It's That Time of Year Again

That time, of course, is Christmas. I thought it'd be nice to list the best parts of the holidays as I see it. Let's call it the "Top Five Elements of Christmas." ...and the list.

5. SNOW! -- Not that we get any, and when we do, it accounts for less than three inches. At least we're not in Texas. Anyways, the snow always proves that Christmas is here, along with the bitter cold.

4. PRESENTS! -- Giving them, of course. It's very exciting to shop for those you love and watch as they open the gifts you've shelled out your dough for. You always search for that special item that makes the accepter happy. Not as easy as it sounds, as we've all learned by now.

3. Family and Friends -- Well duh, this is kinda obvious. Really, this is party the reason Xmas exists - spending time with the present givers and getters. I wonder if my lil' sis still believes in Santa. Probably not, she's pretty clever. Anyways, Xmas alone would be horribly terrible.

2. Christmas Dinner -- Nothing makes me happier than getting presents and eating great food on the same day! How perfect is that? Anyone else with me? Well, Xmas day beats out Thanksgiving because of this. You spend the morning (atleast for me) opening presents, then dinner is prepared, and then eaten later that day. I'm sure other families do it other ways but this process is tradition for me.

1. Christmas Music and Movies -- Yes! Xmas movies and music really triggers the nostalgia in me and gets me feeling like a kid again. I'm a humongous Mannheim Steamroller fan, so obviously, I'm hyped to listen to them for the next 27 days. Remember those claymation movies of Rudolph and the gang? Who doesn't love those movies? I'll never grow tired of watching that... magic, on tv.

Honorable mentions: Decorations--(usually too flashy, white lights only, and lots of garland and red.... stuff.

Of course Christmas is a celebration of Jesus' BD, and I'm glad that America celebrates Xmas so much, even though it is overly commercialized. What would Jesus' BD be like if it wasn't nearly as hyped up? Christmas is the ultimate holiday for the ultimate dude. My family always makes an effort to stay true to the values that originated in Christmas and we used to even do the Advent candles every Sunday leading up to Christmas - however, it always killed me because it made things move sooo much slower.

Goldeneye 007 Speedrunning

Lately, I've gotten back into the N64 version of Goldeneye, they greatest First Person Shooter ever made. As anyone who owns the game knows, cheats are opened up by beating the levels on certain difficulty levels under certain time constraints. Here, I take a look back at those times and compare them to the world record speedrun times.

Dam - Secret Agent, Paintball Mode; 2:40. World Record: 1:18
Facility - 00 Agent, Invincibility; 2:05. World Record: 0:57
Runway - Agent, DK Mode; 5:00. World Record: 0:22
Surface - Secret Agent, 2x Grenade launcher; 3:30. World Record: 1:50
Bunker - 00 Agent, 2x Rocket Launcher; 4:00. World Record: 1:07
Silo - Agent, Turbo Mode; 3:00. World Record: 1:05
Frigate - Secret Agent, No Radar; 4:30. World Record: 1:06
Surface 2 - 00 Agent, Tiny Bond; 4:15. World Record: 1:32
Bunker 2 - Agent, 2x Throwing Knives; 1:30 World Record: 0:25
Statue - Secret Agent, Fast Animation; 3:15. World Record: 2:20
Archives - 00 Agent, Invisibility; 1:20. World Record: 0:56
Streets - Agent, Enemy Rockets; 1:45. World Record: 1:13
Depot - Secret Agent, Slow Animation; 1:40. World Record: 0:43
Train - 00 Agent, Silver PP7; 5:25. World Record: 2:11
Jungle - Agent, 2x Hunting Knives; 3:45. World Record: 0:53
Control - Secret Agent, Infinite Ammo; 10:00. World Record: 4:14
Caverns - 00 Agent, 2x RC-P90's; 9:30. World Record: 1:42
Cradle - Agent, Gold PP7; 2:15. World Record: 0:35
Aztec - Secret Agent, 2x Lasers; 9:00. World Record: 1:45
Egyptian Temple - 00 Agent, All Guns; 6:00. World Record: 0:47


Some of those records are insane. Those codes are hard to achieve, and when I was younger, I worked hard to get them. Here's some noteworthy codes/times.

