Star Wars: The Old Republic

For my one reader who cares about gaming stuff, I've been playing in the public beta of SW:TOR. It's very pretty. I have a few player related problems (I've been playing solo games lately so keep trying to 'pause' with the space bar). For the rest of it, SWTOR plays much like every other MMORPG.

My major complaint has nothing to do with server unavailability (never an issue for an early bird such as myself). It's that the buttons don't work/are greyed out. I have a life. Sometimes I have to quit the wonderful game. A fair amount of in game functionality isn't working because I can not mash the buttons. It may seem picky, but this is something that should work and doesn't at this stage of the game.

My minor complaint is the lack of customization. Both City of Heroes and Champions got that right. As a result I'm a spoiled MMORPG player. It may be that more options will be added in later, so it's a minor complaint.

If It Only Had Pirates

This would be the perfect horror movie. It has everything else: nazi's, zombies, nazi zombies, cute girls, snow, blood, blood on the snow and a chainsaw.

Caution: Some naughty language in the subtitles.

While I'm Gone

Ponder this:



You have to admit it's a plausible explanation of what's going on in the world.

Sally and I will be off sailing the Caribbean for about a week, so no new postings for a bit.

Book Review

I just finished The Dead by Mark E Rogers last night. I haven't been reviewing the books I read, but I thought I'd make an exception in this case.

The Dead is the Tim Lahaye/Jerry Jenkins Apocalypse done by a Catholic in one thin book. As self-published books go, it's fairly well written. It helps that Rogers is an established writer. The book comes with original art that is evocative, but not as good as Rogers' previously published work.

The plot is simple and moderately obvious. Zombies do not scare me, so I didn't find it especially scary. And the characterization is stereotypical. However, the theological discussion is most entertaining if you're currently embroiled in any of the mainstream church controversies. Catholics and Episcopalians will find it particularly relevant. There is one conversation between Father Tim and Father Chuck that I expect will make any revisionist writhe. That it takes place in a tunnel, surrounded by zombies makes it even more gripping.

While I enjoyed reading The Dead, I really wish the author/artist would return to his roots and start writing genre bending parodies again.

What's Right

I really need to stop by Bill Whittle's blog more often.

Hap tip to Clifford

Today the Third Grade, Tomorrow the World

You know, this explains a great deal about just what exactly that toy line is about.