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OFFTOP 11.11.08 Road Trip Edition

Nolamarinergirl1_tiny by NOLAmarinergirl on Comment 2103 comments

This week is turnover week for me--giving all my departments to some other lucky soul, and allowing everyone to fawn over me and ask me prying questions about my reasons for leaving.  Yet their pure adoration manifests itself in taking me out for delicious meals, so I am just fine with this.

Please allow me to abuse this post for my own purposes.  Six days from now, my dad and I set off on a cross-country adventure.  Now, while my father is one of my favorite people in the world, I doubt that even the two of us can find enough conversation to fill five days.  Anyone have any audio book recommendations?  Or something that I can put on the iPod and plug into the stereo (I guess this can be a series of podcasts, also).  I'm not a big fan of mindless fiction, and also remember that I will be listening to this with my dad, so nothing blush-worthy please.

Also, food recommendations.  I am an obsessive foodie, and I don't want to stop at chain restaurants and fast food joints for five days straight.  I've posted a photo of my map, and am hoping for the off chance that people have driven similar routes and might remember where there is good food?  Or know what these areas are famous for, and what I might look for?  Ideas on car snacks?  How to stay awake on ten hour jaunts?  Car games? 

 

 


 

Star-divide

 

3021571275_0b98e65ac4_medium

via farm4.static.flickr.com


 

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Read More: yes this is a diary, will corco be useful, i wish i was going through socal, seattlebound, food snobs unite, untied states, hahaha i only have four days left of work

Comments

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Wouldn't you just get mad he stole your day if he had,

like sb yesterday?

It's hard to convince people to let you eat them if you're an asshole. - Thingray

by Faux on Nov 11, 2008 7:13 AM PST up reply actions   0 recs

It would just be him threatening to ban people for calling DRB 4chan east.

It's hard to convince people to let you eat them if you're an asshole. - Thingray

by Faux on Nov 11, 2008 7:16 AM PST up reply actions   0 recs

He needs to bring out the banhammer.

After the first couple get ousted for boob gifs, the rest will stop.

It's hard to convince people to let you eat them if you're an asshole. - Thingray

by Faux on Nov 11, 2008 11:29 AM PST up reply actions   0 recs

Conscience means nothing.

Think of the readership you’ve lost (ex: me) from the morons you still allow over there.

Allowing people to run wild makes your blog worse, by far. Give out a blanket warning in a front page post, give out an admin warning to the worst offenders, and when someone crosses the line, make a public example. Those that still pull shit, ban them too.

After that you can institute a boxing-style penalty. But you have to show that you’re serious before the kids will listen to you.

It's hard to convince people to let you eat them if you're an asshole. - Thingray

by Faux on Nov 11, 2008 2:31 PM PST up reply actions   0 recs

And not to make it seem like I'm pimping myself as the ultimate reader,

there are a few friends I have that refuse to touch your blog either, and they’re Rays fans.

It's hard to convince people to let you eat them if you're an asshole. - Thingray

by Faux on Nov 11, 2008 2:33 PM PST up reply actions   0 recs

The friends already get news and views from the local Geoff Bakers,

they want a place to talk.

It's hard to convince people to let you eat them if you're an asshole. - Thingray

by Faux on Nov 11, 2008 2:35 PM PST up reply actions   0 recs

If you were to crack down, though,

you might want to start by front-paging a set of clearly defined rules (ex: Rule [X]: Picture sizes need to be limited to 250 pixels in width). At least cover your ass so they don’t accuse you of being a Nazi or something.

by BrianL on Nov 11, 2008 2:39 PM PST up reply actions   0 recs

Perhaps a friendly reminder is in order

before you bring the banhammer down upon their heads.

by BrianL on Nov 11, 2008 2:40 PM PST up reply actions   0 recs

I suggest cracking heads for a week, using that as a justification.

The readers you lose will be the ones that are there just to cause problems.

It's hard to convince people to let you eat them if you're an asshole. - Thingray

by Faux on Nov 11, 2008 2:40 PM PST up reply actions   0 recs

Probably the enormous/off-topic/weird pictures in the game threads.

They kill SBN 2.0 and make threads absolutely impossible to read.

After that you’ll need to figure out how to control off-topic chatter.

My top suggestion? This is really harsh but it’s the best filter I can think of:

Harping on punctuation/grammar.

Those who really do enjoy the blog will stick around and adhere to that rule. Those who are just around to cause trouble will bail and head elsewhere.

by BrianL on Nov 11, 2008 2:51 PM PST up reply actions   0 recs

I don't really ever go to DRB

but I agree with BrianL. Be mercilessly pedantic about grammar and punctuation, and you’ll cull the herd quickly.

Also do not be afraid to use the penalty box, and do not make public your reasons for doing so.

Nice Guys Finish Third - Hopelessly lost, but makin' good time.

by pdb on Nov 11, 2008 2:53 PM PST up reply actions   0 recs

After a certain point you can relax a bit

(mistakes happen when typing quickly, let’s be honest), but for a short while you should be pretty firm about the rules. At the very least your users should use proper capitalization, punctuation, and sentence structure.

by BrianL on Nov 11, 2008 2:55 PM PST up reply actions   0 recs

Yeah, it should be obvious who's making an effort and who isn't

HA HA HA, your Grandpa's an ASS!- Tourette's Guy (R.I.P)

by tootthekazoo on Nov 11, 2008 2:56 PM PST up reply actions   0 recs

Since it looks like you've stopped the crazy gifs already,

(or else I’m always late to the party and miss them nowadays), I’d start by stopping the rosterbation. It’s stupid, and causes fighting between people that wouldn’t normally. Just delete all of them right off the list as they show up.

Second would be to get on about image size and subject lines in general.

I also agree with Brian, although I would put content filtering first.

