SUNSPLASH 09 Live Conference TONIGHT at 7PM

Anyone who wants input into any aspect of the big summer trip should plan on setting aside some time tomorrow and stopping by my blog tonight and participating. I promise it will be fun.

Cya then
-Pudge

Project Natal

Hey,

This is going to be one of THOSE posts. Like when I posted about the Nintendo Wii and how stupid it was. I did get hyped on it, and I have one, but it collects dust when my sister doesn't want to play Guitar Hero. Xbox 360 is just so much better when it comes to games. There is no contest. I went into the E3 conference this year with high hopes that Xbox would continue their dominance of the gaming industry, and for most of the conference I was insanely pleased. Left 4 Dead and Crackdown sequels, two new Halo games, Twitter, Facebook and other social networking integration, stealing Metal Gear from Sony, these were all blockbuster announcements. Then, they said that they have just one more thing. Last year, that turned into Final Fantasy on Xbox, which put a cap on a great press conference. This year, the next thing was Project Natal, a 3-D motion camera that allows people to play games with their whole bodies instead of a controller.

I died a little inside.

Let me quickly and coherently, before I lose it from my head, give you a straight, from the gut reaction to this new future of gaming, in list form.

• First things first, I've said this before, but Xbox is the console of REAL gamers. We have the Halos and the Gears, so any chance to compete with Wii is completely ruined by parents who don't want their kids around blood and chatting with Adults over XBL. Microsoft needs to continue playing to their console's strengths, instead of making it an all around player.
• To add on to that point, Microsoft was talking about how gaming was being limited by having to use a controller, and added examples of how movies, books, and TV are loved by everyone. Well, newsflash Microsoft, but everyone, and I mean EVERYONE that I have grown up with in my 20 years are familiar with game controllers. That means that given maybe two generations of people, and you are selling a product that 100% of adults are familiar with.
  
• Second, if you saw the demo you could see how imprecise the movements were all around. It reminded me of the Warhawk PS3 demo a few years back that had the plane shaking violently and grinding on walls. A year passes, the only other major game to come out of that was Lair, and that game was so bad it shuttered Factor 5. Didn't really sell the whole motion thing with that did it? With the demos I saw today, I don't see this as any different.
• I wont get into it for long, but dear god was that little boy creepy or what? Maybe I'm alone, and this is weird coming from someone who spends most of their time IMing and Twittering, but when you go that far to simulate a human experience, I'd rather just be talking with a real person who's thoughts aren't programmed to be likable to everyone. I'd rather argue with a real person, then wave my hands in the air and "play" with Milo. That being said, Disney is going to eat this kind of stuff up for their theme parks, and that is an environment where I can see this technology working well.

Now that my opinions are out of the way, I'd like to add onto this post a little personal fears with this type of technology. I don't know if any of you out there are aware of this, but I was born with a nerve disease called Charcot-Marie-Tooth. I was the first person in my family to be diagnosed with it, and later my father and grandmother both found out that their lifelong weaknesses were from this disease that they had. To make a long story short, because of this disease I can't run fast, I can't write with a pencil or pen, and I get tired very easily from any sort of physical activity.

My dad had an NES before I was born, so my entire life gaming has allowed me to escape reality and do things that were hard for me to do in the real world. Moreso than others, I was living life through the game, and when Xbox Live and Halo 2 came out, I had finally found something that I could train at and compete with my friends. But my friends weren't always playing Halo 2. Sometimes they played DDR or Guitar Hero, and I was forced to sit in the corner and watch on. I've tried, but both of those games are impossibly difficult for me, and I learned to accept that.

