Free XBox 360

With the new XBox 360 so hard to get right now, I figured that Freepay.com's offer was too hard to refuse.
To get your own free XBox premium system, with the following:

• 20GB detachable hard drive
• Wireless controller
• Wireless Xbox Live headset
• HD game displays on HDTVs
• High-definition AV and Ethernet cables
• Xbox 360 Media Remote Control
• Detachable faceplate
• Xbox Live Silver membership
• Stream media from portable music devices & Windows XP PCs
• 512 MB of GDDR3 RAM
• 3 symmetrical cores - 3.2GHz each
• 500MHz ATI graphics processor
• 12x dual-layer DVD drive that supports: DVD, DVD+-R/RW, CD-R/RW, WMA & MP3
• Built-in Ethernet port
• 2 memory unit slots
• 3 USB 2.0 ports
• Wi-Fi ready: 802.11a, b & g

click here, sign up for one offer (easy!), and refer eight friends. Nothing to it, especially, since this is a brand new offer, and everybody and their monkey's uncle haven't signed up yet. Go get it!

Incidentally, if you're worried about receiving spam, just go set up a spam-catching email account someplace like hotmail, excite, yahoo, or mail.com.

Be a Part of the Next Big MMORPG

I'm going to ask you for a favor.
Here it is: would you give me just a few minutes of your precious time to answer a few questions?
I am planning to start a software company from scratch, and I have some questions that only you can answer. Here they are in no particular order:

1. Have you ever played an MMOG? If so, which one(s)? This would include games like Everquest, City of Heroes, Guild Wars, and Star Wars Galaxies. If you answer "no," please skip to question 5.

2. For how long did you play?

3. Are you still playing? If not, why did you quit?

4. Was there a monthly fee? If so, how did you feel about it? Did you feel it was too high, or were you happy to pay it because you knew that it meant occassionally getting new content? Or was the price just right?

5. If you knew of an awesome new online computer game that was on the horizon (four years, say), would you be willing to pre-order it? (I'm sorry. I can't give specifics right now about the game, other than that its scope is very, very vast. Know that one is being developed, though)

6. What if you would receive exclusive content that nobody else would ever get? This would include things like ring tones, pewter figurines, behind the scenes footage, your likeness on a character in the game, and a signed copy of the software. Would you pre-order it now?

7. Is there something you feel online games are missing that you would like to see included in this game?

8. If you are currently playing an MMOG, what do you enjoy most about it?

9. If you could change something about online gaming, what would it be?

10. Are you a professional in the computer games industry who would like to be a part of this team? If so, would you be willing to sign a non-disclosure agreement?

Those are all the questions I have for now. I am not currently accepting pre-orders. This is merely the data collection stage. If you would like to contribute anyway, please click the PayPal button on the left margin and donate. We're starting from nothing to bring this game to you, and we'd like to do so without involving any investors (They tend to take over).

Ha, Ha, and Ha Again, I Say!

Michael Newdow, I scoff in your general direction. In fact, I scoff twice!
Folks, in case you haven't heard, Newdow is supposedly America's best-known atheist. What's he whining about this time? "In God We Trust." That's right. It's on all the legal tender and he's afraid it's going to rub off on him or something.

"The key principle is that we're supposed to treat everybody equally especially in terms of religious belief," Newdow told KWTV in Oklahoma City. "Clearly it's not treating atheists equal with people who believe in God when you say 'In God We Trust' or we are a 'nation under God.'"

"People say, 'Are you an atheist activist?' And I'm not," he continued. "I couldn't care less what anyone believes. I just care that our government treats everybody equally."

Alright, Mister Newdow, I have three questions for you:
1. Do you honestly feel like you will be treated differently when those four words come off our money?
2. What about my rights? Have you ever considered that you might be violating mine?
3. If you're an atheist, why do you care if "In God We Trust" is on the money anyway?

Personally, I am tired of having my rights battered aside because of a few loud-mouthed activists in the minority. This nation was founded as a government for the people, by the people, and of the people, and most of us happen to still believe in God.

My Very First Movie Upload

Two days ago I acquired a copy of Lionhead's The Movies, a sim/tycoon hybrid computer game that is capable of so much that it'll take me ages to finish playing it.
Since I had today off for Veteran's Day (a holiday I actually do think about our returned heroes), I sat down and made a movie, a three minute presentation that took a stab at the horror genre.
You can check it out here: my first uploaded movie.
Enjoy!

Trans-Siberian Orchestra

Last night my wife and I joined friends in Jackson for the most amazing concert either one of us have ever attended, and she saw Pink Floyd in Munich!
As you can guess from the title of this article, the Trans-Siberian Orchestra was in town for their annual Christmas tour. I have never before had the opportunity to see them live. If you have never seen them, it's worth every penny you can spare to go to their show.
Their music alone would be worth the price of admission, but the sensory input does not end there. Accompanying the outstanding music was the most maniacal light show ever assembled in the entire South. There were lasers, smoke, racks and racks of auto-positioning lights, snow machines, and pyrotechnics that would knock you on your keister.
Those of you who have never heard TSO before can check out their website. There are several complete songs on their site for your listening and viewing pleasure. Yes, there's also video!

Lights, Camera, Action!

Only five days to go until Lionhead releases their new sims/tycoon hybrid, The Movies. To say I'm excited about it would be a gross understatement. I've been counting down for months, and it's making me crazy!
In The Movies, you'll be able to manage a movie studio, starting around the year 1920, and playing until the present time. During this time, new advances in movie making will become available, as well as props and sets. The game doesn't end at the year 2005, however. That's just the point at which all the advances are unlocked.
One nice feature that was written for the game is the ability to record your own voices into the movie, and have your actors "lip sync," matching their facial movements to your own narration.
For those who want to get a "head start" on the movie making, you can preorder a copy of the game. Those who preorder will receive a copy of StarMaker. With this handy little piece of code, you'll be able to design your star or starlet's face, and assign attributes like how thin they are, how good looking they are, what their tolerance to food and drink are, and how big their chest is. Themoviesplanet.com has a download of the StarMaker tool. You may have to register to download it. Registration is free.
The ultimate kicker to this game is that you don't have to play it as a game at all. You can play in sandbox mode, in which all items are unlocked, and create your own movie from scratch, which you can then upload to the Movies community, where it will be rated by your peers. The higher your rating, the more virtual cash you'll receive with which to purchase more props and sets for your studio.
With the appeal this game will generate, there's no doubt that expansion packs will soon follow. If you're reading this, Tim LeTourneau, I'd really go for an expansion pack that will include child actors and more animals.
In the next few days, I'll be digging up some old short stories I've written. I've got a director's chair at home that'll be replacing the executive office chair, as well. Roll 'em!