Easiest - Duh, Runway. I think the only object was to retrieve plane key and get on the plane, which was just down the runway. 5:00 minutes is so inflated, it's not even funny.

Hardest - Facility. This level is insanely hard to do in under 2:05. To beat the time, you are required to have everything down perfect and get lucky with Dr. Doak in the end. What a pain in the butt. Of course, the WR is almost 1:10 faster.

Most Inflated Time - Caverns. Nine and a half minutes to get the code is done in a WR time of 1:42. Obviously that run is extremely lucky, as the code is done in 00 Agent mode.

Closest WR/Code Time - Archives. Code time 1:20, WR time 0:56. 24 second difference.

Fastest WR Time (All levels, any difficulty) - Archives, agent. 0:16 seconds.

Closest WR Times on one level for all difficulties - Statue, all difficulties, 2:20. I don't know what the objects are for each diffictulty, cuz I can't remember.

Combined World Records for all Levels (Numerous record holders):
Agent - 20:24
Secret Agent - 26:15
00 Agent - 30:30

Fastest Single-Segment Finish on 00 Agent (One person) - 47:24 Wouter Jansen

One fine game! See all times here: Speed Demos Archive: Goldeneye 007

Super Xbox 360 Coverage Extravaganza

It's all starting to happen, folks. The launch of the Xbox 360 is days's away. Five, to be exact. I always get excited when a new console comes out. It's very interesting and only happens about once every five years. I've already bought one game, Kameo, which just sits by itself over by the tv. Poor thing... well I'll be going crazy on it early next week. I'm also going to pick up Project Gotham Racing, Call of Duty 2, and Perfect Dark Zero, along with an extra wireless controller, and a play and charge kit (so that I can charge my wireless controller without having to stop playing.)

My total Xbox 360 Package:

(3) Premium Xbox 360's (2 to sell afterwards)

> 1 media remote
> 1 pair of headphones w/mic
> 1 20 Gb Hard Drive
> 2 wireless controllers
> 1 month free subscription of Xbox Live
> 1 Kameo: Elements of Power
> 1 Perfect Dark Zero
> 1 Project Gotham Racing
> 1 Call of Duty
> Hi-Def Cables
> Enormous Power supply

One of the biggest plusses for the 360 is Xbox Live. This time around is so updated, it's nothing like the old Live. This time it's all about community, which is mainly recognized by the implementation of the gamercard. Every person on Live has a gamercard which displays your icon (picture), game name, Gamerscore (important), and which zone you are in. The gamerscore is really a BIG plus. Basically every game you buy is worth 1000 points, and comes with achievements which can be seen online. As you play more games, you rack up more and more points which allows other people to see how good you are. Most of the achievements are hard to reach and prove your worth. There are four zones, Recreation, Pro, Family, and Underground. Each appeals to a different gamer. Live comes with full text messaging and buddy lists. You can even see what your friends are doing on their 360's - it'll tell you which game they're playing, what level they're on, or if they're watching a movie, listening to music, etc) One thing I really like is the feedback system. If you're playing with an asshole that uses vulgar language etc, you can block him and never see him again. That's pretty nice. Anyways, as far as games go, Project Gotham Racing has a feature called Gotham TV which allows you to spectate games going on between the best in the world. This is made possible through leaderboards. In Perfect Dark Zero, you can play in 32-player death matches. In Kameo, you can play in Co-Op mode with your buddy from Indonesia.

Kick ass, now I'm going to bed.

Seven Days

...Till the 360 launch.

Those lucky bastards that won the "EveryTenMinutes" Contest already have theirs.

