Biggs' Zone

A Geek's Cogitations, Conjectures and other Cortical Experiences

The MMO Times: RIP Tony Soprano

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On June 20, 2013

In Gaming, MMO Times, MMORPG

The MMO Times: Issue 79Issue 79: What does Tony Soprano and the death of James Gandolfini have to do with MMOs? Absolutely nothing, but since this is my blog and I am a huge Sopranos fan, he gets honorable mention in this issue. If you have never seen The Sopranos, get on Netflix and watch it now! I’m a sucker for mafia and mobster movies and shows and The Sopranos was the epitome. James Gandolfini’s endearing smile and extraordinary talents will be sorely missed.

Mobsters and Waste Management Consultants aside, there are a few exciting things happening this week in various MMO titles. I couldn’t find a specific headline worth posting so I will just let you know that Game Update 2.2 for SWTOR went live this week! There is also new content coming to GW2, Marvel Heroes, MWO and of course World of Warcraft as more details of patch 5.4 come out. So while you are watching The Sopranos, check out these headlines, and don’t screw it up or you’ll lose two teeth!

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My First Attempt At Smoking

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On June 17, 2013

In Grill Master Biggs

Smoking a brisket. I’m sure some of you knew that, others might have thought I lost my damn mind. No, I don’t smoke and I never will. Anyway, this past weekend was my first attempt at smoking my first brisket. I didn’t do anything too fancy. The meat I bought was a 3.81 lb beef brisket from Costco. I didn’t want to buy anything too expensive in case I screwed it up. I used charcoal and water with some hickory wood chips for flavor.

R2-B2 Smoker Droid

I call him R2-B2 (he’s a Smoker Droid)

The rub I used was a custom rub that a friend created using various spices from some research on the Internet (and whatever I had in the house). It was an excellent debut rub!! I didn’t use any BBQ, this time (but it will probably be part of the attempt for the next time). I started the smoker about 9:30 and placed the brisket on the grill about 10:00 to cook for about 6-8 hours. Using a suggestion by Iron Chef Bobby Flay, about every hour I would go out and spritz the brisket with some Apple Cider Vinegar from a spray bottle. The real trick was keeping the temperature at an ideal level. About half way through I had to add more charcoal and more water.

It was a far more tiresome process then I expected (especially since I was in the basement playing on the computer between spritzings). The rewards were worth the effort though. It turned out pretty damn good and I’ve already come up with some ideas for the next time. Perhaps a different rub with some different spices, maybe a marinade. Either way, I’d say it was a pretty successful first try! It’s just a matter of honing my skills and making a few minor adjustments and then I’ll be ready for Bobby Flay’s Throwdown 🙂

/cheers

Movie Review: Identity Thief

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On June 15, 2013

In Movies, Reviews

film_reelMy [Rating: 3]

Starring: Melissa McCarthy, Jason Bateman

Synopsis: Sandy Patterson (Bateman) is great at his job, married, two kids, one on the way. He leads a perfect life. His world is turned upside down when his identity is stolen from someone (McCarthy) on the other side of the country. If he wants to keep his job and get his life back, he will need to bring the thief in himself. Unfortunately he’s not the only one that’s out to get her.

Biggs’ Review: Unfortunately this was one of those movies where most of the funny scenes were shown in the trailer. Perhaps my expectations were higher, but I was expecting to laugh more and the movie did get to the point where it felt like it was running a little long. When you have comedic talents such as Melissa McCarthy, Jason Bateman, John Cho and Jon Favreau in a movie together, you expect to laugh from one minute to the next, however Favreau and Cho have such little screen time it seems like its hardly worth mentioning their names in the credits.

Melissa McCarthy is hilarious though and her comedy alone does make it worth checking this movie out but I’d rent it. I’m pretty certain that she had to have ad-libbed some of of her lines. Jason Bateman was funny in his passive aggressive way, which is what I enjoy about his acting.

/cheers

The MMO Times: E3 2013

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On June 13, 2013

In Gaming, MMO Times, MMORPG

MMO Times Issue 78!Issue 78: Greetings Gamers!! Did anyone attend E3 this week? I know there has been a plethora of news coming out this week between E3 and Apple’s WWDC so maybe I found something that slipped past your eyes while following all the news streaming out of California. Most of the E3 news pertains to console systems and making a mockery of Microsoft’s new XBONE (this post is not compatible with the XBox One, please buy an XBox 360 to continue reading *narf!*).

More details and images about the Patch 5.4 are coming out (including a new Garrosh model). The Secret World is offering up something for players this weekend (6/14 – 6/17). World of Warplanes and Elder Scrolls Online news, and more! Also, don’t forget that RIFT has officially gone Free-2-Play. Enjoy!

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Microsoft, Stop The Bleeding!

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On June 11, 2013

In Fulmination, Microsoft, Technology

bsod**Disclaimer: I am going to warn you right now. If you are a Microsoft fanboy in any capacity, you might not want to continue reading this post. I’m venting here, and I’m probably going to get pretty scathing as I’ve nearly lost all faith in Microsoft (and I had very little to begin with).**

In the late 90’s and the early part of last decade I was extremely anti-Microsoft. I did not use Windows; I used Slackware Linux with Windows running in a VM only when I absolutely needed it. As my programming skills improved I started to get more into .NET. Then, when Windows XP came out, the XBox, and Visual Studio, I turned a new leaf. I liked using Windows XP, I played XBox games quite often and I really enjoyed coding in Visual Studio; I even attended a Visual Studio launch event. Windows 7 became, hands down, the best version of Windows I had ever used and it actually gave me a ray of hope in the direction Microsoft was heading (despite the bizarre behavior of Steve Balmer).

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Movie Review: Star Trek Into Darkness

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On June 11, 2013

In Movies, Reviews

film_reelMy [rating: 5]

Starring: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Benedict Cumberbatch

Synopsis: As a result of Kirk’s decision to violate the prime directive to save Spock’s life, he is disciplined and demoted (in true James T Kirk fashion). However a vengeful “super soldier” seeks retribution against Star Fleet which throws the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise into a tumult of scandal that brings Star Fleet to the brink of war. Their actions and decisions will test their resolve, their friendships and the lengths they are willing to go for the “needs of the many”.

Biggs’ Review: I had to watch the first movie a couple times to get use to the alternate timeline. There are a couple concepts I’m still trying to become adjusted to (ex: the “love story” between Spock and Uhura). Now with that said, I thought this movie was amazing. I have to say that watching Karl Urban portray Bones (my favorite of the original crew) is worth it that in of itself. He is spot on, as if the soul of DeForest Kelley had been transferred into Urban’s body.

I was skeptical when Benedict Cumberbatch was cast as Kahn. He doesn’t exactly look anything like Ricardo Montalban (opposite body types in fact). I stand corrected. I almost like Cumberbatch better as a villain then I do as a hero (i.e. Sherlock Holmes – which is phenomenal). So I would say that if you don’t see it for Karl Urban, see it for Cumberbatch.

The music, as always, was superb. I love the subtle hints of music from the original television series. If you are a Trek fan, then you should have seen it by now! If you are a Sci-Fi fan, then you need to go see it now!

(to, lovingly, steal @TheRealNimoy‘s sign off, albeit fitting) LLAP

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