An Interesting Take on an Avengers Movie Trailer

Although I've posted a hint I don't want to ruin this for anyone.....

Yet Another New Avengers Trailer

May cannot come fast enough.

There is a new trailer online and it is even better than the last one, which is saying a lot.

Enjoy!

HackMaster PC Sheet V1.0 is Done!

While I was hoping to get my new Player Character (PC) sheet for the HackMaster game done this weekend I just wasn't motivated.

Today I was, so I was able to get the basic sheet done.  Instead of coming up with multiple versions for different character classes, I just have this one.  I'm assuming that players that need more would make additional sheets.

For example, a player with a Mage would probably want a lot more room or a different setup to show their spellbook.  Heck, I'd probably make another booklet that looks more like a spellbook and just have the basic spell information in that book.  Same with Clerical spells.

Meatless Monday

No, this isn't a new thing, just something for today.  Not vegetarian and definitely not vegan, just no big hunks of animal (tasty animal) flesh.  For lunch I braved a meatless burger from Fantastic Foods.  It wasn't bad, especially since after my meal I looked at the bottom of the box and it had a "best by" date of sometime in 2000.

Really not bad figuring it was supposed to be eaten more than a decade ago.

Diehard GameFAN Tabletop Review

Just a quick post to let you know that my very first review on Diehard GameFAN was posted a couple hours ago.

I'm excited about getting to review some table top game items, especially since the stuff I'm reviewing is the kind of stuff I like to buy and use in my own games.

I've got a couple of reviews in already and more on the way, but my first review is up and can be read here.

Boise Isn't That Pedestrian Friendly

Boise is generally considered a bike friendly city.  We have lots of bike lanes on our roads, the greenbelt, and tons of bike shops.  we even have the Boise Bicycle Project whose stated mission is:

Boise Bicycle Project (501c3) is a community-oriented effort to promote the personal, social, and environmental benefits of bicycling. It functions as a bicycle recycling center as well as an educational workspace in a diverse and non-threatening atmosphere. Through education and access to inexpensive bicycles we strive to build a stronger bicycling community.

John Carter Sneak Peek

There has been some discussion lately about the wisdom of releasing this Sci-Fi movie as "John Carter" instead of "John Carter of Mars".

Evidently the marketing rationale over at Disney was that by shortening the movie title and downplaying the Earth-bound setting at the beginning of the movie it might come across as less "geeky" and appeal to more women.

Call of Duty Elite = EPIC FAIL

I've been clear that I like playing with my friends on Xbox.  I also like playing Call of Duty, which shouldn't be a surprise either.

You would think that a combination Xbox app and online tracking service that helps connect you to other gamers would be full of win, right?

Stupid, but Funny, Commercial

K-Swiss has come out with a new pair of running shoes called Blades.  Instead of the normal ad campaign they put together what appears to be a shareholder-type meeting hosted by the CEO.

Only in this case the CEO is Kenny Powers from HBO's Eastbound & Down.

It runs a little long and not everyone will find it funny, but I did....in a moronic fashion.  I'd say it is on par with watching some random YouTube videos of guys getting smacked in the junk.

Another Sneak Peak at a Work in Progress

I'm approaching the end of version 1 of my new HackMaster character sheet.  It is coming along a bit better than I expected it to.  All I really have left is to finish the first page and then make up the final page.

This final page is really what will be separating the various character class sheets.  My initial thought is to have one version for Mages, another for Clerics, and then another version for Fighters & Thieves.  If I can tighten things up a bit on that final page I may be able to make a single page that works for everyone.

Ulises Farinas

I know....I know, you're probably going, what is a Ulises Farinas?

Not what....who.

Ulises Farinas is this awesome artist from Brooklyn that does a wide array of geeky illustrations.  The subjects of his project range widely and for some reason he reminds me of some of the only issues I've ever read of Heavy Metal.

Yet Another Side Project

I'm getting an opportunity to write reviews for some role-playing game accessories.  This isn't a done-deal quite yet, so I won't jinx myself by posting the location that said reviews would show up.

I wrote my first review and sent it in.  If I did well enough I'll get to review more product.  I'm not getting paid anything, but I do get to keep the review product.

Rubbing Me the Wrong Way

I just came back from a weekly meeting where I got a bit ticked off.  After the meeting I was pulled aside and "talked to".  Evidently an organizational VIP who sat next to me at last week's meeting was "offended" by something I said last week.  Actually she was specifically offended by a single word uttered by a friend of mine at the meeting and repeated by me in response to his comment.

This VIP sent the President an email yesterday regarding this offence.

Key Lime Pie

One of Carolyn's favorite pies is Key Lime.  I have never made one before but I picked up a bottle of Key Lime Juice in anticipation of making fish tacos later in the week.

