To The Metal

I think what annoys me the most about this 08 election is just how unimpressive the candidates for either major party are.  Clinton is just power hungry, she thinks she deserves it.  Obama?  No gravitas.  McCain?  He’s as bad as Clinton – only he’s lucked out in that Clinton and Obama have gotten all the press thus far.

All these Conservative talk shows REALLY piss me off.  They dedicated hours of broadcast time to ripping apart Obama and Clinton – as if the Republicans actually have someone who can compete!  This isn’t simply a matter of ‘picking the lesser evil’ we may as well elect them by spinning the Wheel of Fortune because no matter who wins this election in 2008 – WE ALL LOSE.

Obama is getting all the attention a rock star deserves, Clinton is becoming more frazzled every day, and McCain?  Talk about out of place.  We’re looking at another Clinton V Dole 1996.  If it is Obama V McCain, I will vote for Barack Obama – if for nothing else – he is sincerely a Leftist hack, he is true to himself and his party.  His naivety is genuine.  I don’t want a naive president, but I also do not want another RINO in office.  Bush wasn’t a Conservative, McCain is not a Conservative, and the only people who seem to have any idea of a direction are the Democrats… and that really isn’t saying much.

McCain is a fraud.  I could care less about his POW or Veteran status, it holds about as much validity to me as Kerry or Gore’s experience at war time.  He’s done more to push big Government on us over the past 8 years and eviscerate our rights than any Democrat in office – and the fact that everyone is seemingly accepting him as is – makes me ashamed to be a Republican.

When there’s a logical reason to CONSERVE!

Back before my buddy mentioned he had increased the gas mileage on his Ford significantly by modifying his driving habits, I had heard of some guy out in California pulling about 60mpg from a bone stock Honda Accord.

It’s called “Hypermiling” or trying to squeeze the highest MPG out of your car.  Given the price of fuel right now, anything I can do to lower my commitment to big oil is worth a try.

Before my last fill up, I modified my driving habits.

1. Don’t start the car until I actually plan on moving.  How often do you get in your car, start it, and THEN get your seat belt on, pick the radio station, check your mirrors, etc…  Now I do all that first, even get it into gear with the clutch down before I start it up.  If I happen to park on a downhill, like in my driveway – I’ll coast out to the road before I turn the key.

2. Easy acceleration.  The speed limit is 55mph, you don’t need to get there in Car & Driver road test times.  I get through the gears as fast as possible so I can have smooth and steady acceleration without going over 2500-3000RPM on the odometer.  Most times I don’t even break 2000RPM.  When I can pull a rolling stop without getting caught, I usually try to do it with 2nd gear.

3. When possible, coast.  I hit a lot of down-hill stretches when I drive.  In most cases, when I’m going downhill in gear, say at 55mph – I take the car out of gear.  The RPM immediately drops from 2500RPM+ to less than 800RPM as the engine idles.  Same rule goes for lower speed areas.

4. Less braking.  Braking turns the energy used to maintain your speed into heat, wasting it.  I don’t use my brakes unless I absolutely have to.

Now I can’t say what effect if any my habits would have on the MPG for YOUR car, but in my first outing I’ve gone from an average of high 28MPG to just barely over 29MPG to over 34.1MPG in my 2005 Volkswagen GTI.

Do the math on that, 14.5 gallon tank, normally I’d use 10 gallons of fuel to travel approximately 290 miles.  Now with the same 10 gallons of fuel, I’m going 340 miles.  That 50 mile difference is equal to about 1.7 gallons of gas saved, or $7.50 at the pump compared to how I used to drive.

Now the GTI is a fun car, and I still throw the girl through curves and have a little fun.  None of this takes any of the fun out of driving, it is simply being more conscious of how my driving affects my wallet.  There are a few more things I plan on trying out – like shutting down at stoplights, riding in the wake of tractor trailers and SUV’s while on the highway, increasing my tire pressure a bit, etc…

Not going crazy here, but it’s fun, and I’m SAVING money by doing it, it doesn’t cost me anything.