With the Wii came a new acceptance. Wii games are not impossible for me, and I'm pretty good with a Wii Wheel on Mario Kart, but if possible I always grab my Gamecube controller and use that, because it doesn't make me tired, and I can play long hours without worry. I was almost glad to see the Wii devolve into an unpopular choice for anyone but the casual, so I didn't have to worry about the great games I'd be missing because of my handicap. Rock Band and the new Guitar Heroes blasting off were harder, because it's a truly interactive way to listen to music, and I'm shut out of it. All my friends had these great instrument setups, and every LAN party i've gone too for a long time has had a couple of guitars handy, but I couldn't play. I would love to play Guitar Hero Metallica every day, but it's impossible for me.

With this new annoucment, Microsoft has both disappointed and terrified me. I'm disappointed because unlike Nintendo, Microsoft's motion controls look to use your entire body, with you standing and getting into the action. This is something I can't do for long, so anything built on the platform is already off limits to me. And if I feel this bad about it, I can only imagine how Xbox fans in wheelchairs feel. This terrifies me because, unlike with the Wii Balance Board, Eye-Toy, or XBL Vision, Microsoft is looking to integrate Project Natal into all facets of Xbox. I don't want gaming to pass me by as a person. I don't want this to be a success, because this combined with the Wii would have all the game companies making Wii like consoles for the next generation, making game controllers obsolete. And the controller is the only way that I can continue to interact with gaming. Simply put, I would not know what to do with myself if controllers become a thing of the past.

So Microsoft and Xbox, I hope I misjudged you. I hope my comparisons to Warhawk and Lair were right on the money, and Project Natal becomes the next Virtual Boy disaster. Because, truth be told, the presentation looked amazing, and I fear that in the next generation of consoles, I'll have to find something else to help me escape the horrible run down body that I'm stuck with. I think I need to go lie down.

-Pudge

Pudge Tweets! WWE Judgment Day 2009

• Everybody ready for #WWE Judgement Day? HERE WE GO!
• Did anyone else miss Umaga? He's a very enjoyable big man, especially compared to Batista, Khali, Show. Great opener for #JudgementDay #wwe
• Umaga gets the duke? That can only mean one thing. Punk is getting his world title back tonight #wwe
• Swagger vs. Christian upcoming. Should be another good match. Lets go Captain Charisma! #wwe
• Christian retains, but still controversial. Looks like this feud isn't over yet! Bring it on, it's still producing good stuff. #wwe
• Twitter's getting a little slow as we start the Shelton-Morrison match. WGTT still together after all these years! #wwe
• Morrison wins! And they finally named the Corkscrew Moonsault from the corner as Starship Pain! I like it. #wwe
• YAY! The Miz! #JudgmentDay keeps rolling, and there hasn't been a down moment yet. #wwe
• Ducks! LOL! How is it that The Miz is good? He's the guy from the Real World! No matter, I love it. #wwe
• We're saved by... SANTINO? I like where this is going I think. #wwe
• Santino face turn! Maybe this means less Santina and a Miz/Santino Feud? That's my guess. #wwe
• IC Title Match, and I don't care who wins. ReyRey is an afterthought as champ, and Y2J has had the title so many times he's above it. #wwe
• RT: @treyirby: Clearly Rey's Judgment Day streak is THE NEW STREAK. #wwe #judgmentday (LOL)
• Good match yet again, this is a great show. So now we have 3 half hour matches? With the SD title going last for Punk? I'm excited #wwe
• Orton hears voices, and I hope he rips Batista apart. #wwe
• RT: @treyirby: It's stunning when WWE has moments of relapse when they realize that a match won't be as good as the rest. BATISTA/ORTON #wwe
• THE VIPER! THE SNAKE SLITHERS AWAY!- *sigh* #wwe
• NO FLAIR. NO! YOU'RE RETIRED! YOU'RE WITH ROH! Goddamn it. #wwe
• Ughh I really hate that Flair came back. You know he's gonna be back in the ring now too. LEAVE THE MEMORIES ALONE!! #wwe
• Isn't it funny how #JudgmentDay slows to a crawl with "important" matchups? The Edge/Hardy match should be good, but I'm sleeping now. #wwe
• *Hears Edge's theme song* and I care about the PPV again. Will it be Edge or Hardy that Punk steals the title from? #wwe
• RT: @BrascoAtWMR: The bottom line is Cena works good matches w/ Edge and HBK. With anyone else he sucks. #WWE #RTforTruth
• RT: @rodmcnasty000: Edge = The new WWE grand Slam Champion #wwe #PPV #JudgmentDay (That's why he's the best in the WWE right now)
• @TOPolk Since the old Grand Slam had Euro/Crusierweight title in it, it's impossible. Edge won every title that exists, so it's good enough.
• No Punk? Surprised, but it was still an amazing main event with Edge actually wrestling a win for once. Great stuff, and a Great PPV #wwe

