April 24, 2004... Sharpie Defeated
Apparently, there is a secret ingredient called "elbow grease", which combined with rubbing alcohol and that little sponge thing, will remove permanent marker. Not as smart as Grandma, SunFyre April 23, 2004... Battlefield 1942
I'd heard good reviews, but chose to ignore them until now. You see, typically I hate First Person Shooter (FPS) games. I played DOOM, the original, quite a bit. Two things I liked, the cutting edge graphics and the fact that my buddy installed it on my machine free. Now, pretty much every game has good graphics, sometimes too good. A game of this genre is usually considered cutting edge when it shows more blood and more destruction than any previous game. Grand Theft Auto III and Vice City even threw in some sex. But, the gameplay hadn't really improved since DOOM.
Four things I like about this game above every other first person shooter: Authenticity: Battles are based on real battles and real weapons. Even the language is real, if you are playing a Russian, your radio communications are in Russian (translated for us mono-lingual Americans with text) as well as your victory yell or death rattle. Strategy: This game is as much strategy as it is FPS. You have five types of infantrymen from which to choose, I usually play a sniper. Your infantryman can then go jump in a jeep, a tank, an airplane, or even a ship and go to battle. Fog of War: While the graphics are good, they don't overdo it. When you kill an enemy he makes a dramatic dieing stagger, falls and fades away. No gratuitous blood or gore means two things, first it gets a Teen rating and second, less blood means less pixels, and better performance. I suspect the lack of bloodshed contributes to multiplayer stability. Tanks still explode, airplanes rip apart in midair, and boats bubble as they sink. Shoot at someone swimming, and your bullet makes that distinctive splash. The "fog of war" is an important part of gameplay, and is left intact.
The Deluxe Edition is currently the standard, I wouldn't buy the original without the first expansion. There is a second expansion called Secret Weapons of WWII, and a stand-alone game called Battlefield Vietnam. I'm wondering if we will have a Battlefield Sadam soon. If you decide to purchase based on my recommendation, I'd appreciate if you would click the Shop at Amazon links in the right hand column. Five percent will go to support SunFyre. Going for the head shot, SunFyre April 22, 2004... Do you Kiss your Mother with that Mouth?
Well... it's becoming easier. Last week they learned to open doors,
giving them access to entire new worlds. Yesterday, she opened the
Ainsley found the grimace on her parents' face hilarious!
The first incredibly pleasant surprise was that my shirt arrived by UPS today! It literally was less than 30 hours after I ordered. Most of that time it spent on a big brown truck, so they shipped it UPS ground service the same day I ordered. Also, it's a really nice shirt, a high quality shirt screened on front and back. And the size was right. Usually when you order cheap tee-shirts they are paper thin and 1/2 size too small. The only bad part is that the free shipping wasn't free after all. The website indicated a total of $11, but the receipt was $15.25. The screen printing company charged $4.25, which was the actual UPS ground charge. If you like my shirt, you can get one here. If you need screen printing done in quantity, I recommend Maryland Screenprinters in Baltimore, they produced and shipped the shirt. Well dressed, SunFyre April 21, 2004... New AssistantI hired a new personal assistant. She started at the beginning of the month. At the interview she sounded terrific. She is well qualified, has a solid work history, and was very flexible, a critical requirement of the job. Although... it's been three weeks now and I'm becoming concerned. There were some important questions about personality compatibility that I certainly should have asked. Just for your reference, here are some great interview questions that every interview should contain. (And the correct answer in parentheses.)
Her favorite shows are American Idol, The Swan, and anything with a bachelor or bachelorette. She often tapes shows she misses, and when no reality TV is available, she's watching Country Music Television. Besides that, she's perfect! SunFyre April 20, 2004... An Artist Is Born!
Ainsley's grandmother got her a couple books. Tradition in our family mandates that we sign the inside cover when giving books, so Beverly broke out a new Sharpie and wrote a message to Ainsley. Then she left the Sharpie on the table in a place that was just out of a child's reach, well most children anyhow.
