Wednesday, May 30, 2007

Meet the "users": We don't talk, we don't like you, we just want to play

Online you can find a new breed of players: the users who minimize the social aspect of play. A look inside our collective heads.



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(VIDEO) Bill Gates Shows Off Microsoft's Touch Table

Billy Gates was on the Today Show this morning showing off his fancy new table. Want to see it in action rather than just in photos? Check the video for all sorts of goodness of it being used for all sorts of applications, such as playing with photos, wirelessly pulling photos off a camera, and ordering and paying for food using credit cards.



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Saturday, May 26, 2007

Basic Cell Phone Acronyms You Need to Know

Confused by the alphabet soup of cell phone acronyms? I don't blame you. Here's a cheat sheet that'll help you navigate the waters while your shopping for your next phone—or trying to get the most out of the handset you've got.



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ESRB Comments on Halo 2's Naked Ass

Turns out that accidental partial nudity was in fact a guy mooning users when they get an error message in Halo 2 Vista.



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Thursday, May 24, 2007

CB Games Beta Diaries: Halo 3 '...And The Hog He Rode In On'

This beta diary entry covers the vehicles in the game and how to obtain them, or what uses they have. There's also further discussion of some of the newer weapons found in Halo 3.



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Pulse: Jack Thompson after Halo 3... WTF?

Thanks to G.T.A.'s hot coffee and an annoying legal battle Jack Thompson is becoming well known (if infamous) as the enemy of gamers everywhere. Now hes just being and idiot (no MORE THAN USUAL). Going after one of Microsoft's cash cow the newest Halo installment. Now I can understand wanting to keep young kids away from sex and violence and helping parents identify that stuff in their kids media but... Seriously! The reasons he has stated are ludicrous and the game hasn't even come out.

I gotta cut this short or I'll go on for 3 more paragraphs incoherently spewing profanity. But needless to say, many are pissed. What do you think? Give me your comments.

Here's some articles for more information on the subject:
Techspot-Jack Thompson threatens to sue Microsoft over Halo 3
Game Almighty-Jack Thompson Lays His Legal Sights On Halo 3(Has Jacks Full Letter to Gates)

So freaking pissed.... :-

Wednesday, May 23, 2007

Pulse: So Psyched about Starcraft

The murderous marine in the trailer was right... "Its about DAMN TIME!!!" For anyone who still owns a copy of this game from when it first came out it has been a long(and I do mean LONG) wait for anything even resembling a sequel in the classic sense for this EPIC. There's been no closure for our heroes of the starcraft world and no evolution of the product in about a decade.

So just when we gave up all hope of a sequel and moved on to other franchises Starcraft2 come knocking on our door with a "Sorry I'm Late". I almost don't wanna let her in... but shes just to damn hot. By now we've all seen the latest pics and vids from Blizzard but the gameplay doesn't look like something we haven't seen before. Same large scale battles. Same races. Same setup. Looks glossier, new units, but the question many are asking is, is it the same old thing? Rise of Legends at one point seemed to be the latest successor to the RTS throne. Warcraft3 and WOW evolved beyond their settings to focus on thier world and change the gameplay for a new feel. "GASP" Did this series die way back when? Or can it comeback to its former glory with something new and improved?

Try to remember that we have only seen the "Alpha". That means they may not even be done with the story and all the units yet. So for all who aren't content with the current look don't judge that book just yet. Just like Warcraft the series may evolve in ways we haven't even thought of yet. Wait for the beta. We only got a sneak peak to go on so lets give this old dog a chance to roll over before we tell it to play dead.

I on a personal note LOVED THE NEW FOOTAGE. Did you?

:-j

Tuesday, May 22, 2007

New Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80s tracks revealed!

Activision reveals 7 new tracks from their upcoming 80s themed Guitar Hero release!



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Must have mug for when all those "morning people" stop by your cubicle.

Optimists need not purchase, this mug's not for you...



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Google To Shut Down AdSense Arbitrageurs

Arbitrage and AdSense has been an issue basically since the day Google launched AdSense. Arbitrageurs would use Google AdWords and other means to send traffic to their site, and monetize that traffic with Google AdSense. Well, it seems that those made for Adsense sites and AdSense arbitrageurs are being shut down.