It's hard to convince people to let you eat them if you're an asshole. - Thingray

by Faux on Nov 11, 2008 2:56 PM PST up reply actions   0 recs

And never allow discussions of fantasy teams

for the same reasons faux mentions about rosterbation. “Nobody cares about your fantasy team” is funny, but it’s also true – I play fantasy baseball, and I don’t even talk about my team with others in my league, much less people on here. It doesn’t add anything.

Nice Guys Finish Third - Hopelessly lost, but makin' good time.

by pdb on Nov 11, 2008 2:59 PM PST up reply actions   0 recs

Well I'm dumb.

Even more important than anything else that’s been mentioned:

No politics. Ever. Period.

by BrianL on Nov 11, 2008 2:57 PM PST up reply actions   0 recs

Or religion.

Or bigoted comments unless you know the people well enough to understand that it’s a joke or whatever.

Honestly, my main concern the few times I’ve visited DRB is the high number of “fag” comments. You’ll see them here, too, but it’s usually sarcastic or involves some other sort of wit or inside joke.

Mainly, I just see those three things as areas where virtually no good things ever come out of a conversation. Especially on the Internet.

by Teej on Nov 11, 2008 3:02 PM PST up reply actions   0 recs

I cracked down on the homosexual slurs in the World Series.

Thankfully they didn’t pop back up without an hour long ban.

by R.J. Anderson on Nov 11, 2008 3:04 PM PST up reply actions   0 recs

Well if one of those users is still at it

give them a few days to a week in the box.

by BrianL on Nov 11, 2008 3:06 PM PST up reply actions   0 recs

Yeah, this was before the World Series.

I’m not going to pretend like I know how to run a blog with your level of readership, so I’ll just say good job. It’s good that you’re trying to clean it up a little, though. It’ll probably save you some headaches down the road.

by Teej on Nov 11, 2008 3:06 PM PST up reply actions   0 recs

You've got the groundwork needed for an excellent blog.

Good writing and a number of your readers are pretty bright. All that’s left for you to do is lay out some very, very clear rules and to take care of the people that refuse to contribute positively to the community.

by BrianL on Nov 11, 2008 3:08 PM PST up reply actions   0 recs

*Very clear, very reasonable rules

HA HA HA, your Grandpa's an ASS!- Tourette's Guy (R.I.P)

by tootthekazoo on Nov 11, 2008 3:10 PM PST up reply actions   0 recs

Pedant Squad Ahoy!

seriously. If you need help anyone here would be happy to.

Nice Guys Finish Third - Hopelessly lost, but makin' good time.

by pdb on Nov 11, 2008 3:13 PM PST up reply actions   0 recs

Pedant Squad Ahoy!

seriously. If you need help anyone here would be happy to.

Nice Guys Finish Third - Hopelessly lost, but makin' good time.

by pdb on Nov 11, 2008 3:13 PM PST up reply actions   0 recs

Brian, get your shift-key.jpg ready!

It's hard to convince people to let you eat them if you're an asshole. - Thingray

by Faux on Nov 11, 2008 3:15 PM PST up reply actions   0 recs

Ah my trusty friend...

I haven’t used you in ages.

by BrianL on Nov 11, 2008 3:19 PM PST up reply actions   0 recs

It's just like riding a bike.

Nice Guys Finish Third - Hopelessly lost, but makin' good time.

by pdb on Nov 11, 2008 3:19 PM PST up reply actions   0 recs

I quite enjoy being a dick to stupid DRBers.

Mainly because I feel bad for RJ, Tyler, etc.

J.K.L.

by acblue on Nov 11, 2008 3:24 PM PST up reply actions   0 recs

Feel free to steal the LL Style Guide

and modify/add to it for your own needs.

Nice Guys Finish Third - Hopelessly lost, but makin' good time.

by pdb on Nov 11, 2008 2:41 PM PST up reply actions   0 recs

Very yes

Helped out around here a bit, even. Gave the mods a bit more power to oust somebody without warning, which helped cut the BS up front

HA HA HA, your Grandpa's an ASS!- Tourette's Guy (R.I.P)

by tootthekazoo on Nov 11, 2008 2:48 PM PST up reply actions   0 recs

No, but the comment section might as well be viewed as something that's author approved.

As much as it sucks people look at the comment sections of a blog and use that to evaluate the community as a whole.

by BrianL on Nov 11, 2008 2:36 PM PST up reply actions   0 recs

I have to agree with this.

Field Gulls was having this problem throughout the off-season and into the season. Eventually it got to the point where the mods decided that a crack-down was necessary. Handed out some stiff penalty boxings and warnings, but after that people finally got the picture.

FG is a much more pleasant environment now that it was only a few months ago.

*Disclaimer: BrianL doesn’t mean to say that if you don’t do this you’re a terrible moderator or your blog sucks he is simply offering advice.

by BrianL on Nov 11, 2008 2:35 PM PST up reply actions   0 recs

Easy on the disclaimers, man

Just get a good lawyer and let him sort out the issues

HA HA HA, your Grandpa's an ASS!- Tourette's Guy (R.I.P)

by tootthekazoo on Nov 11, 2008 2:37 PM PST up reply actions   0 recs

without disclaimers I am nothing

Nice Guys Finish Third - Hopelessly lost, but makin' good time.

by pdb on Nov 11, 2008 2:41 PM PST up reply actions   0 recs

I see no disclaimer on this.

Maybe you are something? Shouldn’t you put something in there hedging your bets?

It's hard to convince people to let you eat them if you're an asshole. - Thingray

by Faux on Nov 11, 2008 2:42 PM PST up reply actions   0 recs

I was tempted

but I thought it’d be too obvious to put one there.

Nice Guys Finish Third - Hopelessly lost, but makin' good time.

by pdb on Nov 11, 2008 2:43 PM PST up reply actions   0 recs

That it is

Non-Game threads move a little more slowly, but slow talk from normal people is better than a bunch of hyperactive crazies posting whatever enters their mind

HA HA HA, your Grandpa's an ASS!- Tourette's Guy (R.I.P)

by tootthekazoo on Nov 11, 2008 2:38 PM PST up reply actions   0 recs

Exactly.