Luckily, we have some wall paint left over from when we painted the hallway originally. Unluckily, I did discover in my searches that permanent marker will bleed up through the paint, so you have to primer the wall first. Well, I'm already planning an adventure for next weekend. We will venture to Home Depot, then bring Ainsley home and teach her about another medium, white wall paint. SunFyre April 15, 2004... Tax Day! Have You Hugged Your Children?!Kristen had Monday after Easter off. I took a day off too so we could have a little fun during "nap time". Our twins take a two hour morning nap and about a one hour afternoon nap, which is just enough time to sneak in a little... ... Income Tax Preparation, ooooh Baby! After college, I'd work all year at my little jobs and as soon as my W-2s arrived in January, I file. Back then you filled out a paper form, mailed it in, and got a check somewhere between 6 weeks and 100 years later. My average refund, around $400-$500, and that's only because I claimed zero exemptions. Then we got married. Two people, one and a half incomes, (I was the 1/2 income, Slacker) and one rented apartment. I expected double refunds, but it averaged about the same $400-$500. I didn't always do them in January. It was usually late February, early March, because now I had a beautiful wife. Whenever we had free time, rather than wanting to do taxes we were making beautiful love! (That's my story and I'm sticking with it.)
Last year, Kristen and I survived on $7,124 for the entire year (according to IRS records). That year Kristen was off for eight months during pregnancy and early deduction-hood, er, childhood. My generally profitable business earned a small profit. Since I work from home, profitable home businesses are allowed to deduct a percentage of household expenses. Ultimately, we ended up with a business loss of $7,000. Knocking her salary from $14,000 to $7,124. Total refund = $3,200! This year the business was slightly more profitable, and Kristen earned a full year's salary. After household business expenses, our taxable salary was $19,800. I expected a somewhat smaller refund. But then to our amazement, total refund $5,200! Lots of people bash George W. Bush and his tax plan. But we are a middle-class family with two children, business owners, struggling to pay a mortgage and credit card bills (from our deduction production, a.k.a. pregnancy time) and our refunds saw significant increases. We will spend a little, save a bunch, and reduce our debt. All three of those things aid the national economy. Some people say, "Yes, but we sacrificed a budgetary surplus we had under the Democrats." I agree a balanced-budget is extremely important, but the Democrats didn't have to contend with a post 9/11 economy. That surplus would have dried up, and we'd be lucky to have even a balanced budget. I'm going to take my refund, invest a little in my own future and probably owe the IRS money next year. In my own little way, helping to balance that budget. Have you hugged your Deductions today?! SunFyre April 14, 2004... Rise of NationsI've been spending way too much time playing games on my computer. My sister's fiancé is costing me a small fortune, he's gotten me completely addicted to two games.
First it allows you to advance through eight ages instead of four. You advance from ancient times through the gunpowder age (roughly what you got with AoE and AoEII) then you proceed through the Ages of Enlightenment, Industry, and into the Modern Age. The modern age is roughly 1968 technology, according to the Official Rise of Nations website, at that point you can advance to the Information Age which includes most of the modern technology available today including Nuclear ICBMs and Stealth Bombers. You literally advance from nomads throwing stones to future civilizations throwing nukes.