The store didn't have any of those little plastic lime juice containers (I only needed a little bit) so when I picked up this big(ger) bottle I didn't think we'd use it up before I'd have to toss it out.  It did not occur to me that I could make a pie until I saw the recipe on the back.

If You Need a Hero

If you play RPGs like I do then you probably prefer to have a custom figure for your character.

The best is finding the perfect miniature and getting it painted up just right.

This is assuming that you are lucky enough to find an appropriate figure and have the skill needed to (possibly) customize the figure and then paint it.  The last time I did this it took me a few days to get the mini to look just right.....and then he was killed in the next session.

It happens.

Sneak Peak at a Work in Progress

It isn't a secret that I like to play HackMaster.  It's been blogged enough before that I don't want to go into old territory.

I consider myself friends with the game designers (D-Team) and while a  lot of gaming dorks would probably say the same thing, I could probably call them up and have them willingly answer the phone.  Except Dave Kenzer.....he's frequently sequestered in some foreign country working, but he has returned my call from China.  That was a first for me.

Funniest Man Alive is Also Pretty Insightful and Smart

Kind of an overcast Saturday, but I'm just about back to my fighting strength so I'm ready to get the hell out of the house, even if only for a little bit.

While I'm waiting a bit for something....come on, you really don't need to know the details....I pop on to Gizmodo and find and awesome video clip from John Cleese.  If you don't know who he is.....

I truly feel sorry for you.

Classy Thank You

I got a surprise package in the mail today from the the National  Marrow Donor Program, better known as Be the Match.

If you are new to my blog, you can read about my bone marrow donation here.  It is an understatement that there are not enough people on the registry (you can click on the graphic to the left and help do something about that....).  I think a lot of people a) don't know much, if anything about the program or b) have a misunderstanding of what a donation entails.

WTF Liz Trotta?

I came across a rather scathing blog post regarding Liz Trotta basically stating that women in the military should expect to be raped.

Now I'll admit my first response was, "duh"....but bear with me for a second here....my mind immediately went back to survival school when we were instructed that historically yes, our female prisoners of war are often/generally raped by our enemies.

As far as everyday military women, nope....not buying it.  I call bullshit.

Long, but Informative

As I've mentioned before, I have a list of websites I visit everyday to keep me entertained and informed.  Gizmodo is one of these sites.  They've been featuring Kirby Ferguson's Everything Is a Remix series.

The last video of the series is Part 4: System Failure.  It gives a great background on why some things are so effed up, like SOPA and PIPA.  The video is a bit long, but informative and worthwhile.

Polly is Finally Settling In

It has been five months since we've adopted Polly and it's been a bit of a rough go.  I don't know how much of the struggled has been against tortitude and how much had been against a cat that has been through some things.  I've blogged about her before, so some details might be there.

When we adopted Polly I learned that she had been adopted once before, but returned after a month.  I might be personifying this, but even factoring that in I doubt that could be easy for a cat.  I couldn't imagine why anyone would want to return this sweet cat.

Ranger Candy

My 24 Hour flu is now on its third day.  I was up all last night acutely aware of just how miserable things were up until the point where my fever "broke" at 6 AM.

During a trip to the Doctor's office I discovered that I was still running a 101* temp.  So much for my fever breaking.

Carolyn took me home and I managed to catch up on some of my sleep after taking some "Ranger Candy".

How I Met My Wife

I stated last week that I'd explain how I met my wife.  I promise to not make it as long-winded as How I Met Your Mother.

Boise officially became my home on December 31st, 1999 when I left the Air Force after completing my second enlistment.  My goal was to join the Idaho Air National Guard because they had just formed a TACP.  The National Guard wouldn't take me because evidently I was not out-processed from the air Force with a proper physical, and they wouldn't get me in to have the physical done for around 45 days.  Being upset at the time, I said "screw it, I'm going to try civilian life for a while".  It took me a while to find a decent job, but eventually I started working at Fred Meyer and was able to get into their management training program.

Ultimate Tazer Ball

I'm feeling a little craptacular today for some reason, so I'm not likely to be doing any big blog post until tomorrow.  Even though it is almost noon I feel like going back to bed.

Instead I'll try to take a shower, do some chores, and otherwise take it easy.  I was hoping to work on my resume some, but that isn't something to do when you don't feel up to it.

My normal morning puttering around the internet has taken longer than normal, but I did find a little gem on i09.  It borders on WTF and "I'd like to try that sometime."

Alternate Reality President (Movie Trailer)

I know it isn't Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, nor is it Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters, but the new Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter flick looks like it'll be some harmless fun.

