2010: You Were Good to Me, Not to My Writing

2003 (senior year!), 2004 (girls!), 2006 (Guitar Hero II!), 2008 (new job!) were all good years. Compared to those years, 2010 was uneventful and outright boring for the most part.

First off, my writing nosedived in 2010. I did not devote much time to my creative craft as I probably should have devoted. Sparse blog posts, one short story, and one creative essay were all that I produced in 2010, and it was a pain to get most of those written. Am I losing my spark for creative writing? I like to think not, but I am going to definitely be re-focusing my writing efforts in 2011.

So what did I spend all my time doing in 2010? Being my first full year living on my own, I enjoyed the lifestyles of being in my own little bachelor pad: games, food, and relaxing were all near-full-time activities for me this year. I got to play some great new games, including all those games that came along with my purchasing an Xbox 360 in September. Minecraft became a big deal in September as well, and I play it religiously to this day.

In the spring of 2010 I took up a new project - originally called Yola, now called Tint - to learn new technologies. If my creative writing took a backseat in 2010, then my life as a programmer ramped into overdrive. I have learned most of the LAMP stack - including MySQL and PHP - as well as more advanced CSS, XHTML, and especially JavaScript. I created a miniature social networking site and developed a small game written for the HTML5 Canvas element. In 2010 I took my career as a programmer seriously. In 2011 I plan to take this to the next level, beginning with CodeMash in January. I hope to become a JavaScript guru in 2011, in addition to learning more PHP and ASP.NET / C#.

2010 was all about tinkering with what makes me tick in order to determine what I should do for myself in 2011. I have a solid focus on where I want to go in the next year, and with a huge list of goals to accomplish in 2011, there is no better time to begin than...

Now.

B3 out.

Zombies!!!

I have spent some of November and most of December learning the basics of developing a game, and here is a quick look at the late-alpha version of an HTML5 canvas game I am creating.

I call it "Zombies!!!"

It's a pretty basic game. you move the player around with the arrow keys with 8-directions of freedom. You can pick up pistols and shotguns as weapons against a march of zombies.

Right now, the game is as simple as survive and kill 50 zombies. Take a look with the links below.

Image 1

Image 2
Image 3

I do not intend to make a big deal of this game, nor spend too much time on it, but I do have a few features planned for future revisions:

• Different types of zombies (varying speed, damage)
• More weapons
• New graphics

I intend to be wrapped up with this game in time for CodeMash in mid-January, so check back around then to play a completed version of it!

B3 out.

Inspiration Is So Goddamn Important

I generally consider myself a creative person. Programming can be a very creative art, right along with writing and graphic design.

In the last few years, however, I have been far less creative than I believe I should be (writing, anyone?), and I attribute this to a lack of inspiration. How can I find inspiration with my drab eight-to-five daily routine. Even my weekly and monthly routines are stale - consistent and steady in the extreme.

I need to meet new people, see new places, and face new challenges. One of my goals for 2011 are now based on this need.

The end of 2010 presents a couple of chances for me to dive into a Reboot Weekend (weekend before Christmas?) to straighten myself out and really get ready for 2011's challenges, but really, I am in need of a reboot to help me find my creative side again, because I feel like I am dying without it.

Christmas Time

Does anyone else lacking that Christmas cheer and joy that usually hits by now? It feels more like September than December to me.

B3 out.

A Massive, Painful Confession

Ever since I played my first video game, Super Mario World in 1991, I have had an interest in creating video games.

Ever since I first played Mario Paint in 1993, I have had an interest in graphic design and animation.

Ever since I dabbled with a hand-me-down Commodore 64 computer in 1994 at the age of 10, I have had an interest in programming.

Ever since dabbling with Half-Life's Worldcraft editor in 1998 I have had an interest in 3D modeling.

Ever since I received unmistakably awesome encouragement and support from my freshman English teacher in 1999, I have had an interest in writing.

Ever since my first love and loss in 2000 and 2005, I have had an interest in the human psyche.

Through the past twenty years I have had many interests, all of which stick with me today to some degree. In college I was told that I had to pick one of these interests, spend tens of thousands of dollars on an education, and make a career out of it. My first two years of college were a mess: I liked graphic design first and foremost, so I started a VCT major. I did not fit in with the numerous art classes that I had to slog through, so I changed to my next passion, writing. I found the numerous English classes I would be taking relaxing, simple, and easy as pie. I would graduate on time if not early!

Something did not click, however, and after a year and a half at Bowling Green State University I stopped, re-evaluated my career options, and finally made the biggest decision thus far in my life - I chose a major: computer science.

While I had many other interests, I eventually chose computer science because out of all my interests, it was the one that I consistently revisited year after year. I was not always a steady writer, I was not much of an artist by the time I hit my twenties, so graphic design and writing had to be put aside for a while. Programming scared me a little bit, because up to that point in my life I only dabbled with various versions of simple programming languages like BASIC, DarkBASIC, VisualBasic - see a pattern? Was I smart enough to turn a moderate passion into a career?

Fast-forward to 2010. I am no longer a student, I am a professional. So why do I constantly feel like I am a student still?

I work with a "team" of about ten developers (team is in scarequotes because honestly, we all work pretty individually). Our department as a whole provides complete IT services for our medium-sized company. We are a web company, and as such, IT is integral to the operation of the business. Each developer plays an important role and each developer is expected to maintain a certain level of competence in his area of focus in the department. While I have been mostly successful as a web developer in the past two years with my current company, I have a confession to make: I feel like a fake.

Our entire department skews young: mostly twenty-something developers with a couple of outliers older than that. Despite our relatively inexperienced crew, I cannot but help feel that I am an inadequate developer not worthy of my job.

Why do I feel this way? Here are a few reasons:

• I spend far too much time Googling answers to my questions.
• I get stuck on problems that sometimes take precious hours to solve.
• I get paranoid that my software will break, so I check my work email religiously.
• I rarely pose questions to my peers in case the answer is something "that every programmer should know."
• I am afraid of new technologies and do not always feel that I have the time to learn them.

Am I overly paranoid or are do these concerns mean I am not cut out to be a programmer? Programming is, after all, a difficult profession that demands great attention to detail and analytical thinking. Or does it? While I am always questioning myself as a developer, I think I may be giving myself the short end of the stick.

Recently I took a long, hard look at the list above and finally realized that while I struggle with these particular things, I do with good reason. Why am I use Google to answer my programming questions? Because I forgot the syntax of a particular language grammar. Why do I get stuck on problems for hours on end? Because the problem is hard. Every programmer gets stuck at one point or another.

This thread on Reddit was published the day after I started writing this post, and it resonates with me on so many levels. Read it if you want to, but the point to take away from all this worry is pretty simple: I am a good programmer because I recognize my own limits and grow when I challenge my doubts. I'm not a bad programmer because I don't have all the answers at my finger tips, but at least a competent one for learning my bounds, questioning my current work, and pushing to grow when I feel I have stagnated.

