The blog that's gotten one comment ever! Thanks mom!

Tuesday, October 30, 2007

Video game dreams...

So last night, Janie and I played some Beautiful Katamari on the xbox before dinner. After dinner, while J caught up on one of her TV shows, I caught up on Halo 1. Which explains why I dreamed of the Master Chief pushing a Katamari around the Alpha Halo, picking up Covenent weapons and forces. Hrm. Wonder if the Forge is powerful enough to let you build that into Halo 3?

Monday, October 29, 2007

Leela

This is for Brose, who witnessed Leela attacking me for daring to let Brose into her territory. Hours later, she's asleep on my lap. Sorry for the bad picture quality, and sorry my cat is insane!

Fiona likes corn on the cob

Our friends Brose and Bex were up this weekend for AB's party, and their daughter Fiona is simply the cutest being in existance. Some Greek deity of cuteness is going to turn me into a tree or something for that one. Thanks for coming to see us guys!

Happy Birthday AB!

So, per an earlier post, I had been planning spending Saturday in AB's company, playing through Halo. In point of fact, this was a deception, an artful ruse, in order to get AB to my house in preparation for his surprise birthday party.

It failed miserably.

Despite emails between his brother Thomas and I, and despite having though AB had agreed to meet at my house, they instead got back into town both an hour ahead of our scheduled start, but ended up in the wrong part of town too. I had to drive across town to meet AB at Jax, all the while lamenting the fact that I would be forced to alter my carefully practiced story in order to get things back on track. Now, James Bond, I'm not. I couldn't fib my way out of anything, and so it was with little surprise that I heard AB murmur "This is getting crazier and crazier" as we left Jax, with the intention of meeting Jer somewhere on campus to pick up his bike...

In any case, we threw AB a surprise 30th birthday party on Saturday (it should have been a bit of a surprise, as his birthday is in December). The idea was for a geocaching outing, revisitng places around town that AB is fond of/lived in/may have visited once. It mostly went well, although one set of coordinates did have us visiting a field full of cattle in a part of Fort Collins none of us had ever seen before. The event culminated in a party at AB's house, and the gifting of an Xbox 360.

So once again, happy birthday man. I've been trying to thank all of my friends for the 30th birthday present they got me, and I'm sure I'm coming up short every time.

Friday, October 26, 2007

Finished reading the Taken Trilogy...

...and I stand by my earlier thoughts that it's an ok read. However, there were bits that I was frustrated by. Characters seem to have strong opinions at some points, completely and inexplicably change those opinions, and when they finally are confronted with queries as to this change, come up with rather lackluster reasonings. I also felt like things were restated, often repeatedly, which I found frustrating. If you'd been following the story, you wouldn't need the problems the protagonists faced spelled out, again and again. But with those two quibbles, I'll admit that I was curious to see how it would end, that the read passed quickly, and that I'd welcome more books set in that universe. There are some good ideas there that I'd love to see explored further. Except for the kissing horse faced aliens bit. I'm entirely ok leaving that fertile soil untilled.

Thursday, October 25, 2007

Halos One and Two

AB, having previously played through some of the first two Halos, has agreed to help me catch up, story wise, by playing through as much of them as we can in co-op on Saturday afternoon. Sounds like a fantastic time to me!

Wednesday, October 24, 2007

It's possible I suck at Halo 3

Ok, so I fared all right in my one multi player experience, but that was with a group of friends playing four way split screen, none of whom had all that much experience with teh h4l0z. But so far, the single player has shown me that I've no reason to be cocky. I'm only playing on normal difficulty, and I'm not dieing all that often, but that's more due to a slower, more methodical method of play than I'm used to. Bioshock had me thinking that I was a wrench wielding dreadnought. Halo is teaching me that Brute's are not fun in groups, that once your shields are down, get to cover, and once your opponents shields are down, finish them off quickly. Grenades are actually an effective way of dealing with crowds of enemies. The default rifle, plus the battle rifle, if used well, are extremely effective weapons. The shotgun and energy sword are your friends in tight quarters.

My major issue so far, is that I really wish I had played through Halo one and two at this point. Almost to the point that I've considered picking them up and playing through the single player on the 360. Almost. I've a feeling I'll be feeling better about things by the time I've finished the journey through Halo 3.

Tom Tancredo...

...embarassing Coloradans since 1998.

Tuesday, October 23, 2007

On books...

I post a lot about gaming on this blog, and indeed, gaming is an important and frequently pursued hobby. But not my only one. Also of interest is reading, preferably something of the genre science fiction. May I make the following recommendations, if you find yourself sans reading material? The Taken Trilogy by Alan Dean Foster was recently loaned to me by Tom, one of my wife's uncles and a fellow aficionado of works of speculative fiction. Whereas I have a tendency to re-read books I've enjoyed in the past, he tends to find stories I've overlooked, and to my great benefit, shares them. The Taken Trilogy is one such gem, along with Peter F. Hamilton's Commonwealth Saga. I try to return the favor from time to time, but Tom has almost always beaten me to the punch, reading works before I've had a chance to suggest them. I've recently ordered Sun of Suns on Cory Doctorow's suggestion on Boing Boing, and it's my fervent hope it's as good as the preview chapters I've read indicate, and I can pass it on before Tom's gotten to it.

