According to io9: Nerd Rage Helps Make the World Better

I just found the article appropriate considering my last blog entry.

Do I really need to quote Uncle Ben at this point?

I'm not new to the internet. I remember upgrading my 9600 modem to a 14.4 and thinking I was the coolest kid in school (oh, sweet sweet hindsight). But I'm trying to think when exactly the internet became a common ground for people to whine.

Just because you have a voice, a voice loud enough for the world to hear, that doesn't mean everything you say is worth hearing.

Myself included.

Trolls are killing the whole internet experience. People want to be paid attention to and it's so much easier to get attention with inflammatory nonsense than a well versed argument -- ask any 2-year-old.

The biggest trolls right now are easily the Battlefield 3 vs Modern Warfare 3 people. One is better than the other and it's a quantifiable fact!!! You know, eventhough the trolls making these statements more than likely haven't played either -- of course who am I to say all these people don't secretly work for both EA and Activision.

I try to imagine someone standing in the produce section of the supermarket telling everyone who isn't buying apples that they are foolish sheep who need to get over the banana hype! Laughing particularly hard at the guy buying the bunch of bananas that still need to ripen -- "why pay for something that clearly isn't ready!?!!?"

Who wouldn't go out of their way to avoid that guy? But on the internet, he is somebody who must be corrected!

Is anyone else tired of 90% of the forums being based off one emotion: rage.

Everything must be ridiculed. GOW3 is going to offer a DLC season pass...$30 for $40 worth of content. What an outrage! That content should already be included!!!

Well, if that content was already going to be included, the game would cost $100. These prices come from two major questions the developers ask themselves: how much will it cost to produce and how much will people pay for it. Seems pretty reasonable to me.

Maybe that's where the rage came from in the first place. Everyone wants something for nothing and that amazes me. The level of entitlement in today's youth is astonishing.

Maybe I'm asking too much for kids to understand how the global market works.

Wait, the average gamer is 37 (source).

6 years ago, we had Halo and we were happy paying $60 for it. Now, I can buy Black Ops for $60 and when it gets stale, I can get more maps for just $15, and when those maps get stale...more maps! It's like someone saw the need and want for such a thing in the market and decided to produce, market, and then profit off people who like entertainment.

I know people who spend $2000 a year on coffee (Tim Hortons too, not even Starbucks). But an extra $15 for a map pack no one is making you buy in the first place?!?! You may as well be spitting in George Washington, Gandhi, and Santa Clause's collective faces.

I spent $80 on the Black Ops Hardened edition (cause I'm a sweet sucker for stuff like that), then I bought the three map packs as they came out. Total investment: $125. And how many hours did I spend playing? 140hrs since Raptr started keeping track for me, but I have no idea how many hours before that. Am I the only one who is ok paying $125 for over 200-hours of entertainment?

Now Modern Warfare 3 will have bundled in its Hardened edition a membership to Elite which will also include all the DLC intended for MW3 in the 9-months following its release. The price of this package? $100 I'm sure you know. So, I'm getting the extra items that would normally ship with a Hardened edition and for essentially $20 more, I get $60 worth of extra content. In Black Ops terms, I would have saved $25...and that right there is somehow proof to some that Activision is nothing but money grubbing whores.

Just look at the comments for this recent GameSpot article, it's the worst thing one could do with their money.

Even at full price, if someone said "Give me $50 today for $60 spread over the next 9-months," I'd be pretty happy with a 20% return on my money. Sure you're taking a gamble on the quality of the content, but this is obviously geared at those who are so passionate about the game they are going to buy it for sure.

Both MW3 and BF3 are going to win big. I'm sure both will be rated very well and will be enjoyed by millions around the globe. And if we're lucky the flame war will die down and we can all enjoy it for a little while...until a teaser trailer rolls around for the next installment of either franchise.

But like I said, just cause I wrote something that doesn't mean it means anything. Trolls only exist because we pay them attention. Don't you have something bigger to worry about?

It's amazing how the year is nearly 2/3 over and practically all I did was work. I've had the past 8-days off only because I managed to get bronchitus...which could take another week to clear, but there isn't much to enjoy besides movies and Venture Bros reruns.

I did manage to squeeze some photography in. When I was in England, I had the the day before I left to wander around London. (link pops)

We also have a pretty solid airshow anually here in Michigan: Thunder Over Michigan. The show seems to get bigger and better every year, with the Blue Angels, a B-2 flyover, and all kinds of fun stuff. (link pops)

I've also been toying around with cinemagraphs:

And I am trying to learn Dreamweaver and Flash. I'm having some fun with it, but I need a real project to pull it all together.

I'm anxious to get a few video reviews done before the year is out too -- GOW3, BF3, & MW3 for sure. I have to make a bigger effort to reclaim my personal time.

I haven't had a post in over two years despite my last post's enthusiasm. And it's not just that I haven't written here, I haven't written anywhere.

I'm still looking for that spark of inspiration. The words still don't flow like they used too.

But I've been busy with work, photography, and other creative outlets, but I do miss writing.

I'm trying to get back on my horse. Work has been busy and I've had too many other distractions but in the end, I miss writing and making my videos. I'm going to try very hard over the next few weeks to play with my creative side...

A few more recent additions to my collection:

#380 - Iron Man (Blu-ray) - A
#381 - War, Inc - B
#382 - Get Smart - B+
#383 - Hellboy II - B

Some more recent additions, but I'm still working like a mad-man so this is going to be brief like the last one.