So while I may feel like I am a "fake" at work, I do believe I never give myself enough where credit is due. My own self doubt, in this case, may be the best thing I have going for me.

B3 out.

Killjoys, Rock and Roll: Danger Days Review

My Chemical Romance treads new ground with their latest album - Danger Days: The True Lives of the... wait, really? The title needs to be that long? Here’s the point: this album is flashy. The music, the lyrics, the hooks, and even the band themselves are all over-the-top powerful and flashy from start to finish. From a band categorically shuffled into the “emo” genre after hits such as “Helena,” “I’m Not Okay (I Promise),” and “Welcome to the Black Parade,” Danger Days is a glitzy throwback to pre-90’s punk rock. The band even dresses the part for their upcoming tours, dressing in vibrant pinks, whites, and sky blues. Is this jarring shift in style enough to save a band that nearly broke up twice during this album’s production?

MCR claimed that they wanted to “save rock’n’roll” (no kidding) with this album, and while Danger Days is a far cry from Nevermind or Revolver, it is still a masterwork of style, writing, and musical talent. The band consistently exceeds their already-excellent performances from The Black Parade, which is even greater an accomplishment considering the shift in genres. Danger Days has less in common with the band’s previous fixation on gritty, swollen themes of death and more in common with Green Day’s modern political manifesto. Unlike some of Green Day’s outright preachy agenda, however, MCR never stops having fun through the end of the album, which is capped off with an unmistakably catchy guitar riff in “Vampire Money.” Other highlights on the album include future MCR staple “Bulletproof Heart,” the ballad-ish “Sing,” and the perfect summer anthem, “Na Na Na (Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na).”

Faults are found, however, in the album’s timing and mastering. A rock and roll concept album this good is being released in November? Really? This album screams to be cranked up in my car as I blow around Northwest Ohio with my windows down and a beautiful summer breeze in my face. This is a minor complaint - I suppose I can bust this beast out come springtime. Finally, and most unfortunately, Danger Days is a victim of the “loudness war.” MCR clearly wants this album played loud and proud, but unfortunately producer Rob Cavollo (most famous for producing for Green Day and the Goo Goo Dolls), pushed the volume up a bit too far, and the entire album exhibits serious clipping issues. I will be keeping my eye out for a vinyl release in hopes that the clipping did not carry over to that master.

Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys is a concept album worth hearing - clipping problems aside - because unlike so many of today’s whiny bands and paid-for acts, My Chemical Romance just wants to play loud, catchy rock and roll music. They are not saving rock with Danger Days, but MCR is certainly doing it a big favor.

The Phone I've Always Wanted

Last weekend I finally took a leap that I have been waiting years to make.

After weeks of research, I walked into the Levis Commons Verizon Wireless store and bought an HTC Droid Incredible. I love it. Almost.

Ever since I dabbled with (and gave up on) Windows Mobile many years ago, I have dreamed of the day when I get a proper, modern smartphone and an unlimited data plan to go along with it. Thanks to my balanced spending and growing need to access information on the road, I finally upgrade to an Android phone. So far, so good.

First, the phone is everything I thought it would be: sleek, fast, and extremely useful. Having unlimited access to the Internet everywhere I go is just fantastic. I have a RunKeeper profile now, which is viewable via my BrandonBruno.com portal. The Android platform is neat as heck, but certainly not nearly as polished as the iOS ecosystem, which I am familiar with via my iPod touch. Still, I can do development on Android, so I'm looking forward to dabbling with that in the coming months.

B3 out.

2011 Is Looking Sharp

I recently glossed over my vague ambitions and goals for the upcoming year. I have already begun to better define some of those goals.

2011 will start with a strong emphasis on my professional career as a software developer. In 2010 I have become less "software developer" and more "web developer" with technologies like PHP and ASP.NET taking center stage, while I honed my skills with Javascript, CSS, and even HTML5. In mid-January I am attending CodeMash 2.0.1.1 at Kalahari Resort in Sandusky, Ohio. I am thrilled to be attending this conference and hope to meet lots of great people while extending my knowledge of multiple technologies (the swimming and beer doesn't hurt either). CodeMash represents a pivot point of sorts for me: I intend to have my 2011 goals well-underway by then, and I plan to come out of the conference plowing full-steam ahead on my list.

That list has been a bit more refined, and here are my explicit goals for 2011.

• Build a Portfolio: As a programmer I feel it is important to have a strong portfolio of my past and current work on display. I set up a portfolio showcase on my BrandonBruno.com portal and plan to fill it up in 2011. Ideas? Tint will be big on that list, as well as independent redesigns of various websites, technology demos, and if things go well, actual small business websites from various Bowling Green businesses.

• Write Two Short Stories: "Everyone Else" - a short story about prom-night gone wrong - and one more original work will be completed in 2011.

• Finish 40 Pounds Down: I am nearly halfway to my goal of losing forty pounds. If this winter and upcoming spring season go well, I will hit my goal by May of 2011, far earlier in the year than I originally planned.

I have plenty do keep me busy in 2011, all of which I hope to accomplish with the intentions of making me a more valuable, attractive, and overall better programmer, writer, and human being.

B3 out.

Tint Is Not Twitter

Say bye to "Yola" and hello to "Tint."

Today I am announcing a new name for Yola. Tint - a recursive acronym for "Tint Is Not Twitter" - is my private social networking website.

Tint will be entering beta sometime near the end of November. This means that it will be feature-complete and available for anyone to try out and test, ideally while providing me with feedback about how the site works.

The core focus of Tint lies in simplicity and scale: provide an easy-to-use, private, secure social networking site that allows my friends and I to communicate privately among one another. This includes status updates, photo hosting, a small profile, and eventually a comment system. Anyone who is overwhelmed by Facebook's huge size and constant security gaffes is welcome to join Tint as well.

I will be sending beta invitations to a select few of my friends at the end of November. My goal is to have Tint complete by CodeMash in January, 2011. Screenshots coming soon.

B3 out.

The Perfect Relationship: Just a Crush, or True Love? 7

Just a Crush, or True Love? is an essay series that began during my early high school years, the first two as classroom assignments, and blossomed into a personal project from there on. After a six-year hiatus, I wrote a sixth entry into the series and published it in 2009. Today I present to you "Just a Crush, or True Love? 7."

In this seventh iteration of the series, I ask this question: "What constitutes a perfect romantic relationship?" If you are expecting the obvious answers of compromise, compassion, and love, read on for a (hopefully) pleasant surprise.

Before getting to the essay, however, I will admit this: I do not like the direction that the Just a Crush, or True Love? series has taken since its fifth iteration. The initial four entries were light-hearted essays with no formal style or focus, intended mainly as a fun outlet for me to express a few ideas about love. With the fifth, sixth, and seventh entries I have followed a stricter style of writing and form, and I definitely feel like my writing has become stiffer and more rigid than before. While I still enjoyed writing "Just a Crush, or True Love? 7," I am confident that any future iteration of this series will be undertaken from a very different angle.

With out further delay, I present to you...

