Metal Gear Solid 4
It's been a pretty long while since I've stayed up all night playing a videogame, but MGS4 seems to be doing the trick. If you've ever played a Metal Gear game and you've been curious for answers, this game seems to be tying things up nicely so far. 2nd this is the EXACT reason why I got a PS3, everything else is just a bonus. (well Blu-ray was a big factor too)
In terms of Graphics, this is one of the prettiest games I've seen. Everything seems to move so smoothly and I don't recall seeing any "pop up," even in the most intense actions scenes. And most importantly, every lady in the game seems to show off their pretty features (Steve knows what I mean).
The soundtrack is pretty good and is appropriate for many of the cut scenes. If anyone wants a copy of it, let me know.
Overall game play / control is pretty good, though I will say I seem to have been spoiled by games like Rainbox Six, Gears of War, and even to some extent Grand Theft Auto in terms of how the shooting mechanics work. I wish in this game they put something where you could actually hide behind cover.
The story is overloaded with a lot of junk about the nanomachines, but it seems to go through a lot more detail of how they got there - the Patriots, who certain characters are and why they're important, etc. I gotta say after walking through an intense battle / mission, I happily was able to sit back and watch a pretty lengthy cut scene. The overall story is just engaging to me and like a good book, it gets me caught up and just want to learn more. I find myself on Wikipedia looking up and reading past story lines so that I can make total sense of some of the stuff I've seen so far, there's just so much information.
Anyway, if you haven't gotten the game, I highly recommend it. It's just a great Metal Gear game and I'm pretty sad that this will be the last one. (Though I bet their will be sub-games or something like those PSP versions)
Jun 16, 2008
May 27, 2008
I'm with you on Indiana Jones. The plot was not as exciting or as mythical as the other movies. Covenant of the Ark and the cup of Christ to the Crystal Skulls....? I'll blame George Lucas for this one.
I really did enjoy the movie, but I have a feeling if I watch it again it will make me reminiscent of the 2nd time I saw the Star Wars prequels. I loved them in theaters for nostalgia sake, but when watching them again, I realized, damn, these weren't that good.
The action scenes were great and I enjoyed the actors they chose.
In terms of overall ranking:
Last Crusade
Raiders
Crystal Skull (tie)
Temple of Doom (tie)
If you haven't seen Iron Man, I found this to be a great comic book movie. It'll be interesting to see if the new Hulk movie is just as good since these are the first two that have come out under the new Marvel productions. Though I don't know a whole lot about Iron Man's background / story - Robert Downey Jr. was a great Tony Stark / Iron Man.
I really did enjoy the movie, but I have a feeling if I watch it again it will make me reminiscent of the 2nd time I saw the Star Wars prequels. I loved them in theaters for nostalgia sake, but when watching them again, I realized, damn, these weren't that good.
The action scenes were great and I enjoyed the actors they chose.
In terms of overall ranking:
Last Crusade
Raiders
Crystal Skull (tie)
Temple of Doom (tie)
If you haven't seen Iron Man, I found this to be a great comic book movie. It'll be interesting to see if the new Hulk movie is just as good since these are the first two that have come out under the new Marvel productions. Though I don't know a whole lot about Iron Man's background / story - Robert Downey Jr. was a great Tony Stark / Iron Man.
May 22, 2008
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
I know everyone on this blog is an Indiana Jones fan. I'll say that before I saw it last night I made sure I knew nothing about this movie. No trailers, no news stories, no reviews. Part of the magic of this series is the surprise, so I'm warning you right now, if you haven't seen it don't read beyond this paragraph. I'm not going to spoil plot lines, but personally I hate reading analysis before seeing the movie.
Let me preface a little more... I remember my parents taking me to see The Last Crusade in the theaters. To an eight year old, that was THE reason you went to the theaters. You wanted action, comedy and a true hero. I was hoping that this movie would bring me back to that time and it did. At least as much as it could so many years later.
Analysis
The beginning. What the hell? Something just felt wrong about seeing Indiana on the big screen once again. At first I thought it was me. Had I grown too old to accept a new Indiana Jones movie? Is this something that I'm going to walk away from disappointed that they ruined a wonderful series? Happily the idea grows on you, much like visiting an old friend you haven't seen in a while. At first you don't know how to act or think, but soon you settle into a nice groove.
It feels like Spielberg spent extra time in the beginning setting up your expectation of the movie. He shows the limitations of a 19 years aged Harrison Ford, and shows that Indiana is in a new age without the old Nazi enemies. It's a nice introduction but seems a little heavy handed...
I like how Harrison Ford picks up right where he left off. Indiana is still the professor at heart; he rambles his thought processes, and makes his cynical remarks. It's a formula that worked for the last three movies so why mess with a good thing?
Plot
Unfortunately I found the plot was a tough one to swallow, even after his last adventure. I had to keep reminding myself that this man has seen hearts ripped out of people, met with the protector of the holy grail and found the fabled ark. But even these adventures pale in comparison with what David Koepp has in store for him this time around.
Final Thoughts
In the end however, I really enjoyed this one. I wouldn't rank it above The Last Crusade by any means, but it was good for the nostalgia.
In closing, I want to remark on a metaphor that had to be pointed out to me, but I thought it was very fitting. In the beginning, we have the old school Paramount logo, and it fades to a gopher mound. It's a fitting way to bring the audience back down from their high expectations and settle into a great summer movie - Which is exactly what this movie delivers.
I know everyone on this blog is an Indiana Jones fan. I'll say that before I saw it last night I made sure I knew nothing about this movie. No trailers, no news stories, no reviews. Part of the magic of this series is the surprise, so I'm warning you right now, if you haven't seen it don't read beyond this paragraph. I'm not going to spoil plot lines, but personally I hate reading analysis before seeing the movie.
Let me preface a little more... I remember my parents taking me to see The Last Crusade in the theaters. To an eight year old, that was THE reason you went to the theaters. You wanted action, comedy and a true hero. I was hoping that this movie would bring me back to that time and it did. At least as much as it could so many years later.