For Twitter n00bs, RT is a ReTweet of someone else's message, and when a message starts with @, I'm replying to someone.

Truly a great PPV, had fun watching.
-Pudge

Pudge Tweets! RAW 5/12/09 Edition

• Morning Tweeps! On @grimchokobo 's word, I'm gonna skim through #wwe RAW on the DVR, see why everyone said it was so horrible.
• Honestly? The first line of the show is that we listen to the crowd... Why must they lie? #wwe
• Ok so I'm now accepting the fact that Orton vs Mcmahons is never gonna end. #wwe
• Fast forward through Divas match... #wwe
• WAIT! They shoved the cameraguy during Orton's interview?! The same person that followed chicks into showers without repercussion. WOW #wwe
• Why doesn't Primo ever get to wrestle?? He needs the TV time more than Carlito #wwe
• Hey! Spanky actually won one! He's not a total jobber yet. #wwe
• "I'M the MIZ and I'm AWESOME!"=The most honest line all night on RAW #wwe
• BEAT UP HORNSWOGGLE CODY! YOU KNOW YOU WANT TO! #wwe
• Fast forward through Santina match... #wwe
• MVP, Miz, TBK, and Regal>The entire RAW roster. They're the only thing keeping this show up right now. #wwe
• And Kofi, I forgot about Kofi. #wwe
• They didn't give away the PPV Main Event on RAW! What a shocker. #wwe
• Besides the boring non-main event, this wasn't horrible. RAW actually has a decent mid card now, and they carry the show. #wwe

-Pudge

Pudge Tweets! RAW 4-27-09 Edition

Hey,

I've decided that since I'm spending WAY more time on Twitter lately (More than I'd like to admit too) It would be cool to use those tweets for something besides Twitter. So from time to time, if I'm active on Twitter, I'll collect the related tweets and post them as a blog post. He's my tweets regarding WWE RAW this week.

• Setting up for #WWE #RAW with Pick. Should be intriguing with Rated RKO back on top.-about 4 hours ago from TwitterFox
• Video Package already? Let the man cut a promo #WWE!-about 3 hours ago from TwitterFox
• (About MVP's missing tunnel) @grimchokobo I miss it too. But MVP's back to the push. Awesome! #wwe
  
• Cole-"HE'S BALLIN BABY!"ughh, I miss you JR! #wwe-about 3 hours ago from TwitterFox
• (About MVP's losing streak) @grimchokobo He even lost to that up-and-comer Kizarny! #wwe-about 3 hours ago from TwitterFox
• OK. I just saw the worst commercial for a movie ever. With a baby coming out of a break dancer. Dance Flick. I'm in shock...
• Goldust! YAY! Call me crazy, but this guy is awesome. #wwe
• Who gets pinned from a Punch to the head? :( Goldust is still awesome... #wwe-about 2 hours ago from TwitterFox
• SuperShane ruins MVP's moment in the sun... STOP IT! #wwe
• @grimchokobo Seriously, three months of SuperShane now. I can't stand it! #wwe
• Cole "Do you really want the Big Show around after he destroyed Cena?" YES! YES! 1000 times YES!
• Miz's Cena Movie Diss made me LOL. #wwe
• There's an FCW shirt in the audience? WTF? #wwe
• And here we see what the WWE tag team division has become. Jobbers, a Heel Team, and a Face Team. It's kinda sad. #wwe
• Video package from the beginning of the show that recaps the same shit they've been recapping for MONTHS. WE KNOW #WWE! PUNTS BAD! HHH GOOD!
• *SCREAMS at TV* GO AWAY SHANE! #wwe
• I officially give up on this main event. I'm going to go get Midnight Breakfast at the USF Cafeteria. #wwe

