Okay, what I’m about to say does not reflect the views of the other staff at MK Online, nor is it meant to be a mean-spirited jab at other site webmasters. That said…

We at MK Online have had a policy on the site for a few years that I’m sure several of the members never quite understood. This policy is referred to as the “no scan” policy. In effect, we don’t allow scans from magazine articles to posted in news articles or on the forum. Not only is it a breach of the magazines’ copyright to post the scans, it’s also a show of respect to the magazines to not post them. (Posting scans deprives them of sales.)

A couple of weeks back, a magazine called Game Informer released an issue with a preview of the next game in the MK series, Mortal Kombat: Armageddon. A few sites decided to post scans of the magazine. We held back and just reported what we saw. To the average user, it probably looked like we dropped the ball on it. We held back for what we felt was a good reason, and I even warned one of the webmasters to tread very lightly. For the record, Game Informer was one of those mags whose threats had lead us to implement the “no-scan policy”.

I just found out tonight that, well… as of the time I write this, two of the most prominent sites hosting the scans have had their webhosting accounts suspended. I don’t know if the scans were the reason, but it seems most likely, as I see no other common denominator between the sites.

All I have to say is this: let this be a lesson to everyone. Try and respect other people’s copyrights. Not only does it put them on better terms with you… it avoids a potential smackdown later on down the road.

Well, all in all, it’s been a fun weekend… though this morning I did NOT get as much sleep as I had hoped. That’s a story in and of itself, though…

It pretty much started yesterday when I headed over to Louie’s after getting my hair cut. I was bringing a 3Com network card and my unused copy of Windows XP Professional upgrade so that Louie could have a working PC that would support his printer and scanner. (He has Windows XP Professional X64 Edition, but HP and Nikon didn’t have 64-bit drivers for his printer or scanner, respectively.) When I got there, I saw that Dave had beaten me there, so I went ahead and gave him his Christmas gift: a DVD boxset entitled Doctor Who: Lost in Time, which is a collection of rare Doctor Who episodes from the 1960’s. In return, Dave gave me my Christmas gift: Fritz Lang’s Metropolis on DVD. We went and had lunch at Fuddrucker’s while waiting for the drive to format and Windows to install… and then things took a turn for the wrong.

Dave had ordered a copy of Flesh Gordon on DVD (no, that is NOT a typo), and had brought it along with him just so we could all see what the hell it was. What followed was a porn parody of the serials of the 30’s and 40’s that, well… words cannot express how wrong it was. It wasn’t the sex or anything… it was, just, well, everything. The sad thing is, at one point Louie put the movie on pause to go into the study and see how the format of his machine’s second hard drive was going. He stepped up to it, looked at the percentage indicator, and read it off: “Sixty-nine.” Of course, reading that after an hour’s worth of Flesh Gordon was the straw that broke the camel’s back; the absurdity of the whole situation hit us and we spent the next few minutes dying laughing.

Anyway, when Louie was all set up and the movie was over, I went ahead and made my way to Sean’s and Jinny’s house for Sean’s 32nd b-day/PJ party. I’m sure Sean, Jinny, Henry, or any of the others could give a more accurate detailing of the night’s goings on than I could, though admittedly I was probably one of the most sober of the bunch by the time the night was over. We did play a few games including the Story Game, Haggis and the McBastards (aka a murder mystery type game), and an attempt at a karaoke game that fell flat on its ass. Personally, the most fun was the murder mystery game, where all the house lights were turned off, everyone ran in and hid (given thirty seconds between each person entering), and then one person (designated the killer) would try and “kill” everyone. I got nailed in the first game… but in the second game, I hid behind a door and as soon as the killer walked past me I booked and got downstairs as quick as possible… in the process slipping and falling down the steps, losing a shoe. During the third game, I went to the bathroom and stood behind the shower curtains. Then, inspiration hit me and I lay down in the tub. It ended up benefitting me considering Sean (the killer in that game) went into the bathroom, pulled the shower curtain, and moved on… not realizing someone might be laying in the tub.