John’s analysis threads are significantly more on-topic now. Most importantly, though, people aren’t acting like assholes to eachother.

by BrianL on Nov 11, 2008 2:39 PM PST up reply actions   0 recs

Sure does

:(

HA HA HA, your Grandpa's an ASS!- Tourette's Guy (R.I.P)

by tootthekazoo on Nov 11, 2008 3:16 PM PST up reply actions   0 recs

9 month vacation

HA HA HA, your Grandpa's an ASS!- Tourette's Guy (R.I.P)

by tootthekazoo on Nov 11, 2008 3:17 PM PST up reply actions   0 recs

every cloud has a silver lining

Nice Guys Finish Third - Hopelessly lost, but makin' good time.

by pdb on Nov 11, 2008 3:17 PM PST up reply actions   0 recs

Here's hoping they take the Chinese Democracy approach to rebuilding

and only ever get to where they want to be after almost everyone’s given up and stopped paying attention.

by Jeff on Nov 11, 2008 3:19 PM PST up reply actions   0 recs

Does that method include free Dr. Pepper?

Because that’s what the people want

HA HA HA, your Grandpa's an ASS!- Tourette's Guy (R.I.P)

by tootthekazoo on Nov 11, 2008 3:20 PM PST up reply actions   0 recs

I thought that was Brawndo?

It's hard to convince people to let you eat them if you're an asshole. - Thingray

by Faux on Nov 11, 2008 3:21 PM PST up reply actions   0 recs

And do horribly enough that no one likes the product once its released?

It's hard to convince people to let you eat them if you're an asshole. - Thingray

by Faux on Nov 11, 2008 3:20 PM PST up reply actions   0 recs

And do you think you could stand another 10+ years of writing w/o hope?

It seemed like it was hard enough on you this year.

It's hard to convince people to let you eat them if you're an asshole. - Thingray

by Faux on Nov 11, 2008 3:22 PM PST up reply actions   0 recs

There would be hope

There would be hope every year. The rebuilding would just be torturously slow to proceed.

This year was way different.

by Jeff on Nov 11, 2008 3:22 PM PST up reply actions   0 recs

You have another ten years in you?

I’ve only done this for 18 months and I have like 4 left in me.

by Matthew on Nov 11, 2008 9:06 PM PST up reply actions   0 recs

Heart attack?

Are they bringing Sele back?

Screw you, Mariners. I'm back in football's loving arms. *edit: well, shit. This isn't going well.

by kevin_ess on Nov 11, 2008 9:10 PM PST up reply actions   0 recs

I turn 40 next year

and I’m pretty excited by the prospect. or, more accurately, don’t really care but am throwing one monster party anyway.

Nice Guys Finish Third - Hopelessly lost, but makin' good time.

by pdb on Nov 11, 2008 9:13 PM PST up reply actions   0 recs

No. You'll always be "hotbabysitter."

That is invaluable.

Screw you, Mariners. I'm back in football's loving arms. *edit: well, shit. This isn't going well.

by kevin_ess on Nov 11, 2008 9:13 PM PST up reply actions   0 recs

Rolling Stone actually liked Chinese Democracy

I can’t figure out if that speaks well of Chinese Democracy or poorly of Rolling Stone.

Nice Guys Finish Third - Hopelessly lost, but makin' good time.

by pdb on Nov 11, 2008 3:21 PM PST up reply actions   0 recs

The warehouse workers (all 80s metalheads that still have old GNR tshirts)

all hate it with the same passion I hate everything after sparkle and fade from everclear.

It's hard to convince people to let you eat them if you're an asshole. - Thingray

by Faux on Nov 11, 2008 3:23 PM PST up reply actions   0 recs

Have they heard it or do they just hate it

because it took so long and there’s no original GnR members left except Axl? I’m definitely curious to hear it.

Nice Guys Finish Third - Hopelessly lost, but makin' good time.

by pdb on Nov 11, 2008 3:24 PM PST up reply actions   0 recs

After I burned it for them,

they listened to it twice in a row, then tossed it. They genuinely hate it.

It's hard to convince people to let you eat them if you're an asshole. - Thingray

by Faux on Nov 11, 2008 3:25 PM PST up reply actions   0 recs

Good to know.

Nice Guys Finish Third - Hopelessly lost, but makin' good time.

by pdb on Nov 11, 2008 3:33 PM PST up reply actions   0 recs

West coast life moves much slower.

It's hard to convince people to let you eat them if you're an asshole. - Thingray

by Faux on Nov 11, 2008 7:10 AM PST up reply actions   0 recs

You lucky person.

You get to go on a road trip, and I get to go to Mississippi.

Sometimes life just doesn’t seem right.

It's hard to convince people to let you eat them if you're an asshole. - Thingray

by Faux on Nov 11, 2008 7:08 AM PST reply actions   0 recs

So I'm taking my camera along on my trips this time.

Obviously there’s not going to be much to put to picture in Tunica, but I’m looking forward to LV and pictures of nice desert sunrises.

It's hard to convince people to let you eat them if you're an asshole. - Thingray

by Faux on Nov 11, 2008 7:16 AM PST reply actions   0 recs

Oi I'm tired.

Must resist urge to curl up under desk and sleep.

by BrianL on Nov 11, 2008 7:24 AM PST reply actions   0 recs

It's music rather than audiobooks

but these are fun for a road trip: Bob Dylan’s Theme Time Radio Hour.

They’re downloads of his satellite radio show. It’s modeled after the style of old-time radio. Each week features a different theme (jail, baseball, birds, women’s names, Thanksgiving, luck, etc) and excellent music, 90% of which you’ve likely never heard before. Not a bad way to pass an hour.

by katal on Nov 11, 2008 7:28 AM PST reply actions   0 recs

Are you downloading them with RapidShare?

