Monthly Archive for June, 2006

Games For Those “Slow” Days At Work

Published on June 29, 2006 in Flash Fun and Games. 0 Comments

I was a tad bored at work today. Just not much going on. I mean sure, there’s probably stuff I could be doing, but darned if I could think of what it was. So off to the trusty old internet I go.

To expound a little on my post from a couple days ago, one of the webcomics I frequent is called Extra Life. The author, Scott Johnson, is a fellow Utahn and seems to share my avid love of games. I must admit that I’ve stolen borrowed experts from his comics before, but hopefully this little shout-out will redeem me of my past infringements. Anyway… I was cruising through his blog and came across a fun little flash game called 3D Logic. Long story short, my day got a little less boring.

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So… How Long Till Episode 2 Again?

Published on June 27, 2006 in Games. 4 Comments

Well, it only took me one short week to blow through Half-Life 2: Episode 1. But what a week it was.

Seriously though, I was pretty impressed with what Episode 1 had to offer. Sure it was short, but I think Valve is onto something with episodic content. I mean, who really wants to wait 5 years for the next installment of their favorite game? (ahem… Diablo 3, will we ever see you?)

As Valve mentions in one of the commentary tracks (another cool feature that’s been implemented very well), by releasing shorter ‘episodes’ more quickly, they are able to make full use of newer hardware as its available. Not to mention the fact that they keep you hooked and lookin for the next fix… which we’re all already used to thanks to shows like Lost and 24.

I won’t throw out too many spoilers for those who haven’t played it yet, but if you played through Half-Life 2, expect more of the same. More Zombies. More Combine. And a combination of the two called Zombine (careful or they’ll blow you to bits). There’s a few puzzles and some pretty intense firefights but mostly its just more of the excellent Half-Life 2 formula with some High Dynamic Range lighting effects mixed in. I was particularly impressed with how well Alyx seemed to fit into the story as she fights along side you most of the way through this installment. I think they’re trying to build up your relationship with her for events yet to come (check out the Episode 2 teaser if you don’t know what I’m talking about – contains spoilers).

Call me a fanboy if you will, but Half-Life 2 was one of my all time favorite games. Episode one just added to my love of the franchise and made me seriously anxious for the next installment. And how can you complain for only $8 (got my copy on sale at Circuit City. Thanks joystiq for the heads up).

I’ll leave you with a screenshot of Alyx lookin pretty bad-azz and ready to kick some Zombine butt. Click on the pic to head to the our Episode 1 screenshot gallery.

My Daily Web Surfing Routine… (Stupid Rich Nerds)

Published on June 22, 2006 in Random. 6 Comments

Much like many other webby-computer-gaming nerds out there, I have a pretty regular web surfing schedule each day. Every morning when I arrive at work, I try to ease myself into the grind that is my day, and I find the best way to do that is to avoid any actual work for a good hour or so.

Once I’m comfortably situated in my stupid uncomfortable overpriced thoughtfully provided Aeron chair (be sure to watch the vid clips on this page to understand my relationship with this chair) and with an ice cold Dr. Pepper in my non-mousing hand I open up Firefox and begin the rounds…

joystiq.com
engadget.com
SubatomicSunday.com (shameless plug for my buddy Andy)
Gizmodo.com
kotaku.com

I generally hit a few news sites and web comics as well, but you get the idea.

This strict regiment undoubtedly leads to additional browsing as a result of link-clicking on interesting articles and pictures. Most of the time those links lead me to sites I’ve been to before. Places where the afore mentioned blogs steal, er… find thier content pretty regularly. But last week I clicked a link that took me to a page I’d not yet seen before….

Don’t get me wrong… I’m all for tech geekery, but some of the stuff on this blog would make Bill “Captain Gazillionaire” Gates think twice before droppin that kinda cash. Some of the stuff on this site is pretty slick, but unless you’ve got a bank account like The Donald (or the pin to Trumps actual account) most of this stuff is just rediculous.

Ahhh…. to be insanely, shamelessly, filthy rich (like own your own island rich) and have nothing better to do with all that cash than to buy amphibious supercars. Someday…

Retro Food Gaming Rocks!

Published on June 14, 2006 in Game Vids and Geek Fun. 2 Comments

WHERE THE CRAP DO PEOPLE GET ALL THIS FREE TIME?!

Oh well… at least their efforts give me something to do as I sit at work for 8 hours a day twiddling my thumbs…

er…

uh…

Stop interrupting me! I’m trying to work here!

It Could Always Be Worse…

Published on June 6, 2006 in Geek Fun and Random. 0 Comments

Although it would be hard to confirm its ‘official’ use in most corporations (due to the strict segregation between the 1337 execs and the rest of the employee base), I’d be willing to wager pretty much every cent I’ll make between today and the moment my heart stops beating that most corporate executives are required to read The Art Of Demotivation.

This fine literary masterpiece is from the same folks who brought us those great Demotivators posters with such classic demotivational slogans as:

And now they’ve posted a couple short vid clips that help to expound on a few of the topics found in this excellent executive training book. Click the pic below to watch the clips.

Definitely suggested for all you up-and-coming execs out there.