Glenn Beck

I recently found a talk radio station here in Twin. It is also a fair and balanced station that airs shows like Glenn Beck and Sean Hannity. When driving home from work I get to hear a little bit of Glenn's show.

Now I am sure some of you are wondering why I would do that. I sorta respect the controlled insanity that is Glenn Beck. Let me explain that. I am a big fan of Stephen King, everyone knows that, and he once called Beck "Satan's mentally challenged younger brother" and that is so fitting.

I look at Glenn almost like the anti-Christ. Now I am not what you would call religious but I do know some things about Christianity. I could be wrong but I believe that the anti-Christ will be a charming man that is seemingly leading us to a new golden age, to salvation but will ultimately lead us to doom. I believe Beck is a twist on that.

Beck believes what he is doing is actually for the good of America. I honestly believe that. People mock him almost constantly for crying...which he does almost constantly. I believe he does this because he actually is that emotional. He is the most dangerous kind of person...a believer. I believe could be the anti-Christ but not on purpose. I don't think he says these things and then goes to his home and does the evil maniac laugh and rubs his hands together.

I have actually started to download his shows to listen to them. He is fascinating. He is AWESOME. He is probably going to draw half a million to a million people for his 8-28 restoring honor...um...thing. He says it isn't a rally but I don't know what else to call it.

Glenn is strangely charming. I like the guy in a strange way as I said before. I remember watching him on CNN back when I was in Mass. He was doing a special on school violence and I didn't think he was insane then even though looking back he was. The reason I didn't think is because he hadn't quite found his controlled insanity. He wasn't so over the top quite yet but it was coming.

Glenn has created a multimedia giant. He has a paid website, a radio show, a TV show, his own production company, he puts out a book a year atleast and this year even a novel. He is one of the most well known people in the country right now.

Glenn is amazing at what he does, you have to agree with that even if you don't agree with his political viewpoints.

Back from the Dead

A couple of months ago a great thing was brought back from the dead. That being the great cartoon Futurama. Much like Family Guy this show was taken from us too soon...or was it?

Since returning from the dead the show has been missing something? It is either too preachy like the marriage episode or well...boring like this weeks Lrrr episode. Family Guy returned from the dead and really went completely insane yet it was still funny. Futurama has yet to make me laugh that I can remember.

Perhaps Matt Groening should have stuck with The Simpsons and let us remember Fry and Bender as they were.

Preowned Games

Recently THQ creative director for wrestling games Cory Ledesma made this statement.

"I don't think we really care whether used game buyers are upset because new game buyers get everything. So if used game buyers are upset they don't get the online feature set I don't really have much sympathy for them....That's a little blunt but we hope it doesn't disappoint people. We hope people understand that when the game's bought used we get cheated," he continued.

This is after the upcoming Raw vs. Smackdown 2011 will come with a one time code for online play. Meaning that if I buy the game, use the code, if/when I sell the game it will not be online.

This is NOT the first time this has happened. They did it earlier this year with the UFC game. EA Games has done it as well.

Personally I don't have a problem with this. From a business standpoint it makes sense. Take games that come with DLC at shipment. Dragonage for example came with certain DLC. If I sell my version of the game it won't come with that DLC.

THQ, EA or whatever makes no money on the resale. On the site, http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=261330, the responses made me laugh a bit. One person compared it to a used car. I see that to a certain extent. However I think that is a strange comparison. The DLC is that case is like the warranty you can buy. If I buy a used car I don't get that option and that could come back to haunt me. I see it as the same thing.

I don't understand buying used games anyway. Often you save 5 dollars. FIVE DOLLARS! Most of the time the DLC is worth the extra five bucks.

If you decide to buy a game used, which is your right, then you take the good with the bad. You saved yourself a few bucks but you don't get the rights as the original buyer.

Now I see some complaints like not being able to take the game to a friends house and playing online. My guess is that it is associated with your online tag so when you log in you gain access. If not...well tough shit. We as consumers created this problem and now we deal with. Or as the old folks would say we made our bed and now we sleep in it.

EDIT: Upon further investigation if you buy the used game you can BUY the code just like any DLC. So it is no different then Dragon Age or the Rock Band games ability to import old games songs.

Doctor Who

I just finished watching the 5th series of Doctor Who, the first starring Matt Smith. I've got to say...I am not happy. Nope, not happy at all. Matt Smith is playing the 11th Doctor and Amy Pond (played by Karen Gillan) plays the new companion. You also have Rory (played Arthur Darvill) and the returning River Song from the end of season 4. I really didn't like any of them.