18 Game launch titles - 3 exclusives (Kameo, Perfect Dark Zero, Project Gotham Racing 3).

Gotta go home to get $870 from my dad so I can buy him two systems.

Read this: Mind of a Single Guy

Then this: Mind of Single Girl

I DO NOT THINK LIKE THIS, I THINK...

To Town, Bye Bye.

Me, as of Late

Well, I've been busy. I haven't seen my friends very much and sometimes I go through weekends where I forget I'm in college (or just lose my sense or rush to get stuff done). I've been getting into RSS 2.0 which allows you to see the headlines of your favorite websites without going to them. I use Firefox for this and it works just like a favorite, as the headlines expand when the mouse is over the website in your favorites list.

The big thing on my mind is the Xbox 360. I've played it all over the place (Best Buy, EB Games) and am really looking forward to it. I think there's only like 12 days left or something like that. I'll be camping out at Walmart and Best Buy (I'm buying one for me, and one for my dad, which I will then sell on eBay. Apparently Microsoft is only shipping 400,000 units to the states for launch. Most stores are getting between 15 and 60. In other words, there will be an unsatisfied demand. That's why I think I'll make a killing on eBay. It's almost a guarantee for some profit.

I'm ready for Xmastime. I love Christmas music. Mannheim Steamroller is the greatest Christmas group ever, and that's a statistical thing, not just an opinion. I once went to one of their concerts in St. Louis. I should check to see if they're coming around here this year. Sarah would love to see them, I'm sure.

One good thing: My mom is coming back to Kentucky. She left in August because "she had to find herself" and took the kids, 'cept me, up to New York to her parent's house. Luckily, she realized that she wasn't happy without my dad and is returning. If Sarah and I got/get married, I think we really wouldn't have marital problems. When she's mad at me, I love her more - or less, depending on the situation.

Well, here's to Christmastime.

- Well, It's been Awhile -

Not too much to say. The week has been kinda boring. My mom's back in town for the week and confirmed that she and my brother and sister are moving back to Kentucky during Christmas break. That's a good thing, especially for my dad. Tomorrow my roomate takes off for the entire weekend to go to an airforce base in South Carolina (or around there). I've been playing a lot of Age of Empires III, but I can't do that tomorrow because I have a US Government exam Friday. That class is easily my favorite. My prof, Topher Rice, is a funny guy and kinda lectures with the class instead of just to the class. I find politics very interesting, to say the least. I got an 81% on my last exam, mainly because of a technical mistake in one of my essays which dropped me down to a 13/20 for that particular one. I really absorb the info really well in that class, and really, that class combined with History Since 1869, has brought me to a much greater understanding of the government and how it really affects history.

One thing my prof said in History 109 that I found interesting:
J. Edgar Hoover won his election (1928) by almost 80% of the electoral college as a Republican. He won every state except for the largely democratic, white South.

Then the depression hit after the stock market crashed in 1929, which was not Hoover's fault.

The next election Hoover loses to FDR by almost 80% of the electoral college. So Hoover went from winning by almost 80% to losing the next election by almost 80%.

My prof pointed out that whenever bad things happen to the US and its people, they always blame the president.

People really blamed Bush for the whole Katrina ordeal, even though it really wasn't his fault.

He has recieved flack for 9-11 also.

Just a thought, as it seems that a lot of Bush's negativity comes from natural or planned disasters.

The Most Friggin' Awesome Flash Puzzles

Flash games are great. Usually simple, and moreover addictive. There are four games, though, that really stand apart from other flash games. The first two are called Grow. The concept behind the puzzle involves cause and affect. The other two are called Hapland 1 and 2, both involve systematic and sequential actions that end up lighting 2 torches. These games have inspired me to learn flash so that I can also make games.

GROW CUBE
GROW RPG
Hapland 1
Hapand 2

The latter two will take hours to figure out on your own. They involve timing and sequence, so you'll have to play with them for awhile.

