Hey everyone, I'm moving out of my place in Altoona and won't need many of the things I've got in my apartment. So I'm trying to get rid of some of my stuff. Check out the following link to see pictures and prices for the stuff (it's mostly furniture).
http://www.freewebs.com/jargon/Stuff/index.html
You may have seen this in an e-mail previously, but a lot of new items have been added to the listing, so be sure to check it out to see if there's anything you want/need.
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Video Game Hall of Fame: Diablo II
Blizzard is one of the most impressive video game companies in the business. They've established three huge franchises in WarCraft, StarCraft, and Diablo, and every game they've released in each of those franchises has been a rousing success. While it's likely that a number of Blizzard titles will eventually be members of this personal Hall of Fame, the first inductee will be Diablo II, as well as the Lord of Destruction expansion pack.
The game was a tremendous upgrade over the original Diablo (not to knock that game, either), offering improvements on every level. On top of improved interfaces, vastly expanded skills, greatly individualized character classes, and sharper graphics, Diablo II offered a lot of features that created a much richer and more rewarding online gaming experience, without the hassle and psychological burden of a monthly fee.
While individual games are limited to 8 players, players of many of the larger massively multiplayer games will acknowledge that you only rarely find yourself interacting with more than four other players in those games. The game doesn't boast an exceptional trading system, instead relying on game names and discussion in the Blizzard-supported chat channels to facilitate player-to-player exchanges. Despite its weaknesses, the rewards of trading with other players can be profound, as Diablo II introduced the concept of "set items:" various weapons and pieces of armor that, when equipped at the same time, offered one or more bonus boosts to your character. I've found many of these complete sets to be useful well beyond the required character levels.
But I do have sort of a love/hate relationship with Diablo II. Recently, I've encountered periods of cripplingly high latency, resulting in game freezes and occasionally my character's demise. While the death penalty isn't terrible, it does cost a great deal of money when you die, and the run to my corpse to retrieve my items is frustrating. I've ended my evening of play on more than one occasion due to excessive lag.
Still, the single player or direct IP connection games that you can set up with friends offer the opportunity to play the game without the risk of slow network operation ruining the experience. And the game itself is extremely fun, offering seven different classes of characters with very unique skills to give you very different playing experiences between them. They also do a good job of appealing to a number of different playing styles, from the bruising barbarian to the frail but powerful sorceress.
Diablo II seems to resurface on a regular basis in my gaming life cycle, and I have no doubt that it will continue to do so until the next sequel to the series comes out. It's certainly nowhere near as broad as the big MMORPGs of today (especially World of WarCraft), but it's got plenty of depth to keep players coming back for more. And of course, it's got a ton of different loot to go after. After all, both the original Diablo and its sequel have been, at their core, treasure hunting games. And they were both among the best games of their time.
Welcome to the club, Diablo II.
Diablo Battle Chest
The game was a tremendous upgrade over the original Diablo (not to knock that game, either), offering improvements on every level. On top of improved interfaces, vastly expanded skills, greatly individualized character classes, and sharper graphics, Diablo II offered a lot of features that created a much richer and more rewarding online gaming experience, without the hassle and psychological burden of a monthly fee.
While individual games are limited to 8 players, players of many of the larger massively multiplayer games will acknowledge that you only rarely find yourself interacting with more than four other players in those games. The game doesn't boast an exceptional trading system, instead relying on game names and discussion in the Blizzard-supported chat channels to facilitate player-to-player exchanges. Despite its weaknesses, the rewards of trading with other players can be profound, as Diablo II introduced the concept of "set items:" various weapons and pieces of armor that, when equipped at the same time, offered one or more bonus boosts to your character. I've found many of these complete sets to be useful well beyond the required character levels.
But I do have sort of a love/hate relationship with Diablo II. Recently, I've encountered periods of cripplingly high latency, resulting in game freezes and occasionally my character's demise. While the death penalty isn't terrible, it does cost a great deal of money when you die, and the run to my corpse to retrieve my items is frustrating. I've ended my evening of play on more than one occasion due to excessive lag.
