Top 5....

In this post I am going to describe some of my favorite websites.
These are the websites that I usually have open in Firefox. They are also responsible for stealing my precious time. Time, that could be used doing more productive things... like schoolwork.


5.) Macrumors
I am a fan of all things Apple. I frequently go to the forums on Macrumors.com. However, Macrumors is also one of the best sources for Apple news. They have also been responsible for predicting updates to iPods and Mac computers. Overall, the forum consists of a great community. The members there are very helpful. They usually can answer your Apple related questions, and have helped me many times when I have had problems with my Macs. One of the best features of the website is the main page. The main page is full of Apple news, and rumors. Macrumors has risen above all other Apple rumor sites because their rumors are compiled from credible sources, and they almost always come true. (Apple tends to keep their product updates/releases a secret to the public. This is the one thing I hate about Apple.)

4.) Facebook
I think this one is self-explanatory. I made a facebook page a long time ago when Myspace was still in its prime. Myspace eventually faded away, and facebook became the new king of social websites. I use facebook for socializing. I talk to my friends from all over the country. I especially like the chat feature on Facebook, because there are no "screen names." When I used AOL instant messenger, I would sometimes get confused as to who I was talking to due to the screen names being used. Facebook is my number one source for networking with friends, coworkers, and classmates.



3.) Dark UFO
Dark UFO is a popular blog for the TV show Lost. It is most famous for dishing out spoilers. I like to be surprised when watching Lost, but I find myself browsing Dark UFO for filming updates. This site will probably fade into obscurity when Lost wraps up in May. I also like to visit it to read theories on what is actually going on in Lost. Fans can submit their theories, and they can be featured on the site.

2.) 4chan (not safe for work)
Oh boy. How do I describe this website? Pretty much anything funny you see on the internet today was born on 4chan (lolcats, rick roll, and Chuck Norris jokes to name a few). 4chan is an imageboard website where anyone can post anonymously. I started visiting it back in 2003 when I was really into Anime. Today, it has morphed into some weird melting pot of Internet culture. There really is no way to describe 4chan. It will make you laugh, it will make you cry, and it will shock you. Not every post is family friendly, and this is apparent in /b (the most popular board on 4chan. In fact, I am breaking the unwritten social rule of talking about /b outside of 4chan). I visit 4chan to get my daily dose of lulz.

1.) Digg
Digg is probably the site I visit the most. Digg compiles what I like to call, "the best of the internet." I usually head straight for the "top 24 hours" tab, where the most popular website links of the day are compiled. The majority of these websites are funny/interesting stories, pictures, and videos. I visit this website every day, and I like it because it does the work for me. I don't have to search google for interesting topics. With Digg I can see these websites without the hassle of searching for them.

From hate to love (Dr. Pepper pt. 2)

In a course of a month I have gone from hating Dr. Pepper to actually liking it.
It all started with the promotion that I talked about in one of my previous entries. I started buying Dr. Pepper to get the codes from the caps for the Battlefield game. I ended up giving most of the bottles to my brothers to drink. However, there were a few that they didn't want. I ended up drinking a few of them, and I think I might actually like Dr. Pepper.I never like it before, and it had always tasted gross. It was one of those drinks that would sit in our refrigerator if anyone actually bought it. Well, the promotion is now over. I still find myself choosing Dr. Pepper if I buy pop. I'm not sure what changed over the years. I have gone from hating it to actually liking it.

This can be applied to other things in my life. I used to never like the show King of the Hill. I would always sit through it on Sunday nights waiting for the Simpsons to come on. Today, it is one of my favorite animated shows. Perhaps I didn't understand the humor when I was younger. A lot of the humor in that show revolves around the stereotypical Texan lifestyle. I also never liked football when I was younger. I love it now. I guess life is just weird sometimes, and this is one fine example of it.

A little over a month to go

There is little over a month to go until the semester is over.
For some people this may be a good thing. However, I wish there was more time. I have several projects to complete: Video Editing final, International Politics paper, finish reading a book for international politics, a camera for broadcast final assignment, interviewing people for the WLTU Quest project, editing that project, and other various writing assignments. Right now it seems like a lot. I know it can get done, but it is going to be a lot of work. April is going to be a month purely dedicated to school. It will be a race to the finish, and full of much schoolwork.