Just a Crush, or True Love? 7

B3 out.

Ramping Up For 2011

2010 is far from over, yet I am already beginning work on planning for 2011. I am starting with my goals for the year, which I feel are designed to focus on the "core" elements of my life and interests.

Thus far, my goals for 2011 are:

Focus on my portfolio as a programmer

I have spent much of 2010 diversifying my programming skills by learning new languages and a few new technologies, but in 2011 I aim to produce results with these new skills. I have several projects - chief among them being Yola - that I want to finish in 2011 in order to show off in my brand new portfolio of as a programmer. I have several smaller projects - libraries, small websites, an IM client - in the works, and I hope to finish all of them in 2011.

Write two short stories

I have severely neglected my first love. I had a goal of finishing one short story in 2010, which I did with "Paradise at Thirty-Five." I feel that too much of my time is spent as a software developer and not a creative writer. With that said, I have a few short stories on the back burner that I intend to revisit and finish in 2011. One will be from the same universe as "Minor Thirsts" and the other will be completely original.

Finish 40 Pounds Down

In the spring of this year I quietly started a program dubbed "40 Pounds Down" - a plan to lose forty pounds over the course of a year. I initially stumbled out the gate with this one, but by August of this year I have been making weekly progress. I have lost quite a bit of weight as it is, although none of this is temporary: the kind of changes I have been making with this program are lifestyle changes. I walk to work on a regular basis, I eat smaller and healthier meals, drink only water, and stay active and fit to achieve a daily balance of calories and exercise. Most importantly, I feel great, and I plan to continue and achieve my ideal weight in early or mid 2011.

These three goals are just a start for 2011, but a start nonetheless. I have a lot more in the pipeline to talk about as we get closer to the new year.

B3 out.

Great Things Ahead

Critically Correct has been stagnant for quite a while, and for that I apologize. I attribute this to the following things:

The new BrandonBruno.com - When this blog was the landing portal for my domain name it was my face to the world. Now that I am beginning to host my own content directly, I have been pouring a ton of time and resources into making that new portal as spiffy as possible. Besides providing access to everything online that I consider important, it will also serve as a hub for my career - my resume and my project portfolio, for example.

Games, Games, and oh, Games - About two months ago, after a summer of learning the LAMP stack, I dove back into gaming and should have looked before I leapt. In one weekend I purchased an XBox 360, discovered Minecraft, and fell in love with a bunch of old games (Doom 64, Hydro Thunder, Thief 2). Minecraft has been the biggest time-sink in my life since Guitar Hero II in 2006, and I have easily lost more than a hundred hours of my time to this game so far. I have managed to finish my first Xbox 360 game, Red Dead Redemption, which was an experience worth every penny. Now I have Fable II to play through, so I will be busy with console gaming for quite some time. It feels good to be back in black.

So there it is: new projects and tons of games have kept me from blogging on a regular basis. Sometime before 2010 is up I will be totally finished with the new BrandonBruno.com site and will return my attention - and weekly updates - to Critically Correct.

In the meantime, I have a few cool new changes in the pipeline!

New Development Projects and Yola

In March of this year I became disenchanted with Facebook due to its constant privacy gaffes - my data is mine, dammit, and I want full control over it. My motto was (and still is) very simple: "Don't trust anything that I didn't write myself." So I set out to recreate Facebook for myself and my close friends - codenamed Yola - and it is nearing a beta release stage. Yola 1.0 is essentially feature-complete (think Twitter meets Facebook Photos) and will be rolled out for testing sometime in November.

As I push Yola into this less-intensive stage of development, I am looking to begin several smaller development projects. The first one, a game concept, is huge - I want to prototype it as fast as possible and get feedback. I have studied the concept for it countless times and honestly believe I have a winner on my hands, but I am only one man and do not have the time to fully develop a prototype for it yet. Perhaps in 2011.

In the meantime, I am going to shift from PHP and web technologies to learn a bit of client-server networking by writing a simple IM client and server in C# / .NET / Mono. This will be my holiday project and may even spawn some integration into Yola down the road.

CodeMash 2.0.1.1

This coming January 12, 13, and 14th I will be in Sandusky, Ohio for CodeMash 2011. CodeMash is a technology conference with dozens of sessions, speakers, and plenty of industry-level networking. This is "the next big thing" for me, so I am looking forward to spending an extended weekend in Sandusky. Check out www.codemash.org for all the details.

Android in 2011

I am eligible for a new subsidized phone from Verizon in mid-2011. Thanks to plenty of tasty-looking Android phones, the possibility of the iPhone coming to Verizon, and new, tiered-but-affordable data plans now available, I will finally be making the leap to a smartphone - probably Android - next summer. This is mostly a personal achievement for me. I get by just fine without a data phone in my pocket - hell, text messaging even annoys the hell out of me sometimes - but it will be infinitely cool to have access to the Internet anywhere I go.

B3 out.

Correctly Quoted: Learning

"All my best learning happens accidentally."

B3, circa 2007

You Are Not Alone: The Social Network Review

We are a connected, attention-starved society, and David Fincher’s The Social Network understands its audience very well. The Social Network is essentially a film about dispositions prior to two key civil lawsuits during the past six years of Facebook’s history - including every dry and boring detail that come with civil law matters. What is not boring is the film itself: a fast-paced blend of drama, arguments, sex, drugs, and hacker culture; overall, a perfect symbol for the modern youth generation. This is a film not about the founding of this century’s biggest and most important company, but about the people watching it and powering the machine it strives to describe.

The Social Network is a fascinating reflection of our nation’s desire to starve off loneliness, to be part of something bigger without risking our own image. The film opens as Mark Zuckerberg’s public image goes down the toilet at Harvard after an unfortunate breakup results in his creating FaceMash.com, an immediate predecessor to Facebook.com. After losing the respect of women on campus but gaining the attention of Harvard’s elite final clubs, Zuckerberg immediately begins development on TheFacebook.com in an attempt to put his ideal college experience online and begins a quest to restore his public image.

While not everyone will find the subject of the film interesting, rest assured that The Social Network is the best two hours that anyone will spend in theaters in 2010. The film is well written; dialogue spatters from one line to the next without being dumbed down to give the audience a break. The film is fast; half a dozen years pass in two hours’ time, and every scene explodes with drama, dialogue, music, and most importantly, purpose. This is a film with great storytelling and professional talent behind it: actions have consequences and characters make mistakes and learn from them. Not only does an all-star cast give incredible performances on-screen (headlined by Jesse Eisenberg), but an all-star director and executive team really shine behind the camera with fantastic direction, music, and editing.

I went into The Social Network expecting two hours of dramatic dialogue and endless faked computer screens, but I ended up sitting through the best non-action action movie of the year. The Social Network is smart, fast, fun, and most importantly, a story of drama, deceit, longing, and love so well told it will be the benchmark for years to come.

B3 out.

The Almost Birthday

As of 3:10pm today, I am a 26 year old human being.

This year feels even less special than last year, but I still spent it with some good food, lots of quiet alone time, and of course, The Lion King.