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Top 10 High Definition TVs

"High-definition tellies come in all shapes and sizes, from compact 15-inch LCDs to yawning great 70-inch plasmas for the ultimate in home cinema. These are the 10 we've come across that have made the biggest impression."



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Monday, May 21, 2007

Guy Lost 28 lbs on Slimfast, Pizza, and Wii!

Title says it all.



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Top 5 differences between Starcraft 2 and Warcraft 3

Gamespot has a detailed interview with Blizzard’s top creative talent, including Rob Pardo.Here’s some of the key points that have surfaced about Starcraft 2 gameplay...



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80GB PS3 announced

For Korea. $556. Whats this say about Americas future with the PS3?



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Keepin' it Real Fake: Ultimate Knockoff Phone Rips Off Four Separate Brands

We get a wee bit excited round here when brands collide to create interesting new spinoffs, but this handset is full-on ridiculous. Our creative Asian friends weren't happy with a simple gaming handset, they had to bust out a Windows Mobile-esque OS, with a dash of faux PSP, a splash of Nintendo all wrapped in almost Anycall.



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Updates From The Dark Alley

Well I guess I should give a personal post and breakdown what is to be the basic posting schedual. I'll be surfing the net for videos, tech news, funny websites and other internet gems on a regular basis. I'll also try to get you guys reviews on cool items and games when I can. Thursdays (or the weekends) I'll give you my opinionated opinion on some comics(real and web) I read or were recommended. And at least once a week I'll hit you with a personal post about New York, my ideas, or stupidity I can dig up.

I'm still very new to this so leave me comments and suggestions on how to do this better. What do you guys wanna see? Do you like the layout(still updating)? If you have a successful blog running give me some Tips DAMN YOU!!!!

Thanks for dropping by...
:-j

Sunday, May 20, 2007

Firefox Is Getting Mac OS X-native Controls

Mozilla’s Firefox is one of the most popular browsers out there; however, Mac users don’t love it nearly as much as they could. One of the main reasons why this happens is the lack of an OS X look and feel for the application. Fortunately, it looks like the developers have listened to the users.... Yah!



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De Niro: Sued For Contracting Cancer - WTF?

Oscar winner Robert De Niro has filed a motion against Fireman's Fund Insurance to dismiss a suit the company filed against him in 2006. De Niro's rep Stan Rosenfield tells TMZ "This was filed in response to Fireman's Fund's decision to sue Robert De Niro because he was diagnosed with cancer."



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Top 10 things to do with your Wii while you’re waiting for AAA games.

I’ve already played through the few AAA games that have been released, and now the Wii’s been getting a little stale. There are a ton of great games in the pipeline, but those aren’t coming for a few months. What am I going to do with my system until that time comes?



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Starcraft 2: 4 New Gameplay Videos

The first videos of actual gameplay are starting to surface. Game Trailers has put up several different gameplay videos, and Game Videos put up an on-stage demo narrated by Blizzard at the official unveiling. Damn those Koreans are lucky.



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Saturday, May 19, 2007

Rogue Videos: Halo 3 "Beta Leak" analysis

Normally I stick to Comedy videos but Halo 3 beta fever is everywhere you look online and i'm getting swept up in it too. I really hope the problems with the beta get fixed and they really listen to the gamers and reviewers out there. I would hate to spend my rent money on a less than finished product. Even if it takes longer to produce make it fun for everyone buy making it polished, functional, challenging and easy to get into.





Anyhow here's and analysis vid from the good people at Joystiq.











Thanks Guys. :-j

Rogue Videos: Where in the world is SHE

Seriously no one could ever find this chick on any show. Where the F*** is Carmen Sandiego?
These guys mature the PBS gameshow in sketch comedy form. No imbeded this time guys but go check it out.



:-j

Rogue Videos: Sorpranos Censored

Its been said before, its been done before but shows like Sopranos NEED to be uncensored. Or you get crap TV like this.






I mean seriously, what the FERNGULLY.