Still, the single player or direct IP connection games that you can set up with friends offer the opportunity to play the game without the risk of slow network operation ruining the experience. And the game itself is extremely fun, offering seven different classes of characters with very unique skills to give you very different playing experiences between them. They also do a good job of appealing to a number of different playing styles, from the bruising barbarian to the frail but powerful sorceress.
Diablo II seems to resurface on a regular basis in my gaming life cycle, and I have no doubt that it will continue to do so until the next sequel to the series comes out. It's certainly nowhere near as broad as the big MMORPGs of today (especially World of WarCraft), but it's got plenty of depth to keep players coming back for more. And of course, it's got a ton of different loot to go after. After all, both the original Diablo and its sequel have been, at their core, treasure hunting games. And they were both among the best games of their time.
Welcome to the club, Diablo II.
Diablo Battle Chest
Monday, March 10, 2008
Movie Hall of Fame: Field of Dreams
Initially I had thought that I should try to think of my all-time favorite movie and have that be the first inductee into the brand new Hall of Fame, but I decided against that for two reasons. First, I have trouble deciding my all-time favorite movie. Second, it's nice to pick a movie that's topical, and with the baseball season getting revved up, a baseball movie fits the bill perfectly.
Now, some of you (specifically those of you who are Indians fans) might suggest that Major League is a better baseball movie, and I'll concede one point to you: Major League is much more focused on baseball than Field of Dreams. But Field of Dreams blows Major League out of the water when it comes to simple movie quality. Also, there's a specific aspect of how Field of Dreams treats the sport of baseball that makes it, I think, a better baseball movie (I'll expand on this in a minute).
Back to the movie itself, Field of Dreams stars Kevin Costner as a farmer who hears a voice telling him to build a baseball field in his field of corn. People mostly think he's crazy, but he does it anyways, and magic ensues. For the twelve of you on the planet who haven't seen the movie, I won't ruin it, but there's a lot of traveling, some more voices, and very interesting and well-played characters. Obviously, the movie has a fantastic quality that requires you to let go of the logic centers in your brain, but if you're able to enjoy Disney World or the Super Smash Brothers video games, you shouldn't have any trouble enjoying the film.
The aspect of the movie that sets it apart for me, though, is its treatment of baseball. Throughout the movie (and particularly at the end), baseball is appreciated as something greater than just a game, but a part of American culture, and something that has contributed to the identity of Americans. Is baseball some kind of holy concept? No, but it's certainly more than just the game. It's become an institution, and Field of Dreams highlights the great parts of it, the stuff that has nothing to do with steroids or contract negotiations.
The movie also does a great job of including baseball stories that highlight the particularly dramatic nature of so many baseball situations. That's what makes baseball so appealing, and so American: the drama. Soccer is a fine sport, but the vast majority of soccer games are minimally dramatic, pushing passes through midfield, clearing balls lobbed deep into the defensive territory, and the ball just coasting along, waiting for someone to get to it. In baseball (and football, the two huge American sports), drama is never in short supply.
The last piece of the puzzle for this movie is a story about Kevin Costner's character and his relationship with his now deceased father. It adds an emotional storyline that gets highlighted occasionally throughout the movie but doesn't really get fully addressed until very late. When I was younger, I didn't really care for this part very much, but after losing my own father, I now understand what my mom/uncles/aunts appreciated so much about the end of the movie. I'm a total sap, so I get weepy at most sad moments in movies, but I can usually tell which parts are legitimately heart-wrenching, and which are just standard fare, and this one, though completely understated, is the real deal.
So there you have it, your first member of the House Housington Media Hall of Fame: Field of Dreams. Look forward to a new inductee on March 20th, which will be our first video game member. It's a great PC game by one of the strongest game developing companies ever.
Now, some of you (specifically those of you who are Indians fans) might suggest that Major League is a better baseball movie, and I'll concede one point to you: Major League is much more focused on baseball than Field of Dreams. But Field of Dreams blows Major League out of the water when it comes to simple movie quality. Also, there's a specific aspect of how Field of Dreams treats the sport of baseball that makes it, I think, a better baseball movie (I'll expand on this in a minute).
