Old School Gamers

Hum, a New York Attorney General is suing Intermix Media Inc. in Los Angeles over installing spyware on to computer. It is interesting that he is addressing this as being an issue that is hurting E-commerce. I wonder if he is taking that approach to try and get some of the Fortune 500 companies that are using their service to rethink their marketing strategy.

Spitzer's civil suit accuses Intermix of violating state General Business Law provisions against false advertising and deceptive business practices. He also accuses them of trespass under New York common law.

It looks like his main gripe is the fact that the spyware is installed without the users knowledge or that it is hidden in the EULA. He also is complaining that there are no unistall options, like most software.

I seriously doubt that this will kill spyware, but it will be interesting to see if it has any impact on the practices at all. I do not think we will ever see a button or part of the EULA say 'This action will install spyware, All your base are belong to us' *Accept* *Decline*

I normally could care less about what a celebrity does, but I think this deserves some praise. Jessica Simpson and Nick are doing a USO tour. Truthfully I could care less if it was just done for the ABC special, they have brightened the day of countless solders. With all the constant bickering Hollywood does about the war, it is nice to see some support the troops by more than just words.

I heard that they were making a 'Dukes of Hazzard' movie. I am curious to see how it turns out, and if they make the General Lee more politically correct. I grew up watching it on TV, and I could care less that the story was cheesy, as long as it had The General doing major jumps over sheriff cars...

What a pleasant surprise. Seven years ago, I helped one of my business college professors as she started to turn her hobby of collecting old prayer cards and holy cards into a small business. She called it Chant Art. She was really excited about her business because she had taught the theories and principles of running a good business, but she had never had the opportunity to put them into practice. A lot of the things I learned from her class have always stuck with me; I think because she was one of the most out going, fun, and open minded teachers that I had. For some reason I was thinking about her today and just on a whim tried a search for her cards. Very impressive, I found her right at the tip top on Yahoo. I usually have to wade threw search pages just to find something remotely related to what I want. Wow, her website has come a long way, and so has her business. I am glad to see that she is still teaching, and enjoying her hobby.

Even Alenware is getting on the Star Wars hype. At least they have good taste and are using art work for the classic Star Wars.

I am beginning to wonder if someone in Star Wars marketing locked Lucas up in a closet. Some of the toys they are putting out are more targeted for the classic fans. They are using art work and toy designs that are more reminiscent of the Star Wars of long ago...

The last two have turned me off, when is the next monstrosity coming out again? I wonder what new lows Lucas will sink to this time? May be he will pick on Han Solo some more. Lets see here, may be Han Solo only accidentally saved Chewbacca because he was goofing off with his blaster and it miss fired. Perhaps we will see a hundred Jedi fall in three minutes of battle with a droid. Another possibility is making that cool space battle in the trailer really last only 3 seconds before switching to someone accidentally blowing something up. The disappointments are endless, and comings soon.

Well I think I made it, I did not play World of Warcraft all week just to make sure I am not addicted to the game. I think I was suffering from withdrawals, so I tried filling the space with other games I have not played for some time. I Played Halo 2 against some friends, it was not pretty. I was not dead last, but I was not doing all that hot.

I tried out a Half Life 2 mod, Night of a Million Zombies. The title sums it up nicely; fight off wave after wave of head hugger zombies for as long as you can. The map is fairly small area, with a few traps, and several ammo points. Most of the ammo is unlimited, and some of the weapons are hidden (still trying to find the gravity gun), but there are no health pickups that I am aware of. This is the perfect mod for the times you just want to blow off some steam. It was surprising to see how much the game started to lag with the number of zombies that were showing up. I guess that is why in HL2 they did not have any large forces to engage.

I have been mostly playing Jade Empire. It has been more enjoyable than I thought it would be. I have not gotten board of it like I did with KOTOR. I think it has mostly to do with the fact I don’t have pause the game every five seconds to baby site my companions. They can actually fight well on their own! The fighting is simplistic, but there are many types of fighting styles that will add some level of strategy. I have been pleased with the game so far.

Finally I have tried out Act of War Direct Action. The graphics are top notch, and there are many movie cut sequences. In fact there may be too many for my taste, annoying me by popping up in the middle of game play when some objectives are completed. That was a pet peeve of mine with Doom 3s sequences; they throw the games rhythm off. It is really annoying to be all into a battle and then stop to watch a movie, and then get tossed right back into the game and have to scramble to react to more problems. For some reason I am not as happy with the games interface, I cannot put my finger on it, but for some reason it seams more cumbersome then most other games. It has been challenging, at one point in the game a base I was defending was attacked by three different sides. I am not really sure what the story plot is, or if it really has one, but than Command and Conquer Generals never really had one either. I would recommend waiting for the price to come down on this game and buy Warhammer 4000 Dawn of War if you have not done so already.

And here you thought this was going to be another post just on Warcraft. World of Warcraft, my precious...

I cannot believe it. Today marks this blog's one year anniversary, my blogiversary. Well it may not be a whole lot to get all excited about, about a hundred posts, and around a thousand hits from poor people Goggling. To me, the fact that I am still having fun writing, when I find time, and still doing this is still quite an accomplishment. This was born from a mix of reading other blogs, a plan to try to sneak into E3, a love to talk with people about their video game memories, and the feeling that I should try to write more often.

I would like to thank my friend Lone Wolf for introducing me to the blog Where is Raed? at the beginning of the second Iraq war. This is was my first contact with blogs. I would like to thank Frank J. of IMAO for showing that not all blogs had to be about serious matters. I would like to especially thank Andrew Cory of Punning Pundit for being the first to voluntarily link to me, and for inflating my ego. I also want to thank you, my readers, and the poor people that stumbled on this by Goggle.

Do you want to go to exotic places for your vacation, but don't want to pay the high gas prices or hassle the long lines at the airport? Then book a trip to majestic Azeroth. Here are just a few activities Azeroth has to offer you and your family.

Shop the many fine stores at Ironforge and Stormwind City. See master crafts men practice their arts at the Great Forge. Sore threw the air on our many breath taking tour packages atop our no-wait gryphons. Frolic in the snow covered hills of Dun Morden, or wander threw the searing deserts of Burning Steap. Hunt Wild Boar and Black Bears or lay back and fish in relaxing Loch Modan. Explore the caves of the Deadmines or the Wailing Caverns*. Take an ocean cruse to new and mysterious lands. Meet and hear stories from the locals. Dine at our many fine loges and inns. Ride the open planes atop a gallant horse or a Mechano-Strider**.

This summer don't just travel to the same old place and see the same old things. Travel in style and see a place that is like no other.

* Some restrictions apply. Exploration is taken at your own risk. Visitors are responsible for any loss of life, limb, loot, or delays on their own part that is caused by beast, undead, trogg, Horde, ninja looter, China farmer, or any other 'red letter' mobs. Visitors may need to run quests to earn gold.
** Must be level 40 or higher to ride mounts.
Warning, visiting Azeroth may cause feelings of being in a 'time warp.' In most cases side affects include forgetting to eat, running late or missing appointments, and loss of sleep. In very rare cases people have over dosed on Coke or completely lost track of what day it is. If symptoms persist, seek an alarm clock's help.