Analysis
The beginning. What the hell? Something just felt wrong about seeing Indiana on the big screen once again. At first I thought it was me. Had I grown too old to accept a new Indiana Jones movie? Is this something that I'm going to walk away from disappointed that they ruined a wonderful series? Happily the idea grows on you, much like visiting an old friend you haven't seen in a while. At first you don't know how to act or think, but soon you settle into a nice groove.
It feels like Spielberg spent extra time in the beginning setting up your expectation of the movie. He shows the limitations of a 19 years aged Harrison Ford, and shows that Indiana is in a new age without the old Nazi enemies. It's a nice introduction but seems a little heavy handed...
I like how Harrison Ford picks up right where he left off. Indiana is still the professor at heart; he rambles his thought processes, and makes his cynical remarks. It's a formula that worked for the last three movies so why mess with a good thing?
Plot
Unfortunately I found the plot was a tough one to swallow, even after his last adventure. I had to keep reminding myself that this man has seen hearts ripped out of people, met with the protector of the holy grail and found the fabled ark. But even these adventures pale in comparison with what David Koepp has in store for him this time around.
Final Thoughts
In the end however, I really enjoyed this one. I wouldn't rank it above The Last Crusade by any means, but it was good for the nostalgia.
In closing, I want to remark on a metaphor that had to be pointed out to me, but I thought it was very fitting. In the beginning, we have the old school Paramount logo, and it fades to a gopher mound. It's a fitting way to bring the audience back down from their high expectations and settle into a great summer movie - Which is exactly what this movie delivers.
Mar 26, 2008
Cooking
I like to cook. I don't know how it happened, but I guess because I have extra time now that I'm out of school I cook.
So far I'm doing easy things, but let me tell you - Salmon is your best friend. It's easy, cheap and you can fake a good meal with it. Let me share a quick example.
Fast Salmon Meal
2 Salmon Fillets (The kind with the skin on one side...)
Extra Virgin Olive Oil (Don't go with the cheaper oil!)
Salt
Pepper
Garlic Powder
Spinach
Small Red Potato
Rice (Optional for non-asian folk!)
Chardonnay Wine
So I did this using a George Foreman Grill because I hate firing up an outside grill for just two people. Besides, I kind of like the grilled salmon smell. Feel free to grill this fish however you want, but I don't recommend baking it.
Start your rice.
Pre-heat your grill.
Wash the spinach and cut off the end of the stems. You can throw them into water and boil but I prefer to steam them. Supposedly it's more healthy for you. Steam for roughly 5-7 minutes. Look for that nice bright green color.
Prepare your salmon. I got the frozen kind at Safeway. Just rub it down with a little olive oil (Both sides) season with salt, pepper and garlic powder. (You may want to go easy on the salt. The soy sauce is usually good enough)
The red potato can actually go in the microwave, just make sure you poke it with a fork though. Put in the microwave for 3 minutes, turn and cook for another 3 minutes.
Throw the salmon on the grill. On the foreman, it only takes 5-6 minutes.
When plating, start with the spinach. Make a little bed of it, and place the salmon on top. Top the salmon with three leaves of spinach. Add rice, and red potato.
Serve with your choice of chardonnay.
Total time - 20 minutes.
Total Cost: $16.18
Salmon (2 fillets) - $8.20
Spinach - $1.99
Wine (Cheap but good - Concannon) - $5.99
And that's it! Your serving a healthy meal that is visually appealing. The red, pink and green look real nice on the plate.
I like to cook. I don't know how it happened, but I guess because I have extra time now that I'm out of school I cook.
So far I'm doing easy things, but let me tell you - Salmon is your best friend. It's easy, cheap and you can fake a good meal with it. Let me share a quick example.
Fast Salmon Meal
2 Salmon Fillets (The kind with the skin on one side...)
Extra Virgin Olive Oil (Don't go with the cheaper oil!)
Salt
Pepper
Garlic Powder
Spinach
Small Red Potato
Rice (Optional for non-asian folk!)
Chardonnay Wine
So I did this using a George Foreman Grill because I hate firing up an outside grill for just two people. Besides, I kind of like the grilled salmon smell. Feel free to grill this fish however you want, but I don't recommend baking it.
Start your rice.
Pre-heat your grill.
Wash the spinach and cut off the end of the stems. You can throw them into water and boil but I prefer to steam them. Supposedly it's more healthy for you. Steam for roughly 5-7 minutes. Look for that nice bright green color.
Prepare your salmon. I got the frozen kind at Safeway. Just rub it down with a little olive oil (Both sides) season with salt, pepper and garlic powder. (You may want to go easy on the salt. The soy sauce is usually good enough)
The red potato can actually go in the microwave, just make sure you poke it with a fork though. Put in the microwave for 3 minutes, turn and cook for another 3 minutes.
Throw the salmon on the grill. On the foreman, it only takes 5-6 minutes.
When plating, start with the spinach. Make a little bed of it, and place the salmon on top. Top the salmon with three leaves of spinach. Add rice, and red potato.
Serve with your choice of chardonnay.
Total time - 20 minutes.
Total Cost: $16.18
Salmon (2 fillets) - $8.20
Spinach - $1.99
Wine (Cheap but good - Concannon) - $5.99
And that's it! Your serving a healthy meal that is visually appealing. The red, pink and green look real nice on the plate.
Mar 19, 2008
Big Dog
This robotic beast of burden will impress and perhaps scare you. Watch the whole thing. The kick recovery is cool and the ice slipping, with its eerily animalistic leg motions, freaked me out. I swear it looks like head-conjoined twins in some inconsiderately-designed shared-backpack apparatus.
(I stole this from Reid's blog. He occasionally posts interesting engineer nerd stuff, as well as academic updates that indicate his EECS powers have far surpassed mine. I should have known once he started whooping me in Tetris Attack.)