I could not ask for anything more.

B3 out.

Indie, Acoustic, and Completely Awesome

Last night I had the last-minute pleasure of seeing three musical artists put on three acoustic shows near downtown Toledo at Mickey Finn's pub. The venue is extremely nice for a bar in such a crappy part of Toledo, the people there were undeniably generous and friendly, and the music rocked.

This needs said first: this was a small show. Mickey Finn's Pub is a good-sized establishment, but even so the turnout for the show was comfortably small: about forty people. This created a friendly, quiet, and intimate show in which everyone's attention hugged the stage all night long and let the entire pub be very close to all three acts.

Over the course of three and a half hours the audience was treated to all-acoustic sets from Patrick Park (website), Sera Cahoone (website), and Alex Brown Church from Sea Wolf (website). All of these artists share a similar musical style, which gave the whole evening a very consistent and welcoming feel.

Patrick played a very energetic set via acoustic guitar and occasional harmonica and was the surprise of the night for me. I genuinely enjoyed his songs, which started with a sound similar to Sea Wolf's gradual intros but filled out with well-timed hooks. If he played an electric guitar and added just the right about of percussion we would have had one hell of a rock concert on our hands - he certainly was not lacking for energy in any of his songs.

Sera Cahoone was next up on stage. Like Patrick, she played for nearly an hour and seemed to put her best foot forward. I was less impressed with her music, especially as she seemed less skilled on the guitar than Patrick, but her songs were no less well written and full of spirit and drive. Sera shines in her voice, however, and belts out strong vocal choruses. Last night she seemed to straddle a line between Alanis Morissette and Tegan & Sara - something I noticed when I woke up today humming "Walking with a Ghost" instead of a Sera Cahoone song. Still, with a solid grasp of her songs, Sera put on a great set.

The highlight of the night was Sea Wolf - or at least one-fifth of the band. Their 2010 "Solo Acoustic Tour" consists of Alex Brown Church, lead guitar and vocals, running though an hour-plus set of Sea Wolf's two-and-a-half album career. The best of their 2007 EP Get to the River Before It Runs Too Low and LP Leaves in the River was on display. Highlights included most of their first album, especially "Middle Distance Runner," "Black Dirt," and "You're a Wolf." Alex put a solid effort into material from the band's second album, White Water, White Bloom, which from my first listen at the show seemed to be unmistakably more Sea Wolf, which is to say an evolutionary album instead of a revolutionary one.

I picked up a copy of White Water, White Bloom on vinyl at the show, so I will be giving it a listen and will get a review up as soon as I can. While I hesitated to go to last night's show thanks to being extremely fatigued, I am definitely glad that I made the trip up there. It was one of 2010's best concerts.

B3 out.

Say Hello to SuperShiggs

I have a new online semi-persona: SuperShiggs.

Evolved from one of my World of Warcraft characters, SuperShiggs is my Xbox Live GamerTag and may very well evolve into many other places online, especially Twitter and Minecraft.

B3 out.

Welcome to Hyrule

I am deep in Minecraft - I mean deep. I love the game. To demonstrate my commitment to the game, check out the area of my world - Hyrule - that I have uncovered so far.

The naming scheme is as follows:

White Text: major geographic regions
Green Text: named geographic features
Yellow Text: my bases

Map of Hyrule

"Boston" is my spawn point.

I will be updating this map as I explore more of my world. This game is definitely going to define the rest of my twenties.

B3 out.

Xbox 360: I Should Have Done This a Long Time Ago

In the gaming world, by most definitions, I am what is called a "Nintendo fanboy." I grew up playing Nintendo's games on most of the major consoles: Super Nintendo, Game Boy, Nintendo 64, Game Boy Advance, GameCube, DS+Lite+DSi, and the Wii. I love Nintendo games: Mario, Zelda, Donkey Kong, and Metroid. I am a Nintendo gamer.

While I love Nintendo games, I am still a diversified gamer at heart, so I do try to game outside of the Nintendo universe once and a while. I did eventually buy a Playstation - in 2004 (released in 1995). I eventually bought a Playstation 2 - in 2008 (released in 2000). I am a PC gamer too - from Warcraft 2 to Far Cry 2, I try to keep up with the latest in PC gaming (I'm a huge fan of Steam, for example).

Other than Nintendo consoles, however, I have never really tried to stay ahead of the gaming curve. This generation's hi-def consoles - Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 - have generally been too expensive and too unnecessary for me to consider buying. Two weeks ago this changed.

I bought an Xbox 360 S. When the Xbox 360 launched in 2005 I did not have the disposable income, a high-definition television, nor the a decent high-speed internet connection to properly enjoy the 360. As this year plodded on, and as I grew more and more bored with my Wii, I finally realized that I now have all three obstacles cleared: plenty of money, a nice HDTV, and plenty of bandwidth to make the most of a modern, connected, hi-def gaming console.

With the help of a wonderful friend, I bought an Xbox 360 and Red Dead Redemption as my first game. I needed a 360 years ago. Not only am I enjoying Red Dead Redemption, but the media features of the console are perfect for my tiny apartment set up. I have a way to stream all my music, ripped videos, and pictures to my entertainment system, which before required a couple of long cables and plenty of fiddling with Windows.

I am extremely happy with my purchase. While I love my Wii and every Nintendo game I own, it is very nice to have a modern, hi-def console to enjoy that has a great online community, tons of games available, and plenty of media features to make my life around the apartment much more enjoyable.

For now I am "GlossyXyn" on Xbox live, although this temporary name will be changing once I get some MS Points on my account.

B3 out.

Minecraft: Are You Afraid of the Dark?

Minecraft is something different, something fun, and something extremely addicting. I have played very few games in the last ten years that open my imagination quite like Minecraft.

I am a kid again.

I learned about Minecraft thanks to the Reddit community about two months ago. I gave no due to the game's screenshots: rigid graphics and seemingly crude mechanics. What about concept; what was this game about; what does the player do? Despite browsing forum threads and watching YouTube videos that all had very little in common, I caved into the idea of spending twelve American dollars to buy the "Alpha" software and see what it was about. This is so far the best $12 I have spent all year.

Minecraft begins with a simple concept, yet I cannot choose one word describe the game. "Exploration" is certainly a big part of the game, but so is "crafting," "designing," and "fighting." The first task all new players are given is simple: "survive." Survival is important to the first half-hour of Minecraft, as darkness - both in caves and during all of the night hours - bring monsters about the world that all want to attack and kill the player.

By building a shelter - from whatever materials or natural formations are nearby the player’s starting point - the first couple of days in the game are all about surviving long enough to build better tools, which in turn help to mine better materials, which in turn help to build better shelters and yet better tools. This is a form of character progression that is all-too-familiar for players of World of Warcraft. Rather than questing for loot, however, Minecraft rewards risky exploration and long, monotonous stretches of mining. Hard work pays off in Minecraft.

