The Cipher: Blog

Team Fortress 2 Review

2008-01-29T19:12:00.000-05:00

Right-o, so here I am, to make a review on Team Fortress 2. Now, you've probably heard about this game. If you haven't, you are not a true gamer/geek, and should be executed at sundown. Anyways, this game became famous after being delayed for 8 years. It was announced as a sequel to the still-popular Team Fortress Classic, a mod for Half-Life, and went into development hell until 2007, when it was eventually released on October 10, 2007. In the developer commentary on Dustbowl, one of the maps, an employee stated that it took so long because they were trying to find a version they were happy with. Apparently, there was an idea for a commander, but it was scrapped due to the fact it could ruin the players' fun if there was a terrible commander, or vice versa.

I picked up the Orange Box from my local Best Buy on Black Friday, when it was priced at a measly $20. I also got a copy of BioShock, which is pretty fun too. (I have yet to finish it.) I played Portal while waiting for Team Fortress 2 to download, which took a while. Portal was epic, and I suggest you play it if you haven't already.

On to the review:

Team Fortress 2 was the best part of the Orange Box, in my opinion. You can play as one of 9 classes. The classes are the Scout, the Soldier, the Pyro, the Demoman, the Heavy, the Engineer, the Medic, the Sniper, and the Spy. Each class has unique abilities. For example, the Scout can double jump and runs extremely fast, but has low health. The Spy can disguise as enemies, cloak, and place sappers on turrets or sentries, but has his drawbacks, such as him having low health, and enemies colliding with him, which gives him away almost instantly. As of now, there are only 5 maps: 2fort, Dustbowl, Gravelpit, Well, and Hydro. Valve implemented an achievement and stat system, which means you can see how many kills/deaths you have, along with other stats, such as teleports or invulnerabilities. You can get achievements such as the "Grey Matter" achievement, which you get after scoring a certain number of headshots with a sniper rifle.

My Score:

Fun: 10/10 - Nothing beats going on a melee spree with a medic's bonesaw.

Graphics: 10/10 - The fire looks incredible, and the rest of the graphics look simply amazing.

Gameplay: 10/10 - The game is really easy to play, and you learn how to play quickly. You can literally pick up this game and start playing.

Total Score: 10/10 - This is the only score this game deserves. It is truly epic, and if you haven't bought this game yet, get off your couch and do so.

My Pics:

The Spy's Change Disguise Effect:

My score on Gravel Pit:
The bridge on 2fort. Note the particle effects and the soldier's rocket jump:The Red Intel Room on 2fort. Note the Intel Briefcase (Equivalent of the CTF flag) and Sentry Gun:A group of Heavies charge across the bridge on 2fort:

Hope you enjoyed it! If you ever want to play a game with me, my Steam friends is Uberwumpus.

The Forum

2008-01-11T17:07:00.001-05:00

Hello, it is I, Josh. You may have seen the Forum link at the top of the page. The forum is now fully functional, and is ready for your viewing and posting. I'm the one that spends the most time with the forum currently as moderator and administrator. Yes, regardless of what you might think, I still exist on this blog. Now for a picture.

Known vulnerabilities? Okay, whatever.

The POWER of old people

2008-01-09T18:27:00.000-05:00

Thats what happens when you mess with old people...

gorgefamily.com/alec

2008-01-05T08:47:00.001-05:00

I hate to draw peeps away from this site but my site www.gorgefamily.com/alec is pretty awesome. Check it out!

Anti-Grav Helicopter

2008-01-04T12:09:00.000-05:00

The FPS of the camera synced up with the revolutions per second of the helicopter, creating a cool effect.

9800 GX2?

2008-01-04T05:12:00.000-05:00

Seems rumors say that a new GeForce video card will come out in late Febuary or early March. It would be call the 9800 GX2, with two 880 GPUs shrunken to a smaller 65 nanometer process on one card. Apparently the new card has support for Quad-SLI. Yes, Quad so that everyone can now spend $3000 on graphics. It should be at least %30 faster than the existing 8800 Ultra and have 1GB of frame buffer.

Picture via [H]Enthusiast

Zero Punctuation: Mass Effect

2008-01-04T00:17:00.000-05:00

Zero Punctuation: Super Mario Galaxy

2008-01-04T00:16:00.000-05:00

A Week of Posts

2008-01-03T00:17:00.000-05:00

Well everyone, I am back from my skiing trip in NY and ready to do a condensed week’s worth of posting.

Firstly, here are my new favorite zombie movies.

Resident Evil: Extinction- This one may be a surprise because of all of the bad reviews it got (Rotten tomatoes gave it a 23%), but it has the best action sequences and a good feel to it. Most of the movie does not try to be a horror and fail like some others. Note: this is a sequel to two previous movies, although you really don't need to see them first)
28 Weeks Later- Much more gruesome, it really was a horror movie. Some of the plot really did not make sense to me and the whole instant "zombification" upon exposure was a bit odd, but this one is considered a classic.

I will get around to seeing I Am Legend sometime soon.

Some other movies:

Hot Fuzz- A story of the perfect cop. Starts off as a comedy, blends into action/horror, and back into a hilarious action sequence at the end. The unbelievable factor in the film is what makes it great.
Balls of Fury- A comedy, though ultimately funny, that is best described by the following sentence. Meh.
Blade Runner- So boring it does not deserve its own bullet point. This is supposed to be a classic?
Shoot Em Up- Pure ludicrous action and sarcasm. Five stars.
Rush Hour 3- Two movies are not enough to use every possible cheesy joke and cliché? I frown on you, Jackie Chan.
Stargate: The Ark of Truth- I do not even know why I watched it. It is not bad, but there really is not a point. It seems like this movie could have easily been condensed to an hour-long commercial broadcast.

Moving on, wasn't Christmas great? It is also an excuse for me to review stuff. Yay!

Samsung Blackjack II- A wonderful Smartphone. This review from Cnet gives it a 7.7 out of 10 (that is good considering that the highest review they have given is an 8.3.) It has Quad-band 3G, 2 Mp camera, GPS (although you have to hack it to enable it fully; it cannot find you, only track you after you enter your address), a huge battery (the original Blackjack had issues, so Samsung wanted to be sure this time), and it runs on Windows Mobile 6. It retails at $250.

Ok, things I don't like so much: No built in Wi-Fi- For so many features it seems odd but I suppose that you have problems if you really need this feature for a phone this size, Of course there is no flash support for IE; most phones don't have that either, Proprietary headphone jack, the jog wheel is a bit unresponsive and it takes a couple turns to scroll down a screens worth of text, and finally the included program ActiveSync sucks, but that’s just a fault of Microsoft. I give it an 8.5 out of 10.

Games

Mass Effect - A bit boring at the start but I haven't played much into it. I will give a full review later.

Crysis - Really great so far. Again, I haven’t had a chance to play into it much but it’s incredible so far. Oh, and I'm sorry for already having a computer that can run it well but it just kinda goes with the whole "good with finances" thing.

COD 4 - Single player is much better than in previous games. I would also like to mention that my car does not have internet. Multiplayer review when I’ve played it. (I'm not actually playing Xbox 360 in my car; my father would not let me hook up a power inverter direct to the battery because the 360 cannot run off cigarette DC power. Something about coming off and causing a spark.)

Assassin's Creed - 10 out of 10, by far the best game all year. If only it was as long as Mass Effect.

Guitar Hero 3 - I don't own this one at the time of posting, but I was able to play it some up in NY. Full review once I buy it. Good so far though.