Monday, October 22, 2007

Happy dance

Oh my dear sweet lord, I hope this is true. KOTOR is one of my all time favorite games. And Bioware is an amazing developer. If this comes to pass, I'm going to have to add a third MMO to my list. Or more likely, drop one of my existing ones.

It is done...

...well, Bioshock is, in any case. I must admit, I got a little misty eyed at the end. That was one very entertaining game. I won't give anything away, for those of you who are still playing or have yet to start. It's always been my practice in games to take the best path, morally speaking, that I can. I feel this was amply rewarded in the case of Bioshock. I'm a little sad it's over, but at least now I can get started on something else. What should I do next? Halo 3? Finish GRAW2 or Zelda, or Metroid?

Friday, October 19, 2007

Classmates...

...is a web site that basically acts as a message board, helping folks who've lost touch since their school days find each other. I signed up with it years ago, and since I'm still using the same yahoo address I've had for decades, I still get spam from them. This morning, I got a message saying someone had signed my guest book, but of course, I'd have to upgrade my account to see who it was. To anyone who wants to find me, please, google Scott Ledet. This page is right up there, usually the second result. I'm not hard to find. And it doesn't cost anyone any money. As flattered as I am that someone signed a guest book I didn't know I had, I'm apparently too cheap to spend the $15 to find out who.

Wednesday, October 17, 2007

Halo 3 impressions

First of all, if one is going to attempt four player Halo 3, it helps to have a 50" screen (thanks Tim!). I was bummed to discover that four player co-op wasn't supported for a single box. I had been looking forward to trying that out. We did try the slayer and infection game types however, and much fun was had. Compared to other FPS's, it did feel like we were moving at a snail's pace most of the time. The weapons were fun, but none more so for me than the energy sword. I'm sure in large maps it's less useful, but when quarters are cramped, I'll take it any day. Looking forward to trying out the campaign.

Bioshock progress

My poor little splicer continues to apply gene tonics like it was going out of style. Some of these are super useful, like the ability to simply vanish if I stand still for a second. I'm still trying to escape from the Fort Frolic area. I've rescued every little sister I've encountered so far, earning gifts every so often from their creator. Right now, I'm playing splicer hit man, working for Sander Cohen, a mad artist whom I'm sure will turn on me soon. Indeed, he already has, thinking I didn't like his master-work, but as I remain useful to him, I'm left to continue doing his dirty work for him. With luck, I'll get out of here soon, and continue my search for Andrew Ryan, Atlas, and the truth behind Rapture.

Tuesday, October 16, 2007

Game night

What started as a quiet evening of Jer and I playing Bioshock has escalated a bit. Recalling that Tim has yet to see the Xbox really in action, and that he currently has a 50" DLP at his disposal, we added him to the mix. Then figuring that where one or two were gathered in the name of gaming, so should all be gathered, we got AB in. And recalling that AB has been hounding me to pick up Halo 3 for a while now, I did so. So instead of Jer watching me play Bioshock, it's now four guys on a couch taking turns with Halo 3. Looking forward to it!

Monday, October 15, 2007

Spending the weekend with grandpa

Last weekend, I took Janie down to Pueblo, to spend some time with her family. Her grandfather is getting on in years, and J wants to spend as much quality time with him as she can. And this turned out to be a perfect weekend for it. We bought him a DVD recorder and tried to teach him how to use it, though I'm not sure I fully understood the details. On Sunday, we had grandpa mostly to ourselves, and took him out to the Pueblo Zoo, which was a surprisingly good time. The zoo is hidden in a park, you can't see it from the road, so it took some finding. Once there, it was perfect fall zoo weather, a little rainy, nice and cool, and the animals for the most part seemed quite happy. One thing I noticed is that the zoo lets you get up close to the animals, which seemed a change of pace from most zoos. A sun bear came up and gave us a good sniff as we stood three feet from him. It was a pretty good day, only marred by the fact that the penguin's weren't on display, as their habitat was undergoing a yearly rehabilitation. It was a good time.

Thursday, October 11, 2007

FPS

So while I'm dragging my heels on getting through some of the games I blogged about earlier, two additional games have come out which are screaming to be purchased. Halo 3 is the franchise first person shooter of the 360, and it some point, I'm going to have to get it. And just yesterday, the Orange Box came out, one of the few games I'd call a deal at $60, with Half-Life 2, Half-Life 2:Episode One and Two, Team Fortress 2, and Portal. I have a small confession to make. Despite playing most of the way through the game, I never completed Half-Life 2. Here's a great chance to fix that mistake.

