Mr. Costanza. Your legs have sustained extensive trauma. Apparently your body was in the state of advanced atrophy, due to a period of extreme inactivity. But with a lot of hard work and a little bit of luck, I think there’s a good chance you may, one day, walk again.
Sean, we’re all hoping for the best. hang in there buddy!
Now, who wants to go out for coffee?
Old parts out…
New parts in all their glory. Antec Three Hundred case next to the eVGA 8800GS
eVGA 8800GS, a cost-effective performer.
Antec Three Hundred front
Old case on the left, new case on the right. The Three Hundred made for a small size increase.
Three Hundred actually has a nice build inside, this picture does it no justice.
Donated parts mixed in with new parts—all freshly installed, ready for first power-on test.
Here’s a closer look, note that the Three Hundred adopts the bottom mounted power supply approach.
A very close look to examine the video card’s clearance.
Power-on checks out, and the Windows XP OS switched from Sean’s old nForce3 to the newer nForce4 with nary a complaint!
Grats Sean! Well done!
Dang gap in posts again! Well Kit and I are going to write a nice long post really soon about my summer computer upgrades. Sit tight.
…I love to pretend we have an audience!
We’ve just learned that Wrath is going to unveil a new game mechanic, “achievements”. According to a wow site:
The categories of achievements include PvP, PvE, world exploration, professions, and character development. Some are simple (give 10 hugs), some are very difficult (completing high-level raids). Additionally, there are “Feats of Strength,” very difficult or now-impossible achievements that don’t show up if unearned. The Feats are worth no points.
However, Blizzard plans to allow even more achievements:
Ewww…that was one gross silence we’ve had here recently, but now Kit and I are back from vacation, and I have some new goodies to show yah. While in the deep south I bought the Spore Creature Creator, the demo of sorts for the coming game, Spore. After some fiddling, Kit helped me to get the game working, as it had some troubles with updates at first, refusing to even start. Thanks Kit!
Anyway, I’ve gone on safari and discovered some cool new species of animal!
This omnivorous plains creature often travels in groups. These groups can consist of anywhere from 3 to 200 individuals. They commonly graze on grasses, berries, and nuts. When drought decreases foliage, Thunderbeaks have been seen preying on small ground mammals.
Avg. weight: 1200 lbs
Height: 6 feet at shoulder.
Lifespan: 20-26 years.
These low-set predators hide in the tall brush patrolled by thunderbeaks. If a thunderbeak becomes separated from its group, a gatormantid will lash out with its long, serrated claws, cutting the neck of the prey. If the thunderbeak manages to not get cut, the gatormantid will more than likely flee; their bodies are frail. Often gatormantids might seek out lizard-eyed ground parrots in favor of thunderbeaks.
Avg. weight: 350 lbs
Height: 3 feet at shoulder
Lifespan: 17-20 years.
The Arkrodon is one of the more outwardly impressive beasts in the grasslands. Herds of arkrodons usually consist of massive, sometimes multiple, family communities, easily reaching over 1000 individuals. The enormous population is due to the fact that arkrodons have no natural predators. They’re so large and heavily armored that gatormantids never dare to move too close to their hooves. Because of this, lizard-eyed ground parrots have found good protection by grooming arkrodons free of their parasites.
Avg. weight: 4500 lbs
Height: 10 to 11 feet.
Lifespan: 60-65 years.
Small, but crafty, these flightless birds have joined up with arkrodons for food in the form of parasitic meals, and protection from gatormantids. They are not very fast and otherwise easy targets for thunderbeaks as well as the nemisis from which they seek shelter. They have a call that sounds strangely like Gilbert Gottfried.
Avg. weight: 12 lbs
Height:12 to 16 inches.
Lifespan:10-12 years.
These critters are merely the start of my Spore career. Next I might try developing intelligent beings. Otherwise, so far, what was YOUR favorite? I myself am most pleased with how Arkrodon came out. I’ve had a creature design vaguely similar to that in my head for a few years now. I’m glad I finally got to display it. 
This is absolute metal.
Don’t know if this was really meant to be serious, but at any rate it’s funny
http://www.wowinsider.com/2008/06/26/a-look-at-the-geography-of-wow-from-interesting-08/
My Black Warhorse Rainsford is taking a long-needed break. He currently resides in my bank vault at Stormwind. In his place as my alternate ground mount, I have adopted a mighty war-elephant named Jumbo. Where the fierce, yet gentle-natured Jumbo treads, the earth trembles and the waters quake. The very skies broadcast his powerful reverberating footfalls for many miles out of pure respect.