The Orange Box- I've yet to break the seal on the box. Full review later.

I also received a 500 gb hard drive, money for GH3, and an Airsoft Sniper Rifle, which was an early gift- look for an earlier post for the review.

Miscellanea:

I Am America (And So Can You) by Stephen Colbert is hilarious.
Firefly is my new favorite Sci-Fi series.
I recommend rear-projection technology when buying an HDTV. I got a 72 incher for only $3000. Incandescent bulb types will keep you warm in the winter.
Bhutto was shot and someone got mauled by a tiger. Deal with it.
Alec, why did you plan a LAN Party on New Year's? That seems too cliché. Could it not have waited until Thursday when I was back?
It's 1:27 in the morning (I'm writing this on my phone) and I have no internet, my fingers are tired and the Full Throttle Energy Drinks and Starbucks are wearing off. If you will excuse me, I have an episode of Diggnation to watch.
Sorry for all of the bullet points.

Juggling Ball and Playing the Piano

2007-12-28T14:14:00.001-05:00

I didn't know this was possible!

Marriage Proposal al'la'iPhone ad

2007-12-27T10:13:00.000-05:00

This is a marriage proposal al'la'iPhone ad.

I like at the end, "iPropose". She probably said iDo.

Endless Zombie Rampage

2007-12-23T23:38:00.000-05:00

Use WASD to move your player.
Mouse is used to aim. Left button to shoot.
Mouse wheel or E/Q to switch weapons.
R or NUM 0 to Reload.

5 Reasons Super Shopping Centers Make for Good Zombie Defense Locations

2007-12-20T23:29:00.000-05:00

In the inevitable zombie holocaust where the undead walk and cannot be quickly destroyed your own home will not longer offer you sanctuary, be it for lack of food or that zombies have worked their way through your defenses. Or maybe at the beginning of an outbreak you run and need to find a safe place to hide with you cadre of fellow zombie survivalists. As you search you will likely come across one of the now common super shopping centers. These centers may offer the appearance of safety along with a number of other attributes, but do not be fooled.

Apparent Advantages:

Ready Source of Food: These super shopping centers have sles upon aisles of food, canned, bagged, boxed, and otherwise. They even have dog food for rover so that when you run out of food he is fat and happy and ready to be consumed.
Several Exits: These centers have a number of entrances and exits so that if the undead do break in you can quickly escape without a prolonged battle. Also the centers will likely have build material so that you can barricade the entrances.
Weapons: Even if the store does not carry firearms the gardening section will give you plenty of weapons in forms of shoves, axes, and other handheld implements of zombie destruction.
Gear: When you have to leave the center that you have occupied you will also have a ready source of transportation in the form of bikes and be able to carry out food, medical supplies, and weapons as you flee the infestation.
Safety in Numbers: You will not be the only ones looking to take refuge in the store, be it employees, or others who have the same idea as you there will be other looking for a safe place. There is always the chance that those you let in to help you defend the shopping center will be infected and letting a zombie into your base can ruin anyone’s plans. Also one must consider that there could already be zombies inside and you could very well be walking into a kill box.

As we feel that safety comes with increased knowledge, we also like to offer potential counter-points to the positives.

Apparent Disadvantages:

Ready source of food: Though it is not question that these stores carry a large amount of food, the liability comes in on whether or not the outbreak was seen coming, if people saw the possibility of the walking dead then they would have stocked up on food leaving you with less provisions.
Several Exits: Though there are several ways out this also means several ways in. Several ways in means that you and your fellow survivors will need to watch them constantly, even barricaded if enough zombies push against it the barricade will fall, and if that comes to pass you will likely be surrounded and you hopes of escape will be almost non existent.
Weapons: In a crisis people buy weapons, from guns to baseball bats. Though gardening implements may still be available many of the other weapons will have been grabbed up by those trying to prepare for a home defense.
Gear: As with weapons useful gear will have been brought up by those who tried to prepare for a home defense.
You Are Not the Only One: You will not be the only ones looking to take refuse in the store, be it employees, or others who have the same idea as you there will be other looking for a safe place. There is always the chance that those you let in to help you defend the shopping center will be infected and letting a zombie into your base can ruin anyone’s plans. Also one must consider that there could already be zombies inside and you could very well be walking into a kill box.

In the end if you see one of the modern super shopping centers during an outbreak pass it by. You don’t know what could be lurking inside and whatever good you could come across by going inside are certainly not worth you life. This is not to say that one of these buildings could not be fortified, or scrounged but only that doing so in an unorganized or as a first choice effort is not recommended.

Stay safe. Stay informed. Stay alive.

This story via zombiesarecoming.com

Every Thirty Seconds, A Man Is Hit By A Drunk Driver

2007-12-20T16:13:00.000-05:00

This is that man.

Bilbo Lives!!!

2007-12-19T16:32:00.000-05:00

Bilbo lives!

After publicly feuding for more than a year, "Lord of the Rings" director Peter Jackson and New Line Cinema have reached agreement to make J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Hobbit" a planned two-film prequel to the blockbuster trilogy.

Jackson, who directed "Rings," will serve as executive producer for two "Hobbit" pictures. They will tell the story of how the young hobbit Bilbo Baggins originally came to possess the nefarious One Ring that Frodo, his adopted heir, needed three films to dispose of.

A director for the films has yet to be named. Production is tentatively set to begin in 2009 with a release planned for 2010, and the sequel following in 2011.

Relations between Jackson and New Line soured after "Rings" despite a collective worldwide box office gross of nearly $3 billion. Jackson shepherded Tolkien's Middle-Earth saga to a combined 17 Academy Awards including best picture for 2003's "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" The trilogy also includes 2002's "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers" and 2001's "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring."

"I'm very pleased that we've been able to put our differences behind us, so that we may begin a new chapter with our old friends at New Line," Jackson said in a statement. "We are delighted to continue our journey through Middle Earth."

Late last year, acrimony between the 46-year-old Jackson and New Line became very public, with the studio announcing they would move forward with "The Hobbit" without him. Jackson sued New Line over the amount he was paid including DVD payments for "The Fellowship of the Ring," the first installment of the trilogy.

"The low point was when we both started getting a little too personal about this whole thing," said New Line co-chairman and co-CEO Bob Shaye on Tuesday. "From my own perspective, I realized that I shouldn't be so thin-skinned about everything that goes on in my professional life."

Jackson's suit, the two sides announced Tuesday, has been settled. The terms of the settlement weren't announced, though Shaye cheerfully said: "One of the key terms was we all shake hands with each other."

In his statement, Jackson thanked Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios (MGM) Chairman and CEO Harry Sloan for helping him and New Line "find the common ground necessary to continue that journey."

New Line, which is owned by Time Warner Inc., holds the rights to produce "The Hobbit," while MGM, which is owned by a consortium including Sony Corp. and Comcast Corp., has the right to distribute it. The two studios will split financing and distribution costs, with New Line handling distribution in North America and MGM distributing internationally.

Two "Hobbit" films are scheduled to be shot simultaneously, similar to how the three "Lord of the Rings" films were made all at once. Shaye and Sloan both said it was Jackson's idea to divide the story, adapted from Tolkien's first book about Middle Earth (which was about half the length of any from the trilogy that followed).

The film's production schedule is subject to how long the writers strike lasts, which some forecast could continue for many months. There isn't currently a script for either "Hobbit" film, and producers will be unable to even approach writers until the strike is over.

"If the writers strike drags on, then everything can change in terms of the time table," Sloan said Tuesday.

