June, 2010

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Special surprise

Wednesday, June 30th, 2010

Just so I have a record that I “will” do this and not loose interest like almost everything else. I will be working on a “special surprise” for most of the month of July and hopefully launching in august. This is something I have wanted to do for a long time, but have always had other project or no time. Well time is a plenty so stay tuned.

Quickie

Monday, June 28th, 2010

Couldn’t find much time to blog today. Been creating the basic lore of the world. I also have been talking to old military vets who frequent the pool hall right around the corner for me. A few of my characters are pissed off old war vets and I really want to capture the anger for them.

I literally have about 40 pages worth of world lore, character lore, powers lore and more, its amazing how it piled up. I almost think I should file this as a reference, maybe even create a database. I wonder if this is how some of the greats did it when creating their own worlds.

Kinect: You are the Tool

Sunday, June 27th, 2010

So a lot of my friends have been asking me what I think about microsoft’s new product kinect for the xbox 360. For those who don’t know its basically a camera that tracks your movements and can hear your voice like popular voice recognition programs for the PC. Its basically Microsoft answer to the Nintendo Wii, and a poor one at that.

Their whole slogan is “You are the controller” more like tool if you ask me, the thing is rumored to be 150 bucks, and all the games announced for it so far are Wii clones spiffed up in HD and sold by the MS pr machine to be completely original and awesome.

To garner interest they have teamed up with burger king to help advertise the thing. Their whole mantra is to get gamers off the couch… literally. “Hey honey that 1600 calorie meal was great! Screw Wii Fit, lets go burn it off playing some Kinect adventures!” I can just imagine a mod replacing Milo with king, which would be ultra creepy and interesting to play.

So enough goofing around here’s my final word. I think kinect will sell boat loads because people are suckers… no offense. Hordes of fat women will raid best buy like a fleet of interstate buses, throwing their Wii Fit balance boards into the trash and adopting microsoft’s Kinect to try and lose years of personal abuse. Only to have their xbox’s destroy all their fitness discs because their huge asses were bouncing around the room and moving it ever so slightly.

You think im joking but I have many a friend who work at either a gamestop or best buy and the fitness thing sells, it sells big time, and not to who you would think. The same people who buy a bo-flex to only use it once and let it collect dust in the den are the same people who will buy kinect, only to use it to say “xbox on”

Reocurring themes

Saturday, June 26th, 2010

When I was 18 and fresh out of highschool, I like a lot of kids took out one of those pre-approved credit cards that you get in the mail. Mine was from Orchard Bank, a name many may be familiar with because I doubt I was the only one. In the time I had that card I ended up racking up like 600 bucks in credit (not much compared to some but still) and decided not to pay it, defaulting the card to collections, followed by ignoring many a call on my cell phone until it faded away into oblivion.

Fast forward seven years, I now have good credit, and I credit card I barley use.

So what a surprise when I received another pre-approved card in the mail today. It made me chuckle because you would think they would have my name on a list somewhere on someone who screwed them over on 600 bucks, not to mention any fee’s they had to pay the collection agency. I guess in this debt based society they really don’t care, they prolly just saw my credit score (which is very good by the way) and figured, what the hell this guy might need another platinum credit card with an outrageous interest rate, lets send one his way.

Its makes me think back to the conversation I had with my dad before I even activated that stupid card. He tried to warn me, but being the big boy I was, fresh out of highschool and ready to take on the world. I figured my minimum wage movie theater job was enough to keep up with the payments, and still be able to satisfy my other teenager activities, which proved to be more important to me then paying off that card.

Got a lot done on the book today by the way, more on that later though, just felt to share that thought.

Creating worlds and beyond

Thursday, June 24th, 2010

This time around im trying to create the world first before diving into the meat and potatoes of the story. Im doing similar things I used to do when I was DMing (dungeon master) a d&d campaign, but with greater detail. The world im creating inst fiction, well parts of it are, it is set in modern day USA, with the same history but a different future. Creating compelling characters to help drive the story is almost as important to me as the main character itself.

Its kind of like those old RPG’s where the main character didn’t speak, and you got an attachment to him/her because of the supporting cast. Obviously my main character is not going to be a mute, but I would like to combine that strategy to hopefully create an amazing adventure.

Other than that I have been watching a lot of cop drama’s lately. Netflix instant streaming has a nice array of them, and some of the movies make me think of comic books. Especially when powerful villains seems to allude the judicial system because everyone is bought and paid for. Made me wonder if spider man ever got angry because the King Pin somehow kept getting out of jail. Same with Superman and Lex Luthor. Might be an interesting story to try and tackle for today new comic book artists.

Well that’s all for today, back to more world creating and research.

