RandomStringOfWords

I don’t normally do book reviews but this book was so good I had to make an exception..   This book is easily some of the best candy I have had in a long time, with extremely rich and deep characters that often leave you guessing as to whom the good guy or bad guy actually is..  Set in a fictional medieval time this book is a fantasy, but the fantastic elements slowly creep in over the course of the series and as such almost seems more of a historical fiction with knights, kings and what not..   Either way, George R.R. Martin has done a masterful job of creating an extremely suspenseful story full of political intrigue, action and hard core drama.

Originally released back in 1997 I some how missed this story until now..  At this point, it includes 4 books and I’m part way through the second one.. So far it appears to be a fantastic continuation of the first book beginning exactly where the first book left off as if it were one long book.. Yay!   It’s good.. It’s damn good..  The authors voice and the depth of the characters make it so..

I highly recommend it.  Clickie to Barnes and Nobles

Read more…

Someone asked me the other day why I hadn’t posted a new ramble in a while..  I don’t really have a good excuse other than to say, work is killing me.. I have a long rant’a'brewin over my current work situation, but I have learned not to post about these thing while still working for the company in question or it bites you..

In my spare time I’m playing Eve Online, Warhammer Online and working.. mostly working..

I have been a Citibank member for 15 years.  I got my first Citicard in 1995 while I was in the military after I got back from Korea because I figured it was time to go ahead and start working on my credit..

I have always tried to keep a balance off of it, but there have been a couple  years where just due to the times I couldn’t help but carry a small balance..

Well the other day I went to pay off my card and I noticed that they bumped my APR to 29.998%…   Are you fucking kidding me?  30% APR is highway robbery..

I called them up and asked them to lower my rate and they refused..  The operator I got ahold of (once I navigated their automated system) told me that “.. they were unable to lower my rate at this time. Thanks for calling.. *click*”

Read more…

Napoleon Total War

I have always been a fan of the Total War franchise, but in my opinion none of them have been all that great.  Good and fun in most cases, sure.. but great?  Eh not really..  All of them have had their share of issues of which Napoleon TW shares some of them.. NTW is by far the most refined version so far and a lot of fun but, I’m not quite sure it peeks the “great” meter just yet.. I will say its pretty darn good and a lot of fun though..

Totally worth the price as it’s clear to me that Creative Assembly (the developers) are getting better at their craft but the game has one staggering short fall that it shares with all it’s siblings;  Horrible AI.

Read more…

Splintercell Conviction

I really like a good first person shooter..  But most FPS games these days aren’t about thinking or planning your way out, they are just run and gun, “zerg-fests” where you run in shoot a few.. die, respawn, run in shoot a few, die, respawn.. wash, rinse, repeat..  Boring..

The new Splintercell game isn’t this..  I would call it more of a first person sneaker.  In that it’s entirely conceivable to play through large swaths of the game without firing a shot, and that’s just cool..

As with any game it has it’s ups and downs, but over all its up and I think UBISoft has set themselves up with a game that they can kick out a lot of downloadable content for, if they leverage this correctly..

Read more…

Tron Lightcycle

I want one..

So I have gone above and beyond out of my way to avoid learning any details about Tron 2.. (Tron Legacy is it’s officially called.) ..but it’s hard not to see the lightcycle.. And man does it look cool..

It’s very reminiscent of the Dodge Tomahawk concept bike but for some reason, just looks cooler.. The dodge just looks like raw power, and as such dangerous.. I’m pretty sure the lightcycle looks cooler to me because its tapping directly into my childhood fantasies..  I loved Tron as a kid.  I loved the universe, I loved the movie, I loved the games.. and I loved Cindy Morgan but that’s another story.. Most of all I just liked the concepts, core of which was the whole lightcycle fight..   The lightcycles really made the universe feel real..  And to this day I have to wonder how many people ride around on their “crotch-rocket” with the Tron theme running through their head..

Well apparently, the lightcycles in the new movie are real working motorcycles.. (or so is the rumor.. )  That appeals to every childhood fantasy I ever had regarding the Tron lore.. I so want one!  I’m pretty sure everyone else wants one too..  I am willing to bet if they sold them, they would go like hotcakes..  I’d get one if I could..   Dream on…