The things I am most worried about are the International Politics paper, and the video editing final. The paper is a majority of the grade in that class. My midterm paper was great. I got an A on it, but I don't know if I can pull that off again for the final paper. The Video editing final will (hopefully) be easy to edit. However, it is the production stage that I am worried about. I am working with my brother and his friends (high schoolers)as the talent, and I have stressed to them how important this project is. I plan to record that project in 2 weeks.

On top of all this, I need to study for various tests. The most important thing I am doing now is reading the third (and final) book for international politics. These books have been brutal, but I am hoping this one will be better. The book is called "Descent into Chaos," and it deals with the United States' involvement in Afghanistan after 9/11. Hopefully this will be better than the last two books. The problem I have with reading for this class is that it takes a long time. I stop and highlight important sections of the book, and take notes on the chapters. The tests in that class are highly dependent on the reading.

I want an iPhone

Flashback to 2007 if you will. After years of horrible service, my family dropped AT&T in favor of Verizon. About a month or so later the iPhone came out. The iPhone is an AT&T exclusive phone. I had no intention of switching back to AT&T for the iPhone... even though the iPhone was amazing.
I have been waiting ever since for the iPhone to come out for Verizon. Rumors would surface, and then disappear over the years of a Verizon iPhone. I am eligible to upgrade my phone this month, but I am going to wait it out until June. AT&T's contract with Apple expires in June, so there is a possibility that the iPhone may come to Verizon. My mom just got the Droid, a really awesome iPhone competitor phone. I really wanted to get it, but if I did I would be tied to that phone for two years. I would be devastated if the iPhone came out during that time. So I still wait with my old eNV 2.... waiting.... and waiting.... for a Verizon iPhone. I might eventually get the Droid if there is no word of a Verizon iPhone at the end of June.

Bad Company 2: The Review

Battlefield Bad Company 2 released on March 2, 2010. I have been playing the game almost every day since the release, and this is my review.

Battlefield Bad Company 2 is the sequel to Bad Company. The first game of the series never released on the PC, but this didn't stop EA from releasing the sequel to the PC platform.
DICE, the developer for the game, has a great history of buggy games. Pretty much every Battlefield game has been riddled with glitches when they first came out. Bad Company 2 was no exception. My first major complaint was a connection issue problem in multiplayer. I was unable to connect to about 50% of the games I tried to join during the first week of owning the game. I was not alone. It turned out that every gamer running Windows Vista encountered this issue. DICE recommended right clicking on the game icon in Windows Vista and choosing the "run as administrator" option. This ended up being the fix to the connection issue. However, there was one other problem to deal with. I pre-ordered the game, and I was supposed to be given early access to upgradable weapons. These weapons showed up in every online gaming mode, except for Rush mode. This was a glitch that occurred for everyone who pre-ordered the game. I was actually prepared for glitches with this game, because of DICE's history with these glitches. DICE usually cleans up their mess on the second or third game patch.

There are several different multiplayer game modes in Bad Company 2, but the two most popular are Rush and Conquest. Rush mode involves two teams, the attackers and the defenders. The Attackers rush into the battlefield and try to destroy two mobile command stations (M-Com stations). After the attackers destroy the first two, the defenders retreat back to two other M-Com stations. This process repeats, and the attackers win if they are able to destroy the third set of M-Com stations. The defenders, of course, are charged with protecting these stations. Conquest mode is the classic Battlefield multiplayer mode. Two teams have to hold various positions on the map. There is a number countdown for both teams, and it counts down faster for the team with less objectives held. The goal of this mode is to force your enemy’s ticker to reach zero. Overall, I think these game modes are fine. However, I really liked a game mode called "Titan mode," which was available in 2006's Battlefield 2142. That mode involved capturing missile silos. There were 6 to be captured, and held. The two teams also had giant hover ships in the air called Titans(one for each team). The Titans are protected by laser shields. The missile silos fired missiles every 5 minutes at the enemy's Titan, and over time would destroy the enemy's shield. This allowed for another stage of game play where the goal was to rush onto the enemy's Titan, and destroy the reactor core. It was pretty fun in the futuristic Battlefield 2142. However, it would feel very out of place in the modern setting of Bad Company 2.