:-j

Guitar Zeros rock out with Guitar Hero axes

Making music with today's newfangled controllers is nothing new, but the Guitar Zeros are taking things a step further by actually forming a band that uses non-modified Guitar Hero controllers and a good bit of programming to please crowds. The San Francisco-based four-piece utilizes a standard drum kit and set of pipes, but opts for a much more di



read more | digg story

iPhone to be available at 2000 store fronts on launch

Apple's inaugural mobile handset, iPhone, will be available for sale at 2000 retail store fronts when it goes on sale for the first time next month, putting the device within reach of most US households.



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IGN: Blizzard's Worldwide Invitational Begins - Live Updates

Blizzard's Worldwide Invitational begins. IGN will constantly updating with new information from the event as it comes.



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Halo 3: Stuff That Needs Fixin’

The Halo 3 multiplayer beta is here, and like true Halo fans, we’ve spent the last week screaming at our TVs, blaming Bungie for our incompetence as players. Sure, we admit it: maybe it’s our own fault we got Spartan Laser’d in that Warthog on Valhalla, giving XxXxLeetSniperxXxX an Overkill. Maybe the majority of our entire team shouldn’t travel in



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Thursday, May 17, 2007

Square Enix Party promo CD ripped - Final Fantasy Dissidia and Crisis Core

Attendees of the Square Enix Party received a music sampler CD featuring some tracks from the upcoming Final Fantasy Dissidia and Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core. PSP Fanboy reader Jamal has been kind enough to rip these tracks for our sampling pleasure.



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Halo 3 Beta Fixed, Download Now!

Bungie have (finally) fixed the issues that delayed the release. Owners of Crackdown can now download the beta! "Given the popularity of the beta, we expect it may take some time for users to grab the files via Xbox Live."



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Apple preps first builds of Mac OS X 10.4.10 for testing

With the release of Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard pushed back to October, Apple has bought itself more time to tie loose ends in the current Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger operating system and will put forth those fixes via its first "dot ten" software update in quite some time, AppleInsider has learned.



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Tuesday, May 15, 2007

Pulse: No iPhone PreSales

Its not enough aparently that you have to switch to cingular to get an iPhone but now its first come first serve. The Boy Genius was testing the new Cell out and got his hands on some very interesting information (some old, some new). Apple's new phone is stated to be 5 years ahead of anything on the market today (old news). The release of the superphone will be at some point in june, and of the 2 versions announced the 4GB version will retail at $499 and the 8GB version will retail at $599.

That said the idea that on top of having to switch carriers and shell out half a grand that you may show up to store and theres a line around the block of angry tech-heads who know they might not get one reminds me the launch of a certain Sony console someone got shot over. I think I'll wait till the dust settles and my contract with Sprint is up... Just sayin'... color me unimpressed.

Sources: The Boy Genius - AT&T iPhone not to be presold
Crave.Cnet.com - No Presales for iPhone

Rogue Videos: Romance Advice w/ Rogue

Rag Tag Productions hits us again with this very humorous skit. Rod, from their webseries We Need Girlfriends, answers relationship questions because he's "Da Bomb at Romance Advice". Check it out.



Squirrel... :-j

Rogue Videos: are So Smooth...

As sketch comedy podcasting goes Barats and Bereta are of the cream of the crop. I mean these guys are AWESOME. They are SO SMOOTH they let this girl slip right through their fingers.



Great guys... More for the rest of us... :-j

Rogue Videos: Booty Breakdown

Whenever anyone comes to tell me about the hot new hired-help/student/girl they now have to break it down like this...



Take us home Felicity... :-j

Monday, May 14, 2007

Rogue Comics [Online]

What's the most important thing in a great comic series? To me? THEY GOTTA MAKE ME LAUGH. I mean its its in the name... COMICS, COMEDY, the art of humor. Even if its an epic story of good versus blah blah I heard it all before, just a couple of one-liners can really tie a story together.

Least I Could Do is a webcomic series that has that in spades. The comic follows ladies man Rayne on his adventures hitting on women. He's a rude, sexist, arrogant, egotisical jerk and once you start reading you will not get enough of him. He knows how to turn everything into a joke and anything into opportunity to get a girl in the sack... so basically hes my hero. Over the life of the comic, the series has changed artists about 3 times. I find it hard to stay away from this comic sometimes just so I can give it enough time to build up enough strips for me to devour. Each one is pure comedy gold.

