I suppose it’s time for a normal post.

D'Arque Bishop

Damn, I haven’t posted a regular post in a while. I suppose I should rectify that now… heh.

*sigh* It’s not that I’ve had much time to do such posts recently, actually. I spent most of last week on a business trip to Casper, WY. As beautiful as Casper is, it annoyed me to no end that data service didn’t work too well. Data service on my cell phone was very sporadic. In addition, I was staying in a Holiday Inn that had free wifi service, yet the service kept cutting out on me. It was worst on Wednesday night, when I ended up taking my laptop down to the lobby in order to get a decent signal. Ah, well… at least I can say that I got most of the work I was sent to do done. On the other hand, one set of equipment didn’t arrive until fifteen minutes after my flight home took off Friday, so that part didn’t get done. We’re not worried there; we can get someone local to do the preliminary configuration and then finish the configuration remotely. At this point I’m just glad this is the last trip I need to take for the foreseeable future. I have enough work waiting for me at the office that I need to catch up on.

I picked up a new game to try yesterday: Halo for PC. All right, all right, it’s an old game, but I wanted to give it a try and see how it is. I might also pick up a Playstation 2 to USB adapter from Fry’s so I can play Halo on it and get practice playing first-person shooters using a gamepad. As much as I like the keyboard and mouse combination, I’ll need to get used to a gamepad if I’m going to start playing console FPS games. In the meantime, I’ll be keeping to the keyboard/mouse and progressing that way. The game’s been interesting so far… should be fun to see how it goes. Of course, I’ll likely have to pick up an Xbox 360 if I want to play Halo 2…

Of course, I’m not looking forward to Tuesday, either. Apparently I developed an ingrown toenail that needs to be cut out… and it got badly infected, or else I would have had it done last Monday. Under doctor’s orders I’ve been soaking my feet twice a day and taking antibiotics. Trust me, finding epsom salt, white vinegar, measuring cups, and a container to put my feet in my first day in Casper was fun as all hell. Fortunately the soakings and antibiotics have helped and the infection’s been knocked down. Also, hopefully the soakings and antibiotics will finish once the procedure is done. I’m just not looking forward to the procedure itself. I hate surgeries…. heh.

Ah, well. I think that’s about all I had to say this time around. I’ll probably update with more stuff in a day or two once I figure out what I want to say… heh.

A quick look at The Transformers from the military…

D'Arque Bishop

http://www.af.mil/news/story.asp?storyID=123023092


7/11/2006 – SAN ANTONIO (AFPN) — Lights, camera, action! Airmen at Holloman Air Force Base, N.M., home to the Air Force’s only operational F-117 wing, got to experience a new kind of rush as Hollywood invaded their base.

The DreamWorks/Paramount Pictures live-action film “Transformers,” set to release in July 2007, will feature several different aircraft including the F-117 Nighthawk from Holloman and the CV-22 Osprey from Kirtland Air Force Base, N.M. More than 300 Airmen participated as extras in the movie and providing logistical support during the filming.

“It’s a thrill to know my face will be seen in a movie. It outweighs the long hours,” said Airman 1st Class Mehtar Sullivan, an emergency management technician with the 49th Civil Engineer Squadron at Holloman.

While participating as extras in the movie, Airmen had to be on leave and available all day for shooting scenes. Some Airmen have speaking roles in the film. The days were long and sometimes lasted until early morning the next day.

“This was a great way to highlight what our mission is, what our people do and what our equipment does at no expense to the taxpayer,” said Capt. Trisha Raynoha of the 49th Fighter Wing Public Affairs Office.

The production crew sent scouts to seven different Air Force bases and several Army installations before deciding on Holloman and the F-117 wing.

F-117s and the CV-22 Osprey are featured prominently in the movie as both static background and taxiing aircraft. Also featured will be the A-10 Thunderbolt II, C-17 Globemaster III, MH-53 Pave Low, HH-53 Super Jolly Green Giant, AC-130 Gunship, C-130 Hercules, MQ-1 Predator unmanned aerial vehicle and Air Force One.

…

This is the largest movie project since “Black Hawk Down” to receive Department of Defense approval as selection is based on how accurately forces are portrayed. With Michael Bay as the director, known for his special effects-driven movies like “The Rock” and “Pearl Harbor,” the approval was easy.

“We’ve worked with Michael Bay before; we like the way he operates. He understands how the military operates,” said Army Lt. Col. Paul Sinor, lead public affairs representative for DOD.

This is interesting. I did realize that the military was helping this much with The Transformers. The article also has a video that’s worth watching for a quick look at what some of the film might be like.

The new Doctor Who companion has been revealed…

D'Arque Bishop

http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/news/companion.shtml

New companion is revealed.

Newcomer Freema Agyeman will play the Doctor’s latest companion, Martha Jones.

Doctor Who fans have already met Agyeman as Adeola in episode 12 of the current series of Doctor Who but, as viewers will have seen last Saturday evening, this character suffered a terrible fate at the hands of the Cybermen.

Freema will be playing a brand new character in series three.