Tuesday, October 9, 2007

The worst job in the world...

Ok, so it's probably not that bad, in the big scheme of things. At my workplace, there are coffee stations, where one can get a cup of joe, or in my case, some green tea when pick me up's are in order. As they often are. Under these coffee stations, there are cabinets full of coffee related supplies, and one cabinet of foul darkness. For this cabinet contains tubs, wherein harried employees, too busy to walk all the way to the cafeteria to return their used meal trays, can stash the remains of their meals, allowing them to return to work that much sooner.

These cabinets smell strongly of old Italian dressing when opened. The smell makes me hold my breath any time I'm forced to go near them. And there is someone who has the unfortunate job of driving a small cart from coffee station to coffee station, collecting these tubs of filth to be returned to the washing station at the cafeteria. Each and every coffee station on this fairly massive campus has a dish cabinet, and all of them smell of Italian dressing. Truly, those tasked with collecting the refuse of others have both my respect and my thanks.

Monday, October 8, 2007

Fun Toyota WoW commercial

My gaming conundrum...

So I finally completed the last achievement I wanted to get in Crackdown last night, putting that one to bed. But I've been looking at the other games I've got on my to play list, and right now, it's a daunting task...

WoW: Janie and I played our lowbie Draenei for the first time in weeks. We have a regular group that quests in Outland on Thursdays, only lately, it hasn't been so regular. I'm worried about whether this will keep going. I want it to, if only as a way to hang out with friends I don't see too often (Brose in particular).

LotRO: Another fun MMO that I'm not playing nearly enough to make it worth the money. I keep wondering if I should cut back on my MMO expenditures, and if I do, which one do I cut? Or do I quit both?

Bioshock: All the reviews mentioned how quickly they got through this game. I have been taking my sweet time. First, I prefer to play with an audience (Jer loves to watch), and second, I've been creeping through the place, looking for every secret I can find. I don't even think I've reached the half-way point.

GRAW2: I bought this mainly to play online with Batty, but have had the most fun playing split screen with local folks (Batty and I have yet to play). It brings back the fun I used to have playing the Rainbow Six games at LAN parties. I still have to complete it's campaign mode.

Tie Fighter: Ok, what's this doing on here? Well, I'll tell you. While immersed in the Air and Space Museum's, I got the bug to do some flying. And although I had the following game on order, I needed my fix sooner, so I've been trying to get this classic running using DosBox. In my opinion, simply the best space combat sim ever (including the wonderful Freespace 2).

Flight Simulator 2004: An oldie, but a game that should run well on my hardware. I've got a full HOTAS setup from CH Products, along with rudder pedals. Looking forward to it. And finally...

Metroid Prime 3: Jer bought this one for me for a birthday present, and I'm very sad to say, it hasn't gotten the play time it has so richly deserved. It's been absolutely fun so far, but I just haven't had the time.

So what does one do? I mean, look at all this gaming goodness! I'm just one man! Lord help me when Mass Effect comes out...

Serious cat vs Scott



vs.



You decide.

Final DC pix update

IMG_2263

Here's the last of the DC pix, fully updated now, though of course without descriptions, as I'm lazy. I want to label them, but I just don't care. Hope you enjoy!

Friday, October 5, 2007

DC pix, round two

IMG_2097

Here's an updated DC gallery on Flickr. These are mostly from Janie's first few days in DC, sans Rose and I, hanging out with her other NHLI sisters. More to come.

Wednesday, October 3, 2007

DC pix, round one

IMAGE_00051

So everyone is demanding pictures, and being the easily bullied soul that I am, here's the first set. Janie took our camera with her, so when Rose and I arrived, we were left with only my camera phone, so apologies in advance for the pictures presented here. With luck, I'll get the regular pictures uploaded soon.

Tuesday, October 2, 2007

Back from DC

Hey everyone. Sorry for the lack of updates, been in our nation's capital since last Thursday, and didn't feel much like spending time in front of a computer. My knees are officially borked from all the walking, and Janie was feverish on the flight home, but we survived, and had fun while we were there. One thing that this trip definitely reinforced: buy a Lonely Planet guidebook before visiting new places, and use it. I've been a fan since my friend Batty turned me onto them years ago, and this one was top notch. We found fun bars in Adams Morgan we'd never have gone near without it, it never suggested a restaurant we didn't love, and it was generally useful the whole time we were there.

The highlight of the trip for me, as I knew it would be, was the Air and Space Museum, along with the new branch at Dulles. Seeing Space Ship One brought tears to my eyes, and walking though the doors at the Dulles branch, seeing the P-40 and Corsair flanking you (my two favorite WW2 fighters), with the Enterprise in the background, and then stepping forward to see the SR-71 below...it's a geek like me's dream. I have to buy a flight sim for my PC. My HOTAS has sat too long unused...

Have you read my blog?