Minecraft present a huge, randomly generated world that has no practical borders. By day I find great excitement in traveling across the land (although without a map of some sorts, I quickly become lost). By night I have to retreat to my shelters since it it very possible to be overwhelmed by monsters in the dark. There is, however, no more thrill more exciting than traveling across the land and stumbling upon a cave that plunges down into the dark earth. I usually venture into these caves for a bit, and if they look big enough, I set up a small, sheltered camp near the entrance and spend all night exploring the cave, mining minerals, following underground streams, and discovering pockets of magma near the lower levels.

During the day - when I am not exploring - I use my mined material (mostly stone and wood) to build additions to my main shelter, which after playing for two weeks is more of a mini-military base. From the side of a hill I have carved a three-story home base: I have plenty of lighting, two glass balconies, an observation tower, a garden (for growing trees to provide wood), and a vertical mineshaft that I dug - quick access to the lowest levels of the game world, deep underground, to collect rare minerals such as redstone and diamonds.

What Minecraft has turned into for me goes beyond an interest or obsession. Minecraft is a new way to express my creativity. I can build limitless structures, highways, railways, towers, tunnels, boats, carts, and much, much more. In many ways Minecraft is limited only by my imagination, and I expect to spend a lot of my free time in the coming months building a world that is always uniquely mine. This is the kind of creativity that I feel I have been lacking since my early college years, and any game that brings that back out in me is easily worth my $12.

B3 out.

It's Time to Focus

My mind is racing out of control and eventually it will hit a brick wall - unless I slow it down.

The usual national media outlets - CNN, Newsweek, Time, etc. - have been running stories this year about, somewhat ironically, media overloading among today's under-40 generation. The general consensus of these articles is usually the same: those people raised in the age of modern computing and especially in the last ten years of the Internet are more likely to suffer from short attention spans, an addiction to information, and an inability to focus on daily activities to some degree.

Think about how easy information is made available today. With a simple Google search, one can have almost any information they desire in a matter of seconds. Recipes, news articles, videos, stories, maps, pictures - all available instantly thanks to super-fast modern broadband. The "social web" means that more voices than ever are heard at once, so sites like YouTube, Wikipedia, and Facebook put millions of people in the spotlight without much more effort than a Google search. Even Facebook's biggest feature - its oft-maligned News Feed - was designed around a generation starved for information: it delivers updates about your friends to you on one screen instead you having to search for them individually. It was an annoying new feature in 2005 and now it is a way of life for 500 million people.

I am an information addict myself. It was not until this current summer that I took a long, hard look at my own habits and realized how much time I waste trying to take in every snippet of information from the corners of my favorite websites. I read Engadget religiously. I check on my Facebook News Feed so often that there are no gaps - what I saw at 11pm last night is what I read back to during my 7am check-in this morning. Sometimes when I am trying to do something productive such as programming or writing I instead end up clicking frantically onto my favorite websites. When I open up the same sites at twice - two Ars Technica tabs at once, for example - just to be sure I am not missing something - well, something is wrong with me.

I also believe that gamers have it a little worse. While I do believe games do help improve twitch-based reflexes in long-playing individuals (myself included), games provide a form of instant-entertainment that is borderline addicting to the dedicated gamer. Again, thanks to the Internet, games of all types are available to more people than ever before, and sometimes satisfaction comes from variety. There are some nights where I will play six or seven different games in a five-hour timespan. Thanks to the Wii's Virtual Console I have been known to hop in and out of games every couple of minutes, trying to find what sticks to my sloppy attention span.

With my attention span constantly needing to be filled with some new bit of information or some new game, I am finding other interests taking a backseat. While I have made quite a bit of progress with my programming career - learning PHP, MySQL, and Apache of the LAMP stack - I have not been able to focus on any one particular project for too long. I have not been able to get any significant creative writing done, nor get back into reading (something I picked up near the end of my career at Meijer), nor reignite my passion for biking - in fact, almost all of my creativity is dead. There are plenty of things that I would love to be doing besides sitting in front of my computer, yet I have trouble pulling myself away. This is going to change.

Since moving to Findlay I have made a huge push to become more productive in many areas of my life. This past May I took up exercise on a regular basis, and for it have lost twelve pounds and counting. I am working on a big web project, Yola, my take on a Twitter / Facebook hybrid. I recently set up a web server for hosting my own websites and applications (a future article!), and moved my brandonbruno.com domain name to it.

With my web server project out of the way I am moving on to a big new project: getting my attention span back.

My ultimate goal is to get off the computer and become creative again. I can hardly be inspired for my next short story by reading endless articles on Kotaku or scrolling through Reddit. I can't exercise enough when I find myself spending six hours of my free time per day on the computer.

I have a lot of activities that I would like to focus on outside of the Internet, and hopefully after this fall and winter I will be able to reclaim the creative spirit that I lost so quickly after college.

With that, I am off to enjoy the outdoors.

B3 out.

Hydro Thunder Dreams Do Come True

Earlier this year I counted down my top seven most-loved video games. Had I done a Top Ten, this game would certainly have been included: Hydro Thunder.

My love affair with Hydro Thunder goes back to 1999. Released in the arcades in mid-1999, Hydro Thunder was something unique: a seemingly basic racing game with all the right twists: a loud-as-hell, bass-driven cabinet and fast-as-hell twitch gameplay that balanced the chaotic with the serene.

During the summer of 1999, at the Wood County Fair, I found two Hydro Thunder arcade cabinets set up in the rear of the arcade tent. I was not a big fan of arcade games at the time, but the bright blue cabinet of Hydro Thunder caught my eye amid a smelly tent filled with fighting games and poorly-aged "games of skill."

I was clumsy as hell my first couple of races, but after sinking about four dollars in quarters into the game, I was finally finding my groove - and my addiction. In one week I put almost $80 in quarters into that game, usually with a friend or two at my side. After the fair I found Hydro Thunder in a few arcades from time to time. Al-Mar Lanes in Bowling Green had one machine, and I included a few races before and after my Friday and Saturday night bowling routines.

Why is Hydro Thunder such a blast to play? Because just like with Wave Race 64, Hydro Thunder strikes a balance between perfect control and complete chaos but never cheats the player. The tracks are littered with shortcuts and other ways to shave seconds off your time. Opponents are finely tuned to provide a decent challenge. The over-the-top physics are tuned just right and never once get in the player's way. As your watercraft glide over the rough waters of each track, they bob, bounce, roll, drift, and rocket through every turn and straightaway with ease. The game is not all flash and speed, however; there is deep strategy in managing boost, angling into turns, and taking-or-leaving some shortcuts. Everything about playing Hydro Thunder just feels right, and that is a quality that few racing games do well.

As Hydro Thunder arcade machines became more and more scarce after the turn of the century, the game faded from my memory, but not before I learned of a port to the Nintendo 64 due out in late 2000. Without hesitation I paid fifty-some dollars for the game and played the hell out of it on my 13-inch TV for weeks on end. But wait! The magic of the arcade was lost. The N64 controller did not compare to the steering wheel and throttle design of the arcade original. Where was the heavy bass that thumped throughout my body every time I hit my boost button?