Sloan added that some patience has been necessary for making "The Hobbit" happen: "We've always taken the position that we wanted Peter to be involved in this project, but it's taken some time to work out the differences."

Jackson, who directed "King Kong" after finishing the trilogy, is currently finishing shooting for "The Lovely Bones," based on Alice Sebold's novel.

The three "Lord of the Rings" films rank among the 25 most lucrative films of all time, made more financially successful by the risky strategy of shooting all three together. The production budget for the trilogy has been estimated at around $300 million.

Tolkien's fantasy epic has been a cultural juggernaut since its publication in the 1950s, inspiring everything from the ubiquitous "Frodo Lives!" graffiti in the '60s and '70s to the Dungeons and Dragons phenomenon of the '80s. With the franchise now considered one of the most bankable projects in Hollywood, the "Hobbit" films will be expected to match the blockbuster success of "Rings."

Battlefield: Bad Company

2007-12-16T10:53:00.000-05:00

This amazing game is scheduled to be released sometime in 2008
Made by Dice

Grand Theft Anime

2007-12-16T00:36:00.000-05:00

It's like Grand Theft Auto, but with schoolgirls riding Sith speeder bikes and shooting up Pikachus. Does anyone know where this came from?

Zero Punctuation: Guitar Hero III

2007-12-14T18:51:00.000-05:00

Another review from the Escapist magazine

How to Make Comics With Half-Life 2

2007-12-14T00:00:00.001-05:00

The process is relatively simple. You only need Half-Life 2. Counter-Strike: Source, and Day of Defeat: Source are reccommended, along with the other Half-Life 2 games. Follow these easy steps to make a comic:

1. Download Garry's Mod 9, or purchase Garry's Mod 10* via Steam. It's only 10 dollars.
2. Open up your version of Garry's Mod.
3. Begin to post models and ragdolls with the physics gun.
4. Take screenshots of the models.

NOTE: Photoshop is required for these steps.
5. Open up Photoshop.
6. Create a new document with whatever size you want.
7. Open up your screenshots and resize them to fit your new document.
8. Create speech bubbles and text.
9. Save it as a .jpg file, and you're done!

* Garry's Mod 10 is frequently updated, with new content as Source games are released. It has online multiplayer too.

Check out my comics here:
http://safetyatwork.x3nopro.com/

The Comic Book Community on the Garry's Mod Forums:
http://forums.facepunchstudios.com/forumdisplay.php?f=21

They have tutorials at Facepunch, and pretty much everything else you need.

Zero Friction: Supercooled Helium

2007-12-13T21:58:00.000-05:00

When Helium is cooled below its freezing point, friction disappears, creating perpetual motion (as long as it is cold.)

The Rise and Fall of Digital Piracy

2007-12-12T17:54:00.000-05:00

Before going on stage for a concert in Oslo, Norway, rap artist 50 Cent did an interview with Pål Nordseth. Although most of the conversation involved his denial of using cocaine on live tv, the conversation eventually turned to file sharing.

Pål asked 50 Cent “How are G-Unit Records (the recording company he owns) doing in these times of file-sharing?

“Not so good.” he responded. “The advances in technology impacts everyone, and we all must adapt. Most of all hip-hop, a style of music dependent upon a youthful audience. This market consists of individuals embracing innovations faster than the fans of classical and jazz music. What is important for the music industry to understand is that this [piracy] really doesn’t hurt the artists."

Organizations that support piracy like the Pirate Bay have been saying this for years, but this is the first time the words have come out of a successful artists lips.

50 Cent then went on to say: “A young fan may be just as devout and dedicated no matter if he bought it or stole it. The concerts are crowded and the industry must understand that they have to manage all the 360 degrees around an artist. They, (the industry), have to maximize their income from concerts and merchandise. It is the only way they can get their marketing money back.”

“The main problem is that the artists are not getting as much help developing as before file-sharing. They are now learning to peddle ringtones, not records” he said.
"They don’t understand the value of a perfect piece of art.”

To give a brief synopsis, 50 Cent believes that the fanbase that he would otherwise not reach because of the price of the music has a value in itself. Also, the merchandising from this fanbase makes up for the possible monetary loss.

In other news, Microsoft has devised a new system to make up for the recent doing away with some of the anti-piracy features of Vista. If one is willing to give up their computer privacy for three months, they can earn a copy of Vista or Microsoft Word 2007.

It works like this:

You install a program that monitors all input and output in your computer
Wait three months while doing nothing illegal lest the RIAA show up on your doorstep
Fill out survey
Free Vista!

Ok, first of all, what software pirate would give up their privacy for three months?
Secondly, what person in their right mind would give up their privacy for three months?
Third, why would anyone want Vista anyway? A new operating system is likely to come out in 2008 anyway. For more on this, see this article.

EDIT: Microsoft pulled down their offer on Tuesday, due to large demand.

Angry German Kid

2007-12-11T20:47:00.000-05:00

The Adventures of Bob and Womanperson

2007-12-11T17:54:00.000-05:00

Without further ado, I give you the product of several days work.

It all started when our over-heralded star, Bob, woke up in a secret vineyard. It was the eighth time it had happened. Feeling abundantly pleased, Bob deflowered a potato, thinking it would make him feel better (but as usual, it did not). Ever so extemporaneously, he realized that his beloved leg was missing! Immediately he called his lover, Womanperson. Bob had known Womanperson for (plus or minus) 200,000 years, the majority of which were enticing ones. Womanperson was unique. She was clever though sometimes a little... stupid. Bob called her anyway, for the situation was urgent.

Womanperson picked up to a very angry Bob. Womanperson calmly assured him that most Indonesian devil cats grimace before mating, yet South American hissing sloths usually wildly shudder after mating. She had no idea what that meant; she was only concerned with distracting Bob. Why was Womanperson trying to distract Bob? Because she had snuck out from Bob’s with the leg only seven days prior. It was a sassy little leg... how could she resist?

It did not take long before Bob got back to the subject at hand: his leg. Womanperson yawned. Reluctantly, Womanperson invited him over; assuring him, they would find the leg. Bob grabbed his hippopotamus and disembarked immediately. After hanging up the phone, Womanperson realized that she was in trouble. She had to find a place to hide the leg and she had to do it thoughtfully. She figured that if Bob took the curb-jumping ghetto sled (Impala), she had taken at least six minutes before Bob would get there. However, if he took the car Womanperson would be screwed.

Before she could come up with any reasonable ideas, two stupid lemurs that were lured by the leg interrupted Womanperson. Womanperson belched; “Not again”, she thought. Feeling displeased, she thoughtfully reached for her ninja star and deftly killed every one of them. Apparently, this was an adequate deterrent--the discouraged critters began to scurry back toward the imaginary desert, squealing with discontent. She exhaled with relief. That is when she heard the car rolling up. It was Bob.

As he pulled up, he felt a sense of urgency. He had had to make an unscheduled stop at Big Lots to pick up a 12-pack of gerbils, so he knew he was running late. With an apt leap, Bob was out of the car and went indiscriminately jaunting toward Womanperson’s front door. Meanwhile inside, Womanperson was panicking. Not thinking, she tossed the leg into a box of bananas and then slid the box behind her rhinoceros. Womanperson was concerned but at least the leg was concealed. The doorbell rang.