There are four soldier classes in Bad Company 2: Assault, Medic, Engineer, and Recon. The assault class' special ability is to provide ammo to other soldiers. They are also equipped with grenade launchers. The medic can heal injured teammates, and they can also revive downed players with a defibrillator. The engineer (my favorite soldier class!) can repair vehicles, and they are equipped with RPGs/rockets that can damage enemy vehicles. The Recon class are snipers and have the ability to plant C4 explosives, or call in mortar strikes on the enemy's position. Overall, I like the classes of Bad Company 2. However, DICE seems to be set on reducing the amount of soldier classes. In Battlefield 2 there were Assault, Engineer, Medic, Sniper, Anti-Tank, Support, and Spec-Ops. Battlefield Bad Company 2 seems to combine Assault with Support, Anti-Tank with Engineer, and Sniper with Spec-Ops. I guess in a way this is a good idea. The Engineer class in Battlefield 2 could only repair vehicles, and the Anti-Tank class could only destroy vehicles. Bad Company 2's Engineer class has the ability to do both. Now, these abilities are only specializations. Every soldier class is equipped with guns for dealing with the enemy infantry.

Finally, I would like to talk about the graphics of Bad Company 2. I was blown away. The graphics in the game are amazing. Everything looks realistic, and it is very detailed. For example, trees are actually blowing in the wind. Almost every building can be destroyed in this game. This definitely changes the tactics of the battlefield. In previous games you would have to sneak into a building to take out any snipers hiding in an attic. Bad Company 2 allows you to just destroy that said attic with RPGs or tank fire. This is revolutionary, and Bad Company 2 is the first in its class to have these destructible buildings. A building can even totally collapse if most of the walls are destroyed. This helps out in the Rush mode, where M-Com stations are located inside of buildings. Traditionally you have to go in and destroy the M-Com station. However, sometimes it is almost impossible to break through the enemy's defense. Snipers can help the team out by placing mortar strikes on the enemy building from a safe distance. Eventually, it will collapse and destroy the M-Com station. The graphics/physics of the game are phenomenal.

Overall, I love Bad Company 2. It is sort of a spinoff to traditional Battlefield games. I am really looking forward to Battlefield 3, a sequel to 2005's Battlefield 2. However, Bad Company 2 can definitely perform the job of holding me over until Battlefield 3 releases. I recommend this game to any fan of first person shooters/war games. I play Bad Company 2 on the PC, but it is also available on Xbox 360 and PS3.

(This shall be my final post on Bad Company 2. I was eagerly awaiting it, and it met all my expectations.)

Burning

I just got done burning a Blu-ray disc about an hour ago. The disc contains about 3 hours worth of 720p HD video (3 episodes of Lost). I record Lost from channel 231 (WXYZ-HD) using my Mac Pro's EyeTV tuner, and then I convert it into an MP4 file. From there I use a program called Toast to burn the Blu-Ray disc in my Blu-Ray drive. From there I waited....and waited during the burning process. During this time I recalled the early days of CD/DVD burning:

My family bought our first CD burner in 2000. One of the main reasons behind buying the CD burner was to back up all of our digital pictures. However, I quickly learned how to burn all of my MP3s and listen to them on my CD player. This thing was a godsend, because previously I used floppy discs to share songs with my friends. Pretty much all my MP3s came from Napster. Ah, the days of Dial-up Internet. I used to download so many songs, and it would tie up the phone line for hours. Anyway, I loved my CD burner. I was one of the first people at my school (a Catholic school in Mt. Clemens) to own one. I would get several lists from my friends with songs to download and burn to CD. Downloading these songs from Napster took forever, and burning them seemed to take just as long. Napster eventually went away (thanks a lot Metallica), and was replaced by programs like Morpheus and Kaaza. However, these even faded away with the advent of the MP3 player. I still burned CDs to listen to my music up until 2003. I ended up getting an iPod that year to replace my portable CD player. I also used the CD burner to burn data/files to CD, but it was mostly dominated by audio CDs.