This robotic beast of burden will impress and perhaps scare you. Watch the whole thing. The kick recovery is cool and the ice slipping, with its eerily animalistic leg motions, freaked me out. I swear it looks like head-conjoined twins in some inconsiderately-designed shared-backpack apparatus.
(I stole this from Reid's blog. He occasionally posts interesting engineer nerd stuff, as well as academic updates that indicate his EECS powers have far surpassed mine. I should have known once he started whooping me in Tetris Attack.)
Mar 12, 2008
This is a little old, but I love it nevertheless... If you haven't seen the trailer for SoulCalibur IV, this is it...
It's a great time to be a gamer again... Unreal Tournament III, Crysis, StarCraft II, Soul Calibur IV, Street Fighter IV, MGS4 - I could go on and on... Or I can go on a rant on how new IPs are hard to create.
Instead I'll post a link to some really really old free games.
That's what I've been doing with my free time. You know you want to play Kings Quest again. It's a lot better than tingly balls.
It's a great time to be a gamer again... Unreal Tournament III, Crysis, StarCraft II, Soul Calibur IV, Street Fighter IV, MGS4 - I could go on and on... Or I can go on a rant on how new IPs are hard to create.
Instead I'll post a link to some really really old free games.
That's what I've been doing with my free time. You know you want to play Kings Quest again. It's a lot better than tingly balls.
Mar 1, 2008
Feb 22, 2008
haha we're so playing next time. How about this? I know you guys are going to Japan, but want to plan a Vegas trip near December? (By that time you should have recovered a little bit...) I think there's a marathon going on near the beginning of December which is why I was thinking about going.
But that roulette thing... don't you get paid 2-1 for winning? So it'd actually look like this:
A B C
A +4 +2 +2
B +2 -2 -2
C +2 -2 -2
Edit:
Never mind, I get it... I'm an idiot. I'll just leave that diagram for stupidity's sake.
But that roulette thing... don't you get paid 2-1 for winning? So it'd actually look like this:
A B C
A +4 +2 +2
B +2 -2 -2
C +2 -2 -2
Edit:
Never mind, I get it... I'm an idiot. I'll just leave that diagram for stupidity's sake.
Feb 21, 2008
Why you should not play Roulette
BRIAN... No... Not you too?! Steve once said he had "a system" for roulette that seemed to work. Such claims make logic- and math-minded people cringe, and on darker days, cry. It's true that it's the 0 and 00 slots on the wheel that throw the odds in the house's favor. But even without them, there is NEVER a player edge. A fair gamble has even odds, so the casinos start there and tweak the games in their favor. Observe...
Say all the numbers fall into rows A, B, and C, or columns 1, 2, and 3. You bet $1 on row A and $1 on column 1. In the long run each number, and therefore each row-column combination, should come up with the same frequency.
Without the 0 and 00 slots you would break even. Remember, when you only win one bet you lose the other, so most of the time you either win one or lose two.
Why you SHOULD play roulette
All that nerdspeak being said, I must admit roulette has become one of my favorite casino games. This is because:
(a) You can make lots of bets. Red/black and odd/even are boring. Rows and columns aren't much better. But in this game you can scatter chips all around the felt, which is fun. Until they all miss and you see the dealer wipe a whole table, spotted with a pastel rainbow of chips, clean. Hey, no game is perfect.
(b) You can play hunches without risking a major mistake. All the bets are equally valid... or close enough. Feel like betting your birthday? Your lucky number? Go ahead. You can bet all your surrounding friends' lucky numbers and then if their number hits... it's hi-five time.*
(c) Your money doesn't disappear crazy fast. They give you enough time to pick your numbers, and there's the suspense as the ball spins around the wheel. (It'd be really exciting if instead of real time you saw a slo-mo zoomed-in view of the ball when it's about to stop somewhere. I think I'd love that.) And then they put that crystal salt shaker down, hopefully near some bets. In contrast, some of those blackjack dealers must be really eager to see pissed off faces. $10 in 10 seconds sounds about right. Entertainment value: ZERO. You're down $50 before you even see a waitress.
(d) It's gambling for dummies. I know, this doesn't really appeal to my personality type, but it makes the game easy for a whole group to play and enjoy. There's no thinking required and no important decisions to make. No stress unless you're betting your bus-ride-home money.
*If you got excited there you failed the test. It's NEVER hi-five time.
BRIAN... No... Not you too?! Steve once said he had "a system" for roulette that seemed to work. Such claims make logic- and math-minded people cringe, and on darker days, cry. It's true that it's the 0 and 00 slots on the wheel that throw the odds in the house's favor. But even without them, there is NEVER a player edge. A fair gamble has even odds, so the casinos start there and tweak the games in their favor. Observe...
Say all the numbers fall into rows A, B, and C, or columns 1, 2, and 3. You bet $1 on row A and $1 on column 1. In the long run each number, and therefore each row-column combination, should come up with the same frequency.
1 2 3
A +$4 +$1 +$1
B +$1 -$2 -$2
C +$1 -$2 -$2
Without the 0 and 00 slots you would break even. Remember, when you only win one bet you lose the other, so most of the time you either win one or lose two.
Why you SHOULD play roulette
All that nerdspeak being said, I must admit roulette has become one of my favorite casino games. This is because:
(a) You can make lots of bets. Red/black and odd/even are boring. Rows and columns aren't much better. But in this game you can scatter chips all around the felt, which is fun. Until they all miss and you see the dealer wipe a whole table, spotted with a pastel rainbow of chips, clean. Hey, no game is perfect.
(b) You can play hunches without risking a major mistake. All the bets are equally valid... or close enough. Feel like betting your birthday? Your lucky number? Go ahead. You can bet all your surrounding friends' lucky numbers and then if their number hits... it's hi-five time.*
(c) Your money doesn't disappear crazy fast. They give you enough time to pick your numbers, and there's the suspense as the ball spins around the wheel. (It'd be really exciting if instead of real time you saw a slo-mo zoomed-in view of the ball when it's about to stop somewhere. I think I'd love that.) And then they put that crystal salt shaker down, hopefully near some bets. In contrast, some of those blackjack dealers must be really eager to see pissed off faces. $10 in 10 seconds sounds about right. Entertainment value: ZERO. You're down $50 before you even see a waitress.
