San Antonio Burger Co.

A flyer just arrived inside my apartment. Yes, you can just cram sheets of paper between my door and the door frame... Maybe that has something to do with my extremely high energy bills...

The flyer was from a local burger joint - San Antonio Burger Co. Not a very nice looking flyer, but I won't hold that against them. No. The thing that bothers me is their slogan: "Next to Dominos Pizza"...

Is that their location or a comparison on taste? Well, if you're hungry for a burger, you might want to consider us just after Domino's... I mean, honestly their pizza is a better choice... even if you're craving a burger. We're not very good... at marketing... or... Burgers. Oh, but we have hotwings! Damn, so does Domino's. And theirs are also better.

I am offended.

I find it offensive when I watch TV and have to hear about people being offended. Nothing upsets me more than hearing some ignorant American spouting off about how much some trivial thing upsets them.

Here is a thought.. next time something offends you, try looking closer at the real problem -- YOU.

I think a little self evaluation will go a long way to help you with those deep rooted emotional problems.

You find it offensive that your daughter is adopted?! Really?! That's terrible! I feel really bad for her. How about you explain to her that jokes are jokes and there is nothing wrong with being adopted... Maybe she would be better off if she was raised by parents that weren't leading her down the path of American Pussification.

Stop offending me.

REF: http://kotaku.com/5802908/portal-2-finds-a-way-to-offend

Portal 2

So, I just beat the single player mode on Portal 2, and I've got to say -- although it is SIGNIFICANTLY easier than the first game, it is also far more rewarding and fun to play.

The game dynamic has been made to sort of aid the player... Because of this, it is easier to get puzzles to work once you have solved them. Some of the puzzles themselves are more challenging, but once you've figured out how to solve it, you don't have to spend quite as much effort trying to make sure things line up - the elements in the game sort of know where to go.

I was actually very surprised about how much back story there is throughout the game. I was happy with GLaDOS just mocking and taunting me, but Valve has outdone themselves here... Not only is the back story great, but the way they let it unfold for you as you're going through pre GLaDOS era tests is really great.

If you've read reviews of the game, you probably already know about Wheatley and Cave Johnson -- these characters are fantastic and add a lot of life to the game.

The graphics are amazing and the test chambers are huge. I'm amazed how well the game runs (granted I am playing on an Intel Core i7 970 with an ATI Radeon HD5700 video card, but even with all the graphics settings maxed out, there is no lag or jumpiness... The game is flawless and beautiful.

The "Cooperative Initiative" goes above and beyond and really adds a lot of replay value to the game.

To say that I am pleased with the game would be an understatement. Suffice to say that I enjoyed playing it and I will enjoy playing it again and again. You should too.

Do you ever note?

So, has anyone else used Evernote?

Damn is it awesome...

I've been using it for things that I need to have quick access to where ever I am.

At work it's a great way to take notes about tasks I'm working on, or document mileage quickly... When I get in the car, I pop opened the Android client and enter my starting mileage and then my ending mileage when I get to my destination. Then when I'm back at my desk, I just open the client on my desktop and copy the data into the spreadsheet I have to turn in each month.

It's also a great place to keep a to-do list because I can bring it up on my phone or computer... not to mention from any computer with internet access!

There is a web version, a downloadable client, and iPhone/Android apps... I can't believe how useful it is... and FREE! Check it out!

What? A good blog!

Recently I stumbled across a surprisingly good blog.

It was surprising for a few reasons:

1. Great writing style
2. Comedic delivery
3. Well chosen subject matter
4. I had no idea that it existed
5. Oh yeah, it was written by MY SISTER!

My sister is a far better writer than I ever knew. I'll let those of you who don't know my eldest sister (Rachael)in on a little secret - She has a long track record of being an introvert. This blog is so far outside her bubble that I was shocked when she told me that it existed --- I was floored when I saw how much content she already had --- I was blown away as I went through a string of emotions (Laughing at one moment, concerned the next, and then on the verge of tears ... only go return to laughing again). I mean, come on! How cute is this?!

She has done a great job of establishing the theme of her blog and is doing an amazing job of interlinking previous posts to easily bring new readers up to speed on things she refers back to.

I really admire my sister for breaking out of her shell -- I've been impressed with how much she has changed over the past 15 or so years... I remember when she was afraid to make a phone call, didn't like to talk in front of strangers, and would much rather curl up on the couch and read a book than engage in conversation with a large group of people. After college, she worked at a bank and a call center -- those were two jobs I NEVER expected to see her in, yet she did them both - and she did them well!

Now, here she is... Opening up to the whole world and doing an AMAZING job of it. My cyber hat goes off to you, sis. Keep it up -- I think the best is yet to come and I'm brimming with anticipation.

I've been a long time fan of blogs from Scott Adams and The Hobo Teacher for many of the same reasons that I now enjoy the hell out of my Sister's Blog.

I highly recommend you check it out -- it makes for a good read.

Windows Live games... you can play them when you're dead.

Today I had my first experience with a "Games for Windows Live" title...

I heard Batman: Arkham Asylum was on sale on Steam and I've been interested in playing it or some time now...

I logged into steam, purchased the game, downloaded it... installed it... launched it... had to copy a key code to the clipboard... had to paste the key code into a box that came up on first launch... several extra things were installed/configured after that... then nothing... I had to re-launch the game... then paste the key code into a different box... Then I was told to log into my windows live account...

I'd forgotten my windows live password, so I hopped over to Chrome and went to hotmail.com to reset my password... logged into my gmail to open the email I got from hotmail... I reset my password... I then logged into my live account in the game and got a message that said I had to update Live... so, I told it to update, it closed the game, and installed the update...

Now it's re-launched the game (and thankfully remembered the key and my live credentials)...

Maybe I can play the game now?

Nope... Wife is calling...

Oh well --- Maybe I can play it some other time.

UPDATE: OK - so I thought I was in the clear, but I tried a few times while talking to Jamie to log in... it allowed me to, but each time it told me that there was another update. I downloaded and installed at least 4 updates... weather they were just not installing, I'm still not sure.

So, finally it allows me to get past the "YOU NEED AN UPDATE!!" screen and tells me that I don't have a gamer tag associated with my live account.

So it minimized the game and took me to a page that is asking me for my name and required me to accept an agreement that I did not read. It then offered me all sorts of options that I don't care about... I JUST WANT TO PLAY BATMAN DAMMIT!!!

I don't think I'll ever buy an X-Box because of this experience...

Addicted to my phone.

So, I find that I am far more connected than before. It's not like I didn't have a smart phone before... it's just that my new phone (Evo Shift) is so much faster and has so many more options/apps... I don't know how I lived with my Pre for so long... sorry, Palm.... google has stolen another of your fan boys...