We get little "reboots" all the time in comics, and they can be fun alternative timelines, so seeing this treatment come about for novels and now for historical figures...well, it seems like a natural progression.

Don't Be Those Parents

We just got back from working on the "I Love Beer Tour" at Old Chicago.  It was a busy night and there were some issues that came up, but generally nothing worth complaining about....

....except for the kid at the next table.

For the record, I don't like children.  Children are obnoxious little twits that should be seen and not heard, much less felt.  Now I will be honest and freely admit that I've liked almost every child I've every got to know, but stranger's kids?  Stranger's kids are a pain in the ass.

Leave it alone already!

George Lucas is messing around yet again with Star Wars.  This time it is to go back and make it appear that Greedo shot Han Solo first.  He's already changed that scene once and now he is changing it again.

Give it up already...we all know Han shot first!

Deadpool

My favorite superhero is Deadpool.

Deadpool completely goes against type.  He is just as much a anti-hero as he is a hero.  Wade Wilson started out an assassin that got into the Weapon X program and got an extraordinary healing factor that had to be tweaked to his unique physiology.  Wade was dying from cancer and the Weapon X program saved his life.  Unfortunately his cancerous tumors mutated into hideous growths that covered his body.

One Project Down.....

Last night I finally finished one of the projects on my plate.  Unlike most of my projects, this one actually pays me instead of costing me money I don't have a lot of to begin with.

A friend of mine asked me to make some changes to his company website, normally not a big deal, just time consuming and the job requires a decent amount of focus.  He website consists of 69 pages and these changes required every one to be edited individually and then checked.  To make sure I don't break anything I cannot just go and make all the changes at once.  I have to do the work in steps, which means it seems like I'm working on 690 pages.

Stolen Work

The other day I posted about an unscrupulous person who was caught selling comic trace art and falsifying a rather impressive bio in order to integrate himself in the industry further and make more money illicitly.

At least one person thought I was a bit harsh in my assessment.  Not my place to say, so I left the comment standing.

That one comment has been brewing about my head for days now and I'm not sure why.  Earlier today I think it hit me.  My work, my ideas, have been taken from me several times in the past.

Suck It!

Now I'm not a prude or anything, but I'll admit that sometimes I'm a little put off by breastfeeding in public.  I don't have a problem with it per se, but some mothers are almost a little militant about it.  If they want to feed their offspring they simply pop a breast out and latch the tyke onto it.

Heaven forbid you say anything about it.  Hell hath no fury like a pissed off new mother.  You might as well have used the C-word....and I don't mean cesarean!

End of an era...

This is one of those things best told by the professionals.

From Adam Carter of The Atlantic Wire:
"A British woman who served with the Royal Air Force for the last two months of World War I was the last known veteran of the war when she died in her sleep Saturday night. Florence Green joined the RAF at the age of 17 and died just before her 111th birthday, which would have been Feb. 19. She had been a mess steward with the air force, the BBC reported, serving in two U.K. air bases after she joined up on Sept. 13 1918. The Allies signed the armistice with Germany on Nov. 11, 1918. Green follows Claude Choules, a Royal Navy sailor who was the last WWI combatant before he died in May 2011, and Frank Buckles, the last American veteran of the war, who died in February 2011. All were 110 years old."


The Great War is likely an event that has not touched the personal life of any reader of this blog directly, but the impact is great nonetheless.  

Iron Sky Trailer

It isn't often there is a movie I can't wait to see.

Movies that I'm looking forward to....yes, all the time, but "can't wait to see"...not so much.

Iron Sky is one I can't wait to see....but I have to wait a little over two months from now to do so.

Wacky Dream

When the nights turn cold.....but not too cold, I tend to have the strangest dreams.  With the mild winter we've been having it seems that things have hit the sweet-spot for my nocturnal fantasies.

I'm not one to keep a dream journal, but sometimes I don't need one.  Some of my dreams continue on from night to night and others simply replay themselves on different (not always consecutive) nights.

The last two nights I've had the same dream....and it was a weird one.

The Amazing Spider-Man

I haven't been keeping up with this movie in development, which is odd because as a general rule I like every comic-book movie I've ever seen.

Of course I never did see the last Spiderman movie.  Was it any good?

Toastmaster's Table Topics Speech

Tonight was Boise Club 61's Table Topics and International Speech Contest.  I competed in the Table Topics category and ended up getting 2nd place out of six speakers.

Table Topics is an interesting speech exercise.  You get a couple minutes to give an impromptu speech on a topic you are given right there on the spot.

Topher For Congress is Still Happening

I was starting to wonder if my buddy Topher was still running for Congress since he hadn't updated his blog for a while.

His wife tweeted today that there is a newspaper article in the local paper about his candidacy.

Alright.....now i just need to see what I can do to help.

