after reading up on Senator Leland Lee's latest antics.. i decided to drop him a line. This is the error message I received when i tried to email him at his state ran site... how conienent huh?

Want the Bioshock Orchestral Score? Follow the link below for a free download offered by the games maker.

http://www.2kgames.com/cultofrapture/home.html

I just thought that I would take a second to let people know how much i hate windows vista..

Before deploying i was setting up my laptop with all my stuff and ran into a few problems so i decided to buy a new laptop. first off, im a big XP fan.. my desktop is super sweet and sexy and i love it... so when the dude at bestbuy told me to try Vista i was skeptical but like "what the hell".. i will give it a shot. im regretting that choice now... here, a million miles away from anything to fill my technical craves and needs.. im suffering from this buggy little OS. im sure anyone who was in love with XP and has used Vista knows exactly what im talking about... i take time to set up all my things the way i want them only to find that when the machine is rebooted.. all the defaults have returned!!!!

ARRRGGGHHHH..... curse you Vista. so i get past that and i think i got that problem solved.. and low and behold vistas ugly little darkside returns. moving files or folders should be as easy as snappin my fingers right? W-R-O-N-G!!!! from time to time, actually quite often, i get a error when i try to move files or folders around.. Warning: You don not have permission for this action! WTF??? i dont have permission... this is my freakin laptop and im the admin user!!!!!!

You cannot begin to fathom the amount of anger swelling in me... my blood is literally boiling with fury... i have found that usually the only way to remedy this is to reboot the sucker! system tray icons? yeah i got those... well ummm.. most of the time. those things like to play MIA from time to time too. now i know what some of you may thinking... this guy is just super dumb in the tech department right? nerp... im no emmanual goldstein but i can handle my business.. the admin account protection thingy was the first thing i turned off ... still no help in moving files around. duh... i dont have permission to that! ive adjusted the system tray properties to reflect what i want to no avail.. Vista has me really scratching my head.. im seriously thinkin of shredding Vista and installin XP... i thought that posting a message concerning this might relieve some frustrations... but the more i think about it.. i know it wont because inevitably i will have to return to my room and continue the battle with microsofts latest masterpeice!!!

The infamous Warning that loves to invade my time spent on my laptop!!!

This is something that I have been wanting to write about for some time now but have been putting it off for various reasons. That was until yesterday when I read a blog post from fellow Gamespotter dannyodwyer. His entry can be read HERE

There are some interesting points there. I suggest reading it before reading my post.

That led me back to my idea I have wanted to speak on and figured I should get in gear and speak on it.

I am in the US Army and have been in since 1999. I am currently in Iraq on my 2nd tour. Throughout my time in the Army I have been through tons of different kinds of training. Hands on stuff like land navigation, weapons handling, etc... I have also done a lot of digital training. What I mean by that is that the Army uses training aids that are similar to video games. Its used in this manner for many reasons but more importantly for its accuracy and efficiency. Take rifle marksmanship for instance. Normal marksmanship takes place on a regular rifle range where live ammo is used with paper type targets. The digital version would be various weapon types hooked up to a computer and you would shoot virtual targets on a really large screen. This has many advantages and disadvantages to it. It is kind of like a video game.

My point is that more and more I have realized that type of training has taken away the "realness" of the actual experience. Nothing can effectively replace the pop of a carbine or stench that the gunpowder scent leaves behind from firing real weapons. This also seems to desensitize Soldiers to the experience too.

Just like modern and historical warfighting games today. Most people I think can tell the difference between what is real and what is a game. The gaming industry takes a lot of heat for violence in games but I would like to think that a sensible person can distinguish between what is real and what is not.

So the digital warfighting we use in the Army is much like a game.

Imagine the emotional stress on a person that has to kill another person, perhaps on a regular basis. Someone such as a Soldier deployed to a combat area. Now compare that same situation to someone who says "drop the bomb" or something to that effect. Someone that it is behind a computer screen miles away from the actual target. Is the same level of emotional stress felt by the two different Soldiers? They are both killing someone. Or can the person behind the screen giving the word to drop the bomb slowly becoming desensitized due to the digital warfighting environment?

This topic was refreshed in my mind after reading about the Army using a Army video game in way that some could say is a recruitment tool. If the Army is targeting gamers by placing ads for the game on gaming sites and throughout the internet, could it be already hip to the desensitizing occurring in violent games already? I know it is a stretch but considering the amount of digital training I have been apart of and can recognize the difference between conventional and digital warfighting, it may be a possibility.

I personally think that any person with common sense and are logical would be able to differentiate between reality and fantasy. But not everyone is the same.

Can video games or digital warfighting in the military slowly desensitize people to violence and in turn make killing seem like a game, rather in a game setting or from a military training aspect?

Speak on it.

Peace-

My name is Anthony, some people call my Tony but most of my online friends call me Born.

I got the handle Born Invincible from a old ****c kung fu flick. Google "Born Invincible" and get the details. It's a damn good movie. I liked the theme and the main character who just happened to be born invincible. I started using it back in 2001 i think and it just kinda stuck.

I am a Soldier in the US Army. I am married and have two daughters. My wife is also a Soldier and we are currently both deployed in Iraq.

I enjoy watching sports, particularly baseball. I was born in San Diego, so naturally I am a Padres fan. I collect baseball cards and consider it to be my most serious hobby. I also like to hunt when I get a chance and I am trying to extend my gun collection.

Gaming. More than a hobby.

When it comes to me and gaming I believe for me it is more than just a hobby. I am serious about gaming and how I go about it. I try, when I can, to take time off for work when a new game comes out that I plan on buying. Usually just a day or so. I also try to get my daughter involved in video games too. She plays with my old DS and has a few games herself. Hopefully gaming will bring her joy as it has to me for so many years.

For the most part I enjoy strategy and stealth type games, RPGs, platformers and the occasional sports game. I have never been a big sports game guy but after discovering how wonderful MLB 06 The Show was... I have been hooked. I am currently in my 18th season as the character I created. He is headed for the HOF.

My favorite game is Metal Gear Solid for Playstation. I am a huge fan of the series and I am eagerly waiting for the newest installment. The Legend of Zelda - The Ocarina of Time is a close second.

My official job title in the military is Intelligence Analyst. Sounds cool but in truth it can be a bit redundant. It has its moments and I do enjoy it but its definitely not my dream job. I would much rather be doing something with computers and digital graphics. After this tour of duty me and my wife will probably get out of the military and persue other things as civilians.

I enjoy being in the military but recently, due to the war and other things, I have come to the conclusion that perhaps I should get to moving onto other things. I dont personally think this war was waged under the most honorable reasons and would rather not be apart of it anymore. I will do my duty respectfully while I am in but when I am done... I am done.

With that being said.. I believe that is all for now.


Peace -

I have been a member of Gamespot for some time. I am in the military and I registered to Gamespot during my first deployment to Iraq. I am here again on my second tour and again like last time, I play lots of video games to pass my free time. Currently I have a PS3, Xbox 360, PSP, DS and a assortment of old school games emulated on my PC. Needless to say I am covered for my gaming needs. My particular job allows me to have plenty of free time so I cant complain. This is my first blog entry since I have been a member here and I think its appropriate that I do it now in Iraq... since I first registered here when I was here the first time. I plan on trying to keep a updated account of my time here for friends here and family elsewhere to read up.

Most of my thoughts here will probably be game related since I spend a great deal of my time out here gaming. Check back for more updates!!

Here is a picture of a marksmanship range in Kuwait.