Thank you Rayne ... for just being you. :-j

Rogue Videos

The Angry Nintendo Nerd has come under alot of pressure buy Youtube because of his "colorful" game reviews. That said... he's just funny as hell to listen to. His newest video is, I hope the start of a new short series of him ripping on something annoying. Check it out.



Hope you like this one. More on the way. :-j

Pulse: Home Kit for the Decerning Millionaire

Mile High Automation, a company based in Denver, is auctioning on Ebay a Home Automation Package. This system will set up audio systems to 14 rooms of your estate(yes, you must have estate), 55 automated lights, 6 thermostats and 6 security camera with a touch screen viewer cause lets face it, to quote George Carlin "Everyone else's stuff is shit but your SHIT is STUFF!!!" This rediculously expensive auction is listed at the time of this writing at $33,999.00 with NO BIDS currently (NO WAY I'M SHOCKED... sarcasm sarcasm). If you're interested in tricking out your home and the near $40,000 price tag is what you spend on laundry then... well... I HATE YOU. But not enough to not be above begging you for cash.

Who buys this stuff... you know, besides puffy. :-j

Sources: CNet CraveNet - The $33,999 high-tech home kit

Pulse: Ain't No Party Like a Square-Enix Party...

Square Enix, the company that gave birth to the "Final Fantasy" and "Dragon Quest Series" and many other great games besides, celebrated this Mothers Day weekend with their annual event the Square-Enix Party at the Makuhari Messe Convention Center in Chiba prefecture, Japan. At this event many cosplay their favorite characters, review the history of games by the company, play said games and more. The company announces new games, projects and news on press releases for the company.

Some games at the show include: It's a Wonderful World (Nintendo DS), The Last Remnant(XBox360 and PS3), and of course Final Fantasy XIII (newest game in the franchise) just to name a few.

Source: Gamespot reviewed the Square Enix Party at length.

Pulse: GALACTICA'S Star is Fading

Yup the SciFi Channel series Battlestar Galactica will be No More after next season. In an interview with IESB.net, Edward James Olmos and Katee Sackhoff confirmed that due to lack of ratings to sustain the budget for such an epic, the high end science fiction series remake will be leaving the air after one more season. Though there was mention of a spin-off, as the series stands now its time to collect those DVD's cause after one more season thats it.

Sources: IESB The Movie Reporter-Battlestar Galactica Last Season
G4TV's "THE FEED"-Next BSG's Season will be last

Sunday, May 6, 2007

Rogue Comics [Online]

More online goodies coming at ya today. First up is an online comic near and dear to my heart.

8-Bit Theater is a sprite comic about the old Final Fantasy 1(3 for Japan) game for the NES. The story will not sacrifice continuity for a joke and thats what makes them funny. They screw over the original formula for a heroic adventure for these anti-heroic misadventures. With a Stupid Fighter, Murderous Black Mage, Selfish Thief, and a Vain and Nerdy RedMage as our heroes you're really just asking for when this grouping will start killing each other... and they don't disappoint. So Check this group out by merit of parody of all things gaming alone.

Next up...

I'm still not sure what direction Directions of Destiny is taking but the art, characters and world are wonderfully crafted. A private high school that teaches magic and advanced technology has come under attack by various magical creatures (that kindof reminds me of Harry Potter) and when the faculty doesn't protect the school for whatever reason, the student council is left to mobilize a defense. They've gone on hiatus but the first 7 Chapters are available for viewing.

Thats all for now

Roguish Videos

You know i only post these guys so much cause i love 'em. Here's another stroke of comedy brilliance by the good folks at DerrickComedy .



Also, here's the first episode of the first season of ChooseYourOwnTube . The guys are up to episode 3 of their second season. Like the title implys you can vote on what happens in the next episode so theres a bit of interactivity there. Catch up on their webseries cause I havent been able to find anything like them.



Hope you like the vids... ;-j

Thursday, May 3, 2007

Rogue Comics

Well, new comics are in and everyones all about World War Hulk. I got the first issues and it look to be shaping up to be another money devouring epic. To tell the truth, I'm kinda tired of all these epics by Marvel and DC. Its just to much to keep up with it all. You gotta buy 15 comics a month just to follow Civil War, 52 had us buying comics every week, And dont even start with Identity Crisis and House of M.

