I just want to take this opportunity, before I forget to do it this week, to wish all of you …
Awww … did that offend you? Well tough! Get over yourself because no matter how much you complain on Facebook and Twitter, there are hundreds of thousands of people, just like me, that are going to continue to say “Merry Christmas”. There is absolutely nothing you can do about it so just shut up and enjoy the season.
What in the hell has gotten into people?!? Two shootings within the span of a week and one of which was at an elementary school. The only reason I can come up with as to why these monsters are doing these horrific things is they are among the loonies that think the world is going to end this Friday. I mean, if the world is going to end then clearly there are no consequences for your actions so I guess you can literally “get away with murder”.
Sorry folks, but the world isn’t ending on Friday and you’re still going to jail. While the rest of us continue to live our lives, yours has just ended. Good job!
This is the kind of thing I am most afraid of this week. I can’t wait until Saturday morning just so all this lunacy can be over. I’m beginning to feel concerned about coming to work because I don’t know where the next pinhead will be. In fact I’m actually debating about working from home on Friday.
I hope you and all your loved ones stay safe this week and in the many, many weeks to follow.
I never thought I would be on a tirade about Bioware’s design decision for SWTOR. I was a huge supporter for nearly a year. I tried to think of their decisions from the developers perspective to combat the negativity and bad press the game was getting. I was really hoping that their decision to finally go Free-2-Play would resolve a lot of the harsh criticism. Instead it’s made it worse; even I am pretty peeved.
The concept of the Cartel Coins and Shop seemed like a good idea. Similar shops have worked for other games in the past. I was looking forward to spending the coins that I had earned from my past months of paying their subscription to play the game. When F2P launched, I found out that the only way I can get those coins that I earned would be to resume my subscription. Oh, and if I don’t resub by January 7th, I will lose all of them! By the way, when they show you the price to unlock something, that is only for the character you are currently logged in on. Double that amount if you want to unlock it for all your characters.
If you want to feel like you are making any progress on your character’s end game (i.e. completing heroic dungeons) its going to cost you weekly cartel coins. Someone actually did the math and determined that it would cost approximately $56 a month for a free player (the link is a 3-page article of a rather harsh, and deserved, criticism of Bioware’s F2P business model).
Apparently Bioware’s defense for their decision to nickel-and-dime players is to encourage them to purchase the subscription. Sorry, that’s not how I felt. In fact I feel like just uninstalling the game. I feel ridiculous for 1) having defended Bioware all this time and 2) for spending the money on the collector’s edition. They are clearly taking advantage of Star Wars fans. They must think we are all just a bunch of suckers! Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.
They are going to have to make another drastic change if they want to salvage this game (if its even possible to salvage it). Perhaps now that LucasArts is owned by Disney someone at Disney can slap some sense into their business department and find a better free-2-play model. I like Funcom’s model. In fact I think I’m going to be playing The Secret World now instead of SWTOR.
Issue 57: Good News Everyone! The end of the world is upon us! Those silly Mayans have predicted that the world will end next Friday because that’s when there calendar ends. Makes sense to me. So if you’re not hiding in some bunker somewhere or seeking protection from some mystical mountain in France, check out these headlines. You can take comfort in knowing that even though these games exist in a virtual, fictional world, there is more fact in these headlines then any prediction from an extinct civilization.
Funcom is taking the “end of the world’ lightheartedly with a video made by their creative director that resulted in a pleasant surprise for folks that enjoy that MMO. New game updates for SWTOR, more cool “ninja stuff” for Age of Wushu and more. Read on and game on, friends!
(I also provide The MMO Times in an e-mail. If you are interested in receiving the e-mail version please click here to subscribe.)
The Elegant Universe: Superstrings, Hidden Dimensions, and the Quest for the Ultimate Theory by Brian Greene
My [rating: 5]
Click here to see my review on Goodreads.
Whenever I told someone I was reading a book about string theory I would get looks of confusion and bewilderment. What would compel me to read about such a complicated and theoretical concept? I am not a physicist or a mathematician, just a programmer. I have a pretty good understanding of fundamental physics but Brian Greene does an excellent job explaining string theory concepts even for those with just a fundamental understanding.
After reading this book will I be able to explain string/M-theory to someone else. No. It’s still a complex topic. To quote the book “Ernest Rutherford once said, in essence, that if you can’t explain a result in simple, nontechnical terms, then you don’t really understand it” (p. 203). This is how I felt after reading this book. Yes, I feel confident that I could comprehend 85% of the book but I know that I still lack full understanding.
I did enjoy the book enough to give it a 5-star rating because I do believe it was amazing. In fact I intend to read the book again in hopes that having read the entire book, going back over the concepts a second time will help make additional connections.
A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin
My [rating: 4]
(Click here to read the review on Goodreads.)
I really enjoyed this book by the end. I have to admit that it’s a little slow to start. I believe it was intended to be that way as a means to set up its rich web of characters and their relationships. I read this book without having seen any of the HBO series as I didn’t want the show to influence how I visualize the world and the characters.
It’s a long read, especially when there is a lot of character and plot development but I would recommend you stick to it. By the end you will be ready to read the next book. The chapter structure is different, which means I had no idea when I was reading the final chapter (unless you cheat and look ahead), but I really liked how it ended. If you will allow me to be trite (as well as an intentional pun), the end was “hot!”
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