The husband passes this along, because it's pretty cool. And I suppose it is.

If you're a geek and care about such things. I like the guys at Penny-Arcade as much as the next gamer widow, but this shit is, well, obscure.

And let's face it, kids, there's a reason for that, no?

Posted by: Kathy at 11:21 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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The husband let out a girly shriek of pure and utter delight when he saw this.

Sigh.

Posted by: Kathy at 03:45 PM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
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The marketing department at Blizzard Entertainment is just wishing they'd thought of this campaign.

I guarantee it.

Posted by: Kathy at 11:28 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Courtesy of the husband, your bit of gaming humor for the day: go here, read post #3 by Brion, then scroll down to post #5 by Faydra.

Heheheheheheh.

BUSTED!

Posted by: Kathy at 11:50 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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You know, for the husband's birthday, I told him he could go skydiving. This will be the third time he's done a tandem jump, and despite the fact the man has ruptured his spleen doing stupid things on a snowboard in the past (and was two hours away from death, or so the surgeon told me), skydiving doesn't worry me. Why? Because someone else is attached to him and has all the responsibility.

But perhaps it's his other hobbies---specifically his gaming habit---that I should be worried about.

SEOUL (Reuters) - A South Korean man who played computer games for 50 hours almost non-stop died of heart failure minutes after finishing his mammoth session in an Internet cafe, authorities said Tuesday.

The 28-year-old man, identified only by his family name Lee, had been playing on-line battle simulation games at the cybercafe in the southeastern city of Taegu, police said.

Lee had planted himself in front of a computer monitor to play on-line games on Aug. 3. He only left the spot over the next three days to go to the toilet and take brief naps on a makeshift bed, they said.

"We presume the cause of death was heart failure stemming from exhaustion," a Taegu provincial police official said by telephone.{...}

Hmmmmm.

Posted by: Kathy at 04:20 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Kathy's going to get really mad at me for hijacking the Cake Eater Chronicles like this, but I just need to get this off my chest in a very public manner.

I have finally decided what I believe the problem is with Microsoft Small Business Server 2003 as a whole: It's over-developed.

They've gone to such lengths to be able to accomodate nearly every concievable situation, that the simple, straighforward solutions that most small businesses need become convoluted configuration nightmares.

If I'm building an outhouse, I don't want to have to deconstruct the Sears Tower to do it.

I feel better. I'm sure you're confused. Don't worry. Kathy will probably delete this momentarily.

UPDATE FROM KATH: If this means I don't have to listen to complaints about a software program about which I know absolute SQUAT, the post stays.

Capisce, darling?

Related aside: For a minute there, I thought Steve-o had hijacked the blog again.

Posted by: MRN aka "The Husband" at 02:17 PM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
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If you're not familiar with MMORPG's (Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games), one of the interesting features associated with them is online chat within the game. You can talk to other players, not only to ally with them, but you can also talk to your opponents as well.

Courtesy of the husband (of course. who else do you think sends me this stuff?) we have someone's imaginings of what would be said in the chatroom if WWII had been an online strategy game, instead of an actual war.

A small sampling for your amusement:

{...}deGaulle: **** Hitler rushed some1 help

Hitler[AoE]: lol byebye frenchy

Roosevelt: i dont got **** to help, sry

Churchill: wtf the luftwaffle is attacking me

Roosevelt: get antiair guns

Churchill: i cant afford them

benny-tow: u n00bs know what team talk is?

paTTon: stfu

Roosevelt: o yah hit the navajo button guys

deGaulle: eisenhower ur worthless come help me quick

Eisenhower: i cant do **** til rosevelt gives me an army

paTTon: yah hurry the fock up

Churchill: d00d im gettin pounded

deGaulle: this is fockin weak u guys suck

*deGaulle has left the game.*

Roosevelt: im gonna attack the axis k?

benny-tow: with what? ur wheelchair?

benny-tow: lol did u mess up ur legs AND ur head?

Hitler[AoE]: ROFLMAO {...}

Heheheheh. Go read the whole thing.

And if you have trouble with the Leet Speak, don't ask me.

Posted by: Kathy at 08:57 AM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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Remember this post from the other day?

Seems I'm not the only one who's a bit worried.

{Click for larger}

Heheheheheh

Of course, this from the very talented Gabe and Tycho over at Penny Arcade.

Posted by: Kathy at 11:34 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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For Rob, the blogosphere's original D&D freak enthusiast, I present this.

If the eight bit graphics are driving you nuts (seriously, I could do better than that and I haven't coded anything since 1985!) you could also go here.

The husband sez: "The original sound was done by a Wisconsin based comedy troupe called The Dead Alewives."

Posted by: Kathy at 12:55 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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1 And exactly how does the husband know so much about this? Perhaps he has a secret past you need to explore. If you find polyhedral dice in a Royal-Crown bag, you may have a problem close to home....

Posted by: Pious Agnostic at April 27, 2005 03:35 PM (7dkzi)

2 I think he tried to get a group going with some of his high school friends but it never came to fruition. I could be wrong though.

Posted by: Kathy at April 27, 2005 04:10 PM (RFVZA)

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You wanna know why it's good to be poor?

Because if we had any extra money whatsoever, the husband would blow it on this.

Forget about buying a house. Forget about buying a new car. Forget about all of that. We'd be stuck with a friggin' X-Wing in the garage.

{Hat tip: Galley Slaves}

Posted by: Kathy at 12:17 AM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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So, the "interactive entertainment publishing rights" to Peanuts have been sold to Namco, a company which puts out games like Tekken and Soul Caliber. Not like I have any freakin' idea of what those games are, but I'm sure a few of you geeks will know.