(d) It's gambling for dummies. I know, this doesn't really appeal to my personality type, but it makes the game easy for a whole group to play and enjoy. There's no thinking required and no important decisions to make. No stress unless you're betting your bus-ride-home money.
*If you got excited there you failed the test. It's NEVER hi-five time.
Feb 20, 2008
Well, it sounds like you love vegas for the same reasons that I do. Of course, I like getting liquored up and going to lounges and clubs too, but that's just me.
circus circus. I have to admit that I've never stayed there before. It's a little too far down the strip, and when I think of that hotel, i think of fun games where you win prizes. I don't want prizes. I want money. Plus I'm a spoiled brat who wants to stay in nicer places even though they can't afford it and it costs way more than it should. But you've confirmed one thing i've heard about it...the food is god fucking awful. But if you're paying less, who cares! As long as you're on the strip, you can cab/walk it to places with better grub.
Next time you go to vegas, since you love buffets, I would suggest going to the Bellagio buffet, the Spice Market buffet in Planet Hollywood, and the Paris buffet for breakfast or lunch. I also heard that the Wynn buffet is pretty good..comparable to the Bellagio buffet. Do NOT go to the excalibur buffet, or the MGM buffet. Both are ass, and for that price, I expect good stuff.
Man, that's awesome that the whole slipping them a 20 thing worked! Do you think that the reason she didn't do anything at first was simply because she didn't see the 20 that you put in there? Or was it more because you were going to take it away? Man, I hella want to try that at the next hotel I go to in vegas!
As for gambling, there this monopoly slot machine that's pretty fucking cool. I forget the name of it, but it's in my latest vegas trip myspace pics. Basically with the bonus round you have to make a choice between two chance cards, one of them is a good thing (increase bonus values, give you more bonus spins) and one of them ends the bonus round. It's pretty fun.
A couple trips ago, I saw a guy playing roulette with 50 grand in chips in front of him. He was dressed like a bum. wtf.
Next time you go to vegas, I saw you splurge and stay at one of the fantasy suites at the Palms. Go take a look at the prices for ONE night in those suites. You'll probably throw up.
circus circus. I have to admit that I've never stayed there before. It's a little too far down the strip, and when I think of that hotel, i think of fun games where you win prizes. I don't want prizes. I want money. Plus I'm a spoiled brat who wants to stay in nicer places even though they can't afford it and it costs way more than it should. But you've confirmed one thing i've heard about it...the food is god fucking awful. But if you're paying less, who cares! As long as you're on the strip, you can cab/walk it to places with better grub.
Next time you go to vegas, since you love buffets, I would suggest going to the Bellagio buffet, the Spice Market buffet in Planet Hollywood, and the Paris buffet for breakfast or lunch. I also heard that the Wynn buffet is pretty good..comparable to the Bellagio buffet. Do NOT go to the excalibur buffet, or the MGM buffet. Both are ass, and for that price, I expect good stuff.
Man, that's awesome that the whole slipping them a 20 thing worked! Do you think that the reason she didn't do anything at first was simply because she didn't see the 20 that you put in there? Or was it more because you were going to take it away? Man, I hella want to try that at the next hotel I go to in vegas!
As for gambling, there this monopoly slot machine that's pretty fucking cool. I forget the name of it, but it's in my latest vegas trip myspace pics. Basically with the bonus round you have to make a choice between two chance cards, one of them is a good thing (increase bonus values, give you more bonus spins) and one of them ends the bonus round. It's pretty fun.
A couple trips ago, I saw a guy playing roulette with 50 grand in chips in front of him. He was dressed like a bum. wtf.
Next time you go to vegas, I saw you splurge and stay at one of the fantasy suites at the Palms. Go take a look at the prices for ONE night in those suites. You'll probably throw up.
Feb 18, 2008
Vegas Trip
I love Vegas, but I suspect for different reasons than most of you guys. I'm kind of a fan of the people watching, those touristy things that people do in Vegas, the buffets and of course the gambling.
Spur of the moment, Alycia and I decided to take a trip to Vegas on Presidents day weekend. We just wanted to get away for a weekend, and since it was last minute, we booked through Expedia. I think the total cost was ~650.00, which seemed cheap enough. The price we paid was that we left Oakland at 11:30 PM, and came back Monday 6:00 AM. We were also assigned to a manor room in Circus Circus, but more on that later.
The Hotel
So when I booked at Circus Circus, I failed to do my research on the place. I just figured it's sort of on the strip and it's cheap! Why not? I missed a few key facts...
So we got to the hotel at around 2:30AM on Saturday. The check in line was surprisingly long for that early in the morning. Alycia had overheard another clerk tell a guest that all upgraded rooms had been booked.
When we were called, I put the 20 between the drivers license and the credit card and asked about an upgrade before giving her the cards. She gave me the same response without checking the computer; that all rooms were booked. I apologized, and I tried to palm the 20 back into my pocket. I guess she noticed what I was doing and saw the money... She started typing on her keyboard, and in a few minutes kind of whispered that she could get me into one of the newer, remodeled rooms. I tucked the twenty under the agreement I had to sign and thanked her profusely. She ended up giving us a 2 for 1 at their buffet and $25 in free slot play. I'm not sure if that usually comes with the check in, but free is free!
When we got to the room, I was pretty impressed. It was on the 28th floor overlooking Las Vegas Boulevard. It was definitely remodeled; there was a comfortable bed, really soft pillows and a Plasma TV (but no cable...) You don't know how relieved I was to not have to stay in a motel type environment!
Checking the web site, the difference between a manor and a reg room for 3 nights is only about 20 dollars, but the intangibles such as not having to walk very far to the room (you should see how far the people in the other tower and outside need to walk), the high floor/far distance from the elevator (less noise), having one of the remodeled rooms and the strip view was awesome and worth the money. I might have to try it at a different hotel next time... Some say that you can get upgraded to a suite if you talk to the right people...
