What to say?

Well I am kinda at a loss here today about what I want to ramble and rant about. There has been so much said about so much already after all.

So today I am going to talk about something I really like. Skyrim! Yes! What a great game. I have bought four copies of that game. Yes, I know. I got mine and really got into it so I also bought the DLC, Dragonborn, Dawnguard and Hearth Fire. The copy I had was used so much that the center ring broke all to pieces and I was worried about using it further. So I got a new one for myself.

Then my son REALLY wanted to play it too so I got him his own copy so he would leave mine alone.

Now, the 360 version that I usually plays tends to lock up my console and since I rarely ever turn on my 360 anymore I got a copy for the PC. So I am playing through it all new again and really enjoying it. And yes, I got the game of the year version with the DLC.

Now, you maybe at this point asking your selves, "Why are you re-playing a game you have already played so much?". Well the simple answer would be because I really got hooked on it. You can role play a custom character through a realm spanning adventure using swords, bows and magic!

One play through I used nothing but a bow. I died a bunch yes, but I leveled up and got stronger and it was so much fun!

Another I used nothing but magic and equipment that helped with magic. It was okay, but I missed my melee weapons.

Sometimes I play through using two handed weapons and heavy armor. Sometimes one handed and light armors. It just depends on what I am feeling and how I want to play. Sometimes I go along with the story line in perfect order, doing each quest as I get it.

Sometimes  I just play through wandering, doing random quests and exploring the realm. Never doing the main story quest, just leveling and killing bandits and undead!

So I guess really the thing about the game that gets me is that's it kind of like going back and playing D&D. Yeah, I still have my books as well!

The game just looks nice, plays nice and I can get lost in it for a couple of hours of fun and excitement. And yes, even replaying it I still enjoy it all over again! Somethings I look forward too, some I don't and put off or just never do.

I really need to stay on top of things!

Well, since it has been now, years, since I have updated this blog perhaps it's time for a new post yes?

Do people still read blogs? I mean I have heard of professional bloggers before but what is that really? I mean, I am just a guy with a big mouth and a keyboard! Can I get paid to spew my thoughts over the internet? Yeah, probably not. However we all need that little dream right? Sadly being a paid blogger is not one of mine.

So, do I have a dream? Do I lay awake at night dreaming of some big thing that I want to have happen in my life? Do I slumber with thoughts of grander things for myself? Well, I am a pretty down to Earth sort of a person so not really. Kinda strange to meet someone like that right?

I mean I have seen myself doing certain things here and there through my life. But I never had that "DREAM" of what I really wanted too do. Perhaps that is why I don't really have a drive to accomplish anything. I am happy with the way things are and the direction my life has gone.

Perhaps I should dream about updating this blog more often? Maybe posting pictures of cats or something? Nah, that wouldn't be me at all. I am just going to do what I have always done.

Use this space for my rantings and ramblings as I see fit!

Perhaps I will actually break down and play the lottery and see if I can win and then get some sort of dream thing going. However, at that point would it be a dream? No, I think it would then be a reality and I would be left right where I am now. No dream but all the money I would need to make it happen right?

Well, I am by no means cash rich. I don't really know anyone who is. However, I am very happy with the way things are in my life right now. I have my family, my wife and son. I have my books, computers and video games. What more does a person need? I have a roof over my head, food to eat (if I don't mind cooking it anyway) and clothes to wear. That puts me way ahead of a lot of people.

So Do I want to get paid for writing this? No way! Too much pressure! With the ways things are now, I can come here when I want and rant about what I want too! Way more fun and much more enjoyable if you ask me! Plus, I don't have to keep sponsors happy and I can say what I want about what I want too!

Thoughts of another blog

I suppose I really need to work on my postings a bit more. I mean after all, the 107 people who have visited this blog do need something to read after all right?

So what to blog about today? Well, how about this amazing person I have found via blogger.com who goes by the handle of Veg. She started her blog to talk about the poor quality of her school's lunches. Since then the quality have improved very nicely. She was even told she had to stop blogging about them as the school was catching heat about it. So, a quick blog later and she is back!

Now, the other thing about this little girl is her ability and desire to help others. So, instead of complaining about something she took action! Now, this is an elementary school aged child (I think she said she was 9 or 10) who made a difference. Not only that but she started to raise money for kids in Africa. Nearly 100,000 pounds later (she is I believe in Scotland) she is off I would say to one heck of a start!

So,  you might be asking your self dear reader, why I bring this up? Well, the blog neverseconds is not only interesting, but informative as well. I find it to be a breath of fresh air to see someone so young who is not interested solely in some music group or movie star. She is out to make a difference in this world. So, watch out for this one folks, she is a world shaker and a force to be reconned with. Six million plus hits already and one hell of a start towards her goal of helping others.