Woody, over at GU Comics, was creative in his interpretation of the news. I thought it was humorous, so I thought I'd pass it along.

The phrase "good grief" has never been more loaded.

UPDATE: Man, I am such a loser. The appropriate commentary for this post should have been....

...Just go ahead and try to take the football away from me now, beeeeeyotch!

Why I didn't think of that last night, I have no idea.

Posted by: Kathy at 09:26 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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{Note from Kath: This post is by the husband. Not me. THIS IS MOST DEFINITELY NOT ME WRITING HERE, YA DIG?}

Robbo seems to be one of those lost souls who has yet to discover the Expanded Universe.

And how about the other Imperial fleets? And all the legions and garrisons scattered all over the galaxy? And the bureaucracy? There must be dozens of regional governors left, even after Tarkin got whacked. Not to mention all their staff, civil servants, toadies, etc., all of whom are out of a job if the Empire collapses.

The link above goes directly to the Ultimate Timeline page on TheForce.net. If it's Star Wars related, you'll find it, or a link to it, on TFN (as we call it). (Note: there is a particular affinity in 'The Community" for initials and acronyms. Always be wary when speaking with true geeks, because EU could just as easily refer to the Star Wars Expanded Universe as it does European Union.) Outside of the films (now 6) written and produced by George Lucas (referred to as 'The Canon'), an entire universe concerning the universe inhabited by those beloved characters has taken shape. From comic books, to graphic novels, to childrens literature to works of serious adult fiction; the world of Star Wars grows year in and year out.

For a more direct answer to Rob, I will reccomend a couple of books that are decent reading for adults (some of the teen fiction is truly horrendous) and follow immediately in the timeline after RotJ (Return of the Jedi). (Another Note: The SW chronology all centers around Episode IV: A New Hope - specifically the Battle of Yavin - and as such, timeline entries are placed as occuring in years + or - ANH. i.e. RotJ is ANH +4.)

The first novel concerning the main characters and the state of the falling empire after RotJ is "Truce at Bakura" by Kathy Tyers. It is actually the last of the novels to take place in the Rebellion Era, as it begins just days after the destruction of the Emperor.

There is a series centered around the adventures of Rogue Squadron (Luke's old outfit) by Michael Stackpole (Xwing #1: Rogue Squadron, Xwing #2: Wedge's Gamble, Xwing #3: The Krytos Trap, #4: The Bacta War, #5: Wraith Squadron) that spawned a whole series of graphic novels from Dark Horse Comics. These books begin to really flesh out what's going on away from the central characters in the movies, and deal with a lot of the actual fighting going on as the Imperial Governors, Admirals and other parts of the government are dealt with militarily. These bridge the Rebellion and the New Republic Eras 5-7 years after the Battle of Yavin.

Then we have "The Courtship of Princess Leia" (ANH +7) by Dave Wolverton. Don't let the title fool you, there's action a-plenty for both boys and girls. We know who she ends up with, but the journey is at least amusing, if not all that interesting to everyone.

The revered Thrawn trilogy by Timothy Zahn is next. Admiral Thrawn is a tactical alien genius, returning to the known galaxy after having been on a mission for the emperor that kept him away for most of the events known to now. These books are great reading and cover quite a lot of the struggles Leia and Mon Mothma experience while trying to establish the New Republic. Lukes struggles with his emerging Jedi powers and lack of a teacher are also explored and these novels set up many character and story lines that are explored in dozens of novels out there.

The New Republic era goes out to ANH +24 and really wraps up any remnants of the Empire and what can be known about the Jedi...from this galaxy anyway. After that, we begin the era of The New Jedi Order, and threats anew once again bring chaos to our heros and the New Republic that is just getting on its feet.

If you want to jump right in, and aren't so interested in some of the flotsam and jetsam concerning ancillary characters, just pick up the first of the Thrawn Books: "Heir to the Empire" and you'll be hooked. Start there, Robbo, and you'll be well on your way to "taking your first step into a larger world".

{Kath here again. To answer the question that's undoubtedly running through your mind right now: no, I most assuredly did not have any idea of the depth of the geek pool I was diving into when I married this man. I had an inkling the pool was deep, but this deep? Nope.}

Posted by: MRN aka "The Husband" at 11:23 AM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
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1 Okay, but what I really wanted to know was whether Leia saved her slave-girl outfit for Han.

Posted by: Robert the Llama Butcher at April 21, 2005 11:36 AM (XBUdh)

2 Why am I not surprised?

Posted by: Kathy at April 21, 2005 11:57 AM (RFVZA)

3 Interwebs 4 teh win!!!!111! Clicky! (Translation: The Internet is a valuable resource wherein the subject of your query can be explored in great, graphic detail.)

Posted by: MRN aka "The Husband" at April 21, 2005 12:03 PM (RFVZA)

4 Don't even think about it. I'm telling ya right now, this one is destined to lose, just like the Trinity catsuit from The Matrix.

Posted by: Kathy at April 21, 2005 12:39 PM (RFVZA)

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Have I told y'all that the husband has been "contracted" by one of his friends to play the damn game for money?

{Insert sound of Kathy slamming her head on her desk here}

Here's the deal: this gamer friend of the husband's is busy playing another game right now and he doesn't want to take the time and effort to bring his WoW character up to a certain level. He'd rather play the other game, yet he wants to be able to play WoW every once in a while at this one specific level. So he's contracted the husband to do this for him.

For a fee.

Every time the husband now logs in to the game, he cheekily says, "I'm going to work."

{Insert sound of Kathy slamming her head on her desk here. AGAIN}

Posted by: Kathy at 12:37 PM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
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