The Food
I'm a buffet junkie when it comes to Vegas. I love the variety that comes with the territory. Unfortunately, I'm not the most patient of people, and will usually go to the cheaper places if I know there isn't a line.
This time around, for breakfast we went to Circus Circus (2 for 1!) and Riviera. Both do not get a thumbs up. But we knew going into it the food wouldn't be that great. They are both below standard - only Riviera had a small one person omelet station and the variety was just the typical. The food was way too greasy and the eggs too standard.
For dinner, we actually ended up going to only one; Caeser's Palace: Cafe Lago. I loved it, but I know it's not for everyone. For starters it does not have a salad bar... But then again, who wants to be healthy or waste money eating this? The buffet is a little on the small side, and both times we went, had a variety of foods (3 - 4 Italian choices, 3-4 Asian dishes, 3 American dishes, 2 soups). For a nice but overrated touch, they offered sushi. Of course, buffet sushi is never great, or even good... Anyway the main reason why I loved it was for their Prime Rib (Very moist, and flavorful), Crab legs (Small, but I'm a sucker for crab) and shrimp (again, standard but great!). I know I can get these things at most other buffets, but I kind of like the smaller buffet. The reason is that it seems like the overall quality is usually better. The waiters were a little slow, but the room was very classy. The reason we went a second time was because the line for the Bellagio's buffet was way too long. We were able to get in to Cafe Lago both times without waiting. (Huge thumbs up in my book!)
On a side note, we stopped at the Tropicana for a quick snack at the Garden Cafe. They have the best onion rings I've ever tasted. It's breaded nicely so you get a nice outside crunch but the inner sweetness before getting to the onion itself. Yum...
Gambling (Stupid casino games)
I've developed a scary penchant toward the more stupid betting games in Vegas. For instance, this time around I played a slot machine connected to "The Big Event." It's 5 slot machines combined sharing a big gaudy screen in the middle. The hook is that you're playing a regular slot machine, but at random someone will trigger "The Big Event," where all players who were betting X amount get to participate in 1 of 6 monopoly-esque games. You don't do a thing, but it builds a sort of team spirit among players. Obviously, the more players the better the odds (or so we like to think.) It was an interesting way to spend an hour or so to say the least...
I also tried the pong slot machine. That was actually kind of entertaining. I didn't play for very long since we needed to keep going, but a luck/skill combo was a welcome break to just sitting around and pressing buttons.
I gave the casino some of my money in roulette again. I know the house always has an upper edge but maybe one of the math people can help me out... Hopefully you've looked at/studied the board before or you may not understand what I'm saying. Say you lay down two bets, one on a random group (first 12, middle 12, last 12) and one on a column. Your chance of losing is (without counting the 0), should be 4/9, correct? (You can break up the board into 9 segments evenly...) But the chance of winning one bet is 4/9 as well. However, there is a small chance - 1/9 that you will hit both. Odds in the casino run 2:1 for winning on a row or group. So if you discount the 0 or the 00 on live tables, you'd end up positive in the long run, right? I know my experiment didn't really work, but that's because I only played with 20 dollars :)
I tried a 3-6 poker session on Saturday night at Circus Circus. It was disappointing to say the least... I think I played from 11:30-5:00 AM, but was up only about 30 dollars. (I guess that is right, aren't we supposed to be playing for one big bet per hour?) I really wanted to be up so much more, but I wasn't getting the cards to play. There were 4-6 players seeing almost every flop and I could count the number of players obviously better than me on one hand the entire night. I wish I had better command of the game because I know if any one of you guys were at the table you would have cleaned house, good cards or not...
All in all it was a good trip. We ended up at the bodies exhibit at the tropicana, not quite worth the 35 dollars, but still entertaining. Saw some crazy high limit blackjack bets at Bellagio (How are these people getting that much money to begin with?), walked probably 10 miles, and saw the "new" hotel; Planet Hollywood.
Do you guys have any tips to share while in Vegas?
I love Vegas, but I suspect for different reasons than most of you guys. I'm kind of a fan of the people watching, those touristy things that people do in Vegas, the buffets and of course the gambling.
Spur of the moment, Alycia and I decided to take a trip to Vegas on Presidents day weekend. We just wanted to get away for a weekend, and since it was last minute, we booked through Expedia. I think the total cost was ~650.00, which seemed cheap enough. The price we paid was that we left Oakland at 11:30 PM, and came back Monday 6:00 AM. We were also assigned to a manor room in Circus Circus, but more on that later.
The Hotel
So when I booked at Circus Circus, I failed to do my research on the place. I just figured it's sort of on the strip and it's cheap! Why not? I missed a few key facts...
- Manor rooms at CC are really rooms apart from the main hotel. Its like a motel attached to the place. It's noisy, walls are thin, it's quite a walk to get there, and the quality is severely lacking (According to pre-trip, post-booking research.)
- This should have been obvious, but the fact that there are so many fricken little kids running around is annoying.
- Also obvious, but the food in a word is gross.
- It's actually quite a walk from the hotel to the rest of the strip, and even to the monorail.
So we got to the hotel at around 2:30AM on Saturday. The check in line was surprisingly long for that early in the morning. Alycia had overheard another clerk tell a guest that all upgraded rooms had been booked.
When we were called, I put the 20 between the drivers license and the credit card and asked about an upgrade before giving her the cards. She gave me the same response without checking the computer; that all rooms were booked. I apologized, and I tried to palm the 20 back into my pocket. I guess she noticed what I was doing and saw the money... She started typing on her keyboard, and in a few minutes kind of whispered that she could get me into one of the newer, remodeled rooms. I tucked the twenty under the agreement I had to sign and thanked her profusely. She ended up giving us a 2 for 1 at their buffet and $25 in free slot play. I'm not sure if that usually comes with the check in, but free is free!
