Monthly Archives: July 2009

Fallout 3: Side Quest Rant

When I reviewed Fallout 3, I did some complaining about the writing. Not all quests in the game are bad though. I wanted to take a closer look at two selected side quests: one that annoyed me, and one that … Continue reading

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Rebooting Comic Book Franchises

In recent years comic book adaptations have become extremely profitable. Movie studios are literally fighting over superhero franchises these days because they know it is easy money. We have finally reached the point in time when comic book nostalgia is … Continue reading

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Movies: Rent, Own or Download?

Here is a question: how often do you buy movies on DVD/Bluray these days? I don’t. I can’t tell you when was the last time I actually bought a movie in a physical format. Actually, scratch that. I do remember. … Continue reading

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Forcing IE8 Compatibility Mode in IIS

When I saw IE8 being pushed out via Windows Update I was ecstatic. This meant that in a few months the number of installations of the first semi-standards compliant browser made by Microsoft will reach a critical mass. At that … Continue reading

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Vampires vs Werewolves

The other day I overheard my coworkers arguing whether or not Vampires are better than Werewolves. I was about to throw in my two cents into this discussion when I realized this was a Twilight discussion. So instead joining in, … Continue reading

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The Cult of Celebrity

Here is an interesting reflection: back in the day celebrities were usually people of substance. They were notable writers, scientists, philosophers or ware heroes. These days, such interesting people are usually only known only to niche groups. They are famous … Continue reading

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On Optimization

Here is an interesting story that I got from one of the old-timers in our industry. The guy who told it to me used to be a COBOL developer back in the day when Cobol was the “bleeding edge” technology. … Continue reading

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360 Degree Design

What I am about to show you is known as the Design Circle or 360 Degree Design principle. It states that you initial design and/or layout is usually correct, but it will never be accepted by the client who will … Continue reading

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Watchmen (The Movie)

I have not seen Watchmen in the theaters when it first came out because my friends suck. I can hardly remember last time I was this excited for about a movie. Actually, scratch that – I can. Last time I … Continue reading

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Grass is always greener on the other side

Note: Originally I intended to post this on /dev/random – with it being a sort of a silly random reflection and all. But it turned out to be a bit long and I had an empty spot in my blog … Continue reading

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Reputation vs. Karma

Back when I reviewed Fallout I criticized it’s karma system very harshly. I haven’t changed my mind on this. You can’t reduce morality to a sliding scale between good and evil. It just doesn’t work that way – not even … Continue reading

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Buying New Games

As you know, now that I have a proper gaming rig I’m on the lookout for new exciting games to play. I had a blast playing Fallout 3, and I believe I will get many more hours out of this … Continue reading

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Transformers 2

Here is a question: have you seen the first Transformers movie? If you did, you probably don’t need to see the sequel. Why? Because it is the same exact movie. It follows the exact same overall plot almost to the … Continue reading

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McAfee Auto Renewal

I just retired one of the old computers in the house and remembered it was running McAfee and was subscribed to their auto-renewal program. Since I no longer had use for that McAfee license I decided to opt-out of the … Continue reading

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Did the internet shorten your attention span?

It seems that every time we invent new technology that improves the quality of our lives, and allows us to work and learn faster and more efficiently, someone finds out that that same technology is somehow harmful. Back when I … Continue reading

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DRM: The Programmers View

I make my living as a software developer, and this confuses people when they hear me bashing DRM. They are perplexed by the fact that someone who writes software may be so vehemently opposed to copyright protection tools. After all, … Continue reading

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Happy Independence Day

This year the Independence Day falls on Saturday which totally sucks balls. Every holiday which falls on the weekend is a wasted holiday. Worse, it is a tease holiday – it is a painful reminder that we could have had … Continue reading

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Fallout 3 Has Stopped Working (Fixed)

I realized that I promised to post about my Fallout 3 crash solution at some point. I might as well do it now, while it is still fresh in my memory. Sorry if this post is a little dry, but … Continue reading

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