While watered down on the Nintendo 64, I still enjoyed Hydro Thunder thoroughly. After high school I lost sight of the game and only played it every once in a great while when I found it in an arcade (Cedar Point, anyone?). Some years later - long after my Nintendo 64 had been retired - I played it via an N64 emulator on my PC. I also played it on the Playstation 2 via Midway Arcade Treasure 3. Neither of these compared to the sheer thrill of the arcade original. By now, 2010, Hydro Thunder has been regulated to the status of "relic."

Hydro Thunder, one of my favorite video games, is barely survived today by dying arcade cabinets and a few home-ports that simply don't do the bass-thumping arcade original any real justice.

Today I have found the Europe-only release of Hydro Thunder on the PC. The original Hydro Thunder arcade game ran on a Pentium II-based PC with a Voodoo 2 GPU, which means that every computer I own today can tear through this awesome game. With a solid controller in hand and arcade-perfect gameplay, I now make Hydro Thunder a part of my weekly gaming routine.

The original experience may be dead, but the thrill lives on as best as I can keep it alive.

B3 out.

Correctly Quoted: I'm a Lucky Man

"Happiness

Coming and going

I watch you look at me

Watch my fever growing

I know just who I am,

But how many corners do I have to turn?

How many times do I have to learn

All the love I have is in my mind?"

(From "Lucky Man" by The Verve)

Fall 2010: Another Great Line-Up

I hate to think about it, but my calendar does not lie: we will soon be in the final week of July. Summer, you have done it again. Where are you going so fast?

I have made this summer a great one so far. Thanks to 80-degree weather hitting the area as early as March, I spent the early part of the summer canoeing on the Pigeon River near and in Mongo, Indiana. These trips were awesome and I definitely plan to go back at least once more before the summer is up.

I have spent lots of time in my favorite nearby parks with Elli, including Oak Openings, Farnsworth, and Sidecut Metroparks. Each of these trips have been great, although Oak Openings is a significantly different place now due to a tornado that touched down there in June.

So while summer is still in full force thanks to unusually persistent 90-plus degree weather, I am at least beginning to look forward to everything that fall has to offer, and for me the fall season will kick off in under two weeks with the Wood County Fair.

Just as I did last year, here is a summary of my upcoming fall season.

Wood County Fair - Aug 3rd - Aug 9th

This was the event of the summer during my high school years, and while it lost a lot of luster during my college years ("It never changes!"), I am looking forward to the fair this year. I am more interested in the fair food than anything else, but I am also looking forward to socializing with friends and family all week long at the fair.

Green Day Concert - Aug 23rd

I saw Green Day last year at the Palace of Auburn Hills and they put on one hell of a show. Green Day has lost a lot of my attention in a year, but I am still going to see them at DTE Energy Music Theatre this August. I am actually more interested in a concert at DTE than I am Green Day. DTE is an awesome venue for concerts, especially if the weather cooperates. With beautiful surrounding country, lots of space to move about and great snacks, being at DTE is more of a draw than seeing concerts there. I am weird, I know.

Roche de Boeuf Festival / Sea Wolf - Sept 25th

A small but busy area festival has certainly grown on me in the last couple of years - The Roche de Boeuf Festival in Waterville. Because it is close to my parents house and held in an immediately-familiar town, I love spending all day (a Saturday in this case) at this festival. A variety of food certainly helps - both homemade candies and delicious pizzas and burgers. I take Elli to this festival all day and she always seems to have a blast. Hopefully this year will be no different.

An excellent indie band - Sea Wolf - will be in Toledo this day too. Mickey Finn's Pub is the venue, which is convenient since the "Finn" is indeed that Finn. I first saw Sea Wolf as an opener for Silversun Pickups several years ago, and they absolutely rocked. I am sure that being able to see them in a tiny, intimate venue like Mickey Finn's will be quite an experience.

Birthday Vacation - Oct 1st - Oct 10th

Ahh yes, my birthday week. As tradition dictates, I will have this entire week off work to do whatever I please. My birthday falls on a Monday this year, and on that very Monday another band I love - Band of Horses - will be in Cleveland at The House of Blues. Quite the birthday present, huh? I will get to see two of my favorite indie bands less than two weeks apart! As for the rest of my birthday week off, I have no particular plans, although the Apple Butter Festival takes place in Grand Rapids on October 10th, so I may very well spend the last day of my vacation there (even if it has become a bit too crowded in recent years).

Xbox 360 / Rock Band 3 - Oct 26th

I have not been huge on any particular game lately. That changes near the end of October. While I have been tiring of the rhythm game genre throughout most of 2010, Rock Band 3 looks like a legitimate revolution of the genre. With a full-featured "Pro" mode that recreates one-to-one guitar, drum, bass, and psuedo-keyboard note charts, RB3 will be a teacher more than a game. I am going to go all-out for this, buying all-new game peripherals and a new console as well.

I will be making a serious investment in Rock Band 3 as a whole, but I will not be doing that on my Wii. The Wii is a great console no doubt, but for such a big investment I find the Wii lacking: online options are weak and there is no universal account system. A great multiplayer game like Rock Band 3 requires a great online community and purchasing music from a huge library of thousands of songs deserves a solid place to store and manage them. Rock Band 3 is the game that will finally make me buy an Xbox 360, so this October I will be making that plunge as well. I am thrilled.

As October closes and I enjoy my new games, I will be looking forward to the holiday season ramping up. Thanksgiving will certainly approach quickly, then not far behind it Christmas and the end of 2010 - only to start the cycle all over again in 2011. Time absolutely flies, does it not?

B3 out.

Love and Marriage

This past weekend was another great example of summer done right.

Saturday

I was up early Saturday morning in order to get a solid start on what was going to be a long day. My mom and I went to Kohl's for gift shopping but ended up (thanks to the heat) buying light, casual dress clothes for me to wear that day. It was going to be a hot one. By 1:00pm I was in Bowling Green for a very special wedding: my good friends Austin and Korinne wed in a beautiful hour-long ceremony. And holy shit, I am growing up. Between marriages, babies, and new jobs, my friends are really making me feel old and behind. Then again, I consider myself a career guy rather than a family guy, so I have time before I need to start a family.

Sunday

Long. Ass. Day.

I was up early yet again and on the road by 9:00am. This time Colleen and I ventured to Port Clinton via St. Rt. 105. The hour-plus drive was beautiful; the 105-to-163 route to Port Clinton was an adventure worth doing in its own right. Once at Port Clinton we swam briefly on a private beach in Lake Erie (holy crap, much better than a crowded beach) before attending a birthday party for a beautiful 1-year-old baby girl. The weather was fantastic and I got to see a few awesome people before I had to return home in an attempt to return to a normal life in Findlay.

In retrospect this past weekend felt a bit like a dream: fantastic things happened with fantastic people in fantastic places, and I really did not want any of it to end.

Next Up: A long-overdue return to biking, hiking, and river walking over a weekend finally dedicated to me.