It leads a Rogues mind to wander to simpler times. Times of One-Shot comics and short story arcs. Times before huge sweeping dramas replaced feel good funnies or a good old spidey makes cracks while dodging bullets and kicking Rhino in the face. Comics that don't necessitate that you buy every single spin-off to know what the hells going on.

In that train of thought I asked the some of the good people at Jim Hanley's Universe to turn me on to some new comics that are a little off the beaten path. Here are a list of some of their picks and my opinions buy, pass or read on the rack...

Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life Volume 1 (BUY) Just your average feel good story about a 23 year old in a rock band, dating a high schooler(17), and has a delivery girl running her routes by taking short cuts through his brain, and has to defeat said messenger chick's 7 evil exboyfriends before he can date her... BUT THE WEIRD THING IS... he's CANADIAN! (pause) Yeah I know! Check this one out.

The Mighty Skullboy Army Volume 1 (BUY) This series soooo reminds me of Invader Zim. Its almost the new season we never had. Vasquez that quitter... I miss him so much...

The Midnighter (Read On The Rack): Cause the story arcs don't connect too much its hit or miss with this series. Sometimes you get a good arc, sometimes not, sometimes homosexual samurai kill hundreds of people... (WHAT? It happens...) so browse and see.

;-j

Roguish Videos

Videos To Make You GRIN. Cool off with some of these gems of youtube

This is the best self defense video EVER!!! The guys at derrickcomedy never stop impressing me.

;-j

Also this is a webseries I recently got into from RagTag Productions on Youtube called We Need Girlfriends... which speaks to the fact that I need to get out more. Very funny. Take a look.

Tuesday, May 1, 2007

My Heroes

I LOVE THIS SHOW!!! Let me say that again cause I don't think you heard me. I LOVE THIS SHOW!!! Unless you: have no pulse, have something against good TV or are Omish and believe NBC is a byproduct of one of the devils left lieutenants, you probably know about the smash hit show Heroes. The show is so involved their website have websites. And those websites have mysteries and easter eggs galore. Subplots, online comic books and videos allow the viewers and fans to absorb ever facet of the World of Heroes.

Recently, for the last 5 episodes of the season, they've started something asking people to give their theories of what might be up next for the the future episodes and the future of the show... needless to say there have been some very entertaining responses like this one. I guess this will be my pulpit then. I shall read from the first book of ROGUE.

The latest questions on everyones mind is who will stop the bomb and how will it be done. Basically the end of the series questions. Tim Kring, the creator, has been said to hate to string the audience along for to long without a sense of closure. Every episode has had a satisfying feel to it. That said now it is time to assess the story directly.

First some other questions:

DADS Clash!!! Nathan versus Bennett.
We all want to see Nathan drop Bennett 30 stories in the middle of the desert, BE HONEST. But dad wise? I know who Claire would choose and thats Peter but Nathan hasn't had a chance to be a dad really, and while he should be given it Bennett has him out matched in this one the way sylar had peter out matched in their fight... by pure experience. Yeah he's done some dirt Mr. B but he always protected his family, even from himself.

Titans clash!!! Sylar vs Peter
I know this episode aired and its kinda stupid to comment on it now but alot of people saw this going the other way and while I WANTED Peter to win I had to cop to the fact that he was just out matched in this one. Peter has every single power he has come across, yes he got it all, from Healing, telekinesis, cloaking, time-space manipulation, flight, teleportation, clairvoyance. Theoretically even in the fight he picked up what ever Syler stole, superhearing, metalmelting, supermemory, that teleportation thing he doesn't need that Sylar does. I'm not saying Peter isn't all powerful but... Sylar has 2 things on him, Bloodlust and Experience. If you really think about it peter only has 3 to 5 powers he knows how to draw on (Cloak, TK, Flight, Healing, and Clairvoyance) . Without our main man CLAUDE to help him he wasn't able to control what he has. Hence he was made short work of. It was kinda cheap the way they did it but ... whatayagonnado...