“Come in,” Womanperson scandalously purred. With a quick push, Bob opened the door. “Sorry for being late, but I was being chased by some oafish spite-toting jerk in a tricycle,” he lied. “Its fine,” Womanperson assured him. Bob took a seat right next to where Womanperson had hidden the leg. Womanperson sighed trying unsuccessfully to hide her nervousness. “Uhh, can I get you anything?” she blurted. However, Bob was distracted. With fist clenched and teeth gnashed, Womanperson noticed an annoying look on Bob’s face. Bob slowly opened his mouth to speak.

“...What’s that smell?”

Womanperson felt a stabbing pain in her taint when Bob asked this. In a moment of disbelief, she realized that she had hidden the leg right by her oscillating fan. “Wh-what? I don’t smell anything.” A lie. An insensitive look started to form on Bob’s face. He turned to notice a box that seemed clearly out of place. “Th-th-those are just my grandma’s dull pencils from when she used to have pet spotted wolf hamsters. She, uh...dropped “em by here earlier.” Bob nodded with fake acknowledgement...then, before Womanperson could react, Bob skillfully lunged toward the box and opened it. The leg was plainly in view.

Bob stared at Womanperson for what what must have been eleven milliseconds. Before the all-seeing eyes of a perpetually displeased deity, Womanperson groped explosively in Bob’s direction, clearly desperate. Bob grabbed the leg and bolted for the door. It was locked. Womanperson let out a saucy chuckle. “If only you hadn’t been so protective of that thing, none of this would have happened, Bob,” she rebuked. Womanperson always had been a little pestering, so Bob knew that reconciliation was not an option; he needed to escape before Womanperson did something crazy, like... start chucking ninja stars at him or something. Before anyone could take off their pants, he gripped his leg tightly and made a dash toward the window, diving headlong through the glass panels.

Womanperson looked on, blankly. “What the hell? That seemed excessive. The other door was open, you know.” Silence from Bob. “And to think, I varnished that window frame nine days ago...it never ends!” Suddenly she felt a tinge of concern for Bob. “Oh, are you okay?” Still silence. Womanperson walked over to the window and looked down. Bob was gone.

Just yonder, Bob was struggling to make his way through the swamp behind Womanperson's place. Bob had severely hurt his scalp during the window incident, and was starting to lose strength. Another pack of feral lemurs suddenly appeared, having caught wind of the leg. One by one, they latched on to Bob. Already weakened from his injury, Bob yielded to the furry onslaught and collapsed. The last thing he saw before losing consciousness was a buzzing horde of lemurs running off with his leg.

About eleven hours later, Bob awoke, his shin throbbing. It was dark and Bob did not know where he was. Deep in the muddy disease-infested jungle, Bob was very lost. As if it really mattered, he remembered that the lemurs took his leg. At that point, he was just thankful for his life. That is when, to his horror, a bloated lemur emerged from the secret vineyard. It was the alpha lemur. Bob opened his mouth to scream but was cut short when the lemur sunk its teeth into Bob’s face. With a faint groan, the life escaped from Bob’s lungs, but not before he realized that he was a failure.

Less than six miles away, Womanperson was entombed by anguish over the loss of the leg. “MY PRECIOUS!” she cried, as she reached for a sharpened gerbil. With a mighty thrust, she buried it deeply into her kidney. As the room began to fade to black, she thought about Bob... wishing she had found the courage to tell him that she loved him. But, she would die alone that day. All that remained was the leg that had turned them against each other, ultimately causing their demise. In addition, as the dew on melancholy sapling branches began to reflect the dawn’s reddish glare, all that could be heard was the chilling cry of distant lemurs, desecrating all things sacred to virtuous men, and perpetuating an evil that would reign for centuries to come. Our heroes would have lived unhappily ever after, but they were too busy being dead. Therefore, no one lived forever after, the end.

Battlefield 2 gun music

2007-12-08T15:08:00.000-05:00

How to Clean a Scratched Disc with Your Microwave

2007-12-07T16:40:00.000-05:00

Sorry about the string of videos, it has been a slow news week.

Zero Puntuation- Assassin's Creed

2007-12-06T17:37:00.000-05:00

Yet another hilarious video review by Escapist writer, Ben Yahtzee.

Hey people

2007-12-06T16:11:00.001-05:00

Visit Joshua's website at http://members.iquest.net/~cbooth/ourhomepage.html, lots of gaming and weird geek stuff.

POWERTHIRST!!!

2007-12-05T19:14:00.000-05:00

400 BABIES!!!

POWERTHIRST 2!!!

Juggling Man Accidentally Spears Pidgeon!

2007-12-05T18:19:00.000-05:00

Juggling Man Accidentally Spears Pigeon - Watch more free videos

What are the chances of this!?!?!?!

Guy gets OWNED...by scissors?

2007-12-05T18:18:00.000-05:00

One of the best vid's I have seen in a LONG time!

Future Prediction - Google Can Find Anything

2007-12-04T18:58:00.001-05:00

A recent news leak from a Daily Mail article entitled Google is watching you says that they want to expand their mapping service to find anything with an embedded RFID chip. These will eventually be embedded in easy to lose items such as car keys, wallets, cell phones, and watches. There is also the possibility of embedding these chips in people for medical records, but they could probably also be harnessed for tracking purposes.

So, simply enter "Where are my car keys?" and Google will search through your previously entered information (I'm assuming this is a private opt-in service, otherwise it would pose serious security risks) and find it's location. Sounds like a great idea, but I'm not totally convinced how well this would work. Radio Frequency Identification chips don't emit radio frequencies, they modify a radio frequency sent to them. The range for an RFID isn't too large either.

One plan, which has already tentatively started, entails making literally everything in the world accessible at the click of a button.

....eventually, far-fetched as it sounds, Google boffins believe it can be extended to people and their personal belongings.

The idea is that we, and our treasured possessions, will be fitted with minute microchips which could be linked to the internet, via computers, by a digital radio frequency.

In this way, you would only have to type "Where is my watch" or "Find Joe Bloggs" into your PC or handheld computer, and Google could assist you.

The theory, at least, is that we will never lose anything and never be out of contact with oneanother - fine for parents wishing to check up on little Johnny at nursery, perhaps, but an unpalatable prospect for those who fear the temptation such a network would present to criminals or totalitarian regimes.

Original story here.

Yes, I am still here!

2007-12-04T18:45:00.000-05:00

Yeah everyone, I'm still here working on the blog actively, but I am working on the backend adding everything from that nifty little calendar next to every post to the tag pool and search function. I would like to deem Griffin Content Moderator and me the head XHTML guy. I'll start posting once I finish on the backend! Cheers!

Hack Your 6 Volt Battery

2007-12-03T16:55:00.000-05:00

By prying apart a simple $5 lantern battery, you can get 32 AA batteries at a cost of less than $0.16 per battery.

AJAX Rating Bar!

2007-12-02T19:49:00.000-05:00

Look at the cool AJAX Rating Bar below! Rate those posts people!

How Lord of the Rings should have ended

2007-12-01T22:05:00.001-05:00

I Hate Slow Shipping

2007-12-01T18:40:00.000-05:00

I recently ordered an awesome airsoft gun, the Mk96/L96 Sniper Rifle, from airsoftgi.com.
Specifications:

Barrel Length: 515mm

Weight: 3340g

Magazine: 30 rounds

System: Spring Bolt Action

Muzzle Velocity: 500 fps with 0.2gbbs

Package Includes: Gun, Two Magazines, Bipod Adaptor, Bipod and Manual (No Scope)

I have no quarrel with the gun. The deal is the best I've ever seen. It shoots 500+ feet per second and only costs US$130. Clocking at a quarter of the real thing, used by the British Special Forces, the gun is extremely cost effective. The thing can shatter glass. Have a look at this vid featuring one of the most awesome songs ever (you might want to turn down your sound):

Let The Bodies Hit The Floor - Drowning Pool

However, slow shipping is making me go crazy. I ordered the gun on Wednesday, and it said the order was pending for 2 days. Today, it changed to "printing invoice" and it hasn't changed for at least 12 hours. How does it take 12 freaking hours to print and deliver an invoice? Its probably sent through e-mail and that fact makes it more unbelievable. I hope that this process is built into the 4-day shipping. Otherwise, I might not buy again from them.