Grow involves simply placing 8 or 10 objects onto a cube or sphere which then level up. The goal is to completely level up each object. This idea is ingenius.

Perfect Night!

I had my first perfect night of frisbee. I had a 4-0 record and the first game was in the pouring rain. I even made some nice throws and threw off a couple of times. This is awesome... it was the Pizza hut, it was the Pizza Hut...

Media = Violence

The media has to make money. No one likes to watch boring news. The problem is, peaceful situations don't make the media any money, and the coverage of constant crime and negativities through the media has warped America into a fearful mass of people. Although I don't like Michael Moore, I do agree with some of the things in Bowling for Columbine.

Here's the stat. Although the crime rate has dropped 20%, the coverage of crime by the media has raised 600%. This translates into the fact (although ignored) that most American's are scared stiff. Another scarey stat: Number of gun murders in Japan a year = 39. Number of gun murders in America a year = almost 12,000.

America is very similar to all other countries yet the murder by gun rate is exponentially higher. It's scary. Oh wait...

My Top Ten Songs of All Time List

This list is a nice one because it is ALWAYS CHANGING! Music will inspire you for a few weeks then leave you hanging the next few. No doubt, this list would be different if I wrote it a month from now, but here goes:

10. Pardon Me - Incubus

This song defined Incubus as a band that needed to be taken seriously. The song is often played live and usually gets covered by other bands, especially small-timers.

9. Parabola - Tool

Tool plays math rock - which is rock for the intellectual. Why? Because they use crazy tempos and rhythms of course! Parabola is actually Pt. 2 of a very long song.
The first is called Parabol and is very soft throughout. At the end of Parabol, the song gets loud and goes right into Parabola. Extremely sweet effect, and with the guitar and drumming madness in this song, it's hard not to like.

8. Karma Police - Radiohead

Mellow chords and a surreal ambient sound make this song one of the best songs ever written.

7. Uncalm - 311

311 impresses me most with a great sound and very clever lyrics. Uncalm is a very, very sweet love song that'll get anyone singing.

6. Say it Ain't So - Weezer

No one can argue, this is a timelessly great song. The guitar chords are so great, the song makes you feel like you're alone at home looking out the window, watching it snow. They fill you with a feeling of distance from everything else. I sometimes refer to it as the Winter Funk song.

5. Blue Rondo a la Turk - Dave Brubeck

Brubeck's jazz is easily some of the most listener friendly jazz ever written. Some other honorable Brubeck mentions are Bossa Nova U.S.A. and Take Five. Blue Rondo is great for walking across campus becuase the fast tempo makes ya wanna, uh, groove or something.

4. Don't Stop Me Now - Queen

If I made a top 50 songs list, there would be 10 Queen songs on it. Queen's lead singer Freddie Mercury is "the greatest male singer of all-time." His range knocks the rest of them down. Plus, he's ugly, and we all love the ugly duckling underdog right? Don't Stop Me Now is a kick-ass upbeat ass-shaker of a song.

3. Paranoid Android - Radiohead

Great, great, great, great, great, great, bloody great. Goes back and forth from soft, mello murmerings to hard head banging pulsations - all with the Radiohead sound.

2. Love of My Life - Queen

One of the most beautiful ballads ever written. A love song of smoothly lyrical and tender style, yet cavalier enough to keep everyone happy.

1. Frameworks - The Cavaliers

Well, it's not the conventional radio song, but this show is definitely amazing. Plus the music comes with drill, which alone will make your jaw drop. Damn! Composed of mostly music majors, and arranged by the best in the activity, the 2002 Cavaliers went on to score a 99.15 out of 100 in Finals. Frameworks combines every fundemntal concept of music, manifests it, and puts it in pure musical and visual form. Oh yeah, the Cavaliers wrote and designed the entire show by themselves. This music was not taken from another composer or a copied idea, it is purely original bliss.

Amazing - One woman's got it right...

This has nothing to do with the picture, however, definitely check out the link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kim_Kelly