RapidShare is cruel. It will only let you download one every hour or two.

Depending on how many you plan to download, i might be worth it to pay the $15 (or however much it is) to subscribe to the service. That way you can download as many as you want quickly and simultaneously.

by katal on Nov 11, 2008 8:06 AM PST up reply actions   0 recs

It's not even eight.

Half the time the Off topic isn’t even up by now.

by Two Rs and Two Ls on Nov 11, 2008 7:59 AM PST up reply actions   0 recs

Photobucket

Nice Guys Finish Third - Hopelessly lost, but makin' good time.

by pdb on Nov 11, 2008 8:06 AM PST up reply actions   0 recs

Remembrance Day

could be why people aren’t here. Days off school, work, whatever.

Nice Guys Finish Third - Hopelessly lost, but makin' good time.

by pdb on Nov 11, 2008 8:09 AM PST up reply actions   0 recs

Not round here it's not

There’s not an (un)official holiday in the US today, is there?

Very few take the day off here, and all schools will be open.

Mariner fan, Europhile and mobile insider --- P3 W1 L2 (.333)
Sponsor of Jamie Burke's baseball-reference page

by MarkE on Nov 11, 2008 8:16 AM PST up reply actions   0 recs

I think it's a federal holiday, yeah

no mail or government services, and such.

Nice Guys Finish Third - Hopelessly lost, but makin' good time.

by pdb on Nov 11, 2008 8:17 AM PST up reply actions   0 recs

There's nowt as ignorant as folk

or at least, as me.

Never made the connection that Armistice Day = Veterans Day = 11/11.

Now I come to think of it, why don’t we have a national holiday today? Hmm…

Mariner fan, Europhile and mobile insider --- P3 W1 L2 (.333)
Sponsor of Jamie Burke's baseball-reference page

by MarkE on Nov 11, 2008 8:19 AM PST up reply actions   0 recs

Yup, that's the day

And it’s interesting that England doesn’t have a national holiday since I believe the Armistice Day tradition started in England….hmm.

Nice Guys Finish Third - Hopelessly lost, but makin' good time.

by pdb on Nov 11, 2008 8:21 AM PST up reply actions   0 recs

There've been campaigns for an extra Bank Hol

but more recently along the lines of a British Day rather than a Vets day.

Mariner fan, Europhile and mobile insider --- P3 W1 L2 (.333)
Sponsor of Jamie Burke's baseball-reference page

by MarkE on Nov 11, 2008 8:24 AM PST up reply actions   0 recs

Because if there's one thing that the Brits need

it’s another excuse to get drunk and piss in town fountains as an expression of national pride. hahaha.

Nice Guys Finish Third - Hopelessly lost, but makin' good time.

by pdb on Nov 11, 2008 8:25 AM PST up reply actions   0 recs

You go out for St Patrick's day, right?

Mariner fan, Europhile and mobile insider --- P3 W1 L2 (.333)
Sponsor of Jamie Burke's baseball-reference page

by MarkE on Nov 11, 2008 8:26 AM PST up reply actions   0 recs

Neither is St. Pat's celebrated much in Ireland

Dublin finally figured out they could make money on tourists by having a big St. Pat’s do, but the rest of the country doesn’t really celebrate much.

Nice Guys Finish Third - Hopelessly lost, but makin' good time.

by pdb on Nov 11, 2008 8:29 AM PST up reply actions   0 recs

I'm afraid not.

(Though honestly you’d probably love Doctor Who)

by BrianL on Nov 11, 2008 8:29 AM PST up reply actions   0 recs

Connect the two

Dr Who drinking game

But seeing as that would actually require watching Dr Who, I’d rather take a bath in my own vomit

Mariner fan, Europhile and mobile insider --- P3 W1 L2 (.333)
Sponsor of Jamie Burke's baseball-reference page

by MarkE on Nov 11, 2008 8:30 AM PST up reply actions   0 recs

Ah, I see

England’s day was Remembrance Sunday. The Sunday nearest to 11/11 is the holiday. That’s interesting.

Nice Guys Finish Third - Hopelessly lost, but makin' good time.

by pdb on Nov 11, 2008 8:24 AM PST up reply actions   0 recs

Yeah

We had a silence before football games on Sunday morning.

It’s a bit loose to call it a national holiday, though, on a Sunday. There’s little discernable difference aside from a few parades and adjustments to TV schedules.

Mariner fan, Europhile and mobile insider --- P3 W1 L2 (.333)
Sponsor of Jamie Burke's baseball-reference page

by MarkE on Nov 11, 2008 8:28 AM PST up reply actions   0 recs

Very odd that you get a minute of silence and we get a day off

considering we already had a holiday functioning as veteran’s day: Memorial Day.

I’m not complaining, except for the fact that I have to work, but….

by marc w on Nov 11, 2008 8:52 AM PST up reply actions   0 recs

The silence thing is slightly weird

Arsenal vs ManU in the pub at 12:45pm on Saturday – everyone goes quiet for a minute at the same time as we see them doing on TV

Leicester vs Stevenage at the game at 3:00pm on Saturday – whole stadium goes silent for a minute

Roebuck Gate vs Oakfields on a field in Stevenage at 10:00am on Sunday – minutes silence again

Another two at work today at 11am, but then carry on as normal.

Mariner fan, Europhile and mobile insider --- P3 W1 L2 (.333)
Sponsor of Jamie Burke's baseball-reference page

by MarkE on Nov 11, 2008 9:01 AM PST up reply actions   0 recs

Sorry about the Leicester game...

FA Cup runs are awesome. I really meant to go watch AFC Wimbledon last night, but didn’t.

by marc w on Nov 11, 2008 9:11 AM PST up reply actions   0 recs

'Go watch'

as in on TV, right?

I saw AFCW in the playoffs last year, they’re a great little outfit right now, probably be in the Conference next season.