Executive producer/writer Russell T Davies says: “The search for a new companion had been underway for some time when I first saw Freema Agyeman, she had come in to audition for the part of Adeola in series two.

“Watching her during filming confirmed what an exciting new talent she was, so under cover of darkness we called her back in to audition with David for the role of the new companion.

“It was an immediate and sensational combination, and her range, presence and charm blew us all away.

“David and Freema are terrific together, and we’re delighted to have chosen her to join the Doctor for more adventures in time and space.

“The first scripts have been written, and Martha’s a brilliant addition to the TARDIS crew, the perfect foil for the Doctor.

“Martha won’t be featured in this year’s Christmas special; we’ve got another surprise in store for that.”

Freema Agyeman says: “I’ve been keeping this secret from my friends for months – it’s been driving me mad!

“Auditioning with David in secret down in Cardiff was unbelievable, but I never in my wildest dreams thought I’d actually become the new companion.

“Billie rightfully built up an amazing fan base and she will be missed, but I hope the fans are willing to go on new adventures with me.

“It still hasn’t quite sunk in, I’m sure it will slam home first day on set when I’m stood gazing at David Tennant!”

David Tennant adds: “Freema was a joy to work with in episode 12 of the current series. She is not only very talented and very beautiful, she’s great fun and I’m delighted she’s coming on board the TARDIS full time.

“I can’t wait to welcome her into the Who family.”

Stolen from foxbaby…

D'Arque Bishop
You scored as agnosticism. You are an agnostic. Though it is generally taken that agnostics neither believe nor disbelieve in God, it is possible to be a theist or atheist in addition to an agnostic. Agnostics don’t believe it is possible to prove the existence of God (nor lack thereof).

Agnosticism is a philosophy that God’s existence cannot be proven. Some say it is possible to be agnostic and follow a religion; however, one cannot be a devout believer if he or she does not truly believe.

agnosticism
96%

Buddhism
63%

Islam
54%

Paganism
50%

Satanism
46%

Christianity
42%

Hinduism
42%

atheism
42%

Judaism
38%

Which religion is the right one for you? (new version)
created with QuizFarm.com

I have new toys, so to speak.

D'Arque Bishop

Heh, well, the main project I had for myself this weekend was completed successfully yesterday. The project? I upgraded my home entertainment system. :-) On Monday, I ordered a brand new ViewSonic 27″ LCD HDTV from Newegg. It arrived Wednesday, but I wasn’t able to bring it home until Friday (as I wasn’t going home straight from work Wednesday or Thursday evenings, and I didn’t want to leave it in the backseat of my car). Yesterday I went to Fry’s, and picked up a Samsung DVD player with upconversion capability, an HDTV antenna, and Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children on DVD. I got them all set up last night; the old TV is in the office waiting to go into storage, and I haven’t decided what I’m going to do with the old Apex AD-1200 DVD player yet. So far, it’s been great; I watched FF7:AC last night, and this evening I borrowed my mom’s copy of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Both were great movies, and looked nice on the new setup. However, now I have two changes I need to make. The first is that I really should get a set of component cables for my Playstation 2, so as to take advantage of its capabilities in that regard. I wish the GameCube component cables were still available, but there’s no point crying about that. The other change is that I need to get a decent universal remote, like one of the Logitech Harmony remotes. I’m now caught with four remotes (home theater, satellite, DVD, and TV), whereas before I only had two. Narrowing it down to a single remote would make my life a LOT easier. Oh, well… I’m not going to complain overmuch. Needless to say, I’m very happy with what I have.

In other news, we had Chinese takeout for dinner tonight. We were originally going to have the hamburgers Mom had planned to make for July 4th dinner, but I suggested Chinese instead. I think my exact words were, “What could be more American than Chinese food?” :-) Ah, well… it’s funny. Before I started at T3, I wouldn’t have even dreamed of going to a Chinese food place. That changed when I got dragged to a Chinese buffet about three years ago. Now I count Pei Wei and PF Chang’s as some of my favorite restaurants, and the people at Hunam Garden (one of the local Chinese takeout places) know me by sight. I’ve even become more tolerant of Mexican food in my old age. (Though, granted, with one or two exceptions a Mexican restaurant will NOT be my first choice…)

I really don’t feel like working tomorrow, but unfortunately I have to. So much for a four day weekend… heh. Ah, well. Might as well pack up and get ready for the workday tomorrow. Fun fun…

Help us bring MK to the Xbox 360!

D'Arque Bishop

This is a definite first. Mortal Kombat Online, The Realm of Mortal Kombat, Dave’s Mortal Kombat, Total Mortal Kombat, Mortal Kombat Outworld, and Kamidogu have teamed up to get a community-wide petition going to try and bring Mortal Kombat: Deception and Mortal Kombat: Armageddon to the Xbox 360. They’re not backwards compatible yet, but Midway and the MK community wants the Xbox 360 backwards-compatibility team to know that having Mortal Kombat playable on the 360 is something we REALLY want. I for one plan on buying an Xbox 360 in the next few months, and having MK Deception and MK Armageddon would make it a real keeper for me, especially with Xbox Live.