When we got to the room, I was pretty impressed. It was on the 28th floor overlooking Las Vegas Boulevard. It was definitely remodeled; there was a comfortable bed, really soft pillows and a Plasma TV (but no cable...) You don't know how relieved I was to not have to stay in a motel type environment!
Checking the web site, the difference between a manor and a reg room for 3 nights is only about 20 dollars, but the intangibles such as not having to walk very far to the room (you should see how far the people in the other tower and outside need to walk), the high floor/far distance from the elevator (less noise), having one of the remodeled rooms and the strip view was awesome and worth the money. I might have to try it at a different hotel next time... Some say that you can get upgraded to a suite if you talk to the right people...
The Food
I'm a buffet junkie when it comes to Vegas. I love the variety that comes with the territory. Unfortunately, I'm not the most patient of people, and will usually go to the cheaper places if I know there isn't a line.
This time around, for breakfast we went to Circus Circus (2 for 1!) and Riviera. Both do not get a thumbs up. But we knew going into it the food wouldn't be that great. They are both below standard - only Riviera had a small one person omelet station and the variety was just the typical. The food was way too greasy and the eggs too standard.
For dinner, we actually ended up going to only one; Caeser's Palace: Cafe Lago. I loved it, but I know it's not for everyone. For starters it does not have a salad bar... But then again, who wants to be healthy or waste money eating this? The buffet is a little on the small side, and both times we went, had a variety of foods (3 - 4 Italian choices, 3-4 Asian dishes, 3 American dishes, 2 soups). For a nice but overrated touch, they offered sushi. Of course, buffet sushi is never great, or even good... Anyway the main reason why I loved it was for their Prime Rib (Very moist, and flavorful), Crab legs (Small, but I'm a sucker for crab) and shrimp (again, standard but great!). I know I can get these things at most other buffets, but I kind of like the smaller buffet. The reason is that it seems like the overall quality is usually better. The waiters were a little slow, but the room was very classy. The reason we went a second time was because the line for the Bellagio's buffet was way too long. We were able to get in to Cafe Lago both times without waiting. (Huge thumbs up in my book!)
On a side note, we stopped at the Tropicana for a quick snack at the Garden Cafe. They have the best onion rings I've ever tasted. It's breaded nicely so you get a nice outside crunch but the inner sweetness before getting to the onion itself. Yum...
Gambling (Stupid casino games)
I've developed a scary penchant toward the more stupid betting games in Vegas. For instance, this time around I played a slot machine connected to "The Big Event." It's 5 slot machines combined sharing a big gaudy screen in the middle. The hook is that you're playing a regular slot machine, but at random someone will trigger "The Big Event," where all players who were betting X amount get to participate in 1 of 6 monopoly-esque games. You don't do a thing, but it builds a sort of team spirit among players. Obviously, the more players the better the odds (or so we like to think.) It was an interesting way to spend an hour or so to say the least...
I also tried the pong slot machine. That was actually kind of entertaining. I didn't play for very long since we needed to keep going, but a luck/skill combo was a welcome break to just sitting around and pressing buttons.
I gave the casino some of my money in roulette again. I know the house always has an upper edge but maybe one of the math people can help me out... Hopefully you've looked at/studied the board before or you may not understand what I'm saying. Say you lay down two bets, one on a random group (first 12, middle 12, last 12) and one on a column. Your chance of losing is (without counting the 0), should be 4/9, correct? (You can break up the board into 9 segments evenly...) But the chance of winning one bet is 4/9 as well. However, there is a small chance - 1/9 that you will hit both. Odds in the casino run 2:1 for winning on a row or group. So if you discount the 0 or the 00 on live tables, you'd end up positive in the long run, right? I know my experiment didn't really work, but that's because I only played with 20 dollars :)
I tried a 3-6 poker session on Saturday night at Circus Circus. It was disappointing to say the least... I think I played from 11:30-5:00 AM, but was up only about 30 dollars. (I guess that is right, aren't we supposed to be playing for one big bet per hour?) I really wanted to be up so much more, but I wasn't getting the cards to play. There were 4-6 players seeing almost every flop and I could count the number of players obviously better than me on one hand the entire night. I wish I had better command of the game because I know if any one of you guys were at the table you would have cleaned house, good cards or not...
All in all it was a good trip. We ended up at the bodies exhibit at the tropicana, not quite worth the 35 dollars, but still entertaining. Saw some crazy high limit blackjack bets at Bellagio (How are these people getting that much money to begin with?), walked probably 10 miles, and saw the "new" hotel; Planet Hollywood.
Do you guys have any tips to share while in Vegas?
Feb 5, 2008
Let me put a political spin on this..
While it certainly can't be put on the government, I believe a large part of it is.
The economy is in the toilet because of his "business only" attitude. The actual citizens don't get enough financial help or employment, and you got a bunch of people who are buy houses they can't actually afford. Then, when the market goes to shit and the lenders come to collect, there's nothing to collect! People lose their houses, the supply goes above the demand, and the market goes even shittier.
Plus, did you hear about the latest budget that was offered up by the monkeys in the white house? Money would be put towards homeland sec., defense, and FDA. Money would be taken away from Medicare/Medicaid, education, and domestic programs. The deficit would be pushed up in to the ranges of 400 something billion. Awesome. Awesome. Is november here yet? This fucking idiot needs to get out of office and do something productive like juggling chainsaws while drunk.
While it certainly can't be put on the government, I believe a large part of it is.
The economy is in the toilet because of his "business only" attitude. The actual citizens don't get enough financial help or employment, and you got a bunch of people who are buy houses they can't actually afford. Then, when the market goes to shit and the lenders come to collect, there's nothing to collect! People lose their houses, the supply goes above the demand, and the market goes even shittier.
Plus, did you hear about the latest budget that was offered up by the monkeys in the white house? Money would be put towards homeland sec., defense, and FDA. Money would be taken away from Medicare/Medicaid, education, and domestic programs. The deficit would be pushed up in to the ranges of 400 something billion. Awesome. Awesome. Is november here yet? This fucking idiot needs to get out of office and do something productive like juggling chainsaws while drunk.