We were well beaten on the day, by virtue of a planetary difference in finishing. Still, it was a day out. Concentrate on the league and all that…. grr!

Mariner fan, Europhile and mobile insider --- P3 W1 L2 (.333)
Sponsor of Jamie Burke's baseball-reference page

by MarkE on Nov 11, 2008 9:13 AM PST up reply actions   0 recs

Uh, yeah, on TV.

So how’s the league going for you?

Blue Square premier, right?

by marc w on Nov 11, 2008 9:17 AM PST up reply actions   0 recs

That's the bunny

To be honest, pretty average since we rehired our cockend of a manager who has this great habit of recruiting amazing footballers and then teaching them how to play like turd.

Only a few wins off top, it’s a tight division, but it’s pretty uninspiring stuff to watch. Quite honestly, I only went to our replay in the round before because I had nothing else on.

Mariner fan, Europhile and mobile insider --- P3 W1 L2 (.333)
Sponsor of Jamie Burke's baseball-reference page

by MarkE on Nov 11, 2008 9:24 AM PST up reply actions   0 recs

I just got here

For all the faults of my line of work, one great thing is that there is virtually no consequence for being late

HA HA HA, your Grandpa's an ASS!- Tourette's Guy (R.I.P)

by tootthekazoo on Nov 11, 2008 9:58 AM PST up reply actions   0 recs

Theme Time Radio is awesome.

I would also suggest the Sound Opinions podcast, if you are interested in rock and roll (and if your dad has any interest) – the two guys that do it are pretty interesting, they review some pretty good stuff.

As for food, I can be of no help until you get to Portland, but you know Portland. So I got nothin’.

Nice Guys Finish Third - Hopelessly lost, but makin' good time.

by pdb on Nov 11, 2008 7:53 AM PST reply actions   0 recs

Man, that's too bad.

COD4 was awesome, what were they thinking?

by Phildopip on Nov 11, 2008 8:18 AM PST up reply actions   0 recs

"Let's make money without effort!"

All they did was graft new textures onto the COD4 engine.

by BrianL on Nov 11, 2008 8:21 AM PST up reply actions   0 recs

Why do they keep giving every other game to Treyarch?

Just to pump them out faster? It doesn’t make sense, and it hurts the brand’s image.

by Teej on Nov 11, 2008 9:18 AM PST up reply actions   0 recs

This is something Infinity Ward could have handled themselves.

They built the engine. If Activision really wanted another WWII shooter built on the COD4 engine that badly, they should have let IW take care of it.

Treyarch has a reputation of raping their own products. Letting them work on a COD game (especially after the critical success that was COD4) is criminal. It hurts the franchise in the long run.

by BrianL on Nov 11, 2008 9:23 AM PST up reply actions   0 recs

You know, the more you talk down this game

The more unsure I am of buying it. Thankfully, the Xbox I sold to my brother when I upgraded to my Elite has red-ringed. He paid off his pre-order of CoD5 yesterday, came home and found his box to be broken. So, I get to borrow it until it’s fixed. HAHAHAHA

HA HA HA, your Grandpa's an ASS!- Tourette's Guy (R.I.P)

by tootthekazoo on Nov 11, 2008 10:00 AM PST up reply actions   0 recs

..... no no no no don't listen to BrianL

COD5 yay!

Just sell a couple extra cars today to make up for it

by seattlebruin on Nov 11, 2008 10:04 AM PST up reply actions   0 recs

Jeez, that sounds easy

Anybody want a car? Seriously though, I’ll be getting it anyway. I bet he’d enjoy it more if he had Live. I work tomorrow until 2pm, and then I don’t have to report back until 2pm on Friday

HA HA HA, your Grandpa's an ASS!- Tourette's Guy (R.I.P)

by tootthekazoo on Nov 11, 2008 10:06 AM PST up reply actions   0 recs

So I can play it a lot

HA HA HA, your Grandpa's an ASS!- Tourette's Guy (R.I.P)

by tootthekazoo on Nov 11, 2008 10:06 AM PST up reply actions   0 recs

Most definitely

Your internet working ok now? I remember you saying you had an issue with it

HA HA HA, your Grandpa's an ASS!- Tourette's Guy (R.I.P)

by tootthekazoo on Nov 11, 2008 10:09 AM PST up reply actions   0 recs

Still not =(

wireless good, wired not so much. Too bad I play my 360 on the wired…

by seattlebruin on Nov 11, 2008 10:33 AM PST up reply actions   0 recs

Yep.

I recently hardwired the computer that’s connected to my main TV, and my Xbox 360, and it’s saved me a TON of headaches.

Plus now I can stream HDTV from my den computer (with Media Center) to my living room TV.

by Phildopip on Nov 11, 2008 10:35 AM PST up reply actions   0 recs

It's so much more reliable.

I always tell people that they will be much happier if they take a day to run network drops throughout the house. Yes it’s a really lousy job, but it’s so much better than dealing with wireless hassles.

by BrianL on Nov 11, 2008 10:36 AM PST up reply actions   0 recs

It was pretty easy.

I bought a couple of long CAT5 cables from newegg, crawled under my house with my drill and set to work.

All in all, it took me probably 15 minutes to get it fully set up.

by Phildopip on Nov 11, 2008 10:37 AM PST up reply actions   0 recs

I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one with my PC hooked to my TV

I have my laptop for basic stuff, but the PC has basically turned into a media server for the Xbox, as well as for my laptop. I don’t have a TV in my room, so I take my laptop in and watch a movie while I’m going to sleep by streaming off of the PC

HA HA HA, your Grandpa's an ASS!- Tourette's Guy (R.I.P)

by tootthekazoo on Nov 11, 2008 10:37 AM PST up reply actions   0 recs

Correct.