If you’re an MK fan and have a 360 or are planning on getting one, go ahead and sign the petition. We would really appreciate it. :-)

This weekend was just what I needed.

D'Arque Bishop

Well, this marks the end of yet another weekend, and quite frankly, it was just what I needed. I didn’t get much, if anything, accomplished. It’s simply been a weekend of relaxation while I recuperated from the events of last week. I had mentioned that the network circuit had gone down at my office Monday in a previous post. It went down again Tuesday, and I was at the office until 8 PM with the AT&T repairman while he fixed it. I thought the problem had been resolved… until the circuit went down AGAIN Wednesday evening. After a couple of hours, it came back up again. About all Qwest could get out of AT&T in regards to the outage was, “Sorry, our fault. It’s fixed now.” It’s stayed up since then… however, Wednesday evening the backup server died. :-/ I managed to get it partially operational on Thursday, and then after going through a bunch of hoops I managed to get it up Friday afternoon. It was stressful and annoying, and I am SO glad it’s all fixed and working properly.

So, what did I do this weekend? Yesterday I took Mom for her birthday dinner at Steak & Ale. We hadn’t been in years, and we figured it was time for a change from Outback Steakhouse and Cheesecake Factory. (I had actually been to the latter on Wednesday with Dave.) It was pretty good, and we’ll go back again at some point. I’ve always liked Steak & Ale; the menu might be rather limited, but the ambience of an old time steakhouse is always so relaxing. Heh. Mom really appreciated the meal, too, which is what counts in the end. As for today… I ended up going to meet my friend Lindsey to see The Lake House at the Cinemark off of Market Street. I don’t go for chick flicks as a rule, but it was good to see Lindsey, and I admit the movie’s preposterous premise had me intrigued. My verdict? It was a bit slow, but otherwise it was a good film. Afterwards we ate at Johnny Rocket’s (a burger joint with a 50’s setting), browsed around Border’s, and then I came home. All in all, a fun afternoon outing.

As for this week, it should hopefully be a bit more calm than last week was, even with my boss’s boss coming into town for meetings. I also plan on making a bit of a tech purchase, but that’ll be in a day or two. For now, though, I’m just going to relax for the rest of the evening; tomorrow’s a new day and all.

Quake is officially ten years old.

D'Arque Bishop

http://games.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=06/06/23/1755244

cyclomedia writes “Late on 22nd June 1996 Quake was uploaded to cdrom.com’s archives in the form of 7 1.44MB floppy disk images. Though it wasn’t until the 23rd that everyone realised (or at least, that’s my excuse for being a day late with the news submission). Cue much aggravation on the newsgroups as eager downloaders experienced glorious 2 FPS gameplay.”

Damn… how time flies. I still remember first playing the Quake demo on my ex-girlfriend Malinda’s PC, and rushing out soon after to get my own copy of the demo. Quake brought me many hours/days of fun, from joining up with Armand, Monday, and Missy for co-op play, to massive and furious CTF battles with Sinc, Venger, Jade, Armand, and Worff. Even when I started at Custom Computer Centers and they had their Friday night LAN parties, Quake was the order of the day. I still keep my copy in the CD rack over my computer monitor, and I have the soundtrack imported into my iTunes. Hell, to this day, there are projects dedicated to improving the game’s source code, which was released under the GPL a few years back.

I suppose I should play some more of the game this weekend, just for old time’s sake. Heh.

A long-lost Doctor Who story returns…

D'Arque Bishop

http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/news/cult/news/drwho/2006/06/20/33077.shtml

Two lost episodes recreated for DVD release.

We’re delighted to announce that in November, 1968’s Cyber-epic The Invasion will be released on DVD – including fully-animated recreations of two missing episodes, by world-renowned studio Cosgrove Hall.

This Invasion stars Patrick Troughton as the Second Doctor in a battle with the Cybermen. Episodes One and Four from this eight-part story have long been missing from the BBC’s archives, but the soundtracks survived.

Sophie Walpole, head of the BBC’s Interactive Drama & Entertainment division, explained the thinking behind the project. “In the year that the Cyberman have returned to Doctor Who, it seemed a good idea to complete one of their finest outings from the 1960s,” she said. “We have found a unique and innovative way of presenting this classic adventure with new animation fitted to the lovingly restored soundtrack.”

Cosgrove Hall’s Lead Animator Steve Maher found the job of recreating a black and white TV adventure “a slightly surreal experience”, but explained that animating Patrick Troughton’s Doctor was a real treat. “He has a wonderfully animatable face, so he was a gift. Baddies are invariably more fun to depict than the good guys so the sneering, unblinking Tobias Vaughn was a lot of fun, too.”

I must say, I’m REALLY looking forward to this. “The Invasion” was one of my favorite of the Doctor Who stories I’ve read (I have several of the novelisations of the serials), and it was fun seeing references to it in “Rise of the Cybermen” and “The Age of Steel”. I’m sure Jenn and my friend Dave will be looking forward to this one, too. :-)