Back to the movie itself, Field of Dreams stars Kevin Costner as a farmer who hears a voice telling him to build a baseball field in his field of corn. People mostly think he's crazy, but he does it anyways, and magic ensues. For the twelve of you on the planet who haven't seen the movie, I won't ruin it, but there's a lot of traveling, some more voices, and very interesting and well-played characters. Obviously, the movie has a fantastic quality that requires you to let go of the logic centers in your brain, but if you're able to enjoy Disney World or the Super Smash Brothers video games, you shouldn't have any trouble enjoying the film.
The aspect of the movie that sets it apart for me, though, is its treatment of baseball. Throughout the movie (and particularly at the end), baseball is appreciated as something greater than just a game, but a part of American culture, and something that has contributed to the identity of Americans. Is baseball some kind of holy concept? No, but it's certainly more than just the game. It's become an institution, and Field of Dreams highlights the great parts of it, the stuff that has nothing to do with steroids or contract negotiations.
The movie also does a great job of including baseball stories that highlight the particularly dramatic nature of so many baseball situations. That's what makes baseball so appealing, and so American: the drama. Soccer is a fine sport, but the vast majority of soccer games are minimally dramatic, pushing passes through midfield, clearing balls lobbed deep into the defensive territory, and the ball just coasting along, waiting for someone to get to it. In baseball (and football, the two huge American sports), drama is never in short supply.
The last piece of the puzzle for this movie is a story about Kevin Costner's character and his relationship with his now deceased father. It adds an emotional storyline that gets highlighted occasionally throughout the movie but doesn't really get fully addressed until very late. When I was younger, I didn't really care for this part very much, but after losing my own father, I now understand what my mom/uncles/aunts appreciated so much about the end of the movie. I'm a total sap, so I get weepy at most sad moments in movies, but I can usually tell which parts are legitimately heart-wrenching, and which are just standard fare, and this one, though completely understated, is the real deal.
So there you have it, your first member of the House Housington Media Hall of Fame: Field of Dreams. Look forward to a new inductee on March 20th, which will be our first video game member. It's a great PC game by one of the strongest game developing companies ever.
Sunday, March 9, 2008
A New Hall of Fame
As I've mentioned to many people in the past, I think most Halls of Fame are innately flawed. The choices of inductees lend themselves heavily to emotional biases, since voters are all human, and we are naturally emotional creatures. It's not that this emotional characteristic of humans is bad; it just means that personal likes and dislikes are going to come into play when deciding who's worthy of induction.
And I'm not just talking about sports halls of fame here. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is in fact the most recent institution I've evaluated, and it seems like they induct pretty much anybody who's even mildly influential. You can look forward to future Hall of Fame members No Doubt, Barenaked Ladies, Korn, and Rob Thomas. Listen, I like some music by each of those artists, and I'm not ashamed to admit it. But the Hall of Fame should be less about likes and dislikes and popularity, and more about transcendence. Members of any hall of fame should be those that are clearly a cut above, those whose work makes most others in their category seem insignificant.
So, since I can't affect any changes in the way halls of fame choose their members, or take action to remove those I feel are unworthy, I'm starting my own: The House Housington Media Hall of Fame, with inductees in the categories of albums, movies, and video games. (I intentionally chose three categories without widely acknowledged halls of fame, because I don't necessarily want to kick dirt on the shoes of those who vote for, work for, or respect other halls; I just want to establish and share my own, correct opinion).
Inductees will be announced once a month on the following schedule:
And I'm not just talking about sports halls of fame here. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is in fact the most recent institution I've evaluated, and it seems like they induct pretty much anybody who's even mildly influential. You can look forward to future Hall of Fame members No Doubt, Barenaked Ladies, Korn, and Rob Thomas. Listen, I like some music by each of those artists, and I'm not ashamed to admit it. But the Hall of Fame should be less about likes and dislikes and popularity, and more about transcendence. Members of any hall of fame should be those that are clearly a cut above, those whose work makes most others in their category seem insignificant.