This is why my wireless router is in my entertainment center. I have a hard line to bothe the Xbox as well as my PC (plugged into the big screen). Much less to futz with

HA HA HA, your Grandpa's an ASS!- Tourette's Guy (R.I.P)

by tootthekazoo on Nov 11, 2008 10:35 AM PST up reply actions   0 recs

(P.S. I'm saying that my wireless is working and my wired is not)

(I would much rather be on the wired, but when my choices are wireless or nothing, there’s no choice)

by seattlebruin on Nov 11, 2008 11:44 AM PST up reply actions   0 recs

That's weird that the wireless is ok and the wired isn't

I’m not intelligent enough to offer any suggestions on that part, except to posit that it may just be borked

HA HA HA, your Grandpa's an ASS!- Tourette's Guy (R.I.P)

by tootthekazoo on Nov 11, 2008 10:34 AM PST up reply actions   0 recs

Uaually it's the cable heads.

Try plugging it into a laptop and seeing how your connectivity works. If you can get a good IP address and get out onto the rest of the world, it’s your XBox (or possibly your DHCP on your router), if you can’t get any signal from the laptop, it’s either the cable or the router. Try switching up ports on the router, or connecting it directly to your cable modem, and go from there.

If you want some support, you can hit me up on gchat, or post here and I’m sure someone will help you.

It's hard to convince people to let you eat them if you're an asshole. - Thingray

by Faux on Nov 11, 2008 10:41 AM PST up reply actions   0 recs

I'd just ping the router continuously and see if it's dropping packets.

If the patch cables are fine, the drop itself might need to be repunched.

by BrianL on Nov 11, 2008 10:43 AM PST up reply actions   0 recs

Does the XBox have the ability to get into network support apps?

It's hard to convince people to let you eat them if you're an asshole. - Thingray

by Faux on Nov 11, 2008 10:43 AM PST up reply actions   0 recs

I don't think so.

I’d just take the cable that’s running into the xbox and run it into the laptop. Trying to figure out networking issues via the xbox is a pain in the ass.

by BrianL on Nov 11, 2008 10:45 AM PST up reply actions   0 recs

The Xbox just does a basic "yes/no" for that stuff, for the most part

The laptop method would work much better for him, for sure.

HA HA HA, your Grandpa's an ASS!- Tourette's Guy (R.I.P)

by tootthekazoo on Nov 11, 2008 10:46 AM PST up reply actions   0 recs

That's what I figured.

From what I read, he couldn’t get on at all. That’s what prompted my “just see if it works on the LT” stance.

It's hard to convince people to let you eat them if you're an asshole. - Thingray

by Faux on Nov 11, 2008 10:46 AM PST up reply actions   0 recs

I might be down.

I just generally prefer single-player campaigns. I don’t much care for online gaming. People, in general, are douchebags, and on top of that, I just don’t find much excitement in running around the same maps shooting guys over and over to accumulate Awesome Points.

by Teej on Nov 11, 2008 10:11 AM PST up reply actions   0 recs

I probably won't ever play it.

I’ve got Gears 2, Fallout 3 and some other shit (World of Goo!) to keep me busy for a while. Maybe I’ll get it from GameFly and play it for a few hours before sending it back.

by Teej on Nov 11, 2008 10:14 AM PST up reply actions   0 recs

YES YES

I am all for this game. I’ve played the demo so much I have it memorized. I could probably do it with my eyes closed

HA HA HA, your Grandpa's an ASS!- Tourette's Guy (R.I.P)

by tootthekazoo on Nov 11, 2008 10:18 AM PST up reply actions   0 recs

Same here

I lost a bit of lust for it, but then the demo…
/drooling

HA HA HA, your Grandpa's an ASS!- Tourette's Guy (R.I.P)

by tootthekazoo on Nov 11, 2008 10:19 AM PST up reply actions   0 recs

This will be a fun game.

The demo made me ill at first with the jerky movements, but I got used to it.

by Teej on Nov 11, 2008 10:21 AM PST up reply actions   0 recs

The demo (while incredibly fun) made me ill as well.

Actually, I haven’t been that sick playing a game since Descent.

by BrianL on Nov 11, 2008 10:22 AM PST up reply actions   0 recs

Damn, I remember that game

Been a very long time, and that game also made me sick as hell. I don’t have much of a problem with Mirror’s Edge, but I can definitely see why some might. The movement and blur is one thing, but the colors (the BEAUTIFUL colors) can’t make it any better

HA HA HA, your Grandpa's an ASS!- Tourette's Guy (R.I.P)

by tootthekazoo on Nov 11, 2008 10:24 AM PST up reply actions   0 recs

The colors...oh god I missed color in video games.

For too long we’ve been dealing with this “let’s make our games realistic and paint everything in a lovely shade of shit brown” mentality in the industry.

by BrianL on Nov 11, 2008 10:28 AM PST up reply actions   0 recs

When the demo starts, and does that slow pan with the camera down to Faith...

I said wow

HA HA HA, your Grandpa's an ASS!- Tourette's Guy (R.I.P)

by tootthekazoo on Nov 11, 2008 10:29 AM PST up reply actions   0 recs

I don't care if this game is as short as Portal.

It’s creative and pretty and oh god I want it now.

by BrianL on Nov 11, 2008 10:30 AM PST up reply actions   0 recs

And I loved the shit out of portal

I played it a hundred times. I miss my copy of Orange Box. I’ve been jonesing for a bit of HL2: Episode 1 and 2 again. HL2 is burned into my brain after so many play throughs

HA HA HA, your Grandpa's an ASS!- Tourette's Guy (R.I.P)

by tootthekazoo on Nov 11, 2008 10:32 AM PST up reply actions   0 recs

I loved that game.

C’mon, Wii, do more stuff like this!

by Phildopip on Nov 11, 2008 10:35 AM PST up reply actions   0 recs

Can't give you good games.

Must produce shovelware!