If you can wait, the gun can be ordered from here.

Glen...Glen, Glen, Glen!

2007-12-01T18:39:00.000-05:00

Just tryin' to bring back a classic!

Design changes!

2007-12-01T09:47:00.000-05:00

We are going through the process of changing the design of this site. Please bear with us.

Orb

2007-11-29T06:24:00.000-05:00

I swear that this is the way to stream media. This is what you do. Go to http://www.orb.com. Download the software from the downloads page. (Direct link to downloads here.) Install the software. Create an account. Login from PC web browser at my.orb.com to test. Next use the Wii's web browser to go to my.orb.com, login and enjoy! You can now access all of your drives and file from any internet connection as long as Orb is running on your home PC. I recommend using the File Browser if you have NAS because all of the pictures, music and videos on NAS don't show up when you go to Videos, Audio or Photos. You should tweak the settings both on your PC by right clicking on the Orb icon in the system tray and clicking Configuration and by changing the settings online by clicking on settings. I love this and I spent 2 hours yesterday watching TV shows I recorded on my big screen.

DX10 for XP?

2007-11-28T13:55:00.000-05:00

Anyone who has listened to the the latest Buzz Out Loud from CNET will already know the rumors, but an inside source at Microsoft has said that SP3 for XP might include DirectX 10. I suppose Microsoft has finally realized that the only appeal of Vista to the average consumer is DX10 and that its not worth over $100.

Also flying around is the fact that XP SP3 performs faster than SP1 for Vista by at least twofold. A benchmarking test on Vista took 80+ seconds to complete whereas it only took 35 on Xp.

Many people have been rolling back to XP for this very reason as highlighted by some of the new Mac vs. PC commercials. Another email on BoL pointed out , however, that some people are rolling back to Mac OSX Tiger from Leopard because of lack of third party support.

Although the Mac probably has less compatibility issues because of Apple's tight hold on hardware, the point that all new OS's have problems is noted. But come on Microsoft, its been almost a year now, shouldn't that be enough time to get your act together?

Vista is starting to look like the second Millennium Edition, an operating system so bad that XP had to replace it post-haste. Will that happen to Vista? The same caller seems to think so as he also says that his source has pinpointed the date of the next Windows iteration in October of next year?

Hopefully this one won't be so bad that it has to be split up into five affordable but retarded versions and a crazy-expensive Ultimate Edition.

If Programmers Made a Plane

2007-11-27T17:34:00.000-05:00

Metal Pen

2007-11-26T17:01:00.000-05:00

Grand Illusions Ltd. sells a pen that essentially never runs out of ink. This is because, although it may appear normal, the special writing utensil is a specially crafted shaft of metal. Here is the original story:

A stainless steel pen, 8cm long. However when you unscrew the top, the 'nib' is a solid piece of metal. There is no ink, yet this pen will write on virtually any type of paper. This is what it looked like when we tried it on a piece of normal paper...

How does it work?

In the Medieval period, artists and scribes often used a metal stylus in order to draw on a specially prepared paper surface. Generally known as Metalpoint, or Silverpoint when the stylus was made of silver, artists such as Leonardo da Vinci, Dürer and Rembrandt all used this technique. http://www.silverpointweb.com/index.html gives a lot of information about how it works.

The pens we sell are a modern version (and do not use silver). The solid metal 'nib' consists of a metal alloy, that leaves a mark on most types of paper. If you use the sort of paper typically used in printers and photocopiers, the pen leaves a mark that looks as if it was made by a pencil. However the line will not smudge, and cannot be rubbed out.

Since there is no ink, there is nothing to dry out, so the pen will work just as well in 25 years time as it does today. And of course it never needs sharpening!

I would guess that in time the nib would begin to wear down, as you are leaving a small amount of metal on the page. However this has got to be a much slower process than with a pencil, which wears down pretty quickly.

If you are planning to write the definitive 21st century novel, I would recommend a regular pen. However as a scientific curiosity, we like this pen a lot.

The pen comes in a very smart, circular, silver colored metal presentation tin, and would make a very unusual gift.

The pen retails for $31.48 before tax.

Humorous Captchas

2007-11-23T21:20:00.000-05:00

Seriously, how did these captchas even get generated?

Weird Error Message

2007-11-23T20:42:00.000-05:00

Apparently if one's cpu fan fails while running windows, the computer may start randomly playing classical music. I have a hard time believing that this article is not a joke.

Digg

2007-11-22T20:09:00.000-05:00

If you don't know about digg I'd like to say that you probably live under a rock, but the internet doesn't work that way. Even though digg is the largest social bookmarking site, lots of people don't know about it. I prefer digg because many of the stories posted there are actually interesting, not just lolcats or stupid videos, and that its hard to digg up a story thats not good by bribery. So, from now on, all of the blog posts will have a "digg this" button.

Anti-Helium and Magical Boats

2007-11-20T06:26:00.000-05:00

HEADSHOT!!

2007-11-19T21:59:00.000-05:00

Never juggle bowling balls.

And yes, this is fake.

"The Cosmopolitan"

2007-11-19T21:54:00.001-05:00

Squirrels RULE the world..and WIKIPEDIA!

2007-11-18T09:07:00.001-05:00

Overclocking

2007-11-17T12:00:00.000-05:00

Hey guys,

I just wanted to let you know that I wont be posting very much, as I am meticulously overclocking my primary computer for the holiday gaming season.

I've managed to bring my water-cooled 2.4 GHz stock q6600 to 3 GHz but I am going to try for 3.2 GHz. Then I am going to be overclocking my 8800 GTS.

CYA!

Some Great Music!

2007-11-17T09:15:00.000-05:00

The music on the left was made by me and my friend, the other side is just some of my favorites!

Hypocrite!

2007-11-16T18:15:00.000-05:00

I'm sure he only doing it for the My Coke Rewards...

frogger

2007-11-16T18:11:00.000-05:00

I found this picture
SAVE THE FROGS FROM THEIR EVIL TORTURE!!!

Vista Sucks

2007-11-16T16:53:00.000-05:00

Click here to find your why Vista sucks. (Yes Alex, Vista DOES suck!)

Office Poltergeist

2007-11-16T16:19:00.000-05:00

Office Poltergeist is a program that allows you to take limited control of another's computer and prank them.
It allows you to:

Play spooky sounds
Open or close CD drives
Transmit text through your victim's keyboard
Make windows shake
Turn monitors on and off
Move windows slightly left and right
Send popup alert messages

All you have to do is set up the client on their computer and it will give you their ip address.
Office Poltergeist is open-source and released under the GPL.

There is also a Firefox extension which is even easier to install and adds the option to replace text and open webpages.

Aliens!

2007-11-16T16:15:00.000-05:00

Aliens exist! View Story.

New planet may be home to aliens

Excited astronomers have discovered a new planet that could be home to alien life, they revealed tonight. The world is orbiting a nearby star like the Sun in its so-called "habitable zone" - just the right distance for liquid water to exist.