So, since I can't affect any changes in the way halls of fame choose their members, or take action to remove those I feel are unworthy, I'm starting my own: The House Housington Media Hall of Fame, with inductees in the categories of albums, movies, and video games. (I intentionally chose three categories without widely acknowledged halls of fame, because I don't necessarily want to kick dirt on the shoes of those who vote for, work for, or respect other halls; I just want to establish and share my own, correct opinion).
Inductees will be announced once a month on the following schedule:
- Albums - 1st of each month
- Movies - 10th of each month
- Video Games - 20th of each month
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Pizza Hut Online Is A Joke
Alright, the basic idea behind ordering a pizza online is twofold, at least to my understanding:
- Ordering online prevents the customer from having to actually talk to another human being, reducing potential interpersonal tension from the equation (if you don't think this can be a problem, the next time you're hanging out, nominate someone else to order the food, and you see if they don't squirm just a little bit).
- Ordering online creates a digital ticket that should result in fewer problems resulting from human error, miscommunication, or general malaise by the order taker.
That's why you order online; you don't have to talk to anyone and the place is more likely to get your order exactly correct. I'm a fan of ordering online. I think most businesses should offer online ordering, especially food delivery places. If I didn't have to call up for Chinese food and could instead order it online, I'd be up to my eyeballs in General Tso's chicken.
But Pizza Hut seems to miss a piece of this puzzle. Allow me to elaborate.
I have ordered from the local Altoona, PA Pizza Hut near me a number of times, almost always through their website. If my memory serves me correctly, the first few times were pleasantly uneventful and involved approximately zero effort on my part. Then, one time, I placed the order online and received a phone call soon after from my local Pizza Hut. They were wondering where I found the coupon that I had used for my order. I explained that it was on the PizzaHut.com website, and that seemed to satisfy their inquiry. Though not exactly. When the driver arrived, he said, "That'll be $16.41 and a coupon." I explained that it was one of the coupons available to click on the website, and whether by the merit of my explanation or his own distaste for human interaction (which I certainly share), he accepted it and left.
My hope was that my experience was a result of a kink in the Pizza Hut online ordering system that would be worked out on the corporate side. Bzzzt! Incorrect.
I received another phone call after my next online purchase, this time asking me to print out the coupon I used. What? Just print it out and give it to the driver. I don't understand that, but again, I believed the problem to be a system-based problem that would get worked out soon enough.
Months later, after a hiatus from pizza, I ordered from Pizza Hut again, just recently. No call this time, thankfully, and I waited with baited breath for my warm Stuffed Crust pizza and boneless buffalo wings. The driver arrived at the door, and said what I ought to have expected: "There's your receipt to sign, and you have a coupon?" No, sir, I ordered it online and do not have a coupon. "Okay, they'd like you to print out the coupon and give it to the driver in the future." Really? "Yeah, just print it out and give it to the driver." Okay, I'll do that the next time I order from you guys.
I will never order from them again.
What exactly is the point of a complex online ordering system if not to eliminate the need for paper coupons? When you order stuff on sale at Amazon, do they make you give the USPS guy a printout of the item description from the day you ordered it? I mean, the coupon is on your site and in your computer system. I clicked it and the system already knew what I was ordering, and took me to a page to make whatever decisions I needed to make concerning this dish. Your system told you that the pizza was ordered online, and gave you a total price for the order. I didn't hack your damn system to save four bucks on a large pizza.
I haven't decided yet how much swearing I'm going to do on this blog, but rest assured, if I had decided to go all out, this post would've been chock full of expletives. More than anything else, I hate when people make me waste my time or my resources; Pizza Hut was asking me to do both.
In fairness, I've ordered Pizza Hut pizza online at my mother's house and had no such problems. It's possible that the Altoona branch isn't sophisticated enough to fully integrate itself into the online ordering system. But if that's the case, then just don't offer online orders. Papa John's has never even suggested that I provide a coupon for my online order. They've got a fully integrated system, and they understand that if you're going to allow online ordering, you'd better do it right. I prefer Pizza Hut pizza, and I believe Pizza Hut pizza is generally less expensive. But that little tweak of convenience is worth it to me to downgrade to Papa John's for the foreseeable future.
I should write Pizza Hut a letter, or at least an email. But I'd rather just complain about it.
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