Yeah folks, this is a real role model for your kids. So Veg, I doubt you will read this blog but if you do, please keep up the good work. 

Been Awhile

Since it's been awhile I figured I would post something here. I realize I have been remiss.

So, here goes. On FaceBook the other day I got into a rather amusing situation. A potential predator/pedobear was hassling a friend of my nieces who is also on my friends list. So being me, I made a comment. He slowly began to focus his attentions on me and left her alone.

I bring this up however as it struck me that he was trying to pretend he was smarter than he really was. I had made a comment to him that he did not understand at all so I retorted with "Well, to a sadly lacking intellect it would not make sense.". He then attempted to Grammar Nazi me by saying I had used the wrong word in that sentence.

Now, while I enjoy a good debate I had to do nothing more than laugh about this. A simple phrase that even most reasonable people over the age of, say about, six years old would be able to understand. Now, this person claimed to be 18 years old and in college pursuing a medical degree. However he could not understand a simple phrase? What the hell is this world coming too?

These are the people who are going to end up in charge of this world in a few years. These will be the people who we will rely on for everything from A to Z. Which means your medical care will be in the hands of someone who uses "Wll if u wld jst stp beeing tht wy and tink bout sich tings as wht u say". Yeah, scary huh?

Or how about the politician how points to Canada on a map while extolling the troubles in the country of Europe? How's that for a scary thing? And they will not only be in charge of the laws in this country but also our nuclear weapons. How would like you to go to war because "Dat hoe dun dissed me and biatch wld't give no head!"?? Think you will be sleeping now?

Try this on for size. Have any soon to be school age kids? Better teach them how to write as most school no longer teach hand writing and cursive. Remember having to go through that chore so we could "Write like real people do"? Yeah, I hated it too and came to realize most places of business wanted you to print things written documents since they are easier to read that way.

So what are we to do about this? Well, to be honest the only answer I have is to educate our kids against such things. Let them know while there are certain situations that type of thing would be okay (I can't think of one off hand though) but the real world doesn't work that way.  Ultimately it falls to us as parents to help with the education of our kids. Remember, we aren't just helping them with this, we are in the long run helping ourselves as well. Keep in mind, these are the people we are going to leave in charge of everything sooner or later.

Assuming we have anything left for them to be in charge of that is. With the way the world is going right now I am not sure what we will be leaving them.

SOPA

SOPA: Well I can see lots of people added their names to the list to stop this act....I am so proud of my friends! Working to make a difference...I like it! I am sad however to say that it's going to pass for a couple of simple reasons, Money and Power. The people producing the materiel that is being pirated have that and more. They are the ones pushing for this to happen due to perceived losses.

However, the major losses these companies receive is mostly due to themselves. For example, according to Billboard.com last years #1 album (I am old shup) was 21 by Adele. Cost at Wal-Mart, who does not stock nor price set for CDs or movies, 14.98. Album was released nearly a year ago.

The music industry spends millions of dollars to get one song by a crap band played heavily on the radio and get a video made so they can hype it up. So this one song, which is probably written by someone other than the people singing it, is put on a CD with 6 to 9 other crap songs. Now, to buy the song you want generally will cost you 18.99 or so. FOR ONE SONG!!!!

Now, I will grant you that not all CD's are filled with crap music but nearly 20.00 for a music CD? Do we wonder why ITunes is such a hit? .99 for the song you want much better. So because of this I can see why so many CD's are copied and passed through friends so much. Mostly because their target market is kids who don't always have the money to buy that CD.

Wonder why cassette tapes died? Because people had the ability to copy them easily. My cassette deck has a high speed dubbing feature so I can copy tapes very easily. Not to mention I can remember hanging out with my friends waiting to record that awesome song off the radio when it came on. Hence the death of the cassette, which was pushed by the music industry and Sony who put MILLIONS into the researching of the CD.

So, music industry the answer is right in front of you. You just choose not to see it and point the finger elsewhere. And your competition is not with those people, but it's with the groups in Hong Kong, The Middle East, and parts of Europe and Russia who run your CD's and movies off by the THOUSANDS and you know there is nothing you can do about that. So keep lashing out at the people who legit purchase your crap and just watch and see if they don't put you out of business

Another slow day

So, because of the slow day what to talk about? Well since this is my forum I suppose I can talk about anything I want really.

I read in the paper today that some home owners in a swanky subdivision are upset about things not being finished. They have a hold/retention pond that they claim is a breeding ground for mosquitoes. And a huge dirt pile that is dangerous because kids play on it. Plenty of vacant lots around as well that are over grown with weeds.

Why does this seem newsworthy? Well I think I can answer that some what. A developer buys a piece of property to develop, which automatically makes the "imagined" value of the property to inflate. Now, I say imagined here as that is what it is. For instance, there is a development near where I live where lots start at 95,000.00. Yes,  you read that right, a LOT. No house, no improvements just a vacant lot.