Matt plays a strange version of the 10th doctor in my opinion. The rambling is the biggest thing. He is actually quite annoying most of the time.

Amy Pond is cute but again seems to be a weird mixed of the last companions. I feel like the mixed Rose and Donna together and out popped Pond.

Rory...well I kind of like Rory. But again he is just a weird version of Mickey. I much cooler version, but still I had a weird, been here done that feeling with the Rory/Doctor/Amy triangle.

Then you have River. I...um...I don't know what to think about River. She is an interesting plot device. As she's made more appearances I've become more interested in her. I am looking forward to the continued storyline.

The other big thing about this season was the departure of Russell T. Davies as the head writer and Steven Moffat taking that over. Now let me be clear I don't know either man's body of work other than Doctor Who. It didn't take much for me to get into the show with Davies or when they went from the 9th to the 10th Doctor.

With the 11th Doctor I just didn't feel it. The stories were missing something. The writing just wasn't at the same level. Maybe it is because Moffat was new. Maybe because Smith isn't at the same level of Eccleston or Tennant. I don't want it to sound like I am completely destroying the show. It was still entertaining. The weeping angels returned which was cool.

Overall I'm disappointed with the season and with #11. Hopefully next seasons picks up where the End of Time left off...although the absence of the Ood was a good thing...they are really creepy. Oh but the lack of Capt. Jack was NOT cool.

Updated Tool List

Updated on 8-18-2010. I have added the following people to my tool list:

Texas State Rep. Debbie Riddle, R-Tomball
Rep. Louie Gohmert

The Official Enough is Enough Tool List. I'll update this when I find a new tool to add to list.

Craig Kilborn
Paul Watson
Lars Ulrich
Texas State Rep. Debbie Riddle, R-Tomball
Rep. Louie Gohmert

More Colony stuff

I am getting caught up on the Colony. The show is fantastic as I've said before. Last week's episode brought up a good point, trust. Episode three introduced two new people to the colony and it changed things.

The big thing was the way the colony responded to the new people. The colony tell them they can stay in a house near them. Then when the new people, wisely, decided to start collecting stuff sitting around the colony gets a little pissy. They then start yelling that the newbies aren't staying in quarantine and taking their stuff. One guy, Jim, even tells George to go get his knives and threatens to cut the newbies up. In a word...AWESOME!

I honestly don't blame him at all. Hell I'm not sure I would trust the people I was first thrust in with. Why would I trust people I don't know. Maybe I'm just un-trusting, maybe I've seen too many movies but I wouldn't trust my own mother (as the saying goes) in an end of the world situation. I also wouldn't expect people to trust me. Hell I don't trust me. Its great to say I would be all about the team or what not but when push comes to shove would I? Knowing me I would to start off with...but then as things went along my anger and mistrust would most likely keep pushing me away. No matter what it would be good TV though that's for sure.

This week once again the teacher did NOTHING! She continues to be what I would call the weakest link of the group. George continues to be the guy who impresses me. This week he built a bellows and forge and started making tools.

The other thing that bugged me was when they wanted the newbies to go into quarantine at all. If it takes 12 hours to show signs of the nuclear flu then if they don't show signs it when they show up then they don't have it. Hello!

I just saw the end of the third episode and the colony just raided a warehouse with people in it. Oh how things change.

In episode 4 the burned one of the buildings down as a distraction. They see a guy grabbing stuff and they let this happen for HOURS! Finally they went out but man it took forever. And who's idea was it to stay in the house? My favorite person the teacher. Again I don't know how I would react in the given situation but I know how I would want to respond and that is to take that SOB out.

Now I won't spoil episode 4's ending but it was just what I expected to happen. I couldn't have wrote it better myself. I saw it coming and when it did I smiled. I am evil but they do an amazing job of making you come back for more. Discovery I applaud you!

I just finished reading "The New Dead" a zombie anthology. It has a series of zombie short stories in it from authors like Max Brooks, Tad Williams and others. Overall I would say it was interesting. It wasn't like World War Z or the Day by Day Armageddon books. Most of the zombie stories actually weren't zombies. Hell one had nothing to do with the undead actually. I'm still confused about that one.

I bought the book because it had a new World War Z universe story. I was actually disappointed with the story quite a bit. It wasn't written like WWZ and didn't have the same feel. Maybe it is true you can't go home again or revisit the past. Perhaps Max had lightning in a bottle when he did WWZ and he forgot to keep any for a sequel.

