It would have been nice if Cooper Lawrence had done some valid research before she went on television and accused Mass Effect of containing "frontal nudity and explicit depictions of sexual activity," but we all make mistakes and I respect that she was able to admit hers.

~tod

email: Do we really need 10 [or heaven forbid more] emails replying "me to" or +1?

Huh?

~tod

EA Calls Fox Out on "Insulting" Mass Effect Inaccuracies

Here's the show if you're curious: Keighley Sets Mass Effect Record Straight... Or Tries To

Specifically, I like that in his letter Jeff Brown, V.P. of Communications at Electronic Arts, asks Fox to correct the factual errors in the show versus a demand or legal threat. Pretty classy. And regarding the show...give me a break, other than the last guy that speaks, Cooper Lawrence [the psychology specialist] and the panel members are completely clueless.

Here's my take....

First of all, the ESRB ratings are there for a reason. Parents, use them.

Secondly, the scene that I found on YouTube [search it yourself if you really want to see it] was more mild than stuff I've seen on primetime TV which gets a much, much broader audience.

Thirdly, I've played Mass Effect for 35+ hours and haven't seen even the side of an alien boob, let alone "full digital nudity" or sex.

Finally, the game is a role-playing game. That means the choices you make affect the things that happen. You might never even get the chance to view the scene in question.

~tod

PS: I like Penny Arcade's take on it [their article].

I admit, this book wasn't on my radar...at all. I hadn't heard of Matthew Reilly or his previous works.  But then the world of the internet decided to intervene into my happy, little life. Leah Wasielewski, a marketing manager from Simon and Schuster, sent me an email 5 weeks ago asking about a possible book promotion. I almost insta-deleted the email because it was addressed to 'Dear Dirty Dog Stink" which is spam 99.9% of the time. It was obviously a form letter, but something about it made me read further.

Leah...here's some constructive criticism: It would have been nice if you had taken the time to find out my real name [not very hard since I sign every single post] and address the email properly.

Oh well, I read the email and did a quick search on the book and author. I really enjoy thriller/spy novels so the material looked interesting enough for me to reply to her with "ok, I'll bite." In a nutshell, she sent me the book (for free) and I made the time to read it. So here are my thoughts....

My review is going to seem harsh, but I actually enjoyed and recommend the book. Odd perhaps, but oh well. Honestly it just didn't grab me from the start. I had to force myself to read the first 100 pages, mostly due to my verbal [email?] commitment.

As to why I had to force myself, well primarily because it felt like I was being spoon fed all of the facts and details. Matthew's writing style is very direct and detailed, but doesn't really seem to use the reader's imagination. Kind of like reading a history book.

For instance, everyone had a codename. Everyone. Or more like...everyone? Does everyone really need a codename? Keeping 10+ characters straight can be tough enough without having to decipher a codename for every single one of them. This was more of a chore for me than an enjoyable story attribute. I almost opened up Excel and created a pivot table to keep track of who's who.

Also, there are some pretty implausible and unbelievable storylines [that I won't reveal] that just made me groan out loud with something like "what freakish world is he living in where that would ever be possible?" Remember this is supposed to be based [at least loosely] on reality, similar to Robert Ludlum. Super combat skills, that's cool. Cutting edge weapons, sweet. Uber-tech gadgets, awesome. [Plot line I won't reveal goes here], wtf?

Interestingly enough, this writing characteristic is even called out on his Wikipedia entry.

Reilly is well known for his style of writing, which focuses entirely on Hollywood-style action scenes, relegating drama and character development to second priority.

Now having said what I disliked I must admit that it took awhile, but I finally became invested in the characters and wanted to know what happened to each of them. Once I got used to his writing style and accepted the fact that that was just the way it was going to be, I really started enjoying the story.

In a nutshell, I would describe this as a light, somewhat spoon-fed, yet enjoyable thriller. It's like watching Die Hard versus The Departed...both enjoyable movies, but very different experiences. So I recommend the book, but with a qualifying statement that you suspend some of your reality-checkism [hey, new word!] and just enjoy the story. Like going to see a Jackie Chan flick [which I love!].

Full disclosure: I did not purchase this book. It was provided to me free of charge by Leah Wasielewski of Simon and Schuster who asked that I review the book here. Clear enough for ya?

Bonus: For those of you who actually read this far, I'll mail my copy of the book to the first person who emails me. Completely free. I'll even pay for the shipping [only in the continental U.S.]. Yes, I'm paying it forward. I got to read it for free, as will one of you [the 3 or 4 non-family readers ]. Enjoy!

~tod

PS: Of course I did a search for Leah online to find out who I was dealing with and lo and behold, I found this. I'm sure she'll appreciate my link to it. Ha! You never know what you'll get when publicizing outside of the mainstream.

This video about a dotcom-idea-gone-bad is too funny not to share. Especially for those of us who worked in the industry during that time. I realize it's a few years old (2003), but I hadn't seen it until this week (via Good URL Bad URL). Enjoy!

The scene about the misprinted t-shirts is spot on!

~tod

life: Whining gets you attention, but not the type you wanted.

Huh?

~tod

gym: January join a gym...February cancel the gym membership and call the plastic surgeon.

Huh?

~tod

Clever. Dare I say, almost as funny as the Get a Mac ads.

• Home Sweet Server? (video) - "You don't strike me as somebody that's very, uh, smart."
• Clash of the Generations (video) - "Kids should lose files. It teaches them a lesson. Life is hard and cruel."
• Dueling Experts (video) - "Everyone gets a cup."
• Mommy, Why is There a Server in the House? (book) - "Offices are why big people get grumpy, and say bad words."

Now if only some of the other Microsoft product groups will follow suit with entertaining, non-insulting [dinosaurs anyone?] advertising!

~tod

PS: The product itself, Windows Home Server, is also getting rave reviews.

life: FYI, resolutions can be made year round...unless you really prefer to procrastinate until next New Year's resolution bandwagon.

Huh?

~tod

Throughout any given day I come across situations or observations that amuse or frustrate me. After such situations, I often think to myself "I should write about that," but I don't have [ok ok...'make'] the time to do so.

As soon as I think about writing it down it becomes a burden. First I feel like I need to describe the situation so you will understand any context. Seriously, sometimes context makes or breaks a story. After setting it up comes the easy part...the punch line [aka: my observation]. But then I often feel like I need to explain why I felt that way or what about the scene generated that observation because I don't want things to be taken wrong or out of context. Then I start to wonder if it will be anyway which leads to me bagging the idea all together.

There ya go...my complete thought process from having great idea to not writing about aforementioned great idea. One of the reasons excuses I have for not writing more. And just to be clear, I really enjoy writing. It's one of the big reasons I'm still doing this blog thing after 4 years, but let's face it...I don't get paid for it and it really does take time.

Anyway, here's my bright idea...one-liners!

one · lin · er [wuhn-lahy-ner] -noun

• A single sentence or phrase that describes an observation made by me.
• Observations made about anything and everything: life, work, driving, software, meetings, email, sports, etc.
• It reduces a long diatribe describing the situation, context, impressions, perceptions and responses to a single, simple phrase.
• Removes blame [and hopefully the part where I look like an asshole] by not mentioning people who could otherwise be hurt by my cynical thorough observations.
• Easily consumable, yet [hopefully] informative and entertaining.

Some say I have a cynical view of the world around me, but I prefer to call it realistic. Of course, my perspective is subject to my own inflections, experiences, knowledge and insights which should make them perfectly unacceptable for social consumption. Keep your eyes open for my one liners on dirtyDogStink!

~tod