Some changes

Thursday, June 24th, 2010

So with all the free time I have been blessed with I have decided to resurrect an old project I had started in 2004. Back then I had an idea for a trilogy of books based on a story I had been dreaming up. I wrote half of the first book back then, but never finished. Last week I decided to read it and over time I had so many new ideas I decided to basically scrap it and re-write it with the same idea (I know im being very vague I apologize, but this is the internet and I don’t want to go announcing all my ideas).

Anyways my site will now be a blog about my progression of the book series to keep me from finishing it this time. I have no idea what ill do once the first one is done, I figure I have to create it first before I can fight for its existence in the world. Hell maybe ill even just self publish that kid who wrote Eragon did that.

So that’s, that and expect many updates on the book and other thoughts I have.

Google accused of criminal intent over StreetView data

Friday, June 11th, 2010

*note from Vanversive* For a while now I have been using startpage.com and using things like facebook and twitter less and less. Since google and companies like it literally record everything you do in hopes of creating a virtual version of you that can predict things you may or may not do in order to sell you something or worse. startpage.com is one of the few search engines that protects your privacy, something I believe will be a legend, yes I said legend when our grandchildren are in their twenties. All this really has nothing to do with the article below, just thought id get that out.

BBC News
June 10, 2010

Google is “almost certain” to face prosecution for collecting data from unsecured wi-fi networks, according to Privacy International (PI).

The search giant has been under scrutiny for collecting wi-fi data as part of its StreetView project.

Google has released an independent audit of the rogue code, which it has claimed was included in the StreetView software by mistake. But PI is convinced the audit proves “criminal intent”.

“The independent audit of the Google system shows that the system used for the wi-fi collection intentionally separated out unencrypted content (payload data) of communications and systematically wrote this data to hard drives. This is equivalent to placing a hard tap and a digital recorder onto a phone wire without consent or authorisation,” said PI in a statement.

Read full article

Climate change showdown

Friday, June 11th, 2010

*note from Vanversive* Five bucks the administration uses this whole BP Gulf oil gusher to try and push more cap and tax legislation. Since Copenhagen went up in flames they hopped to use the EPA to regulate carbon emissions at the local level. Seems this legislation that Obama seeks to veto in this article could be a double edge sword for him.

Alexander Bolton
The Hill

Democratic leaders are scrambling to prevent the Senate from delivering a stinging slap to President Barack Obama on climate change.

They have offered a vote on a bill they dislike in the hopes of avoiding a loss on legislation Obama hates.

The president is threatening to veto a resolution from Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) that would ban the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from regulating carbon emissions.

But if the president were forced to use his veto to prevent legislation emerging from a Congress in which his own party enjoys substantial majorities, it would be a humiliation for him and for Democrats on Capitol Hill.

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Teens Face Worst Summer Job Market in 41 Years

Wednesday, June 9th, 2010

*note from vanversive” I couldn’t imagine trying to get a summer job now if I were a teenager. Today I was in my local office max and it was dead. I had to hunt through the store just to get somebody to ring me up cause there were so few employee’s. The same goes for other malls in the area, and they say that the service sector is the only place young people (even with degree’s) are going for work. With millions on unemployment and millions more entering the job market it will be interesting to see how we all see this through.



By: Joseph Pisani
CNBC News Associate

The kickoff to the summer job season is not looking so hot for teens.

Employment among 16-to 19-year olds in May grew by just 6,000, the smallest increase since 1969, when teen jobs fell by 14,000, according to government data analyzed by employment firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas. In May 2008 and 2009, teen employment grew by over 110,000.

“It’s certainly a preliminary strong indication that it’s going to be a tough job market for teens,” said John Challenger, CEO of Challenger, Gray & Christmas.

Jobs traditionally given to teens are apparently going to older workers who are willing to take low paying job to make ends meet. Employment among 20- to 24-year-olds grew by 270,000 in May, an unusual spike, considering that employment in the same age group fell by 261,000 in May 2009.

“Also impacting the job market for young adults are the large number of older adults who are willing to accept even a temporary, seasonal position simply to generate some income,” said Steven Rothberg, chief executive officer of CollegeRecruiter.com, an online entry-level job-posting site.



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Music Industry on Verge of Total Collapse

Wednesday, June 9th, 2010

*note from Vanversive* Although some may see this as gloom and doom. For anybody paying attention the music industry has been in a hard decline. The internet has given independent artists and avenue to get their art out there without the need for a high end label.


Celebrity Buzz
June 9, 2010

Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke is warning the music industry is on the brink of collapse, insisting young musicians should resist signing record deals because the major labels will “completely fold” within months.

The British rockers broke away from their longtime label, EMI, in 2007 and went on to embrace the new digital era with the release their seventh album, In Rainbows, which they offered up over the internet and allowed fans to choose the price.

Yorke has now issued a warning to upcoming artists, urging them not to sign traditional record deals because they would be tying themselves to “the sinking ship.”


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