Reggie and Shiggy don’t care about you anymore.

by BrianL on Nov 11, 2008 10:37 AM PST up reply actions   0 recs

I've also got a huge pile of games growing, with a few still to get to

I’m going to bounce between Fable and Fallout all winter, and the shooters will keep me company with online play

HA HA HA, your Grandpa's an ASS!- Tourette's Guy (R.I.P)

by tootthekazoo on Nov 11, 2008 10:19 AM PST up reply actions   0 recs

Fable's ending is going to make you want to march over to the UK

and stab Peter Molyneaux thousands upon thousands of times.

by BrianL on Nov 11, 2008 10:21 AM PST up reply actions   0 recs

Yeah, I saw you point that out a few days ago

I will probably slow play the hell out of it, and it feels like one of those games where I may take forever to finish it. I’ve already spent more time working as a Blacksmith than I have anything else

HA HA HA, your Grandpa's an ASS!- Tourette's Guy (R.I.P)

by tootthekazoo on Nov 11, 2008 10:23 AM PST up reply actions   0 recs

I would not recommend it for single player,

Just going on past experience with the series. Even if it has great moments, it’s only going to be like 6 or 7 hours at the most. They live on multiplayer, and the game does not lend itself well to having any kind of a storyline

HA HA HA, your Grandpa's an ASS!- Tourette's Guy (R.I.P)

by tootthekazoo on Nov 11, 2008 10:14 AM PST up reply actions   0 recs

That is unfortunate

Although to be honest I don’t play online near as much as I thought I would. I keep weird hours, so I hardly ever get to play with friends, and the random asshats don’t make it enjoyable. I used to play CoD4 with my Zune streaming in the background, and voices turned off. Only way it is tolerable to me

HA HA HA, your Grandpa's an ASS!- Tourette's Guy (R.I.P)

by tootthekazoo on Nov 11, 2008 10:11 AM PST up reply actions   0 recs

I do have Live.

I just despise humanity. Specifically a large majority of the Live userbase.

Seriously though, COD5 is just a slapdash user modification that just changes the textures of the game. The mechanics are identical to COD4.

It’s Treyarch and Activision trying to make a quick buck.

by BrianL on Nov 11, 2008 10:08 AM PST up reply actions   0 recs

Oh, I though you had said you needed to renew it. I misinterpreted

And really, I’m fine with it being a re-skin of CoD4. I loved 4, but grew bored of it. If it’s essentially the same game but in WWII, then I’m down.

HA HA HA, your Grandpa's an ASS!- Tourette's Guy (R.I.P)

by tootthekazoo on Nov 11, 2008 10:12 AM PST up reply actions   0 recs

Makes sense, totally

Same as with the Madden games, which never have much in the way of improvements. Really, as long as those will continue to sell, then other companies will just re-hash their stuff too. That’s why all the top selling games anymore are sequels. There are very few new IP’s, which does suck some. Yay to Mirror’s Edge, Alan Wake, and other new IP’s to help brighten the gaming landscape

HA HA HA, your Grandpa's an ASS!- Tourette's Guy (R.I.P)

by tootthekazoo on Nov 11, 2008 10:22 AM PST up reply actions   0 recs

And EA is the new company that earns the phrase

“At least they aren’t as bad as EA”

HA HA HA, your Grandpa's an ASS!- Tourette's Guy (R.I.P)

by tootthekazoo on Nov 11, 2008 10:26 AM PST up reply actions   0 recs

I finally, FINALLY decided that I don't need to buy Madden every year.

I always play one season and I’m done. I think I’m just getting bored with sports games. (Except baseball. I’ll play any baseball game for months and months.)

by Teej on Nov 11, 2008 10:26 AM PST up reply actions   0 recs

Yeah, I'm the same way

Sports games don’t do a ton for me, but baseball usually has a place on my shelf because it’s easy to knock off a few games

HA HA HA, your Grandpa's an ASS!- Tourette's Guy (R.I.P)

by tootthekazoo on Nov 11, 2008 10:28 AM PST up reply actions   0 recs

2K sports is dead to me.

I ended up buying both games this year. The Show was the hands-down winner.

by BrianL on Nov 11, 2008 10:30 AM PST up reply actions   0 recs

Visual Concepts is taking over.

I have a little bit of hope.

by Teej on Nov 11, 2008 10:33 AM PST up reply actions   0 recs

The framerates in the last edition was the final straw for me.

I couldn’t believe they allowed such a horribly broken game to go gold.

by BrianL on Nov 11, 2008 10:35 AM PST up reply actions   0 recs

Pretty amazing.

Seemed like the whole point of 2K6 was to get the graphics down. And they were pretty beautiful despite some weird hiccups. But then somehow, with the graphics system in place, they went and made the graphics considerably worse.

I’m still confused how that happens.

by Teej on Nov 11, 2008 10:47 AM PST up reply actions   0 recs

That made no sense.

To clarify: 2K7 was a huge graphical leap, then 2K8 took a step back.

by Teej on Nov 11, 2008 10:48 AM PST up reply actions   0 recs

An enormous step back.

They completely broke the engine.

by BrianL on Nov 11, 2008 10:48 AM PST up reply actions   0 recs

That game almost convinced me to buy a PS3

I’ll probably scoop one up after the holidays, unless I find a crazy deal on one through Amazon or some such. I’ve been tasked with buying my own Christmas gift this year, since the “poor college student/fiancee” will not be able to.

HA HA HA, your Grandpa's an ASS!- Tourette's Guy (R.I.P)

by tootthekazoo on Nov 11, 2008 10:30 AM PST up reply actions   0 recs

That's why I didn't, because I would be the same.

I’m interested in playing both Resistance games, The Show, and MGS4, but that’s really about it. Everything else is already on the Xbox in one way or another

HA HA HA, your Grandpa's an ASS!- Tourette's Guy (R.I.P)

by tootthekazoo on Nov 11, 2008 10:38 AM PST up reply actions   0 recs

Squeenix decided to go multi-plat the week after I bought my PS3.