A Nasa artist's impression of the 55 Cancri solar system. It is the fifth planet to be identified in orbit around the star 55 Cancri, a star very similar in type and age to our own Sun, making it a virtual twin of our own solar system.

The star, which is dimly visible to the naked eye in the constellation of Cancer, now holds the record for the number of worlds in orbit, after our own Sun. It lies just 41 light-years away - right on our cosmic doorstep.

Scientists said the new planet is 45 times the mass, or size of the Earth, and has a year 260 days long - the time it takes to orbit 55 Cancri. It was found by measuring the tiny wobble it causes to the star as it orbits. Detecting this was a triumph for the astronomers and took them 18 years of study from Lick Observatory, California, because it had to be separated from the effects of the other planets.

The planet is 72.5 million miles from 55 Cancri, a little less than the distance of the Earth from the Sun, but at an ideal distance for the warmth that life as we know it would need to exist. Computers had previously identified the star as an ideal candidate to house Earth's twin.

Geoff Marcy, of the University of California, said last night: "The discovery has me jumping out of my socks. We now know that our own Sun and its family of planets is not unusual."

He said that if there is a moon going around this new planet, it would have a rocky surface. Water could form lakes or seas and produce the conditions for life to begin. But he added: "Then all bets are off as to how life could evolve on that moon."
Fellow discoverer Debra Fischer, of San Francisco State University, said she expected that other Earth-like planets could exist in the star's habitable zone. She said: "I bet that gap is not empty."

She added: "55 Cancri is very much like our own sun. It is about the same size and the same age. It is a solar system that is packed with planets. It has profound implications for how we search for Earth-like planets."

She went on: "The gas-giant planets in our solar system all have large moons. If there is a moon orbiting this new, massive planet, it might have pools of liquid water on a rocky surface."

In April, astronomers revealed they had discovered a planet resembling Earth in the habitable zone of a dwarf planet called Gliese 581 in the constellation of Libra.
Nasa associate administrator Alan Stern said: "It is amazing to see our ability to detect extrasolar planets growing. We are finding solar systems with a richness of planets and a variety of planetary types comparable to our own."

Answering questions, Debra Fischer said the new planet was more massive than Uranus or Neptune but less massive than Saturn, "so we don't know what it will look like."
Geoff Marcy said that, although it was speculative to say there were moons in orbit around the new planet, there were moons around ALL the giant planets in our own solar system.

He felt that, if the planet was like one of the giant planets in our solar system, then it was unlikely to be home to life itself, but conditions on one of its moons could be suitable.

Water has already been discovered a steam in the atmosphere of another giant planet beyond the solar system. And last month, results from the Spitzer space telescope revealed that a planet like Earth could be forming around a further star.

Pac-Man

2007-11-15T18:49:00.000-05:00

One of my favorites

OH, The Huge Manatee

2007-11-15T17:22:00.000-05:00

Don't Die

The true life cycle of a project!

2007-11-15T16:16:00.001-05:00

View it here

I wish I could do that!

2007-11-15T06:30:00.000-05:00

It is pretty good. Yay for StumbleUpon!

Fun Game for a Geography Whiz

2007-11-14T21:00:00.000-05:00

It pretty fun. I got 325,400 points. Beat that!

The Double-Slit Experiment

2007-11-14T20:36:00.000-05:00

Yay! Quantum Physics FTW!

Some of My Favorite Webcomics

2007-11-14T19:04:00.000-05:00

Sometimes I'm too lazy to go out and pick up the newspaper to read the comics. Webcomics are so much easier to find and view, so I've compiled a list of my Top 8 Webcomics. And yes, I found these through Stumbleupon, the greatest time-waster ever.

Note: These are not in order

JNS News: The Official Cotton Dog of Easter

2007-11-14T18:28:00.000-05:00

Due to the extreme boredom of the commercial christening artists, yet another new item of note has been titled the "Official Cotton Dog of Easter." The general public says that they have no idea what a Cotton dog is, and many, due to the picture shown at the right, say they are anxious to get their own dog from the Cotton breed.

The cute pink ears are roughly two and a half inches long, and the body has the proportions of a Chihuahua. The Easter dog, in answer to our question, 'Are you mutated?' stated, "Yes, of course I am. You'd better watch where you step cowboy, or I'll rip your innards out." The reporters did not reveal any other questions of note to us.

Undoubtedly, this is one of the cutest, sweetest dogs there is, and the general public has good reasons for wanting this breed of dog. The Cotton breed, the officials urge, does not exist, giving the general public yet another reason to hate the government. This is Josh, at JNS news, signing off. Have a great night!

JNS News Notice: As of the publishing date of November 14, 2007, the Official Cotton Dog of Easter has been destroyed due to unnecessary violence.

Cats gone wild!

2007-11-14T18:20:00.000-05:00

Owned.
More here

Picture of the Day

2007-11-14T18:06:00.000-05:00

Griffin's Photoshop Tip of the Day

2007-11-13T17:56:00.000-05:00

Hi all,
I thought I would share a little Photoshop magic with you today. Here is a tutorial on how to make realistic water from scratch.

The photo above is the permutation that
fits across two pages that will be put in the yearbook I am editing.

	Let's start with a new document 500x500 pixels Press "D" to reset your color palletes to black and white. Create a new layer, then apply the following filter: Filter->Render->Clouds
	Apply: Filter->Blur->Gaussian Blur Set: 6 Apply: Filter->Blur->Motion Blur Set: Angle: 90, Distance: 80
	Now go to Image->Image Size Set: width: 300pixels (UNTICK the "Constrain Proportions" option ) then click ok. So now your document should be 300 width and 500 high.
	Next, go to Filter->Artistic->Plastic Wrap Set: Highlight Strength: 15, Detail:10, Smoothness:10 Apply Filter->Sketch->Chrome Set: Detail:0, Smoothness: 8
	Go to Edit->Fade Chrome Set: Opacity:100%, Mode: Hard Light
	Now go to Image->Image Size Set: height:800 pixels, leave all other settings, and make sure the "Constrain Proportions" is NOT checked.
	Now go to Edit->Transform->Warp Move the anchors around, inward, up and down, just play with it to shape it like running water. Now, just add some gradient color to the background layer, and change it's water layer's blending mode to "Hard Light."

JNS News: Fatal Crime Against Endangered Stuffedo Bear

2007-11-12T20:05:00.000-05:00

On Monday, November 12, police discovered trails of bloody hair leading to a house in Carmel, Indiana. Says Officer Boot, "We were far too late. I just wish there was something we could have done." Officer Boot's team had discovered the body of a bear named Ragen lying on a bed upstairs.

Ragen was brutally emasculated and then impaled with two large knives which the criminal had bought at a hardware store prior to the homicide.

The bear had also lost a lot of blood and died a slow, painful death, knowing full well that he could never have offspring even if he survived. But, Boot still has hope for the search. "I think he is out there waiting for us to discover him, but right now scientists are tracking him down."

Boot shared his condolences with us and Ragen's family. Boot left us with, "He will be found, and justice will be served." The criminal will be executed when the police find him, as the emasculation and murder of the rare Stuffedo Bear are both deep felonies. This is Josh, at JNS news, signing off. Have a great night!

The font tag, the p tag, and tables

2007-11-11T20:21:00.000-05:00

Anyway, today we're going to talk about the font tag. It can only be used in HTML, not XHTML. CSS is better for this sort of thing, but i prefer the font tag. The font tag has three parts, face, color, and size. Each of these comes after the tag and can be separated by commas, but i don't like the commas.