One note though – if you try any of these and fuck up your car or have an accident – it’s not my fault, I don’t want to hear about it, and I will laugh at you profusely for even considering it.

Just like there is no separation of Church and State in the Constitution – there in fact is also no separation of School and State. All children are forced to be edumicated by law, and those children – in lieu of a private alternative – are forced to go to public schools. Those public schools in turn are funded by tax dollars and mandated by the Government.

“Douchebag” blog post costs senior her student council seat

Now the 1st Amendment to the constitution – which for the sake of this argument we shall still consider valid – is there to protect the freedom of any American citizen to speak.  Offensive or applauded – the freedom of speech is there to protect you from the Government, and in turn any form of tyranny which would deny you that freedom or punish you for using it.

Now, we’re not talking about a private business punishing an employee, or a private school punishing a student – both are acceptable as while you have a constitutionally protected freedom of speech – there is no constitutionally protected freedom from being punished by a private entity for being a douchebag.

This is a girl attending a public school, making a comment in her private life, being punished by that public school – removed from a democratically elected position… and then having that clear violation of her first amendment rights DEFENDED BY THE COURTS.

The distinction here is that the girl attended a PUBLIC, not a PRIVATE school.  Quite frankly I want the students in my public schools to be able to call a teacher or a school board a bunch of douchebags, because in my personal experience MOST teachers and MOST school boards ARE a bunch of douchebags – regardless of the district.

The increasing occurance of public schools punishing free speech without reproach is just a sign of the times.  Offensive speech by any means is now in the same classification as shouting “Fire!” in a crowded theater.  Was it disrespectful?  Sure.  Was anyone hurt?  No.  I personally believe that all public funding of “Lewis S. Mills” high school be pulled IMMEDIATELY.  No SPORTS, no LUNCH, no EXTRA-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES, no TRANSPORTATION, and most importantly – NO SALARIES until the school board reinstates the student leader and PUBLICLY APOLOGIZES FOR BEING A BUNCH OF DOUCHEBAGS – TWICE.

Peace.

Metallica, late to the party as usual…

I got into Metallica with the “Black” album, and then migrated backwards to the beginning as I could afford to buy more music.  Honestly, Napster didn’t mean much to me – when it got shut down, I didn’t lose sleep.  Lar’s stance on it?  Hypocritical considering their history – but I digress.

I don’t listen to Metallica anymore unless it is pre St.Anger.  I can handle the evolution of an act, including the arrogant poncey pandering of their dickless drummer and subsequent live therapy sessions.  St.Anger sucked.  The only time I found any enjoyment from a track on that album was during an episode of Smallville where Clark Kent robbed a bank.

But that was Smallville.  Metal heads generally don’t watch WB shows.  It didn’t fit.  St.Anger didn’t fit in the catalog or the progression of Metallica over the years.  It sucked.  I listened to the disc maybe 4 times trying to find some redeeming value to it, but it’s true – play every album Metallica has ever recorded from the last to the first, and you will find yourself increasingly amazed at how far they’ve fallen.

I’m glad they’ve finally woken up to the possibilities that online distribution has offered them – but they’re still a gaggle of hypocrites whose last record was an unequivocal stinker.  Michael Stipe from REM could have written, produced, and performed a better metal record than Metallica did with St.Anger.

So that said, Lars, you poncey little prick – lose the kettle drum, get everyone drunk, and give me a real metal record worthy of the Metallica moniker – and I’ll buy it.  Others will too, as the music is still louder than you are.

If we get another St.Anger, do us all a favor and retire.  No amount of lawsuits will ever get your coffers as full as they were before you forgot how to be Metallica.

Drinking and driving, smoking, or crystal meth?

I find it completely ABSURD that it is easier to buy alcohol and cigarettes than it is for me to buy Sudafed.

If I buy too much alcohol, I’m an alcoholic or a drunk – both are legal.

If I buy too many cigarettes, I’m an idiot – which as proven by every presidential election since the 1700’s – is also legal.

If I buy too much Sudafed, I’ve committed a misdemeanor!

