I used to T.A. for a class at a high caliber university, and I had to grade papers as a part of my job. Generally there were only two grades--a midterm and a final, so the grades you received were very important.

I actually saw people in genuine tears at that school over a B-. I couldn't take that, and I think it was one of the main reasons why I left the Ph.D. program.

Red Dead Redemption. It looks like it's going to be one of the most memorable games of the year.

I highly, HIGHLY recommend The First Law series by Joe Abercrombie. I just finished it, and these three books have some of the best characterizations I've ever seen in fantasy.

The series is lightly comparable to George R. R. Martin's novels, but the good thing is that the series of three books actually ends. No waiting for twenty years . . .

I was informed that the video had been deleted from Vimeo. It's fixed now (with a YouTube link). Enjoy!

PIXELS: Retro Gamers.

Even if you're not a fan of the old 1980s games (how could you not be?), you should really check out this amazing short. Granted, it features the tired Destruction of New York trope, but this is not to miss. References include Pac-Man, Galaga, Tetris, and many more. (Don't miss the Commodore ad on the subway entrance!)

I went for a "battle mage" build, combining both magic and melee. I don't remember what I did for my build, but I finished the game the first time with the Purple Flame Shield and the Crescent Kalij, which gives you some idea. That way I had a lot of magic at my disposal, but a good chunk of the time I used melee--in fact, most of the time (even though my weapon was obviously augmented by my magic).

Mainly for looks (sorry) and the ability to roll around, I used the Venerable Sage's set (with the Black Boots). With a combined build, you can take on pretty much anything that comes at you--and I didn't seem to do too bad in PVP, either. Extremes at either end, though, will likely be more challenging if that's what you're going for.

5'7" and 220 pounds.

I always like to point out that I didn't gain weight until I quit WoW. lawl.

I used to be a hardcore player in Vanilla, and frankly, I welcome the changes to WoW. You don't have to sacrifice most of your life in order to get decent gear, the achievements are actually rather fun and give you something to do in downtimes, and more players have a chance of seeing some of the end content.

The downside of that is that gear--which was never a true indicator of good skill--is now even less of an indicator of good skill since I was running Icecrown Citadel successfully with PUGs. It takes very little time get full T9, which is a good starting point for everyone. By the time you realize a person actually sucks, it's often too late.

However, I would say that the "easier" nature of the game does tend to make you get sick of it more quickly. (More here.)

Like a few people here, I loved InFamous, but I wouldn't ever say that it's the greatest game ever made or something like that. The storyline was decent, the gameplay--while admittedly reptitive at times--was still fun and I at least found msyelf using every one of my abilities (which I rarely do in games). I found it particularly enjoyable on Hard, which the the only way I'd recommend playing it. It's not particularly hard on Hard mind you, but it does ensure that you at least make some effort in the game. I've never played it on Normal, but I can see where it'd be super repetitive since I suppose using only one or two abilities would be just fine.

As for the graphics, they weren't great, but people get way too hung up on that these days. They were just enough for the job. It's just a fun game, and if you have time, rent it and enjoy it for what it is. A game doesn't have to be called the Greatest Ever to be enjoyable.

The fact that Brave New World and 1984 are both on there is kind of sad in the extreme, especially since both are still warnings as to different ways we could go. (And lol @ the comment about the irony.)

This comic is especially telling: Amusing Ourselves to Death (Huxley Was Right).