Well, I wrote the story about tutor.com below, by the way, it's on my website as well. It seems the Internet isn't down today, which is...well...take it how you want to take it. Continuing with our HTML theme, the tag is only available in non-XHTML, HTML webpages, meaning only in HTML, in case you didn't figure that out. Yes, well, call me someone with bad jokes, but I bet you think something as simple as shouting "rabies" during class is funny, you shallow, crass individual. Anyway, the tag is what I must use for every web page, until I start using more CSS, though I did a great deal of editing with it to my homepage already, which Alec initially provided (personally, I might add, it's not the same template he posted online, it's just similar).

The p tag can best be used only for non-pictured texts, just plain text. The align = left, right, center, or justify can be used as well, but justify and center are the only ones you should use. If people with high rezzes are viewing your page, text aligned to the left or the right can look very strange. justify evens out the text across the screen, making it the best option, or for small titles center can be used, which obviously centers the text at the middle of the screen.

If you have have pictures and text, the p tag cannot be used very well, and it will look bad for people with high rezzes, so tables can be used. Tables can be made in MS Word and then saved into HMTL, or you can look it up. My HTML code will just disappear again, thank you. This is Josh, signing off.

Don't Show Your Parents

2007-11-11T07:43:00.000-05:00

There is a problem with pcworld.com's spellchecker, misspelled words are in red.

Young Xbox 360 Gamers Face Restrictions
Forthcoming Xbox 360 controls will let parents limit the number of hours played by uoung gamers.

GamePro staff
Saturday, November 10, 2007 7:00 AM PST

In addition to restricting the type of games played, Xbox 360 will soon be able to limit the total number of hours played by younger gamers.

"As the customer base broadens, the demand for these kinds of capabilities does increase," said Robbie Bach, president of Microsoft's entertainment and devices division.

Not unlike a similar feature found in Microsoft's Windows Vista operation system, the new timer will grant care-takers the ability to restrict total hours played on either a daily or weekly basis. Once the time limit is reached, the console will automatically turn off.

According to Bach, a restriction timer was the number-one most desired feature by parents in a recent study conducted by Microsoft.

News of an Xbox 360 timer was first rumored in early September.

Meet the Solider

2007-11-11T07:14:00.000-05:00

Team Fortress 2 Trailer:

The end has an interesting twist.

Australian Government to Execute Anarchist Horses

2007-11-11T00:01:00.000-05:00

YDNEY (AFP) - An Australian state government's plans to shoot more than 10,000 wild horses to protect the environment were Sunday attacked by some animal rights activists as inhumane. ADVERTISEMENT

The Queensland government had attempted to keep the cull of the horses, or brumbies, a secret because of fears of a public outcry.

But government documents confirming the cull were obtained by the media while the Save the Brumbies charity reproduced photographs it said are of the cull on its website.

One of the images shows a foal standing over its dead mother while the second shows a horse left to die with a wound to its rump and gut.

Get the rest of the story here.

Antlions

2007-11-10T23:54:00.000-05:00

I shall be posting here. As of now, I have nothing to contribute except coloured antlions:

TAC Launcher - IN ACTION!

2007-11-10T23:42:00.000-05:00

This is what a TAC launcher does. Enjoy ;)

Ultra-Short Pulse Lasers

2007-11-10T22:10:00.000-05:00

Scientists at Johns Hopkins University have developed a laser that pulses in femtoseconds, or one millionth of a nanosecond. The laser can be customized to the resonant frequency of any bacteria or virus and will destroy any specific type of organisms in the body of the person it is pointed at. They are currently testing the laser on HIV and Hepatitis with positive results. Moreover, an FDA official estimated that ultra short-pulse lasers (USPs) could have hundreds of medical uses from laser eye treatments to destroying tumors cell-by-cell. USPs also appear to have no negative effect on human cells, although live trials are a long time away.

Full story can be found here

Relativity in Insanity

2007-11-10T21:35:00.000-05:00

The topic sounds nice doesn't it?

Regardless, I have arrived.

I shall be one of the select few sources of concentrated humor. (I do parties too!)

For my first trick, I shall reveal the anatomy of a balloon animal (results may vary).

2007-11-10T21:32:00.000-05:00

Hello, I am now posting too. I provide the randomness, yo, that dis here site needs! Anyway, the Internet, I hear, is going to be down on Sunday, which is tommorrow, so if you are ACTUALLLY reading this, it's probably after Sunday, lol.http://members.iquest.net/~cbooth/ourhomepage.html

my website, enjoy the geekiness.

A Great 'ol Yarn

2007-11-10T21:30:00.000-05:00

A great true story from my friend:

The site known as tutor.com can be a very fun place, as I found out. It's a site where you connect with real people and they help you with your school work. The interface has a web browser, a chalkboard, and a chat box. Here are three stories pertaining to my adventures on this site.

The first topic I chose was 8th grade social studies.

"When was the Treaty of Paris?' I asked.

"Well, do you have a textbook to look in?"

"Yes, I think it is called Freedom."

"Well, did you look it up?"

"It wouldn't tell me the answer. I asked it several times."

"Here's a site that might help."

The site pulled up, and the headline was right there, The Treaty of Paris of 1783.

"Oh, that's okay, I found the answer."

"Okay."

"It was in 1738."

"No, it was in 1783."

"No, I'm certain it was in 1738. Look it up."

"1783."

"Thank you for your help, goodbye."

The second topic I chose was 9th grade mathematics.

"Hello, I want to know if COS is a cognitive function," my friend Kevin asked, or something like it.

"Well, do you have a textbook to look in?"

"No. I mean yes."

"Did you look it up?"

"Yes, I found the answer, but I don't believe it."

The lady ignored that and proceeded to draw two very exquisite triangles, with lines and curves placed accurately. Before she could explain the diagram, I took matters into my own hands, rather the mouse, and erased two-thirds of the first triangle she had drawn. There was a small pause.

"Please don't erase."

"Oh, sorry, that was my baby brother. She can be so annoying sometimes."
"I see."

"Thank you for your help, goodbye."

The last topic I chose was college physics. This is the best one. We were speaking with someone named Christopher.

"Hello, I want to know how phyglonomy works in bicycles."

"Phyglonomy?"

"Yes, phyglonomy."

"My dictionary doesn’t have this word, are you sure you spelled it right?"

"Yes, phyglonomy."

"My other dictionary can't find it either, are you sure that's how it's spelled?"

"Yes, I would like to know how phyglonomy reacts with bicycle metal when it experiences extreme friction and has kinetic ruptures."

There is a pause; he is obviously trying to look up something.

"I want to know about phyglonomy with the lymonies."

"Lymonies, are you sure you spelled that right?"

"Oh, I'm so sorry, it's lynomies."

"I can't find that, are you sure you spelled it right?"

"Hold on, I have an equation for you."

Kevin had drawn Hi Chris on the chalkboard.

"Okay, look on the chalkboard."

A pause.

"All I see is hi Chris."

Kevin erased it and drew the pressure formula, P=F/A.

"Okay, we have a real equation this time."

"Oh that's the formula for pressure."

"No, it's phyglonomy equals lynomies over area."

"What? No, it's pressure equals force divided by area."

"Yes, I would like to know about the phyglonomy."

He went into jargon about the pressure formula."

"I want to know about phyglonomy!"

"Maybe I should connect you to someone else."

"Yes, please do that."