Now, is this worth it? Of course not. That piece of property is worth about 3,500.00 according to assessment. It is simple greed and imagined worth on the part of the developer. But wait, it gets better!

Now, you fork over all this money for a vacant lot what do you do with it? Well you add improvements according to the HOA, which state that "You must build with-in the standard of the community and construction MUST start with-in one year of purchase of your lot.". It then goes into great detail about how high your house can be, what color it can be, how many windows you can have facing the street and which side of the house your garage can be on. And yes, you do have to have a two car garage.

Now what does this mean? It basically means that if you don't do what they want, they can petition to have you "Removed from the area, revoking rights to the property and all contained there in.". WTF????? Yes, it means they can make you not only remove your flag pole, dig up your flower beds, tear down and move your garage, demolish your storage shed, re-paint your house, move or remove you dish, park your car somewhere else as it's "an eyesore" and.....Ready for this one????????Brace your self.......MOVE FROM YOUR HOUSE!!!!!!

Yep, just sunk 250,000.00 into building your home? Tough, you have to go! But before you do, you have to PAY to have the house "corrected" to fit the community guidelines. Matter if you join the HOA? Nope.

Now, you ask "How can this get any worse?" well let me clue you in....YOU PAY FOR THIS MONTHLY EVEN IF YOU DON'T WANT TO JOIN!!!!!!!  Yes, you pay a "fee" to the HOA regardless of the fact that you don't join or use any of the property facilities other than YOUR home. So regardless of if your property is paid for or not, you get a bill from the HOA.

Is this legal you ask? Yep. Sure is. Since you are informed of this before buying your property. So what that means if you want something other than the cookie cutter house that everyone else has then you need to look elsewhere to live.

Just another example of someone else wanting to tell someone else how they should live. Personally I would show them what they could do with their HOA contract on the front lawn.

NetFlix

So, NetFlix is changing it's price. What does that mean exactly? Well it means that if you use their standard option it will increase by 6.00 a month. That plans includes all the streaming video you want per month plus 1 DVD out at a time.

However you get an option now. If you don't use the streaming service you are paying 8.00 a month for it while getting DVD's for 2.00. Now, when I signed back up for NetFlix I did so because I could  now stream movies to my X-Box360. I went with the streaming only feature. That means for 7.99 a month I could watch as much as I wanted on either a computer or other streaming device. So I don't pay for at home delivery.

All that is really happening is people are now getting an option to not pay for a part of the service they weren't using, the streaming video. So is this something to get upset over?

Well let's look at that for a moment shall we? Do you have phone service? Most likely in some form. Now, with that phone service what sort of options do you have? For your home, or land line, service you probably what I have. Caller ID, call waiting, voice mail, some sort of long distance plan, and probably three way calling and call forwarding. Now, how many of those do you use? Caller ID, call waiting and voice mail? Perhaps the long distance? What about the rest of the things? Don't use them at all? Don't know how to use them? You are still paying for them.

So, what if you were given a different option? If you were given the choice of not paying for those services would you stop paying for them? Yeah you would.  That is all NetFlix has really done. Add on top of that the stories we hear of the perhaps the Postal Service failing and going under what sort of options does that leave?

UPS and FedEx both are more expensive to ship with. Also if you were paying two dollars a month for the DVD service how much profit do you think that makes? Well, let's look at it a moment. If you are like most people you probably go through an average of 4 DVD's a month on the basic service. So, that is .41 cents to ship it to you, plus the cost of the reship envelope plus the .41 cents to return the disk. That cost is .82 cents shipping costs, plus the envelope which we will say costs .20, which brings the total to 1.01. That is the cost of just one DVD. Multiple that by four and you get 4.04 which is 2.04 more than you were paying.

So, by splitting the programs and offering you an option is actually a more practical and honest option for you. You aren't paying for a service you aren't going to use and your cost can stay the same by simply switching services.

What's that you say? You use both services each month? Okay. I can understand your gripe. So let's look at other options. If you cancel the service what are you left with? Well there is always Hulu but that programming is not very vast and they now have a pay service as well. For 8.00 a month you can stream their non commercial programming and have more options. Not 23,000 but more. So what about DVD's? Redbox of course an option for you. However think of this, gas spent driving there to get it and to return it. Plus the 1.00 a day rental. So if you go with 4 movies a month, return them the next day that comes to 4.00. Now, factor in the gas you are using to use that service. I will be nice and let you say it costs you a gallon of gas. 3.48 here for 87 octane. So, 4.00 + 3.48 = 7.48 per month assuming you are never late in getting them back. So, is it worth canceling your Netflix over? .52 a month means you can buy one extra stamp a month. Big savings huh?