Only one negative comment at all, the Information Age is completely different from the others. You can develop Nuclear capability that can destroy large cities instantly. This completely changes the strategy from a front-line advancement game, to a deep-strike game. While I dislike this feature, it only lasts a short time. There are four post-Information Age technologies that become available including "Missile Shield" which renders Nuclear Warheads useless. If you survive the Nuclear Era, RoN again becomes a great tactical strategy game. This game was developed by Big Huge Games and Microsoft Game Studios. MultiPlayer works well is supported free by GameSpy Arcade or over LAN or Direct Internet IP. It's definitely worth the $40 bucks I paid and it's less than $26 at Amazon now. I'll be pre-ordering the first expansion pack. SunFyre April 8, 2004... Missing In ActionOkay, okay, I took a little vacation from SunFyre. I've been gone about a month, some of it voluntarily, and some not. I got sick, my third cold this year, and it knocked me out for about a week. After that, I've been playing catch up with work and family and everything else. Well, I'm back. I'm going to jump in writing every day again soon, even if it's only a little bit. One little piece of news, SunFyre was featured on www.fark.com this week and my daily hits went from about 300-400 average to over 28,000! It's tapering off now, but I'm still getting several thousand. What's is all the traffic about? Well, apparently someone liked my 10 Things to Say to Telemarketers page! SunFyre © 2004 SunFyre.com and Jason Tweed |
Join the SunFyre.com Email Update list. Email: I send an email about once a week listing the topics I've ranted about. March Top 10 Janet Jackson's Super Bowl Breast Hurricane Isabel Damage Photos Death Penalty: My Opinion on Capital Punishment 10 Things to Say to Telemarketers Vote for SunFyre These sites are top lists. Every time you click, I get a vote. The more votes I get, the more people will visit SunFyre. Please vote every day. It really helps. Shop at Amazon.com
SunFyre is an Amazon.com affiliate. Every time you shop at Amazon, click here first and up to 5% of your purchase goes to support SunFyre. Shop at Amazon... Rise of Nations: Thrones and Patriots (expansion pack) Battlefield 1942 Deluxe Edition Battlefield 1942: Secret Weapons of WWII (Expansion Pack) April Links Rise of Nations Official Website Age of Empires II Official Website Battlefield 1942 Official Site
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Mom
is here today, visiting the kids and I showed her 
Multiplay:
The solo play scenarios are relatively easy, and act as more of a training
ground for the multi-player game. The Internet game play is the heart of
this game. You can connect with up to 64 other players simultaneously.
The multi-player connection is built into the game, and it is simply the best
multiplay interface I've seen. Connecting to others is extremely easy,
literally, three or four clicks.
My beautiful little girl... she is just starting to talk and one of her
favorite phrases is "kiss kiss". How can I resist?
bathroom
door and Kristen and I both arrived on scene quickly. Just in time to see
her playing in the toilet with both hands. Then she promptly pulled them
out and licked the cool, clear water off them.
I
always like when companies surprise me, particularly the big ones.
Well,
my new personal assistant is annoyed at my cats that like her better than me.
She says they make her Cairn Terrier freak out, although it gives her stuff to
write about on her web site dedicated to her tiny dog, which she dresses in tiny
dog sweaters.
She
has a boyfriend, whom she doesn't seem to like much, except for the fact he
looks amazingly similar to Vince Vaughn. She's seen
Ainsley
stood on a chair and snagged the Sharpie. And, believe it or not, created
this beautiful artwork on the wall of our entry hall in only 30 seconds!
She wasn't even mildly distracted by her father, SunFyre, saying
"No, Stop, Stop It Now!" As with any true
artist she put her art first, ahead of detractors' opinions. I'm so proud.
You
know how Sharpie is proud of being able to mark any surface. Apparently,
not only is Sharpie a quality permanent marker, it's also a fast permanent
marker. When creating fine art in a rush, trust a Sharpie!
I
went to their website to find out if there is a way to make permanent marker,
well, temporary. I wasn't successful, but did find their cool
Two
tax seasons ago, we had beautiful twin deductions, er, babies, a girl and a boy.
That's when I discovered two things;
The
second significant improvement over Age of Empires is the concept of nations and
national borders. I've heard this idea was invented by the Civilization
series, but I haven't played the Civ series so I'm not certain. Anyhow,
most buildings can only be built within your national borders, which expand as
you add cities and advance in technology. Eventually your national borders
will collide with enemies, creating front-line warfare.
Another
good point for real-time strategy fans is that there are 18 different nations to
choose from, including South and Central American civilizations and African
civilizations. AoE Only gave us cultures that became world powers,
Rise of Nations includes cultures that never became incredibly powerful, but
could had been. Had things been different, perhaps the Aztecs or Nubians
would be powerful today.
Most
computer game companies hold something back for the
