Biggs' Zone

A Geek's Cogitations, Conjectures and other Cortical Experiences

The MMO Times: Pumpkin Spice Edition!

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On September 24, 2015

In Gaming, MMO Times, MMORPG

minion-jediIssue 132: Greetings Again, Gamers! Autumn is officially upon us (which means the DayStar is in the sky less during the day) but that also means its going to get colder out. In just a couple of months the white stuff will be falling, and I don’t mean the kind in the middle of an Oreo (queue Weird Al). Be that as it may, Autumn means the summer season is over which means gaming season begins (because what else are you going to do when its no longer nice outside???) It also means we will be inundated with Pumpkin Spice flavored everything, which might be great for some, but I know others find it annoying (or even disgusting). Personally I just like Starbucks Pumpkin Spice latte, but everything else I could do without.

In any event, how about we get to the litany of gaming headlines. Non-MMO news includes something cool about the Star Wars Battlefront beta and Rise of the Tombraider. In actual MMO news, an exciting tweet about something sweet coming to The Secret World; more on the possible new Overwatch heroes. Finally, in convention news, a little reminder of what you get when you watch/attend BlizzCon. KCGO.

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Will J.J. Abrams Succeed?

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On September 18, 2015

In Geek Canon, Movies, Star Wars

3p0-and-r2We are three months away from the release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Millions of Star Wars fans are waiting with bated breath for the epic release of the first film in the franchise that doesn’t include George Lucas (whether you love him or hate him). Of course the thought on everyone’s mind is “will it be good or will it suck”. Obviously everyone immediately thinks about the prequels and how easily those movies are shredded and belittled. The difference this time is we have J. J. Abrams telling the story.

bb-8Personally I don’t think it’s going to matter what the critics think. Star Wars is “critic-proof”. Yes, I just said the one phrase that all movie critics hate (pundits and amateurs). All the Star Wars movies are more than just a movie. Every movie is adding lore to a subculture that has existed for almost 40 years. It’s a subculture that thrived before Facebook, Twitter, even e-mail could influence our opinion before we saw it for ourselves. Social media has become so integral in our world that people are now going to movies with their opinions already mired by trolls and haters.

I have faith in J. J. Abrams. I thought he did well with the two Star Trek movies and I’m even starting to develop a little confidence in Disney (after all they also own most of the Marvel movies as well). Granted Abrams has had a few projects fail (ex: Revolution, Alcatraz) but he has had quite a few big successes (i.e. Alias, Lost, Fringe, and the aforementioned Star Trek movies). I’m excited. Really excited. Abrams has the right amount of geek in him to satisfy our hopes. We will know soon.

/MTFBWY

The MMO Times: 30 Years of Mario

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On September 16, 2015

In Gaming, MMO Times, MMORPG

StormtroopaIssue 131: If you’re like me, you might be feeling a little old when you realize that 1985 was the year the world was introduced to an Italian plumber on 1985-Mariothe proverbial damsel-in-distress quest. Super Mario Brothers turned 30 this week and, for me, that was the game that started it all. It’s unfortunate that we lost Satoru Iwata too soon so that he can see the world celebrate one of the most iconic video games in history. Even Google, of course, got in on the action, as documented by Kotaku (a great way to annoy your co-workers).

This is still an MMO post and MMOs are what we will talk about but homage should be paid where homage is due. There is a new title entering a beta (of sorts) called Otherland that you might be interested in checking out. Destiny’s new trailer is definitely something to checkout (especially if you didn’t watch any NFL this weekend). StarCraft 2: Legacy of the Void also has a new cinematic for your drooling viewing pleasure. Blizzard has dropped some new Overwatch hints and HotS goodies. So take a break from some Mario nostalgia (if you actually have a functioning NES) and check out what’s new in MMOs this week. KCGO.

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Never Forget …

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On September 11, 2015

In General Cogitation

never-forget-nyc-1-550x320Fourteen years ago was the darkest day in US history. 2,977 people lost their lives to a most heinous act of terrorism I’m sure I will ever see in my lifetime. I hope Evie will never have to endure that kind of unquenchable heartache. Since that day in 2001 I have never once complained about the extra precautions that are taken when going through airport security. I would rather be patient and let the TSA do proper checks then ever see an tragedy like that happen again.

“I will be in the stairwell of your final moments.” – God

I remember waking up and not believing what I was hearing or seeing. I remember visiting ground zero a couple years later still feeling completely speechless. I think our continued vigilance was an important lesson learned, but there was something else I wish had persevered from that awful day. Unity. On that day it didn’t matter if you were Republican or Democrat. Liberal or Conservative. Jewish, Christian, Muslim or Atheist. Gay, Straight, Transgender, white or black. We all were wounded, lost, heartbroken and we needed one another to endure.

I wish we would treat each other like that again. It shouldn’t take an act of terrorism to stop the bickering and fighting. Neither side has the right answer but working together has a greater chance of a more suitable answer to our nations problems. We should stop telling the other side they are wrong and learn to accept that we all believe different things and learn how to appreciate those beliefs to a fair and just end. Our fighting is pointless.

Today I will not troll the other side. Today I will remain silent in reverence of those who, unwillingly, paid the ultimate price.

God Bless America.

Tech Talk: Apple Event

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On September 10, 2015

In Apple, Tech Talk, Technology

minion-appleThe Apple uber-fanboys waited with bated breath for September 9th. Everyone knew that Apple would be unveiling their next model of iPhone and I think everyone pretty much knew that the Apple TV was finally getting a long overdue upgrade. I know rumors were floating around about the iPad Pro, but I don’t recall if they were ever concrete enough to know, for certain, that Apple would be unveiling it.

I pseudo-watched the live event; by that I mean I watched the CNET live broadcast. Brian Tong and his crew are very entertaining to watch during these big events, especially when Brian is in full nerdgasm mode, which he was during this event.

The Apple Event talked about the Apple Watch, Apple TV, iPad Pro (with Smart Keyboard), Apple Pencil and, of course, the iPhone 6S/6S Plus. There was quite a bit of information disseminated; some of it good, some of it kind of blah. I talk more about each of these after the break.

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Walk to Mordor: Arrived at Rauros

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On September 10, 2015

In General Cogitation

falls_of_rauros_ii_by_reneaignerI have officially reached Rauros in my Walk to Mordor Nerd Fitness challenge. That means I have walked over 1300 miles so far this year.

Many folks don’t really know what, in Middle Earth, Rauros is. If you do a Google search you will immediately recognize the location, or you can look at the image at the top, which is the Falls of Rauros.

Argonath

The Pillars of Kings

If that still doesn’t ring a bell from the movies, perhaps this image will help. Just prior to the falls, one would pass through the Gates of Argonath (aka The Pillars of Kings). The Falls of Rauros are also the falls that served as Boromir’s burial site.

Rauros is the final milestone in the Walk to Mordor before Mount Doom. I reached that milestone yesterday, which means I have a little over 400 miles left to complete the challenge. As long as I keep my current pace, statistically, I should have no problem completing the challenge by the end of the year.

I have been tracking my progress using my own tool and my Fitbit dashboard.

/cheers

minion_keboard_smI could get so much more accomplished if I only had minions!

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