B3 out.

Take Your 6 Megabits Per Second and Shove It

For the past week I have been unable to get this article off my mind. Actually, I have not been able to get a lot off my mind. Hell, sometimes I feel like I cannot get enough on my mind.

Lately I find myself obsessing over information. Reddit provides a daily fix of random news, funny articles, and endless pictures to see. Facebook provides an almost-literal waterfall of news about my friends anytime I want it. Engadget, Gizmodo, CNN, CNet, WWTDD, Ars Technica - I frantically click on all of these links every time I open a web browser, which itself is quite frequently. Some people complain about an information overload nowadays. I complain about an information hole in my brain. It is like an information deficit disorder - I have to keep my mind entertained every moment of the day or else I have withdrawal.

This was not a problem ten years ago - I am not even sure it was a problem five years ago. I blame the Internet. Yes, I am a gamer, so the Kotaku article I linked above has some merit to me, but the core of my attention problem stems from the Internet. Information is extremely easy to come by. Thanks to always-connected hi-speed Internet connections I can plop myself in a chair and have new information flowing to me within one or two clicks of a mouse. Thanks to my iPod touch I am almost guaranteed to have this same information available wherever I travel thanks to free wireless Internet access available many places.

What is the first thing I do when I wake up in the morning? Head to Facebook and Reddit. What is the first thing I do when I get home from work? Head to Facebook and Reddit. Going to bed? Not before I get one final update from my favorite sites. I am obsessed, yet a little sad all at the same time. I do not feel like my happiness is my own, but rather tied to how often I can get my Internet fix.

Why was I so much happier ten years ago? It was not because I was having an incredible time in high school with friends, girls, and gaming, but because I had to dial-up the Internet, wait a full minute for one page to load, then disconnect so our home phone was available again. My access to limitless information was restricted. I got a lot more done offline than I did online.

Maybe I am getting old, but I sure do miss the good ol' days.

B3 out.

East Harbor, Cedar Point, and Fail

This past weekend was a very, very good example of what The Fourth of July weekend should have been: an absolute blast. While last weekend was a complete bust, this past weekend made up for that thanks to two very unique trips: one to East Harbor State park for swimming and another to Cedar Point for, well, Cedar Point.

Saturday

Laura and Kristin have been practically begging me to go to East Harbor State Park for years now, so I finally reserved some time to do so (plus, my usual weekend routines have been KILLING ME, in case you have not noticed). It was spectacular to get away on this great, short trip. The day began in Bowling Green (at Meijer, go figure), and we quickly made our way to the (already) crowded beach on Lake Erie. I have not been swimming in Lake Erie in about a decade, but the water was warm and the sand soft. There was a disgusting amount of dead mayfly body parts in the water, but I overlooked that minor detail as best I could. Swimming was all around fun. I also met the insanely awesome Jessica, a friend of Laura and Kristin. I rarely get along with new acquaintances so well, so this made the whole trip all the better.

After swimming we made several quick stops: Cheese Haven for snacks, Marblehead Lighthouse for photos, and Margaritaville for the hell of it.

All in all, Saturday was a very entertaining day, even though I came home very sunburned.

Sunday

Up at 6:30am and out the door by 7:30am, my family, Colleen, my sister and her boyfriend, made our way to Cedar Point. The day began with an unusually delicious McDonald's breakfast, of which my egg-and-cheese biscuit hit the spot like never before. After suffering the drive down the Ohio Turnpike to Sandusky and getting situated in line near the Cedar Point gates, we rushed to our first pick of the day: Millennium Force. The day was off to a terrific start.

The day then took a shit on me faster than any Cedar Point gull could have.

As of 10:00am we were in line for Millennium Force and near the front of the queue. The ride is then stopped (with a train on the first uphill climb - scary as hell I bet). We wait. And wait. And wait. Nearly a half-hour passes before any progress is made, but eventually the ride starts back up and we get the thrill of a lifetime without any further hiccups. Despite the first hill being terrifying, Millennium Force is still my favorite ride at Cedar Point and I believe it will be for years to come.

After our first coaster we stood in line for Maverick. The queue was already expected to take an hour or so, but we waited to board Maverick for nearly two hours. Hour one: in line. Hour two: ride malfunction. With the heat of the day beginning to get to me, and only one ride under our belts three hours into our visit, I was becoming upset with our day. Maverick was worth the wait, however, so I complained a lot less after the Maverick.

Oh wait, no I didn't. Our third ride was quick to get on - Gemini - but again, the ride suffered a small malfunction as we climbed the hill. By now it was past 1:00pm and I was fed up with the long queues, the heat, and the ride malfunctions. My day was ruined at that point.

By 2:00pm I was suffering from minor heat stroke, so I sat down as frequently as I could in the shade and drank a ton of liquid (we had wristbands for free drinks all day long - they come highly recommended). Sweat poured from every inch of my body the rest of the day and I was generally fatigued, but we still managed to get on a few decent coasters and rides, including Power Tower, Raptor, and a few smaller thrill rides.

To be honest, yesterday was not very good, but it was a learning experience and a turning point for me: no more hot July trips to Cedar Point. The heat and the crowd were too much for me to bear, and the constant ride malfunctions just compounded the problem. In the last couple of years I have become very fond of making Cedar Point trips in the fall around my birthday, and from now on that will be the only time I go.

The day ended with a trip to Margaritaville on our way home. We met up with our very good friends, Jason, Melissa, and Denise, and had a fantastic dinner. The perfect end to a decent but hot day.

Overall

This past weekend was non-stop from Friday until Monday. I was busy almost every minute of the weekend and had somewhere to be at all times. It was by far the highlight weekend of the summer, and I am no longer going to restrict myself to doing just one or two things with one or two people - variety is the name of the game, and going into the the excellent upcoming fall season, I expect to have tons of fun.

Next up: a wedding for two very good friends and a special birthday party out in Port Clinton.

B3 out.

Snapshot: This Is Me

Well hell, what a week it has been. After a highly-disappointing Fourth of July weekend (my head was in the clouds anyway), I have been slammed back to reality in the hardest ways possible.

One: I have been insanely retrospective since I got back to Findlay Monday night. From time to time I fall into a spell where I reminisce of fond memories and better times in my past, particularly with my high school years. This week it has not been merely memories, but real feeling. Sometimes I get so caught up in my reflections that everything else I am doing at the moment comes to a halt. This kind of thing is rather disruptive, but I am trying to barrel through it as best I can. I know that within a week it will pass and I will be able to focus on much more current events.

Two: The coming weeks at work are going to be super-crazy-mega busy, as I have four different projects that need wrapped up by the end of July. As usual, I do like being constantly busy, but this one will require me to put in a couple of extra hours in the evenings and perhaps a weekend or two. I expect to get a lot of work done, however.

Three: While I have not been blogging as much as I promised I would, I am working to remedy that by firing up a new weekly routine that sees me accomplishing a small but worthwhile goal every night of the week. This includes blogging at least once a week, along with regular programming blocks, exercising, working on fiction, and seeking new interests over time. If this new system works out I will definitely share it with the world.