No.368 - X-Men (B-)
No.369 - JFK (A-)
No.370 - There Will Be Blood - Blu-ray (A)
No.371 - The Usual Suspects - Blu-ray (A)
No.372 - The Girl Next Door - (B-)
No.373 - Saved! (B-)
No.374 - Away from Her (A-)
No.375 - From the Earth to the Moon (A)
No.376 - Ratatouille - Blu-ray (A)
No.377 - Fido (B+)
No.378 - The Big Lebowski (A-)
No.379 - The Right Stuff (A-)

I was browsing through the list of movies expected to come out in 2009 (3236 according to IMDB) and I decided to point out a few of those that either excited me or simply made me wonder why.

A-Team, The -- I loved the A-Team, but I'm not sure if it's Big Screen worthy; maybe if it's rated R
Akira -- another animated cl@ssic going live action. (For some reason the site is sensoring the word "cl@ssic" so I have to use the @ sign)
All Quiet on the Western Front -- usually I don't care for remakes, but with the advances in film-making, this could be a truly visually stunning remake.
Austin Powers 4 -- 2 was enough
Birds, The -- another remake of a cl@ssic. Why?
Brazilian Job, The -- I've actually been looking foward to this since the Italian Job came out in 2003. But I'm worried some of the luster has rubbed off in the past 6 years.
Butterfly Effect: Revelation -- if only I could go back in time and stop this kind of crap from being made
Child's Play -- Chucky's back
CHiPs -- Wilmer Valderrama as Ponch...really?
Crank 2: High Voltage -- senseless action? Sure, I guess so...
Dallas -- does anyone care anymore?
Dragonball -- not sure what to think of this just yet
Fletch Won -- a Fletch prequel?
Fraggle Rock: The Movie -- isn't it a little late for this?
Futurama: Into the Wild Green Yonder -- sure, it's a straight to DVD release, but it's Futurama
Gears of War -- please, please don't suck.
Ghost Rider 2 -- the first one was a massive dissapointment, not even Evea Mendes' well rounded everything could save it from mediocracy. So why are they even trying again so soon?
Halo -- same as Gears of War...pretty please: don't suck
Howard Stern's Porky's -- ...curious...
Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs -- what can I say? I enjoyed the first two
Jackass 3 -- even this is kinda getting old for me.
Jailhouse Rock -- no information on this yet at IMDB so I'm staying neutral
Jetsons, The -- eh, please, all I can hope for is that it isn't live action
Jurassic Park IV -- eh
Little Fockers -- ?
Magnum P.I. -- are we seeing a pattern yet? Why does Hollywood think we'll flock to the theaters to see every TV show turned movie?
Metal Gear Solid -- I hope this isn't asking alot: three video game movies in one year that doesn't suck. Especially because this one has so much potential
Puss-in-Boots (2009 or 10) -- sure, why not?
Raging Bull II -- no info on IMDB yet, but I can't help but wonder why after 28 years it seems like a good idea now
Rambo V -- do you really need the money Sly?
Sims: The Movie, The -- huh? wha? why?
Sin City 3 -- I mean 3 (2 still has a 2010 release date). Can't wait.
Spy Hunter -- seems kind of gimmicky this day and age
Star Trek -- gonna have to see it before I really know what to think
Street Fighter: The ELgend of Chun-Li -- ...
Superman: Man of Steel -- little is known about the project, but I'm anxiously awaiting this release
Terminator Salvation -- I'm ok with Christian Bale on this one, but the director also did the Charlie's Angels movies...let's hope he's grown since then
Thomas Crown Affiar 2, The -- I really enjoyed the remake from 1999 and since Brosnan is the lead again, I have high hopes
Three Stooges, The -- SACRILEGE!!!
Tintin -- Steven Speilberg directing? Interesting.
Tom and Jerry -- I still watch Tom and Jerry; one of my favorite cartoons. This better be animated.
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen -- :D
Untitled Departed Sequel -- The Departed was one of the best Crime/Drama/Thrillers in years...I'll take another hit
Untitled J.J. Abrams Cloverfield Sequel -- America is putting too much stock in J.J. Abrams.
Untitled Karate Kid Remake -- this better not wax off. Sorry, couldn't help myself, I'll go stand in the corner now.
Waco -- made for TV movie maybe, but how does this make for a good blockbuster? Especailly 16-years later.
Warcraft -- I just don't know...
Westworld -- another movie that just doesn't need to be remade.
Witchblade, The -- I think it depends on who the lead is going to be
Wonder Woman -- never cared that much
X-Men Origins: Magneto -- Awsome.
X-Men Origins: Wolverine -- Hasn't he had three movies already? But, ok



BewareTheHorns

A funny thing happened today. I ran over my Sprint Mogul...with my car. Seems that it -- case and all -- slipped off my belt while getting in the car and I pulled out of my spot before I realized I had lost it.

With all this other stuff going on right now, I'm not yet pissed. Actually I'm suprised at how well most everything but the screen held up.

BewareTheHorns

Just another quick bulk entry of the movies I've acquired over the past few weeks.

#357 - Sunshine (B+)
#358 - John Adams (A)
#359 - BASEketball (C)
#360 - Scent of A Woman (B)
#361 - Kill Bill: Vol 1 (A)
#362 - Kill Bill: Vol 2 (A)
#363 - Donnie Darko (A)
#364 - The Core (C+)
#365 - Schindler's List (A)
#366 - Ocean's Thriteen (C+)
#367 - The Godfather: Part III (B)

Been pretty busy at work. Hoping for a video entry soon.

BewareTheHorns