We logged out, laughing hysterically.

By Josh, visit my website at http://members.iquest.net/~cbooth/ourhomepage.html for more of my stuff.

Cows Gone Bad

2007-11-10T20:30:00.000-05:00

Cows aren't as friendly as they seem...
I love this video.

Roller Coaster Tycoon Slaughter

2007-11-10T13:45:00.000-05:00

Here's an awesome video featuring They Might Be Giant's Older.

The abbr tag

2007-11-06T18:39:00.000-05:00

The abbr tag is somewhat useful. Look for your self. Example:

CSS

The title attribute is the thing that make the hover over effect.
'nuf said.

Wallpaper Changer - revised post

2007-11-06T18:06:00.000-05:00

Today I'd just like to put out a review of WPchanger:

Wpchanger is a compact program that allows you to specify the amount of time between automatic wallpaper changes. You can save lists of wallpaper, and cycle through them in however short time you may want. The free trial is unlimited, but lacks features of the pro version like dual monitor streching wallpaper; it still applies the same wallpaper to each screen.

WPchanger gets my seal of approval.

The a Tag

2007-11-05T19:56:00.000-05:00

The a tag is one of the most used tags in all of XHTML and HTML for that matter. The a means anchor and it links between XHTML pages or other files like PDFS or downloads like executables. When people click on them it sends them to the linked file. The browser knows to interpret files like .html .xhtml .xml .htm .php. aspx .asp and on until the cows come home. However, when the browser encounters a file that it doesn't know what to do with it gives you a popup box like this:

But what do you write to get the a tag to go where you want? The href attribute tells it where to go. Example:

<a href="http://cnn.com">Click Me</a>

The href part is the attribute and http://cnn.com is the value of the attribute.

The official name is a hyperlink but it is more commonly known as a link. I personally find this particular tag quite useful.

NOOOOO!!!

2007-11-05T17:23:00.001-05:00

I just found out there will never be a real gPhone.
All this hype for naught.
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2704,2212431,00.asp

WTF?

2007-11-05T16:43:00.000-05:00

I came upon a story on stumbleupon today (Stumbleupon FTW!!) that talked about how a kid got suspended for 5 days because he drew a picture of a hand laser with smiley faces on it. The following story can be found at The Deadly Computer Blog

What could have happened

You see that drawing above. Notice how it vaguely resembles a badly drawn gun with happy faces on it and stick figure people playing on it, and a row of apartments in the middle? Well in case you didn’t see that, and all you did see was this:

Let me assure you, it is a badly drawn gun with happy faces on it and stick figure people playing on it, and a row of apartments in the middle. I hope the bold hammered it into your head, cause as long as you can understand that little line of factual information, you are instantly smarter then the principal at Payne Junior High School in Arizona.

You see, a student there was drawing aimlessly and for whatever reason, drew a “fake laser”. A teacher passing by however thought it posed a threat, took the picture away from the student, sent him to the principal who in turn suspended him for 5 days.

School officials claim it “absolutely” posed a threat. Well, school officials, the day a “fake laser” drawn on a fucking piece of paper can “absolutely” pose a threat will be the same day that I take over the world.

All I would have to do is ~~hijack~~ commandeer a newspaper company for a day, and instead of printing actual news for a change, just printed a picture of a gun on every page. That way, I would have an army of literally billions, and it would be so easy to take over the world, because everyone would be scared of the guns on the paper.

Then, I would come out, and say, pledge allegiance to me and I will provide you with the means to combat this new unstoppable army. And I would provide free matches to all who join my real army. Then, I will be unstoppable. My army of legions will bow before me lest I forget to give them matches for the day to stop my Newspaper company from, printing pictures of guns.

Yes indeed, The pen is mightier then the sword my good friend, and I have won.

Really though, these school officials need to be, I don’t know, shot for:

thinking that a drawing of a gun posed an “absolute” threat
believing that a drawing of a gun posed an “absolute” threat
punishing a kid for his drawing abilities

When that happens, there will be 2 less dumb people in places of power in the world, only a few billion more to go…

I just have to say... seriously WTF?!?!
Our government is so f'ing screwed up.

Crysis Demo

2007-11-05T16:06:00.001-05:00

I recently got my hands on the Crysis demo, and I am giddy about the upcoming release in under a week. The graphics look amazing even in XP, although I have an 8800, and the combat system is realistic. The fighting style is more guerrilla warfare, not tearing through scores of enemy forces like some other games are. It requires tactics, I had to cloak myself, grab an opponent and throw him at his comrade, and then shoot the other man with a sleeping dart and punch him to death because I was out of ammo.

The power suit you wear, which gets damaged in the first scene and I assume will slowly regain its abilities, a subtle throwback to Metroid Prime, consists of 5 modes:

A speed enhancing mode which increases your walking speed and allows you to sprint for a short time at superhuman speeds.
A strength mode which allows you to pick up large objects and people, jump higher, and increases your punching damage.
The default Maximum Armor mode, obviously
A cloaking mode, it degenerates faster when you move faster, and only works if used with the tactics and the utmost caution from my experience.

Just another game to put on my Christmas wish list.

Astronauts repair torn solar panel in seven hour spacewalk

2007-11-04T15:25:00.000-05:00

Read the article here.

One comment: That would not be fun. However the comments on that page are fun to read!

XHTML

2007-11-04T02:26:00.000-05:00

Here are all the XHTML Strict tags in alphabetical order. Once per day I will write about one of these tags starting with the a tag and working my way down to the var tag. I will describe each tag, tell what it does, give my two cents on it and show some examples. But first you might ask, "What is XHTML and how is it different than HTML. Is it better? Why or why not?" I will answer those questions right now. XHTML stands for Extensible HyperText Markup Language. From Wikipedia:

Whereas HTML is an application of Standard Generalized Markup Language (SGML), a very flexible markup language, XHTML is an application of XML, a more restrictive subset of SGML. Because they need to be well-formed, true XHTML documents allow for automated processing to be performed using standard XML tools—unlike HTML, which requires a relatively complex, lenient, and generally custom parser. XHTML can be thought of as the intersection of HTML and XML in many respects, since it is a reformulation of HTML in XML. XHTML 1.0 became a World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) Recommendation on January 26, 2000. XHTML 1.1 became a W3C recommendation on May 31, 2001.

Here are the basic of XHTML

Declare a DOCTYPE
Declare an XML namespace
Declare your content type
Close every tag, enclosing or non-enclosing
All tags must be nested correctly
Inline tags can't contain block level tags
Write tags in lowercase
Attributes must have values and must be quoted
Use encoded equivalents for left brace and ampersand

Here is the list.

a
abbr
acronym
address
area
b
base
bdo
big
blockquote
body
br
button
caption
cite
code
col
colgroup
dd
del
dfn
div
dl
DOCTYPE
dt
em
fieldset
form
h1, h2, h3, h4, h5, and h6
head
html
hr
i
img
input
ins
kbd
label
legend
li
link
map
meta
noscript
object
ol
optgroup
option
p
param
pre
q
samp
script
select
small
span
strong
style
sub
sup
table
tbody
td
textarea
tfoot
th
thead
title
tr
tt
ul
var

Me Too!

2007-11-02T06:00:00.000-04:00

I will be posting too!

First Post!

2007-11-01T22:47:00.000-04:00

This is The Cipher
Its purpose is to inform readers of technology or science related (with the occasional odd topic) content and interesting developments in the world. We hope to be interesting and informative while being highly entertaining and thought-provocative.

Griffin