoy the game and feel that its story has merit. Perhaps all the more merit because of the other war games that are populated with epic set pieces. All the while forgetting the true horrors of war. If you enjoy shooters (TPS or FPS), and want a mature story then you owe it to yourself to try this game. Read Heart of Darkness too while you're at it.

NOTE: If you are at all squeamish DO NOT Google images of white phosphorous... it won't end well for you.

Not as left handed as you would think.

As promised I am here to present my "review" of the movie Sinister. I will preface this with the statement that I generally don't go for horror movies.
I enjoyed it, but feel that it loses something at the end. To explain, the writers created a mythology just for this film and they work with it to build tension. However, as the movie comes to its conclusion they drop the tension in favor of a few jump scares. That isn't to say that jump scares are bad, but it seemed to break the flow of things.
The story works well; a true crime writer who hasn't had a hit in ten years or so moves his family into a house where a family was murdered. While there he starts hearing and experiencing strange things. The deeper he delves into the mystery, and learning about other murders across the US, the more strangeness he experiences. His son begins having night terrors again and things start to become (more) strained with his wife. We, along with the main character, find out about a pagan deity that seems to be linked with the murders in some capacity. About this time things begin to speed up and things begin happening. We see visions that, apparently the main cannot see, and get a little more insight into what is happening.
And this is where the jump scares really kick in. In actuality there are only a few of them but, as I said, they serve to diminish the tension already built. The ending is sorta, okay quite, twisted.
All things being equal I do recommend it, but just remember the ending of the movie takes something away from the journey (not much though).

And Nick, there is no possession anywhere in the movie. So it is safe for you...

Finally to explain the title of this post grab a dictionary and look up the word sinister. You'll get it then.

This post is... Sinister

Allright, so I have been away for a few days... Largely because I have nothing to post (yet). However, I am going to see Sinister this afternoon and will have something to say about it afterwards (I always do). In case you're wondering what Sinister is, here is the trailer;

Otherwise things have been kinda quiet around here. I did start reading the book Service: A Navy SEAL at War by Marcus Luttrell recently. I am greatly enjoying it, and have a greater appreciation for the men and women of the Armed Forces.
And that is it for now. My (semi)review of Sinister will be up before the weekend is over.
Thanks all,

Cool story bro.

Okay the other day I went to a friends house to just hang out with her and her son. On the way over I swung by the Colonel for some chicken. While she was digging through the bucket I made the statement "I can't tell a breast from a thigh." She started laughing at me. It took me a few moments to figure out why.

And now I have shared this tale with the whole of the internets.

What's in a name?

So I have been thinking of names recently. No I'm not pregnant. Anyhoo, I have always wanted to name my son, assuming I ever have one, Spartacus. Spartacus Brown just has an awesome ring to it. But at the same time I can't help but remember a name idea that someone I used to go to church with had. His idea was to name a son William Joseph James Robert. A mouthful yes, but it is the only logical way to have a name that can be shortened to Billy Joe Jim Bob.

And so for now I leave you with that.
David

Perhaps it should be Dead and Alive

I recently commented on the impending release of the video game Dead or Alive 5. Well it came out on the 25th of September and, as I said I would, I picked it up. The reviewers would have you believe that it is the epitome of mediocrity. And it sort of is. The fighting mechanics aren't bad, but the character designs... well...
Jim Sterling said it best in this weeks Jimquisition (warning NSFW).

The best concept I can come up with is that they stuffed a bra with jello and had someone wear it while doing the motion capture.
I'll just let that sink in for a moment (remember once you see it, it can't be unseen).

The characters seem lifeless (except for their jello bewbs). And the story is beyond pointless. Two people meet, one of them is wearing shorts. This is enough justification for them fighting.
Overall I do enjoy the game. But it is enjoyable because of how absurd it is. If you like fighting games I recommend picking it up.

Bye,

Space Zombie

I just took this quiz on the escapist magazine website. Not too sure what the results say about me.

In space, no one can hear you munch on brains.

Take this quiz
I'll have more later, but now I'm off to work.

Floyd the barber cuts his hair...

Freakazoid! What more needs to be said? It is an amazing series that never quite found its audience. I recently watched a video by Bob "Moviebob" Chipman of the escapist magazine that discussed what he calls "The Prophesy of Freakazoid" (embedded for your convenience).

While watching the video I was reminded of how great a show it was/is. And therefore I felt the need to share with all of you.

On a more serious note this past Friday (the 28th for those keeping score) was the one year anniversary of me losing my job at Vector Security. I wasn't sure how to celebrate. Dance a jig? Raise a glass of my best scotch? Why even celebrate? To be honest I have had so much less stress since losing my employment there. True there was the stress that tends to go along with unemployment, but overall the quality of my life improved. I do kinda miss the salary though. Some of the people there were cool too. Am I supposed to feel this way about a job loss?