The Big ONE!!! Can Sylar Be Stopped And who will stop him?
At this stage in the game its pretty obvious but people still hold out hope for Peter being their messiah. Somethings are clear though. They are going to stop the bomb cause it would cost to much money to do post apocolypse next season. Peter survives cause they invested alot in him already. Now story wise people are swearing by Peter but for this situation we need a "HIRO"(with a side order of Ando) These 2 are the only ones who have seen the future and can effect the proper change. If the future is changed it will be through their actions. And certain steps need to be taken as well....
1) Sylar can't kill the shapeshifter or he'll live to haunt another season. (this will happen probably)
2)Ted Sprauge can not meet Peter or be killed by Sylar(we know one of these happen anyway) Ted himself can be the bomb but we all doubt it. Despite his self image he's gaining more control than Peter would have if he just picked it up.
3)Peter has to team up with Hiro in the final battle in some way shape or form. This is just cause people are clamoring for it. They still haven't given up on having an expensive movie budget battle.
4)I really hate this part but, either Ando must kill Sylar because Hiro gets squimish or Ando Must Die to give our HIRO the proper motivation to kill Sylar in a fit of focused RAGE. Hate to see Ando go you know but there it is.
The ending is written and HIRO and ANDO possess the script, and so what Sylar's a powerhouse that can see the future, he won't stop the ultimate otaku fanboy Hiro. I think part of the reason he visits his mother is because he knows hes gonna die. Sides next season's nemesis will probably be "Linderman and his company" so theres no reason to keep this one dimensional enemy around anymore... I could be wrong but he needs a new purpose and more depth if hes still hanging on next season.

And BRING CLAUDE BACK DAMMIT.... ;-j

Monday, April 30, 2007

Ebooks about Ebay

If you're at all like me you do one of two things when you are ready to start something. You either (a) spend time researching the subject till you form a plan that can get you what you eventually want or (b) jump right in and hope you don't drown right away. (b) isn't as bad as it sounds because eventually you have to take the first step if you plan something or not. But it is good to have a plan of action. This is true of many things but in particular I'm talking about EBAY and other auction sites.

In either buying or selling on EBAY it is always good to know the landscape. If you don't: buying - you might get outbit at the last second (sniped) or, selling - you may not attract a single buyer. Plus you don't want to pay more for whatever the main objective is.


If you're interested in getting some info beforehand check out these 6 top e-books on the auctions page of CBMall. You can also search for more ebooks with the CBMall search bar on the sidebar. If real books are more your speed then the best book out there is "The Official EBAY Bible" by Jim Griffith or Uncle Griff as hes known. WARNING: IT IS BIBLE SIZE, but if you use it as reference you can get alot out of it.

Of course there is plan (b)... In which case go to EBAY or the auction site of your choice you risk taker you...

Happy Auction sniping...

;-j

Sunday, April 29, 2007

What A Cute Puppy ... Where's my gun?

Inverloch is one of the most inspired comics on the net right now. While the author only recently started updating again, her series is almost over. If you haven't read this from the beginning be sure to allot some serious time to it as the story is epic. The fantasy follows Acheron: a young man from a race of dog creatures that runs into a beautiful elf. And we all know that when theres an elf theres gotta be an epic quest not far behind. He's made to search for her long lost love that was abducted when they where children. The story becomes involved and twists into a race to save the elves magic from being destroyed. So remember kids... whenever you see a HOT Elf... RUN.

My favorite character is Varden... for obvious reasons... don't judge me just check out Inverloch

;-j

My Boss Really Got ME TOO!

This post really reminds me of work. I mean REALLY REMINDS ME. Like give that guy behind the door a bad italian accent and I'd swear it was a live video feed of any given day at work. It also sets the bar for the kind of comedy I look for online so people should really pay attention. This group hasn't come out with anything recently but so far their stuff is gold. Watch.



;-j

Thursday, April 19, 2007

... Hello

This is my first attempt at a steady blog. I wanna talk about so much but I'm at work and the boss might come back at any moment. This is just my "Hello World" entry but theres so much I want to cover in the future of this blog.

My views on tech, I surf for machinima and Youtube videos, Games, jokes, how I hate my job, cool sites, the job I hate, jokes, places in NYC, I hate that job, and more.(I really hate that job)

There'll be more later but for now... sup everyone. My name is Adrian and this is The Roguish Grin :-j