Another HIMYM "Fictional" Website

Another How I Met Your Mother website was mentioned in and episode.

The website http://www.itwasthebestnightever.com/ is basically just an in-character "music video" and not the actual website shown in the episode.

The little touches are pretty cool.

I Think I Need a New Controller

This is what I have now, a standard Xbox 360 controller with an attached chatpad.  Before I got the Xbox 360 I was a HUGE PS3 fan.  The lightweight controller was great and I thought I'd never get used to playing with the heavier Xbox controller.

I found it amusing to know end when I got the chatpad which weighs the controller down quite a bit.  I actually prefer the weight of the controller now and if I think I might be playing at someone else's house I bring my controller with me.

10th Anniversary of Me NOT Asking My Wife to Marry Me

10 Years ago this morning I did NOT ask my wife to marry me.

She said yes anyway.

A year before I attempted a last-ditch effort to ask her out.  Because of this we "celebrate" February 6th as a personal holiday instead of the more popular February 14th.  Eight days from now I'll tell you the story of that last-ditch effort.  This is about the results of that effort, so you already know there is a happy ending.

Wicked Cool Video

My Brother-In-Law has a pretty cool blog where he talks about toys.  Normally this is something that would open a person up to unending ridicule and teasing from someone like me, but he pulls it off.

If you look at my wife's blog you'll find evidence she has a LOT of toys also.

Between them they have more legos than I've ever seen outside of a retail environment.

Teen Wolf

I've mentioned a couple of times recently how the wife and I are in the middle of a How I Met Your Mother Netflix marathon.

Last night they had a reference to the movie Teen Wolf.  This was the 1985 movie, not the 2011 MTV series.

MTV series......I still remember fondly when MTV was about music videos.  When I last had cable finding a music video on MTV was as rare as seeing some T&A on network TV.

Archer

The Mrs. & I discovered Archer on Netflix last year and simply loved it.  We've been anxiously waiting for season two to become available since we've seen promo spots for season three on FX.

While Carolyn was out yesterday she decided to go ahead and pick-up season two on DVD.  Of course we sat down and watched the who season pretty much in one go.

Season two did not disappoint me.  The show managed to expand upon the characters in their own bizarre fashion, carry over jokes and plotlines from the first season, and  branch out in odd new ways.

Had to share....

I just got word that the Iron Sky theatrical movie poster is available for download.  The exact same poster that is used for advertising is being made available to the public.

Download your copy today, print it up, and slap that bad-boy up!

Stupid Drinking Game (Not for the Squeamish)

Thankfully my "chest" part of my chest cold is gone, but now I'm suffering from a particularly nasty bout of congestion which makes my face all puffy and a bit runny.

The great OTC meds do help, but they don't exactly leave you mentally sharp, which is fine when you just watch TV or even play a little Xbox, but if you want to do any actual work, like some pet projects or html writing....or actually looking for work, you have to lay off the decongestants.

I'm staring at my next dose now......which I can take since I've got that job application off already.

More HiMYM Goodness...

I know I've already blogged about how me & the Mrs. have been watching How I Met Your Mother, but tonight we came across something totally worth my new awesome sauce pic.

Whenever I hear about a "mythical" web address used in the media, I try to go straight to my computer and punch it in to see what pops up.  In the Season 3 Episode 14 "The Bracket", one of Barney's conquests mentioned she put up a website informing the world how big of a d-bag.

Cool YouTube Vid

I was surfing YouTube and found this odd gem.  It is War of the Worlds meets Deep Impact meets Endless Summer.

Enjoy

BTW.....I hope you like the Awesomesauce label I made....it took a bit of Photoshop work from a photo of an old ad sign.

Great WebComic You Probably Don't Read

If you need to up your "cool" factor among the nerd herd....no, not that Nerd Herd....head on over to Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal.

SMBC has a lot of adult humor, but not too "adult", with a side of intellectual.  Normally I find that most people that think they are smart, well they just like to parrot stuff they heard or string together a bunch of pseudo-intellectual garbage.

Few things piss me off more than pseudo-intellectuals.  Like the guy who tried to tell me all about how the Air Force did Close Air Support, never mind the fact he was talking to a retired ETAC.

Anyway, SMBC only comes off as pretentious when it's clear it is trying to do so.  While I don't know all of the math terminology or some of the other jokes, it still comes across as a good read.  Sometimes they actually take the time to put some complicated thing into an easier to understand format.

Today's strip is a great example of portraying some of the BS behind Congress' internet legislation mess(es):

I have to give Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal my seal of approval.  Check them out and bookmark today.  Also, if you do like the comic, please show them some love and click on one of their ad banners.  You might find something you need and SMBC gets to wet their beak a little an no expense to you.