-Pudge

It'll tickle your innards! or The amazing WIN that is Pepsi Throwback

Hey,

This past Monday, in the middle of the chaos that is the last two weeks of a college semester, there was a new arrival in the often forgotten but no less important world of soda pop. It was the highly anticipated release of Pepsi and Mountain (not MTN) Dew Throwback.



What's the big deal about this new beverage? It contains all natural sugar, just like back in the good old days of the 1980s. All soda nowadays has high fructose corn syrup, and while that doesn't seem like a big difference, it totally is. I'm getting ahead of myself though...

Naturally, being named Pudge and all, I decided that the very next day would see me and a crew of companions set off to the nearest Wal-Mart to acquire this magical soda.I had heard that it wasn't exactly widespread yet, considering it came out the previous day, and I hoped beyond hope that it was there.


(Pictured from left to right:Pick, Stanford, and LunaTik)

At first I thought only one half of our mission would be fulfilled, because there was only can packs of the Pepsi version of Throwback, no sight of the arguably more exciting Mountain Dew concoction. I ran to the front of the store to get a cart to carry our loot, and low and behold, it did exist!



I only had to look to the coolers by the register to acquire 20oz versions of the Dew I craved. It was a great consolation prize to go with my 2 8 packs of Pepsi cans.



After grabbing a bag a delicious bagels, our small insignificant but o so satisfying trip was complete and we were much richer for the experience. Unless you count our wallets. But still, that was an awesome hour or two.



And as for the taste. Well, it's amazing. If you've ever had any Pepsi products in the past, they always start off better then their Coke peers, but then your tongue gets a burst of what can only be described as acid which overwhelms the otherwise enjoyable experience. Throwback takes away the acidy, manufactured taste and leaves you with nothing but pure soda bliss.

I'd definately recommend taking a trip down to the store and picking some up. In fact, I demand it considering that this amazing elixir will only be available for a total of 8 weeks beginning this past Monday. Lets vote with our wallets and tell Pepsi that we want our soda to taste like soda from the first sip all the way to the burp residue. And even you cheapskates should hit the link and Tweet about how great it is. Lets make this limited edition wonder a permanent product in my fridge, shall we?

-While we're at it, why not bring back the Mountain Dew hillbilly? He was awesome!
Pudge

That's One DOOMED Space Marine

DOOM
Originally uploaded by NeedlerFanPudge

Hey,

Just a quickie post. Besides the insane amount of money I've gotten working at USF, I just gained this. A complete, almost pristine set of the original 1993 release of DOOM. They found it while cleaning out the server room and no one had a use for it except for me. I also got an awesome trackball mouse from that day, but this is more important. Thanks for the awesome year, I hope to do four more USF!

Summer? 2 Weeks for me! YAY
-Pudge

Thank you Jim

Hey,

Thanks Jim. Without you pissing me off today, I wouldn't have been watching VH1 when they played this song. I have a great new band to listen to. Maybe you should take a look.

Sorry for confusing anyone else, but its a great song. Give a listen.
-Pudge

Super Bowl Ads on Hulu

Hey,

As anyone that is familiar with me knows, the big game for me tonight is the Super Bowl ads. Below is a widget that will let anyone follow along with them online, just in case you miss them. Thanks Hulu!


Enjoy the most commercial day of the year!
-Pudge

After the Fact PS: And now it doesn't break the page! Yay!