And that is it for me today,
If I'm not back in five minutes... keep waiting.

Does whatever a spider can.

Well it has been made official, Andrew Garfield and director Marc Webb have signed on for the sequel to Amazing Spider-Man.  I am totally hyped for this movie as I thought Amazing was the best movie I've seen all year.  Yes, better than both Batman and the Avengers.

And now for some sad news. Michael O'Hare who played Commander Jeffrey Sinclair on the TV show Babylon 5 has passed away. My good friends know that B5 was/is one of my all time favourite shows, and while I prefer Bruce Boxleitner's Captain John Sheridan as a character, I still feel something of a loss with O'Hare's passing. May he rest in peace and his family and friends find comfort.

Keeping the TV theme running, where did all the good shows go? I realise good is somewhat subjective, but it seems all I ever do is watch reruns of Pawn Stars and American Pickers anymore. Barring a couple of exceptions (How I Met Your Mother & Supernatural) I mainly keep the TV on for background noise.

And that is it for me today
Keep the bugs off your glass and the bears off your...

The Cowboy Rides Away

As I have said in a previous post I am something of a fan of Country music.  Topping my list is "King" George Strait.  I knew this day was coming, but today George announced his retirement from touring.  Tour dates have been announced for the 2013 leg, but the 2014 dates will be announced at a later time.  As I said it was inevitable, but I'm still not looking forward to it.  Here is a video of the press release.



That is pretty much it for me today.
David

I'm David and I approve this message.

Given that it is election time we get to see plenty of commercials from the varying candidates. My question is why do they need to have the statement "I'm a politician and I approve this message." 
... 
... 
... 
You think!? I mean really. You never hear "I'm a politician, the narrator just said nice things about me while bashing my opponent. I totally disapprove of this message." Do we really need them to tell us that they approve?

Moving right along. There is a book by Yahtzee Croshaw called Mogworld. It is his first published novel and I highly recommend it. I may do a full review of it later, but anyone that has ever played an MMORPG should read it. And perhaps pre-order his forthcoming novel Jam. This one is about a strawberry scented apocalypse... and carnivorous jam. Based on the sample chapter I have read it looks to be quite good.

So as I implied earlier I may start doing book reviews. The books I review probably won't be new (some might be though). If anyone has any ideas, or even suggestions of stuff to read, please speak up. Additionally I have been working on a short story type of thing which I am thinking of posting here and would welcome any feedback on it.

That's it for today,
David

You say goodbye and I say Halo...

So recently, over the past few months, a friend and I have been playing through the games in the Halo series. It was my idea to get geared up for Halo 4. We managed to finish Halo 2 today which sadly I had never beaten before. I had previously played through roughly half of it, but would always get distracted and move on to something else. It feels nice to have beaten it finally (even though I did have help. All we have left now is to play Halo 3 and we'll be ready for the 6th of November.

 Otherwise I have been playing Borderlands 2. I know that Gearbox prides themselves on having a "bazillion" guns, but sometimes I think that there are too many. I believe that this Penny Arcade is fairly accurate.

Finally, this coming Tuesday sees the release of Dead or Alive 5. They claim it is a fighting game but when your pre-order bonuses are bikinis for the characters... I'm somewhat suspicious. Not that that will stop me from buying it. The series has always been entertaining after all.

Well that is it for today. Maybe next time I'll have something profound to say.

 David,

I'm back... I think... I hope it is me...

So it has been somewhere just shy of forever since I last posted anything.  For that I want to extend a heartfelt apology to my reader.

So... I have been working for a company that plays country music all day in the store (I'm not complaining as I actually like country).  Some of the songs, however, are not exactly what I would pick for, well anything...  One of them always makes me hear something beyond what was intended.

Tomorrow by Chris Young http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ETVjll5eR88 (you know you want to listen) is one that I cannot stand.  A buddy of mine tells me it is a sweet song about wanting your last night with someone to be perfect.  I, however, hear "Baby I'm leaving you tomorrow, but tonight we are getting it ON!"

My friend may be right, but mine is funnier.

On the topic of music; this one truly speaks to the nerd in me.  But beyond that it is also just a really inspired composition.  And I highly recommend checking out some of Gavin's other work.


Well, I hope to be around more often sharing my ramblings and insights with you another time.

David,

Well, I've been away for a bit too long. And even after all that time I still don't have anything profound or even interesting to say. But I figured I may as well post something... anything even. I'm just not too sure what. So I guess I'll just leave you all with this thought, "If you can't dazzle them with brilliance... baffle them with bullshit."