There’s An App For That

Starting this topic, I honestly do not know why it hasn’t crossed my mind before. Apps are an every day part of life for so many people that I couldn’t imagine not having access to them. Quick and convenient solutions right in the palm of our hands.

With apps (short for applications) we have on us at all times instant weather reports, movies, television, games, task schedulers, medical information and diagnosis, social media networks, news, stocks, city guides — you name me anything and we can find an app for it.

I suppose apps are like anything else, though. What a person uses will be based on their individual tastes. Some might prefer to pay a little extra to get a better app or one with more features. I can understand, I’ve bought a couple myself. But mostly I go with the free stuff. That being said, what apps do you use everyday?

My list includes:
Facebook
Echofone ( a Twitter client)
Nook (mobile ebook reader)
GetGlue (social media check-ins)
Redbox
Netflix
FeeddlerRSS (rss subscriptions)
Wordpress
Goodreads (printed media social app)
Tiny Tower

Not a huge list compared to most, but they get daily use on my iPhone. What do you use? More business oriented apps, entertainment apps? No matter your interest, there is something for everyone.

Brodeo Reunion @ Pax Canceled … I Cry A Little

Image via Wikipedia

Jeff Green Twittered and blogged about the cancellation of the 2nd Brodeo Reunion.  Sad, but true.  You can go to the man himself for the news.

Jeff Green: Greenspeak, PAX Brodeo Reunion Canceled. Children (and Jeff) Weep.

Related Articles

• Jeff Green penning Blizzard 20th anniversary book (joystiq.com)

One Million Dads/Moms/Youth Campaigns

I admit I’m no “holier than thou” Christian man.  Nor am I someone that believes pornography of any kind is art or good for a healthy relationship or any of that other crap.  I don’t use extremely foul language, nor will I complain if someone else uses it, but I do have limits as to what I want to hear and how much.  I won’t condem someone for believeing in something I don’t, or for acting in a way I don’t agree with, that isn’t my place.  But I do feel there are some people who take things a little too far.

Speaking of such people, I stumbled across a site called One Million … there are different site links for Moms, Dads and Youth, but it is basically all the same, calling each group to take action against various television networks, companies and other agencies that offend their Christian sensability.

In their FAQ, the purpose of the site:

OMD is strictly an online campaign focusing primarily on the entertainment media (television, music, movies, etc). The goal of this campaign is to stop the exploitation of children by such media.

Concerning the shows that “do good,” a FAQ question asks if those shows/networks shouldn’t be “thanked.”

In very rary instances, OneMillionDads recognizes shows that are free from sex, violence, and profanity. However, we must take into account the “dirty” shows that are promoted during commercial breaks, along with the overall tone of the network. Unfortunately, the networks, as a whole, are consistantly offensive to family viewing.

Seems to me, if you were “thanking” the networks for those shows and demonstrating what it is you really liked, they might try to cater to that genre of programming.  Hmm?  But seriously, how can you discuss a website that won’t even spell out sex when they are talking about sex.  Instead, they say, “s-x” or “it included scenes of a s-xual nature.”  S-x?  Oh, yes, you mean SEX, SEXUAL.  S E X.  It’s so dirty, I may have to go take a bath just from typing the word.

Some of their current “missions” include:

• 7-11 Stores selling Playboys
• Dick’s Sporting Goods not recognizing Christmas in their circulars or in-store advertising.
• Home Depot for supporting the Pride Parade and “exposing children to unhealthy and risky homosexual events.”
• A call to sponsers including Subway, Coca-Cola, M&M’s KFC, Pizza Hut, Target, 1-800-Contacts, Geico, Johnson & Johnson to drop their advertising during the shows “Secret Life of an American Teenager” and “Pretty Little Liars.”

The campaign’s successes include (at least, according to them,):

• Forcing Hanes Brands to pull support for GLEE. 
• Making Toys R Us pull ads from airings of Two and a Half Men,
• having several companies pull advertising from the TV Land show The Cougar,
• and pretty much attacking anyone that airs during FX’s hit shows such as Rescue Me, The Shield, Dirt, etc.
• And many more.