What’s the excuse? “Kids use it to make crystal meth.” Sure. Kids go to CVS, buy tons of pseudoephedrine, and make crystal meth. “For the kids.” That’s the end of America right there. Then again, they’ve used that excuse for years in everything from the FCC to the FDA to the friggin Patriot Act. Every time the Government finds a new way to screw us, it’s “for the kids.” The “law” states that an individual cannot purchase more than 9 grams of pseudoephedrine in a 30 day limit. That’s 9,000 milligrams. Who the fuck needs 9,000 milligrams of Sudafed? I’ve got Sudafed 24 hour here, it has 240mg (per pill) and lasts 10 days.  I sure hope the standard dose keeps my sinuses in check!

In order to buy Sudafed yesterday, I had to have my driver’s license scanned by barcode reader, and I had to sign the credit card reader at CVS in Goshen. Now what, where did my information go? What is it being used for? If I go to the Warwick CVS now and buy more so I have a supply at home – will I get a call from Homeland Security? There isn’t a single facet of our society that the Federal government hasn’t touched and subsequently fucked up.

Police State, Nanny State, you name it, I’d really fracking love it if the people who only seem to pay attention to civil liberty violations did so when ANYONE was in office, not just a Republican named BUSH or REAGAN. This shit was passed in ’05 to a round of applause – where’s the outcry? Probably passed by Democrats.

Sure, Crystal Meth is a problem, one that can easily be solved by finding the labs and instead of busting them – tossing a lit road flare through the window. Just blow ’em up! The law in this country is so fracking backwards – and all we have to say about it is “Obama! Hillary!” Get a fracking clue you mindless SHEEP.

When I’m out in public, at a movie, or in a store, and someone is loudly criticizing something – just for the sake of doing so.  IMHO, a person doesn’t come off as witty or intelligent by proving just how well they can pick something apart – it simply points out how much of a lifeless git they are.

Doesn’t impress me in the least.

Took a break from the Wii for a bit to fire up the 360 and see if there was any replay value to GTA:IV so far… Found another thing that annoys me… where’s the tank? Where’s the military vehicle selection?

Also, whose idea was the pigeon thing? Like I want to go around trying to track down little glowing red pigeons, not to mention – there used to be a benefit to grabbing X number of items instead of some stupid achievement point. I don’t want achievement points. I want armor and weapons at my hideout!

Someone at Rockstar seriously needs to sow the nuts back on to this PG-13 version of GTA before the sandbox title is permanently and irrevocably handed off to the next big thing (hope springs eternal that Saints Row 2 does to the sandbox genre what its predecessor did for it – turn it on its ass).

As for the Wii, I’ve got a pretty decent stack of games at this point, so I think I’ll probably be gnawing through them for a while. My current project – Red Steel – puts you in the role of an average guy engaged to the daughter of a Yakuza leader. The weapons control is unique as only the Wii can provide, and honestly I’d put this game up as a proper successor (in feel) to the N64’s Perfect Dark and Goldeneye. It’s just plain murderous fun.

Gave Transformers an attempt… As much fun as it is to drive around as Bumblebee and obliterate anything in my path – there’s a little something called a POINT which the game-play should have. I really don’t get why movie games suck so bad, and how a movie which is such a blockbuster and drop such a stinker when it comes time to get interactive.

Anyhow… it’s a 3 day weekend and I shouldn’t be typing.

With the Sirius XM merger on the horizon…somewhere, I almost forgot about the old Howard Stern / O&A rivalry.  Today though, listening to O&A’s show – I heard something and it annoyed me enough to change the dial from that castrated excuse for a morning show that is continuously trounced by the Z100 Morning Zoo.

George Takei.

No, not the actual Takei, a fairly accurate impersonation of his voice by one of the hosts, saying things that you wouldn’t exactly expect Takei to say if well… he hadn’t been a recurring guest on Stern’s satellite show for as long as I can remember.

I’ve been an O&A fan longer than I’ve been a Stern fan.  I was there, writing letters and shaking my fist when they got taken off the air by people who condone child molestation in churches but decry adult fornication in the same places.

I was cheering when they came back on XM Satellite Radio, and I heard the magic was back.