Jan 31, 2008
Let me first start off by saying that I’m not an econ genius. I have limited knowledge in this field, but I’ve always been interested in how econ works. I am writing this as a quick jumble of thoughts, I need to go back and correct a lot of the “theories.” But at least, by writing it, I can reread and correct as needed.
Economists have been talking about this way before I even thought about this concept, just do a quick search on “Stagflation” and you’ll find a lot of information dated more than a year before this writing. I wrote this in bursts from the last two weeks so some info may be dated.
You know the saying; a little knowledge is more dangerous than ignorance? Remember this and take what I write with a grain of salt. I’d be more than happy to edit any part that anyone wants to challenge.
So let’s begin….
Housing Crisis
Let’s talk about the “crisis.” I have crisis in quotes because this actually happens on a regular basis. The last “crisis” we’ve fathomed was the dot com bubble. This actually needs to be put in perspective and looked at from afar. There are always parallels between bubbles!
What caused this problem in the first place? Back in 2000, many people decided to buy homes with low interest rates. The problem with this was that the interest rates were teasers and were of course adjustable. Because many people bought houses, the industry looked to be thriving and in a “boom.” Construction began on new houses to meet this demand. As new houses entered the market, people were continuing to buy these houses that probably could not afford this in the long run. Some were banking on the fact that they could sell their house for more than it was worth in a few years because the market was so hot. Unfortunately, guess what? The market overcompensated, and built too many houses. A greater supply means that prices will drop on homes.
Let’s look at this crisis in parts. First is the supply and demand. Back in 2000, the real estate market was roaring. People wanted houses, but there weren’t enough houses to go around. So the market decided to increase the supply of houses. I mean, houses were going for more than their market value, so why not build more houses! Fast forward seven years, and where are we? The marketplace over compensated and built too many houses too quickly, causing prices to drop. All of a sudden, it’s not lucrative to build houses anymore!
The second part to this is the key. Why was the real estate market roaring? The heart of the matter lies in the sub-prime mortgages. People were enticed to buy these houses with low starting rates. They heard that the market was on the rise and they wanted a piece of action. With sub-prime mortgages, they could buy a house and some owners were banking on the fact that they could sell their house for much more than it was worth in a few years! But guess what? The interest rates for these loans started to rise. People who were only paying 6% were now suddenly confronted with a three to four point increase. People were now losing their homes because they could not pay the difference. People wanted to get out of the marketplace as quickly as possible. Some were successful, however because they bought a home during the boom, they paid much more than “retail” value. This made it hard to sell their home to break even. Many people lost their homes, ruined their credit, and were forced to claim bankruptcy. That’s not the worst part though. Because the marketplace overcompensated and built too many houses, it was difficult to get rid of the houses that were bought. The supply of houses went soaring, thus dropping the worth of the home.
So where are we today? We’re still in the same situation, where people who built their “castle in the sky,” are starting to fall. This creates an opportunity for others however. People who have postponed their purchase of a home can now profit. People are now getting rid of their homes at losses. The buyer is back in the driver’s seat and can really look for some good bargains. This is where you can really make money, because the housing market will recover. There is no doubt that there will be another boom in 10-12 years. All that is required is patience and the willingness to ride out the storm. (Just look at what actually happened to stock prices after the bubble burst compared to today.)
What’s puzzling to me is the fact that the housing market has not recovered! With all of these homes that are going up for sale for much less, I would have assumed that at least some of the people would take advantage of the situation. I believe that part of the reason for this is that the government says that we have not bottomed out yet. They are predicting prices to continue to drop throughout most of 2008. That makes buyers weary of entering the market place. Who wants to by a home that’s going to be worth less?
But the fact is this. When a person buys a home, it’s not for the short term. Why are buyers staying away?
Government Economic Stimulus Plan
I’m not one to pass up free money, but I don’t agree that this plan will help the economy in anyway. The economy is like a cycle, it will have its ups and downs. Any time there is a long period of growth, the economy will always pull it back. We are now in the pull back stage (otherwise known as a recession! HAH)
So the government wants to do something about this, to spur consumer spending, by offering an additional rebate for people who paid federal taxes. Unfortunately, the problem will be that the average person will probably save this money. The media is hyping the doom and gloom outlook. Who would want to spend money when the future is so uncertain?
Hidden Agenda
The reason why I think this rate cut is actually bad news is because the people that are voting on the Economic Stimulus Plan are not economists. Sure, these people probably have others to look into it, but what’s the real agenda? I’m sure you know what year this is! Yup, it’s election year! So why is this bill getting passed through so quickly? So certain officials have a better chance at winning a re-election. The president, while he can’t re-run for office, needs to leave something behind for the record books. What better way to look good than to pass a plan that gives money to the people? After all, this won’t be his problem in only a few months. What does he care?
The Federal Rate Cut
In just a few hours, the Feds will probably announce another rate cut, allowing people to take out loans at a lower percentage rate. By lowering it even further, the Federal Reserve runs the risk of overcompensating. The result of overcompensation would be inflation, or worse; stagflation.
So this is the dilemma. First, let me tackle recession. In a broad view, a recession is basically a period of time where we start slowing down. As consumers we start spending less, and as a result, companies scale back their production. When companies slow down production, they do not need as much money, so they hold onto it. Because production slows down, the unemployment rate rises. As unemployment rises and money becomes scarce in the marketplace, consumers spend less and the cycle continues.
The Federal Reserve believes it can spur economic growth by dropping interest rates. So what does that mean to the average consumer? A micro-view is that by dropping interest rates, the consumer would be less tempted to save money! First, the interest rate controls how much money it takes for a big loan, say a car. So if you’re in the market place to buy a car or refinance a house, now is the time to do it. Second, a lower interest rate takes away any incentive to put money into a savings account. That’s right, the lower interest rate means less money in certain accounts.