I could only shake my head and tell myself I had just purchased a glorified Blu-Ray player.

by BrianL on Nov 11, 2008 10:41 AM PST up reply actions   0 recs

I'm thinking of picking up a Blu Ray drive for my PC

And just running it through the TV.

HA HA HA, your Grandpa's an ASS!- Tourette's Guy (R.I.P)

by tootthekazoo on Nov 11, 2008 10:42 AM PST up reply actions   0 recs

Kind of what I was thinking

The new machine I just picked up is a good dual core unit. $300 or so would get me a good video card with HDMI, 4 GB of ram, and the Blu Ray drive. Not a bad way to go, the more I think about it. I’m just excited to be able to PC game a little bit again. My 7 year old Dell just wasn’t getting it done anymore

HA HA HA, your Grandpa's an ASS!- Tourette's Guy (R.I.P)

by tootthekazoo on Nov 11, 2008 10:48 AM PST up reply actions   0 recs

I pretty much only play sports games.

That and GTA. I’m still holding out hope that someone will make a good baseball game eventually.

J.K.L.

by acblue on Nov 11, 2008 12:00 PM PST up reply actions   0 recs

Some games have fantastic, realistic gameplay.

Some games have realistic player development, aging curves, trade proposals and free agent compensation. I want a game that has all of those things.

J.K.L.

by acblue on Nov 11, 2008 12:08 PM PST up reply actions   0 recs

And yes, most on Live are horrible

Like I said above, I just stream some music off my Zune or PC, and turn off the voices. This way I can just enjoy the game. I prefer online play because it offers variety over single player

HA HA HA, your Grandpa's an ASS!- Tourette's Guy (R.I.P)

by tootthekazoo on Nov 11, 2008 10:16 AM PST up reply actions   0 recs

Damn, I should have thrown mine in the mix, too

You could have been swamped with children.

HA HA HA, your Grandpa's an ASS!- Tourette's Guy (R.I.P)

by tootthekazoo on Nov 11, 2008 10:01 AM PST up reply actions   0 recs

Dunno, really

Although he did have a good time over there. You’re good at what you do, that’s for sure

HA HA HA, your Grandpa's an ASS!- Tourette's Guy (R.I.P)

by tootthekazoo on Nov 11, 2008 10:49 AM PST up reply actions   0 recs

You might want to consider driving over to Los Angeles and taking I-5 to Portland.

You don’t want to risk getting snowed-in between Kansas and Idaho. The drive between Denver and Salt Lake City is mountainous and will likely be slow.

I think it would be worth the extra 100-150 miles to avoid the mountains this time of year. And I bet it is faster considering the highways would be easier to drive, snow or no snow. The only benefit going up through Denver and SLC is the scenery.

by Wilder. on Nov 11, 2008 8:13 AM PST reply actions   0 recs

We thought of this.

We will likely re-evaluate when we check the weather. The thing is that dad must be back in time for Sunday morning—we have a bit of a time crunch.

by NOLAmarinergirl on Nov 11, 2008 8:16 AM PST up reply actions   0 recs

You are driving a U-Haul type truck, right?

If you are, I would seriously consider going over to LA because the mountains will inevitably slow you down. And the calculated difference of going through LA is roughly 200 miles (3 extra hours). What kind of time crunch are you in that you are willing to risk shaving 3 hours off your time going up through the mountains rather than getting the guaranteed time of going over to California?

Definitely check the weather, but I would take a hard look at going with the easier drive, weather be damned.

(not trying to pressure you or change the plans you’ve made with your dad)

by Wilder. on Nov 11, 2008 8:32 AM PST up reply actions   0 recs

I'll be darned.

Driving directions to Eugene, OR 97404
2,759 mi – about 1 day 17 hours

Driving directions to Eugene, OR 97404
2,895 mi – about 1 day 19 hours

by NOLAmarinergirl on Nov 11, 2008 8:37 AM PST up reply actions   0 recs

I didn't realize Eugene was your destination.

Now it’s closer than I thought going through LA.

And seeing how they calculate the times the same (based on the mileage), I would be even more confident LA would be faster, snow or no snow. Driving through mountains are just a pain. And with a bigger, slower vehicle, hitting those curvy inclines will be super slow.

by Wilder. on Nov 11, 2008 8:47 AM PST up reply actions   0 recs

When I lived in San Antonio

I drove from there to Portland and back a couple of times. Going through LA was much faster than trying to drive a straight line from SA to Portland, much like NOLA’s map up there.

by coolguyrob on Nov 11, 2008 8:49 AM PST up reply actions   0 recs

I have put forth the suggestion to my dad.

We’ll see how flexible he is. Maybe he really wants to see things?

by NOLAmarinergirl on Nov 11, 2008 8:52 AM PST up reply actions   0 recs

Plus all through west Texas, NM, and AZ

There are bunches of really good Mom and Pop type Mexican restaurants just off of I-10 a bit in the smaller towns. At one place I had enchiladas with scrambled eggs and green chili sauce for breakfast. It was heavenly.

by coolguyrob on Nov 11, 2008 8:56 AM PST up reply actions   0 recs

If you alter your route and go through Tucson on I-10

I can point you to a bunch of really good Mexican restaurants.

Nice Guys Finish Third - Hopelessly lost, but makin' good time.

by pdb on Nov 11, 2008 8:57 AM PST up reply actions   0 recs

Totally

Tucson is actually a pretty cool town, lots of good eats there, plus Magpies pizza

by coolguyrob on Nov 11, 2008 8:57 AM PST up reply actions   0 recs

I have never eaten pizza in Tucson

there seems no need. I can never make it through all the good Mexican places. And there’s a really good pho place as well, which strikes me as odd.

Nice Guys Finish Third - Hopelessly lost, but makin' good time.

by pdb on Nov 11, 2008 8:58 AM PST up reply actions   0 recs