Really?  To even know these people had advertisments on these programs, you had to have been watching it yourself.  Were you doing it for the sake of your job?  To make the companies miserable?  If you don’t want your children watching those shows, then don’t let them watch them.  You are a parent, you can control what they do while in your house.  But to go as far as to hold the companies that advertise – or, have their ads aired because of the networks positioning of them – responsible for the content …  Come on.  The next time Stephanie Meyers has one of her characters drink a Coke, are you going to call for the boycott of the entire Twilight series of books?  Even shows like Law & Order are on their list, Sears made it on there because the group claims their online site is full of smut. 

I’m all for good, clean living.  But does this fall along the lines of forcing our own beliefs and opinions upon others?  Does that make one any better than the programs or actions they are rallying against?  Maybe, maybe not, I just don’t like where this “One Million …” program is going. 

Am I wrong?  What are your opinions?  Do you jump in and get involved when you see something you don’t like?  Or do you simply turn the channel and refuse to watch it anymore?  Perhaps I’m not a good Christian because I don’t take up arms and threaten these companies that pay good money to have their ads aired.  I dunno … that’s just one of the many questions I have about life, but not the most important … I’d say it falls well below the top 100, actually.

As of this writing, the “youth” site isn’t even accessable. 

One Million Dads

One Million Moms

One Million Youth

Pax Prime 2010 Brodeo Reunion!

Ryan Scott twittered a link to details about the Pax Prime ‘10 information concerning the second reunion of the CGW/GFW “Brodeo” crew.  Jeff Green, Ryan Scott, Shawn Elliott, Sean Molloy and Robert Ashley are schedule to attend.

I love these guys!

Information Posted on The GeekBox

*EDIT* News released at an earlier date confirms the cancellation of this event.  Clicky for more …

2010 Blizzard Global Writing Contest

Your weapons? They seem to be but a musty tome and quill*, but know that their power is far stronger than the armies of the Scourge, far craftier than the zerg Swarm, and far mightier than the Burning Hells. Ready your tools, scribe, and prepare for combat with the inky beast called fiction!

 

Blizzard Entertainment is hosting their 2010 Blizzard Global Writing Contest.  Participants must enter a 2,500 to 7,500-word short story, written in English and set in the Warcraft, Starcraft or Diablo universe.  Deadline is August 23, 2010, and you can possibly earn a chance to visit the Blizzard headquarters and meet the writers and staff behind the lore of the companies books and games.

There is one Grand Prize and several Runners-up prizes.  Which one is actually better is up to you.  Personally, I wouldn’t mind being a runner-up.  There is a FAQ about submissions and story quality on the contest’s main page as well as other details one may need.  Check them out via the link below …

Blizzard Entertainment: Contests

Kids In Mind

If you are a parents, or just cautious about what you are walking in to when you go see a new movie, then there is a website for you!  Actually, there are many websites for you, but the latest I’ve stumbled upon ain’t too shabby.

For a few years I’ve used ScreenIt for movie run downs on what to expect as far as language, sex, nudity, violence and gore, but they were constantly trying to get you to subscribe to their pay service, and brand new movies weren’t accessable right away for “free.”  Recently, they have completely changed it to where you can’t read the details unless you are a “supporting” customer. 

I got news for you, ScreenIt, this is the internet, I really don’t have to pay for anything because someone else will have it for freel

Right now, the website Kids In Mind is a decent choice.  They give a synopsis of the movie, rate the extend of the catagories by a bar chart and tell you exactly what you are getting in to.  And no waiting a week or two with new releases.  Of course, you can donate to help support the page, and I don’t mind supporting a good crew that provides good content for the public.

If you want to make sure you aren’t going to be put into an awkward situation with a movie, try hitting up Kids In Mind to see if they can’t lend a hand on that new movie.

Veronica Belmont’s “The Best of Us Challenge” Entry

Veronica Belmont entered her video into “The Best of Us Challenge” contest.  You can read about her endeavor and the event at her blog/site: Veronica Belmont.  In the meantime, here is the YouTube video her completely innocent hula-hoop entry :)

I Know Where The A-Holes Gather or “How Do You Lose A $500 Push Mower?”

