Eve Online

I've been seeing a game called Eve Online advertised a lot in PC Gamer, so I went to the website to check it out. I also did a search for a free trial and was able to find a 14-day free trial on the website. I didn't have to give out a credit card to get started, so I installed the game.

The opening scene gives you the back story on how the galaxy came to be as it is now. Essentially, humanity left Earth after it was left uninhabitable. But ruthless corporations took over all the new planets that were colonized, leaving the people under the thumb of oppression. Then one day a stable wormhole was discovered, and people began traveling to an unexplored part of the galaxy to find a new life. Not too long afterward, the wormhole collapsed, leaving thousands colonists stranded on hundreds of worlds. Over time, only four groups of humans survived. And the game begins from there leaving you to setup your character by choosing a bloodline.

I did not get very far into the game yet...the computer is still training me how to operate my ship and engage in combat, but so far the game has a depth that is generally not seen in other games. It reminds me a little of the old game Taipan, but much more grown-up. That's both a negative and a plus. It's a negative because you can't just pick the game up and start playing, but I think the complexity of the game will be more rewarding in the end. We shall see.

It's Official -- I'm Getting Old

This has not been a good two weeks. First, I got food poisoning and was sick for a couple of days. Then, I've got some kind of a head cold or allergy thing going on. My diaphragm is so sore from coughing that it hurts to breathe. Then, I got new eyeglasses and something was wrong with the prescription because I couldn't see very well with them, and I was getting headaches. So I went back to the eye doctor today and she rechecked my eyes. I asked her when I would need to start considering bifocals. She said not normally until I reach age 40. But, she went ahead and tested me for problems focusing on far and then near objects, and guess what? I'm having problems. So she tells me I'll probably be in bifocals sooner than age 40. Just freakin' great!

New Graphics Card

Over the weekend, I installed a new nVidia graphics card in my VAIO. Wal-mart had it on sale so I couldn't resist.

A while back I picked up Rollercoaster Tycoon 3 and immediately put it aside when my existing ATI card couldn't keep up with it. It was a painful experience, and my initial reaction to the game was disappointing. So I reinstalled it to see if the new card could handle it, and the difference is like night and day. I believe the game is as fun as the original games in the series were. There have been two expansion packs to the game recently. I guess I'll have to pick them up too, now.

Filthy Hospitals

I just got word my grandmother's sister has passed away from a staph infection. She contracted it after she went into the hospital for neck surgery.

Recently, a friend's grandpa had surgery and developed some sort of unidentified infection, and he later passed too.

Sounds to me like the hospitals are not cleaning up their messes good enough. It's an outrage, especially after what they charge for surgery these days.

Moral of the story: if you want to live, don't go to the hospital.

A Dirty Joke

Two Canadians are sitting in a bar, when one of them turns to the other and says, "Hey, you wanna play 20 questions?".

The other one says, "Sure."

So the first one says, "Let me think of something." So he thinks of "moose cock". "Okay, I got it."

The second one asks, "Can you eat it?"

The first one giggles and says, "Well, yeah, I guess you can eat it."

The second one says, "Is it 'moose cock'?"

My apologies to all Canadians. :)

Howard Sterns Moves to Sirius

I caught the tail end of the Howard Sterns show this morning on the way to work. He must have been on his best behavior on his first day because I didn't hear a single explicative. What I did enjoy was hearing him discuss first amendment rights. It would seem there are some senators who are trying to get the FCC to censor Howard Sterns on Sirius, which is a pay service much like HBO. Also, apparently Sirius can be programmed to block channels, so if you don't want to hear Sterns, you don't have to listen. Basically, Sterns went on to say that if they are successful in altering how the FCC behaves, they'll destroy cable TV and the first amendment as we know it. Keep up the good fight, Howard.

Fun with 3-D

Flamingo
Originally uploaded by shutterbug4000.

This is kinda cool. I took a few pictures I've taken with my Loreo 3-D Lens in a Cap and converted them to 3-D red/blue anaglyphs. They are viewable on the Flickr website. My user ID is shutterbug4000.

Mine Explosion

Today the news is reporting only 1 survivor in that West Virginia mine explosion. Last night the news mistakenly reported 12 had survived. Apparently, the mining company knew within 20 minutes of the announcement that it had made a mistake, but did not correct the information for 3 hours.

One woman has stated she's going to sue the mining company for lying to her. I'm sorry, but that is just irrational. It's sad that her dad died and all, but last time I checked, lying (and I wouldn't even call it that) is not illegal. People say ridiculous things when they are emotional. This would be a frivolous lawsuit at best. She sounds less concerned for her dad and more concerned about how much money she can get her hands on.

Fire Danger

Here in Oklahoma the wildfire situation is out of control. A couple of days ago, there was a wildfire about a block north of my dad's house in Duncan. When I talked to him, it had burned one house to the ground that he knew about. The Oklahoma City news was reporting 5 houses burned later that night. It's pretty crazy.

My dad was a volunteer firefighter for years, and he helped out with the recent fire. My step-brother is a firefighter. It takes a special kind of courage to put your life on the line to help others, and I have nothing but the utmost respect for that kind of person.

In the coming days the fire danger appears that it will worsen. If you know someone who is a firefighter, I urge you to thank them for doing what they do and to keep them in your thoughts until we get some rain.