Next was the DVD burner. My friend Max was the first person in my group of friends to get one. He got it with his family's new computer in 2002. One of the first things we burned with it was a DVD of some Anime shows we downloaded off of Morpheus. I got my own DVD burner in 2005 when I built one of my computers. I burned many DVDs, but the majority of them were my video projects for Telecommunications class. 2005 was the year I moved from Windows Movie Maker to Avid for editing video. So, the DVD burner was a great investment.

My next step in optical drive burning was the Blu-ray burner. I bought it this past fall when I sold my iMac for upgrades to my new Mac Pro. So far I have used my Blu-ray burner for burning HD video projects, and also HD recordings of Lost. Having the Blu-ray burner is amazing. I am able to now shoot HD content, edit HD content, distribute HD content online (via Youtube/Vimeo), and finally burn HD content to Blu-ray to watch on my HD TV.

I don't believe there is a future for discs beyond Blu-ray. I am pretty positive that the next technological step will be digital downloads. I also think that something similar to a micro SD card will be used for movies if the physical medium continues. However, I will enjoy Blu-ray for now.

Dr. Pepper and Battlefield

So the game I have been blogging about, Battlefield Bad Company 2, has been out for over a week now. It is a very fun game, and I have been playing it pretty much any chance that I get. Well, there is a promotion going on where you collect bottle caps from Dr. Pepper and enter a code to get customized weapons and stuff. I'm not sure on what exactly you can download, because that won't be available until tomorrow. However, the promotional caps have been on Dr. Pepper bottles since the game came out.

The problem is, I hate Dr. Pepper. It is gross, but I have been buying it to get the caps from the bottle. I usually bring it home for my brothers to drink, because all I want is a cap. I don't remember the last time I have fallen for promotional gimmicks such as this. I can't believe I am buying pop for a video game. I guess I like the Battlefield series waaaaaay too much.
Well, I am keeping this entry short. I know that some of you might be sick of reading about Battlefield Bad Company 2. I promise I have only one more entry on the game in the future. I want to actually do a detailed review of the game. So, look forward to that review perhaps next week.

Parris Island

I was watching the military channel the other morning, and I got hooked watching a documentary on Parris Island. The island is in South Carolina and is a training facility for Marine recruits.

Anyways, one of the stories in the documentary was about this girl who was kicked out after her first part of training. She ended up telling the audience that she smoked weed a few days before going off to Pariss island during a celebration party. Turns out it showed up in a drug test, and she was kicked out. I don't want to say who, but I have someone in my family who wants to be a Marine after high school. This made me think of him, because he has recently fallen down a path of doing drugs. However, he is still committed to joining the military. I really wish he would watch this, because it would be a real eye opener how drugs can ruin a career. This poor girl just got through the hardest part of training, and then just like that they came and removed her. She messed up her chance all because she smoked weed at a party celebrating her acceptance into the program.

Moving back to Michigan

One of my best friends, Anthony Giesey, is moving back to Michigan. We went to the same school, St. Mary's in Mt. Clemens, from kindergarten to 8th grade. I never really spoke to him until I was around 7 years old. We became good friends ever since that time. At the end of 8th grade he moved with his family to Florida. It kind of sucked that one of my best friends was moving away. However, I was used to it. Several friends from that school lived on base at Selfridge Air Force Base. They rotated in and out of the school. The first time I dealt with this was in 5th grade when my friend Franz moved due to his dad being reassigned elsewhere. However, Anthony's family was not in the military. They moved due to the start of GM's collapse.

I kept in touch with Anthony, even though he lived so far away. He visited every summer since then, and it was nice to see him back in Michigan. He would always come over and hang out with me and my other friends who were friends of both of us from St. Mary's. He moved back to Michigan in 2006 for college. However, he moved to Houghton in the UP. I still kept in touch with him.

This week he was down in St. Clair Shores to be interviewed for a few jobs. He is getting his bachelors in Electrical Engineering from Michigan Tech at the end of the semester. He surprised me and all of our friends when he announced he would be moving back to St. Claire Shores. He told us that he got the job offer for a full time gig working on electrical substations. He said he had several offers throughout the country, including his internship from Iowa where he worked on wind turbines. The offer back in Michigan paid more, and they will be paying for him to get his Masters degree. The biggest plus for him is that he will be back in his home town.

So after 8 years one of my best friends will be returning home.