In all honesty though, coming back to terrestrial was a mistake.  The FCC has too much power, the stations are too scared, and the show is castrated.  Well placed BEEP’s and implied vulgarity are no replacement for the cutting edge Dr.Smith stalking young Will Robinson radio of days gone by.  Now it looks like they’re actively stealing bits from Stern, instead of just improving on the shock-jock genre?

What the fuck happened to O&A?

Nothing can perish until it survives
Once friends into lovers, then torn into lies.
A flame without passion is simply hot air,
What more can I say? You just were not there.

I’ll give you 4 stanzas, in this my last verse
Escaped from your prison, a journey through words
You said that you loved me in dollars and cents
But when the time came, I’m still paying rent.

Give me three spikes, and a pair of long boards
While I’m twisting thy words, allow a few more
I’ve abandoned your drama, it wore me quite thin
Left needing to lose, to learn how to win.

I’m doing quite well now, Thanks for the leave
Much time has been wasted, and the ‘truth’ does deceive
The sides of this story, are now two and flat
Our book has been closed, let us leave it at that.

–SJ 2008

Just finished the storyline based portion of GTA IV, and to that end – I am not disappointed. The plot in this game was much deeper than any of the previous titles, and I definitely enjoyed the ‘choose your own adventure’ aspect of the game, albeit some didn’t quite pay off as I would have preferred (should have just shot a couple instead of letting them go).

The graphics, I eventually got used to them. I realize that a game with such grand scope, and such detail, must make compromises when it is rendered on the fly – as was the case with GTA IV. I’d happily call it as close to photo-realistic as I have seen yet in a sandbox title.

The controls, again I either got used to them or stopped trying.

Now for the complaints:
1. No fixed winged aircraft? So what if I want to take a virtual 747 and crash it, it wasn’t a problem with any previous title, and it should not have been with this one. Yes, I realize the land area is MUCH smaller than offered in San Andreas, and NYC has a valid issue with low flying aircraft – but this is a game. If I can take my helicopter through a crowd and hurl people through the air in bloody pieces with my rotor blades – a Cessna or a Piper Cub isn’t too much to ask for.
2. Not enough internals. Yes, you took away the fixed winged aircraft, but every other title had an airport with all kinds of flying machines, now we’ve got a big pixel brick with pixel brick aircraft. What if I want to use that spiffy helicopter with the machine guns, hm?
3. No rampages. Was their a problem with setting a goal of killing X number of NPC’s with a flamethrower in X seconds? Was it too cartoony? Too game like? It’s a game, and the rampage was a staple of the series. I’m hoping a future episode on the 360 reactivates this.
4. Flamethrower? Hello? The flame effects in this game are OUTSTANDING. I should be able to use them on a crowded street corner too.
5. No craters. Personally, I think a firefight at ground zero would have been pretty damned cool. If you’re going to render the city properly, either put in some towers, or give us the fine craters that have graced the cityscape for nearly 7 years now while the dickhead politicians and developers work on other projects.

Anyhow, it wasn’t perfect – in fact besides the plot I’m willing to call GTAIV woefully generic. Compromises were necessary, and some just should not have been made. They did a great job of rendering NYC/Liberty City in all its virtual glory – but IMHO if making the game more realistic takes away from the cartoon violence, then stick to the virtual scapes. The bar has been raised in some sense, such as vehicle and weapon control for an open sandbox title, but it has also been dropped by removing some of the features that made the past titles so damned addicting.

I mean come on, I quit my Warcraft account when I bought this, a week or two later – I’m looking to develop my Mario Kart Wii skills instead of setting a new rampage record. Rockstar – PLEASE – bring back the rampage, bring back the flames, and for God’s sake let me fly a plane over NYC. The 9/11 terrorists learned in crop dusters, not on a Playstation, so I highly doubt there is any reason for concern here.

Maybe in the next two years we’ll see a new episode in the GTA saga based on this engine – after which we’ve seen Saints Row 2 – and many other sandbox titles to come – Rockstar needs to start putting its middle finger in the air again, GTAIV was a peace sign, not a bird.