The anthology starts off slow but slowly picks up the pace. Most of the stories are new twists on the zombie idea. Some I liked others I didn't and there was only one that I thought was crap and I actually ended up skipping. It was mostly due to the strange writing style. Similar to the writing in the Road which is why I didn't like that either.

If you enjoy zombie stories, which I do, you should read this. I enjoyed Family Business, The Zombie who Fell from the Sky, My Dolly, Second Wind, Among Us (which I really liked the ending of the story), Ghost Trap, The Storm Door and Twittering from the Circus of the Dead. If you are a fan of WWZ you should read Closure as well. If you aren't don't let it taint you to one of my favorite books WWZ.

I hadn't read an anthology in a while, the last being one of Stephen King's collections of short stories. I don't usually don't like short stories because I like connection you get with a full novels characters. That is why I liked Family Business, the author of Patient Zero, and The Storm Door. They were written so that you connect with the characters quickly. Twittering is the same way but in a different way. It is done as a collection of tweets which is different but worked really well.

Again if you like zombies pick this up. I'll attach the link to BN.com (shameless plug) or even better go to your local BN or other book store and pick it up. Up next I think will be the squeal to Patient Zero " The Dragon Factory."

The Colony Episode 2

I'm watching the second episode of the Colony and I have a new hated person on the, the teacher Sian. She annoys the hell out of me. When they are going to go back to the dead pigs she flat out says hell no she is not going to go get the pigs. Then when one of the people who went, the model, needs to wash the rancid smell out of her hair she makes a big deal of out.

First off the washing of the hair is a psychological thing for some people. Hell if someone just went into a back of a semi trailer and pulled out rotting pigs the least you can do is let them wash their hair. Especially after not being willing to go themselves.

Right now besides that I don't have issues with anyone else. I am really surprised I am not annoyed by the model. I thought for sure she was going to be the one that annoyed me but so far she has done what she was needed.

Again I don't know how I would react and god willing I won't in real life. I would LOVE to go on the show and just fuck with people.

Someone, and I am sorry who said this, but someone I talked to said they would like to know the psychological damage that this does to someone and its a good point. While it isn't 'real' it has to slowly start to feel that way. Like when people start of associate with their kidnappers and things like that.

GOOD GRIEF! They just showed one of the guys kill a snake! Now a second snake! That is insane and awesome at the same time. Of course I wouldn't be doing that as I am ascared of snakes even worse than spiders.

The teacher just now asked if those were alligators...when talking about the snakes. I don't want her teaching my kids if she doesn't know the difference between the two.

Back to the snake thing though, I think its awesome they showed them killing the animals and them skinning and eating it. Last season I doubted some of the stuff they did but not as much this time.

Another thing I like about this week is that George doesn't look as much like a idiot. At the end of last weeks episode he was the one who took the worse beating. This week he was one of the group that went and got the pigs. He also created a 'spear' which caught one of the two snakes. Now he just helped set up what could end up being a major part of the generator.

Overall this week if I had to pick a weakest link it is the teacher. This week she did NOTHING useful. She helped build a bridge that didn't end up doing anything and that's it. Everyone else either helped get the pigs to make bio-diesel or went and hunted for food.

Overall this season seems much more 'real' to me. I think the bio-diesel thing is a stretch for people to know how to do but who knows maybe the crazy Cajun dude did know that. If you aren't watching get caught up because its a damn good show. Anyway back to reading "The New Dead" which so far isn't so good.

Until next time....abyssinia

Book review for Beyond Exile by J.L. Bourne

This is a brief review for the second in a zombie series by J. L. Bourne. The first is called Day By Day Armageddon.

I didn't enjoy the second book as much as I did the first book but it is still good. Much like the other reviewer I did miss the one or few against the world aspect of the first one. This one also got slightly bogged down half way through and took a little bit of time to pick up. The inclusion of Remote Six, while different, seemed to muddy the water a bit as it were. I also almost saw a bit of Fallout 3 included this time that was fun and also seemed to cheapen the book a bit. But that could just be the introduction of the "Glowing" ghouls. I would again recommend this to anyone that enjoys a good zombie book. It did make me look up every time I heard a noise while finishing this tonight. Next up is the New Dead which I'll review soon.

If you want to purchase the book head over to BN.com (shameless plug) or even better go to your local book store (BN or whatever) and keep the money in your 'community'. Don't lecture me on if it stays in the community atleast your sorta paying for someone's you might know. I'm trying to do a good thing and not be too hippish about it!

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Beyond-Exile/J-L-Bourne/e/9781439177525/?itm=2&USRI=beyond+exile