Also, Rutherford, my Dragonhawk recently hit 70. With one last slot to fill with a protege, I went to obtain a creature that had JUST become tamable: A certain Druid I know.
There is a clear sign when someone is taking World of Warcraft WAY too seriously. Many would say that it is when a person or group of people, while in a battleground, are constantly trying to orchestrate elaborate strategic attack plans over the battleground chat. It is on this that I’d like to set some concise guidelines. I am an avid supporter of the use of teamwork in a battleground, but I certainly do not take WoW that seriously. It is not the planners that are to blame. It is the planners that, when teamwork fails, constantly swear, curse, and insult everyone around them. When anyone who doesn’t follow your plan is a “f—ing idiot,” I think it is very important to log out for a while, and go do something else. The fact that anyone who presents an attack plan is almost always considered to be one of these psychos saddens me a great deal, especially since, when planning is executed correctly, victory can be quite easy to attain.
I was in a Warsong Gulch battle the other day. When the marker stated one minute to battle, I suggested over battle-chat that there be a group of volunteers for defense of the flag, and that the rest go on offense. Someone said that it was a good idea, and I quickly had a pallidan, a rogue, and another hunter helping me to keep the flagroom clear. I find that a good defensive group consists of
A) At least 2 hunters for traps and concussive shot, wing-clip, and scattershot reasons, plus tracking.
B) A healing class (Specced for healing.)
C) Druids, as they can fit any of these classes to a decent degree.
D) And a Shaman for their totems and/or a rogue for their good ambushing tactics.
In the WSG that I suggested the defensive group, we beat the Horde mercilessly for a stunning 3 to 0 victory.
Today, I was in another Warsong Gulch. This time, when I asked if there was a set of defensive volunteers, there was silence for a few seconds, followed by just one response. “Are you serious?” Instead of replying to this answer with grievous insults toward their intelligence, I responded with “Ummmm…I guess not.” I was not about to get into a huge argument over Warsong Gulch tactics with this person, especially because I knew that from their initial reply alone they had absolutely no intention of following any ideas I had, no matter how persuasive an argument I provided. There was 30 seconds to show time and I simply said “We’ll just wing it then. :P.” The following battle was like something out of the Leeroy Jenkins video. The Horde destroyed us with the usual 0 to 3 win on their part. It would have even been better if the Horde had a plan of their own, but apparently they didn’t, as I picked up their flag three times, and each time no one was defending it. The only reason I didn’t make it back was because none of my comrades even tried to heal me as the enemy players closed in on all sides. I actually saw a priest ride up in front of me when I had less than half-health, fully shielded yet still with mana, and they attacked another Horde player far behind me with a smite instead of trying to heal me or sheild me. While any addict of WoW would be screaming until they were blue in the mouth, I simply took it as a disappointing turn of events.
When losing a battleground, I’ll sometimes say something like “dang” or “better luck next time guys.” I always try to remember that it is a GAME. I can get annoyed, I can be irritated with the behavior of others, but I’m fairly certain that my life does not actually hang in the balance. I just wish that the people who assume planners are irrational addicts could see that it is actually because of them that planning often goes bad for alliance. It is the people stating “Are you serious?” that cause others to say the same thing time and time again. It is a sad and disappointing cycle. World of Warcraft may just be a game, but that doesn’t mean we have to suck at it. We can have teamwork and still be totally rational about it.
I don’t think that Alliance can’t win at any battleground. I know it is simply a matter of happening to land in a battleground with the right people. If I may paraphrase Jerry Seinfeld, “Battleground’s a gamble. I know that going in.” So don’t get upset with people who refuse to follow tactical suggestion, as becoming upset with them will simply perpetuate the problem. Take it as a game, and simply try again with another group in the next battle. Unlike real life, there’s always another battle.
Here, Llylo is a shining example of someone who takes WoW too seriously. Insulting your teammates won’t make them suddenly say “Oh! Ok, let’s do what you say!” P.S. I feel sorry for Nuaria.
Also, Owenkris proves that they too, need to take a break from World of Warcraft to the point that they can barely maintain coherency while typing.