B3 out.

The Aging Fourth of July

Let me tell you a quick story about summer.

In high school, summer was eternal. Summer was the reason for going to school. Oh sure, us teenagers were being forced to learn and do the K through 12 march, but for me and many of my friends, we went to school because it made summer just that much better. Summer was the anti-school, providing all the freedom and relaxation that we could handle.

For me The Fourth of July has always been the pinnacle of summer. Since I began driving as a sophomore in high school I have always made huge plans with my friends - dinner, dates, movies, and biking to name a few. This was our moment, our time to be young. I loved every minute spent with my friends and family, and as long as the weather cooperated, I had nothing to complain about. After high school things were a bit harder to hold together with my friends scattering in all directions for school or work.

In the last few years the Fourth has really taken a tumble for me. Work is year-round (unlike school) and exhausts me both physically and mentally. My friends are literally split in half, which means I have two groups of people wanting to make different plans every year. I have had trouble finding the motivation to enjoy friends, festivities, and fireworks over this particular holiday. The magic and instant joy of the holiday is gone, and with it, an important artifact of my youth.

This weekend, however, is looking like a rebirth of sorts. Rather than spend another Fourth trying to mash together plans with competing friends or complicate my weekend with work, I am looking forward to the perfect weekend. How does three and a half days off work, sunny 90-degree weather sound on top of having absolutely no plans whatsoever? This is one of those "relax-first, plan-later" weekends where I focus on improving and entertaining myself by whatever means necessary - otherwise known as a Reboot Weekend.

With such great weather coming up and no intention of even trying to make specific plans, I am going into this weekend with unlimited possibilities and a strong focus on myself - which for this adult, is more than I could ever ask for.

B3 out.

Toy Story 3 Review: Pixar Isn’t Perfect

Like the original Star Wars trilogy or The Lord of the Rings movie trilogy, Pixar gives Toy Story 3 the kind of closure that can only come from an epic storyline. From an emotional standpoint, Toy Story 3 hits the mark in ways that only Pixar can by providing a highly fulfilling ending that wraps up fifteen years of aging.

Pixar is known for its precise, clean, and well-done films - all AAA efforts and box office monsters. Unlike Disney’s past work, few Pixar films are ever predictable. So while Toy Story 3 is a fantastic film thanks to its fantastic franchise, as a stand-alone film it begins to show a chink in Pixar’s armor: mediocre James Bond-style action sequences that bore more than excite. Toy Story 3 is nowhere near as original as the first film nor as genuinely heart-felt and sincere as the second. In fact, dare I say, Toy Story 3 is even predictable at times. As a stand-alone film this might be Pixar’s worst yet.

Toy Store 3, however, does not stand alone. It stands on the shoulders of giants. Toy Story literally re-invented animation and made Pixar a household name. Toy Story 2 let Pixar flex its writing muscle and deliver a story-based sequel far better than the original. For today’s twenty-somethings generation Toy Story is an unmistakable part of our history and identity, a movie that captivated us as children. What makes Toy Story a classic film is the characters - Woody, Buzzy, Rex, Hamm, Mr. Potato Head and even Andy. These characters are timeless, charming, loveable - everything great characters should be. Thus it is these characters that make Toy Story 3 a great film, not the film itself. We care about these characters and want them to succeed - which they do amirably.

Ultimately Toy Story 3 is a film about its characters, and like the trilogy itself, characters who grow, change and mature. For a generation of kids who grew up with Toy Story, the third installment is a bittersweet sendoff to not only these amazing characters, but to our childhood as a whole. There is a strong message here about aging, maturing, and finding one’s place in the world. Letting go is hard, and here we see these toys - the affections of our youth - learning to let go of their past and find happiness. This mirror story of our lives is brilliantly pulled off thanks to a sincere voice cast and a fantastic script.

Overall Toy Story 3 may not always be great throughout, but it ends with a classic one-two Pixar punch in the gut that feels as genuine as the toys we now leave behind. This is not merely the closing of a storyline; for plenty of twenty-somethings like myself, this is the kind of letting go and the kind of emotional closure that can only end in tears.

Week-In-Review: June 19th, 2010

Summer seems to be here with temperatures constantly in the 80's and plenty of sunshine. The transition to summer was pretty damn gradual since some of April and most of May were also in the seventies and eighties. Still, I am not complaining: it has been a blast so far. Here is my week-in-review:

Work: I have been steady and consistent at work, which is enough for me. I am on a steady pace to get several projects done on time and I am learning a little more ASP.NET every day. Almost two years into my job I am still enjoying it greatly.

Games: 2010 has been a busy year for games and this month has been especially busy. Last week came across another new game, Puzzle Quest, and immediately became addicted. I downloaded it for free on my iPod touch to try it out and less than a week later I had purchased it on Steam and installed it on every computer I own. If you have not played it yet it comes highly-recommended.

Yola: I began Yola almost two months ago, and it has been evolving quite well since then. I spent a good portion of this week finalizing the feature-set of Yola, so I find it worthwhile to post an update on the project. My personal take on the social networking idea is almost ready for an alpha-phase of testing. Right now it has the following basic features:

• a profile page
  
• a status updater (similar to Twitter)
• browse members / add members (see all Yola members and add/remove friends)
  
• image uploader (max of 50 images at a time per profile)
• image gallery (for friends to view your images)
• profile manager (for editing your basic profile and privacy settings)

Yola is more Twitter than Facebook at the moment, and that is exactly where I want it to be. I am ultimately looking for a basic networking tool that allows me to post status updates and host a few select images online, all the while allowing me to control how each piece of information is shared with the world. I hope to have this online by the end of 2010 for my own private use and in early 2011 have it open for others to use as well.

Outside: Despite being so busy inside with games and programming, I have found plenty of time to be outside to enjoy the weather. I have a rock-solid routine of going for a daily jog or walk during the work week. On the weekends I spend a good portion of my free time on the road with friends or family while making sure to get Elli to the park both Saturday and Sunday. This constant activity has a major bonus side-effect: I am slowly but surely losing a little weight here and there, now down eight pounds from where I was in March. I am not actively trying to lose weight, I am just trying to be smart in striking a balance between what I eat and how active I am. This is not a diet, this is a lifestyle change. As much as I hate that little buzz-line, it pretty much rings true for me right now. This past week was notable because of the following...

Canoe Trip: I went back to this summer's hot-spot, Mongo, Indiana, for canoeing via Trading Post Canoe, Kayak and Campgrounds. The 13-mile trip that we (Colleen, Kristin and Laura) did yesterday was quite fun. This was my second time canoeing there this year, and this trip was far less hectic than the first - dodging debris and bends in the river can be quite a workout for the mind and body. Despite some awkward sunburns on my legs, I had a blast, and I believe everybody else did as well. I would highly recommend this trip to anyone who might be interested. Here's the website for more information.

And with that, I am off to walk Elli!

B3 out.