Later on in the night, after everyone but myself, Bryan (Sean’s brother’s brother-in-law), and Henry had left, we all decided to make a run over to Denny’s for food. Seeing as it was a PJ party, Henry, Sean, and Jinny were all wearing PJ’s there. I ended up telling Sean he had a really nice Arthur Dent look going. After food and coffee, I ended up saying goodbye to the group and heading back home. I was in bed by around 5:45 AM or thereabouts. All in all, it was a great night, and I enjoyed meeting epiphany, Psy-Guy, Henry, and the whole crowd.

… and at 10:45 AM, I was woken up by Louie calling my cell phone. Apparently he was having issues with his keyboard; he has a Logitech Bluetooth keyboard/mouse set exactly I have, and his mouse had been acting weird. Now that the keyboard was being wonky too, I’m kinda convinced his USB Bluetooth transceiver is defective and needs replacing. Oh, well…

I’ll probably end up going to bed early tonight, as I only got less than five hours of sleep this morning. Tomorrow does not look like it’ll be a fun day, so I want to be well-rested for it. *sigh*…

Well, it’s the end of another Wednesday, and right now I’m just sitting at home, drinking a Shiner, and relaxing.

It’s been rather hectic at work, what with continuing to get the data and voice wiring completed for the three divisions that are moving in, doing regular tech work, and also planning out a business trip to Rock Springs, Wyoming and Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. The Rock Springs trip is to evaluate a new location and see what needs to be done to bring it onto our network; we only just recently acquired a new company there, so it’s on me to see what needs doing, IT-wise. Too bad it’s going to be so damn cold up there…

For some reason my distaste for Mexican food seems to be softening. Granted, it’s only certain Mexican foods I’ll eat (like fajitas, burritos, and quesadillas), but it’s more than I would have a few years ago. For example, I had Taco Bell on Saturday for lunch (Louie’s idea), and ordered a burrito… and actually didn’t mind it. I must be getting soft in my old age. Then again, I still won’t eat tacos at all, and would have to be pressed into eating anything else. Christine at work once commented that she didn’t know anyone who didn’t like Mexican food; yes, I know I’m a rarity, but that’s just how I am. Give me Italian, Chinese, or even Indian any day.

… and I still need to get the shelving up on my CD cabinets. *sigh*

Yes, my life right now is hectic at work and slow at home. So sue me. I might as well go and get some MK Online stuff taken care of… fun fun…

Well, this sucks.
I’m at Saturn of North Houston right now, waiting on my car (which is getting its 72k mile service), and have no real net access outside of my Blackberry. They have a wireless network here, but since the last time I came in here, they locked it with a WEP key. So, I’m stuck cooling my heels until my car is finished.
It’s been a fairly hectic week at work, all told. In addition to my usual support work, I’ve been having to oversee upgrades and additions to our phone and data wiring and systems as we move THREE different divisions to the campus at which I work. Moreover, I need to have most (if not all) of it done by the end of the month. The worst of the three migrations will have to be done by Friday. Fun fun… Then, at the end of the month, I have a business trip to Canada (and somewhere else; more details on that later).
On another front, all of this office work and work on the backend stuff at MK Online meant I had to wait on Justin to post the news on Game Informer’s preview of Mortal Kombat: Armageddon, which will be the next MK fighting game. I’ve been stuck trying to help fix the PM system on the site, plus finalizing the work on the new backup system so that we’re prepared in the event of a catastrophic crash like we had a few weeks back. I’ll give details on the backup system a bit later, as it ties in to work I’m doing on the main D’Arque Cathedral server. It’s been a lot of work to plan out and prepare, but in the end I’m confident we’ll be ready for the next time we have issues.
Anyway, my thumbs are getting tired from all this typing on my Blackberry, so I’ll just end it here. I’ll post again later in the day once I get to the office.