OK, this is the second problem. By lowering the interest rates too low, the government introduces too much money in the market place. When the supply of money rises, guess what? The value of money drops. When the value of money drops we call that inflation. In a nutshell, because the supply of money is up, the cost of an item will generally rise.
Both of these problems together create something called stagflation. Stagflation is a horrible place for the economy to be. For example, in the 1970s, the
So What Do We Do?
My recommendation right now would be to take advantage of the lower interest rate. Make sure you can lock in a low rate for the coming years. Obviously you do not want to have a variable mortgage. Start paying off your variable credit cards because in the future, we will probably see a bigger interest hike than we’ve seen before. Don’t worry so much about the stock market. Time has proven that this is still a financially sound investment. You may even want to take advantage of buying some stock at a lower rate. Make sure you diversify so your upcoming losses (And there will be a lot of losses) won’t be as hard to swallow though!
Jan 16, 2008
I will attest to the awesomeness that is Sam and Max... I haven't gotten around to playing episode 4 all the way through but it has been funny. Anyone still have the old Sam and Max? Man, those were good times...
I'm going to throw in my vote for best free game:
Desktop Tower Defense
This is a flash based game, but it's addictive as hell. I must have played it for a week straight after work. The object is to block and shoot down "creeps." You do this by building towers and mazes... I'm not going to spoil it by posting some strategy, just give it a try and find a technique that you like... For the record, I've been able to beat normal, but I have only been able to get to level ~80 on Fun -> 10k gold.
Good luck!
I'm going to throw in my vote for best free game:
Desktop Tower Defense
This is a flash based game, but it's addictive as hell. I must have played it for a week straight after work. The object is to block and shoot down "creeps." You do this by building towers and mazes... I'm not going to spoil it by posting some strategy, just give it a try and find a technique that you like... For the record, I've been able to beat normal, but I have only been able to get to level ~80 on Fun -> 10k gold.
Good luck!
Interesting little article for any of you cheap wads that don't want to pay money for games:
http://www.1up.com/do/feature?cId=3165201
http://www.1up.com/do/feature?cId=3165201
Jan 7, 2008
OK, I promised some people I'd write a little more, so here it goes...
Trash Talking...
(This post was inspired by a Kotaku article and the comments after....)
Do you remember the good old arcade days? I remember wanting to go to Golf Land so bad, I'd walk 2.5 miles to get there. Hell, some of you even came with me on the pilgrimage! Before my DDR days, I'd enjoy the fighters... I loved putting my token up on the arcade "dashboard" and watching the match ups. Remember the good old SF2 days? I remember the "honorable" fights... No "cheap" throwing... If you do throw, let the other player do the same... If you beat the living crap out of your opponent, let them have the second round... Man, those were the days! However, there was always the trash talking. I was never good enough to trash talk, and I was a wimp, but check out this video...
Anyway, the real reason to my post is actually about trash talking, not arcade experiences (I'll tackle the dying arcade in another topic...). I mean, some of that trash actually requires some thought! (Who would associate a mango and the fricken NY Knicks with the color of a costume? And juggles to scoops/ICE CREAM?!?!?!)
I got into it with some online fool the other day in Team Fortress 2 about classes and skill... Without getting into it the gist was that I sucked because I picked a "worthless" character. So I proposed a point match (first person to get X amount of points). Instead, this tool proceeds to tell me to "STFU NOOB" and that I should go fuck myself... *sigh* I think I've heard this before... (Who says the letters STFU through a microphone???) I soundly beat his score, and he leaves the game...
The reason for this story is this: Trash talking has degenerated thanks to the internet. Being anonymous lets you talk without consequences. Unfortunately, most people that play online games (guys 16-30) have lost their ability to trash talk and go with the easy insults to a persons mom. I'm going to miss this humor when it's gone.
I mean, I need someone to match me when I serve up the piping hot beat-downs like IHOP. 24 Hours a day - except with no syrup.... 'Cause there ain't nothin' sweet over here!*
....
*sigh*
* Blatantly stolen from Boondocks. So sue me. I'm not that witty.
Trash Talking...
(This post was inspired by a Kotaku article and the comments after....)
Do you remember the good old arcade days? I remember wanting to go to Golf Land so bad, I'd walk 2.5 miles to get there. Hell, some of you even came with me on the pilgrimage! Before my DDR days, I'd enjoy the fighters... I loved putting my token up on the arcade "dashboard" and watching the match ups. Remember the good old SF2 days? I remember the "honorable" fights... No "cheap" throwing... If you do throw, let the other player do the same... If you beat the living crap out of your opponent, let them have the second round... Man, those were the days! However, there was always the trash talking. I was never good enough to trash talk, and I was a wimp, but check out this video...
Anyway, the real reason to my post is actually about trash talking, not arcade experiences (I'll tackle the dying arcade in another topic...). I mean, some of that trash actually requires some thought! (Who would associate a mango and the fricken NY Knicks with the color of a costume? And juggles to scoops/ICE CREAM?!?!?!)
I got into it with some online fool the other day in Team Fortress 2 about classes and skill... Without getting into it the gist was that I sucked because I picked a "worthless" character. So I proposed a point match (first person to get X amount of points). Instead, this tool proceeds to tell me to "STFU NOOB" and that I should go fuck myself... *sigh* I think I've heard this before... (Who says the letters STFU through a microphone???) I soundly beat his score, and he leaves the game...
The reason for this story is this: Trash talking has degenerated thanks to the internet. Being anonymous lets you talk without consequences. Unfortunately, most people that play online games (guys 16-30) have lost their ability to trash talk and go with the easy insults to a persons mom. I'm going to miss this humor when it's gone.
I mean, I need someone to match me when I serve up the piping hot beat-downs like IHOP. 24 Hours a day - except with no syrup.... 'Cause there ain't nothin' sweet over here!*
....
*sigh*
* Blatantly stolen from Boondocks. So sue me. I'm not that witty.
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