The day before my extended time off from Lowes was uneventful up until the last hour or so.  I was coming around the corner of an aisle when our zone manager called for me to help a customer.  He was there to pick up a push mower he had brought in to have repaired.  It had been several weeks since the mower had been dropped off and no one had bothered to contact him as to the status of the repair, if it could be repaired or anything else related.

Checking the back room, the breeze way and consulting with the RTM lady, we decided that the mower wasn’t in the store.  She pulled up her file on the mower and, low-n-behold, we had signed papers stating the mower had been returned several days ago and was ready for pick-up.  But where was it?  I quickly checked the warehouse and outside once again before heading out to update my zone manager. 

Mr. Zone Manager said we needed to double check and make sure, and if I couldn’t find it, then I needed to call the Loss Prevention guy (I’m trying to refrain from using names, sorry.)  So I check the area we call the “Bull Pen,” which is the storage area behind the lumber department.  Nothing.  I check the warehouse again.  Nothing.  Outside. Nothing.  I take the repair forms and check out front to make sure the mower hasn’t been pushed out and sitting outside.  Nothing.  The conclusion: someone had either 1) pushed the mower to the sales floor, marked it down and sold it, or 2) someone had walked out of the store with it pretending to be the guy who had it repaired. 

None of this is really disturbing to me.  What I found disturbing was the fact that during this entire 40-minute ordeal, with three managers (department, zone and store) and a loss prevention associate on the case talking to one another, not a single one of them even approached the customer.  None of them came up, offered an explaination, told him they were working on it or what they might do to make up for OUR mistake.  Instead, they hid like rats waiting for the cat to leave.  It was sickening.

These same folks that walk around and boss their associates like dogs, understaffing the building on weekends as well as weekdays, couldn’t even walk up to this gentleman, who was very patient and friendly through the entire ordeal, and say, “Hey, we’re sorry for the confusion, but hang in there, we’re going to take care of you.”

The customer and I were standing by the OPE desk ‘til I finally walked over to the Zone Manager and asked, “So, what are we doing?  Is this guy just gonna stand here all day or is anyone going to say anything to him?”  To which the Zone Manager very hatefully replied, “Just get his name and phone number and we’ll see if someone can get ahold of him tomorrow or something.  We’re busy right now.”

So, relating the information, apologizing as much as I could, it was time for me to go.  The issue wasn’t resolved and I’d finally lost what very little respect I had for anyone on our management team. 

Welcome to Lowes, let’s build something together!

What I Thought of the E3 Events Part I

Warning: This is a delayed reaction to the press conferences held at E3 ‘09.  I’m not a professional, nor will I be commenting on every single detail covered in the pressers.  Instead, I’m just a video game fan and feel like presenting my impressions of what we have seen, read and heard.

Microsoft (http://e3.g4tv.com/e32009/pressconference/microsoft/19/)

Beatles Rock Band Announcement

• - The Beatles Rock Band intro was great.  Beautifully done.
• - Harmonix House Band was hilarious. I could see entire concerts forming based around Rock Band / GH gameplay.
• - I’m not a Beatles fan, and have actually made fun of the price for the entire Beatles RB package, but I’d pick up this game as a single release.  It really sounds good.
• - The whole deal with Ringo, Paul, Yoko and Olivia Harrison was unnecessary.  It seemed fake, forced and ate up valuable time.  Paul and Ringo seemed bored and not really sure where the crap they were.  Must have been serving drinks backstage ;)

10 New Games / New Experiences / New Entertainment

• - Tony Hawk’s “Ride” and the skateboard controller … nope.  I’m a 33 year old fat man.
• - Modern Warfare 2 looked awesome, but it’s just not my type of game.
• - Final Fantasy XIII may be the first FF game I play since the release of VII many moons ago.  Love the look of the battle menus, graphics look spectacular.
• - Shadow Complex – good stuff for an Arcade title.
• - Joy Ride looks cute, but gameplay is everything.  We’ll see.  Free to use, but microtransactions could make or break.
• - Crackdown 2.  Love the original.  This one looks twice as good.
• - Left 4 Dead 2 cinematic was hilarious and well done.  Splinter Cell looked hot, but, again, not my type of game.  I’m a weird one like that.  Forza 3, beautiful as always.  Halo games – not as hot as people make them out to be.
• - Alan Wake was just added to my must play list.
• - last.fm, I use this service already.  360 integration looks interesting enough, but I’m not big on using a video game console as a media center experience.  I use mine to play games, go figure.  Oh, and btw, last.fm is free online, yet you have to have a $50 Live Gold Membership to use it on 360.
• - Netflix, filling your cues on the 360 instead of online is something alot of folks have been asking for.  The live TV feature is nice, but I took it that it was for the UK and Ireland, not the U.S.
• - 1080p instant streaming is a big plus, for me.  As long as it works with my internet connection.  Will definately be trying this out.  Instant tv and videos is also a nice feature, as long as the price isn’t outrageous on all of this.  The MST2K aka “shared experience” feature is, meh.
• - Facebook & Twitter – I’m a user of both and these features attract me.  I can imagine the number of integrated features that will be implemented with your Passport ID.  On a side note, even though Felicia Day is an actress, she seemed awfully nervous during her presentation.

Not Done Yet

• - Metal Gear Solid franchise to Xbox 360.  MGS Rising.  Raiden <sp> was my favorite character and I can’t wait to play this, as well.  My list is too big now, and I still have two other pressers to catch up on!  Argh!!
• - Microsoft evidently knew about the Sony “wand,” because they just made a reference to it around 1:27:00 of their intro to their own motion controller.
• - This motion sensing “controller” looks awesome.  The guy scanning and selecting his own skateboard in the game was very cool.  Logging in to Live by just walking in and then seeing the video call and the interaction between the girls was neat.  The quiz show was also captivating.  The whole casual use was very Minority Reportish.
• - Project: Natal.  Interactive Entertainment is here?  Steven Spielburg seems taken by it, and actually seems interested, unlike the Beatles guests earlier in the show.  Like how my avatar mimics my movements.  Navigating the 360 menus could get tiring.  The Richochet demo looks too physical for my tastes :P  The painting demo was interesting, but honestly, it looked a little too iffy in my mind.  “Throwing” the colors around just won’t work for the majority of people.
• - Peter Moleyneux is a dreamer.  I like him.  He does create some great games, even if they fall a tad bit shorter than his imagination.  Milo is a tad bit freaky, in my opinion.  Even though Peter assures that there are measures in place to prevent Milo from being … er … compromised … by perverts.

Overall, it was a nice event.  I wasn’t really blown away by anything in particular, but I did find some great games to add to my must play list.  I’m also looking forward to the motion sensor and the instant hd movies and television content. 

Lowered Expectations / Disappointments

This is the third business day since I took my drug test for part time employment with Lowes.  Still no phone call.  I know I passed the drug test, but I’m not sure what the hold up is on the phone call.  My wife wants me to call them, and I figure I will, I’ll just wait until tomorrow, which will then be well passed the set time limit the lady gave us.  I’d really like to have that job, and I am not ashamed to say I’ll be disappointed if I don’t get it.

And secondly, I was thinking of the good and bad of social networking sites this morning.  Dunno why, really, but I was considering the implications of finding out more information about people you know, knew or thought you knew.  Basically, my post was:

Good things about social networking sites: finding old friends and classmates and long lost family members. (Possibly) Bad things about social networking sites: learning someone isn’t exactly the type of person you use to consider them to be :)

It’s one thing to have friends you’ve gone to school with, or worked with and hung out with on occasion, or family members you haven’t connected with in a long time.  But what happens when you get an up close, daily look into their lives via those social networking sites.  You begin to learn how they really think, act and behave.  Their opinions and beliefs that may have once been a veiled mystery are suddenly on display for you to see. 

Is it what you expected?  Does it surprise you?  How do you react when their beliefs or behaviour doesn’t live up to your own morales or expectations?  It would be awkward to de-friend them, if it came to that extreme.  After all, these are people you’ve known for … say … almost 14 years of your life in one form or another (friend, coworker, neighbor, family). 

Social Networking sites are overall a good idea, but sometimes it can bring out the Jekyll and Hyde of people.  Sometimes, I believe it’s best if we really don’t know just what is on other peoples minds … but, thanks to Twitter, Myspace, Facebook and all the others … that’s a thing of the past.